◈ Episode 183

PM 11:21.

Yoo Da-hee stumbled out of the bar. It had been a long time since she had drank, so perhaps her alcohol tolerance had weakened. Her face turned bright red even though she had only had three glasses of beer.

Fortunately, it wasn't so bad that it made my stomach turn.

Rather, the slightly drunken feeling felt good.

"Hehehe. I'm happy…."

Alcohol is a magical drink. It multiplies joy and soothes sorrow. However, when Yudahee was in pain, she couldn't find alcohol. When she came back from work, she would often fall asleep as if she had passed out.

Above all, alcohol is expensive.

'How much did I just spend?'

40,000? 50,000? I drank lightly by myself, but that amount came out. I realized once again that the prices were crazy. In particular, the prices of luxury goods such as alcohol and cigarettes were murderous.

Overspending that would have been unthinkable just a month ago.

But now the bleeding was manageable.

"Hehe. That's so good. You're doing well to visit."

But he was dragged to a warehouse and almost died.

I even hated my dad for giving me a name full of death flags… .

'Anyway, everything is resolved now!'

Dustborne, from what I've seen so far, is a pretty decent company.

First of all, the workload is quite high. I heard that office workers are held tightly by Echidna and are rolled around, and the operational personnel are no different. Even if they are not out in the field, they undergo harsh training every day.

But the pay is high as the work is hard.

'You even gave a deposit to a single trainee.'

It was an apology for the rough first meeting. The promise to support her life was not a lie. If her personality had been twisted, her pride could have been hurt, but that was not the case for Yoo Da-hee.

I know how miserable it is to be penniless.

"Hehe, I have to stick to it like glue. I have to work harder too…."

Today's drinking is the last of my escapades. After the holiday, I plan to focus even more on training. To be honest, I can't even imagine what it would be like in a real match, and I don't want to experience it.

Let's just do our best at the task at hand.

So that I can keep up with the growing spirit of my teammates every day.

It was the moment when I was making a decision while in a hazy state due to drunkenness.

"Ah, this… that… rascal."

"...Crawled all the way in and threw up and made a fuss…."

A street bathed in the cold colors of neon signs.

The sound of horses was heard from a relatively dark side road.

"But doesn't this woman look like a familiar face to you?"

"Well? Did you get hit like this last time?"

"If you're going to get drunk, get drunk nicely… Oh, you have quite a bit of cash."

I could see the situation without even having to look inside. The drunk had probably wandered into the alley and gotten entangled with some thugs. It was a common occurrence in Cilicia.

It is a city with a severe gap between the rich and the poor. Although serious criminals are severely punished, petty crimes cannot be eradicated. There are many blind spots in CCTV, and in deserted alleys, crimes occur as a daily occurrence.

For example, the light and darkness of the city.

Naturally, gangsters cannot openly beat up others on the street. If citizens are careful, they will not get entangled. It is most beneficial for them not to interfere with each other.

'I must turn around and go without being noticed.'

They will also be satisfied and leave at a moderate level. It seems that they are hiding because the security forces are stirring things up these days. Even if you get involved, it will only end up in a mess.

Although it is said that Yoo Da-hee's situation has improved.

It wasn't to the extent that I had even a slight sense of justice.

"Phew. I was feeling good for once, but it suddenly cooled down…."

It was when I was about to turn around.

"Hey, ugh! Ugh…!"

A groan of pain mingled with the night air. Then came a small thud, a shocking sound. It was drowned out by the music playing in a nearby tavern, but it was a noise separate from the drum kick.

And then it became quiet.

As if nothing happened.

Or as if there was no one left in the alley.

'...what?'

The remaining intoxication had completely disappeared. Yoo Da-hee swallowed dry saliva without realizing it. Even though she hadn't witnessed it herself, she was certain that something unusual had happened.

It was an intuition that came from experience, regardless of the spell. It was a constitution, so to speak. Yoo Da-hee was the kind of person who would encounter incidents or accidents if she wandered the streets without a purpose.

The more data is accumulated, the faster the judgment is.

If I had to be specific, she was the exact opposite of Kim Yi-hyun. Unlike him, who takes the initiative, Yoo Da-hee was someone who let things happen to her on their own. She was always in a passive position.

That's why this spell might have been given.

'Let's just check.'

Yoo Da-hee clung to the wall leading into the alley. She made sure that her body was not visible from inside the alley. It was like a third-person FPS game where you hide behind cover and explore the outside.

Soon, my mind came out with a sensation of my forehead being pushed. Through my widened field of vision, I could see the back of Yoo Da-hee's head. When I turned my gaze, I saw a figure inside the alley.

My ominous premonition turned out to be correct.

'Eek…!'

There were three of them. Two of them were hanging limply, their abdomens pierced by bright red thorns. They were either unconscious or had stopped breathing, their limbs hanging limply.

Blood flows down the floor.

It was possible to understand it even with just a few scenes.

This was by no means your typical crime scene.

'What is that? A parasite?'

Red scales covering its entire body. Three tentacles growing out like a tail. Even its face is covered in blood-red mucous membrane, making it impossible to see its facial features. It is only possible to guess that it is a woman based on its physique.

'Oh, I have to run away. No, can I just leave it alone?'

The sight of a monster that she had never seen before. It was a different form of violence than ordinary fistfights. It was different from the common sense incidents that Yoo Da-hee had experienced so far.

Even in the midst of the chaos, time passed relentlessly.

The spell's duration has ended.

The spirit that had fallen was dragged back into the body.

"Boss. Your number is…."

Yoo Da-hee hurriedly took out the terminal she had just opened. Since the contact list was completely empty, it was easy to find. The moment she tried to connect the call, her body froze.

Damn it.

A monster walked out from the street.

'Die.'

This time I'm really dying.

For the dozenth time in my life, I had a premonition of death.

-Thump!

A silhouette that came flying in from somewhere like a shell slammed into the monster. It was pushed back and back into the alley. The figure that disappeared with the monster, with her blue-gray hair fluttering, looked very familiar.

That wasn't all.

"Why are you here?"

"Hey, boss…!"

Kim Yi-hyun approached with an indifferent expression as usual. He clicked his tongue in annoyance, perhaps embarrassed by the attention. It wasn't a busy area, but there were some people looking at him.

"Okay, that's good. You help guide the evacuation."

"Are you going to fight? With that?"

"That's right. I can't just leave it alone."

Yoo Da-hee had also just tried to call Kim Yi-hyun. However, it didn't feel real. She had never witnessed Kim Yi-hyun's battle or seen any operational footage.

Naturally, Yudahee was thinking like this.

Kim Yi-Hyeon is a commander after all. Of course, he may use his body more than the professor who is not directly involved in the battle. However, he would probably leave it to the agents if possible.

'Because it's been that kind of game from the beginning.'

Doesn't that make sense? A commoner who drifted a few years before you is fighting on the front lines. Compared to high-level agents, he's bound to be less effective.

The two drifters had different perspectives.

Kim Yi-hyeon thinks of himself as both a commander and an agent, but Yoo Da-hee does not. That is why she does not feel inferior to her superior colleague, Leone. Her values ​​are still limited to the 'game'.

That was the crucial difference.

"When the police arrive, I'll tell you something."

Kim Yi-hyeon entered the side street, leaving Yoo Da-hee behind. There were two men lying on the ground. They were bleeding profusely, but they were still breathing. Fortunately, they did not appear to be dead.

'I knew there would be victims.'

Clara Silvas, a professional player in the second division.

Even though the quarantine team of the police force directly measured the contamination level, no infection was determined. However, because the situation was so clear, we watched and watched, and then things quickly blew up.

Unless there is a defect in the operation or device.

There is only one conclusion to be drawn.

'Why did the adaptor pop out?'

Parasites born from eggs are innate perfections. On the other hand, this is an entity that has adapted to mutations postnatally. It is a very rare case, and its symptoms are particularly unique.

'It suddenly changed without even going through the crystallization stage?'

Could it be because he was infected in a peculiar way? The exact cause is unknown. I would like to capture him and take him to the lab, but I am not sure if that will work out.

First of all, we have no choice but to try to subdue them.

"Edwin. He's not dead, is he?"

"My lungs were punctured, yes."

"You're saying you're fine."

Clara's head was slammed against the wall, as if Edwin had done it. When she pulled it out, a grotesque sight caught her eye.

A face covered with mucous membranes, as if wearing a mask. Cracks appeared on the face that was flat without any distinguishing features. A single eye appeared as the wrinkles opened and stared at Kim I-Hyun and Edwin.

"When we're done, we'll go get some snacks. You take care of the cleanup yourself."

"Echidna will do it. If you don't want to hear nagging, be careful not to break things."

The battlefield is particularly cramped. The more people see them, the more trouble they will have, so they cannot be sent out into the open. It is a difficult environment to use [Signature] when dealing with completed forms.

This time I chose auxiliary equipment instead of a weapon.

A U-shaped iron bar with a handle in the center.

It's an object called a tuning fork.

It's definitely a shabby thing compared to when I was dealing with eggs.

I guess it's because all kinds of equipment were used at the time.

But that doesn't mean it's lacking now.

"Let's get to work."

At the signal, Edwin charged straight ahead. His large body filled the side road without any room to evade. The bloody tail was stuck in his thigh and abdomen, but he did not stop moving forward.

There is only one tail left.

As he approaches, a high, scorpion-like tail swoops down from above. No matter how monstrous Edwin's regenerative abilities are, his brain is in danger.

Kwak!

As Edwin tilted his head back, the tail dug into his collarbone. He could have dodged it completely, or even grabbed it, but he didn't.

To hold it perfectly.

'It's not called a deep-rooted evil for nothing.'

Kim Yi-hyeon approached Clara, grateful for the meeting at Banjar. She was defenseless and could not avoid it. He thrust the iron bar into her eye. Then he released the handle and lightly hit the bottom.

A loud sound wave resonated within Clara's body.

[Tuning Shock]. In the game, it is an auxiliary equipment that inflicts confusion to the surrounding area for 7 seconds when used. It is a 5-star equipment that can be used in various ways, such as by buying skill cooldown time, although it also causes confusion to allies.

'If you hit it directly in the head, it won't end in 7 seconds.'

It's perfect for 'subjugation'.

As expected, Clara's body collapsed without even being able to resist for a moment. It was like a sonic bomb had exploded inside her head. Even if she was a parasite, she wouldn't be able to come to her senses for a while.

Right after.

Kim Lee-hyun witnessed an unexpected scene.

Clara, who had fallen, did not get up safely.

The condition was just really weird.

"Huh, this is a strange guy."

A completely mutated parasite has returned to human form.