So you guys are heroes?
Jane woke up and stared at us vigilantly.
I had even handed over my hero license, but her expression was still full of lingering doubts.
Its written here. The A-Rank hero, Choi Noah. Cant you read, noona?
You dont think I can read? Are you looking down on because I live here? I was just asking because you might have made it up!
Why would I bother doing such a thing? It wont be very useful here anyway.
I wouldnt have any qualm killing her if building my hero performance wasnt so difficult
There was no need to bother pretending to be a hero in places like Kowloon where the law was blind.
Only the law of the strong existed.
As if she had realized that fact, she alternated between my face and the hero license before eventually shouting.
Fuck! You shouldve told you were a hero from the beginning! I thought you were a human hunter!
Didnt I tell you? I made it clear a mont ago that I would save you.
What, who the hell would believe that after you tied up all of a sudden?!
Thats because noona stole from us first. Or should I just arrest you?
Fortunately, the misunderstanding was resolved smoothly and she no longer shouted at .
She folded her arms and sat in a slanted posture as she looked at .
HaaSo. What is a handso hero doing in such a dump? People like you usually dont care if people here die.
Her voice was full of malice. How dare she act so insolent to soone who wanted to help her as much as possible?
I wanted to break her habit, but unfortunately, she was a key person in this Challenge.
She dies and my reward would be gone.
Huulets just rember the reward. Think of the reward only.
I suppressed my creeping irritation. In any case, there were a lot of things to find out from her.
Do you happen to know anything about Eighth Layer Hell?
Eighth Layer Hell? You an those dangerous guys from the news?
Yes.
I know it by na. But why are you suddenly asking that?
Im chasing them right now.
With an anxious look, she asked back.
No wayDont tell theyre in Kowloon or sothing?
I dont know about that, but its clear theyre related to this place.
Shit!
Her face crumpled and she cursed.
Judging from her reaction, it seed she really didnt have a direct relationship with Eighth Layer Hell.
Sure enough, it couldnt be that easy.
So, first of all, I had to save this girl according to the Challenge and then I can get the next clue it seems.
And unless I know what was needed to save her, wed better act together for the ti being.
Also, now that I knew she was the future Night King, I had to find out where she had found my sword.
I dont know whats going on, but I dont want to get involved in dangerous things for no reason, so Im leaving. Anyway, Im sorry I tried to steal from you, so lets not see each other again.
She turned her back in a hurry and walked away at a high speed. No, it was more like running than walking.
Looking at it for a mont, I stretched out my hand to restrain her movent.
I couldnt let my reward run away.
Her body stopped in the sa running posture. She imdiately looked back at and shouted.
Wh-what! Hurry up and release !
Like watching a worm in a spider web, she struggled desperately.
Noona, it would be a problem if you left like this.
Why! What the hell are you doing this for? I have nothing to do with anything!
Ive made it clear to you. I said Id save noona. So Ill stay at noonas house for the ti being.
H-huh? What the hell! Who said that? Can you act however you please just because youre a hero?
She still didnt seem to be aware of her situation, so I kindly explained.
Or do you want to serve ti in prison?
As a result, I, together with Jane and Elizabeth, entered the depths of Kowloon.
* * * * * * * * * *
Dont do anything suspicious and just follow . If you get caught up in sothing strange, Ill abandon you right away.
All right, hurry up and lead the way.
FuckIm really out of luck today.
Jane grumbled and took the lead. In front of us, gray concrete buildings that had suspended construction ca into view.
As expected, the atmosphere was very different from Guangcheng District.
Although it was the sa kind of slums, unlike Guangcheng District, which consisted mostly of shacks, Kowloon was a modern city built according to thorough urban planning.
But naturally it wasnt properly managed, so it was full of all kinds of graffiti and trash.
Jane entered an underground path between such buildings. Soon, a complicated and vast shopping center appeared before our eyes.
Elizabeth, seeing it, asked.
Is there a subway here?
Not currently. I heard they had tried to connect to Hong Kongs subway when this place was being built, but construction had stopped even before I was born.
Hmm
In the underground shopping center, just like a market, economic activities were being carried out.
There were stores with a lot of unknown at hanging, and even stores selling fish that had co from sowhere unknown.
After a long walk through the underground maze, we finally arrived above ground.
It was a very different place than before, as there were much less constructed buildings.
Neon signs mixed with Chinese characters glowed, and a bad sll of indescribable spices stung my nose.
Jane took us to a building in the corner of an alley. As we climbed up the iron stairs, I spotted a poorly blocked plastic door.
Huuwere here. Ill tell you beforehand, its not a very good house like what youre used to, so dont complain.
As she opened the door, a larger-than-expected interior appeared.
Looking at the structure, it looked more like a building originally designed for comrcial use rather than residential use.
The empty windows were shut with plastic bags, and the floor was covered with thick styrofoam that seed to be used as an insulation material.
The styrofoam is fragile, so take off your shoes
Crunch!
Just in ti, Elizabeth tore the styrofoam with her high-heels.
Huh? What was that?
Fuck. Youre destroying another persons house.
Jane clicked her tongue briefly and went into the house first. I spoke to Elizabeth.
Why are you following and causing trouble? You should have been careful.
S-sorry
Elizabeth took off her high heels with an ashad look. I naturally had no intention of taking my shoes off in such a dirty place.
So I kept my shoes on and followed Jane inside.
At that mont, I heard the voice of a little boy.
N-noona? Wh-why are you ho so early?
So skinny that you could see his bones, a pale face as if he had never been in the sun, and heavy dark circles that co down below the eyes.
All signs pointed to the boy being very ill.
Next to him were scattered unfinished cardboard boxes. It seed he had been folding them.
In front of him, Jane spoke coldly.
What are you doing?
N-noI-I just thought noona was having a hard ti
The boy had a very defeated look on his face.
Suddenly, he hid the boxes behind his back. However, perhaps because he was too thin, the boxes were clearly visible through the gap.
As Jane watched, her expression beca full of emotion before contorting.
She shouted in a sharp tone.
Fuck! Who told you to fold these things? I told you not to worry about money. Just take care of your health!
S-sorry
Who the hell am I doing this forWhat am I supposed to do if youre trying to make a little money when Im not around and overdo it?
I-Im fine
Stop! What if you get sick? Whos going to pay for the hospital bill? Are you going to fold boxes to pay for it? So please stop overdoing it!
Janes voice resonated inside the room. The boy bowed his head in front of her.
I dont know any more. I dont care if you live or die, so do whatever you want!
N-noonaI-Im sorryfrom now on
The boy approached Jane slowly and apologized. But at that mont,
Eueuk!
He suddenly staggered, grabbing his head, and fell flat on the floor.
John!
Startled, Jane grabbed him. His body was trembling and his complexion was deathly pale.
Jane looked around in a hurry, picked up a bag that had fallen nearby, and took an ampoule out of it.
She quickly injected it into a syringe and administered it to her brother. Soon, his constant twitching body regained stability.
Haa
Only then did Jane let out a sigh of relief. Next, she put John, who had his eyes closed, on an electric mat and covered him with a blanket.
Heyis he okay?
Elizabeth asked with a troubled expression. In response, Jane answered bluntly.
It happens all the ti. Its just that he had overworked himself today.
Whats wrong with him? Do you know the cause?
When Elizabeth asked such a question, Janes expression sank darkly.
Taking out a cigarette and lighting it, she answered.
I dont know eitherIts just his rotten luck.
Luck?
Shit, why of all people
Jane looked at John, who was lying down, lovingly. Soon, we were able to hear an explanation from her.
***
[ Translator Yasi ]
[ Proofreader Karane ]
Rather than the conflicts between cartels or dangerous residential conditions, the reason why the average life expectancy of people living in Kowloon was extrely short was because of one disease that was prevalent only here.
It was called White Face.
The na was given because the afflicted person would eventually die in a haggard appearance where the color of their face had completely disappeared.
This unexplained disease simply occurs randomly, and once the first symptom appears, most die in less than 10 years.
Is there no cure?
Whether Elizabeth had already beco empathetic, she asked with a serious look.
Jane puffed out a long cigarette smoke and answered.
No. There isnt.
What about the dicine from earlier?
Its a life-sustaining treatnt, not a cure. But its expensiveFuck!
Jane extinguished her cigarette on a nearby can. Then, she looked at with a sneer.
You said youd save earlier, didnt you, Mr. Hero?
Yes. What about it?
Then, give so money. I wont ask for much. Just enough to buy dicine before my brother dies. Arent heroes super rich?
Money?
I gave her a dumbfounded look. She snorted and smirked.
Why? You dont want to do it when I ask for money? How about this? If you give the money, Ill let you do whatever you want until I pay you back. Im still a girl. Hehe.
Her expression was ambiguous and it was hard to tell whether she was smiling or crying.
Yes, of course not. I know that. Im not even worth a penny. I just said it out of frustration. Forget what I just said.
When I didnt answer, she turned away again, biting her cigarette.
Click, click
What the fuck! Why isnt it lighting up?!
She threw her gas lighter on the floor. Her shoulders trembled as she muttered to herself.
FuckDont you think Im a fool? Im stealing because I dont want to sell my body, but I had offered it right away when I saw that you looked a bit rich.
She seed to think the reason I was lost in thought was because I had refused.
I corrected her misunderstanding.
No, its not that. I didnt think all it took would be money.
It was a Challenge where a high-grade box was at stake, and I could solve it with money?
Where in the world would I find a quest sweeter than this? My words raised Janes head with a jerk.
YouWhat are you talking about?
How much do you want? This much?
I pulled out a bunch of money from my inventory at random. Cash fell on the styrofoam floor with a thud.
H-huh?
The cigarette she had in her mouth fell flat on the floor.
Hmmis this not enough?
I continued to take out a bunch of money.
After all, I had a suspicious amount in my inventory that I had stolen from the Turbak guys.
On top of that, considering what I will receive from Choi Bokhui in the future, this was really a small amount in comparison.
However, in front of the increasingly heavy pile of money, Jane frowned and grabbed by the collar.
Hey, you son of a bitch! Is it fun to tease people like this? You think this is funny?!
Elizabeth, who was standing next to , was about to have a seizure, but I raised my hand and stopped her.
But Im not joking?
Youre really going to give all this money? Are you crazy? Are you crazy? How much do you think that is?
Well, this much is cheap.
What the hell is so cheap about it? We t for the first ti today! Whats wrong with you?!
I told you. I will save noona. So if you want anything other than money, dont waste ti and tell quickly.
Her expression began to change from mont to mont.
At first her eyes widened, then she twitched as if her facial muscles were broken.
Soon, tears began to fall.
FuckFuck! Fuck!
She covered her face with her hands and clenched her fists for a long ti. After so ti,
[ Favorability has increased. ]
Along with a notification in front of , Jane slowly raised her head.
And unlike before, she held back her tears and asked.
I, reallyI can ask what I want, right?
Yes. Feel free to tell .
Really, really anything?
Yes, yes.
She hesitated for a while before speaking with a trembling voice.
Th-thenmy oppaTake revenge against those who killed him and free from this placeNo, of course you dont have to do it if its impossible. Even now I cant thank you enough. Honestly.
She trembled so pathetically that I wondered if it was the sa person I had seen earlier.
Perhaps she had thought it was impossible for to do what she had asked.
But
Leave it to .
I answered her with a bright smile.
If such a thing was saving, then perhaps I was the most qualified savior in this world.
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