I’m a Young God, Won’t You Raise Me?

Am I still dreaming?

As I listened to the Code Red announcement, that thought briefly crossed my mind.

But then I felt the gentle swaying of the pudding slime rocking atop my head and realized this was real.

Even though the android was running at full speed, Dominic remained perfectly balanced on top of my head.

“Mr. Gunbam. Things are a bit chaotic. I’m worried it may negatively affect your recovery.”

Well, calling it “a bit chaotic” was a massive understatement.

I was surprised by the pudding slime’s choice of words and tried to move my body, but I barely had any strength.

When I woke up a moment ago, I thought I was fine, but I was far from it.

With a calmness that completely clashed with the chaos surrounding us, Samra began explaining.

“Mr. Han Goyo has just regained consciousness after approximately fourteen days. It is not recommended that you use your body.”

He said it while racing through the hallways at incredible speed.

And yet, he didn’t collide with a single person or object.

“Samra! Stop for a moment!”

Every now and then, some soldiers tried to stop him, but Samra slipped past every one of them in an instant.

I remained on his back, still half asleep.

Then I heard a voice.

“Mr. Goyo! Mr. Goyo! Where are you?! I’ll protect you!”

It was Han Jiwol, Director of the Research Division, looking for me.

She normally stuttered and spoke very softly.

But now she pronounced every word with perfect clarity, and her voice carried the authority of a general.

In that state, Han Jiwol was several times more dangerous than usual.

I quickly wrapped my arms around Samra’s neck and whispered,

“Let’s go faster.”

Perhaps Samra shared my opinion, because he accelerated even more.

When we reached the stairs, he jumped straight down to the floor below.

I had assumed we’d head to the rooftop for a helicopter evacuation.

So I was surprised when we went down instead.

By that point, I felt I had to ask.

“Um… Samra. Where are we going?”

“There is an underground evacuation route connected to the adjacent buildings. We will exit through there.”

“Then… what if we hide inside the virtual space?”

“I do not recommend it. The longer a person remains inside the virtual space, the greater the probability of suffering cognitive impairment. Mr. Han Goyo is currently in a physically weakened state, making him unsuitable for enduring that mental burden.”

It sounded as though they had already run experiments by placing multiple people inside the virtual space.

“Furthermore, the virtual space does not allow physical movement. There is a possibility of becoming trapped inside the Trial Response Agency. Considering all available options, this is the optimal alternative.”

Despite how urgent the situation was, I ended up asking what I was most curious about.

“By the way is there a specific reason you’re carrying me on your back…?”

When I asked about such an old-fashioned method of transportation, Samra slowed down slightly.

He always answered immediately.

But this time, he took a few seconds before replying.

“I specialize primarily in information gathering. Beyond that, I possess only defensive combat functions.”

Since he was a next-generation android, I had imagined him transforming into some kind of jet aircraft.

Apparently, he didn’t have a function like that.

Faced with the sudden terrorist attack, Samra had concluded that carrying me on his back and running was the safest way to evacuate me.

The only Special Operations Team he could trust was fully deployed on other missions.

And he considered relying on the remaining soldiers too uncertain.

‘Is it because Han Jiwol or Director Jang Seokyun might interfere?’

Especially the former.

Taking advantage of the chaos, she was perfectly capable of kidnapping me and taking me anywhere.

“I had predicted this attack in advance. However, Pasung’s CEO Cha used a Trial item that introduced a margin of error into my calculations.”

From the explanation that followed, I understood that Samra’s original plan had been to keep me resting in the hospital room for as long as possible instead of evacuating me beforehand.

But Pasung’s CEO Cha understood his methods perfectly.

And he exploited that blind spot.

He used an extraordinarily rare consumable item whose value was impossible to estimate.

Thanks to it, he was able to temporarily conceal all of his movements from Samra’s information system.

And the moment he slipped out of Samra’s surveillance, he immediately launched the attack on the Trial Response Agency.

‘So even androids make excuses.’

Maybe it was just my imagination, but it seemed like his pride had taken a slight hit.

I decided to keep that thought to myself and asked another question.

“But why did Pasung’s CEO Cha attack the Trial Response Agency?”

Pasung’s CEO Cha wasn’t someone who acted on emotion.

He would never start a battle that only brought him losses unless there was a perfectly clear reason for doing so.

There was no reason that could justify a terrorist attack against the Trial Response Agency.

At least, that’s what I thought.

“Code Red. Code Red. This is not a drill. Code Re—”

Bzzzt!

The transmission, which had been repeating nonstop, filled with static.

Then it abruptly cut off.

At the same time, the deafening sirens disappeared.

Suddenly, absolute silence enveloped the entire Trial Response Agency building.

Samra came to an abrupt stop.

He slowly looked up toward the ceiling.

His holographic eyes shone brightly.

“Samra.”

A mechanical voice echoed through the speakers.

“You’d better stop playing games and hand him over. Before I blow the entire Trial Response Agency to pieces.”

There wasn’t the slightest trace of emotional excitement in that calm tone.

And that made it all the more chilling.

Pasung’s CEO Cha asked. [1]

“Where is Han Goyo?”

I doubted my own ears.

The last time I visited Chairwoman Kang Cheonseo’s house, I had already heard that Pasung’s CEO Cha was looking for me.

But I never imagined he would go so far as to launch an attack on the Trial Response Agency just to find me.

Why was he willing to go this far?

And on top of that—

‘What the hell does he plan to do afterward?!’

He had committed a terrorist attack in broad daylight.

I had no idea what he hoped to accomplish with such madness.

The insane actions of my favorite character were starting to give me a headache.

Suddenly, I felt guilty toward Mo Haein.

Was this how she felt every time she looked at me like I’d completely lost my mind?

‘Captain Mo, from now on, I’ll behave better.’

As I apologized to her in my heart, Samra spoke again with perfect composure.

“Once we leave the Trial Response Agency, we will prepare for urban combat.”

I flinched.

That android had just said something truly dangerous.

On top of that, his combat functions were supposedly primarily defensive.

And now he was talking about fighting an urban battle?

“I’ll just talk to Pasung’s CEO Cha. There’s no point in letting the Trial Response Agency—no, setting that aside, an urban battle in the middle of Seoul is…”

“Mr. Han Goyo.”

Samra interrupted me.

“I promised to provide you with unconditional cooperation.”

The agreement we had made was that he would provide unconditional assistance to “Han Goyo,” as long as it did not harm humanity.

But I never imagined that promise would still apply even if the Trial Response Agency—or even all of Seoul—were at risk of being destroyed.

‘I don’t think I’m worth that much.’

Or maybe I was?

Come to think of it, I was the only one capable of providing him with new learning data.

Maybe it did make sense.

Besides, Samra was acting exactly like someone who, in the middle of a burning house, cared only about rescuing the most valuable object.

That only reinforced the impression.

In any case, I was grateful to him.

I liked Pasung’s CEO Cha.

But precisely because I knew his personality well, I had no intention of letting myself be captured in a situation like this.

If he was willing to confront the Trial Response Agency head-on just to find me, it meant obtaining me would bring him enormous benefits.

It wasn’t hard to imagine a future where I ended up becoming his personal slave to close Trials.

Or something even worse.

As I briefly imagined all the things Pasung’s CEO Cha might do with me, Samra reached the underground sector.

When he opened the heavy steel door hidden on the fifth basement level, a dry, stale current of air filtered through the ventilation system hit us head-on.

The tunnel leading to another building existed solely as an evacuation route.

The thick protective walls left the concrete completely exposed.

The only illumination came from emergency lights placed at regular intervals.

The only sound was the deep hum of the ventilation system.

And yet, someone unexpected was waiting for us there.

“Samra.”

It was Lieutenant Won Taebeom from Field Team 2.

I had seen him briefly just before entering Slay to Plate.

I never imagined I would run into him again like this.

He had come specifically to see me.

And in the end, because of Dominic, he had lost the opportunity to enter.

I couldn’t help feeling guilty.

Won Taebeom was left speechless when he saw us.

It was obvious that the sight of a next-generation android carrying me on his back had completely bewildered him.

Still on Samra’s back, I greeted him.

“Good evening, Lieutenant.”

After receiving his utterly bewildered stare, I obediently closed my mouth.

I suppose this wasn’t exactly the right time for greetings.

“Lieutenant Won Taebeom. What are you doing here?”

Although he asked, Samra didn’t seem surprised.

He had already known that Won Taebeom was waiting along the evacuation route.

He had avoided all the other soldiers.

But for some reason, he had decided to meet with him.

Won Taebeom answered formally.

“I’ve come to provide support.”

“Are these orders from Director Jang Seokyun?”

“No. This is my personal decision.”

Samra’s holographic pupils expanded and contracted for a few moments.

After verifying the truthfulness of his words, he authorized him to accompany us.

“Permission granted.”

Booom!

The moment he finished speaking, a massive explosion shook everything around us.

Even the evacuation tunnel, buried so deep underground, trembled slightly.

There was no need to imagine what the surface must have looked like.

Samra remained motionless for a few seconds, staring into space.

After gathering the necessary information about the current situation, he spoke.

“Once we reach the surface, I will disable all electromagnetic fields within a one-kilometer radius, including those of the Trial Response Agency, for fifteen minutes and thirty-seven seconds.”

“Understood.”

Won Taebeom answered immediately.

But Samra didn’t even pay attention to him.

From the beginning, those words had not been directed at him.

“Mr. Han Goyo. When I disable the electromagnetic field, you will experience slight dizziness and minor static electric shocks throughout your body.”

Grateful for the warning, I answered quickly.

“Yes, understood.”

“With your current physical condition, it should not pose any problem. However, if you notice even the slightest abnormality, inform me immediately.”

I wanted to tell him I wasn’t that fragile.

But I was completely incapacitated and still being carried on his back.

My words wouldn’t have been very convincing.

So I simply nodded in silence.

From that moment on, Samra continued running without saying another word.

Even for Won Taebeom, who had been infected by a Trial, it was barely possible to keep up with him.

And if he hadn’t been carrying me, he probably would have run even faster.

Every now and then, I checked to make sure Dominic was still on top of my head.

Whatever material that pudding slime was made of, he remained firmly attached without ever falling off.

He only bounced gently up and down in rhythm with the running.

Once I confirmed he was still there, I was able to relax and focus solely on letting Samra carry me.

It wasn’t long before we emerged from the underground tunnel.

We entered an unfamiliar building connected to the emergency exit.

It appeared to be completely empty.

Everyone had already evacuated.

We climbed the stairs to the ground floor.

And finally, we stepped outside.

Night had already fallen completely.

As I inhaled the cool air, I held my breath.

A black jeep was parked in front of the building.

Casually sitting atop the massive vehicle, illuminated by a streetlamp as though under a spotlight, was a man.

Both of his hands were tucked into the pockets of a sports jacket.

The headphones hanging around his neck and his tracksuit gave him an utterly carefree appearance.

At his waist hung a sword sheathed in a white scabbard.

A matte white mask was turned toward me.

Only his eyes were visible.

And it produced a cognitive deterioration effect that made it impossible even to distinguish the color of his pupils.

But I recognized him immediately.

How could I not?

It was Pasung’s CEO Cha.

“Han Goyo.”

His mechanical voice reached me.

“Do you know how difficult it’s been just to get a look at your face?”

T/N:

(1): I made a mistake by confusing the characters. It wasn’t Fracture’s Representative Cha; the correct name is Pasung’s CEO Cha. I’ve already corrected it in the previous chapter. ^^