By Zephyria Sa-young fell into the trap of endless finger play, having forgotten the world’s law that “the first time is hard, but it gets easier from the second time on.””
Every time Sa-young made a hand gesture, Ha-eun shouted, “Again!” So, when he showed it one more time, she shouted “Again!” once more. It seemed she was quite excited that the person she had seen on TV was right in front of her, doing the same thing. He had done it about twenty times, but she didn’t seem to be getting tired of it.
Sa-young spread his fingers once more, thinking.
‘Isn’t she scared of the Poison?’
Most people tried not to get too close to him. They wore Gas masks in preparation for any situation, wore Gas mask gloves specially ordered from Hong Ye-seong, and always carried Antidotes.
Sa-young had no regrets about this. Rather, he thought it was quite natural. Even when he breathed, if he relaxed for a moment, the person next to him would die. It was easier for him if they took care of themselves.
But Park Ha-eun, and Cha Eui-jae, were different.
“Again!”
Sa-young made hand gestures like a machine that activated when he heard the word “again,” and fell into thought.
Park Ha-eun is young and doesn’t know anything, so she might be like that. She might not have easily understood why Sa-young wore a Gas mask and didn’t take off his gloves. Or, she might have understood it in her head but not felt it. Children can be brave to the point of being bold.
But Cha Eui-jae had almost died from Lee Sa-young’s Poison, yet instead of keeping his distance, he fearlessly grabbed Sa-young’s arm. He wasn’t as young as Park Ha-eun, who didn’t know anything, and he was someone who already knew how rough and dangerous the world was.
Sa-young couldn’t easily understand Eui-jae. But if that incomprehensibility was unpleasant…
‘He almost died.’
No. It wasn’t so bad. Of course, there were moments of frustration or tension. The image of Cha Eui-jae vomiting bright red blood was still vivid in Lee Sa-young’s memory.
At that moment, he had tasted the feeling of anxiety for the first time since his Awakening. He couldn’t even think of the logical question of why the Antidote wasn’t working.
Cha Eui-jae must not die. He couldn’t let him die.
That was the only thought. A red alarm was ringing loudly in his head. Sa-young used the Ambrosia he had obtained from the first-class Dungeon without hesitation on Eui-jae. Its price, its value, none of that mattered at all. At that moment, the only thing that mattered was…
“Again, again!”
Park Ha-eun demanded again. As Sa-young was showing her the hand gesture again, a boy in a white gown trotted towards them. Its smooth and delicate appearance, as if made of pure white porcelain, was not actually a boy, but,
“Lee Sa-young.”
It was the Marionette that Nam Woo-jin had received as a reward for saving the life of an Italian puppeteer. The child looked up at Sa-young with a blank face.
“Park Ha-eun, go read a book for real now.”
“Aww…”
Ha-eun looked back and forth between the boy and Sa-young, then pouted and returned to the children’s book corner. It was a contrasting attitude to how she had been constantly asking him to show her the hand gesture.
‘She’s quick to catch on when it’s really necessary…’
Sa-young thought of Eui-jae but soon shook his head to cut off the following thought. Only after confirming that Ha-eun had settled down and opened a book did Sa-young nod.
“Speak.”
Then the Marionette began its briefing in an inorganic voice.
“The patient you requested has finished his examination. The Master is choosing a treatment method, so I have been asked to convey the situation on his behalf.”
Sa-young asked concisely.
“What’s his condition?”
“The Master diagnosed him with rheumatoid arthritis. The symptoms first appeared in his hands, but it seems they spread to his knees because he didn’t get treatment in time.”
“A complete cure?”
“He said that it will improve a lot if he combines medication with consistent care. Also, he said that rather than aiming for a complete cure, it would be better to reduce the pain and manage it to the point where it doesn’t interfere with his daily life.”
“He’s not using his ability.”
“Yes. Because it is a natural disease that occurred according to the laws of reality, not the System’s laws, it was impossible to cure it with the Master’s ability.”
“……”
Sa-young nodded as if he understood. The child bowed its head and brought up the second matter.
“The PRO-009 you sent in large quantities recently is being used effectively for experiments and analysis. He asked me to convey his gratitude.”
PRO-009. That was the temporary code name for the drug that Cha Eui-jae had thrown himself to save, along with the backpack.
The drugs that had been obtained and analyzed so far were changing and strengthening little by little. Therefore, after analyzing the drugs, the numbers were updated whenever there was a change. The one discovered this time was different from the previously obtained drugs, so the number ‘9’ was attached. As there had been nine developments, its danger and performance would also be the most powerful among the drugs discovered so far.
The Marionette cautiously added.
“The Master said that it would be good if Lee Sa-young could stop by the laboratory for a moment to check the analysis results. The children will be taken care of by the librarians.”
“……”
At the Marionette’s words, Sa-young looked down at the doll standing in front of him with cold eyes.
It was a logically consistent suggestion, but it wasn’t necessarily a necessary procedure. He could receive reports on the progress of the analysis later. So why was Nam Woo-jin trying to chase him to the laboratory…?
“…I will.”
Whatever his ulterior motive, Nam Woo-jin would not be able to harm him and Cha Eui-jae. Sa-young, who had made a judgment based on reason rather than trust, slowly moved towards the laboratory.
“…It’s not an incurable disease, but it’s a disease that requires constant management. You can think of it as something you have to be careful about for the rest of your life, like diabetes.”
Nam Woo-jin’s office was located in the deepest part of the maze-like library. Passing through the dark library corridor, which felt like it would suffocate you with books, and opening the steel door, an ordinary doctor’s office appeared, no different from any other hospital.
Grandmother was being helped by a Guild member to go to the physical therapy room to receive physical therapy, and only Nam Woo-jin and Cha Eui-jae remained in the office. Nam Woo-jin clicked his pen and continued.
“The only injuries I can treat with my ability are those that occur under the laws of the System… I’m sorry that I can’t treat you completely.”
“No, I’m grateful just for you examining me.”
Eui-jae asked carefully.
“Where should I go to the hospital in the future? I can’t always get treatment here.”
“That’s right. My schedule is flexible, so it’s difficult to see you every time. Instead…”
Nam Woo-jin typed something on the keyboard and wrote the name of a hospital on a yellow memo. It was a university hospital in the center of Seoul.
“I’ll contact the hospital, so you can go there from now on.”
“Ah, thank you.”
“You don’t have to pay for the examination or medication. The Seowon Guild will cover the full amount.”
“Yes? Why?”
Eui-jae asked, puzzled. He was seeing Nam Woo-jin for the first time today. But why would he pay for a complete stranger’s hospital bills? Arthritis wasn’t a rare disease. Instead of answering the question, Nam Woo-jin looked at Eui-jae with his clear white eyes.
“Now that my work as a doctor is done, I’d like to greet you as Hunter to Hunter.”
He slowly blinked his white eyes and continued.
“I’m Nam Woo-jin, ranked 7th in Korea. I’m the Guild Master of the Seowon Guild, and I’m also the Master of this library. You’re Cha Eui-jae, right?”
“Ah, yes.”
“Lee Sa-young’s ‘assistant’.”
“……”
Eui-jae’s eyes became a little sharper. Nam Woo-jin continued with the same smile he had shown Grandmother.
“You don’t have to answer. Your being here is the answer.”
He was making a complete assumption. Eui-jae pondered his words and asked.
“Why does my being here become the answer?”
“…Lee Sa-young has never brought anyone else here. You are the first person to set foot here through Lee Sa-young’s introduction.”
He stood up and looked down at Eui-jae.
“Would you like to take a walk for a moment?”
Eui-jae stood up from his seat without a word. As Nam Woo-jin took a step, the pure white office disappeared without a trace, and a blue garden appeared. The scent of grass tickling the tip of his nose and the gentle flow of air were just like a real garden. Was it Nam Woo-jin’s skill? Nam Woo-jin, who was walking ahead, opened his mouth.
“After the Day of the Rift, I became very interested in this changed world. What is the System? What is the Rift? Where do the Monsters come from?”
Those were questions that everyone was curious about. But no one in Korea, or even the world, including Eui-jae, could give a clear answer to his questions. Nam Woo-jin continued slowly, as if he didn’t expect an answer.
“I’m gathering as much knowledge as possible to find the answers to these questions. I’m also maintaining a good cooperative relationship with Lee Sa-young.”
“Is that so.”
A fragrant scent of grass wafted up each time the dew-soaked grass was softly stepped on. Nam Woo-jin stopped walking.
“Recently, Lee Sa-young delivered a huge amount of drugs. He said his assistant had obtained them.”
“……”
“Do you know what the name of that drug is?”
He was probably talking about the drug he had brought with his backpack. Eui-jae shook his head.
“I just heard it was a drug.”
“The name of the drug is PRO-009.”
“……”
“It’s the ninth drug created by an organization called Prometheus to gather test subjects.”
Greek and Roman mythology was no different from the basic knowledge of Korean children before the Day of the Rift, so Eui-jae had heard the name before.
“Prometheus… isn’t that a figure from Greek mythology?”
“That’s right. He’s the figure who is tortured for giving fire and knowledge to humans. They call themselves Seers. They claim to see the future in their dreams and develop human power to prevent the Doomsday that will come in the future.”
Prometheus, an organization that spreads drugs to gather test subjects and conducts experiments to create artificial Awakened with the gathered test subjects. Their claims were very similar to the story in the Fragment that Yoon Ga-eul had shown.
Nam Woo-jin glanced back.
“You seem quite interested.”
“……”
“Then… how about this story?”
Eui-jae’s face was reflected in his pure white eyes. Nam Woo-jin carefully examined even the slightest change in his expression and spat out a word.
“Lee Sa-young was a test subject of the Experiment of Prometheus.”