Chapter 169

On a night in November, close to midnight, a man lying in a hospital in the Central District suddenly sat up in his bed.

The first thing the middle-aged man with red hair did was survey his surroundings.

“Where is this…?”

The man strained his blurry eyes and scanned the area.

The disparity between the last scenery he had seen and the current view was difficult to accept.

His mind gradually cleared, but Ospri Rodriguez still felt confusion in this unfamiliar setting.

“This isn’t a laboratory… what on earth?”

The leader of the Brotherhood retraced his last memories.

‘I was chasing a human trafficking organization. Then I was ambushed by them and dragged to a laboratory I didn’t recognize…’

Immediately, a flood of nightmarish memories rushed back to Ospri.

He frowned and examined his body. Clad in a patient gown, his form was emaciated, and his arms and legs felt heavy like waterlogged cotton.

However, he was in better shape than expected. If he tried a little harder, he might be able to walk. What was going on here?

Just then, a nurse on duty entered his room.

“Patient, are you feeling a bit more clear-headed? Don’t exert yourself, just lie down for now!”

A little while later, a doctor arrived.

“…Where is this? What day is it?”

“This is a hospital. I’ll explain it all calmly, so please take it easy. I’ve contacted your guardian, they’ll be here soon.”

“It’s urgent. Hurry!”

Ospri urged the doctor with an impatient tone, feeling a wave of perplexity as he barely grasped the answer.

Time had passed far too quickly than he had anticipated.

‘If what the doctor said is true, this must be a hospital near the Brotherhood. And it’s November? I was definitely dragged by them at the end of June. Did the Brotherhood members or Kalia rescue me? How did they manage that…?’

While he was lost in thought about his situation, he felt an instinctive sense of déjà vu. It was the old sixth sense warning him of danger while he was working in the dungeon.

As a strange ominous feeling washed over him along his spine, he forced himself to rise.

“This isn’t good. I should stay still…”

“Quiet.”

Ospri raised his hand to stop the doctor and looked out the door of the hospital room.

Suddenly, all the lights went out, and the hallway was engulfed in darkness. He summoned his magical power to enhance his hearing.

From below, faint but eerie footsteps echoed through the air.

The sounds were foreboding, something that ordinary people wouldn’t make—trained Awakened Ones.

‘They’re here! But I didn’t expect them to come so boldly. Could they be the Resolvers?’

He noticed that there were no weapons around.

He pulled the IV drip from his arm and inverted the IV pole. The doctor, startled, shouted, “What are you doing…?”

“It’s a raid. There’s no time to explain. Just hide somewhere out of sight! Now!”

While the medical personnel fumbled in confusion, Ospri forced his stiff hands and arms to prepare for a fight.

‘Oh God, my body is frozen. There’s no escaping now. I thought I had made it out… where are the other Brotherhood members? Kalia?’

As he pondered for a moment, a black figure suddenly emerged with a rustling sound from under the bed.

‘What is that?’

The doctor and nurse were too shocked to scream, falling backward in a daze.

Ospri, startled, attempted to bring the pole down on the intruder.

If the figure clad in black hadn’t quickly raised both hands and spoken, he would have swung without hesitation.

The black figure whispered, “Hello, Uncle Ospri! You’re Kalia’s uncle, right?”

“Who are you? How do you know Kalia…?”

As he froze momentarily at the unexpected mention of his niece’s name, the intruder handed him a smartphone.

Through the screen, a pink-haired girl with familiar features appeared, and the man’s eyes widened.

–Uncle! It’s me!

“Kalia?”

-Just listen for now. The black kid beside me is my friend! He’ll protect you. Stay put, okay?

“What on earth…”

As the man hesitated, the dark figure continued to crawl out from under the bed without giving him a moment to react.

Now fully emerged, the dark beings forced Ospri and the medical personnel into the corner under the hospital bed.

“Everyone, stay quiet here!”

Suddenly, a masked man wielding an axe kicked the door open and stormed into the hospital room.

“Where is it? I heard it was definitely here…”

When the man stopped in front of the empty bed, the black figures hanging from the ceiling pounced on him.

“Die!”

“Urgh… Hah…!”

The strike fueled by lethal force was clean and lethal. The man collapsed with a scream.

「Enemies approaching, commencing purge!」

Room 642 aimed at the enemy through the glowing sight.

As the trigger was pulled, a red bolt flew through the air.

In the next moment, the bolt clanked as it landed on the ground.

「Aah! It ricocheted!」

As they deflected the bolt with a sword, I clicked my tongue. The attackers storming the hospital were definitely no ordinary gang.

「The reconnaissance team reports. On the map, there are a total of ten enemies, all Awakened Ones!」

The enemies moved swiftly, all holding axes or curved blades. It was clear that they were Awakened Ones.

A battle erupted inside and outside Violet Hospital.

「These guys are definitely targeting Kalia’s uncle!」

On the third floor of the ward, chaos ensued. Six enemies burst in from all directions.

Fortunately, the escort team sent to the hospital successfully protected their target and made their escape.

「We successfully hid the doctor and nurse. Uncle, I’ll get you out through the window!」

With a crash, the window shattered.

The red-haired man dressed in a patient gown was thrown out of the third-floor window by the Violets.

The Violets waiting below swiftly caught him.

「Secured! We’re moving now.」

The command center observed several yellow and red dots that appeared on the tactical map.

Multiple yellow dots were moving with a blue dot toward the meeting point. Meanwhile, several red dots were in motion on one side of the map.

The Violets entered the purge operation. The flash of crossbows broke through the darkness, and burning sword energy flickered like torches.

「Magic Squad, operation ready!」

「Command center giving orders! Move out!」

For this operation, the magic squad had been deployed as a trial run.

With limited ammunition, it was the perfect time for magic to shine.

Since the surroundings were residential areas and hospitals, using explosives was prohibited to avoid collateral damage.

The Violets pressed the attackers back like a hunting party. The armored front line advanced and cornered the enemies.

“Ah, no! Why are there so many! This is nothing like what you said before!”

One man with a curved blade crashed into a car in the parking lot. The fallen man bounced back like a spring, evading spears and swords before charging again.

A Violet behind the front line aimed her staff.

「Ready to fire!」

In the brief moment the enemy overlapped with the holographic crosshairs of the staff, the magic was unleashed.

「Commence fire!」

The Vision Memory Chips stored in the data center of the Violet Network began to glow and disintegrate one by one.

As the heavy magical power dissipated, tracking blades glowing semi-translucently poured down like a torrential rain from the tip of the staff.

“What the… Aaaah!”

The man with the curved blade could not evade the sudden onslaught of tracking blades. He fell like a target thrown at a circus-style knife thrower.

「Wow, that’s some serious power!」

「This is awesome! So this is magic!」

The attackers had no time to defend themselves while the magic was being deployed.

Though the mana consumption was substantial, the firepower was magnificent!

「Squad 3, listen up! See the map? Three attackers. Currently fleeing toward the 1 o’clock position!」

The command center pressed down on the enemy marked on the map. The yellow dots felt their will and rushed after the red dots.

“Help! Aah!”

“Kugh!”

The fools probably thought they could escape by jumping over buildings.

Before they could flee, they were met with the crossbows of the pursuing Violets and turned into cold corpses.

「Some need to be captured! Look for their leader.」

「Here! He looks like a strong one. He must be their leader!」

As the handling of the attackers drew to a close, only one tough-looking foe remained.

Just after stabbing a masked man with an axe, someone crashed through the wall of the third floor of the hospital with a dull thud.

He captured the unfortunate Room 441 and used him as a cushion for landing.

“Ugh! I’m going to die!”

I decided then and there to take revenge for the poor Room 441.

The attacker wielded curved blades in both hands, and given the aura and power he exuded, he was undoubtedly the leader of the assailants.

「Be careful! Half of our squad has been taken out. He’s a smart fighter.」

“What are you, who’ve never encountered someone like me in all your time as a Resolver?”

We answered the leader of the Resolvers.

“We are the Obsidian Legion. Surrender!”

“What? What kind of nonsense is that…”

Before he could finish speaking, a barrage of bolts flew towards him. The Resolver flinched, barely managing to deflect the attack.

While he was distracted by the hail of bolts, the magic squad finished their aim.

「Fire!」

The volley saved for just this occasion poured down like rain. Though it was the most basic magical attack, it was more than enough to subdue him.

“Ugh…”

He crumpled to the floor, moaning in agony.

We fitted the captured Resolver leader with magical restraints and tied him up with chains.

I could see Kalia and the Brotherhood members sharing a joyful reunion with the revived leader.

“The captain has awakened!”

“Brother, why did you go alone…!”

“Uncle!”

The joyous faces turned cold as they saw the captured leader of the Resolvers bound in chains.

“Kalia! And Uncle, I’ve caught a bad guy!”

The next morning, Kalia and the Brotherhood members busily cleaned up the aftermath of the previous night.

First, they returned to the hospital to seek understanding and negotiate compensation for the destroyed ward.

Fortunately, the public perception of the Brotherhood was positive, while the opposing side was made up of scrupulous Resolvers. The agreement went smoothly.

However, the local police arrived, chomping on donuts.

-So I think we’ll be late. These fools always wait until we respond to gangs that bully people before they show up.

-They’ll probably claim self-defense anyway.

-Understood. Take your time.

Sadly, Kalia was suffering due to the foolish and formal bureaucratic communication of the pig-headed police.

「It seems we can’t communicate!」

「It’s terrible. There are problems that can’t be solved through conversation or communication.」

People are creatures that communicate through language, so if there is no understanding, it is impossible to comprehend the other party.

Perhaps this is the limitation of human language.

Indeed, it is difficult to convey what lies deep within one’s heart through vocal or written language alone.

Therefore, the Violets decided to study a more direct and rapid communication method using electricity.

The method was simple. Place a person in a dark warehouse and attach two electric wires to them.

“Tell me who’s behind it? Screw you! Where’s the Resolver that’s talking about his trading partner?”

“I see, Lightning Strike!”

“Ahhhh! I’ll talk! Stop it! I’ll tell you everything!”

The Violets rejoiced at the success of their electric communication method.

The other party spilled all their deepest secrets and actively engaged in communication.

It didn’t work on that Lera guy, though; could it be a personal difference?

It seemed that in terms of actively engaging with others, this Resolver guy was certainly extroverted.

After a while, Kalia entered the warehouse.

“…Ugh, I thought I wouldn’t have any thoughts after seeing the torture, I must be going crazy myself.”

“This isn’t torture, Kalia! This is communication.”

“Right…”

As we left the warehouse, we talked.

“Pinnacle Trade Network?”

“Yeah, I looked it up, and it’s supposed to be some kind of company. Do you know anything about it, Kalia?”

Kalia shook her head.

“I’ve never heard of it before. I thought you might know something, uncle…”

The surrounding gangs were definitely not from around here.

Most of those swarming this run-down neighborhood were swept out when they tried to mess with the Brotherhood after their leader was lost, while the rest either lived quiet lives or fled to other areas.

The Resolver admitted that they seemed to be running a dungeon operation on the surface, but secretly they were involved in illegal drug dealing and human trafficking.

They said it was a group formed by former hunters, but it’s hard to tell how strong they are.

「Wait, illegal drugs?」

Illegal drugs, huh? I had just run out of the Black Ice I used in the last fight. It performed well, and I wanted to use it again.

There was an idea floated about acquiring the illegal drugs cheaply, but it was immediately dismissed.

The reason we were tasked with protecting Director Leslie was that he rejected the gang’s requests to participate in their drug trade.

The Director despised drugs.

-Drugs are a terrible thing that eats away at one’s mind. I may not be the cleanest person, but I certainly don’t want to handle them directly.

In the end, it was quicker to procure it ourselves.

「Maybe I’ll find something if I shake them down?」

I felt intrigued. Perhaps we could find some good medicine.