episode_0023

*****

“Are you sure it’s okay, senior?”

“Yes… . Sia I want you to do it. I hate it if it’s not you.”

“… If you say that to me, I can’t refuse you. Now, come this way.”

As if being led by Sia’s hand, I sat right in front of her. With unusually careful handling, Sia took off my clothes.

“Like this? Or is it better to do it this way?”

“Yes, over there, over there. I like it that way. … No, no. That’s not it… .”

“If you don’t tell me properly, I won’t know either?”

“… Do it a little harder… .”

At my request, Sia smiled and gave strength to her fingers. A moan escapes from between my lips without me realizing it due to the feeling of being squeezed.

“Ugh, hmm… , too strong, just a little more gently… .”

“It was my senior who asked me to do it harder. I was just doing you a favor?”

“Don’t be grumpy. I think I just need to do a little more… .”

There isn’t much left until we reach the end. I turned my body into a position that made it easier for Sia to touch me and surrendered myself to Sia’s hands.

“Woman, what on earth are you doing in the lab──!!”

──I tilted my head as if to say hello to the doctor’s startled voice.

“I was surprised. Doctor, don’t you even know the basics of knocking when you come in?”

“This is my lab!? What on earth are you doing in my sacred laboratory! Well, naked like that… !”

“What’s going on, I’m wearing a bandage.”

“Bandages, such shamelessness! … yes? Boo, it’s a bandage?”

Instead of answering, I held out my left arm. Although it is said to have regenerative power, it does not recover quickly and if left alone, even the wind blows.

Coincidentally, I was supposed to have a test this evening, so I came to the medical center with the intention of taking care of my wounds, but there was no doctor there. So I searched around and found a bandage, so I asked Sia to wrap it for me.

“Boo, why are you taking off your top when you’re bandaging it!?”

“It’s a bit weird to wear something like that. I was going to put on a hospital gown after wrapping the bandage.”

Where I pointed were the clothes I wore today. Rags torn and punctured by the monster’s teeth and stained with blood. The doctor’s complexion turned pale as he looked at what looked like a bizarre murder scene.

“Si, why did you moan?”

“The bandage is a bit loose. I asked him to make it harder, but it was so tight that it hurt Sia. I’m also human, so when I’m in pain, I may make moaning noises.”

“The reason you said it wouldn’t work unless it was Sia… ?”

“It’s so hard to bandage your left arm when you only have your right arm. It’s much easier to have someone else wind it for you than to do it yourself.”

“… You’re making fun of me, right… ?”

“Of course!”

As Sia and I smiled brightly, making a V shape, the doctor sat down at the desk, shaking his head as if he didn’t have the energy to say anything.

“I was just about to put a bandage on when I felt someone coming. I thought it might be a doctor so I played around with it.”

“It’s too much. Do you know how surprised I was? really… .”

“For that matter, you were listening intently, right?”

“Well, I was just wondering whether to open the door or not!? I kept thinking about it and wondering why I couldn’t go into my lab as I wanted, so I came in angry!”

After that, after teasing Sia a few more times, the doctor looked like a boiled octopus and sank down to his desk.

Oh my, did I tease him too much? Of course, there is no reflection.

“Okay, it’s all done.”

“It hurts! Hey, if you want to hit it with your palm, you should hit it on the back. Why are you hitting it on the bandage!”

“This is punishment for teasing Director Lim too much.”

“You did it too!”

“… So, why are you here? Because you have resilience, you can just go home and bandage it.”

“Sorry, Doctor. I’ll apologize for making fun of you, so don’t get too upset.”

The reason I came here was because while I was treating my wounds, I wanted to ask the doctor a few things. There is also a prosecutor.

In addition, there were instructions from Changhyuk to report the encounter with the monster to the doctor.

“Je, me? I’m not good at that. Ugh, things are getting bigger again… .”

“Your true intentions are leaking out, Doctor. It’s okay, you just have to write down what I said exactly. Changhyuk will make the decision anyway.”

The doctor was in tears, but did not refuse. He is a salaried worker who needs to be criticized, and the doctor probably knows that there are many people who have become busier due to this incident.

When I was ready, I told the doctor all about my actions in this case. While spending a holiday with his teammates, he sensed a force that gave him a feeling of déjà vu and ran towards it; a human turned into a monster and confronted it; and he easily subdued it with the help of a gangster, or rather a demon trainer, on the way.

It was natural that the two people’s expressions hardened when they heard my story. Because I was witnessing a whole new kind of threat.

“Ordinary citizens turned into monsters, no monsters… . The crack definitely wasn’t around, right?”

“Yes. Are you sure. Even though there was nothing around, the man suddenly turned into a monster.”

“Is this really something I can hear? Isn’t that like being silenced?”

“Haha, no way.”

Although he said it with a smile, he did not completely deny it. The doctor’s face turned pale as if he had realized what was being said.

Well, no matter how much Changhyuk does, he won’t go that far, but he might write a memorandum of confidentiality. Because this is that important.

Monster is a general term for all non-intelligent things that emerge from ‘cracks’. Cracks can usually be predicted to some extent before they occur and preparations can be made accordingly. Like evacuating citizens or deploying heroes or something like that.

This is also the reason why the current period is called the period of stability. Monsters can be dealt with in advance, and awakened criminals are not numerous enough to shake up society.

But what if a monster that cannot be dealt with in advance appears? The current stable society will collapse in an instant and return to a period of great chaos.

This time, I and the gang were lucky enough to detect and stop it in advance, but if I had been just a little late, there would have been a catastrophe in the square.

“So, just watch your mouth. The association is probably trying to hide this fact.”

“But senior, is it really okay to hide this? Of course, I know that if this fact spreads, it will damage the association’s authority to prevent monsters in advance, but still… .”

“It’s not a question of authority or anything like that. It’s not that easy to create a monster like that. If people are intimidated by issues that don’t come up often, more people will die.”

And even if you prepare, it is not something you can prepare for. Sia also seemed to realize this fact and nodded in agreement.

“So this incident was also committed by Genesis?”

“I think so. Did we mention this earlier? He said he felt an unusual power before the monster appeared. After fighting the monster, I realized what its power was.”

“What was it?”

“Divine power.”

Unlike before, the expressions of the two people this time were completely different. The Doctor had a lot of question marks above his head because he didn’t know what it was, while Sia had a stern expression with a rare smile on her face.

Any hero who has spent some time will know how terrible that is.

“Divinity… Power? Is it a force that opposes Magi? If you just look at the tone, it seems like a good force. Is that proof that Genesis committed a crime?”

“Where is the power and kindness? It depends on the person writing it.”

Of course, since Magi originates from the devil, it is generally used by bad guys. That’s why I’m wary of gangsters.

“Sacred power is the power used by the Archbishop of Genesis. This time, Archbishop Ymir has never used divine power… . Rather than saying that the power of the last generation has been unleashed now, 10 years later, it would be more correct to say that Ymir himself was able to use divine power. Maybe they’ve been making preparations like that ever since the declaration of war three years ago.”

While I was distracted, Sia summarized the main points to the doctor. The Doctor’s eyes seemed to be rolling as he was bombarded with so much confidential information.

Well, the sacred power isn’t classified information, there are just a few people who know about it. Still, nothing good comes of being entangled with divine power, so when people you know think of it, they all give you a puzzled look.

“Now that’s enough, let’s start the test quickly. If you wait any longer, you never know what else you might hear.”

“Maybe it’s already too late.”

“Ah~, ah~, I can’t hear you~! ”

The doctor pushed around vigorously and attached the usual electrodes to my body. Oh, come to think of it, there was that.

“Doctor, can you take a closer look at the horns?”

“Horns? Of course, I will check this time too. Why?”

“For some reason, I feel like I can feel divine power or demonic energy through the horn.”

When I explained in detail the sensations I felt, the doctor nodded and said he would give it a try.

With this, I guess the purpose of coming here has been largely achieved. From now on, all that remains is to lie still and wait for the test results.

***

“It’s over.”

As I was chatting with Sia, the doctor announced the end of the check. I removed the electrodes from my body and stretched my sore body.

“It took so long this time? Last time it ended quickly.”

“There was not much change in the measurements last time.”

The doctor turned on one of the monitors and showed me some graphs.

I always think about this: why do researchers like to show things like graphs and charts? Even if I see something like that, I don’t even know what it means. I’m sure the next words will be ‘you’ll know when you see it’.

“As you can see―… ? Why are you suddenly smiling? Did I say something strange?”

“Big, big, because another thought came to mind for a moment. sorry. Please continue.”

“Yes, well… . Anyway, it’s only a little bit compared to last time, but the dragon’s percentage has gone up.”

“If it is a little, how much has it gone up?”

“It is a decimal unit of less than 1 percent. However, there is no difference in other parts, but the dragon’s factor magic pattern can be seen a lot on the vocal cords. Do you have any guess?”

ah. That’s it. The cry that stopped the Sword Demon’s movements even for a moment during the fight against him. I guess the reason I was able to use that technique, which is supposed to be Dragon Fear, was because my body became more like a dragon.

“Does this mean that your body is getting closer and closer to that of a dragon? If you reach 100%, will you turn into a lizard?”

“I don’t like that.”

“It may or may not be so. However, our research team believes that there is a high probability of becoming a dragon like ‘Cheongun’.”

Cheongun? It’s a name I’ve never heard of. Sia must have realized that I didn’t know after seeing my reaction, so she explained it to me.

“4 years for Cheongun? 5 years? He’s a villain who suddenly appeared in China around that time. It appeared suddenly, caused a stir, and then disappeared without anyone noticing. He seems to have the power to control lightning, but according to the Chinese side, there is a story that he turned into a dragon during battle.”

“If you are a lizard person, you already exist. Like a Draconian.”

“It has a tail and its skin is covered with scales, but its facial features are human-like. The senior has been asking for related information since he woke up… , It will take some time to receive the data because they are so busy.”

“Then it doesn’t really have anything to do with me? I don’t even have scales, let alone a tail. The only thing it has is horns.”

“So the doctor said it was just a guess.”

Well, of all the cases I’ve heard so far, this is the case that seems most similar to mine. I don’t know if humans have mutated or if something from another dimension has crossed over.

For some reason, I have a strong feeling that we will collide in the future.

“And in the case of horns… . First of all, I know that something that looks like a sense organ is active. However, I think it will be difficult to find out anything more than this unless there is a sample of the divine power or demon energy.”

This was a somewhat disappointing result. Below Article At this point, Magi or divine power is a power whose exact identity has not yet been revealed. It must have been a bit of a tall order to find out why he sensed an unknown force.

“Okay, then, since I’m done with my work, let’s go.”

“Oh, wait a minute. I have one more thing to tell you.”

The doctor stopped me as I tried to get up with Sia. As I wondered what was going on, the doctor hesitated for a moment and hesitated to speak. It’s a bit scary to see a doctor like this.

“Well, it’s about Miss Ami’s battle today. Did you get bitten on purpose because you believed in the arm’s regenerative ability?”

“… ? Well, right?”

“Didn’t it hurt?”

Is this it? The question of how can one continue to fight against enemies as a hero despite being in so much pain? If that’s the case, I can say it with confidence because I’ve prepared and practiced great answers by pattern in the past.

But looking at the doctor’s expression, I realized that the nuance was a little different. It seemed like a question about whether I literally felt pain, not a conceptual question. Of course, I had no reason to lie, so I answered the truth.

“It hurt. Very.”

“Compared to your old body? Or compared to before you became an awakened person?”

“Of course it hurt a lot compared to my previous body, and before I became an awakened… . I don’t know because I’ve never been bitten by a monster like that. Still, compared to similar pains, I think it hurt a little less than before.”

In response to my answer, the doctor lowered his head and was lost in thought. So the doctor told me not to do this~. No, now that I think about it, being a doctor might be closer to being a researcher than a doctor.

“… Miss Ami. As your doctor, I advise you not to rely too much on your regenerative abilities.”

The doctor looked up again and said that with a serious face. I tilted my head with a puzzled expression.

“First of all, I like it, so it’s not like I’m getting hurt. Still, it’s a long-awaited regenerative ability, but is there really a need for it?”

Of course, I have no intention of becoming a hero that relies solely on regenerative abilities. However, as someone who had been helped by the priestess’s restoration barrier several times, I also knew well the power of the weapon called regenerative power.

In the first place, it was a condition that today’s monster should not be killed, but didn’t it make it difficult for me through its regenerative power?

Of course, the Doctor had a solid reason for saying that.

“Miyang’s regenerative ability comes from the dragon’s unique regenerative ability. General regenerative abilities often activate cellular energy or accelerate healing through magical power. However, in the case of dragons, it is closer to creating body parts with magical power.”

“I heard that story last time.”

The doctor said that if general healing is like RPG recovery magic, then dragon healing magic is closer to save rod.

Although the speed is slow, I think it is a more complete recovery. There are also research results showing that excessive use of recovery magic consumes vitality. Of course, it’s a shame that I can’t build muscles.

“That’s right, I compared it to a save load. And that save data was information stored in the soul. Conversely, if the information stored in the soul is overwritten, there is no way to prevent it.”

“… indeed. It shouldn’t be a long-term injury.”

Previously, there was talk about a one-armed swordsman. This is a swordsman whose body has been deteriorated for such a long time that it affects his soul, and even his soul and potential have changed.

Likewise, if I suffer such long-term physical loss, there is a possibility that my soul will change and not recover.

“But don’t I have regenerative powers? I don’t think I’ll suffer that much long-term injury.”

“A similar phenomenon can occur if you immediately lose the part that has been played for several months, and then lose the part that you played again, and so on. The soul becomes more accustomed to being injured. In fact, there are cases where recovery magic does not work because you overdo it within a short period of time.”

In other words, move your body moderately. Since it wasn’t a particularly difficult request, I agreed without much resistance.

There’s no way I’ll have to fight so hard that my arms will fly off every day for months on end, haha.

… I feel uncomfortable because this feels like raising a flag.

“You’d better be careful about that and other things that could change your soul. As it stands now, I’m not sure how recovery will work when the soul changes… .”

As I was nodding, the doctor hesitantly mentioned another precaution.

hmm… ? Was there anything else worth paying special attention to? As far as I know, the only things that can change the soul are long-term injuries and some types of magic.

Although the level of mental shock hurts the soul, there is no need to consider it because if the mental damage is so severe that it distorts the soul, one will go crazy immediately.

“Director Lim too! It’s still too early to talk about that!”

“Is that so? However, I heard that students these days are all fast, but there may be some danger… .”

“I guess the prerequisites weren’t met in the first place? Senior, did you get that?”

“What on earth is that? What on earth are you two talking about? Don’t just tell me, please tell me too.”

Seeing me looking puzzled, the doctor lowered his head with a red face, and Sia patted the doctor on the back and laughed happily.

For some reason, I feel like I’m being left out, so I’m a bit picky.

“Ah, senior, that bumpy expression is cute right now!”

” That’s it, it’s cute. No matter what I try, they won’t even tell me. ”

“Are you upset? But really, you don’t need to know yet. Of course, I think you will find out soon. At this point, don’t you have any idea what’s going on? You really don’t know?”

Even if you say that, you still don’t know what you don’t know. The vicious cycle continued with Sia laughing even more at my annoyed expression.

“Ah~, I laughed a lot thanks to the doctor. It’s still a pity, senior. Periodic deficits are harmful. I wanted to secretly grind the horns while my senior was sleeping and use them instead of deer antlers.”

“Anyway, there is no feeling when I touch it, so there is no pain, but I am scared of your idea.”

“Unfortunately, the saw didn’t even scratch the surface.”

“!?”

As we chatted loudly before leaving the lab, I kept the doctor’s advice in the back of my mind.

Although they never told me what that ‘other thing’ was. Should I ask Hwain or Raon later?

*****