Chapter 61
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 61
Chapter Title: Joo Tae-ho (1)
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After arriving at the Hero Officer Academy with Kang Ju-young, I stepped out of the car and looked around.
Even though I'd already been coming here as a student, the expansive grounds meant there were still parts I'd never seen before.
'There's a bamboo grove at the Hero Officer Academy.'
As I thought that while gazing at the densely packed bamboo forest, Kang Ju-young, who had also gotten out of the car, gestured toward the depths of the woods.
"This way."
"Joo Tae-ho must be further in. He's recuperating, I take it?"
"...Yes, just as you said. It's hard for him even to meet outsiders."
"Must be a serious injury. Or maybe a nasty curse."
At my words, Kang Ju-young gave me a complicated look before nodding.
"If you must put a name to it, it's a curse. Lord Joo Tae-ho was hit with an even worse one than mine."
"The curse left by the dragon, right?"
Before coming here, when I'd revived Kang Ju-young and lifted her curse.
In my Destroyer body, I'd heard from Lee Seojun about how Joo Tae-ho and Kang Ju-young had slain the dragon and the curse it left behind.
"That's right—the curse from the dragon. Even the Geneva Cult's archbishop couldn't lift it."
-The Geneva Cult only deals with destruction and regeneration. Curse lifting is beyond them.
Lee Seojun, who was with me at the time, chimed in with that additional explanation.
For reference, the guild chat between me, Lee Seojun, and Kang Ju-young had ended on the way here.
So Lee Seojun's words weren't audible to her—I just nodded in acknowledgment.
-Of course, if they offered a sacrifice and their god lifted it directly, that might be another story.
Even a god of destruction and regeneration seemed capable of curse lifting.
'Well, yeah. If I can do it, a god certainly could.'
With that in mind, I asked more about the curse.
"What kind of curse is it?"
"Whenever mana is circulated, it brings agony and shortens the lifespan. I could endure it somehow, but it's been hard for Lord Joo Tae-ho."
"If even circulating mana is that difficult, he's practically a living corpse."
"..."
Kang Ju-young fell silent for a moment, just staring at me.
-Joo Tae-ho is the hero who saved Korea, you know. She probably didn't like hearing you call him a living corpse.
Was that it?
As I pondered, Kang Ju-young broke her silence.
"If not for Lord Joo Tae-ho, this country would be very different from what it is now. In that sense, you could say you've benefited too."
"Benefited..."
In simple terms, just living in this country was considered a benefit.
"That has nothing to do with me."
"Nothing to do with you?"
It hadn't even been a full month since I'd come to this world.
Even if Joo Tae-ho had protected this country, it was hard to say I'd benefited from it.
"I wasn't even in this country before. Besides, the only reason I'm here is to treat him."
If I felt any gratitude toward Joo Tae-ho, it was for founding the Hero Officer Academy.
Through the academy he'd established, I'd met Cheon Seo-yun and other talented women.
"Anyone would think you were doing it for free."
Hearing my response, Kang Ju-young looked displeased in several ways.
I understood her reaction, given the price we'd agreed on, so I didn't say anything more.
'Maybe I should've just taken the compliment.'
As that thought crossed my mind, Lee Seojun spoke up about Kang Ju-young.
-Kang Ju-young was attacked by monsters when she was young. She lost her parents and was on the brink of death, but Joo Tae-ho saved her.
She owed him her life.
-After that, she fought alongside him all the way to slaying the dragon, so their bond must be something else.
Come to think of it, Lee Seojun had said the towers and gates first appeared 27 years ago.
If they'd relied on each other and fought for over 20 years, their bond was bound to be unbreakable.
"You're right—it's not free. But in exchange, Joo Tae-ho will be healthy again."
"..."
Mentioning Joo Tae-ho's health made her expression soften quickly, and she nodded.
"Right. No time to stand here chatting."
Kang Ju-young headed straight into the forest.
Following her, I saw an old-fashioned hanok nestled there.
'More importantly, there's considerable mana flowing around that hanok.'
As I observed the hanok and its surroundings, Kang Ju-young spoke up.
"You've probably noticed, but mana flows through this place. It's to keep certain artifacts running permanently."
"They'll be obsolete soon enough. Mind if I ask what artifacts they are?"
"Artifacts that restore stamina within a certain range and boost vitality. But I thought you were only interested in skill stones?"
Mentioning skill stones meant she knew I'd gotten one from Seo Do-kyung.
Truth be told, if it was a rare artifact even I couldn't replicate, I'd be interested.
'Not stamina recovery or vitality boosts, though.'
In any case, I shook my head at her words.
"I'm interested in rare artifacts too. Unfortunately, not the ones in this hanok."
"An artifact any chaebol would covet, and you're not interested."
"I can manage something like that with my own abilities."
My powers could handle it, and Housing had basic stamina recovery anyway.
I had no need for such artifacts, so I lost interest in the hanok's ones.
"Revival, healing, curse lifting, and now stamina recovery too. You've got quite the arsenal."
Kang Ju-young sounded a bit impressed by the abilities I'd shown so far.
Separately, upon reaching the hanok, she didn't knock but pressed the doorbell on the side.
"..."
It felt strangely out of place yet fitting somehow.
"It's Kang Ju-young."
Clunk—
The hanok door opened, allowing us inside.
First, there was a meticulously tended garden, and on the large wooden porch sat an elderly man.
'That must be Joo Tae-ho.'
Due to his injuries and curse, his face looked to be in his mid-to-late sixties.
Even so, his massive, muscular build surpassed that of most young men.
"You're safe..."
Joo Tae-ho started to say something to Kang Ju-young as she entered, then his eyes widened in surprise.
Thanks to my treatment, Kang Ju-young's missing eye and all minor wounds were fully healed.
"No, more than safe—you look completely transformed, unrecognizable. What happened to your eye?"
His stern features evoked a tiger, and his low, resonant voice carried a weighty gravity.
Seeing the usually composed Joo Tae-ho so startled and pressing her eagerly felt awkward even to Kang Ju-young, who answered haltingly.
"I-I had a stroke of fortune. This person here revived me and healed my wounds."
At her response, Joo Tae-ho's gaze finally turned to me.
"He healed you?"
"Yes. And he even lifted the dragon's curse."
"You've met a remarkable individual."
Kang Ju-young's healing and curse lifting alone filled his eyes with goodwill.
"I was quite worried, actually. Seeing that footage of you fighting the Destroyer, I feared it might be too much. But not only did you return safe, you even had your curse lifted."
I took a moment to appraise Joo Tae-ho, the hero who'd saved Korea from the dragon, checking his potential as I'd wondered.
[Potential: 91]
'As expected.'
Kang Ju-young's potential was 89, so I'd figured Joo Tae-ho's would be even higher—and I was right.
Obviously, a potential of 91 put him among the top people I'd encountered across countless worlds.
"Yes, I got lucky. And this person said he'd treat Lord Joo Tae-ho's curse as well."
-Sounds like he's not planning to mention the price is himself.
Probably not.
Saying it outright might make my Healer body spar with Joo Tae-ho on the spot.
Of course I'd win, but there was no need to beat him as a Healer and arouse suspicion.
"Treatment... Do you think it's possible?"
"No problem."
Kang Ju-young stepped aside with a pleading look.
I approached Joo Tae-ho without hesitation and decided to lift the curse first.
'Lift curse.'
Fwaah!
It was definitely worse than Kang Ju-young's—even my ability couldn't dispel it in one go.
'Just a matter of time.'
About one or two minutes in, the curse embedded in Joo Tae-ho's body began to fade bit by bit.
I had to keep pouring mana into it steadily, but it wasn't an issue, so I maintained the ability.
"It's taking time. Is there a problem?"
Kang Ju-young, watching, asked as I continued using the ability.
"Just needs a bit more time. The curse is being lifted right now."
"He's right. I can feel the curse in my body gradually vanishing."
Joo Tae-ho confirmed it, so Kang Ju-young nodded and said no more.
"To think you can even lift the dragon's curse. The Geneva Cult's archbishop couldn't manage it."
"You put too much faith in the Geneva Cult."
"What do you mean?"
"They're not clean. No—'dirty' is more like it."
Seeing that even Joo Tae-ho didn't know about the Geneva Cult made me think they'd managed their public image well.
'They said someone from the Geneva Cult is coming in the second semester, right?'
If he knew, he wouldn't associate with them—so his reaction made sense.
Joo Tae-ho listened intently to what I said about treating even his curse, clearly pondering it.
"You seem to know something about the Geneva Cult."
Instead of answering, I finished lifting the curse.
It was potent, but after about ten minutes, the curse was cleanly gone from his body.
"All done. How's your body feel?"
"My body? Give me a moment to check."
I nodded and stepped back a few paces at his request.
"Hup."
Kwaaang!
At the same time, Joo Tae-ho drew a short breath and unleashed tremendous mana from his entire body.
The curse had made mana circulation difficult, so his mana stats probably hadn't grown.
'And yet he's still stronger than Kang Ju-young or Seo Do-kyung.'
The mana he emitted pressed down like it had physical weight.
It merely compressed the air around me, but others might not even be able to move.
"No pain. Seems the curse is completely gone."
-Joo Tae-ho's back from the dead, huh.
Lee Seojun sounded hollow, as if he had no idea what might happen next.