Chapter 46

Episode 46. The Ideal Leader (3)

***

“Dr. Chae. Are there any soldiers available on-site? Or have you received any firearms training?”

“Ah, I came from a defense contractor.”

Seems like he hasn’t fired a gun before. Instead of answering, I picked up the special ammunition kit and the gun. The black tentacle monster was still thrashing around in front of me.

“I’ll explain as we go, so listen carefully, Dr. Chae. And, aren’t you recording this?”

Dr. Chae quickly pulled out his phone and started filming. I checked the chamber of the gun.

The chamber was fine.

FR-105. The Foundation’s anti-materiel sniper rifle, using 12.7mm bullets. It has recoil control devices on the front, back, top, and bottom.

The stock also has a shock absorber. It’s an unnecessarily complicated gun for field use, but thanks to that, even someone like me can fire it.

*Click.* That completes the weapon check. I disengaged the safety on the sniper rifle.

“Listen carefully, Dr. Chae. Have you ever heard of brute force analysis in data analysis methods?”

“No.”

Brute force analysis. Simply put, it’s similar to calculating all possible outcomes in a probability problem. It’s a method of trying every possible case.

“Since there’s no other way, we’ll have to try this. From now on, I’ll fire different types of special ammunition one by one and observe the monster’s reactions. Please record everything, Dr. Chae.”

I loaded the first special round into the gun.

“Osmium.”

*Bang!*

The black balloon monster was within 50 meters, and its movements weren’t particularly fast. Hitting the monster’s body wasn’t that difficult.

The bullet hit the monster’s body directly. Some black liquid splattered, but there was no special effect. The monster didn’t even react.

“Continuing. Sulfur.”

I haven’t used it myself, but it’s said to be effective against ghosts or similar supernatural phenomena.

*Bang!*

This time, there was no effect either.

“Graviton round.”

“Thermite.”

“Wisteria flower.”

“Unakite.”

This one would be problematic even if it worked. Unakite is hard to obtain in large quantities.

“Pine needle.”

“Uranium.”

“……”

I picked up the sniper rifle again. It seems none of the materials we brought had any effect. At least not among the special rounds we prepared.

“There’s no effect at all.”

Dr. Chae shook his head.

But. My opinion was a bit different. The monster definitely reacted to something. It didn’t seem to take damage from the bullets, but there was something it responded to.

“Didn’t you see the monster flinch?”

“It didn’t seem to be because of the bullets.”

“Think about it a bit more. Isn’t there more to killing a god than just chemical means?”

Dr. Chae pondered. He seemed close to the answer…… but we don’t have time to wait.

“Since we’re out of time, I’ll just explain. Shamans shake bells during rituals, right? To drive away evil spirits or minor gods. That monster seems to react to the sound of shell casings bouncing or bullets hitting metal doors.”

“Ah.”

“Move, Dr. Chae. Change the frequency of the metal sound from the speakers in the containment room. And, there should be a gong in the containment room storage……”

“Yes, understood!”

Now that I’ve given the order, there’s a purpose. Even if it’s wrong, it’s worth a try. Dr. Chae ran off somewhere.

Let’s find the gong.

***

About 10 minutes had passed since I arrived.

In shamanic rituals, the gong symbolizes the earth, and the bell symbolizes the sky. Of course, we don’t need to know the specifics right now.

I moved to the front of the containment room, fully equipped, holding the gong. A few soldiers glanced at me, but most continued with their tasks.

“Dr. Kim. Initiating containment procedures!”

*Clang!*

The effect was spectacular.

The sharp metallic sound echoed through the Large-Scale Containment Wing. The noise amplified by the large speakers. The monster fell to the ground and began convulsing.

“We’ve temporarily restrained it. Call the Metaphysics Department! We’re containing it now!”

I struck the gong a few more times. I’m not sure exactly why, but it seemed significantly weakened.

The black monster began to retreat slowly from the bullets. It’ll be trapped in the containment room soon. *Clang, clang.* I kept striking the gong……

*Creak.*

The massive iron door of the Large-Scale Containment Room closed.

Situation resolved.

I looked around at the people gathered above. Five researchers from the Foundation were waiting at the scene where we fought this divine-class entity. Why couldn’t anyone find a solution?

“Where’s the nearest meeting room here?”

“Uh……”

No one answered hastily.

Well, I’d probably do the same. Answering hastily could lead to blame, extra work, or getting scolded by colleagues.

I paused for a moment.

“I understand it’s difficult right now. I’ll come back tomorrow. Until then, please assemble a team to report on this containment failure.”

“Ah, understood!”

The gathered researchers nodded.

***

The King of Darkness. That’s the name given to that monster. It’s not a name the Foundation gave, but it’s mentioned in some ancient texts.

The black monster contained in the Large-Scale Containment Wing.

About the size of an elephant. A balloon-like mass of tentacles, eyes, and a mouth, floating around. Though it always kept its tentacles on the ground.

Surprisingly, it has a cult. Why anyone would worship such a monster, or what the worshippers’ goals are, is unclear.

The Foundation has been capturing and killing the monster’s followers on sight, but since they’re a complete underground organization and a supernatural group, the results aren’t great.

This is the Metaphysics Department’s meeting room.

“Then. Please present.”

Dr. Chae stood up. A simple PowerPoint with black text on a white background was displayed in front of the meeting room.

“Hello, I’m Dr. Chae.”

“Yes.”

“I’ll get straight to the point.”

“We are referring to this supernatural phenomenon as the King of Darkness. Similar supernatural entities have been observed multiple times around the world.”

I nodded.

“The notable point is…… the King of Darkness and related symbols have been repeatedly mentioned across various eras and locations.”

There’s a reason it was found in ancient texts.

“They’re mainly referenced through novels or artworks. Of course, the followers have also committed murders, human trafficking, and other crimes……”

Like in this incident.

“But, the most important thing is this. In 1890, a novel titled ‘The King of Darkness’ was published in England but was banned and recalled by authorities for being grotesque and harmful.”

With a bit of thought, you can connect the dots.

The King of Darkness is related to cognitive disasters. The white fog that obscured Yulje-myeon from the world’s eyes a few days ago is definitely not unrelated.

“A cognitive disaster?”

“It’s a bit complicated. The King of Darkness is a type of ancient god closely tied to human culture. Whether it’s a cognitive disaster is unclear.”

I tapped the desk with my finger. It’s interesting, but not what I wanted to hear. I let out a small sigh.

“Hmm, I’ll receive the rest of the content in the report. Why did yesterday’s containment fail?”

“That’s-”

“The Large-Scale Containment Wing had sufficient means to control the supernatural phenomenon. There were causality distortion devices and reality adjusters. Why did the containment fail yesterday? Is there a reason?”

“……”

I know the reason.

They underestimated the supernatural phenomenon. That tentacle monster was caught in a nuclear explosion, weakened by radiation, and dying from the god-killing gas.

They probably thought they could handle it carelessly.

“You missed a few things that must be checked when dealing with divine-class entities.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“People’s lives are at stake. If the monster hadn’t been significantly weakened, a major incident could have occurred.”

“……”

“Well, I won’t nag further. Even if it’s daily work, please pay attention to safety. Didn’t all these people almost die?”

I’m right. The Metaphysics Department researchers present nodded, having nothing to say. I gave a business-like smile.

“The meeting is over. Everyone, go do your work, and send any reports that need to be sent.”

I clapped my hands, and the researchers dispersed.

***

[Miss Ahn Yuri, Health Report]

[Author: Dr. Cheon]

[Miss Ahn Yuri is alive and well. The patient’s recovery ability is so remarkable that she can continue living with just an artificial heart.]

[However, the shock of losing her heart and abilities seems significant. She occasionally gets irritated or shows aggression towards Foundation staff.]

[P.S. A small amount of energy was detected in the extracted mana core from her heart. Carrying it around might allow her to use something similar to magic.]

[P.S. P.S. Miss Ahn Yuri is a bit pitiful.]