The Hidden Pieces and the Healing Hand
Kang Seojun left the escort team behind and walked toward the spot where the Demon Buddha had fallen.
*Creak... creak...*
On the dark floor, red pus slithered like worms.
Those were the **Hell Slime**.
Parasitic bio-organisms clinging to the Demon Buddha’s body—the exact hidden piece he had come to claim from this dungeon.
*Hmm...*
Kang Seojun bent his painfully crooked knee and stared down at them up close.
Because they were parasites, their life force drained away the moment they lost their host. Many had already turned gray and died. The few that were still twitching would surely follow soon.
He quickly unscrewed the cap of the green-liquid bottle he had brought along.
This was the **Experimental Nutrition Solution** purchased from the Dimensional Shop.
The solution would prolong the Hell Slime’s life just a little longer.
He gripped one Hell Slime at a time with the iron tweezers and carefully transferred it into the bottle.
The dying creatures suddenly revived the moment they entered the solution, wriggling like earthworms.
*Once I get home, I’ll start the work immediately.*
To safely use Hell Slime, several mandatory steps were required.
Originally, Hell Slime was a monster—an extremely dangerous organism for humans.
Like breathing out oxygen when a tree exhales, Hell Slime breathed out toxic magi every time it exhaled. Magi were powerful for monsters, demons, and evil spirits, but fatal poison for humans.
If he implanted them without any processing, the only thing he would gain would be more Cannibal Parasites.
Even with his thirty Willpower, continuous exposure to magi would corrupt his body and mind. He would slowly lose his humanity and eventually be reborn as a full demon.
In every meaningful sense, that would be death.
His self would be replaced without his consent.
No matter how strong the power, that was not what Kang Seojun wanted.
However, when the special process turned Hell Slime into Mana Slime, the utility flipped 180 degrees.
*Become a living mana generator.*
It was no different from implanting an infinite-regeneration mana elixer directly into the body.
Kang Seojun stared at the slimes swimming with anticipation, then carefully placed them in his pocket.
Now that he had what he wanted, it was time to head home.
★★★★★
After completing the dungeon raid safely, the group dispersed to their separate destinations.
Seo Eunha was sent straight to the hospital, and the escorts took Kang Seojun home and went off duty.
Only Deputy Go and Jin Serin remained to handle the unfinished business.
They visited the research lab under the Seongjin Group.
The crystal’s stability needed verification and data recording.
Late afternoon after evening had passed.
The lab was quiet, all staff having gone home.
Professor examined the crystal through a large microscope and spoke.
“Truly fascinating.”
Deputy Go asked.
“What do you think?”
Jin Serin beside her swallowed hard, nerves tight.
The professor removed his eyes from the microscope and wiped the moisture from his glasses.
“Well… I’ve confirmed the composition, but it feels like there are still question marks…”
Deputy Go’s expression turned puzzled.
“Can you explain in more detail?”
“Please sit first.”
The professor offered seats to Jin Serin and Deputy Go, then extracted the crystal from the large analyzer.
“On the surface it looks like a solid gem or carved glass, but its nature is not of the material world.”
“Simpler…”
“Hmm… Think of it as formless energy that has taken physical shape. This crystal is closest to a crystallized spirit.”
Jin Serin blinked blankly, not understanding the meaning, while Deputy Go frowned.
“A crystallized spirit…? Then it’s alive?”
The professor smiled faintly.
“Yes. It is alive. Though uncommon, spirits that have materialized like this are occasionally found in dungeons or gates. This is an especially notable case. I have never seen data on spirits crystallized this hard.”
The professor turned the Purified Soul Fragment over in the fluorescent light, intrigued.
Deputy Go tapped the desk with her fingers.
“Do crystallized spirits have any specific uses?”
“Well… Case by case, but usually attached to equipment. Not an object with a spirit dwelling inside—it *is* the spirit. If you can tame it properly, it becomes an excellent partner.”
“Hmm… Then, have there been cases where people sleep while carrying crystallized spirits…?”
“...What? Ah.”
The professor blinked in confusion, then explained as the implication dawned on him.
“Well… As a living being, one could raise affinity by treating it like a pet and sleeping together… I believe it’s possible.”
Even the professor sounded uncertain and trailed off in the middle.
“It’s not something one can call ordinary.”
“Then, does it possibly pose a risk of harm to humans?”
This was the core question.
While raiding the dungeon with Kang Seojun, suspicions had softened, but until his true identity was fully revealed, verification was necessary.
“Hmm…”
The professor wore an unreadable smile.
“No. The possibility is low. Especially with this friend.”
He stroked the crystal with a finger.
“This one is alive, but its self is almost nonexistent. Its mana wavelength is also quite friendly to humans, and its temperament is remarkably gentle.”
He handed the crystal to Jin Serin.
“Young lady, I haven’t enjoyed such a good sight in a long time. For finding the right use, more research would be needed, but you don’t seem curious about that part.”
“Ye….”
Jin Serin accepted the crystal with a dazed expression.
Stability had been verified, so only practicality remained.
“Thank you for your time, Professor.”
“What is there to thank? It was enjoyable. Bring something interesting next time too.”
The stability check ended on a warm note.
★★★★★
That night.
Having heard the professor’s direct words—“This object is harmless”—Jin Serin slept holding the crystal exactly as Kang Seojun had instructed.
Exhausted from the many events in the dungeon, she quickly slipped into dreams.
*Ugh...*
The nightmare had begun.
It was not the first time.
Two years ago, when growth stagnation had started, she had begun having this dream often.
“Ah...”
It was the end.
Nothing on land or sky was spared. No place was left unboiling.
The sun had turned black, the moon shattered, stars had vanished.
Cracks in the sky spewed forth countless otherworldly beings.
Mountains were crushed, storms never ceased, and sulfur turned the world yellow.
Humans’ territory had long been stolen and turned into nests for bugs and corpses.
Blood had dried, screams had never stopped.
Jin Serin felt every single one of those horrors with all her senses—fire, flesh, worms, corpses, stench, storm, filth, disease, screams, terror.
No matter how hard she tried to wake, she could not escape.
With legs trembling, she bit down and moved, and everywhere was hell.
In the end, as always, she chose to sit and huddle in place.
Closing her eyes, covering her ears, holding her breath until the hideous shapes retreated far from her.
After a long while, they would appear.
*Whoosh... whoosh...*
A brilliant light suddenly appeared in the sky.
It was what she had always been waiting for. The flow was the same as before.
The horrific heat and tearing screams faded, replaced by warm comfort that enveloped her.
Jin Serin lifted her head to the sky.
A radiant, colossal hand glowed in the heavens.
The hand pierced the clouds and, just like always, pointed straight at her.
As if only she had been chosen from this hell.
But it was not salvation.
It was the opposite.
It was the savior chosen to save the world from this hell.
Without anyone teaching her, the meaning was transmitted to her as naturally as breathing.
“Ah... Ah...”
So even when the surrounding horrors vanished, the fear in her heart never faded.
She could never save the world from this hell.
She was nothing more than one ordinary person among countless others in this world.
Nothing special. Nothing outstanding.
Crying, she pleaded to the shining hand, but it merely pointed at her indifferently.
She pleaded until exhaustion set in, then woke from the nightmare.
But.
“Eh... Eh?”
For the first time, the nightmare changed.
The hand that had quietly pointed at her began to move slowly, then raised its thumb.
Only then did Jin Serin realize her right hand was glowing.
More precisely, the crystal she held in her right hand was shining brightly.
The Purified Soul Fragment rose from her hand and drifted upward into the sky.
The glowing hand kept raising its thumb as it slowly receded with the crystal, and the world fell silent.
For the first time, the fear in her chest slowly eased.
*Click-click.*
*Squelch.*
In this way, for the first time, Jin Serin woke to a different ending.
Birds chirped outside the window.
“Ah...”
The crystal she had surely been holding had vanished.
But Jin Serin did not panic.
For some reason, it felt perfectly natural.
Jin Serin clenched her hand instead.
A completely different power now resided in her hand.
“Eh, eh? Eh...?”
For the first time in two years.
The moment Jin Serin finally felt growth.
< div style="text-align:center;border:2px solid #94a3b8;padding:25px;box-shadow:0 0 15px rgba(148,163,184,0.4),inset 0 0 15px rgba(148,163,184,0.05);background:linear-gradient(135deg,#0f1218 0%,#000 50%,#0f1218 100%);border-radius:8px;margin-bottom:20px;">
◇ New Trait Unlocked: Mana Sensitivity Recovery (Passive)
◇ New Trait Unlocked: Growth Acceleration (Minor)
Jin Serin stood up from the bed, her body lighter than ever.
She walked to the mirror and saw her reflection—the same timid face, but something had changed in her eyes.
The power inside her was real.
And she knew, without a doubt, that her two-year stagnation had finally broken.
For the first time in a long time, Jin Serin smiled a genuine, bright smile.