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– Bang! Bang! Bang!

Its head bounced off, sporting a chilling grin.

How on earth did my eyes notice something different?

Did it sense my gaze? It grinned widely, its mouth stretched ear to ear and looked at me.

“You have a lot more optic nerves than others.”

In my eyes?

As I unknowingly fiddled with my eyes, a green liquid shot towards my face,

– Perv!

Yu Da On quickly stretched out her arm to block it.

– Sliiish…

A horrific sound came from her arm as something melted off, but she ignored it and kept her gaze fixed straight ahead.

“It can’t be like this.”

“For crying out loud. The brat who couldn’t do anything but die is now yammering away just because she’s healing a little faster.”

Bang, bang. Bouncing its head, the neurosurgeon continued speaking.

“But in the end, you’re just an useless human who can’t die!”

…

Hearing that, Yu Da On suddenly froze.

“So just give up early—”

Before it could finish its line, its body was flung back, crashing into the wall.

With a frosty expression, Jang Chae Yeon stood in front of me.

It was an obviously furious look.

“Do your job.”

Jang Chae Yeon reached out and looked at me.

“Find the exit and get us out.”

“Hey! I’m talking here—”

“Shut up.”

– Whoosh!

With a sound like air twisting,

– Bam!

It slammed against the wall again, and Jang Chae Yeon stared at Yu Da On with expressionless eyes.

“Don’t worry about it.”

Was it her way of being considerate?

“This brat—”

“…Don’t touch her.”

– Crash!

As Jang Chae Yeon stretched out her hand again, it was now stuck deep into the wall, and she turned her gaze back to me.

“Let’s go. Find the way. I’ll block everything coming from behind.”

“Don’t ignore me!”

With a whooshing sound, green liquid splattered out, but Jang Chae Yeon merely flicked her hand, deflecting it without a care.

“I’ll hold the rear. But I can’t see ahead.”

…

Clap! With the sound, Song Ah Rin slapped her cheek hard enough to turn it bright red, then glared ahead.

“Then I’ll block!”

Her tone was completely back to normal.

“Are you okay?”

“What do you see me as? I’m Song Ah Rin from the Management Agency.”

She looked like she was in shock, but held her trembling hands together and gave us a confident smile.

“This much is no problem. For now, I’ll keep my eyes forward, so the black-haired one run.”

“Understood.”

While Jang Chae Yeon continued to hold it down, the three of us dashed past her down the stairs.

“Stop ignoring…!”

– Bam!

“…me…!”

– Crash!

“…I told you…!”

– Crash!

“Hey!!!!”

With every word the monster uttered, a louder crash accompanied it, and only after we all passed, Jang Chae Yeon extended her arm forcefully to push it back and began to run after us.

Now, we began sprinting through the endlessly twisting corridor.

Quickly, I unfolded the manual.

[3-5. The location of the morgue is generated randomly. Generally, it is advisable not to make loud noises, but if you are already being chased, just run. Hope you find the morgue before you’re caught.]

“What a damn piece of trash!”

Soon, a voice filled with rage pierced my eardrums from behind.

And before us appeared a few nurses.

“Nurses!”

“I know!”

Fortunately, we had someone who knew the nurses’ weaknesses and could exploit them.

“Song Ah Rin! The worst memory!”

Upon hearing my words, Song Ah Rin widened her eyes instantly, and the nurses let out silent screams, clutching their heads and collapsing to the floor.

“Looks like you had a plan too!”

Song Ah Rin stared at me with admiration.

Jang Chae Yeon was busy deflecting the incoming liquids from behind.

In contrast, Yu Da On quietly kept her head down, just running behind us.

I should do my part.

As I ran, I fell into thought.

What is a hospital, really? Honestly, that’s such a massive concept. It’s not easy to grasp the essence of a gigantic entity, not just a containment object.

Let’s think a bit smaller.

What the heck was Gangseo University Hospital built for?

To cure sickness? But only horrific things happen here.

To create sickness? That would be too absurd as well.

I recall the things I had seen in the hospital.

I direct my gaze to the ceiling.

Countless jellyfish floating aimlessly in the sky.

And the jellyfish hanging from the patient’s neck.

Lastly, the memories and emotions that poured out when the jellyfish burst.

I felt like I was catching on to something.

How much longer did I run? Song Ah Rin suddenly shouted and pointed forward.

“Here!”

We slid to a stop in front of a sign that read <Morgue>.

This is where they said the freezer would be.

I quickly opened the door,

“…What the.”

I was left speechless at the sight of the massive morgue.

It felt like stepping into a large gymnasium.

The walls were lined with freezers, and at least I didn’t have to worry about how to find the freezer door.

Of course, other problems awaited us.

“…”

Something that had been leaning against the wall, checking charts, stood upright as we entered.

“So it’s true, the Management Agency rats have come.”

The orthopedic doctor grinned from the shadows, revealing only his gums.

“To think you’d try to take the most polished specimen with you. That won’t do.”

“…”

Beside me, Yu Da On clenched her fists, and Song Ah Rin stood in front of us protectively and whispered to me.

“That one doesn’t respond to hypnosis.”

Hearing Song Ah Rin’s words, I looked back, and Jang Chae Yeon was still busily fending off the attacks from behind.

“Ha… ha…”

She stepped back, panting heavily as she stepped through the door.

From the condition of her clothes, it seemed Jang Chae Yeon wouldn’t last long either.

“Song Ah Rin, you help Chae Yeon.”

“What about you?”

“I’ll handle this.”

“…Okay. I guess you can.”

Song Ah Rin nodded after looking at me for a moment then headed towards Jang Chae Yeon.

– Whoosh!

Once more, she deflected the green liquid heading toward her.

“This annoying brat! I’ll have to kill her after all…!”

The damaged neurosurgeon menaced us, then as Jang Chae Yeon crashed it into the wall, Song Ah Rin joined her again.

Song Ah Rin quickly pulled a shotgun from her back and fired.

– Bang!

The upper body of the neurosurgeon bent backward but then froze.

Its joints protruded through its skin, swaying, but the head it held remained nailed down to Jang Chae Yeon.

“…Shut up in there…!”

As it screamed, Song Ah Rin fired several more bullets into its torso with pinpoint accuracy.

“Ha! You’re underestimating the Management Agency people!”

While the two held it back from behind, I gazed at the shadowy doctor.

He was still staring at Yu Da On, holding a chart.

“We need to get our patient back.”

“Just buy us some time, Yu Da On.”

Now it’s time to analyze this one.

At my words, Yu Da On stepped forward to face off with it.

“…It’s just a human body after all. Just can’t die.”

The orthopedic doctor slowly continued speaking.

“So what can you do, huh?”

It extended its arm.

Quickly, I drew a handgun from my pocket and fired.

With the sound slicing through the air, the bullet merely passed through the shadow.

I knew this wouldn’t work, but this was too blatant.

Stay calm. This is the moment to observe closely.

However, nothing happened.

The world just became a bit darker.

No, the world didn’t go dark.

All the light converged into one spot.

I looked up at the ceiling.

Countless jellyfish began to scatter.

With the hushed voices of people as if they were frightened of something, the jellyfish drifted away to somewhere.

“Isn’t it beautiful?”

The orthopedic doctor, with only his shadow remaining, murmured in an entranced voice as he watched the jellyfish disperse.

“What do you think this is?”

“…Memories and souls.”

“Wow.”

It turned its head toward me.

“Why do you think that?”

“Because I’ve blown up heads before.”

Now I get it.

Gangseo University Hospital is not a place that researches diseases.

This is a place that studies ‘souls.’

Patients as flower buds, and the stems with only the body left. Sunflowers.

And the surgeries that make no sense.

At first, I thought it was just the mad process of those trying to cure and study illnesses.

But it wasn’t that.

From the start, this is a place with the purpose of ‘inflicting pain.’

To extract the souls and memories of afflicted people through some sort of process.

I can’t discern the endpoint, but at least I could theorize that much.

“You know well.”

As it nodded, a familiar window appeared before my eyes.

[Your understanding of the ‘hospital’ is increasing.]

[Accumulating your previous understanding.]

[Please wait a moment.]

Is this the end?

Where’s the critical?

– Boom!

While I desperately searched for the critical, the ceiling collapsed, and a giant something fell in front of me.

It was the massive monster that had chased us down the hallway earlier.

It swung its arm in front of me, and Yu Da On pushed me away and got flung into the wall with a loud crash.

– Creak!

With the sound of her bones cracking, Yu Da On screamed.

“…Ugh…”

She groaned a few times, and while getting back up with a staggering stance, I was just rolling on the ground, evading its attack.

– Crash!

Running desperately away.

I hadn’t been hit, but that wouldn’t last.

As its fist smashed down, the pressure from the wind twisted my body.

This is getting dangerous.

Jang Chae Yeon and Song Ah Rin were busy fending off the orthopedic doctor’s attacks, glancing at me.

Ultimately, this was a problem I had to solve alone.

– Bang!

“Gah…!”

The ground shattered, and stones flew everywhere, while I collapsed, unable to disperse the shock from the trembling earth.

A fist fell down towards me.

This is it.

As pain loomed closer, I instinctively closed my eyes.

Is this how I die?

I braced for the sensation of bones and flesh shattering.

– Boom!

I heard the sound. But there was no pain.

“…Kuhk…! Kuhk…!”

Yu Da On had jumped on top of me to protect me.

With a composed expression, she looked at me.

Drip, drip,

Blood from her mouth and nose sprinkled down onto my face with a splatter.

She extended her finger to wipe the blood that flowed and, after a labored smile, she stood up again.

“I… If it wasn’t for you, Jae Heon, I would have been nothing.”

Facing the monster with her staggering body.

“Even if I somehow escape, I would have been fated to be prey for the parasites.”

She raised her arms with difficulty.

“It’s because of you, the insignificant me can exist as Yu Da On.”

At her words, a window appeared before my eyes.

[Your mutual understanding with Yu Da On is increasing.]

[You learned the combined skill ‘Chronos’ Shield’.]

[Chronos’ Shield: When you fix your gaze on XX, Yu Da On will bend that spot to block all damage.]

[Current duration: 3 seconds.]

“Da On!”

As I called her, she stepped quickly in front of me with her arms outstretched, and the monster’s punch suddenly froze in front of Yu Da On, as if time had stopped.

“…Huh?”

Yu Da On blinked, murmuring as the manual began to unfold.

– Whoosh!

And in my hand, a page labeled ‘Gangseo University Hospital’ opened.

So that’s what it wanted me to do.

“From now on, updating information about the restricted zone. ‘Gangseo University Hospital.’”

[Manual for Office Staff.]

[Restricted zone, Gangseo University Hospital – Latest Edition By Human Resources Team Kim Jae Heon.]

As soon as my sentence ended, the segments of the manual began to open up, recording information.

“Object Name: Neurosurgeon, emits acid.”

[Neurosurgeon: Walks around with its head and spits acid. It’s best to avoid long-range combat.]

“Object Name: Sunflower. Strong as hell.”

[Sunflower: A gigantic monster that usually cannot be pushed back. It’s recommended to run away.]

[Critical: 0 -> 2]

– Boom!

It was flung backward, and Yu Da On quickly rushed forward, extending her arm to help me up.

“How did you do that?”

“I don’t know either.”

Yet I could confidently say with a grin.

“But it doesn’t feel like we’ll lose.”