Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The OOPART that awakened again - Sion

Ten days ago.

That existence awakened.

- ······Are you sleeping?

‘······It’s him!’

That day, after finishing high-altitude jump training, eating, entering the quarters and about to sleep right away, Yi-hyeon who was doing breathing and meditation in the lying posture as it was suddenly concentrated his mind on the sound (?) that came.

From some time ago it became possible to enter meditation like this without sitting in lotus position and fixing the posture. A kind of skill for meditating increased? He didn’t know if this was also progress, but thanks to it Yi-hyeon could do the breathing and meditation that he often couldn’t do because of surrounding conditions a little more comfortably.

‘I’m not sleeping. ···I’m training.’

When he raised his will in his head like last time, the other party immediately understood and reacted.

- Hmm, I see. You have progressed a little in the meantime, intelligent being···.

Quite uncomfortable.

When would Yi-hyeon have heard such a tone. Moreover the title calling him is ‘intelligent being.’

‘Um··· My name is Yi-hyeon, Song Yi-hyeon. So from now on please call me by name.’

- Oho! So you mean let’s exchange names and communicate. Yes, I understand. Communication with an intelligent being is always a pleasant thing. But the name is a little strange. Yi-hyeon Song Yi-hyeon? Is it that short?

Yi-hyeon was a little dumbfounded.

What’s wrong with my name? And what is Yi-hyeon Song Yi-hyeon.

‘Accurately it is the surname Song and the name Yi-hyeon. From now on calling me Yi-hyeon is fine.’

Yi-hyeon taught him clearly, but this existence still says odd things.

- I prefer Yi-hyeon Song Yi-hyeon? Well, anyway if Yi-hyeon asks to be called that way I’ll call you that way. Yi-hyeon! Is that okay?

‘···Yes.’

Yi-hyeon no longer wanted to argue more about the name. Rather there are too many things he is curious about.

‘How should I call you (?)?’

He asked because he had not said his name until now, but Yi-hyeon’s confusion about names was not yet over.

- I am the chieftain of the noble Aethios tribe, Krumbsionnihi Holln de Aethios.

‘······’

Yi-hyeon stopped the thought he had been concentrating on the conversation for a moment and tried hard to remember the name he had just heard. Even his extremely outstanding brain forgot the name he had just heard. He remembers Sion and the Aethios heard at the end. If it’s Sion, wasn’t that the name of an early cell phone?

‘···Um, so Krum Sion···.’

- No, calling my noble name that way! Yi-hyeon is rude.

Reacting so grandly just because he called that bizarre name a little wrong.

This existence is not only bizarre in name but the personality seems no less···. Yi-hyeon who was about to think that way quickly stopped the thought. Because it seemed this existence would ‘hear’ this thought too.

Uncomfortable. Can’t even complain freely. I need to take some measure for this.

Anyway it’s a bit strange? That he can control his own thoughts like this.

After thinking fiercely Yi-hyeon put out a compromise.

‘Um, let’s do it this way. Just as I asked to call me briefly Yi-hyeon instead of the full name Song Yi-hyeon, allow Krum··· to also be called briefly.’

-······Hmm, it seems calling my name is quite burdensome for Yi-hyeon. Probably because Yi-hyeon’s intellect is not fully awakened, so I agree. Then how will you call me? For reference the noble Aethios indicating my tribe or Holln which is the name of my ancestor is not allowed.

Of course it would be···.

Then only one remains. The word Yi-hyeon remembers, Sion.

‘Then, from now on I’ll call you Sion, okay?’

- Kheum···.

‘Sion’ seemed to ponder for a moment. As if wondering whether to endure such ‘rudeness’ of Yi-hyeon.

I can’t yield any more than this either! Even that ill-tempered Monk Muae has no choice if I insist.

- I understand, Yi-hyeon. From now on you may call me Sion.

‘Thank you.’

Thankfully Sion agreed so the title issue was settled for now. Then I should ask other things.

‘Um, what kind of existence is Sion?’

Yi-hyeon asked from the most curious thing. And he heard an unbelievable story.

- I was the chieftain of the Aethios, the ruling race of the Kroush planet. Originally the Kroush planet···.

And the long long history of the Kroush planet that followed. It is said that the civilization of the Kroush planet that had prospered for a full 120,000 years in Earth’s time concept collapsed in an instant.

- It was because of the rebellion of that lowly Emtray race. Those guys destroyed the core energy of the Kroush planet. Those guys thoroughly deceived us···.

Sion’s explanation that continued for a long while after that.

In short, when the ruling race Aethios was doing their utmost to revive the destroyed planet’s core energy they were ambushed, most of the race died, and in the end the huge planet collapsed entirely.

Then how is Sion alive (?) like this and on Earth?

- Hu··· At that time as Kroush collapsed that huge energy caused a crack in the dimension. I and several leaders sealed our souls in each of our artifacts and waited to pass through the dimension. The place the crack connected to is this place called Earth.

Do I have to believe this?

- But the probability of awakening again was almost none. No one had assumed that a crack would occur in the dimension, and moreover no one could predict that a soul would survive by passing through that crack.

Even to Yi-hyeon who was listening it was an absurd matter.

He could tell that their civilization was clearly enormously advanced, but ‘dimensional crack’ is literally a different dimension of problem, isn’t it.

- But I awakened like this. Piercing through the extreme probability that almost does not exist···.

Sion’s will sank low.

Whether because Yi-hyeon thought that way, he seemed to understand a little of his sorrowful position.

Should he comfort him?

‘Sion. Isn’t the important thing that Sion awakened again? If you change your thinking, Earth here might be okay to live in too. And I am here.’

- ······.

Whether it sounded ridiculous even to hear, Sion was silent for a moment.

After a long while Yi-hyeon called him. Because he wondered if he had gone somewhere.

‘Sion?’

He reacted.

- Hmm··· I thought for a moment about the reason I awakened. As I said before, the ultimate law of causality must have operated here without fail. Clearly there is something I must do!

‘···What would that be?’

Sion did not answer Yi-hyeon’s question right away. After a little he says.

- I have to find out, from now. We have a lot to do, Yi-hyeon.

‘Yes? Us? How could that···.’

Yi-hyeon asked ambiguously, but Sion cut it off sharply.

- ‘We’ is correct. Just looking at my ring dwelling in Yi-hyeon this law of causality is explained.

‘······.’

It was quite a forced statement, but Yi-hyeon did not refute any further. Because it seemed refuting would be useless.

Anyway what am I going to do with this gentleman from now on?

- Training! Yi-hyeon. The current Yi-hyeon is too weak to handle the progress of the law of causality that will come in the future. Hmm··· The training method Yi-hyeon has learned so far to grow the mind and body is not very wrong, but the efficiency is extremely bad. I’ll tell you a faster and more certain path. In a method that matches Yi-hyeon’s constitution.

Reading Yi-hyeon’s thoughts, Sion said firmly. As if Yi-hyeon’s opinion or whatever was not important.

From that day onward Yi-hyeon trained according to the method Sion made for him. It seemed similar to what he learned from Monk Muae yet was seeking a completely different path, so it was a bit uncertain.

But Sion was clear.

- This path! This is a path made only for Yi-hyeon alone. Discard doubts and train. If Yi-hyeon grows, the things I can do also increase.

‘Yes.’

Ten days passed like that, and though it was only ten days, Yi-hyeon could clearly feel it.

‘This path is my path. I will become strong. But why does my head seem to get better too?’

* * *

To Yi-hyeon who was standing by in the quarters, someone came riding a jeep in the middle of the night. He looks aged but strangely there is no rank insignia or name tag. And the hair is not short.

“Are you Song Yi-hyeon?”

“Yes. Sergeant Song Yi-hyeon.”

“Let’s go.”

When about to enter the back seat of the jeep waiting outside the quarters without even turning off the engine, a person gets out from the passenger seat. Originally to climb into the jeep’s back seat one has to pull the passenger seat.

This person has rank insignia attached. And that a full captain!

“Sergeant Song Yi-hyeon!”

Even after receiving Yi-hyeon’s sharp salute the captain smiled crookedly.

“Kid, good looks. Get in.”

“······.”

If a captain in the special forces he is a company commander. A company is usually called a team. So the team leader. That team leader came personally to pick up Yi-hyeon.

The jeep ran for a long while. If he had not eaten dinner at the training unit his stomach would have been hungry. But the jeep seems to be going deeper and deeper into the mountain. Later it ran for a long while on an unpaved mountain path without even streetlights.

Squeak!

When the car stopped and he looked, it seems like the unit’s guard post. From a dark corner a guard with rifle at the ready comes out and inspects.

What kind of guard post has no lights on.

The car entered the unit and still went up the hill path for a long while. The place finally arrived at was a not very wide parade ground. The reason Yi-hyeon thought it was a parade ground was because there were buildings that looked like barracks around.

“Get down.”

The captain tossed the words and got out of the car. And he said to the middle-aged soldier who had driven.

“Sergeant Major Kim, take this kid and put him to sleep first.”

“Yes.”

The captain is an officer but respects the unit’s chief sergeant major.

Yi-hyeon silently followed and got down. And while packing the duffel bag, the captain who was about to leave suddenly asked.

“Song Yi-hyeon. Where do you think this place is around?”

At the captain’s question Yi-hyeon hesitated for a moment. The captain’s question is asking the location of this place.

“The last road sign I saw was Pyeongchan-ri, Inje-gun. That was one hour and 15 minutes ago. After that we entered unpaved and steadily headed northeast, so judging by vehicle speed it is the point 12 kilometers north of Wonyong. Then civilian houses will be 8 to 9 kilometers in a straight line southwest from here.”

“Whew~.”

Sergeant Major Kim who was listening beside softly whistled. Grasping one’s position is basic for an agent, but Yi-hyeon is too sharp.

The captain who was listening only nodded and turned his body.

Guided by Sergeant Major Kim he entered one barracks. Outside it was a building with lights off but inside it was bright, and though late at night there are people awake.

“Oh? Sergeant Major Kim, is this the youngest who’s coming this time?”

Someone in indoor clothes approaches and asks, and when Yi-hyeon looked it was a man who looked about mid-thirties. The face looked worn but the eyes were burning fiercely. And this person also grew his hair. Like civilians.

“Oh, Sergeant Lee. You weren’t asleep yet. This is the youngest you all were waiting for. Take good care of him.”

“Yes, don’t worry.”

Around the time Yi-hyeon was thinking inwardly that he was casual seeing him casually raising a hand in salute to the sergeant major, Sergeant Lee looked at Yi-hyeon and asked,

“So, youngest. Did you eat?”

“Yes. Sergeant Song Yi-hyeon ate.”

When Yi-hyeon answered loudly the sergeant frowned and said.

“Hey, be quiet. Don’t wake everyone up. The kid only has a loud voice.”

When Yi-hyeon had nothing to say and stayed quiet he pointed to a personal bed on one side and said.

“Unpack your luggage over there and rest. If you want to shower go out and there’s a shower room on the right so do it. Introductions I’ll have them do tomorrow morning.”

“Yes.”

That way Yi-hyeon’s 707 life began.

“This is our training camp. Except when going out for external operations we train here. The headquarters is toward Namtaeryeong but that’s classified. Only the commander and a few are there. Current personnel is about half. The rest are on operations outside.”

This sergeant was a little kind for 707. To Yi-hyeon who had eaten special forces food to some extent he teaches the life of this training camp bit by bit.

The team Yi-hyeon belonged to was strange.

Originally a team is about 12 people. But this team had several people leave and then come back after about two weeks, and another person leave and come back again. Probably they were mobilized for top-secret operations and returned, but Yi-hyeon has not yet been mobilized for actual operations.

Just continuous training, and more training. But the training here is a little different. The jump training called out at any time was similar, but other than that one learns all kinds of miscellaneous skills.

For example a special method to contact via the internet when there is no way to contact the main unit such as radio, or methods of mixing really bizarre chemicals to make so-called ‘homemade bombs’ or poisons. Methods of quickly making booby traps in the city and in the mountains. And martial arts mainly practice ‘killing techniques.’

Even Arabic and Chinese, Russian were learned. English is excluded. Because Yi-hyeon already speaks English fluently without hindrance.

This is exactly···.

Doesn’t it seem like educating fixed spies to send abroad. But to see it that way the education done to individuals is too tough. In terms of combat sports or combat ability values one might say they are trying to train a one-man corps.

The important thing is team training. Here one team resides in one barracks. Team training is also different from what was heard. There is no concept of main specialties such as intelligence, demolition, communications, and everyone takes turns doing all roles. A kind of training multi-players.

Originally the special forces operates in a team system. Usually 12 people one team, that is company concept, and a captain takes the team leader. Above that there is a regional unit bundling 4 teams and the commander is a major, and the one overseeing this regional unit is precisely the special mission unit within the special forces, 707. The commander is a colonel.

Previously it was called the special mission unit with a lieutenant colonel as commander, but evaluating its importance from some time ago a colonel takes the commander.

When about two months had passed since Yi-hyeon entered this training ground, suddenly the atmosphere became disorderly and the cadres tensed and ran here and there.

“Hey! You bastards aren’t cleaning quickly? When are you going to clear the snow in front of the guard post?”

Come to think of it when Yi-hyeon enlisted it was still late summer, but already the year has changed and soon it will be spring. Already training for more than 8 months. This is also very strange.

Waking from dawn and sweeping and wiping··· When afternoon came two jeeps entered the unit.

All unit members stood in formation on the parade ground with sharp posture, and the senior major stood in front and shouted loudly.

“Salute to the commander!”

Finally the special mission commander came.

The commander received the salute without special words and immediately entered the situation room and received a briefing. In the room there are only the commander and the senior major. When Major Kim’s routine briefing ended he gave a short instruction.

“Major Kim, bring that guy.”

“Yes.”

The commander did not even say the name, but the briefing major understood. Because both were members belonging to a special organization even within. Now that organization calls Yi-hyeon.