The Late Game Healer Is Way Too Strong – Chapter 268

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟔𝟖: 𝐋𝐮𝐱

KWANG!! KWANG!!

Gunfire from a shotgun blasts through the air.

The bullets infused with magic energy pierce the subject’s body, instantly transforming it into a raging inferno.

FWOOOOOSH!!

“Gyaaaah!!”

A new function that had been added during the latest modification of the shotgun was attribute switching.

Although it consumes twice the amount of magic energy compared to regular bullets, its power is undeniable.

The agonizing screams of the subject intensify as flames engulf its shredded body, writhing on the floor like a chalkboard being scratched.

The subject is already dead, so it’s unlikely to be experiencing pain, but perhaps it’s an instinctual response imprinted on its flesh.

And the fear of fire is a conditioned reflex associated with the attribute of ‘death,’ making it even more probable.

KWANG!! KWANG!!

Siwoo relentlessly fires at the being that is neither human nor monster.

With each shot, their bodies sway and their rotten flesh peels off like tattered rags.

【𝐔𝐠𝐡! 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝐡𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐨𝐮𝐬!】

“Of course it is. Stop your whining and deploy a ritual.”

【𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐦 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐩𝐞𝐭.】

“Hey! You’re spouting nonsense again! Are you trying to get your armor and weapon I bought you last time confiscated?!”

【𝐓-𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐚𝐥! 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲!】

“Will you either quietly assist or simply keep quiet and stay out of the way?”

【𝐇𝐮𝐦𝐩𝐡! 𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞!】

A gigantic ritual circle materializes before them, a fusion of demonic energy and magic energy.

[Crazy Drawing]

This supernatural ability allows the caster to manifest their imagination into reality, a technique used by the first leader of Ghost Corps, Cheonsu.

A large, pitch-black magic circle forms on the laboratory floor.

Suddenly, a massive, spherical frog emerges from the circle, opening its gaping maw to swallow the subjects whole.

Gulp munch munch! Gulp!

“. . . . . . .”

The giant frog vanishes, a satisfied grin on its face.

【𝐀𝐡𝐞𝐦! 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫! 𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐦𝐞— 𝐊𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐆!! 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐞?!】

“I don’t know. Something just rubbed me the wrong way.”

Siwoo flicked Pre’s forehead and stepped out of the laboratory.

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

A slum in the United States.

After sunset, the streets are mostly deserted, with only cheap pubs and liquor stores with barred windows casting their dim neon lights.

A man exits a pub and leans against an alleyway, smoking a cigarette.

His face and body are covered in gang tattoos, and he carries a gun, rendering him fearless.

Suddenly, he senses a presence behind him.

“What the?!”

He swiftly turns around to confront the intruder.

The intruder is dressed in cowboy attire, an odd sight for this neighborhood.

“Woah, calm down. I’m just here to buy some drugs.”

“Damn it! You should announce yourself!”

“I did make some noise, but if I startled you, I apologize.”

The cowboy shrugs and offers a sheepish smile.

“I almost shot your head off! You know? You could’ve gotten yourself killed!”

“Heh heh, is that so? Calm down.”

“Hmph. What kind of drugs do you need?”

The man asks, taking a deep drag of his cigarette.

The alleyway is too dark for him to see the cowboy’s face clearly.

Only a faint silhouette is visible in the dim light cast by the liquor store across the street.

“What’s the hottest drug these days?”

“What a stupid question. It’s ‘Lux,’ of course. It’s different from any other drug out there. It’s cheap and has long-lasting effects.”

“Is that so? Where’s it from?”

“. . . Why do you ask?”

The man’s eyes narrow at the cowboy’s question.

Usually, people don’t ask about the origin of a drug when buying it. They only care about its effects, duration, price, and side effects.

“Are you a f*cking cop?”

“Hehehe. I apologize for laughing. It’s the first time I’ve ever been called a cop.”

“. . . . . . .”

“What kind of crazy cop would dress like this and do an undercover investigation?”

“. . . Right. That’s true. Then why the hell are you asking about the origin?”

“I heard that all the drugs coming from Mexico have been cut off lately. So I was wondering where ‘Lux’ is being made.”

The man’s expression relaxes, convinced by the cowboy’s explanation.

“Sorry, but I don’t know where it’s from. I only know that it’s somewhere in Europe. But it’s definitely free of impurities, and unlike Mexico, the supply chain is always stable.”

“Is that so? You must have put a lot of effort into distribution. Can you introduce me to your superior?”

“Are you crazy? Why are you talking nonsense all of a sudden?!”

The man pulls out his gun, enraged by the cowboy’s words.

“You’re not a cop, so what are you?!”

“Actually, I’m a drug dealer too, and ‘Lux’ is doing so well. I was thinking of talking to the boss.”

“This is complete nonsense! Get lost, or you’ll regret it!”

The man shouts, pointing the gun directly at the cowboy’s forehead.

The cowboy raises his hands and sighs in resignation, then with lightning speed, draws his gun and shoots off the man’s hand.

TAANG!

“Aaaaargh!!”

“Guns aren’t something you should point around carelessly, my friend.”

The cowboy, Billy the Kid, says with a sinister grin.

“They say you’re the drug dealer in charge of ‘Lux’ in this area, despite your appearance.”

“Ughh!!”

“Who’s your boss? Where in Europe is it made? No . . . Who’s the real mastermind behind ‘Lux’?”

Kid asks, patting the man’s shoulder, but the man only whimpers in response.

“Hmm . . . . This is difficult. I approached you in a friendly manner, so it’s disappointing that you’re not cooperating.”

Kid adjusts his hat and smiles wryly.

A powerful aura suddenly emanates from his body, sending a heavy killing intent towards the man.

“Gulp . . . . Crack . . . !”

The man clutches his throat and heart, writhing on the ground.

“Listen carefully. 25 seconds of pain, followed by 5 seconds of release. Answer within those 5 seconds. Choose your words carefully.”

Kid says, his eyes cold and indifferent.

After 25 seconds, the man collapses on the ground, gasping for air.

“Kuaaagh! Huuugh!”

“You’re wasting my time. 2 seconds left.”

“W-w-wait a minute!”

“Restart.”

“Gyaaaagh!!”

The man’s face turns red again, and his legs thrash on the asphalt.

“Doesn’t time pass slowly? 25 seconds is longer than I thought.”

The man’s face is contorted in agony, tears, snot, and saliva streaming down his face.

The 25 seconds end again.

He gasps for breath.

And just as the man is about to reveal the manufacturing location of ‘Lux,’

“Huuuuuuugh! T-t-the location is Black—!”

A dark green magic circle appears in his mouth, and his head explodes.

KWAANG!!

It doesn’t just burst—it obliterates everything within a certain radius as if it were a bomb.

The man’s body is crushed like tomato soup and splattered on the ground.

“Heh heh heh. That was almost a big mistake.”

Kid laughs, dusting off his clothes far away from the scene.

He had dodged the magic circle at the last moment with his ghostly speed.

He couldn’t see it clearly, but it was definitely a silencing spell.

A high-level spell that detonates and kills its target by restraining their speech when they utter certain words or phrases.

And as far as the Kid knew, there was only one person capable of using such an ability.

“I was curious about who was making ‘Lux,’ but. . . I almost ended up having a showdown with my own ally.”

The Witch of Darkness, Baba Yaga.

The location the man was about to reveal was probably ‘Black Heaven.’

He couldn’t understand why she was making such drugs . . . but Kid decided to stop his investigation, as it would be interfering with her territory.

He takes out the ‘Lux’ he had collected so far and examines it.

He can sense a small amount of demonic energy coming from each pill.

“What’s her purpose? Well, as long as it doesn’t interfere with my business, I won’t interfere with hers. Let’s be careful of each other. Heh heh heh.”

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

Siwoo returns to HSIU after leaving the research lab, and his first action is to issue a warrant for the arrest of Count Saint Germain of ‘Misteltein’ on charges of involvement in “Pandemonium.”

At first, even the ‘War Response Team’ objected to his decision.

━Heh heh heh. Just to be sure, did you see correctly? Saint Germain is known for his research, not for being a villain.”

━I don’t know Saint Germain well—but I’ve heard that he’s a bit eccentric. A research fanatic.”

Shamal shook his head in disagreement with Merlin’s words.

Gandharva then spoke in a soft voice, her head in her hands.

━Ugh . . . I don’t like Saint Germain either! But I don’t think he’s a traitor. Min Siwoo, are you mistaken because you’ve never met Saint Germain?

“No. I’m sure it was Saint Germain himself. I recorded it from start to finish with a body cam, so I can send it to you if you want.”

━Hehehe. This old man is skeptical, I apologize. What if someone else used a transformation spell to impersonate Saint Germain and fought you? There are abilities that can steal the skills of others, you know? I think it’s possible that they could have pretended to be Saint Germain.”

Merlin stared at Siwoo with a kind face on the screen.

‘𝘈𝘯 𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴.’

It seemed like Merlin was trying to get at something, but Siwoo didn’t pay much attention to it and replied, looking directly at Merlin’s screen.

“It’s a well-known fact that everyone has a different magic code. Just like fingerprints, no two magic codes are the same. I can remember a magic code 100% after experiencing it once.”

━Wow, Min Siwoo, you’re amazing! Holy moly, does that mean you remember mine too?!

“If you think Saint Germain is innocent, bring him before me. I’ll just check his magic code. Will that do?”

━. . . So you have that ability, too.

Merlin stroked his beard with a stiff expression and nodded.

“If you have no objections, I will issue a red warrant for Count Saint Germain of ‘Misteltein’ effective immediately. The hazard level is SS-rank, the highest, and the charges are ‘espionage’ and ‘mass murder.’”

━Then what will happen to Saint Germain’s status?

Shamal asked.

“Of course, he will be stripped of his position in ‘Misteltein’ and permanently expelled from the Hunter’s Association. He’s just a common criminal now.”

━Ho ho ho. Our HSIU special agent is ruthless. You show no mercy.

Baba Yaga said with a charming smile, her eyes narrowed.

Unlike Merlin, she had no loyalty or attachment to the organization, so she didn’t care what happened to Saint Germain.

“Of course. Is there any reason to spare someone who consorts with demons and kills humans? There’s only death for 〈Pandemonium〉.”

━Oh my, how scary.

━Heh heh heh. You’re full of confidence.

The three pairs of eyes met, creating a strange undercurrent, but Shamal and Gandharva were oblivious to it.

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