Chapter 46

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 46

Chapter Title: Unfair Hospital (4)

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I stared at the F-set full meal the guy had sent me.

The usual composition, the familiar menu items.

And...

'This is a drink only sold in Korea...'

Even a beverage you can only buy at Korean convenience stores.

The photo he sent looked exactly like something a Korean person would send me, no matter who saw it.

'But no trace.'

I took a photo of it with the camera and tried tracking it.

Unlike the law book photo he had sent, which traced successfully, this F-set photo couldn't be traced.

'Did it stop working because I already ate it?'

As I wondered why his photos weren't traceable,

it suddenly hit me—Anonymous 1 might know something about this photo. So I casually messaged him.

--

Me: Hey Anon1, got a question.

Them: Yeah. My three sizes?

Me: Not into guys...

Them: Dude, Big Whale, if you react like that, you're basically calling me gay... You gotta play along with the joke... huh?

Them: Answer me, Super Whale!!!!!!!

Me: Ugh, no!!!! And

Me: (photo)

Me: Ever seen this pic?

Them: What, you think I'm some wiki that knows every pic you flash at me?

Me: No?

Them: Shockingly, yeah. All I do is lurk the Gallery all day.

Them: And that's a pic I posted like 8 months ago. Why'd you dig it up?

Me: (photo)

Me: Fake mod sent it like this.

Them: ? Now they're stealing my pics and pretending to be me to you?

Me: Looks like they're acting Korean to me.

Them: Oh right, yeah. They're laying groundwork 'cause they're scared you'll actually survive and come back lol?

Me: Seems like it. Thanks for checking. But how'd you know it was your old pic just from seeing it?

Them: That's my desk. And last time I ate F-set was 8 months ago, so I posted a brag thread in the Gallery.

Me: Gotcha. Thanks anyway.

Them: Come back alive.

Me: You bet.

--

Sure enough, the photo he used was one he'd dug up from an old community post.

'So he was deliberately pretending to be Korean.'

He must've been scared I'd actually survive the Unfair Hospital legend and come back, so he pulled this smokescreen.

Which is why...

--

Me: You're Japanese, huh?

--

I tossed out a line that'd make him freak, to show I wasn't falling for his crap.

Then I deliberately closed the status window.

Meaning, no matter what he said, I wasn't replying.

'Bet he's shitting bricks.'

Doesn't everyone have that childhood memory?

When you flame some rando online,

and they hit back with just "Sue your ass."

Suddenly your mind floods with doom scenarios.

You act all tough like "Lol sue me, not scared," but secretly shake for a week.

This guy trying to kill me would play tough too, but deep down he's quaking, wondering if I'd really track him down.

Of course...

'This ain't just bluffing.'

It wasn't a bluff.

Somehow escape this place, slaughter the bastard li—wait.

'...But Japan and Korea have different time zones. How do I catch him?'

Hmm...

Umm...

Uuummm...

Aha!

Just burn his house down, traced from before?!

'You're fucked. I'll show you what an arsonist is.'

...

Na Building: 7th floor.

Ga Building: 5th floor.

I spent about 1 hour 30 minutes wandering both wings of Unfair Hospital, mapping the layout.

Basement parking: B1 and B2.

Top floors of each building: Operating rooms.

One bathroom per floor.

Nurse monsters: Always exactly two guarding each spot.

'Sigh...'

In this mess, one problematic issue stood out...

'No other monsters wandering besides nurses.'

Despite all the patients here, not a single monster roamed the halls.

Meaning...

Wherever I went, nurses stared at me like zoo animals.

'How much did I tip them exactly?'

I'd sworn not to tip the nurses info about me.

But from day one here, I'd accidentally tipped every nurse, making me the "generous patient" rumor.

'Is this right...?'

Building favor with intelligent monsters isn't bad.

But tips should come with returns to feel good.

"It is meal time."

"Thank you."

"..."

'Now they won't leave without a tip?'

Now every nurse blatantly angled for tips.

"Ah, here's 30 dol. Thanks."

Crunch... Crunch...

'So rude, all of them.'

Cute at first couple times, but their blatant greed started pissing me off.

As I pondered handling these nurse monsters...

Suddenly...

'Does this work on them too?'

If I framed malice as goodwill, they might not resist.

"Ah, hey. Got a request."

"What is it?"

"Could you protect me all night till dawn? That okay?"

"Possible."

I fed her the plausible line.

"Aigoo, then I'll have to give a big tip again."

"No need to go that far."

Even as she said no need, her mouth gaped wide...

'Yeah, experiment time—no holding back.'

I withdrew 20,000 dol from DL and shoved it into the nurse monster's mouth.

Crunch— Crunch—

The nurse monster chewed endlessly as I poured.

A bit uneasy watching, but like overeating causes tummy ache,

I kept dumping to test if nurses got "sick" too.

'Huh?'

About 2,000 dol in...

The nurse froze solid.

'Why'd she stop?'

I hit cancel on the status window, eyed her mouth stuffed with unchewed dol.

"You okay?"

"..."

I acted in good faith, so she wouldn't attack even if glitched.

'Let's see... Try inventory?'

I opened inventory to test on the frozen nurse, but...

'Won't go in.'

Guessed conscious beings don't fit in status window.

Unlike sleepy Choi Min-ah before, this one wouldn't enter.

"I'll just wait without doing anything."

"..."

"I have no intent to harm you. I'll wait."

I assured her while observing changes,

laying on the patient bed to watch.

'Not a twitch. Won't enter inventory, so not dead... Wait. Can't move?'

Eh, hold up.

I saw this in time-stop stuff...!

What'd you expect, sigh—man?

(photo)

PS: Fed this nurse monster over 2k dol at once, been immobile for 1 hour now.

Held back on knuckle punch since they're sensitive to blood here.

Kept demanding tips, pissed me off—hope she just drops dead like that.

Then I can craft items from bloodless corpse, right?!

About 50 nurse monsters in hospital...

Half turn to items. Heh heh heh...

Chitchat over.

(photo)

Touched to check—still no move.

Hmm... Ahegao double peace outgrown.

(photo)

(photo)

(photo)

(photo)

My hips won't stop? ㅜ.ㅜ

Killing time posting to community for 2 whole hours.

Even after 2 hours, nurse showed zero movement.

'...Just sleep?'

Current time made even leaving room iffy anyway.

"Gonna sleep now."

Barred door with crutches, lay on bed.

"Wake me if you can move. I'll tip more."

Insurance so even if she recovered, no harm to me.

Pretended early sleep.

'Does she act different if I close eyes?'

Focused all senses on her.

...

'Ugh?..'

Previous night, poured senses guarding if she moved...

Fell asleep unknowingly.

'Drool... When'd I nod off?..'

Wiped drool, opened eyes.

"...Still?"

Same pose as last night.

"...You okay?"

Getting ridiculous, slowly rose, approached.

"...Hm?"

Something... different from yesterday.

'No way..? Really?'

Realized change, opened inventory, stored her.

'Whoa.. she really just died like that?'

She looked lifeless 'cause she actually died frozen.

'2k dol at once kills 'em?'

Stumbled on nurse hunt method by accident, bit dazed.

But gotta do what must be done.

Crafted her into item right away.

'Ooh, this looks good.'

Equipped white mask from inventory, checked total Sanity.

Kyaaaaaaaah!!!

"!!!!"

Sudden scream jolted me to the door...

'..What the hell...?'

KeeeaAAAAA!!!

Like a baby shrieking nonstop.

'..Not crying, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that's a scream...?'

8-1. If the child's crying from the hallway sounds unnatural, do not leave your room that day.

The baby wanders the halls looking for food 'cause it's hungry, keeps wandering.

Nah, horrific baby cry outside room,

per 8-1 rule, planned quiet day in.

(photo)

..wtf.

Why's this fucker asleep in my arms..?

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠