Chapter 234: Hyung Is Here (3)
“He’s calm? Before, he’d lash out at the slightest touch.”
“Stay on standby, just in case.”
“A skill that works this easily on an SS-rank? That’s impressive.”
The watchful gazes and judgmental voices grated on my nerves.
Just as they said, Yuhyun remained still in my arms.
Not only did he let himself be pulled in, but he went even further—burying his face against my shoulder and chest, curling up as if trying to press himself even closer, like a lost puppy seeking warmth.
I bit the tip of my tongue.
The pain grounded me just enough to keep my expression composed.
“If the skill is applied strongly, there’s also a slight emotional transfer effect. If I start acting a little strangely, don’t be alarmed.”
“Emotional transfer? That sounds dangerous.”
“My stats are only C-rank. If I were a high-rank guard, I wouldn’t be able to use this skill so freely. Besides, it can only be applied to one person at a time.”
I added that while my skill was fairly high-tier, even against an SS-rank, it wouldn’t usually take effect this easily.
A way to reassure them.
To make them lower their guard around me.
“The combination of the drugs and his delirium must be enhancing the effect. Would it be possible to release his arms, at least? The skill would work even better if I could assist him physically.”
A brief discussion followed.
The response came back that his restraints had to remain in place to keep his inventory sealed.
One of the S-rank guards stepped forward, holding the key to the cuffs.
Yuhyun’s body tensed immediately.
“Wait! Don’t come closer—just throw me the key.”
With a metallic clatter, the key landed nearby.
I quickly unlocked the cruelly tight bindings on my brother’s arms.
The moment he regained freedom, he grabbed onto me.
The muffled sound of Hyung barely made it through the gag, turning into a faint, desperate murmur.
“It’s okay. You’re okay… Just stay calm.”
It hurt.
Like my insides were being burned to ash.
I wanted to buy a master key right now and remove every single restraint binding his body.
But two S-rank guards were watching closely.
I couldn’t act recklessly, couldn’t even whisper something they might overhear.
Even mouthing words silently could give me away.
“If his mana recovers too much, it could become dangerous. You should step away now, Mr. Han Yujin. Alpha’s adaptability to the absorption array is high—we’re concerned.”
Mindiva spoke in a careful tone.
They could drain him of mana instantly if needed, but I would be at risk.
I ran a hand down my brother’s back as he clung to me, unwilling to let go.
I didn’t want to let go either.
Would it be better to just set off a bomb here and now?
I would revive, no matter what.
As for Yuhyun…
I hadn’t gotten the full details of what would happen to him.
Since this wasn’t his real body, would he enter a death-state until he was cleared?
If he lost consciousness entirely, that would be a relief.
But if he stayed aware and was forced into a death condition—he’d be trapped in terror the whole time.
And right now, he’s already in this state…
‘It’s the fastest and most certain way.’
But I couldn’t do it.
Even knowing he wasn’t in his real body, I—
I clenched my teeth, then exhaled slowly.
“…I’ll be back soon, so just sleep a little longer.”
Gently, I loosened Yuhyun’s grip on me.
His red eyes widened in shock.
“It won’t take long. Just a little while. Be good, okay?”
My little Yuhyun.
I spoke as if I were comforting my younger brother back when he’d try to follow me out as a kid.
His face filled with unease.
His eyes trembled, on the verge of spilling tears again—
But he didn’t grab onto me.
Even though he was surely stronger than me right now, he didn’t resist.
He obediently let go, sitting back quietly.
“…Stay put and wait.”
He looked like he wanted to reach for me.
But he didn’t move.
As I stood up, his gaze clung to me desperately.
His curled-up body trembled.
I bit my tongue.
Again.
And again.
The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth.
…Fucking hell, how was I supposed to walk away from a brother like this?
Was there really no way to take him with me immediately?
Two S-rank guards.
Yuhyun’s mana still depleted.
Drugs keeping him from responding properly.
And if they sensed any danger, they could drain his mana at once through the engraving.
No matter how I ran through the possibilities, I couldn’t make it work.
Not right now.
I had no choice but to withdraw.
“Mr. Han Yujin?”
The questioning voice snapped me back to reality.
The moment I moved to turn away—
Yuhyun’s breath hitched sharply.
I was going insane.
I should just—
A message window suddenly popped up, blocking my view like a warning sign.
[Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.]
A sub-quest.
Like hell this is just ‘bitter.’
Still, it snapped me out of it.
I turned away without any reckless moves.
I stepped out of the absorption field, as if retreating in surrender.
Immediately, the mana absorption array reactivated.
A soft thud followed.
I turned my head.
Yuhyun had collapsed, unconscious again.
“You should have restrained his arms before leaving. Well, I suppose it’s fine this way.”
Mindiva mentioned that since I couldn’t use my inventory immediately, and if I tried to remove the restraints on his hands, they would simply drain his mana to suppress him.
I let out a long breath.
My head, my chest—hell, my entire body felt like it had been beaten to a pulp.
But this was still better than seeing Yuhyun awake.
At least if he was unconscious, he wouldn’t be left in constant fear.
…Still, did they really have to leave him lying on that cold floor like that?
“…Couldn’t you let him rest somewhere more comfortably? Even I feel uncomfortable just looking at him.”
“He’s SS-rank. He’ll be fine.”
You bastards.
Just because someone’s body is tough doesn’t mean they can sleep comfortably on bare concrete.
Now that I thought about it, had they even been feeding him properly?
They had kept him sedated all this time, so it was unlikely they bothered.
Just how many days had they starved him, these sons of bitches?
Grinding my teeth, I took in my surroundings more carefully.
The mana absorption array covered nearly half the room.
If an Awakened touched it, their mana would be sucked away instantly.
Magical items wouldn’t work within its range either.
Even though I had freed Yuhyun’s arms, his ankles were still shackled, and chains connected them to the floor.
Pulling him out with ordinary tools wouldn’t be possible.
Simply put, until the absorption array was deactivated, no Awakened could approach.
‘Asking a non-Awakened for help is an option…’
But how would I even get a non-Awakened person inside?
Stealth items that could deceive an S-rank were ridiculously expensive.
So were teleportation items.
Long-distance teleport items were single-use and cost over 3 million points each.
I currently had about 1.5 million points.
The hidden quests had helped me rack up more, but I still couldn’t afford to blow my savings on high-tier items just yet.
I had to think about what came after I rescued Yuhyun, too.
“The effectiveness of your skill has been proven beyond doubt.”
Smiling, I turned away from Yuhyun and spoke to Mindiva.
He nodded, satisfied.
“Let’s head out for now.”
“Can’t I take responsibility for Alpha myself? If I spend two or three days taking care of him, he’ll start listening to me in no time.”
If Achates saw that Yuhyun was stable, they’d eventually release him on their own.
They needed an SS-rank to defend against SS-rank monsters.
At my suggestion, Mindiva shook his head as he led the way toward the exit.
“I appreciate your enthusiasm, but Mr. Han Yujin, you haven’t even officially transferred here yet. First, we need to update your engraving to Achates’ mana hall and finalize your contract.”
“But isn’t leaving an SS-rank like that for too long a huge waste? Who knows when the next SS-rank monster might show up?”
“Don’t worry about that. Fortunately, Lord Sigma of Solemnise will be arriving soon.”
…Sigma?
Why the hell was he showing up?
My expression twisted on reflex.
If another SS-rank guard got involved, rescuing Yuhyun would become even harder.
“At first, he declined our request to subdue Alpha. But out of nowhere, he suddenly contacted us, offering his assistance. Once Lord Sigma arrives, we’ll be able to manage Alpha even more securely.”
“…When exactly did he reach out?”
“Two days ago. It was early in the morning. Since traveling to another city requires preparation, he should be arriving within the next day or two.”
Two days ago.
The day after I escaped.
The bombs would have gone off at sunrise—so right after that, he must have contacted Achates.
…Shit.
He figured out I was heading here.
Was it because I’d been asking about Alpha and Achates before I left?
His sense for these things was disgustingly sharp.
More importantly, would an SS-rank guard really chase me down personally?
Maybe he just took the cooperation request as an excuse to come.
Either way, I wasn’t happy about it.
As we walked down the hallway, I checked my skill window, pretending to browse.
I opened the sub-quest notification that had popped up earlier.
[Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet. For your patience, here’s a small gift! Sweets are great for stress relief.
Reward: Café Latte, Medsang 15-Year Blue Hole Wine]
…What kind of reward was this?
It really was just a small gift.
“Would you like to look around some more? Or should I take you to your lodging at the Defense Bureau? Using your skill must have drained your mana quite a bit—would you like to connect to a mana supply first?”
“No, I’m fine for now. Actually, I happen to have a bottle of Medsang 15-Year Wine.”
“Wait—Blue Hole?”
Mindiva’s face lit up with excitement.
Even the guard stationed at the entrance widened his eyes at me.
So it was famous, huh?
“Yes, it’s Blue Hole Wine.”
“A 15-year vintage, no less? I heard you were wealthy, but… Ah, don’t worry, that was just basic background research. The guard who escorted you to the city mentioned it.”
“I do have a decent amount of money.”
“No need to worry—I won’t pry further.”
The little glance he shot me practically screamed, I know you’re hiding something.
Did they think I embezzled funds and ran here or something?
I mean, I did swipe some stuff from their storage, but still.
“I got plenty of sleep during the day, so I’m not that tired yet. Why don’t we have a drink and chat? I have a lot of questions about what’s ahead.”
“That would be wonderful!”
Mindiva grinned and took the lead.
He guided me to a residence that looked similar to an office-tel.
It was clean and fairly spacious.
As I entered the secure area, I discreetly retrieved the Blue Hole Wine from my confiscated backpack, slipping it back inside after claiming my reward.
“This residence is mainly for employees who finish their shifts early. Since those working night shifts can’t return home even if they finish early, accommodations like this are provided.”
Mindiva mentioned the solid employee benefits while heading to the kitchen, saying he’d bring glasses and some snacks.
In the meantime, I quickly accessed the Point Shop.
Flipping through categories at high speed, I searched the consumable items, specifically under potions and drugs.
[Whispering Influence — S
Colorless, odorless. Causes the subject to answer questions truthfully. Ineffective against individuals with B-rank or higher Stats or Poison Resistance.
Single-use]
An S-rank item, yet it only worked on C-rank or lower? Mental-affecting drugs were always underwhelming compared to their rank.
Mindiva’s rank was exactly C.
There was a chance he had a B-rank Poison Resistance skill or item, but it was unlikely.
He wasn’t a combatant, after all.
He had proudly introduced himself as a mana hall researcher and an authority on Awakened studies, boasting that he was far more valuable than high-tier combatants.
According to him, those could be mass-produced through baptism rituals, but experts like himself were truly irreplaceable.
Before Mindiva returned, I quickly uncorked the wine bottle and poured the Whispering Influence inside.
If the drug didn’t work, I’d have to resort to more traditional methods.
Luckily, this place had no surveillance cameras and was soundproofed for privacy.
“The fact that your skill worked on an SS-rank like Alpha means your employee status will be adjusted to one of the highest levels.”
Mindiva set down two glasses on the table with a congratulatory tone.
The snacks were something like cheese and jerky.
I lifted the wine bottle and poured the pink-hued liquid into both glasses.
Mindiva didn’t seem suspicious at all.
It wasn’t surprising—who would ever suspect that someone with a verified background and a first-time visitor to Achates was actually here to rescue Alpha?
Even a psychic with a 100% accuracy rate wouldn’t predict something so absurd.
Besides, I was drinking from the same bottle right in front of him.
And I was only C-rank.
There was no way he’d assume I had tampered with anything.
I naturally took a sip from my glass.
“Wow. I’ve never had a 15-year Blue Hole before… This is incredible.”
A genuine sense of awe slipped out.
It was a shame I had to drink this with this bastard.
Hey, Rookie. Can’t you give me another bottle?
I wanted to share one with Yuhyun after I rescued him.
The flavor was refreshing and slightly cool, with a fruity sweetness that was smooth rather than syrupy.
It melted over my tongue like silk.
The sting from my bitten wounds burned slightly, but even that pain felt pleasant.
Not to mention, the alcohol would probably act as a disinfectant.
Mindiva also looked overwhelmed with delight, launching into an endless monologue about the wine’s excellence.
“As expected of its reputation! This is truly amazing!”
“Yes. Oh, by the way—about Alpha’s engraving. Can you tell me who’s connected to it for mana extraction?”
That was undoubtedly classified information.
But Mindiva answered without hesitation.
“There are five people in total—two S-ranks and three Alpha management officers. The management officers handle a risky role, so they aren’t very high-ranked. Of course, I’m excluded.”
Five people.
‘Fixing Yuhyun’s engraving isn’t possible right away… but eliminating the linked ones will be faster.’
The Alpha management officers were D to C-rank—they’d be easy to deal with.
The two S-ranks were the real issue.
I asked for more details about the engraving connection, and Mindiva explained that aside from those five, only an S-rank with a mana absorption skill could bypass it.
Conveniently, the only such S-rank guard was currently recovering from severe injuries.
“A healer is overseeing his treatment, but it’ll take three to four more days before he can return to duty. All this trouble because of Alpha…”
Mindiva clicked his tongue in disapproval.
I refilled his glass for him.
I wanted to pour it over his face, but I resisted the urge.
“How do you control the mana absorption array? Would I be able to turn it on and off myself?”
“The mana flow needs to be perfectly synchronized—it’s not easy. It requires at least B-rank Magic Stats due to its precision.”
Damn it.
So even if I figured out the method, I wouldn’t be able to do it myself.
I continued questioning him about Achates City and the Defense Bureau.
Mindiva, happily drinking every glass I poured, kept talking without hesitation.
Eventually, he slumped onto the table, unconscious.
A loud, nasal snore soon followed.
I silently looked down at the passed-out bastard.
‘I’ll let you live for now.’
I needed an alibi to move freely later.
Before leaving, I claimed my sub-quest reward.
A café latte with whipped cream piled on top appeared in my hand.
The lattes in this world tasted exactly like the ones from home.
Sweet.
Activating my stealth skill, I slipped outside.
–TL Notes–
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