Chapter 161
Chapter 161
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 161
Chapter Title: Past Actions (6)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
As soon as he returned, Suhyun contacted Wu Shangkai. Wu Shangkai jumped in surprise and denied everything. Though Suhyun couldn't see his face, the man's desperate denial made it clear this incident had nothing to do with the Chinese side.
'This guy's not bold enough for that.'
Wu Shangkai was greedy, but he also prioritized safety. Having his weakness exposed today, he wouldn't dare pull any tricks.
Next up was the lab. Choi Ji-eun, overwhelmed by the flood of events Suhyun dumped on her, waved her hands in panic.
"Eclipse? An attack? And a device that counters the nullifier? Hold on, just a second. Wait. Let me take notes. So... from the beginning."
"This is the device. Can you analyze it? I can't believe something like this suddenly popped up. It wasn't there before."
"Technology often advances from the tiniest incidents."
Choi Ji-eun took the device Suhyun handed her and disappeared somewhere, only to return shortly after.
"But that attack? Are you really okay? No injuries?"
"Are you worried about me?"
". . ."
"Got it. Got it. Anyway, no need to worry about me. It's not like I didn't have enemies to begin with... This incident wasn't aimed at me."
"Who would attack a top American superpower user? Do you have any suspicions? This is your area of expertise."
"There are plenty of groups that target superpower users..."
Superpower users were the type to make enemies easily. On a large scale, they could be hit due to national disputes or rivalries. On a smaller scale, personal gain could be the motive.
"I just can't think of anyone who'd target a superpower user of Eclipse's leader level."
"Leader level? Then what about lower-tier ones?"
"There've been similar incidents before. Kidnappings targeting superpower users..."
As Suhyun spoke, his eyes met Choi Ji-eun's. The same thought flashed through both their minds at once.
""Artificial artifacts?!""
"Back then, we thought it was just criminals after artifacts owned by superpower users, but now... maybe they were after something else."
"We can't jump to conclusions like that. Plus, even at an experimental stage, creating artificial artifacts isn't easy."
"It's not impossible, right?"
"...Yeah. The issue is shrinking the size and cutting costs, but with enough money and time, it's doable."
"Maybe those cases back then were the real deal too... I should've looked into it more."
At the time, Suhyun had been too busy with his own matters to dig beyond the news reports. But looking back now, something felt off. Among the victims were obscure superpower users who clearly didn't possess any artifacts.
"Let's think about this later. It's not urgent for me right now anyway."
"Yeah, and there could be other reasons we don't know about."
"Right."
"You brought all these unexpected things, so I didn't even get to tell you my news. I was going to check one last time before contacting you, but since you're here..."
"?"
Suhyun turned to Choi Ji-eun.
"What news? Something happen?"
"It's about Ye-na."
Seo Ye-na. Seo Gang-seok's daughter. The girl who had long suffered from a congenital toxin buildup in her body, only to recover after absorbing the Man-Faced Spider's core last time. She was currently at the lab for rehab and health checks.
"What about her? Health issues?"
"Not exactly, but you need to see this for yourself."
* * *
Seo Ye-na greeted Suhyun warmly—it had been a while. With her father always singing his praises, it was impossible not to feel fond of him.
"Ye-na, can you show us that thing you did last time? Carefully this time."
"Okay."
With a soft glow, a deep green orb formed in Seo Ye-na's hand. Suhyun recognized it immediately. It was the Man-Faced Spider's core. Just in a different form.
"Don't let it go from your hand. Yeah, good job."
"Should I keep it like this?"
"Just a moment."
Choi Ji-eun grabbed Suhyun's arm—he was too shocked to speak—and pulled him to the corner.
"That thing... don't tell me..."
"Yeah, an artifact. It functions as an artifact. I actually used it to detoxify poison."
The Man-Faced Spider's core could be considered a natural artifact. It had a primal effect of expelling poison. However, it fell a bit short of a true artifact. Artifacts needed to absorb energy and manifest it as superpowers.
And now, Seo Ye-na had turned the core she absorbed into a complete artifact and produced it.
"I plan to run a few more tests, but it's basically confirmed. You know what this means, right?"
"How many people know about this?"
"Just you and me."
"Good."
Choi Ji-eun nodded gravely at Suhyun's words. She too understood how dangerous Seo Ye-na's demonstrated power was.
The ability to artificially create artifacts.
If word got out, every faction in the world would come after her.
"Alright, let's call Seo Gang-seok. Don't tell anyone else but him. Anything else you've found out?"
"Probably... it involves melting down the bodies of superpower users or monsters with superpowers to extract their essence. More precisely, absorbing that essence into the body to form a core. That's not too surprising up to that point. Existing artifacts were likely made that way too. But in this era, for someone right beside me to have this ability..."
Choi Ji-eun pressed a hand to her forehead, looking exhausted and worried. Her face was filled with concern for Seo Ye-na.
"What do we do? Will she be okay?"
"I'll protect her no matter what, so don't worry about that."
"...Thanks."
After a brief silence, Choi Ji-eun spoke up again.
"The poison in her body is congenital, so without that artifact, it keeps building up. Keeping it absorbed inside her is the best state. And in that state, she can't use her artifact-creation superpower."
"At least that's a silver lining."
With one artifact already absorbed in her body, extracting more essence would be impossible. Suhyun nodded. In fact, this made it easier to keep her ability hidden.
"What happened?!"
Seo Gang-seok arrived soon after. Suhyun carefully explained everything that had just occurred. Seo Gang-seok's face turned pale as he listened.
"W-What do we do?"
The once steadfast man looked like the sky had fallen when it came to his daughter.
"Don't worry. No one else here knows. Besides, your daughter's smarter than you think. She understands the situation, so she won't let it slip carelessly."
"Why... All I wanted was for Ye-na to live happily..."
"Get a grip!"
Suhyun kicked Seo Gang-seok's leg and spoke lowly.
"You planning to show weakness in front of your daughter?"
"N-No, sir."
"It hasn't leaked out, so it's not the worst case. Pull yourself together and think about what comes next. Seo Gang-seok. You're on leave for a while."
"Pardon?"
"Spend some time with your daughter for once."
"But if I'm gone..."
"You think you're that indispensable?"
"Well, no, but..."
"Exactly. Stay by her side for a bit."
"Pardon? Until when?"
"Until I call you."
"If you're doing this out of concern for me, no. I can't just sit idle after everything you've done for me!"
"You're talking nonsense."
Suhyun patted Seo Gang-seok's shoulder.
"Do I look like the type to forget a debt so easily? Don't worry. There are two reasons for your leave. First, guard the lab on the side. Sending an obvious escort detail would just paint a target on it—practically announcing it's my weakness. The government's already deployed plenty of forces anyway. You blending in won't raise eyebrows, especially with your daughter as a convenient excuse."
"What's the second?"
"Train your daughter."
"What?! No! Ye-na's meant to live a normal life..."
"Who said she can't live normally?"
Suhyun's gaze was serious.
"With great power comes inevitable trouble. If she wants normalcy, she needs strength to protect it. To defend her life with that power if something happens. You planning to guard her forever? Confident you won't regret not training her if the worst occurs?"
"...Understood."
"Good. Then I'll head out."
As Suhyun grabbed his coat and stood, Seo Ye-na ran over.
"You're leaving already?"
"Sorry. But from now on, this uncle will be sticking around."
"Huh? Really?!"
"Yeah, I've worked him hard, so time for his vacation."
"Hold on. The analysis results are back."
"Hm?"
Suhyun stopped in his tracks. He hadn't expected the analysis on the item he'd brought to be done so soon.
"Then I should hear that before I go."
* * *
"I think I get the principle. It seems to counter the nullification waves by blasting disruptive waves in reverse to jam them..."
"That simple? Then why hasn't something like this shown up in the future?"
"Easier said than done. Superpower waves are tough to tune to the right output. And these things need to be miniaturized, right? That makes it even harder. This one uses some unusual core."
"Unusual how? What is it?"
"Looks like ogre heart cells, but heavily altered. Like a mutation... No idea what they did. Tech I don't know about?"
"What? Mutant ogre?"
"Why? Ring any bells?"
"You forget what I fought last time?"
"If it's what you fought, an ogre... Oh!"
Instead of claiming the elixir himself, Blue Bear had taken monster corpses. Naturally, that included the Twin-Headed Ogre's body—a treasure trove of research value.
"You didn't say it was a mutant!"
"If I had, you'd have chewed me out for not bringing such an important sample, I'd have made excuses, and it wouldn't have mattered..."
"...My bad. I won't get mad, so from now on, tell me the details."
"Ogres aren't exactly common catches, and in this era, only one project could've developed it like this. It has to be made from what I brought. That Charles bastard... cooking up new toys and keeping his mouth shut around me?"
"But doesn't he have no obligation to tell you?"
Choi Ji-eun asked, puzzled.
"There's such a thing as loyalty."
"Wasn't it just a business deal?"
"World's not that black-and-white."
"So it's a relationship that only benefits you."
Choi Ji-eun nodded as if it finally made sense.
"Sounds pretty selfish when you put it like that."
"So what? Oh, if it's not too much trouble on the way back..."
"I'll grab everything worth taking."
They always saw eye-to-eye on this stuff. Suhyun said goodbye to Choi Ji-eun, Seo Gang-seok, and Seo Ye-na before stepping out. The weather was starting to turn chilly.
"Still, going empty-handed feels off. What should I bring..."
President Charles was tough to shop for as a guest. The man had better versions of everything than Suhyun.
"Yes, Team Leader."
"Yeah, bring the car out now."
"Right now?! Where to?!"
"Washington."
Kim Chang-sik started to protest, but Suhyun hung up without listening.
"Eh, some excuse will do."
162