"The heck is this thing?" Ash asked. Due to its appearance that of something humanoid yet not human, he could only call it 'The Thing.'
Willheim walked toward the console and began to speak while uploading the mission. "Well, it's gonna take a while anyway."
Ash, Jaesang, Shen, Pierce, and Kintoki had already stood behind him. In silence, they listened to Willheim speak.
"The Patriot is a transhuman. Don't clutter your imaginations with childish things like cyborgs and robots. It is something more advanced than that."
He walked towards the vat before the Patriot, currently in the middle of receiving it's mission into its brain, and pointed at it's antlers and the patterns on its arms.
"Doesn't those antlers look familiar?" Raising their eyebrows in interest, they walked closer and took a closer look.
"AH! Isn't that deer's antlers? I heard the Chinese government placed a prohibition on hunting sacred spirits." Exclaimed Kintoki as he remembered where he saw those antlers for the first time.
"Yes, that deer. To be more specific, it's a Nine-Colored deer. Sadly unlike children's fairy tales, it iwas exhausted to death after being surrounded by S-ranked hunters while protecting its forest. Quite ironic, actually. And it's not just that. This thing is made by combining the holy spirits and monsters provided by both sides using genetic and cybernetic engineering with a mixture of dark and holy magic and forbidden techniques."
Upon close observation, they could see faint lines around the arms that seemed like something mechanical yet alive. It made them more creeped out seeing such an uncanny thing.
"Not just that. This thing is completely handcrafted, unlike Bandersnatch, which is genetically engineered but still human at its core."
"From scratch? Do you mean from like from a test tube?" inquired Pierce.
"No, you need to go back."
"You mean, soul?"
"Yes, by god knows how. Those maniacs were able to create something only the so-called creator could do. Well, pack your things! This thing will be the first and last of her kind. And now it will disappear along with this facility." Willheim stood up from the console, gently placed the timed bomb inside the container of casings, and closed the lid.
At the same time, the fluid inside the vat containing the Patriot finished draining, and the woman's long eyelashes opened as a sign of waking up. She stepped out from the vat and quietly knelt down in front of the group.
"Are all of you...the target I must escort?" It asked with a gentle tone while gazing at them.
For some reason, seeing her pure gem-like eyes, they all felt peace and comfort, and they nodded in response. The Patriot stood up from the ground and smiled.
"Thank you, I will try my best."
----
> Escort targets safely to the emergency evacuation point(1/2)
>
> Guard main room for five minutes after evacuation.
>
> Reward: Positive trait from a random pool of 3
>
> Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.
"Thank you, I will try my best."
A familiar mission screen appeared inside Lumen's head.
This was a tutorial mission and prologue of Sylvesris's story. She is supposed to help these people escape and prevent further damage to the central core the facility.
He doesn't know how much time has passed, but before he knew it, he has already become Sylvesris.
At first, he thought it was a simple dream, but it wasn't. Then he felt it was a lucid dream, but it wasn't. After that, he thought something went wrong with the pod, but it hadn't.
The most convincing reason was that he died in his sleep, and somehow, he became the player character of 'Just Out Of Reach'.
At first, Lumen felt terrible knowing his life's work got erased, but eventually, he got over it as it was something that had already happened. And he is not in that bad a situation as being a veteran player himself. He knows the ins and outs of this world, so there is a big chance he will survive if he doesn't mess up in crucial moments.
It may be due to the trait or lore accuracy from the moment Lumen laid eyes on those people. She felt as if she had met friends that she had spent countless years with it. And her heart swelled with a feeling of care and concern for their well-being.
It was weird, but Lumen didn't deny it. It felt comforting as if she was always like that. It was a genuine, raw, and true feeling without deceit a facade to protect a false sense of pride. It was something she didn't dare to do in her past life.
Lumen walked towards the large case behind her vat with a smile. This was her emergency weapon stash that was only obtainable through a unique code.
Lumen chose to trust her instincts.
Following her instincts, Lumen placed her thumb on her tongue and then placed it on the particular screen of the lock. The stash opened with a pleasing sound of confirmation. Inside the stash laid bare power armor, a large shield with a long mace, a heavy machine gun with a single magazine, a long machete with a weirdly shaped handle and trigger, thread, and a box about the size of her fist.
> Name: Prototype Power Shield & Mace
>
> Range: Melee
>
> Ammo: Core
>
> Description: A prototype shield made from an advanced alloy. Incorporates a portable forcefield generator that can be used in defense and offense.
>
> Unique attribute:
>
> Force Field/Defence- Protection against low armor-piercing and knockback attacks.
>
> Force Field/Offence- Ignore low resistance.
>
> Prototype- Explode in violent energy in a range of 60 if it doesn't disperse the accumulated energy in time.
> Name: Prototype Portable Auto Cannon
>
> Range: 100
>
> Ammo: 1
>
> Description: High-powered autocannon. Boasts incredible raw destructive power and rate of fire due to its built-in motor.
>
> Unique attribute:
>
> High-Velocity Rounds- Ignore low and medium physical resistance but damages the weapon with each shot
>
> Prototype- 15% chance to misfire and damage itself.
> Name: Prototype High-Frequency Blade
>
> Range: Melee
>
> Ammo: Core
>
> Description: Blade outfitted with prototype high-frequency technology.
>
> Unique Attribute:
>
> High-Frequency Technology- Ignore high physical resistance.
>
> Prototype- 10% chance to malfunction and damage itself.]
> Name: Shredder Ammo
>
> Range: 20
>
> Ammo: 1
>
> Description: Super fine tread coated with mono molecular saws designed to be used through a special mechanism.
>
> Unique Attribute:
>
> Cleave- Cleave through everything inside the range.
>
> Mono molecular saw- Ignore low and medium physical resistance.
>
> Prototype: 50% chance to backfire upon use.
> Name: Slug Ammo
>
> Range: 200
>
> Ammo: 1
>
> Description: Special highly conductive slug designed to launch through a special mechanism at high speed.
>
> Unique Attribute:
>
> Piercing- Piece through any target that posseses physical resistance lower than high inside its range.
>
> Armor Piercing- Pierces High Physical resistance.
>
> Prototype- 50% Chance to misfire.
These are prototype weapons with extraordinary power and the chance to self-destruct upon use. They are the first trap for any new players who picked Zera as a faction by exploding on their faces after attracting them using its insane stats, failing them at the tutorial stage.