Jeong-min and the muscleman opened the main gate of Shelter [Daesung] and entered.
Inside, there was another massive door.
A pair of men and women, standing as if guarding the door, greeted the muscleman.
The muscleman returned the greeting and said something quietly, and the men and women opened the massive door and stepped aside. The muscleman looked at Jeong-min and said, "Follow me. Put it in the black inventory or something."
The two began to walk.
Jeong-min was admiring the completely different appearance of the shelter compared to when he had come a month ago.
As they entered through the door, people began to appear one by one.
They must be the awakened ones who had moved into the shelter and their families.
The muscleman walked ahead without a word and stopped in front of the stairs leading to the second floor.
"I'm... Nam Seong-dong. I'm the leader of the 1st team of the awakened combat unit of Shelter [Daesung]."
Jeong-min, looking at Seong-dong's back as he spoke without turning around, said,
"... I'm Choi Jeong-min."
"Team Leader of the 6th team..."
Seong-dong barely seemed to hear Jeong-min's name and immediately continued,
"The Team Leader of the 6th team stood out from the first training session after moving in. The combination of skills was also good, and he basically had a talent for combat... He was a great talent."
Jeong-min was bothered by the fact that he was speaking in the past tense, but he silently listened to Seong-dong's words.
"He was unnecessarily kind, so he took care of this person and that person, and many people followed and liked him. In the end, despite the opposition of the HR Manager, he managed to snatch the position of Team Leader of the 6th team of the awakened combat unit."
Seong-dong started walking again.
He slowly climbed the stairs to the second floor, continuing to speak.
"The [Trial of God] started suddenly, but we had been training, and the monsters that came out of the gate were just goblins or something? They didn't seem that strong, and we were defending well without much difficulty. It wasn't like there were no casualties..."
When they reached the second floor, they saw a passage that led to the next building.
An arrow pointing inside the passage and the word 'Hospital Ward' caught his eye.
"The Team Leader of the 6th team... to put it nicely, he was too kind... Even in the middle of a battle, if he saw someone in danger, he would rush to save them... I even owe him my life once..."
"....."
"Last night... monsters attacked again from the monster gate in front of the shelter's main gate, and it seemed like they came with a purpose, sending a unit that included a large number of goblin champions."
'... Goblin champions...!'
As he walked while listening to Seong-dong's story, he arrived at the hospital ward building.
There were windows on both sides of the passage through which the hospital rooms could be seen, and patients lying in beds inside the windows.
He looked through the patients who were resting with large and small wounds, but Jun-ki was not to be seen.
Seong-dong continued to speak.
"A strong enemy came, but well, everyone was fighting well. However... some of the members of the 6th team were surrounded by those three goblin champions and were in danger of dying... Well, the next story is obvious, the Team Leader of the 6th team went to save his team members and fought with the three goblin champions..."
Jeong-min's heart began to beat faster.
Nam Seong-dong stopped walking, turned around, and looked at Jeong-min.
"... He probably isn't dead yet... maybe... I heard he's in pretty bad shape... but I owed him my life, so I thought I should let him say a final goodbye to his friend, so I brought you into the shelter... I went to quite a bit of trouble, so don't make a fuss and quietly say your final goodbye and leave."
After speaking, Seong-dong raised his hand and pointed to one side.
He saw a hospital ward with the words 'Intensive Care Unit' written on it, and many people were gathered in front of it.
People were looking at the intensive care unit with stiff expressions. Among them were women who were sobbing.
Seong-dong scolded them,
"What are you crying about like you did something good! Do you think your Team Leader will come back alive if you're like this! Tsk..."
As Seong-dong clicked his tongue, the atmosphere of the people became even more subdued.
At that moment, the door of the intensive care unit opened, and a man with a somewhat sly impression walked out.
The man, wearing rimless glasses and a navy suit, looked around and said,
"Why is it so noisy in front of the hospital room? And why is the 1st Team Leader here..."
"How is the 6th Team Leader?"
The man in the suit shrugged and said.
"Well, it seems like it will be difficult. The wounds are too deep for the healing skills to work. The doctor also said it's impossible..."
After speaking to Seong-dong in a nonchalant voice, the man sighed softly and muttered,
"... I invested so much in him, and he's falling out so early... What a loss, what a loss. Why did he have to do something unnecessary... tsk."
The people around him who heard the muttering glared at the man with bloodshot eyes.
Seong-dong raised his hand to stop them and said,
"What a way to talk... tsk... Well, anyway. Let's go in for a bit. I have a friend here who is friends with the 6th Team Leader. I should let them say a final goodbye."
Only then did the man find Jeong-min.
The man's brow furrowed severely, and he immediately snapped at Seongdong.
"Are you bringing outsiders into the shelter now?"
"If he's in, he's an insider."
"What nonsense are you talking about? Do you think the shelter is a child's play?"
"Okay, okay, I get it, so let's go in for a bit. Punish me if you don't like it."
"1st Team Leader!"
While the two were bickering, the door of the intensive care unit opened slightly, and a woman came out.
The woman saw Jeong-min and exclaimed with a delighted expression.
"Jeong-min oppa!!"
It was Jun-ki's younger sister, Jun-hee.
Jun-hee ran to Jeong-min with a happy face and grabbed Jeong-min's hands.
"You came to see oppa! You came at the right time... Let's go in quickly."
Seeing Jun-hee speaking with tears welling up in her eyes, Jeong-min's heart ached.
Jun-hee took Jeong-min's hand and entered the intensive care unit, and the man in the suit, seeing this, clicked his tongue and said to Seong-dong.
"... I won't just let this go."
Seong-dong said nonchalantly.
"Do as you please."
The man glared at Seong-dong for a moment, clicked his tongue once, and followed Jeong-min and Jun-hee back into the intensive care unit.
As Jeong-min entered the intensive care unit with Jun-hee, the middle-aged couple who were sitting next to the bed stood up and greeted Jeong-min.
Jun-ki's mother hugged Jeong-min and burst into tears.
"Oh, Jeong-min-ah. What are we going to do with our Jun-ki? He can't open his eyes. What are we really going to do with our Jun-ki?"
"... Don't worry, mother. Jun-ki will wake up."
Jeong-min hugged Jun-ki's mother and patted her on the back, then looked at Jun-ki lying in bed.
Jun-ki's condition looked very serious.
Half of his face was covered in bandages and could not be seen, and his whole body was also wrapped in bandages.
His breathing was also very rough.
Jun-hee sobbed and said to Jeong-min.
"... All the bones in his body are crushed... Bones are bones... but more than anything... the wound on his head is too big..."
From behind Jeong-min, Jun-ki's mother sobbed, "Hic."
Jeong-min took out a high-grade potion from his inventory and said to the doctor standing next to the bed.
"Um... I have a medicine that I can try..."
The doctor looked at the potion that Jeong-min had taken out and said.
"Huh? Isn't that a potion?"
"... Do you know about potions?"
The doctor sighed softly, and the man in the suit approached Jeong-min and said.
"... It seems you have a potion manufacturing skill. It's a very useful skill... but it's useless. We've already used a potion that we brought in from another shelter... a very expensive potion. We even used healing skills along with it. But as you can see... it didn't have much effect. The wound must be too big."
The man's face was full of regret for the potion that had been used.
Jeong-min said quietly.
".... This potion will be different."
The man in the suit blocked Jeong-min's path and said.
"I'm telling you it's useless. I told you we've already tried everything. Don't waste a precious potion for nothing and how about you hand it over to us? I heard it's not easy to make one bottle of that... I'm willing to buy all the quantity you have under good conditions.
No, if you don't have an affiliation, how about moving into our shelter? We don't have an awakened one with potion manufacturing skills in our shelter. I'll guarantee you a good treatment."
Jeong-min glared at the man in the suit who was speaking obsequiously.
Even Jun-ki's family glared at the man, and the man shrugged and spoke as if he was embarrassed.
"This... this isn't something to bring up in a place like this. I often hear that I'm not perceptive... I'll talk about moving in later..."
Jeong-min had no intention of listening to the man's story any further, so he immediately used Spatial Movement.
Jeong-min's figure appeared across from the bed, and Jeong-min immediately opened the potion and began to sprinkle it on Jun-ki.
He concentrated on sprinkling the potion on his head and then evenly sprinkled and applied the potion all over his body.
One bottle of high-grade potion quickly ran out, and Jeong-min took out another high-grade potion and began to pour it into Jun-ki's mouth.
Until Jeong-min, who had disappeared in an instant, appeared on the opposite side of Jun-ki's bed and sprinkled the potion, the man in the suit and Jun-ki's family were just staring blankly.
When Jeong-min took out a new potion and began to pour it into Jun-ki's mouth, the man in the suit, who had finally come to his senses, shouted angrily.
"What are you doing! Didn't I say that all the treatments have been done! Don't waste a precious potion for nothing..."
The man in the suit, who was shouting, was surprised and closed his mouth.
This was because the wounded area was bubbling and boiling with a hissing sound from Jun-ki's body where the potion had been sprinkled.
Jun-hee, who was watching the situation in surprise, said.
"... When we used the potion earlier... it wasn't like this..."
The bubbles that were boiling from Jun-ki's body quickly disappeared.
And
".... Mom.."
Jun-ki opened his eyes.
Jun-ki's mother was surprised and burst into tears.
"Ju, Jun-ki! Yes, it's mom, it's mom! Do you recognize mom?"
Jun-ki smiled faintly and then closed his eyes again and made even breathing sounds.
"Jun-ki! Jun-ki!"
When Jun-ki's mother tried to shake Jun-ki, the doctor quickly approached and stopped Jun-ki's mother and examined Jun-ki.
He examined Jun-ki's whole body in every corner, even turning his eyelids over to check, and then said to Jun-ki's mother.
".... It seems like he just fell asleep. How can this... I'll have to do another examination."
The doctor said he had to prepare and left the hospital room.
Jun-ki's family hugged Jeong-min and burst into tears.
"Oh, Jeong-min-ah. You... you saved our Jun-ki! You saved our Jun-ki!"
Jeong-min comforted Jun-ki's mother and said.
"Jun-ki will be fine now. You don't have to worry too much. When he wakes up later, tell him to take care of his own body before anyone else's."
After comforting Jun-ki's family and saying goodbye, Jeong-min looked at the man in the suit.
The man was very surprised with his mouth open.
Jeong-min stared at the man blankly for a moment and then left the hospital room.
The members of the 6th team and the 1st Team Leader Nam Seong-dong, who were waiting outside the hospital room, were flustered by the commotion they heard from inside and the sight of the doctor who suddenly ran out and disappeared somewhere.
Jeong-min bowed to Nam Seong-dong and said.
"Thank you for letting me in. Thanks to you, I was able to treat Jun-ki."
Seong-dong, who heard Jeong-min's words, was surprised and said.
".... You treated him? The 6th Team Leader?"
"Yes, he's sleeping now... and he'll wake up soon. Please take good care of that guy in the future. As you know, he's unnecessarily kind, so he does things without thinking."
"Uh... that..."
Jeong-min left the surprised Seong-dong behind and bowed to the members of the 6th team and said.
"... Please take good care of him as well."
The members of the 6th team were flustered and bowed to Jeong-min.
"Then I'll be going now..."
Nam Seong-dong, who was staring blankly at Jeong-min walking away, quickly ran to Jeong-min and said.
"Hey! You have to go together. You have to go with me to pass through the door."
"Ah, that's right. Please."Jeong-min started walking with Seong-dong but soon had to stop.
A man in a suit who had followed them suddenly blocked their path.
Seong-dong spoke to the man in an unpleasant tone.
"... What is it?"
The man smiled wryly and said to Seong-dong.
"Ah, I don't have any business with the 1st Team Leader.. I'm here to talk with this person."
The man smiled brightly and extended his hand to Jeong-min.
"Hello. Let me introduce myself properly. I'm Gwak Jo-won, the HR Manager of Shelter [Daesung]."
Jeong-min stared at Jo-won's hand for a moment before shaking it and saying.
".... I'm Choi Jeong-min."
Jo-won smiled and said.
"I apologize for the rudeness earlier. I tend to be a bit insensitive, so I often end up being disliked."
Jeong-min heard Seong-dong let out a small snort.
Jo-won continued, undeterred.
"I was very impressed by what just happened with the potion. If you don't mind, could we go to my office and have a brief chat?"
Seong-dong interrupted Jo-won's words.
"If you have something to say, say it here. Here. Why are you trying to take a busy person away for some supposedly important talk..."
Jo-won's brow twitched slightly.
".... 1st Team Leader? Weren't you on guard duty? Shouldn't you be returning to your post?"
"I was returning until you stopped us. I want to get back quickly too, you know?"
As the two men bickered, Jeong-min stepped in and said to Jo-won.
"If you have something to say, let's talk here."
Jo-won glared briefly at Nam Seong-dong before turning to Jeong-min.
".... Would you perhaps be interested in moving into Shelter [Daesung]? I heard from the 6th Team Leader's brother that you don't seem to be affiliated with any group."
"Not interested. Now, if you'll excuse me."
Jeong-min turned abruptly and started walking away. Seong-dong grinned and said to Jo-won.
"Oh my, since our HR Manager here says I need to hurry back to guard duty, I'd better get going. Well then, goodbye."
Seong-dong raised his hand to his forehead in a mocking salute, then turned around and followed Jeong-min.
Jo-won glared silently at the retreating figures of Jeong-min and Seong-dong, then took out his smartphone and made a call.
"It's me. The 1st Team Leader and a man will be leaving through the main gate of the shelter soon. Tail that man and investigate him. Find out if he belongs to any organization. Where he's based, where he operates, everything."
After hanging up, Jo-won watched Jeong-min's disappearing figure with a sinister smile.