LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 206
The first person to step on the Moon said this:
“This is a small step for a human, but a giant leap for mankind.”
Did they know the truth about the Moon when they first arrived? Did they think it was a step toward the future? Or did they believe it was a step that realized the impending doom?
If they did know, what kind of feelings must have stirred within the person who uttered those words?
My mind begins to wander.
“…”
With eyes that have almost grown distant, I force myself to move, glancing around.
– Plod… Plod…
The sound of my footsteps echoes in the surroundings. What looms above me remains unmoved.
Whether it is sleeping or dead, it makes no noise and gives no response.
Light shines down from above.
I look down at the ground.
Bright light floods over it.
It might sound absurd, but I am basking in the moonlight.
Above, a translucent window crackles to life around me.
[Name: The Last Bastion]
[Age: -]
[Specialty: Salvation]
[Talent: Salvation]
[Background: Fundamentally, they act to save people, and you are naturally included among those people.]
[Weakness: Do not look at the light source.]
Arranged by the Management Agency.
If I lift my head now, will I simply go back?
But…
“…”
I did not lift my head. I keep my gaze fixed on the ground and take steps forward.
Everything will return to how it was.
I had no idea just how fortunate that would be. I should have experienced something like this before.
What I am seeing now is both the approaching doom and the doom that I have managed to avert this time.
But the fundamental issue remains unresolved.
The larvae are still alive, and killing them would only invite an even harsher future.
“…”
I knew better than anyone.
I cannot defeat that.
Even if I somehow did win, I wouldn’t be able to handle the backlash afterward.
Yet, that doesn’t mean it’s a reason for me to stop resisting.
I ponder.
What I can do.
The best disruption I can create, even if I can’t achieve victory.
“…”
I raise my head and look up at the ceiling.
In my blurred vision, I can see the one that sleeps, and my eyes are engulfed in a fiery pain as another translucent window emerges.
[Name: Moon]
[Age: xdefkd years created]
[Specialty: -]
[Talent: -]
[Background: There is no way to permanently halt the birth of life simply by thrashing around.]
[Weakness: There is no need to unnecessarily touch on the weaknesses right now.]
It felt as though someone was talking to me.
My vision grows darker, but I felt satisfied.
An egg is a shell.
As time passes, the strengthened larvae will shake and cause the Moon to awaken more frequently.
What should be done to stop that?
“…Prevent the shell.”
How?
I slowly look around.
Amidst the pouring bright moonlight, I could not find the Branch Chief.
Song Ah Rin was lying there.
Beneath the bright moonlight, tears streamed from her eyes.
The translucent window did not rise.
Yu Da On and Jang Chae Yeon… were already far beyond the point of no return.
It would be nice if someone could help.
As I thought this,
“…Ugh.”
An unexpected voice came from behind me.
I slowly turned my head.
Faded blonde hair cascaded down.
“…Ugh.”
Aileen stood up from where she was.
– Clang…!
As she stood up, a broken cross fell to the ground.
“…”
It was the same cross I had seen at the nursery.
Why did Aileen have that?
By now, the hole in my head had disappeared, and it seemed all that remained was a headache. She frowned deeply as she looked around.
“What, what is it? Failure…”
“…”
“…”
As our gazes met, she ran towards me.
“Hey, are you okay?”
She offered her support.
“Aileen.”
“Yeah.”
“I have one request and one question.”
“Are you seriously calm right now, even with things like this happening?”
Aileen muttered in a grating tone, but I ignored her and continued,
“First, don’t look at the sky.”
“I got it.”
“And then, what is that cross?”
“The cross?”
With a face full of questions, she muttered, looking at where she had awakened.
“…What is this?”
Shock was evident in her voice.
“Why is this here…? No. Why is it with me…?”
“That doesn’t matter.”
I clung to Aileen’s words as my consciousness became hazy.
“That’s not important right now. We’ve got things to do first.”
“…”
She looked at me.
“Please take me down with you.”
“Down?”
I pointed at the barred elevator, and Aileen nodded.
“…Sure.”
She started walking while supporting me.
My vision was blurry, but Aileen had no problem helping me walk.
“…Ugh…”
She grunted as she grasped the pulley with both hands and began to turn it, slowly lowering the manual elevator.
Soon, the elevator arrived with a loud noise at the ground.
“…Huff.”
Aileen breathed out heavily and grasped my arm.
“Let’s go.”
“Thank you.”
I stood up with her aid.
“…What are you planning to do?”
“Renovation.”
“What?”
Aileen furrowed her brows.
I closed my eyes.
Up until now, I had endlessly contemplated and worried about others, but surprisingly, there was one thing I hadn’t considered.
Myself.
The abilities possessed by Kim Jae Heon.
I had neglected to ponder on my own in the midst of awakening during the Dream of the Butterfly.
What is critical?
To me, critical has always been my powerful strike.
And while that remains true,
Must critical be limited to just attack?
Dealing a decisive blow to others?
That could indeed lead to destruction.
But perhaps not destroying is the true critical hit.
If it is someone who has awakened and is contemplating destruction upon the world, all the more so.
It is a matter of changing the direction of thought.
Not breaking, but a critical aimed at filling.
And at that moment, another translucent window appeared.
[Critical: 1->2]
I turned my head to look at Aileen’s hazy face.
“Aileen.”
“Yeah.”
“From now on, you will be my eyes.”
“I got it.”
She nodded and strengthened her grip on my arm.
“What should I do?”
“Find the wall with the biggest crack.”
“Uh, okay. That’s not hard.”
In a reluctant voice, she muttered as she looked at the wall.
“Be careful not to look at the light on the ceiling.”
“I understand.”
Quietly, she began to scan her surroundings.
“…Ah.”
She reached out her hand.
“Is this it?”
Hearing her words, I turned to look at the wall.
It wasn’t clearly visible, and as I forced my leg to move, Aileen awkwardly supported me as I walked.
“…That’s right.”
Just as she said.
There was a large crack in the wall.
A huge crack that looked like it would break at any moment.
“…”
My body stiffens from tension.
What I know about critical is just theory.
In the worst-case scenario, using critical might touch the wall and cause it to crumble.
“…”
My hands began to tremble.
I thought it to be the correct answer, but what if this becomes the path that leads to our demise?
If it turns out to be that way, can I take responsibility?
This was a matter of responsibility.
“…”
As I hesitated,
– Thud!
Aileen grabbed my wrist and placed it against the huge crack.
“Don’t worry.”
She placed her hand over mine.
“That responsibility? I’ll share it with you.”
“…Do you know what kind of situation this might lead to?”
“I don’t know.”
With a bold voice, she stated while applying strength to our overlapping hands.
“But I’m not such a hopeless person that I wouldn’t reach out to someone dying under the burden of responsibility.”
She looked at me as she said that.
“Do it. It’s our responsibility.”
“…Thank you.”
“No.”
Aileen chuckled.
“You would have done the same.”
“…”
[Critical: 2->1]
Critical disappeared,
– Crash…!
A tremendous sound erupted from the crack as Aileen gasped in horror.
The crack began to close.
As if it were mending itself, the crack was repairing.
“…Good.”
A sense of relief washed over me.
I let out a big sigh and looked at Aileen.
“Next. Please take me to the biggest crack.”
“…Wait a sec.”
While muttering in disbelief, she supported me again, starting to walk.
Soon, we arrived at another massive crack.
“Including the last one, these two are the biggest.”
“Understood.”
As I placed my hand on the crack, Aileen again placed her hand atop mine.
“…We’re still responsible for this, right?”
“…”
I averted my gaze from her and stared at the large crack.
[Critical: 1->0]
Once again, the crack began to mend.
With a scraping sound, the crack started to close.
Simultaneously, another translucent window appeared before my eyes.
[Name: Egg]
[Age: -]
[Specialty: Egg]
[Talent: Egg]
[Background: Restraining something that should have already been awakened is but the work of one feeble human.]
[Weakness: With the passage of time, the egg will break again.]
“…”
A strange sensation seized my body, and another translucent window emerged.
[You can now reflect on yourself.]
[The maximum limit of critical has increased to 3.]
“…”
It seems I must overcome trials of this scale.
It feels like increasing any further isn’t necessary, but…
“…However.”
As I blankly pondered, Aileen gazed at me.
“What is this used for?”
“…”
What is it used for?
I looked at the two massive cracks that had disappeared.
Today we succeeded.
We postponed the apocalypse and even obtained the right for one person to survive till the end and return.
However, that should not be the end of it.
Someday, a day will come when we must face this.
I do not know if I will be there then or not.
Those who have come before me must have thought the same.
Digging holes, building steps, witnessing horrors, bleeding from their eyes and ears—they created all of this.
From the stairs leading to the Moon to the machines here. None of this was done by me.
It is a path paved by others for my sake.
They too must have known.
That at this moment, while using the stairs they built, they couldn’t use it themselves.
There were times they had to cry while entering a cabin to write down their thoughts.
There were times they had to give up right before their eyes.
There were times they had to abandon everything for a greater purpose while trapped inside a machine.
And all of that served to further secure the egg without meaning.
For what purpose was all of this done?
“The answer is fixed.”
I raised my head to look at the ceiling.
The brightly shining Moon was there.
All the things we’ve done are all entirely different.
But our actions were for only one thing.
“A better future.”
The brightly shining light engulfed my vision.
*
– Crash!
I fell off the narrow bed.
“Ugh!”
“Ahhh!”
Soon, the multitude of voices filled the air.
I opened my eyes and looked around.
People were piled up on the bed in the cabin.
“Ouch…”
Aileen was on top,
“Ugh.”
Song Ah Rin below her.
“…Heavy.”
Jang Chae Yeon beneath that.
“…I’m scared…!”
Yu Da On.
“Is everyone a bit too weak?”
Even the Branch Chief.
Five pairs of eyes stared at me.
“Nice!”
The Branch Chief grinned and gave me a thumbs-up.