20. A Long Day (2)

The narrow room was filled with the stinging smell of disinfectant.

The incessant clatter of metal instruments, the friction of blue orbs colliding in a silver dish.

If it weren’t for the wide-open window facing south, offering a view straight down, it wouldn’t have looked much different from any other operating room.

Bbeep- Bbeep- Bbeep-

However, the irregular, high-pitched beeping of an electronic device was making its presence known in a far from ordinary way.

It was evidence that something unusual was happening to the patient’s body, or a sign of an impending emergency.

“Another unstable vital sign… The procedure was perfect, so why the hell…!”

Siana Plata, a blonde woman in a green gown, wiped the beads of sweat from her forehead with the back of her arm in despair.

Sanaya’s surgical guidelines were clearly perfect, and Siana and the Awakened assistants had carried out their tasks flawlessly with delicate hands.

They were even skilled enough to perfectly execute the difficult process of extracting and melting the shattered Essence, breaking it down into magical particle form, and then slowly reacting it with the Sea Dragon’s Orb to solidify it into a single substance.

If everything had gone according to plan, all that was left was to swallow the Sea Dragon’s Orb fused with the Essence and absorb it stably into the body.

But with the final step just around the corner, Sanaya’s vital signs suddenly began to change drastically.

With blood pressure soaring to dangerous levels and an erratic pulse, inserting the Orb now could cause her body to reject the magic and explode.

“And we’re all out of potions now…”

A pile of empty potion bottles, not a drop left in any of them, was stacked high at the head of the bed.

The two Awakened who had been using their healing abilities in conjunction with the potions had also poured all their magic into Sanaya and had long since been carried away, exhausted.

Even if she wanted to ask the person who came up with the surgical method for a solution, Sanaya, lying on the bed, could only gasp for breath with her eyes tightly shut.

“Sanaya! Deep breaths, deep breaths…!”

Another seizure started.

Her chest rose unnaturally high, her breathing was rapid and shallow, and her limbs trembled as if electrocuted.

This was already the third seizure, and the symptoms were getting worse to the point where she couldn’t just stand by and watch.

Siana’s eyes, watching Sanaya, were filled with confusion and fear.

“I can’t… I absolutely can’t let her go like this…!”

It was pointless to try to come up with a solution inside the operating room any longer.

But she didn’t have time to sit calmly and consider the best option.

In the end, Siana decided to take the most effective action she could take right now.

If potions and Awakened were all gone, she just needed to bring something even more powerful.

It was a moment that called for a high-level healer, or an artifact equivalent to one.

The first person that came to mind was the Association’s Awakened, ‘White Cross’, but he was probably on an overseas business trip right now.

The next thing that came to mind was… the artifact ‘Pacemaker’ owned by the government.

Normally, it was something that required a complicated procedure to get permission for its use, and a detailed report on the loan period and number of uses, but if Siana went directly and mentioned Sanaya’s name, they would probably let her use it once without such a complicated process.

Of course, borrowing the power of the government meant being tied to them in terms of relationships, so it was a tricky choice for Siana, who didn’t want to get involved with any organization other than Arvadellin.

But now was not the time to put personal feelings first.

“Heok… Heuek…”

“T-The respirator isn’t working anymore…”

Sanaya was slowly dying before her eyes.

It didn’t seem like her life was in immediate danger, but the situation could change drastically at any moment.

Siana made up her mind, left the room, and immediately started running towards the building with the quantum transporter.

But she immediately stopped and thought again.

‘What if Sanaya gets into danger while I’m gone…?’

There was no time to delay, but she was still hesitant, fearing that her absence might lead to the worst possible outcome.

Then, a name flashed through her mind.

‘Wouldn’t Jihoo-gun be okay…?’

It was a space designed to prevent intruders from entering, so there was no need to worry about external threats, and all he had to do was make sure Sanaya didn’t hurt anymore.

And among her acquaintances, the only person she could trust and entrust with Sanaya’s situation was… Lee Jihoo.

‘First, I need to contact him quickly…!’

Once she had set her goal, she started to hurry again.

But Jihoo’s phone was still silent.

It wasn’t that late at 6 p.m. on a weekend, and the fact that he hadn’t even read the text she sent before the surgery meant that something was definitely going on.

‘Should I go back now…?’

If she passed the quantum transporter now, she wouldn’t be able to return for 15 minutes.

Even if she went to the government building and urgently obtained permission to use the artifact, it would still take at least 10 minutes.

The time to return to Sanaya was about 5 minutes, while the time to return with the artifact was at least 25 minutes.

Her small, white hands were constantly fiddling with her phone.

Pressing the call button, hanging up before the third ring, sending another short text, and pressing the send button.

Dozens of missed calls and texts piled up in less than 5 minutes.

“Why aren’t you answering… Why aren’t you answering me…!”

Her already panicked state of mind couldn’t even bring up the option of thinking of someone else.

As she continued to bury her head in the small screen and make calls, finally, with a click, a familiar voice flowed out of the speaker.

• Hello? Professor Siana?

“Jihoo-gun, why… why haven’t you answered until now…! J-Just… just come to the place where you visited me last time right now. Quickly…!”

• Professor Siana…? I just turned on my phone, so I don’t know what’s going on yet, but can you tell me what happened first…?

This isn’t the time for that…!

Siana felt frustrated at Jihoo’s calm, almost apathetic voice.

But if he went into the operating room without knowing what state Sanaya was in, he might be surprised by the mess, so even in a hurry, a basic explanation was essential.

After a few deep breaths, Siana realized this and decided to convey the information as concisely and succinctly as possible, focusing on the essentials.

“Sanaya, Sanaya is in danger…”

• I’ll be right there.

Only then was Siana able to relax and entrust herself to the transporter.

* * *

[Arvadellin Hall 17, Room 308. Large golden door. Knock twice upon entry.]

“This is the right place, right…?”

Knock knock.

As before, the entrance opened smoothly when I knocked twice on the golden door.

However, the smell of alcohol, which was much stronger than last time, and the faint scent of blood that permeated it, were felt as soon as I entered, giving me the certainty that something had definitely happened.

Bbeep- Bbeep- Bbeep-

The intermittent beeping that I would only hear in an operating room lingered in my ears.

I decided to check on Sanaya’s condition first, so I headed inside as quickly as possible.

As soon as I turned the corner, walking quickly down the hallway, I saw a silver-haired woman lying listlessly on the bed.

Using the brief knowledge I had gained from medical dramas, I looked at the monitor and found that there seemed to be nothing wrong with her vital signs.

“Hoo… That’s a relief.”

Siana’s voice sounded so urgent that I was very worried, but this level of instability wasn’t too bad.

Only then did I turn my gaze away from Sanaya and look around the room.

The empty potion bottles, which seemed to be incredibly numerous at a glance, the surgical instruments and metal carts with dark red bloodstains…

I didn’t know the details, but I couldn’t help but guess that something quite strenuous had happened here.

Then, suddenly, I heard a familiar voice from behind.

“Is that Jihoo-gun…?”

I couldn’t help but flinch at the sticky voice that seemed to tempt others.

I turned my gaze and carefully looked at Sanaya’s face.

Her eyes, which were already red, were now emitting an even more eerie red light.

“Jihoo-gun… It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

Sanaya leaned against the head of the bed, dragging her creaking body.

Even that simple act felt strangely seductive… I unconsciously took a step towards the bed.

Sanaya reached out a slender arm and picked up an orb in a silver dish.

It was an orb that shone so blue that it looked chilling just to look at.

“Ah… Say ah. Ah…”

“Ah…”

“Good boy…”

The small, pretty fingers holding the blue orb came into my mouth.

It was wet with saliva, but she didn’t care and gently stroked my tongue.

Each time her leisurely touch brushed against the inner lining, a strange pleasure made my heart flutter.

“Now, let’s swallow it. Kkulgeok…”

“It’s too big…”

“Eung, it’ll melt on its own, so it’s okay. Now, let’s swallow it… Kkulgeok…”

Sanaya took her saliva-soaked fingers out and brought them to her lips.

Jjuup… Jjuup…

For some reason, I liked the sound of her sucking up the sweet liquid so much that I unconsciously swallowed.

Kkulgeok.

As soon as I felt the orb, which had been pushed deep into my mouth, touch my throat, it melted and disappeared.

And an indescribable heat swept through my entire body.