Chapter 70
Chapter 70: You Made Eye Contact With Me
Trudge, trudge.
Mu-yeong walked quickly along the main corridor.
Before long, he arrived at the living quarters where the crew members resided.
In the central space where the fountain stood, people had already gathered, murmuring amongst themselves.
"Didn't you just hear that? That was definitely gunfire!"
"There was also a thudding sound, like something crashing into something…… Could it be an accident?"
"No, I heard at least five shots. One or two I could understand, but this was absolutely no mistake."
They all wore grave expressions.
Mu-yeong, who had been counting heads, narrowed his brows.
Excluding Jade, who is already dead, and Richard, who went to the cockpit…… the numbers match exactly.
The quest notification had stated there were eight crew members in total.
The people before him numbered six.
At the very least, he was spared the trouble of tracking them down one by one.
As Mu-yeong approached, the crew members brightened.
"Mu-yeong! Did you hear it too? Wait, what is that gun on your back?"
"Isn't that something that can only be taken from the emergency armory in the cockpit?"
"Don't tell me the one who fired those shots was……"
"It wasn't me—it was Richard. And this is an emergency. A space monster has appeared."
"A space…… monster?"
The expressions of the five shifted into something strange.
They blinked repeatedly, as if asking themselves whether they had heard correctly.
—Lol they don't seem to believe him kekekekeke
—Who would believe someone suddenly saying a monster appeared lmaooo
—I wouldn't believe it either kekekekeke
—They probably think it's a prank? kekekeke
"A space monster? What on earth are you talking about?"
"I'm not entirely sure myself. It's a living creature I've never seen before…… For now, let's go to the cockpit together. Richard will explain."
They might well have thought it was a joke, but perhaps because of the gun Mu-yeong was carrying and the gunshots from earlier, they nodded along without resistance.
"Alright, let's go take a look."
Shortly after.
The crew members gathered in the cockpit reviewed the CCTV footage.
"Wh-what on earth……!"
"That monster is actually inside this spaceship?"
"Good heavens…… How could something like this……"
Those who confirmed the monster's appearance let out sighs of despair.
And no wonder—the creature looked threatening enough to be called a living weapon of destruction.
As a gloomy air settled over the room, Richard clapped his hands once to draw everyone's attention.
"Let's sort out the situation first. We have three months left before we return to Earth, and the distance to the emergency escape pod makes that completely out of the question. In short, we either kill that thing or drive it out of the spaceship."
"That thing? And just how do we go about that?"
"We'll have to think of something……"
Whirrrr.
At that moment, accompanied by a draining hum, every fluorescent light illuminating the room went out all at once.
Only the machines performing critical functions remained operational.
"……This is bad. It seems the creature has done something in the power room."
"The emergency generator should allow for minimal living conditions, but if it tampers with that as well, we have absolutely no hope."
Richard looked at Mu-yeong.
"Mu-yeong, do you think you could head to the power room and restart the main generator? In the meantime, we'll be checking the other systems and drawing up a plan."
"Leave it to me."
[Objective Updated: Go to the power room and activate the main generator.]
—They're sending him alone?
—If everyone went together, would it even be a horror game lmaoooo
—Honestly, the others would just be dead weight lmao
—Going alone is easier anyway kekekeke
After checking the map, Mu-yeong slipped out of the cockpit.
Things looked considerably different from the last time he had seen them.
"……Dark."
If the usual brightness was a hundred, it was now roughly thirty.
There were plenty of places the light could not reach, leaving many areas cast in deep shadow.
It felt like a monster could leap out from anywhere at any moment.
—Wow the atmosphere is something else
—There's no way I'd go alone lmao
—Fr this gives me the chills;
—I just called my mom because I got scared kekekekeke
—I turned my room lights on too lmao
"Well, let's get going."
Keeping his breath and footsteps as quiet as possible, Mu-yeong headed for the power room.
But that only lasted a moment—with a chilling bloodlust, the creature's cry rang through the corridor.
—Krrrr……
Simultaneously, a massive shadow appeared ahead.
—Oh sh*t kekekekekeke
—That bastard showed up kekekekekeke
—We're meeting it here? kekekeke
—What is this timing? kekekeke
—Find the cabinet now!
—This is terrifying kekekeke
Mu-yeong stopped.
The power room is only fifty meters straight ahead—of all times to run into it here. Should I wait a little?
But that deliberation was rendered meaningless.
Because the monster had begun walking straight toward Mu-yeong.
—Hey hey don't come over here?
—Emergency kekekekekeke
—Got spotted immediately kekekeke
—There's no running from this kekekeke
—The moment you move it's a chase kekekeke
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The creature drew closer and closer.
Seeing the monster in the darkness was on a completely different level.
It would not have been strange to call it the end-bringer of this world.
Mu-yeong scanned his surroundings.
—The side, the side, the side
—There's a cabinet right where he just looked!!
—Run kekekeke
—Hide first and think later kekekeke
—Go go go go
"Found one."
Mu-yeong sprinted at full speed.
—Kyaaaaaa!
So did the creature.
—Lmaooo kekekekekeke
—Look at the ground shaking kekekekekeke
—Is this even possible?????
—Just open the door and get in kekekeke
Only one meter to the cabinet.
The viewers expected Mu-yeong to dash inside frantically.
That was the only solution—the one way out of this situation.
But.
"This looks like it'd make a perfect weapon."
Mu-yeong picked up the cabinet whole.
And then rammed it straight into the face of the charging alien.
Clang!
—Kekekekekeke
—What the heck kekekekekeke
—You absolute madman kekekekekeke
—What is thiskekekekekekeke
—Would you stop picking fights kekekekeke
He had hit it so hard that the alien shrieked and stumbled backward.
The creature shook its head rapidly and let out a roar.
—Kyaaaaaa!
The alien charged even more recklessly.
A tail swipe.
Clang!
Mu-yeong blocked it simply with the cabinet.
It had been an attack that far surpassed human strength, yet the impact was not all that great.
"A brute with nothing but raw power. This thing is big, but its pattern is simple."
—That's not the problem hereee kekekeke
—He's using the thing designed for hiding as a weapon kekekeke
—That's not what that's for kekekeke
—The alien must be more baffled than anyone kekekekeke
—You picked the wrong target kekekeke
Mu-yeong charged forward.
He struck without discrimination—head, torso, legs—and the alien's momentum began to falter.
It retreated a little and then began to face him in a standoff.
—Kekekekekeke
—It got scared kekekekekeke
—Immediately detected that something's off kekekeke
—First time getting hit by a human, huh? kekekeke
—It must be dumbfounded too kekekeke
—At this point, who's the real monster? kekekeke
"Looks like I've got the upper hand. That creature won't charge recklessly anymore."
Mu-yeong slammed the cabinet he had been holding down onto the floor with a thud.
When he stepped one pace forward, the alien threw its mouth wide open and howled.
—Kyaaaaaaaa!
And then it vanished up into the ventilation shaft above.
As if to say it would be back, it spat a blob of acidic saliva onto the floor before disappearing.
Mu-yeong smirked and leaped lightly.
"This turned out to be quite a sturdy piece of equipment. Even if that thing comes back, as long as I have the cabinet, there's no problem."
['That's Not What That's For' has donated 1,000 Won.]
—It's the protagonist's hiding spot, of course it's sturdy kekekeke the cabinet is literally the one thing the alien can't break kekekeke
—The cabinet is busted, holy kekekeke
—But who uses it like this? kekekeke
—I'm just speechless now kekekekeke
—So who's the scarier one now? kekekeke
—Like if you want to see the alien show up again kekekeke
And so, having completely lost all sense of fear, Mu-yeong entered the power room.
.
.
.
.
Whrrrrrr!
The main generator began to start up.
The lights that had been out flickered back on one by one—click, click, click.
Richard's voice came through the walkie-talkie.
—Mu-yeong! You did it! The CCTV was off so we couldn't see, but did you run into the monster on the way?
"I ran into it at the entrance to the power room. Gave it a few hits and it ran off."
—As expected, even that thing can't hold up against a gun. We were very worried, but I'm glad you're safe.
Richard let out a sigh of relief.
The cheering of the crew members around him was faintly audible.
—These people have a serious misunderstanding going on
—We didn't even fire the gun!
—Why would you use that when Mu-yeong's there? kekekeke
—If the CCTV had been running they would've fainted kekekeke
—The power going out was a godsend kekekeke
"So, did you come up with a plan?"
—We kept thinking it over, and it looks like the firearms in the emergency armory are nowhere near enough. The majority opinion is that they can suppress it, but killing it outright is impossible.
"……"
—In short, we have to drive the creature outside the spaceship.
"Is that even possible? We don't have any proper weapons."
—It is possible.
Richard swallowed once and continued.
—We lure it into a useless room and then detonate a bomb. That creates a hole in the outer hull of the spaceship, and the pressure difference will suck the alien out into space. It's the only method available to us right now.
"In summary, you're saying I should risk my life to lure the monster."
—That's right. That's the rough outline of the plan for now—let's work out the details together when you get back.
[Objective Updated: Return to the cockpit.]
—That's rough
—But how do you even lure that thing?
—And after you lure it is another problem
—Fr if you're in the same space you'd get sucked out too
—There's a bomb so it'll work out somehow
—There's no way I could do that lol
After the call ended, Mu-yeong opened and closed his fist.
"So the end of the game isn't a fight, but driving it out. I wanted to have a proper all-out battle with that thing—what a shame. If it weren't for the invincibility frames, I would've fought it for real."
—?
—??
—You already did just a moment ago
—It already looked pretty one-sided to me
—What exactly have I been watching?
—Translation: he liked the feel of hitting it and wants to hit it more.
Mu-yeong wasn't just saying it for nothing.
After all, Castle Defense and Battle Attack had been games where you fought against other people.
In Monster World he had hunted various monsters, but nothing there had been particularly remarkable.
At the end of the day it had just been goblins, orcs, snakes and the like.
But this one is different.
The monster called the alien was not just fresh—it was outright shocking.
For one, its very appearance was overwhelming, and the sheer killing intent it radiated made it feel like a true apex predator.
A creature in its most raw, primal state.
Swallowing his lingering disappointment, Mu-yeong stepped out of the power room.
As he made his way back to the cockpit, a shadow appeared from around the L-shaped bend in the corridor.
—It showed up again kekekeke
—But why am I not even scared? kekekekeke
—Fr I'm actually glad to see it
—But it's Hell Mode so you never know
—Could charge harder because it remembers getting hit
['Cleared It Three Times' has donated 1,000 Won.]
—You know that in Hell Mode the alien learns in real time, right? It studies its opponent's patterns and comes at you based on that, so watch out
"It learns in real time?"
—Yep
—So dragging it out puts you at a disadvantage
—It's Hell Mode for a reason
—That's why if you hide in the cabinet too often it'll start opening them all kekekeke
—Fr it'll suddenly yank one open and shove its face right in and it's absolutely terrifying kekekekeke
—I was playing alone and screamed so loud my neighbour came to check on me kekekeke
A monster that keeps on growing.
That meant its attacks would be far more varied and vicious than just a moment before.
Mu-yeong's mouth curved into a grin.
"That sounds really good."
His heart had already begun to pound, and the fight hadn't even started yet.
So what would it show him this time?
As there was no cabinet nearby, Mu-yeong took hold of the gun for now.
Not shouldering it—but gripping it in a stance ready to swing it like a blade.
—Krk?
But then, the creature that had revealed its face from around the corner suddenly stopped.
It seemed to sniff the air for a moment, and then looked directly toward Mu-yeong.
—Ooh
—Round two incoming?
—Time for a lesson kekekeke
—This time he's beating it with the gun? keke
Everyone anticipated a fierce fight.
They all watched with wide eyes, wondering what he would show them this time.
—Krk.
With a single full-body shudder, the alien snapped around one hundred and eighty degrees.
And then it began to run back the very way it had come.
Even faster than when it had arrived.
—Get over here you little sh*t kekekekekeke
—Hey, where do you think you're going kekekeke
—You just made eye contact with me kekekeke
—That bastard's running away kekekekekeke
—Someone catch it quick kekekekekeke
—Oh so much for learning patterns and being careful kekekekekeke
Since the game's release, it was the first time in history that the alien had been the one to flee first.