Chapter 13
Chapter 13
Intertwining Stories - 3
***
“Hmm.”
The man let out a curious hum as he examined Tae-jin, who was lying in the hospital bed.
His eyes, shrouded in darkness, made it difficult to discern his intentions. However, one thing was clear: there was no sense of hostility.
If he had harbored any ill will towards Tae-jin, he would have immediately exuded a malicious aura.
Instead, upon entering the room, the man had completely suppressed his malice, and as the dark magic power that had been swirling around him disappeared, his features became clearly visible.
He was nearly two meters tall, with a broad, imposing physique. His pale face, with a square jaw and prominent cheekbones exuded masculinity.
He was the complete opposite of the delicate and effeminate-looking Han Tae-jin.
He stared down at Tae-jin in silence for about a minute.
Even though hunters might burst in at any moment, he scanned Tae-jin with what seemed like an affectionate gaze, then pulled a thin magic plate from his pocket.
It was a combat power measurement tool developed by Illusion, capable of quantifying a subject's physical and mental strength.
He shook it once, and black magic power scattered like snowflakes, melting into Tae-jin’s body.
Soon, a holographic window appeared above the magic plate.
[Total Combat Power: 13,593]
The man checked the number and put the magic plate back in his pocket.
“He’s grown quite a bit.”
Compared to his own total combat power, Tae-jin was still an insignificant insect, but he deserved praise for nearly tripling his strength in such a short time.
However, Tae-jin was unconscious, so instead of praise, the man expressed his curiosity.
'What in the world happened to him?'
He was curious, but unfortunately, he couldn't get an answer in this situation.
Even if Tae-jin woke up, he wouldn't be able to tell him.
He could only wonder inwardly.
Instead, he decided to offer a small contribution to Tae-jin's resolve to become stronger. He gathered a dense concentration of magic power in his palms.
Magic power swirled around his hands like clouds.
It wasn't consumable mana from his dantian, but mana refined and condensed into a crystalline form.
In other words, it was like sharing permanent power.
[Transferring a small amount of magic power to the target.]
—*Swoosh.*
He poured the refined magic power, crystallized into fine particles, onto Tae-jin's philtrum, and it spread throughout his body through his meridians.
It would greatly aid his recovery.
A moment later, a faint, blue light flickered around Tae-jin’s body before disappearing.
[Successfully transferred to the target.]
[The transferor's total combat power decreased by 3%.]
‘Time to go.’
But at that moment…
A sharp shout echoed from behind him.
“Get your hands off my Master—!!”
“Huh?!”
Startled, the man quickly turned around.
He hadn’t sensed her presence at all.
And then, a magic whip flew towards him, coiling around his body like an anaconda capturing its prey.
“Gah…! Who the hell are you…!”
The owner of the shout was none other than Bersha, her violet hair fluttering as she charged towards him.
A dense, black magic power, unlike anything he had ever seen, was blazing around her. It was the overwhelming magic power of the Succubus Queen, powerful enough to make lesser beings tremble in fear just by being in its presence.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
-Tae-jin is in room B12 at the National Hunter Hospital.
-Okay.
Bersha, after receiving the location from Han-Na, rushed to the hospital. Since all her previous summoners had been hunters, and the hospital was visible from Tae-jin's house…
Finding her way wasn't difficult.
It was only natural for a summon to care for their hospitalized master.
It was part of the contract they made, and it was a summon's duty to do their best for their master.
And when she arrived at the hospital entrance, Bersha sensed an ominous aura.
'Damp, and sticky.'
The scent of the shadows, similar to her own magic power.
And people lying unconscious everywhere, as if a sleeping gas had been released.
'...Could it be Master?'
The ominous magic power grew stronger as she ascended to the B floor.
Her pace quickened, and her breathing grew ragged.
She accelerated her blood flow and began drawing upon her magic power in preparation for an attack.
Returning due to the summoner's death was the worst possible outcome for a summon.
It was a return with no reward, only penalties.
On Drugopia, the planet of summons, it was a shameful and dishonorable return.
Moreover, she was the Queen of the Succubi.
In her five previous summons, she had never returned due to her summoner's death, and her outstanding achievements had contributed greatly to the advancement of the succubi.
For her, her summoner's crisis was a violation of her dignity as the Succubus Queen.
Bersha cast a skill in front of room B11.
'Fake Lease.'
A skill that completely concealed her presence.
And she carefully made her way to B12.
The unsettling magic power made her senses tense.
'Here it is.'
The hospital room door was open.
Beyond it, she saw a man cloaked in black, an aura so dark it would make even the Grim Reaper weep.
Hospital staff and hunter guards were lying unconscious, unable to offer any resistance.
The impure magic power, sharp and biting, seemed intent on harming her master. She instantly released the magic power she had been channeling through her bloodstream.
'Dark Whip.'
The main skill of the succubus race.
She swung a thick whip forged from the power of darkness.
At the same time, she shouted.
It was meant to cause mental disruption.
A succubus's voice held the power to bewitch the mind.
“Get your hands off my Master—!!”
—*Whirl!*
The whip, writhing as if it had a will of its own, flew towards the man and coiled around him.
“Gah…! Who the hell are you…!”
“Me? I’m Master’s, no! Young Master Han Tae-jin’s housekeeper!”
“What?”
—*Constrict!*
As Bersha amplified her magic power, the whip tightened its grip.
However, the man’s face showed more confusion than pain.
'House…keeper? Young Master?'
He knew better than anyone that Han Tae-jin had no reason to be called 'Young Master' and no reason to have a housekeeper.
He was puzzled by the sudden appearance of this woman.
—*Crack…!*
Moreover, she was quite skilled.
To be able to restrain him, an executive of Illusion, even for a few seconds, meant she was at least a high-ranking B-class hunter.
However, she was still no match for him.
—*Snap!*
The man amplified his magic power, and the whip broke.
“Tae-jin’s housekeeper, you say? That’s quite interesting.”
“If you lay a finger on the young master…!”
“…Could it be that you’re the one who enlightened this weakling?”
The sudden onset of growth.
The unexpected appearance of a housekeeper.
The causal relationship between the two changes seemed plausible enough for the man to ask.
But Bersha, prioritizing Tae-jin’s safety, didn't register his question and unleashed her black magic power once more.
“Enlightenment or whatever, get away from the young master!”
Her usually playful, heart-shaped pupils now burned with anger.
However, a clear hint of nervousness was also present.
She instinctively knew.
This man was not someone she could easily handle.
“…Interesting.”
Unlike Bersha, the man was calm.
He simply observed Tae-jin and Bersha with an intrigued gaze.
Then, sensing the approaching presence of hunters in the distance, he activated his magic power.
“Then, I’ll be taking my leave.”
“What?”
—*Whoosh!*
A strong gust of wind swept through the room. Bersha raised her hand to shield herself from the wind, then rushed to the window.
The man was already heading towards the forest. And soon, he vanished completely into the darkness.
Bersha let out a long sigh.
“Phew… that was close.”
She could still feel the lingering tingling sensation.
If she had fought him head-on, she would have stood no chance.
“Who was that…?”
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
[Penalty lifted.]
“Ugh…”
He opened his eyes.
A strange sensation, as if he had awakened from a long slumber. And he was staring at an unfamiliar ceiling.
It wasn't the infirmary ceiling. Where was he?
He turned his head and looked around, and his question was quickly answered. He was in a hunter hospital, a specialized facility equipped with devices like magic power regulators. Something big must have happened.
“…I don’t remember anything.”
He had lost his memory during the sparring match.
It seemed his excessive ambition had backfired. All he vaguely remembered was the professor urgently trying to stop him and the system voice announcing the penalty.
'Status Window.'
He immediately opened his status window.
And then, he sat up abruptly.
“What the…?”
There was a change on the very first line of his status window.
_____________
[Title: Overheat Survivor]
[Occupation: Archer (Unawakened)]
[Rank: - ]
[Rune: Rune of Valor]
[Status▼]
[Strength: 26 (+1)] [Agility: 56] [Magic Power: 22]
[Stamina: 50] [Luck: 58] [Endurance: 15]
[Passive Traits▼]
..
..
[Frail (Lv5) - Has a weak constitution.]
[Limit Break (Lv5) - When mind and body surpass their limits, stats are enhanced.]
[Overheat Max (LvMAX) - Enters Overheat, gaining temporary transcendental power. However, after Overheat ends, receives a corresponding penalty.]
..
..
..
___________
'Overheat Survivor' occupied the title slot.
Had he actually entered Overheat?
He knew what Overheat was, as it had been mentioned in the original story.
In short, it was a negative phenomenon.
In most cases, it resulted in a decline in abilities, plunging the hunter into deep confusion and drastically shortening their career.
It usually occurred in weaker, seasoned hunters.
'And it happened to me…?'
It seemed his frail body and mind couldn't keep up with his extreme growth spurt, triggering the phenomenon.
Well, this level of growth in just two weeks was insane.
His growth rate was overwhelmingly faster than even Choi Do-han, the protagonist, so Han Tae-jin’s weak hardware couldn't handle it.
'I'm glad. I'm really glad.'
He had pushed himself too hard and almost died. If he had been an ordinary cadet, his hunter career might have been over.
But he possessed an extremely high luck stat.
That luck must have protected him.
And moreover…
'Overheat Max…? Holy crap, it’s already at MAX level?!'
A new trait had appeared, and it was already at MAX level.
And it was a trait that seemed to encourage (?) Overheat.
'So, when I enter Overheat, I temporarily awaken… but I receive a strong penalty afterward… is that it?'
Goosebumps erupted all over his body.
With this trait, he could at least avoid ruining his life by entering Overheat.
Moreover, he could even utilize Overheat in emergencies.
'Crazy… just how important was Han Tae-jin in the latter half of the story?'
Furthermore, his stats had increased evenly.
What stood out was that his magic power had almost doubled.
He didn't know the reason, but experiencing Overheat once had yielded significant results.
'And the Frail level decreased, while the Limit Break level increased.'
Who was he, really?
One thing was clear: Han Tae-jin wasn't an ordinary villain.
To be able to absorb and control Overheat, an extremely dangerous phenomenon, meant he wasn't just any pushover.
A strange sense of unease washed over him.
He thought he had been reincarnated as an insignificant extra, but it felt like a massive, uncontrollable fate was approaching like a sandstorm in the distance.
He gulped involuntarily.
Acquiring Overheat Max after experiencing it only once was impossible without incredible luck.
“Who are you?”
He muttered to himself, and then the door burst open, and someone entered.
“My young master.”
“Huh? Ber- I mean, Renia?”
“Hoho, you’re awake.”
It was Bersha.
He recognized her immediately because he had specified her polymorph appearance.
And he was confused.
“Hey, how did you…?”
It was unsettling that his summon, who should have been at home, was wandering around outside.
But her answer only deepened his confusion.
“A friend of yours came to the house and told me you were hospitalized here.”
“What?”
A friend?
Han Tae-jin didn't have any classmates he could call friends.
And they came to his house?
Bersha’s existence was still a secret, and everyone knew Han Tae-jin was an orphan, so they should have known no one was home.
“…What did they look like?”
“Hmm… they were wearing a hat, sunglasses, and a mask, so I couldn’t tell.”
And they were even disguised?
Who the hell had come to his house?
“So, what did you tell them?”
“Ah, hoho. They asked, so I told them I was ‘Young Master Han Tae-jin’s housekeeper’!”
“What?”
Bersha looked at him expectantly, as if waiting for his praise, and he sighed, rubbing his forehead.
…What had happened while he was asleep?