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chapter-78

Scavenger of the Fallen World (1)

Shin Eunah was a child born through the union of two promising elite superhumans. The union of those two with outstanding qualities was intentional, and the birth of Shin Eunah was as well. At that time, the country was focusing on a secret experiment to create artificial superhumans. Kidnapping, confinement, drugs, and body modifications…such inhumane affairs were carried out in secret. The superhuman couple didn’t hesitate to use the power of their families in such experiments.

“It’s something to be grateful for.”

“Because it will give birth to the absolute. It is a chance for those who live and die in squalor to leave a huge mark.”

All to give birth to a true superhuman who would form the bedrock on which their family and country would endure above all else. The couple moved with desire, but not love, and projecting themselves onto the child they would have. There were countless sacrifices and failures until they reached their success by trampling on others. The one miracle that occurred in their work that deserved failure. The first, and last, that would never be seen again.

Shin Eunah.

“You’re our treasure.”

“A good child, born as we planned…”

Shin Eunah was the child who met the couple’s desires. She was born with an SS rank trait, the world’s highest rank, and superior intelligence. Even her appearance was beautiful. The couple raised their children with all their might. Thanks to the thorough education she received, she had the education level of a junior high student at the age of five and could already handle magic more skillfully than most superhumans.

“Mom, I’m tired.”

“Circulate the magic and the fatigue will go away. Didn’t you learn from Mila?”

“But I want to lie down and rest…”

“Eunah, you have to study now. Be a good girl who listens to your mother.”

“…Huh.” Of course, the child’s will would never be a factor in the process. She wasn’t allowed to play when she wanted to, or at all. Before she had even grasped the concept of play, she had learned to desire rest.

“The experiment is a massive success. You’re already dealing with this level of magic.”

“It’s natural given the hard time I had…but it’s still not enough. Just one of the many outstanding people, not the best yet.” The child was at the heart of the couple’s grand plan. There would be no deviation from their schedule. They had become educators of the child, but not parents.

“Mom, I…”

“Isn’t it time to study? Eunah, are you a good girl? Good children shouldn’t get out of studying.”

Good kid. The couple bound and brainwashed the child with that phrase. Learning that it was right that it should be done, the child blindly followed their words. In that process, the stress slowly but steadily accumulated in her mind. If it wasn’t released, it would one day break her.

-You have awakened the SSS-class trait [Master of Mana]. The first man-made god with two traits! You have achieved the conditions for accessing the Hero Universe.

-Welcome, newcomer! Please write your ID!

But fortunately, that didn’t happen. The moment she awakened to a new trait at the age of five, she became a member of the Hero Universe. She was able to access a community of transcendent people who accepted her as a five-year-old, not as an ability to be used.

-Janus’s whisper: Hey, Eunah, don’t tell other people about the second trait. Especially not your parents.

-But they said good children shouldn’t lie.

-Janus’s whisper: There’s something in the world called a good lie. That means there are times when you have to lie to be a good child.

-A good lie…! Huh, okay!

Even the members of the Hero Universe were amazed at the possibility of the second trait she had awakened, but that was always secondary to those who learned to care for her.

-Anvil’s whisper: No toys? Oh, that’s not possible. Then, this grandfather will make one.

-Toy! Grandpa…toy! Eunah loves toys! I love grandpa!

-Anvil’s whisper: But this is a secret from your parents. They can’t find out where it came from. The Hero Universe is a secret.

-Right, a good lie! Janus said that to be a good child; you need to know how to tell a good lie!

-Anvil’s whisper: …Janus, that guy said that huh?

The members of the Hero Universe, who had lived twisted lives, knew that the most important thing Eunah needed was love, not training, so they gave her everything she needed.

-Halo’s whisper: Five years old… that’s short even by human standards. What can I do for you?

-Tell me about stuff. I like talking.

-Halo’s whisper: I’m the worst at it, but…well, yes. Then, let’s talk about the days when the world was born.

The little world of that young girl was expanded immeasurably. It was completely unlike those suffocating days where she felt like she would go crazy. For the first time, she kept a secret from her parents, which drove her to grow even more. Then, after ten years, she learned to rebel against them with a new friend her age in the Hero Universe. That, though, is another story.

***

Shin Eunah continued to absorb the Fungus as if she had no limits.

“SSS-class trait [Master of Mana]. The ability to deal with infinite mana, as you see now. I don’t really know much more myself.”

“An SSS-class trait…Eunah really is the strongest.” Kang Shin-hyuk listened to the explanation, but he had trouble believing it. It was too absurd. Claire continued with a bloody smile.

“The world’s not so simple. Even if the resources are infinite, you can lose when it comes to output. Not the total amount of power, but how much can be exerted at once.”

“So are those with the stronger output?

“You haven’t seen the number one in the world ranking?” Claire hesitated as Kang Shin-hyuk nodded.

“Eunah doesn’t have the output. The top rankers from 1st to 7th aren’t a joke. I couldn’t guarantee Eunah could win against them. Not that will always remain the case.” Kang Shin-hyuk couldn’t help but laugh at the idea that there was someone stronger than Shin Eunah, who was taking care of the Fungus with a smile.

“…I also want to get stronger quickly.”

“You’ll be strong. Maybe even stronger than Eunah?”

“I’m not happy about such blatant lip service.”

“I’m serious. You have the conditions become stronger…well?” She tried to appease Kang Shin-hyuk, who seemed depressed about the gap between him and Shin Eunah, but she was cut off by a flash of light.

“Eunah?”

“Senior!” They had been so busy conversing that they forgot that this wasn’t a solution; she was stopping them for now. They tried to ready themselves, but she stopped them while still floating in the air.

“It’s okay.”

“No, even if it’s okay now, we have to kill them to solve this.”

“Claire, you were right. It’s not a monster nor a living thing.”

“Well, then what is it…?” It was then the ceiling collapsed with a terrible roar under the weight of an enormous amount of Swallowing Fungus. Of course, the fog was still held at bay by Shin Eunah. It was like all the spores in the world were gathering towards her. No, perhaps that was the actual case.

-Communication has been restored.

“Does that even matter?” A notification sounded out from the terminal. Perhaps the communication was restored because now the ceiling was destroyed? Kang Shin-hyuk let out a laugh, fully relegated to the role of spectator.

-There was a recording left from Shelter 14. Shall I play it?

“Is it the last message of mankind? Play it.”

-Playing.

Shin Eunah smiled as if to say, don’t worry about it, even though more Fungus was gathering around her. There was nothing he could do, so he decided to listen to the message.

[No matter who listens to this, we leave this message behind so that you don’t repeat our mistakes.]

“Well?”

What it contained was an absurd confession.

[Is the Swallowing Fungus still in the world? Probably, because the artifact softening process is not finished yet.]

“What is this guy saying?”

[Mankind challenged the power of the transcendental realm to overcome the fight against Jormungand…after hundreds of years of research, we succeeded in developing a weapon that innately raises human power.]

“A weapon?” That seemed to refer to the Swallowing Fungus. It was a weapon, not a monster. But wait, Jormungand? Were they a force that crossed the boundaries of worlds?

[It is a weapon that synchronizes the wearer’s mana with their body to grant them divine power through evolution. We tried to ascend to the throne of God by making living human weapons.]

[But it was a failure. The object made with the power of a god asked for a master that suited him…but there was no god among us. We wanted to become gods through it, but in reality, it was the opposite.]

[Everyone is dead. It went berserk and began to go through the population in search of its owner. The city’s gone…so is the country too. Jormungand had to retreat, but humanity found no escape.]

[We named it the Swallowing Fungus. A lie and an excuse. The shelter is made of the same material as the weapon so that it will slow the invasion…if one day the weapon breaks through, then everything will be over.]

Kang Shin-hyuk listened to the recording as he watched the scene in front of him. No more fog appeared, all of it absorbed into Shin Eunah. Her body was still glowing, however.

“Whoo…!”

More beautifully.

Stronger.

Complete.

The fragments of a god acknowledged the potential of their host.

[I don’t know how you’re alive.]

[Human, if you wish to survive, don’t dare challenge God.]

[They will answer you.]

The message cut off as Shin Eunah descended to the ground. Kang Shin-hyuk and Claire rushed to her, unable to help their concern after hearing the message.

“Are you okay?!”

“Do you want to kill humans?”

“It’s fine, I’m used to it.” Despite absorbing all of the Swallowing Fungus, she did look alright. Of course, her face and body had subtly changed in a positive way, which Claire noticed right away.

“Eunah, wow! Your cup size…one, no, maybe two…G…?”

“Get away!” Shin Eunah shoved Claire away hard, who was trying to feel her body. She stumbled back, her friend’s strength has increased immensely.

“This is important…what will we do about your bra?”

“Sister!” Kang Shin-hyuk held Claire back. Shin Eunah’s cheeks were dyed a vivid red, and she ran away. Claire let out a sigh.

“Fortunately, she’s herself.”

“Did you have to check in such a way?”

“That message scared me. God…living weapon.”

“Yeah.” However, Kang Shin-hyuk was relieved she was okay. She had followed him here to help out with his quest. If something went wrong and she was hurt, he didn’t know what he would do.

-The information lock has been released. Information on the Swallowing Fungus has been corrected. Agglomeration of microscopic mana particles originating from the same material as the facility. 67% of all particles in the world have been absorbed by the entity Shin Eunah and completely annihilated.

Again, the notification ding came out from the terminal. Kang Shin-hyuk was wondering if he could break them.

-The remaining 33% have permanent mutations.

“Huh?”

-Remnants left after the failure has permeated each facility, attempting to agglomerate all particles into a single point. It is judged that it has formed into a magic weapon in case the project fails.

“…Huh?”

Only

-Commander, a final greeting. Soon, the facility will lose all functioning, and the golem’s consciousness will be destroyed.

From start to finish, unexpected things were occurring.

-Holding…benadelite…part of the river…energy condensed…Swallowing Fungus gathered around the terminal…coagulation…put the terminal on the floor….facility…

The voice flowing from the terminal became jumbled before stopping completely. After this, the facility began to vibrate.

“A magic weapon? If you plug it in, what’ll come out this time? Was that even Korean?”

“If it is, I need to relearn it.” Kang Shin-hyuk shrugged as the terminal claws in his hand began to vibrate. He poured his spiritual power into them.

“Let’s see.”

He placed it on the floor of the facility.