The Power of Goblins(2)

When Shin-yeon resolved the Gate Break and began pioneering the undeveloped gate, Neon was left alone in the General Management Team.

While Shin-yeon was pioneering the gate, Neon focused only on recuperating her body.

Although Neon had been promised growth enough to take revenge, before receiving that training, it was a priority to first change her body, which had been damaged during her years in the slums, to a normal state, so this was an essential recovery period.

Unlike the first day when her nutrition was urgently supplemented, Neon gradually balanced her body and received the minimum necessary education.

She directly tasted what a normal and proper meal was, and Neon confirmed with her own two eyes how much more wonderful the beauty of the outside world was than what she had heard in stories.

Thus, under the meticulous care and treatment of the medical department, Neon was able to recover her body to the level of an ordinary person in just two days.

And when she recovered to that extent, the promised day finally came for Neon.

Today, the day she would receive the gene mana stone implantation procedure.

---

“Nice to meet you. I’m Lee Baek-jin, who will be in charge of your procedure guardian today.”

The hospital room in the medical floor that she could leave for the first time in three days.

Neon, who had taken off her stuffy patient gown and come out of the hospital room in casual clothes, opened her eyes wide at the man who extended his hand to her as soon as she left the room.

“Um… Who are…”

“Perhaps you haven’t heard? If there’s someone receiving a gene mana stone implant for the first time, an implant recipient with precedent follows as a guardian role. It’s a kind of role to help take the first steps. And currently, I’m the only precedent recipient with free time in the General Management Team, so I came.”

Originally, Seol would have come, but that kid has accumulated work piled up after skipping work a few times, you see.

Adding that, Baek-jin explained the situation to Neon’s question while slightly pushing up the monocle he was wearing with his fingertip.

Although she understood Baek-jin’s words, Neon’s expression changed to bewilderment at his words that she was hearing for the first time.

However, Baek-jin’s hand was still extended.

As it could be impolite to refuse the handshake any longer, Neon, who had roughly understood the situation, carefully grasped Baek-jin’s outstretched hand.

“Uh, nice to meet you.”

“Hmm… There’s no need to be so uncomfortable. Since the Ancestor brought you anyway, you’re the Ancestor’s guest. Your position is definitely not lower than mine, you see.”

“Y-yes…”

With a height that seemed to approach 190cm and a body that was firm and even intimidating despite not having much muscle, plus wearing a formal suit that felt burdensome – was he telling her to die of a heart attack by saying such things?

But she couldn’t say she couldn’t do that, so Neon nodded obediently and shook hands with Baek-jin, and then Baek-jin turned his body one beat earlier and started walking ahead.

“Follow me. We’ll go straight to the procedure room.”

“Ah, yes!”

Thud– Thud–

Behind the sound of Baek-jin’s dress shoes, the sound of Neon’s sneakers quietly followed.

Walking silently until they walked down a quite long corridor, entered a new corridor, took the elevator and went up to another floor, Baek-jin maintained silence.

Although it would be natural to say a word to lighten the atmosphere, Neon herself wasn’t very talkative, but Baek-jin seemed to have a very taciturn personality.

A personality that only uttered necessary words, questions, and answers before closing his mouth.

‘I guess I should ask what I need to ask before entering the procedure room…?’

Therefore, to ventilate this air, Neon decided to put her hesitant question into words and asked Baek-jin who was walking ahead:

“Um…”

“What is it?”

“Ah, it’s nothing, I just had something I wanted to ask.”

Based on her experience of dealing with all kinds of dirty human characters in the slums, Neon could confidently say she had no hesitation in saying something to someone.

However, unlike the people in the slums who started with curses from the beginning, Neon unconsciously paused for a moment at Baek-jin’s personality that seemed to value principles.

But soon, regaining her composure, Neon took a deep breath and gently continued her interrupted words:

“I heard from the medical staff that there would be a gene mana stone implantation today…”

“Yes, that’s right… Ah, if you don’t properly know what a gene mana stone is, I can explain. And although the gene mana stone is implanted in the heart, our General Management Team’s procedure is excellent, so there’s no need to worry about pain…”

“No, it’s not that, I was curious about what kind of gene mana stone will be implanted in me.”

“…So that’s what you were curious about.”

Baek-jin’s words poured out without pause, as if he had made a list of answers to questions he would ask.

To that, Neon firmly shook her hand to cut off his words and asked Baek-jin her original question.

So even the taciturn Baek-jin seemed to feel a bit embarrassed when cut off so firmly.

Baek-jin cleared his throat and shook off the words that had filled his mouth.

And Baek-jin answered Neon’s words while continuing to walk:

“Should I say you’re lucky… There exists a ‘Ancestor’s gene mana stone’ that the Ancestor recently newly created. That gene mana stone will be implanted in you.”

“What…? W-wait a moment. That means…”

“What will be implanted in you is the Goblin Clan’s gene mana stone. It’s the best gene mana stone that you won’t see in any auction, so there’s no need to worry that it might be weak.”

Mouth wide open at Baek-jin’s words.

Neon unconsciously stopped her feet and was about to stand there blankly, but at the sight of Baek-jin going ahead leaving the sound of dress shoes, she came to her senses with a start and followed behind him.

“W-wait a moment! Really?! Such a precious thing to someone like me…?”

“From the beginning, the Ancestor created it thinking of the mana stone to give to you, so don’t worry. We’ve arrived now.”

To say she made a new gene mana stone to give to her.

It was the first time Neon had heard this, but she let out a hollow breath in front of the procedure room that had already arrived and stopped at Baek-jin’s unbelievable words.

She thought she would be implanted with a moderately good gene mana stone at best, but why would they newly create such an expensive gene mana stone for herself who had just come out of the slums?

Neon’s inferior mind couldn’t understand the intention.

“……”

Whirr—

And as Neon lost her words with such a bewildered look, Baek-jin quietly opened the door and slowly turned his feet to look at Neon.

Then, directly looking into Neon’s eyes, Baek-jin slightly tilted his head and spoke first:

“Is it because of that guy called Cha Baek-gi, your father?”

“Pardon?”

“Your personality seems rough and rather spirited, but I don’t know why you’re so intimidated. Don’t underestimate your value. Among all the people I’ve met so far, I’ve only seen one person with as strong a will as you.”

Just a short word spilling out his impression.

However, at Baek-jin’s words that she heard for the first time in her life, Neon opened her eyes wide.

It was probably just words, but something negative that had been coagulated seemed to disappear, and her insides felt lighter.

And at that sensation, Neon tried to convey her thanks to him while grasping her mind that had floated for a moment, but Baek-jin had already entered the observation room inside the procedure room.

[Quickly come in and sit on the procedure table. We’ll start the procedure right away.]

“Ah… Yes! I’ll sit down right now!”

It seemed she would have to convey her thanks next time.

Certainly, Baek-jin was also an important personnel within the General Management Team. He came as a guardian because his hands were free, but that didn’t mean his time was always free.

[Hmm…]

Judging by the way he glanced at his wristwatch, he didn’t seem to have much time.

She couldn’t unnecessarily hold up one of the General Management Team’s important personnel, so Neon followed Baek-jin’s words and immediately entered the procedure room and approached the procedure table.

As she approached the center of the procedure room filled with various supplies, a bleak procedure table came into view.

However, Neon carefully lay down on the procedure table that was clearly not ordinary at a glance, and then the procedure table slowly tilted backwards and adjusted its position.

“I’ll cover your eyes for a moment.”

“I’m going to administer the medicine. It will sting a little, okay?”

Then, as the preparation of the procedure table was finished, doctors approached Neon and began preparing for the procedure.

At the atmosphere and appearance quite different from the doctors in the hospital room, Neon swallowed and accepted the cover blocking her eyes.

[Then, we’ll begin the gene mana stone implantation procedure.]

The procedure began with Baek-jin’s low declaration.

---

Inside the procedure room where the implantation procedure was in progress.

Baek-jin, who was waiting in the observation room, let out a small sigh while reflecting on his behavior earlier until the procedure ended.

“…Am I getting old too?”

Baek-jin had never particularly given advice to others, being busy just meticulously doing his own work.

If he gave advice, he only threw a few words to his siblings.

But today, seeing Neon’s appearance immersed in self-loathing, Baek-jin unknowingly gave such advice.

“Phew…”

Maybe he said those words because she overlapped with Seol, his youngest sister, for some reason.

Or maybe he said those words out of sympathy for that appearance with such low self-esteem.

But no matter how he thought about it, Baek-jin rubbed his forehead and sighed once again at that advice that seemed like an old man’s like his father.

“…Now is not the time to think about this.”

However, after briefly regretting his earlier behavior, Baek-jin shook his head and shook off those thoughts, then got up from his seat recalling something more important.

Neon’s appearance visible through the glass of the observation room.

Seeing that they were performing healing on the incision site as if the procedure was almost over, Baek-jin muttered to himself:

“What kind of ability will she get… If possible, it would be good if it’s the ability of materialization like me.”

Although Neon had received the Goblin Clan’s gene mana stone implant like Baek-jin’s own family, even Baek-jin didn’t yet know what ability she would gain.

She could gain the ability to control some or all of the four elements like his other sisters and brothers, or she could gain the ability of imagination materialization like himself.

But of course, the more they shared the same ability, the easier it would be to teach, so Baek-jin looked at Neon lying on the procedure table hoping for the latter, and not long after, Neon, whose procedure was completely finished, slowly raised her body from the procedure table.

[Ah? Is it all over?]

[Yes, the procedure ended successfully. Would you like to check what kind of ability you’ve gained?]

[By check, you mean…]

Neon, who spoke with a slightly dazed tone as if the effects of the anesthetic hadn’t completely worn off, asked back like that at the doctor’s words.

Seeing that appearance as if she still couldn’t grasp what kind of ability it was, Baek-jin opened the door of the observation room and approached Neon.

“Now that the implant is finished, you should feel some changes in your body. Don’t you feel anything?”

“Um… I don’t particularly feel anything.”

At Baek-jin’s words, Neon looked around her body.

Lightly tapping her arms, turning her waist left and right, and trying various tests, Neon suddenly let out a small exclamation and said:

“Oh, somehow I feel healthier! It seems like I have more strength than before the procedure…”

“The increase in physical abilities is a basic base. Since you’ve had a gene mana stone implanted, you’ve probably gained better physical abilities than ordinary hunters.”

“Somehow… it feels a bit different from that? Should I say the strength is overflowing a bit excessively?”

Baek-jin said so because when receiving a gene mana stone implant procedure, physical abilities naturally increase as a matter of course, but to that, Neon tilted her head with a subtle expression.

Usually, even if the increased physical abilities are felt, it’s not to the extent of saying so.

Moreover, looking at her swinging her arms around, she really seemed to be feeling some different sensation unlike others.

And the moment his thoughts reached that point, at one hypothesis that suddenly came to mind, Baek-jin clapped his hands and raised his voice:

“Did you perhaps receive a goblin’s body?”

“What? What do you mean by a goblin’s body…?”

“It seems that rather than control of the four elements or imagination materialization, your body has changed to that of a goblin. Of course, it won’t be a complete goblin body… Yes, it would be faster to test it directly. Try lightly jumping once.”

If her body had changed to a goblin’s body, it made sense that she didn’t feel any particular sensation and felt the increase in physical abilities a bit differently.

Therefore, Baek-jin stepped aside in front of Neon and recommended she move directly to test his hypothesis, and Neon scratched her head as if she still didn’t understand well, but soon followed Baek-jin’s words.

“Then as you said, lightly…”

Neon bounced her body up and down slightly, then lifted her feet off the ground and started running as if jogging.

“Jump…?!”

And immediately after that one step.

Neon’s figure disappeared from in front of Baek-jin’s eyes.

Crash—!!!

Then, before Baek-jin could utter a question at Neon’s disappeared appearance, a roar echoed inside the procedure room.

“Wh-what?!”

“Kyaaaah!!!”

“The observation room wall flew away!”

At that tremendous roar, everyone’s gazes inside the procedure room turned towards the direction where the roar and scream were heard, and there.

“Ugh…”

Rumble—

Neon, who had blown away the observation room with one leap, existed there rubbing her head.

The remains of the observation room that were completely shattered by Neon’s charge and started collapsing over Neon.

However, while being hit by rock pieces that should be extremely hard, Neon only frowned as if hit by pebble fragments, and seeing that sight, Baek-jin intuited:

‘…I’m going to die.’

It wasn’t that Neon, who couldn’t control her strength, would die.

It meant that if Baek-jin himself couldn’t stop Neon right now, he would soon die at the hands of his sister who would return.

That possible future, the face of Yeon-ah looking at him with an expression as cold as permafrost vividly appeared in his mind.

And the moment he recalled that face, Baek-jin kicked off without hesitation.

To catch one unleashed goblin.