Chapter 9
Chapter 9
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: I've Used Up All the Medicine
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I've used up all the medicine.
Si-hoo!
I turned toward the voice that shouted.
It was a girl with silver hair.
For it to shimmer even in the dark, her hair must be incredible.
She's still young, so her thinking is shallow.
Instead of joining the attack, she's just calling out his name.
If she'd launched a surprise attack, I might have died right then and there.
No matter how sharp my senses are, my physical abilities can't keep up.
Unless she was intentionally letting me live, like Han Si-hoo...
"But what is that? A monster?"
A monster?
"Is it a person? Why is its mana black?"
she said, drawing her sword.
Am I a monster just because my mana is a little dark?
I get it.
The novel did say that the mana surrounding monsters was black.
It also mentioned that people strengthened by special drugs had black mana.
I've used a drug, but I'm not a monster.
"Rena, wait a moment."
"Huh? You're not fighting? I came to help."
"We're talking."
"Oh?"
Rena.
Her full name was longer, but I can't remember it.
Rena and Han Si-hoo were close even before the main story began.
She's the heroine who's like a little sister.
A lively character.
"Ah, so that's what this is? Got it. I'll be quiet."
I don't know what 'that' is, but it seems she's decided not to interfere.
Besides Rena, I can see other people from the Academy heading this way.
Probably because of Han Si-hoo.
The Doctor won't be able to stop all the intruders.
The fact that he already let one slip through proves it.
I need to end this as quickly as possible.
Otherwise, I'll never be able to kill Han Si-hoo.
He's a monster.
An unkillable monster.
Han Si-hoo is a monster.
It's only acceptable because he's the protagonist.
From anyone else's perspective, he's a monster, plain and simple.
For the sake of good citizens, someone like that shouldn't exist.
Killing him right from the start is for the good of humanity.
My killing intent blazes.
But in truth, the killing intent came first, and I attached the reason afterward.
Even without a reason, I would have wanted to kill Han Si-hoo.
Ah, does that make me the monster then?
Wanting to kill someone for no reason at all.
"...My head hurts."
My head is throbbing.
It's absurd that even this pain is turning into pleasure.
I need to fight and win, quickly.
I readjusted my grip on the sword with my left hand, ready to strike at Han Si-hoo.
"Seo-ah."
"What?"
"I'll get you the medicine."
Those words were unexpected.
"Huh?"
"I'll get the medicine for you somehow, so let's not fight. Put that down."
"The medicine? How?"
I lowered the sword I was holding.
It seems there's room for discussion.
If not, I was going to try and copy one of the protagonist's skills.
"Somehow. I'll find it and bring it back."
Could it be true?
If so, about half of my reasons for fighting would disappear.
I still wanted to kill the Han Si-hoo in front of me, but I'm not so far gone that I can't control this level of impulse.
"Hmm."
But how would he get the medicine?
This isn't the kind of drug you can get from a regular hospital.
It seems impossible.
Even the drug I'm using now seems like something only the Doctor can procure.
He did say he made it himself.
Still, maybe Han Si-hoo could take over the Doctor's organization and seize the medicine?
Or manufacture it through some other means.
He's the protagonist, after all.
The protagonist can achieve any goal he sets his mind to.
"I'll be able to get it. Won't you give me a chance to make up for my mistake?"
He said with a determined gaze.
Coming from the protagonist, it's actually believable.
"Make up for it..."
Why did I come here in the first place?
To get the medicine.
I came here to kill the protagonist.
If I can't kill him anyway, I probably won't get the medicine. Wouldn't it be better to side with him?
In the end, justice prevails.
And here, justice is the protagonist.
But victory itself is not my concern.
What's important is whether I can keep taking the medicine.
"There's no reason for us to fight. Please, put down what you're holding."
Why does he keep telling me to put down the sword?
He'd block my attacks anyway.
"Will you really get the medicine?"
"Yes. If you want me to."
"Hmm..."
The Doctor said he'd provide me with food, clothing, and shelter.
Even if Han Si-hoo brings me the medicine, the fact that I have no money doesn't change.
The five million won in my bank account isn't even mine.
I have no steady income.
[80 hours, 33 minutes]
What happens when I use up all that time?
I'll just be a beggar.
"Then can you give me a place to live... and food to eat?"
Even I find it ridiculous that I'm asking such a question.
Still, I try to rely on the kind protagonist.
"Yes. As much as you need."
"Really?"
"I promise."
My heart wavers.
As we talked, my desire to kill Han Si-hoo faded.
Why is it fading?
It must be because of the protagonist's ability.
A ridiculously overpowered passive ability that removes all sorts of debuffs.
Later, the story progresses with things like divine power and spirit arts.
The drug's effect on my current judgment is minimal.
In fact, couldn't this be called my true, sober state of mind?
[79 hours, 53 minutes]
Damn, time flies so fast.
It's probably because I'm using the drug's power to maintain the sword.
I want to enjoy the drug's effects for as long as possible.
"You're really going to get the medicine, right?"
"I can even swear an oath. So let's go together."
I'm really torn.
If I can't kill the protagonist anyway, it seems right to just stand by his side.
"You... you won't abandon me...?"
"I'll never abandon you."
"We're friends, right?"
"Yes."
The protagonist's words were filled with conviction.
Looking at Han Si-hoo, memories of the old Yoo Seo-ah resurface.
In the past, whenever a problem arose, Han Si-hoo would tell her to just trust him.
And strangely enough, he always came back with a solution.
The same feelings Yoo Seo-ah once felt are bubbling up inside me.
"I'll trust you."
-Thud.
I dropped the sword I was holding.
The ominous black sword vanished the moment it hit the ground.
"Good job."
"Ahah."
It feels good to be praised.
This is a new feeling.
Positive interaction with another person seems to bring its own kind of pleasure.
"Now, can you try getting rid of that mana you're wrapped in? It'll be okay."
"Okay."
I removed all the mana enveloping my body.
I could shake it off as if dusting myself off.
[79 hours, 52 minutes]
Thanks to that, the rate at which the drug's effect wore off decreased dramatically.
Does this mean I can feel good for about 80 more hours?
I didn't want to waste the drug's effects either.
"I did well, right?"
The moment I said that, trying to give a bright smile,
-Shunk.
Something pierced through my body.
A blade.
"Huh?"
-Stab. Crunch.
It keeps trying to carve my body into pieces.
Why was I stabbed?
He definitely said it would be okay.
Losing my strength, I collapsed.
Thump.
My head hit the dirt floor.
"That's my Si-hoo for you. You really made her lower her guard just by talking!"
Rena, who had been standing behind me, said.
I hadn't even noticed when she got so close, but thinking back, that was the kind of ability she had.
Hard to detect from the start.
"Rena!—"
"W-what? Was this not the plan?"
Han Si-hoo seems to be saying something, but I can't hear him clearly.
I tried to open my eyes, but my vision is blurring.
I've been betrayed.
What kind of trick is this, lulling someone into a false sense of security?
Then again, promising to get the medicine was an absurd notion from the start.
I was swayed by the protagonist's ability and got tricked.
That bastard.
I have to kill him.
It was all a setup from the beginning.
To think I fell for such an obvious trap.
"Hhahah. Haha."
Laughter burst out of me again.
It's still enjoyable.
Even the feeling of dying comes as an immense pleasure.
The instinct for survival and the emotions induced by the drug are fighting each other.
"Hk, kagh."
Blood trickled from my mouth.
Is this what it tastes like to enjoy a fine wine?
I tasted blood mixed with the scent of dirt.
I never thought this would happen.
The drug was always right.
Han Si-hoo made me feel safe, then betrayed me.
Didn't you say you wouldn't abandon me?
You said we were friends.
Didn't you say it would be okay?
Even though we had cut ties.
There's no way he'd be friends with someone like me.
A drug addict whose mind is all over the place... even I wouldn't want to be friends with someone like that.
I understand completely.
My daily routine is just doing drugs and sitting around in a daze. Even I can see how useless I am.
Living like a proper human is out of the question.
Han Si-hoo must have seen it that way too.
Then I guess I should just die.
[56 hours, 25 minutes]
The drug's effect is diminishing at an incredible speed.
Of course it is, with blood pouring out of my body.
Fortunately, I don't feel any pain yet.
The drug really is great.
"Ugh, cough, kegh."
I can't even laugh anymore.
It's becoming hard to breathe.
Why did it turn out like this?
The unique mental state from when the drug's effects are gone has returned.
Oh, drug,
grant me a blade.
A black dagger appeared in my hand.
Who should I stab?
The protagonist, Han Si-hoo?
Rena, who stabbed me from behind?
Who should I stab?
Who should I attack?
Myself, of course.
In the novel's story, Yoo Seo-ah would have been dead by now.
This problem arose because I tried to escape that grand flow.
On the verge of death, yet still wanting to live somehow.
The protagonist wasn't in the wrong; my very existence was the mistake.
It's a world inside a novel anyway, what's there to worry about?
If I close my eyes and open them again, I'll return to the world I came from.
That's how it works, right?
"Ah."
I tried to stab my own neck, but someone grabbed my hand.
Since they wouldn't finish me off, I tried to do it myself. What's the problem?
If you're going to kill me, do it properly.
Are you trying to save me now?
[22 hours, 8 minutes]
With every passing second, chunks of time are shaved away.
From my broken right hand, I formed a sharp awl.
It no longer needs to take the form of a blade.
I managed to bring the awl to my neck, but my arm was caught again.
"Hh..."
It's strange to feel pleasure even in this situation.
When the drug wears off, just what kind of pain awaits me?
It's not like I brought any extra medicine to take.
Even if I had, it would have been far from enough.
I can feel the blood flowing from the wound in my abdomen.
My head knows this is a serious situation, but the emotions I'm feeling are completely different.
A pleasure I've never felt before in my life washes over my body.
I want to die.
Someone's hands keep holding me, preventing me from moving.
It seems they're trying their best to keep me alive.
"I'm, kagh, sorry."
I begged the person who stopped me, spitting out blood.
I must have done something wrong for this to be happening, right?
It was strange from the moment I started living off the drug.
I must have committed some great sin to end up in this situation.
Even if I've done nothing wrong, I'll beg for forgiveness, so please just let me die.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry."
I muttered between spurts of blood.
Someone was still holding me.
I can hear voices around me.
But I can't make out any of the words.
"Please kill me. I'm sorry."
Why are they trying to keep me wretchedly alive?
Do they want to play with me like a toy?
Is it that pleasing to watch me suffer?
[Depleted.]
There's no time.
Really.