The All-Time Best Talent was F-Class Purification - Chapter 57

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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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57
Chapter 57 – An Elite Talent Awakened as an F-Rank Purifier
Park Jae-jung angled his shield to create a foothold. I trusted him and ran. I stepped off the shield and launched myself skyward.
Whoosh!
I rocketed into the air. The golem’s gaze locked onto me. It opened its maw, preparing to spray acid.
“Not a chance!”
Seo Eun-ha hurled a fireball toward my path. Boom! The flames incinerated the acid mid-air, clearing my way forward.
‘Perfect.’
This was Moonglade. A synchronicity where we knew what each other would do without speaking.
I clung to the golem’s chest. Rusted iron plates and protruding rivets gave me plenty to grip. But the toxic miasma emanating from its body was ferociously corroding my gas mask’s filter.
[Warning: Filter remaining 15%.]
“Finishing this.”
I gripped the short blade in reverse. This wasn’t merely a stab. I was liberating the restless spirit trapped within, releasing the corrupted energy.
[Skill: Purification]
A brilliant white light exploded from my hand. I channeled it into the blade and drove it downward toward the left chest—exactly where Lee Ji-young had indicated.
Squelch!
The blade pierced through the rusted iron plating and penetrated the black drum barrel within.
“Kyaaaaaaah—”
A anguished shriek tore through the air, and the golem’s movements ceased abruptly. Black smoke billowed from inside the drum, replaced by radiant white light.
Rumble rumble rumble—Crash.
The colossal heap of scrap metal collapsed. I landed on the ground, breathing heavily.
“Haa… haa…”
My gas mask filter gauge showed barely 5% remaining. That was cutting it dangerously close.
“Captain! Are you alright?”
Members of the Lee Seung-ryong Party rushed over.
“Yeah… I made it.”
I walked toward the collapsed golem’s remains. That drum barrel I’d pierced. The toxins were gone thanks to the purification, but the contents visible through the torn gap were still horrifying.
“…Secured.”
I pointed to one intact sample drum barrel. It was a black metal container with a clear warning label on its surface: [Class S – Danger].
“With this, those Dominion bastards won’t have any excuses.”
Park Jae-jung wiped the sweat from his brow and approached to lift the drum barrel.
“Hnngh… hngh!”
But the drum barrel didn’t budge. More precisely, the harder Park Jae-jung strained, the deeper his feet sank into the mud pit.
“This… the weight is no joke. The liquid inside is completely full, so it’s quite heavy.”
Park Jae-jung clicked his tongue in frustration.
“Plus, with the ground in this condition, carrying it is impossible. We won’t make it more than a few steps before we all sink into the swamp.”
We’d left the vehicle behind. And we couldn’t roll this through the mud either. If it ruptured from impact, we’d all be annihilated on the spot.
“Ugh… one mountain after another. We’ve come this far and can’t just leave it.”
Seo Eun-ha swept her hair back with an irritated sigh.
Then, a flash of the earlier battle scene replayed in my mind.
‘Wait a moment.’
I turned back to examine the collapsed golem’s remains. Four meters tall, weighing several tons of scrap metal. Yet moments ago, that massive body had bounded lightly across the Swamp Area.
“Ji-young.”
“Yes?”
“How did that hunk of scrap metal move across the swamp without sinking? Was it purely due to mana?”
Ji-young adjusted her glasses and opened her eyes of truth toward the golem’s remains. Her gaze pierced through the shattered metal heap.
“Ah… I see them. Stones embedded between the metal scraps.”
She pointed with her finger. Among the black grease, faintly pale blue ore fragments glimmered.
“That’s… levitation stone waste.”
“Levitation stone?”
“Yes. The stones that keep the Floating City aloft. It looks like Dominion discarded their defective levitation stones here along with other refuse.”
Of course. Those Dominion bastards had even industrialized their dumping ground.
“Lee Chung-hyung, Ju Mi-sung. Go dig up those blue stones. Get as many as you can.”
Shortly after, they returned with roughly a dozen fist-sized levitation stone fragments. The stones were in terrible condition. Their surfaces were caked with sticky slime and black tar, and because of this, they couldn’t levitate—instead, they rattled uselessly on the ground, vibrating erratically.
“Isn’t this broken? It’s not even floating.”
Park Jae-jung asked with a skeptical expression.
“It shouldn’t be broken.”
I picked up one of the stones.
“The contamination coating this stone is blocking the mana emission.”
I forcibly wedged the contaminated levitation stone fragments into the frame gaps at the bottom of the drum. The stones rattled against each other, shaking the drum loudly.
“Whoa, that’s loud! Isn’t it going to explode?”
“We need to clean it now.”
I placed my hand on the drum’s base where the stones were embedded. No elaborate skill was necessary. The essence of my ability was singular.
[Skill: Purification]
White light flowed from my hand, enveloping the levitation stones.
Ssszzzzzt—
The black tar and slime clinging to the stone surfaces burned away in white smoke. As the foreign matter vanished, the obstruction pressing down on the stones disappeared.
Then the stones reclaimed their true nature. The force that defies gravity.
Huuummmmm—
The cacophonous vibration transformed into a smooth resonance. And something remarkable happened. That impossibly heavy drum, which hadn’t budged an inch, silently rose into the air like a helium balloon.
“Wow…”
Seo Eun-ha’s mouth fell open.
The drum hovered about one meter above the ground. The purified levitation stones were functioning properly, counteracting its weight.
I tied the rope I’d brought to the drum’s handle.
“There. Now it’s not cargo—it’s a balloon. Just hold the rope and we can go.”
I handed the rope’s end to Park Jae-jung. When he tugged gently, the massive drum glided smoothly through the air, following behind us.
“It’s light. We could even run with this, couldn’t we?”
“Don’t run. It’ll burst if it hits something.”
I exhaled in relief. Above my head hung dull purple mist, beneath my feet stretched rotting swampland, and behind us floated a black drum like a balloon in an eerie procession.
“Should we go find some meat to eat?”
I turned to look at my companions.
“Eun-ha, burn some more of that stench on the way out. We can’t walk through this smell.”
“Ugh, seriously! Am I a janitor? Give me more meat!”
Seo Eun-ha’s grumbling voice sounded more welcome than ever.
Floating, floating.
The purple mist was slowly lifting from the Ruins Street. A peculiar procession continued forward. Ten mud-caked people walked along, each gripping a rope as if they were children on a picnic holding balloons.
Dangling from the end of those ropes was a black drum barrel floating in mid-air—a waste container whose weight was counterbalanced by the power of buoyant stones.
“Wow… this is really convenient. Captain, you could patent this thing.”
Lee Chung-hyung twirled the rope around his finger, giggling.
“Be careful. If you shake it too much, the buoyant stone’s resonance could break and you’ll get crushed under a hunk of metal.”
“Yikes. My apologies.”
I checked my wristwatch.
“Let’s hurry. The low tide window is closing. We need to reach the rendezvous point before the gas rises.”
With the gas cleared out, visibility was good, but residual toxins still lingered on the ground. We pressed forward, keeping our gas masks on.
We arrived at an open space beneath a collapsed elevated highway at a slightly elevated location. Here, the building debris created wind corridors, making this one of the best-ventilated spots in the Lower District. Thanks to this, the gas concentration was low enough for drones to enter—one of the few safe zones available.
“Phew… we made it.”
Seo Eun-ha removed her gas mask and breathed in the fresher air. It was still somewhat stale, but…
“But Captain, I’m curious about something.”
Lee Seung-ryong asked.
“Last time you made us go through all that trouble and climb to the top of the Ventilation Tower, but this time why are you coming all the way out to meet us?”
I turned on my tablet and chuckled.
“The situation is different this time. Last time it was just one magic stone, and the goal was to test us. But this time…”
I tapped the massive floating drum barrel.
“You can’t carry this thing up the Ventilation Tower ladder, can you? Besides, the data inside is so valuable that they’d probably worry we’d damage it during transport.”
“Ah, so the desperate party is them this time?”
“Exactly. We’re the ones holding all the cards in this deal.”
I pressed the transmission button.
[Delivery complete. Location confirmed.]
A mechanical sound mixed with the wind. A reconnaissance drone bearing the Blue Tower emblem descended from the sky, followed by a large transport drone.
The drone scanned the black drum barrel we had brought.
[Scanning… serial number confirmed. Analyzing contents composition…]
[…Match confirmed. S-rank hazardous waste verified.]
An excited voice of a Blue Tower researcher came through the drone’s speaker.
[…Unbelievable. You actually recovered a sample from that hellhole. And the condition is perfect.]
“Cut the chatter. Hand over what you promised.”
I pointed skyward.
“Meat. Antibiotics. Mana chargers. If even one is missing, I’ll detonate this drum barrel right here.”
[…We do not lie before knowledge.]
Thud. The large transport drone lowered two heavy supply boxes to the ground. Then it extended its robotic arm and carefully snatched the drum barrel we had brought, ascending back into the sky.
Watching the drone disappear in haste as if escorting a precious treasure, Park Jae-jung clicked his tongue.
“Looks like they were in quite a rush. Didn’t even say goodbye.”
I opened the supply box.
Whoooosh— refrigerant vapor billowed out, revealing a vivid crimson mass. Vacuum-sealed premium beef ribeye, ten kilograms. Beside it lay A-grade potions and antibiotic kits arranged in neat rows.
“Wow….”
Ju Mi-sung swallowed hard.
“Real… meat. Not synthetic protein blocks… the marbling is actually there.”
The eyes of Lee Seung-ryong Party members gleamed like predators. Beneath the hazy sky just before the gas rolled in, the red meat shone with an almost surreal clarity.
“Let’s get it back to the base before the gas arrives. Tonight, we celebrate.”
Sizzzzle—
Inside the base, meat sizzled over a makeshift grill fashioned from a drum barrel split in half. Each time fat dripped onto the coals, fragrant smoke curled upward. That aroma alone transformed the base’s dreary air into something festive.
“Let’s eat!!”
The moment Lee Chung-hyung and Nam Do-hun bit into the meat, they closed their eyes.
“Mmm…! It melts… it really melts….”
“Hey, eat slowly. Who’s going to steal it from you?”
Seo Eun-ha chided them, yet her own chopsticks never stopped moving.
Park Jae-jung quietly grilled meat and placed it onto the plates of Lee Seung-ryong Party members.
“Please, eat plenty. You all worked hard today.”
“Thank you! Really… living this long, I never thought a day like this would come.”
Lee Seung-ryong took a swig of soju, his eyes glistening.
I sat in the corner watching them, cracking open a canned beer. My body was utterly exhausted, but my heart felt full.
“Boss, aren’t you eating?”
Lee Ji-young approached and sat beside me. In her hand was a perfectly grilled piece of meat.
“Team Lead, you eat it. You burned a lot of mana analyzing earlier anyway.”
“I’m eating too. You worked the hardest. When the leader goes hungry, the team gets anxious.”
She forced the meat into my mouth. The juices burst. It was delicious. Enough to bring tears to my eyes.
“…Team Lead.”
“Yes?”
“That sample drum we found earlier… what exactly was inside it?”
I asked quietly, not wanting to ruin the festive mood. Lee Ji-young’s expression darkened slightly.
“…It was human. More precisely, it was an experimental subject they were trying to fuse with a monster. The mana circuits were hopelessly tangled, but… the base was human.”
She whispered low.
“They were trying to artificially awaken Purifiers using core energy extracted from Basement Level 3. Those were failed experiments being disposed of.”
“Artificial awakening….”
It was insane. They were kidnapping ordinary people who couldn’t naturally awaken and forcibly injecting them with mana. This could be the reason behind those Lower District disappearances that occasionally made the news.
“Did Blue Tower know about this?”
“They must have known if they wanted the sample. They’re the same kind of people. They’ll use this as justification to attack Dominion, but behind the scenes, they’ll covet that data.”
Lee Ji-young’s words hit home. Whether Blue Tower or Dominion, both were organizations obsessed with power.
“We’ll have to walk a tightrope between them.”
“Yes. Fall, and we die. But….”
She looked at the colleagues laughing and chattering around the grill. Lee Seung-ryong and Park Jae-jung had their arms around each other’s shoulders, and Seo Eun-ha was pouring drinks for Ju Mi-sung.
“You’re not alone anymore.”
Those words struck deep into my chest. That’s right. I’m not alone.
“Captain! You need to make a toast!”
Lee Chung-hyung’s face flushed red as he shouted.
I stood up from my seat. I raised the beer can high.
“To Moonglade!”
“To Moonglade!!”
The clinking of cans, the sizzle of grilling meat, and laughter blended together. As the night deepened, voices grew quieter, and one by one, people began leaning against the wall and falling asleep.
I remained awake until the end. Watching the dying embers on the grill fade away, I spent a satisfying night for the first time in a long while.
But that warmth didn’t last long.
The next morning.
Through the hairline cracks in the hideout’s shutter and the seams of the ventilation shaft, a pale purple haze began seeping in. Those were the very gaps we had meticulously sealed with silicone and tape yesterday. But the gas, as if alive, hunted down even the tiniest holes and forced its way through.
“…It’s coming in again.”
Ji-young covered her nose and mouth with a towel, her expression twisted in disgust. The air purifier inside the hideout blinked red and ran furiously, but the acrid smell refused to dissipate.
I stared blankly at the scene. A heavy weight settled in my chest.
‘Is this because of me?’
Zone 9 Underground Level 3 Research Facility. There, I had prevented the core’s massive explosion. But that wasn’t destroying the energy—it was merely forcibly containing it. The enormous pressure with nowhere to go had spread through the weakest bedrock below, and now it was tearing through the floor of Zone 99 and seeping out through cracks in the ground level.
If I hadn’t stopped the explosion, Zone 9 on the surface would have collapsed. But paradoxically, because I had stopped it, not only the surface but the Lower District dwellers were now trapped in this suffocating gas. This was my responsibility.
“What about Blue Tower?”
At Park Jae-jung’s question, I checked the tablet.
[No Signal]
“Still… no contact.”
“Is the sample analysis taking that long?”
Seo Eun-ha ruffled her hair in frustration.
We waited. For them to provide a solution. Or at least for an evacuation order or some other negotiation…

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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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