Chapter 6: Contaminant collection

“What’s this now?”

The moment I found a door leading outside and tried to step through, a translucent system window blocked my path. 

Ignoring it, I pushed forward, but it was as if an invisible wall was stopping me from leaving.

“Mister?”

“…Rio, can you try going outside for a sec?”

“Okay!”

Hoping for a different outcome, I sent Rio out first. 

Unlike me, she passed through the doorway without any resistance.

“I’m out!”

“…Haa…”

Damn it. 

What the hell is this?

Being forcibly transported to this weird world was already giving me a headache, and now I can’t even leave this place?

 And what’s this about cleaning duties…?

[Main Quest]

Clean the ‘Demon God’s Ruins’!

Current Contamination Level: 99.8%

Reward: Wish

“…Oh.”

A quest.

…Is this what they meant by ‘cleaning duties’? 

So, this place is supposed to be the ‘Demon God’s Ruins’ or whatever?

“…Rio, I can’t leave.”

“What?! Why not? Come with me!”

“It’s not that I don’t want to—it’s that I can’t.”

I want to get out of this filthy place just as much as she does. 

But this damn system window is holding me here against my will. 

What am I supposed to do?

“If we stay here, those humans who attacked my village might come back!”

“…I know.”

I hadn’t overlooked that problem. 

That woman who tried to kill me—I managed to drive her off by sheer luck, but I knew she could come back. 

That’s why I was in such a hurry to escape…

“…Rio, I’m stuck here because of some… circumstances. So, for now, you should get as far away from here as you can.”

“No way! I was taught that if someone helps you, you have to repay them!”

“Forget about repaying me. Just get out of here before that woman or her friends come back—”

“Here it is? Archna?”

“…!!”

I was about to send Rio away since I couldn’t let her stay trapped here with me, but just then, I heard rustling from the bushes, followed by a human voice.

“Eek…!”

The moment she heard the voice, Rio flinched and scurried behind me, hiding. 

I, too, tensed up, gripping my lifeline—the [Pressure Washer (Lv. Max)]—and stared in the direction of the voice.

“What the hell? There’s actually a door in the middle of the forest?”

“Hey! That’s the little Hongma kid Archna let go!”

“And there’s a half-demon next to her? Is that the guy Archna was talking about? He looks weaker than she described.”

“What’s with those clothes? I’ve never seen that style before.”

Damn it.

From the direction of the voices, a group of men emerged. 

Each one was holding a gleaming weapon, clearly aimed at us as they approached.

“…You…!!”

And among them was the woman I’d put a hole through earlier, glaring at me with bloodshot eyes.

Damn it.

I’d figured she was still alive since she’d vanished so suddenly, but… how is she fine? 

There was a huge hole in her stomach, wasn’t there?

“Is that him?”

A group of about ten people appeared, and finally, a man with green hair and a spear strapped to his back stepped out from the bushes. 

As if he were their leader, the rough-looking men naturally parted to make way for him.

“…A half-breed, huh.”

As if surprised, the man muttered nonsense while staring at my black hair peeking out from under my cleaning cap. 

That woman, and now this guy…

“…I’m human.”

Hoping I could resolve this situation through dialogue, I calmly addressed the man who seemed to be the leader. 

That crazy woman tried to kill me because she mistook me for some kind of demon half-breed based on my hair. 

If I could clear up the misunderstanding, maybe things would turn out differently?

“Pfft, haha! What’s this half-breed saying?”

“Every now and then, you get one of these guys shouting, ‘I’m human!’ despite carrying filthy demon blood.”

Damn it. 

Both my parents are human. 

Most Koreans have black hair, okay? 

I’m not even from this world in the first place!

“…It seems there’s been some kind of misunderstanding…”

“Hey, half-breed.”

Trying to show I meant no harm, I kept my arms raised, but the green-haired man called me a ‘half-breed’ again, pointing his spear at me.

What the…? 

Is that liquid dripping from his spear?

“You dared to hurt my woman?”

“…Your woman?”

“He means Archna.”

With that, he gestured with his thumb toward the female mage who’d been glaring at me like she wanted to kill me. 

So her name’s Archna. 

Not that it matters right now.

“…She tried to kill me first…!”

“So what?”

Feeling wronged by being called a half-breed and treated like some criminal, I tried to explain that she attacked me first, but the green-haired man didn’t even pretend to listen.

“That doesn’t matter. What matters is that a filthy half-breed like you dared to lay a hand on my woman.”

Damn it… 

Rio had warned me, but they’re really making a big deal out of my black hair.

“By the way, half-breed… what are you scheming?”

“…What?”

“Don’t play dumb. I already heard from Archna. You noticed her teleport and let her go on purpose, didn’t you? To figure out where our base is? What were you planning to do once you found it?”

“What are you talking about…?”

I let her go on purpose after noticing her teleport? 

What kind of nonsense is that? 

I didn’t even know her disappearance was because of a teleport!

“Were you planning to bring your buddies to ambush us? It’s suspicious enough that a half-breed like you suddenly shows up with that kind of skill. Half-breeds can’t even properly wield mana or demonic energy…”

The green-haired man kept rambling on without waiting for my response. 

As I watched him, Rio, trembling behind me, tugged at my sleeve.

“Mister… that man… he’s a hero…”

“…A hero?”

The guy who wields a sacred relic bestowed by the One God?

What kind of hero is that?

The image of a hero I had in my head—based on Rio’s description—was someone holy and just, not… this.

“Hm? You figured it out? That’s right! I’m Sir Rox, the hero chosen by the sacred relic ‘Baikal’!”

Having overheard Rio’s whisper, the man puffed up his chest and introduced himself. 

Who the hell adds “Sir” to their own name?

“Whatever. It doesn’t matter what you’re plotting… I’ll get it out of you one way or another!”

Swish!

“Ugh?!”

Right after his grand introduction, Rox suddenly swung his spear through the air. 

The suspicious liquid dripping from its tip came flying toward us. 

Instinctively, I pushed Rio behind me, shielding her from the attack. 

She was spared, but I ended up covered in the strange green liquid.

“Hahaha! Protecting a little demon brat… You keep saying you’re human, but you can’t hide your filthy blood, can you?”

“Mister…!!”

Damn it. 

Demon or not, who wouldn’t protect a kid in this situation? 

But what’s with this liquid? 

Why is it just… oozing from his spear?

“I don’t know why you didn’t use a barrier, but taking my poison head-on? You’re dumber than I thought!”

Damn it, poison? 

Poison just comes out of his spear on its own?

“Dealing with suspicious guys like you is simple. Poison you first, then ask questions. At first, you might resist, but soon enough, you’ll be spilling everything—even the color of your underwear!”

“Ugh…!”

Trying to avoid letting the poison touch my skin, I started to tear off my clothes, but Rox just laughed at me.

“It’s already too late. My poison can melt through armor. That flimsy outfit of yours will dissolve in no time, seeping into your skin and poisoning you…”

Drip, drip.

“…?”

[Cleaner’s Uniform (Lv. Max)]: A cleaner’s outfit that repels all forms of filth!

Huh?

The sticky, dangerous-looking dark green liquid slid off my body with a few shakes, completely harmless. 

Contrary to Rox’s threat that it would melt my clothes, my cleaner’s uniform looked as good as new.

“…You didn’t lack a barrier? Did you create a protective shield so thin over your clothes that I couldn’t even notice…?”

Rox, who had been acting cocky the whole time, now stared at me with a serious expression as the poison slid off my uniform uselessly.

“…Archna wasn’t exaggerating.”

Damn it. 

Forget talking. 

This guy just threw poison at me out of nowhere? 

I thought I was done for. 

I don’t know why I’m fine, but… it’s clear there’s no room for negotiation here.

[Pressure Washer (Lv. Max)]

KABOOM!

The same attack that had put a hole through Archna’s stomach. 

I pulled the trigger on the [Pressure Washer] in my hand, and a tremendous jet of water shot out from its nozzle. 

But Rox must have sensed something the moment I gripped the washer, because he quickly ducked. 

The water missed him and hit one of the men standing behind him instead.

Splat!

“Arghhh…!”

“Mustal! You bastard…!”

As one of their comrades went down, the sneering men’s expressions hardened, and they drew their weapons in unison. 

But having seen the power of my water jet, none of them dared to rush me recklessly, instead keeping their distance and watching.

All except one.

Whoosh!

“!!!!”

“Mister!!”

Rio, who had been calmly observing from behind, shouted my name. 

Following her voice, I looked forward and saw Rox, still crouched from dodging my attack, holding his spear in one hand in a throwing stance.

Danger…!

Whoosh!

I could sense what was coming next, my hair standing on end as I tried to move, but Rox’s green spear shot toward me faster than I could react.

Oh.

I’m going to die.

As death loomed before me, it felt like the world slowed down, and every detail of my surroundings came into focus. 

Rio screaming, trying to pull me to safety; Archna grinning with glee; the men raging over their fallen comrade; and Rox, still fixated on the tip of his spear…

***

Contaminant Detected

Categorization: [Large Debris], [Toxic Waste], [Metal]

Would you like to collect the detected contaminant?

***

Even the holographic window that flickered past as the spear’s tip grazed the entrance of the corridor where we stood.

“…Collect?”

Catching just one word from the translucent window, I muttered it instinctively.

The detected contaminant will be collected.

Another system window appeared, and the green spear vanished without a trace.

To be continued