Chapter 166
Chapter 166
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 166
Chapter Title: Nayeo-ju Saves the World
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Late at night.
I slipped out of the guild quietly and arrived at the Korean Awakener Hospital.
Having been here a few times before, I glanced up at the now-familiar building for a moment before heading to the director's office.
The door was left ajar right on time for our appointment, revealing Director Seo Yu-baek's profile as he pored intently over something.
I hesitated, wondering if I should step out and come back so as not to disturb his focus, but he lifted his head as if sensing my presence.
"Come on in, Nayeo-ju."
"Knock knock. Excuse me, Teacher."
"What would you like to drink? Coffee? Water?"
"Any juice, by chance?"
"I had a feeling you'd ask for juice, so I prepared some."
How did he know my tastes?
I gulped down the cold orange juice he handed me.
But it wasn't just any juice, apparently.
"Oh?"
Seo Yu-baek explained to my surprised expression.
"It's regular store-bought juice with my skill applied. Drink up without worry."
"Anything from you, Teacher, I'd drink blindly."
"I know you're joking, but with you, Nayeo-ju, it feels like you really might, and that worries me a bit."
It wasn't a joke.
Pretending to inspect the juice bottle, I rolled my eyes, and Seo Yu-baek let out a small sigh.
I needed to change the subject quickly.
I set the bottle down on the pristine white table that resembled him and said,
"Thanks for agreeing to my request today, Teacher."
After soothing Seong Yo-na, who was shocked by the breaking news, I'd called Seo Yu-baek with my plea.
To see if I could check Hunter Kim Min-jeong's condition myself.
It was a request that might seem inappropriate to a doctor responsible for their patient, depending on the perspective.
So I'd braced for rejection, but surprisingly, he'd readily set up this appointment.
"Mm, no need to thank me. Truth be told, I was thinking of contacting you myself. Hunter Kim Min-jeong is a patient that's been weighing on my mind."
"Is she a friend of yours or something...?"
"No, nothing like that. It's similar to your case, though. My skills don't work on her at all."
Seo Yu-baek gave a slightly bitter smile.
"Two years ago, when Hunter Kim Min-jeong was brought in, I was a bit arrogant. Thinking no one could die if I used my skills on them. But."
"Your skills didn't work on Hunter Kim Min-jeong at all?"
"Yes. Not just me—no healer in the hospital could heal her."
Hold on.
That was strange.
"Even external wounds?"
"Yes, even those."
"Then..."
"Exactly. Hunter Kim Min-jeong still carries all those wounds from back then. So when you offered first, I have to admit, I felt a bit relieved."
A small sigh followed his words.
"I'm showing you an unflattering side today, like a friend."
Seo Yu-baek had always been so calm and serene.
Yet here he was, speaking of Hunter Kim Min-jeong almost like a confession of sin—quite different from his usual self.
Smaller, somehow more vulnerable.
"No time to sit around. Let's go."
I shot up from my seat.
"That's what friends are for—when things get tough!"
"You're so reliable."
He chuckled lowly in his throat as he rose, back to his usual composed demeanor.
"Hunter Kim Min-jeong, excuse us for a moment."
Seo Yu-baek spoke as if addressing a conscious patient before opening the room door.
"Hello. Excuse me as well."
I followed with a quiet greeting and entered the room.
Beep, beep, beep.
The quiet, pristine room hummed with the noises of countless machines.
At the center, tangled like grapevines in wires and tubes, lay Hunter Kim Min-jeong.
"Ah."
I'd prepared myself mentally to some extent.
But seeing her condition, a startled voice escaped me involuntarily.
I'd imagined mere scratches and cuts from hearing she still bore wounds from two years ago.
But her state was far worse than I'd pictured.
"Really... just like that..."
Seong Yo-na had said Hunter Kim Min-jeong rampaged inside the dungeon.
That she'd lost her reason and attacked her comrades.
Hunter Kim Min-jeong seemed frozen in that exact moment.
Her half-open eyes were bloodshot to the point of redness, and black veins bulged across her skin.
Blood seeped through the bandages wrapping her arms and legs, hinting at wounds beneath.
As I stood still, scanning her, Seo Yu-baek approached the bedside.
And without a word, he changed the bandage on her left arm.
It felt like an apology from a doctor powerless to ease a patient's pain.
Being too kind can be a problem sometimes.
That's probably why someone like him ends up dying while treating people during a dungeon break.
I shook my head inwardly and pulled up Hunter Kim Min-jeong's status window.
My original goal in coming here was just to confirm her exact condition and relay it to Seong Yo-na for peace of mind.
But I can't just walk away after seeing this.
Something was off.
According to the status window, Hunter Kim Min-jeong was currently berserk.
I cautiously asked Seo Yu-baek.
"The black veins and appearance make her look like a berserk hunter."
"You're right. She might well be in berserk."
"But she's been like this for two years. How could she stay berserk for so long...?"
I peered at Hunter Kim Min-jeong's status window again.
Paused.
What if someone hit the pause button on a washing machine mid-cycle?
No matter how much time passed, the clothes and water inside would remain unchanged.
If Hunter Kim Min-jeong is in a similar state...
Then her current condition made sense.
When Dark Addiction reaches a certain level, hunters berserk.
The accumulated dark matter then expels from the body, restoring stability.
I approached the bed and took Hunter Kim Min-jeong's hand.
And activated my skill.
Damn it.
Was it really impossible?
But then the system made a suggestion.
Are you insane?
Still, being able to attempt Dark Purification was something... No way!
I checked my stamina.
In short, time for another random abnormal status draw.
But I had Im Cheong-su's tonic...
Why? Why? Why on earth?
I asked several more times, but the system kept repeating the same response.
"Haa."
I surrendered.
The silver lining was having Seo Yu-baek here.
"Teacher, mind locking the door for a sec?"
"...Nayeo-ju?"
After locking the door and returning, I took Hunter Kim Min-jeong's hand again and asked Seo Yu-baek,
"I'm going to try something."
"Does it involve using your stamina?"
"Yes, but more than usual."
His expression darkened at my answer.
"No, Nayeo-ju. You don't need to go that far..."
"She's important to me too, Hunter Kim Min-jeong. I really want her to wake up."
That way, Seong Yo-na could clear her name.
If Hunter Kim Min-jeong regained consciousness and testified to what happened in the dungeon, Seong Yo-na could walk anywhere with her head held high.
"If I collapse like last time, don't panic—just lay me on a soft bed. I'll wake up after some rest."
"...Understood."
With his response, I closed my eyes.
For some reason, it felt like I'd need way more focus than usual.
First time trying to dispel an abnormal status while using two skills at once.
Let's do this.
Don't chicken out, Nayeo-ju.
It was dizzying.
Gravity seemed to multiply tenfold; my whole body grew heavy, breath catching.
"Hurk."
A few seconds felt like hours.
The moment I thought Thank goodness, the hand I held—Hunter Kim Min-jeong's—seemed to twitch faintly.
But before I could open my eyes and check her status, new messages flooded my vision.
And then, somehow flashier than last time, a roulette wheel spun noisily before my eyes.
Ding-a-ling-a-ling—
Ding!
"Urk!"
The instant I finished reading the message, something hot surged up from my gut.
Before I could hold it back, I doubled over and vomited bright red blood.