ALL NOVEL Chapter 4
Chapter 4
In my previous life, I was imprisoned in this laboratory for three months.
Due to my F-rank physical condition, I couldn’t escape when I was kidnapped or subjected to human experiments.
They usually drew a lot of blood from the kidnapped test subjects and made them use their abilities until their energy was completely depleted.
I, who had the ability to restore energy through physical contact with others, was often called to help restore the energy of those who had collapsed after experiments.
‘The central laboratory was the worst of all.’
But the day I was dragged to the central laboratory was different.
The first day I went there is still vivid in my memory. Guards barged into my isolation cell, tied me up, and threw me into the central laboratory.
Bound and unable to even offer weak resistance, I was injected with some drug from a syringe. After that, all I could feel was excruciating pain.
As if being burned at the stake, a scorching sensation and pain like being slashed with knives took over my entire body.
With my limbs tied, a gag in my mouth, and even a blindfold over my eyes, I had to endure the pain for a full day without being able to scream. This happened more than ten times over three months.
That only happened when I was dragged to the central laboratory. So the villain implanted with the ‘Seed of Calamity’ that I need to find now…
‘No, stop it. This isn’t the time for that.’
What does it matter if the great calamity experienced the same pain as me?
Don’t forget. No matter how pitiful he might be, as long as the Seed of Calamity is planted in him, he’s just my most dangerous enemy.
I composed myself and went up to the first basement floor where the central laboratory was located.
As expected, it was quite deserted here too, probably because all the guards had gone to Building A. Following the signage towards the central laboratory, I sensed movement from the far end of the corridor.
I stopped at the point where the corridor bent and pressed my back against the wall. Soon after, a man appeared.
Whack!
“Ack…”
As the man passed by me obliviously, I struck his neck hard with the side of my hand, and he collapsed with a choking sound.
“Hm?”
Only then did I realize that the man was a researcher, not a guard, based on his attire.
It seems I was lucky to catch a passing researcher right in front of the central laboratory. Hmm, I looked down at the researcher who had fainted with a pale face and searched his clothes.
“Found it.”
What I pulled out from the man’s lab coat pocket was a key card.
This researcher-exclusive key card was necessary to enter the central laboratory. Guards also had key cards, but theirs differed according to rank, so they couldn’t easily access important areas like the central laboratory.
‘To encounter a researcher at such timing. I’m lucky.’
I was wondering how to get into the laboratory, and things worked out like this. I grinned and pocketed the key card.
After checking if there were any guards or other researchers patrolling in front of the laboratory, I quickly ran to the entrance. It was better to enter as fast as possible since there was a high chance of remaining guards patrolling important places like the central laboratory.
Beep.
As I held the key card to the lock, the locked laboratory door opened with a click. Creaking, I carefully opened the thick, large iron door, revealing the dark interior of the laboratory.
Large machinery was installed throughout, and around them were desks haphazardly placed with various research equipment and documents. Inwardly relieved that the laboratory interior was not much different from my memory, I carefully stepped inside.
There were many places to hide thanks to the strangely shaped machinery. As I moved deeper into the laboratory, staying close to the devices, I soon noticed a bright white light emanating from the center.
Click-clack, along with the sound of heels, I saw the back of a woman in a white lab coat.
“How’s the situation?”
My hands clenched involuntarily upon hearing the woman’s voice.
It was an unforgettable voice even after a long time. This woman, called the director, was the de facto ruler of this laboratory. It was all on her orders that test subjects were brought here and injected with drugs.
“Well… it’s not good. You need to evacuate immediately.”
“Wait.”
The director, brushing her short black hair behind her ear, smiled, raising her red lips.
“We don’t need anything else. We just need to make sure we don’t lose this one.”
One? I narrowed my eyes and noticed a boy tied to the operating table in front of the director with leather belts.
‘That’s…’
The boy had his eyes closed as if sleeping.
As soon as I saw the face of the boy with pale skin and black hair, a familiar notification sound rang out and a system window appeared before my eyes.
Ding!
User Information: ??? (Villain)
Age: 22 years old
Representative Skill: Living Shadow (B-rank)
Title: The Master of Shadows
Attack Power: B-rank
Attack Speed: B-rank
Movement Speed: B-rank
Agility: B-rank
Special Note▼
└Seed of Calamity (35% progress)
‘Villain? That child is the villain?’
My mind became instantly complicated upon checking the status.
A child who looks at most 10 years old is the great calamity? Well, of course, he’s not the great calamity yet since it’s still in seed form, but…
‘Is there an error in the status window?’
It’s strange that the name is shown as ‘???’, but… what’s more concerning is the age.
No matter how you look at it, he definitely doesn’t look 22 years old. It seemed there were quite a few errors, from the name to the age.
As I was lost in confusion, the director continued her conversation with the researcher standing beside her.
“The hunters are right at our doorstep! We need to run away right now, Director. If this child wakes up or has a seizure while we’re taking him…”
“I’ve prepared for that in advance.”
The director, responding calmly to the anxious researcher, gestured, and another researcher took out a syringe from the surgical tool box and handed it to her.
“This is the result of all my research so far.”
The director held up the syringe. Under the bright white light, a syringe full of red liquid was revealed.
Seeing that reminded me of the drug I was injected with when I was captured here.
What I saw was definitely a light pink drug. Then this drug, several times more concentrated than that, must be…
I had an ominous feeling. Cold sweat trickled down my temple.
“If, if we give him that, won’t the test subject go berserk and make it harder for us to escape?”
“No. That’s what we used on other test subjects.”
The director twirled the syringe around, her face full of satisfaction.
“This is perfect. It’s the version I just completed yesterday. With this, they feel the pain but their body remains immobile as if asleep.”
“What? Is that really true?”
“Yes. Honestly, considering all the effort I’ve put in, I wanted to use it in a more properly prepared situation, but given how things have turned out, we have no choice. No sleeping drug works on this test subject, so this is the only way to take him with us.”
…She’s insane.
I felt like vomiting at her disgusting words.
The world is wide and full of outrageous trash indeed. So that was the reason they injected pain-inducing drugs into the kidnapped awakened ones.
As I saw the director bringing the sharp syringe needle to the boy’s neck, I drew my sword.
‘I don’t know exactly what’s going on, but…’
Whether this child was really the great calamity or not, as long as the status window marked him as the villain, I had no choice but to save him.
I raised the empty scabbard and threw it forcefully towards the director like a spear. Whoosh, the tip of the flying scabbard struck the director’s hand precisely.
“Aagh!”
The director screamed and dropped the syringe. The syringe that escaped the director’s hand rolled on the floor.
“Ugh, uugh… What…”
The director groaned in a trembling voice, clutching her hand.
Having been hit on the back of the hand by the hard scabbard thrown with S-rank strength, her bones were probably more than just broken. Considering the pain many awakened ones had received from that hand, I could only sneer.
Now was the chance, with the director and researchers thrown into confusion by the sudden attack.
Tap, I put strength into my toes and sprang forward in one bound, swinging my sword towards the leather belts binding the boy’s body.
Slash! The leather belts were cleanly cut by the sharp blade. Just as I reached out towards the freed boy…
“…!”
The boy who had his eyes closed as if sleeping slowly lifted his eyelids.
I was momentarily lost for words as I saw the vivid green eyes up close. The jewel-like green eyes set under long eyelashes and the pale white face.
In that youthful face, I saw the overlapping face of the great calamity I had encountered long ago. With faces so similar, I could no longer deny reality.
Yes. This child was the great calamity who had killed me and everyone else before my regression.