Chapter: 110. Paradox Paradigm Paraseiz1
“It’s been a while here too.”
An empty plaza, broad and wide.
The only thing standing out is a central column of rocks, but other than that, there’s truly nothing at all.
Once upon a time, there were stone sculptures made on the spot by some idiot swinging a hammer, but now it’s just an ordinary plaza with nothing like that.
I looked around, trying to recollect the past until the promised time, but there was nothing to see, just boredom.
Choosing a place like this for a meeting? I understand that there aren’t many suitable spots around, but if that’s the case, couldn’t we have just come together?
‘Women have a lot to prepare for, you know.’ I had said that as a sort of joke, but thinking about the tasks ahead makes me uneasy.
“Somehow it will work out.”
I muttered to myself and squatted down, using the pillar in the plaza as my backrest.
How many minutes have passed while waiting?
Squish.
Out of the silence, which even lacked white noise, a sound emerged.
Something sticky was moving…
“Is that you?”
As I spoke to myself, I turned to the direction of the sound.
Colorful nurses were walking in orderly lines.
“…They certainly have character.”
While I had been here, I’d seen white and black uniforms plenty of times, but starting from red to purple, a vibrant rainbow of colors appeared.
From metallic materials to matte and transparent ones.
Each flaunting their individuality, marching in formation like a military parade.
Were there really so many head nurses?
Combining their numbers, it looked like it could be a small battalion.
Considering that over half of them were still working in the field, I quickly grasped the sheer amount of them.
As they slowly entered the plaza, the ones at the end of the line dispersed swiftly, vanishing left and right.
An encirclement?
As if anticipating a battle, the head nurses summoned their respective weapons and quickly spread out.
With the nurses disappearing, an empty spot was left. A woman in leather walked towards me from the elongated street.
The glass inside her gas mask fogged up with her breaths, making it impossible to read her expression, and the leather belt, which always clung tightly, was now hanging loose and dragging along the ground. Her many pockets, a characteristic of techwear, were filled with shiny items.
She was completely geared for combat.
It seemed she intended to fight seriously.
What led to this?
I recalled the conversation from yesterday.
“Uncle. Can you spare some time tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow? I plan to return after work tomorrow.”
At first, I had thought it impossible to finish the task within the deadline that I brought up the oxymoron, but with multiple variables overlapping, I was able to wrap up the report and inspection as scheduled.
I still wondered why I had been entrusted with this like some kind of joke, but the thought of Hyunseok’s surprised face after reading the report amused me.
“Don’t suddenly laugh while talking. I’m asking because tomorrow will be the last day I’m here.”
“The flight schedule is pretty relaxed, so it’s no issue. But do we have to do it here?”
“Yes, it can only be done here.”
Only here.
I rummaged through my memories, but nothing popped up as “this is it.”
There was nothing around, so what could I do? The Association branch had its own things to enjoy, but that was merely a convenience for the employees living long-term. If we were to find something similar, we could easily find it when we returned to Seoul.
It had to be in this area… If it was a place worth investing time in…
“Are we going back to that grandfather’s restaurant? You already left without saying goodbye. Is there something on your mind?”
It was just a restaurant I frequented.
It’s not that the Association’s cafeteria didn’t have good food, but considering the employees coming from various countries, it lacked stimulation, so employees often visited the other place.
“No, it’s just something simpler.”
With those words, the oxymoron leaned towards me.
Her shining smile visible through the lenses of the gas mask opened her mouth.
“Please fight me seriously.”
“I didn’t catch your answer yesterday.”
Yesterday, she had merely smiled and mumbled in response to my question.
We certainly couldn’t be having a life-and-death battle, so it was clear this was a sparring session.
However, I couldn’t figure out why.
If it’s a spar, we could make a formal request to the Association. Nowadays, heroes aren’t too interested in honing their powers, so it’s not frequently used, but there are still martial artists who focus on refining their strength.
If she wanted to use the operating room as a stage, she could just specify the location.
So, for me to follow along with such sudden conversation…
“Uncle, why do you think it’s not a spar?”
She spoke, in a somewhat indifferent tone.
With her incredibly emotionless voice, I tried to read her expression, but…
Surprise.
That action was also blocked by the gas mask she wore.
“…Oxymoron?”
“It’s not an oxymoron.”
She came closer, dragging her belt.
“I’m Liv. The owner of this operating room. The surgeon. And…”
As she held a scalpel in her hand.
“I’m also a girl who was saved by a hero in this place.”
She lunged at me.
The battle began.
Clang.
A shallow metallic sound reverberated in my ears.
I quickly summoned the hammer to block the suddenly leaping Liv’s scalpel, creating that sound.
Hearing it, I clicked my tongue.
What the hell was going on?
I reflexively blocked the attack, but I still didn’t think of attacking Liv.
“Hey! What the hell…!”
A chill rushed over me.
It feels like trouble is coming.
The moment I sensed that, my body reacted faster than I expected. I quickly lifted my head and raised the hammer defensively.
Clang.
A metallic sound echoed again in my ears.
A silvery glint loomed over my field of vision.
Liv’s scalpel in her right hand was targeting my carotid artery.
A clear intent to kill.
She certainly seemed serious.
To confirm once more, I looked up and saw only the dark gas mask.
It seemed I had to brace myself.
The moment I thought that, I shifted my consciousness.
What stood before me wasn’t an old friend but someone who intended to kill me.
Thud.
With that thought, the limiter was released, and I swung the hammer immediately.
The sound of bone breaking.
Her voice, filled with pain.
Did she not expect me to strike back so quickly? She tried to retreat quickly, but the hammer was faster, resulting in her arm breaking.
Normally, the battle should have ended here, but… Was she perhaps a reversal warrior?
In the midst of her broken arm, she threw a syringe at me, keeping me in check while utilizing the force of the hammer to retreat.
Not a bad choice. However.
I was determined to catch up to her and charged after her.
Since I was faster than her fleeing speed, I encountered her right away.
I rushed in, my posture slightly awkward but I was already used to swinging a hammer in such positions, and my body naturally adjusted.
I swung the hammer towards her body.
Aiming for her arms or legs.
The parts that could incapacitate the opponent and end the fight.
Finish it in one strike.
Even though I now recognized Liv as an enemy and changed my consciousness…
Killing her was out of the question, in that case I just needed to end the fight quickly…
Squish.
A red something sprung up from the ground.
Our gazes met.
A nurse standing in my way, smiling at me.
…So that’s it. The nurses could move inside the operating room.
Even if I recalled that, there was no way to react.
Due to the extreme acceleration I had to finish Liv quickly.
The red nurse, not caring that she was about to collide, stood right in front of me.
There was no other option.
I kicked the ground.
Trying to accelerate just a bit more.
I recognized the red head nurse.
If I overslept in the morning, she’d bring breakfast and glare at me. So it felt bittersweet to smash her…
Please understand.
I crashed into the head nurse.
With a sound like a water balloon bursting, sticky goo splattered everywhere.
I felt resistance.
Breaking through the sticky something gave a sense of resistance.
It wasn’t just a feeling.
I truly felt my speed decrease.
Then, Liv’s counterattack began.
Squish. Squish. Squish.
With that strange bubble sound, they began appearing here and there.
This one rising from the ground.
That one running from afar.
As if awakened by instinct due to their owner being in danger, they transformed from humanoid shapes into semi-transparent goo and began slithering towards me.
I need to finish this quickly.
Though I don’t want to engage in a drawn-out struggle with Liv, if they gather, it could turn into an unexpected hassle.
Even a single red head nurse was more resistant than I anticipated, and now those things were surrounding me.
So, with the thought of ending it quickly, I accelerated again the moment…
Squish.
With a sticky sound, I felt a strong tug from behind.
It wasn’t strong enough to completely halt my charge, but it was enough to slow me down, and I quickly turned my head to confirm the source of that force.
A smiling red piece.
Despite its body being shattered into pieces, it clung to the ground with its remaining arm, pulling on my leg.
As if having fulfilled its role, it could only smile.
That gaze diverted my attention momentarily, slowing my actions.
In terms of time, it wouldn’t have been more than 0.1 seconds.
Nevertheless, that brief moment made a significant difference.
They arrived.
Each holding a different kind of weapon.
Bone saws, scalpels, osteodom, powerful defibrillators, pliers, mallets, drills, claw clamps, chainsaws, high-frequency generators.
They began wielding those medical tools inappropriately.
The tools meant for healing people were now swung to destroy me.
Of course, that didn’t mean they physically hit me.
It was clear they were around five head nurses at A-Rank lower-tier, with most being mid-tier B-Ranks.
Their abilities were painfully obvious.
If they were A-Rank upper or top-tier, they might pose a meaningful threat, but five A-Rank lower didn’t mean much.
The chainsaw wielded by the black nurse merely scratched my hammer and left a slight scar on my arm, while the gray nurse with the electric stun gun couldn’t even touch me.
They were attacks that had no real meaning.
Yet those actions held significance.
A hundred or so sentient beings charged at me and failed to make a proper wound as I swung the hammer, causing a couple to burst—still, they managed to hold me down.
In the world of top-tier S-rank, holding onto someone like me, who had reached the peak of a hero’s power, had its reasons.
They wanted to show Baek Sihyeon how well they could handle weapons.
They didn’t fear death and kept advancing.
Unlike the volume-based heroes who relied on numbers, their attacks were not simple.
Moreover, their coordination was better than most partners.
Regardless, they successfully restrained me.
Once again, a silvery flash came flying at me.
Numerous syringes filled with the power of top-tier heroes, distinct from normal nurses, flew towards me, penetrating through their bodies.
Was that Liv?
It seemed she had recovered her arm.
That meant the nurses in front of me had fulfilled their roles.
I brushed off a few of the syringes stuck in my body and looked around.
About half the head nurses remained.
Liv had restored her broken arm.
My situation was…
A few minor wounds on my body.
Clothing damage.
And if the drug in the syringes Liv threw at me was some kind of sedative or tranquilizer…
I began to feel drowsy, little by little.
All things considered…
If luck runs out, there’s a good chance I might lose.
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