Chapter 16
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 16
PTSD
"...You've returned."
The owlbear beastman saw me and said that.
His expression was full of unhideable complicated emotions.
I shrugged my shoulders at him.
What kind of reaction is this when a new hero has arrived.
The owlbear beastman is certainly a gentle person, but at times like this, the vampire had a better side.
"As expected! I knew you would return! I believed in yooouuu!"
The vampire had said he would stay even if I didn't come, but he looked the happiest.
He let out such a roar of joy that my ears almost hurt.
Meanwhile, the vampire was also quick-witted; as soon as he saw my face frown, he shut his mouth with a 'hup'.
Very good.
When the situation calmed down for a moment, the owlbear beastman cautiously opened his mouth.
"May I ask... one thing?"
"Yes, old man."
"Why did you return here? My hearing is quite good, so I heard a little bit of your conversation with that officer. Rather..."
Indeed, this old man's hearing didn't seem ordinary.
Since he's someone who said he could intermittently hear sounds from the blackout zone even at the refugee camp far away from Gangnam.
So anyway.
As for why I rejected the offer of the officer who had accommodated me as much as possible...
"How should I put it, that's... never mind. Let's talk openly. What else am I supposed to do?"
I plopped down on a chair and let my wings droop.
"What good is it if I go back like this? My parents will be anxious all day worrying about a sister who won't return. Then what about me? After standing guard at a funeral for a few days, I'll probably just constantly play games while walking on eggshells around my parents, and then die when the apocalypse comes. I don't want it to end up like that."
I truly do not worry about that bitch. However, I knew the sequence of events that would flow if I went back down like this, leaving her behind.
That wouldn't be a very happy future.
"But you saw them, didn't you. Rather than facing those things, that might be better."
It's not wrong.
It's not wrong, but...
'Ah, geez. Why does this old man keep trying to shake the heart of someone who's already made up their mind.'
At this rate, I might really suddenly change my mind and say I'm going home.
Of course, having such a temptation was only for a moment.
I looked up at the owlbear beastman with a confident expression and said.
"Let me tell you, I absolutely don't think that bitch would have died so easily. It's the same for your family, old man. They'll be alive."
"How can you be so sur..."
Absurdly, the one who interrupted those words was the vampire.
He shouted, blood rushing even to his pale face.
"You irreverent person! When the Angel speaks, how can you not have faith!"
"...Please don't react like that."
"Yessir. It seems I got too excited."
The vampire quickly stepped back with an expressionless face.
I was momentarily impressed by that rapid stance change.
"...Anyway, what he said isn't wrong. There's no basis for it, but should I say such a belief keeps springing up? Didn't angels have prophecy abilities or something like that?"
The vampire rained on my parade at those words.
"To be honest, no. They can only receive revelations from the Lord and convey those words."
"...Then let's just skip over this. But, what's wrong with having even a little bit of hope. What if, by some chance in ten thousand, they are alive? Can you turn a blind eye to that possibility?"
"I..."
"At least I cannot."
Saying that, I stretched my body out.
"Somehow, I feel like that bitch is alive, and because of that, I can't go back. If I'm going to go back, I at least have to grab her by the hair first."
"...You are foolishly lingering. It's also stupid. It's childishness."
"Isn't it the same for you, old man."
Saying that, we both chuckled at the same time.
From the moment we decided to stay in the first place, it was a truly, incredibly foolish thing to do.
"Since my body has mutated and I even gained a peculiar ability, wouldn't it be worth fighting against bizarre monsters at least once?"
Everyone laughed 'haha' at those words.
I laughed too.
But actually, I confess, it's not like my mind is fully prepared either.
The cruel sight shown by that skin-wearing whatever mimic beast is still unforgettable in my eyes.
I don't even dare to imagine facing those things that approach pretending to be humans and then smack you in the back of the head.
Actually, I'm scared. I'm so very scared.
But the image of the officer calmly predicting the apocalypse is vivid in my eyes.
Either way, according to their predictions, those monsters will eventually break through the blockade line someday.
It's a matter of whether to take the beating later or take it first.
Then, it would be right to choose the side where there's at least a chance to grab that sister bitch's hair.
Honestly speaking... it's because I was worried about her too.
No matter how much I say I'm not worried either way, since we're family, it can't be helped.
* * *
In the end, only six chose to remain here.
A number that is a lot if you consider it a lot, and few if you consider it few.
Excluding me, the owlbear old man, and the vampire who kept harping about the Lord, the remaining three were an orc, a canine beastman close to human form, and a naga who had sprouted scales like a snake.
"...May I assume everyone here will become civilian collaborators?"
The officer, who had returned while adjusting his beret, said while scanning us.
His eyes still held regret over the fact that I hadn't gone back, but the die had already been cast.
"Very well. I will respect your decisions."
The officer offered a short salute.
A shred of relief and simultaneously a heavy sense of responsibility flashed across his face.
Since we had decided to stay, it meant half of our lifelines were now held in his hands.
"I am Captain Kim Hyung-chul of the Martial Law Command Special Response Team. I will be serving as your operations control officer from now on."
Captain Kim introduced himself without any unnecessary words.
Then he immediately led us away.
"We don't have time. We will begin by assessing our combat power right away."
The place we headed to was deeper inside the underground parking lot.
All vehicles had been cleared out, and it was a space like a makeshift training ground divided into sections with tape on the floor.
Sandbags, scrap tires, and unidentifiable military equipment were scattered everywhere.
"The visibility inside the blackout zone is limited to 10 meters. We don't know when or what kind of situation we might encounter. Therefore, we must accurately quantify the mutation abilities you possess and figure out how to utilize them tactically."
Captain Kim gestured to an adjutant holding a chart.
"First, we will check the physical enhancement type mutants."
The ones singled out by him were the bulky orc, the canine beastman, the naga, and the owlbear old man.
Practically everyone was called forward except for me and the vampire.
First of all, the orc stepped forward hesitantly.
Green skin and tusks protruding outside his mouth. No matter who looked at him, he was the very image of an orc popping right out of a fantasy novel.
However, the clothes he was wearing were a suit, so he gave off a strong intellectual vibe.
"Please try lifting the rebar over there."
"T-this? It looks too heavy..."
The orc mister pointed at the rebar placed on the floor in a fluster.
It was as tall as the orc, and just a rough look suggested it was a lump of iron easily weighing hundreds of kilograms.
"Umm, I'll try, but whether it will actually be possible... u-huh...?"
The orc, who lacked confidence, lifted the rebar far too easily.
And without a single grunt, swoop.
He effortlessly hoisted the rebar over his shoulder as if he were carrying styrofoam.
"...This actually works?"
"Muscle strength unmeasurable. Estimated at over 1 ton."
The adjutant recorded it with a dry voice.
Next was the canine beastman. Along with his overall physical abilities, his abilities related to his sense of smell were highly developed.
He was able to distinguish all the smells of medicines placed far away.
And the naga...
"Y-you're not going to strike me with that hammer, are you...?"
Since he had developed scales, they were going to conduct a strength test on them, but... unfortunately, the conditions weren't right.
Since they couldn't experiment by peeling off the scales, they skipped it for now.
'...Still, this combat power is more stacked than I thought?'
Honestly speaking, I was a bit surprised.
I thought they had just changed into hideous appearances, but each and every one of them was at the level of a human weapon.
With this much, wouldn't we be able to just tear apart mimic beasts or whatever using pure strength?
To the extent that I had such complacent thoughts.
"Next. Mr. Kim Ji-hoo."
Captain Kim called the vampire's name.
It seems this fanatic's name was Kim Ji-hoo.
"Yes! The Lord's servant, Kim Ji-hoo, reporting!"
He answered with a voice full of military discipline, his eyes still hollow.
Captain Kim furrowed his brow slightly.
"I heard your regenerative abilities are outstanding."
"That is correct. The Lord has granted me an immortal body, so does this not mean I am to endure pain and save sentient beings?"
"...We'll check it ourselves."
Captain Kim sent a signal to the adjutant.
The adjutant pulled out a dagger and handed it to the vampire.
The vampire slashed his own palm without hesitation.
Slash.
Bright red blood spilled out.
But at that moment.
Sizzle-.
Along with a sound like blood boiling, the gaping wound healed and closed in an instant.
Unable to hold back at that mysterious sight, I asked.
"By any chance, can you also use Blood Demon Art?"
"...What is that?"
...Ah.
The joke I threw because we couldn't stay down forever ended up triggering my PTSD.
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