Chapter 436. Don’t Adjust Your Shoes in a Melon Field, Don’t Fix Your Hat Under a Plum Tree (7)
Chapter 436. Don’t Adjust Your Shoes in a Melon Field, Don’t Fix Your Hat Under a Plum Tree (7)
It was around the moment when Kim Giryeo hesitantly came to a stop.
“A, as expected you still think it’s no good after seeing how we work?”
“Huh?”
“We constantly commit mistakes due to incompetence, and if something rare happens to appear, like last time, we tear at each other as if we’re trying to kill one another... well! If you look at it from the outside, the current state of our industry must truly be a mess.”
So in the end, this kind of talk was bound to come up. Someone clenched their mouth, thinking such a thought.
“It must have been so frustrating that even someone who had retired wanted to return.”
“Jung Haseong.”
“I’m sorry. In the end, all of this... it’s all because I was thoughtless and unworthy...”
The alien shook his head in disagreement repeatedly during the conversation, but Jung Haseong didn’t accept it. Once the other party ignored my intentions, there were hardly any options left.
‘Here we go again with the overthinking.’
Anyway, exchanging a hundred words right now wouldn’t make any difference.
Tub.
Kim Giryeo grabbed the white fabric fluttering in front of him with his hand.
“H, huh?”
Moreover, after firmly holding onto the human, he did nothing remarkable. All he did was enter the hospital room with ordinary footsteps that made a clumping sound.
“Haseong-ah, I guess you haven’t really realized this because you’ve been living such a proper life all this time.”
Because the top-ranked fighter was being dragged around by force. If anyone had seen it, it would have been quite a shocking sight.
‘Gasp! He’s not even a superhuman with enhanced strength… so what’s with that monstrous power…’
Drrrk.
As he entered the hospital room, Kim Giryeo, following proper etiquette, closed the door first. Only after completing this move did the blonde man speak his next words.
“Anyway, no matter where you go, people in this world generally don’t pay much attention to the society around them.”
“Y, yes?”
“It’s a decision to go back to such a tough job—how could this possibly be a choice made just out of disappointment with the industry’s standards?”
“T, that.”
“Just so you know, this happened because I messed up while doing the Fire exercise on my own—none of the other hunters are involved at all.”
What flowed from the mouth of the fourth S-rank was nothing but the truth. Even after that, Kim Giryeo offered positive encouragement, saying, “I have no complaints whatsoever about the public safety you’ve maintained as the top-ranked hunter.” Before getting to the main point, he was simply setting things straight to keep the conversation from getting tangled.
“Then let’s stop wasting time. Like you said, let’s finally deal with the main reason we came all the way to Seoul.”
As soon as he stepped into the room, the first thing he noticed was that peculiar scent of medicine often found in medical facilities. While he was subconsciously analyzing the distinct notes of the smell lingering in the air, a certain scene came into view. There, by the window where thin curtains filtered the sunlight, a person was lying down.
‘Mom.’
A woman whose prematurely graying hair could easily make her mistaken for an old lady. The planet native lying in the hospital bed was a family member who shared the genetic makeup of the nation’s hero.
‘Hair dye is usually toxic, so I had no choice but to leave the gray hair as it was… but I never thought I’d end up bringing someone from the industry into this hospital room.’
Moreover, the patient before him was suffering from a new kind of illness that had emerged in modern society—a rare case of what was known as magic addiction.
“Hmm.”
When looking at the incidence rate by age group, cases were almost nonexistent among those in their teens and twenties. It was a new type of illness that surged sharply among people aged fifty and above. Yet, despite being a rare condition that not everyone experienced—unlike the awakening phenomenon—why did it have to strike our family of all people? Jung Haseong once again found himself revisiting the same question he had asked hundreds of times before.
“As expected, it seems it’s going to be difficult to wake her with ordinary methods…”
It was after that that the blond guest finally spoke.
“Actually, I’ve been in and out of major hospitals myself, and I’ve seen patients with [magic addiction] a few times, but… hmm?”
Whoosh.
The alien creature finally stopped talking and turned around.
“By the way, why have you been standing so far away?”
The guest asked in a puzzled tone. And the reason the man in the suit suddenly changed the subject was simple—for some reason, the family member of the [magic addiction] patient was pressed up against the wall, keeping an unusually large distance.
“Jung Haseong. There’s something I need to talk to you about, so come a little closer.”
Moreover, even when he made such a suggestion, the only response he got was a reluctant one.
“…power.”
“What?”
Jung Haseong muttered something under his breath. It was such a faint sound that even with heightened hearing, it was hard to catch. Kim Giryeo furrowed his brow and asked him to repeat it. But then, raising his voice, the national hero spoke words no one had expected.
“I’m afraid my magic power… might have a bad effect on her.”
[Magic addiction], in short, was an illness caused by mana. And S-rank Awakeners, by their very nature, were beings who carried far greater amounts of that mystical energy than anyone else.
“I usually made my visits from outside the hospital room.”
The black-haired young man spoke with his head lowered, his words coming out with difficulty. However, the somber mood that was about to settle was fortunately broken soon after—by the arrival of another visitor.
“What kind of ridiculous nonsense is that supposed to be?”
“Nonsense?”
“Did your school, by any chance, teach that all hemoglobin sticks to magnets just like pure iron?”
“Ah.”
“Of course, they share the same origin to some extent, but the mana within living beings and the mana in the air are obviously different… vastly different.”
Rustle, rustle.
While he spoke, Kim Giryeo gestured with his hand for him to come closer.
“And [Magic Addiction] is definitely affected by the natural environment, so don’t worry about it.”
To think that this biological power, which used to knock out even a perfectly healthy twenty-something young man when he couldn’t control his emotions, has no effect on that terrible disease.
“Really?”
Hesitantly.
The S-rank hunter reacted a moment later. Jung Haseong relaxed his stiff posture and awkwardly leaned forward, closing the distance between them.
There was no scientific proof of any connection between Awakeners and magic addiction. So, deep down, even he had thought that this was nothing more than a baseless worry…
“Was it really… okay?”
Jung Haseong still held back his words, speaking with cautious restraint.
“Why are you so nervous in front of someone who’s about to wake up anyway? What, were you planning to avoid seeing your mother even after she woke up?”
But was this a dream or reality?
Ssshrk.
Kim Giryeo then took out a subspace artifact—one that unlicensed hunters were forbidden to use. In other words, he had just revealed the existence of his [Item Box].
“Jung Haseong. I literally told you just ten seconds ago that I brought an elixir from overseas.”
Of course, that was true. But no matter how much he turned it over in his mind, it was a story that only left him full of doubt.
“Uh, well… in that case, let me ask in advance—was the amount of elixir you got enough for two adults to share?”
The man with the thick eyelids turned his gaze away.
“No way.”
“Then why would you offer to give such an item to someone else?”
The emotion Jung Haseong showed next was something close to sheer disbelief.
“No, this is definitely not a topic that should be brought up so casually.”
“Let me ask just one thing. Haseong, what exactly is bothering you right now… that you’ve been muttering and asking again and again since earlier?”
“Well, I suppose if it’s you, Hunter Kim, you could very well make that choice. But by the logic in my head, this is impossible and an utterly absurd suggestion.”
“Absurd?”
“Am I somehow stronger than you? Or better at doing the work?”
“Well, you’re a bit better at the work, yes.”
At that moment, before discussing the elixir transfer, Kim Giryeo revealed the most crucial piece of information.
“Haseong. Just so you know in advance, I don’t need a cure-all like this anymore.”
“Haha, seriously…”
“If it were something I could use, I obviously would’ve swallowed it myself and never even made this offer. But why the silly laugh in the middle of such an important explanation?”
But the national hero’s reaction was negative.
“I’m just… curious now.”
After a moment, the black-haired Awakener, looking pale, asked a question.
“Why, of all the people, did you choose to say this to me? I just… want to at least understand the reason now.”
“You want me to explain it in a way that makes more sense?”
“Being told something like this out of the blue is actually painful for me.”
I’ll give you the immortal potion you’ve always wanted! Of course, this was the kind of situation any person would dream of, but from an Earthling’s point of view, it wasn’t something that could be accepted so easily.
“This is kind of confusing.”
The alien tilted his head. However, the Alphauri also wasn’t entirely unable to understand the other’s feelings. The black-haired hero had spent several years alone after the Dungeon Shock. At a young age, the top-ranked hunter of South Korea had ended up taking on the role of protecting others.
Moreover, even in that small matter of hiring a caregiver, he hadn’t been able to rely on his family’s help for over a thousand days. And yet, if someone suddenly stepped in to solve this overwhelmingly difficult ordeal out of the blue…
‘Do you think I’d just meekly accept it!’
The black-haired Earthling frowned, looking clearly aggrieved.
“Honestly, I have no idea how I’m supposed to answer this.”
“Is that so?”
“The truth is, I’m not really acting all that logically either, which makes it even more of a problem.”
But what exactly is this expression?
“Haseong-ah, have you ever raised any animals or plants in your life?”
“Yes?”
“Except for humans.”
The national hero stood there dumbfounded.
Tuk, tuk.
Kim Giryeo took long strides, moving even closer to the hospital bed. At the same time, he looked at the patient as if to satisfy his curiosity and said.
“I don’t know about you, Haseong, but I’ve never raised anything just as a pet.”
To be precise, that meant he had never raised a potted plant or a dog either.
“I never cared about that kind of thing in the first place, thinking, what’s fun about taking responsibility for a species less intelligent than me?”
“Well, there are naturally all sorts of opinions in the world. I understand.”
“What—”
“I’m concerned about bugs.”
Paused.
Jung Haseong couldn’t hide his surprise at the unexpected words.
“Insignificant, tiny. And on top of that, their reproductive ability isn’t bad, so there’s no risk of extinction—why would I bother with such pests…”
“Bugs?”
“On top of that, it wasn’t even a single insect I was carefully raising in a glass cage—I just suddenly grew fond of some bugs I happened to find wandering by the roadside.”
“….”
“Logically, losing two or three ants shouldn’t change an adult’s entire life. So why did it happen to me like this?”
“Um… excuse me, but I don’t really understand what you mean. What exactly is the point of the story you just told?”
“I see the people of this world as insects.”
It was around this point that the national hero’s acclaim suddenly stopped.
“It’s just a metaphor, of course. I mean, that’s how little interest I’ve had in people. Honestly, I’ve been living every day looking down on all of you.”
Tak.
“So stop interpreting me as some kind of noble, righteous person.”
“Is… that so?”
“But there’s no need to be too shocked. Like I just mentioned, I’ve recently changed my mind.”
Kim Giryeo leaned his arm against the nearby bed rail.
“From my experience, it oddly feels bad when neighbors who seemed as insignificant as ants get hurt.”
“….”
“Even watching an ant I was observing scurry away with a crumb of snack somehow makes me feel a little happy too.”
“….”
“So… recently, while working as a hunter, I’ve started wanting to look out for the acquaintances I’ve made in Korea in my own way.”
“If we live well, does that make you feel better too, Kim Giryeo-ssi?”
“If I wasn’t even going to be able to do what I wanted to this much, then I might as well not have been born into this world in the first place.”
Kiieek.
“The reason I’m trying to give you the elixir ultimately comes down to that.”
One alien openly confessed to living life in his own lone-wolf manner.
“By the way, my own family matters are complicated, so I don’t really know—but if this patient recovers, is it really true that it will make you genuinely happy?”
But before Jung Haseong could even add a word, another absurd remark slipped out.
“Are parents really that important in your life? Well, honestly, you’re already an adult, so you don’t really need their support anymore anyway.”
Is that even a valid argument?
‘Psychopath…’
At that moment, the S-rank superhuman—with no formal psychiatric knowledge—suddenly formed a strong deduction.
‘This is completely a psychopath.’
For reference, this was actually incorrect information. But from the perspective of Earth resident J, the entire conversation so far seemed to suggest exactly that. After all, the Sambaegan-eyes young man hadn’t exactly done only one or two things that could be easily misunderstood.
‘A cold-blooded person who can’t properly understand someone and treats other lives like trash… I—I’ve seen this kind of thing on TV all the time.’
Jung Haseong fell into a brief moment of thought. Still, even if the person before him was a cold-blooded individual who had learned human emotions mechanically, he first needed to address this matter.
“Of course, I’d be happy when my mother wakes up.”
“Right.”
“B, but! If I receive the elixir, wouldn’t that mean your illness gets neglected?”
“Illness?”
“Sorry, but that’s too much of a burden for me, and my mother would never be that selfish. I’m sorry, but we don’t want to go so far as to kill someone outright just to get medicine…!”
But Jung Haseong hadn’t even finished speaking at that moment.
“Oh, right.”
Tuk.
Kim Giryeo pointed to his torso with a calm expression. Then he said.
“I haven’t said this clearly yet. Uh, I fixed my lungs, you know?”
“Huh?”
“My illness is already cured. That’s why I’ve been saying since earlier that I’m able to transfer the elixir.”
“W, what do you mean?”
“Because you were so suspicious, I had to choose my words carefully, so our conversation briefly went off track…”
At this point, it’s worth explaining that this blond man had been given about two seasons’ worth of time up until now. To be more precise, the rest period had been far too long to spend solely obsessing over the fantastical magic-science task of reviving a living being.
Especially for an archmage, it could even be considered an abundant period. Kim Giryeo ended up producing a new result during this time. After all, even doctoral students on Earth often run multiple experiments at once. But would the life of a researcher really be different just because of a single difference in origin?