HACKED 68

Is it possible to fall in love with someone whose face you have never seen and whose voice you have never heard?

Ting!

[<Mountain Hero>(★★★★★) Descended!]

[Compiler <User Myeong 808>, congratulations on obtaining your first 5-star Incarnation.]

A blue hologram screen floated in front of the panel in the central command room. Several lines of text rose quickly across it. Looking at the name <User Myeong 808>, the man thought.

‘Is his last name Yoo? What are the numbers behind it?’

The thought ended there. He soon withdrew his interest.

‘That name is damnably strange.’

Everything was unfamiliar. The square, pure-white space that was excessively large for him to be in alone, his body that still felt awkward, and even the chillingly settled air.

Ting!

[Achievement: ‘Five Stars’ Unlocked!]

[Achievement: ‘Obtained over 50 types of Korean-origin Incarnations’ Unlocked!]

[Title: ‘Jass-ga-ri-u-geot-deun-man-ga-ri-u’ obtained!]

[Would you like to apply the title right now? Yes / No]

[>Yes< / No]

The letters appeared one by one as if being typed, constantly filling the screen. Every time they did, a white dot was pecked onto the screen, and small ripples formed in concentric circles around that dot. It was as if an invisible hand had touched the surface of a calm lake. Once the ripples formed, the letters soon vanished.

The man’s gaze, focused to the extreme with even his breathing halted, moved along the ripples. On the amber pupils of the one who imitated a human form but was not human, the artificial blue light of the liquid crystal seeped in.

[Tip: You can obtain a formation bonus by organizing a unit with Incarnations that share the same attributes. Try placing compatible Incarnations together to gain powerful bonuses.]

[Tip: You can apply up to 5 desired titles in the ‘Settings’ ― ‘Change Profile’ menu. Applied titles are visible to other Compilers as well.]

The Incarnation <Mountain Hero> stood blankly with one hand resting on the hilt of his sword, watching the monitor. Until no more new text rose up.

˙✧˖°🎮 ⋆｡˚

It did not take long for the perception of <User Myeong 808>, the Compiler, to change from ‘that name is strange’ to ‘just everything is strange’.

In the white, wide space called the ‘central command room’, <Mountain Hero> was usually always alone. When he went out for battle or exploration, he inevitably had to take turns with other Incarnations, but once the given mission was over, the Compiler unerringly called him back again.

What he looked like, how old he was, or even whether he was alive or dead, the Compiler had no physical form. However, he certainly existed. Though he could neither be seen nor heard, <Mountain Hero> could feel the Compiler’s presence very strongly. It felt as if soul and soul were directly connected.

That did not mean, however, that he could communicate with the Compiler. The Compiler’s commands were always brief and one-sided. ‘Move to the central command room’, ‘Go out to the battlefield through the gate’, ‘Attend combat training’. Revelations that came down unexpectedly like oracles were pierced into his head. That was all.

[Welcome, Compiler <User Myeong 808>.]

The Compiler was not always here. Since he had no form, it was unknown exactly where he was or how he came, but he would be absent for more than half a day before ‘logging in’. The blue light entering the panel that had been turned off black and the ripples spreading and sparkling like sunlight reflecting on water were the evidence that he had logged in.

[There are ‘6’ unconfirmed mail items. -> Check now]

[Production of ‘Steel Ingot’ has been completed in the Smelting Room. -> Go now]

[Production of ‘Amulet of Protection (Medium)’ has been completed in the Mystic Workshop. -> Go now]

[Recovery of <Bloodless Dokkaebi> has been completed in the Recovery Room. -> Go now]

The Compiler’s routine was constant. As soon as he logged in, he checked the mailbox first. After that, he received reports that had piled up while he was away and gave new tasks to the Incarnations who had finished their respective work. Occasionally, he directed facility upgrades or Incarnation strengthening.

That was the universal daily routine, but every now and then, the Compiler’s login time became shorter or longer. At times, he entered at a late hour, checked only important notifications, and vanished. At other times, he stayed quite long and meticulously examined various pieces of information.

<Mountain Hero> observed that pattern every day. While doing so, he naturally became curious. What was the difference between when he stayed briefly and when he stayed long, when he would come again next time, what he was doing and where when he was not logged in… just what kind of existence are you.

But there was no way to ask. The only action permitted to him was waiting. He waited and waited endlessly for the counterpart who might not come, and even if he did, would leave soon. Like a young beast imprinted on the first subject it saw.

Whirrr….

The blue light reflected and flickered in the eyes of <Mountain Hero>, who stood tall in one spot like a well-made statue. Lights began to come onto the panel one by one.

“…Ah.”

He lifted his head without realizing it.

[Welcome, Compiler <User Myeong 808>.]

[There are ‘2’ unconfirmed mail items. -> Check now]

What story should I tell. Will my voice even reach you. Even if it is delivered… you who are as distant as a star and as sparkling as a star, would you even pay attention to my words.

“It is past two in the morning; what are you doing not sleeping until this hour? I am nocturnal, so it does not matter to me, but Master. As a rule, a person should sleep at night and move during the day.”

Even as he spoke, he had no certainty. Could that light even be called a ‘person’?

“There is always someone who loses their senses and wanders around the foot of the mountain in the middle of the night only to be bitten by a beast. Then they go on about how scary tigers are or whatever, but honestly, isn’t it their own fault? I am saying, why go on a night hike in the first place. If you had crawled back into your house promptly when the sun went down, such a thing would not have happen—”

Before his words could even finish, a wave of light occurred on the hologram screen in front of him. His speech was cut off. He could know instinctively. The Compiler ‘skipped’ his words.

‘Skip’ was one of the pieces of knowledge injected into him as he descended here. Something he had never actually spoken aloud and had never heard another person say, yet naturally knew from the beginning.

‘This bastard?’

<Mountain Hero> stared intently into the air glowing with a blue color resembling the dawn sky.

“The blade will rust. How long do you intend to keep me standing here like a sack of barley. If it is going to be like this, rather send me out to the battlef—”

His words were cut off again by a will forcibly injected into his head. A fierce smile hung at the corners of <Mountain Hero>’s mouth.

“No, Master. Just where did you get the manners to cut off another’s words so carelessly—”

Whether he even heard his words or not, ripples occurred in succession over the hologram. Whether it was just a feeling or not, the light seemed to flicker a bit more irritably than usual.

[Do you really want to quit? Yes / No]

[>Yes< / No]

[Logging out….]

“…Look at that.”

Soon, the lighting that had been faintly illuminating the panel turned off. <Mountain Hero> became dazed. It was so absurd he did not even get angry.

‘He fled? He fled just because I nagged a bit? Not even a minute after coming?’

“I see all kinds of ridiculous bastards.”

He muttered through gritted teeth. His canines, sharp compared to a human’s, were briefly revealed, and veins stood out on the back of his tightly clenched hand. But that too was only for a moment; the strength in his entire body drained away.

“Ha….”

He sat leaning against the wall, irritably unbuckling the sword he had been wearing at his waist and tossing it aside. He felt no need to wear a sword when there was no Compiler to look good for and no reason to go into battle. To think this was the only result of being stuck in the command room all day, waiting while looking only at a turned-off screen.

His own state was laughable. What on earth was he doing. Neither a fanatic blinded by faith nor a boy burning with agony over a first love would be more pathetic than this.

At the same time, he became anxious. Did the Compiler’s mood turn sour because of my words? Did he leave as if running away at a much earlier time than usual because it was unbearably unpleasant?

‘When will the next login be? In half a day? In a full day? Tomorrow? The day after?’

Or if not that, perhaps. Just perhaps….

‘What if he never returns?’

The moment he thought that, <Mountain Hero> became crazily anxious. He wanted to bring the Compiler back before his eyes even if it meant turning back time.

He wanted to kneel before the formless cluster of light and beg. At the same time, he wanted to draw his sword and slash that existence. He did not know if slashing light would deal any blow, but he felt as if he could not endure it unless he slashed it.

Other Incarnations did not seem to feel these emotions. Everyone accepted and followed the fact that the Compiler could not be seen and his voice could not be heard as something natural. Only <Mountain Hero> was curious about him, hated him, and longed for him.

Why was that? Because <Mountain Hero> had consistently served in the role of upholding the Compiler’s Myeong-ryeong from the closest distance? Because his spirituality was high in proportion to his high rarity? Or because he was fundamentally a mutant that was wrong somewhere?

If it was going to be like this, why did you tie me to this room the whole time and make me play the role of a secretary I wasn’t destined for. What is the point of possessing me if you are going to neglect me?

Claiming to be a Master while not showing even a hair of yourself, making me look like such a ridiculous fool, you hateful….

It was miserable. He raised his hands and rubbed his face several times before burying his face in his palms. A single word came to his mind.

Unrequited love.

What was this if not a terribly cruel unrequited love?