A Space Marine Got a Status Window

The Mog species humanity had faced possessed more than enough characteristics to become a nightmare in many ways.

Among them, one of the most terrifying was their absurd reproductive speed.

Mog were born from eggs, and the time they took to hatch was also extremely short.

If certain conditions were met, absurd things could happen, such as tens of thousands of Mogdogs being born in barely an hour.

During their time as recruits, Space Marines heard countless times about how terrifying the Mog were in that regard.

And there was always some recruit who asked that question.

“What do the Mog eat?”

Naturally, the Mog didn’t feed in a conventional manner.

If they did, it would be impossible for them to survive in space, where practically no food of that kind existed.

Then what did they eat?

The answer was simple.

“The Mog consume Beta Gas.”

Beta Gas, a highly concentrated energy source that could be extracted in space, was precisely the Mog’s source of energy.

“That’s why the Mog and humans inevitably have to fight each other.”

For that reason, conflict between the Mog and humanity was inevitable.

And up to that point, everything was perfectly understandable once it was explained.

However, at some point, things began to happen that went beyond what was understandable.

Doctor Space made an announcement.

“I’ve completed Beta Gas concentration technology! Now we can convert Beta Gas from a gaseous state to a solid state using an extremely simple and inexpensive method! Furthermore, by removing impurities during the process, we can produce extremely high-concentration Beta Gas!”

He had developed an extremely special technology capable of processing Beta Gas, and all of humanity went wild with excitement at that announcement.

The Nobel Committee declared that Doctor Space’s discovery had once again propelled humanity’s future forward and gladly awarded him another Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

That technology also changed the value of things in the space age.

In an era when logistical transportation was extraordinarily expensive, Beta Gas concentration technology practically eliminated humanity’s energy concerns and explosively expanded its ability to operate in space.

Thus, humanity celebrated that new technology.

Screeeeeech!

And the Mog celebrated it too.

In other words, the concentrated Beta Gas created by humanity also represented revolutionary technology for the Mog, allowing them to produce many more eggs.

It even exponentially increased the probability of special individuals appearing.

That was why, from time to time, something like this could be seen.

The Mog built incubators in places where concentrated Beta Gas existed.

And that was precisely what Kim Seojun’s group was looking at.

“Sergeant Kim, it looks like an incubator. Is it?”

“That’s right.”

The American headquarters on planet Amotia, which had previously been the second largest on the planet after the Chinese headquarters, had lost all its functions and was completely destroyed, covered in Mog eggs and the greenish liquid oozing from them.

“My God, how the hell did this happen?”

“It’s normal.”

“What?”

“The United States has the best Beta Gas concentration technology. And as soon as this crisis began, they surely gathered at headquarters as much concentrated Beta Gas as they could from the various Beta Gas mines.”

“At headquarters?”

“Energy is essential for survival. Both on planet Amotia and outside it, in space.”

“Ah!”

As soon as he heard that explanation, Park Boseop understood.

“Furthermore, the United States has a particular obsession with energy. Even when the exploitation of a planet begins, before other resources, it first checks whether Beta Gas exists.”

Moreover, Kim Seojun was convinced that the amount of concentrated Beta Gas stored at the American headquarters would be far greater than anyone could imagine.

Naturally, under normal circumstances, there would have been no reason to worry about a situation like this.

For starters, humanity wasn’t stupid either and didn’t carelessly store concentrated Beta Gas while thinking something like, ‘Let’s mess with those Mog a little!’

The Mog also didn’t understand human languages, so they couldn’t look at a container full of concentrated Beta Gas and know what was inside it.

And above all, the place they were looking at wasn’t just any country’s headquarters.

It was the headquarters of the United States.

Although China was said to have surpassed the United States, that was mainly due to its numerical superiority. Technologically, China was still one level below the United States.

‘But when something goes wrong, all hell breaks loose.’

Of course, at that moment, none of that mattered.

“Uh, Sergeant Kim, what do we do?”

What mattered to Kim Seojun’s group was that the difficulty of rescuing Jennifer Jo had just increased drastically.

After all, an incubator was a place Space Marines should never enter.

They had been told that countless times during training.

If they found an incubator, they had to run without even looking back.

They weren’t even supposed to consider doing anything there.

Of course, even without having learned that during training, no one looking at an incubator would think of doing anything inside it.

It was inevitable.

Screeeeeech!

Screeeeech!

Mogdogs and Thorn Snakes were hatching from the eggs in real time.

Perhaps there was some lunatic willing to venture into such a hell, but at the very least, it was difficult to imagine someone like that surviving long enough to reach an incubator.

Groooooan!

“Shit! A Tank Bug came out!”

Even among those eggs, there was a small probability that powerful individuals would be born.

In many ways, it wasn’t exactly the ideal environment for responding to a rescue request.

“Uh, Sergeant Kim.”

That was why Park Boseop was convinced that Kim Seojun would naturally say they were canceling the operation and returning.

“We’ll continue with the rescue operation.”

“Yes, understood! What? What? Did I hear you wrong, sir?”

As soon as he heard those words, Park Boseop flinched and looked at Kim Seojun.

Kim Seojun didn’t look at Park Boseop’s expression, but he immediately understood how he felt.

“An incubator is safer than it looks.”

That was why he explained it to him.

“The Mog that have just been born still don’t have their sensory functions fully developed. Furthermore, newborn Mog don’t remain here. They immediately receive orders, move to a designated location, and wait there. This place is much safer than encountering a Mog legion while we’re traveling.”

Naturally, as soon as he heard that explanation, Park Boseop’s expression seemed to be saying.

‘What kind of nonsense is that?’

‘What the hell is he basing something like that on?’

“I know it’s hard to believe. But you can trust me.”

That was why Kim Seojun explained it to him.

“Because I’ve experienced it personally.”

“What?”

“I’ve entered an incubator before.”

As he spoke, a memory Kim Seojun would have preferred not to remember surfaced in his mind.

“Y-You entered an incubator, sir?”

“That’s right.”

And it wasn’t just one memory.

As he spoke, Kim Seojun raised three fingers.

“Three times.”

As soon as he heard that, Park Boseop stopped asking questions.

Kim Seojun did the same.

He gave no more unnecessary explanations.

Once the decision had been made, there was only one thing left to do.

“Then we’ll begin the operation in ten minutes.”

Jennifer Jo didn’t communicate over the radio again after revealing China’s secret research.

To be exact, she couldn’t.

[You cannot use the radio.]

“What do you mean? Why can’t I?”

[You cannot use the radio.]

The radio communication function of the bunker she was in had stopped working.

In truth, that was extremely unusual.

The purpose of a bunker was to ensure survival, and for that purpose, one of its most important functions was precisely the ability to communicate what was happening inside to the outside world via radio.

Of course, by this point, Jennifer Jo already understood something.

“What the hell is happening out there?!”

Outside the bunker, within the American headquarters, something she didn’t even dare imagine was happening.

[The oxygen supply will stop in 20 minutes.]

The lack of oxygen was further proof.

Without a doubt, there was a high probability that some physical problem had occurred outside the bunker.

Of course, at that moment, none of that mattered to Jennifer Jo.

She simply prayed.

“Please, please, I don’t care who you are, come rescue me. Anyone. Please, save me.”

However, even as she prayed, Jennifer knew better than anyone.

If no one had responded by now, then probably no one would respond from this point onward either.

Even her extraordinary brain had already calculated that her chances of survival were zero percent.

Despite that, she continued praying.

“Please, just save me.”

Desperately.

“If you save me, I’ll do anything. I’ll worship you like a God. I really will do anything, so please, don’t let me die like this.”

Jennifer, who had never once in her entire life believed in the existence of God, spoke those words with absolute desperation.

And it was right then.

Thud!

Suddenly, something struck the bunker door.

“Huh?”

Jennifer Jo raised her head in surprise.

Then she heard a voice coming from the wired telephone connected to the other side of the bunker.

— I’m Sergeant Kim Seojun of the Korean Space Forces. I’ve come in response to your rescue request.

Just as Kim Seojun had expected, the incubator was safer than it looked.

Of course, being safer than it looked didn’t mean it was actually a safe place.

Under normal circumstances, not even Kim Seojun would have considered approaching an incubator.

In other words, he now possessed something he could rely on that he normally wouldn’t have.

‘As long as I have Teleport, it’s worth trying.’

He could use Teleport thirty-two times per hour.

Furthermore, in an emergency, he could also use Stealth, so moving around inside the incubator wasn’t particularly difficult for Kim Seojun.

There was only one problem.

‘As long as I can find her in time.’

The American headquarters was too large for the amount of time he had available.

Finding the exact bunker Jennifer Jo was in within that enormous headquarters wouldn’t be easy.

Furthermore, Kim Seojun’s abilities weren’t omnipotent.

It was true that Stealth and Teleport were extraordinary skills, but both required Mana to use.

There was only one thing he could hope for.

‘All I can do is hope she’s lucky.’

That luck would be on Jennifer Jo’s side.

And surprisingly, luck was on her side.

Kim Seojun managed to find Jennifer Jo’s bunker much sooner than expected.

Of course, it wasn’t that Kim Seojun had randomly chosen a location, found Jennifer in the first bunker he checked, and thought, ‘How lucky!’

The ones who had granted Jennifer Jo that luck were the Space Marines who had fought to the very end at the American headquarters.

The American Space Marines who, instead of taking shelter in the bunkers when the Mog wave came, had decided to resist until the very last moment.

Some of them had written on a wall.

[Jennifer Jo is there.]

They had marked the location of the bunker where that genius, who could be considered a treasure of humanity, was located.

[May God protect you.]

Along with that fervent prayer.

Looking at the message left by the American Space Marines, Kim Seojun wasn’t particularly surprised.

He had seen it before.

He had seen the nobility and desperation of those prepared to die.

At the same time, he became convinced of one thing.

‘I guess she can’t be a bad person.’

People of despicable character couldn’t enjoy the supreme privilege of receiving such a message from those prepared to die.

In any case, thanks to them, Kim Seojun managed to quickly reach Jennifer Jo’s bunker.

Whoosh!

And finally, he was able to meet her.

“Th-Thank you!”

Following Kim Seojun’s instructions, Jennifer came out wearing a suit and immediately approached him to thank him profusely.

“I really will do anything for you. I’ll do everything within my power. Money or whatever you want. Really, thank you so much.”

With tremendous intensity.

“Thank you for saving me.”

Jennifer sincerely expressed her gratitude toward the person who had saved her life.

Kim Seojun responded.

“I haven’t saved you yet.”

Kim Seojun’s expression was completely serious as he spoke.

It was inevitable.

‘This is where everything really begins.’

Kim Seojun hadn’t suffered any major crisis on the way there, and that had been thanks to Teleport and Stealth.

But those two skills were only effective for Kim Seojun.

In other words, escaping while taking Jennifer Jo with him was a problem on a completely different level.

It was still far too early to say that he had saved her.

“What? What do you mean?”

At that point, even Jennifer Jo sensed that something was strange.

“Isn’t there anyone else?”

Above all, the only soldier she could see was Kim Seojun.

That was completely incomprehensible from a common-sense perspective.

In a situation where the American headquarters had fallen, only one soldier had entered to rescue her?

Naturally, the story would be different if that one soldier were a Psyker, but even then, the situation didn’t seem favorable at all.

And Jennifer Jo was perceptive enough to realize that.

Kim Seojun explained.

“Currently, the American headquarters has become a Mog incubator.”

“What?”

“There are Mog eggs everywhere. From now on, the two of us will have to cross through that place to get out.”

As soon as she heard that explanation, Jennifer Jo was able to reconstruct the entire situation in her head.

“W-What do I have to do?”

And she immediately reached the conclusion that this wasn’t the time to say anything stupid, but to obey whatever instructions she received.

Kim Seojun was surprised by how quickly she understood the situation and spoke.

“I need you to follow the plan.”

Jennifer Jo nodded vigorously.

“Yes. I’ll do absolutely everything you say. What do I do?”

Kim Seojun answered her question.

“First, get on my back.”

“What?”

“Your mobility is too low. It’ll be better if I carry you while we move.”

Jennifer Jo immediately nodded.

She wasn’t naive enough to say something like, ‘But we just met, wouldn’t it be too embarrassing to get on your back?’

Furthermore, Kim Seojun’s words made a lot of sense.

The suit Jennifer was wearing wasn’t a battle suit, and above all, she wasn’t a Space Marine.

She was a civilian.

That was why Jennifer Jo quickly climbed onto Kim Seojun’s back, and he used straps he had already prepared to secure her firmly.

That way, even if Jennifer lost consciousness, she wouldn’t fall off his back.

“Uh…… then, what do we do now?”

Jennifer Jo, now secured to his back, asked that question.

Kim Seojun answered.

“Run.”

“What?”

Thud!

After that, Kim Seojun stopped talking and began running at full speed.

After rescuing Jennifer Jo, Kim Seojun didn’t need to think about it too much.

‘We’ll be discovered anyway.’

Now that he couldn’t use Stealth or Teleport, even if they tried to move quietly, sooner or later they would end up being discovered.

Then it was better to run as fast as possible.

He was also confident.

‘With my current Strength stat, it won’t be difficult.’

Kim Seojun’s current physical capabilities had already far surpassed human limits.

So Kim Seojun ran.

And naturally, the Mog scattered throughout the American headquarters reacted.

Screeeeeech!

The Mogdogs were the first to notice Kim Seojun’s presence and began chasing him.

“Aaaaaah!”

Jennifer Jo screamed when she realized it.

She had never imagined her rescue would happen like this!

Furthermore, what Kim Seojun was doing was truly insane.

It was true that his physical capabilities exceeded those of a human.

Screeeeeech!

But even so, to the Mogdogs, that was insignificant.

The Mogdogs began closing the distance with Kim Seojun at a terrifying speed.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Kim Seojun quickly eliminated the Mogdogs that approached, but the gunshots attracted even more Mogdogs toward them.

Amid that unfavorable situation, Kim Seojun finally emerged from the narrow building of the American headquarters.

Then they saw it.

Countless eggs.

Mog hatching from them.

And thousands of Mog that had already hatched.

“Fuck, shit!”

Looking at that, Jennifer Jo cursed in Korean with absolute fluency.

And it was perfectly understandable.

Not even with her extraordinary intelligence could Jennifer Jo imagine a way to escape from that place.

That was why Kim Seojun didn’t reprimand her either.

It was completely normal for her to curse like that.

However, Kim Seojun didn’t curse.

“Get down for a moment.”

“What?”

After lowering Jennifer Jo from his back, Kim Seojun pulled out the card he had prepared for that situation.

“Inventory.”

Kim Seojun entered his enormous Inventory.

“Huh?”

Jennifer Jo was completely stunned by that sight.

From her perspective, Kim Seojun had just suddenly disappeared.

But shortly afterward, she saw him.

Whirrrrr!

Kim Seojun appeared riding the Wulong.