I’m a Young God, Won’t You Raise Me?

That arrogant remark made my heart start pounding.

Without realizing it, I was just about to open my mouth to greet him.

But I managed to stop myself at the last moment.

Ever since I discovered that Archive World was real, I had imagined more than once what it would be like to meet my favorite character.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Pasung’s CEO Cha. I’m Han Goyo, a recruit from the Trial Response Agency. I’ve heard a lot about you. It’s an honor to meet you. Could I have your autograph…? Ah, right, impossible. Yes. Sorry.”

Something normal, more or less like that.

I never imagined our first meeting would happen like this.

Even so, seeing in person someone I had only ever known through pixelated graphics was an indescribable feeling.

I stood there, half entranced, staring at my favorite character, now alive and standing before me.

“…..”

Noticing my gaze, Pasung’s CEO Cha silently observed me for a few seconds.

Then he casually jumped down from the roof of the vehicle.

He was really tall.

I already knew he was, but in person he looked even more imposing.

He was only slightly shorter than Kwak Hanmuk, so he had to be around one meter ninety.

He had an agile build, and dressed in sportswear, he looked like a professional fighter.

‘If he were standing next to Captain Kwak, they’d look like a team of athletes.’

As I continued watching him excitedly—

Clack.

That sound brought me back to reality.

Pasung’s CEO Cha had just taken an enormous weapon out of his inventory, something resembling a portable cannon, and rested it on his shoulder.

At the center of the weapon was a transparent chamber where blue electrical currents swirled.

I was startled and quickly struck Samra’s shoulder.

“Samra!”

The item he had just taken out was an EMP Shockwave Cannon.

I had used it before in Archive World.

It unleashed an immensely powerful electromagnetic pulse capable of instantly melting the internal circuits of any machine through electrical overload.

It was a lethal weapon against an android like Samra.

I was just about to say that we needed to run immediately.

But Samra spoke before I could.

“You have nothing to worry about, Mr. Han Goyo.”

He didn’t even flinch at the sight of the cannon aimed directly at him.

“Such a primitive method cannot harm me.”

To me, an EMP Shockwave Cannon was the most advanced technology imaginable.

Hearing Samra call it “primitive” left me completely speechless.

Samra’s holographic eyes and hair began to shine intensely.

Until then, they had emitted only a faint glow.

But now they radiated such intense light that they illuminated the entire area.

Pasung’s CEO Cha aimed directly at Samra.

And pulled the trigger.

Bzzzzzz!

With a sharp buzz that tore through the air, the blue electrical currents inside the chamber compressed into a single point.

Faced with a situation where Samra could become a pile of scrap at any moment, he spoke with absolute composure.

“From this moment onward, I will generate a reverse-phase electromagnetic wave field for fifteen minutes and thirty-seven seconds.”

The next instant, a blinding blue flash burst from the muzzle of the cannon.

It was a gigantic electromagnetic pulse that ionized the air into plasma.

At the same time, a transparent wave spread outward from Samra’s body.

The space along the boundary where that wave passed distorted, rippling like a mirage.

An invisible sphere collided head-on with the EMP.

There was no explosion.

But something even stranger happened.

At the point of impact, space twisted and shimmered as though someone had spilled oil across the surface of water.

The immense electromagnetic energy, enough to paralyze an entire city, silently disintegrated the moment it touched the transparent sphere created by Samra.

It vanished as though it had never existed.

I was still staring with my mouth hanging open when Samra began explaining what had just happened.

“This is destructive interference. Two opposing waves cancel each other out.”

“Huh?”

Seeing that I didn’t understand, he resorted to a much simpler comparison.

“It is the same principle as active noise cancellation. I generated a wave opposite to the pulse.”

That much I managed to understand.

More or less.

But the explanation that followed left me completely lost again.

“To block an instantaneous EMP using a reverse-phase wave, it is necessary to analyze its frequency, waveform, and emission speed in real time. I performed tens of billions of calculations per second to analyze the pulse perfectly and generate an inverse wave with a synchronization rate of one hundred percent.”

For a moment, I had the impression that Samra was showing off a little.

Though perhaps I was just imagining it.

Or perhaps not.

In any case, it was clear that he had just done something absolutely incredible.

Since I had spent quite a while merely watching from his back, I decided to compliment him.

“That’s really impressive. I didn’t know you could do something like that too. And you’re very good at explaining things.”

‘He seems like a paid AI.’

‘Not a free one.’

‘One of those you have to pay an insanely expensive monthly subscription for.’

For a moment, I considered saying it out loud.

But then I wondered whether comparing an android to a paid AI would be a compliment or an insult, so I decided to keep it to myself.

Shortly afterward, Samra’s reverse-phase field completely swallowed the EMP and spread across the entire one-kilometer radius.

Then something astonishing happened.

Every nearby light and electronic screen left behind a faint bluish trail for an instant.

And then they all went completely dark.

At the same time, absolute silence descended.

As though someone had sliced the world in two with a knife.

Every electronic device stopped functioning, and the constant background hum disappeared all at once.

It felt as though I were submerged underwater.

An oppressive silence that made my ears ring.

My heartbeat and my own breathing sounded unnaturally loud.

And I began to feel slightly dizzy.

I hadn’t said a single word.

But Samra immediately detected my condition.

“The human nervous system functions through tiny electrical signals. Inside a reverse-phase electromagnetic field, it is normal to experience an instinctive sense of biological danger. I will proceed to evacuate you immediately.”

“Where do you think you’re going, Samra?”

Pasung’s CEO Cha tossed the EMP Shockwave Cannon behind him.

Then he lightly tapped the white scabbard hanging at his waist with one finger.

“Since you’ve already come all this way, at least let us say hello.”

My gaze unconsciously followed the movement of his hand to his sword.

‘Great Sun Tathāgata…’

That white sword, whose name meant “Great Sun,” even had a spectacular description.

I immediately remembered the text from the game.

Great Sun Tathāgata: The world’s sun sets into darkness, but the light of the Great Sun Tathāgata knows neither day nor night.

He had failed in his attempt to turn Samra into a pile of scrap.

But that didn’t mean Pasung’s CEO Cha was an opponent who could be underestimated.

If Lieutenant Colonel Je Hyuno was the greatest specialist at fighting large groups of enemies,

Then Pasung’s CEO Cha was, without question, the most dangerous combatant in a one-on-one duel.

His fighting style revolved around unleashing a devastating burst of damage in a single instant.

And the main reason for that was Great Sun Tathāgata itself.

That white sword.

It seemed to have been forged solely for him.

“Mr. Han Goyo.”

“…Yes?”

“We will now move.”

Hadn’t Samra just said a moment ago that we were going to move? I didn’t understand why he was repeating himself.

As I wondered about it, I finally understood the looks on Won Taebeom’s and Pasung’s CEO Cha’s faces.

Won Taebeom was still carefully watching the confrontation between Samra and Pasung’s CEO Cha without letting his guard down.

But now he was looking at me with an expression even more incredulous than when he first saw me being carried on Samra’s back.

He wasn’t someone who showed much emotion.

The fact that he was looking at me like that meant I had done something truly strange.

‘Did I stare at Pasung’s CEO Cha for too long?’

Pasung’s CEO Cha’s expression conveyed a similar disbelief.

Although there was one small difference.

He seemed to be in an exceptionally good mood.

The emotional reading skills I had honed after spending so long observing Lieutenant Colonel Je Hyuno’s goggles and gas mask told me I was probably right.

Shiiing.

Pasung’s CEO Cha drew Great Sun Tathāgata.

The dazzling white sword appeared before us.

Amid the darkness, where every other source of light had vanished, that blade shone on its own with a pure white radiance.

It was a mesmerizing sight.

“It seems Han Goyo has a great many things he wants to say to me.”

Hearing him speak while holding the sword so casually, I hurriedly explained to Samra.

“No, Samra. It just caught my attention for a moment.”

But the android, who knew every single one of my biometric readings, didn’t even respond.

Instead, he called out to Won Taebeom.

“Lieutenant Won Taebeom. I will entrust Mr. Han Goyo to you.”

Samra handed me over to Won Taebeom.

Now he was the one carrying me on his back.

No matter that I had only just awakened after being unconscious for so long, it was still rather embarrassing for a grown man to keep being carried around by other people.

Thanks to Samra, I already felt much better.

“I can walk on my own.”

But Samra immediately brought me back to reality.

“Impossible. Mr. Han Goyo is currently suffering from paralysis in the lower half of his body. It is estimated that he will need at least one day to make a full recovery.”

No wonder I couldn’t feel any strength in my legs.

Hearing that, I finally understood my condition.

Dominic, from atop my head, also chimed in with his usual polite tone.

“Mr. Gunbam. It is also important to learn to let your subordinates take care of you.”

There wasn’t a single person here who was actually beneath me.

But I nodded anyway as though I completely understood.

Pasung’s CEO Cha let out a crooked smile.

“The Trial Response Agency is still exploiting its people as always.”

Samra’s face lost all expression.

He had even stopped imitating human facial expressions.

And yet, Pasung’s CEO Cha showed not the slightest reaction.

He slowly turned his head.

And fixed his gaze on me.

“Han Goyo. Come to Pasung.”

Really?

I was just about to answer that.

I managed to stop myself at the very last second.

Pasung’s CEO Cha was famous both for his terrible personality and for his absolute distrust of others.

The people he trusted could be counted on one hand.

That was precisely why I knew that every Pasung mercenary was recruited by the two directors who belonged to his innermost circle.

I was probably the first person in all of Pasung’s history to receive a recruitment offer directly from Pasung’s CEO Cha.

I definitely had to be extraordinarily useful to him.

‘What if I just listened to what he wants to tell me?’

Of course, I couldn’t trust him.

I had no intention of joining Pasung.

But listening for a few minutes.

“Pasung’s CEO Cha. I will not allow any further conversation.”

A shimmering holographic mist began flowing from Samra’s body.

Wrapped in that dreamlike mist, Samra tore both sleeves off his uniform.

His smooth skin was exposed.

The synthetic covering that imitated human skin opened along geometric lines.

The mechanical components began reorganizing themselves as though they were living organisms.

Until they transformed into two enormous silver weapons.

His left arm became a railgun.

His right arm became a plasma cannon.

And even so, he still had time to explain it to me.

“I have selected simple armaments so that I may simultaneously control the nanorobots and the reverse-phase wave field.”

In other words.

He could transform into something much more impressive.

But since he had too many tasks to handle at the same time right now, he had chosen a basic configuration.

‘Didn’t he say he only had defensive functions?’

Apparently, his definition of “defense” was a little different from that of human beings.

Perhaps he read my expression, because he added another explanation.

“A large portion of my functions remain restricted due to the condition of not causing harm to humanity. I cannot completely contain Pasung’s CEO Cha, but I estimate that I can buy enough time.”

Without taking his eyes off Pasung’s CEO Cha, he declared,

“Lieutenant Colonel Je Hyuno is returning. I will hold out until his arrival.”

Bzzzz.

Holographic energy began gathering inside the plasma cannon.

Then Samra gave an order.

“Lieutenant Won Taebeom. Retreat immediately.”

Boom!!

The instant he finished speaking, a flash of pure white light collided with the holographic energy.

Samra had stepped in to prevent Pasung’s CEO Cha from reaching me.

The exchange of attacks began at a speed impossible to follow with the naked eye.

Pasung’s CEO Cha swung his white sword and cleanly split apart a sphere of energy fired by Samra, whose arm had bent at an angle impossible for a human being.

As the fragments of energy exploded in every direction, Pasung’s CEO Cha charged forward.

The barrel of the railgun mounted on Samra’s left arm began to spin.

And it fired a rain of electromagnetic projectiles at incredible speed.

The waves that tore through the air flew straight toward Pasung’s CEO Cha’s chest.

But he spun gracefully in midair.

He deflected every projectile with the blade of his sword.

And immediately afterward, he slashed with Great Sun Tathāgata.

The swarm of nanorobots surrounding Samra instantly changed shape.

The holographic mist reorganized itself in front of him, forming a shield made up of multiple interconnected hexagons.

Boom!!

The white sword collided with the shield.

A shower of sparks poured down like a waterfall.

The darkness of the night was illuminated for an instant.

I would have liked to keep watching the battle between Samra and Pasung’s CEO.

But Won Taebeom took off running, and the distance between us rapidly increased.

As I turned my head to look back, I finally understood the cause of the vibrations I had felt earlier in the underground tunnel.

An entire side of the Trial Response Agency building had been torn away.

Earlier, I had asked Samra what he meant by an urban battle in Seoul.

It turned out he had already anticipated this exact scenario.

“Recruit Han.”

Hearing that dry voice, I looked up toward the back of Won Taebeom’s head.

“Do you intend to remain with the Trial Response Agency?”

If I answered no, he might throw me onto the ground right then and there.

So I replied as ambiguously as possible.

“For now, I’d like to.”

“Do you know how to use a firearm?”

“I know the basics.”

I chose not to mention that the first time I ever fired one was in Call of Void.

“With your permission.”

Won Taebeom shifted me from his back and supported me with a single arm.

He was every bit as strong as his muscular physique suggested.

After effortlessly settling me into position, he handed me a pistol.

As for himself, he took an item out of his inventory and equipped it on his free hand.

It was a silver gauntlet that looked like something worn by a medieval knight.

The item’s name was Paladin’s Oath.

After equipping it, Won Taebeom fixed his gaze straight ahead.

The nighttime streets covered by Samra’s reverse-phase field were eerily silent.

But I soon understood what he was watching.

Under the moonlight.

Two figures slowly emerged from the shadows.

A man wearing glasses.

And a woman with her hair tied in a high ponytail.

They were dressed in office clothes.

At first glance, they looked like employees who had just gotten off work.

If not for the Trial items they were holding in their hands.

The man, carrying a sword covered in teeth, smiled kindly.

As though he were a salesman greeting a customer.

“Lieutenant Won. It’s been a long time. You still look very well.”

The woman, holding a pistol covered in flowers, widened her eyes as though she weren’t holding a weapon at all.

“Lieutenant, you’re working far too late. Isn’t it about time you left the office?”

“Move aside.”

“Hahaha. We’d like to as well. But you know how it works. If the boss tells us to do something, we don’t really have a choice.”

“Just let us speak with Mr. Goyo for a moment.”

The woman smiled sweetly.

“As soon as he signs the contract, we’ll return him immediately.”

They were Seo Mooncha and Mok Saehwa.

The two directors of Pasung and Pasung’s CEO Cha’s most trusted people.