A Space Marine Got a Status Window

Naturally, Gate technology was the foundation of the space age.

Thanks to those Gates, humanity could travel to the farthest reaches of space in an extremely short period of time.

Furthermore, at present, Gate technology didn’t belong to any country and was monopolized by a single individual.

“My company will handle the management of the Gates.”

Doctor Space, the creator of that technology, was the owner of every Gate in existence throughout the universe.

Under normal circumstances, it would have been impossible to allow a single individual to control something so extraordinary however he pleased.

“If you don’t like it, don’t use them.”

However, there wasn’t a single ruler who dared openly confront Doctor Space.

And it wasn’t because Doctor Space was the light and future of humanity, nor because they respected him.

“By the way, anyone who decides to oppose me should give up on the dream of living a long and healthy life. At least that much I can guarantee.”

Most of the technologies humanity currently enjoyed, especially those related to extending life and treating diseases, were also technologies that only Doctor Space could use.

In other words, those who held power simply didn’t dare touch Doctor Space.

Regardless of that, from the perspective of peace in space, it wouldn’t have been desirable for any particular country to possess the Gates either.

There were as many examples as one could want.

One only had to look at the Suez Canal.

How many wars had occurred over issues related to its control?

If that was the alternative, it was preferable for everyone that the Gates be owned by a transcendent existence whom not even the powerful could challenge.

Of course, that inevitably always raised one question.

“Do you think I’m going to favor Korea just because I’m Korean?”

A question related to Doctor Space’s nationality.

“I doubt there’s anyone who hates Korean politicians more than I do.”

However, that had never caused any problems.

In any case, the Gates belonged to Doctor Space, and Doctor Space had established several conditions for using them.

One of them was that every country using a Gate had to give the highest priority to its maintenance and repair.

There were no objections to that condition either.

What would happen if someone passed through a Gate and then that Gate was destroyed?

It would be as though the river you had just crossed suddenly transformed into the River Styx.

For those who had already passed through the Gate, there was no choice but to do everything possible to protect it.

Thanks to that, until that moment there had been occasions when a Gate temporarily stopped functioning or suffered a malfunction, but not a single one had ever been destroyed.

“The Gate was destroyed?”

And now it had happened to Kim Seojun.

Something that had never happened even once in the entire history of humanity.

To make matters worse, not even a full day had passed since Kim Seojun had assumed his post as an NCO.

Even Kim Seojun, who had gone through all kinds of experiences during his active service, couldn’t help but show an expression of absolute disbelief at that situation.

And yet, Kim Seojun was the one remaining calm.

“U-Uh, Sergeant Kim, sir, Sergeant Kim, what are we going to do?”

Private First Class Park Boseop, who had given him the news, was already practically in a state of panic, crying with his nose running.

That was the normal reaction.

“And the Major? There she is.”

Major Lee Hyena, sitting inside that extremely cramped bunker, didn’t look good either.

She was a Psyker who had been through all kinds of disasters.

She had even been sent there to hunt a Queen.

And yet, faced with the unprecedented disaster of the Gate’s destruction, even she seemed completely stunned.

Surprisingly, the moment he saw her expression, Kim Seojun regained his clarity of mind.

‘If I lose my head too, we’re finished.’

If even a Psyker was stunned by the situation, someone had to keep a cool head and say what needed to be said so they could find some way out.

‘I have to return to Earth. I didn’t reenlist to die in this goddamn place.’

Above all, Kim Seojun had a reason to return to Earth.

A very clear reason.

At that point, Kim Seojun slapped both of his cheeks with his hands.

Slap!

The sound was so loud that it made his flesh tremble.

At that noise, Major Lee Hyena and Private First Class Park Boseop flinched and looked at Kim Seojun.

With his cheeks red and swollen, Kim Seojun told them.

“First, let’s organize the situation. Major Lee Hyena, how did you find out that the Gate had been destroyed?”

“That……”

At the question, Major Lee Hyena turned her head and looked at the bunker’s communications equipment.

“When we arrived at this bunker, the news of the Gate’s destruction had already been transmitted.”

Upon hearing that, Kim Seojun immediately understood what had happened.

“It seems that when the Gate was destroyed, they sent out a transmission to every location they could still communicate with.”

“What do you think destroyed it?”

At Major Lee Hyena’s question, Kim Seojun replied.

“I think it’s better not to think about that.”

“Not think about it?”

“Whatever it was, it’s beyond our reach. Whether it was the Mog, some military force, or simply an accident, we don’t even have a headquarters right now. There’s nothing we can do about it.”

Major Lee Hyena nodded at those words.

“What we need to try to predict now is what will happen from this moment onward.”

As he spoke, Kim Seojun raised two fingers.

“For now, there are two situations we can immediately foresee. First for a while, we won’t be able to expect any support from outside the planet. Everything available in space has probably been mobilized for Gate maintenance and repairs or for the war.”

At those words, the expressions of the other two hardened even further.

Then Kim Seojun continued.

“Second, planet Amotia, where we are right now, has just turned into an apocalypse.”

“An apocalypse?”

“Yes. Like in an apocalypse novel, from now on, the survivors here will start fighting each other in order to survive.”

At those words, the others felt more confusion than fear.

They understood perfectly well that the situation was bad, but the word ‘apocalypse’ seemed a little out of place to describe what was happening.

However, from Kim Seojun’s perspective, it was different.

“Think about it. This planet is infested with Mog. And now we can no longer expect outside support. When supplies start running low, what do you think we’ll have to do?”

From his perspective, from that moment onward, they would have to fear other humans more than the Mog themselves.

“Furthermore, among the 81 countries established on planet Amotia, the Korean division isn’t even among the top 50 in terms of size or power. And to make matters worse, we’ve lost our headquarters. It’s as if we don’t even have a country anymore. Inevitably, we’ll become a priority target for looting.”

After hearing that explanation, no one questioned Kim Seojun’s opinion again.

Seeing their expressions, Kim Seojun said.

“In short, from now on, anything carrying the Korean flag will become a priority target for looters. Before that happens, we need to secure everything we can.”

It was then.

Major Lee Hyena, who had been listening to him, opened her mouth.

“When I arrived at headquarters injured, I requested additional equipment from the National Power Institute. Since I needed it to carry out the mission, I asked them to send it directly to the operational area instead of headquarters. By now, it should have arrived there.”

“When you say additional equipment, do you mean specialized equipment for Psykers?”

“That’s right.”

The moment he heard that, Kim Seojun spoke without hesitation.

“Private First Class Park Boseop, start the engine.”

Vroooooom!

The military truck sped across the wasteland.

Three people were riding inside.

It was Kim Seojun’s group.

The moment they heard what Major Lee Hyena had said, they immediately headed toward that location.

There was no reason whatsoever to hesitate.

‘A Psyker equipped with specialized equipment is on a completely different level.’

What if Major Lee Hyena, who had massacred Mogdogs while wearing nothing more than a battle suit and wielding a construction axe, obtained a proper weapon?

Furthermore, every weapon provided to Psykers was so overwhelmingly powerful that an ordinary soldier couldn’t even dream of possessing something like it.

In the case of certain special reinforced ammunition, there was even a joke that every time they fired a bullet.

“There goes a Space Marine’s salary!”

In any case, that was something they had to secure before anything else.

As they traveled, Kim Seojun remained alone, sitting in the cargo bed of the truck, trying to recover his physical condition.

He wasn’t feeling well because of the Stimpak’s side effects.

‘It seems like my endurance hit rock bottom.’

Among all the effects, the one tormenting him the most was the sensation that his entire body was collapsing.

In other words, physical exhaustion.

And if his body was exhausted, it was inevitable that his head would feel dazed as well.

To make matters worse, the current situation was also extremely difficult.

It would have been strange if he felt fine.

‘If I start giving in to exhaustion, there’ll be no end to it.’

That was why Kim Seojun tried to distract himself.

And to do so, he immediately turned to that.

With the microphone function disabled, Kim Seojun said.

“Status window.”

[Kim Seojun]

— Strength: 12
— Endurance: 18
— Skills: X-Ray Vision (F)
— Talents: Dynamic Vision (C)
— Points: 4,775 pt
— Gold Tickets: 2

Kim Seojun looked at the new results he had obtained, and admiration appeared in his eyes.

That was how good his achievements had been.

‘This is my lifeline.’

That also meant his chances of survival had increased.

So he had no doubts.

He intended to immediately spend all those points.

Nor did he hesitate over how to use them.

“Purchase and use nine Bronze Tickets.”

The last time he opened a Silver Ticket, he had obtained Endurance, and since his Endurance was below 30 points, he had received a bonus that increased the stat by 3 points.

That probably meant that once a stat reached 30 points, he would no longer be able to increase it through Bronze Tickets.

Therefore, there was no reason to spend 3,000 points on a Silver Ticket in the hope of getting a 3-point increase in some stat.

[You have purchased and used 9 Bronze Tickets.]

[Your Mana has increased by 3 points.]

[Your Endurance has increased by 5 points.]

[Your Strength has increased by 1 point.]

The results appeared immediately.

And they were fairly simple.

Kim Seojun was satisfied.

He hadn’t obtained any extraordinary reward, but for starters, from his perspective, this was a situation where he practically couldn’t lose no matter what he obtained.

Furthermore, none of the results were bad.

‘What a relief that I got Endurance.’

Kim Seojun was especially grateful that he had obtained no less than 5 points of Endurance.

Because he had already experienced it personally.

To properly use the abilities he possessed, Endurance was more important than anything else.

And above all, he still had two tickets left.

“Use the Gold Tickets. Both of them.”

He didn’t hesitate to use them either.

[You have obtained Endurance from a Gold Ticket! Your current Endurance is below 30 points. A stat bonus will be applied. Your Endurance has increased by 10 points.]

The moment he saw the result, Kim Seojun showed a surprised expression.

‘Didn’t I just get something incredible?’

Considering the importance of Endurance in combat, that was much better than most skills or talents.

[You have acquired the talent Hawk Eye (F)!]

“What?”

However, the moment he saw the next reward, Kim Seojun involuntarily raised his voice.

“Hawk Eye?”

As he spoke those words in surprise, the information immediately appeared before his eyes.

[Hawk Eye]

— Rank: F
— When used, improves visual acuity and field of vision. The effect increases as the rank rises.

Seeing it, Kim Seojun was left speechless.

He raised his head.

And then he could see it.

‘……My God.’

A rock located far in the distance that he hadn’t even been able to see just a moment earlier now appeared before his eyes in full detail.

As if he were using a telescope.

‘It feels like I have 3.0 visual acuity? Is that even possible?’

It was an extraordinary ability.

However, what was even more surprising was that this wasn’t a skill, but a talent.

That meant it was permanent!

And the fact that he could improve it also meant that he could obtain even greater effects.

What if his visual acuity reached 5.0 or even 7.0?

From that point on, those would no longer be mere eyes.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call them a weapon in themselves.

And most importantly, Kim Seojun had that.

Whoosh.

Kim Seojun raised the rifle he was holding in his hands.

Immediately, a red light extended from the barrel.

Seeing the result, Kim Seojun silently closed his eyes.

He didn’t feel joy.

‘What a relief.’

Instead, he simply let out a sigh of relief at knowing that another lifeline had appeared in the middle of that hellish situation.

‘Somehow…… some fucking way, I’ll return.’

And as he thought that, he began carefully formulating his plans.

However, Kim Seojun’s efforts soon proved useless.

“It’s here!”

After driving for two hours and twenty-two minutes from the bunker, Kim Seojun’s group arrived at their destination.

And there they could see it.

“Huh? There’s nothing here.”

“There’s nothing?”

Thud!

Before Park Boseop even finished speaking, Major Lee Hyena immediately got out of the passenger seat and headed toward the coordinates.

Then she looked around.

“Haah, haah, haah.”

Her breathing was heavier than usual.

That meant she was agitated.

‘W-Why?’

And she had reason to be.

Everything they had done until that moment had been based on the assumption that they would recover those supplies.

And now they had disappeared?

The one who put an end to that confusion was Kim Seojun.

He said.

“Someone took them.”

In the direction Kim Seojun was looking, there were tire tracks.

However, even after hearing that, Major Lee Hyena still didn’t understand.

“Who?”

How could anyone know that her supplies were there and take them?

Furthermore, everything related to Psyker Agents was usually treated as top-secret information.

“Did you personally request the supplies from headquarters?”

“Personally?”

“Didn’t you ask another soldier or employee to make the request for you?”

“That……”

The moment she heard Kim Seojun’s question, Major Lee Hyena’s expression abruptly hardened.

“Are you saying someone sold information about a Psyker Agent’s supplies?”

Although she still seemed unable to understand it, Kim Seojun replied.

“Major, I’m here for money. Private First Class Park Boseop is too. Most of the soldiers who come to planet Amotia are here for money. And it’s not exactly surprising to find corruption within the Korean military, is it?”

After hearing that, Major Lee Hyena stopped questioning it.

Of course, this wasn’t something that happened regularly.

For starters, Psyker Agents normally handled things personally instead of entrusting them to someone else.

Furthermore, even those who committed acts of corruption rarely dared to touch a Psyker’s belongings.

However, this time both circumstances had coincided.

They had been unlucky.

And at the worst possible moment.

However, Kim Seojun didn’t waste time saying things like ‘What bad luck.’

He examined the tire tracks.

Press.

He left a footprint with his own boot beside the tire track and roughly compared the two.

There didn’t seem to be much difference in their condition.

‘They haven’t eroded too much. I can’t be certain, but I don’t think it’s been more than an hour since the supplies were stolen.’

At that point, he turned his head toward the direction in which the tracks continued.

‘There’s a high chance of failure.’

Unfortunately, finding the thieves on that enormous planet by following only those tracks was practically impossible.

Even though they were clearly visible now, a single sandstorm would be enough to make them disappear immediately.

‘We can’t identify them either.’

Above all, as long as they didn’t know which country had stolen the supplies, anything they tried would simply be a futile effort.

‘It would be better to give up.’

Kim Seojun had just reached that conclusion when Park Boseop clicked his tongue and said.

“The Chinese are pulling their usual shit again. Ugh, fucking bastards.”

The moment he heard that, Kim Seojun turned toward him in surprise.

“China?”

“Yes?”

“You’re saying these tracks are Chinese?”

“Uh…… well, it’s just……”

At the question, Park Boseop looked momentarily flustered before explaining.

“The tire marks…… I mean, the tread pattern belongs to a product from Zhongyuan Rubber Company, which manufactures tires in China. Those guys love making it very clear that their products are theirs. They even registered a space patent for the tread pattern. And Zhongyuan Rubber products are only used by the Chinese.”

“Are you sure? Only China uses them?”

“Uh…… well, if you want my personal opinion, maybe I’d use them if I had no other choice, but if I’m going to drive with my life on the line, I’m not using Chinese tires.”

The moment he heard that, Kim Seojun turned his head.

“Major, I have a question.”

“Ask.”

“Do the supplies have any kind of lock?”

“Yes.”

The moment he heard the answer, Kim Seojun said.

“Soldier Park Boseop, can you follow the tire tracks?”

“Yes, sir.”

“We’re moving.”

Immediately, everyone got into the vehicle and set off.

After traveling for about thirty minutes, Kim Seojun narrowed his eyes.

‘Is that……?’

Then he took out a pair of binoculars.

Shortly afterward, Kim Seojun said.

“I found them.”

“Yes?”

“I found the thieves.”

“Where are they, sir?”

“I think they’re about two kilometers from here.”

“Yes?”

“They have a huge, conspicuous Chinese flag, and in the cargo bed of the truck, they’re carrying a large supply crate with the Korean flag on it.”

“Yes?”

Park Boseop continued reacting in disbelief, but Kim Seojun stopped talking to him.

Click!

Instead, he took out his rifle and said.

“Major Lee Hyena, requesting authorization to engage in combat.”