“That darn old man!!!”
Just when I think I have enough nightmares coming true, here I am being teleported against my free will to this unknown place where the desert is blue and the reddish sky is experiencing a sunset that has the sun’s color being bright purple. This unfortunate event is happening just because I ignored my first given task provided by the Guideline.
Two hours ago, at exactly midnight, I woke up from a peaceful slumber. I felt the need to go to a nearby bathroom to freshen up. I got out of bed to proceed to walk there and the next thing I knew was the sight of blue-colored sand appearing below my feet. I took a full look around me, and realized I'm in another dimension because there's no such thing as a purple sun back in my world.
Before I could finish my sentence of dissing Old Man Amergin for whisking me away without my consent, I saw a huge shadow looming over me. I turned around to see a giant black scorpion, clicking its pincers as if it's wanting to catch me as their food source. This creature’s height is probably three times greater than the walls of Gyeongbokgung. Suddenly, the Guideline’s notification showed up in my eyes saying…
[For your inability in completing the daily task, you've been sent to the Sanction Zone as a necessary penalty.]
[If you want to participate again in ‘The Restart Program’, please survive in the Sanction Zone until the time limit is up.]
[Time Limit: 3 hours]
[The countdown to the time limit begins now.]
[2 hours 59 minutes 59 seconds]
And two hours later, here I am running away with all my might from the giant black scorpions. The reason why I refer to the creatures with a plural form is that after thirty minutes, another one pops up from beneath the blue sand. So now I've got four huge predators chasing after me. It's bad enough that I'm sweating buckets under the purple sun. My hospital gown is getting wet because of it.
“I don't remember scorpions living in Ireland!!”
I know Old Man Amergin isn't in this place, but the thought of him is starting to get on my nerves; more like he's deliberately making himself my enemy. I don't understand what on scorching earth he's thinking of making this survival scenario as my punishment for not doing those hardcore workouts meant for men like him. Now, I've to keep on running for another hour. And sure enough another nasty scorpion surfaces from the sand thirty minutes later.
I thought that old man needs me alive! Just because I refused to do the workout, that doesn't mean he should implement this punishment for me! Also, why choose scorpions?!
“At least let me know what rank they are, you cold-blooded old man!!”
Another bad timing has occured to me though that's probably due to my carelessness in closing my eyes while I cuss the old man. As a result, I trip myself; the sand almost blinding my eyes and giving my taste bud too much saltiness. I cough several times because the sand overwhelms my sense of taste. Then, I realize that I should’ve got up, enduring such awful taste because the familiar looming shadow is showing up behind me once more. I turn around to see all five scorpions staring at me. Their pincers are clicking louder than ever. Them making hissing sounds isn't even helping me to calm my nerves.
Just when I'm thinking that this is another absurd trial given by the old man and that I'm facing my death once more, I suddenly have been teleported back to my hospital room, seeing the time limit notification saying “0”. I let out a sigh of relief because I did see the scorpion group's leader, who is the biggest of them all and who showed up last, about to strike me with its huge tail. Luckily, I’ve landed on my bed; otherwise, Old Man Amergin owes me another batch of hospital bills for a broken back despite him not being the usual regular person carrying regular currency.
As I catch my breath with heavy panting on the bed, I hear the Guideline's notification and I nearly beg that darn old man not to give me another trial right now. My eyes are a bit blurry to see the notification, but I try my very best to make them stay wide open. I manage to read the messages it's showing to me before I pass out into a deep sleep due to the exhaustion I've in my body now.
[Welcome back, Kang Joo-yeon.]
[You've successfully become The Restart Program’s Participant again by surviving the Sanction Zone.]
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.
[Please wait for your extra reward that will arrive within the next 12 hours.]
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
“So this is the reason you called me to bring your tracksuit here?”
“Hehe…thanks for bringing this from my room. Sorry to make you come all the way here during your summer break.”
I never expected myself to call Ga-young to bring my black-and-white tracksuit, along with my own wallet in case of additional food expenses, that was bought during my school days. It should still fit my body since I’m still the same height and size as back then. It's already awkward enough that we barely talk to each other about anything except household duties. I bet, while she was on the way to my room, most of the hospital employees are grateful this awkward meet-up happened because her slim body, long brown ponytail and hazel eyes with naturally long eyelashes still amazes me. I sometimes doubt myself being related to her seeing how I've an okay-looking physical appearance. As I grab the bag holding my tracksuit and wallet, Ga-young suddenly starts a heavy conversation with me.
“How are you acting as if nothing bad has happened…?”
“What do you mean?”
“Once Dad found out you went missing the next day, he went to the Alliance's headquarters here, demanding some of the strongest Slayers to find you immediately. It's bad enough that he stayed at the front entrance for the next two days after his request was ignored.”
“Wha…Your dad didn't tell me he did that...”
“He doesn't want you to feel guilty about his temporary fatigue. It would be great for all of us if you stop slaying monsters or whatever you're doing at those dungeons.”
“Uhm…Ga-young. You forgot that I'm a healer…so technically…I can't slay any Beast…”
“Who cares what you are…”
“Oh! But I'm retiring from being in a raid team. I'm gonna apply for work at a guild probably as an assistant or so…actually you're mad that I ruined your special dress, righ…”
“THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT!!”
This is the first time she yelled her loudest to me. It’s a relief we're not in a public area of this hospital, but I can't deny some people here would've heard her angry yelling. Sure she did the same when I was unable to heal Uncle Seung-min, but this time it feels different. I can't figure out the reason why she has shouted like this and when I’m trying to think, she makes a heavy sigh and says these unusual words to me.
“Never mind. You'll never understand. Just don't do anything stupid that'll make dad pay attention to you. See you then.”
And with her cold-looking back turning suddenly to my sight, I feel a sudden chill that she's disappointed in me. Once she walks away out of my sight, I begin to feel more confused about what she has said to me. I admit I'm still naïve, but I'm not oblivious to the fact that she hates me for doing a dangerous job; or is it because of something else that I don't know? But definitely I think…
“She really is mad about her ruined dress, huh?”
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I wish the reward from my Sanction Zone would be another rouge dress for Ga-young.
As I'm doing the daily task that should've been a workout for Slayers who are of the fighter or rogue class, my mind is filled with the thought of Uncle Seung-min going so far to starve himself all because I temporarily disappeared without a trace. I should've asked Ga-young what he was up to nowadays, but by the looks of the heavy atmosphere between us earlier on, it's best I ask myself the next time I meet Uncle Seung-min. It's a good thing we were able to send Gi-young to his elementary school’s summer camp. He doesn't need to know about my near-death incident and that Ga-young looks more upset than ever.
I just hope the household atmosphere will be easy to breathe for Gi-young once he comes back next month. He may be twelve years old, but he somehow is able to read the room and knows some of my secrets I kept from Uncle Seung-min like the day I got a huge bruise on my stomach because a Wolpertinger gave me a hard kick when I accidentally stepped into its territory. I didn't expect that rabbit-hybrid creature to be that strong though that should've been expected for me having not that much mana output for my body’s durability. Speaking of durability, I've just finished my first day of the daily task.
[Daily Task for Participant Kang Joo-yeon's Physical Strength]
[Kicks - (100/100)]
[Punches - (100/100)]
[Pull-ups - (100/100)]
“And I did all of this in two hours…even if I were a man to begin with, I'm really as slow as a snail,” I say my complaints out loud after I drink a full water bottle. “If I ever meet him again, I shall cuss him for this unnecessary task!”
“Mommy, that lady is talking to herself.”
“Don’t look, sweetie. That's not normal, okay?”
I've forgotten that I'm still in a public area and that the hospital’s playground is where I've to do the intense workouts, especially for the pull-ups where I’ve to use the monkey bars. And when they say this workout style is very difficult for women, they're right because I thought my arms were gonna break from pulling myself upwards despite having a scrawny body. At this morning hour, a lot of children, whether or not they're the patients, are playing here. I seem to be drawing a bit of attention as I'm the only person in my 20s in this area doing the workouts.
I don't know which scenario is more embarrassing. Me doing the workout at an area that's catered to children or the fact I seem to wet the blankets on my bed with my enormous amount of sweat I got from the Sanction Zone. I think it's the latter as I really want to keep the Guideline’s existence a secret for as long as it is. The blue sand was visible on the blankets that I had to quickly open the window to shake off the evidence. As I'm trying to cool down my reddish cheeks, the Guideline's notification appears in my sight and sound saying…
[Your rewards for completing the daily task has been processed.]
[Would you like to receive it?]
And so, my mind does the thinking of inwardly typing [Confirm]. The following sentence has made me feel astonished that I'm getting these important ingredients. I wonder if the druid subclass is under the healer class because this skill can only be available for the alchemist subclass.
[You've received ingredients to make a low-grade Healing Potion.]
[1. Mistletoe]
[2. Windblume]
[3. Thyme]
[You may proceed to create the low-grade Healing Potion.]
Okay. Now this is a skill related to healing abilities. I only thought alchemist Slayers are the only ones capable of mixing stuff with their chemistry-making skills. So far, healers in this world are the only ones who can cast healing magic. For making a healing potion, they don't have this magical attribute within them. Is this what I get for accepting the Guideline? I should've immediately asked the old man how much he knows about its origins.
“I'm getting more curious than ever about this power I got.”