As Seong-jun and his party left to clear out the monsters, the survivors retreated back into the hotel.
No matter how much safe passage to Jeju Airport was promised, they didn’t have the confidence to traverse two kilometers of road without a Hunter escort.
Meanwhile, the people who had been making a scene earlier remained silent, their heads bowed low.
Lee Seon-hwa approached the woman who had given her the dress and asked, “Is that man really Kim Seong-jun?”
The woman nodded and replied, “Yes. His skills as a Hunter are top-tier, but his personality is on another level entirely. I heard he heals people without asking for anything in return. More than a few people owe their lives to him. It’s no wonder people call him a Saint.”
Having spent a few hours together, the woman’s fear had dissipated somewhat, and there was hardly any trace of dread left on her face.
Looking at her, Lee Seon-hwa asked again, “I heard he’s different from ordinary Healers. In what way?”
Since she had been confined to a laboratory as a test subject, she had very little information about Seong-jun, other than snippets of conversation she had overheard from researchers.
“Even though he’s a Healer, he’s also proficient in buffs and attacks. Plus, he performs miracles that ordinary Healers can’t even imagine. His ability to perfectly reconstruct severed arms or legs is something even other Healers marvel at. Kim Seong-jun is the only Healer in the world capable of that. People say that as long as you’re not dead, he can save you from any condition.”
“Ho, is that so? But from what I saw, he seems to travel with a small group. Is he not part of a guild?”
If he were in a guild, he wouldn’t be roaming through a dangerous area with only four people.
At the very least, there would be a full party of eight, or even two or three teams moving together.
“I heard he wants to act freely without joining a guild for at least one year. I’m not sure about the person who joined recently, but I heard the rest of the party has been together since their days as F-rank mercenaries.”
Lee Seon-hwa’s eyes flashed momentarily at the woman’s words.
‘I see. Maybe he could be of help to me. His party seems to be a bit exclusive as well.’
After thinking for a moment, Lee Seon-hwa looked at the woman and said, “It seems we must part ways here. But keep this in mind. If you go around blabbering about me, you won’t like the consequences.”
After saying that, she turned toward the group on the third floor.
“That goes for all of you, too. I’m letting you live when I could have killed you all, so if you don’t want to run into me on a dark night, forget everything about me. I told you before, didn’t I? I remember all of your faces.”
In reality, once they separated here, it would be difficult for even Lee Seon-hwa to find them again.
Nevertheless, her threat worked on them.
“D-Don’t worry. I’ll take it to my grave!”
“What are you talking about? Did something happen here? We just took shelter here to avoid the monsters. Hahaha.”
Nothing in the world was absolute.
No matter how impossible something seemed, there was always at least a 0.01% chance of it happening.
The problem was that such a slim probability was directly linked to their lives.
While they might gamble with financial loss, when it came to their lives, a 0.01% chance felt much higher than 10%.
None of them wanted to risk putting themselves in that percentage by flapping their mouths unnecessarily.
After scanning the crowd, Lee Seon-hwa held out her hand to the woman.
“Clothes!”
The woman asked with a puzzled expression, “Pardon?”
“Give me the clothes. You said you had extras. Give me another set of underwear and an outfit in case I tear these as well. Or should I just stay here with you guys?”
If she encountered a monster and transformed again, her current clothes would surely be torn apart just like her previous ones.
Therefore, Lee Seon-hwa intended to pack some spare clothes.
As soon as she finished speaking, people urged the woman.
“Ahem! What are you doing? Hurry up and give them to her.”
“She says she needs clothes. Give them to her quickly.”
They were worried that if she stayed, she might lose her temper and kill everyone.
The sight of the monster she had become when fighting the creatures was burned into their minds.
While they had kept her around as a precaution against monster attacks, now that Seong-jun’s party had secured the area, her presence was no longer needed.
In fact, it was better for them if she left, so they welcomed her departure.
“Ah! Yes, but are you going to carry them in your hands?”
The woman hurriedly pulled out some underwear and another dress from her bag.
After taking the clothing from her, Lee Seon-hwa shifted her gaze to the others.
She looked at a man holding a small handbag and said with a blank expression, “That bag. Empty everything inside and give it to me.”
What could he do?
“Eek! Yes!”
The man dumped the contents of the bag and hurriedly handed it to Lee Seon-hwa.
“Here it is!”
Lee Seon-hwa took the bag, stuffed the clothes inside, and headed toward the stairs.
“Keep what I said in mind. If possible, let’s not meet again.”
With those words, she went down to the first floor and immediately left the hotel.
***
After parting with the hotel survivors, Seong-jun’s party moved slowly in search of monsters.
“As expected of Seong-jun. Did you see how people’s reactions changed as soon as they heard your name? Even that lady who was screaming about reporting us to the media tucked her tail the moment she heard your name.”
“Seong-jun brother’s broken buffs are famous among Hunters, but among civilians, his image as a Saint who heals people for free is more well-known. Besides, given the current atmosphere, anyone who picks a fight with Seong-jun brother would probably become a national traitor,” Yuseon said.
As she said, the public sentiment was very favorable toward Seong-jun.
While only a few had called him a Saint initially, now the title felt naturally attached to his name.
It was as if criticizing anyone else was fine, but Seong-jun was off-limits; any negative comment about him would be met with concentrated fire from the public.
In a way, the unpaid good deeds he had started to increase his title level had played a huge role in perfectly polishing his image.
“Let’s stop talking about that. No word from Jeju Airport yet? It should be about time for the Association’s scouting team to arrive.”
There was a limit to wandering around aimlessly.
While they had started moving because they couldn’t just sit idly until the scouting team arrived, ultimately, they needed the Association’s large-scale drone scouting team to arrive if they wanted to clear out the monsters quickly and accurately.
“You’re right, still no word. Should I try calling them?”
When Gwang-taek asked, Seong-jun shook his head.
“It’s fine. They’ll contact us when the time comes. Let’s head that way.”
Just as they were turning to continue their search for monsters—
“Wait a moment.”
Someone called out to the party.
Seong-jun turned his head to identify the speaker.
“Hm? Who are you? Are you a survivor?”
“I am a survivor. I was among the survivors at the hotel you visited earlier.”
It was Lee Seon-hwa.
At her words, Seong-jun spoke as if he remembered.
“Ah! The one who said it was too noisy! But why are you here? Even if we haven’t encountered any monsters yet, this area is still dangerous. You should go back to the hotel and wait, or head toward Jeju Airport.”
Seeing her wandering alone in a dangerous area, Seong-jun told her to either go back and wait or head to the airport.
Lee Seon-hwa shook her head.
“No. The reason I came here is to meet Hunter Kim Seong-jun.”
Seong-jun wore a puzzled expression at the claim that she came to meet him.
“Me?”
Watching the confused Seong-jun, Lee Seon-hwa asked, “I heard you’re a bit different from ordinary Healers. Is it possible for you to treat damage to internal organs as well?”
Ordinary healing skills were specialized for external wounds and were often weak against internal injuries.
Lee Seon-hwa was asking if he could treat internal damage too.
“It is possible. But why do you ask? Is someone injured?”
Instead of answering Seong-jun’s question, Lee Seon-hwa countered with another.
“Could you also treat damage caused by drugs or genetic mutations?”
Seong-jun tilted his head at the unexpected question.
“Well… I haven’t treated such a case yet, so it’s hard to say. But you keep asking questions without answering mine. I asked if someone was injured.”
As he asked again, Seong-jun secretly cast Divine Eye.
‘Divine Eye!’
Information about Lee Seon-hwa appeared before him.
[Analysis Result]
Name: Lee Seon-hwa
Status: [Incomplete Chimera]
Average Stats: [A++]
Detailed Stats: [Available for viewing]
Weakness: A fusion of human and drake, but unable to exert the full power of a drake due to an incomplete biological transplant.
Since she cannot cast the unique skills of an A-rank monster, she only possesses physical abilities.
Her defense is also lower compared to a drake.
Her agility is lacking, and she specializes in close combat, making her vulnerable to long-range attacks.
Combat Style: [Crushes enemies with powerful physical abilities.]
Core Skill: [None]
Reliability: 35
Psychological State: [Feeling anxious about her incomplete body and fearful that her escape might be discovered. She is currently considering whether Seong-jun’s healing ability is effective on her and if she can use it to conduct her own experiments to complete her body.]
Last Thought: ‘It’s hard to go abroad right now, and I can’t just keep hiding. If possible, I need to complete my body without being caught by those bastards. To do that, I must get Kim Seong-jun’s help by any means necessary.’
Seong-jun’s eyes widened as he confirmed the analysis.
‘What? A Chimera? A fusion of a human and a monster? This is insane! Who would do something so ridiculous!’
Through Divine Eye, he had confirmed that Lee Seon-hwa was a fusion of a human and an A-rank monster, a Drake.
How could he not be shocked?
The fact that there were people performing such experiments on humans was beyond absurd.
Meanwhile, Lee Seon-hwa answered his question.
“It’s not that someone is injured, but it’s a necessary question. I hope you can understand that I can’t explain in detail right now.”
Unlike how she had treated the survivors, Lee Seon-hwa was polite to Seong-jun.
After all, she was the one in need, and depending on the situation, she might need to rely on him.
Seong-jun glanced at his party for a moment, then looked back at Lee Seon-hwa.
“Instead of doing this here, let’s move elsewhere. I need to have a private conversation with this lady, so please wait here for a moment.”
Seong-jun felt the need to talk to Lee Seon-hwa separately.
“Oh? Sure, go ahead, whatever it is.”
With Gwang-taek’s approval, Seong-jun entered a nearby building with Lee Seon-hwa.
Once inside, Seong-jun looked at her with sharp eyes and asked, “You’re not an ordinary person. What is your identity?”
Lee Seon-hwa’s expression momentarily faltered at the question.
However, she quickly regained her composure, shrugged, and said, “I don’t know what you mean. My identity, all of a sudden?”
Seong-jun looked at her with a cold gaze.
“When asking for a favor, you should lay your cards on the table. Hiding things half-heartedly will only result in you getting no help at all.”
Lee Seon-hwa felt confused by Seong-jun’s knowing tone.
“I have no intention of helping someone whose identity is unclear. Even if their identity is clear, I won’t help if their intentions are ambiguous. So, if you need my help, start by revealing everything about yourself. If not, we can each go our separate ways.”
Although he knew she was a Chimera, Seong-jun didn’t explicitly mention it.
If she had been a monster-like Chimera, he would have eliminated her right then and there, but she was more human-like.
The fact that she hadn’t killed the people she was hiding with and had come to talk to him suggested she could be considered human.
However, that didn’t mean he would help her unconditionally.
He decided there was no need to form a connection with someone who insisted on hiding themselves.
‘What is it? Does he know something about me?’
As Seong-jun seemed to know something, Lee Seon-hwa’s gaze also turned cold.
Of course, Seong-jun wasn’t intimidated.
“Whether I know something or not isn’t important. What matters right now is whether you’ll reveal your identity and intentions clearly to continue this conversation, or if we’ll just end it here and go our separate ways.”
At Seong-jun’s firm words, Lee Seon-hwa seemed to contemplate.
“……”
Seong-jun gave her one last prompt.
“I’ll ask one last time. If you don’t answer, I’ll assume you have no intention of seeking my help and go on my way. Who are you?”
Finally, Lee Seon-hwa let out a sigh and answered.
“Haaa… I don’t know what you know, but fine. Since I’m the one asking for help, I’ll tell you. I was one of the researchers and test subjects of the Chimera Project secretly conducted by the Ministry of National Defense. At the same time, I’m the only surviving test subject. The problem is that the project was suddenly terminated when there was room for improvement. As a result, I had to escape the lab in this incomplete state. That’s why I need your help.”
Seong-jun looked puzzled.
“You weren’t just a test subject, but a researcher too?”
Through Divine Eye, he knew she was a test subject of the Chimera Project, but the fact that she was also a researcher was very unexpected.
“The experiment was conducted over three years, but there wasn’t a single success. What the Ministry of National Defense wanted was a human who could freely control the power of a monster, but the test subjects were merely monsters merged with humans.”
The Chimera Project conducted by the Ministry of National Defense aimed to create superhumans who possessed the power of monsters but could function as humans.
Unfortunately, the moment they were merged with monsters, the subjects lost their human functions and became beasts driven solely by instinct.
“I was the lead researcher who played a very proactive role in that experiment, and while observing the experiment, I happened to discover a new singularity. I wanted to test it, but unfortunately, there were no test subjects. I was told it would take some time for a new one to arrive, so I injected it into my own body. The result is what I am now.”
In the end, she was someone closer to a perpetrator than a victim.
“That’s quite a shocking fact. But I don’t feel any sympathy for you. After all, you’re just one of the perpetrators.”
Lee Seon-hwa readily agreed with Seong-jun’s words.
“You’re right. Even if the ones used as test subjects were heinous criminals who committed atrocious deeds, it wasn’t something that should be done to a human being. I have no intention of denying that fact. But that’s that, and I need to live. And I plan to continue the experiment on myself. To do that, I need your help.”
It was a very selfish statement, but since she was human, her basic survival instinct was understandable.
The issue was her determination to continue the experiment on her own body.
“You want to continue the experiment? What if you succeed? Are you going to start turning people into monsters under the pretext of creating superhumans?”
Lee Seon-hwa shook her head at Seong-jun’s question.
“No. The reason I want to continue the experiment is only to improve my current incomplete self. I have no intention of making this technology public. It’ll probably never see the light of day. Frankly, my only collaborator, the team leader, doesn’t even know the new formula.”
The reason Lee Seon-hwa was able to escape from the strictly controlled laboratory was because of an internal collaborator.
That collaborator was the research team leader who had led the experiment with her, the researcher who had lost his life to the Research Director’s pistol.
When the decision to scrap the project was made, he had released the restraints on Lee Seon-hwa and sent a female researcher with a similar build to the place where she was confined.
Lee Seon-hwa had killed the researcher, disguised herself as her, and escaped the secret lab, while the team leader had made it look like the dead researcher was Lee Seon-hwa by incinerating the lab.
“So, what do you plan to do once you’re complete? Revenge?”
“Heh, revenge? Against whom? As you said, I’m a perpetrator, not a victim. I might be a target of revenge for someone else, but I’m in no position to seek revenge against anyone. The reason I want to continue the experiment is partly because I want to escape this incomplete body and become whole, but also because my intellectual curiosity won’t allow me to give up. I want to see the end of this experiment. Even if that end leads to my own destruction.”
Seong-jun looked at her silently.
He decided that there was no reason to reject her, as she hadn’t tried to play the victim with flowery language but had clearly stated her intentions while admitting her guilt.
However, the problem was whether her joining would be a change for the better or the worse, and unfortunately, even Seong-jun found that difficult to gauge.
“I’ll ask one last thing. What do I gain by accepting and helping you?”
Strictly speaking, this was the most important part.
If there was a benefit great enough to offset any risk, he saw no reason to reject her.
“Well… what kind of benefit could I provide you? All I have is this body, which is stronger than a B-rank monster but weaker than an A-rank monster. I’m confident that in terms of Hunter ranks, I’d be A-rank or higher, but unfortunately, I don’t have a Hunter license, so I can’t enter Dungeons.”
Since she wasn’t a Hunter, she couldn’t register as one, and naturally, she couldn’t enter Dungeons.
Strictly speaking, since she possessed monster DNA, she could enter Dungeons, but without a Hunter license, she didn’t have the qualification to do so.
However, that wasn’t particularly important to Seong-jun.
What mattered was that she could exert power at the A-rank level or higher.
“Fine. I’ll help you. In exchange, you must help us. We plan to tackle Dungeons of B-rank or higher in the future, so join us as a party member and participate in the hunts. However, you will be excluded from the distribution. I’ll provide an environment where you can conduct your experiments stably, and in return, you’ll help us with our hunts.”
Although she didn’t have special skills, her physical ability was powerful in itself.
Combined with Seong-jun’s buffs, she would surely exert power beyond that of an A-rank monster, so her joining would be a huge boost to the party’s strength.
He intended to offset the benefits she would receive by excluding her from the loot distribution.
“Dungeon raids? As I said earlier, I don’t have a Hunter license, so I’ll definitely be stopped at the entrance.”
“We’ll handle that problem ourselves, so you just need to decide whether to accept my proposal or not. Will you accept?”
At Seong-jun’s question, Lee Seon-hwa nodded with a smile.
“Of course, it’s a deal. I look forward to working with you.”
With that, Lee Seon-hwa’s joining was decided.
Although it was a decision Seong-jun had made unilaterally without consulting his party members, he was confident he could persuade them, so he didn’t see it as a particular problem.