Caleb looked down at Millie, her face nearly drained of color, and asked in alarm,

"What on earth happened?!"

"…I'll explain everything later. What matters now is that she gets treated. She's in far more danger than it seems."

"Understood!"

Thankfully, Caleb was a familiar face around here.

Just seeing him speak to Jhin seemed to put the crowd on edge at ease.

The wary tension that surrounded Jhin since his arrival began to lift, if only slightly.

Some had already begun piecing things together.

The rumor of "two Kyles" heading to challenge a C-rank dungeon had long spread through Ark. There wasn't a single player who didn't know of it by now.

And as the medical staff rushed over to examine Millie, their faces turned grim.

"…We need to move her to a stretcher immediately. Her condition is critical."

But the moment they glanced at Rocket, their hands froze.

Frightened by the giant lizard, they hesitated to remove her from its back.

Seeing that, Jhin issued a quiet command.

"Go inside, both of you."

['Rocket' nods and begins searching for a place to lie down.]

['Lykan' nods with an unhappy expression.]

In an instant, the two monsters vanished into the air above Jhin's head—absorbed by the Goblin Mask.

As his Hundred Ghosts, they could be recalled into it at any time.

Just then, Kimmy tugged gently at Jhin's sleeve with its teeth and looked up.

What? You want to go inside the mask too?

Jhin shook his head.

"You… just stay still."

['Kimmy' droops its tail.]

With the monsters gone, the medical staff finally felt safe enough to approach.

"Cardiac arrest?"

"No, but her pulse is dangerously weak. It's a miracle she's still alive."

"Let's get her in for a CT scan."

"But the CT room's packed… what do we do?"

"What do we do?! We make it work, that's what!"

They gently moved her onto a white sheet, then began pushing the stretcher through the crowded corridors of the hospital.

People parted before them like the Red Sea.

The moment anyone saw her state, they stepped aside without hesitation.

"Make way! Emergency patient!"

"Please! We need room!"

But the hospital was absolutely flooded with patients.

Their movement soon came to a standstill.

The CT room had a line—dozens waiting ahead of her.

And that's when it happened.

Lutz, who had been administering her treatment nonstop all the way from Swansea, suddenly collapsed to the floor.

"W-wait, hey?!"

"Sir! Can you hear me?!"

Jhin looked down at him and used Spirit Sight.

'His power's completely depleted.'

Lutz had squeezed out every last bit of magical energy—like an overheated engine pushed too far.

Now unconscious, completely drained.

'…You did well.'

As medics rushed to take Lutz away, Jhin didn't take his eyes off Millie.

Lutz would be fine after some rest.

But Millie?

She was the problem now.

Lutz's specialized potion therapy was no longer an option.

She was out of time.

"Dammit! What's taking so long? I know it's busy, but how can the CT room still be this backed up?!"

"It's… there's a fight, apparently."

"What?"

"Someone's causing a scene. A player's mad that someone who arrived later is being treated first. He's starting a fight."

"…Unbelievable."

The doctor clenched his fists but looked helpless.

He was just a civilian.

What could he do against a rampaging player?

And apparently, this one wasn't low-level either.

Even the hospital's own security had been forced to step back.

Jhin's expression turned cold.

He began pushing through the crowd.

"You useless worms… What makes you think your injuries matter more than mine?"

"Sir, please! This behavior is unacceptable—"

"Move, unless you want to die. All of you."

The injured person wasn't even the one making the scene—it was his bodyguard, or perhaps his subordinate.

The real patient sat behind him in a wheelchair, unmoving.

Jhin narrowed his eyes.

Of course. Another shutdown bonus recipient.

Someone who'd holed up somewhere during the Lizardman raid and reemerged now.

'Figures…'

He tried to rein in his irritation and move forward.

He couldn't afford to waste any more time.

But then—

Before he could take another step, someone else cut through the crowd even faster.

"Tch. What a circus."

The voice was casual, but carried weight.

It belonged to a girl Jhinimmediately recognized.

The troublemaker scoffed, swinging his blade with menace as she approached.

"Scram, kid. This ain't your business."

"Bullshit."

"…What did you just say?"

Her tone was crude.

The player's face turned red with anger, blade trembling in his grip.

For a moment, it looked like he might actually attack.

Jhin stopped moving.

He didn't need to get involved anymore.

From behind him, Caleb watched curiously and asked,

"…You're not stepping in?"

"No.

But it'll be over soon."

"What do you mean?"

"Because she's here."

Right then—

A sudden ripple of magic pulsed through the air.

It was faint. Silent.

But powerful.

So sharp and clean that it could only belong to someone at the top.

Jhin turned away with a quiet breath.

"Let's go."

"Ah… yes, of course…"

When they reached the scene, the tension was gone.

The ruckus had vanished.

In its place—

A dead silence.

A chilling cold.

No, not just metaphorical.

It was actually frozen.

The arrogant player.

The patient in the wheelchair.

Both were encased in ice.

Approaching them was the girl who had cast the spell.

She sighed, looking more bored than angry.

"What a mess."

"…Bellatris."

"Get her into surgery. I'll open a room myself. We can talk later—right now, let's focus on keeping Clarke alive."

"Right."

And with that—

After all the chaos and delays—

Millie was finally moved into the operating room.

In Surgery

The words flashed on a square display above the operating room.

He'd seen that screen once before.

He must've been ten years old.

Back when a nameless truck driver, nodding off behind the wheel during a night shift, overturned his parents' car.

Both of them died on the spot.

Back then too—he sat staring at a screen just like this, unable to say a word as the doctors wheeled their bodies into surgery.

"..."

[Activating skill: 'Composure (S)']

Jhin pressed firmly against his brow, forcing his spiraling mind to quiet down.

There were footsteps approaching.

"You've been through a lot."

It was Bellatris.

She slumped into the seat beside him and handed over a cheap 200-won vending machine coffee.

"I heard from Captain Adonis. The Company showed up there too?"

"…Yeah. They tried to destroy the NPC village."

"How do they always powerge to side with the monsters, even now that this isn't a game anymore? It's eerie how consistent they are."

"Tell me about it."

Bellatris suddenly looked over and made a face.

"You're being weird. Talk comfortably. That's not like you."

"…Should I?"

Jhin agreed without hesitation.

It felt awkward face-to-face like this, but in-game, they always spoke informally to each other.

Nothing had changed, really.

He took a sip from the cup she handed him.

He expected it to be sweet—

But the bitterness punched him first.

"Black coffee?"

"Should've picked a sugar one, huh?"

"It's fine. Thanks."

He usually preferred sweeter drinks, but today, bitterness suited him.

If he had alcohol, that would've been better.

But since he didn't, this would have to do.

Swirling the coffee in his mouth, Jhin asked,

"…They're saying Dungeon Disease is spreading?"

"Yeah. It's a mess right now."

The very same illness that had swallowed Stoneveil city Station whole in Exodia.

A cursed affliction—unique to the Exodia—capable of turning people, even NPCs, into monsters.

And now, it had surfaced in Ark.

And even more chilling—

Grid had appeared.

Most of the patients flooding New Capital Hospital were victims of the Grid.

Jhin asked,

"Did a Field of Death pop up nearby or something?"

"…Not likely."

"Why not?"

"The infection pattern doesn't match."

What did that mean?

Bellatris took a long gulp of her hot coffee as though it were beer, then wiped her mouth.

"Most of the people in District 3 are showing early symptoms of Dungeon Disease. But it's not acting like a dungeon's influence."

That made Jhin's brow furrow.

He understood exactly what she meant.

'If it were caused by a Field of Death, there's no way it would only trigger early-stage symptoms across a broad population like this.'

The Field of Death was essentially a kind of dungeon.

When it broke, it spread a viral spore cloud.

The strength of the spores—their toxicity and spread—depended on dungeon rank.

E-rank, D-rank, C-rank… each tier released a different class of spores.

'For an area like all of District 3 to be infected…'

That would take at least a C-rank Field.

But that didn't match what he'd heard.

The only confirmed aggressors so far were second-stage Grid.

If this had been a C-rank outbreak, there should've been Triggers, Extenders, or worse.

That meant—

This wasn't natural.

And Bellatris had come to the same conclusion.

She clicked her tongue in frustration and said, voice tense with restrained anger:

"This was a deliberate biochemical attack. Someone intentionally released the virus."

And Jhin knew exactly what kind of group would pull something like that.

If it was him—

The one who had summoned a Trigger back at Stoneveil city Station, the one who massacred the survivor camp—

Then this was more than possible.

'…Revenge?'

Or maybe he had a different purpose altogether.

All of Ark's strongest players were away, raiding the C-rank dungeon.

There couldn't be a better time to unleash Dungeon Disease.

Jhin narrowed his eyes and asked,

"So, what do you need?"

"Oh, how cold. You make it sound like I only show up when I want something."

"Don't you?"

"Well, you're not wrong."

In truth, they hadn't met often in person.

But Jhin could tell: Bellatris in reality was exactly like her in-game persona.

Rational. Sharp.

Rarely emotional.

She wasn't the type to empathize with others easily.

Even now, though she'd brought him coffee, she hadn't once looked him in the eye.

Everything about her actions was calculated.

She shrugged at his direct question and offered her real motive without hesitation.

"There's something I need help with. This one… I don't think I can handle alone."

Jhin continued to stare at the screen.

Still flashing:

[In Surgery]

Sitting here wouldn't change the outcome of Millie's operation.

All he could do was wait.

"Alright. But in exchange, make sure Millie survives."

"Don't worry about that. Worst-case, I'll use my Potion of Resurrection."

"…You have one?"

"Just one. So stop worrying and focus on helping me."

A short while later, Jhin stepped out of the hospital and headed into the alleys of District 3.

"We first found Grid inside the church. We were hunting a Demon, but we got something much worse."

Caleb and Evan served as guides.

Beyond just being Jhin's acquaintances, they were the ones who'd first discovered and defeated the Grid.

"The Grid turned out to be a local civilian from District 3. Name's Nevil.

From what we gathered, he was the kind of guy who'd give you his last bite of food—always helped his neighbors."

They walked through the narrow alleys.

Eventually, a dilapidated church came into view, radiating gloom from every broken brick.

Its shattered spire and crumbling cross were stark reminders of the world's ongoing collapse.

Caleb came to a stop in front of the church, its walls scarred with traces of violent combat.

A police line had been set up, preventing residents from approaching.

Looking at the scene with weary eyes, he murmured: "Nevil's arms had grown abnormally long. We believe his desire was… to hold onto something."