Yonghoon was surprised that the other party was a Linker. He hadn’t expected a Linker to be part of the Rebels.
“It seems you’re amazed that I’m a Linker. But it’s not as surprising as your appearance here. Besides, there are still many who don’t believe you’re from C Dimension. Would you mind if I conducted a little test?”
At Frank’s words, Yonghoon nodded. He was curious about how Frank intended to test them.
With Yonghoon’s permission, Frank grabbed the rifle slung over his shoulder and aimed it at Yonghoon.
Yonghoon could guess the method of the test. Without drawing on his Dimensional Power, he waited defenselessly for the shot.
Tududududu!
The rifle fired in rapid bursts, tearing holes into Yonghoon’s clothes.
After a moment, the shooting stopped, and Frank, staring at Yonghoon, looked somewhat conflicted.
“I couldn’t sense any Dimensional Power at all. You really are an Awakened from another dimension.”
To block bullets, even the strongest Defense-type Awakened needed to draw on Dimensional Power. Blocking bullets without it confirmed they were from another dimension.
In past battles, people had been mistaken because the distances were great and it was hard to believe that Awakened from another dimension existed, so they ignored the absence of Dimensional Power.
Frank had Yonghoon and the women sit in the back seat of his modified car.
The others relaxed and got into their own vehicles.
As soon as Yonghoon and the women got into the car, it started moving. Seeing the puzzled looks on their faces, Frank began to explain.
“We’re heading to our temporary base. We needed to verify your identities and didn’t want to expose our base, which is why we arranged to meet here.”
At his explanation, Yonghoon nodded. It made perfect sense.
“We have some time on the way, so feel free to ask any questions.”
At his offer, Yonghoon first asked about the Resistance. They had come here in a hurry and hadn’t had time to hear much from the Branch Leader.
“The answer’s a bit long… I’ll have to tell you some history. Originally, we were a group formed by those who lost in the Unification War between cities. Though now, it’s not that relevant.”
It was a story from decades ago. At that time, all Awakened only had basic F-Rank abilities and fought monsters with conventional weapons.
They barely managed to defend their own cities until, at some point, Awakened with higher abilities started to appear and absorb nearby cities. That was the beginning of the Unification War.
A vague sense of doubt that had been lingering in Yonghoon’s mind surfaced.
‘Ah, come to think of it, there’s no way to grow abilities here!’
The growth of abilities was achieved through the repulsion of opposing Dimensional Powers.
But this was the dimension of monsters. No matter how many monsters the Awakened here defeated, their abilities wouldn’t grow.
Likewise, training with Dimensional Power was futile. Continuously using Dimensional Cores from the same dimension wouldn’t increase Dimensional Power.
“Naturally, the other cities were overwhelmed. It was a fight between people using the same weapons, but one side had slightly tougher individuals while the other had people who could block bullets, wield telekinesis, and even teleport. Eventually, all cities were conquered, and the Empire was established.”
Frank spoke with the air of an old man telling a story from long ago.
“Later, we learned how the high-level Awakened appeared. They built the Empire and revealed the method to enhance Dimensional Power.”
It was training using Contaminated Dimensional Cores. The Empire’s high-level Awakened had raised their levels through training with contaminated cores.
After that, the Empire permitted all Awakened to undergo Dimensional Power training. However, the training was determined by loyalty to the state, family background, and the Awakened’s limit level.
‘For all that time, they didn’t know how to break the limit level? Oh! In this world, the monsters’ Dimensional Cores are the same as the Awakened’s… so the limit level can’t be broken.’
Thoughts about the limit level flashed through Yonghoon’s mind.
“But there weren’t many different kinds of Dimensional Cores. In the end, the Empire government distributed them, deciding people’s ranks. Over time, the government monopolized the cores, leading to dictatorship, and the Awakened they nurtured became personal guard units and Hunters.”
Frank continued his story.
“The Empire government announced that they obtained new Dimensional Cores from other dimensions. They claimed these dimensions had already collapsed, and they hunted monsters there to retrieve the cores.”
People believed the Empire’s story. Though the cores were slightly different, they were still Dimensional Cores. People couldn’t help but believe that the differences were due to the different dimensions.
And so, the popularity of Linkers who explored other dimensions and Hunters who hunted monsters and collected cores soared.
“Meanwhile, the Resistance became nearly obsolete. It was hard to oppose the mighty Empire, and people had grown accustomed to the current system. It’s hard to abandon the fruits of enhanced powers. But then, a runaway Linker appeared before the Resistance. And they heard the truth.”
Originally intact dimensions-this world, or Zero Dimension-had suffered near destruction due to the invasion of monsters and Dimensional Beasts. Contaminated Dimensional Cores were recovered from those places, and Assassin-type Awakened were isolated on islands to expel contaminated cores.
Sunhee and Eunseo were overwhelmed by the torrent of information.
But Yonghoon had another question.
“Is that Linker you?”
At Yonghoon’s question, he shook his head.
“It’s not me. I joined later. There was an early Linker who went to A Dimension as part of the advance party. Back then, the connectors were unstable, and they often failed to properly sever the link with the body, leading to mental integration issues. Many ended up mentally broken. This person also struggled with two personalities fighting inside his mind. Eventually, he was influenced by the A Dimension personality and joined the Resistance.”
“Then how did you end up joining the Rebels?”
At Yonghoon’s question, Frank gave a faint smile.
“My mental integration went smoothly. I was something of an elite, so I didn’t particularly oppose the war.”
He gazed out the window into the distance.
“It’s a common story. Just a man who fell in love with the enemy.”
With those words, the car passed through the wasteland and arrived at a small village in the forest.
The village, located at the edge of a massive forest next to the wasteland, looked abandoned like other villages.
Fortunately, since it was near the forest entrance, there were no signs of monsters. At the village entrance, Awakened clad in armor and holding guns stood guard.
They looked rough. Yonghoon couldn’t feel much difference from the Raiders he had seen before.
Frank glanced at the back seat and spoke.
“People like me, Linkers wanted by the Empire, can’t live in cities. In the end, we have no choice but to become Raiders. Though we mainly attack government hunting teams and receive support from Resistance groups in other cities, it’s inevitable that we get rough.”
In such a rough atmosphere, Frank’s neat appearance felt oddly out of place to Yonghoon.
The car arrived at a large, though worn-down, house deeper inside the village. It seemed to have once served as a town hall.
Yonghoon and the two women followed Frank into the house. The others scattered around the area.
Inside, it was cozier than it looked from the outside. However, since the building and furniture were completely unmaintained, it clearly seemed like a temporary residence.
Inside, very elderly people were sitting.
Two men and one woman. Their hair had turned completely white, and they warmly welcomed Yonghoon and the women.
“Welcome. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen people from another dimension…”
A white woman, who had aged gracefully, greeted them with a kind smile. Her eyes, too, were not gray. She was probably the early Linker Frank had mentioned.
According to Frank, the three elders led the organization through mutual agreement.
The bulky old man at the end had led the organization during the Unification War, the woman had revealed the truth as a Linker, and the sleepy-looking old man had structured the current organization.
Yonghoon and the women sat across from the elders and exchanged light greetings. The atmosphere was warm.
“Since Frank brought you, your words must be true. We received contact from Branch Leader Karel, but I’d like to hear more details.”
The bulky old man addressed Yonghoon.
Yonghoon once again recounted how C Dimension had been attacked and how they ended up here.
The elders listened attentively to Yonghoon’s story. After a long while, they asked to be excused, saying they needed to discuss among themselves.
Once again, Frank guided Yonghoon and his group to a side room.
“Please wait a moment. It’s not an easy decision for us either.”
That was only natural for an organization.
“Understood.”
“Um, I have a question.”
It seemed Eunseo had something she was curious about.
“Please, go ahead.”
At Frank’s response, Eunseo spoke up.
“But even if the government lied, how could the Resistance survive for so long? Even if it was a lie, wasn’t it a good thing for this world?”
Eunseo had a point. It was a great evil for other dimensions, but for this world, it was a distant story. Thanks to it, powers enhanced and beasts disappeared, so for the people here, it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Frank answered Eunseo’s question.
“Yes, there was a lot of debate within the Resistance at first. People are selfish, and many just accepted it and moved on.”
“But then, a problem arose in the conquered A Dimension. At some point, Dead Zones began to appear there too. The Empire government went on high alert. Many scientists joined the research, and the results were shocking.”
“The transfer of contaminated Dimensional Cores to our Zero Dimension caused the Dead Zones to increase. Dimensional Cores are vessels for Dimensional Power. Moving contaminated cores here was like scooping A Dimension’s power and bringing it here. As a result, Dead Zones formed where A Dimension’s power decreased.”
“That means…”
Sunhee gasped in shock. Yonghoon and Eunseo felt the same.
“Yes, what you’re thinking is correct. The Dead Zones in our dimension were created because the government conquered other dimensions, filled with Dimensional Power, and sent beasts and dimensional larvae here. In the end, the Dead Zones were created by the Empire government.”
“Then they should just stop attacking!”
Sunhee shouted loudly.
At her words, Frank responded.
“That’s what we argue. But the government seems to think they can’t stop now. If they stop, it would be admitting their guilt.”
“But if this keeps up, this world will be devoured.”
“According to internal sources, the government plans to completely contaminate other dimensions’ Dimensional Power and consider migration. Though it seems there’s still some time left.”
Eunseo tilted her head.
“Wouldn’t people rise up if they knew?”
“We tried for a long time, but it’s hard to make them believe. We barely managed to create a believing atmosphere in one city with massive leaflet campaigns.”
Frank’s expression darkened.
“As a result, that city was wiped off the map.”
The room was filled with silence.
“Since then, we decided not to produce large-scale leaflets anymore. We have just been operating in small groups and making minor protests.”
Frank continued, making sure no one else could hear.
“If you all hadn’t appeared, we might have gradually dwindled away and disappeared.”
After a moment, the elders called them back. The elder seated in the center spoke.
“After our meeting, we decided to help you. However, for the safety of our organization, we cannot offer full support. If civilian casualties occur, we will not be able to assist at all.”
“A small amount of help is all we need. We would appreciate assistance with a few pieces of information and access to the city for reconnaissance.”
At Yonghoon’s words, the elder nodded.
“That much is certainly possible. Then, you must want to enter the city with the dimensional Warp Zone connected to the C dimension.”
Yonghoon agreed to his words.
“I will make arrangements. Just give me a few hours. Rest for a bit and depart in the afternoon.”
Thus, after finishing their discussion with the leaders of the Rebels, the group departed a few hours later for the German military city, Nuremberg.