The All-Time Best Talent was F-Class Purification - Chapter 89

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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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89
Chapter 89 – An Elite Talent Awakened as an F-Rank Purifier
A deafening metallic shriek consumed the Underground Research Facility.
The edge of Park Jae-jung’s Gigass Shield struck Lee Seung-ryong’s chest with surgical precision. Guardian Smash—a technique capable of toppling fortress walls. The tremendous impact crumpled the black iron carapace clinging to his torso, and the sickening crunch of splintering ribs echoed through the chamber.
“Gaaahhh!”
The massive creature careened backward, slamming into the wall with bone-breaking force. Any ordinary monster would have perished from such a blow. But the nightmare was far from over.
A wet, crackling sound—bone knitting itself back together.
Black smoke coiled from Lee Seung-ryong’s chest as it pressed against the concrete. Shattered bone and muscle began fusing in real time, grotesquely reforming. The hyper-regeneration factor Kang Chang-gyung had injected ravaged through his body, transcending mere healing to forge an even more abominable, thickened muscular armor layer upon layer.
“Ugh… uhhhhh…”
Park Jae-jung dropped his shield, frozen in place. The more I struck, the more I destroyed—the more my brother transformed into something monstrous and vile. A body denied even the mercy of death. That was what a Chimera truly was.
Across the chamber, Seo Eun-ha wept as she wielded her staff, conjuring flames that engulfed Ju Mi-sung. The elongated creature thrashed within the inferno, bone spears lashing out even as its flesh charred. Each time skin melted away, new skeletal frameworks erupted from beneath, only to ignite anew in an endless cycle of agony.
“Grrrrr… sister… it hurts…”
A metallic wail poured through the creature’s bestial vocal cords. Hearing that sound, Seo Eun-ha’s hands visibly trembled. Her firepower wavered. Her concentration was crumbling.
“Nngh… damn it! Why won’t it die! Why!”
The battlefield had become pure chaos. Han Su-jin sat collapsed on the floor, hands clamped over her ears, while Han Ae-ri in the corner oscillated between hysterical laughter and sobbing.
‘This isn’t combat.’
I tightened my grip on the dagger. Physical strikes and conventional magic were useless against them. These four remained in a state of complete incapacitation yet refused to vanish. Kang Chang-gyung’s hyper-regeneration factor was forcibly anchoring them to existence. Unless I severed that connection, this hell would repeat eternally.
“Everyone, fall back.”
I spoke quietly, but my voice was swallowed by the cacophony of explosions and screams.
I drew a deep breath. My hand closed around the Mist Flower pendant hanging at my chest—the mask that had concealed my power until now. But the time had come to remove it.
A soft click.
I snapped the pendant’s chain and hurled it to the floor. Simultaneously, I unleashed every ounce of mana I had been suppressing.
A tremendous surge of power erupted—
Space itself warped. The stale air of the Underground Research Facility grew heavy in an instant. A wave of absolute purification—A-rank purity, perhaps beyond—swept outward like a tempest centered on me.
“I said move!”
My cry thundered through the chamber like lightning. Only then did Park Jae-jung and Seo Eun-ha turn toward me in shock. Brilliant white light blazed from my body—not the radiance of holiness, but rather white flames intent on incinerating every impurity into nothingness.
“Lee Tae-hyun…?”
“Fall back. Park Jae-jung, Seo Eun-ha.”
I walked forward slowly. The pendant that had fallen to the floor shattered under the pressure of my mana, unable to withstand it.
“They are not your comrades. They are merely souls being forcibly held in place.”
I fixed my gaze on Lee Seung-ryong. The regenerated creature shrieked and lunged toward me. I did not evade.
“I will sever that bond.”
I opened my palm toward the charging creature.
“Resonance.”
A surge of power—
My mana extended like threads, wrapping around Lee Seung-ryong’s body. Simultaneously, my mana threads connected to Ju Mi-sung, and to Lee Chung-hyung and Choi Min-ji—already fallen yet still trapped in the hyper-regeneration factor’s grasp, unable to dissipate. All four of them, suspended in agony, neither dead nor alive.
The threads pulled taut. Tighter still.
The mana lines grew rigid with tension.
‘Aaaaaaahhhhhhh!’
A torrent of agonized screams flooded into my consciousness. Their suffering, their rage, their despair—all of it flowed unfiltered through my nerves. The sensation of burning flesh, the pain of bone being scraped away. An overwhelming deluge of sensory information that would have shattered an ordinary mind into madness.
“Ugh….”
I bit down on my lips to stifle a scream. I had to maintain this connection. I needed to find the deepest part of them—the corrupted core that Kang Chang-gyung had planted within their beings.
‘Found it.’
A black mass. Near their hearts, it writhed like a parasite, pumping infinite vitality through them. It was this corruption that kept them suspended between death and life, unable to escape either fate.
“Rest now.”
Through the connected mana channels, I poured my purest energy into them.
“Holy Flame.”
Whoooooosh—!
It was no ordinary fire. This was purification’s white-hot inferno, burning only on corrupted mana as fuel. White light erupted from within the bodies of all four connected souls.
“Aaaargh… ah…?”
Lee Seung-ryong’s massive frame, which had been about to strike me down, froze within the radiance. The black iron carapace that had encased his body melted away like snow. The grotesquely swollen muscles crumbled like a sandcastle. The anguished expression of a tortured beast gradually softened.
Ju Mi-sung, engulfed in the flames, and Lee Chung-hyung and Choi Min-ji, who lay on the ground bound by their hyperregeneration factors—all underwent the same transformation. The grotesque mutated tissues that composed their bodies oxidized into white ash and scattered into the air.
Shhhhh….
It was like snow falling. The hellish landscape of black and crimson was being buried beneath white ash. The smell of burning flesh vanished, replaced only by a cool, rain-like fragrance.
The light faded. The monsters were gone. In their place remained only a handful of white ash.
But only for a moment. Within the dissipating remnants of light, I saw faint silhouettes.
Lee Seung-ryong, smiling sheepishly at Park Jae-jung and saluting him. Ju Mi-sung, playfully waving at Seo Eun-ha. And Lee Chung-hyung and Choi Min-ji, bowing silently.
In their final moment, they were bidding us farewell not as beasts, but as human beings. Through my synchronized senses, I felt the last emotions they left behind.
‘Thank you.’
‘I’m sorry.’
It was no illusion. In that final moment, their souls—purified by the Holy Flame—had left behind a true farewell.
“Ah… aah….”
Park Jae-jung dropped to his knees on the floor. He reached toward empty air, and seeing the ash that would not be grasped, he wept.
“Hhhhgh… go well… you fought hard, all of you….”
Seo Eun-ha let her staff fall and collapsed, tears streaming silently down her face. Han Su-jin pulled Han Ae-ri into a tight embrace, shielding her eyes from the sight.
The Research Facility was filled with heavy silence. Only the sound of the ventilation fan and the quiet sobs of the survivors could be heard.
I staggered and braced myself against the wall. The backlash from the synchronization felt like my head was being split open. But I couldn’t rest. There was still an audience watching.
[Clap. Clap. Clap.]
Slow applause echoed from the ceiling speakers. Beyond the shattered monitors, deep within the Research Laboratory, the opaque glass of the Main Control Room became transparent, revealing the scene within.
[Touching. Truly moving. How does it feel to send your friends off with your own hands?]
“Shut up.”
I staggered to my feet.
My vision was blurred from having exhausted nearly all my mana with the Holy Flame.
But rage kept my mind anchored.
Beyond the bulletproof glass. The man sitting on an expensive leather sofa, swirling a wine glass while observing this entire spectacle—Kang Chang-gyung rose from his seat.
His expression held neither anger nor shock. Rather, he gleamed with an eerie curiosity, like a child who had discovered a new toy.
[No matter how I think about it, it’s remarkable. Truly astounding.]
His voice came not through the speakers, but directly through the intercom installed in the reinforced glass wall.
[To reverse-engineer the Infinite Regeneration Code and incinerate it from within. That’s not simple healing or holy power. That’s the ability to erase the very nature of mana itself.]
Kang Chang-gyung placed his hand against the glass wall. He studied me as though observing a rare animal in a zoo.
[Lee Tae-hyun. Now I understand why the Blue Tower Research Institute director was drooling so much over your ability. With just that power, I could accelerate the completion of my project.]
He showed no intention of fighting us. Rather, he was thoroughly enjoying this situation. People were dying, the research facility was being destroyed, yet to him we were nothing but fascinating experimental data.
“Come down.”
I brushed back my sweat-dampened hair and glared at him. Sorrow had ended. All that remained now was cold fury.
[Why should I? You’re already exhausted and your mana is depleted. Why would I dirty my hands?]
He turned his gaze toward the entrance of the research facility.
[That old Blue Tower Research Institute director was absolutely desperate about his technology leaking out. He sent Cleaners to maintain security.]
“Stop hiding over there and running your mouth. Come down.”
[Don’t be angry. I called you because I wanted to help you. Once my research is complete, I might even be able to resurrect your friends, you know?]
“Cut the bullshit. Come down and die.”
[Unfortunately, it seems our guests have arrived.]
Boom—!
The moment his words ended, a massive explosion erupted from the outer wall of the research facility. It wasn’t a simple explosion. A precisely executed cutting charge. Through the dust cloud, figures in silver reinforced suits and blue visors walked in like ghosts.
Click. Click. Click.
Mechanical movements devoid of emotion. A blue tower emblem carved into their chests. They were Cleaners—the unofficial disposal unit of Blue Tower, one of Neo Seoul’s Three Major Guilds.
“Blue Tower… were they really working with Dominion?”
Seo Eun-ha gasped and raised her staff. But only sparks flickered from her fingertips. Mana depletion. Park Jae-jung likewise had no strength left to even raise his shield.
[Target confirmed. Lee Tae-hyun and three others.]
[Command code: 001. Eliminate all targets and recover bodies.]
The Cleaner Captain at the front issued the command mechanically. In their hands were magitech rifles—a fusion of magic and science.
“Damn it, take cover!”
Whine—! Crack crack crack!
Blue mana rounds rained down. I quickly hid behind the remnants of a collapsed cultivation tank. The concrete floor melted where the mana rounds struck. This wasn’t ordinary magic. It was artificially refined, corrupted mana focused purely on destructive power.
‘Is this Blue Tower’s technology?’
I analyzed while catching my breath. They had one A-rank and five B-ranks. Under normal circumstances, Mun Glade would have crushed them, but we were in critical condition. A direct confrontation was impossible.
But.
‘I smell it.’
A pungent stench assaulted my nostrils. The mana rounds they were firing, the power source of their reinforced suits—everything reeked of the same corrupted mana as Kang Chang-gyung’s test subjects.
“Ha…”
A hollow laugh escaped me. I thought we were in crisis, but the table was already set.
“Park Jae-jung. Do you have any smoke grenades left?”
“Just one. It’s C-rank, so it’ll last about 30 seconds.”
“That’s enough. Let’s use it.”
“Here? But then we won’t be able to see either.”
“I can see.”
Park Jae-jung, reading the look in my eyes, nodded. He pulled a crude metal canister from his pocket and removed the safety pin.
“Close your eyes!”
Pop—! Hisssss—
Gray smoke erupted explosively, filling the research facility. The Cleaners’ vision was cut off.
[Vision lost. Switching to thermal detection mode.]
The Cleaner Captain’s voice rang out. Their visors glowed red. Even through the smoke, they were tracking our body heat and taking aim.
But they didn’t know. This smoke wasn’t for escape—it was to create my hunting ground.
A soft whisper of movement.
I walked into the haze. My depleted mana reserves screamed with thirst. And there, delicious prey walked freely all around me.
[Target approaching. Opening fire.]
A Cleaner locked onto me and pulled the trigger.
A sharp whistle pierced the air.
A blue mana bullet streaked toward my heart.
“Purification.”
I didn’t dodge. Instead, I reached out and caught the bullet in my palm.
A crackling spark erupted.
Instead of searing pain, a refreshing coolness spread from my fingertips through my entire body. A trait gained upon advancing from B-rank to A-rank. I could purify corrupted mana and convert it into my own.
“Thank you. I was starving.”
“What…?”
As the mana bullet vanished from my hand, the Cleaner froze in shock. I didn’t waste the opening.
A heavy impact echoed.
My fist slammed into his solar plexus. It wasn’t a simple blow. I made contact with the core of his reinforced suit and drained its power source.
A low hum—then silence.
His suit powered down and went rigid. I grabbed his collar and used him as a shield, pushing forward.
[System Warning: Rapid energy depletion detected. Hostile mana interference identified.]
“What the hell is this thing!”
The remaining Cleaners panicked and opened fire indiscriminately. But it was useless. I danced through the smoke, deflecting or absorbing every mana bullet that came my way.
I was being filled. My empty mana circuits were flooding with their corrupted energy once more. The Blue Tower operatives would never have dreamed that their weapons were the finest potions to me.
“Gahhh!”
“My mana—it’s being drained!”
Three of them collapsed to the ground in moments. With their suits dead, they were nothing but scarecrows buried under heavy scrap metal.
“This monster…!”
The Cleaner Captain drew a mana blade and charged. But his movements were transparent to me. I tilted my head to evade his slash, then pressed Shadow’s fangs against his throat.
“Don’t move.”
Cold steel pressed against his neck. The Captain froze. The smoke was clearing now. Subdued Cleaners groaned on the floor, while I stood unscathed.
Kang Chang-gyung in the control room stiffened and rose to his feet. For the first time, bewilderment crossed his previously composed face.
[Hoh… neutralizing Blue Tower’s technology. So Purification isn’t merely cleansing after all.]
“I’m just a janitor.”
I hurled the unconscious Captain to the floor. Then I turned to my companions. With my mana restored, my body felt light again.
“Let’s go. Before more arrive.”
Park Jae-jung stared at me in a daze before snapping back to reality and hoisting Han Ae-ri onto his back. Seo Eun-ha and Han Su-jin helped each other to their feet.
We headed toward the hole the Cleaners had blown through the wall. Then, in the distance, a siren began to wail. Not a simple police vehicle. The ground trembled beneath the weight of heavy machinery.
[Emergency Broadcast: This is the Steel Alliance Security Team. We have detected armed conflict within Dominion Hospital. All personnel disarm and surrender immediately.]
The Steel Alliance. The neutral megaguild that prided itself on maintaining order in Neo Seoul. They were moving.
The sound of Kang Chang-gyung clicking his tongue came through the intercom.
[Tsk. The smell is unmistakable. If the Steel Alliance gets involved, this becomes a real headache.]
Kang Chang-gyung couldn’t pursue us any further. Exposing his illegal laboratory to the Steel Alliance would be a burden even for Dominion. He had to quickly destroy the data servers and prepare his escape.
“We’re fortunate.”
I peered through the hole in the wall at the world beyond. Rain fell on the nighttime streets. In the distance, the Steel Alliance’s Iron Golem units surrounded the hospital.
“They’ll tie down Dominion’s hands. We slip away in the chaos.”
We seized the confusion to hide ourselves in the forest behind the hospital. Five hundred meters to where the hidden truck waited. Han Ae-ri, clinging to Park Jae-jung’s back, looked behind us. The research facility burning. The ashes of our comrades left behind in that inferno.
“I swear it…”
Park Jae-jung swallowed tears of blood as he made his vow.
“I’ll return. To take your heads, Kang Chang-gyung. And Blue Tower.”

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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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