Chapter 54

Chapter 54

[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]

Chapter 54: Different Species (1)

“Jongsu...!”

Yeongwoo called out to the unexpected visitor with an uncertain voice.

Kim Jongsu, a 29-year-old native of Andong.

Although it was not their first meeting, their relationship was not close enough to expect loyalty.

Also, when he thought about it again, he wondered if it would be helpful if someone came to see his body cut in two.

“Hyung-nim, where are you? I really can’t see... Ugh!”

Jongsu, who had arrived near the scene, discovered Yeongwoo, whose upper and lower body were separated, and abruptly stopped.

Squeak!

He then stuck his head out of the driver’s seat in disbelief to double-check.

“Hyung-nim?”

“Yes, I’m here.”

“Ugh!”

Jongsu, startled, jumped out of the car and stood still for a while, blinking his eyes.

It was an unexpected sight, to say the least.

A giant cockroach trapped inside a pillar of light, and in front of it, a giant eyeball floating in the air...

But more chilling than that was the fact that Yeongwoo, whose lower body had been cut off, was speaking and alive.

“No, how on earth are you alive?”

“Well, it seems it’s not easy for a person to survive like this. Or maybe it’s because I’ve increased my stats a lot.”

“Even so, this doesn’t make sense. How long have you been like this?”

“Ah...”

It was only now that Yeongwoo realized how long he had endured to an excessive extent.

And the reason became clear after he opened the inventory that he had neglected until now.

Pahat!

「Slime Core」 – Mutation Bracelet

【Regenerative power increases dramatically.】

The Slime’s core.

A loot taken from the Sangju Province’s Strongest Sword, Dokgo Sehwan 01.

It was the Dokgo Sehwan who, despite having his head and body torn apart, had managed to survive with his breath attached.

‘Oh my. So it was this.’

The phrase “Significant increase in regeneration” likely meant this level of effect.

‘Could it be that if I continue like this, the severed parts will heal?’

It was a plausible guess.

Originally, he should have died early on due to excessive bleeding or shock.

Of course, the amount of blood he had already lost was considerable, but if he attempted to stitch it up now...

“Hey, Jongsu.”

“Yes?”

“If it’s okay, could you bring my leg and attach it under here?”

“...What?”

After Yeongwoo’s response, Jongsu opened his mouth wide and trembled in disbelief.

Then, as if greatly shocked, he muttered while holding Yeongwoo’s lower body with both hands.

“So, if I do that, will your body really stick together...?”

“Maybe.”

“...”

“So, you mean... you just want me to stick this back on?”

“Yes, for now.”

With his weakened energy, Yeongwoo nodded his head, and Jongsu followed suit by nodding his head.

Next, Jongsu brought Yeongwoo’s lower body closer to the upper body.

Sliiide, sliiide.

Now, all that remained was to align the two cut surfaces properly.

But when Jongsu came this far, he suddenly stopped moving.

This was an impossible situation.

“What the hell.”

Jongsu exclaimed in amazement as he sat down, and Yeongwoo, with an unbelieving expression, raised his top to inspect it.

Swoosh.

Then, it became apparent that the flesh on the cut surface, while not completely healed, was sticking together.

“No, this is...”

While Yeongwoo struggled to find words, the suturing process continued.

After a while, a severe hunger struck.

As the body reattached, even the internal organs that had lost function began to restart.

‘Is... is this really happening? If so, you can’t consider it human anymore.’

As Yeongwoo sat and examined every corner of his body, the golden goblin, which had been observing the situation from a distance, hurriedly approached.

It had noticed that Yeongwoo was recovering.

“This guy.”

Jongsu made a gesture as if kicking with his foot, but the goblin ignored it and placed a pouch next to Yeongwoo.

-Kit.

“You’re quite an opportunist too.”

Yeongwoo briefly looked at the now polite goblin, then turned his gaze to Jongsu.

“But Jongsu, why did you save me? It was a chance to become the Strongest Sword.”

“That’s true.”

At Yeongwoo’s words, Jongsu shrugged.

Then, he glanced at Yeongwoo’s recovering body in real-time.

“Well... if I had to give a reason, I didn’t want to live like this. I clearly realized it when I saw that body really sticking together.”

By ‘like this,’ he meant living in a state where it was ambiguous whether he was human or a monster.

“You seem to be the type who subtly dislikes being tied down. But if it was someone other than my brother, I would have drawn my sword without hesitation. I’m not interested in being the Strongest Sword, but I always think becoming stronger is the right thing.”

An excessively honest remark.

As a result, Yeongwoo felt relieved.

“There was also a way to take only my equipment.”

“Yes. I hadn’t thought that wasn’t an option... Well, even if you look like this, you’re probably stronger than I would be with them. So, I chose to become the benefactor of your life.”

In other words, he didn’t want to become a monster and chose to receive the protection of a monster.

“I may not empathize, but I understand what you’re saying.”

Yeongwoo, saying this, had recovered to some extent during that time.

In other words, even if Jongsu changes his mind now, there’s nothing he can do about it.

Of course, Yeongwoo wasn’t ready to fight other Strongest Swords or mutants right away.

‘I’ll need some rest during the journey until we arrive at the next area.’

Fortunately, thanks to Jongsu getting a car, they could take breaks while moving.

‘Jongsu coming to find me is truly a stroke of luck. Maybe it’s not my time to die yet.’

Yeongwoo unconsciously looked up at the sky.

Then, along with the clear sky, the timer that was hanging at the top of the field of view caught his eye.

|Time until advertiser’s arrival: 03:04:11

A considerable amount of time had passed since he attached his body back together.

‘It’s almost in the 2-hour range. Tight schedule.’

At this rate, shortly after entering the next area, he would encounter the presence known as the advertiser.

“Can you continue driving?”

When Yeongwoo slowly asked while getting up, Jongsu glanced at the car and replied.

“Yes, of course. Where do you want to go?”

“North... I mean, towards Seoul.”

“Then we’ll have to cross through places like Icheon and Yeoju.”

As if drawing a map, Jongsu gestured with his finger in the air.

Meanwhile, Yeongwoo searched the body of the deceased Shin Youngju, who lay with a hole in her chest.

Surprisingly, she didn’t have a single penny, but instead...

‘Oh my god.’

There was an Epic equipment that could only be obtained by consuming legendary achievements.

[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]