Chapter 14 :AfterMath

Baek Jung stood in the center of the battlefield, the flames from his attack still smoldering. The infected were nothing but ashes now.

Kai turned away from the destruction and rushed toward Jiwook, who was using his axe to support himself, his breathing heavy.

"Jiwook, are you okay?!"

Jiwook gritted his teeth, his body trembling.

"Damn that thing hurt a lot…" He forced a laugh, but Kai could see the sweat on his forehead. "Poison's probably spreading already."

Kai immediately reached into his inventory and pulled out the dose of Blood of Arachnia.

"Here! Take this! It'll cure you!"

But—

Jiwook raised his hand, stopping him.

"Don't waste it on me, kid."

Kai's eyes widened.

"What are you saying?! You'll turn into one of them if you don't take it!"

Jiwook chuckled weakly.

"Maybe this is it for me… One last fight before I go out like a warrior, huh?"

"Don't say that!" Kai clenched his fist.

Jiwook smiled sadly, then looked Kai in the eye.

"If I don't make it, take care of—"

SLAP!

Baek snatched the vial from Kai's hand and shoved it into Jiwook's mouth.

Jiwook choked, his eyes widening as he was forced to swallow.

Baek crossed his arms.

"Stop the damn drama."

Kai sighed in relief.

A system notification popped up.

> [Blood of Arachnia used – 1/3 remaining.]

Jiwook, finally recovering from the shock, glared at Baek.

"Man, you ruined my farewell speech."

Baek raised an eyebrow.

"You want a farewell? I can just burn you to ash right now."

Jiwook grinned.

"Tch. Not like you scare me."

Kai watched the two bicker, but inside, he felt relieved.

Then, Baek turned to Kai.

"You got any more of that cure?"

Kai nodded. "Yeah, but there's only one dose left."

Baek took it without hesitation.

Kai watched in shock as Baek smashed the vial on the ground, shattering it and spilling the precious liquid.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Kai shouted.

Baek didn't answer. Instead, he raised his hand, activating his skill.

[Mist of Fortune – Activated]

A dense mist formed around them, swirling through the camp. The spilled cure mixed with the mist, spreading everywhere.

Kai and Jiwook watched in awe.

As the mist reached the infected survivors, they screeched and collapsed.

The extra limbs shrank away, their grotesque features fading.

One by one—

They returned to normal, unconscious but alive.

Kai's eyes widened.

"You… used the mist to spread the cure…?"

Baek nodded.

"Now we don't waste time running around trying to cure them one by one."

Kai was stunned.

That kind of precision and control… Baek wasn't just strong. He was smart.

Baek turned to Kai.

"Now that this mess is cleaned up, listen up."

Kai and jiwook straightened.

"Get the camp back in order."

Baek's eyes narrowed toward kai.

"Then come find me."

"Where?"

Baek smirked.

"You know yourself. Don't keep me waiting."

Then—

He vanished into the mist.

Kai and Jiwook exchanged glances.

Then,

Kai and Jiwook worked tirelessly, gathering the surviving soldiers and civilians into the medical tent. Many were wounded, still weak from the infection.

Kai handed out potions, pouring them carefully into the mouths of the unconscious. His hands ached, his mind was exhausted, but he kept going.

Jiwook, still bandaged and recovering, helped where he could, giving orders and keeping morale up.

Then—

A soft groan came from one of the beds.

"Ugh… Where am I?"

Doctor Sofea woke up.

Jiwook turned, surprised.

"You're safe, Miss Sofea."

Sofea sat up, rubbing her forehead, then her eyes widened in shock.

She saw dozens of patients lying on beds around her, moaning in pain.

"What happened?!" she gasped.

Ignoring her own weakness, she rushed to the nearest patient, checking their vitals.

Jiwook chuckled.

"Hah… You always take care of others before yourself."

But then—

Jiwook's eyes widened in shock.

As Sofea placed her hands on the patient's chest, a soft, golden glow appeared.

The patient's wounds began closing, bruises fading.

"Wait… Miss Sofea… Are you awakened?!"

Sofea froze.

Jiwook gazed at her glowing hands.

"Since when?!"

Sofea looked down at her hands, then at Jiwook, puzzled.

"I don't know."

She hesitated, then continued.

"When I woke up, a system window appeared in front of me. It showed a quest: 'Save the life.' I didn't even think about it—I just moved."

She placed her hands on another patient.

"Then, when I reached out, the system asked: 'Use Healing Skill?'"

A soft warmth radiated from her hands again as another patient sighed in relief, their pain fading.

"I don't know much about this Awakening thing… But if I can save lives, that's all that matters."

She smiled.

Jiwook rubbed his chin, suspicious.

"You're telling me… You awakened just now?"

He narrowed his eyes and secretly used Scan.

A system window popped up.

[Sofea – A-Rank Awakener]

Class: Unique Healer

Jiwook's eyes widened in shock.

"What the hell…?"

An A-Rank…? And a Unique-class Healer?!

Jiwook laughed in disbelief.

"Hah… Well, well."

Then—

A new system notification popped up in front of him.

[You are within a Healing Zone. HP will regenerate over time.]

Jiwook blinked, then grinned.

"Hahahaha! This is insane.So this is a skill from the Unique Class"

Sofea kept working, unaware of how much of a game-changer she had become.

On the other side of the tent, Kai was still handing out potions, moving from patient to patient.

He wiped sweat from his forehead, staring at the nearly empty bottle in his hands.

He glanced at Sofea.

She raised a hand, and the patient's wounds closed instantly.

Kai looked at the small, weak healing potion in his grasp.

A bitter smile formed on his face.

"Ugh… What am I even doing?"

He stood up, feeling a pang of disappointment.

As if—

His efforts weren't even bother.

After the chaos settled, the survivors rested, and the camp slowly returned to order. Kai wandered through the mess, picking up scattered supplies and broken weapons.

Amidst the wreckage, his hand brushed against, torn map buried under debris.

He pulled it out, shaking off the dust. The paper was worn and fragile, with parts burned or ripped. But one thing caught his eye—

A white mark circled a location deep within an uncharted zone.

Kai frowned.

"What is this…?"

As he ran his fingers over the mark, he heard footsteps approaching.

"Hey, kid. What are you doing?"

Kai looked up to see Jiwook, his axe resting on his shoulder.

Kai hesitated, then spoke.

"Hey, Jiwook—I mean, boss—" he stuttered.

Jiwook raised an eyebrow.

"Tch. Don't bother. Just call me Jiwook, kid."

Kai nodded.

"Alright..., Jiwook. I wanted to ask you about this."

He held up the damaged map, pointing at the white-marked area.

Jiwook's expression darkened.

He muttered under his breath.

"White Area…"

Kai's brows furrowed.

"White Area?"

Jiwook exhaled, eyes narrowing.

"That place is still classified. Its danger rank is unknown, but what we do know is…"

He paused, staring at the torn map.

"It's a place where people go and never come back."

A chill ran down Kai's spine.

But he didn't look away.

Jiwook smirked.

"The area is still a mystery to us, kid. But if you really want to go…"

He turned, giving Kai a sharp glance.

"You'll need to prove yourself first."

Kai met his gaze and nodded firmly.

"Alright."

Jiwook silently observed him.

In his mind, a thought lingered—

"If this kid really is the key to humanity's survival… then maybe… this world still has a chance."