As soon as I received the notification that the spoon was complete, I immediately headed to the research hall.
Finally, the moment has come to meet my weapon, the spoon. I don’t know how inconvenient it’s been to live without a spoon all this time.
Recently, when I got up in the morning and changed clothes, I had to walk all the way to the closet to pull out my clothes myself. Originally, that kind of task was always handled by the spoon.
Also at lunch, I had to carry my own food tray; that task also fell to the spoon.
It’s an aspect showing just how much I’ve relied on the spoon. Without it for this period, the quality of my life dropped sharply.
Moreover, I couldn’t even bother Arna as much as I usually do.
Well, truthfully, I could bother Arna even without the spoon, but…
“Here.”
Anyway.
After arriving at the research hall, Yoo Ji-woo handed me the prepared item.
It was a square case, rather like a glasses case.
On closer inspection, it turned out to be a spoon case.
“To go so far as to make a spoon case as well — it’s quite the dedication.”
“I put my name on it, so this level of premium quality is natural.”
On the back of the case, the letters “J.W. Yoo” were boldly inscribed. He had blatantly branded it with his own name.
Is he planning some kind of brand business?
Click.
When I opened the case, I could see a spoon shining with a silvery light.
Its appearance didn’t differ much from the one I used before. It was of the common kind you’d find in any restaurant—always looking so utterly uncool.
But to me, there’s nothing as precious as this.
I gently swung the spoon a couple of times.
Whish.
This weight… it’s been so long. I almost feel like crying. I’ve missed you so much.
“I thought it’d take a while longer to finish. It’s done quicker than I expected.”
“Replicating the stuff you used before? That’s child’s play to me.”
Tch.
Yoo Ji-woo placed a lump of metal on the table. It was the old spoon that I had discarded.
To be able to create a brand-new spoon from that broken hunk of metal alone—no wonder he’s called a genius engineer.
Hiring Yoo Ji-woo was the right decision.
“Anyway, I restored the previous data, so you should check it out. Hmm….”
After finishing his sentence, Yoo Ji-woo yawned loudly. He couldn’t resist the oncoming sleep and gradually crept over to the sofa.
In the meantime, I decided to check my status screen.
─── Andvari ───
Rank: Unique
▶Active Skills
▶Passive Skills
▶Functions – New!
This item belongs to this character!
───
How long has it been since I last saw this status screen? It was the moment I truly felt that the spoon had returned.
“Hmm…?”
However, as I observed the status screen, I noticed something strange. There was a new alert in the functions section.
I quickly opened the Functions tab.
─── Andvari ───
▶Functions
[Gigantification]
[Blind Side]
[???]
[???]
[Symmetric Output] – New!
───
At the very bottom, an odd new skill had been added.
‘Symmetric Output.’ I don’t remember investing any points into this skill, and I’m seeing it for the first time today.
Where did this skill come from?
“Oh yeah.”
At that moment, Yoo Ji-woo, lying on the sofa, spoke up.
“There’s a new function added, did you check it?”
“I just noticed it now. Did you add it, Yoo Ji-woo?”
“Yeah. Since the materials we got were really good quality, I figured this was possible. It seemed fun, so I added it.”
The main material we used to create the spoon this time was an A-grade magic stone. Making the spoon with that allowed for such feats—this was the first I was hearing this.
“What exactly is this ‘Symmetric Output’?”
“You’ll figure it out once you use it.”
Yoo Ji-woo’s reply suggested it was better to try the skill than get an explanation. Following his advice, I decided to enlarge the spoon and use the new <Symmetric Output> skill.
Suuuw—
As I used the skill, blue particles began floating around the spoon. Soon, a holographic screen expanded centered on the head of the spoon.
It was as though the spoon had become a video output device, functioning like a monitor.
“Hehe. What do you think? Cool, isn’t it?”
It’s definitely impressive. Who would’ve guessed a spoon could pull off such tricks?
But…
“Sure, in the old days, it might’ve been a novelty, but does it help now? Everyone’s got smartphones these days.”
In a way, it adds another digital device to my arsenal. But I don’t really need it. This can easily be done on my smartphone. Plus, I have a smartwatch on my wrist.
Do I really need to use magic power while activating the <Symmetric Output> skill?
“So that’s why I mentioned earlier; I added it for fun.”
“…”
If you were gonna put something in, why not go for something more useful? You just gave me extra stuff that’s pretty much useless.
Still, it’s not like I can return the spoon. I should be grateful.
Piiiii—
Piiiii—
At that moment, a strange buzzing sound rang out in the lab from my smartphone.
It was an emergency disaster alert.
“Hmm… I was just about to fall asleep… What now…?”
Incidentally, Yoo Ji-woo’s phone also buzzed. It seemed to be an all-out alert.
I decided to check the message that arrived.
───
Emergency Disaster Alert
[Hero Management Department] At 10:13am, multiple lesser monsters detected near Moon-gol Village, Moongotto, Siheung-si, Gyeonggi-do.
Urgency: Traffic control in surrounding areas currently enforced. Furthermore, bombardment is scheduled to begin at 11:00am. Please avoid approaching the indicated region.
───
It was an alert message regarding lesser monsters appearing. The location was quite far from Han-yul Military Academy.
“What? This alert was just for a lesser monster? I thought it was a serious monster or something.”
Yoo Ji-woo laid back on the sofa, dismissing it as no big deal since the lesser monsters were ranked much lower than full-blown monsters, and also because the event was taking place far from the academy.
“…”
However, I couldn’t let it pass. The incident location was familiar to me.
Moon-gol Village. That’s where Rashid lives, and where his family resides.
In other words, there’s a chance Rashid’s younger sister might be in danger.
“I’m going ahead to check.”
I grabbed the spoon and hurriedly left the research hall. This isn’t the time to linger here. I need to go where Nelly is as soon as possible.
Before that, I took out my smartphone and made a call.
After a short pause, the call connected.
-Eh? Who’s this…?
“Kim Han-bit. Did you get the emergency message?”
I immediately called Kim Han-bit, the technician responsible for communications in the Technical Infantry unit. We fought together in the last battle, where we coordinated our skills effectively.
I was reaching out to her once again for her help.
-The emergency message? Oh, you mean the one about the lesser monsters?
“That’s right. You must’ve seen that the area is scheduled for bombardment as well.”
-Eh… yeah, but why…?
Instantly, Kim Han-bit’s tone turned cautious. She seemed wary, anticipating some ridiculous request.
And, true to form, I said it.
“I want you to call the management department right away and find out the exact bombardment coordinates. Then, transmit that data to me…”
-Wait a minute! What nonsense is this?! Contact the management department?! Are YOU crazy?!
She shrieked at the absurd request. It was so loud that I had to pull the speaker away from my ear.
“There’s nothing wrong with it. Just do it. Please.”
-There are things we can and can’t help with! I’m a student! I’m not from the management department! How can I possibly do that?!
“If this goes well, I’ll shoot you a Sol’s Snowflake. What do you say? That’s a pretty good deal…”
-I don’t need it!
…
The call ended there. It wasn’t me who hung up; Kim Han-bit ended it herself.
“…”
But Kim Han-bit is someone who doesn’t let me worry too much. She’ll handle what needs to be done this time too.
She disobeyed a superior officer’s command once. Asking her to fetch bombardment coordinates doesn’t seem like much in comparison.
I slipped my phone back into my pocket and resumed my journey.
“Team Leader, traffic control is complete.”
After hearing about the lesser monsters, the nearby guild raced quickly to Moon-gol Village. Following the management department’s orders, they blocked the roads nearby and evacuated the residents.
“Hmm, a hell of a lot. It wasn’t for nothing that the emergency disaster alert went out.”
“How many appeared?”
Having finished traffic control, the guild member asked the team leader about the situation.
“Damn. Incredibly many. It’s like an ant colony took over the whole village.”
“Hiiik. So many? Ugh, it’s disgusting.”
The guild member started rubbing their shoulder as if goosebumps had broken out all over their body.
The team leader glanced away from their binoculars and continued to look towards the distance.
“If we try to deal with that many ourselves, it will surely take us a long time. In these situations, the only solution is to clean up with bombardments.”
The mention of bombardments made the guild member tilt their head.
“Is that okay? Even with the outdated buildings, it seems that if we hit them with projectiles, they’ll all crumble.”
“Don’t worry about that. The area was supposed to be demolished for redevelopment anyway.”
“Oh, it’s for redevelopment? Then I suppose it doesn’t matter.”
Gradually, it was getting close to time. The guild member glanced at their smartwatch and informed the team leader.
“Team Leader, we have only ten minutes until 11:00. Should we inform the management department that bombardment can proceed?”
“Hey, do you have any cigarettes? Let’s smoke one before we start.”
“Yes, here you go.”
Chik.
The team leader and the guild member squatted side by side, cigarettes in their mouths.
“Hmm… were all the people evacuated?”
“Of course. We kept sending texts and activated the sirens several times.”
“Texts? What about people who don’t have phones? They wouldn’t have received the evacuation alert if they don’t have a phone, right?”
“What are you talking about, Team Leader? Is there really anyone these days who doesn’t have a phone? Even homeless people carry them… Yikes!”
Swoosh!
Suddenly, a sharp gust of wind passed over the heads of the two. It was as if some kind of stick had darted by at lightning speed.
The team leader accidentally dropped the cigarette in their mouth and blankly stared at where the object had passed.
“Hey… What was that just now…?”
“Um… it was definitely something silver… hmm… a spoon…?”
“Spoon…? What…?”
Wasn’t it a bit too large to be a spoon? But it did seem somewhat similar.
Both their faces expressed puzzlement.
Continuing on…
Grruuuuuung!
Next, an earthquake-like rumble began. The team leader and the guild member instinctively covered their heads and fell to the ground.
“What the…! What is this now?!”
“It’s not an earthquake! Look over there, Team Leader!”
The guild member pointed somewhere. They could see a colossal man charging like a beast toward the village, crowded with lesser monsters.
Grruuuuuung!
The man, with only a helmet on his head and no other weapon, ran straight into the village crowded with lesser monsters.
The moment the team leader saw this, they urgently shouted.
“Hey, call the management department immediately! Tell them to halt the bombardment… Hurry up…!”
Boom!
Boom!
But it was already too late.
The bombardment had begun.
