RG 4

In my past life, I was trapped in this research facility for three months. With my F-class body, I couldn’t escape when I was kidnapped or subjected to experiments.

They usually drained the blood of the kidnapped test subjects until they were exhausted and made them use their abilities until they were completely depleted.

Having the ability to replenish energy through contact with others, I was often called to help rejuvenate those left drained after being experimented on.

‘The Central Lab was the worst of them all, though.’

The day they brought me to the Central Lab stands out starkly in my memory.

I can vividly recall my first arrival there. Guards stormed into my cell, binding me tightly before forcibly transporting me to the Central Lab. Helpless and restrained, I felt the sting of a syringe injecting some unknown substance into my body. What followed was indescribable agony—an inferno of searing heat combined with the sensation of being slashed by a thousand knives, tormenting every inch of my being.

Bound limbs, a stifling gag, and blindfolded eyes left me enduring excruciating torment for an entire day, unable to even scream. This horrifying experience recurred more than ten times over the course of three seemingly endless months.

These torturous ordeals were exclusive to my visits to the Central Lab. So, the antagonist, the ‘Seed of Calamity’ I must locate… even now, he’s likely…

‘No, stop. Now’s not the time for this.’

What does it matter if the great calamity suffers like I did?

Remember. No matter how pitiful that guy might be, as long as the Seed of Calamity is within him, he’s the enemy I must be most wary of.

With resolve, I ascended to the underground first floor where the Central Lab was located.

As expected, it was relatively quiet here, perhaps because all the guards had gone to Sector A. Following the signs toward the direction of the Central Lab, I sensed movement from down the corridor.

Stopping at the bend in the hallway, I pressed my back against the wall. Soon after, a figure emerged from the other end.

Whack!

“Ugh…”

I swiftly struck the man passing by me with the edge of my hand against his neck, causing him to emit a choking sound before collapsing.

“Hmm?”

Only then did I register the attire of my victim—not a guard but a researcher.

Seizing a stroke of luck catching a passing researcher right in front of the Central Lab, I peered down at the unconscious man’s face, then rummaged through his clothes.

“Found it.”

What I retrieved from the experiment gown’s pocket was the access card key.

To enter the Central Lab, one needed this card key designated for research staff. While guards carried their own access cards, they were allocated varied based on their ranks, making it hard for them to easily access crucial areas like the Central Lab.

‘Meeting a researcher at this time… what luck.’

I chuckled as things seemed to fall into place, pocketing the card key with a smirk.

I quickly checked if there were any guards or other researchers patrolling near the entrance of the lab, then dashed towards the entrance. In places as critical as the Central Lab, chances were high that remaining guards would be on patrol. It was better to enter as swiftly as possible.

Beep.

As I placed the card key against the lock, the lab door clicked open. Carefully pushing aside the thick, heavy metal door, I saw the lab interior engulfed in darkness.

Massive machinery was scattered around, surrounded by various research equipment and desks. The lab looked almost identical to what I remembered, which was a relief. Moving cautiously, I slipped into the room, finding solace in the shadows cast by the towering machines.

Keeping to the shelter of these devices, I ventured further into the lab. Before long, a radiant white glow caught my attention, radiating from the center.

Clack-clack, along with the sound of heels, I saw the back of a woman wearing a white lab coat.

“How’s the situation?”

As I heard her voice, tension instinctively gripped me.

It was a voice I couldn’t forget even after so long. Referred to as the Director, she was the true ruler of this laboratory. Every action, from luring test subjects and administering drugs, was directed by her.

“It’s… not good. We need to evacuate immediately.”

“Wait.”

The Director, with short black hair swept behind her ears, raised her red lips into a long grin. “We don’t need anything else. As long as we haven’t lost this one person, we’re good.”

This one person? I narrowed my eyes and noticed a young boy strapped to an operating table in front of the Director.

‘That’s…’

The child appeared to be asleep, his eyes shut as if in a peaceful slumber. As I glanced at the pale face and black hair of the boy, a familiar notification sound chimed, and a system window appeared before me.

Ding!

User Information: ??? (Antagonist)

Age: 22

Primary Skill: Living Shadow (Class B)

Title: The Master of Shadows

Attack Power: Class B

Attack Speed: Class B

Movement Speed: Class B

Agility: Class B

Special Note▼

ㄴ Seed of Calamity (35% Progress)

‘Antagonist? That young child is the antagonist?’

As I checked his status, confusion instantly clouded my mind.

A young child who appeared barely 10 years old was listed as the great calamity? No, he couldn’t possibly be the Calamity given his current status, but…

‘Is there an error in the status window?’

Seeing his name displayed as ‘???’ was strange, but what troubled me more was his age. It made no sense for this child to be 22 years old. Everything from the name to the age appeared to be riddled with errors.

While I grappled with my bewilderment, the Director continued her conversation with the researcher standing beside her.

“The Hunters are almost here! We need to flee immediately, Director. If this kid wakes up or has a seizure while being taken…”

“I’ve made preparations to prevent that.” Responding calmly to the anxious researcher, the Director gestured, and another researcher handed her a syringe from a surgical kit. “This is the result of all my research efforts.”

The Director revealed the syringe, filled with red liquid under the bright white light.

Seeing it, memories of the substances I was injected with during my captivity resurfaced. I distinctly remembered a pinkish fluid, but this, a much darker shade of red…

A foreboding feeling struck. Cold sweat trickled down my spine.

“If, if you release that, wouldn’t it make it even harder to contain the subject if he starts causing chaos?”

“Don’t worry, that was used on different test subjects.” The Director twirled the syringe, a satisfied expression on her face. “This one is perfect. It’s the version I barely completed yesterday. If injected with this, he’ll feel excruciating pain but won’t be able to move as if he’s asleep.”

“Really? Is that true?”

“Yeah. Honestly, I wanted to use it in a more controlled situation given the efforts I’ve put in, but now that things have turned out like this, I have no choice. Since even the strongest sedatives don’t work on this subject, this is the only way to take him and flee.”

…This is insane.

The disgusting talk was making me sick to my stomach.

The world is vast, filled with unimaginable and grotesque individuals. So, was this the reason they injected substances causing agony into abducted Awakened individuals?

Seeing the Director about to bring the sharp needle of the syringe close to the child’s neck, I drew my blade from its sheath.

‘I don’t know what’s going on, but…’

Whether that child is a real calamity or whatever, with the ‘antagonist’ label in his status window, I had no choice but to intervene.

I swung the empty sheath forcefully towards the Director, as if throwing a spear. Its end precisely struck the Director’s hand.

“Ahh!”

Screaming, the Director dropped the syringe. The syringe rolled on the floor, away from her grasp.

“Ugh, what the…?”

The Director, clutching her hand, let out a trembling groan.

Given the impact from the solid sheath propelled by S-class force, her hand probably endured fractures, if not worse. Ridicule surged within me, thinking about the pain experienced by numerous Awakened individuals in that hand.

Amidst the sudden attack, the Director and her researchers were in disarray—a perfect opportunity. Swiftly, with a forceful kick and a leap forward, I aimed my blade at the leather belt binding the child’s body.

Swish! The sharp edge cleanly sliced through the leather belt. As the child became free, I reached out to him.

“…!”

The child, whose eyes were closed as if in a slumber, slowly lifted his eyelids.

I was momentarily speechless as I gazed up close into the vivid green eyes. Beneath long lashes, jewel-like emerald orbs glistened against the pale face.

That enigmatic face overlapped with the countenance of the great calamity I had encountered by chance long ago. The resemblance was so striking that I could no longer escape reality.

Yes. This child was undoubtedly the great calamity who appeared before me before my regression and annihilated everyone.