Prologue
HnmtThe future of humanity in the year 2126 was not very different from what humanity a hundred years earlier, that is, in 2026, had imagined.jNAYYX
r2PrvzHumanity had ventured into space to free itself from the limitations of Earth’s space and resources, and now explored the seemingly infinite resources and mysteries awaiting in the cosmos.17vgO
OOFyK“Humanity will win the war against the Mog!”QDEsW2Q
yWYhAnd, just as humanity had imagined a hundred years earlier, it was now waging a war against alien lifeforms that roamed through space and threatened humanity.dAxR6
OkBlZvdThat was all.COleh4b
eivjHuman life expectancy had surpassed three hundred years. Most existing diseases, including cancer, could be cured.0B5ee
c1RdK7ZTechnology had advanced to such an extent that it was possible not only to go on space tours, but also to own a private home on Mars or the Moon, complete with a swimming pool and vegetable garden.P71WSF
jSyo1rHowever, the way most of humanity lived was not very different from a hundred years earlier.Q5G
yBpTKWL“Humanity’s technological advancement is dazzling! We can now enjoy countless things that would have been unimaginable a hundred years ago!”SguJd4
hX7The reason was simple.2QsT
vbvl“As long as you have money!”Sb2y
SXF7Everything mentioned above cost money.1hk
nq8A tremendous amount of money.XhT
l039BIIn fact, in a certain sense, making a living was even harder than it had been a hundred years earlier.ABCEKAv
HcseAfter all, a hundred years ago, humans at least did not have to compete for jobs against robots capable of working twenty-four hours a day without complaining or even taking a smoke break, autonomous vehicles capable of traveling at three hundred kilometers per hour without causing a single accident, or artificial intelligences capable of producing a thousand illustrations per second.3ZGq
KchODPwIn a world like that, there was practically only one way for an ordinary person to make a large amount of money.ihsYH
H2c0bPo“We’re recruiting soldiers to fight in the war against the Mog!”NXzf
9AUAQHunting the Mog, a race of space monsters that threatened humanity from the depths of the cosmos.7Te
IcbrKim Seojun had also chosen that path.KbO
ifVk“Yeongcheol.”XJwrt5
CIl“Yeah, what is it?”HPbIxLF
Wos“Why does Korea still have mandatory military service?”BfrD
ibO“Because we’re still a divided country, aren’t we? You’ve got North Korea right there.”QKp7sX
g0XcMy“Does it really make any sense to talk about a divided country in the space age? In a world as vast as space, do you think that dividing line still has any meaning?”3C2
lJtZTJ“Bastard, you got your draft notice, didn’t you?”p7d0P
5xtW0MdWhen he turned nineteen, he received his draft notice.jDaUC4Q
2XjjbL“Yeah, I got it. Damn it. I don’t understand why they’re still sending out draft notices in the middle of the twenty-second century.”Xfs
wPTfKyp“Why do you think? From the country’s point of view, it’d be absurd to waste an opportunity to get cheap labor. Besides, these days it’s not like they force you to do anything dangerous. You get a little basic training, they send you to work at a military factory, and that’s it. Right? Isn’t that how it works? Hey, wait. Seojun, you’re not thinking about… Hey, no. Don’t fuck with me. You’re not thinking about that, are you?”LiRYTuU
PM0ZJAnd when he received that draft notice, Kim Seojun said.EMHz
Lfq“I’m going to enlist in the Space Marines.”kEsd5y2
MGkHe would become a Space Marine, cross through space, and fight alien monsters face-to-face.1btcND
KGh“Are you fucking crazy, idiot?!”pF38
tzfdWo5Naturally, it was madness.DMI3j
b3UsP“Why the hell do you want to do something that suicidal?”blulT
G77JN“Why do you think anyone enlists in the Space Marines these days?”kdSP8a
ibV3“For money?”MIdVhv
6GusKbm“Yeah.”eIk9Cp
jCGBut Kim Seojun had no choice.F5LLh
F7GNgO“My brother collapsed.”o7txjhn
sKwb“Jinsu hyung?”y54VtK
5WrGdrL“My sister-in-law doesn’t want to tell me anything, but it seems pretty bad. Especially his liver and pancreas. He needs new organ transplants, but you know what the prices are like, don’t you?”qCukW
SxeHis brother was sick.8F8Ie
Y4E98“Hey, even so, that’s too……”MmoYxr
lcw5lu“It’s not a matter of whether it’s too much or not. Yeongcheol, you know too. You know everything my brother went through for me and Hyeeun.”RaxWo
JwA“Well, that’s……”IpW
NK3pgAnd to Kim Seojun, his older brother, Kim Jinsu, was not simply a brother.ctHZl2U
J9pyr“I still can’t imagine what it must be like to become the head of the family at fifteen and have to take care of two siblings aged five and three.”bUE
6GIA tragedy had befallen their parents.atEpA8
ABEkBut, in the midst of that tragedy, Kim Seojun’s older brother had not broken down and had sacrificed everything for his younger siblings.RwbW
l6TZ“I also can’t imagine what it must be like to go into space as a mercenary at seventeen, before you even get your draft notice, to shoot at the Mog.”5Ybvdd5
ffdMHe would save his younger siblings.FFa7ev
iO6XWith that single purpose in mind, his brother had demonstrated courage and a capacity for sacrifice that no one else would have dared to show.cNbG
MCR22owAnd now that brother was sick.0GHG
WhjT4“He did it for me. Now it’s my turn to do it.”uU4h1R
NxYF57So, when he had the opportunity to help that brother, Kim Seojun did not hesitate.xQT3F
rAqWdHe enlisted in the Space Marines.NfClE
lQyWHis life from then on was even more miserable than anyone could have imagined.5sSSV4
EsUCFacing those monsters while wearing a battle suit and wielding a weapon was absolute madness.H5ITx
Xw8Qln3He wrote his will before every mission.w60ys6
0dBv6sCountless times, he had watched comrades who had been laughing and joking with him barely ten minutes earlier get eaten alive by the Mog.PNC
LTc“Sergeant Kim, you’re being discharged in a week?”CCmRs
nonEyQ“Yes.”sEmu7
fJkcWg“Hey, what if you stay in the military? I’m serious. I’ve seen a lot of soldiers by now, but you’ve got extraordinary talent. If you want, I can even write you a letter of recommendation for the special forces.”V6ngQ
tSl1EI“I haven’t gone crazy yet, sir.”E5p3S
UjRG7“……What a relief. If you’d accepted, I was planning to send you straight to a psychiatric hospital.”rjEH
ojLoroHowever, Kim Seojun survived, and eventually the time came to bid farewell to the battlefield against the Mog.ZAFAF
7gLt“Sergeant Kim Seojun, you did a great job. And I’m not just saying that. Thanks to the courage you showed on the battlefield, hundreds of people were saved.”hBCuFN
1IJDnaG“It was an honor to serve in your company, sir.”EEr4
EUaIPwAfter giving that final military salute, Kim Seojun finally boarded a ship bound for Earth and returned home after three years.HpVgz
yQh0SHHThe next six years were the very picture of happiness.h190k
VO1TsHJThe money he had earned serving as a Space Marine was no small amount, and thanks to it, his brother recovered his health. In addition, his recovered brother and sister-in-law had a son whom they adored more than anything in the world.Ijy
OEpWatching his brother and sister-in-law, Kim Seojun also began to dream of getting a good job, finding a partner with whom he could share mutual trust, having children, and living happily.I4EG
pfvlmwHe dreamed of a rosy future.CWCMA
JtXEOHtHowever, that future soon came crashing down.bYagN
gJEOn the day his nephew turned five, an incident occurred.zqaz1pj
uyGimA terrorist attack.jZu
mHc7And his brother was caught in it.MhfLf
e4JJw79He suffered burns all over his body and was mangled from head to toe.Ln5Q932
MMdzl3In the twenty-first century, those injuries would have meant instant death, but twenty-second-century medical technology was capable of saving him.xveiR
6jBOf course, there was one condition.A6l2a
IUjMoney.RCCAJ
f4cf5nIIt required a tremendous amount of money.AFy
2HN“Uncle, when is Dad going to wake up?”LDe
Ch7jCHearing his nephew’s question as he looked at his father, who still had not awakened, Kim Seojun answered without a moment’s hesitation.h0egr3G
PBXEgp“Soon.”M3n
U9tThe very moment he uttered that word, Kim Seojun applied to join as a non-commissioned officer.0WN
Ghy7wiAnd at the same time, he volunteered.v5Lp
cE9fHm6“Sergeant Kim Seojun, is there anywhere in particular you’d like to serve?”NTbSLYP
aavEj“I want to go wherever pays the most.”q6tf85s
kmFKH“……Are you serious?”Z5Uu
ZCP“Yes, sir. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have enlisted for a second time.”s6h
yIcP5N“So you are serious.”fEY13E3
x2jnHe went to the most fucked-up place of all.w9v
Q5fJCEA planet where resource extraction had barely begun and where no one even knew what might be found.wxu
vyI6He was not afraid.xQvUXZn
lMMh“Sergeant Kim, is this your first mission since receiving your appointment?”wQII1Lh
Hc0a“Yes. Why?”y5wHYL
MzOUFY“No reason, sir. I was just curious. By the way, did you bring diapers? I’m not trying to make fun of you. When someone sees a Mog for the first time, ten times out of ten, whether they’re soldiers or NCOs, they shit or piss themselves. Even I still wear one from time to time, sir.”eBDDxY
1VttPd“Corporal Lee Jihoon.”XGCg
dln“Yes, sir.”hKDE0S
HKToA“I reenlisted.”rKmene
gCVt“Sir?”5XXX5g
f2Q“This is my second time in the military.”uFZ22
Z9hQkQ4Because he had already been through all of it before.l93Kut1
1ftBAnd that was precisely what made the difference.SRISA
baQe[We will soon enter the planet Amotia.]XDhd
c1neWhen they arrived on that developing planet where resource extraction had barely begun.V8f
hhC9K[Mog detected ahead!]mLGuQlH
ajk3[A pack of Mogdogs is approaching!]z7YnK2
GbbgThe Mogdogs were two meters long and possessed an insect-like exoskeleton. They ran on four legs like dogs and, above those, had a pair of scythe-shaped limbs resembling the forelegs of a praying mantis.U0y
aB2G8YHA hundred of those creatures charged directly toward them.O29p
Iou9“G-God! T-There are too many!”4BEYw
FuaD“Then inject it.”4Ga
PvX“Sir?”rO0bQ
HwskF“Do you think you can look at those things while sober? Everyone, inject your Stimpaks!”eF8FC
fF5Kim Seojun did not lose his composure.4CZ
j6EWith absolute calm, he injected himself with a Stimpak, the stimulant supplied to the Space Marines.OUFFJfb
f50Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!MtkT
89qYsPtAnd within that transformed world, with all his senses altered, Sergeant Kim Seojun fought alongside his subordinates in a battle where everyone put their lives on the line.P0Iuy
bOhhb2It was an extremely fierce battle.B8Y
fCu02To the point where it would not have been strange if all of them had died.m505
FmW“Survivors?”gveuLT
FYRplya“Eight, sir.”OlZY
pcOtFortunately, luck was on their side, and Kim Seojun and his subordinates managed to win the battle.rNku
qNAiyThey had witnessed a miracle.8BnD
sGgEQV“Two dead.”O0peSqa
qd86There was sorrow as well.8N5rsiz
48CtL1However, even then, Kim Seojun was neither shaken nor surprised nor crushed by grief.8pygxtx
jQV80Because he had already lived through all of it before.J1a63
RBxUAnd because he knew he would live through it countless times again in the future.M5i
9F6FAlthough, of course, there was another reason as well.0XCnBb
OKUgv6“Wooooo! Fireworks! They’re fireworks!”vLxrWW
y90“Hehehehe, hihihihi.”dKIYN
W0MBVThe side effects of the Stimpak stimulant were distorting their five senses, and under those conditions, it was impossible to properly express emotions or make rational judgments.6fZn
Q7s1WzKim Seojun was no exception.anDqP
BTpWhenever he injected a Stimpak, he naturally suffered its side effects as well.4UnSA
RbN07LThe world began to look different from usual, and his ears heard auditory hallucinations, sounds that could not possibly exist in reality.XgR
PQOSThat was why.rMcg
TAtg4[The status window has been activated.]AUtdMl
Hn5a1‘Hm?’Pc7Z9Ns
7idLSWhen he suddenly heard that voice in his ears, Kim Seojun thought it was simply another side effect of the Stimpak.qs5U
LmDGixfAnd it was not a particularly strange side effect either.wjZa
UmpBHe had already seen some of his comrades, completely drugged by the visual and auditory hallucinations caused by the Stimpaks, shout things like.msm
SPzvVzI leveled up!J3rhHT
v1sSx4The Constellation sponsored me!HLjSf
m7nOhZI got an instant-death skill!lYB
nM2pfThat was why Kim Seojun did not think too much of it either.WUIP
iR8x“A status window, huh?”NBT9b
J17Q0LB[Kim Seojun]ba1d
hl6w— Strength: 11
— Endurance: 14
— Mana: 1
— Skills: None
— Talents: Dynamic Vision (E)
— Points: 0 pt
— Tickets: 1 Gold TicketrCTdHO
nUUSUjEven when he saw a holographic window appear in front of him as soon as he uttered the words ‘status window,’ he thought the same thing.MKr
0Sz‘……This hallucination is pretty intense.’pMeGd
R6iPHe simply believed that the side effects had hit him harder than usual.HfZMR
hub“A Gold Ticket?”WpEDh40
YIB3lSsssss.U14K
dY5“Huh?”KsU9
vXPnndLHowever, things changed when, as soon as he uttered those words, he saw a golden ticket appear on the glove of his battle suit.e4zm
Y6wqAc9‘……Is this a hallucination?’eTiQ
TjiAs he thought that, he stared at the Gold Ticket that had appeared in his hand.AmwE
hWlMUwThen another window appeared.BCQ9z
7HY[Gold Ticket]BlBn5u
qK9w— By tearing the ticket, you can obtain an attribute, a skill, or a talent.ivjsE
2myhfVOf course, even after reading that, Kim Seojun was still not completely convinced.vDm1
PynY4He still believed it could be a hallucination.QUqPo
ldsRiiip!0qhmip
Tre1But then he tore the Gold Ticket.M0Ok5a
Gl2T9[You have torn a Gold Ticket.]dE918u0
N8Xi[Congratulations! You have obtained a Platinum-grade reward.]K8ct
cnNJtz[You have obtained Apollo’s Blessing (55 days)!]I3zQ
l8X97[You can now see the trajectory of all projectiles.]UtM
BeQBIuIt was at that very instant.KRQ7yC
Fcftas[Mog detected ahead!]wTiLhY3
JmcUQe[333 Mogdogs have currently been confirmed!]dyvgrd
EKSbjdlSuddenly, a combat alert rang out.IOln
jz4PYKim Seojun regained his focus and shouted at his subordinates, who were still under the effects of the drugs.2pJg
V8F“Everyone, prepare for combat! Aim your weapons!”Qs7PuZ
KRC“Huh? R-Right now, sir? I… I’m seeing strange things, sir!”ugw
Yk1“Same here.”vhsXd
jSXAnd then Kim Seojun could see it.OMRBh
PRQPEClick!NP6
s8THe aimed his weapon at the Mogdogs charging toward them.r82nK
57TaAnd from the end of the barrel, he saw a line of red light extending outward, as if it were a laser.MzY
wJy9“……I’m seeing something strange too.”QIlyYq9
Sh7ZCDBKim Seojun’s first day as a non-commissioned officer.ZqiMIAt
dhKwDHe obtained a status window.AtWDp0K
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