36 Episode 36 - Territory Dispute, Part II (2/2)

The power of the Sword of the Imperator and Sun-sin's Arrow need not be questioned, and mundane firepower was also sufficient.

Above all, Kim Tae-hoon himself could set the battle stage this time.

It was not a sudden battle, and it meant that he could fight where he wanted to after practicing and preparing.

Yes, the conditions themselves were incomparably better than those fighting the Black Orc.

There's only one thing left.

'If I can handle my Telekinesis properly.'

Kim Tae-hoon's ability to take advantage of this situation was the only thing he can do. If he was capable enough, there would be no reason to fail when hunting the devil snake.

”Jang Sung-hoon, how much time do we have?”

”Yes?” Jang Sung-hoon was frightened. ”Are you going to hunt the snake?”

The time Kim Tae-hoon referred to was the time the Awakeners who came under him could afford to wait without implementing their agenda.

”Boss, we can't fight that! We can't!” Jang Sung-hoon tried to stop his plans again.

”How many days are left?”

”It's…,” Kim asked repeatedly, Jang Sung-hoon answered, ”I'm not a psychology major, but as you know… we're getting the monster stones once a week from now on. For them, they'll pay you without any doubt. No, they'll pay you for now, as they don't want to be suspected. But if you don't do anything by the second payment, they will start to doubt.”

The world was still unstable now.

Under such circumstances, if their trust and hope in Kim Tae-hoon were gone, some minority would act out of desperation.

It would be a catalyst for collapse.

”First payment in three days, and another week from there, so ten more days from now.”

”That's a limit. No, it's not a limit. There may be a stir, but if you explain…”

Even though he is saying it was not a limit, there were only dark things to see in Jang Sung-hoon's mind after ten days.

'It hates the cold, but if the cold breaks, it won't look at the dead bodies. At that time, we have no choice but to sacrifice someone… and then, we will be finished.'

Above all, the only way to control the devil snake was to sacrifice a living being. In order to earn time, they would have to do the same thing as Lee Jin-sung did, which was the worst.

And Kim Tae-hoon knew the fact better than Jang Sung-hoon.

”What they want is not an explanation.”

Patience didn't really matter to the hunting dogs.

”We will begin training for the hunting of the devil snake.”

6.==========

”Stability is the most important thing for the time being. Don't be too hard.”

”Thank you, thank you, thank you for saving me.”

Ahn Sun-mi laughed bitterly at the appearance of a man bowing repeatedly toward her.

'Stability? That's funny. Who can be stable in the world now?'

A woman came up beside her. ”Doctor, we have an urgent patient. He's been bitten by a monster. He's an Awakener.”

She was the woman who introduced herself as a nurse a few days ago among the survivors of the Mac Clan.

Now she was serving patients with Ahn Sun-mi, and she called Ahn Sun-mi 'doctor'.

It wasn't just her. Ahn Sun-mi was working as a doctor.

”Where is he?”

For once, she wanted to see him, because it was the only talent she had that would save her life.

It was also a very important part of the Mac Clan.

There was virtually no proper medical service in the world. Since there was no medicine on hand, they might have to risk their lives to get medicine. There were many people dying due to lack of fever reducers and antibiotics.

In such a world, it was a tremendous thing to have a medical service and a place to visit when they were sick.

”Arrrrgh… please, please save me.”

”What kind of monster were you bitten by?”

”A dog… no, a monkey dog bit me.”

”Is your arm the only place you were bitten?”

Moreover, it is no exaggeration to say that the value of their life was everything for the humans who had a supreme task to survive.

Insurance and health care were no longer meaningful. It was time to give everything they had for their life. Even more so for Awakeners!

”Yes? Yes, only my arm was bitten.” Ahn Sun-mi's gaze turned to the right arm of the patient lying on the cot.

The wound was serious, and it would normally be better to just cut off his arm in a place like this without proper medical equipment.

”Prepare the tools.”

”Yes.”

However, as Ahn Sun-mi confirmed the wound, she immediately went to treatment without hesitation.

”A brush and a knife.”

She even took out a brush and knife instead of a scalpel and scissors. It was a mysterious thing to do.

But she wet the wound with the Water of Therapy she had created, and also applied the flesh of the Mud Troll with a knife.

The serious wound began to be healed itself at a remarkable rate.

”The price is eight monster stones.” The treatment was over in a flash, and the settlement was required immediately.

”Oh, yes, here…” The Awakener's colleague immediately paid eight red monster stones for treatment.

When the treatment was over in such a short time, the people waiting for treatment looked surprised at those who left with clean scars instead of serious injuries.

Jang Sung-hoon appeared in the stillness.

”How was your business today, sister?”

Ahn Sun-mi looked sullen at his words.

To her, Jang Sung-hoon was like a younger brother who had entered college and had no money. There was no sister who would show a happy expression at the appearance of such a younger brother.

”What brings you here?”

”We found a Mud Troll or more like a Mud Troll nest. Three were identified this time. They made a five hundred-unit apartment complex a grave of dead bodies. It will take some time for the Goblins and the Orcs to eat all the bodies.”

”Are you here to let me know that?”

”No. I'm here to listen. So what happened?” Ahn Sun-mi said with a firm expression to the question.

”Nothing, nothing special about the body.”

It was a story about dissection. The dissection of an Awakener.

By eating monster stones, an Awakener becomes stronger. If the Awakener died, was there a stone in the heart of the Awakener?

Everyone doubted it, but there was no chance to answer the question. They had never got the body of an Awakener who had been steadily eating monster stones.

So, the body of Lee Jin-sung and his aide were clues to solve the question.

Naturally, they dissected both men.

But there was no result. Monsters died and left a stone, but an Awakener died and left nothing.

”Humans only know how to use something, but they don't know how to leave something behind, even now that the world has changed.”

Ahn Sun-mi threw a sling bag with filled monster stones toward Jang Sung-hoon, who was speaking more nonsense.

”Why, why is this?”

”Give it to the boss.”

”You earned it, didn't you?”

”It would not be useful if I ate it.”

”Boss suddenly became a pimp. The Lieutenant and you, both of you, bring in their own hard-earned gains… in this world, a strong man is the best, I suppose. But this is not the usual competition… no, he doesn't need to insist on monogamy, so who's his real wife? Is there a problem?”

Ahn Sun-mi immediately asked a question to prevent Jang Sung-hoon from speaking more nonsense, ”So, what's the situation of the boss? Can he really kill that monster?”

Jang Sung-hoon smiled lightly at the question. ”We're so lucky. Really.”