Even after the wizards manipulated the sand to extinguish the flames, the building was nothing short of hell.
The blinding flashes and flames had vanished, but a lingering heat remained, and if one misstepped on the sand-covered floor, explosives would erupt without mercy.
“I’m going insane….”
Whether it was a mine or a bomb was uncertain.
After all, they weren’t seasoned veterans rolling on the battlefield.
But one thing was absolutely certain.
Do not enter that place.
That empty building was like a monster, gaping wide open.
If you foolishly wandered inside, the jaws of the monster would snap shut, dragging you into its fiery guts filled with sharp teeth and searing heat.
Can you really be safe in such a place?
I don’t know.
Even the entrance detonates with a mere step, so what could possibly exist deeper inside?
So far, we had managed to stay safe with jamming and equipment.
But would that hold true deeper within? If what lies inside was even worse than what we see now, could we remain unharmed?
“Let’s deploy the robot.”
Ultimately, they gave up on physically entering the building.
No matter how you looked at it, the risk was too high.
Both physically and mentally.
If I came out from that hellhole, I might just quit from PTSD.
So, they came up with another idea.
A robot.
To send in a machine that would sacrifice itself in our stead.
This decision stemmed from the news about the Japanese government having recently succeeded in creating “mine-clearing robots.”
While the Japanese populace generally preferred analog methods, their robotics technology ranked among the world’s finest. In some areas, it was even at the very top.
Naturally, this robotic technology was applied in various fields, and one of them was indeed the mine-clearing robots.
The mine-clearing robots from Japan were hailed as specimens of advanced magical engineering and refining technology. The alloys created through refining and alchemical techniques boasted incredible strength that hardly crumpled under ordinary explosions, and the performance that the media gushed over as “something out of a sci-fi movie” allowed these robots to continue performing their tasks without melting or breaking down even under substantial heat.
Moreover, since they were built with Japan’s pride in robotics, they were crafted to avoid damage from wear and tear, allowing for naturally smooth movements that could last long on a battlefield.
Of course, they weren’t without flaws.
Their intricate structure and numerous components made repairs difficult.
The unit cost was so high that securing delivery contracts was challenging, and there were issues with production costs and defect rates, limiting current production to a minor quantity.
But how important was that?
Their performance was extraordinarily outstanding.
“Robots, I’ve seen that on the news… Will they be reliable?”
“No matter what, wouldn’t a person be better…?”
“Surely, a person would be better. But do you want to go inside again?”
“I see my thoughts were short-sighted. Waiting for the robot would be best.”
“Exactly….”
“But about the robots. Did we actually have any delivered?”
“No?”
“Then how do we handle the robots…?”
“Tch. You think you’d let go of a chance to verify the robot’s performance? Once we mention it, they’ll rush over.”
Of course, this wasn’t pre-discussed.
But isn’t it good to take the opportunity?
People on site thought this situation was the perfect chance to prove the effectiveness of the “mine-clearing robots,” and based on that, they requested upper management for a collaboration with the robotics developers to deploy the robots here.
Creeeak-!
“Is this the site?!”
As they envisioned, the developers realized that this situation presented an opportunity for invaluable publicity. They arrived at the scene with researchers and robots in tow.
And it wasn’t just any normal arrival; they truly flew in using a private aircraft.
And it didn’t end with just the researchers.
As if requested by the robot-making company, broadcasting crews began to fill the place.
People wielding expensive-looking cameras and well-known anchors and reporters from TV, along with helicopters from the broadcasting station flying overhead.
The scene became chaotic once again.
This commotion could perhaps be viewed as a symbol of hope.
The belief that this robot would resolve the situation.
Trust in its ability to remove all the bombs inside and deactivate them, returning the building to its original state.
Thanks to that trust and faith, the broadcasting station swarmed in like bees.
To capture that “heartwarming footage” of a robot born from Japanese technology solving a disaster in Japan. Moreover, there might have been a desire to report on the ongoing terrorism, now with a chance to ask the floundering government of Osaka for coverage.
However, one must understand.
This hope might also have been orchestrated by someone.
This terror could very well be a maneuver to draw public attention.
To captivate one’s focus.
To create a commotion.
To divert attention from smaller details and minimize scrutiny.
Someone wanted that, and thus they acted.
And that was precisely what was unfolding.
What a splendid occurrence.
*
In Korea, there was a hostage situation.
In Japan, a robot mine-clearing show was underway.
Both countries were bustling, and amidst the chaotic atmosphere, fear and hope were spreading.
Yet, compared to these two places, there was another location suffering from a disaster that wasn’t receiving as much attention.
A place where both Koreans and Japanese were equally facing hardship.
“Damn it! Damn it! Damn it—!!!”
“Shit! Block it! Block it! That bastard is rolling in!”
“We need to slow down whatever it is outside the barrier!”
The sounds of crashing waves echoed across the island.
A dark island shrouded in shadows where the moonlight, hidden by clouds, barely seeped through.
A place waiting desperately for the dawn to break, cast in darkness.
It was Dokdo.
Thump—!
Thump—!
Thump—!!!
The darkness descending over Dokdo was horrific and desperate.
People gathered at the Base Camp, trembling in fear or shouting in rage, all with wide eyes staring outside.
Wherever their gaze fell, there was a barrier, and beyond that barrier lay something.
Those were forms that could only be described as “something” in a vague sense.
Bang—!
Could it be that corpses, soaked in water, morphed into such shapes?
Could a meat chunk be kneaded and folded like wet clay to create such a grotesque appearance?
Just looking at their forms made one want to vomit.
Round bodies like dumplings.
An enormous size reminiscent of houses.
Skin flowing as if melted and hardened.
Countless eyes, noses, and mouths embedded randomly, along with limbs.
They were flailing their limbs, banging against the monitoring station established at the Base Camp.
Waving their tentacle-like appendages towards the station, some clever ones climbed the incline and launched themselves, crashing down onto the monitoring station. A few strangely shaped creatures even widened their mouths into gaping maw shapes that could likely swallow a person whole before attempting to devour the station itself, while others turned ragged and tried to cling to it.
That sight was a nightmare of hell, a horrifying vision arriving in the mortal realm.
The very image one wouldn’t wish to see even in dreams.
“What’s the energy level?”
“Currently, we have about 40% battery left!”
“What about the backup battery?!”
“It’s available, but… it seems like the hot-plugging function is broken due to those thing’s attacks!”
“What the hell! Why is it broken?! Is it really broken?! Check again! If that breaks, we can’t replace the battery while keeping the monitoring station operational!”
“It’s genuinely broken! The circuits inside are fried!”
“Wow, this is insane…!”
The more horrifying fact was that those nightmares possessed physical might.
Even those who bravely stepped onto Dokdo to confront the evil spirits found themselves terrified by its immense physical power.
Bang—!
Boom—!
Heavy sounds echoed.
Even a light strike with their short, thin arms sounded like heavy machinery pounding against the station.
Moreover, when those evil spirits rolled and collided with the monitoring station, it produced sounds resembling buildings crumbling—like being struck by a steel ball used for demolition.
It was horrifyingly powerful.
“What on earth is that…?”
An appearance that strayed far from human form and possessed unfathomable physical strength.
Even someone not an expert on ghosts could guess.
That wretched evil spirit wasn’t like your regular kind of evil spirit.
Though it might match the degree of a Great Evil Spirit that destroys cities and decimates nations, it was still far too strong to be seen as just any ordinary evil spirit.
To an absurd degree.
Even if it were born from a venomous water ghost, it seemed exceedingly severe.
“Let’s hold out! We’ll just have to endure until morning!”
