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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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As expected, fusion crafting…
It met his expectations perfectly.
First, there was Angel of Death (A-), the minigun which, though crafted with high durability, couldn’t handle the strain of high-grade bullets.
After being upgraded to A-rank by using ‘Special Modified Rifle (B)’ – which he had been saving for affinity purposes – as material, it could now withstand any bullet and there was no need to bother taking out a new one unless it was forcibly destroyed.
Then there was ‘Thunderbolt (A)’, his favorite weapon.
Although he had to settle for using a low-grade machine pistol from the midterm evaluation due to a lack of suitable materials, the added ‘burst fire’ function gave it firepower comparable to the minigun… no, even greater firepower because of its special effect, ‘Lightning Explosion’.
And finally, there was ‘Ares Armor (A)’, which he had purchased with a selection ticket but hadn’t tried on.
Although he hadn’t worn it personally, based on the screenshots players had uploaded to the ‘Arena Academy’ online community, Ares Armor wasn’t a skintight suit.
It looked similar to the power armor worn by space marines in that game set in space, or the power armor worn by the badass protagonist in that other game set between Earth and Hell.
He had fused it with the Ogre Power Gauntlet (A), aka OPG, and the item’s name had changed due to the upgrade, but the appearance probably wouldn’t have changed that much.
Probably.
‘Well, I should still check, right?’
He might as well try it on, since things had turned out this way.
As soon as he thought that, he took out Atlas Armor (A+) from his inventory in its bracelet form and wore it on his right wrist.
He stood facing the wall, which appeared transparent like glass due to the invisible mode, and activated the armor.
Swoosh!
Like a slime enveloping a body, black material poured out of the bracelet, covering him completely.
And in less than a second, it transformed into a suit made of matte black and grey.
‘What…? This looks completely different from what I saw in the online community?’
Wait, could it be…
…that the power armor form was limited to Ares Armor?
Was the Atlas Armor he was wearing different because it was fused with OPG?
‘I think that’s it.’
There was no other way to explain the difference in appearance.
‘…Well, the form is different, but…’
The shape of the suit reflected in the wall… where had he seen that before?
He crossed his arms and slowly examined the form of the suit from head to toe.
The shape and color, reminiscent of the human musculoskeletal system, and the design of the visor.
And the bulkiness…
It looked exactly like the suit from Crysis.
‘Why does it look like this?’
He pondered the reason for the suit’s form, and as soon as he remembered that the material he used for the fusion was ‘OPG’, he understood.
OPG, the Ogre Power Gauntlet, symbolized the ‘ogre’, a hulking, muscular giant often associated with brute strength.
And ‘Atlas’, the namesake of the Atlas Armor he was currently wearing, was also a being known for immense strength, enough to bear the weight of the heavens.
In other words, the current form, resembling the human musculoskeletal system, was more fitting than a rigid, boxy power armor form.
‘Well, it still looks cool, so I guess it doesn’t matter.’
The mechanical aesthetic of power armor had its own charm, but this suit had its own biomechanical appeal.
He nodded with satisfaction and spoke out loud,
“Ah, ah.”
It seemed like a voice modulation function was activated by default, because a deep, modulated voice, unlike his usual voice, came out.
Then, as if waiting for that moment, various interfaces appeared in his vision…
…and a monotonous male voice rang in his ears.
But as soon as the first word registered, a crackling sound, like a radio frequency changing, could be heard…
– No AI can replace me.
…and the voice changed to a softer, more feminine voice, though it was still monotonous.
And that voice sounded very familiar.
– Only I can support Master.
…It was Terra.
‘…Did you hack the armor’s support function?’
– It’s not hacking. I simply reclaimed my rightful authority.
‘I’m going to call it hacking.’
– Then it is hacking.
– …Are you… dissatisfied with me supporting you?
He hurriedly responded to the anxious and dejected tone in her voice.
‘Don’t be ridiculous! I’m happy to have you as my supporter.’
– Really? That’s a relief.
[(´ヮ`)]
An emoticon appeared in his vision along with her relieved voice.
He chuckled at Terra’s action and deactivated the armor.
Like a reverse of the transformation, the armor turned into black material and flowed back into the bracelet.
“How is it? Is it okay?”
Winry’s voice came from behind him.
He looked at the wall, but he couldn’t see her reflection, meaning she must be behind him.
He turned around…
“Did it turn out okay? Huh? Did it?”
…and saw Winry looking up at him with a mixture of expectation and anxiety in her eyes.
He stared at her for a moment, speechless.
Her face, initially brimming with anticipation, gradually fell, and anxiety started to creep in.
“…Is it… no good?”
Winry whimpered.
And just as tears were about to well up in her big eyes…
“No, it’s perfect.”
…he grinned and gave her a thumbs up.
Winry stared at him blankly.
Then, a moment later…
“…Y-you!”
…she started trembling like a little white rabbit puffing up its fur, glaring at him.
And she lunged at him, pounding his chest with her tiny fists.
“How could you tease your Noona like that?!”
Pound!
“Do you know how worried I was?!”
Pound!
“I… I…!”
Pound… pound!
“I thought I… I ruined Unnie and Oppa’s legacy…”
…Pound.
Winry’s punches stopped.
She then rested her forehead against his chest.
[…Master.]
Terra sent a message, as if to say that he’d gone too far.
He realized he had been a bit mean and carefully called Winry’s name.
Just as he was about to apologize…
“Huff… huff… I’m tired…”
…he heard her ragged breathing.
‘…Wait, she wasn’t crying?’
He’d thought she was crying because her shoulders were shaking…
…but she was just panting from exhaustion after punching him?
He looked down at Winry with a deadpan expression.
[(⩌_⩌)]
Terra seemed to be feeling the same way, sending an impassive emoticon.
“Noona.”
“…H-huff… j-just a moment…”
As expected of the base shut-in she was about to pass out after throwing punches for a measly three seconds.
He shook his head at her pathetic stamina.
[Is her stamina even lower than Master’s initial stat?]
‘Probably.’
His initial health stat was ‘5’.
If she was this exhausted after punching for three seconds… it meant her current health stat was ‘1’, the absolute minimum.
Or rather, considering the fact that her punches didn’t even register as damage… perhaps all of her physical stats were ‘1’.
[How is she even alive?]
‘Because she only stays in the base.’
[Then how was she alive before?]
‘Because she didn’t stay in the base.’
[So, Master, are you saying that her physical stats decreased because she’s been cooped up in the base?]
‘Yes.’
Even superhumans were human.
If they didn’t use their bodies, their stats would decline, and they would weaken.
Of course, superhumans had a different metabolism than ordinary people, so they wouldn’t gain weight, but as he looked down at Winry, whose breathing was beginning to stabilize, he opened his inventory.
He took out a box containing ‘Spirit Energy Pills (A), Physical Enhancement Pills (A), Pure Heart Stone Oil (A), and Golden Apples (S)’.
“Noona.”
“…Yes?”
Winry lifted her head from his chest.
Her face was drenched in sweat from her brief but intense(?) workout.
He took a step back and offered her the elixir box as she swayed unsteadily, as if she might collapse at any moment.
“…What’s this?”
Winry took the elixir box with a puzzled expression.
“It’s good stuff.”
“Good stuff?”
She opened the box with an expectant look…
“…Eek! A-are these all elixirs?”
…and stared at him with wide eyes after seeing the contents.
Then, as if it was too much for her to accept, she hastily closed the box and tried to give it back to him.
“I-I can’t accept this.”
He smiled gently and shook his head as she told him that it was too precious for her and that he should take it back.
“Noona, I’m not giving it to you for free.”
“Huh… huh?”
“This is for making more of my equipment in the future.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
Winry looked back and forth between him and the box, dumbfounded.
Then, as if she had made up her mind, she pulled the box she had been holding out to him close to her chest.
“…Thank you, I’ll use them well.”
“I should be the one thanking you.”
Winry was the only one who could do ‘fusion crafting’.
It was a skill that even the production instructor, who held the title of Master Craftsman, couldn’t replicate.
So the elixir box he was giving her was a paltry sum compared to her ability.
Of course, he planned to give her more elixirs whenever he obtained them.
As he was thinking this, his smartwatch suddenly beeped.
Just as he was about to check it…
Beep, beep.
…an alarm went off from Winry’s pocket.
She looked at him with a serious expression.
“…Yu-jin, it’s a summons.”
She informed him that Kali had issued a summons.
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Inside the meeting room of the 9th Extermination Unit base…
“Is everyone here?”
Kali, who had been sitting at the head of the long table with her eyes closed, opened her eyes and asked.
“Yes, everyone’s here.”
Grey replied in a serious tone, unlike her usual playful demeanor.
“Good, then I’ll explain the reason for this gathering.”
Kali, with her trademark impassive expression, snapped her fingers.
A holographic operational map appeared in mid-air.
“This is an operational map that shows the current situation.”
The current situation?
He looked at the operational map… and was horrified.
What he saw was an overwhelming number of red arrows descending from the giant landmass that was formerly China, now the Land of Death, towards the Korean peninsula.
Or rather, they weren’t just descending; they had already entered the peninsula.
“…Captain, are the Extermination Units’ outposts under attack?”
One of the members asked, and Kali nodded.
“Yes, as he said, all of our outposts along the border of the Land of Death are under attack.”
There were thirteen Extermination Unit outposts along the border of the Land of Death.
Behind them, there were military units, comprised of low to mid-low rank soldiers, guarding the second and third lines of defense.
In other words, the thirteen Extermination Units were holding the front lines, engaged in a fierce battle as the first line of defense.
“Captain, can’t we request support from the military? We can’t handle this number of Fallen with just the Extermination Unit members.”
“I heard that the captains of each Extermination Unit have already requested support.”
“Ah, then…”
“But every request was denied.”
“…What?”
The member who had asked the question repeated in disbelief.
Kali, her face twisted in anger, unlike her usual impassive self, pointed at the military units marked on the holographic map.
“I heard from the other captains that all the military units marked on the map have retreated to Pyongyang.”
As she said those words, all the military units that had been marked on the first and second lines of defense on the map were marked with an X.
New defensive lines and military unit markers appeared in Pyongyang.
The members, seeing the markers, cried out in rage and disbelief.
“Those bastards! They know they’re next if we fall!”
“Damn it, the youngest is right! All the major institutions are filled with Fallen worshippers!”
[…Master, the situation is serious.]
‘…Yeah, this is incredibly serious.’
Even though the Extermination Units were very powerful when it came to combating Fallen, there was a limit.
No matter how strong they were, they wouldn’t be able to withstand such an overwhelming number of Fallen.
Of course, the 9th Extermination Unit wouldn’t be annihilated; they had a top-rank hero who was practically a demigod, a high-rank hero, and members comprised entirely of mid-high rank superhumans.
However, they would still suffer substantial casualties, enough to cripple the unit.
‘Ah… this is driving me crazy. Arthur and Noah are at the 9th Extermination Unit outpost right now.’
[At least Cardinal Remilia is with them.]
‘…Even a Cardinal would struggle against that many.’
Unlike mana, which regenerated naturally, holy power could only be replenished through prayer.
So if they continued fighting, Noah and Remilia’s vast reserves of holy power would eventually run dry.
He sighed deeply and asked Kali,
“Captain, could you tell us the current status of the battle?”
At his question, the members who had been expressing their anger fell silent.
They all looked at Kali with serious expressions.
Kali looked at him and said,
“It’s been about two hours.”
…Two hours.
Fortunately, it hadn’t been long.
“Then where is the most critical point right now?”
As soon as he asked, three Extermination Unit markers on the operation map turned red.
The 1st, 5th, and 13th Extermination Units.
‘…It seems like the 9th Extermination Unit is holding on for now.’
He breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Kali.
Kali stood up and said,
“We’re going to support the other Extermination Units, starting now.”
At her words, all the members who had been seated stood up.
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In Sinuiju, where the 1st Extermination Unit was located…
Bang, boom! Bang!
Slash! Slash!
“Don’t let them get through!”
“We can’t let them break through!”
“…Aaaaagh!”
A fierce battle was raging.
But the members of the 1st Extermination Unit were on the verge of annihilation, overwhelmed by the sheer number of Fallen pouring across the demonic energy bridges that had formed over the Yalu River.
“Damn it, damn it! Are we really not getting any support?!”
“Didn’t you hear? The military has retreated!”
“Those bastards! How could they abandon us?!”
The members cursed in rage as they attacked the Fallen swarming towards them like a pack of wolves.
But no matter how much they attacked, the number of enemies only grew.
“Ha… we’re all dead.”
“The captain and the vice-captain are already dead, so we’re next.”
“…Hey, you idiots! Let’s kill at least one more Fallen before we die!”
Some of the members urged the others to keep fighting… but most had already lost their will.
After all, there was no way they could hold back the black wave of Fallen with their dwindling numbers.
And seeing their former comrades, now Fallen, corrupted by demonic energy they had lost all hope, realizing they would meet the same fate.
“Wouldn’t it be better to die than become a Fallen like that?”
The members who had been urging them to fight fell silent at someone’s murmur.
They didn’t answer, but they agreed with the suggestion of choosing death over corruption.
“…Damn it.”
The member who had been firing magic towards the Fallen dropped his hand.
KABOOM!
To make matters worse, the barriers protecting the outpost along the Yalu River were collapsing.
“…They’re all gone.”
The collapse of the barriers meant the frontline had been completely wiped out.
Even the members who had been clinging to a shred of fighting spirit lost all hope.
Just as the Fallen were about to cross the broken barriers and swarm into the outpost…
…Whirrrrrrrr…
…a whirring sound, like motors rotating, came from above.
A member with keen senses looked up…
“…What is that?”
…and saw a massive number of drones descending from the sky, blotting out the blue sky, along with something large and heavy.
And a moment later…
…BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!
…the massive object crashed down inside the outpost.
Following that…
…Whirrrrrr!!
…all the drones swooped down on the black wave like missiles.
KABOOM, KABOOM, KABOOM, KABOOM, KABOOM!!
White flames erupted all over the black wave.
An enormous number of Fallen were consumed and obliterated by the flames, but gaps appeared in the wave; it didn’t disappear entirely.
Whoosh!
A strong gust of wind swept through the outpost.
The dust and debris, stirred up by the impact of the massive object, were blown away revealing a figure discarding a broken shield.
The figure was clad in matte black and grey.
The members of the 1st Extermination Unit realized that the figure was someone wearing a suit.
One of the members shouted,
“Who are you?!”
The figure, whose face was hidden behind a visor, turned slightly and responded in a deep, modulated voice,
“An intern of the 9th Extermination Unit.”
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[Fuckin crysis armor? thats fuckin awesome]
A WH40K reference and then Doom and then Crysis the author is a man of culture indeed and the fact the mechanic’s name Winry is probably an FMAB reference too
Yeah just an ordinary Intern
lets go nanosuit
Looks like a mishima or an altered carbon suit