“Come on, get a grip!”
Han Si-Hoo mumbles to himself.
He keeps mumbling.
It’s already been dozens of times.
Never before has his mind and logic been so compromised.
He’s only going to hurt Seo-A again.
It wasn’t until Yeo-Hwa took her away that he could finally think clearly.
He’s even confused about what he said to Seo-A.
His mind is in a daze.
He needs to find a way to avoid that penalty.
Gripping the blade with bare hands, he’s snapping himself awake.
Maybe it’s something he learned from Seo-A.
There’s something he needs to do first.
“Doctor.”
If it’s true that someone’s infiltrated the Academy, he needs to catch them now.
Especially since a lot of personnel have been dispatched outside.
There’s no one to help him.
The only one who can kill the doctor is ultimately Han Si-Hoo.
“Where did you say they are?”
They’re definitely nearby.
“If I take care of the doctor…”
Then Seo-A will be safe.
Han Si-Hoo firmly grasps the sword.
This time, he won’t fail.
Is the doctor an Awakener?
Probably.
He also knows that some kind of teleportation or portal allows for remote movement.
But other abilities remain unknown.
He has to catch them now.
He remembers.
They said the medical room is on the lower floor.
The Academy building is sturdy, but Han Si-Hoo can break it.
Bang!
He smashes his fist into the floor, creating a hole.
With the power of his skills, this much is manageable.
A path down to the lower floor has been formed.
He jumps down to check who’s there.
He sees no patients.
It’s dusty.
The ceiling light flickers, sparking electricity.
“Oh…”
The doctor is impressed.
“I thought Seo-A would come first.”
His tone is relaxed.
As if he’s asking why it took so long.
“Doctor.”
He doesn’t know his real name.
He doesn’t know where he’s from.
He doesn’t even know why he’s here.
He’s surrounded by unknowns.
Han Si-Hoo barely holds back his urge to attack and asks a question.
“Who are you?”
Information gathering is important.
He needs to figure out who the enemy is.
It’s doubtful whether the doctor will answer, but he still asks.
At the same time, he scrutinizes the doctor’s figure.
“I’m a doctor.”
A meaningless answer.
“Why did you touch Seo-A?”
Han Si-Hoo prepares for an attack.
“I do not disregard any patients. Seo-A had no decent hospitals to go to and no other doctors to find.”
An answer comes back.
“Tell me your goal.”
Typically, they wouldn’t just share that information.
But the doctor seems willing to respond.
His expression is hidden.
But he looks as if he’s smiling.
Swish.
The spot where the doctor was standing has been cut cleanly.
But there’s no harm done.
“An illusion type…?”
Even though Han Si-Hoo can sense the presence of something overly faint.
There’s no physical form.
“A hologram?”
He sees a hologram projector.
When he touches the projector, the doctor’s image disappears.
But the voice can still be heard.
Speakers and microphones must be installed somewhere.
“I’m not strong enough to do without such contingencies.”
“You. Where are you?”
That peculiar anxiety.
Bad instincts almost always turn out to be right.
He needs to check where Seo-A is.
“I’m on my way to see the patient.”
“Don’t touch Seo-A.”
He asked Yeo-Hwa to stay in a safe place.
With Seo-A.
He just left the medical room a moment ago.
He should still be inside the building.
But Seo-A is worthless.
It’s okay to throw her away.
This is a good opportunity.
He should rectify the twisted things caused by Yoo Seo-A even now.
Shut up, please shut up.
Han Si-Hoo mumbles as he tries to gather his thoughts.
He’s not in his right mind.
“After all, I entrusted her to you as a guardian, but I think it’s unreasonable to view you as a suitable guardian for Seo-A.”
Not a suitable guardian?
That could be true.
But that’s not for the doctor to judge or decide.
“My goal is the treatment of the patient.”
“What?”
“Since Si-Hoo is also a patient, my ultimate goal is comprehensive treatment.”
Even Han Si-Hoo is being treated like a patient.
The doctor’s perspective seems to be perfectly misaligned with Han Si-Hoo’s world.
“What the hell are you talking about?”
Nothing he says makes sense.
“Yes. That would have been the case normally. However, we’re in a special situation right now…”
The doctor trails off.
“-Yeo-Hwa, is it? Nice to meet you.”
A greeting comes through the speaker.
No way.
Something’s definitely wrong.
Yeo-Hwa is with Seo-A.
Seo-A can barely move on her own.
To put it metaphorically, she’s like an ant being stomped to death.
She’s in a fitting position.
Where is Seo-A now?
He needs to rescue her.
Otherwise, he won’t be able to crush her directly.
“Damn it. Get a grip.”
He needs a solution to resolve the mental contamination.
There must be a way to eliminate the penalty.
But first, Seo-A.
He needs to go where Seo-A is.
But if he sees Seo-A directly…
He wants to kill her.
It’s like part of his brain has been taken over.
Could Seo-A have felt this way?
Using drugs, he might get a glimpse of how things change.
Bang!
The speaker lets out a loud sound, almost tearing apart.
Thanks to that, he manages to snap back to reality.
“…Huh?”
“Have you ever wondered why Awakening types don’t carry guns? Why are such powerful weapons not used?”
The speaker’s sound quality significantly decreases.
Static mixes with the audio.
“The reason is that if you all started firing guns, you’d be too threatening. It’s prohibited because it doesn’t work well against monsters.”
“Guns…?”
Han Si-Hoo starts to think about what he needs to do.
Where did the gunshot ring out?
The volume of the speaker was loud, but the actual gunshot was even louder.
It definitely came from nearby.
The doctor.
Who was he shooting at?
Bang!
Another shot rings out.
He thinks he knows where it’s coming from.
Han Si-Hoo prepares to leap out the window.
Ever since he awakened, he’s gained an absurd level of agility.
Jumping to another window is a piece of cake.
“I found it.”
He’s mostly familiar with the academy’s structure.
Han Si-Hoo leaps out the window.
*
It hurts.
Every moment it’s getting worse.
A little medicine should help.
But this much can be endured.
If he waits, he’ll get better.
But he really hasn’t sold his body or anything.
It’s frustrating.
Given Si-Hoo’s state, it’s not surprising he would say something like that.
But still, that’s simply not true.
That never happened.
His vision is going white.
What if I can’t remember it?
No, based on the situation, that definitely didn’t happen.
If he had received money, he would have remembered.
Ah-ha.
Then there might not have been a need to go to Han Si-Hoo.
Was he wondering if he should just sell his body?
Or does he think he earned money like that before going to borrow from Han Si-Hoo?
Now that he thinks about it, he hasn’t paid back the money he borrowed.
He feels like gagging.
Honestly, he can’t even get up.
His body won’t stretch.
“Ah, Yeo-Hwa, nice to meet you.”
He hears the doctor’s voice.
Calling her name shows they know each other?
No, judging by Yeo-Hwa’s expression, she doesn’t seem to recognize him.
The doctor pulls a pistol from his coat.
A pistol?
Why?
Bang!
The gunshot is louder than expected.
He doesn’t understand why he’s shooting, but Yeo-Hwa blocks it.
Before he knows it, she has swords in both hands and is ready.
It’s a world where she deflects bullets with her swords.
“Stay back. I’ll handle this.”
Awakeners shouldn’t die from regular bullets.
They wouldn’t even get hit in the first place.
It’s unclear why the doctor is attacking Yeo-Hwa.
It doesn’t make sense.
Being in pain only adds to his confusion.
“The reason is that if you all started firing guns, you’d be too threatening. It’s prohibited because it doesn’t work well against monsters.”
It may not seem that dangerous, considering she’s blocking the bullets so easily.
Twang.
Another round is fired.
Once again, she deflects it.
“Of course, I know standard guns won’t work on you.”
His voice is fading.
Looking up at the doctor, he’s wearing a gas mask.
Is that why it’s hard to hear him?
He doesn’t know when he put it on.
“Oof.”
Yeo-Hwa covers her mouth.
In an instant, her posture collapses.
It seems there’s a reason behind the doctor wearing a gas mask.
“Being this fragile…”
Yeo-Hwa falls limp.
Now, it’s just me left.
I feel nothing at all.
It seems he’s released some gas.
I didn’t put on a gas mask.
Yet, I can still breathe comfortably.
“Ah, ugh, um, what’s this?”
“If you use military-grade drugs, you build up some immunity. Seo-A is fine.”
He says it’s because of the medicine.
So that’s it.
Drugs really are beneficial.
“But being in a place like this for too long isn’t good. We should leave.”
Boom!
Immediately, the wall is destroyed.
It’s Han Si-Hoo.
Blood is dripping from the hand gripping the sword.
His condition really is off.
“Ah, so it’s battle here. You arrived quickly.”
Is Han Si-Hoo protecting me?
He seems to be pondering whom to kill first between the doctor and Yoo Seo-A.
I also have Yeo-Hwa collapsed on my side.
I hope he doesn’t attack over here.
It’s a genuine concern.
Han Si-Hoo tried to attack me only a moment ago.
Unintentionally, it’s quite frightening.
“You can’t lay a hand on Seo-A.”
But he doesn’t seem to want to kill me.
Han Si-Hoo gazes at the doctor and adjusts his grip on the sword.
“[Purification].”
The gas doesn’t seem to affect him.
Can that skill purify the air as well?
That’s some serious versatility.
“The skills of Awakening types… I’ve always found it interesting that mere wordplay could manifest into reality.”
Something rolls out from the doctor’s collar.
Click.
A loud bang followed by a flash floods the area.
Nothing can be heard.
The light is so bright that nothing can be seen.
Is it a flashbang?
A few more gunshots seem to ring out.
He feels a shock.
And then, his body is pulled by someone.
