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The time of choice has come.

For Jinseong, it is selection, and for them, it is an end where one must pay the cost of their choices.

“It is said that to a warrior, all laws other than victory and survival are useless. They are not restricted by heavy laws, nor are they bound by the scriptures inscribed with the words of the Prophet who came down to the world in service to the one and only Great God. They may eat only that which is not defiled, yet they can touch the unclean with their mouths. They may not kill, yet they can wield a sword in defense of themselves, their temple, their family, and their country. Therefore, you, warrior—who renders all laws useless—what matters most to you is the fight, and the survival that is granted at its end.”

Jinseong gazed at the people who had been subdued and lay unconscious.

The individuals were fainting for various reasons.

Some had fainted temporarily from not breathing properly, others were intoxicated by the sleeping agents present in the smoke bomb he had thrown. Some were half-entranced by a ghost, and others writhed in pain from the bite of the venomous insects Jinseong had sent in to subdue the hidden ones before losing consciousness.

“I seek to find a warrior who will wield the sword here now by the will of God; it is akin to an angel sending revelations in a dream. Though a phantom, it is for selection, and thus, you, warrior of God, must prove your worth to wield the sword by passing the test. Sleep with the sound of wings, dream with the sound of wings. In that dream, wield your sword and do what must be done to see blood.”

They were all still breathing.

But if he were to simply subdue them and leave it at that, Jinseong would not have set foot on Dokdo himself.

It is said that to summon blood, one must see blood.

To stir a fight, sacrifice is surely required.

“How many will die…?”

All could die, but all could live.

Yet…

‘How many among them are warriors, and how many are soldiers?’

That would indeed be a difficult task.

Just as the gate to paradise is too small for anyone to pass through unchallenged.

—

“Ugh… where, where am I…?”

When Officer Kim I-Chang awoke, groaning in pain, the first thing he saw was the fog obscuring his vision.

The fog was dense and spread everywhere as it had been when he first stepped into the outpost, making it impossible for him to discern his whereabouts.

“Ugh.”

Unable to see anything, Officer Kim I-Chang attempted to rise.

Yet, the moment he strained to get up, a horrific pain surged through his leg.

The pain was enough to elicit a surprised moan from him as he looked down at his leg.

“Dammit, it’s broken…”

What came into his line of sight was his leg twisted in a way it should not be.

Seeing his leg sprawled out on the floor, bent in the opposite direction at the joint like a doll, Kim I-Chang let out a heavy sigh and gave up on trying to stand up.

It wasn’t merely a crack; it was twisted like the kinds of dolls children played with. What could he do?

Waiting right there was his best option.

With a leg so mangled, fever would soon set in, causing noticeable swelling. Worst-case scenario, blood could begin to flow from the fractured area, leading to potential shock.

Even in that situation, roaming around searching for other people?

That would be madness.

With a leg in such a condition, he couldn’t walk properly, and even if he attempted to crawl, he might sustain more injuries or worsen the break. If that happened, he could end up with an infection from germs, or even a permanent disability.

‘Well, at least I’ve got a gun, so that’s fortunate.’

I suppose that counts as a silver lining, at least.

He had means to protect himself.

A gun.

The gun and hand grenades he had been carrying for guard duty at the outpost were in his hands.

With these, even if wild animals or enemies came, he wouldn’t end up being taken down without a fight.

Yeah.

Even if an enemy were to invade.

“—seyo…”

A voice echoed through the fog.

It was eerily similar to the voice he had heard at the outpost… possibly sounding like a woman or perhaps a boy still untransformed from puberty.

The voice was coming from nearby.

Although the heavy fog obscured the exact source, its clarity and volume indicated the person was shouting from close by.

“Is there anyone there?”

Officer Kim I-Chang shouted in response, happy to hear a voice.

Being alone in this dense fog was far worse than being with someone else.

“…ひと?”

Did they hear his voice?

The voice that had been crying for help muttered to itself.

But that mumbling was in a language different from the earlier Korean.

A neighboring country’s language.

Japanese.

“見つけた!”

And look at that voice.

The urgent plea for help had vanished, replaced by a suddenly excited tone.

Though the emotion of desperately seeking someone was the same, unlike the previous urgency, now the voice was laced with the joy of a hunter who had found their prey.

Realizing this, Kim I-Chang’s face stiffened.

‘What the hell.’

So it was a bait?

He understood that the help-seeking voice was akin to the song sung by Sirens to lure sailors in myths. He quickly raised his gun, aiming into the fog.

Not knowing the precise location, he aimed haphazardly in the direction of the voice, but his tense arm was ready to fire at the slightest appearance of someone.

Thus, Officer Kim I-Chang remained vigilant, waiting for the enemy to appear before him.

And finally, in the fog, someone began to reveal themselves.

A small stature.

A face that clearly appeared juvenile.

‘A… boy?’

How tall could he be? Around 130 cm?

No matter how one looked at it, he appeared to be no more than a middle schooler.

Moreover, the clothing was entirely befitting that of a boy his age, and strung across his back was a school backpack.

And in that boy’s hands…

…a gun.

‘A boy, you say?’

Could it be a gun from Japan?

The shape appeared quite unfamiliar to him.

Yet, the boy clumsily shouldered the rifle and was aiming it at Officer Kim I-Chang.

With one eye open, as if he had seen something before, the boy was aimed at him, and there was a chilling aura emanating as if lasers might shoot from his eyes.

The boy glared at Kim I-Chang and shouted.

“死ね!”

He didn’t know what the words meant.

But the murderous intent in the boy’s gaze was clearer than ever.

Officer Kim I-Chang, trained instinctively from his time as a soldier, aimed his rifle at the boy. Perhaps the training from his military days was still intact, for the barrel of the rifle naturally pointed towards the boy’s chest.

Now, all that remained was to pull the trigger according to instinct.

If he did, several bullets would tear into the boy’s chest.

It was not a difficult task.

He merely had to move according to his instincts.

Just the way he was trained in the army, moving as he had learned.

React to the threat and kill the one seeking to kill him first.

But… oddly enough, Kim I-Chang’s finger did not move.

Even though the experience of being a soldier, the memory itself, commanded him to shoot the boy…

His finger remained still.

Why was that?

Why couldn’t he kill the enemy as he had been trained to do?

‘Damn it, if he weren’t a kid…’

Yeah.

That was the issue.

He shouldn’t have looked closely when it was only a shadow in the fog.

He shouldn’t have seen that face…!

‘Damn it. Just kill him. He should die for letting me hesitate just because he’s a kid.’

Officer Kim I-Chang shut his eyes.

‘Well, at least I made a good choice. I’m really not cut out to be a soldier.’

I’m glad I quit the army for the police…

Such futile thoughts fluttered through his mind.

Bang–!

—

Starting with Officer Kim I-Chang, others likewise began to open their eyes one by one.

As they awoke, dense fog enveloped them.

Whether they were inside buildings or outside, everyone was caught in the thick fog and opened their eyes in confusion, unable to determine their location, hearing simultaneously the cries for help echoing in the fog.

“Please help—!”

It was a desperate call for rescue.

 

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