Chapter 16
I immediately opened the status window after seeing the message related to Special Assembly.
【Skill】
- [Special Assembly II]
- 5% chance to produce a special unit.
- 1% chance to produce a hero unit.
The item that caught my attention was [Special Assembly], which I had enhanced just once.
A skill that had never activated before was triggering now… Out of curiosity, I opened the gate immediately.
“Open gate.”
I entered through the gate appearing before me and headed straight for the Core Center.
Neia greeted me as I arrived, running as fast as my feet would carry me.
『Welcome, Seonwoo.』
“Neia, I heard a special unit was generated just now. Do you know anything about it?”
Neia’s eyes glimmered with light.
After finishing her calculations, she answered in her usual calm voice.
『About 30 minutes ago, an over-spec entity of unknown origin appeared at a nearby factory. It is currently confirmed to be on standby at a nearby logistics warehouse. Shall I call it?』
I had come all this way just to check on it.
There was no reason to refuse.
“Okay, please do.”
『Hero Unit: TYPE-α AI Tactical Unit, Argelair, deploying. Currently calling…』
‘Hero unit?!’
I blinked, double-checking.
But the probability chart listed in Special Assembly hadn’t changed.
As unlikely as it seemed, the 1% probability had hit.
“Not even the 5% activated once….”
Still, it was a pleasant surprise.
I was looking forward to meeting Argelair.
Biiiiip-
A piercing call rang loudly around the Core Center.
A faint vibration shook the surroundings, like a long-closed door finally opening.
Kugugugugung.
I gauged the direction of the vibration.
“Over there?”
It wasn’t too far.
As I watched the direction carefully… a small object faintly rose above a building.
Argelair began flying quickly.
My eyes widened in amazement as I observed it.
‘Much bigger than I expected…’
The closer it got, the larger it appeared.
Argelair, approaching the Core Center in a straight line, was already hovering above my head by the time I snapped out of my daze.
A massive shadow beneath my feet.
Judging by its size, its width and length easily seemed around five meters.
It was incomparably larger than normal combat drones.
“Neia, do you know anything else about that thing?”
『I’m sorry. There is no information available in the current database.』
“So I’ll have to find out myself…”
Just then, as I observed the ultra-quiet flying drone,
Ssssss-
Argelair suddenly began descending slowly.
Neia looked equally puzzled.
『Shall I forcibly block its actions?』
“No, let’s just observe for now.”
Argelair landed in front of the Core Center, creating a small heatwave.
Then it started acting strangely again.
Clack clack.
The drone began folding and reshaping itself.
Its unusually large gun retracted, something sprang out, and its outer armor shifted, merged, and split to form a new shape.
Repeatedly folding and merging, the drone gradually shrank in size.
Finally, Argelair released a burst of white steam.
Chiiii-
The surrounding fog gradually dissipated.
A distinct shape slowly became visible.
‘A human?’
From the dissipating smoke emerged a figure dressed in military uniform.
About 140 cm tall, roughly the height of an elementary school student.
A face with promising, attractive features.
Notably, blue hair and striking blue eyes gave it a distinctive appearance.
My gaze naturally fell to its rank.
‘A second lieutenant?’
The figure I made eye contact with saluted loudly.
“Second Lieutenant Argelair! It is the family’s honor to meet the heir!”
I was left dumbfounded, staring at the figure.
Honestly, it was cute in a tiny, charming way rather than being stern or impressive.
Neia spoke to me.
『You should accept the salute… It seems sincere, in its own way.』
I turned to see Neia biting her lip, holding back a smile.
Indeed, Argelair’s appearance was enough to make anyone smile.
Even Neia found it funny.
Pulling myself together, I returned the salute.
“Yes, Second Lieutenant Argelair. It’s an honor to meet you too.”
Through meeting Argelair, I learned that this AI tactical unit
‘…was humanoid!’
After conversing, it was almost indistinguishable from a human.
‘I’m personally very satisfied.’
With such intelligence, it could be a major asset on the battlefield.
While existing drones passively followed orders, Argelair’s reasoning made it possible to lead a squad autonomously.
“Yes, Lieutenant.”
“Yes, heir!”
Ah, there was one downside.
With that face, it was far too serious.
At first, the rapid changes in situation left little room to laugh, but once familiar, the effect was different.
Its cute appearance made my lips twitch despite myself.
“Hmph hmph.”
I immersed myself in the situation to avoid hurting Argelair.
I am the heir… I am the heir… I am its superior…
Mentally reinforcing this, I spoke strictly and solemnly.
“I appreciate you responding to the call, but your abilities are not yet fully known. Can you show me?”
“Simple task.”
“Then please do.”
“Yes!”
“Neia, can you mark the shortest path to a place where it can really show off?”
She was still smiling.
『Yes… Understood, Seonwoo.』
Following Neia’s path, I traveled with Argelair for about an hour.
We reached the city exit.
Passing through a large gate, we saw forest and mountains outside.
“This place should be fine.”
I spoke to Argelair.
“Prepare yourself, Second Lieutenant Argelair.”
“Yes!”
Argelair transformed back into its drone form.
Watching it soar into the sky again, Neia spoke.
『Seonwoo.』
“Yes, all smiles now?”
『I apologize, unexpected situations caused a lapse. Please forgive me.』
“Never mind that. You have news, right?”
Neia spoke with her usual serious tone.
『I just received information from Second Lieutenant Argelair via the central communication network.』
“Information? What kind?”
『A report detailing the weapons and specs of the hero unit: Argelair.』
“Show me.”
A screen immediately appeared.
【TYPE-α Tactical AI Unit: Argelair】
Classification: Hero Unit
Base Model: Combat Drone (Large / Capable of high-speed flight)
Rank: Second Lieutenant
〈Armaments〉
- [Multiple Turrets]
- [Ultra-Photon Cannon]
- [Special Outer Armor]
〈Tactical Functions〉
AI Battlefield Analysis: Compares allied and enemy forces within a 3 km radius.
Command Network: Synchronizes all allied drones within 3 km and operates squad tactics.
“So… let’s first test firing with the multiple turrets.”
After scanning the overview, I immediately issued orders.
“Second Lieutenant Argelair, twenty enemies detected ahead. Eliminate them using multiple turrets.”
Argelair’s fire rained down on the mountains ahead, striking mid-slopes and ridgelines simultaneously.
Judging by the range, the turrets were likely operating independently.
It seemed like combining five combat drones into one.
“Lieutenant, same scenario! Use the Ultra-Photon Cannon to wipe them out.”
At my command, the five turrets merged into a single massive barrel.
Energy particles gathered in the large cannon.
When the blue glow intensified,
Kugugugugung.
A colossal beam cut through the mountain, melting it.
It looked less like firing a cannon than swinging a giant sword.
The impact range was wide, promising excellent effectiveness against clustered enemies.
“Excellent, Lieutenant. Next, prove your tactical ability. Neia.”
Following my words, Neia urgently summoned drones and integrated them into the squad.
“Enemies ahead, confirmed to have no anti-air capability.”
Receiving the situation report, Argelair maintained altitude to maximize the accuracy of combat and hunter drones, bombarding targets frantically.
I casually introduced a sudden scenario.
“Unexpected situation, Lieutenant. While slaughtering ground targets with no anti-air, the rear was ambushed. Two allied units lost. Enemy possesses anti-air weapons with a 500m range.”
Argelair, upon receiving the info, soared with the drones, forming a firing grid, neutralizing long-range threats first, then handling defenseless ground units.
Argelair’s judgment mirrored mine closely.
It thought and acted almost like a human.
It seemed safe to grant real battlefield autonomy.
“A hero unit… exceeds expectations.”
Special Assembly had triggered unexpectedly.
After basic checks, I returned to my apartment.
Argelair saw me off halfway up the mountain.
“I’ll be waiting for the call to the battlefield!!”
“Then, Lieutenant, I’ll look forward to our next meeting.”
After Argelair’s farewell, I closed the gate and exhaled deeply.
“A sudden reality check.”
Immersing myself in the concept had taken a toll mentally.
Feeling drained, I washed my face and focused on the ongoing voice in my room.
I had left Baek Jinseong’s broadcast on before leaving.
“Time to finish what I was doing.”
Even while I was gone, the broadcast continued.
Although the business ended, he seemed to continue interacting with viewers.
The guy was efficient when it came to collections.
- Whoa, what is this?
- Crazy, for real.
- ㄷㄷ…
Sitting at my desk, the broadcast had a completely different vibe.
“What on earth…?”
