Strike back

The day for launching a surprise attack on the terrorists had finally arrived, although I wasn't certain if their leader would be present or if it was a trap. Nevertheless, this was the only lead that had the potential to put an end to the madness on the artificial garden, the biggest floating island in sectors 1 and 2.

We couldn't simply sit and wait for our deaths; some of the survivors on this island still had loved ones searching for them as well.

Shan and Setsuna were no exception. As for Hyun Hee, it was surprising to discover that she, like me, had been born an orphan. I had asked her about her parents yesterday out of concern, but it seemed my worry was unnecessary.

I woke up to the sound of birds chirping, my eyes struggling to adjust to what seemed like sunlight streaming into my room. However, it was just Shan turning on the electrical light.

Disappointed, I sighed and stretched my body before heading to the bathroom. I undressed and poured cold water from a bucket over myself, showering quickly. After drying off with the towel on my bed, I put on a pair of jeans, a brown shirt, and a new black jacket.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

I opened the door to find a stunning girl with ashen hair and a white tank top. She stood before me, her height barely reaching my ears.

"It's time," Hyun Hee said.

I followed her into the living room, where I saw Shan and Setsuna waiting. They glanced at me and smiled.

"Take it easy and don't push yourself if you're not ready," Shan said, approaching me.

I gave him a polite smile and nod, reassuring him that I had made up my mind and put the past behind me. I also believed that Yuffie and Geralt would want me to move forward.

Before we left, I spoke to everyone with a hint of sadness in my voice. "I don't want to lose anyone else."

Setsuna and Shan smiled, patting my back as a show of support. However, Hyun Hee remained expressionless as always.

In a slightly raised voice, Hyun Hee said, "Just do your best to survive. I've done my best to keep you all alive in every timeline, and now I no longer care to hide my identity as a regressor. So don't do anything foolish until the divine judgment arrives."

Her words sounded like that of an exhausted mother who had finally had enough of being overprotective, revealing the truth about her exhaustion and letting her children roam free for the first time.

Setsuna bowed down and teasingly said, "I am so fortunate to be friends with a regressor."

Hyun Hee shook her head and spoke in a serious tone, "You should feel grateful. I have never revealed my identity in any timeline before, but this timeline is different..." She paused for a second before continuing, "It has to be different."

Her initial harshness softened, and there was a hint of sadness in her voice. Hyun Hee must have gone through unimaginable difficulties as a regressor, living through countless timelines and encountering the same people over and over. I couldn't fathom the burden she had to bear.

"Let's go, we don't have time to waste," Hyun Hee raised her voice, not wanting anyone to overthink her words.

We left the house and walked through the jungle for several minutes. I saw various animals roaming about and tall trees providing shade with their leaves. Eventually, the trees thinned out, revealing a grassy field with a towering antenna pointing towards the sky.

As soon as I spotted the antenna, I immediately scanned the surroundings, searching for a hiding place. We couldn't afford to expose ourselves in plain sight. That's when I noticed a massive log lying several meters away. It was a perfect hiding spot. I suggested that we all hide there, and everyone agreed. Now, we were kneeling behind the log, concealed by a dense bush.

Several minutes passed, and every now and then, I cautiously stood up to take a peek along with the others. I made sure my eyes were just above the log to avoid being spotted. However, I couldn't see anyone at that moment.

Whispering, Shan asked, "Are you sure they're coming at this time?"

Hyun Hee nodded without responding and continued her keen observation. Suddenly, a loud engine noise reached our ears. I looked around to locate the source and saw two transport aircraft gliding our way. These aircraft were approximately 50 meters wide, both in length and height.

Gradually, they landed on the open field of the nearby island, not too far from where we were hiding. The impact of their landing sent a shockwave sweeping through the grass.

After the aircraft landed safely, its entrance gradually slid up from the back of the tail, revealing a stairway that extended to the ground. More than five tanks, armed with laser guns, rolled down the stairs onto the ground, accompanied by twenty hover-bikes ridden by masked men who floated above the ground.

What shocked us even more than their weapons was the discovery of the emblem and logo of planet Earth on all of these vehicles, including the transportation aircraft. It was unmistakable. The realization hit me suddenly, recalling the message from the unknown person who had told me that I would find the truth on this island, the artificial garden. Was this it, or was there something more to discover?

When I looked at Shan, he wore the same puzzled expression as me. "How...? Those tanks, along with the aircraft, belong to the world government," Shan stated in a low voice.

I had no clear answer, so I remained silent. But someone else responded to Shan's statement.

"They are working with the world government," Hyun Hee said.

Everyone stared at her in disbelief at what they had just heard.

"Are you sure about that? Did it happen in the previous timeline?" I asked, seeking clarification.

Hyun Hee turned her head left and right before responding, "No, the terrorists didn't exist in the previous timeline. It's possible that the world government of this timeline created a new organization to carry out their nefarious deeds."

What? How could a government that purportedly promoted peace and prosperity for humanity also be providing weapons to terrorists? Moreover, perhaps, the entire Singa Sanctuary dome was now occupied. It didn't make sense for the world government to give so much power to these terrorists in the long run.

Perhaps... these terrorists were working for the world government, just as Hyun Hee had suggested.

"In any case, we need to plan our next move," I stated calmly.

As we discussed, a figure dressed in black, wearing a golden mask, stood atop the largest tank among the group, which could be seen rotating through the stairway onto the grass field.

"So their leader is also here," I murmured.

"Should we strike now?" Setsuna whispered, her voice barely audible. Hyun Hee shook her head and said, "Let's observe first."

As the tanks moved across the grass, they emitted a faint electrical noise. It wasn't very loud, but it could still alert any remaining survivors on the island. Perhaps the leader had brought along a military force to deal with them, especially since many high-ranking individuals, as well as diamond and gold rankers, were still alive.

Nonetheless, I felt grateful that they hadn't brought a cruiser along. Perhaps they didn't want to destroy the floating island, the artificial garden.

When the tanks arrived before a tall fence surrounding the huge antenna, the steel gate at the front, which seemed to be one of the entrances, automatically slid open for the tanks to enter. The last tank to enter was the largest one, belonging to the golden-masked man.

However, some of his men didn't follow him. The twenty masked men on hoverbikes parked in front of the fences as if they were tasked to guard the entrance. Then, I noticed one man on a bike giving orders to five of the riders to guard another gate. What exactly were they trying to do that required such high security?

"Let's split into two groups. Setsuna and I will find a way to distract them, while you and Shan find a way to sneak an attack on their leader," Hyun Hee proposed.

We responded to her plan with a nod of agreement and immediately set it into motion, splitting up. Shan followed closely behind me as we made our way through the jungle towards the other side, which led to a different entrance with less defense.

In this area, two hoverbikes glided in the sky while the riders scanned their surroundings for any suspicious activity. We quickly hid behind a tree.

Since they didn't notice anything out of the ordinary, they glided past the tree we were hiding behind. However, something soon caught their attention. A female voice echoed throughout the field, demanding the attention of anyone who heard her courageous and strong words. It was none other than Setsuna.

"Come out, today shall be your last day!" Setsuna shouted with all her strength.

The two riders immediately flew back towards the front entrance, leaving the second entrance with only three masked men equipped with laser guns standing guard in front of the gate.

I signaled to Shan to be ready for combat, and he immediately summoned blue particles that assembled into a transparent iron armor. At the same time, these tiny glowing particles formed into a sword.

His armor emitted such a strong aura that it generated a powerful breeze, sweeping through the surroundings. I instinctively used my hand to shield my eyes from the sudden change in atmosphere. The intense breeze from the jungle alerted the three masked men guarding the entrance, and I could see them walking towards our location.

I opened my skills list and then I saw a system display floating before me.

[Private system:

Exclusive Skills:

_Creation (Elixir, buff potion, pseudo weapon) / Skill level: S tier

Items owned: Battle armor]

Since I could create a potion that would boost my strength, I just thought of creation skills, and the display immediately changed into a new panel without me even having to touch it!

[Private system:

Creation: Potion (Boost strength, agility, and sensory)

You have spent 500 coins on 2 buff potions.]

What is this? Even using a skill costs coins! Isn't this supposed to be magic and not a greedy game company? But it seems like when I used my pseudo-weapon skill, there was no payment required for it.

I took a deep breath to calm down. In any case, I would ask Hyun Hee later about this matter. For now, I had to defeat these guards, whether I liked it or not. I needed to spend these coins to be prepared for the battle. As soon as I summoned two red potions onto my palm, I handed them over to Shan and he took them to examine.

"Are these buff potions?" he asked.

"Yes," I nodded.

He didn't hesitate to drink the potions when I mentioned they were buff potions. After the potions entered his body, I could see blue particles running through his visible glowing veins before the light faded away and his body seemed normal again, but the aura surrounding him was abnormal.

Subsequently, I also drank the potion and felt my body become more alert, my senses enhancing. I could hear noises from a hundred meters away and see even the smallest insect moving beneath the rustling grass beside Shan, all with astonishing clarity.

[Private system:

The effect of the buff potion has increased your agility, strength, sight, and hearing.

Duration: 1 hour]

After a brief glance at my arms, I noticed that the veins were glowing with flickering blue light. A second later, the blue light faded, but the effect had spread throughout my entire body.

Meanwhile, I heard the footsteps of several people approaching our hiding spot behind the tree trunks and bushes. The three guards then randomly shot laser beams at the trees without any warning. These psychos were ruthless.

"Come out," one of the masked men said as he approached the tree.

At that moment, Shan leaped out of nowhere, causing one of the guards to flinch and shoot the laser beam randomly, narrowly missing him. Shan swiftly sliced off both of the nearby masked man's arms and landed neatly on the ground. These masked men realized they had made a big mistake by approaching him and giving him the advantage in close range.

I sprinted toward the other two masked men.

"Shoot them!" the armless masked man screamed in pain and rage.

The sound of laser guns blasting filled the air, but I easily evaded the shots due to the increase in my agility and senses. Meanwhile, the laser beams bounced off Shan's battle armor and scorched the ground, burning nearby grass. He didn't even have to dodge them.

These masked men were lucky to have encountered Shan at this stage, because in the virtual world of Dawn, they would have been dead in the blink of an eye with one of his skills that tortured his enemies inside an enclosed cage.

However, I was wrong. Shan had already unlocked the skill. I saw blue particles forming a transparent dome shield around the three men. No matter how much they punched or pushed it, the shields remained as solid as steel. Then, hundreds of blue spikes emerged from within the shield, piercing the guards to death, blood spilling from the holes in their bodies.

I suddenly realized that these masked men didn't know how to utilize magic. But during their first attack on the school principal, they seemed to wield magical weapons instead of laser guns...

To avoid overthinking, I diverted my attention and scanned the surroundings, ensuring that there were no witnesses. The dome shield had trapped the masked men inside, providing both protection and a means to torture them. No wonder these skills were known as "The Dome of Judgment."

"You can already use such a skill in reality?" I asked, intrigued.

He nodded, maintaining a cautious expression despite having just slaughtered the three masked men. Now that the guards were defeated and drenched in their own blood, our only task was to get through the tall gate in front of us.

Shan drew his sword, ready to slash the metal door down, but I reached out my hand to stop him.

"Why don't we just leap over it?" I suggested.

He frowned and asked, "How?"

"With the potion. Let's see if it works in reality."

I crouched down to gather momentum and leaped towards the metal gate. It stood about 5 meters tall, but it wouldn't be a problem. Suddenly, I could feel blue particles accumulating beneath my feet, launching me into the air. As I descended, I landed on top of the metal gate, slightly off balance, but quickly regained my footing.

Shan looked at me, his jaw dropping, before he chuckled and said, "Hahaha... not bad."

Without hesitation, he leaped onto the metal gate and landed beside me. We turned our attention to the scene below us. I could see the golden masked man strolling into the antenna building, accompanied by five masked men.

Finally, I had found the culprit behind all the tragedy that had unfolded in the blink of an eye, turning everyone's lives into a living hell.

Despite my anger, I spoke calmly, "Let's go."

Descending from the metal gate and landing on the surface once again alongside Shan, we quickly ran to hide behind tree trunks and eavesdropped on a nearby conversation between two masked men.

"Send our troops to the front gate. a group of survivors are attacking right now."

What? The last time I checked, it was only Setsuna and Hyun Hee. How does a group of survivors suddenly appear out of nowhere? If this was true, it would explain why there were so few guards at the second gate that I was observing right now.

We decided to wait for the tanks and the remaining masked men to leave the area so we could sneak into the building. While waiting, a memory of Shan shedding tears while killing one person involuntarily flashed through my mind.