Dual System: Ascension of A Nameless Nobody

As his assault succeeded, he released Sage Period, taking the strain off of his eyes as he blinked.

And during that singular blink, it struck–

“Look out, Jeong-Hui!”

With immense, explosive speed, Korain was already in front of him, pushing him back for a reason unknown to him.

“…Korain…!?’ He reached out.

Squelch.

He was unable to reach the mix-colored haired, burly man as he fell back, looking up at Korain’s broad back in confusion.

“Damn…!” Korain grunted.

Though the mass of centipedes was almost finished being completely frozen over, it launched one last, desperate attack, causing the mandibles of its large, intertwined centipede arm to dig into Korain’s raised forearm.

“Korain!” He got up.

“Cut it, Jeong-Hui!” Korain looked back at him, yelling out his order.

“R-right!” He hopped to his feet.

Just before he could rush over and cut the extended arm that was made up of four, large centipedes, he witnessed a sudden burst of smaller, black centipedes swiftly slither up Korain’s arm, going into the newly-formed wounds on his arm from the bite.

“Agh…!” Korain gritted his teeth._.

Out of desperation, he rushed forward, using the last bit of his frost enhancement to slice the centipede-mass arm, freezing the very last part of it.

He caught his breath for a moment before facing Korain again as Eunji rushed over as well.

“Korain…! Are you–?!”

“Shit! I can feel it trying to…invade my body! It’s going up!” Korain gritted his teeth.

The man completely flexed his large, defined muscles to attempt to stop the invading centipedes from traveling further up the innards of his arm, but it only seemed to slow them.

He could see the insects bulging beneath Korain’s arm like veins, wriggling about in an abhorrent manner.

“Eunji, can you…?!” He asked desperately in place of Korain.

The girl shook her head, “N-no, this isn’t a normal wound…! I think I’d only make it worse–!”

“I know what to do! Get back!” Korain yelled out.

The two looked at the executive member of Gangcheori, who was sweating profusely with a strained, reddened complexion.

“Get back–!” Korain roared out again.

This time, they listened, as it was rare for the easy-going, kind man to yell in such a way as the two backed away and watched him.

Korain wielded his claymore in his right hand, looking at his right arm that had the centipedes crawling through it as he breathed out heavily.

What’s he…? He thought.

Just as he began to put together what it was that the man was planning–it was too late for him to suggest anything else.

“Hraagh–!” Korain roared out to amp himself up.

The man raised his claymore overhead, bringing it down without any hesitation as in one, singular movement–he lobbed off his left arm from the bicep down.

“AAAGH!” Eunji screamed out in horror at the gruesome sight, covering her mouth as tears sat at her eyes.

“Holy shit…” He muttered in disbelief.

Korain didn’t yell out in pain or even flinch for that matter, only standing there and breathing his heavy breaths as his white-and-black fringes hung near his baggy eyes.

“Eunji…!” He called out.

“R-right…!” Eunji rushed over hesitantly, gulping as she held her staff near the clean cut on his now amputated side, “Cast: Recovery!”

The bleeding immediately stopped as the wound began to close over with the muscles forcibly being contracted and the skin wrapping up to seal the wound completely.

It was a known fact, but now more than ever it was a reality: healing magic can’t recover lost limbs.

“…You’re insane,” he said after a few minutes had passed.

Korain’s wound closed, but he was now left without his left arm, standing there with his bulky, ivory armor that had been dyed in his own crimson fluid.

All he did was smile while huffing, “Insane is what you’ve got to be to survive in this world, lad.”

Korain had sat down against the wall while Eunji insisted on continuing to use a recovery spell on the spot of infliction.

“Alright…I’m going to head down to check on Chang-Ho,” he told them, “Yeong-Un and Sol are checking out the top floors and getting everybody up–wait.”

He just realized a dire lapse in judgment when on the topic of Yeong-Un and Sol getting everybody up.

They don’t know about Xiaodan…! He’s left alone on the fifth floor, still…! He realized.

“What’s it?” Korain looked up at him, asking through a pained tone.

He gulped as a sense of urgency flooded through him, “…Somebody is still left on the fifth floor–I have to get them! Crap…!”

Korain forced himself up to his feet, though Eunji tried to keep him from getting up, he insisted, “I’ll check on Chang-Ho, don’t worry.”

“Korain, you’re not…!”

“I’m perfectly fine!” Korain assured him, wearing a smile though sweat dripped from his chin, “One arm only makes things a bit more fair for the enemy!”

He hesitated for a moment before nodding, beginning to move down the hall as he called out to the two again, “–I’ll be back as fast as possible! I’ll meet you down at the lobby, alright?!”

“You got it, lad,” Korain told him.

Without wasting a moment, he rushed into the stairwell again, sprinting up the many steps as he brought himself back to the fifth floor in haste.

Please be alright…! He wished.

To his earnest surprise, the fifth floor was still clear after the initial encounter as he swiftly rushed over to Xiaodan’s room, pushing through the door without any care for being quiet.

Xiaodan instantly snapped out of their peaceful slumber, having been drooling on their pillow, “I…wha–?”

“Sorry, but you’ve got to get up!” He told Xiaodan.

Xiaodan groggily blinked a few times, rubbing his eyes as he straightened his long, silken locks before sitting up with a yawn.

“What’s going on now…?” Xiaodan asked sleepily.

“…It’s easier if I don’t explain it–just trust me–we’re under attack right now,” he extended his hand to him.

Xiaodan blinked a couple times, looking down at the outstretched, black-gloved hand with his verdant eyes before standing up.

“I’m not a kid, you know? I don’t need to hold your hand,” Xiaodan told him.

“My bad,” he said, “Just come on!”

Outside of their [Equip], Xiaodan wore a short-sleeved, bright-yellow shirt and short-shorts of a light-brown shade. Even the outfit he wore sat on the threshold between masculine and feminine.

“I’d use “Equip” if I were you,” he looked back at Xiaodan, who sleepily followed him out of the room with a yawn.

Xiaodan slowly nodded while rubbing his eyes, “…Equip,” he called with another yawn.

The [Equip] uniform they possessed still took him by surprise as it lacked any visible defense, or benefit for that matter besides being minimal, loose, and light, resembling a classical, Chinese martial artist’s uniform.

“Can you tell me what’s going on already?” Xiaodan asked, finally seeming to rise from their sleepiness as they ventured down the white-walled halls of the fifth floor.

He looked back, “…Promise not to call me crazy, alright?”

“Promise.”

“Well…” He continued walking in front of Xiaodan, “…There are “super centipedes” attacking the hotel right now.”

As he said this, he glanced back at the adrogynous-looking young male, finding himself on the receiving end of an inquisitive gaze.

“You see what I meant now about it being easier to just trust me?” He asked.

Xiaodan nodded, “You’re not pulling my leg, are you?…”super centipedes” is kind of just…”

“I don’t know what they are exactly. All I know is that they can regenerate from physical attacks unless you burn or freeze them. That, and they can invade your body to take you over.”

While explaining the dreadful situation to the new member of Gangcheori, he opened the door to the dark stairwell as it creaked, entering it as Xiaodan followed behind.

“Creepy stuff,” Xiaodan said.

“We already lost three people to this. Please take it seriously,” he told them.

Xiaodan stood still for a moment as the news of death seemed to finally engrave into them the direness of this situation.

“I will. You can count on me, Mr. Jeong-Hui.”

“Stop with the “Mr” stuff, please…you’re making me feel old,” he sighed out.

Xiaodan smiled a bit, “Alright, Jeong-Hui.”