The Divine Twilight's Return

Chapter 284: Star, Doomsday City (4)

[The Celestial ‘Twilight-Piercing Owl’ tilts her head in confusion, finding the city’s scenery strangely familiar.]

‘The more I look, the more it feels like my Seoul,’?Chang-Sun thought, wondering if this city truly was Seoul from a parallel universe.

[The Effect ‘Hundred Toxin Immunity’ is at work!]

[Mastery of the Effect ‘Hundred Toxin Immunity’ is increasing.]

[Mastery of the Effect ‘Hundred Toxin Immunity’ is increasing.]

…

[Your Order ‘Himavat’ is sharing the Effect ‘Hundred Toxin Immunity’!]

[Your Divinity (Attribute: Living Tree) is affecting the Effect ‘Hundred Toxin Immunity’.]

[The Effect ‘Hundred Toxin Immunity’ is attempting to change.]

…

[Hundred Toxin Immunity] was developing little by little. Because it had already been quite advanced from the beginning, Chang-Sun had not made much progress with it. However, it appeared that the poisonous air in 'Doomsday City' presented a good challenge for it.

‘…Maybe it will upgrade here.’

While he thought about the possibilities, Chang-Sun drove into the old abandoned factory complex located in Seongsu.

‘Come to think of it, this place is also…’

Chang-Sun was familiar with this place too, because Choi Bu-Yong’s forge was in the vicinity. The Sangsu in the real world was filled with many artifact workshops, making the air nearby hot. In addition, there was always a lot of foot traffic. However, in ‘Doomsday City’, only rusty abandoned factories and buildings filled Sangsu.

‘I’m familiar with this place,’?Chang-Sun repeated in his mind, becoming even more sure. The problem was that he was feeling much too familiar with the place, in spite of some differences. Even if this place was from a parallel universe that was similar to his own, the urban layout and streets were just too similar. And…

“We’ve arrived,” Nain said as he suddenly came to a stop.

Chang-Sun couldn’t help but chuckle dumbfoundedly before asking, “It’s here?”

“Yes… It’s here, but is there any problem?” Nain asked, looking at Chang-Sun worriedly; he found Chang-Sun’s reaction odd..

‘It’s the same,’ Chang-Sun thought, gaping. A building that looked exactly the same as Bu-Yong’s forge was standing before him. Even the narrow alleys beside the building and the abandoned buildings on each side were identical.

<Choi-Lee Forge>

‘The sign is also the same.’

It was almost as if Chang-Sun’s Earth had faced extinction, all the living beings had died, and ten years had passed.

[The Celestial ‘Twilight-Piercing Owl’ gapes in surprise, wondering how the world can be this similar.]

[The Celestial ‘World-Encircling Serpent’ observes the details, adding that not everything is identical.]

There was one difference, however.

‘There’s a chimney, and smoke is coming out from it.’

Black smoke was flowing out of a triple-wall chimney on the abandoned factory’s roof, which was far bigger than the one Chang-Sun had seen in Bu-Yong’s forge. It was obviously one of the main causes behind the poisonous air of ‘Doomsday City’.

‘Heated air is also coming out.’

Through the gaps around the metal door, Chang-Sun could see red light.

Clang, clang.

Mechanical sounds also echoed through the air, suggesting that machines were at work, although the building looked abandoned.

“No, it’s nothing,” Chang-Sun muttered while shaking his head, putting aside the doubts emerging from deep in his heart. He slammed the car door shut and straightened out his clothes. Then, without hesitation, he opened the door to the abandoned factory and said, “Let’s go in.”

‘...I’ll be able to figure out the details once I go in.’

Creak!

The metal door’s hinges were very rusty, making it difficult to open. However, when Chang-Sun exerted force, the door was practically ripped open. A message appeared before him.

Ding…!

[You have entered the ‘Vermilion Room’!]

An intense gust of heated wind blew over Chang-Sun, but he was able to handle it due to the high resistance to heat he had gained after awakening to <Dusk Lightning> and Atra Fulmen. In contrast Nain and the other Gray Elves reflexively took a few steps backward, overwhelmed by the heat.

[Fire Toxin is blazing!]

[The Effect ‘Hundred Toxin Immunity’ is purifying the toxin!]

[The level of the Effect ‘Hundred Toxin Immunity’ has increased.]

…

Chang-Sun looked around inside the large factory and saw several rolling conveyor belts. In front of the conveyor belts, metal humanoids assembled, packaged, and put some unknown objects in boxes. Strangely, however, the humanoids took them back out of the boxes, unpackaged them, and disassembled them again.

“What…?” Nain exclaimed, his eyes widening as he witnessed thee bizarre sight.

Beeeep.

Beep.

In response to the outsiders abruptly appearing, all the humanoids stopped what they were doing and turned their heads in Chang-Sun’s direction. A loud siren blared, and mechanical voices emerged from what appeared to be their mouths.

“The appearance of 112 new entities that are not affiliated with the Choi-Lee Forge has been confirmed. ”

“Checking the 112 entities’ serial numbers.”

“Unidentifiable.”

“All 112 entities have been confirmed to be lacking serial numbers.”

“Serial numbers unidentifiable.”

“Attempting to classify again…”

“Vital signs detected.”

“All entities appear to be part of the extinct human race or a human-like species.”

“One entity has been confirmed to be a human.”

“111 entities have been confirmed to be Elves.”

“All 112 entities have been assessed as trespassers.”

“Evaluating punishment methods.”

The humanoids quickly exchanged signals, reaching the conclusion that Chang-Sun and the Gray Elves were from different races and were illegal unauthorized guests.

[The Celestial ‘World-Encircling Serpent’ clicks his tongue, saying that those humanoids seem to be based on an amateurish system.]

The word ‘trespassers’ bothered Chang-Sun. Just as expected…

Blare!

A warning siren loudly activated, and a red light on the ceiling flickered.

『Warning!』

『Warning! Trespassers are in the area! The identification and classification of all 112 entities has been completed!』

『Reactivating the warning system!』

『Initiating trespasser elimination!』

『All working machines are instructed to get to safety!』

『Activating safety protocol level 1!』

The humanoids quickly moved in the opposite direction from where Chang-Sun had entered. At the same time, hundreds of laser turrets emerged from the ceiling, pointing at Chang-Sun and the others.

[The AI central control system of the ‘Vermillion Room’ has located the trespassers.]

[Initiating combat.]

[Subdue the central control AI.]

Zinnnnng!

As the laser turrets began to fire, Chang-Sun yelled, “Get into position!”

Nain and the other Gray Elves quickly moved deeper into the factory. Laser beams rained down on them, seemingly making their decision a suicidal choice. However, they moved without hesitation, as they had made a plan with Chang-Sun in advance before they arrived.

“On my signal, we’ll take over the factory first. Our goal is to occupy this place, not destroy it,” Chang-Sun said.?

If it were from a , ‘Doomsday City’ would be considered a post-apocalyptic, futuristic location of the sort commonly found in science fiction. That meant the method needed to clear the Dungeon was very different from usual.

“When you’re trying to acquire the [Brilliant Vermilion Light], don’t smash everything that looks like a monster,” Sixth Elder advised.?

“Why?” Chang-Sun asked.

“Well, every single one of them is freaking annoying to kill,” Sixth Elder said.

“…?” Chang-Sun tilted his head in confusion.?

“The ‘Vermillion Room’ and the abandoned factories each have separate control systems. The AI control systems are very advanced, so if they feel like things are getting out of their control, their first choice will be self-detonation. And… the explosions they create are quite something.”

It would be quite tricky to deal with the machines that operated under a control system’s command, so Sixth Elder had warned Chang-Sun to be careful about them. That meant Chang-Sun could not just subdue the humanoid monsters on the spot. The moment the control system in the ‘Vermilion Room’ assessed that the situation was out of control, it would self-detonate immediately.

“Then what am I supposed to do?” Chang-Sun asked.

“I told you that the control system was the problem, right? Think about what that means for a moment,” Sixth Elder said.

“…If I seize the command of the control system, it should be easier to clear the Dungeon Quests?” Chang-Sun replied.

“Hehehe, that’s right. If you can take over the control system, you’ll have the entire ‘Vermilion Room’ at your disposal,” Sixth Elder said, giggling mischievously. “That means you’ll be able to freely utilize that damned [Vermilion Brilliant Light]. Do you get it now?”

Nain and the Gray Elves appeared to be moving to occupy the area, but they were merely decoys to confuse the control system. While all the laser turrets were pointed at the Gray Elves…

Pzzzzzz!

…Chang-Sun was transforming his <Dusk Lightning> energy into Atra Fulmen energy.

[The sixth chapter of ‘Prelati’s Spellbook’ has opened!]

[Fulgurator has been applied.]

Rumble―!

With an ear-splitting thunderclap, Chang-Sun fired his Atra Fulmen bolts, striking places all over the factory. The beams fired by the turrets were deflected, the turrets were pulverized, and the main gears in the conveyor belts exploded simultaneously.

[The Celestial ‘Twilight-Piercing Owl’ tells you to be careful!]

[The Celestial ‘World-Encircling Serpent’ tilts his head in confusion, asking you whether it is okay to smash everything like that.]

Chang-Sun’s Atra Fulmen energy had the light attribute, which meant everything was quite literally over in a flash. However, that was not the end of it.

『Warning! The trespassers’ threat level has been increased to Level 4!』

『Standing by to activate the self-det…』

『Det-—』

『Det-—』

『Det-—』

The mechanical voice that had been calling out warnings about Chang-Sun and the others stopped midway, repeating the same syllable over and over. In the end, the voice dissolved into mechanical noise.

Pzzz, pzzzz.

[Your <Darkness> has permeated the AI central control system of the ‘Vermillion Room’!]

[Your <Darkness> is acting as a virus, attacking the AI central control system’s security.]

…

[The Celestial ‘World-Encircling Serpent’ is surprised to know that <Darkness> can be used like this, chuckling. He adds that you are indeed a sly snake.]

[The Celestial ‘Twilight-Piercing Owl’ cheers for you!]

‘<Darkness> can work like poison,’?Chang-Sun thought.

When various kinds of toxins accumulated inside a person’s body, it would eventually lead to their ruin. In a similar vein, <Darkness> could just as badly affect an AI machine.

‘With this…’

Pzzzzz―!

One end of Chang-Sun’s mouth curled upward as he thought, ‘I can buy enough time.’

『…A virus has been detected.』

『A virus has been detected. Activating the antivirus system…』

『Attempting to secure the control installation…』

Paaah―!

Spreading his Jigwi wings wide, Chang-Sun flew across the center of the factory. At the same time, he shattered the remaining turrets and overloaded the intact mechanical installations by using his lightning energy to make them malfunction. He was completely unstoppable.

The important part of the ‘Vermillion Room’ was the [Vermilion Brilliant Light], and the difficulty level of this room was not particularly high.

[The Celestial ‘World-Encircling Serpent’ advises you that it is a high priority to take over the system, as it has been completely shut down.]

[The Celestial ‘Twilight-Piercing Owl’ quickly observes the surroundings.]

‘The AI control system…’ Chang-Sun thought, Inferno Sight blazing in his eyes. He saw a computer beside a conveyor belt in the corner of the factory. Although it looked no different from the other computers in the area, he knew very well that it was a front.

[The Celestial ‘World-Encircling Serpent’ prepares a bucket of popcorn.]

[The Celestial ‘Twilight-Piercing Owl’ can feel her palms getting sweaty!]

‘...is here!’

Tap!

Chang-Sun reached the computer, which was right at the location the Sixth Elder had told him about. He would normally have had to go through quite a lot of trouble to reach it, but his <Darkness> was very effective at buying him time.

『The trespassers’ threat level has been increased to Level 6…』

Just as expected, the computer monitor quickly turned on again, showing a blue screen.

[The Celestial ‘World-Encircling Serpent’ is waiting anxiously for his popcorn to be ready!]

[The Celestial ‘Twilight-Piercing Owl’ clenches her fists!]

Incomprehensible coding terms filled the screen. The mouse pointer flickered between < and >.

『Warning!』

『Warning!』

『The trespassers’ threat level has been increased to Level 7…!』

『Activating the self-detonation system…!』

“When you successfully get to the AI control system, enter the password. You’ll have full control of the AI,” Sixth Elder explained.

“The password is basically the master key?” Chang-Sun asked.

“That’s right,” Sixth Elder replied.

“What is the password?” Chang-Sun asked.

“The password is…” Sixth Elder explained.

‘Wait,’[1]?Chang-Sun recalled.

Tap, tap, tap!

He was unsure what the AI was waiting for, but he figured he had no need to care about that at the moment. Without hesitation, he typed in the four letters and pressed Enter. The blue screen was soon replaced by a new screen.

[The Celestial ‘Twilight-Piercing Owl’ squints nervously!]

‘Did it work?’?Chang-Sun thought as he looked up.

If something had gone wrong, the factory would soon self-detonate. In that case, Chang-Sun would need to find a method to protect the Gray Elves and a new way to obtain the [Vermilion Brilliant Light].

Gulp―!

Chang-Sun unwittingly swallowed his saliva, feeling slightly nervous.

[The Celestial ‘Twilight-Piercing Owl’ looks in the same direction as you, nervously biting her lower lip!]

Beeeeeeeeep.

A horrible, ear-splitting noise rang out.

“Even if not for the [Vermilion Brilliant Light], it would be best to take over the AI control system,” Sixth Elder advised.?

“Is there another reason?” Chang-Sun asked.

“It was originally one of the main AI of the city before that civilization met <Extinction> and the city became ‘Doomsday City’. You have to have such an AI by your side to make clearing the Dungeon easier.”

“Wait, then is the [Tricolored Brilliant Light]...?” Chang-Sun trailed off in disbelief.?

“Hehehe, you’re right. the [Tricolored Brilliant Light] is basically the main power source of ‘Doomsday CIty’,” Sixth Elder replied.

After the city had faced <Extinction>, the AI had been compromised and inflicted with a computer virus. The Sixth Elder called the AI…

“Wait.”

Beep, beep, beep.

Symbols appeared on the screen.

╔?═╗ ╔╗

╚╗╔╝║║ ?═╦╦╦═?

╔╝╚╗? ╚╣║║║╠╣

╚═?╝ ╚═╩═╩?╩═╝

The symbols spelled out ‘I Love’. A mechanical noise rang out once again.

Beeep―!

『Ah, ah. Can you hear me?』

It sounded like a middle-aged man with a baritone voice.

『I never thought I would wake up again… Thank you for waking me up from my long sleep.』

1. This is in the raw. The password is literally ‘wait’. ????