#67 Planetary Plunderer
Nakamura returned home after a grueling day, carrying a convenience store bento.
"Hah, should I try again today?"
He was determined to finally clear the ninja game he'd been playing since yesterday.
Swish! Whoosh!
As he manipulated the wireless controller, his ninja character performed acrobatic feats, leaping over walls and rooftops.
Throwing shurikens, dispatching enemies with flashy dagger techniques - he successfully infiltrated.
Like any Souls-like game, a single wrong move could be fatal.
He couldn't afford to lose focus for even a second.
"Huh?"
His attention was momentarily stolen by the sudden message floating in midair.
Crash! Thud!
In that split second, a samurai's blade pierced his ninja character, and with a flashy effect, the ninja collapsed to the ground.
GAME OVER
Seeing the words on screen, he threw the wireless controller onto his bed.
"Damn it!"
He was so close - just 30 more seconds and he would've cleared it!
"Hah, what is this?"
As Nakamura reached to touch the floating text, new words appeared.
The end has fallen upon Earth.
Defeat Planetary Plunderers to obtain Goblin Coins. Reclass as a Novice to gain access to Nova.
Find the portal and escape to Nova.
Objective: Enter Nova
Reward: Status Window
"W-what the hell?"
Was it because he'd been gaming too much?
He rubbed his eyes, but the vision didn't disappear.
"What is this?!"
Even as he shook his head in disbelief, the words remained.
What was a Novice? And a status window...?
"Gasp! Is this what I think it is?"
Had he watched too much anime?
A status window - wasn't this a classic trope?
Had he really been transported into a game world?
"Am...am I the protagonist?"
No way!
The dead ninja character on TV no longer registered in his mind.
His heart pounded so loudly he could hear it in his ears.
Suppressing his jumbled excitement, he turned on the internet.
"What the-?"
The news was flooded with reports about Nova, Planetary Plunderers, and the apocalypse.
"I'm not the only one?"
His swelling expectations deflated like a punctured balloon.
But he didn't stop searching.
Soon, Nakamura quickly grasped the situation.
"It's a battle royale!"
Not exactly kill-or-be-killed, but green monsters called Planetary Plunderers were roaming certain areas.
"It's a time attack!"
With grim determination, Nakamura grabbed his old little league bat and headed out.
Among the wandering crowds, police officers appeared.
"Please return to your homes."
"It's dangerous - hurry back!"
Seeing even the Self-Defense Forces mobilized, Nakamura had no choice but to return.
Kee-hee-hee
"Wh-who's there?"
In front of the open fridge.
A green monster was stuffing food into a sack.
Kee-hee?
"Huh?!"
A monster.
Small and green.
Was that a Planetary Plunderer?
Seeing its small size, Nakamura mustered his courage.
"D-die!"
Thud! Thud!
Kyaaak!
The goblin, struck on the head, succumbed to the beating.
Clang!
Unaware it was dead, Nakamura kept swinging until the corpse vanished and his bat hit the floor.
"Huff, huff!"
What just happened?
The one-sided fight, the strange thrill of killing, and the guilt left him in turmoil.
"Huh?"
Picking up the fallen coin, Nakamura-
Pop
-was reclassed as a Novice, a circular tattoo appearing on his right hand.
The coin's usage method drilled into his mind.
Along with basic Novice information.
"Damn! What is this?"
Absurdity and exhilaration sent shivers down his spine.
The end had come for Earth.
He had to get to Nova.
Osaka Portal - 20km radius.
Novices began appearing everywhere, drawn to the towering light pillars - portals - visible even at noon.
After resting, the expedition began.
The unit leaders had prepared the operation.
A 50-member scouting party was formed, led by Cheoldu, Oh Jun-hwan, and Choi Jun-seop - half spearmen, half melee fighters.
Giyongsu led the archers to defend camp, while Kim Jin-tae took half the spearmen and melee fighters to gather resources and build palisades.
A contingency plan in case the scouts had to retreat.
"Let's move!"
"Hoo, I'm nervous."
Choi Jun-seop, despite being a top ranker, was tense - and Oh Jun-hwan was no different.
"Ha, is this really the right call?"
Choi Jun-seop glanced at Oh Jun-hwan and chuckled.
Three years ago, when Choi was squad leader and Oh a special task force member, they'd been close.
"But why come back? When you left the task force, you swore you'd never return to Nova."
"Tch, lost a bet."
"I heard. Give me the details."
They still had distance to cover before reaching Cyclops Forest. Oh Jun-hwan obliged.
"Lost. Bet my enlistment. I wagered becoming a subordinate."
"Wow...betting against Cheoldu-hyung. You've got guts."
"Wait, why do you call the captain 'hyung'?"
"Ah, that."
Captain Choi briefly explained.
"Heh, that's ridiculous."
Oh Jun-hwan laughed but found Captain Kang Cheoldu's personality fascinating.
"The captain's personality is seriously entertaining."
"Satisfied?"
"With what?"
"The mercenary corps."
"Well, it's alright."
"You're more motivated than expected. Not like you."
"What's that mean?"
"Never saw you work this hard in the task force."
"Look at the state of the corps. Someone had to step up."
Captain Choi chuckled.
"Oh, Warrant Officer, you've grown up."
"Not a warrant officer anymore, old man."
"Heh."
The current deputy commander was far more likable than the troublemaker Warrant Officer Oh.
"But what happens after we take care of this?”
