Ch.88Medicine and Disease

# Enhanced Translation

Meister tore open the vacuum pack, and an impossibly delicious smell exploded throughout the treatment room.

The tender-looking flesh, rich aroma, oiliness, and Sa Gu-gu’s wide eyes that wouldn’t close.

Chomp chomp chomp chomp! Unable to resist the smell, Sa Gu-gu snatched the tuna from Meister’s hand and devoured it at lightning speed.

“Wow!”

“Nyanyanyanya?! Nyaang nyaang!”

[My purpose is, well.]

Her enjoyment far exceeded that of the dak galbi.

I unconsciously swallowed my saliva, and at that moment, Meister pulled out another smoked tuna.

“B-Black Cat, would you like some too?”

“Woooong…!”

What… what is this?!

To think such food exists in this world, is this tuna?

The perfect saltiness, the soy sauce marinade deeply infused into the tuna flesh spreads softly in my mouth.

After finishing the tuna with wide-open eyes, I licked my lips and said:

[I’ve never eaten anything like this in W City. Is this food only available in A City?]

“Ah… that’s right. Unlike W City, A City has a large river, so it’s good for farming fish like this.”

[I see.]

“More! Give me more!”

“I’m sorry, there’s no more. I gave you what was prepared for me to eat…”

“Liar! Give me your bag! It’s delicious, give me more!”

[Stay still.]

“Stay still!”

Slap! When I said the exact same words as Gu Seo-ryong, Sa Gu-gu lay flat on the floor.

I placed my front paw on Sa Gu-gu’s body and continued the conversation that had been briefly interrupted by the tuna.

[That was delicious.]

“Dak galbi? Want more.”

“There’s no more, I’m sorry… Is human food that delicious? Are you friendly to humans because you eat human food?”

[So, my original purpose.]

“But that’s strange. There’s nothing special about the cooking, and until now, feeding cooked food to monsters has never made them docile.”

[Items related to the experiment…]

“Experiment? So you can speak because you’re a manufactured monster?”

“Tuna! Looking for dak galbi!”

“Where were you made? What was the purpose of creating you…?”

It was chaos, with everyone just saying what they wanted to say, so I paused the conversation.

Sa Gu-gu is like that because she’s a monster, but is Meister acting this way because of her ability?

Rather than a conversation, it feels like she’s collecting information to question with her ability.

[Shut your mouth.]

“Nyaaa.”

First, I covered Sa Gu-gu’s mouth with my front paw since she wasn’t helping the conversation at all.

Just doing this made the chaotic atmosphere much calmer.

[My goal is to find out where I was created and what their purpose was. I don’t attack humans simply because I dislike attacking them.]

“If we knew why you dislike it, we could create a world where humans don’t have to fear monsters. Ah… is it strange to ask a monster such things?”

[Ask your ability about the experiment. My purpose comes first now. There’s something in your bag related to the laboratory that created me and this one.]

“In my bag? Something related to manufactured monsters?”

[Hand it over.]

After my simple explanation and answering some of her curiosities, Meister finally listened and rummaged through her bag in confusion.

“Is it this?”

[No.]

“Then, this?”

[Ask your ability what I’m looking for.]

“Um, that’s, I can’t do any more…”

[Why not?]

“If I do more now, it’s already precarious… overload.”

[You’re the weakest superhuman I’ve ever seen.]

It sounds like an incredibly powerful ability from the description, but the user is like this.

I ordered the increasingly depressed Meister:

[Hold the bag open and stay still.]

“What? Like this?”

I’d already seen several times how items were taken out of the bag, which was expanded by some unknown technology.

Using telekinesis to examine the interior, I picked up something that had the scent I was looking for.

What emerged was a bottle of pills.

[What is this?]

“That’s Yeo Un-jae’s medicine…”

[Quake?]

That’s a name I hadn’t heard since childhood, before being taken to the laboratory.

Quake, Yeo Un-jae, one of the early superhumans from the beginning of the monster era.

A man who was called the strongest superhuman alongside the genius Meister at that time.

“He gave it to me to analyze what additional components were needed because the medicine wasn’t working well for him… Why this?”

[What kind of medicine is it?]

“It’s medicine that activates the body. The old man is aging, so his regenerative abilities are declining, and he has many injuries… Without this, he can barely walk.”

[Hmm.]

Considering I haven’t heard the name Yeo Un-jae since coming to W City, he must have retired.

So, medicine taken by a hero who retired due to injuries has the laboratory’s scent on it.

Suddenly, thoughts of Gu Seo-ryong and Experiment No. 3 cross my mind.

[Brainwashing?]

The laboratory could easily make brainwashing drugs.

Gu Seo-ryong’s brainwashing method requires regular administration of drugs.

For a human taking medicine directly, simply changing the contents of the medicine would make brainwashing easy.

“Brainwashing? Yeo Un-jae? With drugs? But there’s no such component in this medicine at all!”

[It wouldn’t be in this medicine.]

“T-then, why, to him…”

[They probably want to use him as a weapon.]

Make medicine with lower effectiveness than needed, then manipulate the components when making it again.

It’s a simple trick even a cat could think of.

Is the laboratory planning to brainwash heroes and use them?

I don’t know their purpose, but if they just need a powerful weapon they can control freely, that would be much faster than creating monsters.

“Again, because of me… ugh, uuugh…”

At that moment, Meister shed tears with deep sadness.

I firmly pressed down on Sa Gu-gu’s head as she drooled, her appetite stimulated by the intense emotion.

[What’s because of you?]

“If I, if I… hadn’t analyzed it for him, Yeo Un-jae wouldn’t have been… brainwashed.”

[It’s not confirmed to be brainwashing. Yeo Un-jae himself might be directly involved with the laboratory.]

Brainwashing is just a high possibility; a superhuman of Yeo Un-jae’s caliber might be working with the laboratory.

At that, Meister unconsciously shook her head.

“That’s impossible… Whether it’s a group trying to brainwash superhumans or one creating monsters, neither is something he would work with.”

I wonder if there’s a reason she thinks that.

Convinced that Yeo Un-jae was a victim of the laboratory, Meister stopped crying and took out her phone from her bag, trying to call someone.

[Who are you trying to call?]

“I need to tell him, tell Ho-young. Someone might be trying to brainwash heroes using a different method than the parasites in D City. Maybe even the parasite monsters!”

[If you do that, the laboratory will notice and go into hiding.]

“But then, he will!”

[If he’s been brainwashed, the laboratory will know the moment you contact him. Even if it’s not brainwashing, they’ll find out.]

“Ah…”

Only then did Meister realize how foolish her action would have been and put down her phone.

[Don’t interfere. Don’t do anything and stay still.]

“…ugh.”

Like opening a sealed door, thick depression and fear spread instantly.

Seeing her emotions, Meister seems likely to stay quiet as I ordered.

[I’m done here. I’ll take this.]

“Nyaa!”

“Ah…! W-wait!”

I secured the medicine with telekinesis and bit Sa Gu-gu’s nape.

As I opened a spatial portal, Meister stopped me as if she had something more to ask.

Even if I don’t answer, she can use her ability to find out what she wants to know.

As I jumped through space, Meister’s voice disappeared along with the closing portal.

#

“Delicious food! Not enough!”

“Sa Gu-gu.”

“Nyaaak!”

On an empty rooftop, I transformed into human form and punched Sa Gu-gu’s head.

Hitting her in monster form would be too lethal.

Thwack! With appropriate force control, Sa Gu-gu suffered internal bleeding, blood flowing from her nose and eyes as she lowered her head, then immediately stood up.

“Big brother hit me! It hurts! Why did you hit me?”

“Because you’re a bad cat.”

“Sa Gu-gu is a good cat? Didn’t do anything bad?”

“You act too much on your own.”

Annoyed by Sa Gu-gu’s misbehavior, I warned her not to do it again.

Then, contrary to my expectation that she would naturally obey, Sa Gu-gu responded with a voice full of resentment and hurt.

“On my own? Big brother is the one acting on his own! Doesn’t come home! Doesn’t stay with Sa Gu-gu! Eats delicious food alone!”

“Hmm…”

“Big brother is a liar!”

Angry, Sa Gu-gu growled “Harak!” then kicked my body and ran away.

I watched Sa Gu-gu’s retreating figure as I jumped through space with “pung, pung” sounds.

The “big brother” Sa Gu-gu refers to is the 444 I consumed.

Was she upset that the big brother who was always with her is no longer by her side?

Maybe she ran away from Gu Seo-ryong and came outside looking for me.

I don’t think of Sa Gu-gu as a little sister so she’s just annoying to me, but I might need to meet her occasionally to appease her so she doesn’t act out like this again.

Or… kill her to avoid the hassle.

“…Have I become closer to being a monster?”

Tsk, feeling complicated by the thought that crossed my mind, I returned to monster form and opened a spatial portal toward where Gu Seo-ryong would be.

At that moment, the exit of the connected space arbitrarily bent toward the ground.

Thud! After hitting my head on the ground, I thought something was strange and vibrated my core.

When I used spatial manipulation again, it worked properly as intended.

Was it a momentary mistake because I had a lot on my mind with Meister, Sa Gu-gu, and Yeo Un-jae?

This time, I successfully jumped to Area 4 and stopped in a secluded place to call Gu Seo-ryong.

When I emitted the same wavelength used for mating calls in the empty lot, Gu Seo-ryong soon appeared with an excited expression.

“I didn’t call you for mating.”

“I know, I know, but whew♥ it’s hard to resist…”

“I won’t call you like this next time. Come on your own.”

“Oh my, how cruel. It’s my pleasure.”

Gu Seo-ryong sat with crossed legs on her monsterized tail, which was planted on the ground like a chair offering her body.

“So? Did you already steal it? Where’s the item?”

“I didn’t steal it.”

“What?”

“Meister woke up during the theft. When I asked, she told me.”

“And she really gave it to you and told you about it?”

When I tossed the medicine bottle I was holding, Gu Seo-ryong frowned as she caught it.

“This feels really strange… I’m desperately trying, while you seem to be doing weird things every time I see you, yet you get everything you need?”

“That’s because you’re weak.”

“Well… you brought the item, so I guess it worked out. So? What is this? You said she told you what it is?”

“It’s a medicine bottle containing pills that Quake takes.”

“Quake? That old man from A City?”

At the mention of medicine, Gu Seo-ryong immediately opened the bottle.

She picked up one of the few pills with her sharp fingernail, examined it, and placed it on her tongue.

“Meister and Quake, both heroes from the previous generation. Their active period overlaps with when we were taken to the laboratory. So Quake is related to the laboratory…?”

“I believe they’re attempting brainwashing through medication.”

“Oh my, Meister thinks so? Well, that’s the most likely possibility… but this isn’t a brainwashing drug?”

“It wouldn’t be in that medicine. I think the laboratory is involved in making the medicine, giving him a less effective version, then planning to add the drug to the new batch.”

“Hmm… that’s just your opinion, right? Your understanding of medicine is quite lacking.”

Crunch, crunch, Gu Seo-ryong chewed the pill then spat it out, rinsing her mouth with her own saliva.

“To do something like that, you’d need to create a drug with two effects, but brainwashing requires a sedative effect. This is more like a neural activator, closer to a stimulant.”

“What do you mean?”

“Superhumans need very potent drugs to be effective because of their powerful recovery abilities. And such strong drugs tend to react against opposing properties…”

“Simplify it.”

“This medicine doesn’t brainwash; it does the opposite—increases mental resistance through neural activation. Adding brainwashing drugs to this would be pointless.”

“If they’re giving him a different medicine anyway, doesn’t it not matter?”

“At this concentration, he’d have difficulty living without this medicine, right? If they changed it… wouldn’t he notice immediately?”