Machine God with EX-rank talent (Deus ex machina)

"...A god?"

A simple monster and a god are entirely different matters.

‘I’m a monster hunter, not a god hunter.’

Fortunately, Nova offered some reassuring words.

[The distinction between the L-series and the G-series here is whether they can be controlled or not. The standards of this world without mana are different from those of the Master.]

Thinking about it, that starfish monster would probably be something that this world couldn't handle by normal means.

But in our world, that level of monster is all too common just outside the city.

‘So, does that mean there’s no need to be afraid of something just because it’s in the G-series?’

[The Master only needs to consider the difficulty level of the dimensional gate.]

Indeed, if this were truly a quest to face a god, it wouldn’t have a mere four-star rating.

I should be cautious, but there’s no need to be overly alarmed.

Hyun Suho grabbed the researcher by the coat and asked, "How many G-series entities are there in this place?"

"The principle is to have only one G-series entity per branch."

Is this fortunate or unfortunate?

There’s only one G-series entity here, but it happens to be Number 1.

With enough power to engulf an entire city, its strength is beyond question.

"Isn’t America a vast country? Why did they set up a branch in such a large city?"

[They prioritize satisfying their own curiosity over public safety.]

To think these people are under a government institution... This world is just as messed up.

Hyun Suho placed his hand on the still-trembling researcher’s head.

‘How much has he been corrupted?’

[46%. That's lower than most trained soldiers.]

‘So the rate of corruption isn’t related to physical strength or training.’

[The Master is also experiencing some corruption.]

‘Me too?’

[Yes. You’ve just reached 1%. The level is so low that even I could barely detect it.]

Hyun Suho’s corruption was progressing much more slowly than Jane's.

That could serve as a good comparison.

‘What do you think is causing the difference in speed?’

[I believe it’s unrelated to physical condition or the presence of mana.]

‘Then what?’

[It seems to be linked to mental strength.]

‘Mental strength?’

That’s a vague term.

Mental strength isn’t something you can measure like running or sit-ups.

But since it’s Nova saying it, it has to be trustworthy.

[After eliminating other factors, this is the conclusion I arrived at. The reliability is 72%.]

‘I see.’

Could the reason I need to escort Jane to the destination be related to her strong mental fortitude?

Since I don't know the exact reason, it's important to ensure her safety for now.

"You’re coming with us."

"Eek!"

Hyun Suho forcefully dragged the researcher along.

He needed someone to guide them through the facility, and the researcher had already been healed with the healing factor.

"The G-series entity is in this facility, right? Lead us to it."

"N-no! We’ll die! Everyone’s going to die!"

The researcher screamed as if the very thought terrified him.

"I went through the trouble of using mana to heal you, so it’d be a shame if you were uncooperative."

What’s the best medicine for a madman?

Violence.

Thud!

"Ugh!"

Hyun Suho punched the researcher in the jaw, then grabbed him by the collar and said, "Do you want to come with us, or die here by my hand?"

Hyun Suho activated his chain sword.

Whirrrrr!!

The blade spun furiously.

The researcher instinctively glanced at the ashes of the starfish monster.

He must’ve seen firsthand how easily it was sliced apart despite being impervious to armor-piercing rounds.

Even so, he remained stubborn.

"Just kill me! I’d rather die than face that monster!"

An unexpectedly resolute attitude.

Perhaps this explains his low corruption rate?

As Hyun Suho pondered his next move, Jane spoke up from behind.

"If you’re with the organization, you must’ve heard of the name Phantom."

"Ph-Phantom? You don’t mean…"

The researcher turned to Hyun Suho with eyes filled with more fear than when he saw the starfish.

Jane confirmed it with a decisive tone.

"That’s right. He’s Phantom."

At those words, the researcher began to tremble as if he was about to wet himself.

It was as if he was staring at a ghost.

Even in front of the chain sword, he had remained composed, but now he was quickly changing his tune.

"I-I’ll do it! I’ll do whatever you say! Just please, spare my family…!"

This world's Hyun Suho… What kind of terrible reputation does he have?

* * *

The inside of the foundation was already in ruins.

Researchers who had turned into monsters due to the fog, along with the strange creatures that were originally being contained, were wreaking havoc. According to what they said, when G-1 started moving, even the previously dormant monsters began to go on a rampage.

Could the fog’s power be affecting the monsters too?

The researchers who had turned into monsters due to the fog weren't a big problem. No matter how powerful their mutations were, they could just be cut down and burned with the Flame Sword.

The real problem was the creatures that had escaped containment.

Thud! Thud!

A huge figure, at least four meters tall, appeared in front of the passage. It looked like a poorly made doll crafted out of dough. It had a humanoid shape, but its entire body was jiggling as if it were about to melt, and it had a single enormous eye in the center of its face.

The researcher, who saw it, quickly looked down at the ground and shouted, "Ah! That’s L-3! It’s a disaster-class monster! Don’t make eye contact with it under any circumstances."

Hearing that, Jane and I also looked down at the ground as we spoke.

"Why? What kind of monster is that?"

"It’s a monster that engages in a staring contest with anyone who makes eye contact. If the opponent looks away or blinks first, it kills them without mercy!"

A staring contest monster... This world’s creatures definitely have some unique quirks.

"Can’t we just slice it up like the others?"

"That thing wasn’t even scratched when it was hit by multiple bombs from a bomber. It’s on a completely different level from L-20."

Honestly, I was curious, but I wasn’t about to take unnecessary risks.

Even with the ability to use mana, I’m not invincible.

There was no point in provoking it and creating trouble.

But then... Bippo moved.

Brrr! Bop!

Bipo, floating in the air, approached L-3 with a cheerful smile.

✪‿✪

Brrr! Bop!

We were startled, but it was clear that L-3 was even more taken aback.

It instinctively glared at Bipo with its massive eye, locking onto it in a staring contest.

I cautiously whispered to the researcher, "Is that...?"

"It, it looks like they’re having a staring contest."

L-3’s body twitched, as if it were ready to attack if Bipo so much as blinked.

But how could Bipo, a hologram, ever blink?

After about a minute passed...

Blink!

L-3 was the first to blink.

[Uuuu!!]

L-3 let out a loud, frustrated roar, then slumped its shoulders as if defeated and wandered off somewhere.

Thud! Thud!

Hyun Suho watched it leave, dumbfounded.

"...Is that it?"

"L-3 doesn’t move for a week after losing once."

"Not much of a staring contest monster after all."

"If it were good at staring contests, it would’ve been classified as a G-series."

"...Let’s keep moving."

Thanks to Bipo’s intervention, L-3 was easily dealt with.

That was supposed to be the second most powerful entity in this facility.

The next things we encountered weren’t dangerous, but rather intriguing.

There was a die on the ground...

"That’s an O (object) series. When thrown, it grants immense wealth equal to the number rolled, but if you roll a 1, you die instantly."

"Interesting."

It’s something that would make gamblers drool.

The next item we came across was a well-crafted, pretty doll, about 50 cm tall.

"That’s O-42. Normally, it’s harmless, but if left alone in a room with someone, it turns into a monster that kills them."

"It’s like something out of a ghost story."

Fascinating objects, but not something we needed to deal with right now.

The next thing we saw was an ordinary tent, just big enough for two people.

"What’s that? Is it dangerous too?"

"No, I don’t know why it’s in the hallway."

"So, what’s its effect?"

"Well... Ahem."

The researcher cleared his throat, looking a bit embarrassed.

"Anyone who enters it will lose themselves and engage in passionate love-making for exactly 10 hours."

"A love tent, huh? It’s perfect as a gift for newlyweds."

"That... It works even if two people of the same gender enter."

I didn’t need to hear any more.

We continued moving forward, encountering bizarre creatures and objects along the way.

At some point, it became hard to tell if I was in a dimensional dungeon or if I had become Alice in Wonderland.

It felt like I was on a strange sightseeing tour.

Bringing the researcher along was definitely a good decision. The inside of the facility was much more complicated than I had anticipated, and without him, we would’ve gotten lost.

We kept moving, passing by more mutated researchers, facility creatures, and strange objects.

And finally...

"J-just beyond there is the space where G-1 is located."

"Is that so? Then let's rest here for a bit."

It was only natural to keep one’s body in peak condition before the final battle. Not even half of the three hours promised to General Kernel had passed yet. The plan was to move after fully replenishing the mana that had been used.

As they sat down to rest, the researcher positioned himself as close as possible, while Jane also sat nearby.

[Master's mana will be fully restored in about 7 minutes.]

‘Thanks for the info.’

The researcher was nervously biting his nails, while Jane took out the locket hanging around her neck and opened it.

Click.

Inside the locket was a picture of a happy family—Jane, her husband, and a boy who looked to be about elementary school age.

Feeling a bit bored, Hyun Suho casually asked her, "Is that your family?"

"Yes."

"Is your husband a soldier too?"

"No, he's an elementary school teacher."

"A soldier and a teacher... that's an interesting combination. How old is your son?"

"Nine."

"He's handsome."

"He's a good kid, never causing any trouble. Recently, he said he wants to be a sailor."

Jane, who had always been the perfect soldier before, now showed a glimpse of a typical mother.

"No matter how tough things get, I hold on by thinking of this boy."

Jane exuded a gentle yet powerful charisma. 

Now Hyun Suho understood why she had stronger mental fortitude than others.

‘Mothers are strong… is that it?’

Jane was both an excellent soldier and a caring mother. It made sense that she was at the center of this dimensional quest.

Feeling a bit choked up, Hyun Suho remained silent until his mana was fully restored.

And finally, the time came.

"Let's go."

Jane responded in a resolute voice, "Alright."

The room where G-1 was kept was deep within the facility, sealed behind a sturdy metal door that seemed to allow no one to approach.

Hyun Suho examined the door and remarked, "No signs of forced entry."

The power to affect all of Seattle without leaving the room... Just what kind of monster was inside?

"I-I don’t know anything anymore!"

The researcher, trembling with fear, opened the door, not because he wanted to, but because he was too terrified of Hyun Suho—no, of Phantom—to refuse.

Clank! Clank! Clank!!

The machinery whirred loudly as the door unlocked. There were no fewer than eight layers of security locks.

What they found beyond the door was completely unexpected.

"What is that? A cube?"

It was a small cube, roughly 16-sided, with a dark red hue and an ominous aura.

"This… isn’t what I imagined."

He had expected G-1 to be some massive monster that could fill the entire room, but this?

When Hyun Suho asked the researcher, he hesitated before explaining, "Everyone who touched that thing went insane. No experiment could reveal its nature or material, and it couldn’t be destroyed."

"So, you found out nothing?"

"The one thing that all the madmen kept saying was the same—something about an enormous monster, or a god."

The researcher gulped as he spoke, his throat dry.

"In other words, this object is just a medium. A gateway to confront an unknown entity."

Hyun Suho had wondered how they could contain a being they called a god, and now he understood.

"How big is this monster?"

The size of a skyscraper, maybe? Or as large as Mount Everest?

The researcher’s answer exceeded all of Hyun Suho’s expectations.

"They said... it's bigger than Earth."

Hyun Suho’s head snapped around. 

"Bigger than Earth? How is that even possible?"

"It's just the ramblings of a madman. We don’t really know any more than that."

Hyun Suho squinted at the cube with narrowed eyes. If what the researcher said was true, this small object was something even his own world would struggle to handle.

"Didn’t you give it a name?"

"Y-yes, we did. Let’s see…"

The researcher blinked as if he had momentarily forgotten, his eyes darting to the left before he finally remembered and nodded.

"Necronomicon."