Chapter 195

### Chapter 195. Wandering Steps (3)

The costs for the early pregnancy checkups, hospital bills, and postnatal care were astonishingly high.

“My heart almost dropped when I saw the prices.”

He just studied history for fun and spent his life with books.

When a child was on the way, he couldn’t continue living in a dream.

“For a while, I was so focused on earning money that I didn’t notice something was wrong with the baby.”

After the tragedy with the baby, he drowned in his own grief, not noticing his wife sinking deeper into despair.

It turned out she developed a drinking problem in her weakened state post-miscarriage, and that led to this situation.

“….. What did the test results say?”

“It seems the immunosuppressants aren’t working well, and the liver function levels are poor…. After hearing this from the attending doctor, I suddenly collapsed. Even now, my heart is still pounding.”

Listening to Yang Taeho’s story, it seemed the transplant results weren’t good.

“If the health is not good, you should go to the hospital alone on non-appointment days or to the emergency room. Why did you do nothing and…”

Thanks to listening to Yang Taeho’s story, I was able to make a decision.

‘The fact that there’s a problem in the family means there’s an opportunity for Taehyung hyung to be disturbed.’

There was no guarantee that Gilenios would not exploit that fact.

If this issue isn’t resolved, Yang Taeho might turn to Gilenios later.

‘This is a problem that can be solved before it gets to that point.’

Now that I knew about Yang Taeho’s situation, I couldn’t just leave it unattended.

‘That’s all there is.’

When I drew the curtain next to the hospital bed, Yang Taeho flinched but showed no intention to stop me.

Instead, his eyes were fixed on the item I held.

「One-time Use of Karlos’s Authority」

It was the item I had just retrieved from my inventory earlier.

Clutching the usage ticket tightly, I stood awkwardly by the hospital bed, looking down at Yang Taeho’s wife.

And one last time, I questioned myself.

“Is using this really the best option?”

The conclusion I reached remained unchanged.

“Using one sheet should be fine. It’s a manageable risk.”

It was not long after the completion of the third selection.

Moreover, I had previously received a statement while settling issues related to the system and gate, that there wasn’t enough capacity for additional selections.

For now, it meant that the risk of family entanglement in the game was low.

“The problem is whether I feel this situation is unfortunate or not.”

Closing my eyes and taking a breath, I tore the usage ticket apart.

Afterwards, I let out a long sigh, watching the mysterious smoke emanate and envelop Yang Taeho and his wife.

* * *

I returned to Bihar clad in shadow magic tools, still deep under a baseball cap.

It was to cover the eyes that had probably turned golden.

There was a brief pause as I stood before the World Tree statue, where a gate was located.

Reflecting on what had happened just a moment ago brought a dry chuckle to my lips.

“As I thought before, it’s truly a deceitful power.”

Karlos’s Authority mitigates unhappiness in exchange for returning something valuable.

I had confirmed how incredible it truly was with my own eyes once again.

Right after tearing the usage ticket, the greater unhappiness was attributed to Yang Taeho.

Probably because of the closer relationship between him and me than between him and the patient.

The degree of unhappiness depends on the user’s subjective view when using the authority.

Thus, I took on Yang Taeho’s misfortune, and his wife’s complexion immediately brightened.

Not only that, but she visibly gained weight.

Witnessing the once skeletal form rapidly transform seemed nothing short of a miracle.

Even I, who used the authority, was startled and momentarily froze.

During that time, Yang Taeho’s wife awoke, and I hurriedly left the spot.

– Get further tests at another hospital.

I didn’t see any necessity to exchange pleasantries.

– I… In-ah, are you awake? Look at me, okay?

Leaving the trembling Yang Taeho, who was caring for his wife, I exited the hospital in two minutes.

Using Stealth magic to avoid the CCTV and reaching Jonghun’s lab took about four minutes.

Then I returned to Bihar, ending up where I was now.

Originally, I planned to head directly to the headquarters and take action regarding the disbandment of the investigation team.

‘But with my eyes looking like this, I’ll have to postpone.’

If I was meeting only players, there would be no issue regardless of my eyes changing.

Several main scenarios had already unfolded by now.

‘All players ranked high have received the blessing of their associated god.’

Changing eye color when using that blessing wasn’t something to be concealed.

However, there were more Biharins and those affiliated with the Order at the headquarters than players.

Among them were Palao’s priests or holy knights.

‘Rumors must be circulating that I’ve taken away divinity.’

I wished to avoid them observing me with the same burdensome gaze as Rashar.

‘It’s still dawn, so visiting the orphanage feels awkward.’

Heading to the base seemed like the best course of action.

As I approached Habon, I opened the door to the base and froze.

What greeted me from beyond the open door was a living room in utter disarray.

‘What in the world…?’

It looked exactly as if robbers had been there.

Things usually in their places were strewn across the floor.

The fabric sofa was ripped, with cotton spilling out. The wooden table, flipped over.

It was a sight absolutely foreign to what I knew as our base.

For now, the party consisted solely of three men, but…

Every member, including myself, had become rather adept at domestic chores for various reasons.

‘I took care of the household when the twins were still young, so naturally, I got used to it.’

I had heard that Kim Yul, while living in a trainee dorm, managed chores like laundry and dishwashing on his own.

Yang Taeho became accustomed to housework after his wife was hospitalized.

Thanks to that, our base, for having three men reside there, was rather clean.

What on earth had happened here?

“An intruder, maybe?”

Surveying my surroundings quickly, a broken window caught my eye.

Immediately, I drew a dagger and activated Mana Detection.

A group of five butterflies hovered around me.

However, there was no mana detected within the base.

“Did they flee already?”

If not, it would mean they were adept enough to hide mana within a core.

As I tightened my grip on the dagger further.

A rustling sound.

There was definitely movement detected upstairs.

Without delay, I began ascending the stairs.

Fortunately, there weren’t valuables worth mentioning currently at our party’s base.

Cash was kept on each person, as much as they needed, in their inventory.

The expenses for base management were covered by selling loot obtained during party hunts, and those amounts were secured in my inventory.

‘Rare treasures, the kind you’d call valuables, are kept in my inventory.’

Frequenting the base led us to move them after a consensus was reached quite some time ago.

Since I could purchase expansion packs with the title “Tomb Raider,” space was not a concern.

Thus, there was no worry of any valuables being stolen.

There was merely the unpleasant feeling of having the area, where I and my companions resided, invaded.

With a cold expression, I entered the hallway on the second floor.

The presence, now clearer than before, was emanating from Kim Yul’s room.

‘Kim Yul left for a hunt after finishing his dyeing.’

It’s clearly logged in the chat.

So whoever was rustling around inside couldn’t be Kim Yul.

I entered the half-open door with a loud bang while launching my dagger into the room.

A small shadow darted sideways at lightning speed.

The dagger embedded in the spot where the shadow had been.

And the mysterious figure leaped towards my face.

“Damn!”

Recognizing the small shadow just in time, I barely managed to suppress my refined attribute mana.

The culprit who had broken into our base, wrecking the items and furniture and rummaging through Kim Yul’s room was…

“K!”

Berta, smeared with chocolate all around her hands and mouth, greeted me with a beaming smile and clung onto my face.

* * *

That afternoon, the day Berta broke into the now-empty base.

I arrived at the association building located in Loborre.

It was to meet a player said to be infected.

“Here to meet someone. His name is William Page, a trustworthy player.”

So there’s no need to worry about information regarding Alpha getting spread.

Leaving those additional assurances to Lily, I examined the player named William.

“I’ve heard a lot about you. It’s an honor to meet you, K. Feel free to call me Will.”

Appearing for a formal greeting like a soldier, his complexion was noticeably haggard.

It was evident he hadn’t been sleeping well.

“Increasing the timer is not a simple problem to solve.”

Reportedly, the timer increased only up to an hour.

Beyond that, no matter how many potions were consumed, it was ineffective.

The moment exposure to the pathogen occurred, life on a one-hour time limit began.

If one happened not to wake up in time while asleep, it would mean instant death.

How many people could sleep soundly faced with such circumstances?

Even if the player’s body endured fatigue, they couldn’t ignore the psychological strain.

‘It’s truly maddening.’

With the emergence of a new issue, matters were becoming complicated in various ways.

‘Should I reveal my identity and gather other Alphas?’

If any Alphas fell, it would become difficult to manage the sixteen-star general-level battle in the future.

However, actually implementing it meant I would have to bear too many risks.

Suppressing a sigh forcefully, I was about to reach for William’s arm when…

“Who is it? Who’s that?”

Berta, straddling my neck and seated on my shoulder, took an interest in him.

It didn’t stop at showing interest; now, she scurried down my outstretched arm and curiously sniffed at William.

“Did I not tell you to stay still? If you don’t listen, I’ll send you back.”

“No, no! I don’t want to go!”

“Then stay put. We promised to play together once I finish my work.”

“Uh… Can I eat some choco while I wait?”

“Not a chance. After raiding Kim Yul’s emergency rations this morning, what do you want to eat again?”

I lifted Berta by the scruff and sat her back onto my shoulders, reaching out a hand to William.

Even as our skins touched, no system message prompted asking whether to purify another’s pathogen.

Given that I had anticipated this, I felt no particular disappointment.

“It seems it’s not possible.”

“Ah…”

But for William, those words might have been a crushing blow.

Watching his face swiftly plunge into despair made me feel as if I’d committed a grave sin.

‘It’s cruel to give false hope.’

Because there was no guarantee that Trait level 4 could truly purify another’s infection.

I approached the player in a systematic manner, trying to stay detached emotionally.

Several attempts at further experimentation returned the same results.

Finally having finished the verification work, I exited the association building with Berta.

“Now, are you going to play with me?”

Berta, who had patiently sat on my shoulders as promised, asked excitedly.

Shaking my head, I answered,

“Not yet, just a bit longer.”

“Berta can wait well. Really!”

Her resolute answer echoed cheerfully as we continued walking, bringing a fleeting sense of questioning about why I was in such a situation.

‘I stopped by just in case, to let them know she’s with me, but…’

No one was at Ramon residence, the sanctuary of Berta and her brother Breche.

I thought someone had said Berta was small, so her mother kept her with her.

“Why is she left all alone in Habon if the house is empty?”

Contemplating whether to ask Latasha for help, I ended up contacting Horfe.

He did have ties to Berta after all.

While waiting for a response, I had no choice but to watch over the child.

“Would it be inappropriate to take her to a hunting ground?”

Otherwise, I’d be stuck at the base until Horfe got back to me.

“Since she’s predatory, she might be accustomed to it? If carefully handled to ensure no harm… no, but she’s still a child.”

I couldn’t clearly decide whether it was appropriate to expose Berta to the sight of monsters meeting their demise.

Simply because she was a child — wasn’t that purely a human sentiment for restraint?

Berta, after all, belonged to the Beastfolk, a demi-human race categorized under predators.

While engaging in this internal debate, we continued our steps until I arrived at our destination.

“Oppa!”

“Uncle!”

It was an orphanage in Loborre.

As soon as the children found me and eagerly ran over, they skidded to a halt all of a sudden.

The reason was evident without asking. It was because of Berta hugging my head.

After a glance at the now curious Berta, I asked,

“What do you want to do? Want to join and play?”

Do you want me to introduce you?

If Berta wanted to play with kids her own age, I’d follow carefully to prevent any accidents.

However, Berta urgently shook her head and spoke.

Damned System