Chapter 41
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: Police Hospital (5)
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With the effect of the 'Dummy Ring' and the 'Shadow Step' skill, Min-jun succeeded in his ambush and glanced back.
Kim Geon-ho, who had appeared out of nowhere, had taken on the ones that would have been tough for him to handle alone.
From the way he moved, he seemed about the same level as So-hee, who had just reached Silver grade.
'I can buy some time, even if just for a moment. I'll finish it within that.'
The thin dawn light had nearly faded, leaving the full grip of evening.
It wasn't bright enough for the stars to shine, but the half-moon hanging in the sky was scattering light over the dead city....
Reflected in Regina's jet-black exoskeleton, which absorbed the moonlight, was Min-jun's full body.
"“....”"
Regina was trying to read Min-jun's moves while keeping an eye on him. Min-jun, knowing that the ambush attack wouldn't work a second time, was sharpening his senses to her every movement.
Swish-
With only the faint silk-like breeze making a sound, Min-jun subtly shifted his front foot first.
At that moment, spider swarms leaped toward him from all directions, while one of Regina's sharp legs, cloaked in dark mana, charged straight at Min-jun.
There was undoubtedly the unique acuity of an Apostle's senses hidden in that movement....
But within his 'Space Domination,' which forcibly constrained speed, their movements had no choice but to slow down.
With a thunderous boom, Min-jun kicked off the ground and slipped to her side, swinging his greatsword.
Craaaaaang-!
As the mana-infused leg clashed with the holy power-charged greatsword, fragments of energy scattered everywhere, illuminating the surroundings.
In the ensuing exchange, Regina—with one leg severed—used her three front legs, excluding the ones on the ground, to press Min-jun.
If he deflected a left leg, others came from the right and above, and even if he blocked those, spiders swarmed from all sides.
['Time Interval Lv. 2' is activated.]
[The caster's 1 second is split into 3.5 seconds, but the fatigue on the body accumulates at 5 times the altered time.]
But 'time' was on his side.
As the moon rose higher, Min-jun's greatsword began slicing through more and more things with each swing.
A spider leaping from below toward his body got caught on the upward-swinging greatsword that met Regina's downward-stabbing leg and shattered.
The greatsword, having blocked the attack and sent the leg floating briefly in the air, then plunged straight down toward the leg still planted on the ground.
Craaaaaack! Boom!
She began retreating step by step.
'To stably support her body, she needs four legs always on the ground.'
So while attacking me.
And defending against my attacks.
And evading—the moment three of her legs lift into the air at once.
That would be the perfect opening for a decisive blow.
'Just like right now.'
Min-jun stomped hard to stiffen the spider swarm and took one more step toward her.
He drew the sawed-off shotgun from his waist, infused it with holy power, and aligned it diagonally toward her torso.
"....!"
If only.
If Min-jun had been more skilled at handling holy power and could have charged the shotgun faster.
Or if the firefighter under Regina's control—clearly missed by Kim Geon-ho—hadn't been blocking her torso.
She would have died just then.
'Damn it.'
But in the end, Min-jun couldn't pull the trigger.
And she used that gap to vanish instantly into the darkness filled with spiderwebs.
Leaving behind the two threads Min-jun had angrily slashed through.
['Sub Quest – Defense' has been completed.]
[You have obtained the reward.]
[An uncompleted optional choice has been confirmed.]
[The quest is linked.]
Crack.
With that sound, two of the four dangling firefighters plummeted to the ground like puppets with cut strings.
* * *
The dawn that had seemed like it would never come yesterday now illuminated the small, cozy hospital director's office.
"I can only say thank you to the two of you. If it weren't for you this time, we'd probably be crossing the rainbow bridge by now."
On the reception table where the four sat were apples, neatly peeled and sliced, instead of the bottled water from yesterday.
Such fresh food was rare in this world, so it seemed they had used the Space Market to entertain their precious guests.
"Go ahead and eat. Even these are 30-hour apples."
At Kim Hak-beom's urging, Min-jun took a piece and put it in his mouth. The crisp texture and sweet juice filled his mouth.
Seeing that, Kim Hak-beom smiled warmly.
"But where's Sang-cheol? I haven't seen him since earlier."
"Ah, Team Leader 2 left first. He said he had something to do."
Min-jun recalled Kang Sang-cheol, who had taken a short nap and left immediately.
He had to hurry due to the mission entrusted by Dong-gil. Kang Sang-cheol had mentioned being delayed further by the unexpected battle and left the police hospital early in the morning.
'It was because of the newly appeared Star Lord, right? Name was... Flame Rex or something.'
He hadn't pinpointed the exact location, but since he was heading to support Team 3, it had to be around Ogeum-dong, Gyerim-dong, or Macheon-dong.
A Star Lord was his enemy too.
But for now, So-hee's matter was more urgent, so he could only join up after finishing this.
"I see. Then when do you plan to leave? Since it's come to this, treat this place like home and rest comfortably before you go. Aren't your bodies tired?"
"No, we were planning to hear the rest of the story we missed and leave right away."
"That's a shame. Well then... at least take this. Think of it as a token of our sincerity."
"What's this?"
Kim Hak-beom unfastened the bracelet from his wrist and handed it to Min-jun. It was a bracelet with a fingernail-sized blue gem embedded in twisted metal like wisteria vines.
"When we made the police hospital our base, I got this as a reward for the first achievement. It's a Rare-grade item I've cherished and used sparingly."
Laughing heartily, Kim Hak-beom stuffed the bracelet into Min-jun's arms like giving pocket money to a grandchild.
Having no choice, he accepted it and checked the item info.
「[Counterfeit: Multus]
Grade: Rare
Info: A bracelet that multiplies one item into 300 copies, limited to materials and consumables. However, as a counterfeit, it breaks if used more than the limit. (Uses: 2/3)」
'It multiplies consumables into 300? Then if I buy one top-grade 10,000-hour Red Potion and multiply it...?!"
It's a cheat.
I have to take this no matter what.
So what if it's been used twice already? The effect is this overpowered.
Embarrassment is temporary. You have to thicken your face for something like this.
"Tha—"
"...Haha! Actually, it's a used item. We needed a lot of Red Potions to treat the hospital staff. If it feels awkward to use, I can just take it ba—"
Before Kim Hak-beom could finish, Min-jun quickly slipped the bracelet onto his wrist.
"Oh, no, it's fine. I'm not picky like that. I'll put it to good use."
Kim Hak-beom's eyes seemed to wish Min-jun would refuse, but it was already done.
"Ahem... Alright? Well, that's good then...."
"Thank you."
Ptooey ptooey.
Trying to give it and take it back.
Min-jun hurriedly thanked him and, to shift attention from the Multus he'd received, brought up 'those people.'
His intentions weren't entirely pure, but his worry for them was genuine. After all, he was the one who saved them.
"By the way, how are 'those people' doing?"
"Oh? Those guys? According to Jong-seok, they're okay for now... but I can't trust that quack—"
"They were poisoned. He said it's dangerous to leave it too long."
Kim Geon-ho, who had been quietly listening, cut in shortly as his senior was mentioned.
He looked at Min-jun with a complicated gaze.
Kim Geon-ho had believed until now that once turned into Regina's puppet, there was no saving them. In fact, he had desperately tried to cut the strings controlling his team inside that demon realm, but no one had succeeded.
'And yet, in that situation....'
Min-jun had done it. For the first time, he severed those strings and saved the team members that Geon-ho had ultimately abandoned and fled from.
'....'
Though he didn't show it, Geon-ho felt a burning self-loathing.
If he ran once, he should have kept running this time too.
'Gyu-ho... wasn't dead.'
I killed Gyu-ho.
He had thought this wouldn't do, that in this state he couldn't protect anyone. But the guilt over his actions only deepened with time.
Atonement. He had to atone.
Geon-ho became convinced upon seeing the newly appeared tracking quest.
This was the gods' consideration, telling him to repay even a little of his sins.
「[Sub Quest – Pursuit]
Difficulty: C+
Clear Condition: Temporary measures only make things worse. Complete the following to solve the problem at its root.
① Eliminate 'Regina' (0/1)
Reward: Karma +0.5, 3,000 hours
Refusal or Failure: Karma -0.5」
He's right.
If those two weren't here and they got attacked again on the same scale, they would collapse helplessly.
That couldn't happen.
There was nowhere left to run, and even if there was, he had become someone who couldn't run anymore.
He had committed a mortal sin.
If Gyu-ho was alive, he had to save more lives than that one he could have saved.
In the end, the most likely option to defend this place, atonement for abandoning comrades in the demon realm yesterday and killing Gyu-ho, and the last chance to save his seniors lying in bed.
All of it led to following those two searching for Team Leader Kim Geon-ho into Garak Market.
Moreover, he had realized something big in this battle.
'That guy... I have a lot to learn from him.'
Lost in those thoughts, Kim Geon-ho suddenly shot up from his seat.
"Doctor, I have a request!"
"Docto.... Yes? What is i—"
Ignoring Min-jun's hand wave, Kim Geon-ho pressed on.
"I'm... going with you, Doctor!"
"Didn't you say yesterday you couldn't go?"
"Yesterday's situation is different from today's."
"....Pardon?"
"Geon-ho, what about Se-young?"
Kim Hak-beom, who knew why Kim Geon-ho wanted to defend this place, tried to dissuade him, asking what nonsense this was.
But Geon-ho had already made his decision.
"I'll protect Se-young. That's why I'm going there."
"Well, I'm in a position to ask you anyway, and it's good bu—"
Min-jun sweated bullets seeing him bow 90 degrees.
It was exactly what he wanted. Someone experienced with that demon realm would be a huge help.
Plus, filling Dong-gil's Silver-grade spot. No reason to refuse.
'But.'
From Kim Hak-beom and the police hospital's perspective, losing a powerhouse like Kim Geon-ho even briefly was a huge loss.
So Min-jun didn't accept right away and looked at him with a troubled expression.
"Have you really thought this through?"
"I have to go...."
"Alright, if you want to go, then go. Jong-seok opposed it.... But I wanted to go rescue those friends taken there from the start. Min-jun, since it's come to this, grant me a favor too. As a condition of sending Geon-ho, if you meet our kids, don't turn a blind eye...."
"...I'll do my best."
Contrary to Min-jun's expectations, Kim Hak-beom nodded as if this was meant to happen and let Geon-ho go.
It felt like his workload suddenly increased, but Min-jun decided to go with the immediate benefit.
'He's asking so earnestly, it'd be too stingy to refuse—'
If those people were still alive.... On the way to save So-hee's father, he could rescue them too.
"But I have a condition too."
Min-jun met the eyes of Kim Geon-ho, who was staring only at him, and opened his mouth.