EFME Ch 2

Sixteen years ago, since the occurrence of the first dungeon, humanity has had to accept unfamiliar events they couldn’t have imagined before as reality.

From dungeons pouring out all sorts of unimaginable things, to Awakened individuals manifesting supernatural abilities, and even an unidentified system guiding and encompassing it all.

Humanity desperately adapted to survive. Thus, they academically categorized these new elements and redefined the facts.

However, the recently appeared I-21 completely shattered existing common sense.

It was the first time a dungeon provided a living being as a reward.

It was the first time a creature related to a dungeon resembled a human.

It was the first time an EX-grade item—though it’s uncertain whether it can be called an item—appeared.

As it was a series of unprecedented phenomena, the Supernatural Ability Agency was still undecided on how to define ‘it.’

The director of the Supernatural Ability Agency cast his gaze at the being beyond the glass.

Another name for this being, designated I-21, was Im Sunyul. Aside from clothing, I-21’s only possession was an identification tag, and the name Im Sunyul was written on it.

It certainly seemed like a Korean name. In fact, his appearance also seemed like he wouldn’t look out of place somewhere in Korea. Of course, to call him ordinary would be an understatement, considering his aesthetically pleasing features… The point is, he doesn’t appear to be anything other than human.

“I-21, are you alright?”

I-21 understood human language. He was capable of not only simple communication, but also emotional exchange.

Moreover, I-21 could communicate in all existing languages and had some knowledge of contemporary social norms and information.

The researcher, still receiving no response, lightly shook I-21’s shoulder.

“I-21?”

“……Ugh.”

I-21 groaned and lifted his head, then quickly lowered it again. I-21 was unable to regain his senses due to the drug that had been recently administered. It was a toxic drug that would immediately land a human behind bars if administered to them.

“I-21, how are you feeling?”

“Dizzy……”

I-21 answered meekly in a frail voice.

Initially, they had thoroughly prepared for the possibility of I-21 attacking humans, but he was incredibly docile and as weak as an ordinary person.

Of course, they couldn’t completely let their guard down just because he seemed safe for now, so they had him firmly restrained to a chair. However, no one was particularly worried about the danger I-21 posed at the moment. Because he was weak and docile.

“As expected, the drug resistance isn’t high. We anticipated this from the moment he succumbed to the poison so easily.”

The head researcher, standing next to the director of the Supernatural Ability Agency, spoke.

In previous experiments, they injected I-21 with several prepared poisons, and before they could even inject the strongest poison, I-21 vomited blood and collapsed.

“Of course, his physical regenerative abilities are good, but… it’s not some monstrous recovery rate. At this rate, if we inject a potent poison, we could probably kill him before he regenerates.”

It was merely speculation, however.

When they injected I-21, the needle marks disappeared completely after a short time. The organs damaged by the poison also recovered within a few tens of minutes.

In truth, the head researcher wanted to confirm this with a more definitive method. But currently, I-21 was on loan, so they couldn’t inflict injuries carelessly. How unfortunate.

The head researcher, who had been observing the situation, narrowed his eyes. The researcher who was talking to I-21 was biting his lip with a pained expression. The head researcher sighed and turned on the microphone to call the researcher.

“Leave I-21 alone and come out now.”

“……Yes.”

The staggering researcher looked quite exhausted.

Even if I-21 was an EX-grade item, he looked like a human. As a result, many researchers were distressed by the feeling of conducting biological experiments on a human.

The head researcher pushed another researcher into the lab. The researcher, who had a look of despair on his face, brightened up a little when told to administer the drug neutralizer and approached I-21.

Seeing the syringe filled with the drug, I-21 turned pale.

“Ah, it still hurts. Please don’t. Please……”

“It’s okay, this won’t hurt. It’s to make the pain go away.”

“Sob……”

I-21 let out a whimper that sounded like a sob. The sight was pitiful enough to make most people feel sorry for him. The researcher swallowed the words of apology and injected I-21.

The drug quickly entered I-21’s body. I-21, who was breathing heavily as if in fear, relaxed when the pain didn’t come. Soon, I-21’s body went limp.

“It seems like it will take some time until the next experiment.”

“Alright, then I’ll continue observing later.”

“Yes. I’ll contact you.”

A few hours later, the director of the Supernatural Ability Agency did not head to the previous research lab. He went to the training ground for the ability users, hunters belonging to the Supernatural Ability Agency.

I-21 was dragged to the training ground, tightly bound with handcuffs and shackles. I-21, who was outside for the first time since being brought to the research facility, was frightened by the sudden change in environment.

“Now, stand here properly.”

While anxious, I-21 obediently followed the researcher’s instructions. His eyes darted around nervously, as if trying to grasp the situation.

“Then, begin.”

An ability user entered the training ground, carrying a cage, and stood opposite I-21, who was standing at the edge. The ability user opened the cage.

Inside was a monster.

I-21 flinched, startled by the sight of the monster. Regardless, the ability user put down the cage and retreated. Soon, only I-21 and the monster remained in the training ground as a barrier activated.

• Growl…….

The monster also glared at I-21 warily. I-21 froze, trembling, unable to move.

After a long standoff, the monster barked loudly.

The monster, half the size of an adult when standing on all fours, looked like a wild dog at first glance. However, its mouth opened far wider than a dog’s. The gaping maw was filled with densely packed teeth.

“Ah……”

I-21 stumbled backward. The monster, judging its opponent to be weak, immediately lunged at I-21. I-21 tried to run away, but it wasn’t easy to move with the shackles on.

“He, help me!”

Amidst the crowd watching him with cold eyes, I-21 cried out desperately. His despair at the cold gazes directed at him was short-lived.

“…….”

Without a sound, the monster vanished as if it had never been there. I-21 looked around, but couldn’t understand what had happened.

“What is the meaning of this?”

Meanwhile, outside the training ground, there was a commotion.

The one who stepped out, uttering words laced with annoyance, was Kwon Muyoung, who had applied to observe this time. It was also he who had just erased the monster that was lunging at I-21 with the [Erase] skill.

The head researcher frowned at the sudden interruption at a crucial moment.

“Hunter Kwon Muyoung, what is the meaning of this?”

“Because you’re doing something that doesn’t even seem human.”

Muyoung’s gaze swept over the surroundings and stopped at a camera positioned on one side.

“I thought you were filming some kind of snuff film.”

The head researcher was angered by the blatant sarcasm. However, considering the opponent’s position and the situation, he suppressed his anger.

“Your words are harsh. This is all part of investigating I-21.”

“And not trying to kill him?”

“That monster doesn’t have high lethality in the first place. We are conducting these experiments with careful calculations. Therefore……”

“Shut up and stop the experiment.”

“Hunter Kwon Muyoung.”

Finally, the director of the Supernatural Ability Agency stepped forward.

“Don’t get so worked up. That thing isn’t human, is it?”

As the director said, it wasn’t human. In a test conducted just in case, it was determined that half of I-21’s physical composition was magical power.

It merely looked human; its essence was not.

“……Ha.”

However, Muyoung had no intention of listening to them. He simply concluded that there was no need for conversation.

“Then let me put it differently. Don’t destroy my item.”

I-21 was a bound item owned by Kwon Muyoung, currently on loan to the Supernatural Ability Agency. Although the Supernatural Ability Agency had pressured him to lend it to them, Muyoung wasn’t soft enough to keep putting up with them.

A first-generation hunter who awakened at the age of seventeen, ranked number one not only domestically but also globally, and the guild leader of Cheongyeon Guild, Korea’s top guild.

He was a man with enough influence to pressure the Supernatural Ability Agency in return, and the item-related laws were also in his favor.

“Stop the experiment and hands off. I’ll be taking Im Sunyul.”

Muyoung, speaking irritably, turned and left the training ground.