Ch.254EP.56 – The Obvious Story He Wants to Hear (2)

“Whoa, what is this…!?”

Despite being whipped on the calves with a switch until they burned, Derrick was too shocked to even feel the pain that resembled a burn.

And for good reason.

“Why is the composition so clear and active? The living blood itself must be incredibly rich in nutrients.”

“…You’re being kind of creepy right now, you know?”

“……”

No joke, Derrick experimenting with various tools on the tiny amount of blood he had collected looked no different from a mad scientist.

Additionally, he was flushed with excitement, his cheeks turning red. If this wasn’t a madman, what was?

To this assessment, Derrick:

“I-I’m just surprised, that’s all. I-I don’t have any strange intentions…”

He explained as if making excuses, but the more he tried to justify himself, his voice grew increasingly quieter as he reflected on his actions.

He seemed to realize how bizarre his behavior appeared even to himself, and after clearing his throat repeatedly, he changed the subject.

“A-Anyway, about your blood, Instructor…”

“Oh? Changing the subject, are we?”

“N-No, it’s not like that. I think this is something you should know too. Instructor, it seems that all the monster factors you supposedly possessed have died off.”

“…?”

“No, not died off—we should consider the possibility they were never there to begin with.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, it means you were ‘human,’ Instructor.”

“???”

Ihan tilted his head in confusion, and Derrick scratched his cheek, appearing to organize his thoughts for a moment before trying to explain in as much detail as possible.

“You said that as a child, a magician gave you troll and gnoll factors, right? And thanks to that, you gained a troll’s robust physical abilities and recovery powers, as well as a gnoll’s keen senses like smell and touch.”

“Y-Yes, that’s right?”

It was something he had always known, and Ihan never doubted this truth.

After surviving as a spellcaster’s test subject and ultimately overcoming it, the physical abilities he gained were certainly not those of an ordinary human. It was no exaggeration to say that he survived and built a foundation to become stronger thanks to those abilities.

However…

“That story is incorrect. Look at this. These are the results from analyzing your blood compared to troll and gnoll blood…”

*Slide*

“It came back negative. This means there are no monster factors whatsoever.”

Derrick showed him something that looked like a diagnostic kit, asserting confidently that it would have shown positive if there were any monster factors present.

“……”

Ihan blinked for a moment.

Originally, he had permitted the experiment with a casual attitude, but now he was perplexed as the common knowledge he had held was being overturned.

Yet this cold-blooded fellow continued to inject truth regardless of his confusion.

“In that sense, Instructor, you’re not a human with monster powers—genetically speaking, you’re actually human.”

“…How is that possible?”

This question contained several implied meanings.

He was asking how to explain his extraordinary recovery ability and exceptional senses, and to this question:

“‘Evolution,’ sir.”

“What?”

…An incomprehensibly absurd answer came back, but Derrick remained completely serious.

“This is just a hypothesis, but perhaps your body evolved repeatedly to withstand the experiments when you were young. You said you had a strong will to survive since childhood, right?”

“I… guess?”

“It might sound like mere determination theory, but it seems your body evolved to become strong enough to overcome monster factors during the experiments. While others tragically lost their lives unable to endure the pain of the experiments, you survived through sheer ‘willpower,’ and in the process of overcoming that near-death agony, your body evolved.”

“……”

“Ah, I know it sounds like pseudoscience. Please don’t glare at me like that…”

“…I’m not glaring, I’m contemplating. Even if your hypothesis is true, it doesn’t fully explain all my abilities. Especially since I’m sensitive to potions made from troll blood, and I’ve benefited from them in various ways. How do you explain that?”

He thought he had posed a sharp question, but Derrick answered without hesitation, as if he had been waiting for it.

“That’s where evolutionary theory comes in.”

“…Huh?”

“You know what? Evolution isn’t just one simple thing. There’s also evolution through genetic mimicry.”

“……”

“In other words, your cells mimicked the monster factors entering your body for survival purposes. To be able to fight and win against monster cells.”

“…That’s an interesting theory.”

However, despite hearing such an explanation, Ihan couldn’t help but remain skeptical.

How could evolution happen in such a short period?

‘Ah, was ten years actually quite long?’

He suddenly recalled how long he had been held as a test subject, which made him question whether the theory might be correct after all. Then, as if delivering a finishing blow to Ihan’s doubts:

“Also, did you know? Both trolls and gnolls are extremely cute when they’re young. But they undergo tremendous changes as they mature into adults.”

“……”

“Does that ring any bells?”

“Well, kind of?”

Ihan chuckled slightly as he recalled his younger days.

Indeed, in his teens and early twenties, he had often been told he was quite cute.

‘I thought it was because of training… Was it not?’

With such thoughts in mind, Ihan paid more attention to Derrick’s words.

Now it was starting to sound credible.

“This explains why you have so few monster-related characteristics. If you truly had monster factors, you should have had traits like Berserker or Monsterization.”

“Hmm, so I’m just an ordinary human then?”

Not some kind of modified human?

“Of course you’re not ordinary. You’ve evolved, after all. If I had to classify you… a mutant?”

“……”

“To put it more simply, you’re a mutant. In some ways, isn’t that even more fascinating than being a mystical race?”

“……”

“Oh, so about that—Instructor, could I take some more blood samples? Your blood might be far more valuable than troll blood…”

“Plant your head.”

“Excuse me?”

“I said plant your head. Do I need to kindly explain what a headstand bombing is?”

“…This is a gravel path, sir.”

“And?”

“……”

“Execute.”

“Ex-executing…”

Derrick repeated the command and planted his head on the ground with tears welling in his eyes, but Ihan merely clicked his tongue.

‘This guy was doing well until he asked for trouble.’

While some people can pay off a thousand nyang debt with just one word, Ihan was certain this guy was the type to incur a thousand nyang debt instead.

* * *

The money-hungry Taechang was clearly a lucky fellow.

“Though belated, I want to express my gratitude. Thank you. Even saying it again and again wouldn’t be enough.”

“Thank you, Instructor.”

“Haha, it’s a pleasure to see you again in less than half a day.”

“…Hmm.”

Thanks to the visitor—or more accurately, the homeowner—arriving, the additional injection of gratitude toward the master was cut short.

It was a pity, and so all he could do was order a minimal headstand bombing and have him wait on the side.

He couldn’t very well raise a club in front of guests, could he?

“Ahem…”

Though the young wolf was glancing sideways, he made the wise choice of clearing his throat to deliberately draw attention, and Ihan had to admit the kid had good instincts.

As for the other adults:

“That looks like good training.”

“Is he strengthening his neck? The swordsmen in our family often train their necks like that too.”

They showed a positive interpretation befitting a swordsmanship family and completely withdrew their interest.

“Kuhik, why is there not a single normal person here…?”

Though the boy was muttering something, Ihan ignored the grumbling and addressed the visitors.

“What brings such busy people here?”

Ihan spoke bluntly, but despite his tone, he was genuinely wondering why they had come at this time.

Restoring the collapsed mansion, managing the half-demons, assessing the family’s damages, reporting the incident details to the royal family, and so on.

They had mountains of work to do.

He wondered why they had suddenly visited when they shouldn’t even have time to entertain guests.

“I felt we wouldn’t have another chance to greet you if not today.”

Felinshia spoke with rare solemnity, and the father-son pair nodded in agreement.

But for Ihan, it was rather awkward.

“I feel like I’ve heard this so much my ears are growing calluses…”

This wasn’t a joke—he had truly heard thank-yous to the point of exhaustion.

For example, Felinshia, that woman, as soon as the fairy tale writer regained consciousness:

– Thank you, thank you so much…!

She had thanked him with tears streaming down her face.

Well, up to that point, it might have been a heartwarming scene, but what followed was quite troublesome and tiring.

– Thank you, thank you…

– I will consider you my lifelong benefactor!

– It’s not much, but please accept this…

Besides this, the retainers of the Ophen family had come one after another to express their gratitude, some even kneeling before him, which made him extremely uncomfortable.

‘How could I feel at ease when people much older than me are doing such things…?’

Perhaps due to the faint remnants of Confucian spirit, he had been extremely uneasy.

But then again, it would be strange to tell them not to be grateful.

Not only had he saved the family from the hands of villains, but how relieved must they have been not to lose their respected sword master and the family’s pride, the sword saint and great writer?

Because of this, Ihan had been forcibly kept at the mansion for the past five days.

The Ophen family wanted to entertain him in some way, and though he wanted to tell them to focus on restoring their family instead…

– How can we call ourselves nobles if we cannot properly care for our benefactor! Honor is more important than life or property! Please do not let us become dishonorable creatures.

…This was the passionate cry of one of the Ophen family’s elderly retainers, and Ihan had been well-fed and well-cared for over the five days, to the point where his skin was now glowing.

‘The three meals a day were really delicious.’

They even provided desserts and late-night snacks, making him worry about gaining weight.

So, he was already tired of thank-yous, and now with three generations gathered to express gratitude again, he felt burdened from the start.

“Hehe, you look annoyed.”

“I always said to just do the first verse. That’s enough now.”

“How could that be enough? No amount of gratitude would be sufficient.”

“……”

“I promise you this. Even if the kingdom becomes your enemy, the Ophen—no, I—will help you. Even if I have to stake everything I have.”

“…Wow.”

The last exclamation wasn’t from Ihan but from Taechang, who was still doing his headstand bombing.

It was understandable, as he had essentially gained the authority to command an Aura user.

This was an invaluable privilege that even a monarch would envy to the point of stomach pain, and something everyone would surely covet, but…

“…Please keep that gratitude to yourself. I don’t need it.”

“?!”

The person in question tried to return it as if dealing with a troublesome antique, and Felinshia’s eyes welled up with tears.