Surviving Restructuring

[The Desert Guardian displays hostility toward unauthorized trespassers.]

More than a dozen giant statues of sand rose like towering mountains.

“H-Hyungnim! Do you see that?!”

A chill crawled over Eun-Ho’s skin at the oppressive aura spreading like dust. “Yeah. That’s unsettling.”

Ssssh—

At the giants’ feet, grains of sand began to tremble, scattering in every direction like flour sifted through a sieve. They shook, shattered, and swirled then clumped together, forming choking sandstorms.

“No one shall pass!”

A cry echoed, sounding neither human nor mechanical. It carried the harsh timbre of a chisel grinding against uneven concrete, riding atop a turbid wind.

“Gwooooargh!”

[The Desert Guardian exhales the breath of vigilance.]

[Red Earth Rain has been activated!]

Then, the Guardian swelled. Bulging blisters, like festering boils, erupted across its red surface one after another. At the same time, red dust poured down like drifting pollen.

Eun-Ho checked the roaring Guardian and immediately turned around. The reason he retreated without even attempting a single strike was to make use of the recent system message.

[Attack power will increase by ten percent during aerial combat.]

He would be an idiot not to use it.

Thus, Eun-Ho sprinted toward the Razor-Beaked Birds and leapt onto one’s back. “Let’s go!”

As if to make it easier for him, the bird folded its wings, bent its legs, and crouched low, leaning toward him. “Kaaah!”

It seemed almost like a trained horse welcoming its rider. It was clumsy, yes, but unmistakably trying. Perhaps it was the effect of the taming skill.

Thud!

Grabbing the bird’s crest, Eun-Ho struck its upper flank with the inside of his foot. As if understanding the signal, the bird straightened itself.

“Kieeeeek!”

After a few light wingbeats and several running steps, it lifted into the air. The bird kicked off the unsteady desert, rippling like tidal flats.

“Commander!”

“Eun-Ho! Be careful!”

Below him trailed his companions’ worried shouts and the reddish-yellow haze. Behind him surged waves of soil, mouths agape as if telling him to get lost if he was going to run.

In moments, the group shrank beneath his feet, no larger than beans. Yet the desert giant ahead seemed to grow ever larger as he burst free of the sandstorm.

[Rapid Ascent has been successful!]

[Rapid Descent has been successful!]

He dove back down while dodging fist flying in from the opposite side, aiming for the crown of the giant’s head.

[Drift has been successful!]

Several exchanges of attack and evasion happened in the blink of an eye.

“Kaaaah!”

Perhaps overwhelmed by the endless barrage of incoming fists, the Razor-Beaked Bird began to slow. The crest trembling in Eun-Ho’s grip told him it was scared.

Eun-Ho reassured the bird. “Shh. Shh... It’s okay.”

“Kaaah...”

“Faster. Flying slowly is more dangerous.”

“Kaaah?”

“You don’t like getting hurt, right?” He gently stroked the soft head, explaining in the simplest way possible, anyone could understand. “I don’t either.”

[The Razor-Beaked Bird feels a sense of kinship with its owner!]

[The Taming skill proficiency has increased from zero percent to five percent!]

“So let’s finish this quickly.”

“Kaaah!”

[The Razor-Beaked Bird gains courage!]

Messages appeared one after another. Even without reading them, he could feel the power surging through the bird’s wingbeats, resonating throughout him.

We can do this!

With that rising certainty, he snapped the jet-black crest sharply forward. The wingbeats grew even fiercer, and a message followed.

[Acceleration has been successful!]

They charged through the choking sandstorm and the distance closed rapidly.

“Withdraw, intruder!”

The giant’s bellow shook the air itself.

“This is awkward,” Eun-Ho muttered.

“If you come any closer, I will not show mercy!”

The illegal squatter isn’t me. It’s you, Eun-Ho thought.

“This is very clearly my land,” Eun-Ho said calmly. “How about you back off instead?”

“This land is mine! How dare you!”

[The Guardian’s fury pours down upon you.]

Boom! Baaaam—!

The giant before them swelled once more, boils rising all over it as it hurled its fists forward. Dozens of massive figures charged, shaking the earth as they ran.

If they all come at once, this’ll be easier. Just as intended, Eun-Ho thought.

[The Guardian’s unyielding resolve is directed at you!]

Eun-Ho didn’t know what they were guarding, nor for whom they had protected this land. He wasn’t someone who belonged to the past the clock hand had shown him, after all.

“Hieek! Hyungnim!”

“Watch out!”

Still, Eun-Ho couldn’t help but feel a sense of awe. Whether bound by order, spell, or loyalty, the Guardian stood unwavering through the centuries. Thus, he rose sharply to his feet. Clamping his legs tightly around the Razor-Beaked Bird, he poured every ounce of strength into his thighs.

“C-Commander! That’s dangerous!”

“Kieeeeeek!”

Air resistance slammed into him all at once. Perhaps startled by the giants charging from every direction, the bird twisted midair while trying to dodge a fist that flew dangerously close to its head.

“Noonim!”

“O-oh! I—huh?”

[Aerial Flip has been successful!]

Eun-Ho held on as if his legs had been tied to the feathers themselves.

What?!

[You will not fall even without a saddle.]

T-that’s incredible.

“All units! This way!”

“Yes sir!”

“Commander!”

The Skeleton Knights were quick to catch on. They calmed their respective birds so they wouldn’t bolt, before soaring into the air.

The sand giants, eyes blazing, converged as well. “You filthy intruder! You’ve even brought death with you!”

Eun-Ho didn’t just stand there. “Enhance Acceleration with four trial reward points.”

[You have used four trial reward points to upgrade the Acceleration(Lv. 6) skill.]

[Skill upgrade has been completed from Lv. 6 to Lv. 10.]

“Your filthy feet—”

Then, just as massive fists loomed right before him, Eun-Ho stretched one second into a full fifty. “Acceleration.”

“Neveeer eeeeeveeeer...”

He ran straight up onto the giant’s fist, making the best of the skill's duration. The footing tried to swallow him, but he didn’t stop. It felt like walking a tightrope alone in a frozen world. Then, he reached the rocky mass of hardened sand.

With forty seconds remaining, he arrived before the colossal, mask-like head. Without hesitation, he drove the dark-blue blade forward into the solid surface. At the end of the day, sand was still sand.

Crack!

Something shattered within and cracks spread like lightning across the night sky. The yellow-brown sand hardened rapidly.

[You have defeated the Desert Guardian!]

[You have earned 500 Welfare Points.]

The core supporting the massive body was gone, meaning he could lose his footing at any moment. He had to run back to the Razor-Beaked Bird’s back fast.

However, instead of turning back, he increased his speed. With thirty seconds remaining, he crossed over to the opposite shoulder, grabbed the ankle of the bird ridden by Number One, and flipped sideways like a circus acrobat.

I couldn’t even walk properly before, and now I’m doing stunts, Eun-Ho thought.

He swallowed the laugh threatening to escape as he leaped onto the next giant’s shoulder, piercing another core.

Crack—!

Following the crack, the sand hardened and the giant collapsed. The sight would have been spectacular, but he just kept running to the next and to the one after that.

[You have defeated the Desert Guardian!]

[You have defeated the Desert Guardian!]

[You have defeated the Desert Guardian!]

Tick—!

It was a strange desert where past and present overlapped. The twisted time snapped back into place.

“C-Commander! When did you get here?!”

“Kaaah?”

***

“Eek!”

“I-I’m sorry! Did I scare you?”

Ji-Eun was that kind of person, the type who jumped at even a light tap when she was focused.

“Five left, Noonim!”

“Huh? O-oh!”

Because of that, she hadn’t realized that she’d grown accustomed to the deafening sound of gunfire.

Bang!

[The parameters required for skill activation are being calculated.]

Bang! Bang! Bang!

[Due to your high mental resilience, the data collection speed is increasing.]

She fired three shots in quick succession. The fact that she didn’t flinch despite the thunderous noise was impressive. Though, it would’ve been even better if all three bullets had landed squarely in the Guardian’s head.

It’s shaking too much! Ji-Eun thought.

Was it the Desert Guardian’s ability? The sand beneath her wouldn’t stop shifting, making it incredibly difficult to keep her balance. She’d been like this for a while now, so much that nausea was starting to creep in. It was like trying to hit a moving target from the deck of a rocking ship.

If only I could use psychokinesis at the same time...

If she could control the bullet trajectory, her accuracy would improve dramatically.

But I can’t overdo it.

Mental resilience had clear limits. Controlling herself with psychokinesis while simultaneously forming and firing bullets was no easy feat.

Bang!

Even focusing on a single bullet wasn’t simple. Each shot consumed mental energy, and the more she fired consecutively, the weaker each one felt. Ji-Eun watched bitterly as the brilliant golden orbs of light she created gradually lost their luster.

If I try to chase two rabbits at once, I might lose them both.

Therefore, she decided to take one step at a time. Even if it felt frustrating, it couldn’t be helped. Just as she reached that conclusion, the desert filled with blaring sirens.

[Failed to eliminate intruder!]

[Defense system has been upgraded!]

Beeeeeeep!

Beeeeeeep!

Beeeeeeep!

[Access denied!]

[Access denied!]

[Access denied!]

...

Amid the auditory assault, red warning windows flooded her vision. Like a virus-infected computer, she swiped them away only for more to pop up again and again.

[Sandstorm has been activated!]

A mass of yellow-brown clouds billowed forth across the desert, not in the sky but along the ground itself.

“Noonim!”

A wall-like sandstorm surged toward her at terrifying speed. Had it been a mistake not to retreat immediately, worried that doing so would break her concentration?

“Kuuk!”

The cascading sand clogged her breath. Stones mixed into the dry wind scraped violently against her skin.

I need to open my eyes...

Ji-Eun tried to lift herself, but psychokinesis was like maintaining countless invisible threads and keeping those impossibly thin strands from snapping. The moment her focus slipped, the connection would break entirely. Moreover, in a situation like this, where she couldn’t even open her eyes, lifting herself was impossible.

[Caution!]

[Exit the sandstorm immediately!]

[You will develop the status effect, airway suffocation in ten seconds.]

Was it because oxygen wasn’t reaching her brain? Her limbs went limp, and dizziness washed over her. When she involuntarily closed her eyes and opened them again, a giant fist loomed right in front of her.

Bang! Bang!

She fired into the fist, but it was useless. Even her fully formed, radiant golden bullets hadn’t dealt much damage before. The sand giant would scatter briefly then reassembled, and that was it.

“Gooooooo—”

She thought she would probably end up the same, shattered into grains of sand.

I’m scared.

Ji-Eun thought as much, parting her cracked, parched lips. “Plea—”

She swallowed the scream she was about to cry out for help. Then, she froze.

Her outstretched hand pulled back. She remembered Jae-Hyuk, whose limbs had been broken dozens of times, left hanging uselessly; and Eun-Ho, fighting a hundred enemies alone in the sky.

I just have to watch out for my head. Don’t be a burden. Even if one of my legs was crushed like Jae-Hyuk’s had been, Sol-Ah could heal it.

Perhaps thanks to her heightened mental resilience, her thoughts cleared almost instantly, reason snapping back into place as she drew in a breath. “Hup!”

Whoosh—

A dry wind passed. Not the gritty, suffocating air mixed with sand, but a cool, refreshing breath like the kind one only felt in the open sky.

Cool... Huh?

Just as Ji-Eun, dazed yet relieved, was about to open her chest and inhale deeply, she stopped. It dawned on her that she was being carried across the sky.

“Eun-Ho?!”

The vast, open heavens stretched endlessly before them. Eun-Ho rode astride a massive bird, its wings beating with thunderous power. The moment she realized she was cradled in his arms, the boundless cool of the open sky vanished.

Heat surged up from her chest, her face burning. “W-when did you—n-no, I mean thank you! Really!”

I’m burning, Ji-Eun thought.

As if unaware of her inner turmoil, Eun-Ho gently placed the Bird’s soft crest into her hand. “Hold onto this.”

“Huh? Ah, Eun-Ho! I’m fine, you don’t—”

Between one syllable and the next, the wind slipped through. It was a fleeting gust she wouldn’t have felt anywhere but right beside him.

“Need to...”

His warmth disappeared then returned just as quickly. By the time she fully came back to herself, the towering giant had fallen.

Thud.

The giant had collapsed pitifully, crumbling so completely that it was hard to distinguish it from the desert sand itself.

I got played.

Ji-Eun glanced again at the strong arm wrapped around her shoulders and thought, I got played in the blink of an eye.

“It might be uncomfortable, but please wait a moment. I’ll set you down on the ground.”

“No.” Ji-Eun shook her head, chin lowered. “I can do it.”

With only that short reply, she focused her mind and lifted herself.

Puff—

She rose smoothly despite her flushed face. Then, she raised her gun.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

She ruthlessly fired golden lights imbued with the sun itself.

[The parameters required for skill activation are being calculated.]

The bullets’ glow deepened, edging into crimson, but Ji-Eun didn’t notice.

Bang! Bang!

[You have defeated the Desert Guardian!]

[You have earned 5,000 Welfare Points.]

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

[You have defeated the Desert Guardian!]

[You have earned 10,000 Welfare Points.]

She just kept firing again and again, praying that the deafening gunshots would drown out the madly pounding sound of her heart.

[Defense system has collapsed.]

[Stairs have opened.]

All remaining giants returned to desert sand. Then, when calm finally found her amid the chaos for the first time, a series of messages appeared.

[Congratulations!]

[Unwavering focus on a single goal, merciless precision that pierces an enemy’s brow again and again, and a tranquil, lake-like mental core have given birth to a skill.]

[Shooting(Lv. 1) has been unlocked.]

There was one more.

[Shooting(Lv. 1) resonates with high Mental Resilience and Psychokinesis(Lv. 15).]

[Congratulations!]

[Shooting has evolved into Prophetic Shooting(Lv. 1)!]