“I’m administering the prototype treatnt now.”
Shhhhh… A translucent chamber filled with foggy white smoke. Through the hazy glass, two figures were visible—one with a mischievous smile and the other wearing a cold, blank expression. Gayoung leaned casually against the wall, twisting a strand of her hair, while Nam Woo-jin stood silently. Then—
Thud!
A grotesque, twisted beast’s hand suddenly shot out from the fog, clawing at the glass wall. The white, fur-covered hand with sharp claws pressed against the barrier. A guttural growl reverberated through the chamber. Gayoung twirled her hair lazily and muttered with a smirk.
“Failed again. Not that I expected otherwise.”
“Doesn’t seem to have even the slightest effect.”
“Exactly. Still useless~ as always.”
The monster trapped inside the chamber opened its enormous maw, revealing disturbingly human teeth. The sight grew more unsettling the longer one looked at it. Monsters with remnants of humanity—did any shred of their forr selves remain? Nam Woo-jin’s thoughts wandered montarily as he observed the creature.
Gayoung turned her back nonchalantly. “Hmm~ How about we conduct a tissue analysis? Who knows? Maybe the cells have changed.”
“You seem particularly fond of experints that involve hacking up bodies.”
“Of course! They yield the most reliable data.” Gayoung giggled, her eyes sparkling behind her glasses.
“Oh! Don’t tell … You’re not seriously thinking that thing is still human, are you?”
“…”
“You’re unexpectedly softhearted. How amusing.”
“Instead of mocking , why don’t you co up with another approach? The number of mutants keeps increasing.”
“Hm? Isn’t the governnt and the Awakener Managent Bureau working hard to keep this under wraps?”
“There’s only so much they can suppress. Eventually, the truth will leak.”
“Oh, how chaotic it’ll be when people find out humans are turning into monsters… I’m looking forward to it already~”
Gayoung let out a low chuckle and nodded in farewell. “I’ll be off now~ Oh! Please have one of its fingers cut off and sent to my lab, will you? Thanks in advance, partner.”
“…Fine.”
“Much appreciated~” Her footsteps faded as she walked away. Despite their friction, the collaboration with Protheus continued. Gayoung had set up shop in a secluded corner of the Seowon Guild’s headquarters with her team of researchers. Though their access was heavily restricted, they claid it didn’t matter.
The Protheus researchers had a peculiar duality: an intense hatred for Awakeners paired with a twisted form of love for humanity. Their conversations often revolved around a singular idea:
“We’re the ones who can save humanity.”
“Just a little more effort, and we’ll succeed.”
On the surface, they sounded like righteous crusaders, but their sense of justice was undeniably warped. Background checks revealed that most Protheus mbers carried tragic histories: families lost to monsters, cris committed by Awakeners, or entire lives destroyed by dungeon ruptures. Their grief had been carefully nurtured into resentnt toward Awakeners—likely by the leader of Protheus.
Nam Woo-jin removed his glasses and rubbed his face as a boy approached him with light, quick steps.
“Master, shall I amputate the finger now?”
“Yes. Fulfill her request. And never let your guard down.”
“Of course, Master. Minggijeok is also assisting. Together, we’ll handle it.”
Nam Woo-jin nodded silently. The boy, wielding an axe as tall as himself, disappeared through the iron doors into the chamber. The monster inside stared at the boy, opening its jaws wide. A chilling scream echoed through the space.
Kreeeeaaaah!
White blood splattered against the glass, trickling down in streaks. The grotesque sound made guild mbers wince and cover their ears. Nam Woo-jin, however, remained expressionless as he observed the scene.
Was this transformation of humans into monsters a disease, a curse from the system, or a cruel twist of fate? Could humanity’s strength alone stop it?
“Is this effort even aningful?”
Reversing a mutation or preventing it from spreading felt like an impossibly distant goal.
The boy returned, his small hands clasped in front of him, white blood dripping from them. On his palm rested a severed finger, still oozing.
“I’ve returned, Master.”
“…Good.” Nam Woo-jin reached out to take it but paused. For a fleeting mont, he saw a skeletal, mummified hand in his mind. Shaking off the thought, he clenched his fist in the air and lowered it.
“Boy.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Work with Minggijeok to establish a communication route with Yoon Gaeul.”
“Understood, Master.”
The boy vanished, leaving a trail of white blood behind. Nam Woo-jin put his glasses back on, staring through the glass at the monster as it clawed at its wounds, letting out cries eerily similar to a human’s.
118 Hours Until Cha Uijae’s Death - Seowon Guild
Uijae sat leaning against a collapsed bookshelf. His sight had yet to return, but he spent his ti among piles of books regardless. Unable to see, he relied on his fingers to trace the spines of books, picking out titles that seed promising. Without any special markings, even that was a struggle.
Reading?
“That’s Sa-young’s job.”
Uijae opened a book, glaring at the darkness before him. Nothing but blackness greeted him.
To avoid revealing his blindness, he had concocted a hasty lie during the group’s division of research tasks, claiming that he hated books and always fell asleep when reading. Sa-young and Honeybee, without a shred of doubt, believed him.
It left him feeling insulted.
“Do they think I’m an idiot?”
He was the one who wrote the Monster Encyclopedia—a survival bible for rookie hunters. They grew up reading my work! Uijae smacked the pile of books next to him in frustration. A faint sound of footsteps drew closer, followed by a quiet voice.
“J, are you here?”
It was Gaeul. Uijae nodded toward her voice. She let out a sigh of relief and whispered, “Thank goodness… Please don’t go anywhere, okay? Promise .”
“I’ll stay put.”
“Good… Please, just stay safe. Really.” Her voice was heavy with concern as she left. Uijae exhaled, resting his head against the shelf.
When they had first arrived at the Seowon Guild, Nam Woo-jin had co barreling toward them like a wasp exterminator, wielding a stethoscope he promptly used to smack Sa-young’s head. The sharp clang! echoed through the hall, but before he could strike again, Jeong Bin intervened.
“Let go! Why are you stopping ?!”
“Nam Woo-jin, sir, you’ll hurt your hand! Please, calm down!”
“I don’t care if my hand breaks—I’m going to knock so sense into that insolent brat!”
Sa-young, surprisingly, stayed quiet, though his expression suggested he was ready to kill soone.
After delivering a passionate tirade about Sa-young’s reckless behavior and its potential consequences for J’s fragile body, Nam Woo-jin collapsed, clutching his neck, and had to be escorted away by Gaeul. Jeong Bin turned to the remaining group, his calm smile unnerving as he addressed Honeybee.
“Honeybee, Ma Tae-bok is looking for you. Please return with Romantic Opener.”
“Oh dear, I’d better hurry!” Honeybee shot Sa-young a glance.
You bailing?
Yup.
With Romantic Opener slung over her shoulder, she left without a second thought. That left Sa-young and Uijae alone with Jeong Bin, who handed Sa-young a hamr and nails.
“You’ll fix the wall you broke yourself, won’t you?”
Sa-young clicked his tongue but obediently took the tools. Jeong Bin smiled at Uijae.
“As for you, J…”
“…”
“You’d best stay here and rest. You’re not in good health.”
Uijae nodded reluctantly. He had no desire to test Jeong Bin’s patience further.
As the rhythmic clang, clang, clang of Sa-young repairing the wall echoed in the distance, Uijae stretched out on the cold floor. The mix of aged paper and wood scents felt oddly comforting. Just as he closed his eyes—
Thud.
Sothing fell on his head. Uijae jerked away just in ti to avoid the impact. Scowling, he picked up the offending object.
“A book?”
It felt small and old. He ran his fingers over the textured cover and brittle pages, recognizing it imdiately.
“…Ah!”
The mory of a strange, doll-like boy’s voice ca back to him:
“You’re the first to find this book. Do you recognize it?”
“It was discovered in a dungeon, but no one has been able to read it. It’s written in our world’s language, though the magic of the dungeon may have distorted it. Or perhaps it’s from another world entirely. For safety, the Seowon Guild keeps it under lock and key.”
This was that book—the one he’d stumbled upon while searching for Sa-young.
There’s definitely sothing to this!
Gripping the book tightly, Uijae growled silently to himself.
“Great. A massive problem for soone who usually solves everything with brute force.”
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