Chapter 162
Chapter 162
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 162
Chapter Title: The Frog-Bear Suit
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Night passed and morning came, but the police station was filled with nothing but disarray.
It was because of the wraith that had swept through the station all night.
The police chief, who had stayed up all night, called for Montreal with a face haggard from exhaustion.
“If you hadn't prepared salt and silver, we probably all would have died. Thank you, Montreal. You saved us.”
“Not at all. The kid's words from the day before were bothering me, so I looked through an old book I had and found some related information. I thought his words might not be nonsense, so I just prepared for it.”
An old book, my foot. He had just acted on a bad feeling, and since it wasn't a difficult task, he'd taken precautions. But when the opportunity arose, Montreal was quick to inflate his own contributions and score points.
“Oh, of course. As expected of the Faceless Rescue Team, you're so thorough. Ha, who would have imagined? That the kid's words were true! If I'd known, I wouldn't have treated him so poorly... Then again, with you on our side, Montreal, it probably wouldn't have mattered much anyway.”
“Still, I think it would be best to secure the kid. While I've gathered most of the information, he might know things about the wraith that I don't.”
“Hmm, I suppose so. Very well. I’ll provide you with manpower. Will two officers be enough?”
With manpower already scarce, two NPCs with firearms were a significant asset.
Montreal nodded, a look of satisfaction on his face.
“Yes, that will be more than enough. Thank you, Chief.”
“Haha, I should be the one thanking you. Ah, but you said you needed more firearms?”
“Yes. There seems to be a terrorist group threatening our rescue team, so we need guns.”
“Rifles? Handguns?”
“Handguns are fine, but rifles would be even better.”
“Considering your contribution, I’ll give you ten rifles. It would normally be difficult, but... we have plenty of supplies and not enough people, so I suppose this much support is fine.”
Montreal's expression instantly brightened.
Firearms. And ten rifles at that?
It was a rare achievement for Chapter 2.
Sensing that he would receive great praise from the Club if he could just overcome this crisis, Montreal replied in a joyful voice.
“Thank you.”
“Hmm, and I’ll have the men ready for you within thirty minutes, so be prepared. Please continue your hard work, and convey my thanks to the other members of your rescue team. That will be all.”
As the police chief left with five NPC officers in tow, Viet, clad in a catsuit, approached Montreal.
“I’ve gathered all the salt I could find and spread it across every doorway and window in the building. The wraith won't be able to get into the police station now.”
“What about the vents? Did you take care of those?”
“I tried, but the barrier keeps breaking because of the ventilation system. I think we need to turn it off.”
“Then let's use the ventilation system during the day, and turn it off to set up the barrier before evening comes.”
“Got it. But... we’re short on silver.”
Montreal frowned and asked.
“Short on silver? Didn’t we get quite a lot from the nearby jewelry store?”
“Yeah, but it seems to get contaminated after being used on a wraith once? It becomes useless.”
Montreal said with a grave expression.
“Wait, so the silver is single-use?”
“Uh-huh. That's right.”
“...Damn it, this is a mess. We can't kill the wraith without it. Salt only keeps it from entering.”
“That’s why... I think we need to secure that kid as soon as possible. But, as you know, Grizzly went over there.”
“It's fine. The hypocrites from Dawn never touch NPCs. The kid will be alive. The ones who died... must be that ill-mannered Eric and his group. So, Viet. You go and bring the kid here. And make him spill everything he knows. There must be... other items besides silver that are effective against the wraith.”
***
Lee Si-woo, who hadn't slept a wink while managing the barrier, stretched his stiff neck and got to his feet.
He glanced over and saw the obnoxious face of Luctator, sleeping soundly, spread-eagled and blowing a bubble from his nose. On his stomach, the young Si-woo was also fast asleep with his legs propped up and mouth agape.
Smacking his lips and scratching his neck, Lee Si-woo stepped out of the barrier, embracing the warm morning sunlight.
*'Let's see... I wonder if the suit watch is still here.'*
Lee Si-woo went to the spot where Tumore had been killed by the wraith.
With a numb expression, Lee Si-woo examined the scattered traces of blood and pieces of viscera.
Normally, wraiths devour everything of the dead, leaving no such traces, but yesterday was different.
It was because the young Si-woo had driven away the nearby wraiths with silver powder.
Thanks to that, the corners of Lee Si-woo's mouth turned up as he secured Tumore's suit watch, the Grizzly.
Then, a system message appeared before his eyes.
[You have acquired a broken suit watch.]
*Tiring.*
[Secret Talent 'Survivor' confirmed. Survivor privilege will be provided.]
*Tiring.*
[The Evolution System is now unlocked. From now on, you can use broken suit watches as materials to evolve your own suit watch.]
*Tiring.*
[You can consume the broken suit watch 'Grizzly' as a material to evolve the Frog Suit. Would you like to proceed?]
After checking the system message, Lee Si-woo crossed his arms and let out a hum.
*'Tsk, it seems the suit watch breaks when the suit's HP runs out. This is... a shame, but I guess I can't use the Grizzly as a suit. Anyway, an evolution system... what's this now?'*
If it was a privilege from the Survivor talent, then Lee Si-woo was probably the only one who could use it in this trial world.
Therefore, there was no way to know the efficiency or effects of the evolution system other than to try it himself.
*'No choice, then. I'm curious, and I can't just throw away the Grizzly suit watch, so I'll have to give it a try.'*
Lee Si-woo touched the YES message window floating before his eyes with his finger.
At that, the Frog Suit watch on Lee Si-woo's wrist emitted a soft light and merged with the Grizzly suit watch.
[Synthesizing Rank 3 Suit Grizzly and Rank 1 Suit Frog....]
*Tiring.*
[The Frog Suit is evolving into the Frog-Bear Suit.]
*Tiring.*
[The suit's rank has increased from 1 to 2. The additional talent 'Wildness' is added.]
*Tiring.*
[The set item, Poison Dagger, has been absorbed into the suit. A poison attribute is added to the claws, and the duration and effect of the skill 'Paralysis Tongue' are enhanced.]
His joy at the messages announcing several positive effects was short-lived. As Lee Si-woo mulled over the suit's name, his face crumpled like a crushed can.
*'Frog-Bear?'*
A bad feeling creeping over him, Lee Si-woo checked his reflection in a nearby shop window.
The face was a frog's. The arms and legs were those of a furry bear.
And the torso was unmistakably frog-like. Seeing his own bizarre suit, a hollow laugh escaped Lee Si-woo's lips.
No matter how much he prioritized function over design, frankly, this was just wrong.
It wasn't just that it cramped his style; it was a complete fashion disaster.
As Lee Si-woo's vision went dark at the thought of walking around in this state, Luctator sat up behind him, rubbing his eyes.
“What are you doing over there so early in the morning? Hmm? Let me see. Your appearance is…”
Luctator's eyes widened at the sight of Lee Si-woo's pathetic form, and then he burst out laughing.
“Kyahaha, what in the world is that getup? You look like a complete clown!”
“...Elder. Don't make fun of me. This suit, for all it looks, has incredible functionality.”
“Functionality, my ass! If it were me, I’d be too embarrassed to ever wear that thing! Tsk tsk, then again, a guy like you with zero aesthetic sense would probably wear it. You're a total function-freak.”
“This suit. It's Rank 2.”
“But it's embarrassing.”
“...It has an added talent and an evolved skill.”
“But it has no style.”
“Look. At these powerful arms and legs.”
“But the head and torso are a frog's.”
Annoyed, Lee Si-woo shot back in an angry voice.
“When I'm done with this, I'm going to pass it down to you, Elder.”
“I'd rather commit seppuku. I wouldn't be caught dead in that thing. No, I *won't* wear it. Tsk tsk, compared to that, my rat suit is much better. At least I look cute! You... tsk tsk, you're just grotesque. So grotesque my outstanding aesthetic sense cannot tolerate it.”
Luctator continued to tease him relentlessly, but Lee Si-woo couldn't bring himself to say anything back, only sighing again and again.
Just then, the young Si-woo, who had finally woken up, also chimed in.
“Huh? Hyung? Why do you look like that?”
Suddenly, he was certain about his past life, the one who created this trial world.
The ancestral demon had a truly terrible sense of taste.
***
The fate of those caught by a wraith was one of two things.
They were either torn limb from limb and killed, or they were judged to possess 'aptitude' and captured.
And Adrian belonged to the latter.
“*Cough*……”
As Adrian coughed dryly and opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was a man with a model's build, wearing a brown trench coat.
The man, with dreary, long black hair and languid eyes, spoke with a cigarette in his mouth.
“I sometimes feel this sense of disharmony.”
The man continued, stroking Adrian's lips and chin with his index finger.
“The feeling that I'm a tiny puzzle piece in some fabricated world. Or that my life has been predetermined by someone else. And... the feeling that fakes, or perhaps reals, who don't belong to my world are mixing in.”
Feeling an inexplicable chill from the man who was muttering to himself like a psychopath, Adrian snapped.
“Who... are you? And where is this place? Why, why did you capture me?”
The man rambled on as if he hadn't heard Adrian's words, or as if he simply didn't care.
“Some days, I'm seized by an irresistible impulse and make choices that even I don't understand. I think that's why I let Lee Si-woo go. I wanted him so badly, wanted to possess him... Why did I just let him run away? Do you... know the reason?”
The man caressed Adrian's cheek.
At the repulsive touch, which felt like an insect crawling on his skin, Adrian screamed.
“Don't touch me! And let me go. I don't know who you are, but... I…”
The man brought his index finger to his lips and made a shushing sound.
“Enough. Stop right there. I don't want to know who you are. That would be... too boring. I'm going to study you. Delve into you, dissect you, analyze you, anatomize you. I'm going to find out why a pure human like you, who doesn't exist in my sample catalog, possesses the 'vampire' factor. And I'm going to find out why you give me the feeling that you don't belong in our world.”
The man smiled.
Before that white smile, which was clearly filled with malice yet somehow felt pure, Adrian's jaw trembled.
“What... are you going to do to me?”
The man whispered in Adrian's ear.
“I'm so excited. How much happiness will you bring me? As much as Lee Si-woo? Or... even more?”
Why was it?
In that moment, Ha-yun's face flashed through Adrian's mind.
*'Yun...'*
Adrian squeezed his eyes shut.
The darkness, where nothing could be seen, seemed to foreshadow his future.
As Adrian trembled, bound in chains like a snared deer, the man's soft laughter tickled his ears.