The All-Time Best Talent was F-Class Purification - Chapter 45

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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45
Chapter 45 – An Elite Talent Awakened as an F-Rank Purifier
Tick—. Tick—. Tick—.
The sound of the overheated engine cooling down echoed unnaturally loud. Beyond the Moon Rover’s headlights, which illuminated only swirling dust, lay absolute darkness that consumed even light itself.
The chaotic noise of the surface had vanished like a lie. In its place, a suffocating silence pressed down upon the vehicle—not the peaceful quiet of solitude, but the silence of a tomb where tens of thousands of breaths had ceased all at once.
“…Let’s get out. If we stay here much longer, we’ll suffocate on the exhaust fumes.”
My voice sounded unfamiliar to my own ears. As Park Jae-jung killed the engine, even the last mechanical sounds faded away. We carefully opened the car doors, gripping our weapons tightly.
Creak.
The moment my feet touched the ground outside, cold, damp air clung to my skin. It was different from the acrid sulfur stench of the surface. Instead, there was the smell of ancient mold, rusted metal, and the dry, desolate scent of death that only mummified remains could emit.
“Lights on.”
At Seo Eun-ha’s whisper, we activated the tactical lights mounted on our helmets and shoulders. Four beams of light cut through the darkness, and landscapes frozen in time emerged wherever the light touched.
Broken turnstiles, ten-year-old advertising flyers scattered across the floor, an abandoned stroller rusting away without its owner. This was the waiting hall of the old Guro Digital Complex Station.
“Ah…”
Han Su-jin covered her mouth. Her gaze fixed beyond the turnstiles. There, hundreds of skeletal remains were clumped together—people who had been crushed to death while fleeing, lovers who had died embracing each other, mothers who had breathed their last while shielding their children against the wall.
They had not decomposed away. A hell where time had stopped. The screams of ten years ago were preserved, etched into bone.
“I can hear them…”
Han Su-jin trembled violently, stumbling backward.
“I want to go home… It’s so cold… Mother…”
She was hearing phantom sounds. The final lingering thoughts of those who had died unjustly were mingling with the contaminated mana, drifting through this underground cavern. To the sensitive perception of an S-rank Healer, those voices would sound like thunder.
“Don’t listen.”
I approached her and fastened the collar of her protective gear. Then I placed my gauntleted hand on her shoulder.
[Purification: Mental Resonance Blockade]
“This is merely an echo of the past. It is not a burden you must carry.”
As my energy enveloped her, Han Su-jin’s ragged breathing gradually stabilized. She nodded, her eyes glistening with tears.
“Let’s move. This is the waiting hall of the dead. It’s no place for the living.”
We passed through the Forest of Bones and descended the stairs leading to the platform. The sound of bone fragments crunching beneath our feet grated on my nerves.
“Chief.”
Park Jae-jung, who had been leading the way, raised his shield and stopped.
“Something feels wrong. The corpses are too clean.”
“Too clean?”
“Yes. Look. Not a single bite mark on the bones. There’s no trace of a single rat passing through. The surface is crawling with monsters, so why are there no signs of corpse desecration down here?”
His observation was sharp. In a typical dungeon, corpses should be consumed by monsters, leaving not even bones behind. Yet the remains here were preserved as if they were sacred ground that no one dared touch.
“Two possibilities.”
Lee Ji-young adjusted the magnification on her goggles and analyzed the situation.
“Either the monsters in this area are picky eaters who wouldn’t touch bones… or something that dominates this zone is extremely wary of intruders, with such obsessive cleanliness that it won’t even allow a small insect inside.”
The moment her words ended, a faint sound came from somewhere.
Tap. Tap.
It sounded like water droplets, or like fingernails tapping against a wall. But it wasn’t just one sound. It echoed three-dimensionally from all directions—ceiling, walls, behind pillars.
“Flare.”
At my command, Seo Eun-ha raised her staff. Whoosh—bang! A small sphere of flame shot into the air and exploded. The underground station became as bright as midday.
Only then could we see them. Suspended from the high ceiling, pillars, and walls—those things.
“Ugh…!”
They were human. Or rather, something wearing a human shape. Their clothes had rotted away entirely, and their skin, adapted to the underground darkness, had lost all melanin pigmentation until it became not merely pale but translucent. Their eyes and nose had atrophied into mere hollows, while their limbs had grotesquely elongated, clinging to the walls like spiders.
[Mutant: Pale Creeper]
[Rank: C-Rank]
[Traits: Acute Hearing, Wall Climbing, Pack Hunting]
Survivors who had been trapped here ten years ago, twisted and degraded by the contaminated mana and darkness as Earth’s core energy leaked forth. They were no longer human. They were phantoms of the underground—beings that had lost the light and now hunted only by sound.
“Kiiiiieeeee!”
Exposed to the light, they shrieked. The sound was no beast’s roar, but rather a bone-chilling dissonance—as if hundreds of human screams had been layered atop one another.
“They’re here. Surrounding us from all directions.”
Park Jae-jung lowered the visor of his Black Mamba Armor and planted his shield with a resounding clang. In response to the noise he created, dozens of Pale Creepers rained down from the ceiling like a deluge.
“Disgusting. Stay back!”
Seo Eun-ha swung her staff.
[Flame Wall]
A barrier of fire erupted around us. They showed no fear of the flames. Even as they burned, they shrieked and tore through the wall of fire.
“These insane creatures…”
One lunged at Seo Eun-ha’s shoulder. But the Salamander Suit she wore blazed crimson. The moment its claws touched the fabric, they melted away in the intense heat. Without hesitation, Seo Eun-ha drove her staff into its sternum and detonated it.
“Su-jin. Crouch down.”
I shielded Han Su-jin and drew the Queen’s white fangs. A creature approaching from behind me lashed out with its elongated arm.
A sharp metallic ring.
I gripped the dagger in reverse and severed its wrist. Using the recoil to spin my body, I slashed across its neck. The purification energy of the dagger burrowed into the wound. No blood spilled. Instead, white light incinerated it from within.
“Park Jae-jung. The three o’clock position is breached.”
“I’ll seal it.”
Park Jae-jung hurled himself forward. His full-body armor crashed into three Pale Creepers simultaneously with a thunderous impact. They shattered like eggs against stone. The alloy armor, forged from acidic slime, perfectly deflected their claw attacks.
“Analysis complete.”
Lee Ji-young shouted.
“They have no eyes. They respond to sound. And their hearts are on the right side of their chests.”
“The right side?”
Seo Eun-ha grinned wickedly.
“Should’ve said so earlier.”
She planted her staff on the ground and gathered her mana.
[Silent Burn]
Dozens of small flame butterflies materialized around her. Moving without sound, they descended with perfect precision onto the right chests of the Pale Creepers.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Chain explosions. The creatures fell like autumn leaves.
The battle ended in five minutes. The floor was carpeted with pale corpses, yet not a single one of us bore a scratch. Perfect equipment and perfect coordination.
“…Phew.”
Park Jae-jung raised his visor and exhaled heavily.
“They’re weaker than the ones topside, but their speed is far superior.”
“Still just insects in the end.”
Seo Eun-ha chewed her gum while kicking at the mana stones scattered across the ground—loot from our battle.
But I couldn’t let my guard down. These Pale Creepers were no ordinary wild monsters.
I flipped over one of the corpses. Around its neck hung a corroded identification tag, barely legible with age.
[Dominion Mine Security Team – Kim XX]
“Look at this.”
I held up the identification tag for them to see.
“This person didn’t go missing during the Great Cataclysm ten years ago. This logo… it’s the one Dominion switched to five years ago.”
My companions’ expressions hardened.
“In other words, Dominion had already entered this place.”
Lee Ji-young spoke coldly.
“And they either left their own employees here until they became monsters… or they used them as experimental subjects.”
Rage surged through me. This wasn’t merely a ruin. It was a massive experimental facility—a dumping ground that Dominion had desperately wanted to conceal.
“Let’s go deeper.”
I gazed into the darkness where the subway tracks disappeared. From that direction, a wind carried the faint mingling of ancient chemicals and the distant hum of machinery.
“I have a feeling the truth we’re searching for lies at the end of this station.”
We resumed our advance.
Thud. Thud.
Our footsteps on the subway tracks were swallowed into the darkness. We’d left the Moon Rover at the platform entrance—from here onward, the tracks were either severed or blocked by debris, forcing us to proceed on foot.
“The air feels… heavy.”
Park Jae-jung checked the filter on his helmet as he spoke.
“It’s not just contamination. There’s an artificial chemical smell mixed in.”
True to his words, beneath the stench of mold came the acrid bite of formaldehyde and rusted metal—not the natural reek of decay, but the preserved, abandoned fragrance of death.
“One hundred meters ahead. Dead end.”
Lee Ji-young, who’d been leading, came to a halt.
What she pointed to was a collapsed tunnel blocked by debris. But upon closer inspection, it wasn’t a natural collapse. A massive steel bulkhead had descended, sealing off the tunnel entirely.
Painted in red across the center of the bulkhead were the words [RESTRICTED ZONE – NO ENTRY], and beneath them, a faint but unmistakable emblem was etched: a crowned lion. Dominion’s mark.
“As expected…”
Seo Eun-ha let out a hollow laugh.
“They must have hidden something precious here. Installing such an elaborate door at this depth says everything.”
“Can you open it?”
When I asked, Lee Ji-young examined the weathered control panel affixed to the side of the bulkhead.
“The security level is high. External power has been cut, but it’s locked by an independent emergency system. Hacking it will take some time.”
“Just break it down.”
Seo Eun-ha raised her staff.
“We can’t.”
I stopped her.
“If we force it open, the defense system might activate, or critical data could be destroyed. What we’re after isn’t just a hunt—it’s evidence.”
I approached the control panel. The keypad was covered in dust and mold. I placed my gloved hand over it.
[Purification: Restoration and Disengagement]
Blue light flowed from my fingertips, seeping into the aged circuit board. Corroded wires reconnected, tangled mana codes purified, and the system rebooted.
Whirrrrr— beep beep.
[Administrator authorization confirmed.]
[Opening Gate.]
A green light illuminated as a heavy mechanical sound echoed through the chamber, and the steel bulkhead slowly rose upward. Beyond it, a cold, dry wind rushed through.
“We’re moving in. Stay alert.”
Park Jae-jung, his massive frame encased in Black Mamba Armor, led the way forward, and we followed in his wake.
Beyond the bulkhead lay no subway tracks—instead, a long corridor finished with white tiles. Fluorescent lights flickered sporadically across the ceiling, while shattered glass and scattered documents lay in disarray across the floor.
“This is… a Research Facility, isn’t it?”
Han Su-jin spoke in a trembling voice.
We walked along the corridor, examining the rooms on either side. The first was a storage warehouse. Boxes bearing the Dominion logo were labeled with mana amplifiers, cell culture solutions, and neural stabilizers. Most were already broken or empty.
The second was an operating theater. Dried bloodstains lay blackened and crusted upon the surgical table, while restraints were grotesquely piled in the corner.
“This doesn’t look like a monster dissection room.”
Seo Eun-ha picked up a torn patient gown from the floor.
“The size… it’s human.”
The atmosphere plummeted. We’d suspected Dominion was conducting something in secret within Zone 9, but human experimentation was beyond what we’d imagined.
“It’s this way. I think this is the Main Lab.”
Lee Ji-young pointed to the largest chamber at the end of the corridor.
We entered. A vast space spanning hundreds of square meters. Dozens of cylindrical cultivation tanks lined the walls. Most were shattered, but several still hummed with a faint whirring sound, their interiors filled with green culture fluid.
And inside those fluid-filled tanks, they were there.
“My God…”
We were speechless. What floated within the tanks was neither human nor monster. Grotesque hybrids—human torsos fused with insectoid lower bodies, or mechanical apparatus embedded along their spines like a second skeleton.
[Specimen Name: Chimera Prototype]
[Status: Disposed]
A worn chart affixed to the tank fluttered in the stale air.
“They didn’t come here to hunt monsters at all.”
I clenched my fists.
“They were trying to fuse monsters with humans—to create weapons.”
“How… how could they do this to people…”
Han Su-jin covered her mouth and collapsed to her knees. As a Guardian, her sensitivity to the lingering resentment and suffering permeating this place was overwhelming. The residue of agony and hatred was far too thick.
“Look at this.”
Lee Ji-young stood before the central control computer. Fortunately, it still had power.
“The logs are intact. The dates… five years ago. Just before Kang Chang-gyung was promoted to Strategic Planning Director.”
The document she displayed on screen bore the grandiose title [Project: New Humanity].
[Objective: Development of enhanced humans maximizing survival capability in Contaminated Zones.]
[Experimental Materials: Missing persons from Zone 9 and impoverished residents of the Lower District.]
[Results: Uncontrollable mana runaway. All specimens disposed of and facility sealed.]
“Disposed?”
Seo Eun-ha let out a hollow laugh.
“They kidnapped people, turned them into monsters, and when it failed, they just locked them away and left? Disgusting bastards.”
Rage surged within me. Dominion. Beneath their glittering success lay this cesspool of truth.
Boom!
That’s when something deep within the laboratory struck the wall. It wasn’t mere noise—it was a heavy, rhythmic pounding.
“…There’s someone here.”
Han Su-jin lifted her head. Her pupils trembled.
“No, they’re alive. They’re suffering terribly. Screaming for death… begging to be killed.”
We exchanged glances. A facility sealed five years ago. If anything lived here, it should only be monsters. Yet Han Su-jin was sensing human anguish.
“Let’s check it out.”
I drew the Queen’s white fang. The sound came from the deepest part of the laboratory, behind a thick iron door marked [Special Isolation Chamber].
“Park Jae-jung, open the door. Battle stations.”
Park Jae-jung lowered the visor of his Black Mamba Armor and raised his shield. Seo Eun-ha channeled mana into her staff while Lee Ji-young aimed her pistol.
Screeeech—Boom!
Park Jae-jung rammed the iron door with his shoulder, forcing it open. As it swung wide, a putrid stench and icy cold air erupted outward.
Inside stood only one massive cultivation tank. Unlike the others, it was a specialized vessel sealed with double-reinforced tempered glass.
A colossal form. Dozens of tubes embedded across its entire body. The skin was a sickly blue-gray, lifeless. Grotesque metal wings sprouted from its back. Yet the face… it still retained human features.
“…This is insane.”
Lee Ji-young checked the chart in fury.
[Experimental Subject No. 001]
[Codename: Fallen Angel]
[Status: Vital Functions Ceased (Comatose)]
[Special Notes: Created based on the genetic material of former S-rank Hunter Lee Jin-sung.]
“Lee Jin-sung?!”
Park Jae-jung cried out.
“The legendary hero who vanished ten years ago while sealing a Gate? Why is he here…!”
That’s when the creature in the tank slowly opened its eyes. White eyes devoid of pupils. Yet they stared directly at us—at me.
‘…K…kill…me….’
A faint voice—no, a telepathic thought—pierced through the glass and burrowed into my mind.
Rumble rumble rumble!
Suddenly the entire laboratory trembled as if struck by an earthquake. Cracks spiderwebbed across the tank’s glass.
“It’s awakening! Mana levels are surging out of control!”
Lee Ji-young’s voice grew urgent.
“This is… A-rank… no, beyond that…”
Dominion’s worst legacy. A monster crafted from a hero’s corpse was stirring from five years of slumber.
“All units, combat readiness!”
I gripped my dagger tighter. This was no ordinary monster. It was the tragedy itself from ten years ago—something we had to grant peace.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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