Volume 9 / Chapter 255
TL: LightNovelCafe
Editor: Hungry Panda
Cha Jun Sung is frustrated.
It's right in front of him, but he can't do anything. He can't even force his way in because his entry itself is blocked.
He can go into level B, but there's no point. He has more than enough points. This is the same as taking away his qualifications as a Lifer. The only comfort he has is that he can go into the store.
"I can't even help the World Federation."
He had promised to buy them level S parts after increasing Albatrus' distribution ratio and gathering points, but he can no longer keep that promise.
Cha Jun Sung told the World Federation and Park Jin Hyuk's group about his situation.
He didn't go into details. He said that he had gotten into a conflict of opinions with the supervisors, who are higher than the helpers, and his entry into missions had been blocked in the aftermath.
They all had expressions of disbelief, but he really had been blocked. Albatrus remained at level A state with Cha Jun Sung's declaration, and World Federation discussed two plans for future moves.
Are they going to take Albatrus to explore the sea and go through a slow level A mission? Or are they going to neatly give it up and go into a normal level A mission?
This is what World Federation is currently debating. Park Jin Hyuk's group will follow in whichever direction they decide on. This is something that Cha Jun Sung is sorry about. Maybe because he has a secret that he has kept from them ever since he became a mutant, but the number of missions he entered with his friends had decreased sharply.
He thought that he might be able to relax a little since he had gotten all of the annoying things out of the way, but now he can't go into missions with them even if he wants to.
Park Jin Hyuk's group said that it was okay, but it was obvious that they thought it a pity. Cha Jun Sung isn't at ease either. This isn't just a pause.
It's a permanent stop. He needs to be like this until Life Mission is over.
"This really feels like shit."
What is all of this?
Where is he supposed to use all of this uncontrollable energy?
Does he have to live hundreds or thousands of years masked as a human?
He'll easily live hundreds of years with a level 9 body.
He'll remain alive after everyone he knows dies?
Just the thought of it is horrible.
He doesn't want to live that long. Though Lifers have been created on modern Earth through Life Mission, the Earth itself is a peaceful place. It isn't a place where he can run around as a mutant.
"Damn."
Cha Jun Sung calms his rage. He doesn't see a solution.
Does he just have to pass time like this?
He wished someone would tell him what to do.
"Then we'll try that and if it doesn't work, we can try plan B."
Hundreds are gathered in a large conference hall that was built circular so that everyone could face each other. They are all World Federation Lifers.
Rankers, Park Jin Hyuk's group, and masters of large guilds are also in attendance. They are deciding on the second level A mission they will go into.
After a careful debate, two paths formed. There were conflicting opinions, so they used majority rule to decide on plan A and plan B.
This is because it is a difficulty in which the entire 10,000-person group could be annihilated.
Strategist didn't pay attention to big or small voices. He took into account every single person's opinion.
"How boring."
"Sh."
Park Jin Hyuk yawns and Koharo chides him.
She knows it is boring too, but it isn't good to be distracted from the mood.
"So first is PDA entry."
Park Jin Hyuk said that it is boring, but he had listened to the entire meeting. Plan A is a normal level A mission. Plan B is exploring with Albatrus. Finding a level 8 in the ocean is like looking for a needle in a haystack. They never ran into one while completing Deep Sea Teeth.
Though they did see a level 9.
The majority of Rankers voted for a normal level A mission over searching the sea. Park Jin Hyuk's group's 5 votes were also among those.
There are more than 20 level A Lifers who can fight with level 7s. Their main thought is that they can take on a weak level 8.
Level B and C Lifers will take on all of the mutants below level 8. This is a win with numbers. They will go into the mission with the lowest points, a 1.2 billion point mission.
"Basil, you did good."
"Hm."
Basil gives a sheepish look.
There had only been about 50 level A missions.
But now, there are a few more at 56. Of those, there are 22 that are below 1.5 billion, and they picked the 1.2 billion point one.
Of the lower point missions, there was one mutant that was comparatively easy to catch.
[Level A Mission: Catching Seven]
- Goal: Attainment
- Description: The seven colored armed beetle is living somewhere in the tough Amazon, the largest forest on earth, so big that it can't even be expressed as wide. The Seven Color Beetle King is always hiding if not under special circumstances. Find him and kill him.
- Reward: 1,200,000,000 points. Lucky box.
Several candidates had been discussed.
Rankers have caught level 8s in the virtual version. But Basil is the only one who has gotten Seven Color Beetle King.
Seven Color Beetle King's combat ability is weaker than that of other level 8s, but its ability to hide is impressive. It basically hides 364 out of 365 days.
Once they find it, it is easy to catch it with the World Federation's abilities. Its defense is as great as its ability to hide, but that is it.
There's nothing else for it to show.
Basil caught the Seven Color Beetle King after wandering around in 9 combination stealth function for several months. When the Seven Color Beetle King feels an oncoming threat, it hides even deeper.
The annoying thing is that it is small, contrary to its name as king.
It is similar to a mid sized car. It would be easy to spot if it were big, but it can be completely hidden if it is behind a couple large trees.
Basil knows a lot about the Seven Color Beetle King. That is why he mentioned it as one that is easy to catch when each of the Lifers were laying out their opinions.
That is how Catching Seven became World Federation's second level A mission.
Basil clearly said.
Finding it is the problem. Seven Color Beetle King prefers quiet places and when something gets near, it watches the situation and then moves. They need to find it first.
"It would be nice if Jun Sung could go with us."
It is absurd.
Losing entry qualification. What on earth did he do while going around alone that he got such sanctions? They can't understand it.
"It'll be released soon."
"Right?"
Park Jin Hyuk agrees with Kyoko.
He doesn't think that Cha Jun Sung will be blocked forever either. The restriction will be released after a couple months.
"We are entering in two months. I will send out a notice, so stay prepared."
Strategist ended the meeting. Lifers group with the people they are close with.
Park Jin Hyuk's group watched and then scattered to spend time on their own. In two months, they will be starting a real level A mission.
Two months was short. Park Jin Hyuk's group and World Federation entered Catching Seven without Cha Jun Sung.
Then at some point, 5 years passed.
Where there is a start, there is an end. An end that isn't clear, but foggy? Then that is the end.
This year will mark 10 years since Life Mission was applied to reality. The virtual was used for 10 years as well, so that means 20 years has passed combined.
20 years - a long period of time in which newborn babies become young adults, young adults become middle-aged, and the middle-aged surpass old age and pass away. Common people naturally aged following time. But Lifers chosen by Life Mission were different.
Aging stopped for young people as an effect of body modifications. Time reversed 20 to 30 years for the old, and they rediscovered their youth.
5 years ago or even before that, there were several changes to the mission system. The biggest were unrestricted entry and weakening of upgrade conditions.
The majority of Lifers who survived the last 10 years are level B. There are a few above and below. Even the worst of them had gone through the 4th stage of body modifications, and level Bs were in the 5th and 6th stages.
The estimated life expectancy of 4th stage level C Lifers is over 100 years. They can spend about half of that life span as youths. Level B Lifers can live longer than those at lower levels, and they maintain their youth for a longer period of time. And there's no need to mention levels S and A.
Lifers don't get sick with small or serious diseases.
Not long ago, there was a news report that a level B Lifer ignored a traffic light and crossed the street without a battlesuit.
It would be expected for a human to be squashed flat after colliding with a car that weighs tons. But that Lifer only sustained a few bruises. They can't really be called humans anymore. They are superhuman.
They had 3 to 4 times the abilities of ordinary people even if they didn't go through body modification. These were called rookies.
Life Mission changed the world.
The changes that occurred over 20 years are more extreme than changes that should be made over hundreds or thousands of years.
Lifer selection and recruitment stopped after 10 rounds.
1st to 3rd rounds were tens of millions, but the number decreased from the 4th round.
Supervisors halted recruitment because they didn't need more lower level Lifers, and they focused on the Lifers they had now.
/ /
Volume 9 / Chapter 258
TL: LightNovelCafe
Editor: Isleidir
Connection between dimensions.
It is an advanced science that is unimaginable in Cha Jun Sung's world. It is transcendent.
Cha Jun Sung is meeting Jigneon in a place that doesn't exist in the world. It isn't the world they live in or the world where the missions take place.
They could say that it is earth and just the dimensions are different. He found out recently, but this place is a world outside this world of the three worlds, meaning they are out in the universe.
Jigneon gave Cha Jun Sung a lot of information. Where they are and how the world turns out hundreds of years in the future - it was like listening to history.
But he didn't give any direct information regarding Life Mission.
With the bits of information however, he was able to get a worldview with the source of the processes and results.
Ordinary Lifers have a repeated pattern of killing mutants for points and buying gear, but Cha Jun Sung is different.
'What is the true goal.'
It is the one question that he can't resolve even after 10 years.
Even Cha Jun Sung who knows a lot of information, could not guess it.
He knows that the first and second worlds are locations for experimenting. They cultivate and match them up in fights to show which is stronger.
If they show it?
After that?
They must be trying to prove it because there is somewhere to use it.
He can't tell whether they are in pursuit of extreme machines with science or something to create biologically transcendent humans.
The most mysterious thing is that they are trying to create combat weapons.
It is obvious why they want experiments like this.
This is now the only thing that Cha Jun Sung is curious about Life Mission.
One more thing could be Life Mission's end.
There's nowhere to go once level S missions are complete. The experiment is over.
Will everything go back to normal once it's over?
Too much has occurred for that to happen.
The people who died? The newcomers? The equipment spread out everywhere?
Woong!
Cha Jun Sung's thoughts are shattered.
Jigneon comes out of a gate that appeared with the resonating sound. It isn't a hologram. It is him in person.
Cha Jun Sung only nodded while in a seated position. Jigneon responded similarly. They do not have a relationship to exchange formalities.
"Why did you call me?"
"I had some business."
Jigneon responded indifferently to his blunt tone.
"What business is it?"
"Take a look at this."
Zing!
When Jigneon moved his hand, a hologram formed and split into hundreds. It has a photographic technique similar to that of the Universe Eye.
They were watching active Lifers in it. It was like watching a sci-fi movie.
Cha Jun Sung watched the hologram without speaking. Lifers killing mutants and Lifers being killed by mutants. That is the reality.
Though his human emotions had been lessened after becoming a mutant, it isn't a pleasant scene for him to watch. He is incredibly uncomfortable.
"What is it? Are you reminding me that Lifers are experimental specimen?"
"I won't deny what we've done, but we didn't have evil intentions like that. I have a different reason for showing you this. Look. You can see it, right?"
Life Mission's wide range satellite is incomparable to the Universe Eye and Lifers can't avoid it unless they are making a great effort to hide from it.
On top of that, if they buy a battlesuit from level C advancement, devices to watch Lifers like location tracking are attached.
"Yes."
"This is normal. But the thing is… there's something that isn't."
Woong!
The hologram channel changes.
This time, it doesn't divide. It only shows one. The strange thing is that the screen doesn't show up clearly.
"Is it broken?"
"It'd be weird for a technology that transcends dimensions to have errors, but it would be better if it was broken since we could just fix it."
"Then?"
"To borrow the terms you people use, it is like a bug."
Cha Jun Sung had a blank expression.
A bug in a satellite? But why is he showing him this? Is Jigneon's business related to that?"
"It isn't a problem with the satellite."
"Just come out with it. I hate when things are dragged out."
"Something is disturbing missions. It seems like a Lifer, but we can't control him because he isn't registered in Life Mission."
There is a block in the satellite view when they try to watch the unidentified Lifer. It isn't able to function because of a type of radio interference.
Several videos saved in the hologram are played back sequentially.
This time, it is clear with HD quality. It isn't hazy.
"Look around carefully. This is a reproduction of the situation at that time. It won't be a 100% match, but it can be a reference."
It boldly took out small things. It was only filled with the big factors.
"He's a swordsman."
"Yes. He uses a sword like you do. Most of the battle trail has been erased, but we successfully reproduced it because weak parts were left."
A sword was the main weapon of the Lifer in the video.
Cha Jun Sung felt a strange interest and familiarity at the same time. He somehow feels similar to him.
'The way he uses his booster too. This is weird.'
Cha Jun Sung saw the Overbooster in his movements, but he wasn't able to come to the conclusion that it was his future self. It was beyond his thoughts in the first place.
Dead mutant's presence was expressed in the unidentified Lifer. It is because the difference between whether they could get a grasp on it or not was clear.
"Start here."
"Huh? Benukiz?"
"I'm sure you were wondering why there aren't any missions. He killed all of them."
If the battles until now had ended easily, the battle with Benukiz had dragged on for quite a bit.
But the win ultimately went to the Lifer.
Not long after Benukiz died, Narsiel and Vanessa arrived.
Cha Jun Sung felt like they were untangling a thread.
'That's why they asked if I killed her.'
He went after Odelia at around the same time. There were many suspicious points like their use of the sword, so they had no choice but to think that.
"It's the last."
"Ah…"
Cha Jun Sung let out a groan. The Queen of Evil mission that had disappeared 5 years ago. Evil Queen had been fighting with the unidentified Lifer.
"For reasons we can't figure out, Evil Queen fought with 50 to 60% of her strength. Let's just say it was half. It was extremely fierce."
Even half would be stronger than level 8s like Red Eye.
Cha Jun Sung couldn't take his eyes off the video.
In the end, Evil Queen collapsed. It took a long time and he seemed to have been wounded, but he won.
To think that a Lifer like that exists. He is impressively skilled.
"It wasn't enough that he ruined levels A and B, but he also ruined level S. It's a proper bug. We need to catch him but as you can see, we can't because of several issues."
"The inability to track his location and ability."
It is a situation in which they can't track him with their satellite. Even if they could, the conditions aren't that they could control or kill him. They barely found a trace of him in South America and sent 500 special cyborgs, but they were all reduced to scrap metal in less than an hour.
"500…"
"They were fully armed."
Fully armed special cyborgs are similar to top level 6s. If there were 500 of them, level 7s and 8s would not be able to take them on so easily.
But that is a meaningless number since he has killed a level 9.
"Can't you catch him yourself?"
"Of course we tried, but he warps dimensions and adjusts time. If you get trapped inside for 1 or 2 seconds, half a day passes outside."
They can't tell how he is avoiding the satellite's monitoring network and controlling time, but they suffered under this ability and power multiple times.
"Are you telling me to catch him?"
"It isn't something we can ask of other level S Lifers, isn't it? Explaining would be tricky, too. Honestly, it's easy because there's nothing to hide from you."
Cha Jun Sung understood. He thought it might be fun.
"Why didn't you tell me before? Why now?"
"We thought we would soon catch him back them. We didn't know it would drag on for so long like this."
They began tracking him in earnest 5 years ago, and they still haven't been able to catch him.
The supervisors wanted to hurry up and get rid of this bug.
"We'll give you a big reward."
"I have more than enough points. The same goes for gear. I don't need it. You said the reward would be big? Release my entry restriction."
"Impossible!"
Jigneon rejected the notion bluntly.
There are things they can do and things they can't. Cha Jun Sung can't go into level S and A missions. There's no meaning to it.
"What can you do?"
"Whatever my authority permits as long as it doesn't interfere with the experiment."
He frowned at the vague answer.
He can't figure out the standard.
How could he know the extent of Jigneon's authority?
"Fine. I'll change it. Tell me the real reason for creating Life Mission and about the dream box in the level S reward."
Testing Lifers and mutants cannot be the real reason for creating the game. That's just the way they present it. And the dream box.
They can only get it through level S missions. There's nothing for him to gain, so he might as well find out about this. He had been curious about it.
"I don't know about the former, but I can't get the latter if I can't complete missions anyway, no? I don't see how it is disadvantageous for you to tell me about that."
When Cha Jun Sung pushed firmly, Jigneon made his decision.
It is burdensome, but it was something he could resolve with his authority.
"I'll ask first. When is your departure?"
"I can go at any time, but the problem is finding him."
"It'll be difficult. All traces of him disappear randomly."
"If I find him, do I kill him?"
"Bring him back alive if you can. There's a lot we want to ask."
They need to find out how he got through Life Mission's system. It is best to get a handle on it if it isn't the cause of a greater force.
"We'll answer one of the two questions as the reward. Which do you want to know?"
"I…"
Cha Jun Sung opened his mouth. He might be able to get an answer to all of his questions.
/ /