By Zephyria 341
Honeybee cautiously opened the door and surveyed the hall. Eui-jae also peeked out to assess the situation. Four or five Hunters were already standing in the Guild hall. Most of them had bandages wrapped around various parts of their bodies, likely summoned after coming for treatment. The boy standing before them said in a monotone voice.
“Patients undergoing treatment are experiencing collective seizures. We need assistance in suppressing them.”
“Suppressing? Not treating?”
“They are Mutant patients. Also, the key point is suppression, not disposal. I judged that it would take too long to handle them alone, so I requested assistance.”
The Hunters murmured amongst themselves. Mutant patients were difficult to deal with, and I injured my arm… They all seemed hesitant. It was understandable. The strength of Mutants was as powerful as Monsters, and there was a risk of getting further injured or even killed. One of the Hunters raised his hand.
“What about breaking their limbs?”
“Please refrain from that as much as possible.”
“Tsk, so demanding. Do we really have to do this?”
“No, it’s not mandatory. It’s a request.”
“Then I can’t do it. My injured side still hurts.”
“Me too. Can I go back to lying down?”
“Yes, that’s fine.”
“I don’t want to get hurt again after coming for treatment.”
The Hunters scattered and left. The boy stared at the empty hall before turning and disappearing into the corridor. Honeybee clicked her tongue.
“Hunters these days have no guts.”
“They probably don’t want to die.”
“Even so, if they’re left unattended, the situation could get worse, right?”
“We can’t force sacrifice.”
“……”
A sharp gaze fell on Eui-jae. Eui-jae adjusted his mask and asked.
“What?”
“It’s just, hearing you say that…”
“Say that?”
“Makes me want to hit you.”
“Excuse me? Out of nowhere?”
“I don’t know, I just want to hit you. Just one hit.”
“But why all of a sudden…!”
Eui-jae grabbed Honeybee’s arm as she lunged at him with a fist and wrestled with her. She swung her arm wildly, as if she genuinely intended to hit him. Her swift punches were slightly overwhelming even for him. Just as Eui-jae was about to propose a truce, a sly voice struck his ear.
“What’s this~? When did you two become so close?”
“Ugh.”
Honeybee flinched, shuddered, and grimaced. Light sky-blue hair appeared at the bottom of the stairs. Gyu-Gyu waved with a beaming smile.
“Hi~ Long time no see~”
“Get lost!”
“Hey, that’s harsh. We’re not that bad, are we~? And.”
He strode up the stairs two steps at a time and stood right behind them.
“Even if I wanted to get lost… you’re blocking the door like this~?”
“……”
Murderous intent flashed in his bright brown eyes. Eui-jae, sensing the mood, released the arm he was holding. Honeybee gritted her teeth and slammed the door open.
“Get lost, now.”
“Oh my, how scary. Aren’t you curious why I’m here?”
“I don’t give a damn, so shut up and get lost!”
“But I want to tell you. Ah, J, long time no see~ How have you been? Huh?”
Gyu-Gyu grabbed Eui-jae’s hand and shook it up and down. Damn it, how should I react? Should I tell him to get lost with Honeybee? But Gyu-Gyu was quick-witted. Before Eui-jae could say anything, he leaned against the door and began to chatter.
“Well, it’s nothing much, but my mother has s-slight Mutation symptoms. She’s been admitted to the Seowon Guild.”
“…Mutation symptoms?”
“Yep~ So, I’m here to visit.”
“…But why did you crawl up from downstairs?”
“Ah~ I went to see the Doctor but got kicked out. I heard the Doctor collapsed too?”
Honeybee hesitated for a moment before asking.
“Did he hear what Marionette said?”
“Thanks to my good hearing. I was on my way to help, but ta-da, you two are blocking the way!”
“……”
“Well~ I’m not blaming you. Just explaining the situation, so don’t make that face. Shall I go?”
“…Wait a moment.”
Gyu-Gyu stopped opening the door. Honeybee said through gritted teeth with a fierce expression.
“…I’ll go with you. I was going to help anyway.”
“Oh? Really~?”
“Shut up and let’s go!”
“Ouch, ouch, don’t kick my butt!”
Eui-jae followed behind the two. Honeybee, who was walking with her arms crossed, lowered her voice and asked.
“What is it? You should go back to the ward.”
“I feel like I need to move around a bit to clear my head.”
“……”
Honeybee bit her lip and abruptly turned her head away. She probably felt the same way.
“Do as you please.”
“…Thank you, Honeybee.”
“Don’t say things that don’t suit you.”
Gyu-Gyu, who was walking ahead awkwardly, said in a sly voice.
“You two are really close…. Can’t I be friends with you too?”
“Who said we’re close!”
He was kicked in the butt three more times before finally shutting his mouth. Gyu-Gyu skillfully found his way to the ward where the Mutants were staying. The closer they got to the strong smell of disinfectant and medicine, the louder the commotion became. There were sounds of something breaking and screams. Finally, they stood before a thick iron door.
Gyu-Gyu took out a card key from his field jacket pocket and swiped it on the machine. Beep, the light above the door turned green. He cautiously pushed open the iron door and whispered.
“Let’s split up from here. My mother is my top priority.”
Gyu-Gyu winked and disappeared. Honeybee sighed softly and composed herself. She drew her Rapier and looked at Eui-jae.
“Don’t overdo it, just help moderately. Got it? Moderately!”
“I understand. I don’t want to end up back in the ward either.”
“Hmph, finally you’re making some sense.”
Honeybee gave a faint smile and disappeared after Gyu-Gyu. Eui-jae held onto the closing iron door and peered inside. The interior was already a mess. The corridor lined with several doors was teeming with Mutants. The sound of people screaming, their bodies mutated in various places, echoed in his head.
A piercing headache struck his temples.
[I hate it! I hate it! I hate it!]
[I don’t want to Mutate!]
[It hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts]
“……”
The hidden meaning beneath the people’s screams was etched into his mind. He held onto the door and lowered his head. His stomach churned. His vision flickered dizzily. No, he had to endure. Eui-jae swallowed the rising nausea and took a step inside, and immediately something lunged at him.
Thwack! Eui-jae grabbed what had lunged at him with a strong grip. It was a boy whose head and skin were turning white, choking as his neck was grabbed. His mouth and hands had already mutated like a Monster. Sharp teeth chattered, and razor-like claws tore at his sleeve. But they couldn’t even scratch his skin. The boy struggled.
“Kiiiek…!”
“Please ease the strength in your hand. I’m concerned his neck might snap.”
An emotionless voice said. Marionette quietly approached even in the chaos and bowed his head.
“I heard the story. Thank you for coming to help.”
“No. But, how do I….”
“The room number is written on the chest of the patient gown. You can return them to their room. The door can be locked from the outside.”
As he said, the number 108 was written on it. Eui-jae held onto the struggling boy and checked the room numbers. Room 108, Room 108….
‘Found it.’
The door was wide open. The inside of the room looked like a normal hospital room. It was much more humane than the rooms where the Experiment of Prometheus were kept. Eui-jae pushed the boy, who was trying to bite his hand, into the room and slammed the door shut.
‘The locks are fine, so why are they all out here causing a ruckus?’
The answer to his question came from Honeybee’s angry voice from beyond.
“Are you crazy like Master? Saying you’ll release them all and deal with them at once because it’ll take too long to calm them down one by one is bullshit! You’re the type to jump off the 20th floor because you’re too lazy to walk down the stairs!”
“I judged that it was better than the Mutants breaking the doors and repairing the locks.”
Ah.
Eui-jae awkwardly rolled up his torn sleeve to his elbow.
‘…Well, wasn’t it a reasonable judgment in its own way?’
Thinking thoughts that would have earned him a flying kick from Honeybee if she had heard them, he began to snatch the rampaging people one by one.
…After that, a sharp gaze followed him as if observing him.
Gyu-Gyu fiddled with his lower lip, chasing after the figure flying around. His hair was as white as the rampaging Mutants. It had become a little brighter than the last time he saw it….
He had collected numerous cases of Mutation from the time his mother showed symptoms until now. Mutation mostly occurred in civilians, and it was rare for Awakened to show symptoms. Whether the System was protecting them or there was another reason was still unknown.
The blood of Mutants was white, their bodies turned white in various places, and they soon turned into Monsters. The speed of Mutation varied, but it was slower for the families of Awakened.
‘It would be even slower for Awakened….’
A possibility stirred in his mind. Gyu-Gyu fiddled with the dice in his pocket. Jung-bin approached him.
“Gyu-Gyu, how is the situation? How is your mother….”
“Yeah~ My mother is fine. The situation is, well, as you can see. The hero is flying around.”
“Someone who should be resting more….”
Jung-bin sighed. Clatter, the dice rolled in his pocket. Gyu-Gyu looked at the scattering gray hair and opened his mouth.
“Are you close to J?”
“Excuse me? Why are you asking that all of a sudden?”
“Well, I was wondering if you’re close enough to share your inner thoughts.”
“……”
“It’s just my guess, but I think the hero is hiding something.”
Jung-bin’s expression slightly hardened as he touched his disheveled hair.
“…Are you suspecting Mutation?”
“The Mutation progression is slower for Awakened than for civilians. His hair color is getting brighter, and there might be other Mutation traces on the parts covered by his clothes….”
“……”
“Besides, he survived the West Sea Rift. I don’t know what happened inside, but I thought it would be good to check for any possibilities, just in case~.”
Gyu-Gyu leaned his back against the ward door. He could hear his mother’s sobs from beyond the door.
“You know….”
Thud, J suppressed a rampaging giant and pinned him to the ground. He flinched, shuddered, and lowered his head. The hand pinning the giant trembled slightly. But only for a moment, J lifted the giant as if nothing had happened.
Did he think no one would notice? It was so obvious.
Gyu-Gyu smiled bitterly.
“I don’t even want to imagine what will happen when J becomes a Monster….”
He patted Jung-bin’s stiff shoulder and whispered.
“…Check it out.”