Chapter 140
Chapter 140
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 140
Chapter Title: Saving Sama Young
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I slipped out of the Justice Guild building quietly, without anyone noticing.
The streets of Jongno at dawn were completely empty, not a single soul in sight.
The only signs of life were a couple of environmental workers clearing trash from the roadside now and then.
"Heading to Yongin, right?"
"Yes, that's right."
While riding in the taxi I'd booked through my phone app toward Yongin, I gazed out the dark window and sorted through my thoughts.
Just like the reawakening of the Justice Guild twins, Sama Young's reawakening would trigger once certain conditions were met.
The trigger was 'betrayal by a brother.'
So, my plan was simple: go in, cure his Dark Addiction, and get out.
I was recalling scenes from the book one by one, mapping out my tasks and route, when the taxi sped through the deserted dawn streets and arrived at the destination in no time.
No, it had already arrived.
"This apartment complex, right?"
"Yes. Thank you, driver."
"You're welcome. Heard a gate opened nearby yesterday—be careful out there."
I'm actually heading straight to that gate.
I deliberately got dropped off a bit away from the gate and walked a few blocks.
No ants in sight, seriously.
As the taxi driver had said, people avoided areas near a newly opened gate due to the danger, which was normal for a few days.
But this level of eerie silence, without even a hint of human presence, felt unnatural.
Even more so since the Association staff guarding the gate entrance had vacated the area.
Someone had pulled strings in advance.
Sama Jeong, you bastard. You've really set your mind to this.
I clicked my tongue inwardly and settled into a dark corner near the gate—one where I had a clear view of the entrance, but they wouldn't easily spot me.
There was still a little time before dawn broke.
I plopped down on my butt and fixed my gaze on the gate rippling darkly.
Today, Sama Jeong planned to kill his half-brother, Sama Young, right here.
How could Sama Jeong, an A-rank non-combatant like me, take down Sama Young?
The secret was hidden in today's news headline about Sama Jeong's return from abroad.
'A drug developed in collaboration with the United States.'
Honestly, reading that part made me wonder if the true villain of The Final Chronicle wasn't Sama Young, but that bastard Sama Jeong.
The drug Sama Jeong brought back from America forcibly induced a hunter's rampage.
I had no idea why they'd even research something like that.
Anyway, Sama Jeong, specialized in potion-making like Im Cheong-su, had rushed back to Korea with the rampage drug the moment it was ready.
To kill Sama Young.
The method was pure hunter style.
Leave the rampaging, powerless Sama Young behind, destroy the dungeon core, and close the gate.
That way, no body would ever be found—erasing Sama Young from the world completely.
Sama Young somehow reawakened to S-rank in that state and survived, but the drug caused the darkness to infiltrate his brain, driving him mad.
And not in a good way.
In simple terms, today was the day Sama Young would be reborn as this world's greatest villain.
And I have to stop it.
Selfishly speaking, it would be easier to block him from exiting the gate altogether.
Then Sama Young, the constant thorn in the Justice Guild's side, would just vanish.
But to avert the apocalypse, every hunter counted—especially future S-rank ones like Sama Young.
So, I had no choice but to cure his addiction before the darkness overtook his mind completely and slip away quietly.
My fate, huh.
I swallowed a sigh that threatened to escape despite myself when—
A presence appeared before the gate, which had been as quiet as if no stray cats even roamed the neighborhood.
"That vicious bastard."
"Please head back to the guild for treatment, Director."
"Not the guild—quietly call a healer to the house."
"Understood."
Sama Jeong, blood streaming from a deep gash on his arm, got into a black car while talking to his subordinate.
I'd worried a few might stay behind to guard the gate.
Fortunately, they were in too much of a hurry to clear out.
"Whew, let's go."
Once Sama Jeong's car was completely gone, I bolted straight for the gate.
They would've destroyed the core before leaving, so I had at most an hour left.
I needed to heal Sama Young quickly and get out before the gate closed.
The moment the queasy sensation of passing through the gate ended, I started running.
No time to admire the dungeon's scenery.
Thud, patter-!
The dungeon was dead silent, my footsteps echoing deafeningly as I pounded the floor.
Thanks, Mr. Jeong!
Thanks to the shoes he'd gifted me, I was practically flying.
"Sama Young, where are you?"
I sprinted, hair whipping in the wind, desperately recalling details from the book.
"A charred plain... Ah!"
I remembered the strategy video from yesterday afternoon.
The meadow where Sama Young had burned everything with his skills.
"Second field, right?"
Luckily, it wasn't far from the entrance.
I didn't hesitate, accelerating toward the second field.
Moments later, I arrived at the vast plain, blackened and reduced to white ash.
It had once been dotted with massive tree-shaped monsters, but Sama Young had torched them all.
And far in the distance, in the strangely untouched green center, a faint human figure lay collapsed.
A man staring blankly at the sky with dilated pupils, black tears streaming from his eyes.
It was Sama Young.
Is this death?
Sama Young had that thought and let out a chuckle.
Or tried to.
But his body, consumed by rampage, was no longer under his control.
He couldn't see, couldn't hear, couldn't move as he wished.
Even the horrific pain that had felt like it was burning every nerve had faded.
So this is dying.
Finishing the dungeon clear had left him momentarily off-guard—that was his mistake.
He shouldn't have mindlessly drunk the water handed to him by some Association nobody instead of his trusted aides.
By the time he realized it contained Sama Jeong's drug, the rampage had already begun.
I should've killed that bastard Sama Jeong.
Clinging to the resolve not to go down alone, he'd endured the agony and attacked, but only managed to slash one arm.
If his subordinates had been half as useless, it would've been a treatable wound by now.
"Huuu."
A boiling sigh escaped Sama Young's lips.
Whether a laugh or a pained groan, who could say.
I should've taken complete control of Sama Group. Made that bastard Sama Jeong crumble before my eyes.
Separate from death's approach, rage over what he'd failed to seize burned his soul, intertwined with the rampage.
Then, something popped into his mind.
That woman.
The fearless one who'd dared block his path to protect the Justice Guild.
What was her name?
His mind fading, even her name escaped him, but those sharp eyes glaring at him remained vivid.
An incomprehensible woman.
Why?
Why protect the Justice Guild so fiercely?
The longing in her eyes was different from his own.
Not the desire to possess, to destroy if he couldn't have.
Is that what affection is?
It might be, or might not.
But if it was...
It would've been beautiful.
If those eyes had yearned for him, Sama Young.
If she'd shown him her vulnerable back, guarding him instead of the Justice Guild.
That's a pity.
With that uncharacteristic thought, something from the earth pulled him under like sinking into sleep.
Grab.
As if jolted from deep slumber, someone yanked him from the abyss.
...Who?
Rampage symptoms varied wildly among hunters.
Depending on personality or awakening state, they differed vastly.
Some lashed out wildly at their surroundings; others, like Yu Ga-young at the hospital recently, vomited black blood in agony.
But Sama Young's rampage resembled Han Ji-seong's.
Given his usual behavior, I'd expected him to rampage around, setting everything ablaze.
Not lie here, utterly surrendered, dying blankly.
"Unexpected."
I waved my hand in front of his vacant, staring eyes to confirm he'd completely lost consciousness and muttered.
"He's totally out."
Lucky for me.
I could finally remove my mask and catch my breath after sprinting full-tilt.
"Hoo, hoo."
After a few deep breaths, I checked Sama Young's condition.
"They really butchered him."
Even without the rampage, his state was critical enough to drop dead any second.
No—if not for being an A-rank hunter, he'd have crossed the Styx multiple times over.
I hadn't planned to linger; just stop the rampage and leave.
But first, I needed to staunch the bleeding.
"W-what the...?"
My stamina had plummeted like that in one go.
Reluctantly, I pulled out a stamina potion and downed it.
Yeah, I know.
If I'd drunk Im Cheong-su's elixir, potion count wouldn't matter.
But I'd already given my share to Yu Ga-young to recruit Yu Jin-rok.
Asking Im Cheong-su for more would just get me a squinty-eyed "What for?"
So I'd secretly bought a few top-grade stamina potions.
"Fine, as long as I don't drink five."
I glared at Sama Young, still shedding black bloody tears, and gripped his hand firmly.
Sama Jeong, you son of a...
Watch your back at night, seriously.
What kind of vicious drug did he feed him to cause this?
No wonder he rampaged so insanely after reawakening.
I shot a glare at the nonchalantly sprawled Sama Young and began the purification.
In the end, I chugged another stamina potion.
And another.
After the fourth potion, I was still staring at '???%' when—
"Ugh, seriously."
Did I really need to go this far to save Sama Young?
Just let him die and bail?
All sorts of thoughts flashed through my mind.
But my lotto, my money, pulled me back up.
No, made me lie on top of Sama Young.
Straddling his prone body, I laced my fingers and pressed down, muttering.
"If you go dark and mess with the Justice Guild after all this, I swear."
I even buried my face in the nape of his neck.
Then activated the skill again.
Finally.
But no time to celebrate.
To halt the ongoing rampage, I needed to drop the addiction rate below 100% at least.
With slightly trembling hands, I alternated glances between the stamina potion from my sub-space and the still-rampaging Sama Young.
I racked my brain recalling the status ailment roulette from before.
Last time luck was bad, but there were decent ones too.
Like 'Feverish' or 'Motion Sickness,' and surprisingly, even rewards.
Stuff like 'S-rank for 1 hour.'
"Screw it. I've come this far—am I really turning back now?"
I popped the fifth potion, gulped it down, and hugged Sama Young with my whole body.
Then used the skill again.
"Yes! Done!"
If only it ended there.
Still atop Sama Young's body, I'd just thrown my hands up in victory when—
The damned system status ailment roulette spun before my eyes.
Ding-a-ling-!
Phew, lucky!
If it'd been 'faint' or something while on top of Sama Young, I'd be in real trouble.
How would I explain that to people?
But this tame ailment?
Just hole up in my room for 12 hours and avoid everyone.
"Gotta head home quick..."
Grab.
I bent my knees to stand, but my wrist was caught.
Only me and Sama Young in the dungeon.
So...
"Huh...?"
Sama Young, who should have been unconscious, was looking at me.
His eyes still blurry, vision not fully returned.
But he was definitely seeing me.
And that damn mouth of his finally opened.
"You... who."
Shit!
I raised my hand to cover his mouth, but the status ailment was faster.
"I'm Nayeo-ju."