Chapter 38
Chapter 38
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: Modern Warfare
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Modern Warfare
Come on, get a grip.
Han Si-hoo muttered to himself.
He kept muttering.
He’d already repeated it dozens of times.
Never before had his mind, his very way of thinking, been so compromised.
He had only ended up hurting Seo-ah again.
It was only after Yeon-hwa took her away that he could finally think straight.
He couldn't even clearly recall what he had said to Seo-ah.
His mind was in a haze.
He had to find a way to stop the penalty.
He was trying to shock his senses awake by gripping a blade with his bare hand.
It was a method he might have learned from Seo-ah.
There was something he had to do first.
"Doctor."
If it was true that he had infiltrated the Academy, he had to be caught now.
Of all times, it had to be when a large portion of the personnel were dispatched outside.
There was no one to help.
In the end, Han Si-hoo was the only one who could kill the Doctor.
Where did he say he was?
He was definitely nearby.
"Once I take care of the Doctor."
Then Seo-ah will be safe.
Han Si-hoo gripped his sword properly.
This time, he would not fail.
Is the Doctor an Awakener?
Probably.
He also knew the Doctor was capable of some form of remote travel, be it teleportation or a portal.
But beyond that, his abilities were unknown.
He had to catch him now.
He remembered.
He said he was in the medical office downstairs.
The Academy building was sturdy, but Han Si-hoo could break it.
*CRASH!*
He punched the floor, smashing a hole through it.
With the help of his skills, breaking through something like this was possible.
A path to the floor below was created.
He jumped down to see who was there.
No patients were in sight.
The air was thick with dust.
The ceiling lights flickered, spitting out electric currents.
"Oh..."
The Doctor sounded impressed.
"I thought Miss Seo-ah would be the first to arrive."
His voice was relaxed.
His tone suggested he was wondering what took so long.
"Doctor."
He didn't know his real name.
He didn't know where he came from.
He didn't know why he was here.
So many unknowns.
Han Si-hoo barely managed to suppress his urge to attack and asked a question instead.
"Who are you?"
Gathering information was important.
He had to find out who his enemy was.
It was doubtful he would answer, but he asked anyway.
At the same time, he observed the Doctor's appearance.
"I am a doctor."
A meaningless answer.
"Why did you mess with Seo-ah?"
Han Si-hoo prepared to attack.
"I do not treat any patient with disrespect. Miss Seo-ah had no hospital to go to, nor any other doctor to seek out."
An answer came back.
"Tell me your objective."
It was rare for someone to answer meekly in a situation like this.
But the Doctor seemed willing to reply.
The Doctor's expression was not visible.
But he seemed to be smiling.
*Swish.*
The spot where the Doctor stood was sliced clean through.
But there was no damage.
"An illusion-type...?"
Han Si-hoo had already felt that the presence he was sensing was unusually faint.
He wasn't really there.
"A hologram, I see."
A hologram projector was visible.
When he touched the projector, the Doctor's image vanished.
But the voice continued.
A speaker and microphone were installed somewhere.
"I'm not particularly strong, so it would be troublesome without such countermeasures."
"You. Where are you."
A peculiar sense of dread.
His bad feelings were almost always right.
He had to check where Seo-ah was.
"I am on my way to see a patient."
"Don't you dare lay a hand on Seo-ah."
He had asked Yeon-hwa to take her somewhere safe.
To take Seo-ah with her.
They had left the medical office just a moment ago.
They should still be inside the building.
But Seo-ah is trash.
It's fine to throw her away.
This is a good opportunity.
Let's fix what's been twisted because of Yoo Seo-ah, right now.
*Shut up, just please shut up.*
Han Si-hoo muttered, trying to steady his mind.
He wasn't in his right mind.
"I left her with you, Mr. Si-hoo, under the judgment that you were her guardian, but it seems it would be a stretch to consider you a suitable one for Miss Seo-ah."
Not a suitable guardian?
That might be true.
But that wasn't for the Doctor to judge or decide.
"My objective is the treatment of my patients."
"What?"
"Since you are also a patient, Mr. Si-hoo, my ultimate goal is a comprehensive treatment."
He was treating Han Si-hoo like a patient, too.
The world as the Doctor saw it seemed completely askew from Han Si-hoo's.
"What are you talking about?"
Nothing but incomprehensible words.
"Yes. Under normal circumstances, that would be the case. However, we are currently in a state of war..."
The Doctor trailed off.
"—Ah, Miss Yeon-hwa. A pleasure to meet you."
The greeting came through the speaker.
No.
Something was definitely wrong.
Yeon-hwa was with Seo-ah.
Seo-ah was in a state where she could barely move on her own.
She was like an ant being trampled to death, metaphorically speaking.
She was right where she belonged.
Where is Seo-ah?
I have to save her.
So I can be the one to crush her myself.
"Dammit. Get a grip."
There had to be a way to resolve this mental contamination.
There must be a way to remove the penalty.
But first, Seo-ah.
He had to go to where Seo-ah was.
But if he saw her in person...
He wanted to kill her.
It felt like a part of his brain had been occupied.
Did Seo-ah feel like this, too?
It seemed he was getting a small taste of what it was like to be on those drugs.
—*Bang.*
A loud noise erupted from the speaker as if it were about to burst.
Thanks to that, he barely managed to snap out of it.
"...Huh?"
"Have you ever wondered why Awakeners don't carry guns? Why not use such a powerful weapon?"
The sound quality from the speaker had degraded significantly.
Static crackled through.
"It's because you all would be far too threatening if you started using guns. They're forbidden under the pretext that they aren't very effective against magical beasts."
"A gun...?"
Han Si-hoo thought about what he had to do.
Where did that gunshot come from?
The sound from the speaker was loud, but the actual gunshot had been incredibly loud as well.
Someone had fired a gun nearby.
The Doctor.
At whom?
—*BANG!*
It rang out again.
He thought he knew the location.
Han Si-hoo prepared to leap out the window.
Since becoming an Awakener, he was capable of an absurd level of mobility.
Jumping to another window was nothing.
"Found you."
He had a grasp of the layout of most of the Academy's buildings.
Han Si-hoo leaped out the window.
***
It hurts.
The more time passes, the more it hurts.
It'll probably be fine if I take the medicine.
But I can endure this much.
It'll get better if I wait.
But I've never actually sold my body or anything.
It's unfair.
Si-hoo's acting strange, so I guess he could say something like that.
Still, what's not true is not true.
I never did that.
My vision whites out.
What if I just don't remember?
No, given the circumstances, that definitely never happened.
I would've known if I'd gotten paid.
Aha.
Then maybe I wouldn't have had to go to Han Si-hoo.
Was he trying to ask why I came to him instead of just selling my body?
Or does he think I was earning money that way before I went to borrow from him?
Come to think of it, I never paid back the money I borrowed.
I feel like I'm going to throw up.
Honestly, I can't even get up.
My body won't straighten out.
"Ah, Miss Yeon-hwa. A pleasure to meet you."
I hear the Doctor's voice.
He called her by name. Do they know each other?
No, judging by Yeon-hwa's expression, she doesn't seem to know him.
The Doctor pulls a pistol from his coat.
A pistol?
Why?
*BANG!*
The gunshot was louder than I expected, and it startled me.
I don't know why he's shooting, but Yeon-hwa blocked it.
At some point, she had drawn a sword in each hand and taken a stance.
This is a world where people can deflect bullets with swords.
"Have you ever wondered why Awakeners don't carry guns? Why not use such a powerful weapon?"
"Stay back. I'll handle this."
An Awakener won't die from an ordinary gun.
They won't get hit in the first place.
Why the Doctor is attacking Yeon-hwa is a mystery.
I don't get it.
My body hurts, which makes it even harder to understand.
"It's because you all would be far too threatening if you started using guns. They're forbidden under the pretext that they aren't very effective against magical beasts."
For all that talk, the gun doesn't seem that dangerous.
She's deflecting the bullets so easily.
*Ping.*
Another shot is fired.
She deflects it again.
"Of course, I'm well aware that an ordinary gun won't do."
His voice grew faint.
I looked up at the Doctor's face and saw a gas mask.
Is that why his voice was muffled?
I don't know when he put it on.
"Ugh."
Yeon-hwa clutched her mouth.
In an instant, her stance crumbled.
It seems there was a reason the Doctor was wearing a gas mask.
"So vulnerable."
Yeon-hwa collapsed limply.
I'm the only one left.
I don't feel anything.
It seems like he released some kind of gas.
I'm not wearing a gas mask.
But I can still breathe easily.
"Ah, uh, hey. What is this."
"Using military-grade drugs grants you a general immunity. You'll be fine, Miss Seo-ah."
He says it's because of the medicine I took.
So that's why.
I knew the medicine was a good thing.
"Still, it's not good to stay in a place like this for long. We should be leaving."
*CRASH!*
Just then, the wall was destroyed.
It's Han Si-hoo.
Blood is dripping from the hand holding his sword.
Si-hoo is definitely not himself.
"Aha, a battle here? You arrived quickly."
Is Han Si-hoo protecting me?
He seems to be hesitating between the Doctor and Yoo Seo-ah, deciding who to kill first.
Yeon-hwa is collapsed over here with me.
He wouldn't attack this way, would he?
To be honest, I'm worried.
Han Si-hoo was just attacking me a moment ago.
It might not have been his intention, but it's still scary.
"You... cannot lay a hand on Seo-ah."
Still, he's not trying to kill me.
Han Si-hoo faced the Doctor and readjusted his grip on his sword.
"[Purification]."
The gas doesn't seem to affect him.
Can that skill even purify the air?
It's incredibly versatile.
"The skills of Awakeners are truly... The way wordplay becomes reality has always been fascinating to me."
Something rolls out from the Doctor's collar.
—*Keeeeeng.*
A deafening noise and a flash of light erupt.
I can't hear anything.
The light is so bright I can't see anything.
A flashbang?
I think I hear a few more gunshots.
I feel an impact.
And then my body is pulled by someone.