A Space Marine Got a Status Window

People say that the history of humanity is divided into before and after the appearance of Doctor Space.

And Doctor Space said.

“The history of humanity is divided into before and after the appearance of the Prophet’s artifacts.”

According to him, his own genius was nothing more than something insignificant compared to the miracles achieved by the Prophet’s artifacts.

That was surprising.

After all, Doctor Space was prouder than anyone and, at the same time, perfectly understood the value of his own genius.

He was also as arrogant as he was brilliant.

In other words, the value of the Prophet’s artifacts was practically limitless.

“I discover the laws of the universe. Better than anyone. But the Prophet’s artifacts ignore the laws of the universe. In other words, those gemstones easily accomplish things that I could never achieve even if I devoted my entire life to them.”

The Prophet’s artifacts made it possible to achieve things that could never be accomplished through the development of science.

Naturally, for every country, one of the most important things was locating the Prophet’s artifacts.

It was then that a question arose.

How could they find the Prophet’s artifacts in that immeasurably vast universe?

The one who found the answer was none other than Doctor Space.

“The Prophet’s artifacts occasionally emit extremely powerful waves, though not at regular intervals. If we detect those waves, we can determine the location of the Prophet’s artifacts. Ah, of course, even if I explained it to you, you wouldn’t understand. You don’t need to understand it either.”

He created radar satellites capable of locating the Prophet’s artifacts.

“Anyway, I’ll build the tools.”

After that, he gave one of those radar satellites to each country.

Naturally, Doctor Space didn’t do it because he loved peace in space and wanted to promote harmony among all nations.

“I’ll give each of you a radar satellite, so find as many Prophet’s artifacts as you can. I don’t care who ends up keeping them. Just find them. In the end, no matter which country possesses them, they’ll still belong to humanity. That’s enough.”

Doctor Space’s existence transcended the concept of nations, and from his perspective, the most beneficial thing was simply to get as many countries as possible to compete with one another to find the Prophet’s artifacts.

In any case, Doctor Space’s intentions ended up providing enormous opportunities to numerous countries.

Even nations with little power had the opportunity to change their fate in a single stroke.

Korea was no exception.

Fortunately, Korea had detected the waves emitted by a Prophet’s artifact on planet Amotia.

Major Lee Hyena was immediately sent to confirm the existence of the Prophet’s artifact.

Naturally, it was a top-secret operation.

If that information leaked, someone could snatch the Prophet’s artifact away from them.

At the same time, it was an extremely important mission.

Far more important than locating the Queen and providing the coordinates to bombard her.

The reason was simple.

Even if Korea eliminated the Queen, it would gain practically nothing, whereas obtaining a Prophet’s artifact would provide enormous benefits!

“I forgot about it for a moment.”

However, only after hearing Kim Seojun’s words did Major Lee Hyena finally remember her mission.

It was absurd.

How could she have forgotten an operation to recover a Prophet’s artifact, of all things?

But at that moment, no one looked at Major Lee Hyena as though it were absurd.

“I’m sorry. But too many things really have happened.”

“I understand.”

Because everyone knew.

“I also forget from time to time why I came here. Do you think I can remember a mission while running around with this guy?”

Because at that moment, they had Kim Seojun right beside them, an existence capable of making anyone lose their mind.

Even Kim Seojun himself understood.

“I didn’t remember it until now either.”

His abilities were one thing, but honestly, until that moment, Kim Seojun’s group hadn’t even had the opportunity to think about the Prophet’s artifacts.

And the current situation was no different.

“Given the circumstances, we’ll move as quickly as possible.”

Kim Seojun’s group didn’t have much time.

“Then where is it?”

Kim Seojun’s group moved quickly and managed to reach the area Major Lee Hyena had been told about.

“It’s here.”

The place they arrived at was a desert covered in sand.

“Ugh.”

As soon as he saw that desert, the first to let out something resembling a groan was Private First Class Park Boseop.

“A desert is the worst, ma’am.”

And he had reason to say it.

Deserts were filled with problematic factors.

For starters, one of the biggest inconveniences was that anything with wheels had difficulty moving properly.

From military trucks to battle tanks, practically any vehicle that wasn’t a hover bike had difficulty taking advantage of its mobility in a desert.

For Space Marines, who had to move using their own legs, it was the kind of place that spontaneously made them say they would rather cut off both legs and get a medical discharge than enter a desert.

And there was an even bigger problem.

“If there are any Antlions here…… this could get complicated.”

In deserts, there was a high probability of encountering Antlions, one of the Mog species.

And just like the antlions that could be found on Earth, these remained hidden beneath the sand and dragged any prey that passed nearby down into it.

The difference from terrestrial antlions was that those on Earth were barely large enough to devour ants, while the Antlions one encountered in space could become so large that the biggest specimens were capable of devouring even a battle tank.

Furthermore, not even a hover bike could be considered safe against such Antlions.

In any case, it wasn’t a pleasant place.

“Then where is it?”

It was the kind of place they should leave as quickly as possible after finding the Prophet’s artifact.

Major Lee Hyena answered Park Boseop’s question, which was filled with that desire.

“It’s here.”

“What? I must have heard you wrong, ma’am.”

At the question, Major Lee Hyena repeated herself.

“It’s here.”

“When you say here……”

At that moment, Park Boseop looked at the desert stretching before them as far as the eye could see and asked.

“Do you mean all of this?”

“Well, Private First Class Park Boseop.”

It was then that Jo Yihyeon, the expert, stepped in.

“The satellite radar that detects the Prophet’s artifacts has incredible performance. It’s as if it could pinpoint exactly where you have a thorn stuck in the palm of your hand. But there’s a problem.”

Jo Yihyeon raised her gaze toward the sky before continuing.

“That palm is the size of space.”

“Ah.”

Only then did Park Boseop understand.

When the satellite radar said something was located ‘here,’ the area it referred to far exceeded any scale an ordinary person could consider reasonable.

Park Boseop was stunned.

Then did they have to find, in that immense desert, a Prophet’s artifact that would hardly be bigger than a fist?

It was an overwhelming task.

“Don’t worry too much. It won’t take as long as you think.”

The one who resolved Park Boseop’s concern was Noah Winston.

“The Prophet’s artifacts contain extremely powerful energy. Thanks to that, they’re very popular, so they’re almost never found alone.”

“What do you mean by popular?”

“Whether it’s a human or a Mog, as soon as they see one, the first thing they do is eat it. And normally, the Mog are the ones who end up doing it. So if we hunt Mog around here, one of them should have the Prophet’s artifact.”

As she spoke, Noah Winston formed a faint smile.

“We just have to hunt Mog until the loot drops.”

At those words, Park Boseop could no longer say anything.

Because that sounded even more overwhelming.

And it really was.

If it were a simple task, there would be no reason to send an experienced Psyker Agent to recover a Prophet’s artifact.

Kim Seojun knew that as well.

He had come prepared for it.

However, as soon as Kim Seojun looked out over that desert, he had an idea.

“Private First Class Park Boseop, don’t worry too much. I think it’ll be easier than I thought.”

As soon as they heard that, everyone tilted their heads in confusion.

Kim Seojun told them.

“For now, all of you go inside and rest. I think I can handle this alone.”

At those words, their expressions filled with even more doubt.

However, no one questioned his decision.

If Kim Seojun spoke that way, it meant he undoubtedly had some method.

Above all, considering Kim Seojun’s abilities, if they tried to stay by his side to help him, they would probably end up being more of a hindrance than a help.

“All right, we’ll be resting inside, so call us if you get bored! Come on, let’s go watch a movie!”

Thus, Noah Winston and the others entered Inventory, and after confirming it, Kim Seojun took out the Wulong and got on it.

Then he looked ahead.

As soon as he gazed at the desert stretching endlessly before him, several memories came to Kim Seojun’s mind.

Memories of the times he had fought against the Mog in deserts like that.

‘It was hell.’

Not a single one of those memories could be described as anything other than hell.

To that extent, the desert was one of the worst possible environments for a Space Marine.

Even when he had boarded the spaceship that would take him away from Earth for money, he had prayed not to be assigned to a desert.

He had wished never to have to do anything in a place like that again.

But now it was different.

Kim Seojun didn’t feel dizzy as he looked at the desert.

He had no reason to.

All he had to do was find Mog there.

Nothing more.

And Kim Seojun possessed the best possible ability for finding Mog hidden in a desert like that.

“Minimap.”

At that instant, the Minimap appeared before Kim Seojun’s eyes.

And then he could see them.

The red dots scattered everywhere.

One of the most difficult things about space was that you could never let your guard down.

Sleeping soundly anywhere other than a headquarters base was extremely difficult.

The same was true even inside a bunker.

Relax when they could be attacked by the Mog at any moment?

It was practically madness.

That was why, once they began a mission, even the most resilient people quickly exhausted their mental fortitude.

Psyker Agents were no exception.

The combat capabilities of Psyker Agents were overwhelming, but there was no reason their mental fortitude had to be particularly superior to that of an ordinary Space Marine.

In fact, there were quite a few who couldn’t even sleep soundly inside a headquarters base.

Some claimed that there was no safe place for humanity in space.

However, now an exception had appeared.

“This place really is the best.”

Kim Seojun’s Inventory.

That was the safest place in space.

For starters, they didn’t have to worry at all about an attack by the Mog.

As long as Kim Seojun kept Inventory closed, absolutely nothing could enter.

Naturally, there was a fatal disadvantage.

If Kim Seojun died, everyone would die with him.

However, no one was worried about that.

After all, if something capable of killing Kim Seojun appeared, they probably would have died even if they had remained outside.

In any case, thanks to that, Kim Seojun’s companions could rest inside Inventory more comfortably than ever.

Inside the air tent they had set up, Noah Winston was actually watching a movie while drinking a can of cola.

The other three simply watched the scene with stunned expressions.

Naturally, all three of them knew.

For a soldier, it was extremely important to rest properly when given time to do so.

Only if one knew how to completely relax when given the opportunity could one become fully alert again when the time came.

‘She’s doing it for us.’

Furthermore, they understood that Noah Winston was acting so excessively relaxed in order to send the other three a message.

That it was okay for them to relax as well.

In response to Noah Winston’s efforts, the three tried to reciprocate in their own way.

They tried to relax as much as they could.

Naturally, that wasn’t something they could accomplish simply because they wanted to.

“Will Sergeant Kim be okay?”

Even when they tried to talk about something else, they inevitably ended up expressing their concern for Kim Seojun.

Whenever that happened, Noah Winston responded with a smile.

“If there’s any problem, he’ll come in here.”

Swoosh!

At that instant, something entered Inventory.

Everyone immediately tensed and looked toward the person who had just entered.

Naturally, it was Kim Seojun.

“Everyone, attention.”

As soon as he appeared, Kim Seojun spoke directly to them.

“I need help.”

As soon as they heard that he needed help, all four immediately sprang into action.

“What happened?”

Noah Winston, who had put on her Agent Suit with surprising speed, spoke in a relaxed voice.

“Did something difficult to hunt appear?”

However, unlike her voice, her eyes gleamed more coldly than ever.

Because she knew.

For Kim Seojun to ask for help meant that something far more difficult than expected had appeared.

“No.”

Kim Seojun answered and showed them what he was holding in his hand.

“This?”

Only then could everyone see it.

On Kim Seojun’s palm was a diamond-like gemstone the size of a baby’s fist.

“A Prophet’s artifact!”

As soon as they saw it, everyone’s eyes widened.

Had he really managed to find it all by himself?

“H-How did you get it?”

Kim Seojun answered the surprised Park Boseop’s question.

“I got lucky.”

Everyone let out an incredulous laugh at that answer.

“I got it after killing the 255th Antlion. Luckily.”

“What?”

However, as soon as they heard what he added, everyone understood that this couldn’t exactly be considered lucky.

After all, he had killed 255 Antlions, creatures where encountering even one could already be considered a worst-case scenario.

Kim Seojun spoke while everyone was still surprised.

“Can we find out what ability this Prophet’s artifact has?”

“Ah!”

Only then did everyone understand what Kim Seojun had meant when he said he needed help.

Every Prophet’s artifact possessed a special ability, and to discover what it was, a Psyker compatible with that ability was required.

Even if you were a Psyker, if you weren’t compatible, you couldn’t find out.

That meant every Psyker present had to try it at least once!

It didn’t take long for them to do so.

“Give it to me.”

Starting with Noah Winston, Major Lee Hyena and Private First Class Park Boseop took turns touching the Prophet’s artifact.

And then they were able to confirm it.

“I have no idea what it is.”

That was a very positive thing.

“That means it probably isn’t something simple like increasing Strength, but some special ability.”

After all, in that field, not knowing what an artifact did was a good sign.

It was then.

“Um, could I touch it too?”

Jo Yihyeon stepped in, and everyone’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Uh, well……”

Under those gazes, Jo Yihyeon spoke.

“I’m a Psyker too.”

It was a surprising truth.

“Ah, it’s nothing impressive. I’m a Psyker, but I really don’t have any talent. There isn’t any artifact I can properly use.”

At the others’ interest, Jo Yihyeon revealed a few more details about her secret.

In reality, that wasn’t particularly strange.

The differences between Psykers’ capabilities could be enormous.

On one hand, there were beings beyond all norms like Hawk Eye.

On the other, there were also those who were Psykers in name only and were practically no different from an ordinary person.

And for those who lacked true Psyker abilities, the title of Psyker could become more of an obstacle than an advantage.

That was also the case with Jo Yihyeon.

She had never told anyone that she possessed Psyker abilities.

Not even her grandfather.

The reason she was revealing it now was simple.

‘I want to be helpful, even if it’s only a little.’

“Here you go.”

Park Boseop immediately handed her the Prophet’s artifact he was holding, and Jo Yihyeon took it in her hands.

Everyone watched her.

Naturally, they didn’t have high expectations.

Jo Yihyeon herself had said that her abilities were nothing extraordinary.

Therefore, even if she turned out to be compatible with that Prophet’s artifact, it was unlikely that she would be able to do anything particularly impressive on the battlefield.

It was then.

“Huh?”

Jo Yihyeon let out an exclamation of surprise, and everyone turned their gaze toward her.

Under those gazes, Jo Yihyeon asked.

“Um, could you think of one of the three options in rock-paper-scissors right now?”

As soon as he heard the question, Kim Seojun made an expression as though he had understood something.

Jo Yihyeon looked at him and said.

“Um, I think so. I can hear Sergeant Kim’s thoughts.”

〈 End of Chapter 53: Spoils (4) 〉

Author’s Note

As expected of the protagonist of a suffocating sweet potato novel, he can’t do anything on his own. Tsk, tsk.