RG 3

As far as I know, Sector B of the research facility consisted of two above-ground floors and three below-ground levels. The second floor was connected to Sector A via a corridor, and most of the test subjects necessary for experiments were kept in the underground area.

So, the likelihood was high that the ‘Seed of Calamity’ or the antagonist the system was asking me to find would be located somewhere in the basement.

‘The problem is I have to find it within an hour.’

Of course, even without the system imposing a time limit, I’d have to find him before the Hunters arrived. Still, it would’ve taken more than an hour.

With a click of my tongue, I decided to start searching from the floor I was on. Checking the directory attached to the corridor, it confirmed this was indeed the lowest floor, the third underground level.

The alarm I heard earlier must have prompted all the guards to head to Sector A; the corridor was eerily deserted. Occasionally, I stumbled upon other subjects confined like myself, but knowing the Hunters would soon arrive to rescue them, I left them alone.

“I’m not sure if I can find him in time.”

If that antagonist was confined in isolation, there was no way to find him. Checking all those iron doors in numerous isolated cells within an hour was an impossible task.

‘Since the system asked me to find the ‘Seed of Calamity’ or whatever it is, shouldn’t it at least provide some help?’

At that frustrating moment—

Ding!

《Sub Quest has arrived!》

Sub Quest: The Faster, the Farther (Class A)

You must find the storage room on the third underground floor to obtain a weapon.

Reward: Location marker of the antagonist.

“What’s this?”

Frowning at the cheerful notification that popped up before me, I muttered, “Wouldn’t it have been great if you’d given me this quest earlier?”

I hastily checked the remaining time for the main quest: 1 hour and 12 minutes.

Though time was tight, blindly searching for an unknown antagonist seemed less feasible than cracking this sub quest to access the reward, which could lead me to him.

Moreover, if the storage room is indeed here on the third underground floor, I might stumble upon it with a bit more exploration. The entrance to the storage should look different from the isolation cells. So, I continued in the same direction I’d been walking. It was a straight corridor, with no real choice but to either turn back or keep moving forward.

After about 10 minutes of walking, as I anticipated, a semi-opaque glass automatic door appeared at the end of the corridor. A card reader beside it indicated that only authorized personnel could enter.

“This has to be the storage room.”

I hesitated; trying to obtain a keycard now seemed dubious. With time running out, I couldn’t afford to search for a lab employee with access.

Could I break in? I wasn’t familiar enough with my hidden skills to gauge the extent of my strength yet.

‘Being an S-class damage dealer, I should be able to break this!’

I should have enough strength unless it’s crafted of top-tier materials. After taking a short deep breath, I lifted one foot and kicked the glass door with all my might.

Thud, crash!

The tempered glass door toppled backward with a loud clatter. Shards scattered, creating a piercing noise that echoed throughout the area.

“Oops.”

Surprisingly, the glass door fell much easier than I anticipated. Was that a regular glass door? It seemed louder than expected. I might have made quite a ruckus; it sounded like I was announcing my intrusion to the whole neighborhood.

“What, who’s there?”

“Who the heck is that?”

As if on cue, without leaving their post despite the calls, two custodians guarding the storage room urgently rushed toward me.

Realizing one of the custodians was drawing a handgun from his holster, I swiftly acted. Putting force into my thigh, I sprang forward like a coil, and the custodian with the gun, taken aback, yelled in surprise.

“Wha—!”

Bang! A bullet fired by the custodian barely missed me, embedding itself into the floor.

In the blink of an eye, I reached the custodian and grabbed the wrist holding the gun, simultaneously striking his face with my other hand.

“Ugh!”

The custodian who let out a scream collapsed limply.

It wasn’t just enhanced strength; it was an all-around S-class physical attribute that enabled me to engage in bare-handed combat.

I tossed aside the unconscious custodian and crushed the crafted gun under my foot. I might need a weapon, but with all my physical abilities at S-class, a gun was practically useless to me.

“Uh, uh…” As his colleague collapsed before even 10 seconds had passed, the remaining custodian staggered backward, visibly pale as if they’d seen a ghost. His eyes meeting mine, he hurriedly fled as if he was  running for his life.

Thud!

“Gah!”

Grabbing his shoulder from behind as he tried to escape, I brought him down to the ground and delivered a punch to his solar plexus. With a cracking sound, he too slumped unconscious, just like his colleague.

It was tempting to ignore his fleeing form, but if he brought others, things would get complicated. That’s their fate. I didn’t kill them, though, despite the situation.

Next time, they might want to reconsider working in places like these illegal research labs and choose a kinder path in life. But before that, they might have to face some consequences with the Hunters.

After thoroughly disabling the remaining gun by the second unconscious custodian, I smoothly stepped into the storage room.

The interior seemed quite spacious, with a high ceiling, almost resembling a warehouse. Tall shelves were filled with boxes, each containing various items.

“Wow, this is insane.”

I pulled out a box from the nearest shelf. Inside, it was filled with an array of colorful gems.

“These are all artifacts and mana stones, right?”

Placing these gems into accessories like rings or necklaces allowed them to be used for various purposes. Among them, the ones infused with powerful magic were quite valuable.

‘This is serious. I definitely need to take these.’

Handling the hidden antagonist on my own required funds. Everyone would understand it’s all for world peace, right? Well, maybe.

To gather all these gems, I’d need a bag and also find a weapon, so I examined other boxes as well. While searching around, I stumbled upon a box tucked deep within the storage shelves containing clothes.

“Is this… a robe?”

No matter how many times I looked at the item I pulled from the box, it seemed to be a robe indeed. Made of a light fabric, the flowing white robe grew deeper blue towards the hem, and the sleeves were wide and spacious.

‘Judging by the power I sense, it’s at least Class A.’

It couldn’t have been an ordinary robe stored in the research facility; it was definitely equipment used by Hunters. Moreover, being kept inside the storage room indicated it was top-tier gear.

Having figured that out, I casually slid my arms into the robe’s sleeves, draping it over like a coat before rummaging through the other boxes. As I anticipated, this shelf held a lineup of top-tier items and equipment. Various items with formidable power emerged. Naturally, among the weapons available, I chose a longsword.

“This should do.”

The sleek black scabbard held a sword with a gold-trimmed hilt.

I opted for the longsword among the array of weapons because it was the one I was most comfortable using. Before my regression, I had gained some proficiency in handling this kind of sword, and the individual who instructed me was also skilled with a longsword.

‘I believe sticking with the longsword will serve me well for what lies ahead.’

Dressed in a robe and gripping the longsword in one hand, I deposited the gems I had discovered earlier into an inventory bag I had scavenged from another box. This bag, a hip pouch secured around my waist, boasted an embedded artifact gem on its outer surface, expanding its capacity to carry far more items than its size would suggest.

Fully equipped with gear, weapons, and valuable gems to sustain me, I hummed a tune as I departed from the storage room.

As I entered the corridor strewn with remnants of shattered glass, a new system message materialized before me.

Ding!

《Sub Quest: The Faster, the Farther (Class A) cleared!》

《Sub Quest cleared. Rewards are granted.》

(From now on, the location of the antagonist will be displayed.)

“Oh.”

The system notification indicating the quest’s completion appeared, and a single green dot emerged in my field of view. The circular green light sparkled from above, accompanied by text floating nearby:

Antagonist’s Current Location: Central Research Lab, Basement 1

“What? It was way up there!”

No wonder I couldn’t find him. If it weren’t for the sub quest, I’d have been futilely searching the isolation cells.

‘But the Central Research Lab… That’s not a great place.’

Recalling what the Central Research Lab was all about, I narrowed my eyes and quickened my pace.

Main Quest: Encounter the antagonist ‘Seed of Calamity.’ (Time Remaining: 48 minutes)