"Well then, I''ll be back. I need Maria to activate my King''s Eye."


    "No need. I''ll deal with the monsters. Stop the doctors," Alpha ordered.


    "Alright."


    I obediently complied because I was tired of getting hospitalized. I didn''t know when I might get humanity''s ability from the Demiurge, so I didn''t want to fall behind if we got it while I was in a coma.


    I ignored the monsters in my path, which Alpha had no problem clearing for me. They didn''t seem to be strengthened by whatever made them turn out like this. It appeared to be more of a mental effect and a nasty appearance to go with it.


    After confirming their bite was weaker than their bark, I managed to handle any monsters in my path that Alpha was too occupied to take care of. Since they were ordinary tourists in terms of strength, they weren''t above what I could handle with my curse.


    The only thing I find strange other than their appearance is their behavior. As I thought, it seems to be affecting their state of mind only. But...


    "[The Zone!]"


    That means It''d be more embarrassing if I die at the hands of these weaklings!


    With my eyes constantly open, I didn''t miss a split-second of movement from the enemies in both my peripheral and central vision. Five were jumping at me. Two from the front, two at my left, and one at my right.


    If I stop, I can delay the attack from the two upfront. One of the two from the left is the closest, but I won''t be able to take both of them at once. If I take the one on the right, I''ll be able to clear a direction and delay the attack of the one closest to me by my left.


    I gripped tightly on the hilt of my sword before side-dashing to my right. I then thrust my sword in the chest of the foe to my right, piercing its heart.


    Fragile, like an ordinary person. So, there really is no change to their strength. Now then...


    I swiftly pulled out my sword from the monster''s body and grabbed it.


    The two from the left are closer than those up front.


    I threw the corpse at the monster closest to me from the left. While the monster was distracted by the corpse that clashed with it, I used the opportunity to kill the one beside it. After it pushed away the corpse, I decapitated it from the opening it created.


    Now then, all that''s left are those two up front.


    They were still charging at me fearlessly.


    So, that didn''t demoralize them, huh? That confirms it. Whatever they are drugged with makes them irrational and... malevolent.


    "That makes things so much easier~" I muttered with a sly grin.


    With their irrationality, their course of action was easier to assess and predict. Despite there being two of them, I decapitated one while focusing on the incoming attack from the other. It was easy with my constant information from my peripheral vision and its simplistic, straightforward attack.


    At least their weaknesses are the same as when they were ordinary.


    I parried the incoming attack and then countered by decapitating it. After finishing them, two jumped me from behind, but they were swiftly killed by Alpha.


    "You didn''t need to do that." I looked back, annoyed at her interference.


    "I''m not doing it for you. Catch those fools already. Killing these monsters isn''t your task."


    "Yeah, yeah, I got it." I half-heartedly responded.


    Well, fighting these brainless dogs doesn''t excite me anyway.


    With their movements being simple and predictable, it was easy to dodge them. Furthermore, with Alpha cutting down their numbers, I didn''t need to worry about being besieged.


    Considering the size of the room, it didn''t take long before I entered the room the doctors ran in.


    "Foolishboy!" One of the doctors said in a foreign language.


    Seeing how far they were from me, I took the opportunity to give my eyes a rest before they bled, or worse... suffered from temporary blindness. I closed my eyes, focusing on my other senses.


    Just then, I heard a lever being pulled, followed by a loud thud behind me. I immediately opened my eyes to look at the source of the sound. The door was shut closed.


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    It''s locked, isn''t it?


    I pulled the door handle down, proving my guess right.


    I don''t have any external sources of power strengthening me right now. It''s impossible to break this down. Well, I''m sure that bitch will deal with it somehow. I just have to take care of the business in front of me.


    "Now then..." I approached the doctors.


    Feeling threatened, they used their last resort. Three out of the ten took out a syringe from their pocket, injecting themselves with it.


    "AHHH!" The three of them screamed, burying their face in their palms. On the other hand, the rest increased their distance, ensuring that they didn''t become a potential target.


    Don''t tell me that they''re going to turn into monsters.


    Wary of their unusual behavior, I raised my guard. I pointed my blade while slowly approaching them. The moment I saw their body changing, I leaped to them.


    Before they finish!


    However, my blade struck a sane doctor. He jumped in the way. With my blade deep in him, he knew that I could easily pull it out, so he grabbed on the sharp edges tightly.


    Fuck. I don''t have time for this!


    Against the grip strength of an adult, I struggled to pull my blade out of his hold.


    "Let...go!"


    I couldn''t afford to use The Zone again. Without it, it would be tricky fighting three monsters.


    Fuck...


    After a few seconds, the doctor died.


    Good thing I struck a vital, but...


    I then neatly pulled my blade out of him. The man fell, putting the three roaring monsters in sight.


    It''s too late now. All I can do is make sure that they don''t leave my line of sight.


    I jumped a few steps back to fit them all in my line of sight while provoking them to make the first move. Thanks to their irrationality, they didn''t think twice about it. Like mindless animals, they charged at me. They didn''t have any claws, but they were adults, so I was still prone to their fists and whatnot.


    But even a mindless adult can lose to an experienced teenager.


    I didn''t have any experience in hand-to-hand combat, but I was experienced in using blades. Compared to the blades I used, a sword was longer, but despite the foreign length, it did more good than bad because I had the advantage in range. I ran to them, responding to their malice.


    What would mindless animals use to catch their prey? The longest thing they can! This is a risky plan, but the thrill will be worth it.


    When I was in arm''s reach, they all extended theirs with no plan. I came to a sudden stop to deliver the momentum to my upcoming move. I then immediately bent just enough for their incoming reach to graze the tips of my hair. I grabbed my sword''s hilt with both hands, directing the pommel to them, and the blade behind me.


    Not yet. Come closer.


    With their hands inches over my head, I spun 360°. During the 180° rotation, I straightened my knees and threw a wide heavy horizontal slash from below, severing their arms. After which, I retracted to my bending position as I continued my rotation. At 360°, I completely bent my knees again, and the horizontal slash continued, severing their legs.


    Wait, wouldn''t that make it a 360° slash?


    After losing their bite, they dropped to the ground, left with nothing but their bark.


    "Whoa-" I almost lost my balance.


    I then stood up to deal the finishing blow to all of them.


    Out of all the methods I had, I chose the weirdest, huh?


    "Now then..." I coldly glared at the six remaining. "Are you going to choose the monster route as well?"


    While five of them panicked, there was one who noticeably didn''t. I dashed to them to ensure they didn''t have time to drug themselves.


    "For the sake of the alien nation''s prosperity! For the Dark Plague Doctor!" He chanted nonstop.


    He can speak English? Also, who''s this Dark Plague Doctor that he''s talking about?


    He then slammed his fist against a red button. The vents high above opened up, exuding green-colored gas. It began filling the room. I stopped in my tracks, assessing the situation unfolding above me.


    Not good.


    I didn''t know whether whatever he released from the vents was lethal or not, but I wasn''t going to take chances. Not to mention that there wasn''t a limit to the dose, so my life would''ve been at risk nevertheless. I inhaled as much air as I could before the gas lowered to my height. I then held my breath.


    "FOR THE DARK PLAGUE DOCTOR! FOR THE DARK PLAGUE DOCTOR! FOR THE DARK PLAGUE DOCTOR!" They kept chanting together.


    It didn''t take long before they inhaled the gas. Thirty seconds after inhaling the gas, their skin turned purple, and they began coughing violently. Twenty seconds later, they started vomiting blood. After ten seconds of vomiting, they dropped to the ground. I approached the first victim, trying to find a sign of life, but all I felt was the coldness and emptiness of death.


    Lethal poison, huh? It''s a very lethal one at that. To think they''d die so quickly. I need to escape, but how?


    I looked around, but the more the gas occupied the room, the harder it was to see anything. I couldn''t escape from the vents either because they were too high. Well, it was too late anyway. Not long after, my vision became hazy.


    Shit, I''m getting light-headed too.


    I heard Maria and Alpha screaming and banging on the door.


    Even they can''t break that door down? Then...


    With the last bit of sight I had left, I glanced around at all of the doctors who died from the poisonous gas.


    Am I going to die too?


    I dropped down to my knees and then looked up. I tugged a smile at the thought of death. Maria told me not to be reckless and wager my life, but that didn''t apply to a scenario like this where my death was inevitable.


    With pleasure.


    As dim and hazy as my sight was, I could still spot a distinguishable figure falling from above. Strange enough, my angel was clad in darkness.


    So, I''m going to hell, huh?


    A black uniform, a black mask, red eyes, and silver hair. The devil that came to pick me up was rather stylish, ''ey?


    Wait... that description... Dr. Stein?


    The man landed in front of me. The poisonous gas did not affect him.


    I have a feeling this happened a few chapters ago.


    "To think that there is such a place connecting to the hospital adjacent to mine," he nonchalantly mused. He then looked around before his gaze finally met mine. His cold gaze assessed my miserable state in disappointment and maybe a bit of concern. "You again? You must''ve been your town''s doctor''s favorite patient," he jested, picking me up.


    Fuck... so it''s not him? Well... back to square one...


    From the relief or perhaps disappointment, I lost consciousness. No, it was from my own weakness.


    I can see why everyone calls him the miracle doctor. This is the second time he saved me.