I Entered an Academy in a Ruined Game

Chapter 288 : After the End (2)

"...As you've probably guessed from what you've seen, Su-hyeon."

Kim Sang-jin's explanation began.

"Demons have become the first-class citizens of the new world, and Ma-in have fallen to being their limbs."

"What happened to the [Sword of Belphegor]?"

"With Hwang Won-jae, Seong Ji-cheol, and Jang Su-il all dead, the [Sword of Belphegor] no longer enjoys its former prosperity, I hear. Song Yeonhui leads it, but she's only a servant to the Great Overlord, they say."

"I see."

Su-hyeon nodded.

"After Malek died in the explosion, what happened?"

"Tremendous fear and chaos struck society. Even before the demons invaded, many parts of the system had already collapsed."

"...Is that so?"

"But it wasn't meaningless time. People with even a bit of sense tried to adapt to the new order. All kinds of shelters sold admission rights, real estate became worthless. Only farmers and food companies thrived."

Kim Sang-jin sneered.

"Though that ended up being meaningless too."

"...I see."

"One month after the nuclear power plant complex exploded, the second Great Overlord appeared. Forces including the Execution Force, Hunters, foreign volunteer armies, and regular military forces gathered and waited in formation beyond the land of death. But they were defeated in an instant."

The second Great Overlord.

His power surpassed that of the first Great Overlord, Malek.

"That's how humans had no choice but to hide in shelters."

After that, demons reinforced through the rift spread to various countries to annihilate the world.

"But by then, the world was already completely breaking down with continuous floods, typhoons, earthquakes, and abnormal temperatures."

In the midst of failing agriculture and trade, an army of demons that no one dared to confront swept across the world.

"America was indeed America. They were monitoring trends within Korea and preparing various scenarios. However."

"They lost, I assume?"

"Yes. Even America eventually knelt before a strength that far transcended their scenarios."

Various nuclear weapon forces and the finest air force.

Weapons created by highly advanced science reminiscent of magic.

An army of Awakened boasting the highest quality and quantity.

But even they were no match for the power of the third Great Overlord, who had learned lessons from Malek's death.

"After a glorious battle and a major defeat, America ceased to be the United States. A few states centered around the east and west coasts are holding together, but I hear LA fell a few months ago."

America had lost.

That event essentially put the final period on humanity's defeat.

"The Chinese warlords use their vast territory to hide or occasionally wage guerrilla warfare, but I heard they don't inflict much damage."

The situation in other countries was similar.

"The Kansai region of Japan was completely destroyed, and only parts of Kanto are holding out, they say."

Russia too had only a few humans who had fled to the bitter cold of Siberia and barely survived.

Survivors from the African continent fled to the Sahara Desert.

Survivors from South America went into the Amazon jungle.

Survivors from the Australian continent hid in the desert areas of the interior.

With the forces to protect citizens gone.

"Now it's become an era where only humans who hide like mice in the harshest and most hostile environments to humanity survive in the greatest numbers."

"But even adapting to those environments must be a daily struggle."

"Because without doing so, they'd only die at the hands of demons, Ma-in, and demonic beasts."

Kim Sang-jin sighed.

"Or you'd have to be lucky like us. We should be grateful that just under a hundred people could somehow survive in that shelter."

...Humanity was clearly backed into a corner.

"...Yaaawn."

Kim Sang-jin, who had been telling everything he knew, couldn't overcome sleepiness and fatigue and let out a big yawn.

"Let's sleep for today."

"No, it's fine. Then I'd be too..."

"Nothing's going to happen anyway."

"Hmm. Then, forgive my lack of courtesy."

Looking at Kim Sang-jin, who immediately fell fast asleep as if he had been holding on by willpower, Su-hyeon folded his arms and fell into thought.

'The current world population of survivors, at best, is less than a million.'

In the civilized era that boasted a population of 7 billion, there were serious environmental problems due to too many humans.

After going through the Gate era, the population that had decreased and then recovered to hundreds of millions was somehow managing to coexist.

But the population that had been at an appropriate level had now shrunk miserably in the face of the demon invasion.

Humans were no longer the dominant species on Earth.

Su-hyeon's gaze turned to the young child sleeping with her head on her father's knee.

'...So that this child can enjoy life like her father did, and grow old peacefully.'

Returning a peaceful world to everyone.

The realization that this was his mission newly arose in his heart.

'It will be so.'

Su-hyeon's broad and sturdy shoulders never found any mission too heavy, no matter how weighty.

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Human Fortress.

It was the world's greatest fortress created by B&S Group Chairman Hwang Won-jae at the suggestion of Jeong Su-hyeon.

Though its outer walls had been destroyed by numerous trials and many facilities lost.

Still, humanity's final forces were protecting the inside of that fortress.

'...It's already been a year since that day.'

Lee Yu-jin, who had resharpened the blade of her Willow Water Sword and put it in its scabbard, thought.

For the people of the world, it was the day the end began.

For her, it was just the day Su-hyeon left.

Su-hyeon, who had promised to return, never did.

Everyone said he must have died.

Given that he was engulfed in a massive nuclear explosion that made even Great Overlords, who could kill Captain-level fighters like bugs and had enough power to destroy a nation's forces with a single army, disappear without a trace.

Anyone would think that way.

But she and her friends didn't believe it.

More precisely, they didn't want to believe it.

They knew well that if they believed that, even the will they had somehow maintained until now would disappear.

Knock knock.

"Come in."

The one who opened the door and entered was a Squad Leader of the Execution Force in his 30s with a large sword on his back.

"Captain Lee Yu-jin. It's time."

"Yes."

"Shall we depart right away?"

"Tell everyone to gather in five minutes after checking their equipment status."

"Understood."

The Squad Leader, who bowed politely before a Captain much younger than himself, immediately ran to deliver the order.

"Phew."

Captain Lee Yu-jin.

That was her changed status in the span of a year.

And today was the day for the external patrol operation led by her 11th Unit.

'Though it's called the 11th Unit, it's only about 30 people.'

Lee Yu-jin sighed lightly, thinking of the unit that had shrunk through long battles.

'I must protect the people who remain.'

Lee Yu-jin, who forgot her fatigue by squeezing her eyes shut and then opening them, hung the Willow Water Sword at her waist and left the room.

"Yu-jin."

"Jun-seong."

Seo Jun-seong, who had been walking busily, spotted her and stopped.

"Today is your patrol day, right?"

"That's right."

"......"

Seo Jun-seong.

With Su-hyeon gone, he was the only one who could maintain the center along with Min Hae-na.

For that, he had no choice but to discard emotions and pretend to be cold.

Therefore.

"I wish you luck."

"Thanks."

The two people who had exchanged brief greetings passed each other.

'Phew.'

Seo Jun-seong, who could only sigh inwardly, suddenly looked at Lee Yu-jin's tired back.

He didn't show even his old feelings to her.

For Lee Yu-jin, for everyone.

And for Su-hyeon who couldn't return.

"Captain Lee Yu-jin."

Lee Yu-jin met another familiar face.

"Instructor Kim Cheol-han."

"Still calling me instructor?"

Kim Cheol-han smiled with a huff.

Now he was serving as the chief staff officer under the Chief of Staff.

"...I'm sorry. It's just familiar."

"Nothing to be sorry about."

Kim Cheol-han deliberately erased the pitying look in his eyes as he gazed at his disciple, who was now active as a Captain-level fighter surpassing her own strength.

"Is there any news..."

Knowing that the news she was asking about was always information about Su-hyeon's life or death, Kim Cheol-han shook his head.

"I'm sorry, but there's nothing yet."

"I see."

"I'll let you know first if anything comes in."

"Thank you."

Kim Cheol-han, who watched Lee Yu-jin's back as she bowed her head, hurried his steps toward the staff department.

'...I have no face to show as an adult or as an instructor.'

After that day.

The cadets who fought to protect many things, crossing the line between life and death almost daily, had become unbelievably strong.

They were originally the golden generation with the qualities to become Captains.

And their experience points from crossing the line between life and death more than a hundred times gave the cadets overwhelming experience and enlightenment beyond the physical time of one year.

Thus.

There were cadets who had risen to Captain positions instead of Captains who had died or retired due to injuries, or Deputy Captains whose strength had stagnated.

Min Hae-na, Seo Jun-seong, Lee Yu-jin, Hwang Ji-su.

Now they were all Captains with S-class or S- rank power.

'...Without them.'

Even humanity's last bastion would have already fallen.

The vacancy left by the Captains was significant.

4th Unit's 'Crushing Sword' Ahn Byeong-jun had died, unable to recover from injuries inflicted by the Great Overlord.

2nd Unit's 'Fighting God' Son Ji-gwang met a glorious end protecting the retreat route after losing to the second Great Overlord.

Principal Min Jeong-gap had to give up his head in exchange for relocating the cadets from the academy to the [Human Fortress].

'Sword God' Lee Un-hak had suffered a serious injury and was currently in a very difficult situation.

Many instructors had also returned to active duty only to die or be injured.

Thus, the instructors currently active on the front lines were limited to Kim Cheol-han, Oh Chang-seong, Seok Hong-jae, Lim Yeong-jin, Koo Hyeong-min, and Jang Jin-won.

'Indeed, a lot has happened.'

Kim Cheol-han, who had started organizing documents upon arriving at the staff department, recalled the old days he had been trying to forget.

'Much blood was spilled just to organize traffic inside this fortress.'

The problem started with the conditions for entry.

People who cried out asking why some were allowed in and others weren't, people who had left family and friends outside, shook the command center from inside and outside.

Some key government personnel clashed with the Execution Force side and were eventually assassinated by the 7th Unit, which was concerned about the possibility of internal strife.

'In the end, that was the problem.'

Their actions triggered greater internal discord, eventually leading to the defection of nearly 10 percent of the forces.

'The loss of forces wasn't the only problem.'

At the time, he and the staff department had tried to console themselves with the thought that they had removed elements of internal discord.

But after the 8th Unit, which had defected together to protect them, was annihilated by Great Overlord Andromalius after fierce resistance and returned with only their heads, it ended up further lowering the morale inside.

'Using that fear to suppress voices of opposition was an inhumane but necessary method.'

In the face of survival, conscience was like a frivolous joke.

'But the seeds of discontent cannot be cut in that way.'

Knowing this, there was still no option but to survive day by day with stopgap measures.

'We who survived in this way have become stronger.'

This was true not only for the Execution Force members but also for civilians without military power.

Moreover, with the growth of talented cadets and the rapid growth of young officers, the final forces remaining in the Human Fortress gained considerably large power.

Nevertheless, everyone knew that at this rate, they would inevitably wither and die slowly.

'What meaning is there in prolonging life like this, buying even a little time?'

Sometimes even he himself could not shake off such terrible nihilism.

How much worse must it be for those young and pitiful cadets?

'Jeong Su-hyeon.'

Kim Cheol-han recalled the face of the most outstanding man he had ever seen among all cadets, no, among all humans.

'If you were here, many things would be different now.'

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Great Overlord Andromalius.

The name he was called among demons was 'The Cunning One.'

"If you try to catch a bee curled up in its nest with your hand, you'll get stung."

The demon let out a shrill laugh as he played with a snake in his arms with his finger.

"But if you smoke it out, sprinkle water, block it from leaving, and slowly dry it to death, there's no problem."

"Indeed so."

A demon with a cow's head on his shoulder replied.

"Conquering a fortress is the same. Thoroughly isolate it, cut off its arms and legs. When they've almost forgotten, raid nearby shelters, cut off the heads of strong humans and throw them in. Isolated humans will slowly weaken and split apart."

He knew human fear well.

"But even without doing so, you, Great Overlord, could easily sweep away the vermin's nest."

"Where's the fun in that?"

Andromalius said, tapping the snake's head back and forth.

"The fate of this world is already decided anyway. What's the rush?"

Moreover.

"Once that fortress is finished, there won't be any more toys sturdy enough to provide me with entertainment. That's what I regret."

But the reprieve ends here.

"Everything has an end."

Snap!

The Great Overlord twisted the snake's neck, killed it, and sucked its poisonous blood.

"I will offer their heads as tribute to our king."