Chapter 224
Chapter 224
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 224
Chapter Title: Yi Hah-seo's Assistance
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“Jjaran—now we can finally have a proper chat~”
“Aren’t you under a no-contact order?”
Didn’t she say that while I was asleep, she’d caused all sorts of chaos trying to examine my body and ended up banned from the secure ward?
“Eh, our hospital’s security is so lax~ It wasn’t that hard to break through~”
Yi Hah-seo said with a hee-hee-hee-hee laugh.
*Is she laughing like that on purpose?*
Honestly, it was a bit creepy. And somehow, she’d closed the distance to right in front of me. As I debated taking a step back, she swooped in closer first.
“Could you maybe take off that mask on your face just once~?”
Ugh, starting with the mask?
What I was wearing now was an [Infy Mask], magically recreated using living flesh. To a normal person’s eyes, it shouldn’t even look like I was wearing a mask.
I unconsciously touched my face as I replied.
“There’s an identical one underneath.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. More importantly, didn’t you come here because of a request?”
Truthfully, I was hoping she’d say ‘no’ to that question.
The escape plan prepared by Gong Isu at future Kim Shin-hwa’s request.
It might not even be Yi Hah-seo. Someone else—Gong Isu said it was her, but another woman would be better. Tudor, Curtain Call, even Yang Seo-ho would beat Yi Hah-seo.
“Ahh—right~. A mysterious clock-headed person told me to help you escape~”
Damn it!
Future Kim Shin-hwa! What the hell were you thinking setting this trap!?
“Great. I’m incredibly grateful you’ve come to help with the escape. Hm. Escape. You’re here to help with that, right?”
“Yes. But—there’s a condition.”
A condition.
Of course. Two favors, right?
“What is it?”
“Escaping this time means we might never meet again, and that’d make me so sad~. So please meet me alone within a week~”
“What happens if I do?”
Was a heart-pounding date event with a mad scientist cum psychopath doctor waiting?
“Fun physical exams and assisting with safe, body-friendly medical experiments.”
Sure, *fun* and *safe* and *good for the body*.
“I refuse.”
“Eh—? You don’t want to?”
“Of course not.”
Damn it, Gong Isu, come back. Just get me out with your powers!
“The physical exams won’t be dangerous~”
But Yi Hah-seo didn’t give up easily and pressed closer.
“…….”
Two favors, right?
Creepy physical exams and bizarre experiment assisting?
Hand my body over to this woman for real?
Why? No way!
“Shin-hwa-ssi, do you know?”
“Know what?”
“Shin-hwa-ssi’s organs are different in number and shape from ours. Positions too.”
“…….”
What was this now?
“I investigated remotely while you were asleep—so honestly, it’s not certain. That’s why I want to check more. Really can’t~?”
Now I realized what future me had demanded.
“Specifically, what do you want to examine?”
“X-ray, MRI, blood tests, tissue samples, cardiopulmonary function, colonoscopy, gastroscopy—”
“Stop, stop. I’ll allow the first two, but refuse the rest.”
“Blood tests and colonoscopy?”
“X-ray and MRI.”
“I’ll give up everything else, just let me do the blood test.”
“Forget it. Honestly, I can escape without your help.”
It might cause headaches, but subduing Yi Hah-seo alone wasn’t hard.
Yi Hah-seo pouted, fidgeting anxiously, then seemed to give up.
“You’re really okay with the MRI~?”
“Yes. Now tell me about the experiment.”
“Crystal—”
“Refuse.”
“Huh?”
“I’ve already been hit with it once.”
“Oh? How’d you know~?”
The success rate 11% freak ray.
Without my [Abyssal Madness] trait, I’d be a far worse lunatic than now.
With my sanity in the single digits, no desire to entrust my head to that freak ray—
*No, wait a second.*
Something occurred to me.
“Teacher. How many crystals are you using right now?”
“Hmm—”
Yi Hah-seo furrowed her brow.
“—Seven~.”
Seven. Still stage two. Manageable to some extent.
“Alright. I’ll participate once in the cosmic radiation experiment using crystal spiral energy.”
“Wow! Really!? But wait—”
“How do I know the experiment details?”
“Yesss—ah! I get it. You can read minds!”
“Hmm—”
Not that—
“Got it! Got it. Organs in different positions and shapes from others, mental powers developed enough to read thoughts, eerily beautiful appearance, mana activation near limitless! Shin-hwa-ssi, I know your identity now.”
No—that’s—
“Shin-hwa-ssi, you’re an alien from another planet! Right?”
Hey?
“Knew it. I suspected from the start~. Um, um, which planet are you from?”
Why was I having this level of conversation with Yi Hah-seo in the middle of all this!?
I sighed and answered.
“From Andromeda.”
“Ah—aaah—Andromeda— I see~. I’m so thrilled. No wonder I felt drawn from the beginning.”
The conclusion was absurd, but there was something noteworthy in Yi Hah-seo’s behavior.
*Anyway, she definitely realized I don’t belong to this world.*
“Alright, so what’s the escape plan?”
“One of the IPEs I manage creates massive smoke and jamming signals~. Stimulate it, and all of Sector C fills with smoke.”
“Then escape via secret passage in the meantime?”
“Exactly~ And I brought this.”
Yi Hah-seo held out a large backpack.
Inside were the items scattered when my bag tore.
“Hm, thanks.”
“And this too.”
Yi Hah-seo had brought a Paju Central Hospital nurse uniform and gas mask.
“Then I’ll get ready right now~”
She dashed out of the room.
In the meantime, I donned the gas mask and nurse uniform.
*Not bad.*
Though nurse attire, Paju Central Hospital nurses were top fighters in Paju.
Highly functional in multiple ways, with high-efficiency bullet resistance and magic resistance.
A bit later, loud noises started from afar.
Boom boom boom boom—rat-a-tat-tat—
“This place is always like this.”
A camp forcibly holding monsters they couldn’t handle. Like a cliché, every visit brought escape and riot events.
And massive exhaust smoke filling the halls.
*Good, let’s go.*
Next should be the alarm. But it didn’t happen.
Extending my senses in the hall—ah, the detectors, surveillance cameras, speakers for security were all wrecked.
*That’s beyond Yi Hah-seo’s abilities. Did Gong Isu handle it in advance?*
Paju Central Hospital’s file said [Unreplicable surreal mechanical engineering ability]?
*Not magic, separate from time travel— what category is it?*
Pathetic thoughts.
I was sizing up the full power of the person risking their life to help me, pondering countermeasures if we fought.
But unavoidable. Despite not in the game, Gong Isu’s powers were too strong, influence absurdly wide.
*Almost Judge-level? No, high-level intellect entity caliber. How’d they get such cheat powers?*
Before the thought finished, I reached the outer hall of Sector C. A bit further this way, and I’d reach the exit from this secure ward.
“Nooo—that’s not it~”
But Yi Hah-seo’s voice from the wrong direction.
“This way—this way~.”
“But the exit—”
“Uh— that way’s blocked recently by that scary person from the Foreigner Management Agency, right? That scary one—”
“Yang Seo-ho?”
“Yes, she collapsed it, so it’s sealed now.”
“Ah, got it.”
“Come this way~”
I followed Yi Hah-seo’s guidance through the twisting halls. And then I fully understood why [future Kim Shin-hwa] assigned her to me.
“Teacher. Hold on.”
“Yesss?”
“Could you open that door?”
“Well, I could, but—this is.”
C-5 Shelter.
One of the shelters scattered in the secure ward for emergencies.
“Open it first.”
Beep-boop—
The door opened with a cheerful sound.
Right—if not for Yi Hah-seo, I’d have missed this.
“You can stop guiding here, teacher.”
“Huh? Really~?”
“Yes. If you’re bored later, find the hidden secret door somewhere here.”
“A secret door!?”
Yi Hah-seo’s eyes sparkled as she tried to follow, but I extended my hand and cast magic.
[Protection Circle]
[Lock]
“Uh—let me in too~!”
Thud thud thud—thud thud thud—thud thud thud—thud thud thud—thud thud thud—
“Shin-hwa-ssi? Shin-hwa-ssi? Shin-hwa-ssi? Shin-hwa-ssi? Shin-hwa-ssi?”
Yep, a bit scary……. Better part ways here.
“I’ll keep the promise, so see you later.”
Thud thud thud—thud thud thud—thud thud thud—thud thud thud—thud thud thud—
[Sound Distortion]
Phew, quiet now.
The C-5 Shelter, built for emergencies, had cover objects and usable gear.
Not really needed, but I grabbed a few guns and melee weapons, then scanned around.
One of countless secret doors in [Cthulhu World].
*Less a secret door, more a map glitch, though.*
In this room……. Yeah, near that potted plant.
Jumping around there made you fall through suddenly.
[Secret Door Detection]
Whoosh—
Mana lines shot from my feet, spreading like roots across walls and floor.
“There it is.”
Unlike the game, I found a hidden button by the potted plant.
Click—
Pressing it, the floor opened to a sheer vertical shaft below.
“No ladder or stairs. Wouldn’t have used it even if found at low level.”
But I jumped in without hesitation, casting magic.
[Feather Fall]
Clank—
Noise above. Secret door auto-closed. No big deal.
Tap.
Safe landing.
Not an absurd place. Just arrived somewhere needing security bypasses.
*Right. Forgot something due to puppet phobia.*
Would’ve escaped forgetting entirely without future Kim Shin-hwa’s tip.
What lay before me was a long hall with ten doors.
One entrance to this area, the other nine to special rooms.
IPE-1 through IPE-9.
The single-digit patients held by Paju Central Hospital.
Security and cameras intact here, but so what?
[Brain Lightning Field]
Zzzzap!!
Security neutralized instantly.
But alarm blared simultaneously.
Weeeeooo—weeooo—
“Yeah, yeah. I’ll grab one and go.”
Added barriers and spells to block security entry paths, then surveyed the hall.
Ten rooms holding great treasures or horrific monsters.
*Don’t need the others. Might backfire if touched.*
I opened the door holding IPE-2 without hesitation.
Creaaaak—
Vast room.
And rows of pristine white rocks.
“Heh heh heh—yes. Here they are.”
A smile crept up.
Seemingly ordinary rocks, but these had special power.
And that power let [The One Who Waits Quietly] torment me so much.
“You bastard, didn’t I say I’d get revenge?”