Chapter 46
Geum Myeonggyeol, who had received the message, was startled and immediately contacted the Awakened Management Bureau. However, it was already past eleven at night. Not a single department within the Bureau answered his call.
In the end, Geum Myeonggyeol had no choice but to make a decision.
“Are you going?”
“They told me to come, so I should go.”
He had no time to wait until morning. A bound item with three S-rank stats attached to it. If someone so much as touched it while he was waiting, everything would go up in smoke.
“Get the car ready. And… connect me to the Cheollyeong Guild Leader.”
It would be troublesome if there were any misunderstanding that he had harmed Han Chasu. ‘I wonder if that Jeong Iheun bastard will be shocked.’ It was unfortunate, but what had already happened could not be helped. Geum Myeonggyeol quickly dressed and started the car. Just then, the call connected to Jeong Iheun. —What is it?
“I’ll get straight to the point, so I hope you don’t misunderstand.”
And so Geum Myeonggyeol told him about the message he had just received.
“Jeong Iheun, what’s gotten into you all of a sudden? Hey, put out the fire, you lunatic!”
After hearing the unbelievable news from Geum Myeonggyeol, Jeong Iheun nearly burned down the entire guild.
“What is that, a fire alarm? Is there a fire somewhere?”
“I think it went off upstairs, in the, uh, meeting room.”
“Wasn’t the Guild Leader there right now?”
“Yeah, someone from the raid team who was with him heard it… You know that person, Han Chasu. Apparently, it doesn’t look like he’ll make it through tonight.”
“Gasp.”
The rumor spread from mouth to mouth, until finally.
“B-Brother. They’re saying Brother Chasu died. That’s a lie, right? It isn’t true, is it?”
“What bastard is spouting that kind of bullshit?”
“Someone on the same team asked me by text….”
News of Han Chasu’s death even reached Baek Dam, who had been meeting with his younger sibling.
And at that same hour.
Han Chasu was conducting a peaceful experiment against his regeneration skill.
It was a small experiment to see how long he could hold out without sleeping.
[ Warning! ]
[ Sufficient sleep is required for efficient energy management. ]
[ For sound sleep, it is recommended that you go to bed before 11 p.m. ]
[ Remaining sleep time: 8 hours ]
Ah, this is so noisy I can’t live like this.
At the system messages that kept beeping as if telling him to hurry up and sleep, Han Chasu frowned. ‘Just stay still for a bit.’ Before he knew it, it was slightly past midnight. His eyes had started slowly closing from eleven, so he had held out for about an hour. ‘As expected, once a certain amount of energy is stored up, the restrictions don’t seem to apply that strongly.’ It had been worth diligently eating all three meals and even taking medicine in between. Satisfied with the results of the experiment, Han Chasu nodded. ‘Couldn’t I get out in about a week?’ For a brief moment, Han Chasu felt hopeful. Since his voice seemed to be recovering along with the rest of him, it was not an entirely futile expectation.
“Aah.”
Even that morning, if he made a sound without thinking, his throat had hurt as if it were being wrung out, but now it was fine. By tomorrow, it seemed like he would be able to say simple things like yes and no. ‘Am I finally escaping from Post-its…?’ With a much more relaxed heart, Han Chasu pulled the blanket over himself. The system window that had been loitering at the edge of his vision came rushing over at once.
[ Remaining sleep time: 8 hours! ]
Fine, fine. I get it.
I’ll sleep the full eight hours, so stop pestering me. Along with steady breathing, Han Chasu closed his eyes.
[ Entering deep sleep state for the subject’s smooth recovery. ]
[ Entering deep sleep state in 3 seconds, 2 seconds…. ]
[ Entry complete. ]
Kuuung!
At that moment, the enormous defensive barrier surrounding the Bureau shook. The blue, grid-patterned membrane rippled violently.
Wiiiiiiiing—!
Soon, an emergency alarm blared. And the civil servants on night duty who checked the CCTV screamed as one.
“Aaaagh, that crazy bastard! Why does this shit only happen when I’m on duty!”
“Chief…. Didn’t that bastard come back from England high on something? Otherwise, I can’t explain this situation.”
Geum Myeonggyeol, seated in a pitch-black bulletproof vehicle, was ramming straight into the building with a stylish smile.
***
Geum Myeonggyeol remained dignified the entire time he was dragged to the detention room.
“Isn’t the problem in the first place that the Awakened Management Bureau, which should be open to citizens twenty-four hours a day, raises its barrier the moment it hits six o’clock?”
“The Bureau is not a convenience store, Guild Leader Geum Myeonggyeol. We never said we would open it to citizens either.”
Gi Taeyeon sat on the chair with a weary face. ‘I was wondering who would think to ram into the Bureau in the middle of the night….’ As expected, without betraying his expectations, it was one of the S-ranks. Running a hand through his hair, he slammed the desk with an irritated expression. Bang!
“Let’s just do this roughly and be done with it.”
“This is why I like you, Chief Gi.”
“I’m usually rather fond of Exilis as well. So please hurry up, tell me everything, and go home. Now, what was your reason for attempting to destroy the Bureau’s front gate with a vehicle?”
At that voice, practically steeped in annoyance, Geum Myeonggyeol’s eyebrows shot up. Seeing the man blatantly displaying not just displeasure but outright offense, Gi Taeyeon tilted his head slightly.
“That is an extremely unpleasant look in your eyes, Guild Leader Geum Myeonggyeol. Are you aware that you were caught trying to destroy a government facility?”
Honestly, these damn S-ranks were all so unbelievably arrogant. Tsk, tsk. Clicking his tongue, Gi Taeyeon took a sip of coffee.
It was then that he heard a voice, vague in some way, as if probing.
“Are you pretending not to know, or do you really not know?”
“Know what?”
“…….”
“Guild Leader Geum Myeonggyeol?”
“Wait, hold on.”
Geum Myeonggyeol waved a hand, then fell into thought for a moment. Just what kind of excuse was he trying to come up with? Gi Taeyeon tapped his foot with a bored expression.
“There’s one thing I want to ask.”
“…
Go ahead.”
“By any chance, within the medical center, has there been a death—”
Fwoooosh, kwaaaaaang!
Wiiiiiiiiing—!
“Chief, this time it’s Hunter Baek Dam! Hunter Baek Dam stormed in alone and, um…!”
“Don’t bite your tongue. Breathe first.”
“Yes, haah! Phew, Hunter Baek Dam has healed all the lab chimeras that were in a near-death state! All ten species of man-eating plants have also revived, and the researchers are currently responding.”
“…….”
“Oh, as expected of Baek Dam. He can even heal chimeras in one shot, huh. Impressive.”
Geum Myeonggyeol was purely impressed. It was a reaction possible only because it was not his own guild being smashed to pieces. However, Gi Taeyeon’s gaze toward him was colder than ever. ‘If not one but two of them are causing a commotion at the same time, that means there’s something going on.’ But just what could there be that would make Baek Dam and Geum Myeonggyeol tear up the Bureau at the same time?
If it were Baek Dam and Jeong Iheun, that would be one thing, but these two had no particular point of contact. It was not as if they interacted separately. In that case….
Just as Gi Taeyeon’s mind began turning busily.
A call came from the Director.
“…
Hello.”
Gi Taeyeon, who answered the call, squeezed his eyes shut and opened them again.
“Ha…. Understood.”
Click. As he ended the call, a thick vein stood out on his forehead.
“Guild Leader Geum Myeonggyeol.”
“Mm?”
“Did you come here because of Hunter Han Chasu too?”
Looking at the man who only smiled brightly without saying a word, Gi Taeyeon put a cigarette in his mouth.
“I will say just one thing.”
Toward Geum Myeonggyeol, whose face was full of interest, Gi Taeyeon tossed out the words.
“You are all raising hell as a group.”
Geum Myeonggyeol, who rammed into the front gate because he could not get through by phone. Baek Dam, who barged in without a word and staged a demonstration.
On top of that, even Jeong Iheun, who directly contacted the Director.
There was only one thing the S-ranks in this country had in common. Every single one of them was out of their mind.
“Get up.”
And, for some reason, they displayed an abnormal obsession with Han Chasu.
***
“…
Chasu, Han Chasu!”
“What’s going on? Why won’t he wake up?”
“That’s strange. He usually wakes up around this time….”
Morning, with bright sunlight stabbing his eyes and people’s voices grating on his nerves.
[ Warning! ]
[ The appropriate sleep time has not been met. ]
[ Remaining sleep time: 2 hours ]
[ Insufficient sleep may have adverse effects on the body. ]
[ Please be aware that if there is not enough energy required to maintain the skill ‘Regeneration,’ you may enter a deep sleep state! ]
Han Chasu was forcibly awakened by the stinging warning window.
And at the scene before his eyes, he was rendered speechless.
“Han Chasu, are you all right? I heard you collapsed in the bathroom yesterday. Why didn’t you call me?”
“Wait. Is this really Han Chasu? He isn’t a fake?”
“Chief Gi, could you please take these things and get lost? Why on earth did you bring useless bastards who can’t even heal?”
In order, Jeong Iheun, Geum Myeonggyeol. And even Baek Dam.
Things that definitely should not have been in his hospital room had appeared in a swarm and begun chattering like mad.
“Ah, please….”
Be quiet, you bastards. He had not even fully woken up yet, and with them making such a racket beside him, he could not get his head straight. ‘Wait, this feels somehow familiar.’ For a moment, he felt a chill run up his spine and sensed danger.
[ Warning! ]
[ The subject’s energy is being consumed at a rapid rate. ]
[ External stimuli will be blocked to conserve energy. ]
At the system message that rose up as if it had been waiting for this, Han Chasu let out a sigh.
I knew this would happen.
[ Time remaining until external stimuli are blocked: 3 seconds, 2 seconds, 1 second…. ]
[ Blocking external stimuli. ]
“Han Chasu!”
“No, he’s weak to this extent? Is he really human? Did you put a dummy here or something?”
“Both of you shut your mouths and get out right now.”
As if someone had strode closer, a small breeze tickled his cheek. And soon, a hot stream of light burst out from his forehead.
Han Chasu closed his eyes just like that. Hoping that when he opened them again, he would be alone.
Of course, there was no chance of his wish coming true.
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