Chapter 21. Association – Designer
『Infinite Architect』
Boom! The ground trembled as I leaped forward, the sound echoing from beneath the bridge. The last sight I had was the rectangular cracks forming in the hallway.
Bang. I realized that the hallway had risen up due to the titanic noise originating from behind me, but the sound of the impact didn’t cease.
The ceiling slammed down onto the hallway. Stones erupted from the walls, shattering them. The continual violence of concrete was unrelenting.
Is he trying to kill me?
That old man didn’t seem inclined to capture this intruder and was blatantly using the building for attack purposes.
“If you surrender now, I’ll leave your bones intact.”
His calm voice, as if telling a tale to his grandson, vanished into the ether, replaced by a palpable aura of murderous intent.
Naturally, I had no thoughts of surrendering, so I threw myself forward.
Creeeak. Creeeak. Craaash.
With ominous sounds ringing in my ears, concrete walls surged up from all sides.
What a mess!
It appears that the Infinite Architect has begun to take control of the building.
As I deftly dodged the oncoming concrete, I noticed the crisp, deliberate cracks that seemed intentionally created, rather than a result of poor construction.
Click! I tensed, moving toward a location I deemed safe, expecting some kind of attack.
Rising between the gaps was a black rod. Although it wasn’t initially of such shape, it somehow resembled a spear with its tip crudely sharpened.
Rebar spears flew towards me.
I kicked off the wall behind me and deflected the dangerous rebar with the claw hammer in my right hand.
One. Two. Three.
An endless stream of rebar followed. I swung my arms to deflect them all, but even with effort, I couldn’t knock them all away.
The rebar pierced my body, tearing my clothes, leaving small wounds on my skin. If it were ordinary rebar, it couldn’t inflict me any wounds even if it shot up like this, but this was strengthened by the Infinite Architect’s control over the building.
While the attacks were slower than the creation of walls, they filled the air with an overwhelming abundance.
The old man was serious, huh? He really intends to capture me no matter the cost?
How many times has my tongue clicked in annoyance today?
Though I wanted to spew curses at him, if that old guy heard my language and word choice, he would figure out the identity of the Black Marauder.
Suppressing my itching mouth by biting my tongue, I dashed down the narrowing corridor.
Should I change tactics now and try to knock that old man out and escape?
The power of the Infinite Architect is specialized in rear support and spatial control, so if I target the main body, there are plenty of ways to knock him out.
It would be simple to crush the building he uses as a weapon and bury the claw hammer in his head.
The Infinite Architect knows his own main body is vulnerable, and so he would utilize all means to prevent me from attacking it, but due to the nature of the Infinite Architect relying on the building, I would ultimately prevail.
The problem is, that would mean the Association building must come crashing down. No matter what, I’m not willing to go that far.
Despite my considerations, the Infinite Architect joyfully continued his destruction of the Association building while attacking me.
He could just recover it later, but clearly he wasn’t calculating the costs and benefits at all.
“Where do you think you’re going, you damned brat! Just get caught and get crushed!”
Has he caught up to me already?
There’s no way he could arrive this quickly unless he was madly rolling his wheelchair!
With that thought, I turned my head toward the direction of the voice.
A seemingly endless number of humanoid boulders thundered across the ground, racing toward me.
Concrete golems, reminiscent of the Infinite Architect’s younger self, were charging forward.
Is that old guy really insane? At this rate, it looks like he might destroy the Association himself instead of me, doesn’t it?
Supporting that thought, the golems continued to rise from the building walls. All concrete walls transformed into golems, while the remaining exposed rebar turned into flying spears.
As this repeated, the surroundings had completely lost their identity as a building, leaving only a construction site strewn with the ground and skeletons of steel.
“You damned old fool! You can’t even control this mess!”
The one who instigated this catastrophe began shouting profanities at me through the golem’s mouth.
He must be past pissed off by now, clearly intending to turn me into shredded meat.
In that old man’s mind, the thought of capturing me must have already vanished.
All that remained was the desire to crush me in his fiery temperament.
A moment ago I was considering ways to knock him out, but fighting such a hot-headed opponent would undoubtedly destroy the Association.
It wouldn’t be because of me that the Association crumbled; the Infinite Architect would dismantle the entire building using it as material.
I need to just run away.
If I can just escape into the space outside, certainly the Infinite Architect would give up.
Changing my strategy, I sprinted down the hallway, dodging the incessantly rising rebar spears while swinging my claw hammer at the newly formed golems. How long has it been since I started running?
“That’s no ordinary hammer you’ve got there, the copy has a foul temperament too!”
The deep voice rumbling from the concrete golem wasn’t of the old man himself; it was the Infinite Architect’s voice whispering in my ear.
Turning my head toward the direction of the sound, I spotted the Infinite Architect, wheeling himself forward with his left hand while brandishing a staff with his right.
What’s that old man thinking? Why’s he in the midst of the battlefield with his ancient body? What could possibly be worth this show?
“Good! Keep dancing! Today I’ll finish this!”
He seems to be itching for a fight after all. I thought maybe his temper had cooled; turns out he just didn’t have time to express his emotions like me.
The tearful grin taking shape on the old man’s face confirmed it.
In the heat of battle, a designer revealed his true nature.
Instead of old Awakeners charging with him, the golems became the designer’s allies in the field, and the unique weapon made from monster bones was replaced by a wooden staff in the designer’s hands.
We were in a similar predicament.
Forgotten old heroes. Two heroes unable to retire, having been forced into it by society.
Be it through circumstances or will, they could not retire, lingering in society like old jesters, finding one another in their similar plight and igniting the flames of emotion in an age of peace.
As that thought flickered through my mind, my desire to fight began to dwindle even more.
If both of us were to fight earnestly, it would inevitably end with someone getting hurt.
Even if we control our powers, who knows where I might slip up?
No matter what else, it’s simply not my style to bury a comrade with my own hands. It’s something I’ve done enough of already.
Yet, contrary to my feelings, the heat of battle became ever more intense. Even if I lacked a fighting spirit, the opponent didn’t intend to stop.
“Do you plan to keep running then? Take this!”
As the Infinite Architect shouted that, the ground trembled profoundly, enough to think it was an earthquake.
Then, a massive figure appeared behind the Infinite Architect.
A concrete giant. The Infinite Architect’s masterpiece.
That’s something I’ll need all my strength to deal with. What to do? Should I stick to the original plan and try to knock him out and flee?
As I contemplated this…
Smack!
The sensation of my hammer striking against something came through. It looked like nothing was there, but it felt as if there was a connection.
Found it.
“All incoming!”
Holding back my mouth that had started to spill curses, I swung my hammer with force.
The large swing resulted in the nearby golems being swept aside, but it created a massive opening as well.
One of the rebar spears lodged itself into my skin, while the concrete golem’s fist struck my body.
A gap appeared thanks to my unfamiliarity with the hammer. Had it been a weapon I could handle freely, this wouldn’t have happened.
Seeing me like that, the Infinite Architect must have felt a sense of unease, as he muttered something suspiciously.
The time earned at the cost of minor wounds.
I drew back my hammer, pouring all my mana into my right arm.
There wouldn’t be time for a few rounds… just this once will do.
Thump. The sound of my heart thudded within me.
Thump. Shockwaves began to spread outward.
The mana strengthened my body, and all my strength started to gather on the hammer.
Nearby golems were swept away by the shockwave, turning into concrete rubble, while the once-lunging rebar fell to the ground, losing its momentum.
“Stop!”
Did he predict what I was about to do? The surprise in his voice was clear.
The concrete giant swung its fist at my command.
But my hammer was faster.
There was no sound.
No feeling of contact.
Yet, the immense force packed into my hammer broke through reality.
The hammer pierced through the fabric of space as I twisted it like a key.
A tiny gap emerged. A minuscule opening made by a force thought to be impossible.
However, the phenomenon arising from that opening was anything but small.
The restoration of the world commenced.
From a trickle began a deluge, as forces came flooding from the other side and the pseudo-otherworld under the Infinite Architect’s rule dissolved, absorbed back into the original world.
To my eyes returning to the original world, a bright light illuminated.
A brilliant light erupting from the Association building.
Well, that was a bit of fun.
Though, I really feel somewhat bothered I didn’t catch Taejoon Kim, this was a pretty good stress relief, so perhaps I’ll be satisfied.
Deciding that, I leapt toward the nearest building and looked back for a moment, catching sight of the Infinite Architect’s face.
A bewildered expression, as if doused with cold water amidst intense activity.
Though his face displayed a vague expression that hadn’t cooled yet, time would surely allow the Infinite Architect to regain his reason and cool off.
He wouldn’t go rampaging after me to catch the Black Marauder in this turmoil.
He would likely spend the next few months focused on recovering the Association building…
…as for where that bastard ran off to after all that destruction.
A calm yet seething voice flowed into my ear. A chill sensation wrapped around my body.
Like answering my premonition, the concrete giant behind the Infinite Architect seized hold of a different Association building with its hands.
Wait. No way. That crazy old man…
Crack!
The sound of buildings breaking apart rang out like a cookie crumbling, and the structure held in the giant’s grasp transformed into a massive concrete sphere under the Infinite Architect’s reign.
Grrroooar!
With the giant’s roar, the massive concrete sphere was thrown toward me.
That crazy old man! This isn’t a civilian sector! If I could only speak, I would’ve spat out the harshest curses.
I gathered strength in the right hand holding the hammer.
The shockwaves produced due to the buildup began cracking nearby buildings, but compared to the falling concrete sphere, it was nothing more than a nuisance.
A sphere that was large enough to blot out the sky hurtled toward me.
A simple attack wouldn’t suffice to mitigate the collateral damage. It could obliterate everything, leaving not even debris.
Swinging my hammer toward the oncoming concrete mass, I thought.
“It’s been the worst night ever.”
The concrete sphere exploded mid-air, and I continued to leap around, gathering up the fragments.
It isn’t like I have any particular flair for preventing damage to my surroundings from being wrecked.
The culmination of a heated battle resulting in such a Pathetic mess…
I shook off the body stained by stone fragments and returned home, yet sleep eluded me after such a chaotic fight.
The night of restless slumber passed.
Yawn.
Letting out a yawn filled with fatigue, I scratched my belly and stepped into the living room.
“Master! Did you sleep well?”
“Did you sleep warmly?”
I replied to Baek Sihyeon, who was lounging on the couch, watching television.
After passing through the living room, I headed to the dining room.
I plucked a beer from the massive refrigerator that seemed out of place for our three-person household, then flopped onto the couch in the living room.
“So you’re watching TV this early in the morning.”
“What about you, Master? You’re drinking at this hour, is that okay?”
“I’m not going to get drunk anyway.”
It’s just bitter water for me. It’s a ridiculous excuse, even I know it.
Feeling the jolt of the cold beer passing down my throat, I turned my head towards the television and saw the mangled Association building onscreen.
– The Black Marauder has been reported to have infiltrated the Association…
– Thankfully, there were no casualties, but the property damage sustained by the Association amounts to…
That’s definitely not my fault.
That old man went berserk and wrecked it himself.
I was trying to keep it under control.
What on earth is the Black Marauder thinking, trying to invade the Association?
“Do you think I know?”
“Since he’s a copy of you, wouldn’t you know?”
Even if there’s a being with the same thought process as me, there wouldn’t be a reason to invade the Association.
“Well, if you think about it, the Association must have displeased him.”
For instance, what aspects could that be?
Why am I being asked about that by you?
Does Baek Sihyeon actually think I’d know everything?
…Could it be about the photo from the press conference not fitting their standards?
Though that was a tossed-out excuse, it was a somewhat decent story.
I didn’t like the way the picture looked, making it seem like a villain. If it were me, I would certainly be angry.
“Do monsters care about things like that?”
“Some monsters complain their wanted posters don’t look good, bringing their own photos to the Association to get caught.”
Since I’d caught one while hanging out in the convenience store within the Association, it was indeed a true story.
“Do the monsters care about such things?”
“Monsters have personalities and thoughts too. Maybe a monster that just crossed over from the Otherworld wouldn’t know any better, but the longer they’ve been here, the more they adapt to human society.
That doesn’t mean they would stop destructive activities or villainous acts though.
Those idiots from the Purification Volunteer Organization beyond the Great Barrier still do thug activities even though they’re all A# class monsters.
“That’s surprising. I learned that beings from the Otherworld conduct invasions.”
“Most of them get exterminated right upon appearing, and out of the monsters that aren’t, only a minuscule fraction adapt to society.”
Even though they end up being quite populous when it all boils down, there’s no need to clarify that.
“Did you sleep well…”
Amidst the news anchor’s excitable voice, Han Abin’s hazy voice rang through the living room.
She seemed sluggish in the morning, with a disheveled appearance reminiscent of a fledgling bird whose feathers were ruffled all over.
“Did you sleep well?”
“Yeeah…”
With a response that didn’t quite sound like one, Han Abin headed towards the bathroom, still swaying as if she might lean against something and doze off again.
To Han Abin, I tossed a gray rod.
“Han Abin. Catch.”
Though she was sluggish, she still reached out and grabbed the rod flying towards her.
“What is this…?”
Han Abin stared blankly at the stick she held in her hand.
What she was holding was a crude gray rod made of stone.
“It’s your new magic wand. Infuse your mana into it until training starts.”
“How do I infuse mana?”
Now that her consciousness seemed returned, I answered the now coherent Han Abin.
“Just hold it in your hand and concentrate. You probably won’t be able to produce mana properly yet, but that level is enough.”
Since it was made from concrete taken from the Infinite Architect’s pseudo-otherworld, its value was beyond words.
Even though my craftsmanship isn’t the greatest, and it might look a bit rough, with such excellent material, it should suffice as a magic wand.
Han Abin should surely be satisfied with it.
“A magic wand?”
However, her returned response was utterly unexpected. She spoke in a tone of bewilderment, as if she didn’t comprehend what I was saying.
No way…
“Didn’t Baek Sihyeon explain?”
“I forgot!”
Damn it.
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