The rise and development of science and technology evolved faster than the general public expected. Ten to twenty years ago, their accelerated creations and invention that would have only been a figment of their imaginations, at last, came true.
And now…
Man conquered aging.
Previously, humankind’s highest life expectancy was 120 years, and it has now jumped to eternal life. Aging, it had finally been conquered. Thus, man painted a rosy future of infinite time… that was… until… a giant asteroid approaching Earth was discovered.
***
Kim Kiwoo exhaled, and the smoke from his mouth dispersed into the air. He stared at the scattered smoke blankly.
The sky was brutally blue. It looked as if it was laughing at the humans who had achieved and created a highly advanced civilization.
Will today be the last day I’ll see this perfect scenery?
Beyond that deep-blue sky, in the vast universe, was the giant asteroid, Narvas, nearing closer to the blue planet. In less than a day, Narvas would collide with planet Earth.
Then what?
Earth will become a planet with unbearable living conditions.
No matter how advanced they were as a civilization, the chances of survival were slim.
Why has it come to this…
Kiwoo resented the heavens. Perhaps… if given a few more decades, humanity would have become an interplanetary species and avoid their potential downfall.
Technological singularity was in sight, and an unparalleled scientific revolution was bound to come, but much to their dismay, time was not on their side.
Kiwoo sucked the butt of the cigarette and exhaled puffs of smoke. His inward frustrations lingered.
“I knew I’d find you here.” A husky voice tooted from behind, a voice Kiwoo was overly familiar with.
“What are you doing here? You don’t even smoke?” Kiwoo said, not once bothering to turn his head.
“Heh… to see you, of course.”
“Hah. You’re all set, and this is how you want to spend your last day. With me, of all people? That’s not right. What do you want from me?”
“Am I that obvious? Jesus, your hunch is like that of a ghost. Since you know, let’s go now. I have something to show you.”
Kiwoo finally looked at Son Sungjoong’s face. His lips twitched, looking at Sungjoong’s carefree smile.
“You’re not afraid?” Without a filter, Kiwoo asked the thoughts pervading his mind immediately.
He omitted death, for both parties knew well what he meant.
Kiwoo felt somewhat apologetic for his words, but his pride prevented him from uttering another word, but after much thought to apologize for a slip of the tongue…
“Fear.” Sungjoong cut off Kiwoo. “I thought I could finally be free from the clutches of death, but I’m about to die. Who wouldn’t be afraid? Don’t you know it’s anarchy outside right now?” Sungjoong croaked, his voice dry and shrivelled at the thought of death.
“…..”
It was as he said.
The world had been thrown into panic and anarchy at the news of Narvas—an asteroid colliding with Earth.
That would be the end of the human species.
Only those able to survive the cataclysmic event had enough capital to venture out into the open space via spaceship, but chances of survival were slim.
“But we can’t just stay like this, can we? I didn’t stop trying. Let’s go down after you’re finished. There’s something I want to show you.”
“…Fine.”
Kiwoo knew what Sungjoong spoke of. It was an invention but vaguely stated. He had no choice but to rely on the hope of extreme probability infinitely close to zero.
But what could he do?
This was the only hope for that speck possibility of survival to which he could place all his wishes.
This was the most potent thing mankind could do at present.
Clack-clack-clack-clack-clack!
The sound of the computer’s engine running was amplified tens of times, strumming Kiwoo’s eardrums.
Was he nervous? His heart pounded voraciously, and his mouth parched.
「One minute before operation. Review for the final check.」
A full voice echoed from the speaker.
Kiwoo re-examined himself.
From safety shoes, security pieces, bags, and parachutes… he checked over it at least ten times and found nothing amiss.
“All clear,” Kiwoo said.
What if something were to go wrong? Could the operation be stopped? Kiwoo wondered.
No. Probably not.
The entrance would be sealed off the moment this… this incomplete time machine started.
There was no turning back.
For Kiwoo to survive and save the human species, he’d need to warp the Earth’s atmosphere into the past times accurately; otherwise, he’d die of an unconditional death.
This experiment was an unproven hypothesis. It was mere gambling.
Ten men, Kiwoo included, put their stakes and funding into this creation for the sake of humanity. Had they been given ample time, the product would have been further developed and the probability of success higher.
There’s little chance for success…
There was no guarantee that he would travel back into the past; if he did, he’d warp into space and meet death immediately. The universe was vast, and the blue planet was merely a speck of dust.
It would be good if he weren’t buried alive in the ground during the process or warped over the vast ocean only to drown should the travel through time prove successful.
Kiwoo thought it best not to think any further. I’d only give him a sense of hopelessness for something he had no answer for.
He’d die, too, if proven a failure.
…Still… someone has to.
And he was the chosen one.
This was their only hope to save humanity against the astronomical odds of their extinction.
The plan was simple, but the execution was complicated.
Kiwoo was to travel to the past and accelerate the development of science. Then, at present, the current state of technology would be developed enough to change the course of Narva’s direction or migrate and become an interplanetary species before Narva could reach the surface of the Earth.
「5… 4… 3…」
The countdown coming from the speaker continued at a rapid pace.
Then, it reached zero.
With an enormous sense of pressure that no human could withstand, Kiwoo vanished and flew away.
***
Whooooooosh!
“Ugh!”
Kiwoo came to his senses. He had no choice but to pull himself together.
The strong wind gushed through and hit him from all directions.
He opened his eyes and looked around. He was fortunate enough for the transparent security goggles to help him see clearly.
Then… did I succeed?
He was high in the sky. Even at this moment, gravity was drawing him closer to the ground.
He didn’t expect the sensation to be so… lovely. He had never felt this way before.
He’d done skydiving eight times through simulation training, but the real thing was different. Though thanks to it, he was able to regain his composure quickly.
Where is this place?
He looked around curiously.
Fortunately, he was not on the sea. He could see the vast plains to the side, an evergreen forest, and a vaguely large river.
The odd thing was that there were no signs of development.
Not a single piece of infrastructure has been developed in these extensive plains?
It was a rare sight to see in modern times.
…The odds of modernity are low. I’m sure it’s in the distant past. The probability is high…
It dawned on him…
Oh my god! The theorem and mechanizations behind it actually work!
Shivers crept in, and his body tingled. The euphoria of living through the past was a ridiculous probability, but he pressed down his overwhelming emotions.
First, he’ll need to appreciate all the beautiful things in life later. He was freefalling at the moment from the sky. He’ll need to survive.
I need to land near the river.
He wasn’t sure what time it was nor the continent he had landed in, but there was one thing he knew…
Since the existence of humanity, civilizations have continuously been developed from any major riverside. The soil was likely fertile and an excellent place to farm.
Kiwoo gathered his thoughts together and opened the parachute.
Chuug!
At that moment, the speed he fell had been reduced by a powerful force pulling him, and slowly, he descended towards the river, which had been reflected in his eyes.
…Wow. So big.
He appreciated and marvelled at nature’s wonder. The river was long and wide, and there was no way to tell what river he was in at first sight, but regardless, he did best to remember the lists of rivers he learned from history lessons.
While lost in thought, something caught his eye.
Humans?
They were the size of an ant, but to him, their figure was that of a man.
This is a good start.
Yes.
This was the best scenario. In order to develop and modernize the world ever so quickly to avoid mankind’s doom, he needed to immerse himself in society as soon as possible.
As he neared closer to the ground, he saw that it was not one or two people but about fifteen of them gathered together.
