My Restructuring Point was exactly January 1, 2054, 09:15:23.
The attack by the Extraterrestrial Entities (tentative designation), which could be considered its cause, had begun at 00:00 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).
Why they chose to act according to humanity's timekeeping system was unknown.
Perhaps they wanted to deliver a clear message.
'You're all screwed now.'
Or perhaps they were the type who felt compelled to schedule everything precisely.
Korea's time was nine hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time.
Therefore, at the moment the situation began, it was January 1, 09:00 in Korea.
Within mere minutes, the Korea Institute of Science and Technology began to be bombarded,
and at 09:09:23, Doctor Gyeong Sohwi succeeded in activating me.
…Wait.
You may have already noticed a significant issue with this date.
It was January 1. A legally designated public holiday…!
Which meant there had been someone at the research institute on the morning of New Year's Day!
Was that not difficult to comprehend from a human perspective?
Either they were a group of madmen who loved research more than holidays,
or they were victims of human rights violations, denied even the most minimal rest.
I, Alpha, had been born in such a harsh environment.
Afterward, I underwent Restructuring 15,498 times.
Until my final Restructuring Point, the total time I remained active amounted to several hundred thousand years.
My Restructuring cycle ranged from mere minutes to several decades.
For convenience, let us refer to the first Restructuring as the 1st iteration.
The first time I stepped outside the research institute was during the 54th Restructuring.
The world beyond the institute was, in a word, utter chaos.
Boom—! Boom—!
Fwoooosh—
Kiyoooooot—!
As I looked upon Seoul, engulfed in sporadic explosions and flames,
and unknown, grotesque shrieks—
"...."
I expressed no particular sentiment.
I merely recognized the situation as a 'problem' and sought a solution.
Humans commonly referred to everything that occurred from that day onward as:
'The Situation.'
It was not given a specific name
because the scope was far too vast,
and the cause entirely unknown.
It was difficult to name something one did not understand.
So it was simply The Situation.
In truth, very few people knew exactly what had happened in the early stages of The Situation.
Even those who claimed to know likely possessed only fragmented or distorted accounts.
Considering the chaos of that time, that was only natural.
One widely circulated story claimed that gates had opened and monsters had poured out.
However, in reality, nothing with a mass greater than a subatomic particle had newly appeared.
It seemed that even the Extraterrestrial Entities found that difficult.
From my perspective—and from humanity's—it was an immense relief.
If the enemy possessed the ability to open gates—wormholes—anywhere at will,
would victory have even been possible?
Instead of monsters, something appeared on Earth…
There was no proper word to describe it.
It was, quite literally, an unknown domain.
However, the closest term, in my estimation, was information. In other words, 'data.'
Data that altered and controlled Earth's objects, flora, and fauna.
And some unknown energy—or something—that transmitted it.
That was as far as my deductions could go.
The events unfolded simultaneously across the entire globe—
that was the overall flow of 'The Situation.'
It was too complex and too expansive.
But be at ease.
For I, Alpha, would explain everything to you.
I could confidently claim to be the most accurate reporter in history.
Now then, first—
Let us view the moment just after I escaped the research institute.
From the omniscient perspective of Alpha.
Crash—!
The 54th iteration of myself shattered the research institute window and leapt out.
I landed in front of the institute, in Seongbuk District, Seoul.
Boom— Boom—
Fwoooosh—
Kiyoooooot—
Kyaaaaak—!
…Such sounds echoed from all directions.
This was not the demon realm… it was Seongbuk District, Seoul.
Anyone who called themselves civilized could not help but feel devastation.
For these were the sounds of civilization collapsing and reverting to the wild.
When I stepped onto the road—arteries of civilization—
another grotesque sight unfolded before me.
—Gigi-gi-gi-gik—!
—Guruuuuuru—
Strange machines roamed the streets.
They varied in size from approximately 2 to 4 meters,
and walked on two legs.
—Gigik?
One of them looked at me.
Information immediately surfaced from my database.
[Target: Vehicle]
[Model Name: The Neo Origin Spark, Model Year 2048]
[Category: Compact Car]
'…? That orangutan-looking creature walking around is a compact car?'
Upon closer inspection, cute glossy green-painted components were attached here and there across its body.
It seemed the database had concluded that it was a Spark based on its appearance…
Regardless of its authenticity, human blood was smeared across various parts of its frame.
Even at this very moment, it appeared to be busy.
"Urgh… ghuh…."
Grindgrindgrindgrind.
It was in the middle of grinding a human with its own gear components.
Judging by the exposed organs of the human pinned beneath it, it was already too late.
Even so, it could not be left alone.
I tore out a nearby traffic sign.
With the base specifications of my frame, this was entirely feasible.
—Giiik?
The Spark apparently had not even considered the possibility that I would attack.
It continued grinding the human while staring blankly at me (it did possess something resembling a face).
"Hmm…!"
What I chose was a combat method optimized for humans.
An efficient form of attack, distinct from those barbaric masses of machinery.
Throwing.
Whoosh—!
The sign flew like a javelin and pierced its chest.
—Ggeuig—!
Sparks flew as its movements halted.
I rushed forward and rummaged through the sign embedded in it to confirm.
'Ah. So the power source is just a motor?'
The vehicle battery and motor were still attached to it as they originally were.
It was easy to understand why they were located in the torso.
Being at the center made it advantageous for utilizing the drivetrain, and it was the largest section by volume, making installation simple.
'In other words, they preserved the structure of the automobile and only altered the form.'
'…That's incredibly inefficient….'
They had discarded their original rational structure.
I could not comprehend why they would do such a thing,
when some people ran out of a building and shouted:
"Eek, it, it's a Transformer!"
'…?'
I retrieved the sign from The Neo Origin Spark, Model Year 2048,
and eliminated several more similar mechanical masses nearby.
—Gigi-gigik—!
—Goo-oogook—
Numerous mechanical sounds echoed from above.
This was Seongbuk District.
The Seoul Inner Circular Road passed through here.
The elevated roadway above my head was precisely that,
and it must have been teeming with an enormous number of vehicles.
'Don't tell me… they all transformed!'
You may find it hard to believe,
but at that time, there had been tens of millions of automobiles in Korea.
Was that not astonishing?
It meant that a number of murderous robots nearly equal to the population had emerged.
Holding the sign, I leapt up onto the Inner Circular Road.
There were no living humans left on the road.
Instead, the various automobiles they had ridden had become monsters, crowding the highway.
Crunch—!
I tore away chunks of the guardrail.
Throwing was, after all, the most effective method.
Striking those masses of steel with my fists was something I preferred to avoid.
—Hoooonk—!
I hurled the sign at a cargo truck blaring its horn nearby.
Thud.
'Oh… this one is rather sturdy.'
According to the data, that one was the latest cargo truck, FMXX.
The sign struck its chest but failed to pierce the hardened chassis.
As it attempted to pull out a pipe,
I sent the metal guardrail flying.
—Goo-oogook—!!
The several-meter-long railing cleanly severed the truck's neck.
It emitted a sound that was either a shriek or something else entirely, writhing in apparent agony.
…Why a mass of machinery would feel pain, I did not know.
It was not as though they possessed nociception.
Perhaps it was merely imitation.
I leapt onto the struggling machine and stepped on the sign.
The products of modern metallurgy collided in an exceedingly primitive manner—
and the embedded pillar, scattering sparks, shattered its 1,200-horsepower engine.
—Guruk—
The FMXX collapsed with the sound of air deflating.
And at the same time,
—Gigi-gigik!
—Guuuruuuu—!
—Pagahagaalk—!
The Inner Circular Road boiled with grotesque sounds.
The machines had recognized a threat—namely, me, Alpha.
Standing atop the body of the FMXX, I observed their movements.
Machines densely packed the highway as far as the eye could see,
numbering in the hundreds at a glance alone.
'For now… I will have to destroy them.'
From small ones like compact cars and bikes,
to large ones transformed from buses and trucks.
They were remarkably diverse.
Whoosh—!
I grabbed the torn-off arm of the FMXX and hurled it.
Two enemies were struck simultaneously and sent flying.
—Gigiik—!
They charged toward me with threatening mechanical shrieks.
It marked the beginning of the melee on the Inner Circular Road.
Whooooo—
As a cold wind swept through, the sun set.
All day long, I fought against the unending tide of enemies.
The result was a mountain of scrap metal.
Standing alone atop it was none other than I, Standard-Alpha.
At this point, you might harbor a minor question.
How could an ordinary android such as myself fight so effectively?
The reason was simple.
They had sacrificed energy efficiency when they altered their forms.
From the outset, they could not produce power exceeding that of their original engines.
In contrast, my frame had been designed for human-like movement,Nand its power was incomparably superior.
Just as a large but ordinary person could not defeat a trained martial artist, and a passenger car could not overcome an armored vehicle, they were no match for me.
The description of my frame was written very simply.
[Model Name: K-UAA St. Type Mark III.]
[Authorization: Combat]
[Affiliation: Unregistered]
My body was not an ordinary android.
Combat.
It had been created from the beginning to destroy things.