Chapter 55
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: No Time to Die 1
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In the midst of the surging waves of shadows, a human-like shape suddenly lunged at the fox. Of course, it was torn apart in an instant and sent flying far away.
Taking that as the signal, similar things burst out all at once and charged at the group. They were repeatedly shredded by sharp teeth and claws. As their numbers grew even more, the fox's tails began moving simultaneously.
Each tail seized the shadow creatures one by one, like snakes with heads of their own. Then, dazzling flames erupted from the tips of the tails, burning them all to ash without leaving a trace.
The onslaught of shadows faltered for a moment. In that gap, the fox stepped forward with graceful strides and fanned out its multiple tails like a peacock's plumage.
Every tail was more than twice Ibi's height, burning with a blinding green fire. It was almost laughable now, after she'd wondered if she'd ever see light again since entering this place—they illuminated everything brilliantly.
The fox turned its head and locked eyes with Nati.
"I'll handle things here, so go chase the one that got away."
"You sure you'll be okay?"
The fox shifted its gaze to Mina this time. Mina was still unable to move.
"I can protect this one, at least. Take Ibi with you."
"Thanks. That's practical. Alright, let's move, kiddo!"
Ibi didn't even realize the "kiddo" was her until Nati grabbed her wrist. As he roughly pulled her somewhere, she blurted out in panic.
"W-where are we going?!"
Nati silently folded his fan with a snap and raised it high. Then he swung it toward the waves of shadows. A sharp whoosh rang in her ears.
The mass of shadow creatures split apart as if sliced by a blade, clearing a path. Nati grabbed Ibi's hand and plunged into it.
The gap lasted only an instant. The shadows immediately extended countless arms to seize them.
In that moment, Ibi felt Nati's body change. Her own body did the same. For a split second, they seemed to become something bizarre—not gas, not liquid, akin to the shadows themselves.
But the transformation was so brief there was no time to dwell on it. It felt like her body crumpled and passed through an incredibly narrow tube. And in the very next instant, she reverted to normal and landed safely on solid ground.
Ibi gasped for breath and immediately looked back. She and Nati had already exited the park. They were on the sidewalk at the park's edge. It was somewhat dark, but the streetlights were fine, and shops across the street had their lights on.
The park interior remained pitch black, like an abyss. Ibi wore a horrified expression. Was this anomaly invisible to others? Or could they see it but not sense anything wrong?
"Aerin... she'll really be okay, right?"
The last thing Ibi had seen before escaping was the white fox rolling on the ground.
It had shown a terrifying sight, ripping apart nearby shadows as if its whole body were a weapon. But it couldn't fully overcome the numerical disadvantage and was struggling, surrounded by countless shadows. Essentially, it was facing off against the entire city alone.
But Nati shook his head firmly.
"It depends on us. If we solve this quickly, the two we left behind will survive."
"C-could you just leave me here and handle it alone?"
Nati looked at her in disbelief.
"You jumped into the water like a madwoman to retrieve that bead, and now you're scared of this?"
"Back then, I wasn't in my right mind either! You wouldn't know since you were just watching, but from my perspective, I'd drowned to death one second ago and woken up! And I thought fixing that one thing would make everything safe..."
"Either way, I can't leave you alone. That would be far more dangerous. Just stick close to me and stay quiet."
Ibi wordlessly clung tightly to Nati's arm.
"...At least keep a little distance."
"Where are we even going, anyway?"
Nati pointed somewhere above them. Lake Park sat at the base of an overlooking hill. The hilltop was dark too, but as a local, Ibi knew exactly where it was.
"That's the haunted hospital!"
Duduri General Hospital. It had once been one of the larger facilities in the area. Of course, Ibi had only heard stories about it.
The hospital had closed down over ten years ago due to financial troubles. Yet it remained un-demolished, standing as an abandoned building.
Naturally, there were plans to tear it down and redevelop the land, but they kept getting halted for inexplicable reasons.
Rumors swirled about eerie deaths among the workers, leading the rest to refuse labor, or the new owner—a parvenu—suddenly turning up dead, stopping construction. Ghost stories abounded.
As a result, it became infamous as the haunted abandoned hospital. For a while, it was a famous ghost spot that drew visitors from afar.
The trend had died down after a few years, but even now, mentioning Duduri General Hospital around here meant the haunted hospital.
It was around her first year of middle school. A group of kids who hadn't hung out with the friendless Ibi suddenly approached her warmly and took her there. Terrified but seeing a chance to make friends, she'd gritted her teeth and gone along. But the girls locked her in one of the hospital rooms.
Ibi had been targeted because rumors said she could see ghosts. She cried and screamed inside until she passed out from exhaustion, and the incident even reached the school.
The perpetrators were eventually transferred out, but it left Ibi with another unpleasant rumor attached to her—a place she couldn't laugh about.
"...We really, really have to go there?"
"Yeah. The bead Mina swallowed—its other half is hiding there. That's the only place around here."
"Guess there's no choice..."
Ibi slumped her shoulders and reluctantly agreed. Nati patted her head a few times as if to cheer her up, then set off without delay.
11:15
Ibi couldn't even remember how they got to the hospital. They'd arrived in a flash, using a method similar to escaping the park. Was it teleportation or some shrinking-earth technique?
Stepping into the hospital building made the hairs on her body stand on end. She instinctively grabbed Nati's arm. She could sense even Nati was more alert than usual inside here.
The air was chillingly damp and unpleasant. Rain was falling, causing water droplets to leak from everywhere.
They passed the reception counter and climbed the stairs. Nati cautiously scanned something as he walked the hallway. Then he suddenly flung open room doors one by one.
At a glance, they seemed empty. But each time a door opened, eerie laughter echoed from somewhere, or a picture frame—stuck to the wall for over a decade—flew off and shattered.
Finally, when he opened one particular room, Ibi screamed. Strange sobbing had been audible even before, and upon opening the door, a long-haired woman was indeed sitting on the bed.
She held something in both hands, her face buried in it, doing... something. Before Ibi could look closer, Nati reached out and slammed the door shut.
"So it's true... ghosts really live here."
"You should be used to it by now."
They were climbing the stairs again. Ibi wanted nothing more than to escape this place as soon as possible. Horrific memories she'd long buried kept resurfacing.
Then, a clear chime pierced the silence. It came from above them.
Ting.
"Up there!"
Nati swung his fan toward the upper stairs. It struck like a steel whip, shattering concrete and sending debris and dust flying.
After the lightning-fast attack, Nati paused. Then he shouted to Ibi, a few steps below on the stairs.
"Watch your feet!"
Ibi didn't comprehend right away. Before she could, something yanked her ankle. Nati reached out, but missed by a hair.
Ibi tumbled headlong from the high stairs. Her vision spun; she couldn't even try to grab anything.
As she hit the bottom, a sickening crack echoed. She knew it was her own neck bone snapping.
11:35
"Ah!"
Ibi was standing on the stairs. Amid the chaos, the tinkling bell rang out. Nati looked up at the same moment.
Her body moved on its own. She dashed up the stairs, shouting.
"It's below! Nati!"