Chapter 66: To Suwon (3)

Immediately after using Precise Observation,

A vast interior came into view.

What followed was the sight of a middle-aged man in military uniform and Ji-hye with a hardened expression. Opposite them stood people also dressed in military uniforms.

Among them, one man particularly stood out.

Han-seong tilted his head.

‘A suit?’

Shirt, tie, suit, and dress shoes.

The man was impeccably dressed in formal attire. While this would have been ordinary attire before the Upheaval, he hadn’t seen anyone dressed like that nowadays.

Clothes with many pockets like military uniforms, or outfits suitable for physical activity were more preferred. Just then, the man in the suit opened his mouth.

“So what you’re saying is…”

A voice breaking the solemn atmosphere.

The man glanced at the middle-aged soldier with Ji-hye. His name tag read Lee Jong-pil.

“Am I to understand that you won’t hand over the troops under your command, Brigadier General?”

“As I said before, it’s up to the individuals whether they choose to go to Sejong or not. It’s not for us to decide.”

Brigadier General Lee Jong-pil answered as if he had been waiting for the question. On the other hand, the man furrowed his brow and sighed as if frustrated.

“Are you deflecting again?”

“No, you’re the one who’s deflecting!”

Ji-hye suddenly interjected into the conversation.

She had been listening with a stern expression, but now she stepped forward and shouted.

“What’s wrong with leaving it up to individual choice whether to stay here or leave!?”

“Individual choice itself is the problem.”

“What do you mean…!”

“As you all know, South Korea is currently in a state of national emergency. Accordingly, the Sejong government has declared martial law and mobilization orders nationwide.”

Martial law? Mobilization orders? What’s that about?

Of course, it was the first time he had heard such terms. Meanwhile, the man in the suit continued speaking.

“In this situation, it’s absurd to talk about individual choice. Right now, what’s most important is rebuilding the nation, not individual survival.”

“I don’t think so.”

“I thought you’d say that. This is no different from a week ago.”

The man laughed as if exasperated.

At this somewhat rude behavior, Jong-pil’s eyebrow twitched once.

“It seems pointless to continue this conversation, so I’ll take my leave. If you keep exercising your veto like this, the government won’t stand idly by.”

The man turned around.

The soldiers who seemed to have come as escorts followed behind him. Just as they were about to leave the room, Jong-pil’s lips moved.

“Wait.”

“We haven’t discussed how to handle the Hwaseong matter yet.”

Hwaseong. At the mention of the area next to Suwon, Ji-hye’s expression darkened slightly. On the other hand, the man smiled and answered.

“Ah, that’s already been decided.”

“If it’s been decided…”

“We’ve decided to leave the Hwaseong matter to you, Brigadier General. Currently, the Sejong government has too much to deal with and lacks the manpower or resources to provide support.”

Jong-pil’s brow furrowed.

The man’s words meant they were dumping all responsibilities and accountability related to Hwaseong onto him.

“Then I’ll take my leave.”

With those final words, the man and the soldiers left the room. As the door closed, the interior was once again filled with heavy silence.

Han-seong narrowed his eyes.

‘…What kind of situation is this?’

Since he had used Precise Observation midway through the conversation, he wasn’t sure what was going on. However, one thing was clear – the man had come from the Sejong Provisional Government.

And judging by the use of terms like martial law and mobilization orders, it seemed Sejong wanted something from the Suwon Provisional Government.

‘Probably troops.’

After all, they had specifically mentioned the troops under the Brigadier General’s command. This was all the information he could glean from the conversation he had just overheard.

However, it wasn’t something to dwell on.

He could just ask Ji-hye about it later anyway. Just then, Ji-hye opened her mouth.

“They only think about stealing our troops and ignore matters that need help. This is truly the worst.”

“What are you going to do? Without Sejong’s support, searching Hwaseong is realistically…”

“Ji-hye.”

A deep baritone filled the room.

After a moment, Jong-pil pressed his thick fingers to his temples and spoke as if making a request.

“Could you give me some time to gather my thoughts?”

“…Alright. I’ll come back tomorrow then.”

“Yes. You’ve worked hard today.”

Understanding the dismissal, Ji-hye immediately left the room. As she sighed deeply while looking at the empty corridor, her eyes suddenly widened.

“…Ah.”

Judging by how she opened her palm, it seemed she had just remembered Han-seong’s presence. She hurriedly brought her lips to her palm.

-I’m sorry. You must have waited a long time?

“No, it’s fine.”

Since I watched the whole situation anyway.

Han-seong inquired about the scene he had just witnessed.

“Who was that man in the suit earlier?”

-The man? Ah! Did you perhaps watch?

“That’s right. I was curious.”

No sooner had he affirmed the question than Ji-hye let out a sigh she had been holding back. Then, clenching her fist, she answered.

-He’s a conscription officer from the Sejong Provisional Government.

“Conscription officer?”

-A lot has happened in the meantime.

Ji-hye sighed again.

It certainly looked that way. Just hearing terms like martial law and mobilization orders was enough to indicate that various events had transpired.

-Ah, more importantly, did you find your family members?

“Yes, both my parents are safe.”

-Really? Whew, that’s a relief.

“What about you?”

-My family is all safe too.

It’s fortunate that we’re both safe.

Han-seong quietly felt relieved. Just then, Ji-hye spoke up with a curious tone.

-So are you in Cheonan now? Or have you moved to Daejeon?

“I’m in Cheonan.”

-Ah, then I’ll visit you tomorrow or the day after. I have something to tell you regarding this matter, and I’m starting to feel thirsty too.

She wanted to meet in person to talk about what had happened.

He didn’t particularly mind listening in person, but there was no need for her to come all the way to Cheonan. So Han-seong shook his head and replied.

“No, you don’t need to come to Cheonan.”

-What? What do you mean…

“I’m going to move my base to Suwon.”

Surprised by this unexpected answer?

The sound of Ji-hye taking a deep breath echoed in his mind. After a moment, she spoke with a bewildered expression.

-Oh, well that’s more convenient for me. But are you sure? Is it okay to be apart from your family members you’ve just reunited with…

“It’s fine. And there’s another reason why I need to have a base in Suwon.”

-Another reason?

Han-seong finally revealed his true intentions.

About his younger sister, Kang Yuna.

He told her everything – that Yuna wasn’t in Daejeon and that her last known whereabouts might be Suwon. Hearing this, Ji-hye let out a sympathetic sigh.

Then suddenly her eyes widened.

-Oh? Wait a moment. You said your sister’s last known location was Seryu University, right?

“Yes, that’s what I heard.”

-Then just in case, I’ll search through the resident list. Everyone who’s entered the airbase is recorded, so we should be able to check quickly.

She’s moving efficiently without even being asked. As expected, her quick wit is appreciated.

Han-seong grinned.

“Thank you. You’ve saved me some trouble.”

-It’s nothing. Compared to how much you’ve helped me so far, Mage, this is trivial.

Ji-hye laughed as well.

She spoke up again.

-If you could just tell me your sister’s name, gender, and age, I’ll look into it right away.

At those words, he shared the information about Yuna that he had heard from his parents. Ji-hye took out a notebook to jot this down, and Han-seong spoke again.

“I’ll contact you after I move my base then.”

-Yes! I’ll look into it and get back to you.

And so the conversation with Ji-hye ended.

The duration of Precise Observation had also just ended.

Left alone, Han-seong immediately began preparing to depart. Well, preparations simply meant gathering the mana potions he had laid out on the desk.

“Shall we get going then.”

To Suwon, where Ji-hye and Yuna might be.

Han-seong activated the Additional Base skill. However, an unexpected problem greeted him.

[Unique: Additional Base activation failed]

[Cooldown time remaining]

[Time remaining: 00:58:17]

“Ah…”

About an hour of cooldown time remaining.

Come to think of it, wasn’t the cooldown for the Additional Base skill 125 hours? Han-seong belatedly recalled this fact he had forgotten.

‘Can’t be helped.’

He’d just have to wait a bit.

In that case, he might as well examine the loot he had acquired in the meantime. Han-seong rummaged through his inventory and soon took out the loot items.

‘Let’s start with the Wolf King’s loot.’

The first item was the Wolf King’s heart.

The heart, as large as his head, continued to throb even after being taken out.

Somehow, it was a grotesque sight.

Han-seong frowned.

‘Still, since it’s loot…’

It must have some special effect.

Although it was a bit unsettling, he decided to touch it anyway.

Having made his decision, Han-seong reached out and tapped the heart. Immediately, its information was revealed.

[Name]: Wolf King’s Sixth Heart

[Description]: A loot item obtainable with an extremely low probability when subjugating the Champion monster, Wolf King. This item is bound to the first acquirer.

▷After absorption, it increases health, enhances some physical abilities, and amplifies recovery and regeneration effects.

▷When faced with a life-or-death situation in the future, ‘Recovery: Revival from Death’ will activate. This effect can only manifest once.

What caught Han-seong’s attention was the last line.

The part stating that after absorbing the heart, Revival from Death would activate when faced with a life-or-death situation in the future.

‘If it’s Revival from Death, surely…’

It must be the skill that allowed the Wolf King, who had been reduced to tatters by the Magic Spear bombardment in the past, to return from the brink of death with extreme recovery power.

In other words, it was like gaining an extra life.

However, there was also a disappointing aspect.

“Ugh, of all things, it had to be bound…”

The Wolf King’s heart was bound to the first acquirer, meaning Han-seong. This meant it couldn’t be transferred to anyone else.

If it hadn’t been bound, he had thought about giving it to his parents, which was unfortunate. As he continued examining the heart, he soon faced a new problem.

“But how do I absorb this?”

Surely I don’t have to eat it? This huge thing?

It’s dripping blood. No, more than that, it’s still twitching on the floor.

Han-seong picked up the heart with a reluctant expression. As he held it in both hands, pondering how to absorb it, that’s when:

[The Wolf King’s heart is being absorbed.]

“Huh?”

A brief notification that suddenly appeared.

At that moment, the heart’s form collapsed. Transformed into a massive amount of blood, it engulfed Han-seong’s body and was quickly sucked into him.

What’s this? Is this how it’s absorbed? Couldn’t you have at least said something? Han-seong was considerably startled by the sudden turn of events.

However, the anomaly wasn’t over yet.

Suddenly, his heart began to beat violently.

His pulse quickened and his breathing became labored. The veins on the back of his hands swelled as if about to burst, and his entire body felt like it was boiling.

“Ugh! Guh!”

The heat that originated from the center of his body spread rapidly through his blood vessels to his entire body. Some of it even seemed about to rise to the top of his head.

‘I can’t let this continue…!’

He had a feeling that if the heat reached his head, he might lose consciousness.

Han-seong desperately focused his mind.

Entering a meditative state, he converted the aether in his body into mana based on the enlightenment he had gained at the Mage’s Tower. To suppress the rampaging heat.

How much time passed like that?

‘…It worked.’

Han-seong succeeded in concentrating the hot energy that had been coursing through his entire body into one place.

But this was only a temporary measure.

If he removed the mana suppressing the energy or came out of meditation, the concentrated energy would scatter again and run wild through his body.

Therefore, he had two options:

‘Expel it, or absorb it.’

To escape the immediate crisis, expelling all this energy would be the right choice, but Han-seong had no intention of doing so.

‘What I absorbed is an elixir.’

Then it’s fair to interpret this hot energy as the efficacy of the elixir. He had no intention of letting go of such a precious loot item he had obtained.

So Han-seong chose the latter option.

‘Slowly, evenly absorb it.’

Slowly, so that the elixir’s energy wouldn’t explode.

And he distributed the burning energy throughout his body so it wouldn’t concentrate in one area.

Heart, blood vessels, bones, organs, and so on.

The energy was absorbed as if melting into various parts of his body, and sweat poured from Han-seong’s body like rain. After repeatedly breathing for a considerable time:

“Phew.”

He finally succeeded in dissolving all the energy into his body. When he opened his eyes, he felt as light as if he could fly.

Just then, a notification appeared before his eyes.

[You have absorbed the Wolf King’s heart.]

▷Your health recovery rate greatly increases.

▷Some physical abilities are enhanced.

▷Regeneration and healing power are amplified.

▶Rank Experience: +20%

“This is…”

Han-seong’s eyes widened in tandem.

Everything else aside, why did the Rank Experience suddenly increase? As he was feeling puzzled, something he had forgotten came to mind.

▷From the 3rd Layer, you gain a small amount of Rank Experience each time you use a skill.

▷Additionally, you can gain large amounts of experience by consuming rare elixirs, potions, or gaining insights into the Magic Way.

The notification message that had listed ways to gain Rank Experience after the 3rd Layer. Recalling this, he understood why the experience had increased.

‘An unexpected gain.’

Han-seong smiled happily.

The more Rank Experience accumulated, the better. And that wasn’t the only unexpected gain.

Twitch!

“…Huh?”

Han-seong’s eyes widened in surprise.

Just now, for a fleeting moment, he felt as if his left leg had moved.

‘What was that? An illusion? Or…’

With a disbelieving expression, he focused all his bodily sensations on his left leg. Then, the leg that shouldn’t have moved at all twitched again.

Han-seong’s eyes bulged.

He couldn’t help it.

The sight he had just witnessed wasn’t an illusion or coincidence, but a result he had intentionally achieved.

“M-my leg…!”

It had definitely moved, even if only slightly.

Han-seong, with eyes full of excitement, continued trying to move his leg, but unfortunately, there was no further progress.

However, Han-seong was satisfied.

Even just regaining a slight sensation in his legs, which had been as stiff as a statue for the past 10 years, was enough.

‘Is this also thanks to absorbing the heart?’

That’s highly likely.

After all, it was the only variable.

It also said that some physical abilities would be greatly enhanced, and recovery and regeneration would be amplified.

‘Then if…’

If he absorbed other elixirs?

If he continued to absorb elixirs with effects similar to the Wolf King’s heart, wouldn’t he eventually be able to move his legs?

Han-seong’s expression brimmed with hope.

Having added a new goal, he turned his attention to the next loot item.