Chapter 230 - Solemnis Defense Bureau (2)

When I opened my eyes, I knew it wouldn't be a good situation. Considering what I had done, it was clear I wouldn't be treated like an ordinary guest.

But still...

"...Isn't this a bit too much?"

As a fragile rank C, my arms were firmly bound behind my back. Judging by the sensation, it seemed they had tightly tied the leather straps several times. My hands were also encased in bindings resembling sturdy gloves.

In other words, I couldn't move a finger.

At least my legs were bound separately. Instead of chains, the leather straps extended and connected to the bed. Similar straps were tied around my neck, creating a sensation reminiscent of a mentally unstable person at risk of self-harm.

The bed was comfortably padded, like when facing Sigma, with the intention of dying in front of him.

All my belongings were confiscated, and I was dressed in civilian clothes. The only item left intact was my earring, perhaps due to its magical enhancement and defensive barrier ability.

"Isn't this too much for a rank A? It's really harsh for a defenseless rank C without any attack skills."

I tried to speak with the rank A guarding me, but received no response. Maybe they did it to disable my inventory, but still, it was too much. Wasn't there a bracelet to seal the inventory around here?

I tried to exert force with my arms, but there was no response. Whether it was an object or a dungeon residue... Well, there were no dungeons in this area; it must be a monstrous residue. Anyway, it was solid despite not being made of metal.

However, being thrown onto the bed instead of the floor, I sat up. In this state, escaping was out of the question.

'I can't even pretend I'm dead. For now, I have to behave quietly.'

I had also set up the disk, so send it.

I have to go see my younger brother. Even criminals are allowed family visits, right?

At that moment, the door opened, revealing a familiar face. The rank A immediately assumed the proper posture and saluted, resembling a military formation. It made sense since it was a city defense agency, even if it didn't match the image of Sung Hyunjae I knew. Well, sitting at the top as the figure of military authority suited him. Maybe he's a dictator or something like that.

"Are you in rank SS, but can't handle a single rank C without resorting to tying them up like this? Seems much more timid than I thought."

Sigma approached me. He had a surprisingly similar, almost eerie appearance. As I had already been caught, I decided to use the Chick Class Teacher skill with him. Then...

[Skills cannot be used on this target!]

A message appeared. I felt a sense of relief in my heart. Well, I had to check, but it seems it really isn't Him. Where the hell is that damn Sung Hyunjae? He entered correctly; maybe he got irritated and went somewhere strange.

It would be fun if Sung Hyunjae appeared here. Facing someone with the same face, skills, and weapons would surely be enjoyable, even for someone who claims to find the world boring. I would like to introduce them to each other to have a real laugh.

"Why are you disappointed again in yourself?"

"...What?"

"I expected something from me and you were disappointed. You also did it when we first met."

His words made me feel ashamed. Did I openly compare him too much to Sung Hyunjae?

"Oh, that. It's just that the feeling is different from what I heard about Sigma. I thought he was a great person, kind, gentle, and generous, who took pity on a humble rank C like me and let me go free."

"You're speaking without even knowing my name."

"...Anyway, I don't really know your real name, Sigma."

"Sung Hyunjae."

...I involuntarily shuddered. Did he really look like him? He looked at me with raised eyebrows.

"I don't think my face can be confused with someone else's."

"You're disgustingly sure of yourself. In the real world, there are three people who look alike. I can't say the Sung Hyunjae I know has a good personality either, but he doesn't randomly kick people who pass by. So, you're someone else. I misunderstood, so don't worry."

"The conclusion is to shut up, huh? Are you friends with that Sung Hyunjae? Close friends?"

"I had no reason to tell you in the first place. Why do you care so much about other people's relationships? It doesn't matter who I hang out with."

The rank A's looked at me. They seemed quite puzzled. They probably thought it was absurd for a rank C to speak like this. If Sigma got angry and slit my throat, I'd probably feel relieved. But he's not that kind of person, I guess.

"I prefer someone with a sharp tongue."

Snip, the leather straps were effortlessly cut. I could barely see the movement. Then, they sharply pulled the rope connected to my neck.

"You treat people like, ugh, dogs!"

Would it be worth lamenting over this? It wasn't my first experience, but being surrounded by people who treated me well recently made it feel more unfair.

The door opened, and I was dragged out. The hallway was quite spacious, and the ceiling was high. Surveillance cameras were installed at regular intervals.

There didn't seem to be any other security devices. Seeing the rank A's stationed for surveillance, it seemed that higher-ranked hunters were sensitive to this. Well, that made sense.

"Could you tell me where we're going? Is this the city defense agency?"

"Yes."

"Then guide me. Judging by the atmosphere, it seems I'll be staying here for a while, maybe even longer. I need to know what's going on."

Sigma stopped at my words and turned to look at me.

"How's this?"

"Anyway, you're not going to let me go."

Is there a weapons depot or something? They can store valuable items in the inventory, but you never know. Yoohyun also has a safe in her house in the Haeyeon guild.

I walked forward to the end of the hallway and looked back. Sigma moved his feet when I asked why he wasn't moving.

"Why don't you come?"

"Isn't this a restricted area? I want to know how the security system works. Is that too obvious a question?"

"Isn't this question too obvious?"

"Why tie me up like this if you're going to be so obvious? If you see something you can feast on, it's better to keep your mouth shut. Even if I look like this, I'm quite materialistic. Hello~ Is there a weapons depot or something nearby?"

The rank A standing in front of the elevator froze at seeing us. With an expression indicating uncertainty about what to say, they alternated their gaze between Sigma and me.

"Uh..."

"Could you press the button for me instead? As you can see, I'm in this state."

The rank A pressed the button with a bewildered look.

The elevator looked similar to the one in my world. Usually, important things are in the basement.

I was thinking of asking again, but I simply lifted my foot and pressed the button for the lower floor. The elevator descended quickly. Never use buttons that other people also use unless you're an exception like me.

When the door opened, two armed soldiers guarded the entrance. The passage was blocked by thick glass doors.

"Hello, excuse us. Could you open the door, please?"

Standing in front of the glass door, I spoke, and the rank A, with a perplexed look, looked at Sigma for approval.

"Open it."

After the brief order, the door immediately opened. It must be an SS-grade access pass. Quite efficient.

We walked down the hallway. I didn't know where I was, but every time we reached a fork, I chose the path with stricter surveillance. The access pass followed me in silence. Whenever there was an obstacle, it effortlessly cleared the way. Truly SS-grade.

The last door was guarded not by one, but by two S-grades. Where the hell is this place? I signaled the access pass and, once again, the door opened easily.

"...Can I ask what the hell you're doing?"

Unlike the A-grades, who only had trembling eyes, the S-grade asked directly. Sigma replied casually.

"A stroll."

"That's too much, seriously. You're not joking, are you? It's not a dog, right?"

"Shall we turn back then?"

"Woof, woof."

Why would we come all this way just to turn back?

I'm being treated like a dog by a bastard who got scolded by daddy the other day. Even though I look like this, he's treating me like a dog as if I'm his son. Oh, God, my fate.

Although I was grumbling, I entered quickly. A well-lit space awaited us after passing through three doors. It was filled with radiant blue light.

Mana Chamber

Upon seeing the overflowing light in the deep well, something came to mind as soon as I saw it.

The third origin, the deepest well.

From Diarma's memories, I had a hunch that what I saw and Mana Pool were related. Was this the world of the third origin? Not our fifth world.

...But it didn't matter much, considering it's a virtually created world within a dungeon.

Around the Mana Reserve, there were several unknown mechanical devices. The people handling the machines greeted Sigma and looked at me strangely.

"Do you have any signs or a map? Or lunch? When's lunch? Is it lunchtime? I don't have a watch, you know?"

"It's not lunchtime yet."

Sigma advanced. The place he was heading to was one of the rooms arranged around the Mana Chamber, with patterns resembling magic circles engraved on the floor and a surgical bed in the center where a person could be restrained.

Instinctively, I took a step back. Hey, wait a minute.

"What are you trying to do...?"

"Prepare for the imprinting procedure."

Sigma pressed a button on the wall, and shortly after, a B-rank Awakened entered. Despite being B-rank, the mana conduit was quite large. Imprinting?

"I thought you would have done it when I was unconscious."

"It's impossible when the subject is unconscious. When unconscious, the mana flow almost stops, making it difficult to connect with the imprint. Thanks to that, there have been no accidents where abilities were used in a dream state."

The B-rank explained kindly. Well, that makes sense. Clearly, the Awakening research was quite advanced in this world. Then, another B-rank entered with a cart, holding what looked like syringes and jars.

"Could you release the restraints, please?"

The B-rank asked, and the ropes binding my arms fell off. Both my arms and hands regained their freedom. As soon as I could move my hands, I immediately used the Flashbang ability.

"Ah!"

"Ugh!"

The two B-ranks staggered at the tremendous light that silently burst out. Instead of trying to escape far away with just a flashbang grenade, they drew their daggers. Honestly, when I planned to let the monsters kill me instead of being stabbed in the neck, I never expected to feel this uncomfortable.

But drawing the knife was terrifying.

They grabbed my jaw and then my wrist. Subsequently, my arm was ruthlessly twisted behind me. The dagger clattered to the floor.

"What the hell! Can an SS-rank eye even pierce through a flashbang grenade?"

Thinking they might hesitate for a moment, I pressed the flashbang grenade against my neck. Sigma, while holding me down on the surgical bed, removed the collar around my neck.

"Is curse resistance also S-rank or higher? It was an A-rank collar sealed in inventory, but it seems useless."

...So, there was an inventory-sealed item attached. One B-rank held me down on the surgical bed, tying me up, while another B-rank picked up the fallen syringe and held a new one.

"It's an anesthetic. It might sting a bit."

The B-rank held my arm and administered the injection. Even though it was an anesthetic...

"Wait a minute, I have poison resistance, ugh!"

An involuntary scream burst out. It felt like my spinal column was being pulled out from the back of my neck. The pain was so intense that tears welled up.

"The pain relief effect should activate immediately...?"

"I have poison resistance! Poison resistance! S-rank!"

Shouting, the B-rank looked bewildered. Sigma, who was a few steps back observing, spoke.

"Proceed."

"However, the pain will be unbearable."

"It's the fault of the person who didn't lower the resistance ability."

You're wrong, hey! Something cold touched the back of my neck, and my spine began to throb once more.

"I told you! I can't control it!"

I cursed mixed with screams. It felt like cursing them to let me die painfully.

"Sigma-nim, it seems risky to proceed with the actual connection. With C-rank stats, he won't withstand it without analgesics and mana neutralizers."

"If that's the case, with C-rank."

The bastard grabbed my head, looked me in the eyes, and spoke. What can I do if I can't? Even now, with my rating lowered to S, I'm not sure if I can reduce the resistance ability, but it's better to die painfully than to endure this. There must be all kinds of drugs available, and it's insane to deactivate poison resistance.

They'll probably be overflowing with things like truth serum.

If they find out I can die and come back to life, it will be very difficult to escape.

"If you don't want to see me in that state, don't come to the funeral."

Sigma laughed. Then, he looked at the B-ranks.

"Form?"

"If you want to engrave it with S-rank poison resistance, you'll need Medsang's help."

"Please send a cooperation request."

The same goes for high-level healers, and Medsang City specializes in awakened healers and auxiliaries. As soon as I got off the operating table, my legs weakened, and I collapsed. I touched my neck, but I still felt nothing, maybe because it was numbed.

"...I don't know if it's protection or mana, but do I really have to do this?"

"If there's no corresponding mana chamber imprint, the mana charging efficiency decreases. The charging speed alone is more than ten times different."

I think there might be other reasons besides that. But neither Sigma nor the Class B said anything else.

They say it will take a few days to receive help from a doctor.

"Surely you're not going to keep me tied up all the time, right? Don't you have a sealed S-rank item in your inventory? Or at least use a contract. If you use the inventory, the curse resistance skill level will drop by one. There might even be an S-rank curse contract."

I earnestly begged Sigma to let me live more humanely, and surprisingly, he immediately agreed. Of course, the S-rank curse resistance was clearly confirmed, and the sealed item in the inventory was hung around my neck. It also included a location tracking function.

Although my arms and legs were free, I was still under surveillance. After lunch, I was guided to a room, and an A-rank guard followed me and kept a close watch without looking away.

'If I use the stealth skill, I might deceive the A-rank guard, but they'll probably track me right after I use it. Also, the rope around my neck is still there, so if they pull it as soon as I disappear, they'll catch me immediately. Unlike before, there's no problem moving around the room, but...'

The room only had a bed, a table, and a TV. The bathroom was attached. Would they follow me when I had to leave?

"Well, I'll be in your care for a while ~"

Even though I offered greetings, the A-rank guard remained silent, simply watching over me.

Time passed quietly, and I ate well until dinner. The A-class guard who was replaced in the meantime also seemed to soon get bored. The inventory is also sealed, and combat stats are at C-rank. Escaping against an A-rank opponent was practically impossible. Knowing this well, it was inevitable that even with a well-disciplined guard, loopholes would appear.

Furthermore, the surveillance cameras were operational, ready to step in immediately if any problems arose.

"Even when I look at it, there really is no answer."

Finishing the snacks that came out as dessert, I shook the crumbs off my hands off the bed.

At least there was only one surveillance camera, and there was a blind spot.

Casually turning my body and spinning around, I finally turned towards the wall. I pulled the blanket up to my shoulders. Only the sound of the TV continued in the silence.

Yes, it's impossible to escape with bare hands. However, what if it's not with bare hands?

'Point shop.'

[◐▼◐∥Welcome! Point shop!∥◑△◑]

A window opened that only my eyes could see. A shop full of all kinds of consumable items, from various types of equipment to things you've never heard of. And the point for me is.

[2,210,566P]

Thanking the damned Sigma internally, even if I had to spend the 2 million points, thoroughly... No, it's a bit wasteful, maybe a million... Well, spend the basic 500,000 and decide based on the situation, up to a maximum of a million, just make sure to get out of here.