Chapter: 107. Report (2)
Thump, thump.
Someone’s footsteps.
Swish, swish.
The breaths of deeply sleeping people.
Squish, squish.
Strange beings wandering around.
Only those sounds existed as we walked through this space.
They say a half-pyeong is enough for a person to lie down. The size of a single bed is similar, so that should be about right.
But what if it becomes tens of thousands?
If it’s 200,000 people, that’s 100,000 pyeong. Of course, this is a simple calculation.
This doesn’t include places for people to move around, the size of beds, or hallways.
Considering all that, this underground ward could easily be about half the size of Yeouido.
In that vast space, in endless rows, lay patients in a vegetative state.
Even a battlefield lined with corpses wouldn’t be as grim.
No matter where I turned, all I saw were faces contorted in pain.
Clank, clank.
The beds shook. Of all times, it was the bed right next to us.
Even if I fall into a dream without dying or worsening my illness, the pain doesn’t go anywhere.
It’s a natural convulsion, of course.
Uncovering the blanket, clutching the right arm that had already turned to ash with my left hand,
“GGGAAAAAAAH!”
He let out a horrific scream. Instinctively escaping, even without consciousness. And writhing in agony as he faced the nonexistent pain in his right arm.
However, we ignored him and moved forward.
It wasn’t the first time we’d seen such a sight in this ward; shortly, nurses would come to calm him down.
Squish, squish.
Just then, the squelching sound from behind me faded, and the scream that seemed like it would break my bones softened.
“Are they administering anesthesia or something?”
“…Administering sleep medication, nerve dulling, brain activity dulling. It’s my special cocktail.”
Does that mean it’s necessary to calm him down?
I’m relieved that they’re in a vegetative state.
If they were of sound mind, they would surely crumble in pain.
“It’s getting worse for me. Poyo…
Could it be that I’m influenced by the grim atmosphere of this ward?”
Finally, Unho, who had been quietly perched on my shoulder, spoke up.
“We’re heading to the ICU. There’s no choice but to use some sort of magic to analyze the scent.”
“I chose to express it this way, but… it’s like my senses instinctively sense the Otherworld’s Power… There’s no way to stop it.”
Hmm. That’s a bit unfortunate.
While tormenting Unho is somewhat of a hobby, I can’t allow him to suffer for no reason.
“Then do you want to go back and rest? If you ask to be escorted to a room upstairs…”
“No.”
Unho unexpectedly raised his sharp voice.
A wild and keen sound that doesn’t get swallowed by oil and flesh.
“This might be related to our enemies.”
Hearing something hard scrape, I turned my head to find Unho’s serious expression.
His fur stood on end, exposing sharp teeth, and his eyes looked like they were glaring. If a ferret were a carnivore, it might look like this.
In fact, I can’t even be sure if he’s a ferret.
“Earlier, what exactly did you mean when you referred to that rotten smell, Unho?”
“Caw… I’m sorry. Excited by the moment, just wait a moment.”
Maybe talking calmed him down. Unho’s sharp body slowly returned to its original state.
Not just fluffy white dust, more like a hedgehog.
“Didn’t you talk about that just now?”
“It was a bit specialized earlier. Listening to it, you might think the Otherworld’s Power was just slightly modified, but now that I hear you, it seems entirely different.”
Something entirely different…
“It’s hard to explain… Poyo. What I told you earlier was the theoretical meaning.”
Unho circled around my neck, deep in thought, and then soon opened his mouth to speak.
“Um. Have you ever directly absorbed the Otherworld’s Power?”
“I haven’t had much experience directly accepting the Otherworld’s Power.”
“I absorbed it whenever I was bored.”
Building power inside me.
Thanks to that, I accumulated a lot of strength, but now that I think about it, wasn’t that the martial arts type of magic?
“Honestly, it might have been different in the past, but nowadays, everyone seems to be absorbing it.”
Sigh.
Unho said that, letting out a sigh filled with sorrow.
“Since everyone knows that the source of a hero’s power comes from the Otherworld’s Power, there’s no such thing as keeping it a secret.”
“Oh. I heard that from the Librarian. The Otherworld’s Power has already spread all over the world.”
That’s right; these days, heroes tend to be of better quality on average than in the past.
“Yes, so to be precise, anyone has likely had some experience absorbing it.”
…Wait a minute. This is strange.
“Are you saying that just inhaling a tiny amount from the air counts as absorption? When I absorbed it, my whole body was in pain, and it was chaos!”
I couldn’t say my absorption method was wrong, especially since Cheonha Ilgyeom and Cheonma Gyeomshin also complained of pain.
“Yes, that’s the difference. Um… how should I put it…”
Unho said that and began to rub himself against my head as if choosing his words carefully.
If it were a normal time, I would have squeezed him and tossed him away, but this time I waited quietly, thinking that it seemed like Unho was going to provide important information.
So continuing with Unho perched atop my head, we walked toward the center for several minutes.
“Um… Would this be fine?”
Finally, Unho opened his mouth.
“Since everyone knows everything already, even the Queen may acknowledge this, Poyo.”
He talked as if he had done nothing wrong, like he was trying to convince himself.
“Have you finished thinking?”
“Yes! This would be okay even if discovered! Lin won’t say a word either!”
Seeing his confident expression, I knew this was going to be something he would hear in the middle.
Confident now, Unho climbed down from my hair to my shoulder and finally opened his mouth.
“Actually, there’s a big difference between the Otherworld’s Power floating in the air and the Otherworld’s Power that Haram-nim absorbed.”
Isn’t that the topic of this story? Stop dragging this out!
“Get to the point, just the point.”
“It’s short, so just listen, Poyo.”
Unho, you’re getting cocky. I’ll have to scold you later.
“Uncle, could you just be quiet? It’s about my partner, so can’t you wait a little?”
Even the Oxymoron was acting up.
“Fine, it’s all my fault, so let’s quickly proceed with the story.”
I’ll have to vent this stress on Unho later.
“Then I’ll continue. The difference between the two Otherworld’s Powers lies in whether they were altered by someone’s will or not.”
What does that even mean?
“That might be a bit insufficient for explanation, Poyo. So, I thought of something similar. Otherworld Invasion. Wouldn’t that make it clear to Haram-nim as well?”
Otherworld Invasion.
With that single term, much became clear. It also explained why Unho used the word “will” concerning the Otherworld’s Power.
Turning my head to look at Oxymoron, she too seemed to have realized the essence just as I did.
Now I should confirm whether my thoughts are correct with Unho.
“Are you saying that like the Otherworld Invasion, the Otherworld’s Power also has the property of being altered by someone’s will, and the power I absorbed contained someone’s will?”
“Exactly right, Poyo!”
Unho began to dance with joy at my understanding.
“And the power floating in the world has no will, right?”
“That’s correct, Poyo!”
“So, that means someone who wants to invade our world infused the Otherworld’s Power with their will?”
Someone’s will… It must be those guys. The existence at the end of the story.
While Unho thinks he’s being careful, secretly rejoicing, it’s clear he’s still Unho.
This has cemented it.
It’s definite that Unho is connected to those at the end.
So what about Unho? What about the Queen of the Magic Nation? Are those guys the ones at the end?
My thoughts race quickly.
How do I ask about the beings at the end while hiding my knowledge of them?
It’s clear Unho is not an enemy. But then, it’s certain that he’s concealing something.
What should I do?
As I continued thinking,
“Unho? I have a question.”
“What is it, Poyo?”
“I understand the ordinary Otherworld’s Power and the altered Otherworld’s Power are different, but…”
“Yes! Your understanding is impressive!”
“Then why are you overreacting about this plague since you say it’s ‘superfluous’?”
Now that I think about it, I hadn’t received a clear explanation about that.
“Ah, I’m sorry… Poyo… I completely forgot. That’s what I was going to explain…
Unho quickly became deflated.
“It’s okay, Poyo! Everyone makes mistakes! I’ll explain it to you now.”
It’s noisy… don’t shout on my shoulder.
“Yes, please.”
Of course, “noisy” only reflects my standards, and Oxymoron, undeterred by my irritation, urged him to continue answering.
“Actually, the alteration of the Otherworld’s Power doesn’t have a significant impact. At most, the air in the contaminated area might just feel a bit murky, Poyo.”
“Isn’t that just something like bruises or hallucinations these days?”
“Of course, if you inhale it foolishly, that’s to be expected, Poyo.”
Could it be okay to squeeze him now?
“However, the Otherworld’s Power emanating from the people here has a different quality. What should I say… I had a thought earlier, but what was it…?”
As if trying to remember what he had forgotten, Unho began to squeeze his own body without my prompting.
After a while…
“Ah, right! It’s infused with the will to torment people!”
“What… does that mean?”
“This plague was intentionally created to torment people. Causing them to be difficult to heal and spreading rapidly—twisting the Otherworld’s Power…”
Unho then began to gag as if it was revolting.
“And the one who twisted the plague probably knew they created it… It’s like pleasure… that emotion transcends the plague… it’s really… disgusting.”
With a serious expression, Unho seemed unable to bear the Repulsion, revealing it all through his body. His fur bristled, and he was grinding his teeth. Transforming again, just like before.
Earlier, I had thought Unho wasn’t an enemy.
But that was a mistaken belief. Although he hides things, he is my partner.
How could one who shows such disdain toward an enemy be anything but an ally?
“…So you’re saying it’s an intentionally created plague? Then the reason we can’t see any clues for a cure is…”
“Because it keeps altering its properties to avoid detection.”
With the growling voice mixed with beastly sounds, Unho said that.
Anger began to spread.
The plague had twisted lives, leaving despair and indelible scars.
Even now, the fury of someone whose life is being stolen endures.
“…Unho.”
“Can I write this in the report?”
It’s not the first time I’ve asked that. Not passing on information that Unho accidentally revealed directly to the management department and asking Unho is a first.
“Please don’t just say I gave it to you.”
“No problem.”
Thanks to Unho, I think the report will become even more enriched with the hatred towards the beings of the Otherworld.
“Uncle.”
“Let’s go quickly. Now that we know who created this, we’ll need to change our approach.”
“Got it.”
Oxymoron, who had seemed unmotivated, swung her arms widely and moved forward.
Passing through the long jungle of people.
Crossing the threshold labeled “ICU.”
Before a central pillar etched with the words “Special Management Zone.”
In front of the massive yellow door.
Another seal of the Emperor.
I wondered if I had to chant the incantation here too, but thankfully, the large door glanced at me and immediately disappeared into the inside.
The door opens.
The gate to hell.
Gray ash flutters.
The door to the Special Zone of the Plague.
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