Ironically, the moment I realized who he was, my hand froze midair, just before touching him. At the same time, I felt pathetic.
It hadn’t even been a few hours since I swore to do everything in my power to stop the world from being devoured by the Catastrophe—and yet here I was, hesitating.
I let out a bitter smile and lifted the boy off the operating table. He looked up at me blankly with a neutral expression but didn’t resist, letting himself be held.
Supporting him with one arm, I bent down to pick up my scabbard and sheathed my sword. Then, I grabbed the syringe that had rolled to the floor.
As soon as the Director saw the syringe in my hand, her dazed expression twisted into fury, and she shouted out.
“You fuckers, what are you doing?! Stop that bastard right now!”
“Uh—uhhh...”
“I-I’ll call the guards!”
No matter how much she raged, these people were just researchers—there was no way they were going to come at someone holding a sword.
Panicking, the researcher who had # Nоvеlight # handed the syringe to the Director ran to the wall and slammed her hand on a red button.
WEEEEEOOO!
The lab lights, which had been off until now, flickered to life, and a blaring alarm filled the room. I squinted slightly at the sudden brightness and curled my lips into a half-smile.
“You’ve still got some time to be calm, huh? The Hunters are already breathing down your neck.”
Hearing my mockery, the Director clenched her teeth and glared at me like she wanted to rip me to shreds.
“Who are you? Did the Association send you? Or are you from the Bureau?”
“Think whatever you want.”
Thud-thud-thud. Footsteps echoed from outside the lab. About five people? That red button must’ve been an emergency call for the guards.
I stashed the syringe into my inventory bag and gripped my scabbard.
“I’m taking this kid with me. Just so you know.”
Right after I said that, the lab doors burst open and five guards came charging in.
“This bastard, how the hell did you—ugh!”
I slammed the first guard’s solar plexus with my scabbard before he could finish talking. He let out a scream and collapsed.
“Hold on tight.”
I whispered just loud enough for the boy to hear. He wrapped his arms around my neck and clung to me. Supporting him with one arm, I kicked off the ground.
“Wh-what the—!”
The second guard barely had time to register my approach before I smacked his face with the scabbard. As I landed, I spread my legs wide and bent forward to shield the boy’s back.
A baton swung just above my head, missing us by a hair.
In that same motion, I shifted my weight and swept my leg sideways, knocking the third guard off balance. As he staggered back, I drove my scabbard into his gut.
In the blink of an eye, three out of the five were knocked out cold.
I adjusted my hold on the boy and looked at the last two guards, who were backing away with pale faces.
“W-wait! D-don’t come any closer!”
One of them, shaking in fear as I approached, raised his voice.
“Put down your weapon—surrender now! If you do, we won’t hurt—”
“Wait, what the hell are you saying?!”
His fellow guard looked horrified, cutting him off mid-sentence.
You’ve got to be kidding me. I let out a snort of laughter, stepped up, grabbed the idiot’s face, and smacked him with the hilt of my sword.
Smack!
“Guh.”
One punch was all it took to send him collapsing to the floor with a gasp. The final guard’s mouth dropped open in disbelief.
What are you looking at? I jabbed him in the solar plexus, and he crumpled to the floor beside his buddy.
I clicked my tongue at the pathetic sight.
You should be grateful I used the scabbard instead of the blade.
I let them live because I’m not like them. I won’t become a piece of trash just because they are.
But her... she’s different.
With all the guards down, I gently set the boy down and turned to face the Director.
The researchers, who had been so sure I’d get caught, now stared at me in horror. One even whimpered.
“P-please... please spare us...!”
“Yeah, I’ll spare you. Just get out of the way.”
I brushed them aside indifferently and stepped toward the Director.
She clutched her swollen hand and backed away, biting her lip.
“Hey, Director. You’re a smart woman, aren’t you?”
“...”
She didn’t answer, only swallowed dryly while glaring at me. Not that I expected a reply anyway.
“I’m an idiot. I wouldn’t know what to do with something like this.”
I pulled the syringe out of my inventory again, and her pupils trembled violently.
If I’d kept it in a normal pocket or bag, the needle would’ve snapped—but since it was stored in the inventory, it was perfectly intact.
“Not that it’d matter if I broke it now. You’ve still got the formula memorized, right? You’d just make another one.”
“W-what... are you saying...”
“It doesn’t mean anything. I’m just venting.”
I grabbed her by the collar with one hand, yanking her toward me. That’s when she realized what I was about to do—and began thrashing.
“You already bragged about the drug’s effects, didn’t you?”
“F-fuck! You psycho—let go! Let me go!”
“Oh, come on. You were about to use this on that tiny little kid.”
“AAAGH!”
I drove the needle into her neck without hesitation. She flailed wildly, but the moment the drug hit her system, her body went limp, her head dropping forward like she’d fallen asleep.
Still gripping her by the collar, I threw her to the floor with a scoff.
“Well... if the process of venting ruins your brain, all the better.”
That drug was made by sacrificing dozens of kidnapped Awakeners.
A drug created purely to inflict pain—and now she’d been hit with it herself. That must be a special kind of humiliation.
I looked around the ruined lab—the Director passed out, terrified researchers frozen stiff, and unconscious guards sprawled on the ground.
Then, I turned to the boy, who stood exactly where I had set him down, staring at me.
“Come on.”
I held out my hand.
The boy blinked a couple times with a dazed expression, then cautiously reached out and took it.
With the kid’s hand in mine, I walked out of the Central Lab. The moment we crossed the threshold, a message popped up in front of me.
《Main Quest: Meet the Villain With the Seed of Catastrophe – Complete!》
《Main Quest reward granted.》
Wait—there was a reward?
Why wasn’t that written in the quest description?
Don’t tell me... Are the rewards hidden for every quest?
If that’s the case, no matter how small the failure penalty is, I’ll always have to clear quests to find out what I get. Who knows what kind of reward might be tucked away?
That’s messed up.
Grumbling to myself, I checked the reward.
《Main Skill Rank Up!》
《Main Skill: Bond of the Guardian has been upgraded.》
《Main Skill: Bond of the Guardian has been promoted from B-rank to S-rank.》
“...What?”
I stopped in my tracks, genuinely stunned.
The boy, still holding my hand, stopped with me. His expression didn’t change, but there was a flicker of curiosity in his eyes as he looked up at me.
Not that I could worry about that right now.
Bond of the Guardian? That’s my original skill. It got upgraded to S-rank?
I wasn’t sure if I should be happy or annoyed.
Still, hoping for the best, I opened the skill description.
Main Skill: Bond of the Guardian (S-rank)
Restore stamina through physical contact while boosting existing stats. (Buff Duration: 5:00)
└ Buff: Main skill damage increase
└ Buff: Base speed increase
└ Buff: Stability effect
Reading the skill description, I muttered under my breath, feeling bitter.
“...Useless.”
Still a support skill.
And the hidden skill I earned only works at night or in darkness—already a pain to deal with.
I sighed.
Why can’t it just boost my base stats instead?
Sure, right now I could fly around with a sword, but the moment that hidden skill is deactivated, I go right back to being a weak, useless F-rank supporter.
Not that I’m ungrateful—I mean, getting an S-rank skill is amazing—but after everything I went through to clear a main quest, I couldn’t help but feel a little let down.
Squeeze.
Just then, I felt a small hand tighten around mine.
I looked down to see the boy, still waiting quietly for me.
His green eyes met mine, and I came back to my senses. Right. This wasn’t the time to be sulking.
Time to stop whining and focus on what needs to be done.
I could figure out how to use the skill properly once we got out of this place.
Gripping the boy’s hand firmly, I started walking again.
User Info: Cha Seohu
Age: 26 (28)
Main Skill: Bond of the Guardian (S-rank)
Hidden Skill: Silverlight’s Blessing (S-rank)
Attack Power: F-rank
Attack Speed: F-rank
Movement Speed: F-rank
Agility: F-rank
Traits▼
└ Cat in the Rain (F-rank)
└ Just Lie Down and Stay Still (F-rank)

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