Chapter 41
Chapter 41
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Moscow University Hospital
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"Patient, you need to fill out a treatment application form."
"Patient, no running in the hallways."
"Patient, you'll be admitted to the ICU."
Doctors and nurses with black eyes chased after me. I tried talking to them, but all I got back were mismatched lines like gears grinding together and a barrage of surgical tools.
"Excuse me, could I ask for directions?"
"Patient? The surgery you're scheduled for won't be covered by insurance. Do you consent?"
"That's frightening. More importantly, how do I get out of here? Not the hospital—I mean this space itself."
"No anesthetic. It's a quick procedure, so it won't hurt much."
I deflected the flying scalpel with the side of my hand.
"Patient? It might sting a little."
"Isn't there anyone I can have a real conversation with?"
"Nurse Kim, prep a normal saline line. Patient's getting TPN, so get the tubing ready."
"This isn't working at all."
"Where's the FFP? Secure the line ahead of time. And chain the patient so they can't escape."
Scalpels weren't the only things flying at me in quick succession—surgical electric saws, drills, bone saws, all kinds of medical instruments came hurtling my way.
They're using telekinesis.
Knocking them aside was easy enough.
What puzzled me was why they weren't using telekinesis directly on me.
Some entities have built-in restrictions.
These are medical professionals, so they seem limited to manipulating medical tools freely to fit their concept.
I fled from them, cutting across the hallway.
The pitch-black corridor, shrouded in darkness, would have been impossible to navigate without my enhanced vision.
"Patient? Are you seeing another hospital?"
"If you're being treated elsewhere, please bring your medical records."
"Our hospital doesn't allow patients to transfer to another facility."
I pondered as I listened to their voices.
I knew I'd run into them eventually, but not today.
These weren't entities I knew.
Ones that appeared in the six months since I quit the game.
There were plenty of hospital-related entities, but none described quite like this in my memory.
But no need to fear.
From my experience so far, every entity in this world comes straight from the game.
I picked up multiple sets of footsteps from other floors.
Looked like there were more than just the ones chasing me.
Every entity except the Munchkin Mary Sue Constellation has a weakness or countermeasure.
And outside the game's early days, info on countermeasures could be found within the game itself.
Especially for entities tied to specific locations like this one—the chances of finding relevant info right here are very high.
Mid-thought, I threw myself aside to dodge syringes flying at me from both front and back.
"Patient, what seems to be the problem?"
"Have you been treated at another hospital?"
"Are you still taking meds prescribed elsewhere?"
Dodging their attacks, I rummaged in my pocket.
Should I use it?
I had one Monkey's Paw left, plus some unused entities from the office.
Peace to the Big Toe, WK Special Tumbler, and the Golden Ticket.
The first two had no use here, so they were for trading with the Foundation.
The Golden Ticket was for emergencies.
Not yet!
I leaped over a massive, muscle-bound nurse who lunged from around the corner, then bolted down the hallway again.
[Lobby]
Even more entities pursued me now, and the medical tools they hurled destroyed the lobby reception desk.
One hit and I'm dead. Even if not, I might end up a real patient here.
No—even after death, I might not escape being their patient.
Just then, papers stored in the wrecked desk fluttered up, blocking my view.
[Christopher Miller]
[Gender: Male] [Age: 56] [Nationality: USA] [Residence: Murdock, California]
[Diagnosis: Cardiomegaly]
[Treatment: Heart removal and transplant of new heart, full aortic reinforcement with steroids, embalming of liver, kidneys, large intestine, stomach, and cerebellum with formalin.]
[Progress: Severe seizures, 25,000cc sedative administered, fentanyl and midazolam added; now stable and working as hospital nursing assistant.]
[Dmitri Gorbanov]
[Gender: Male] [Age: 25] [Nationality: Russia] [Residence: Moscow]
[Diagnosis: Seafood Allergy]
[Treatment: Dopamine receptor removal from brain, pig cerebellum transplant, spinal nerve reinforcement with steroids, special muscle cell treatments, full skeletal replacement with titanium.]
[Progress: Fell into coma post-surgery, miraculously revived from brain death; now working as hospital resident.]
These papers were lists of patients who'd visited this place—and their fates.
[Shin Ye-rin]
[Gender: Female] [Age: 33] [Nationality: Korea] [Residence: Yangyang, Gangwon Province]
[Diagnosis: Scoliosis]
[Treatment: Spine removal and tree branch insertion, nutrient injection to grow tree inside body, cornea removal and artificial eye implant, gorilla heart attached alongside original. Achilles tendon replaced with cheetah's.]
[Progress: Died post-surgery, defibrillated 127 times, revived; now working as hospital nurse.]
Countless victims of entities.
Amid them, I spotted one reception form for someone else.
[Ellen Stein]
[Gender: Female] [Age: 40] [Nationality: USA] [Residence: Atlanta, Georgia]
[Diagnosis: Dry Eye Syndrome]
[Treatment: Patient denied admission as already diagnosed and treated at another hospital.]
[Progress: Discharged]
A way out.
That's when the hallway lights suddenly blazed on.
Earthquake? The building shook at the same time.
The incoming medical tools lost momentum and clattered to the floor.
My pursuers froze in place like soldiers standing at rigid attention.
"Why are you all making such a racket? Silence is the rule in a hospital, isn't it?"
At first, I thought it was a gorilla. He wore a doctor's coat, but his bulk nearly scraped the ceiling—I mistook him for a second.
"Ah! A new patient! What's troubling you?"
He had to weigh at least a ton, all muscle. Thousands of surgical scars covered his exposed skin.
"Let me take a guess."
The massive man with black eyes addressed me.
"Toothache in your lower left molar?"
Intense pain pierced my jawbone.
The giant continued.
"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm the dean of Moscow University Hospital. Just call me Dean."
"I'm Lee Seung-hoon."
"Yes, patient name: Lee Seung-hoon. Besides the toothache, I see other issues. Frozen shoulder too."
Both my shoulders grew heavy and stiff, like they'd been chained.
"Ah, just the right one."
The left lightened up.
"You've also got dry eye syndrome and sad nipple syndrome."
My eyes grew gritty, and my nipples chafed unpleasantly against my clothes.
This is one seriously dangerous entity.
I'd thought the telekinetic doctors and nurses were it, but the main one was the hospital dean.
The others are just victims.
This is the real entity's power.
The ability to inflict diseases by declaration.
If he said I had cancer, I'd get cancer.
If he declared ADHD, I'd lose focus; dementia, and I'd lose present and future, wandering the past.
"Shall we proceed with admission?"
"Sorry, but I have a primary physician, so I can't be admitted here."
"Being treated by another doctor?"
I tried the countermeasure I'd seen.
"Then bring the medical records from that hospital. We'll discharge you. A diagnosis from your personal physician will suffice."
This I hadn't expected.
Who knew the counter required preparation?
"No medical records or diagnosis."
"Then I can't believe you. Some patients lie to avoid hospitals. But don't worry. Moscow University Hospital always prioritizes patient comfort with painless, top-tier care. We swear it."
"Swear!"
"No pain!"
"Yay! Happy!"
The rigid doctors and nurses erupted in thunderous applause.
"No records, but I do have meds from my primary physician. Will that do instead?"
Should I use the Golden Ticket?
First, I wanted to test something.
"What meds?"
"These."
No diagnosis, but maybe meds would work.
And whether this self-proclaimed doctor knew of another "doctor" entity.
"I'm being treated for ingrown toenails. He prescribed this himself."
"Ooh!"
Seemed entities in the same domain knew each other.
"Dr. Janus's Ingrown Toenail Polish!"
Or maybe Dr. Janus was famous among them.
"What the hell is going on!"
In the Foundation HQ situation room, Seong Yu-ra vented her frustration at the staff.
"Why did the main defense system flag Lee Seung-hoon!"
"We can't explain it—the system flagged him autonomously!"
"We finally had a way to restore even 1% more of the Foundation!"
The room fell silent at her rare outburst.
"Can't you shut down the defense system?"
"We're trying, but it won't budge."
"So Sephirot sees Lee Seung-hoon as a threat entity?"
She glared through the situation room window at the towering tree outside. The massive burned trunk reached the sky, but it wasn't just any tree.
"Why?"
Humanity Guardian Foundation's strategic defense system and top-tier entity: Sephirot.
An entity with hyperspace computation circuits via multidimensional links, realizing Laplace's Demon to detect future threats—a cornerstone of the Foundation's defenses.
Though crippled by the Munchkin Mary Sue Constellation, losing most abilities and threat detection, the defense system still functioned, screening entrants to HQ.
"Intercepting the guest bringing repair materials with the defense system—what were you thinking? We even prepped the procedures."
Even dangerous entities pass if procedures are followed.
So why did Sephirot flag Lee Seung-hoon as a threat anyway? After glaring at Sephirot, she issued orders.
"Display the entities in the defense system dimension on the monitors!"
"Yes!"
Soon, lists appeared onscreen.
[Bringer of Plague]
[Dog That Eats Everything]
[Thousand Eyes]
[Bodily Fluid Devourer]
[Moscow University Hospital]
All vicious ones.
Most can't be countered with mental strength alone—gotta fight physically! She knew Lee Seung-hoon's mental prowess was exceptional. But no matter how special his mind, his body was human. No way to survive raw physical powerhouses. Even with luck... Her eyes drifted to the bottom of the monitor.
The last one was impossible for an individual. No escape.
"Dispatch the special forces team now! If Sephirot won't listen, rescue him ourselves!"
"Got it!"
Seong Yu-ra gnawed her nails.
Entities have weaknesses, but can Lee Seung-hoon figure them out on the spot?
His "Fixer" title was fake, fabricated somehow.
Just a mentally gifted civilian—slim survival odds.
What if he uses the last Monkey's Paw?
She shook her head.
The defense dimension blocks wish-granting entity powers.
Precisely, if the power exceeds set limits, it nullifies the wish.
At best, summoning an item or two, or dimension-hopping inside.
Cold calculation: Against weak entities, survival under 10%. Her gaze rose.
That place?
Under 1%.
[Moscow University Hospital]
Better to die to the others than enter there.
Unprepared, he'll become the dean's derivative entity!
Worse than death.
Please, not there!
"Is the black tea to your liking?"
"Niligiri."
"Yes. We have others if you'd prefer."
"No, this is fine."
The tea was good, but missing one thing.
"Though some snacks would be perfect."
No tea time without treats.