The Returnee Wants to Live Comfortably

Infinite Hell

If you were one of Korea's four great guilds, it was only natural to possess at least one exclusive medical facility.

Just look at how the Hwasan guild openly took control of an entire university hospital for its own use—the answer was clear.

Especially when the guildmaster specialized in medicine, such facilities shone even more.

The Poison guild, led by a brilliant-minded guildmaster, had ruled over a medical facility that surpassed the size of a university hospital long ago.

This massive medical complex stood a bit east of Seoul. Poison Hospital was a place where people who contracted mysterious illnesses while fighting inside gates often gathered.

However, compared to the past, the number of people at such a large hospital had dwindled significantly of late.

"I never imagined the situation at the hospital would get this bad."

"It's not just this hospital, hyung. Demand for other facilities managed by our guild has crashed all at once."

Two men in white coats walked through the hospital lobby.

At a glance, they looked like ordinary doctors working at the hospital, but they were surrounded by numerous hunters.

These two were none other than Kang Ray, leader of the Poison guild, and his younger brother, the vice-guildmaster Kang Jun.

"This must be because of that Golden Gate crisis, right? Damn it!"

"And to think the failure of that plan would cause this...!"

The Golden Gate Rampage incident had once shocked not only Korea but also hunter communities across the world.

When the rampaging gate was subdued in a single day, the entire world's attention was focused.

No one knew exactly how it happened so quickly, but it was obvious the culprit behind the rampage would become a target of public outrage.

Once it was testified that Poison guild orchestrated the gate's rampage, global scorn was inevitable.

"I still don't understand what the hell happened with that incident."

As agents of Holy Church, they had plotted to relocate people from Mewzealand here through the rampaging gate.

They planned it meticulously to guarantee success, but never expected the rampage would be quelled within just one day.

Was there something unknown about the rampaging gate? At any rate, the plan failed spectacularly, and on top of that, they lost valuable forces dedicated to the operation.

"I'm bothered by what happened then, too... but I think we need to set it aside for now, hyung."

"... Yeah."

With Kang Jun's words, Kang Ray let out a heavy sigh. The two rode the elevator up to the VIP patient rooms on the top floor.

As the highest floor, these rooms were incomparably cleaner than any others. Most of all, since the most important patient was hospitalized these days, clear traces of careful maintenance were everywhere.

Walking down the corridor with gloomy expressions, Kang Ray and Kang Jun opened the door to a patient's room.

[Kang Minji (43), patient]

Inside, a middle-aged woman lay on the bed with her eyes open. Beside her, her son, a young man in his twenties, sobbed uncontrollably.

"Ah... you're here?"

Watching over his mother, Kwon Yongjun looked up at the two as they entered.

"How is your mother doing?"

"Well... she just won't wake up...!"

As Kwon Yongjun sniffled and answered, Kang Ray's face grew even grimmer.

No matter what anyone said, the woman lying there was his own daughter.

That his precious daughter lay with charred black arms and legs, eyes open but unfocused, in a coma—he had no words for the pain that tore at his heart.

Seeing Kwon Yongjun weeping was sad, but Kang Ray felt the same pain.

"It's already been a week. But instead of getting better, there's no sign of any recovery at all!"

"..."

"Grandfather, did Mom really get all the treatment she needs?"

At that sad question, Kang Ray silently nodded. From the moment she was hospitalized, everything possible had been tried.

Multiple surgeries had been performed in hopes of restoring at least her mind, but all efforts were futile.

"Minji has become incapable of ever recovering her magic power. On top of that, all the magic power in her body has disappeared, and even her blood circulation is paralyzed."

"Then, does that mean..."

"Yes..."

In short, she was in a vegetative state. No matter what method was attempted, reviving Kang Minji was impossible.

For now, all they could do was keep her alive with life-support machines.

"Who the hell did this...? Who the hell was it—!!"

Looking at his mother's ruined state once again, Kwon Yongjun roared in anger.

The moment he found the culprit, he looked ready to throw them into molten lava.

- It's that bastard... Yongjun...!

Though a vegetable, Kang Minji's mind was fully intact. But during the past seven days of surgery, no one realized that.

- Ma Seongjin... It was that bastard...!

Though Kang Minji desperately called out wordlessly, to others she was only a comatose patient.

"We launched a joint investigation with the Hwasan guild. From investigating the forest where your mother... our Minji, was found like this, we could deduce who did it."

"Who was it? Who?!"

Driven by vengeance, Kwon Yongjun jumped to his feet. Within, Kang Minji hoped desperately that Ma Seongjin's true face would finally be revealed.

"It was the work of Sura guild.

― What? Dad... what are you saying...?

Kang Minji's hope immediately turned to despair. Kang Jun, standing beside Kang Ray, continued the explanation.

"All around the forest where Minji collapsed, we found the corpses of Sura guild members and overwhelming traces of violently unleashed magic power from them."

― Uncle, what are you talking about? Sura guild was never even there!

"At the same time, we also found corpses of our Poison guild hunters who had gone out as backup. By all accounts, it appears our guild was wiped out in a fierce battle against Sura guild."

― No!! That's not it!!

It was far too strange. Not a hair of Sura guild hunters was in that forest.

The claims were utterly different from what she had experienced. Kang Minji raged inside, but no one understood her screams.

"And among the dead was our Hyunsoo."

Poison guild's S-rank hunter Kang Hyunsoo—the younger brother of Kang Hyun-seok, killed in the Golden Gate incident—had participated as well in this fight against Sura.

With both Hyun-seok and now Hyunsoo gone, there was no sadder day for Poison guild.

"A hunter strong enough to kill an S-rank like Hyunsoo... and someone capable of making Minji a magic power cripple."

"There's only one in Sura guild with that kind of power."

—Who is it?

To that urgent question, Kang Ray answered with a grim face.

"The Sura guild S-rank hunter called the 'Blood Pellet Destroyer'—Jin Rain."

"Right now, Minji's condition matches perfectly with the victims of that person."

"Jin Rain... Jin Rain... Jin Rain...!"

Hearing this, Kwon Yongjun repeatedly murmured Jin Rain's name like a chant.

It was clear he had established a definitive target for revenge. But for Kang Minji, seeing her son like that was heart-wrenching.

"According to our intel, that guy always stays by Sura's side in a suit."

"And otherwise?"

"We can't know anymore. Looks like Sura found out the identities of our spies. As soon as the fighting ended, every contact was cut off—as if all our spies were purged."

From that battlefield, they could find out nothing more of what happened to their spies.

Thanks to that, they didn't even know that they had been ordered by Kang Minji to kill Ma Seongjin.

Srrrk—

A soft sound came from the hospital door opening.

As Hwasan guildmaster Kwon Yongha entered, the expression of the previously furious Kwon Yongjun calmed.

"Father..."

"You're quite late, guildmaster Kwon Yongha."

"Ah... For that I apologize."

The sight of Kwon Yongha—arriving only after seven days to check on his wife—did not leave a good impression.

But it was understandable.

Cleaning up the aftermath of the recent battle had delayed him. At least he had come, so no one pressed him further.

"I'm truly sorry for being late. I failed you, Minji, as well."

"It's fine. An apology won't wake Minji up anyway."

"It's really that bad?"

"Haa..."

Kang Ray explained his daughter's condition directly to Kwon Yongha.

After hearing, Kwon Yongha's face darkened with a sadness that felt forced, as though he wore a mask.

Even one as devoid of emotion as Kwon Yongha could at least match the atmosphere.

"You all heard that, right? Then let's mourn together."

As Kwon Yongha spoke to the open doorway, two people who had been standing in the corridor entered.

"You... you!!"

On seeing Kwon Sang-ah and Ma Seongjin enter, Kwon Yongjun's face twisted in a grimace.

When Kang Ray and Kang Jun saw the two young friends, they grew curious, and Kwon Sang-ah spoke first.

"Hello, I'm Kwon Sang-ah, daughter of Guildmaster Kwon Yongha. It's nice to meet you."

"Daughter? Then you must be..."

With Sang-ah's honest introduction, the Poison guild executives realized that this was the daughter of Kwon Yongha, whose existence they'd only heard of.

"Hello, I'm her friend, Ma Seongjin. We came because we were worried about Minji ajumma."

The boy beside her also greeted them respectfully.

For Sang-ah it made sense, but they wondered whether it was necessary for Seongjin to be there.

Nonetheless, if he came out of concern, it was only right to be grateful.

"Hey, Kwon Sang-ah. And you, brat...! Who are you to come here and make a fuss?!"

But Kwon Yongjun alone lashed out at the two children.

Sang-ah had always been an object of his scorn, and Seongjin was unnerving by mere presence.

Of course, this was solely from Kwon Yongjun's perspective.

"Yongjun, enough! This is your mother's hospital room."

"But..."

"How can you talk like that to guests who were worried enough to visit?"

"..."

With the stinging rebuke of Kang Ray and Kang Jun, Kwon Yongjun was left speechless and deflated. Getting angry would only put him at a disadvantage.

"Umm... I have a request."

"What is it?"

"I want to be alone with Aunt Minji for a bit..."

"What?"

Aunt?

At the word escaping Sang-ah's lips, Kwon Yongjun boiled with rage.

She'd never been recognized as family, so what right did she have to call his mother that?

He wanted to protest, but in the current mood, he couldn't afford to make a fuss.

"Sang-ah was really upset when she heard what happened to Aunt Minji. After all, for Sang-ah, she's still family."

"That's true..."

Everyone nodded at Seongjin's words except for Yongjun.

"Then we'll step outside. Say anything you want to Minji."

"Thank you very much."

With everyone outside, Sang-ah put on her sweetest face and bowed her head.

Kwon Yongjun wore a disgruntled face, but he too had no choice but to leave. Thus only Sang-ah and Seongjin remained in the room.

"Dad, do you think those brats are up to something?"

"Don't worry, I told them not to do anything suspicious."

"They're talking, aren't they? But with the soundproof walls, you can't hear a thing!"

The patient room was well soundproofed for her comfort.

Still, with the glass on the door, anyone could see what they were doing.

If necessary, they could storm in and intervene at any time. But from the back, they couldn't see the kids' expressions.

.

.

- You... you bastards!!!

When everyone disappeared from the room, Kang Minji cried out in her mind.

Now, facing her, Sang-ah's face was filled not with innocence, but with contempt and fury.

Normally she would have crushed the girl the moment she saw that expression, but in this body, she could do nothing.

"Now that everyone's gone... I should at least cast a 'mute' skill, just in case."

Wearing a sly grin, Seongjin touched the wall and spread his magic power.

The room was enveloped in absolute silence. Seongjin glanced at the bed.

"No one ever talks about me, huh? Of course not. I manipulated the scene myself."

After the battle, Ma Seongjin—who had turned into a bat—had manipulated the scene before returning.

He dumped suffocating Sura guild hunters among the dead, then forcefully drew out and rampaged their magic power.

It looked as though a battle between Sura guild and others had occurred there.

"And do you think I made you like that just for fun? Conveniently, among the Sura guild hunters, there's a guy who can cripple an awakened person's magic power."

He had heard about it from Ah-rin before, a Sura guild S-rank hunter called the 'Blood Pellet Destroyer'—Jin Rain.

He'd used the very same method, so of course suspicions would fall on Jin Rain.

- Was it... was it you who did this...?

Tears welled up within Kang Minji as she confirmed the truth. She wanted to tell everything at once, but neither her mouth nor body would move.

At that moment, a red-haired girl with horns stood before her.

"How does it feel?"

With that single, simple line, a terrifying venom leaked from Sang-ah.

Now that she was the one crushed and powerless, Kang Minji struggled desperately in vain.

"I think I can guess what's on your mind. I can feel your helplessness burning from here."

- That girl doesn't know when to shut up!

"Seongjin told me. That your mind's fully intact, even though your body's like this."

"That's right."

Seongjin nodded, confirming it. Sang-ah sat in the chair next to the bed and continued.

"Your mind's clear, but you can't communicate with anyone? That must be torture."

- Shut up! You damned wench...!

"Too bad I won't get an answer, since you're stuck like that. Pity."

- Grr!

"So, there's just one thing I want to say to you right now."

Looking directly into Kang Minji's eyes, Sang-ah spoke.

"Just like you did to my mother, you can experience the same."

Her face bore no emotion. Not anger at her foe, nor pleasure at revenge. Just utter indifference.

To Kang Minji, looking into Sang-ah's eyes felt like staring down a giant dragon.

She knew then, her fate was sealed.

- Wait a second...

"For your information, killing Seongjin won't cure your symptoms. Not that he'd want to fix them anyway."

A body that would never move, with a mind left alert...

- Please, wait...!!!

Infinite Hell.

- Please! I apologize!!

Leaving not a single regret, Sang-ah and Seongjin exited the room.

- Please! Just kill me instead!!

Her desperate cries went unheard. Even if they did, they would never reach their hearts.