“…So you guys are heroes?”
Jane woke up and stared at us vigilantly.
I had even handed over my hero license, but her expression was still full of lingering doubts.
“It’s written here. The A-Rank hero, Choi Noah. Can’t you read, noona?”
“You don’t think I can read? Are you looking down on me because I live here? I was just asking because you might have made it up!”
“Why would I bother doing such a thing? It won’t be very useful here anyway.”
I wouldn’t have any qualm killing her if building my hero performance wasn’t so difficult
There was no need to bother pretending to be a hero in places like Kowloon where the law was blind.
Only the law of the strong existed.
As if she had realized that fact, she alternated between my face and the hero license before eventually shouting.
“Fuck! You should’ve told me you were a hero from the beginning! I thought you were a human hunter!”
“Didn’t I tell you? I made it clear a moment ago that I would save you.”
“What, who the hell would believe that after you tied me up all of a sudden?!”
“That’s because noona stole from us first. Or should I just arrest you?”
“…”
Fortunately, the misunderstanding was resolved smoothly and she no longer shouted at me.
She folded her arms and sat in a slanted posture as she looked at me.
“Haa…So. What is a handsome hero doing in such a dump? People like you usually don’t care if people here die.”
Her voice was full of malice. How dare she act so insolent to someone who wanted to help her as much as possible?
I wanted to break her habit, but unfortunately, she was a key person in this Challenge.
She dies and my reward would be gone.
Huu…let’s just remember the reward. Think of the reward only.
I suppressed my creeping irritation. In any case, there were a lot of things to find out from her.
“Do you happen to know anything about Eighth Layer Hell?”
“Eighth Layer Hell? You mean those dangerous guys from the news?”
“Yes.”
“I know it by name. But why are you suddenly asking me that?”
“I’m chasing them right now.”
With an anxious look, she asked back.
“No way…Don’t tell me they’re in Kowloon or something?”
“I don’t know about that, but it’s clear they’re related to this place.”
“Shit!”
Her face crumpled and she cursed.
Judging from her reaction, it seemed she really didn’t have a direct relationship with Eighth Layer Hell.
Sure enough, it couldn’t be that easy.
So, first of all, I had to save this girl according to the Challenge and then I can get the next clue it seems.
And unless I know what was needed to save her, we’d better act together for the time being.
Also, now that I knew she was the future Night King, I had to find out where she had found my sword.
“I don’t know what’s going on, but I don’t want to get involved in dangerous things for no reason, so I’m leaving. Anyway, I’m sorry I tried to steal from you, so let’s not see each other again.”
She turned her back in a hurry and walked away at a high speed. No, it was more like running than walking.
Looking at it for a moment, I stretched out my hand to restrain her movement.
I couldn’t let my reward run away.
Her body stopped in the same running posture. She immediately looked back at me and shouted.
“Wh-what! Hurry up and release me!”
Like watching a worm in a spider web, she struggled desperately.
“Noona, it would be a problem if you left like this.”
“Why! What the hell are you doing this for? I have nothing to do with anything!”
“I’ve made it clear to you. I said I’d save noona. So I’ll stay at noona’s house for the time being.”
“H-huh? What the hell! Who said that? Can you act however you please just because you’re a hero?”
She still didn’t seem to be aware of her situation, so I kindly explained.
“Or do you want to serve time in prison?”
“…”
As a result, I, together with Jane and Elizabeth, entered the depths of Kowloon.
* * * * * * * * * *
“Don’t do anything suspicious and just follow me. If you get caught up in something strange, I’ll abandon you right away.”
“All right, hurry up and lead the way.”
“Fuck…I’m really out of luck today.”
Jane grumbled and took the lead. In front of us, gray concrete buildings that had suspended construction came into view.
As expected, the atmosphere was very different from Guangcheng District.
Although it was the same kind of slums, unlike Guangcheng District, which consisted mostly of shacks, Kowloon was a modern city built according to thorough urban planning.
But naturally it wasn’t properly managed, so it was full of all kinds of graffiti and trash.
Jane entered an underground path between such buildings. Soon, a complicated and vast shopping center appeared before our eyes.
Elizabeth, seeing it, asked.
“Is there a subway here?”
“Not currently. I heard they had tried to connect to Hong Kong’s subway when this place was being built, but construction had stopped even before I was born.”
“Hmm…”
In the underground shopping center, just like a market, economic activities were being carried out.
There were stores with a lot of unknown meat hanging, and even stores selling fish that had come from somewhere unknown.
After a long walk through the underground maze, we finally arrived above ground.
It was a very different place than before, as there were much less constructed buildings.
Neon signs mixed with Chinese characters glowed, and a bad smell of indescribable spices stung my nose.
Jane took us to a building in the corner of an alley. As we climbed up the iron stairs, I spotted a poorly blocked plastic door.
“Huu…we’re here. I’ll tell you beforehand, it’s not a very good house like what you’re used to, so don’t complain.”
As she opened the door, a larger-than-expected interior appeared.
Looking at the structure, it looked more like a building originally designed for commercial use rather than residential use.
The empty windows were shut with plastic bags, and the floor was covered with thick styrofoam that seemed to be used as an insulation material.
“The styrofoam is fragile, so take off your shoes…”
Crunch–!
Just in time, Elizabeth tore the styrofoam with her high-heels.
“Huh? What was that?”
“Fuck. You’re destroying another person’s house.”
Jane clicked her tongue briefly and went into the house first. I spoke to Elizabeth.
“Why are you following me and causing trouble? You should have been careful.”
“S-sorry…”
Elizabeth took off her high heels with an ashamed look. I naturally had no intention of taking my shoes off in such a dirty place.
So I kept my shoes on and followed Jane inside.
At that moment, I heard the voice of a little boy.
“N-noona? Wh-why are you home so early?”
So skinny that you could see his bones, a pale face as if he had never been in the sun, and heavy dark circles that come down below the eyes.
All signs pointed to the boy being very ill.
Next to him were scattered unfinished cardboard boxes. It seemed he had been folding them.
In front of him, Jane spoke coldly.
“…What are you doing?”
“N-no…I-I just thought noona was having a hard time…”
The boy had a very defeated look on his face.
Suddenly, he hid the boxes behind his back. However, perhaps because he was too thin, the boxes were clearly visible through the gap.
As Jane watched, her expression became full of emotion before contorting.
She shouted in a sharp tone.
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“Fuck! Who told you to fold these things? I told you not to worry about money. Just take care of your health!”
“S-sorry…”
“Who the hell am I doing this for…What am I supposed to do if you’re trying to make a little money when I’m not around and overdo it?”
“I-I’m fine…”
“Stop! What if you get sick? Who’s going to pay for the hospital bill? Are you going to fold boxes to pay for it? So please stop overdoing it!”
Jane’s voice resonated inside the room. The boy bowed his head in front of her.
“I don’t know any more. I don’t care if you live or die, so do whatever you want!”
“N-noona…I-I’m sorry…from now on…”
The boy approached Jane slowly and apologized. But at that moment,
“Eueuk!”
He suddenly staggered, grabbing his head, and fell flat on the floor.
“John!”
Startled, Jane grabbed him. His body was trembling and his complexion was deathly pale.
Jane looked around in a hurry, picked up a bag that had fallen nearby, and took an ampoule out of it.
She quickly injected it into a syringe and administered it to her brother. Soon, his constant twitching body regained stability.
“Haa…”
Only then did Jane let out a sigh of relief. Next, she put John, who had his eyes closed, on an electric mat and covered him with a blanket.
“Hey…is he okay?”
Elizabeth asked with a troubled expression. In response, Jane answered bluntly.
“It happens all the time. It’s just that he had overworked himself today.”
“What’s wrong with him? Do you know the cause?”
When Elizabeth asked such a question, Jane’s expression sank darkly.
Taking out a cigarette and lighting it, she answered.
“I don’t know either…It’s just his rotten luck.”
“Luck?”
“Shit, why of all people…”
Jane looked at John, who was lying down, lovingly. Soon, we were able to hear an explanation from her.
***
Reaper Scans
[ Translator – Yasi ]
[ Proofreader – Karane ]
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***
Rather than the conflicts between cartels or dangerous residential conditions, the reason why the average life expectancy of people living in Kowloon was extremely short was because of one disease that was prevalent only here.
It was called White Face.
The name was given because the afflicted person would eventually die in a haggard appearance where the color of their face had completely disappeared.
This unexplained disease simply occurs randomly, and once the first symptom appears, most die in less than 10 years.
“…Is there no cure?”
Whether Elizabeth had already become empathetic, she asked with a serious look.
Jane puffed out a long cigarette smoke and answered.
“No. There isn’t.”
“What about the medicine from earlier…?”
“It’s a life-sustaining treatment, not a cure. But it’s expensive…Fuck!”
Jane extinguished her cigarette on a nearby can. Then, she looked at me with a sneer.
“You said you’d save me earlier, didn’t you, Mr. Hero?”
“Yes. What about it?”
“Then, give me some money. I won’t ask for much. Just enough to buy medicine before my brother dies. Aren’t heroes super rich?”
“Money?”
I gave her a dumbfounded look. She snorted and smirked.
“Why? You don’t want to do it when I ask for money? How about this? If you give me the money, I’ll let you do whatever you want until I pay you back. I’m still a girl. Hehe.”
Her expression was ambiguous and it was hard to tell whether she was smiling or crying.
“…”
“…Yes, of course not. I know that. I’m not even worth a penny. I just said it out of frustration. Forget what I just said.”
When I didn’t answer, she turned away again, biting her cigarette.
Click, click–
“What the fuck! Why isn’t it lighting up?!”
She threw her gas lighter on the floor. Her shoulders trembled as she muttered to herself.
“Fuck…Don’t you think I’m a fool? I’m stealing because I don’t want to sell my body, but I had offered it right away when I saw that you looked a bit rich.”
She seemed to think the reason I was lost in thought was because I had refused.
I corrected her misunderstanding.
“No, it’s not that. I didn’t think all it took would be money.”
It was a Challenge where a high-grade box was at stake, and I could solve it with money?
Where in the world would I find a quest sweeter than this? My words raised Jane’s head with a jerk.
“You…What are you talking about?”
“How much do you want? This much?”
I pulled out a bunch of money from my inventory at random. Cash fell on the styrofoam floor with a thud.
“H-huh…?”
The cigarette she had in her mouth fell flat on the floor.
“Hmm…is this not enough?”
I continued to take out a bunch of money.
After all, I had a suspicious amount in my inventory that I had stolen from the Turbak guys.
On top of that, considering what I will receive from Choi Bokhui in the future, this was really a small amount in comparison.
However, in front of the increasingly heavy pile of money, Jane frowned and grabbed me by the collar.
“Hey, you son of a bitch! Is it fun to tease people like this? You think this is funny?!”
Elizabeth, who was standing next to me, was about to have a seizure, but I raised my hand and stopped her.
“But I’m not joking?”
“You’re really going to give me all this money? Are you crazy? Are you crazy? How much do you think that is?”
“Well, this much is cheap.”
“What the hell is so cheap about it? We met for the first time today! What’s wrong with you?!”
“I told you. I will save noona. So if you want anything other than money, don’t waste time and tell me quickly.”
Her expression began to change from moment to moment.
At first her eyes widened, then she twitched as if her facial muscles were broken.
Soon, tears began to fall.
“Fuck…Fuck! Fuck!”
She covered her face with her hands and clenched her fists for a long time. After some time,
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Along with a notification in front of me, Jane slowly raised her head.
And unlike before, she held back her tears and asked.
“I, really…I can ask what I want, right?”
“Yes. Feel free to tell me.”
“Really, really anything?”
“Yes, yes.”
She hesitated for a while before speaking with a trembling voice.
“Th-then…my oppa…Take revenge against those who killed him and free me from this place…No, of course you don’t have to do it if it’s impossible. Even now I can’t thank you enough. Honestly.”
She trembled so pathetically that I wondered if it was the same person I had seen earlier.
Perhaps she had thought it was impossible for me to do what she had asked.
But…
“Leave it to me.”
I answered her with a bright smile.
If such a thing was saving, then perhaps I was the most qualified savior in this world.