No Longer Human

At the very moment Goat-jjang was preparing to leave the Tower—

Shinyeon Foundation Affiliated Hospital Lab.

"Hahaha— Mr. Baek Shin-hoo, how is the body treating you?"

"Excellent. At first I thought it was strange, being told to just take pills and fast, but as time went on my head started feeling clearer."

"Wonderful. Modern people accumulate all sorts of impurities in their bodies from one thing or another, you see. The fasting you've been doing is part of maximizing receptivity for the implant."

"I see."

Yoon Chang-min had been rattling on about something, but Baek Shin-hoo trusted what he could see more than any explanation. The laboratory gleamed white in every direction — a cutting-edge research facility straight out of a movie. The sight was, if nothing else, reassuring.

"Today is finally the day of the procedure. Are you mentally prepared?"

"I'm ready. Anytime is fine."

At Baek Shin-hoo's answer, Yoon Chang-min offered a warm, easy smile.

"Then if you'd come this way."

Following Yoon Chang-min, he stepped through into a vast laboratory walled in stark white. It was the place from the video — less a hospital operating room than a state-of-the-art scientific installation. Research staff bustled about, working intently at their instruments. The scene only deepened his conviction that he hadn't chosen wrong.

At the very least, this isn't some quack operation or a scam.

That was when a strange bed in the center of the room caught his eye. A slightly reclined table fitted with restraints — and a mouthpiece, no less.

"Uh... what's this?"

"Protective equipment. Devices to keep you from biting your tongue or thrashing too violently during the procedure."

"Does it... hurt a lot?"

Unease flickered in his eyes. Yoon Chang-min let the smile fall away and answered with a serious face.

"I won't hide it from you. You absolutely won't die, but the pain will exceed anything you can imagine. What would you like to do?"

Perhaps it was because he'd been given a choice.

If I kick this opportunity away, the next chance... no. I'll just live as a cripple.

Leaving him room to back out only stoked his stubbornness. The faces of people in his memory had already been branded over with sneers and mockery. A wretched life of his own invention was forcing his hand.

"I'm sorry. Fear got the better of me for a moment and I was slow to answer. I'll take the procedure."

Yoon Chang-min beamed again and waved the apology off.

"Haha—. No need to apologize. Wanting to avoid pain is a perfectly natural instinct. That's how we evolved, isn't it?"

Having his hesitation excused for him put Baek Shin-hoo considerably more at ease. Yoon Chang-min, perhaps trying to lighten the mood, grinned and tossed out a joke.

"Doesn't this look a bit like the bed they use for superhero procedures, if you squint?"

"Now that you mention it, it does."

"When the procedure's over, you'll be a real superhero."

"Hahaha—."

Baek Shin-hoo let out a light laugh and climbed onto the table himself. The waiting research staff immediately approached and began fastening the restraints to his body.

"We'll tighten everything except around the neck, so please bear with us."

"It's fine."

Once they had confirmed Baek Shin-hoo was fully bound to the restraint table, the research staff filed out of the procedure room and entered a control booth behind thick glass. Inside, countless monitors, electronic devices, and instrument panels packed every surface. Before beginning the procedure, the researchers exchanged information and checked their data.

They rattled off jargon no outsider could follow, each moving busily according to their assigned role.

"Beginning procedure on subject Baek Shin-hoo."

"Administering Pseudo Mana Core induction solution."

They worked the instrument panel, and a syringe pump whirred to life. An unknown solution charged into a robotic arm.

A mechanical whir filled the room.

The robotic arm drifted this way and that around Baek Shin-hoo's body, making minute adjustments as if searching for a central venous line, then drove the needle in. The syringe pump's rotation immediately accelerated, and a liquid so dark it was nearly black — a deep, muddy brown — flowed through the tube and into his veins.

At the same time, an fMRI monitor on one side of the glass wall began outputting his condition in real time. Within seconds of the solution entering his body, the graphs started convulsing wildly.

"Nngh! Nnnngh!! Nngh!!!"

The mouthpiece was locked in place; he couldn't form words. He twisted and wrenched his entire body, but the restraints, drawn taut, didn't budge an inch.

Inside the control booth, the researchers exchanged data in dry voices, as if they had noise-canceling built into their ears.

Yoon Chang-min, who had been watching with interest from the side, asked a researcher,

"This Pseudo Mana Core — can I think of it as something like a mage hunter's nucleus?"

"Well, if you're looking at the phenomenon alone, you'd have to say it's similar."

"Then since the word 'pseudo' is attached, I should think of it as a fake mana core, something like that?"

"We did arbitrarily name it that way, but from our perspective it's a little different."

"Different how..."

"Different in nature, you could say? Or that it transforms? Of course, more important than that is..."

"Is?"

"Until now, people became mages purely by luck. Once this technology is established, anyone will be able to become a mage."

"Ah — so other mages have one of those mana cores in their bellies too?"

"We don't know. Natural awakeners don't show anything on MRI or ultrasound."

"Then?"

"We can see it only because we create it artificially."

At that moment, the voice of a researcher watching the monitors rang out.

"Commencing Resonance Emitter procedure."

"This is the important part."

"Ohh—"

The lead researcher unlocked the security on the deep freezer and carefully withdrew a tiny vial of solution.

"What is that?"

"We don't know either."

"Oh? Even you doctors don't know?"

"It's under research."

A researcher received the vial and set it into a slot at the corner of the instrument panel; it locked into place as if the machine had swallowed it. In ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠tandem, another researcher adjusted the Resonance Emitter's output.

"And what's that?"

"A device that uses vibration to synchronize frequencies."

"Huh. To an uneducated guy like me, this all looks like alien technology."

"We don't know the principle behind it either. We just follow the manuals the Foundation provides and conduct research."

"Whoa."

"So it'd be best not to pry too much. At the Foundation, knowing too much never ends well."

"Oof! I'll be careful."

Even as they chatted beyond the glass, the screaming inside the procedure room never stopped.

"Nnnnnngh! Nnnnnnnngh!!!"

No one in the control booth paid Baek Shin-hoo's screams any mind. They attended only to the procession of numbers and graphs.

And in that moment, Yoon Chang-min felt a chill crawl over him. It was the feeling you get hearing stories about predators — or ghosts.

"I... I keep asking, I'm sorry, but this is getting scary. What is this?"

"We don't know either."

Baek Shin-hoo's eyes rolled back in his head as he wrenched his body as if trying to snap his own spine. Had the restraints not been so solid, he might well have broken himself to death.

"Subject resonance commencing."

"Vital check: stable."

"NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGH!!!!"

In an instant the EEG and vital monitors in the control booth shrieked as if in a seizure. Every reading trembled near the red zone.

"Subject heart rate exceeding 220!"

"Brainwave alteration confirmed!"

"Pseudo Mana Core ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠activation."

"Experiment complete!"

With that final report, the researchers, who had been rigid with tension, let out a collective breath of relief. The research lead scanned the instrument panel once and declared the procedure over.

"Experiment complete. Procedure success confirmed."

"It's over?"

"Yes. It's over."

"What's the rank?"

"E-rank."

"Damn it."

A precious sample — and after all the coaxing and effort he'd poured into this.

"We performed the procedure on an S-rank hunter and got E-rank?"

"It's not a bad result. E-rank is a hundred times F-rank. And even F-rank is worth a hundred ordinary hunters."

"Hah!!!"

"More importantly — you received the Foundation's training on how to handle what comes next, yes?"

"Yes."

"He'll be a completely different person. You must not think of him as the man you brought in before."

"What do you mean..."

"You'll see. Proceed according to protocol."

Yoon Chang-min swallowed dryly and stepped carefully into the procedure room. He approached with caution, exactly as the manual prescribed, every sense on alert. And the moment he looked at Baek Shin-hoo—

"Huh...?"

He'd seen it in the manual, certainly... but could he even call this person Baek Shin-hoo?

Before the procedure he had clearly been a man in his twenties. The unconscious man lying before him now had thick, rough-hewn features — anyone would have taken him for someone in his late thirties.

Yoon Chang-min felt his skin crawl at a sight that exceeded the limits of reason, but he forced himself to keep his composure.

So according to the manual...

He hurried to the procedure table. The Foundation's training flashed through his mind. If the restraints weren't released before the subject woke, they couldn't guarantee anyone's safety. Yoon Chang-min hastily undid the restraints binding Baek Shin-hoo, one by one.

And next...

Wait with both hands folded respectfully over his stomach until the subject's eyes opened.

Several minutes of silence passed, and at last Baek Shin-hoo slowly rose from the table. Their eyes met.

In that instant, Yoon Chang-min snapped his waist into a ninety-degree bow, just as the manual prescribed, and offered a respectful greeting.

His heart rate climbed. He had to wait for the other's response. According to the manual, the other party should be pleased.

A moment later, a hearty laugh rolled down from above his bowed head.

"Hahaha— Venerable One? I'm hardly worthy of such a title... Though for a mortal, you show considerable courtesy."

What is this?

He'd seen it in the manual, but had the man truly become someone else? The way he spoke sounded like some old-timer.

No! That wasn't what mattered right now. As the manual instructed, he was to lift his head just slightly and offer a gentle smile.

"Heh heh. A mortal who knows his manners, I see."

Success.

Now he only had to coax Baek Shin-hoo according to the manual and deliver him to Foundation headquarters, and the mission would be over.

In that moment, Baek Shin-hoo furrowed his brow and looked around.

"The spiritual energy is so thin... Is this the mortal realm? Which sacred domain is this?"

Safe. The response protocol was written in the manual.

"This place is called Earth, located in the solar system."

"Earth? Solar system? Names I've never heard."

Baek Shin-hoo stroked his chin and cocked his head. He needed to change the subject quickly, as the manual instructed. The longer this dragged on, the more the subject would start acting on his own stubbornness — that was what it said.

"More importantly, if you'd first relocate to—"

In that instant.

"Kh!"

Baek Shin-hoo's face twisted grotesquely, as if seized by a tic. His neck jerked, and the lofty, downward-looking gaze from a moment ago vanished, replaced by a look Yoon Chang-min knew all too well. As if a split personality had taken over, he let out a scream of pure rapture.

"Kahahaha! Fuck! This power is no joke?!"

"Wh-what's going on all of a sudden..."

This wasn't in the manual. Baek Shin-hoo didn't seem to care about Yoon Chang-min's fear in the slightest. He looked down at his own two hands, his body trembling with ecstasy.

"When I think about all the hell I went through just to get that pathetic scrap of power before, it's almost depressing."

A moment later his facial muscles seemed to twist again, and this time his expression flooded with bewilderment.

"No — I entered because I saw a vessel, yet this one was not dead? What in heaven's name is going on?"

"Heh heh heh. Now I can tear apart every last one of those shitty bastards who looked down on me."

It was chaos. Like watching a one-man play. Whether anyone was shocked or not, Baek Shin-hoo's performance continued.

"You fool! Get a hold of yourself! If killing intent consumes you, you'll fall into qi deviation and die!"

"Shut up! Get out of my body! Khk..."

"I finally found a vessel worth using. I have no intention of wasting it on a madman's tantrum. Do as I say—"

"Fuck off! I'm gonna kill them all! Fuck! I'll kill every last one of them!"

The old Baek Shin-hoo clicked his tongue, apparently sick of the madness-soaked obsession.

"What kind of lingering obsession runs this deep?"

"Fuck off! This is my body!"

"Hmph. Very well. Let us each grant the other a single condition."

"Don't make me laugh. I don't know why you crawled in here, but this is MY body!"

"If I so wished, I could sever that mighty power you now feel. You'd be left a drooling idiot. Shall I?"

"!!!"

"I can always find another vessel. Shall I cut you off?"

"Kh."

Baek Shin-hoo sank into thought, as if wrestling with the choice. A moment later, the old Baek Shin-hoo offered a compromise.

"I'll yield first. That obsession of yours — I'll kill exactly one person for you. After that, you ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠follow my lead."

"One bastard. Then I do as you say? And after that, it's my turn again?"

"Indeed. You understand the basics of a bargain."

"Fine. Deal."

The moment their interests aligned, Baek Shin-hoo wore a grotesque smile. The left side of his face and the right were grinning in two different ways ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠— as if the left and right hemispheres of his brain were operating independently.

Heh heh heh. The fool knows nothing. The more I erase his obsession, the more the reins pass to me.

Heh heh heh. Until I've killed them all — no, even after I've killed them all, I'm never giving up this body.

Watching from the side, Yoon Chang-min was thrown into confusion.

This isn't in the manual!

Not only had they gone off-script — they'd reached a conclusion entirely on their own. He had to get this under control, and fast.

"Um... Venerable One — I mean, Mr. Baek Shin-hoo."

"Hm?"

"If you'd come with me to the place I've prepared, there are items necessary for your cultivation—"

"Out of my way."

He couldn't step aside. If he failed here, there would be no escaping the blame.

"The Foundation has prepared a great deal. If you'd just hear a little more—"

In that instant, Baek Shin-hoo's two hands blurred at a speed the eye couldn't follow, weaving into a bizarre mudra.

Yoon Chang-min recoiled in horror, frantically waving his hands.

"Eek! W-wait! Hold on—"

In the split second he stumbled backward, the fireball that had left Baek Shin-hoo's hands shot straight at him.

"GRAAAAAAAH—!!"

The scream didn't last long. Yoon Chang-min's body flared up like a burning log and vanished without leaving so much as a pinch of ash.

The old Baek Shin-hoo twisted his face in displeasure.

"You fool! If you kill someone already, doesn't that break our agreement?"

"Shut up. He was just an obstacle! Don't make a fuss over taking out one piece of trash!"

"Ahem. I'll let it slide this once."

Having finished the conversation with himself, Baek Shin-hoo walked into the control booth and held out a hand to a researcher.

"Give me a phone."

"H-here!"

Baek Shin-hoo took the phone and searched for something with intense focus. Then the corners of his mouth split wide.

"Heh heh heh. Still on the fifth floor?"

Baek Shin-hoo walked straight out of the laboratory and ran for the Tower.