Honeybee cautiously opened the door and surveyed the situation in the hall. Cha Eui-jae also slowly peeked his head in and scanned around. There were already four or five hunters standing in the guild hall. Most of them were covered in bandages, as if they had been summoned after coming for treatment. The boy standing in front of them spoke in a monotonous voice.
"The patients currently undergoing treatment are experiencing severe seizures. I would greatly appreciate your help in subduing them."
"Subdue? Not treating them?"
"They are patients with mutations. Also, please note that this is pacifying, not discharging. I have judged that it will take too long for me to handle this alone, so I am asking for your help."
The hunters murmured among themselves. Mutated patients are difficult to handle, and my arm is injured… Everyone seemed hesitant. And that was understandable. The mutants were as powerful as monsters, and one mistake could result in further injury or death. One of the hunters raised his hand.
"What about breaking their limbs?"
"Please avoid doing that as much as possible."
"Tsk, you're such a nag. Do we really have to do this?"
"No, I'm not forcing you. I'm just asking."
"Then I can't do it. My injured side still hurts."
"Me too. Can I lie down again?"
"Yes, that's fine."
"I don't want to get hurt again while I'm here for treatment."
The hunters scattered in all directions. The boy stared at the empty hall, then turned and disappeared down the hallway. Honeybee clicked her tongue in annoyance.
"I'm telling you, hunters these days have no spirit."
"I guess they just don't want to die."
"Even so, the situation could get worse if left unchecked, wouldn't it?"
"You can't force someone to sacrifice themselves."
"…"
A sharp gaze fell on Cha Eui-jae. Cha Eui-jae touched his mask and asked.
"What?"
"Well, because you said…"
"I said?"
"I want to hit you."
"Huh? Suddenly?"
"I don't know, I just want to hit you. Let me have one punch."
"Why all of a sudden…?!"
Cha Eui-jae grabbed Honeybee's arms as she charged at him with raised fists and wrestled with her. She swung her arms wildly, as if she truly intended to hit him. Her agile fists were too much even for him. Just before Cha Eui-jae proposed a truce, a sly voice reached his ears.
"What's this~? Since when did you two get this close?"
"Ugh."
Honeybee flinched, grimaced then scowled. Light blue hair appeared at the bottom of the stairs. Gyu-Gyu waved his hand with a wide grin.
"Hey~ Long time no see~"
"Go away!"
"Hey, that's rude. We're not enemies, you know~ Besides."
He took the stairs two at a time and stood right behind them.
"Even if I want to leave… you're blocking the door, you know~?"
"…"
A deadly glint flashed in her bright brown eyes. Sensing the situation, Cha Eui-jae released the arm he'd been holding. Honeybee gritted her teeth and slammed the door open.
"There! Now get out!"
"Wow, so scary. Aren't you curious about why I'm here?"
"No, so shut up and go away!"
"But I have something to say. Ah, it's been a while, J-ssi~ How've you been, huh?"
Gyu-Gyu grabbed Cha Eui-jae's hand and shook it wildly up and down. Damn, how should he react? Should he tell him to get lost like Honeybee did? But Gyu-Gyu was quick-witted. Before Cha Eui-jae could say anything, Gyu-Gyu leaned against the door and started babbling.
"Well, it's nothing serious. My mother is just showing slight~ symptoms of mutation. She's being treated at Seowon Guild."
"…Mutation symptoms?"
"Yes~ So I went to visit her."
"…But why did you crawl up from downstairs?"
"Ah~ I went to see the Doctor and was kicked out. I heard the Doctor fainted too?"
Honeybee hesitated for a moment and asked,
"Hey, did you hear what the puppet said?"
"Thanks to my good ears. I was on my way to help, but voila, there were two people blocking my way!"
"…"
"Well~ I'm not blaming you. I was just saying the fact, so don't make that face. Shall I go now?"
"…Wait."
Gyu-Gyu stopped mid-step as he opened the door. Honeybee chewed on her words with a grim face.
"…Let's go together. I was planning to help anyway."
"Oh? Really~?"
"Shut up and go!"
"Ow, ow, don't kick my ass!"
Cha Eui-jae followed closely behind the two. Honeybee, who was walking with her arms crossed, lowered her voice and asked,
"What are you doing? You should go back to your hospital room."
"I feel like I need to move around a bit to feel better."
"…"
Honeybee bit her lip and turned her head. 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 had been walking leisurely in front, said in a sly voice,
"You two are so close… Can't you guys be friends with me too?"
"Who are you saying is close?!"
Gyu-Gyu finally shut his mouth only after being kicked in the butt three more times. Gyu-Gyu nimbly made his way to the treatment room where the mutants were being treated. As the pungent smell of disinfectant and medicine drew nearer, the sounds grew louder. They were the sounds of something breaking and screaming. Soon, they were standing in front of a thick metal door.
Gyu-Gyu pulled a key card from his field jacket pocket and pressed it against the machine. Beep, the light above the door flashed green. He whispered as he carefully pushed the metal door open.
"From now on, we'll be doing things separately. My mother is my top priority."
Gyu-Gyu winked and disappeared in a flash. Honeybee took a deep breath and controlled her breathing. Drawing her rapier, she looked at Cha Eui-jae.
"Don't push yourself, and help as much as you can. Understand? Just as much as you can!"
"I understand. I don't want to be in a hospital bed anymore, either."
"Hmph, we finally understand each other."
With a final grin, Honeybee disappeared following behind Gyu-Gyu. Cha Eui-jae held onto the nearly closed metal door and peered inside. The room was a complete mess. The door-lined corridor was packed with mutants. The howls of the mutated people echoed in his head.
A stabbing headache assaulted 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 behind the mutated's screams was etched in his mind. He held onto the door and lowered his head. His stomach churned. Blinding flashes of light struck his vision. No, he had to hold on. Swallowing the urge to vomit, Cha Eui-jae stepped inside, and suddenly something rushed at him.
Crash! Cha Eui-jae gripped the charging figure tightly. The figure, choked and gagged with his neck held down, was a boy whose head and skin had turned ashen white in places. His mouth and hands had transformed into those of a monster. Sharp teeth chattered, and sharp claws tore at his sleeves. However, the claws couldn't pierce his skin. The boy struggled.
"Kiiigh…!"
"Please loosen your grip a little. I'm afraid his neck might break."
An emotionless voice rang out. The puppet silently approached amidst the chaos and lowered his head.
"I've heard about it. Thank you for coming to help."
"No. How is this person…?"
"The number is written on the chest of the patient's shirt. You can return the patient to the room. The door can be locked from the outside."
Just as he had said, the number 108 was written there. Holding the struggling boy, Cha Eui-jae checked the room number. Room 108, Room 108…
'Found it.'
The door swung open. Inside, it looked like a normal hospital room. Much more humane than the room where the Prometheus test subjects were kept. Cha Eui-jae pushed the boy, who was trying to bite his hand, into the room and slammed the door shut, locking it.
'The lock is fine, so how come everyone is out and making a fuss?'
What ended his curiosity was Honeybee's angry voice coming from the other side.
"Are you crazy, like your master?! Saying you're going to release them all and take care of them all at once because calming them down one by one takes too long, what kind of nonsense is that?! Are you the type of person who would jump from the 20th floor just because you're too lazy to go down the stairs?!"
"I concluded that it was better than the mutants breaking down the door and having to repair the lock."
Aha.
Cha Eui-jae rolled up his torn sleeves to his elbows with an awkward expression.
'…I mean, isn't that a reasonable decision in its own way?'
Thinking Honeybee would throw a flying kick if she heard him, he started to catch the rampaging mutants one by one.
…And a sharp gaze followed from behind, as if observing.
Gyu-Gyu wiped his lower lip as he followed the figure, flitting about. His hair was white enough to be invisible amidst the mutants' rampaging. It was a shade lighter than the last time he'd seen it…
He had accumulated numerous mutation cases since his mother first showed symptoms. Most mutations occurred in civilians, and were rare in awakened individuals. It remained unknown whether the system protected them or if there was another reason.
Mutated individuals had white blood, their bodies turned white, and they quickly transformed into monsters. The mutation rate varied, but it was slower for family members of an awakened person.
'And if they were an awakened, the rate would be much slower…'
A possibility crossed his mind. Gyu-Gyu played with the dice in his pocket. Jung Bin approached him.
"Gyu-Gyu-nim, how's the situation? And your mother…"
"Yes~ Mother is fine. As for the situation, well, it's as you can see. The Hero is flying around."
"He's the one who needs more rest…"
Jung Bin sighed. Clack, the dice roll inside the pocket. Gyu-Gyu opened his mouth as he watched the ashen hair fly about.
"Are you close to J?"
"Huh? Why are you asking that all of a sudden?"
"Well, I was just wondering if you two were close enough to confide in each other."
"…"
"This is just a guess, but I think the Hero's hiding something."
As Gyu-Gyu ran his hand through his messy hair, Jung Bin's expression stiffened slightly.
"…Do you suspect he's mutating?"
"Mutations progress more slowly in the awakened than in civilians, right? Look, his hair color is becoming lighter, and there may be traces of other mutations in the areas covered by his clothing…"
"…"
"After all, he survived the West Sea rift. I don't know what happened inside, but I thought it'd be best to investigate any possibility~"
Gyu-Gyu leaned against the hospital room door. He could hear his mother's sobs from behind it.
"As for me…"
Boom! J subdued a burly, angry man and pinned him to the floor. The man gasped, shuddered, and lowered his head. The hands holding the man trembled slightly. But it was only for a moment. J helped the man to his feet 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 would happen if J turned into a monster~…"
He patted Jung Bin's stiff shoulder and whispered,
"…Go ahead and dig it up."