Chapter 103
Chapter 103
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 103
Chapter Title: Unleashed Fury
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Let's turn back time for a moment, to two weeks ago.
Inside a thick cloud of green gas, Do-jae held his breath.
'I'll have to pop one more.'
*Pssh-!*
As the gas slowly began to disperse, he pierced the swollen back of a large monster, causing another massive cloud of gas to erupt.
Do-jae endured the stinging sensation on his skin and waited a little longer.
'It should be soon...'
After a while, the message he had been waiting for appeared.
[The resistance of the skill 'Golem Armor' has increased.]
'There it is.'
Do-jae opened the skill information for Golem Armor.
There was only one thing he needed to check.
Resistance: Sonic (50%) / Downpour (30%) / High Heat (55%) / Electric Shock (20%) / Severe Cold (35%) / Dryness (25%) / Poison (80%) / Paralysis (62%)
'Good, it went up.'
Do-jae's focus was on the 'Poison' and 'Paralysis' stats.
The others had increased significantly while obtaining the Blood Armor of the Golem; the poison and paralysis resistances were more recent acquisitions.
"Haaa! Hooo..."
Do-jae took a deep breath in and out.
His throat stung, but it was bearable.
*Swoosh-.*
He swung his arms wide.
They felt a little stiff, but not enough to be a problem.
"Alright."
Do-jae smiled as he walked out of the green gas.
This gas was emitted by a monster called a Sand Whale, released from small holes on its back.
It was named for its resemblance to a whale surfacing to spout water vapor.
The Sand Whale's gas was highly toxic. For an ordinary awakened individual, the moment it touched their skin, blisters would form.
If they were to breathe it in, their lungs would melt, resulting in instant death.
Despite how dangerous the gas was, Do-jae had not only withstood it after bursting the Sand Whale's poison sac but had also taken a deep breath with only a slight numbing sensation as a result.
'Most poisons shouldn't be a problem now.'
Being able to withstand the Sand Whale's poison meant he wouldn't even flinch at most other toxins.
He wasn't completely impervious to all poisons, but he had reached a state close to it.
Stronger poisons, like a Poison Breath that could melt bones on contact, did exist, but such attacks were not something one encountered easily. Of course, even if he were hit by a Poison Breath, he would likely be able to endure it to some extent in his current state.
'I'm so sick of fighting monsters with poison after all this time.'
If there was a dungeon with poisonous monsters, Do-jae would conquer it, even sacrificing his sleep.
Having raised his resistance to a satisfactory level, he continued his dungeon raids while breathing in the fresh air.
***
Returning to the present, where he was drenched in the chimera's poison.
With his 80% poison resistance, Do-jae was, of course, completely unaffected by the chimera's toxin.
It just felt like a refreshing mist on his dry face.
But Do-jae had stood still for another reason.
'Jang Ji-woo...'
A naked, emaciated, and gaunt body.
A splayed pelvis that made it seem as if legs were attached to its abdomen, like an insect.
What made it even more grotesque was the torso, twisted 180 degrees, causing the belly skin to hang loosely downward.
Jang Ji-woo, one of the MID agents who had tailed Do-jae months ago, had become a chimera and was now spewing poison.
'We weren't exactly on friendly terms, but...'
Although Do-jae had only met Jang Ji-woo briefly, and even then, had just knocked him unconscious and left him behind, the fact that he was a familiar face shook him.
*Grip-.*
'A bastard like this should be eliminated on the spot...'
Do-jae gripped the hilt of Black Scale tightly.
If it weren't for Kang Young-chan and the other members of the Suppression Corps, he would have lopped off Choi Dong-wook's head right then and there.
No matter how much the world had changed, there was a basic level of humanity.
Park Chan, Jang Ji-woo, and the other chimeras.
Do-jae felt he had endured enough.
"You vile bastard. I was going to take you nicely, but that's not happening now."
"Impossible! How is my poison not working?"
*Woooong-.*
Do-jae opened his subspace.
He reached in and pulled out a large lump of iron, which fell to the floor with a loud clang.
*Thud-.*
"All I need is your head."
"What are you doing, you fools! Attack him together! Park Chan, are you just going to stand there!"
Choi Dong-wook shouted at the chimeras.
But not a single one could bring itself to approach Do-jae.
Not even Park Chan.
*Creeak- Screeech-!*
The iron lump on the floor began to flow like liquid, reaching the tips of Do-jae's boots.
Then, like salmon swimming up a waterfall, it rippled and leaped, climbing up his legs.
"You won't be needing your legs, will you? You won't need your arms either."
"You idiots! What are you doing!"
The shrinking iron lump passed Do-jae's waist and rose to his chest, covering him.
All the while, Choi Dong-wook continued to scream frantically, but the chimeras didn't move.
In that time, the iron was completely absorbed, forming the Golem Armor of Iron. A dark aura began to rise from Do-jae's entire body.
"Wh-what is that unsettling smoke..."
*Step-.*
"Don't worry. I have a very effective styptic."
*Step-.*
"Damn it! Park Chan! Attack that bastard!"
The chimeras trembled, unable to move. Only Park Chan flinched and took a hesitant step forward.
Do-jae casually waved a hand at him.
*Swish-.*
*BOOM-!*
A mass of mana flew from his hand, exploding on impact with Park Chan.
The force sent Park Chan flying into a wall, which crumbled upon impact.
"Then again, you can just attach monster limbs, can't you? Maybe this is for the best?"
"You bastard! What are you talking about?"
"I'm saying I'm going to cut off your limbs. You keep asking simple questions. Are you dumber than you look?"
"Cut off my limbs... How could you do that to a person..."
Do-jae slowly approached Choi Dong-wook.
The man's trousers grew damp as he backed away.
Watching a middle-aged man piss himself wasn't a pleasant experience.
"What about them, then? Are they not people, for you to have done that to them?"
"I... I evolved them! They should be grateful to me!"
"Then you should be grateful to me, too."
Do-jae grabbed Choi Dong-wook by the collar and lifted him up.
Yellow liquid dripped from his pant leg.
*Shing-.*
Do-jae raised Black Scale.
After the battle with the Death Knight, Black Scale had become even sharper.
It felt as though it could slice through Choi Dong-wook's body without even getting blood on it.
"Guh... N-no..."
The tip of Black Scale pierced his thigh.
It sank into Choi Dong-wook's flesh as smoothly as a new kitchen knife cutting through tofu.
It felt like it would cut cleanly through the bone without any extra force.
But just then.
"Hyung-nim! Stop!"
Young-jin rushed over in a flash.
He immediately grabbed Do-jae's hand holding Black Scale and pulled it away from Choi Dong-wook's thigh.
Then, he struck the back of Choi Dong-wook's neck with the side of his hand, knocking him unconscious.
"Man, you really have a habit of trying to cripple people, don't you?"
Do-jae snapped back to his senses.
Seeing the blood on Black Scale, he realized what he had been about to do.
"...My apologies."
"Huh? No need to apologize..."
"I was too on edge. I didn't need to go that far."
"Sigh. I'm one to talk, but you're the one who really needs a break. You haven't rested recently, have you?"
A rest.
Do-jae tried to recall the last time he had rested.
"You're right. When was the last time I rested?"
Come to think of it, he hadn't taken a proper break since returning from the other world.
His body had become so strong that it didn't require much rest; thirty minutes to an hour of sleep was sufficient.
He spent the rest of his time clearing dungeons or reading.
There had been things like the dinner invitation from Eun-hee's family or small get-togethers with his guild members, but it was hard to call those 'rest.'
After all, his mind was constantly filled with thoughts of leveling up and quests.
In other words, Do-jae had never truly rested with a clear mind.
"Jeez... Let's wrap this up and you should take a full day off. No matter how strong you are, a person's brain is soft, you know!"
"What are you talking about...?"
"Never mind. Anyway, Choi Dong-wook is one thing, but what should we do with the chimeras?"
Do-jae looked around.
The chimeras had all stopped moving.
Knowing what they were on the inside, Do-jae couldn't bring himself to kill them.
"Let's move Choi Dong-wook first. We'll leave the rest to the people outside."
"Outside? Is there someone else here besides us?"
What if it was possible to restore the chimeras' consciousness?
Would those who were brought back truly be happy to be alive?
Could they handle their disfigured, monstrous bodies?
Still, Do-jae thought they should be given a choice. He sent a short text to Kim Soo-kyung.
[Don't kill anyone.]
***
"You've worked hard."
Back at the secluded house in Hwacheon.
This time, there was no need to go underground, so they sat and talked in the living room.
"This is just the beginning. I wouldn't call it hard work."
"No, finding Choi Dong-wook was a great achievement in itself."
"Kim Soo-kyung was the one who found him. If you want to praise someone, praise him."
"My, my. Were you always like this? Why are you so prickly today?"
"......"
Do-jae silently sipped his iced tea.
In truth, he was on edge, just as Kim Hwan-soo had said. It was because a full week had passed since they captured Choi Dong-wook, and he had heard nothing.
He had expected them to immediately start treating Choi Dong-wook and Kang Young-chan, or to decide whether to save or kill the humans-turned-chimeras, but the continued silence was frustrating.
"If it's because you haven't heard from us, please understand. I've also been struggling to decide what to do with Choi Dong-wook."
Kim Hwan-soo said with an apologetic look.
Do-jae sensed his sincerity and nodded.
"So... what's the decision?"
"For now, I've decided to hand him over to Kim Soo-kyung. Everything related to the chimeras, and Young-chan as well."
"That means you're finally going to start the brainwashing process."
"That's right. It will probably take quite a long time."
As Kim Hwan-soo said, brainwashing Choi Dong-wook couldn't be done in a short period.
If it were a simple mental magic like erasing memories or slightly twisting them, as was done to Choi Woo-seok of Higgledy-Piggledy Wholesale, it would be simple. But Choi Dong-wook was different.
His knowledge and experience had to be preserved intact, while his ideology and principles had to be changed—a complex task.
It wasn't something that could be finished with a single spell; it required the continuous injection of a different consciousness.
That was why some of the MID agents who had followed Park Do-hwan were still undergoing the process.
"It seems there's nothing I can do for now. Then why did you call me here?"
"I called you to give you this."
Kim Hwan-soo handed Do-jae a black rod in a box.
"Did you take this from the chimera?"
"Yes. I wanted you to take a look at it."
"Understood. I'll examine it carefully."
Do-jae took the core and stood up.
There was no reason for him to stay any longer.
"And this, too."
Kim Hwan-soo took a neatly folded piece of paper from his pocket and handed it over.
"What's this?"
"Yoo Seong-woon left it."
Do-jae unfolded the paper.
Written on it in crooked handwriting were two words.
-Thank you.