Chapter 25 : Second memory chase

The moment we stepped into the museum, everything felt off. When Ji-wan said that he can detect beasts. I was rather confused as to why he couldn’t detect Junior who is literally in my hoodie and Volt, a three headed dragon, relaxing on a nearby rooftop. That meant one thing: His skill didn’t just track monsters. It tracked intent. Hostility. That was something I’d remember. "Let’s take a look at this sword." Mother said. But the sword—the one marked as Memory Anchor 3—just sat there. Lit by a single spotlight. No alarms. No guards. Too easy. I glanced at Mother. She was already activating her Bloody Eyes. Her pupils shifted into a swirling red bloom. A faint hum of system energy danced around her as she scanned the glass. After a moment, she blinked. Hard. "It’s fake," she said. Ji-Wan and Sang-woo froze beside us. "What?" Sang-woo asked, gripping his spear tighter. "You sure?" "I can see the core signature," Mother murmured. "It’s a duplicate. A decoy." Then she showed them her Stat sheets. "So where could it be then?" Ye-Rin asked. "Maybe stolen" Seo-yeon answered her, "Or the system just messed with us." Then in-ji said, "It could be the sword was fake all along and the original sword is somewhere else." "Maybe a collector has it." Sang-woo said. Ji-Wan’s brow twitched. He tapped something on his UI lens. "That makes sense. My tracker didn’t detect anything wrong, but... now that I think about it, I didn’t sense any monsters around us earlier either." Seo-Yeon cursed quietly. "Then where the hell is it?" Just then, the system pinged. Memory 1 has been acquired. Perpetrator: Goblin Unit - #A4Y-199 Target Acquired: Photograph of Girl & Parents. New Objective: Defend Memory 2. A mini-map popped into our vision—burning red dot heading east, toward a residential block. Mother squinted at the UI. "The basketball," Mother said sharply. "That was in the image. Probably a gym or court." "There’s a school three blocks east," Ji-Wan cut in. "If it’s decorated like most Korean middle schools, there might be a memorabilia section in the gym." "Then we move," I said. As the seven of us were moving towards the school. In-Ji pulled out his mag—flash-enhanced steel, custom-forged from yesterday’s loot. He checked the rounds with practiced hands. "This whole thing," he said low, "feels like a setup." I turned my head. "The system?" "Yeah. We didn’t know where Memory 1 was. But the goblins? They went right for it. Like they knew. Then Memory 2 appears on a map right after they get the first." I frowned. "So you’re saying the system... wanted them to get a head start?" In-Ji nodded grimly. "The torch appeared only after they got it. Not before. Like it’s gamifying the suffering." [ School ] As soon as we reached the school. We were swarmed by huge numbers of goblins. We bolted through the scorched hallways of the school, zig-zagging past upturned chairs and broken lockers. Behind us—screams, laughter, hissing, and the relentless patter of too many feet. Goblins. Too many of them. Too vicious to fear death. Too dumb to retreat. Too fast to fully outrun. They swarmed like pests with bloodlust. Feral idiots who could somehow dodge bullets and climb walls like roaches with a vendetta. Sang-Ho stabbed one in the throat as it lunged from a classroom window. It laughed as it died—a screeching, high-pitched giggle—blood spraying in all directions. "THERE’S NO END TO THEM!" Ye-Rin shouted, her axe soaked, hair in her eyes. "I KNOW!" I yelled, kicking another goblin off Mi-Sun’s flank. "JUST KEEP MOVING!" The court was surrounded by monster-damaged fences. A half-burnt banner read ’Go Tigers!’ above the gym doors. Inside, the basketball sat on a display podium, protected by nothing but a sheet of plexiglass. Sang-woo didn’t wait. He smashed the case with the back of his spear and scooped it up. "I got it!" The doors burst open behind us. Goblins. At least a dozen. Some wore torn varsity jackets. One had a referee whistle in its mouth, blowing it mockingly as it charged. They screeched and chattered—pure chaos in motion. In-Ji opened fire, bullets sparking through their front line. Ye-rin leapt into the fray with her axe, cleaving two of them into the bleachers. Sang-woo stabbed forward like a red blur, keeping them off Ji-Wan as he funneled us a path out. One goblin—larger than the rest—tackled me, screeching as it clawed at the basketball."I’m hit!" Ji-Wan shouted—his arm bleeding, but not badly. "Go, go, go!" We crashed out of the back door of the gym. But we didn’t get far. The ground trembled. And then it appeared. A new goblin. No—a beast. It stood twice the size of any other. Its torso was massive, patch-worked with gray, rotting flesh like stitched leather. Its head was still goblin, stretched and distorted, but its back was covered in thick porcupine spikes, twitching like they were alive. Its left arm was gorilla-thick, dragging on the ground. Its right was a mantis claw, twitching with anticipation. Its legs—lion-like, coiled with speed. Its tail was a grotesque blend:snake scales, a lion’s tuft, and tentacle suckers that writhed with each step. And then— Its head detached. Like a balloon on a tether, it hovered midair, grinning. The neck below was a nest of squirming tendrils that whipped in every direction. I looked at Sang-woo and Ji-wan behind me and said, "Don’t freak out by what I am going to do. Alright." [ Beastification form : Activate. ] [ Pet : Junior, a spider monkey ] [Scene Transition: Mystery Driver ] Somewhere in the southern outskirts, a beat-up SUV drove across the collapsed highway. Ash fell like snow. The driver—maybe in his forties—wore military boots and a flak jacket. Calm. Composed. A glint of steel hung behind him. Not decorative. A blade. Real. Clean. Maintained. The nameplate etched into it read: "Kim Joon-Shik – Honor in Blood" He didn’t look back. But his voice was low. "If those things want this sword... they’ll have to go through me." Name : Kim song-woo Gender : Male Age : 25 years old Nature : Last hit Level : 9 Class : Spear—weilder Sub-Class : (Unlocks after Mission 5) Title : ( Unlocks after Sub-Class ) Strength : 0150 Agility :0090 Health Points : 0080 Magic Points : 0030 Stamina : 0100 Nature : Last hit Description: If hp is below 30%, there is a 70% increase in damage. Skills : Spear charge Description: A strong straight linear spear push. Name : Ryu Ji-wan Gender : Male Age : 25 years old Nature : Hawkeye Level : 7 Class : Tracker Sub-Class : (Unlocks after Mission 5) Title : ( Unlocks after Sub-Class ) Strength : 0040 Agility : 0120 Health Points : 0060 Magic Points : 0070 Stamina : 0060 Nature : Hawkeye Description : Give 3 predictions of opponents next move. Skill : Barricade Description: Can use materials around him to create a magical barricade.