Chapter 80
Chapter 80
Civil Servant Hunter’s S-class Resignation Log – Chapter 80
Seong Ja-rim!
I immediately activated my skill, trapping Seong Ja-rim inside the Red Cube and yanking her toward me. The state she was in when I pulled her out was a complete mess.
She could heal her own stamina, so why on earth was she in such a condition?
Even on my way here, I never imagined that she, an L-rank, could be hurt this badly. I was only worried that her trauma might resurface.
But to think she'd be like this...
Cough, heok, huhuk...
I hurriedly fed her a potion, and Ja-rim, who hadn't stirred at all, finally coughed. She struggled to open her blood-caked eyes, which barely budged, and stared at the enemy far away.
Short bobbed hair, emaciated body, ore-like skin shattered in places, unfocused eyes, and an expression like she'd lost her mind.
It was an enemy with a strangely eerie appearance.
'What the hell is that?'
As if responding to my question, a message I hadn't seen in a while appeared.
Name: Elna ros
Trait: Combat Mage
Contracted Entity: None
Special Notes: Former contractor of the Baskar planet's administrator .
...No way.
The contractor of the Baskar administrator, whom I'd only heard about from Seong Ja-rim.
But the information was completely different from mine.
No 'System Administrator's Contractor' title, and even in the special notes, she was marked as a former contractor.
It seemed like the contract had been severed, so maybe that's why the administrator wasn't saving her even while she was being controlled?
Elona...
Startled by the parched voice, I looked at Seong Ja-rim. Thanks to the potion, her wounds had mostly healed.
Seong Ja-rim, that person... don't tell me?
Yeah. Baskar's...
Perhaps because Do Jun-young and Jae-hun were there, Seong Ja-rim stopped at that.
I kind of wished I'd come alone. I glanced at the two men standing there blankly, clueless.
But what does 'former' mean? Was she terminated?
It's not that she was terminated.
Then?
...She's dead.
Pardon?
The contract was automatically severed due to her death.
A dead person. I see. That's why she looked so off somehow.
I don't know the situation, but you're saying that person's a corpse? Then how is she moving?
She seems to be under manipulation. I don't know what's possessing the body and making it move.
I answered Do Jun-young's question in her place.
Do you know what it is, Seong Ja-rim? Did you figure anything out?
...
Seong Ja-rim?
Instead of answering, she averted her gaze. Her bloodied fingers fidgeted, slyly hiding behind her back.
Ah, I finally realized she wasn't holding her weapon. So Seong Ja-rim hadn't fought back at allshe'd just taken the beating.
Did you kill that person, by any chance?
Her tone had changed.
Do Jun-young was shocked to hear me speak to Ja-rim so casually for the first time, but I didn't have the headspace to care right now.
She's hurt this badly, my friend got beaten bloody without fighting backwhat did it matter? Her identity was already out anyway.
Did you kill her, and that's why this is happening?
I didn't kill her with my own hands. But she did die because of me. I destroyed this place, after all.
Do Jun-young and Jae-hun swallowed hard.
The one who turned this vast land into a graveyard was Seong Ja-rim.
Their expressions toward her grew strange, but I ignored it.
Was Seong Ja-rim really just the perpetrator?
I knew better.
Three months living with her. I knew how much she'd suffered.
Whenever something related to Baskar came up, she'd stare into space, and she often lost her reason. She'd writhe in agony, have nightmares, and I'd rush to her screaming side in the night, reminding her this was Earthmultiple times.
This place wasn't the only thing laid to waste over a century of time.
Seong Ja-rim's mind had shattered into pieces too.
So? You did this, so now you're gonna die by her hand?
...
Seong Ja-rim. Ja-rim unnie. Do you want to die?
My gentle hand stroked her wound-covered cheek, just like when I'd soothe her from nightmares.
Tears fell from Seong Ja-rim's eyes in drops.
No, you're not. Why would someone who clung to life so desperately for so long act like that?
I patted Ja-rim's shoulder and stood up. Then I looked at the two men fidgeting, unable to intervene.
I'll handle this. Please protect Ja-rim unnie.
Can you do it alone, Se-ra?
Yeah, it's fine. This is something only I can do reliably.
It wasn't because I had the highest rank. A former System Administrator's contractor might pull some weird stunt, so Ithe one with heavy protectionhad to step up.
Leaving the worried Jae-hun and Do Jun-young behind, I headed toward the blankly standing enemy.
Elona, was it? Up close, she emitted no presence at all.
Whatever the details, she was someone Seong Ja-rim had killed.
But that didn't mean I'd let it slide. I didn't want to lose a friend.
So, Seong Ja-rim, I'll kill her in your place.
The Red Cube descended around us.
So this is what it feels like to enter a field.
Unlike usual, I stood inside the Cube. It didn't actually look red or anything, despite appearances.
But it was definitely different. Breathing, movingit was all comfortable, like I'd received a buff.
This place was now fully my domain.
I never imagined I'd meet another contractor like me like this.
I looked at the enemy facing me.
This Elona wouldn't understand words anyway.
I didn't know who did it, but dragging around a corpse like a puppetwhat kind of trash does that?
Administrator, is it okay if I fully kill this person now so she can't move anymore? Will it cause issues with this planet's administrator?
No answer came. Even if it was another planet, maybe because she's a contractor...
No, that wasn't it.
He, who was always so kind to me, was still worrying about me alone.
I've already resolved myself for that as a hunter who hunts monsters.
With the push on my back, I raised my gun. As the muzzle pointed at Elona, her trembling body lurched forward like a marionette. I fired, and she dodged like a deflating balloon.
This would make sniping tricky, but I didn't panic and moved my finger. This was my space now. The bullet's trajectory bent at my will, piercing straight through Elona's forehead.
I wanted to leave the body as intact as possible.
Unfortunately, even with a bullet in her forehead, Elona kept moving. If her limbs were gone, her torso would charge; if that was gone too, her head would come at me.
Just who the hell is desecrating the dead like this?
I didn't want to do the same, but... leaving her under constant control would be more torment.
When Elona staggered close and swung her sword, I didn't dodge. Instead, I blocked it with my gun, then rubbed her cheek with my other hand.
I felt the stiff skin unique to the dead under my palm.
I'm sorry.
It was all I could do, and that made me sorry.
Coordinate lock.
Elona's body stiffened rigidly. Even as I lowered my gun, she couldn't move. It was an ability to fix non-living things, which applied to a corpse whose life had already ended.
I bowed my head toward Elona, then shrank the Cube's size. The force manipulating her forcibly was strong; my mana was draining faster than expected.
I couldn't delay.
Ja-rim unnie.
...
I'm not sure if you're listening, but say whatever you want to say.
Seong Ja-rim's eyes widened. Her gaze shook as she looked at Elona beyond the red Cube.
You won't see her again after this.
...
Her lips trembled. They moved several times, as if she had so much to say, but in the end, she said nothing.
Ja-rim bowed her head deeply.
No. I won't. Whatever I say would just be self-deception.
I didn't press further and pressed the muzzle against the Cube. Impossible as it was, it felt like Elona met my eyes.
Rest in peace.
A sound like piercing something massive rang out, and flames erupted inside the Cube. Elona slowly turned to ash.
Seong Ja-rim watched every moment without missing a beat, etching it all into her eyes. Even I couldn't tell what emotion lay in those beautiful golden irises.
I just hoped this one called the Last of the Doomed Planet could find peace at the end.
* * *
Once Elona was fully dead, the gate closed. With the planet's last survivor gone, there were truly no lifeforms left on Baskar.
Perhaps because of that, Seong Ja-rim watched the green-glowing gate dissolve into the air without even blinking.
I see. So that place is completely...
I briefly explained the situation to Do Jun-young.
It was the dungeon where Seong Ja-rim had been trapped during her disappearance, and since that world had fully collapsed, it probably wouldn't open again.
I said not a word about Seong Ja-rim destroying it or what kind of life she'd lived there.
'Well, Manager would probably guess it from what he saw today anyway.'
He was the association's number two, leading it. He wouldn't miss that much.
But instead of prying, he asked Seong Ja-rim something else.
We're deeply sorry for this unfortunate incident at the residence we provided. If you wish, we'll prepare a new one elsewhere.
That's the kind of person he was.
Seong Ja-rim had spent over three months proving she wasn't a threat.
So it was only right to show trust in return. Do Jun-young kept that line firmly.
Huh? No, it's fine. But... I'm not certain, but the dungeon opening right at the house I live in might mean I'm the cause somehow.
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