Chapter 36, The Company (8)
“Wouldn't it be better to regress?”
Lee Yeonhee asked while supporting me.
I shook my head.
I wanted to fully enjoy this emotion together with my companions.
The battle had begun too suddenly.
And it had ended before I could even properly feel that we had done something.
There wasn't much lingering emotion from the fight itself.
What I was feeling now wasn't about the battle.
It was about the journey.
And even that emotion was slowly fading.
The true end of our journey was close.
“The end of the human world has... arrived...!”
Crackle.
Boom.
As we walked through the corridor toward the end of the 500th floor, surviving enemies occasionally rushed us.
The Medieval Tag had lost its effect in less than a minute.
I had expected that.
Honestly, it was probably better that way.
If the effect had lasted much longer, it would have been incredibly inconvenient.
Since the Tag had already finished its work, dealing with the robots was now entirely up to my companions.
Whenever a robot attacked, Arlin and Hwa-ryeon killed it without even stopping their support of me.
Watching them carefully, it was obvious how much stronger they had become compared to before we came here.
Trials and real combat really were the best ways to grow.
Even I had gained a lot from the Company.
My own direct combat power had been lacking because the Shroud only worked against humans.
The flame solved that weakness.
I had also gained an adorable pet called the Cat That Creates Cause and Effect.
There was the Invisibility Cloak.
And the many Mysteries the Company had dropped.
If I started listing all the smaller gains, it would never end.
“...Hic.”
Compared to all that, losing one leg was minor.
It wasn't even a permanent disability.
Every time Lee Yeonhee recovered some strength and poured divine power into me, my leg visibly grew back.
Bone.
Flesh.
Nerves.
Blood vessels.
It was a power that truly resembled divine authority.
And Lee Yeonhee's determination was making her grow in real time as she healed me.
In many ways, this journey had brought far more benefits than losses.
Thinking positively, I stroked Lee Yeonhee's head.
We continued walking with support and healing.
Eventually, something pale became visible at the end of the corridor.
I narrowed my eyes and focused.
I saw the faint outline of a mirror.
At the end of the corridor stood the main body of the Mirror of the Other Side.
If the mirror's main body was destroyed, the Other-Side Space would collapse.
Breaking that would destroy the Company's branch.
Only one step remained.
One final step before bringing down the Company.
There was only one step left.
But we couldn't take it.
Because there was something enormous guarding the mirror.
It noticed us too.
It rose.
My heart pounded.
My body grew hot.
Whirrrrrrr.
The space trembled with a mechanical sound.
Something huge moved in the distance.
It was a robot.
The Company's final insurance protecting its weakness.
Perhaps because of that role, it was completely different from the robots we had fought before.
For one thing...
It wasn't shaped like a human.
Iron scales covered its body like the armor of a reptile.
Its eyes were round like moons.
Its pupils were narrow like those of a cat.
Instead of arms, it had wings.
Its enormous body was tall enough to block the entire huge corridor.
“...A dragon?”
Yes.
A dragon.
If I had to describe it, the only comparison was the mythical dragon that didn't exist in reality.
Its long neck moved with a smoothness that didn't belong to a robot.
Its fully spread wings even had thin membranes between them.
If not for the armored plates covering its entire body, I might have mistaken it for a living creature.
[Imitation Mystery: Scq944, Dragon]
A guardian that had silently protected the mirror even when intruders reached the 500th floor.
The Company's final insurance.
It spread its wings and faced us.
No wonder this corridor was so damn huge.
I had expected something like an automatic railgun or guided missiles.
Instead, it was the second Imitation Mystery.
I felt more disbelief than fear.
Even while I stood there stunned, the dragon spread its wings and charged.
Its mouth opened wide.
A red flash shot out.
Everything along the beam's path melted.
Fortunately, the beam missed us.
Even without being hit directly, I could clearly feel the heat.
Honestly...
It didn't feel real.
What kind of ridiculous situation is this?
It was like reaching the end of a game, only for a Demon King to suddenly appear as a hidden boss.
Except the game I thought I had been playing was a dating sim.
It felt like I had suddenly been ordered to defeat the Demon King in the middle of a romance game.
Grrrrrrrr.
A low growl echoed.
The impossible enemy glared down at us.
Even though it was a robot and shouldn't possess emotions, its narrow cat-like eyes clearly seemed filled with killing intent.
As though it were saying that intruders would never be forgiven.
Hwa-ryeon raised her sword with a serious expression.
Arlin prepared a spell with a stiff face.
And I...
Bang!
I fired my gun.
The sound of shattering glass came from the distance.
Black light scattered everywhere.
Yes.
The mirror shattered.
The change happened immediately.
The entire world turned blue like a computer showing a blue screen.
Then it became black.
Then white.
Then...
