Chapter 81
Chapter 81
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 81
Chapter Title: Melancholy, Truth Revealed
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**Melancholy, Truth Revealed**
[Hwayeon Chronicle Aaaah!] [Author: SkullSquadForever]
(Live stream screen of Kang Geun-cheol)
What the hell are these monsters bursting out?
These bastards had something hidden underground.
Knew it, lololol
- Lab or something?
└ Looks like a gate? They said there was an S-rank gate hidden.
└ But monsters escaping through just a hole like that? Kinda weird, right?
└ Fr.
└ It's gotta be a lab researching gate monsters, confirmed.
-No way lololol wtf, a hole punched through? Insane.
└ How'd they build it so flimsy?
└ This is kinda bullshit, though—who the hell drills 30m underground in a Hwayeon Facility? Lmao.
└ Thinking about the Hwayeon course, yeah, that's straight-up suicidal.
└ Lololol yeah, makes sense now.
└ And if Molrangtail's lethality is really A+, no wonder it punched through a bunker. Plus Kang Geun-cheol "enhanced" it? Lmao.
-So that's why S-ranks can't use the Hwayeon Facility.
└ Oh, true.
[Hwtf is this?][Author: LifeIsTotallyFucked]
(Photo of monsters rampaging downtown)
These
Fucking
Bastards
Where'd they come from?
Some damn lizard kid totaled my car— who do I sue for damages?
-(Real-time breaking news link) Go read this lololol
-Hwayeon underground, a few monsters escaped.
└(Author): Fuuuck, Hwayeon again?
└ Big blaze lololol
└(Author): You wouldn't be pissed? Last time those bastards' bridge collapse tanked my stocks, already had a shit week.
└ Dropped like 5%, right?
└(Author): That was Hwayeon—the design firm lost 50%, fuck.
└ So who told you to dump into penny stocks?
**
[Breaking news just in: All monsters that escaped from the Hwayeon Facility have been eliminated. Authorities are lifting the emergency measures and...]
"Whoa... this is serious."
The accident scene on the TV screen, with drakes blown to bloody pieces, made my brow furrow.
No clue exactly what kind of monster, but drakes are at least B-rank at the low end. They turned the city upside down in just a bit.
Sure, one drake would've been taken out quick with minimal damage.
[Total of 15 escapees confirmed, and they're still checking for unaccounted ones...]
A lot got out.
Lunchtime rush hour with crowds everywhere, so cleanup was a nightmare, they say.
At least no human casualties. Thank god.
"All those monsters from the lab?"
"Probably. Been rumors forever about a lab underground at Hwayeon or not."
"Didn't think it was real."
Yeah.
I figured there was a gate down there—pretty likely. Joo Haneul had dropped a hint once.
'They were researching monsters caught from gates, huh.'
Lab right by a gate. Genius move.
No risk of people finding out. No hassle transporting monsters.
"But Saebyeok, how'd it even break through? Damn, this is good."
Clink!
Jina, already on her second bowl, wiped her mouth clean and asked.
"Molrangtail demo... probably used 'Enhance' skill. That's what broke it?"
Hwayeon ain't some no-name guild—they'd build that bunker tough as nails.
Bonus: acts as a barrier to keep gate monsters in.
"'Enhance,' huh... scary power."
"Really? Looked mid-tier when I checked."
"You haven't teamed with the good ones, Hayoung. Did an A-rank 'Enhance' buffer back in the day? Total psycho."
Like Jina said, that's why Kang Geun-cheol's top dog.
Could've joined a high-rank party as a reviewer noob and still banked.
That skill maxed out Molrangtail's potential.
S-rank level power.
Even a solid bunker couldn't hold it.
Sirens blared, emergency exits popped, monsters escaped—disaster.
Don't know details, but lab's toast.
"And I bet the upper levels were built weaker."
"Shouldn't the top be tougher? Hwayeon Facility right above."
"Nah. About 20m under the fifth floor? They layered in a super-reinforced support stratum. Cuts off B-ranks and borderline A scrubs. Can't punch through."
"How do you know that?"
Huh.
Jina handles 'info' stuff, so she knows trivia, but this detailed?
She help design it or what?
"How? Hwayeon Facility guide lays it out."
"Ah."
Makes sense. Satisfied, I scooped another bowl of rice cake soup for Jina.
"Thanks. This is too good."
"Good ingredients."
"Nah, it's the touch. Been eating your food forever, Saebyeok."
"Yeah?"
"Marry me, sis. I'll bring home the bacon—you just make miso soup daily."
"Uh... I'd probably earn more?"
"Then I'll make miso... but I suck at cooking."
"Pfft... crazy bitch. Back to the story."
Slurp!
Giggling, Jina slurped a few spoons, then continued.
"So yeah, that's why they skimped on the upper reinforcement."
"Got it."
"And Hwayeon course is all combat—no earth awakener's digging 30m by hand. Saebyeok, how far'd it go?"
"Uh... 35m before the stream cut."
Slurp!
"35m? That's eleven apartment floors. Half a factory gone."
...Poking my sore spot outta nowhere.
Anyway, 35m blew past my estimates.
'When I did it, 15m was the limit.'
'Enhance' effect, probably.
15m's the realistic cap.
Could compress more slime blobs between bones for reach, sure.
'But stability tanks.'
Better not risk snapping mid-stretch.
[The killed monsters showed aggression beyond expectations, so there must be a reason...]
"Aw, poor things. So sad."
"What? The monsters? You in some monster lovers' club, Jina?"
"Crazy. That's for psychos."
"Then what's sad? Not even cute monsters dying."
True to form, Hayoung zero empathy—Jina tsked and spoke.
"Look at their eyes. Full of pathos. Pathos!"
"...Pathos?"
Hayoung blinked at me, stunned by the curveball. Same here.
What pathos?
"Monsters tortured in a lab, busting out—you don't get their sorrow?"
Oh, that pathos.
Normal gate escapees bolt opposite the city, hide to survive long-term.
These rampaged like maniacs.
Pure rage at humans?
Like, humans, sorry! vibes?
"Worked under corps like that— I know the vibe all too well!"
"...Fine, shut up and eat your soup. Going cold."
"How'm I eating with mouth shut?"
"Pfft... psycho bitch, why you so hyped today? Eat something weird?"
"Nicotine withdrawal. Day three. Career high. Look, hands shaking. Never shook this bad even at my worst."
Ah, explains it. Her vibe's off today.
Cigs are scary—wreck people like that.
"Just don't quit cold. Nothing harmful but the addiction."
"No way. Gotta quit to marry you. You hate cig smell."
"Was that serious?"
"Nah. Even if I were you, no marrying me."
"True."
"...Harsh."
"But compensation? Hwayeon must be pissed."
No issue.
They claimed officially it was monsters prepped for the facility that escaped.
Better to cover civilian damages that way.
Tap tap!
[DragonRaiserWannabe: What about the live vid you uploaded?]
[IronManKangGeun-cheol: Hwayeon offered to have it taken down!]
[DragonRaiserWannabe: Just asking?]
[IronManKangGeun-cheol: Offered 100 mil.]
[DragonRaiserWannabe: Gonna do it?]
[IronManKangGeun-cheol: Manly Kang Geun-cheol never takes down an upload, even unto death—my creed!]
Solid.
Yellow tag warning, took it down, reups like a boss.
Vid didn't show lab direct anyway.
'Hole wasn't wide—just faint light and fragments.'
Enough though.
[Authorities say they'll analyze retrieved monster corpses to pinpoint the riot's cause.]
Hunter Association'll sort the truth.
Hwayeon's big in Korea, but can't flex on the Association.
...Though they got plants in there.
'Baekya's on containment too.'
City rampage means losses.
If needed, nudge Quantum? Not that tight yet.
"Good promo though."
"Promo?"
"News hyping Molrangtail indirect—like 'this badass'."
"Oh?"
Spot on. Love calls pouring in.
Ding!
[DeathLikeTheWind: Molrangmol VIP here—prebuy Molrangtail?]
[KinaKiDist: Exclusive Molrangtail deal? Way better terms than Baekya, overseas routes included.]
[RiceGodEater: You banked hard. Toss some freebies.]
Molrangtex less after Baekya collab announce, but now flooded.
Kang's stream was the boost.
And that's not all.
"Baekya broadcast tonight?"
"Yeah. Base specs, gear grades all there."
"Results already? How's the rating?"
"You'll see later. Finish up, dishes on you two."
"Okie~"
Left cleanup to them, headed to factory first floor.
One thing to send Joo Haneul before broadcast.