"We've arrived quickly."
I said as I took my seat in the passenger seat after stepping out of the portal.
"Well, it wasn't really that far to begin with. The grenades you handed out made a big difference. Every time it got dangerous, I just threw one and kept on droving… There's nothing better to shake off the ones chasing us."
He could have used rifles, but it seemed far too cumbersome to use while driving.
That's why I handed out the grenades instead.
Outside, it had become a completely pitch-black night.
When we left the military base, it was still early evening with the sky slowly darkening, but now, night had fully settled in.
There were a lot of monsters roaming the city.
A few were still chasing our vehicle, but I tossed the rifle into the retrieval portal.
Then, before we arrived at the hospital, I gave Lee Yong-su a heads-up.
"For now, let's put away the rifles and grenades. We don't know what kind of people will be at the hospital…"
Korea is a country where firearm ownership is illegal.
Most of the brave descendants of Admiral Yi Sun-sin are probably facing the apocalypse with kitchen knives or golf clubs. If we suddenly showed up carrying guns, it could lead to unnecessary misunderstandings and wariness.
Moreover, the hospital we were heading to, Gangnam Severance Hospital, was quite a large facility.
There was a high chance of large crowds gathering there, which meant more variables to deal with.
In times like these, it was crucial to be more wary of people than monsters.
Lee Yong-su nodded.
"That's a good idea. Wherever we go, there's always a weirdo or two lurking around. It doesn't hurt to be cautious in advance."
This was, in fact, a strategy that could only come from the confidence of having strength.
Even if we put away our guns for a while, the camping axe that flew every second was still a powerful weapon.
Finally, the hospital building came into view.
From the ward buildings where the patients were staying to those housing the medical facilities and research labs, all the entrances were blocked by several buses and ambulances acting as barricades.
As we circled the spacious ground-level parking lot, I threw an axe,
Thwack!
Clang!
Crack!
Taking down the wandering monsters.
I didn't forget to retrieve the mana stones as well.
By the time we made a full round of the hospital's parking lot, two men came running out of the building.
They looked quite shocked.
And for good reason—after all, I had just wiped out all the monsters in the ground-level parking lot.
Whirr—
I rolled down the window and asked them,
"Is Nurse Kim Joo-yeon here?"
***
The darkened hospital lobby.
The waiting chairs were bustling with people trying to sleep.
Everything from blankets with the hospital's logo, to outerwear, and even towels, were being used as bedding.
I waited with Lee Yong-su for news.
Perhaps because we had already shown off our impressive combat abilities, we were able to enter the hospital without much difficulty. The men who had greeted us left, saying they would bring my eldest sister.
Thankfully, my eldest sister was still alive.
'So she was still at the hospital, after all.'
Memories of my eldest sister from childhood came to mind.
She was eight years older than me.
One summer day, when I was only seven, my sister, who was in middle school at the time, had said something to me out of the blue.
"Even if the world ends tomorrow, today I'll still be wrapping bandages around the heads of sick people."
On the table behind her lay a small booklet titled
It was a pure yet strange statement, blending her dream of becoming a doctor with a moral story.
Even though I was young, I understood enough, because I remember responding something like this.
"…But you're bad at studying, sister."
"You little brat."
To become a doctor, you had to be good at studying.
I remembered the look on our mother's face as she sighed while looking at my sister's report cards.
But, surprisingly, Kim Joo-yeon, Kim Sisters #1, was someone with a strong will.
From high school, her grades skyrocketed. Though she didn't quite make it into the medical school she aimed for, she proudly gained admission to nursing school.
And so, she became able to wrap bandages around people's heads, just as she had said.
She carved out that fate for herself.
At that moment, I heard a voice.
"Kim Jeong-gyeom!"
It hadn't been that long since we last met.
I had seen my eldest sister not too long ago at a family gathering, right before the world went to hell.
But perhaps because I had faced death several times since then, seeing her now felt especially nostalgic.
We shared a reunion hug, but the situation didn't allow for much leisure.
I quickly spoke to her.
"There's a patient."
"What? Where?"
At the mention of a patient, she instinctively looked around, scanning the area.
"Hold on, over here."
I led my eldest sister down a quiet hallway where there weren't many people.
Then, I opened a portal.
***
This was inside the logistics center.
'Charlie' lay sprawled on a white mattress.
Blood soaked the bandages wrapped around him.
He still hadn't regained consciousness.
Without any time to explain what this space was or what my abilities were, I immediately asked my sister,
"Should I take him out now? Maybe perform surgery outside…"
Without a word, she began unwrapping the bandages and carefully examined the wound.
"This man isn't going to survive."
"…Ah…"
It seemed the Zergling's attack had been too deep.
Just as I was about to accept the grim outcome, my eldest sister continued speaking.
"Under normal circumstances."
"…?"
She then placed her hand close to Charlie's abdomen.
Suddenly, a soft hum filled the air, and a glowing light radiated from her fingertips.
She added,
"I awakened as a healer. Pretty cool, right?"
From nurse to healer.
In the time we hadn't seen each other, she had successfully changed her profession.
Whirr—
My sister's healing lasted for about 20 minutes.
When she finished, she pulled her hand back and said,
"My level's still low… This is the best I can do for today. But he won't die, so don't worry."
Hearing that brought me some relief.
With the immediate crisis averted, I explained to her that this place was my subspace and that an entire logistics center was inside it.
My eldest sister didn't take that news on an empty stomach.
At some point, Oh Ji-soo had served a steaming bowl of beef radish soup.
My sister quickly mixed the warm soup with a fresh bowl of rice.
Then, tearing open some packaged kimchi I had brought from the Fresh Center, she spoke in her usual blunt tone.
"Kim Jeong-gyeom, I love you."
Her lips, which weren't smiling, were stained with kimchi juice like thick lipstick.
She then looked over at our kitchen genius, Oh Ji-soo, and added,
"I don't know who you are, but I love you too."
If there was ever an inappropriate first encounter, this was it.
She must have been terribly hungry, I suppose.
And in this kind of world, getting food wasn't exactly easy.
Charlie's treatment had been taken care of, and I'd reunited with my eldest sister.
Now, all that was left was to go find my younger sister together, but my eldest sister shook her head.
"Sorry. The situation here isn't suitable for that right now."
"What's going on?"
"There are about 800 people gathered in this hospital alone. Some of them are patients who need continuous observation or medication, but…"
I thought she was going to say something about not being able to leave the patients behind.
That would be just like her.
But the situation was a bit more complicated.
"Anyway, it's not like anyone's going to die if I'm not here. The problem is…"
She began explaining.
***
Meanwhile, Head of the Internal Medicine Department, Jin Seong-hak, was forced to shake off his sleep when he received late-night news.
In the hospital director's office, which had practically become his own personal room, sat head of the Pharmacy Department Goo Min-cheol and head of the Nutrition Team Park Jong-hyun.
It was truly like a bolt from the blue in the middle of the night.
Head of the Pharmacy Department Goo Min-cheol spoke. Originally, his role was to manage the hospital's pharmaceuticals, but now he was overseeing the patients and awakened individuals under Jin Seong-hak's authority.
"The awakened ones on guard duty said that his combat power is considerable. Apparently, he has the ability to summon axes out of thin air… They say he wiped out all the monsters in the ground-level parking lot. Judging by his appearance and the fact that he's driving a military vehicle, he might be some kind of special forces soldier."
Head of the Nutrition Team Leader Park Jong-hyun chimed in with a hurried voice.
"Department Head, if that's true, shouldn't we do whatever we can to get him on our side?"
But Jin Seong-hak clicked his tongue in disapproval.
"Nonsense. Of all people, he happens to be Kim Joo-yeon's brother? He's probably already got a bone to pick with us. Why would he side with us?"
"…Then what should we do?"
"No need to worry. He's probably here because he needs food and a place to stay, and we control all the food supplies, don't we?"
"Ah! That's right. At the end of the day, it's all about having food."
The head of the Nutrition Team chimed in exaggeratedly.
The hospital's nutrition team was responsible for preparing hospital meals for patients and managing food ingredients.
And knowing this, Head of the Internal Medicine Department Jin Seong-hak had buttered up this head of the Nutrition Team first, even before taking over the hospital.
The day after the disaster hit, a food rationing system was suddenly implemented at the hospital, thanks to the quick-thinking strategy of Jin Seong-hak.
It became a source of power. And indeed, it worked.
However, the food supply wasn't the only weapon Jin Seong-hak had up his sleeve.
"If he refuses to cooperate… well, we'll just have to 'handle' him."
"Do you think that's possible? He's not a patient, so it'd be hard to use any drugs…"
"We'll mix it in with the food. It won't be as effective as an IV injection, but it'll work."
Jin Seong-hak was also an awakened individual.
His ability was
It was a powerful ability that could turn others into his puppets, but it had significant limitations.
He had to overcome the target's conscious resistance, and to make this easier, Jin Seong-hak used narcotic painkillers that the hospital handled.
He would exploit the moments when their consciousness became foggy.
And the results had been successful.
He picked out awakened individuals among the hospitalized patients, mixed drugs into their IVs, and then brainwashed them, turning them into his underlings.
It was only possible with the help of the head of the Pharmacy Department , Goo Min-cheol, who managed the drug supplies.
In this way, the collaboration between the three of them was tightly woven.
Almost as if they had been waiting for the world to fall apart.
Jin Seong-hak concluded the conversation.
"Anyway, let's endure a bit more. Once my
"Heh. Absolutely."
They laughed together.
***
"…Mental Brainwashing?"
I asked again, stunned by what I'd just heard.
My eldest sister nodded in confirmation.
"I'm sure. Otherwise… There's no way people could change like that overnight."
Just the day before, they were patients who greeted her warmly.
But the next day, as soon as they saw her, they distanced themselves, turning cold, and suddenly began supporting Jin Seong-hak's group.
"There seems to be some kind of limitation though. So far, neither I nor the nurses have been affected. The only ones who've changed are the hospitalized patients, especially the awakened ones."
But that wasn't the only problem.
Jin Seong-hak's group was using food as leverage to force the remaining awakened individuals into doing reconnaissance and guard duties.
And they confiscated all the mana stones obtained in the process.
They claimed it was to redistribute the stones to stronger awakened ones for the sake of everyone, but of course, the redistribution never actually happened.
"By the time I realized what was happening… the balance of power had already completely tipped."
As a result, people ended up being drafted into the reconnaissance squads as ordered, had their mana stones taken away, and were reduced to begging for the food they were grudgingly given.
Even if they wanted to rise up, it was difficult for anyone to take action because of the brainwashed awakened individuals.
My eldest sister said.
Her voice was somehow filled with determination.
"I'm secretly gathering mana stones. If I can level up my healing ability, I might be able to treat the brainwashed awakened ones. Even now, I can treat things like drug addiction. So…"
She hesitated for a moment before continuing.
"You should go to Sol, and to mom and dad, first. I'll try to survive here somehow."
But that was out of the question.
Rescuing the remaining family was urgent, but I couldn't leave my eldest sister behind in clear danger.
Besides, her plan to level up and cure the brainwashing was a hopeful aspiration at best, not a guarantee.
And on top of that, Charlie's treatment hadn't been fully completed yet.
After gathering my thoughts for a moment, I responded.
"Let's resolve this as quickly as possible."
"How?"
The weapon those guys were holding onto for control was food.
And next, the reconnaissance squad made up of brainwashed awakened individuals.
By using these two means, they were gradually increasing the imbalance of power by gathering more and more mana stones.
When you really thought about it, the conclusion was simple.
"We just need to break that balance, right? Whether it's through resources or strength."
And I had the ability to do just that.