RG 2
by Lubai“What?”
After blinking several times, I murmured, “What on earth?”
A foreboding feeling washed over me, and I frowned.
From a hidden quest to a main quest. Are quests going to keep popping up like this in the future?
“Not to mention there’s a time limit this time.”
They’re barely giving two hours to someone who just died and came back to life?
It was baffling, but the rewards I received from clearing the hidden quest were too good to ignore. For now, I scrutinized the quest with a time limit.
Main Quest: Encounter the antagonist ‘Seed of Calamity.’ (Time Remaining: 1 hour 58 minutes)
You must meet the villain implanted with the ‘Seed of Calamity’ trapped somewhere in the institute and make them your ally.
Seed of Calamity
The entity implanted with this seed will become a great calamity in the future.
Anxiety, suffering, and rage are the best nutrients for the seed. Once it sprouts and blooms, it awakens as the great calamity.
Even if you kill the entity with the seed, the seed doesn’t vanish—it moves on.
“Wait a moment, this…”
If the explanation is accurate, the person I need to save within two hours… could it be that Calamity I encountered before my regression?
A chill settled in my chest.
The strong scent of blood, ashes swirling, amidst it all, those deep green irises and black hair. That man who took dozens of lives with a wave of his hand… I have to save him? No, he’s here before that? In this research facility?
The moment the ominous premonition became reality, my face contorted in despair.
“I… can’t.”
Save the person who not only took my life but the lives of my dear ones? No way.
Ignoring quests from this ambiguous system is the way to go. But as soon as I resolved that, a new message appeared.
- Warning! If the quest is not completed within the given time, the quest will fail.
Quest Failure: Calamity Occurs
“Ah…”
The sheer audacity of the system seemingly pleading not to kill the antagonist left me in disbelief, a hollow laugh escaped me involuntarily.
So… if I don’t rescue him, a calamity will occur? If I do, the calamity won’t happen?
“Damn it,” I cursed, fists clenched. It felt like someone was choking the life out of me.
How much of this system should I really trust? Do I really have to believe that and save the guy who’ll turn into a calamity in the future?
Time Remaining: 1 hour 43 minutes
The red countdown pressed on like it urged my conflicted self.
After a brisk wash, I pressed my sore eyes with my hands. Cold sweat streamed down my temples.
Time remaining: 1 hour 32 minutes
Time raced too swiftly. It was insufficient to resolve to do something I didn’t want to, even if it meant dying.
“Sigh.” Exhaling a sigh from the depths of me, I lifted my head. “I’ll do it.”
Yeah. Might as well. At least, once I save him, I’ll monitor to prevent the seed from sprouting. If trouble arises, I’ll just have to handle it, right?
It’s still in the seed stage, and it’s not a calamity yet, so it should be much weaker than before my regression. With my new S-class skills, I should be able to handle it alone.
Alright. With my decision made, I sprang to my feet.
There was still a lot of information I hadn’t confirmed, but now wasn’t the time to leisurely read my status window. For now, everything else had to take a backseat to complete this quest.
‘To do that, I need to confirm if I’ve truly become stronger.’
With the S-class skill obtained from the hidden quest, I could clear the monitors set in the lab and encounter that person labeled as an antagonist. At that moment when I thought about it—
Ding!
《The sun has set, and night has arrived.》
《Hidden Skill: Silver Protection can be activated.》
《Would you like to activate the skill?》
“Oh.”
It even informs me when I can activate it? The system is much more convenient than I thought.
Surprised by the system’s convenience, I immediately responded, “Activate.”
Zap!
“…!”
As soon as I uttered the activation command, a surge of white current began to wrap around my body, flashing.
A tingling pain spread from my toes to the tip of my head. Overwhelmed by the agony gripping my entire body, I bit my lip and sank to my knees, hands scraping the ground, growing larger and thicker.
“Ugh…”
Fortunately, the pain didn’t last long. Gasping for air, I slowly raised the body I’d bent over in agony.
It was easy to notice that my field of view had significantly widened compared to usual. Not just my sight, but my body itself seemed denser, with thicker bones and toned muscles.
Quickly, I checked my reflection in the mirror. The image reflected back a face with bolder features than my usual appearance.
The most astonishing change was my once ordinary black hair now being close to a white-blonde shade.
‘Is this due to the skill change?’
Awakened individuals often undergo physical transformations through their skills. Especially with abilities as potent as this, the changes in the body were pronounced.
The near-white blonde hair brought to mind the moon hanging in the sky. Well, it wasn’t bad. It even sharpened my features, enhancing my appearance.
‘But it feels strangely familiar, like I’ve encountered it before.’
Musing over my reflection, a new system message appeared before my wonder-filled gaze.
《Hidden Skill: Silver Protection (Class S) [Activated]》
《Strength: Class F → Class S》
《Attack Power: Class F → Class S》
《Attack Speed: Class F → Class S》
《Movement Speed: Class F → Class S》
《Agility: Class F → Class S》
This… is the body of an S-class Hunter, isn’t it?
I clenched and released my hands in front of me. Not content with just that, I tested by slamming the wall nearby with force.
Thud!
With a thunderous noise, the wall split instantly, debris cascading down. Despite breaking through a solid cement wall, I felt as if I’d tapped a tofu block. The hand that hit the wall showed no signs of strain and remained unharmed.
“Ha, hahaha.”
Only then did the realization of truly reaching S-class sink in. A surge of exhilaration made laughter bubble up within me.
Originally a B-class Hunter, my skill as a support meant my physical condition was no different from an average person. So, even when the Calamity devoured the guild members I considered family, I couldn’t provide any strength.
But now, things were different. With just this skill, I could be an S-class every night. Not just as a support like in my past life, but as a confident damage dealer, strengthened even physically.
“What’s that noise here?”
“Hey! Number 70!”
Perhaps hearing the wall breaking, a guard pounded on the iron door from outside.
“Phew…”
Taking a brief deep breath, I lifted my foot and slammed it against the iron door.
Crash, boom!
“Aaaah!”
The sturdy door, its hinges torn apart by the immense force, crumpled and crashed down. A guard standing nearby the gate screamed as they tumbled across the corridor floor.
Exiting through the now bright gap created by the fallen gate, I saw a guard gaping in shock, and another, knocked out after hitting their head on the door. They lay side by side. The remaining guard, who alternated between looking at me walking out leisurely and their unconscious colleague, finally grasped the situation and shouted, “Th-this is insane! What’s with this guy?!”
The guard drew a baton from his hip and raised it high, aiming for my head. Casually, I reached out.
Thunk, the thick baton landed perfectly in my grip. Despite the guard exerting more force, their eyes wide with shock, the baton held in my hand didn’t budge.
Normally, I would’ve taken a full hit from that baton, maybe narrowly dodged if lucky. But now, with all my physical abilities at S-class, there was no need for that.
Crack!
With a satisfied grin, I applied a bit more force to the baton I held, certain that it must have been made from an item extracted from a monster. Instantly, the baton shattered into pieces like brittle twigs.
Seeing the snapped baton, the guard, now pale and astonished, quivered visibly.
“Hello there.” With a belated greeting, I jabbed my fist into the guard’s side.
“Cough!”
Despite my attempt to moderate the force, the guard went airborne, slamming straight into the wall. The sound of impact echoed as the guard slumped against the wall, his head trembling.
‘Hmm… He’s not dead, right?’
Scratching my head while observing the squirming guard, I felt a pang of worry. It seemed challenging to control the force accurately. Nonetheless, even if they were not as good as surveillance officers, considering they were guards, they should at least have a body rating of A or B, so they probably didn’t die.
“I shouldn’t have broken this baton.”
Regretfully eyeing the baton, now useless with its central part snapped, I tossed it away.
I wasn’t sure where the antagonist with the ‘Seed of Calamity’ was located in this research facility, but it was remarkably well-equipped for an illegal establishment, with expansive interiors. Even the guards I had just taken down were just a fraction of those waiting.
Despite my enhanced physique, navigating this place without a weapon was difficult. Moreover, I was still unfamiliar with this newfound strength, making it even more crucial to have backup weapons.
Regretting hastily breaking the baton, I scanned my surroundings. Finding another guard to take down for a weapon or…
Wee-oo, wee-oo!
“…!”
As I contemplated my next move, alarms blared throughout the building, and urgent voices echoed from speakers placed throughout the corridors.
— Intruder alert, intruder alert! All surveillance staff, move to Sector A! Repeating, intruder alert! All staff, move immediately to Sector A!
“Intruder?”
The announcement sparked a surge of memories from a past I believed I had left far behind.
Before my regression, I had been forcefully held captive in a research facility, abducted alongside other Awakened individuals. This deranged lab used Awakened wanderers, those without allegiance, as experimental subjects.
Then, one day, the facility was unexpectedly assaulted. A guild, aware of this illegal establishment, launched an attack. The building crumbled during the assault, granting us captive Awakened individuals a chance to escape while the research staff were gradually being captured.
‘Is that attack happening now?’
Confined in isolation, devoid of any sense of time, I never fathomed that it might be occurring at this very moment.
‘This is my perfect chance, isn’t it?’
Surveying the corridors filled with alarms, I quickened my pace. Time was of the essence. From my recollection, the Hunters dispatched by the guild would advance from Sector A and swiftly reach Sector B.
Before that occurred, I had to locate the individual wielding the ‘Seed of Calamity’ in the unoccupied Sector B.