Chapter 110: Blue Plague, Aosa (1)

[+1,000 gold.]

[Bargain skill level increased.]

[Bargain skill reached Beginner Lv. 4.]

The gold deposited into his inventory brought a smile to Kai's lips.

Of course, the pig lord didn’t forget to give a stern warning. “Don’t even think about running away. You know why I’m giving you this advance payment without having to spell it out, right?”

“Of course. Everything that happened today will go with me to the grave, and every detail of this incident will be credited to you, my lord.”

“

Bahaha

. Excellent. Then, off you go.”

Kai glanced back after he left the mansion. If he had been an NPC, he would certainly be killed once the task was complete.

Because the only way to keep a secret is to eliminate those who know it.

However, unfortunately for the lord, Kai was a player who could revive continuously.

That’s why he gave me an advance payment. To make sure I wouldn't consider betrayal.

Of course, Kai hadn’t expected the lord to hand over the entire one thousand gold upfront.

He must have pocketed quite a bit of money.

A thousand gold was equivalent to a hundred million won in real-world currency, a significant amount. However, it was just enough to purchase only one thousand bottles of holy water, but Kai had a good reason for accepting this amount.

Holy water? There's no need to buy that. I have Ayana’s potions.

It wasn’t baseless confidence.

Over the past week, Kai had been treating residents in the slums using Ayana’s potions.

Even though the potions were verified through item info, I needed certainty.

He needed to be sure that her potions could treat the plague caused by Aosa. And after treating patients for a week, Kai finally reached a conclusion.

Ayana’s potions work. Over the past week, there’s been a 0% recurrence rate.

It was the blessing brought by her innate talent!

This was why Kai had no hesitation in pulling money from the pig lord.

What’s a thousand gold? The cost of materials for Ayana’s potions is only three silver per bottle.

Simple calculations showed they could make over thirty-three thousand bottles with that amount! However, Kai didn’t feel the need to make that many potions.

As soon as I see the blue spots appearing, I can go after Aosa.

The plague it spread was a byproduct of itself. In other words, killing Aosa would eliminate the disease in the patients as well!

Getting a million won just by talking... It was a good deal.

The pig lord might have been satisfied with the transaction, but not as much as Kai.

“Now then, I wonder when Aosa will show up...”

Kai's steps back to the Smile Clinic were unprecedentedly light.

***

Click.

Kai filled small bottles with Ayana’s special purification potion and lined them up on a display.

“That should do it.”

Then, he took out an ice cream he had bought that morning from his inventory and handed it to her.

“Good work. With this, you can treat the villagers even without me.”

“P-Please don’t say that. You have to stay here...”

Her feelings were a mix of embarrassment from his compliments, fear that Kai would leave, and the delight of the first bite of ice cream.

Watching her enjoy the snack, Kai slightly turned his head.

We’ve treated about half of the slum residents now, haven’t we?

Three days had passed since the deal with the lord. In total, ten days had passed since they began treating patients. During that time, Kai and Ayana had treated over four thousand residents! On average, they treated at least four hundred people a day.

It’s been a while since I’ve felt this nostalgic.

Kai reminisced about his younger days when he often volunteered to help in incidents like oil spills in the sea or assisting those who lost their homes to floods. During that time, even though he felt exhausted and time seemed to stretch on endlessly, he never regretted going there.

It's the same now.

Though it was tough at the moment, this too would become a cherished memory when he looked back someday in the future. It was a voluntary act of kindness, not something done under force.

Stretching to relieve his stiff body, Kai noticed Ayana dozing off after eating her snack. He threw the ice cream wrapper into the trash and gently carried her to bed.

"Get some sleep."

"Don't... go anywhere..."

"I'm not going anywhere, don't worry."

"O-okay then... just for thirty minutes..."

After a short while, the room was filled with her soft, regulated breathing. Kai put a blanket over her and gently patted her head.

I'll make sure you reunite with your parents soon.

In Korea, being thirteen years old meant she was in the fifth grade. Though kids these days knew a lot and matured quickly, it was still a time when they needed a guardian's care.

Kai, wanting to speed up the reunion of Ayana and her parents, quietly left her room.

"

Krrr

."

Blizzard, who had been standing guard in the hallway, suddenly growled, displaying signs of vigilance.

"...What's the matter?" Kai asked seriously, startled by Blizzard's uncharacteristic behavior.

However, Blizzard didn't even glance at Kai and continued to stare northward, slightly trembling.

Blizzard is... scared?

Kai blinked, unable to comprehend the situation. Although Blizzard had become his pet after being defeated, the warrior spirit of being the best fighter of his clan hadn't diminished. Blizzard always sought out prey, enjoyed battles, and looked for strong opponents.

If there's something that can intimidate Blizzard... could it be?

His mind racing, Kai quickly dashed out of the clinic.

Thud, thud, thud.

Reaching the town at a speed unimaginable for a cleric, his expression twisted in dismay.

"Oh no! He's poisoned! Is there a cleric anywhere?!"

"The Blue Plague? What kind of crazy damage-over-time effect is this..."

"I need holy water! Quick!"

"

Ugh

..."

"

Cough, cough

..."

The streets, covered in a blue mist, were already filled with the aura of death.

First, I need to confirm.

Scanning his surroundings, Kai quickly rolled up the sleeve of an unconscious man. His eyes widened in shock.

"...Blue spots."

It was undeniable evidence of the Blue Plague's presence, signaling Aosa's arrival!

But from where? How?

Kai's mind started to whirl with confusion, tangled like a ball of yarn.

Tardal had explained that by leisurely treating people here, he would eventually notice Aosa's approach. However, reality was far too different.

Damn it... was I too complacent?

Kai bit his lower lip hard. His first mistake had been taking Tardal's word as absolute truth. Tardal had never actually seen Aosa. Everything he knew came from historical records and traces found in Havier.

In other words, this situation was something even Tardal hadn't anticipated.

The spread of the plague was far quicker than Tardal had thought.

One week from the appearance of the blue spots until death? No way.

While the historical records could have stated that, it was no longer true. Aosa had returned far stronger and more vicious than before. The Church of Muldine had evidently honed their weapon well.

The blue mist enveloping the city didn't discriminate between NPCs and adventurers. And Kai was no exception.

[You’ve caught the Blue Plague.]

[You will lose 1,000 HP per second.]

[All skills are 20% less effective.]

[-15% movement speed.]

What kind of ridiculous skill is this!

The effects of the Blue Plague were truly deadly!

However, Kai had Sunlight’s Warmth, which allowed him to detoxify immediately upon infection. Though, that didn’t provide much consolation.

To end this mess, I have to deal with Aosa.

Kai's head snapped to the side, to the place where the blue mist was thickest, the darkest part of the city where even the full moon’s light couldn’t pass through.

The plaza.

That’s where it was!

Kai quickly darted into a nearby alley.

***

Crash!

The sound of something collapsing filled the street. It wasn’t the light sound of bones or armor breaking. It was something much heavier, like a building collapsing.

“It’s falling!”

“Get out of the way!”

Boom!

The players scrambled to avoid the debris when a three-story house collapses. As they fanned away the rising dust with their hands, despair and anger flickered in their eyes.

“Shit! Those fucking Pegasus bastards!”

“What the hell is that? Was there some event announcement today?”

“Event announcement my ass!”

“Then what is that thing? Why is it attacking the city, a safe zone?”

“I almost went to the afterlife instead of dreamland while sleeping at the inn.”

Like a local broadcast turning on, complaints and curses erupted chaotically from all directions.

The fact that they were still breathing and alive in this place indicated something significant. They had high magic resistance and levels, but even they couldn’t figure out how to deal with the target in front of them.

How are we supposed to take this thing down?

My sword doesn’t work. No, it deals damage, but it seems to be reduced by at least 60%.

It reduces physical damage and has magic damage reduction too? How are we supposed to beat this thing?

Should we all hold hands and pray? Maybe the universe will help us then?

It was impregnable. The adventurers, always in the position of conquerors, now faced an enemy they couldn’t easily conquer and started glancing at each other.

“This is...”

“Impossible, right?”

“Better to retreat.”

“Level down, skill level down, item drop. If you don’t want to experience the shitty trinity, we better run.”

The players, about forty in total, standing there all came to the same conclusion. However, their opinions didn’t matter.

Whirr!

“It’s coming again!”

“Duck! No, dodge!”

“Those damn sticky things!”

Dozens of dark blue tentacles whipped at them like lashes. The players each moved in their own style, either blocking the attack or dodging it entirely.

The being that launched the attack quietly looked down at those who were staring at it with fearful eyes. With a single attack, it made these inferior beings scatter like ants.

—Muldine's... words...

It slowly moved its two legs forward. With each step, something fell from its body. It looked like a slime taking on a human form, but it was more liquid than slime, like muddy ground after rain. Its body dripped messily.

[Blue Plague Aosa. LV. 175]

It slowly raised its right hand. At the same time, the dozens of tentacles lying on the ground began to sway like seaweed underwater.

—Prepare for... the holy war.

Whoosh!

As Aosa pointed its right hand forward, the tentacles spun and took the form of sharp spears.

"

Huh

?"

"What?"

"

Hm

?"

The players watching it didn’t think of dodging, and instead, they looked surprised. They weren't looking at the tentacle spears, but at something far above them—a black figure.

"What is that?"

"It looks like a meteorite... but it's too black."

𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

"Wait, isn’t that a person?"

"

Huh

? That armor looks really familiar and comforting, like visiting my grandparents' house during the holidays."

"Cut the nonsense. Isn't that Unknown?"

"Wait! Yeah, I think so."

Aosa slowly raised its head at the adventurers' commotion. It flinched when its eyes met with someone’s, but it was too late. Like a diver springing off a board, becoming a sharp needle falling downward, two blades plunged into Aosa's neck like lightning from the sky.

Sliding across the ground, the figure created distance from Aosa and slowly got up.

"Krrr," the so-called Unknown growled.