Chapter 54

Among the Stars (1)

"Jongsoo...!"

Yeongwoo called out to the unexpected visitor with an uncertain voice.

Kim Jongsoo, a local from Andong in his late twenties.

They were no longer complete strangers, but they certainly weren't close enough to expect loyalty from one another.

Besides...

With his body cut clean in half, would anyone's arrival really make a difference?

"Brother! Where are you? I can't see you anyw—"

He slammed on the brakes.

Screeeech!

Having reached the battlefield, Jongsoo stared at Yeongwoo's upper and lower body lying separately on the ground.

He leaned out of the driver's window to make sure he wasn't imagining things.

"...Brother?"

"Yeah... over here."

"Wh-What?!"

Jongsoo jumped out of the vehicle in shock.

For several seconds he simply stood there, blinking.

Everything before him was surreal.

A gigantic cockroach trapped inside a pillar of black light.

The enormous floating eyeball called Kubu.

But even more horrifying than either of them...

Was the fact that Yeongwoo, despite being cut in half, was still alive and speaking.

"How... how are you even alive?"

"I was wondering the same thing."

"Maybe humans don't die as easily as I thought."

"Or maybe it's because I've invested so many points into my stats."

"Even then, this doesn't make any sense!"

"How long have you been like this?"

"..."

Only then did Yeongwoo realize just how unnaturally long he had survived.

He finally understood why after opening the inventory window he had failed to check earlier.

Slime Core

Mutant Bracelet

Effect: Greatly increases regeneration.

It was the trophy he had taken from Dokgo Sehwan, the First Strongest of Sangju.

The same Dokgo Sehwan who had survived despite having half his head destroyed and his body torn apart.

My God...

So this was the reason.

"Greatly increases regeneration"...

He had never imagined those words meant this much.

If I just stay like this...

Will my body actually reconnect?

It wasn't impossible.

Under normal circumstances...

He should have already died from blood loss or shock.

Although he'd already lost an enormous amount of blood...

If someone reattached the two halves now...

"...Huh?"

"Jongsoo."

"Yes?"

"If you don't mind..."

"Could you bring my legs over and attach them beneath me?"

Jongsoo looked as if he had just seen a ghost.

Then fear crept into his expression.

"...If I do that..."

"...will your body actually fuse back together?"

"...Maybe."

"..."

His mouth slowly fell open.

Then, still visibly shaken, he picked up Yeongwoo's lower body with both hands.

"So..."

"You just want me to stick it back on for now?"

"Yeah..."

"For now."

Yeongwoo barely managed to nod.

Jongsoo silently dragged the lower half toward him.

Scrape...

Scrape...

Now only one thing remained.

Aligning the two severed ends.

But...

Just before doing so...

Jongsoo suddenly stopped.

"Jongsoo?"

The silence stretched on.

Then...

He quietly asked,

"...What if I don't?"

"If I leave you like this..."

"...do you die?"

Yeongwoo let out a long sigh.

"...Yes."

"I suppose I would."

"But I wouldn't blame you."

"If I were in your shoes..."

"I'd probably think the same thing."

"You're right."

"If I hadn't come here..."

"You would've eventually bled to death..."

"Or someone else would've finished you off."

Jongsoo glanced at the Early Bird hanging from his belt.

Then he looked toward the terrifying alien Merchant...

And Kubu.

"You have no idea how strange this situation feels."

Yeongwoo assumed Jongsoo had finally decided to draw his sword.

He quietly closed his eyes.

Instead...

Jongsoo simply placed the lower half back where it belonged.

"So all I have to do is set it here?"

"Damn..."

"I don't think I can stay sane in a world like this."

Even before Jongsoo finished speaking...

Yeongwoo felt something happening.

"...Ugh."

A burning sensation surged through the point where his body had been reconnected.

Whether the flesh was truly reattaching...

Or merely becoming infected...

He couldn't tell.

"I think..."

"She must've struggled with the decision until the very end."

"She had too much to lose."

As Yeongwoo spoke...

He looked toward Shin Myungjoo.

She had gambled everything.

And lost.

Tomorrow...

Another Mutant would descend upon Chungju.

Even with its defensive systems...

How could the city survive without its strongest protector?

Without a First Strongest...

Maintaining order will become nearly impossible.

The regional status window, which once displayed information about Chungju's First Strongest...

Had already transformed into something resembling a warning.

"...By the way."

"You attached everything the right way around..."

"...right?"

Jongsoo stared blankly for a moment before laughing.

"Stand up later and find out yourself."

At that exact moment...

"Tch..."

Shin Myungjoo's finger twitched one final time.

Then...

She died.

You have acquired the title of Chungju's First Strongest!

System messages immediately flooded Yeongwoo's vision.

You now possess one regional title in Chungcheongbok-do.

You currently possess four regional titles in Gyeongsangbok-do.

Current Gyeongsangbok-do First Strongest: Jung Myungwoo-07

Generation 1

Successful Defenses: 2

So regional titles are collected separately.

Yeongwoo stared silently at Shin Myungjoo's corpse.

Jongsoo spoke with an indifferent tone.

"So..."

"She was the one who picked the fight in the end."

"She acted all polite before that."

Current Region: Chungju

There is currently no First Strongest in this region.

Of course...

The citizens of Chungju would never imagine the truth.

Their strongest protector had gambled the city's future.

And lost.

Without a First Strongest...

The city would inevitably descend into lawlessness again.

Eventually...

Another Mutant would wipe it out.

"So?"

"Does it feel like your body's reconnecting?"

Growing bored from waiting...

Jongsoo sat down and asked.

Yeongwoo unconsciously tried to sit up.

"...Huh?"

Jongsoo's eyes widened.

Yeongwoo's waist...

Supported his upper body.

"..."

Only moments ago...

His body had literally been in two pieces.

This was impossible.

"What..."

"What the hell?!"

Jongsoo instinctively scooted backward.

Yeongwoo hurriedly lifted his shirt.

There...

Though still incomplete...

The flesh along the severed wound had begun knitting itself together.

"N-No way..."

Even while he spoke...

The regeneration continued.

A moment later...

An overwhelming hunger struck him.

His internal organs...

Which had stopped functioning after being separated...

Were beginning to work again.

This...

This is actually happening?

At this point...

Can I even be called human anymore?

As Yeongwoo examined his recovering body...

The Golden Goblin Slave, which had been observing from afar, suddenly came running over.

It had realized its master was recovering.

"Kii!"

Jongsoo frowned and pretended to kick it away.

The goblin ignored him completely.

It politely placed its sack beside Yeongwoo.

"Kii."

"What an opportunist."

Yeongwoo looked at the now-obedient goblin before turning to Jongsoo.

"By the way..."

"Yes?"

"Why did you save me?"

"You could've become the First Strongest."

"...Yeah."

"I could have."

Jongsoo shrugged.

He looked over Yeongwoo's body, which was visibly regenerating in real time.

"...To be honest..."

"I don't think I'd want to live like that."

"Watching your body reconnect..."

"Made me realize it."

He meant living like Yeongwoo.

Somewhere between human...

And monster.

"I guess I'm more old-fashioned than I thought."

"But..."

"If your body hadn't started healing..."

"I would've killed you without hesitation."

"I'm not interested in becoming the First Strongest."

"But becoming stronger..."

"That's always worth it."

His honesty was almost excessive.

Oddly enough...

That made Yeongwoo trust him more.

"You could've just taken my equipment."

"I thought about it."

"But even then..."

"I doubt I'd ever become stronger than you were."

"So..."

"I figured becoming your lifesaver would be the better investment."

In other words...

Rather than become a monster himself...

He had chosen to stand beside one.

"I can't really relate..."

"But I understand what you mean."

By now...

Yeongwoo had recovered enough that even if Jongsoo changed his mind...

It was already too late.

Of course...

He still wasn't healthy enough to fight another First Strongest or a Mutant.

I'll need to rest until we reach the next city.

Fortunately...

Jongsoo had brought a vehicle.

That meant Yeongwoo could recover while traveling.

The fact that Jongsoo found me...

It really was a miracle.

Maybe fate isn't finished with me yet.

Yeongwoo looked up at the sky.

His eyes stopped on the timer floating overhead.

Time Until Sponsor Arrival: 3:04:11

Reattaching his body had taken longer than expected.

Less than three hours now.

That's cutting it close.

At this rate...

He would encounter the mysterious Sponsors shortly after entering the next region.

"We can keep going..."

"...right?"

Slowly standing up, Yeongwoo asked.

Jongsoo glanced toward the vehicle.

"Of course."

"Where are we headed?"

"North."

"Toward Seoul."

"Then we'll have to pass through Icheon and Yeoju."

Jongsoo traced an imaginary route through the air with his finger.

Meanwhile...

Yeongwoo searched Shin Myungjoo's corpse.

Surprisingly...

She wasn't carrying a single unit of cash.

Instead...

"My God..."

He discovered something far more valuable.

A Narrative Equipment item...

One that normally required sacrificing a Legendary Achievement just to purchase.