After safely escaping the Central Lab with the child, the first thing I did was run upstairs.
Once I passed from Basement Level 1—where the Central Lab was—through the ground floor and up to the second floor, I began to hear faint sounds of things breaking and shattering.
The second floor was connected to Building A through a hallway. Right now, Building A was occupied by the Hunters who had attacked the lab. By now, they were probably cleaning up the remnants of the facility.
At the far left end, there was a glass door with a keycard lock, just like the one in the Central Lab. Beyond that glass door was the external hallway connected to Building A.
‘The Hunters will come through that hallway soon.’
I brought the child into a nearby room close to the external hallway. Judging by ❖ Nоvеlight ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеlight) the cracking sound when I pulled the door handle, it had probably been locked.
The room we entered in a rush turned out to be a small lab. I carefully shut the door and, without turning on the lights, spoke to the child.
“Stay still.”
The child blinked silently, expressionless. I left her alone and unfastened the inventory bag strapped to my waist, setting it on the floor.
Thud!
At that moment, a booming noise echoed not far off, and the building slightly trembled.
The sound was much closer than before. It meant the Hunters were quickly sweeping through Building A and would soon storm into Building B.
There wasn’t much time left. I quickly yanked off my robe and scabbard and shoved them into the inventory bag.
There were so many jewels stuffed in the bag earlier that I worried there wouldn’t be enough room, but thankfully, it just barely fit. I strapped the bag back onto my waist and lifted my head.
I was ready. There was only one thing left. As if reading my mind, the status window appeared before my eyes.
《Hidden Skill: Silverlight’s Blessing (S-rank) [Active]》
《Would you like to deactivate the skill?》
‘Deactivate.’
As soon as I answered in my head, a current of pure white light surged around my body.
Crackle—!
“Urgh...!”
Goosebumps ran down my spine, followed by a stabbing pain spreading throughout my body. I instinctively hunched forward, barely managing to swallow the groan.
《Hidden Skill: Silverlight’s Blessing (S-rank) [Deactivated]》
《Strength: F-rank》
《Attack Power: F-rank》
《Attack Speed: F-rank》
《Movement Speed: F-rank》
《Agility: F-rank》
As soon as the skill deactivated, my body reverted to its original frail state. My height and frame shrank overall, and my hair returned to black.
“Haah...”
I straightened up and looked down at my visibly smaller hands.
Even though I knew I could change at will, it still felt like I had just woken up from a dream.
‘I should examine this transformed body later when I have time.’
From the moment I woke up in the isolation cell until now, I had been moving nonstop. I hadn’t had the luxury to check my status window or abilities.
Clicking my tongue, I stood up, hid the inventory bag beneath my clothes so it wouldn’t be seen, and called out to the child.
“Hey, kid.”
The child, who had been staring at me blankly with vacant eyes, continued to gaze right through me. I gave her a firm warning.
“We’re about to leave the facility.”
“......”
“There’ll be a lot of people outside. Don’t wander off. Stay right next to me.”
“......”
“No, scratch that. No matter what happens, don’t let go of my hand. Ever. Even if someone talks to you, ignore them. Got it?”
“......”
Even when questioned, the child just stared at me in a daze. Was she even listening properly? I was starting to get really anxious.
With no other option, I reached out and gently placed my hand on top of her head.
“I asked if you understood.”
When I shook my palm lightly while it rested on her head, her hair swayed gently. For someone who’d been captured by perverted scumbags and used as an experimental subject, her hair was surprisingly soft.
As I kept absentmindedly stroking her head while waiting for an answer, the child finally gave a faint nod. It was such a passive reply that it made me sigh.
“We’ve got a long way to go, seriously.”
Grumbling in frustration, I took her hand and stepped out of the lab. Even though she didn’t give a clear answer, she didn’t seem to mind following me—she trailed behind me without protest.
I used the keycard I’d taken earlier to unlock the glass door and stepped out into the external hallway. Through the windows, I could see a swarm of combat vehicles and people gathered outside the building. Just knowing that some of them might be people I knew made me feel weird.
‘In my past life, I was locked up in the basement of Building B until the Hunters arrived and opened the cell door.’
Things had changed way too much. Even the title of “regressor” that I had fought so hard to earn didn’t seem all that meaningful anymore.
I forced a bitter smile and quickened my pace. If anyone outside saw me walking through the hallway, it would only make things complicated.
Once we crossed into Building A, the scene was entirely different from the intact Building B—the hallway here was already trashed, with things broken and shattered everywhere.
I was more familiar with Building B, but that didn’t mean I’d never been to Building A. Since Building B had no direct entrance, all kidnapped victims were first brought to Building A before being transferred.
When I was first dragged here, I had been locked up in Building A for about two days before being moved to B. So even if a victim was discovered in Building A, it wouldn’t be suspicious.
I entered a storage room a fair distance away from the external hallway and left the door intentionally half-open. Then I shoved a bunch of boxes off a shelf and spilled them onto the floor.
Clatter! Crash!
The alcohol lamps and cylinders inside the boxes smashed to pieces on the ground with a loud noise.
After waiting briefly, just as I expected, I heard rapid footsteps and unfamiliar voices shouting right outside.
“There was a strange noise in here!”
“It might be a remaining enemy. Be careful.”
A man and woman’s tense voices alternated. Soon after—slam!—the door I had left ajar was flung open and a pair of Hunters burst in.
“Drop your weapons, now—huh?”
One of the men, probably expecting a hidden guard, froze with a dumbfounded expression when his eyes met mine. Taking advantage of the moment, I yanked the child close and held her in my arms, shouting in a terrified tone.
“Please help us!”
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“No. We’ve been hiding the whole time.”
I replied with an awkward smile, and the male Hunter—mistakenly thinking he had rescued me—murmured with a sympathetic look.
“To think you protected your little sister even in such a dangerous situation... You’re amazing.”
“Heh...”
The female Hunter beside him gave me a thumbs-up and nodded. Since I didn’t have anything to say in return, I just flashed a gentle, kind smile that said I’d only done what was natural.
Well, well. These clueless, gullible Hunters walked right into it. Things were going way smoother than I expected, and I was practically humming inside as I followed behind them.
When we reached the first floor, the thick iron door—crushed like paper—stood wide open, and beyond it were the same combat vehicles and crowd of Hunters I’d seen through the window.
The male Hunter who had guided me all the way out spoke with a proud expression.
“If you go that way, you’ll find ambulances and support staff waiting. You said you’re not injured, but just in case, I recommend getting checked.”
“Sure, I’ll do that. Thanks.”
Yeah, right. I planned to take advantage of the chaos and run away with the kid as soon as possible.
As I gave an answer that was the complete opposite of my actual plan and began walking to get as far away from the building as I could, a low, chilling voice cut across my path.
“Hold it. You there.”
There was no way it wasn’t directed at me, so I couldn’t ignore it. I turned my head toward the voice, putting on a blank, clueless expression.
“Haven’t seen your face before. What’s your affiliation?”
“......!”
Just like I’d done with the other Hunter earlier, I was about to come up with a vague excuse—until I locked eyes with the person speaking and bit my tongue.
‘Shit.’
Black hair tinged with blue, sharp and defined brows. That strikingly handsome face—so good-looking it practically demanded compliments—was one I knew all too well.
How could I not? He was the poster child of an S-rank—leader of the most influential guild in the country, Yesung—and...
‘The man who, in my last life, fought the Catastrophe until the bitter end without ever giving up.’
I could still vividly remember his back as he charged past my crumpled body toward the Catastrophe.
I had known he participated in the lab raid, but I didn’t think we’d come face to face like this. My head spun with confusion, and I couldn’t answer right away. He narrowed his eyes.
“I asked which group you’re with.”
“Ah, um...”
You’ve got to be kidding me. Of all people, I run into the one guy infamous for being a hard-ass.
Just as I was forcing an awkward smile and trying to salvage the situation—
Ding!
《Main Quest has arrived!》
《Main Quest: Meet the scattered protagonists and become their comrade. (Progress: 0%)》
‘Wait, what?’
While I was still stunned by the sudden main quest, more windows began popping up in rapid succession.
《Information has been updated!》
Ding!
User Info: Cha Seohu (Supporting Character)
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 ▼
└ Soaked Cat (F-rank)
└ Just Lie Down (F-rank)
Ding!
User Info: Kwon Taehyuk (Protagonist)
Age: 27
Main Skill: Blade Barrage (S-rank)
Title: The Righteous
Attack Power: S-rank
Attack Speed: S-rank
Movement Speed: S-rank
Agility: S-rank
Special Notes ▼

Comments

Loading...