Chapter 70 (1/2)

Episode 5: Citizens.h.i.+p / Chapter 70: Advancement Evaluation (4)

TL: emptycube

Editor: Obelisk

Sponsors: Tyler and tom555j

Someone said,

“I’m not going. Why would I go?”

He had chosen the ‘Not going’ option before the 10 seconds were up and laid back down, covered in a blanket.

It was a lonely world anyways. What did it matter to him if 1/5 of the non-awakenees died or not?

Another person said,

“What can I do even if I go…”

He was a non-awakenee. He trembled as the 10 seconds pa.s.sed.

It was better this way. Since he had never fought before in his life, wasn’t it obvious he wouldn’t be of help even if he did go and would die a dog’s death?

“People better than me probably went. It’ll be okay…”

Even if they did fail, it was only a 1/5 probability.

“It’s fine. It’ll be fine.”

The hole he could self-justify himself inside was large and wide.

Another was like this.

“Huh? Huh? What? What should I do?”

He troubled over the decision until 10 seconds had pa.s.sed.

10 seconds was too short of a time to think about it. Like whether one would jump in before a child was. .h.i.t by a car, they only had enough time to choose with their deeply-imbedded instincts, without thinking.

It was very difficult to choose ‘to go’.

The moment the message appeared, Choi Hyuk felt his vision and the surrounding noises fade away. Similar to how it felt when one stared into their white phone screen in the dark, the message window stood out in front of him, and his surroundings became dark. It meant that they were unable to discuss it with others, and people wouldn’t know what decision others made.

The decision to go or not solely rested on each individual.

The ‘Dilemma’ had already started. They could choose to go out of goodwill. However, if the majority of people selfishly chose to ‘not go’, their goodwill would only lead to a dog’s death. It didn’t only depend on their own intentions. It was a problem whether they could trust others. 10 seconds was short, and the decision was difficult.

But, those, who evaluated without taking others into consideration, could easily decide.

“I’ll go.”

Choi Hyuk immediately answered when he read the announcement.

What did he care whether others came or not? If he went, he could get stronger. He could obtain the opportunity for revenge. But, if he didn’t go, he wouldn’t be able to get stronger and would forever remain as a Consumable, unable to dream of revenge. To him, it was a choice he didn’t need to think about.

Even if he was by himself, he had to go and smash them apart.

The moment he decided, the dimensional teleportation began. s.p.a.ce inverted and swallowed him.

Crunch.

“Hmm…”

He felt his stomach being inverted. Choi Hyuk swallowed down the acid coming up. No matter how many times he experienced dimensional teleportation, it didn’t get any more comfortable.

When his vision returned, he was inside a white room. It was the size of a cla.s.sroom, and the walls were smooth and cold like metal.

The wall rippled and a message was engraved.

______

{Dimensional Wasps’ Nest}

The most commonly used relay base between dimensions by monsters. Using the unusual secretion of the dimensional wasp queen, they are able to exchange information with other nests far away. The speed of information transmission is slow, but it is hard to target.

Dimensional wasp hives replicate and multiply within the dimension.

Because of an endless line of identical looking rooms, it is difficult for invaders to locate the path to the queen’s room.

The wasps, that guard the queen, replicate and multiply in each room. Every time you take them out and clear a room, the growing nest collapses and slowly becomes smaller, revealing a path to the queen’s room. On the other hand, the guardian wasps become stronger and more numerous.

This place is a ‘dimensional wedge’ created by the alliance to find the path to the queen’s room and to protect and support their allies. In this place, allies can take a break or receive support, and they are also transported to the next path they will enter.

Take out the queen within 10 hours.

In order to deteriorate the growth of the dimensional wasp hive and search for the path that leads to the queen’s room, each member will enter different rooms.

You are able to return to the dimensional wedge once you are done clearing your a.s.signed room of dimensional wasps.

Warriors, who have weak karma and are able to disguise themselves, are given a camouflage incense pouch and an awl.

_______

There were eight people inside the room. There was no way only 8 people came from Earth, so he could simply tell that there were countless dimensional wedges.

On a whole, the mood of the eight people was stiff.

There were five who were trembling. He could tell they were non-awakenees with a single glance. The mission this time was given to all earthlings. Since awakenees made up less than 10% of the total population, probability-wise, it was normal for there to be more non-awakenees than awakenees. They raised the ‘camouflage incense pouch’ and the ‘wasp-hunting awl’ which appeared in mid-air. They held the two items in their hands and broke out into a cold sweat. They each had their own reasons for courageously choosing ‘Go’, but now that they were about to fight, they were unable to steady their nerves.

Besides them, the other three, including Choi Hyuk, had their own weapons. Since it was common sense for colonizers to sleep with their weapons next to their heads, they had all brought their weapons even though it was unexpected. However, the only person who had also brought their defensive gear was a South American woman with large eyes.

“Wow… Still, it’s nice to see people gathered here for a good cause.”

She said so refres.h.i.+ngly and comfortably as she blinked her large eyes. Seeing as he could easily understand her even though she was South American, she possessed a ‘Language Resonance Device’. The defensive equipment she wore was decent… Unlike her innocent face, she was an expert.

“Really… I feel a strange sense of hope seeing the people gathered here. Haha.”

A youth chimed in.

The South American woman looked in each person’s eyes as she greeted them, starting with that youth. It seemed she was trying to make them relax. She looked like she was trying to make the novice fighters relax by telling them some things they should be aware of. She was unbelievably kind.

“What is your name? I’m Penelope.”

Eventually, she attempted to introduce herself to Choi Hyuk.

However, Choi Hyuk didn’t give her the slightest attention. He simply approached the wall and shouted,

“We enter.”

Then, the metallic wall ripped and turned into a transparent membrane. Choi Hyuk entered inside without hesitation. “Hehe…” Penelope awkwardly laughed behind him.

The dimensional wasp’s room was a throbbing purple. It pulsed as if it was alive.

Psshhh.

The dimensional wasp was sort of…. It was more like a skeleton angel or devil than a wasp. Tough, black exoskeleton and pulsating muscular fibers. A sharp stinger hung at the end of its tail. The reason why it gave off an angelic impression despite these features was due to its wings that distorted their surroundings into a haze. Its wings weren’t made of film but energy. Its wings spread out splendidly in the room.

Psssh.

Though, unlike its cool exoskeleton, its wings let out a vibrating sound which got on his nerves.

The wasp shook its wings once and the s.p.a.ce around it agitated as it flew towards Choi Hyuk. Its head, which seemed to be a bundle of bones, opened to reveal rows of blades as it tried to bite Choi Hyuk’s head.

Crunch!

Then Choi Hyuk used his fist to shatter the wasp’s head. It didn’t matter whether it was its blades or exoskeleton, it was completely smashed.

“… Weak.”

Dimensional wasps could multiply at incredible speeds, alongside their nests, inside a parallel dimension. However, every time they multiplied, their individual power would drop greatly. It was the same as how beer could be fermented with very small bubbles, where the density of each bubble would be small.