The Angel's First Disciple
With his back hunched, the follower moved swiftly. I gently stroked Yeonhee's drooping head. Tears welled in her eyes as she looked up at me, her gaze gradually fixing on my face.
"......"
Hmm?
Her tears slowly subsided, and a faint spark returned to her violet eyes. She seemed to be processing my changed appearance, so I remained still. After all, to a human, it would be like showing up after a full-body transformation. Even in this situation, it was understandable that she wanted to take a closer look.
"Um, hmm. J-Jin-hyeok... should we just leave him like that?"
I nodded firmly.
Yeonhee... Cha Jin-hyeok isn't human.
Despite injuries that would have killed even the toughest hunter, the mana swirling inside Cha Jin-hyeok was steadily filling with vibrant life force. Of course, this was thanks to Irmana's remarkable healing ability and my own efforts to untangle his mana, but it was still a monstrous survival instinct.
Is it because of the children...?
It felt like a miracle born from his unyielding will to never die. I told her that Cha Jin-hyeok recovered stamina quickly and responded well to potions, so he would likely wake up soon.
"Th-that's a relief..."
While gently rubbing Yeonhee's still-damp cheeks, I checked Cha Jin-hyeok's condition again. His half-severed wrist had been reattached and submerged in a high-grade potion, and it was already beginning to fuse back together as if by magic.
"Krrk? Krhh-hh—"
Deonni No. 1, gripping Cha Jin-hyeok's wrist tightly, bared its fangs at me. Of course, it was only reattached for now, and actual recovery would take time, but it didn't seem his ability would be lost. That was something.
With one or two months of rest, he'll make a full recovery. The key will be how we manage and help him grow during that time. He's got real talent.
Looking at his overall abilities, he might even surpass No Hayun in raw potential. No Hayun, Baek A-rin, Ham Eun-yeong, and now Cha Jin-hyeok. How many people possessed talent worthy of reaching S-rank?
Once Yeonhee saw Cha Jin-hyeok's recovery visibly accelerating, she finally let out a sigh of relief.
"Phew—I really thought something terrible was going to happen."
Yeah... Cha Jin-hyeok. You really made me feel guilty for no reason.
He had originally come here to kill us, yet the situation had reversed so dramatically. Life was full of surprises.
"Ughhh..."
Just then, Choi Seong-woong regained consciousness. I rushed over to the man clutching his shattered nose and trying to stand, grabbed him by the throat, and slammed him against the wall before staring straight into his eyes.
"Hiiieeek!! P-please spare me! I was just doing what those bitches told me to—"
Doing what you were told... what bullshit.
Why did people in this kind of situation always react the same way?
"Aaaagh!"
I jabbed the tip of my dagger into his side. Yeonhee, her composure restored, approached.
"Tell us everything you know about the Evolution Water..."
"Ughhh! I-if I talk, they'll kill me!"
"I'm sorry, but if you don't talk, it's going to hurt. A lot..."
Yeonhee's voice had dropped, cold and heavy. She really was terrifying when angry...
"Talk. What exactly were you doing in that building?"
"W-we weren't doing anything! We just went because someone we could trust recommended the place! R-really! It was just a sales outlet!"
"A sales outlet... So you weren't manufacturing anything, just selling?"
"Yeah! Mmph—"
"Good. Who was this trustworthy person?"
"Ughhh—take the dagger out! And I'm not allowed to talk about that person!"
"Fine. Is that person a hunter or not? You can at least answer that, right?"
Yeonhee rephrased her question after noticing Choi Seong-woong's condition deteriorating rapidly.
"H-he's a hunter, but... he's not really a—kuuup!"
"Eek...?!"
The moment she directly mentioned someone connected to the Evolution Stones, his body began to swell. I pulled Yeonhee back, sensing something was about to burst. Realizing something catastrophic was happening to him, Choi Seong-woong clamped his mouth shut. Surprisingly, the swelling subsided.
"Huff—huff—"
Mana churned violently inside him, and sweat poured down like a waterfall. Was he trying to control the changes in his body? Perhaps this reaction was only possible because he hadn't crossed the line with his answers.
We continued trying to extract meaningful information through pain, but...
"As expected, it's no use. Unless we do something about that secrecy oath, it'll be impossible to get any important information from now on."
I nodded. In the end, we gained little, but Cha Jin-hyeok, who had regained consciousness, spoke to us with difficulty.
"E-excuse me..."
"Ah! Jin-hyeok! How are you feeling? Are you okay? You shouldn't be talking!"
"I-I'm fine. I-I told you, didn't I? I'm tougher than I look. Cough—"
Cha Jin-hyeok coughed up a mouthful of blood while speaking. He looked like he was dying, but his eyes burned with a sense of duty. After catching his breath, he got to the point.
"That guy... I'll finish him. Please don't dirty your hands on such filth."
"What? Uh... that..."
In your condition, you'll be the one dying, you idiot.
"D-don't worry. My ability... can activate with just a glance. It won't be as strong, but..."
An ability that worked without using his hands.
...That's an incredible skill. I wonder if I could copy it somehow.
Yeonhee looked conflicted after hearing Cha Jin-hyeok's words. Since he had once been on the verge of becoming a villain, allowing him to commit murder probably felt uncomfortable. After a moment of hesitation, she nodded.
She trusts Cha Jin-hyeok?
They must have built some level of trust while I was away.
Hmm—fine. There's something I want to look into anyway.
I pulled the dagger from the man's body and bound him with Flame Chains so he couldn't move.
"Khaaaagh!! Hot!"
Since it wasn't a sound suitable for a twenty-year-old girl to hear, I took Yeonhee outside. After we left, Cha Jin-hyeok crawled toward Choi Seong-woong, who was slowly being consumed by flames, and whispered softly.
"...... How dare you lay your filthy hands on the angel. Your sin is heavy..."
"Ughhh! Angel? What nonsense! Stop spouting crap. Ugh! C-could you loosen these bindings? Huh? We had a good time for a whole week, didn't we? Right?"
Choi Seong-woong wore a servile expression and babbled nonsense. Cha Jin-hyeok's gaze remained ice-cold.
"If you don't even know what you did wrong, then there's no helping it. I'll just have to make sure you can never do it again."
"W-what? Aaaagh!"
I covered Yeonhee's ears and listened carefully to their conversation, though I still didn't understand why she had become Cha Jin-hyeok's angel. A few minutes later, Choi Seong-woong's body was crushed into the concrete floor, folded grotesquely in multiple layers, and his life ended.
— Contaminated Elixir of Life Fragment acquired. (13/100) —
Hmm, so I get the reward even without landing the final blow.
What I had been curious about was whether contribution-based rewards applied to the Elixir fragments as well. It seemed they did.
Did Cha Jin-hyeok receive the same reward?
I watched his reaction closely, but no special response appeared on his face.
Is this reward exclusive to me? Hmm...
After finishing the cleanup, Cha Jin-hyeok, carried out of the building on Deonni No. 1's back, looked far more refreshed than expected.
...He didn't develop a taste for it, did he?
His expression showed only the satisfaction of having done what needed to be done. Fortunately, I sensed no dark emotions, so I decided to keep an eye on him for now.
"Huu— I've cleaned up the aftermath neatly, so... you don't need to worry."
"Ah, yes, yes..."
There were no functioning CCTVs in the area anyway. The group had probably tampered with them in advance. Yeonhee thanked Cha Jin-hyeok repeatedly, and he bowed his head over and over, looking overwhelmed.
"By the way... what are your plans? If you're thinking of checking out that building—"
Even while being carried by an orc, unable to move a single finger, Cha Jin-hyeok was curious about our next destination.
With that body, where do you think you're going with us?
"No. You need to go straight to the hospital now, Jin-hyeok."
"No, I-I can still help even while being carried—"
"No! Rest first!"
"Ugh... Understood..."
As expected.
At Yeonhee's firm tone, Cha Jin-hyeok looked as if the world had collapsed, then turned to me.
Why are you looking at me?
He might have been signaling for me to help him come along, but even I could tell he needed to go to the hospital. We headed straight to a nearby hospital equipped with an Awakener treatment facility.
"Thank you, Jin-hyeok. I'll visit you once everything's wrapped up. Don't even think about moving around. Got it?"
"...Yes. Thank you. Heav— I mean, Yeonhee-nim."
"...? Yes. Absolute rest!"
After finally shoving Cha Jin-hyeok into the emergency room, we stepped outside and walked together for a while, discussing our next move. Yeonhee's steps were gradually lightening as her energy returned, and she shared something surprising.
"Hey, listen. A strange message popped up."
"Clack?"
"It's a bit hard to understand, but it says Jin-hyeok became my follower?"
Cha Jin-hyeok has become your follower.
You may borrow one of his abilities once per day.
"Clack-clack-clack?"
A follower...? Well, given how he reacted as if he'd met a god, it makes sense. But what benefits come with having a follower?
"It says I can borrow one of Jin-hyeok's abilities once a day."
"?!"
That's an amazing reward!!
"I received help, so I don't know why I'm getting this reward. I didn't do anything for him... What should I do, Ilwol? I feel like I need to repay him somehow..."
Recalling how flustered Cha Jin-hyeok had been while talking with Yeonhee at the hospital, I felt he had already received more than enough reward.
More importantly, how long and which abilities can she borrow?
"Right now, only [Absolute Reflection] is available, and it's only for ten seconds. But as Jin-hyeok grows, the duration will increase and other abilities will become available too."
...... So if we work Cha Jin-hyeok like a dog, Yeonhee gets stronger?
That wasn't the intended meaning, but it sounded that way.
Hmm—still, because of the rank difference, he can't travel with us right now. Besides, Cha Jin-hyeok will probably grow even more from this experience.
It seemed more important to give Cha Jin-hyeok his own motivation to keep growing.
At least gaining another defensive skill is a positive. But it's still not enough...
Yeonhee specialized in fighting against large numbers of enemies. It didn't matter when I was around, but I couldn't always stay by her side. Just as I was regretting the lack of a stronger summon to act as her constant bodyguard, Yeonhee continued as if reading my thoughts.