Free Web Novel“Meal service!”
Something shot out like an arrow through the one-way food slot, striking ■han■’s body. The moment it touched him, the itching vanished, and ■han■ stopped scratching in surprise. Naturally, he looked to see what had just hit him. It was—
(tilted letters) Mom’s stew! Rice! Side dishes! The food he had so desperately longed for.
He shoveled it in, chomp chomp, gulp gulp.
Mom, can I have more? Just a little more, please. I’ve gone hungry too long. I’ve been starving. I missed you so much....
“Then here’s another meal!”
Something darted forward, hurling food neatly through the slot. ■han■ devoured the delicious meal in a frenzy. It was prepared so well it seemed to shine, glowing with brilliance.
Even after finishing, hunger gnawed at him. As he stumbled toward the slot, something else tumbled in—a dazzling, radiant dish, Mom’s tasty salad-soft-tofu-stew-kimchi-monkfish-jjim-short-rib-patties-seaweed-soup.
Full at last, the itching gone, Choi Hanna yawned once and, for the first time in ages, fell into a deep, peaceful sleep. When she awoke after a long rest, she realized—
“Ah, ah....”
Her body didn’t itch at all. Her own name surfaced clearly in her mind. Her mother’s face, her name, her beloved home.
Tears fell in heavy drops. Once, grotesque, itchy growths had sprouted all over her from contamination, but now they had receded. Her skin was still reddish, bumpy, scarred from endless scratching, but it no longer mattered. Free from itching, she was happy. Stroking her skin, Choi Hanna’s eyes caught sight of something.
“What’s that...?”
Near the bed lay a booklet. She picked it up and read quickly.
[This is the Contaminated Treatment Detention Center established by Taeyang Guild. You are currently undergoing treatment. If you understand this sentence, please press the red button in the room three times.]
Choi Hanna stood and searched the room. Red buttons were scattered everywhere, so she slowly pressed three of them at random. A moment later, a cheerful voice rang out.
“Meal service!”
The voice sped past so fast it faded quickly. From the slot, she picked up what had fallen through—something warm, steaming, shining... a hamburger.
‘...? Do hamburgers... normally shine?’
Puzzled, she nevertheless felt comforted and warm by the light, and scarfed it down in an instant. After another deep sleep, she awoke to find another booklet.
[This is the Contaminated Treatment Detention Center established by Taeyang Guild. You are currently undergoing treatment. If you understand this sentence, please press the red button in the room twice.]
Rubbing her eyes, she saw that unlike yesterday, there was now only one red button. She pressed it twice, and something small clattered through the slot. It was another booklet. She opened it.
[This is the Contaminated Treatment Detention Center established by Taeyang Guild. You are currently undergoing treatment. If you understand this sentence, please press the button the number of times equal to the sheep drawn in this guide.]
“Uh....”
Looking again, she saw fluffy sheep drawn across the page. She counted carefully, pressed the button accordingly, and with a metallic clank, the door opened. Startled, she stepped back, then staggered forward and walked out.
She followed the quiet hallway.
‘How long has it been since it was this peaceful....’
Government isolation wards had always been gloomy, foul-smelling, noisy, without a single ray of light. But here, sunlight streamed through windows along the corridor. Squinting at the brightness, she savored the sight of the sun she had missed, walking as slowly as possible. At the corridor’s end was a sign.
[Taeyang Guild Contaminated Treatment Detention Center: Follow the sheep to reach the dining hall. Please maintain order when eating.]
At a fork in the hall, she looked around, found sheep stickers on the right-hand wall, and headed that way. Her legs trembled, but she pushed herself onward. At the end, voices of conversation reached her. She opened a door, and her eyes widened.
Neatly dressed people in clean clothes were gathered in small groups, eating. Spots and small tumors still marked their faces and bodies, but with each glowing meal they consumed, the symptoms faded. Some already looked like ordinary people.
Choi Hanna stared blankly, then buried her face in her hands and wept. Soon, other inmates who had long been trapped as heavily contaminated came over and laid their twisted, skeletal hands on her back in comfort.
* * *
What Hyunmook had proposed to Yohan was food. The idea came from when, in the Abyss, he had given Yoon Seungryong purification-infused jerky as a stopgap against contamination.
First, Yohan imbued portable, easy-to-eat foods with his purification. Swift Joo Hoyoung handled distribution, while Lee Chanha cloaked the food in illusions to make it look irresistibly delicious. The others stood by to handle emergencies—restraining the extremely aggressive, feeding those unable to eat on their own, or protecting Yohan when he went to purify those without mouths.
They handed out countless meals. One wasn’t enough; some needed two, three, and even then, more, until their sanity returned. Freed from agony and chaos, they could follow rules and order again. Watching them cry with joy moved Yohan to tears.
“It’s so wonderful... everyone’s okay now...!”
Sniffling, he clapped his hands. Though exhausted from purifying so many, his heart was full and content. Not all contamination was gone—some needed more feedings—but seeing their smiling faces filled him with warmth.
“By the way, I hear one of the memorial attackers has woken up. Shall we go meet them?”
“Yes!”
Yohan readily accepted Hyunmook’s suggestion. The assailant was kept in the detention center’s isolation ward. Yohan’s purification erased contamination, but not physical injuries. Awakeners could heal themselves as regeneration returned once the contamination left, but civilians could not, which was why someone else resided here.
“Suho hyung!”
Yohan greeted warmly. A good-natured Awakener smiled in return. Lee Suho, once a medic, was now a mid-tier healer scouted from Sunrise Guild into Taeyang Guild. His main duty was healing low- to mid-tier Awakeners whose /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ regeneration was weak. Yohan asked kindly:
“Did you eat yet?”
“No, I was just about to.”
Seeing Suho’s body stained with fluids and contamination, Yohan quickly purified him. Grateful, Suho turned to Hyunmook.
“They’ve stabilized a lot. It should be fine to go in.”
“You’ve worked hard, Suho.”
“Come on, that’s what my paycheck’s for. Besides, the Guild Leader’s been generous with bonuses!”
He spoke casually, but in truth, choosing to risk exposure to contamination residues to treat only contaminated patients was no easy decision—especially since Hyunmook had asked him to do it before even revealing Yohan’s abilities.
‘There really are so many good people in the world.’
Thinking so, Yohan followed Hyunmook inside the ward. Unlike during the memorial attack, the woman inside now looked mostly intact, though she stared gloomily at her blanket. Seeing Hyunmook, surprise spread across her face.
“Y-you really are... Lee Hyunmook?” freewebnovel.cσ๓
Wanting to reassure her, still not fully free of aftereffects, Hyunmook offered a trustworthy smile and sat by the bed.
“Yes, I’m Lee Hyunmook. Pleased to meet you. You must not have been eating properly... have you managed some food?”
“Ah, not yet....”
“If you’re able, may I ask you a few questions?”
“O-of course! Ask anything you want!”
The appearance of a national hero seemed to melt her vigilance and anxiety. With only a few prompts, she poured out everything that had happened. After finishing the questioning and stepping out, Yohan looked troubled. Keeping some distance from the ward, he sighed and spoke softly.
“I didn’t expect re-awakening to come up here.”
The woman had said that not long ago, a recently awakened friend led her to a religious group. She hadn’t been religious, but the promise of both awakening and re-awakening was tempting. The church was eerie and strange, but everywhere were convincing proofs and witnesses. At least, that’s what she thought then.
‘Come, come! I was ordinary once, but thanks to the Preacher I awakened!’
‘Welcome, I was low-tier, but I awakened to mid-tier!’
‘Here, take the sacrament. If you eat, you’ll awaken too!’
She had eaten what they called the sacrament—plain bread and drink. The moment she did, power surged. She tore apart monsters with newfound ability. But it was also painful, agonizing. Pleasure turned to torment, sanity slipped away, voices whispered in her mind.
‘The true sacrament born of the purifier will complete you....’
