The All-Time Best Talent was F-Class Purification - Chapter 75

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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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75
Chapter 75 – An Elite Talent Awakened as an F-Rank Purifier
We moved toward the Tower while avoiding the crowds. The sun had risen, but the Tower’s perimeter still flickered with the surveillance network of red sensors. The Tower’s security system operated day and night without pause.
“There.”
Park Mi-kyung, hidden behind the Collapsed Building Ruins, pointed to the rear of the Tower—a corner half-obscured by the Garbage Heap. It was the external inspection Hatch I’d spotted last night.
“What about the sensors?”
Park Mi-kyung indicated something like a manhole cover on the Floor.
“That’s the drainage line cover. It’s linked to the Hatch sensor system. If I manipulate the pressure in that drainage line from here, the sensor on the Hatch side will malfunction and shut down temporarily. Exactly three minutes. You need to open it and get inside within that window.”
A true professional. Rather than brute force, she exploited the system’s vulnerabilities.
“Kim Seok-hun, please watch Director Park here. I’ll signal you after three minutes, and you can open it immediately.”
I crouched low and approached the Hatch. Park Mi-kyung pulled out a worn pipe wrench and began turning the valve on the drainage line.
Screech… screech-screech-screech.
As the corroded valve turned, some of the red lasers on the Tower’s outer wall began to flicker.
[Warning: Pressure anomaly detected. Sensor rebooting…]
Now.
Whoosh!
I closed the distance in an instant, reaching the Hatch. A thick alloy door, one meter by one meter, its handle corroded and locked tight. But I had Shadow Fang.
Slide.
I drew my dagger and thrust it into the hinge area between the door’s seams. Then I infused it with mana and twisted it like a lever.
Crack!
The rusted bolt snapped free. I gripped the Hatch handle with my gauntleted hand and held my breath.
‘It’s opening.’
Groan-groan-groan-
The Hatch opened with a heavy shudder. In that instant.
Whoooosh-!
Park Mi-kyung was right. The moment the Hatch opened, a dark blue liquid poured out like a waterfall from inside. It wasn’t mere water. The acrid, repugnant stench that assaulted my nostrils revealed it as Contaminated Water—high-concentration liquid saturated with core energy.
I didn’t dodge. Instead, I reached into the cascading torrent to feel its texture.
Sizzle-
The instant it touched my skin, a stinging sensation as if it were burning flesh—but then white light erupted, erasing the contamination. My body recognized this toxic liquid as a highly concentrated mass of mana.
“Lee Tae-hyun! Are you alright?!”
Kim Seok-hun shouted from behind. My clothes, soaked in Contaminated Water, were smoking. But I turned slowly to look at them and smiled.
“Director Park was right. It is potent.”
I swept my wet hair back and gazed into the dark water inside the Tower. To others, mere contact would be lethal poison. But to me, it was an excellent fuel tank to replenish my mana. Of course, I had no idea what lay in the depths.
“Just a moment.”
I adjusted my grip on the dagger at my waist.
“I’ll take a quick look around the entrance—check the internal structure and make sure there’s nothing dangerous nearby.”
“What? You’re going in now? Without equipment?”
“I’m confident in swimming. And…”
I smirked.
“It won’t take long. I’ll be back in a flash.”
I hurled myself into the black water without hesitation. With a splash, I plunged into the entrance of a massive vertical tunnel descending toward the Middle District, sinking into that frigid darkness.
Splash—
Icy currents enveloped my entire body. No—this wasn’t water.
Sizzle!
The moment it touched my skin, thousands of needle-like stings pierced through me. Without the protective suit, my flesh would have dissolved in less than a minute from this lethal chemical compound—a cocktail of death brewed from Core Energy gas and coolant that had erupted from the Ground Zone 9 Underground Research Facility.
Ultra-concentrated contaminated substance. My body’s defensive mechanisms activated automatically, my purification output surging to maximum capacity.
My body screamed and sang simultaneously. The moment the caustic poison infiltrated my pores, the purification mana flowing through my veins began devouring it with ferocious intensity.
Hum—
White light shimmered around my body like heat haze. As the toxins transmuted into pure mana, they cascaded into my core. An inexhaustible spring. Infinite fuel. Theoretically, this place should have been paradise for me.
But reality proved otherwise.
‘Damn it, I can’t see…’
My eyes were open, but nothing was visible. Pitch-black darkness. Industrial waste and Tower debris suspended throughout obscured my vision. Even with A-rank perception, I could barely discern one meter ahead.
I drew Shadow Fang from my waist and felt along the wall as I swam upward. My speed cutting through the water was impressive. But the higher I climbed, the pressure crushing down on me increased exponentially.
My ears felt numb, my eyes throbbed with crushing pressure. The Contaminated Water’s density far exceeded normal water, making the water pressure beyond imagination. The compressed air in my lungs made each breath increasingly difficult.
‘Six hundred meters in this condition?’
Impossible. My mana might be infinite, but my physical body’s endurance was another matter entirely. And the greatest problem lay elsewhere.
Thud-thud-thud—
A dull vibration resonated through the entire body of water. Not a mere mechanical sound. The noise of a colossal creature cutting through the currents.
I instinctively flattened myself against the wall. Something brushed past directly above my head, invisible in the darkness.
Whoosh—
Tremendous turbulence erupted, sending my body reeling. From the faint presence alone, I could discern the truth. A mass the size of a house. And murderous intent.
‘What is that thing?’
Not a simple fish. A size and savage aura that couldn’t exist in any normal ecosystem. Discarded experimental specimens? Or monsters that had independently mutated by consuming this highly concentrated Contaminated Water? Regardless of its identity, one thing was certain.
Fighting creatures like that while enduring water pressure in this murky mud pit with zero visibility? That wasn’t courage—it was recklessness.
‘No. This won’t work.’
My decision came swiftly. I immediately changed direction. Going any higher would make me either prey for those creatures or crushed flat by the pressure into a human tin can.
I swam downward with all my strength. Faint light glimmered through the open Hatch.
Pop!
I launched myself out of the Hatch.
Gasp—!
Breathing heavily, I surfaced, bursting through the cascading waterfall of Contaminated Water before landing on the ground. Kim Seok-hun and Park Mi-kyung, who had been waiting, rushed toward me.
“Lee Tae-hyun! Are you alright?”
“You crazy bastard! You actually went in and came back out?”
Instead of answering, I swept my wet hair back and coughed violently. The Contaminated Water had been purified, but the acrid stench lingering at my nostrils remained.
“Haa… haa…”
“See! I told you! That place is hell!”
Park Mi-kyung clicked her tongue and patted my back repeatedly. I steadied my breathing and lifted my head. My eyes gleamed not with the frustration of failure, but with cold calculation.
“It’s hell, alright.”
I acknowledged it.
“It’s not simple water—it’s more like toxic jelly. Zero visibility, and creatures larger than sharks are swimming around in there.”
“So you’re giving up?”
“No.”
I wrung out my soaked clothes while gazing up at the Tower.
“We need to drain the water.”
“What?”
Park Mi-kyung stared at me blankly.
“Drain the water inside? How many tons are we talking about? You’ll scoop it out with a bucket?”
“No. Remember what Director Park mentioned? The emergency drainage system.”
“The drainage system? That’s under the Tower Management Bureau’s authority. Besides, all the power’s cut off—there’s no way the valves will turn.”
“They’ll turn. If they won’t, I’ll tear them open.”
I was resolute. If swimming wouldn’t work, I’d walk. If water was an obstacle, I’d eliminate it.
“Where’s that drainage control center?”
Park Mi-kyung hesitated for a moment, then sighed deeply and scratched her head.
“Ugh… you really do see things through to the end, don’t you? Fine. Two kilometers southeast from here. The Third Drainage Control Center is there. It connects to the Tower Underground Waterway.”
“I’m going now.”
I turned to Kim Seok-hun.
“Stay here and look after the people, Kim Seok-hun.”
I tossed him a steel pipe I’d kept as backup—one I’d picked up from 15 Block, purified, and reinforced with mana to increase its durability. It was a blunt weapon, not just any pipe.
“That should be enough.”
We moved immediately. Our destination: the Third Drainage Control Center. Our route: the Abandoned Railway connecting the Lower District sections. Many areas had already collapsed with ceilings caved in, but that actually worked in our favor—we could avoid the surveillance drones.
Walking through the dark tunnel, Park Mi-kyung asked.
“Hey, I’m curious about something.”
“Go ahead.”
“That water earlier… it was definitely Contaminated Water. You should’ve gotten chemical burns just from touching it, but your skin is fine? Only your clothes got damaged.”
Her eyes were sharp—the analytical gaze of a technician examining a phenomenon.
“I have an unusual constitution.”
I deflected vaguely.
“I’m naturally resistant to toxins.”
“Resistant? That’s a lie.”
She chuckled and walked ahead.
“Whatever. Doesn’t matter if you’re a monster or a Hunter. The fact is, you fixed me. I’m going with that.”
Watching her back, I felt something stir within me. Lower District residents. Discarded people. Yet they clung to life more tenaciously than anyone. Just as Seo Eun-ha—whom Kang Chang-gyung had called waste—had proven, these people were rough gems that could shine again if given the chance.
Thirty minutes later, we arrived before a massive iron door. Above the thick blast-proof entrance hung a weathered sign reading [National Infrastructure Management Bureau – Authorized Personnel Only]. Before the door stood two rusted security automatons, their operations ceased, standing sentinel.
“Here it is.”
Park Mi-kyung illuminated the door with her flashlight.
“The drainage pump control device is in the Main Server Room inside. But the problem is….”
She hadn’t even finished speaking.
Whirrr—bzzt.
Red light blazed to life in the eyes of the dormant automatons. Their rusted joints creaked as they began to move. Older models deployed by the government to cut costs. But the machine guns mounted on those two-meter-tall steel frames remained formidable.
[Warning: Intruders Detected]
[Unidentifiable. Switching to immediate termination mode]
With a mechanical voice, their gun barrels swung toward us.
“Damn it! You said the power was cut!”
Park Mi-kyung screamed and ducked behind me.
“It seems there was backup power remaining. Or perhaps….”
I drew my dagger.
“Someone deliberately left only the security mode active.”
Kang Chang-gyung. That meticulous, serpentine bastard was perfectly capable of such a thing. He might have set a trap here to catch any rats trying to infiltrate the Tower through this route…
Rat-a-tat-tat! Tat-tat-tat!
Machine gun fire erupted. In the narrow tunnel, there was nowhere to escape.
“Get down!”
I shoved Park Mi-kyung to the floor and launched myself forward. A bullet grazed my shoulder, but I sealed the wound instantly with purification.
‘I can’t destroy them completely.’
If I utterly demolished these machines, an alarm might transmit through their connected network to the State or Dominion. I needed to disable their functions only. Maximum certainty with minimal damage.
I read the automaton’s firing pattern and charged through. My footwork was faster than the left automaton’s gun barrel could track.
Whoosh!
I slid between its legs and slashed the hydraulic cable behind its knee with my dagger.
Pshhh!
Oil sprayed out as its posture collapsed. Using the recoil, I rose and aimed for the main power port on its back.
“Time to sleep.”
Crack!
I struck the power unit with a gauntleted fist.
Bzzt… click.
The red light in the automaton’s eyes extinguished as it crashed down like scrap metal. The remaining one tried to pivot its gun barrel, but it was already too late. I used the fallen machine as a springboard, launching myself to pierce the second automaton’s neck circuitry with my dagger.
Clang. Thud.
Ten seconds. That was all it took to subdue two security robots. The tunnel fell silent again.
“…You really are a monster.”
Park Mi-kyung, still lying prone on the floor, lifted her head and muttered. She rose on trembling legs and looked at me.
“What’s your real identity? You were supposed to be an F-Rank porter?”
“The world is full of misconceptions.”
I wiped the oil from my dagger and pointed at the door.
“Now, open the door for us, Director Park.”
Screeeech- Boom.
The heavy door’s lock disengaged and the thick iron panels swung open on both sides. Stale air that had been sealed away for so long came rushing out. Dust swirled up in clouds, but beyond it, I caught a scent first—machine oil. And the faint, acrid smell of ozone.
“Let’s go in.”
I led the way while Park Mi-kyung followed. She glanced at the fallen automatons on the floor and swallowed hard.
“No matter how many times I see it, that’s insane skill. Putting those tin cans to sleep without even turning them into scrap.”
“I hate noise.”
I replied curtly and surveyed the interior. The Third Drainage Control Center. The name was grandiose, but the reality was quite chaotic. A half-finished coffee cup sat dried and warped on the desk, and scattered papers lay strewn across the floor. It was the unmistakable sign of personnel evacuating in haste, as if fleeing from something.
“I need to find the power supply first.”
Park Mi-kyung approached the distribution panel with practiced ease. As she lifted the toad-shaped lever and fiddled with several strands of complex wiring,
Whirrrr— uuuwhirrrr—
The fluorescent lights on the ceiling flickered to life with a low mechanical hum. Simultaneously, the massive screen and main console ahead illuminated.
[SYSTEM BOOTING…]
[National Infrastructure Management Bureau – Emergency Mode Activated]
“Done.”
Park Mi-kyung exhaled with relief and pulled a chair toward herself, sitting down. Her fingers began dancing rapidly across the keyboard.
“Just wait a moment. There are some security codes in place, but… there’s no sign that Dominion touched anything. It’s just standard government encryption. I’ll crack it in five minutes.”
Tap-tap, tap-tap-tap. She was completely absorbed. The image of a crazed woman wielding a wrench had vanished entirely, replaced by the aura of a seasoned technician.
I stood guard behind her, scanning the surroundings. While checking for any hidden surveillance cameras or sensors, a red alert window suddenly flickered in the corner of the central screen.
[Emergency Disaster Alert – Auto-Receiving]
“What’s this?”
I casually tapped the alert window. A news video archive began playing across the screen.
“…and now, the following report.”
The announcer’s grave voice echoed through the control room.
“A nationwide manhunt has been expanded for the perpetrators of the ‘Ground Zone 9 Poison Gas Terror’ incident that occurred previously.”
My eyebrows twitched. The screen displayed footage of the devastated ruins of Ground Zone 9 and people collapsing and being carried away wearing gas masks. Below it, red text scrolled across the screen.
[Anti-Social Terror Organization ‘Mun Glade’ – Class 1 Wanted]
The screen changed, displaying a lineup of familiar faces.
Park Jae-jung on the far left with a stern expression. Seo Eun-ha in the center with disheveled red hair. Han Su-jin on the right with a frightened look. And my face, displayed most prominently.
“According to government statements, these individuals are suspected of deliberately detonating an underground research facility to cover up illegal magical stone trafficking and forbidden core energy experiments, resulting in the deaths of thousands of nearby residents.”
“In particular, Guild Master Lee Tae-hyun refused legitimate audits by Dominion Guild, murdered security personnel dispatched to the scene, and is currently at large…”
“Ha…”
I laughed despite myself. Even fiction has limits. They’re claiming we conducted experiments? That we murdered security personnel? We were the ones risking our lives trying to save people at that location. Dominion—the real culprits who released the gas—had transformed us victims into perpetrators.
Park Mi-kyung, who had been working beside me, stopped typing and stared blankly at the screen.
“Hey… brother.”
She asked in a trembling voice.
“That’s… you?”
Her eyes wavered as she alternated between my photograph on the screen and my face before her. Class 1 terrorist. That designation carried a weight of terror that would settle heavily even on someone from the Lower District like her.
“Yes. It is.”
I didn’t deny it. Instead, I stared directly at my photograph on the screen.
I fixed my gaze on the man standing beside the government spokesperson in the corner of the screen. Impeccably dressed suit, gold-rimmed glasses. Eyes cold as a serpent’s. Kang Chang-gyung. Dominion’s Strategic Planning Director. He gazed at the camera with a faint smile, as if mocking me.
‘Your handiwork indeed.’
Rage flared within me. Yet paradoxically, a strange sense of relief bloomed in a corner of my heart. The fact that a manhunt had been issued meant, ironically, that we hadn’t been captured yet. Park Jae-jung, Seo Eun-ha, Han Su-jin—proof that somewhere, they were stubbornly surviving and fleeing.
And one more thing.
‘Lee Ji-young isn’t listed.’
Lee Ji-young’s face was absent from the wanted list. Whether due to her position as the Association’s chief Appraiser, or because she had taken precautions beforehand, it was fortunate either way.
“Director Park.”
I called out to her. Park Mi-kyung flinched and recoiled. The terror of being in the same room as a terrorist gripped her.
“If those people were real terrorists, I would’ve slit your throat right now. To silence you.”
I spoke flatly.
“But I treated your wounds, fed you, and brought you here while trusting you to watch my back. Which one you believe is your choice.”
Park Mi-kyung swallowed hard. She stared into my eyes for a long moment, then snorted and turned her attention back to the monitor.
“Tch. If you can’t do anything but talk.”
She resumed typing on the keyboard. Her keystrokes grew rougher and faster than before.
“I know. I’ve smelled the stench of those Dominion bastards since we started dumping garbage in the Lower District. And your eyes are too clear for a terrorist.”
Tap!
She struck the Enter key forcefully.
[Security Override Complete]
[Main Valve Control Authority Granted]
“I’m through.”
Park Mi-kyung exclaimed. A complex pipe schematic appeared on the screen, and a [VALVE OPEN] button activated.
“Press this and it opens the emergency waterway connected to the Underground Reservoir beneath the Anchor Tower. The water inside will drain into the Waste Disposal Facility in the deep underground. But….”
“But?”
“The noise and vibration will be massive. Enough to set off every machine in here. And… once the water drains, won’t the things hiding inside come out?”
Her concern was valid. Once the water drained, monsters lurking within could emerge, or the noise might draw creatures from the surrounding areas.
I drew the short blade from my waist and turned toward the door.
“Press it.”
I gave the command tersely.
“I’ll handle what comes next.”
Park Mi-kyung took one deep breath, then moved her mouse cursor over the button.
Click.
That small clicking sound was the signal flare.
Kuuuuuu—!
A massive tremor surged up from beneath my feet. The entire control room shook violently, as if an earthquake had struck. Pipes attached to the walls shrieked and expanded.
[Warning: Drainage Pump Operating at Maximum Output]
[Water Level Inside Tower Dropping Rapidly]
The water level graph on the screen plummeted. Simultaneously, unsettling cries echoed from the darkness beyond the tunnel outside the control room.
Kieeeee—!
Grrrrr….
The creatures, stimulated by the vibrations, were awakening. Red eyes flickered on one by one in the darkness.
“Hurry, Director Park.”
I planted myself in front of the door.
“Not a single one will get past me.”
From this point on, it was a race against time. Would the water drain first, or would they breach through first? Either way, I had no intention of backing down. Not until I landed a fist on Kang Chang-gyung’s face…

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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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