Chapter 52
Chapter 52
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: 52. Intensive Care Unit
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I remember getting lost in an aquarium with my little sister when I was young.
In the dim lighting, I desperately soothed my crying sister as we wandered through the maze-like paths until we finally found our parents.
I vaguely recall crossing the tank with the deep-sea creatures at that time.
"..."
It was a place where the lights were just as dim as back then.
"Please look around carefully. If you see anything, let me know."
At my words, Jang Chaeyeon and Song Arin nodded and began scanning the surroundings.
Once I confirmed the two of them were on high alert, I quickly opened the manual.
[Office Manual]
[2-20. The Intensive Care Unit is a place where only two people have survived so far. Escape methods through this area have been abandoned.]
I ignored it and looked at the bottom of the manual.
[2-15. The Intensive Care Unit is the final stage chosen if you fail to rescue the patient in the previous stage or mistakenly head toward the exit. The entities residing here are extremely dangerous. Even a branch manager-level individual coming alone would face a very high probability of death due to their high variability.]
[The entities to be cautious of here are primarily four.]
[1. Nurse]
[2. Jellyfish]
[3. Patient]
[4. Doctor]
I could understand 1, 3, and 4, but what the hell was a jellyfish?
The moment I had that doubt, Jang Chaeyeon tugged my sleeve and pointed at the ceiling.
It was a night sky.
No, more precisely, it was an endless black ceiling.
Atop it, countless jellyfish floated through the air, emitting a dark blue glow.
Soon, my eyes began displaying information.
[Name: Lighting]
[Age: Created 3 weeks ago]
[Trait: Luminescence]
[Talent: Luminescence]
[Background: After enduring a long experiment, the person who ultimately died became a single starlight, wandering the hospital without finding rest.]
[Weakness: X]
"..."
It was utterly horrifying.
It felt like something I never needed to know.
I turned my gaze back to the manual. I had a rough idea about the nurses and doctors, so first, the jellyfish.
[Jellyfish: Jellyfish adorning the endless sky of the Intensive Care Unit. Staring at them continuously will cause severe mental delusion. Unless you have exceptional mental resistance, it is recommended not to look at them.]
I hurriedly covered Jang Chaeyeon's eyes with one hand.
"?"
Leaving Jang Chaeyeon tilting her head with her eyes covered, I turned the manual pages with my other hand.
[2-16. As you wander this place, you might think it's not that dangerous after all. But you must never forget: while the number of threats you encounter here may be few, each one in the Intensive Care Unit is a massive danger that will make you wish for death instead.]
[First, if you have a pistol, always be prepared to use it. The barrel should be aimed at your temple. Calmly pulling the trigger will almost certainly kill you.]
[If amputation of both arms or some other reason makes this impossible, refer to the [T-Suicide Method].]
[Once you have fully internalized this, proceed forward. You will see a large operating room. You must enter it to pass through this area. Never run. After opening the door, do not look back no matter what sound you hear.]
I tapped both their shoulders and gestured toward the operating room.
I continued reading the manual as we walked.
[After passing the operating room, you will encounter a doctor wearing a white coat and a green surgical mask. This is one of the few entities here that can communicate and is relatively friendly, so extract as much information as possible. It is best not to lie.]
[Do not forget: the Intensive Care Unit has an extremely low survival rate due to its high variability. Be mindful of all possible situations and stay vigilant.]
No need to emphasize it twice.
Soon, the operating room came into view.
The iron door of the operating room gleamed in harmony with the dark blue light, designed in a way that made anyone reluctant to enter, but I had no choice.
I opened the operating room door with one hand. The door opened silently, and a chill rushed in.
"...Do not look back, no matter what."
At my words, both nodded, and we slowly began walking into the operating room.
It was a bone-chilling cold. It felt like stepping into a freezer.
As we moved slowly, sounds soon started coming from behind.
-Ssshhh... Ssshhh...
The sound of dragging something heavy.
Song Arin, walking beside me, reached out and grabbed my sleeve.
Jang Chaeyeon, on the other hand, walked calmly beside me, matching my stride.
If you only looked at her face, you'd think she was out for a stroll.
-Ssshhh... Ssshhhh...
I could understand why it said never to run.
The sound was getting closer.
It started from the door at first, but now it was just a few steps behind us.
Song Arin's fingers gripping my sleeve trembled slightly.
Jang Chaeyeon still walked with a calm expression.
-Ssshhh... Ssshhh...
"Haa... Haa..."
Whatever was dragging something was now breathing behind us.
The scariest part was that, based on reasoning from the fact that my head didn't hurt at all, this was complete reality.
How much farther did we walk? An exit appeared at the far end.
"Huuu... Huuuu..."
The sounds continued from behind.
Song Arin gripped my sleeve so hard her fingers turned white.
As we slowly approached to open the door,
-Drip.
Something warm fell between Song Arin and me.
"Hii-"
Before Song Arin could scream, I seized her wrist firmly, and she caught on, clamping her other hand over her own mouth.
We opened the door and stepped out.
In the still dim lighting, Song Arin collapsed to the floor as if crumbling.
"...Huff... Huff..."
"Are you okay?"
"Does she look okay?"
"I see. And you, Chaeyeon?"
"I'm fine."
"Really?"
"Not scary at all."
Jang Chaeyeon said this while looking at Song Arin.
"That brute with the white hair...!"
Song Arin glared at Jang Chaeyeon with a voice tinged with a slight laugh.
Seeing them ready to fight even after getting this far meant they still had plenty of energy left.
What on earth had been chasing us?
I didn't know what it was, but it was something I had no desire to encounter twice.
It said the next thing would be someone in a white coat with a green surgical mask.
I looked around, and finding someone dressed like that wasn't hard.
There was only one other person here besides the three of us anyway.
It was a man in a white coat and green mask.
The strange thing was that, unlike everyone we'd seen so far, his physical structure appeared no different from a human's on the outside.
"...Oh."
He spotted us, his eyes widening slightly, and he walked toward me.
"It's been a while since someone came to the Intensive Care Unit. Last time, there was one man."
I knew who he meant.
"...We're looking for someone too."
"Oh ho. To come all the way here shows true sincerity."
He narrowed his eyes.
"If it's not rude, could I know who? Name is fine, appearance is fine, both would be even better."
I hesitated only briefly.
Having come this far, we'd find Yoo Daon somehow and get out.
I took a deep breath.
"Her name is Yoo Daon. Appearance is long black hair and..."
"Long hair?"
"...She has a pretty smile."
I had no idea how else to describe Yoo Daon, so I fumbled through it.
"Hmm. Black hair, pretty smile... Name Yoo Daon..."
The man pulled a chart from his pocket, flipped through the pages, and spoke.
"Found her. Yoo Daon."
"Is that so."
He smiled softly and closed the chart.
"Seeing the asterisk, she seems like quite an important patient... but with three of you here, I suppose I have no choice but to tell you."
"Thank you."
I bowed my head calmly in thanks, and he chuckled aloud, waving it off.
"No problem. But the path there... might be a bit far and treacherous."
"Noted."
"Then I can't stop you. Now, follow behind me."
The man turned and pointed behind him.
Pitch-black darkness stretched out.
"Pass through here and go to the room at the very end. There's only one room at the end, so finding it won't be hard."
"...Thank you."
"No need. This is treatment too."
He smiled softly and walked past us toward the operating room.
I opened the manual.
[If he gives you directions, head in the direction he indicates. Never go any other way. You don't know what he'll do if you anger him.]
[There is no consistent description of the path to the patient room. From here, it's up to your judgment, abilities, and quick thinking.]
"That's what it says."
"Not like we're not going."
"Yeah."
The two nodded in agreement.
Right.
We stepped into the darkness.
-Whoosh!
With the sound of a candle snuffed by wind, the things behind vanished.
What appeared before us was a single pitch-black hospital room door.
-Creak,
The door opened, and one figure stepped out.
"...Grooo..."
It wasn't human.
Where its head should have been, jellyfish undulated and danced, and the figure merely moved like a limp doll in sync with the jellyfish's motions.
-Shraaala!
The manual opened.
[Office Manual]
[Patient: One of the most dangerous entities in the 'hospital' with both intelligence and superhuman strength. The moment you're grabbed, it has the strength to rip off that part, so take care.]
It looked dangerous, but if it was just one—
-Shraaaaruk!
The corridor began to unfold.
Soon, an endless corridor stretched out before us.
Every door was painted pitch black.