Chapter 106: Healing Impossible
Sa-hyeok froze on the spot.
Honestly, it was a scene he couldn’t have imagined.
Leaving Sa-hyeok dumbfounded, In-su’s wife broke open the shotgun, ejecting the spent shells.
Push-
The shells ejected with a burst of gas.
Two 12-gauge buckshot rounds.
She calmly reloaded the empty chamber with two more rounds.
Instinctively, Sa-hyeok reached for the Thunderbolt Needles at his waist.
He was prepared in case the barrel turned towards him.
But that didn’t happen.
Bang!
She fired the shotgun at In-su again.
At the already dead body, again.
Bang!!
Two shots, emptying the chamber, reloading, and firing again.
Bang!
Her actions were extremely calm and controlled.
An attitude filled with the intent to k*ll, to make absolutely sure he was dead even though he already was.
It was a motion rehearsed and practiced countless times in her mind.
For this moment, to k*ll Sung In-su, how many times had she simulated this murder?
She continued to pull the trigger.
Ejecting shells, reloading, firing.
Ejecting shells, reloading, firing.
Only after she had fired all eleven 12-gauge rounds did she lower the barrel.
But that wasn’t the end.
Thud! Thud! Crack!
She started to beat In-su’s corpse with the b*tt of the gun.
She struck the already tattered body countless times.
There were no words.
Only actions spoke for her.
She was laughing.
At the same time, she was crying, and at the same time, she was filled with rage.
Hatred swirled in her eyes.
A sense of liberation erupted.
Emotions that had been suppressed for who knows how long, emotions burned black, she poured them all out through violence.
Sa-hyeok didn’t stop her.
He couldn’t help but understand her hatred, at least a little.
How much exploitation and abuse had she endured to possess such clear and cold hatred?
Sa-hyeok’s mouth tasted bitter.
“Huff, huff……”
Was it because she ran out of strength?
Finally, she stopped.
A terrifying silence briefly settled.
And then-
Click.
She pointed the shotgun, with one shell remaining, under her chin.
In that moment, Sa-hyeok remembered.
The image of Sergeant Im, attempting suicide with a gun in front of him, months ago.
Instinctively, Sa-hyeok threw himself forward.
Bang!
The gun fired, but she didn’t d*e.
Sa-hyeok had grabbed the barrel and changed its direction.
The last bullet only pierced the empty air.
She stared at Sa-hyeok with empty eyes.
Sa-hyeok stared back.
A brief, but heavy silence flowed between them.
And then-
Clang!
Sa-hyeok snatched the shotgun from her hand and threw it to the ground.
“Sob, sob……”
She buried her face in her hands and began to weep, and Sa-hyeok silently looked down at her.
Pitiful and heartbreaking.
That’s how it ended.
Just then.
Whirr-
A drone flew towards Sa-hyeok from afar.
It was Bang-ul-i.
[Brother!]
“Oh, hey. Did you finish copying all the data here?”
[Of course I did. I even recorded everything that happened here…… That’s not the issue, Brother! Why are you in such a mess?!]
“If I got away with these burns and wounds after fighting an S-rank, I’d say I got off easy.”
[Oh my, look at these burns and wounds. Are you okay?!]
“……Actually, I think I’m dying. Got any stimulants?”
[Stimulants in this situation?! Don’t you have any health potions?]
“No.”
These bastards gave me poison instead of health potions.
[Then let’s call 119 right now……]
“We need to contact Ms. Polar first, before 119.”
Polar Greyney.
A high-ranking official of the
Sa-hyeok had asked to call her before the paramedics.
[Why her all of a sudden?]
“Because of this.”
Sa-hyeok held out the jar in his hand.
The jar containing the sealed
It had been cracked once by In-su, and now Sa-hyeok could only barely maintain the seal with his telekinesis.
“Connect to my phone and send a text to Ms. Polar. Tell her we secured an artifact called
Bang-ul-i composed the text as Sa-hyeok dictated and sent it to Polar.
Then, it sent a rescue request message to 119.
After sending everything that needed to be sent, Sa-hyeok simply collapsed onto the ground.
He didn’t even have the strength to move.
He was using what little energy he had left to maintain the seal on the jar.
How long had he been sitting on the ash-covered ground?
Thud-
Jang-hoon slowly approached Sa-hyeok.
Jang-hoon saw it all.
Sa-hyeok, completely drained, In-su’s wife in a daze, and the corpse of his own brother, Sung In-su.
Jang-hoon stared blankly at his brother’s body.
Sa-hyeok spoke.
“……I’m sorry.”
“Forget it, he deserved to d*e. He tried to k*ll us first.”
Despite his words, a deep bitterness tinged his voice.
Jang-hoon plopped down next to Sa-hyeok and asked.
“Hey, you know you just beat an S-rank Hunter today, right?”
“Well, he did call himself S-rank.”
“And you’re a C-rank.”
“On paper, yes.”
“Just who are you, Sa-hyeok?”
“I’m wondering that myself.”
They sat there in a daze for a while, then Jang-hoon spoke again.
“……I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“I was the one who suggested coming here.”
“As if you knew this would happen. And it’s not like we didn’t gain anything.”
Saying that, Sa-hyeok glanced down at the double-edged sword at his waist.
The junk artifact he obtained from this Root Gate raid.
‘And I probably…… grew my Circle quite a bit. I was roughly at 3.5 Circles before, so this time, hmm……’
Sa-hyeok looked around for something that could serve as a mirror.
He could only check his Circle through a mirror.
But all he saw was farmland reduced to ashes.
‘……Forget it, I’ll check later.’
Thinking that, he spaced out again.
Just then.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-
The sound of a helicopter’s rotors echoed from afar.
The helicopter was flying straight towards them.
Polar was coming.
And-
Eeeeeeeeeng!
The sirens of ambulances and police cars wailed from the entrance of the village.
Those who would conclude this situation were gathering.
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“Mr. Min! What happened?!”
Polar rushed towards Sa-hyeok as soon as she got off the helicopter.
Sa-hyeok said,
“It’s been a while, Ms. Polar.”
“No, it’s only been a short time since the golem raid, and you’re already a mess here?!”
“I fought a strong one.”
Slide
Sa-hyeok handed the jar to Polar.
Her eyes widened when she saw it.
“……That’s the
“Please take care of it. I’m out of energy, I can’t hold onto it anymore.”
“Bring the A-rank sealing device right now! Immediately!”
Polar shouted towards the helicopter, and the staff hurriedly brought the device.
A heavy, metallic, cylindrical device.
Sa-hyeok placed the jar inside the sealing device as Polar instructed.
Click.
Sealing complete.
Only then could Sa-hyeok breathe a sigh of relief.
Sa-hyeok asked Polar,
“I contacted you because it seemed like a dangerous artifact…… Is this actually a forbidden artifact?”
“The
“Ah, I see……”
“But Mr. Min, with the Contaminated Golem Seed and now this, you seem to have a talent for sealing artifacts……”
“……?”
“You should really come to the Quarantine Organization. We’ll properly provide you with an office and a company car.”
“I’ll decline.”
“Awww.”
Just then, a large man approached Sa-hyeok.
Polar’s assistant, Rob.
His class was Regeneration Sorcerer (Healer).
He was a familiar face, having been with them during the golem dungeon raid.
“It’s been a while, Mr. Sa-hyeok.”
“Ah, it’s good to see you again.”
“I’ve taken a look around the area…… Almost everyone seems to have been electrocuted and burned to death. Is it because of the
“Yes.”
“Oh dear……”
Rob looked around with a bitter expression.
Then, suddenly, someone caught his eye.
It was Jang-hoon, sitting nearby.
Rob spoke to Jang-hoon.
“Are you alright? You look a little pale……”
“Ah, I’m fine. Just a little tired…… Yes, tired…… but……”
Thud!
Jang-hoon suddenly trailed off and collapsed.
Sa-hyeok cried out in alarm.
“Jang-hoon-hyeong!”
“Ugh……”
Sweat poured down like rain.
Pain as if every pore on his body was being pricked with needles.
Agony as if his insides were being scrubbed with sandpaper.
Withdrawal symptoms from the addictive drug, ‘Chosu’, that In-su had fed him.
He had managed to endure it for a while with the stimulant Sa-hyeok had given him earlier, but ultimately, it was only a temporary measure, unable to provide a fundamental cure.
As soon as the stimulant wore off, the pain returned with a vengeance.
“Uwaaagh……!”
“Rob! Use your healing skill! Quickly!!”
Rob immediately cast his healing skill on Jang-hoon.
A green light enveloped Jang-hoon’s body.
But even with continuous healing, Jang-hoon’s pain didn’t subside.
Rob said with a grim expression.
“……The healing isn’t working.”
“What……?!”
“If skills can’t heal him, we need to move onto potion treatment! We need to transport him as quickly as possible!”
Just then.
“Uwaaaaa!”
Bang!
Jang-hoon thrashed and struck the ground.
Jang-hoon was an A-rank Combat Hunter.
Even a random swing of his fist was enough to crack the hard ground.
Polar’s expression hardened when she saw that.
“……Mr. Min, in that state, we can’t use our helicopter.”
Polar was right.
Whether it was a car or a helicopter, one thrash like that inside would destroy the transportation.
Sa-hyeok spoke to Jang-hoon in a desperate voice.
“Hyeong-nim, try to stay still! Do you want to d*e here?!”
“Ugh……!”
“No, please……!”
Then, a solution came to Sa-hyeok’s mind.
Clatter!
Sa-hyeok untied the Iron Arms of the Bone King and bound Jang-hoon tightly.
He wrapped and tied every part of his body that could move, his arms and legs.
“Mmmppph……!”
After turning Jang-hoon into something resembling a pupa in a cocoon, Sa-hyeok spoke to Polar.
“Would you be able to take him on the helicopter now?”
“……As long as you maintain that restraint.”
“I’ll take responsibility. Please go straight to the Kwonmu-mun Guild Headquarters. They have a specialized treatment center for Hunters there.”
After a moment of consideration, Polar nodded.
Tatatatata-
The helicopter took off, carrying Sa-hyeok, Jang-hoon, Polar, and Rob.
The helicopter flew at a speed of 300km/h.
The weather was clear, with nothing obstructing their flight.
Considering the distance between Seoul and Hamyang, they arrived at the Kwonmu-mun Guild Headquarters in no time.
Having received Sa-hyeok’s message beforehand, the treatment center was fully prepared.
The waiting Regeneration Sorcerers and potion specialists immediately began treating Jang-hoon.
An antidote to neutralize the addictive drug was administered, along with painkillers, and several Regeneration Sorcerers worked together, casting multiple layers of amplification spells on the medication.
During that time, Sa-hyeok waited outside the treatment room.
Meanwhile, Polar and Rob had taken the helicopter to another location to completely seal the
Tadatada!
Jeong-kwon rushed into the treatment center after hearing the news.
Jeong-kwon asked Sa-hyeok,
“What happened?!”
“Well……”
Click.
The treatment room door opened, and one of the Regeneration Sorcerers walked out.
He said,
“As of now…… treatment is nearly impossible.”
“What……?!”
“His body is rejecting the effects of almost all potions.”
“What about healing skills?”
“Healing skills restore the body to a normal state. However, in the case of drug addiction, the body recognizes the addicted state as normal, so healing skills are ineffective.”
“……Is there no other way?”
“We’re currently looking for other methods, but……”
The Regeneration Sorcerer trailed off.
It meant the situation wasn’t hopeful at all.
What could they do……
‘Ah.’
Sa-hyeok turned on his phone.
And hurriedly made a call.
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30 minutes later.
A luxury sedan pulled up to the main entrance of the treatment center.
The staff’s eyes widened when they saw the people getting out of the car.
“Isn’t that the DAVO Vice Guild Master……?”
“He’s the Guild Master now, Cheon Hun is dead.”
“But why is he here?!”
The person who got out of the car was Byeon Il-gu, the second Guild Master of the DAVO Guild.
To be precise, it was Cheon Hun disguised as Byeon Il-gu using the Human Skin Mask.
