Chapter 27
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: The Monsters Awaken
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This isn't because of me, right?
Anyway, thanks to Chan-seong's help, I managed to track down the manager.
As we waited where they told us to, I spotted the manager rushing over from afar, panting heavily.
"Student Su-hyeon! You vanished so suddenly—I was scared half to death. You have no idea how long I searched for you."
Sweat beaded on his forehead, and his neatly tied necktie was now askew.
This guy's been through it too.
A twinge of guilt washed over me.
"Sorry... I was just looking around for a bit..."
"Next time, I might have to hold your hand, haha."
"......"
He was probably joking, but you never know when a casual toss of a stone might accidentally kill a frog.
...He is joking, right?
I had plenty to say, but since I'd messed up, I kept my mouth shut. Chan-seong, standing behind me, nodded quietly in agreement.
"Not a bad idea."
"Huh? You're the short-term visitor, right? Kang Chan-seong, was it?"
The manager eyed Chan-seong with a look that screamed, What are you doing here? So I quickly explained.
"He's someone I know. We ran into each other by chance, and I asked for his help."
"You've done well."
"Ah, I see! What a coincidence! You're very fortunate. The A-team is about to clock out anyway, so why don't you head home first?"
With the mystery cleared up, the manager offered a handshake and expressed his gratitude.
As we exchanged these mundane pleasantries and caught our breath, I noticed the professor emerging, signaling the end of his conversation.
"I'm here. Student Su-hyeon. Nothing happened, right?"
"...Yeah, more or less."
"Nothing happened, haha!"
The manager and I exchanged a quick glance and silently agreed to pretend it never occurred.
I avoided the embarrassment of admitting I'd gotten lost like a clueless 23-year-old, and he dodged a scolding from his boss.
It was a win-win.
"How did the talk go?"
The manager asked the professor about the results, but his expression was subtly off—things apparently hadn't gone as hoped.
"I think I approached it too much from a researcher's perspective. It doesn't seem to have caught the interest of the other board members yet. Sorry for dragging you out here on the weekend, Su-hyeon."
"Oh, no, it's fine. I didn't have anything else going on... The exhibition was actually fun to wander around."
"That's a relief, then."
"Um, Section Chief? Are you alright right now...?"
Someone approached and spoke to the manager.
Judging by the name tag, another staff member.
The manager's face hardened as he listened to the whisper.
"What's wrong?"
"It's nothing, Doctor. There seems to be a minor management issue... Sorry, but I need to step away for a bit. Please don't mind me."
The manager and his subordinate excused themselves and hurried off after getting our okay.
So the manager guy's title was section chief.
"Looks like some problem cropped up."
"Yeah, well... I'm just a technical advisor, so it's best for everyone if I stay out of operations like that. But this is...?"
The professor finally noticed Chan-seong standing there like a statue and looked mildly surprised.
"He's, uh, my friend? Kang Chan-seong. He's helped me out a few times before."
"...Friend?"
"...Friend?"
"...?"
Surprise flickered across their faces.
One of them even seemed a little moved.
Fine, the professor I get, but why's he shocked?
Just a year's difference makes us friend material.
Truth be told, he'd been one-sidedly blunt with me, so senior-junior respect was off the table.
I couldn't go under him as the older one, so friend it was.
Simple logic of elimination.
It was a bit early for lunch, so we decided to browse the rest of the exhibition before heading out.
The professor seemed a tad awkward around Chan-seong at first, but he quickly adjusted when Chan-seong trailed silently behind us.
In fact, when I mentioned Chan-seong was a hunter, the professor got excited and started explaining things.
"There are so many people here at the exhibition. Must be because it's the weekend—lots of families."
"We made it as kid-friendly as possible. No scary or gross stuff, and we separated the corporate sections too."
"Yeah, it kinda feels like a monster-themed amusement park."
The vast, open exhibition hall.
At its center stood the enormous skeleton of some giant, like a scene straight out of a dinosaur movie.
Above the magic beast taxidermy entrance hung the ogre head model I'd seen coming in with the manager.
A boy hopping up to touch it.
His little sister clinging to Dad, whining that the ogre head was scary and begging to be put down.
People posing for photos behind the massive jawbone in its glass case.
Middle-aged ladies admiring the dried, flower-like displays of otherworldly plants.
It all looked so peaceful.
They must've invested a ton.
"If we could research Student Su-hyeon's abilities, we might even build a real theme park. Not just that—it could revolutionize research, transporting otherworld plants, maybe even breeding or cultivation. If we figure out how it neutralizes magic, it could be the next big crop."
"Ah, hehe..."
The professor still seemed hung up on my abilities.
Nothing much to say, so I just chuckled awkwardly until an angry shout drew my eyes elsewhere.
"What's the difference right now? We should be finding the cause instead of wasting time like this!"
"We can't pinpoint the cause yet. So for now...!"
"Close the doors and evacuate without knowing why? You kidding? That's your job! If you don't know, what are we paying you for? And if we evacuate and it's nothing—what then? You got any idea the backlash we'd face?"
"But..."
The commotion came from two floors up.
Thanks to the open atrium, I could see the manager arguing loudly with a potbellied middle-aged man.
The gut guy was clearly the boss.
"Director Kim? Something must be up."
The professor said, following my gaze upward.
The shouting man had shifted to lecturing the manager now.
"It's just the temperature rising a bit, humidity up a tad, right? Crowds pack in, that's all. To me, it looks like proof the exhibition's a hit, and you're gonna kill the vibe? You guaranteeing my results here?"
"No, it's not impossible, but just in case..."
Something was definitely wrong.
Hmm, shoulda left right away. Did I jinx it...?
Fights make me uncomfortable.
My neck shrinks back like a turtle's.
As I quietly put distance between us and the noise...
As Su-hyeon passed by, the massive magic beast's eye beyond the glass snapped open.
"Eek!"
Thud.
Startled, Su-hyeon plopped down on her butt.
Her low center of gravity meant it didn't hurt much.
Just dirtied her backside a little.
"You okay?"
"Ah, haha. The effects are really well done..."
She let out an embarrassed excuse while calming her racing heart. Chan-seong approached.
"Swamp wolf. Head that size? Could be a boss specimen."
A massive beast covered in brown fur, face like a weird wolf-beaver hybrid.
But those eyes were murderously fierce.
I tried pushing up from the ground, but my legs were jelly and gave out.
Just as I grabbed Chan-seong's offered hand to stand...
I spotted the professor looking panicked.
"Effects? I didn't hear about anything like this...? Wait...!?"
Other areas were showing strange signs too.
Green dwarves hurling rocks from inside their cases.
A horned beast pacing in its enclosure, tentacles scraping the glass toward a child out front.
Smaller beasts waking first, one by one.
The kid's mom-like figure sensed it too and hastily pulled her child away.
Bad vibes.
Then—
Crack.
The thick reinforced glass in front of me spiderwebbed with cracks. It was a huge panel for a large beast display.
Pure white fractures obscured everything beyond.
And a stench hit.
Kyahhh!
Screams erupted everywhere.
But they were soon drowned by a louder crash.
Shattering glass. Big and small shards rained down.
Chan-seong hurriedly shielded the seated Su-hyeon.
But beyond the slowly pouring fragments, the beast's jaw was thrusting forward.
Glass he could block with his body, but the beast?
Pathetic.
Today, her lack of combat skills felt more miserable than ever. All those muscles she'd built were useless in the crunch.
Her father had protected people despite his small frame.
Chan-seong covered Su-hyeon's little head with his hand.
Bang—
The air exploding?
No—the beast's head bursting?
Whoosh—
"Ngh!"
Glass shards poured over them.
Thankfully just small pieces—no major injuries.
"Brüel!"
Su-hyeon peeked out from behind Chan-seong's shoulder and shouted happily.
There stood a woman in a pitch-black helmet.
Military knives in both hands.
"My apologies, Lady Su-hyeon. I should have acted sooner."
"No, that was perfect."
Fortunately, no one seemed seriously hurt.
The beasts were still breaking out mostly from the large hall; everyone else was fleeing.
Brüel eyed the brute still holding Su-hyeon, her brow twitching.
About to yell at him to let go—then she spotted his wounds from protecting her and paused, offering polite thanks instead.
"Sir, thank you for protecting Lady Su-hyeon in my stead for that moment. But might you now release my lady?"
"Mm, sorry about that."
Chan-seong, thankfully, hadn't minded.
"W-Wait, your back!"
Su-hyeon gasped at the sight once out of his arms.
His back was a bloody mess.
Work clothes shredded, tiny glass shards embedded, one hand gashed to the bone.
"I'm fine. Healing's my specialty."
True to his word, the wounds seemed to knit slowly, but way too slow.
Hard to tell if it was healing or still bleeding.
"You're E-rank! What do we do!? ...Ah!"
Panicking, Su-hyeon suddenly remembered her grandmother's words.
'My power works on plants and animals alike. Plants are just easier. So then...'
She placed a hand on the crouched Chan-seong's shoulder.
"Su-hyeon?"
His face: confusion, worry...?
She felt like she understood the man's emotions right there.
And then... something connected.
"This is...?"
Chan-seong's body glowed yellow.
His wounds healed at a much faster rate.
Glass shards popped out of his back and clattered to the floor.
"...I didn't know you were a healer stronger than me. Impressive, Su-hyeon."
"Healer... not sure about that. But no more pain anywhere?"
"Good as new. Maybe even healthier than before."
"Lady Su-hyeon, we're out of time."
Brüel had sliced up nearby tentacles and other beasts. But plenty more were stirring, and the giant central skeleton twitched.
"If you command it, I'll escort you to safety immediately."
"Wait..."
Su-hyeon spotted the professor collapsed nearby.
Rushing over, she checked—he'd passed out from the fall's shock, but no visible trauma. Lucky.
Stragglers yet to evacuate. Buckled barriers failing. Beasts multiplying.
Resolve hardened in Su-hyeon's eyes.