Chapter 31 - The Song of Farewell
"...Everything happened so suddenly."
The man’s name was Jobe.
His unfocused eyes rolled around, and his voice — as rough as his furrowed brow — barely held together.
"At first, it was just screams. I—I thought Skeletons had invaded. A huge monster appeared by the stairs. We reacted just like we practiced. We tried... we tried to hold the line outside..."
The problem was, the attack came from behind, too.
A hand bursting through a stomach.
Teeth tearing into a shoulder.
The images of his comrades dying grotesque deaths flickered across Jobe’s mind like a broken reel.
He wasn’t even looking at Jhin’s group anymore.
He stared blankly into the air, speaking in a fractured voice — staring into his own past.
"It... it was Mardan. Mardan bit Colt’s leg. Tala collapsed... Colt ran away... and... and I... I—"
"Mr. Jobe? Stay with me! Mr. Jobe!"
"I... I ran away... with Tala. But Tala bit my shoulder. Ugh... No... Nooo!!"
Jobe’s memories were shattered like shards of broken glass.
It couldn’t be helped.
His lower body had already been dead for a while, and his failing heart didn’t have long left.
Even if Jhin fed him a potion now, it would just artificially extend his suffering.
’It would only prolong the pain.’
Without a Resurrection Potion, there was no saving him.
All Jhin could offer was the mercy of a Paralysis Potion, numbing the agony.
If only there had been a Healer nearby — things might have been different.
But of course, there were no Healers at Stoneveil City Station.
’If there were, the dungeon sickness wouldn’t have gotten this bad.’
A Healer could have detoxified the Spore Virus.
They could have even tracked down the "Death Garden" much faster.
’It’s all useless thinking now.’
What was done could not be undone.
This wasn’t a game where you could reload a save file.
Jobe’s voice, flailing in the void, grew smaller and smaller.
"Everyone... they’re gone... they ran... Tala... chased the others... turned into a monster..."
Jhin focused on extracting the important pieces from his rambling.
The critical fact was clear: The survivors had attacked their own comrades.
’As expected, this is second-stage dungeon sickness.’
But still, something didn’t sit right.
The mutation was too fast.
’The infected we saw before barely had first-stage symptoms — feverish, maybe some discoloration of the nails.’
Yet now, they were attacking like zombies — clear signs of second-stage infection.
And Jobe had used the word monster.
Jhin didn’t take that lightly.
’That’s third-stage dungeon sickness.’
Third-stage meant the infected lost their human form altogether, mutating into beasts.
In short:
In less than half a day, Stoneveil City Station’s sickness had jumped two entire stages.
’Which is impossible under natural conditions.’
The original source — the Death Garden — had already been conquered.
The Spore Virus shouldn’t have spread any further.
And yet, the infection had evolved at an absurd rate.
’Someone intervened.’
That was the only explanation.
"Mom? I can’t see... Mom..."
"Mr. Jobe?"
"...Mom? Is that you?"
Jobe, delirious, reached out toward the only woman in the group — Millie.
He kept calling out Mom.
Delirium.
His mind was already gone, his body hanging by a thread.
Millie, without hesitation, took his hand.
"Yes, Jobe. I’m here."
"Mom... It’s really you?"
"Yes. It’s me." Her voice was gentle — warm.
Jobe’s face softened, as if caught in a dream.
Blood dripped from his lips, but his eyes... were smiling. He wasn’t in pain anymore.
Thanks to the Paralysis Potion, even the system itself had erased all physical suffering.
"Mom, I’m sorry... I... I love you... so much..."
"I love you too, sweetie."
"Mom... I’m sleepy... Mom..."
Just like a child, he clung to his hallucination.
Millie stroked his hair, singing softly. It was "Light Sleep," her most famous ballad.
The coldness of death slowly crept across Jobe’s face, but her warm melody filled the void.
"Fall deep into a sweet dream... never to wake again..."
Millie gently laid his limp hand down.
Caleb, his face twisted with grief, muttered:
"...He’s gone."
And yet, Jobe’s face remained peaceful — as if he had simply drifted into a happy dream.
The group moved deeper into Stoneveil City Station’s hidden passage.
Halfway down, they found a heavy door — wide open.
It was the survivors’ last refuge.
Blood, torn bodies, and scattered limbs painted the full story without words.
And then — horror.
There were still people here. But they were no longer survivors.They were feasting on the corpses.
BANG!
Millie’s pistol cracked the air, her bullet piercing the forehead of one of the feeders.
The creature crumpled without a sound.
She turned, almost apologetically.
"Once someone fully mutates, there’s no saving them."
"I know."
Jhin moved down the stairs, surveying the mass of infected below.
The people who once sought refuge had become... monsters.