Chapter 36
Chapter 36
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: No Way, Right?
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"If my daughter were here... she'd have loved this place..."
Gazing at the beautiful scenery inside the gate's café.
'Taesung' Corporation Chairman Jeong Chan-ho thought of his poor daughter, lying on her sickbed.
And beside her was a translucent spirit gently caressing her gaunt cheek with affection.
⚙ Spirit Message ⚙
"Dad! I'm right here!"
Her soul, with only days left to live, had finally been ejected from her body.
It seemed God had granted her a brief chance to linger by her loved one's side for a final farewell.
Just then, the café's spirits, seeing a human soul for the first time, approached her with curious expressions.
- Pip...?
- Pi...?
The soul, encountering spirits for the first time as well, stared at them with wide eyes.
⚙ Spirit Message ⚙
"What are you guys? You can see me?"
Nod nod-
⚙ Spirit Message ⚙
"Really!? You can really see me!?"
Nod nod-
Perhaps thrilled that these spirits were the first to acknowledge her existence.
The excited soul began chattering away about this and that.
She also explained her situation to the curious spirits.
That she had only days left to live.
That her dad had tried every method imaginable, but nothing worked.
And that being here as a soul probably meant today was her last...
- Piiiing...
- Piing...
The spirits burst into tears upon hearing her story, snot and all.
They were so adorably pitiful that it was heartbreaking yet amusing at the same time.
Just then.
A voice rang out in her mind like a sharp stab.
💫 Spirit Voice 💫
"Don't worry. My friend will help you."
A spirit scattering frost crystals around it locked eyes with her.
💫 Spirit Voice 💫
"Huh...? Was that you?"
Nod-
The other spirits chimed in one after another.
💫 Spirit Voice 💫
"My friend's super capable! She restored my hometown to normal!"
💫 Spirit Voice 💫
"She has tons of purified water too! She's definitely capable!"
She couldn't grasp the exact meaning...
But it was clear someone existed who earned all their trust and affection.
The frost-crystal spirit spoke again.
💫 Spirit Voice 💫
"So don't worry. We'll ask her for you."
With that, it flew off toward the counter with the other spirits.
The human soul watched them go with a bittersweet smile.
It probably... won't work.
Dad already tried everything possible and failed...
As the soul lowered her head in resignation.
The woman who appeared to be the café owner began walking slowly toward her.
'...Huh?'
But that woman...
Her face looked different from her own soul?
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"Um, if it's not too much trouble... could we talk somewhere quiet for a moment?"
I guided the chairman, who clung to me desperately, into the VIP room inside the gate.
After hesitating for a long while standing there, he finally spoke.
"Not long ago, I heard that three non-awakened people awakened simultaneously."
He finished speaking and looked straight into my eyes.
The moment our gazes met, rational suspicion was inevitable.
'Why is he telling me this?'
Surely the Management Bureau staff hadn't gone around spreading rumors?
I quickly shook my head.
'No, that can't be.'
Absolutely not.
The determination in their eyes when they promised to keep the secret wasn't the type to waver easily.
"I went to them right away and asked about their awakenings... but they wouldn't say a word."
Hearing that, a sigh of relief escaped me unbidden.
'My judgment of character isn't that bad.'
My trust in the bureau staff solidified even further.
"...I know I shouldn't do this, but I had them tailed. And I discovered one common thread."
That from some point on, they had all started frequenting this café—
His gaze, fixed directly on me, said it all.
"I've dealt with so many people in my time that I could tell right away you're no ordinary person, ma'am."
An uncomfortable silence hung in the air for a moment.
"...You helped them awaken, didn't you?"
I failed to keep a straight face for that instant.
And the chairman didn't miss it.
"Right...? That's what I thought...?"
Seeing him ask so desperately, it seemed the 'Taesung' chairman was a non-awakened himself.
And with more money than he could spend, he already met the criteria to be a prime customer for my 'secret dealings.'
But the key point was...
'It's too soon.'
This was our first meeting.
I couldn't yet judge if he was trustworthy.
He clearly had the makings of a key client for the 'secret dealings.'
But accepting just anyone with money could spell trouble for me down the line.
"I'm sorry. I don't know anything about that."
As I turned to leave after my polite reply.
Thud-
He suddenly dropped to his knees and prostrated himself on the floor.
Startled, I tried to pull him up, but his body was heavy and rigid as a rock, not budging an inch.
"Wh-what are you doing all of a sudden...!"
"My young daughter doesn't have much time left."
At that moment, my throat tightened, and no words came out.
"I've tried every possible method, but they all failed. Awakening is my last hope now."
"......"
Come to think of it.
I'd seen a few similar posts on the Awakener community like, 'My wife had stage 4 lung cancer before awakening, but it got completely reset the moment she awakened—huge win.'
Apparently, awakening cured even long-term chronic illnesses.
"I've been so buried in work that I've done almost nothing for my daughter. Now that I finally want to be a proper father, the hospital says there's nothing more they can do..."
The chairman kept slamming his forehead against the floor.
"She's too young to die... Please, help her..."
And who knew how long they'd been eavesdropping.
The spirits who had landed on the chairman's head began displaying desperate messages.
💫 Spirit Plea 💫
['Pristine' sincerely begs for just one chance to help.]
💫 Spirit Plea 💫
['Lily' is sobbing uncontrollably with tears and snot.]
💫 Spirit Plea 💫
['Lumina Spirit' offers to return all the purified water it's hoarded so far—please help!]
"What are you all doing..."
This makes me feel like the bad guy...
From the moment he said, 'My young daughter doesn't have much time left,' I already intended to help...
I carefully helped the prostrated chairman to his feet and said,
"Truth be told, the reason I've survived without starving all this time is thanks in part to the ramen from Taesung Food."
The chairman looked at me in bewilderment.
"You saved me, so I should repay the favor."
"...Pardon?"
"I'll tell you how to awaken."
"Really...? Really, ma'am!?"
For the first time, a smile spread across the chairman's face.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
⚙ Spirit Message ⚙
"Dad...?"
The human soul looked around frantically, searching for her father.
In her sightseeing of the café's beautiful scenery, she'd lost track of him.
Her translucent body was growing fainter with time.
Her time really was running out.
⚙ Spirit Message ⚙
"I wanted to be with Dad at the very end..."
Still, to end her life in such a beautiful, warm place might be a blessing.
-As she thought that.
Swoosh-!
A sensation like being sucked into something hit her, and her vision went black in an instant.
'Huh? What? What's happening?'
Struggling to lift her heavy eyelids, a very familiar hospital ceiling came into view.
"Hye-na...!"
And her dad, clutching her hand and shedding tears.
What on earth had happened?
Her mind spun in confusion, and strange text kept popping up, blocking her vision.
⚙ AWAKENING SYSTEM ⚙
[Ingestion of 「Ebony Awakening Trio」 confirmed] [Irregular awakening response detected] [Forced awakening in progress due to external intervention] [Vital signs: Transcendent recovery] [Mana circuits: Fully opened] [Rank assessment impossible...] [Ability type: Initializing...] [※ System error detected] [※ Exceeds standard awakening process.] [Entering 'Awakening' state.]
Staring blankly at the scrolling text, the daughter finally spoke.
"D... Dad..."
"Hye-na, are you conscious? What do you see!?"
"Awakening... process... something's showing up?"
"It's done, it's done! Thank you, thank you so much, ma'am..."
Jeong Chan-ho hugged his daughter tightly, tears streaming down his face.
Hye-na grinned broadly and met her father's eyes.
"Dad! I want to do something now."
In response, Jeong Chan-ho stopped crying and asked urgently,
"Yes, my girl. What do you want to do? Dad will support you fully."
What did his daughter want?
To become a ranker that every awakener envied?
Or join a good guild and live comfortably?
Anything was fine.
Connections, wealth.
He was ready to pour everything into whatever she desired.
But.
Her next words were completely out of left field.
"I want to work at that café."
"Huh...? What café?"
"The one we went to together, Dad."
His brows furrowed tighter at her baffling words.
'Did we... ever go to a café together...?'
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
On my way home after closing up the café.
I planned to thoroughly explore the winter forest soon.
So I intended to knock out all the postponed tasks today.
'First, plant some seeds in the idle greenhouse and vegetable garden.'
Rubidel seeds in the greenhouse.
Harnella flowers in the garden.
After planting, make mana potions from the harvested Lumina flowers.
Purified water's run out too, so meet the necromancer for a trade...
'So much to do ahead.'
Whew-
As I let out a long sigh.
I spotted someone awkwardly standing in front of my house, holding a large fruit basket.
"Oh? Director, hello! What brings you here?"
"Hello, Healer."
We exchanged contacts last time, so if he had something to say, a call would suffice...
Why had the busy director come all the way to my house?
"Ahem, just a moment..."
As I wondered, he suddenly pulled out his phone and made a call somewhere.
Ring-
To my surprise, my phone started ringing.
"Director, I think you dialed the wrong number?"
Showing him my phone, he let out a long breath.
"Oh dear, must've messed up the call."
Then, with an awkward smile, he hoisted the fruit basket.
"I haven't given you a proper housewarming gift yet, and I had something to tell you... so I came by."
"Oh, really? Come on in!"
I opened the door and ushered the director inside.
As he slipped off his shoes after glancing around the house, he got straight to the point.
"It's about the variant gate that popped up in Busan. That's why I came to see you, Healer."
...Surely not.
I quickly averted my eyes from the director.
'I need to prepare to enter the winter forest soon...'
Plant those Rubidel seeds in the greenhouse.
Start growing Harnella flowers.
Schedule the trade with the necromancer.
'Mountains of tasks piling up.'
Surely he's not asking me to go into another gate...?
'...No way, right?'