HACKED 34

“Is this right?”

The Incarnation of <IsItPresbyopiaCrap> let out a sigh. Beside him, a comrade shook his head.

“I don’t know.”

“How are we supposed to win against an opponent that even the 1st Unit couldn’t beat? It makes no sense.”

They belonged to the newly dispatched 2nd Unit after the 1st Unit had been annihilated. Naturally, their stats and equipment were inferior to those of the 1st Unit.

“Aren’t they just pushing us into a death trap to die?”

“It’s the Master’s command. We have to obey regardless.”

“Damn it.”

They walked toward the hyper-dimensional gate with gloomy faces. Although they were walking in step while fully armed, their morale had already dropped as low as it could go. It was a sight that could never be called a “march.”

“What about the Damnatio Memoriae? Half of them would have invaded that side, and half would have invaded ours.”

“Oh, those? You know they’re small fry not even worth a punch. I heard the guys standing guard swept them all away long ago.”

“They are indeed weak enough to not even worry about.”

If the Damnatio Memoriae that invaded their home base had been strong, at least then… they could have made an excuse to get out of it. Something like not having the luxury to cross over to someone else’s Pantheon because they were busy dealing with those bastards.

However, the enemies appearing from the dimension called “Abandoned Michuhol-gu Neural Network Transplant Research Building Area C-113” were far too weak for that. They were weak enough to be dealt with by 1-star or 2-star Incarnations alone.

There is no excuse to run away, and no corner to retreat to. All that remains is the charge. Specifically, a charge with an extremely high probability of failure.

“Haaaaa….”

As if they had planned it, they sighed at the same time. Anxiety deepened even further on everyone’s faces.

“The guys in the 1st Unit, their personalities were trash, but their skills were the real deal, weren’t they? They never failed a ‘hunt’ until now, and they even had the Knight trait so they got stronger the more they gathered. Those guys were wiped out in an instant? Just what kind of guys did they fight, and how?”

“How should we know? They were annihilated before they could even send a scouting report from that side.”

“Could it be… that there’s a 5-star Incarnation at this home base?”

One of the unit members proposed a hypothesis. At those words, everyone made an ambiguous expression. They tried to snort as if it were nonsense, but froze stiffly midway and became neither one thing nor the other…. It was an expression that showed they were terrified to the limit, no matter who looked.

“Hey, no way.”

“That makes no sense. How could a 5-star, which we don’t even have in our Pantheon yet, be in a place like this?”

“Right. The Compiler here is a rookie with short experience and no knowledge, isn’t he?”

“Do you guys… still believe that?”

Someone muttered gloomily. The other unit members, who had been whispering amongst themselves, fell silent.

“Please wake up, you idiots. That rookie with no experience and no knowledge killed every single one of our elite units. Our Master’s judgment was dead wrong. The guys here are much stronger than us. Grasp the situation, will you?”

“……”

“……”

Everyone knew it in their heads. How could they not know? It was just that they didn’t want to admit that they too were destined to die soon, so they engaged in escapism even while knowing the truth.

After that, there was only a silence filled with despair. Everyone walked in a silence that felt as if their mouths had been locked.

That silence was broken when they crossed the gate and reached the entrance of the opponent’s Pantheon, which, for some reason, had no defenses or guards.

“…Wait a minute.”

One of the unit members raised a hand and pointed inside.

Unlike <IsItPresbyopiaCrap>’s Pantheon, which consisted of antique hardwood walls and floors, this place was pure white in every direction. It looked like a spaceship or an aircraft carrier, and it also looked like a huge hospital.

The Great Library of <IsItPresbyopiaCrap> was filled here and there with paintings, statues, tapestries, carpets, and fireplaces hanging on the walls. On the other hand, this place was empty throughout the space because there were almost no decorations or furniture. It was just unnecessarily wide. Despite the lighting being turned on brightly, a strange eeriness was felt.

In the middle of that, there was an ominous stain that stood out even more because the interior was white.

It wasn’t blood. It was an acidic, sticky form of toxic substance, and a mysterious mucus that gave off a foul odor. It was something that came from the enemies of the “Abandoned Michuhol-gu Neural Network Transplant Research Building Area C-113.”

“It looks like there are still Damnatio Memoriae here?”

“What?”

“Isn’t that the trace of a guy killed a long time ago?”

“No. It passed through here just a moment ago.”

The mucus seemed to have just flowed. It was even to the point that steam was still rising from the surface.

“Uh?”

the 2nd Unit members came to a dead stop. Their heads went blank in a sense different from before.

“Isn’t this, well… doesn’t this make no sense? If they are strong enough to annihilate our 1st Unit, they should have swept away these weak small fries long ago.”

“Didn’t they put it off until later because they were focused on fighting the Incarnations from our side?”

“No way. The longer you let the Damnatio Memoriae break in and roam around the home base, the more of a loss it is. These bastards damage and corrode the entire Pantheon just by wandering around. Then the power system gets damaged….”

“Unless the Compiler here is a true psycho who likes suicide and slaughter at the same time.”

The situation was full of things that couldn’t be understood.

Why is the Pantheon entrance, which should have been wrapped in all sorts of defense systems, wide open with nothing? Why can’t any enemy scouts or sentries be seen? Why is the Damnatio Memoriae, which should have been killed as soon as it invaded this place, still wandering around alive?

And… why was the 1st Unit wiped out in an instant in such a place, without even the luxury of exchanging communication with the home base?

“Wait.”

One unit member, who was particularly sensitive to presence, put a hand to his mouth. Everyone held their breath at once.

A strange presence was felt beyond the wall. The Incarnations of this Pantheon…. Are they the ones who wiped out the 1st Unit? Did they notice the presence of the strangers who invaded their home base and come to kill the 2nd Unit as well?

“Grrrk, grrrrk….”

Along with the presence getting closer, a bizarre sound was heard. The sound of moving while thumping all around without any intention of hiding the presence. And even a strange crying sound.

“It seems… it’s not an Incarnation?”

“Is it the Damnatio Memoriae?”

“The guy who left the poison liquid and went away earlier?”

Those who had been tensed to the limit let out a long breath all at once. It was just for a moment, but they really thought they were going to die like this.

“Ha, I got scared for nothing.”

“What should we do? Shall we kill it?”

“Do we have to take care of even the small fries that invaded the enemy camp for them? In a situation where it’s hard enough to keep our own lives?”

“It’ll be troublesome if it draws aggro during the really important battle if we leave it alone.”

“Tsk…. Fine.”

They reached an agreement after a brief debate. First, to quickly dispose of that Damnatio Memoriae.

It was an unwanted service, but it couldn’t be helped. This was enemy territory and they were intruders. To avoid being caught by the unidentified enemy, they had to kill their presence as much as possible and infiltrate. As much as they lacked information on the terrain and structure, they needed to be even more cautious.

In such a situation, what if the Damnatio Memoriae discovered them and cried out loudly? The effort to sneak in would all go down the drain. Not to mention drawing the enemy’s attention.

“There’s no need for several people to step forward to catch guys like this. I’ll handle it.”

A unit member holding a crossbow stepped forward with a confident attitude. The others watched his back. Expecting a scene where thick bolts would be fired in succession to cut off the breath of those inferior things.

However, the crossbowman who went forward did not budge. At first, they thought he was doing that to get a steady aim, but no matter how much time passed, he was just pinned to one spot.

“What are you doing not shooting?”

A comrade, unable to bear it, asked. Only after a few more seconds had passed did the crossbowman respond.

“Huh?”

“What’s with that stupid sound?”

That “Huh?” became the crossbowman’s last word. Because his entire body was crushed in an instant by the enemy that rushed in with a bizarre crying sound.

“……”

The silence was very brief. The panicked unit members each started screaming.

“What? What is it!”

“Is that… the Damnatio Memoriae that invaded here? No way.”

“I’ve never seen anything like that….”

“Aaaargh!”

The entire space soon became a scene of carnage. Blood and mucus were mixed and sprayed on the walls. On top of that, the screams of those in pain were layered like decorations.

A while after that. In the book at <IsItPresbyopiaCrap>’s Pantheon, these words would come to be carved.

<The Second Unit> has been annihilated. (Location: <UserMyeong808>’s Pantheon)

Since there are no members capable of action, the battle is automatically stopped.

˙✧˖°🎮 ⋆｡˚

“Huh?”

That was the first thing I said as soon as I heard the report from the twins who had come back after taking a lap outside.

It sounds a bit dazed, but it couldn’t be helped. Anyone would be like that. If they heard that the enemy they had been bracing themselves to fight had been annihilated before even approaching this far.

“Hu-hu-huh? Really? Did they really all die?”

Chirpy, who was perched on my shoulder, showed a similar reaction a beat late. Hmm, seeing that fellow makes me feel relieved. At least I’m not the biggest fool here. There’s someone even more dazed than me.

“Yeah. We didn’t even have to do anything.”

“Some were on the 1st floor, some were on the 5th floor.”

“There were some gathered together, but mostly they were scattered.”

Children with hair and eyes the color of steel clung to each of my sides and whispered. My mind was spinning from the sound of them chattering alternately.

“Scattered… you mean they died separately?”

At my question, the children rolled their eyes thoughtfully. Silver eyes without distinction between iris and pupil wandered in the air, then turned back toward me.

“Yes, that’s also true, but.”

“The bodies themselves were also scattered.”

“The head, the body, the arms, and the legs.”

“The stomachs were split wide open and the things inside were….”

“Urrgh.”

Chirpy blocked both sides of his head with both wings.

“Stop, please stop! I’m weak to this kind of talk!”

“Chirp chirp, did you have ears too? Is that the ear?”

“Just imagining it is so horrible…. If I hear more, I might have nightmares tonight! Sniff.”

“Right, well. Kids, you heard him, right? He says he’s scared. I roughly understood too, so you don’t have to say more.”

What should I call this feeling? The feeling of having applied all sorts of buffs, downed enhancement potions, and even stood by with skills cast to deal explosive damage the moment the enemy enters range, but the enemy just stepped on a trap at the entrance and died “ack” before even coming to me?

“Was it not that the opponent on our side was too strong?”

San Gun, who had been listening quietly, cut in abruptly. It was a voice that was low and deeply sunken.