Chapter 215
[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]
Chapter 215: In the Name of Darkness (3)
It was huge.
The figure that appeared in the living room without a sound was enormous.
It seemed to reach a height of at least 4 meters, touching the ceiling of the living room.
‘A... a crow?’
At first glance, it looked like a giant crow, but upon closer inspection, it was holding a sickle with its gnarled hands under its wings.
So, the entity that the name referred to was a giant crow with arms attached to its torso.
It wasn’t something wearing a crow costume; its posture, standing on the ground with bird legs, was unmistakable.
「Please, have a seat and wait a moment.」
Every time these words were spoken, the large beak opened wide, and the eyeballs moved.
Swoosh.
The “there” the entity referred to was none other than the sofa in the living room.
“Wait? For how long? I have to pay taxes in about 30 minutes.”
Even in this situation, Yeongwoo didn’t forget that the time for tax payment was approaching.
Upon hearing this, the skeptical “unbeliever” raised its head from sharpening the sickle and looked at Yeongwoo.
「......」
‘Ugh.’
A crow. A real crow.
But the crow’s head was about the size of ten sacks of rice packed together, giving a creepy feeling just by making eye contact.
「You’re only changing the heart, right?」
“Yes? Oh, yes. Just the heart.”
As Yeongwoo quickly regained his focus and responded, the entity lowered its head again and began sharpening the sickle.
「It won’t take long. Please wait.」
“...Okay.”
Seemingly facing an impossible negotiator, Yeongwoo closed his mouth and obediently sat on the sofa.
Then, the scene of the entity sharpening the sickle became clear.
Screech, screech!
Its jet-black arms were incredibly muscular.
Although the silhouette resembled that of a human, the thick veins bulging from its forearms showed an impossible thickness for a human.
‘What species is this? A crow with muscular arms...’
And then.
Screech!
Is that sickle a surgical tool?
Screech!
“...?”
Yeongwoo looked at the massive sickle in disbelief.
The handle was about 3 meters long, and the curved blade seemed to be at least 2 meters long.
‘How can they perform heart surgery with that? Even if they slice open the chest, they might accidentally slit the throat and consider it normal.’
While Yeongwoo was troubled by the surgical tool, Jeonggu, who had come to the living room following his son, was shocked to see the doctor.
“Son of a bitch... what the fuck is this?”
“This is my heart surgery surgeon.”
“What? That crow-colored...”
Seeing the sickle in the crow’s hands belatedly, Jeonggu cautiously covered his mouth and stepped back.
“...Is that the doctor?”
Upon which the entity calmly spoke without turning its head.
「Please have a seat, guardian. The surgery will begin shortly.」
“Ah... Yes.”
Following the doctor’s instructions, Jeonggu sat beside his son.
Then, the entity gestured that everything was ready, shining the sickle blade into the sunless void.
「Please lie down now. Remove any items covering your upper body.」
Swoosh.
The entity pointed to its own chest with muscular fingers.
There was a stone surgical table waiting for the patient, placed there at some point.
“...”
Upon this, Yeongwoo briefly stared at the surgical table, then removed his cape from his shoulders and threw it on the floor.
Thunk!
The metallic cape made a heavy sound as it settled in the living room, revealing the advertisement tattooed on Yeongwoo’s forearm.
「Dogo......?」
Sure enough, the entity recognized Yeongwoo’s tattoo.
“Do you know Dogo?”
– Kiiiiit...
Thump.
Finally, the metal heart of the venomous dragon was handed to the doctor’s left hand, and it was soon transferred into Yeongwoo’s chest.
「This will hurt a little more.」
The entity warned as it placed the new heart into Yeongwoo’s chest.
Upon this, Yeongwoo nodded as if it were okay, then...
“Ughhh?”
He groaned suddenly as his chest grew cold inside.
It was as if the feeling of dread had stirred inside his body, like starting the descent from the peak of a roller coaster.
「This might be a bit hard for you to endure.」
As Yeongwoo trembled, the doctor was transferring the “threads” that had originally been attached to his heart to the new heart.
As a result, the pain was inflicted on his soul, not his body.
「It’s almost over. Hang in there.」
Then, the doctor swung the sickle toward the new heart in Yeongwoo’s chest.
Splat!
At the moment the end of the sickle collided with the surface of the heart.
– Kyaaaa!
– Hiyaah!
The spirits entwined in the sickle’s blade were sucked back into Yeongwoo’s heart.
「Phew.」
Now, as if finally letting go, the doctor exhaled.
Without further ado, the doctor glanced at Yeongwoo’s chest, which was already starting to heal, then turned to Jeonggu and said a word.
「You have a sturdy son.」
“Yes? Uh, yes... He’s a bit like that.”
Jeonggu unconsciously nodded while still looking at the heart held by the doctor’s hand.
Thump, thump!
The human Jung Yeongwoo’s heart continued to beat vigorously.
Perhaps it was being transferred somewhere in the universe, just like when his spine was replaced?
「The heart transplant is done. The surgery fee is 14 million karma. We only accept full payment.」
With the procedure completed, the entity unilaterally demanded the surgery fee from Yeongwoo, who still hadn’t fully healed.
Then, with his left hand, he touched Yeongwoo’s forearm.
Tap!
And with that, the surgery fee was automatically deducted, and Yeongwoo’s balance sharply decreased.
* Available Karma: 37,348,500
Current balance: 37 million Karma.
‘Fortunately, there should be quite a bit left even after paying taxes. I should raise my abilities a bit more.’
Even amidst his distress, Yeongwoo immediately thought of the upcoming tax payment and nighttime dungeons.
After all, wasn’t the heart surgery also an endeavor to continue surviving?
“Thank you, Doctor.”
As Yeongwoo lightly bowed towards the crow-headed figure, the entity spread its large beak.
「It’s a legendary heart with fusion capabilities. It should last a long time.」
Then, while holding Yeongwoo’s original heart, which was still alive, the entity continued.
「I’ll provide enchantment processing for this heart at no cost. Please convey my story to the chairman.」
“Yes? What story...?”
「Please retrieve the Execution order...」
“Ah.”
Even without hearing the detailed explanation, Yeongwoo could roughly understand.
Though he didn’t know the specifics, this entity had undoubtedly been severely dealt with by the chairman.
‘That’s why he keeps calling me a villain.’
Could it be that the chairman, who even kills government officials, would sympathise with a single doctor’s circumstances?
‘No, wait. Even with the Executioner order, surviving until now is quite remarkable.’
The miraculous entity that could reverse even a fatal accident during surgery.
Though he didn’t know, it seemed like he had some ability to spare his own life.
“Yes, understood. Well then...”
Just as Yeongwoo was about to ask more questions, the entity glanced at the sky, let out a croak, and then melted into the dim void.
“Is he leaving work just like that?”
Jeonggu muttered as he looked around the now-empty living room.
And soon, the reason was revealed through a system announcement.
–In a moment, taxes will be collected starting from 10 p.m.
–Unpaid taxes will be extinguished immediately upon collection.
[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]