Episode 6
“A vaccine?”
“You’re saying that’s actually possible?”
Kim Sunghyun and Yoon Jinwoo murmured in astonishment, their faces clearly expressing disbelief.
“Why wouldn’t it be possible to make a vaccine if there’s a virus?”
Ki Yoo-sung, on the other hand, was completely nonchalant, as if asking why they were even questioning such an obvious thing.
It wasn’t like I hadn’t considered the possibility. It wasn’t a particularly novel or groundbreaking idea to think of cures or vaccines when it came to viruses.
However, I had immediately dismissed the thought because I wasn’t sure if we could secure the facilities, resources, and most importantly, the personnel to conduct proper research.
Developing a vaccine wasn’t a simple task even in a world without zombies, where everything functioned smoothly.
‘Especially the personnel part is difficult. Even if we could somehow manage the resources and facilities with money, finding competent researchers isn’t that easy.’
I looked at Ki Yoo-sung with a skeptical gaze. Of course, as Korea’s top guild, they would have many talented individuals gathered, but that was all before the zombie outbreak.
It had only been a week, but considering the number of people who had died, I doubted that everyone in the guild was safe. Large guilds were often mobilized for the initial subjugation teams.
“Are you sure you can make it with my blood?”
“Well, I can’t guarantee it’s 100%, but if we can’t make it, I’m certain no one else can.”
“Oh, how impressive.”
His overly confident answer made me scoff involuntarily. Arrogant guys who were all too aware of their own brilliance were always annoying.
“Just so you know, I’m not bragging about myself.”
As if sensing my feelings, the man added with a wry smile.
“I’m talking about the brilliant doctor holed up in our lab. She may seem a bit eccentric, but she’s a genius, especially when it comes to biology.”
If this guy, who didn’t seem entirely normal himself, was saying that, then the doctor must be something else. When I saw Yoon Jinwoo flinch beside him, I became even more convinced.
I had thought Kim Sunghyun was surprisingly adept at not being tricked and had managed to become the vice guild master, but it seemed I was wrong. Judging by the personalities of the guild members, it was clear that he hadn’t become the vice guild master because he was good at not being tricked, but rather because he had been tricked into taking on the responsibility.
“I’m sure you picked a good Hunter for the job.”
Whatever their personalities were like, the researchers at Daehan Guild must be incredibly skilled. But for some reason, Ki Yoo-sung shook his head.
“Why are you shaking your head? You just called her a genius.”
“She is a genius. Just not a Hunter.”
“What?”
That’s impossible. After the Gates appeared, 99% of researchers were Hunters. Ordinary people simply couldn’t compete with Hunters whose analytical abilities were enhanced by related skills.
But to think that the most brilliant researcher in the top guild was an ordinary human?
“You’re saying her natural brainpower trumps all the skills?”
“That’s what makes her a real monster.”
Ki Yoo-sung chuckled as if agreeing with my astonishment.
“Let’s go meet this monster now.”
***
“Isn’t 100ml too little? Hey, Ms. Seong Eunha? How about just 100ml more? We can just squeeze another weapon or piece of armor out of our guild master in return.”
The woman with long brown hair tied up in a ponytail looked at me with sparkling eyes. It was a look of pure goodwill, but was it just my imagination that I felt a chill down my spine? I gave her an ambiguous smile and took a step back.
“Who said you could do that? Wait until next month.”
“Stingy, for someone so rich.”
The monster, I mean, the researcher named Jeong Soo-young, was definitely a bit strange. This was clear from the fact that the first thing she said after hearing the whole story was to ask for more blood.
“I’m going to draw your blood and run some basic tests. That’s all, just 100ml. You two come along.”
“Where are we going?”
I couldn’t help but grab Ki Yoo-sung, who was about to leave the lab with Kim Sunghyun and Yoon Jinwoo. I felt a little uneasy about being left alone with the researcher who was after my blood.
“To get your equipment. I have to uphold my end of the bargain after you give your blood.”
“You’re handing over A-rank equipment just like that?”
Yoon Jinwoo grumbled at Ki Yoo-sung’s answer.
“Low-level Detoxification isn’t even that hard to get for a Healer skill. We could just buy the skill book and have someone get bitten by a zombie.”
“Oh my, would you really do that for me?”
The answer came from an unexpected source. Jeong Soo-young, who was preparing the syringe, turned to him with a delighted expression. Yoon Jinwoo flinched again at her overly enthusiastic reaction.
“Please stop joking. Surely, Mr. Yoon Jinwoo is aware of the randomness of low-level skills? It would be fortunate if the skill didn’t activate and you just turned into a zombie. You might end up with rotting flesh and no regenerative abilities.”
“No way, no way. I’d rather become a zombie than be this woman’s lab rat.”
Yoon Jinwoo shook his head in disgust at Kim Sunghyun’s firm intervention. I had a feeling that Researcher Jeong Soo-young might be a bit dangerous.
“Then I’ll see you after the tests.”
Leaving those words behind, the three men left the lab. Jeong Soo-young approached me without hesitation as I sat there, frozen with slight tension.
“Alright, let’s get some blood from you.”
The needle of the syringe she held looked particularly sharp. I cautiously held out my arm, and Jeong Soo-young, without giving me a chance to react, plunged the needle in.
“Ow!”
I cried out more in surprise than in pain, and she smiled brightly at me.
“It doesn’t hurt as much if you don’t see it coming, right? The needle’s in, so the pain is all over now.”
Her tone was like that of a doctor comforting a child who had come to the hospital. As she said, I felt a slight foreign sensation but no pain. I awkwardly turned my head to watch the blood bag fill up.
“What happened to your arms?”
“Huh?”
“Your right arm is all blotchy, and your left arm looks like a baby’s arm.”
“Ah.”
She was right. It wasn’t very noticeable, but the skin on my right arm, the one she was drawing blood from, had a slightly uneven tone. That was because I had been bitten by countless zombies before meeting Kim Sunghyun. The flesh had regenerated so many times that it couldn’t help but have slight variations in color.
As for why my left arm was so clean…
“Isn’t your guild master a total psychopath?”
Jeong Soo-young’s eyes widened in surprise at my sudden statement.
“Our guild master can be a bit like that. But why do you ask?”
“This arm. He cut it off right after I got bitten by a zombie, and this is the new one that grew back. Did it even take three seconds from the bite to the cut? He just chopped it right off.”
I knew he was trying to kill me because he thought I would turn into a zombie, but even so, he didn’t hesitate at all. He could have easily killed me after I turned, so why not wait and see if I transformed before attacking? Then at least I wouldn’t have lost my arm.
“Oh my, for that man, that’s a surprisingly appropriate response, isn’t it?”
“Huh?”
Her answer was completely unexpected.
“There was a case where a guild member had the bitten area immediately cut off, and they didn’t turn into a zombie.”
“So you’re saying he deliberately cut off my arm to prevent me from turning into a zombie?”
“Well, it wasn’t like he did it out of concern for you. It was more like he tried a method that was available. Don’t worry about it. He does have a bad personality.”
Jeong Soo-young told me not to worry about it, but I felt a little awkward. I had called him a psychopath and all, when he was trying to do something good.
“Alright, we’re done! It’s a shame it’s not more.”
Jeong Soo-young’s voice broke my brief contemplation. She removed the needle cleanly and let out a sigh of regret, but then turned her attention to the collected blood bag.
She was staring at the bag containing my blood with genuine adoration. To be honest, it was a little creepy.
“Looks like you’re finished.”
Ki Yoo-sung walked into the lab with Kim Sunghyun, perfectly timed. Yoon Jinwoo wasn’t with them, perhaps having lost interest. Or maybe he had run away to avoid Jeong Soo-young. Instead, a sword with a black blade and a necklace with a ring-shaped pendant were in their hands.
‘There’s no way they’re giving me both.’
Almost instinctively suspicious, I frowned slightly as I looked at them. As if sensing my gaze, Ki Yoo-sung placed both items on the table with a smirk that made him look even more unpleasant.