Chapter 10

10.

Lee Han stabbed the ground with the ultrasonic sword and, running along the creature's feet, slashed deeper into the wound.

A terrifying scream echoed, but he paid it no mind. If he didn't kill it, he would die. Perhaps due to an excessive surge of adrenaline, he was not in his right mind.

Kwaang!

Finally, the wall shattered, and as Lee Han faced the creature's face, he quickly leaped to the side. It was a feeling that he had to do so.

And that instinct was right.

The moment he leaped, the creature's sharp teeth bit into everything in that spot.

The urge to run away surged within him, but where could he run? Lee Han cursed repeatedly in his mind as he leaped again. With the help of the Steel Armor, he jumped to a considerable height and plunged the ultrasonic sword into the creature's left eye.

Kwajik!

“Kieeek!”

He had no time to pull out the sword. At that moment, the creature's uninjured right foot struck his upper body.

“Kuh-huh!”

The powerful impact sent Lee Han flying, crashing into a corner of the commander's room.

“Cough! Cough!”

He felt a bitter taste fill his mouth, but he struggled to maintain his balance. The enemy was all around. He couldn't lie down just because he was injured. Not if he didn't want to die.

He was amazed at how fiercely he had fought and how strong his survival instinct was.

Tik! Tik!

Checking the signal on his visor, he found that the Steel Armor was malfunctioning, and the battery was almost depleted.

It seemed the Steel Armor had broken, damaging the circuits. Or perhaps the remaining battery was drained from lifting and throwing the heavy pillar. In this situation, did it matter what the cause was? Knowing the cause wouldn't recharge the depleted battery.

‘Damn, things are going from bad to worse. Just great.’

Despite this, Lee Han looked at the Kraktu that had attacked him. Fortunately, it seemed to be its last desperate attack, as it lay on the ground, twitching and breathing heavily.

‘At least I survived, right?’

The creature was dying, and though he was in a terrible state, he had survived.

“How many minutes?”

“1 minute. 1 minute remains.”

“Damn! Still 1 minute?”

Kieeek! Kieek!

As soon as Lee Han spoke, more Kraktu appeared from behind the broken wall. There were more than just a few.

“I can't believe I'm going to die like this.”

At that moment, a very desperate message appeared on his visor.

Pishuut!

The Steel Armor, which had been attached, detached and fell off. If it had remained attached and the power had gone out, he wouldn't have been able to move, so this seemed to be a safety measure.

It couldn't have been more perfectly timed. The Kraktu were swarming, and the Steel Armor's functions stopped just then.

It was as if the packaging had been kindly removed to make it easier for them to eat.

They were feeding him like a spoon-fed baby. Lee Han roughly tore off the remaining parts of the Steel Armor.

He still wore the helmet that protected his breathing apparatus.

Kung! Kung!

“Kieek!”

“Kieek!”

Lee Han saw the Kraktu charging at him.

‘Ha...’

He had resisted with the advanced civilization's technology, but now he couldn't resist anymore. Naturally, he couldn't avoid them either. Without the Steel Armor, he would be within the creature's attack range no matter where he went.

‘What a grand nightmare.’

He was so terrified that he almost wet his pants, but thinking of it as a nightmare made his mind a bit more at ease. He already knew it was impossible.

The Kraktu's foul stench and clearly unhygienic teeth were vividly in his sight.

‘It's going to hurt a lot.’

He tried not to close his eyes in the last moments of his life, but it seemed he couldn't.

Just as he closed his eyes tightly, he felt someone grab him. Being almost defenseless, he was helplessly dragged in that direction.

The Kraktu's mouth, which had been about to tear him apart, bit into nothing but air.

Kwajik!

At the same time, the sound of a fabric tearing violently echoed.

Chaaak!

Kieeek!

“Commander!”

It was a sound that made him want to cry with relief. A human voice was sweeter than any heavenly music. He had never heard heavenly music, but still.

In any case, Lee Han suddenly came to his senses and looked at the man who had grabbed him. It was Billy. The black skin reflected in his visor looked so beautiful. Ha! He never thought he would fall for a man.

“Can you survive if you fight hard enough?”

“Damn it! Just hold on for 1 more minute, no, 30 seconds!”

“Understood!”

Billy placed Lee Han behind him and began slashing at the Kraktu with the ultrasonic sword. Seeing Billy, who fought far better than himself, Lee Han felt both relief and admiration.

However, the crisis was not over.

More Kraktu began pouring in from the hole in the ceiling.

Kieek!

Kieek!

“Damn pests!”

As Billy spoke with a stern expression, a human voice echoed from a distance.

“Commander!”

Lee Han looked in the direction of the voice and saw Erio and a few surviving soldiers running towards him. Feeling a bit of strength from their presence, he shouted loudly.

“Hold them off! Just a little longer! Somehow!”

“Understood!”

With Erio and the others joining, the situation improved, but if it continued, they would all be wiped out by the Kraktu.

“Aaaah!”

Sure enough, another unfortunate soldier screamed.

Lee Han, with a mix of urgency and anger, shouted.

“Hey! Hasn't 3 minutes passed yet?”

“Deploying a gas lethal to the Kraktu.”

Pishuuuut!

Wait a moment! If it's an acidic substance, won't I die too without the Steel Armor's protection?

He wanted to ask, but the insane AI had already deployed the gas.

He suddenly felt dizzy.

With a resigned expression, Lee Han closed his eyes.

If dying this way or that way was the same, he should have just died quickly. No need to suffer. This was the craziest nonsense he had ever heard.

*

“Commander! Commander!”

Lee Han came to his senses with a splitting headache as someone roughly shook his shoulders.

“Ugh!”

“Commander! Are you okay?”

‘Am I alive? This can't be a dream within a dream; this must be a harsh reality.’

He wanted to avoid this situation. Massaging his temples, he closed his eyes and replied.

“I must still be alive since I can hear you asking if I'm okay.”

“It was quite dangerous.”

Erio, supporting Lee Han's upper body, replied.

Lee Han, massaging his head, frowned.

“It must have been. So, what about the Kraktu?”

Billy answered calmly.

“They all died from the gas developed by the super AI you named ‘War.’ We confirmed and killed any surviving or dead individuals, so you don't need to worry.”

“Internal toxins have been neutralized, but the injuries from the giant Kraktu have not been properly treated, so you need to rest. Emergency treatment has been administered, but you need to seek medical help as soon as possible.”

“Was it deployed because it could be neutralized?”

“It was the best option. If we had delayed, even the gas might not have saved us. The helmet protected your breathing apparatus, so the risk was acceptable.”

What's the point of arguing with an emotionless super AI? Most importantly, the super AI's top priority is the commander.

So, Lee Han sighed and nodded.

“Yeah, yeah. You must have calculated it. If it was the best for survival, then it was the best. But you said I need to rest?”

“Yes. Neutralization was complete, but the injuries from the Kraktu have not healed.”

“Can I even rest in this situation?”

“Considering the current situation, it would have been a mandatory instruction, not a recommendation. You suffered severe internal injuries, and if you push yourself, you could die. You need absolute rest until you receive proper medical treatment. Moreover, there's nothing more our allies can do.”

The control center was so destroyed that it couldn't function, which was a predictable outcome.

War continued his report.

“There is something the commander needs to know. I am reporting after taking action due to the urgent situation. I have transmitted our location to the Empire.”

“What? What do you mean? Transmit our location to the Empire? Are you crazy?”

Erio shouted, but War gave no response.

“Why?”

After Lee Han asked, War replied in a neutral tone.

“The commander prioritized survival. Based on this, I judged that becoming a prisoner of the Empire was a higher probability of survival than remaining on this planet. Therefore, I transmitted our location to the victorious Empire fleet.”

“That fleet destroyed our base! If they hadn't attacked with their main guns, we wouldn't have been in such a desperate situation! And now!”

Billy also couldn't hide his anger and shouted.

Listening to this, Lee Han, unable to contain his frustration, burst out in anger.

“Damn! I don't care about the Empire or the Union. I know all too well that these monsters are swarming here. Whether it's the Empire or the Empire's grandfather, if they show up, we'll have to beg them to take us away. After dealing with these monsters, can't you judge the situation? If I had been chewed up by the Kraktu, I would have wished I had become a prisoner of the Empire. Get a grip!”

Lee Han's strong rebuke made Erio and Billy both fall silent.

“Hmm.”

“Ahem.”

He wasn't so dull as to not realize their strong dissatisfaction, but he ignored them and asked War again.

“So, what's the response?”

This is the most important part. What was the Empire's response?

11. Real Tutorial (1)