Chapter 7

When I was very young.

I remember the first time I rode a slide.

The thrilling (or so it seemed) speed and gravity I felt for the first time in my life.

As I slid down the dark tunnel, I could recall memories from long ago.

Thud.

Of course, there were differences.

The endpoint of this slide was not a soft sandpit but a cold concrete floor.

Though my body had been strengthened by Black Ether, I couldn't overcome the inertia and ended up sprawled on the ground.

"Ah... damn."

If I had been in my frail pre-awakening state, I might have been in the other world by now.

I struggled to get up, my body aching, and looked around.

A dark, square room with no lighting.

On the opposite side of the slide (?) I had come down, a large iron door stood.

Would opening this door allow me to enter the interior?

I walked to the door and grabbed the round handle that looked like a steering wheel.

Creak.

Despite applying considerable force, it wouldn't budge.

It seemed that it wouldn't be easy to open without someone unlocking it from the outside.

"Hmm...?"

Despite its smooth appearance, the handle had small grooves.

It felt more like impurities had dried on the surface of the handle.

I soon realized what those impurities were.

"Blood...!!"

The handle of the iron door was stained with dark red blood, as if it were the cries of the dead.

I had already thought this place wasn't friendly, but the thought of someone turning this handle with blood-soaked hands sent a chill down my spine.

Hey, Kiril.

Why did you send me to such a place?

Squeak—

As if in response to my thoughts, a small mechanical sound came from above my head.

Looking up, I saw a small nozzle aimed at me.

Soon, black gas spewed out from the nozzle.

Hiss—

By its color and smell, it was clearly a toxic gas.

"Damn it."

Suddenly, the ground seemed to give way.

Toxic gas was being released.

Even though I was an uninvited guest, this welcome was legendary.

I instinctively raised my sleeve to cover my nose but soon realized it wasn't necessary.

I was immune to the toxins of poison monsters.

If I were to be affected by this level of toxicity, I would have died a dozen times over.

"..."

As expected, there was nothing unusual with my body.

In fact, I felt a strange sense of familiarity.

'G...o...d...'

At first, I wanted to show that I was fine, but I soon changed my mind.

"Ugh...!!"

I clutched my chest and knelt down.

Then, I shivered and pressed my face to the ground.

I didn't need to act.

Just recalling the pain I often felt before my awakening made my face contort on its own.

After some time,

Whoosh.

The air around me was ventilated, and a 'click' sound came from the iron door.

Of course.

I was caught.

Creak—

I squinted and looked at the figure walking towards me.

He was a rather plump man.

He was wearing a gas mask, probably due to the remaining toxins in the room.

A faded checkered shirt hugged his ample body, and his curly hair grew wildly, giving him a wild animal-like appearance.

A 'doctor' living alone, huh?

He was far from the typical image of a doctor.

Tap tap.

He seemed cautious.

He poked my body with his foot, as if to confirm if I was really dead.

"Are you dead?"

After a long moment, he took off his gas mask.

A middle-aged face, around his 50s.

His chubby cheeks matched his body shape perfectly.

This must be Dr. Jin.

He squatted down and examined me, and I sensed the right moment.

No matter how uninvited a guest I was, to release such dangerous gas?

I suddenly stood up and roared at the man.

"Roar!!!"

"Ah!!"

Surprise.

While it was a weak reaction considering the toxic gas, I decided to stop the prank there, considering his age.

"Ugh... Ugh!!"

"Hey."

The problem was that his reaction was much more intense than I expected.

Dr. Jin, who had fallen backward, was writhing on the ground, his eyes white and foam bubbling at the corners of his mouth.

While it was understandable to be shocked, I didn't expect such an extreme reaction.

Realizing something was wrong, I rushed to Dr. Jin.

"Sir, it's a joke. It's a joke!"

"Aaaah!! Save me!! Kiril!! Help me!!"

His eyes, filled with madness, looked at me, or rather, at something behind me.

I finally realized that the source of his fear wasn't me.

What exactly happened between you and Kiril in the past?

First, I needed to calm him down.

"Sir! Snap out of it! Kiril sent me here!"

"Ah!! Stay back!! Save me!!"

In a panic, Dr. Jin wildly swung his hands.

Though he didn't hit me, my hoodie was pushed back.

"Ah...?!"

Dr. Jin, who had been thrashing and screaming, suddenly became quiet.

Whatever happened, it was fortunate.

I almost killed someone with one prank.

"Kiril...!! It's Kiril!!"

Damn.

What is this?

I wanted to ask the man, but Dr. Jin, who had clung to me and started crying, made it impossible to ask.

"Ugh... I missed you, Kiril!!!"

It didn't seem to be just a mental breakdown.

Dr. Jin seemed to have seen something in my exposed face that made him believe I was Kiril.

Dr. Jin, who was crying like a child despite his age, suddenly seemed small and vulnerable.

"Sorry, sir."

I patted Dr. Jin's shoulder for a long time.

* * *

"...So that's what happened, Kiril..."

Dr. Jin, who had stopped crying, soon regained his composure, and I explained what had happened.

After hearing my story, Dr. Jin told me something unexpected.

"Your name is Hae-seon, right? You look a lot like Kiril when he was young."

"Huh?"

"Kiril also looked like you when he had just finished his awakening. His body was covered in red and purple spots."

"!!"

I had heard many stories from Kiril, but never this one.

"Living with that must have been tough. You must have suffered a lot."

Dr. Jin, who had recovered from his panic, treated me like a kind uncle.

Seeing this, I felt even more apologetic for what had happened earlier.

"The spots were bad enough, but I also had periods when my health was poor, so I couldn't attend school."

"That makes sense. If you were a normal person, you would have left this world long before your awakening. But now, you'll be fine. The spots will disappear soon, just like Kiril's."

Dr. Jin patted my shoulder and gestured towards the door.

"Let's go in. That's where I live."

Opening the iron door, a completely different scene appeared.

"Wow..."

I couldn't help but exclaim.

Sturdy alloy gauntlets, various weapons that made my skin crawl, and mysterious electronic devices.

The walls were lined with all sorts of cool devices, and the large table was filled with advanced equipment.

The environment looked better than most guild research labs I had seen on VTube.

"More like a collection of my nasty hobbies than a home."

Dr. Jin smiled wryly and led me to the sofa.

"It's been five years since anyone visited my home. Occasionally, uninvited guests would come, but they would die in that room. By the way, the floor doesn't open for civilians. It's designed to judge if someone is an Awakened before the trap is activated."

So the blood on the steering wheel-like handle was from an 'uninvited guest.'

"Someone is after you, Dr. Jin."

"Yes. I created a toxic gas from the Black Ether Kiril had. There's no better weapon for dealing with uninvited guests."

Ah.

That's why the toxic gas felt familiar.

There was a reason Kiril didn't warn me about it.

I couldn't have died in that space in the first place.

"Who exactly is after you, Dr. Jin?"

"...To tell that story, we need to go back to a very long time ago. But for now..."

A light twitch appeared on Dr. Jin's cheek.

It seemed that even bringing up the story triggered his PTSD.

"No, it's okay. You don't have to tell me if it's too hard. You can tell me later if there's a chance."

"Thanks."

Of course, I was curious.

What happened between Kiril, my savior, and Dr. Jin?

And what exactly are the 'Poisoners'?

But there was something more important right now.

"My sister was poisoned by a poison monster. Kiril said that if I met you, I could get an antidote."

"Is that so?"

Dr. Jin smiled widely, but there was a strange nuance in his smile.

"Can't you make it?"

"No, I can make it right away. I'm the one who devised the MMPT test."

"Really?"

"Yes. I can make an antidote anytime. But..."

Was he thinking of Kiril?

Dr. Jin smiled like a mischievous child.

"Your sister is probably already cured."

"Huh??"

What does he mean?

If she was cured, why did he tell me to bring an antidote...

Wait.

Could it be...

"To meet Dr. Jin?"

"Seems like it. Healing the poisoning symptoms has nothing to do with the person's physical condition. While healing her injuries, her poisoned body was probably healed as well."

"That damn liar..."

"Haha. It's been a long time since I saw his face, but Kiril is still the same."

Dr. Jin laughed heartily and clapped his hands.

This seemed to be his true personality.

"Why would he do that? I don't understand why Kiril went to such lengths to send me here."

"Maybe Kiril wanted you to meet me as soon as possible."

"Why?"

Instead of answering, Dr. Jin asked a different question.

"The Hunter Test. Have you seen it yet?"

"Um... No. I only awakened a few days ago."

"Exactly."

"Huh?"

"From the time Kiril awakened until now. I'm the one who helped improve his abilities."

Oh?

That's quite an intriguing statement.

Dr. Jin's story didn't end there.

"Kiril and I have been close for a very long time. He would know what kind of life I lead."

"Life...?"

"Yes. I was preparing for the day I would meet Kiril again by creating devices that would suit him."

Devices that suit Kiril.

In other words, devices that suit a 'Poisoner.'

"Ah, so..."

"It would have been better if Kiril had come with you, but I think the reason he sent you alone is because of these."

Dr. Jin pointed to his shoulder with his thumb.

The numerous advanced devices hanging on the wall.

If I understood Dr. Jin correctly, he was offering these devices to me.

"Even though the poisoning symptoms are cured, your sister must be worried, so I won't keep you long. Stay here for two days."

"Once I confirm that my sister has recovered, I will do that."

"During that time, I plan to give you two things."

"Two things?"

"Yes. One is to set up a device that suits you. And the other is..."

Dr. Jin looked at me with a face that seemed younger.

"I will teach you the training methods that Kiril used."