LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 131
Chapter 131
The next day, Suho ultimately decided to follow Jung Chulmin’s suggestion.
“My name is Ahn Suho, and I’ve just been appointed as the Assistant Team Leader of Special Management Team 2.”
Suho went around the department, handing out cookies that Jung Chulmin had ordered for him as a way of introducing himself.
Originally, he hadn’t planned on doing it.
Since he’d already done something similar once before, and it hadn’t been a particularly pleasant memory, he’d intended to just let it slide.
However, since Jung Chulmin had gone out of his way to order the cookies himself, how could he pretend otherwise?
‘Refusing to show off until the end wouldn’t be right as his junior.’
Thus, he accepted Chulmin’s kindness and distributed the cookies.
He greeted everyone thoroughly, making sure to leave a strong impression.
The reactions from the people were positive.
After all, he wasn’t just any newcomer but a young special hire at the prestigious Level 5—and on top of that, the cookies were handed out by a mega-influencer like Suho.
“Hey, aren’t these from Queen’s Bakery?”
“Wow, as expected, his sense of style is different since he’s who he is.”
“I’m definitely going to brag that I got a cookie from the Sword God.”
In particular, Oh Bong-ju, the leader of Special Management Team 1, seemed to be the most pleased.
“As expected, Team 2’s sense is spot-on. Good job.”
Haha.
It wasn’t that Team 2 had great sense; it was all thanks to Chulmin-hyung’s sense.
However, not wanting to spoil the favorable atmosphere, Suho responded with a laugh.
After distributing all the cookies, Suho returned to his seat, where Jung Chulmin welcomed him with a warm smile.
“Did you hand out all the cookies?”
“Yes, thanks to you, I was able to successfully complete the initiation. Thank you, Team Leader.”
“No need to thank me, but I appreciate you going along with it instead of refusing.”
“Oh, it was just a matter of adding a spoon to the table you set up for me, so this much was necessary. By the way….”
Suho looked at the still-empty seats of his fellow Special Management Team 2 members.
“No one is here today either?”
“Yeah, everyone had to rush out to other locations.”
“Everyone seems to stay busy.”
“That’s our line of work—and soon, it’ll be yours as well. Now that you’ve completed your initiation, are you heading out right away?”
“Yes, that’s my plan.”
After checking the time, Jung Chulmin spoke.
“Great timing. I also need to head to another area, so let’s part ways here. Contact me if anything happens in the meantime.”
“Understood.”
“Alright, take care.”
Typically, he was always out on the field anyway.
He’d only come in briefly because of Suho.
Suho had already gone over everything with him the day before.
The plan was to resolve the Class Quest and Trait Quest first, tackle other sealed gates afterward, and report it all at once.
This way, he could comfortably wrap up his singularity schedule without needing to take special leave.
With that thought, Suho was about to follow Jung Chulmin out of the department when someone called out to him.
“Uh, um, Suho, just a moment.”
Turning his head, he saw that it was Oh Bong-ju, the Team Leader of Team 1.
“Yes, what’s the matter?”
“Oh, nothing much—I was wondering if we could take a quick picture together.”
“A picture?”
“Yeah, I also have an SNS account, and I thought it’d be fun to post a photo with the initiation cookies Suho gave me. Would that be okay?”
Oh Bong-ju spoke with a cheerful smile.
He was genuinely excited, not wanting to miss out on this lucky opportunity.
Suho was momentarily inclined to refuse, but he decided to oblige with a quick photo.
“Sure.”
“As expected of you, Suho, you’re so cool.”
After snapping a quick picture, Suho commented with a smile.
“Thanks for the suggestion, Team Leader. As you recommended, I got the Queen’s Bakery products, and everyone really liked them.”
“Haha, right? Who else would tell you these things? I’ll continue helping you out, so you can rely on me.”
“Of course, I’ll be counting on your guidance.”
Suho bowed politely and left the association.
He then opened up his SNS app and searched for Oh Bong-ju’s account.
As expected, there was a new post on Bongju’s feed featuring the photo they had just taken.
– A snap with Assistant Team Leader Ahn Suho, who handed out initiation treats, haha. FYI, it was my suggestion to go with #Queen’sBakery cookies~ haha.
After confirming the post, Suho chuckled lightly and closed the app.
‘Well, he can handle whatever happens next.’
Suho intended to forget about the initiation treats, considering it done for Chulmin’s sake.
However, he was thankful that Oh Bong-ju had willingly fanned the flames himself.
Oh Bong-ju probably didn’t realize it yet.
He had no idea how careless his actions were.
But this would be an opportunity for him to learn.
People often interpret others’ goodwill in unexpectedly self-serving, even malicious, ways.
‘Not that it’s my concern.’
Now all he had to do was sit back and let things unfold.
Suho got into his car and returned home.
The house was quiet.
At this hour, everyone was likely at Paju, engaged in their individual training.
Quickly changing, Suho went down to his basement training room.
Then he accessed his status window.
“Status window, open.”
[Ahn Suho]
– Lv : 100
– Class▲ : Healer
– Traits▲ : ＜New Blood＞ ＜Candidate for Heracles＞
– Strength (O) : 26
– Stamina (O) : 2
– Mana (R) : 70
– Perception (R) : 62
– Bonus Stats : 0
A ▲ icon had appeared next to his Class and Traits.
The triangle was an indicator that a quest was active, meaning that if he tapped it, the related quest would immediately proceed.
‘Let’s start with the Class Quest.’
The moment Suho tapped the triangle next to his Class, a message appeared.
[Class Quest is being activated.]
[The system desires that you, who have met the minimum qualifications, grow even stronger.]
[■■ wishes to test you.]
[The trial will begin as soon as you accept the challenge.]
[Do you accept the trial?]
The system’s prompt.
The Class Quest for the first singularity proceeded in this manner.
It was the reason he had returned home on purpose.
Suho responded to the prompt without hesitation.
[You have accepted the trial.]
[Transporting you to the Trial Grounds.]
With the system’s notification, Suho’s vision went completely dark.
***
“Aaaaahhh!!”
A sharp scream pierced the air.
At that sound, Suho’s mind snapped into focus.
At the same time, what appeared before his eyes was none other than a bloody battlefield.
Boom!!
“Gaaaahhh!!”
“The beasts have breached our defenses!!”
“Everyone, counterattack!!”
“Do not retreat under any circumstances!!”
The scene before him was a bloody slaughter, reminiscent of the battlefield filled with orcs from his Hunter practical training.
Here, humans and beasts were locked in a desperate struggle for survival.
“Heal!! Heal!!”
“Someone, save me!!”
“Hey, what are you doing over there!!”
“Fight! Fight back!! Get up, everyone!!”
This place was not the modern era but some otherworldly location with a medieval European setting.
Here, Suho was not the Suho he knew.
He was one of the survivors, with emaciated limbs and wounds covering his body, yet still possessing enough strength to wield a sword, shield, and bandages.
At that moment, someone shouted at him.
“What are you doing! If you’re unharmed, grab a sword and get up! The beasts are attacking!”
With that, they grabbed their sword and charged forward, engaging in a brutal struggle against the beasts breaching the barrier.
It was then that Suho spotted a sword in his line of sight.
Almost as if it was beckoning him to pick it up and advance like the others.
“Aaaaahhh!!”
“My arm! My arm!!”
“Help me! Someone, please help me!!”
“Medic… medic…!”
At the same time, cries for help echoed around him.
The injuries were grievous and severe, with some wounds so contaminated that they were nauseating.
Alongside this, healing supplies and bandages caught his eye.
‘So this is how it goes.’
It was a presentation designed to make him choose one of the two.
There were no other options.
While theoretically, one could flee, Suho knew that for a Healer’s first singularity, these two choices were all there was.
‘I heard that the system determines my power’s direction based on the choice I make here.’
It was similar to when he’d received his Traits.
The system would observe, and the player would prove their aptitude and disposition through their actions.
Suho turned his gaze to his surroundings.
The Battlefield of Beasts.
That was the name of this place.
All Healers experiencing their first singularity had to pass through here.
In other words, that accursed saint, Isabella, had also gone through this place.
‘And Isabella reportedly died here, holding bandages and treating patients until the very end.’
Was it because she valued the lives of her patients more?
Absolutely not.
She was a project player intentionally developed in Russia.
In the era of great upheaval, where powerful players equaled national strength, there weren’t many choices for a declining nation.
Thus, Russia and a few other countries dedicated themselves to training project players, and Isabella was the ultimate Healer born from that process.
Her choices contained no real sincerity.
Only a relentless performance crafted to appear genuine.
‘Well, it was possible for her because she was ex-KGB, after all.’
To deceive the system, it was essential to focus on outward appearances above all else.
The system only judged based on what it could see.
For this reason, many members of Russia’s player development project were former soldiers.
Russia was one of the few nations that strongly encouraged self-suggestion among its troops.
In this context, Isabella, once an agent of Russia’s top intelligence agency, the KGB, had demonstrated extraordinary skills, even though she had suddenly awakened as a player and joined the project.
‘While the Spetsnaz might excel in combat ability, the KGB had a significant edge in acting and self-hypnosis, critical for espionage.’
That was how she could wield bandages until the very end within the Battlefield of Beasts.
Suho raised his head to survey his surroundings.
On one side, he could see the beasts breaching the barrier, with people fighting valiantly to repel them with their weapons.
On the other side, there were people writhing in pain, tending to the wounded with medicine and bandages.
As time passed, the bodies would pile up into mountains, and the blood would flow like rivers.
Yet Suho didn’t hesitate.
He had already planned his approach to the singularity when he decided to become a Healer.
Suho picked up a nearby sword.
[The system is observing your actions.]
As he grasped the sword, a notification appeared.
The system was telling him to be cautious, as it was watching.
However, Suho’s decision was already made.
“Please… please save me…!”
The moment Suho picked up the sword, a wounded man closest to him clutched at his pant leg, begging for his life.
The man was a severe case, with most of his lower body torn apart by a beast.
In this blood-drenched battlefield, there was no way to treat such wounds with mere healing potions or bandages.
Yet his will to live was stronger than anyone else’s.
Suho understood this well.
That was why he had picked up the sword.
With the sword in hand, Suho struck down the man pleading for his life.
Swish!
The blade sliced cleanly.
The man, who had been crying for help, went limp and collapsed to the ground.