Chapter 268: The Antidote (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 268: The Antidote (2)
With the incomplete antidote in hand, I left the shop with mixed feelings.
Marna Hircus had told me how to complete it. Of course, it wasn't some grand recipe.
All I had to do was mix a bit of fresh unicorn bodily fluid into the antidote.
The problem was, where was I supposed to get a unicorn's bodily fluid?
Haah, I doubt even the Seongbuk Choi family's treasury would have it.
In terms of price, it was actually much cheaper than an elixir. The problem was that it was never in stock.
Unlike an elixir, which had endless uses, as far as I knew, a unicorn's bodily fluid was nothing more than an ingredient for a few specific potions.
Even then, there were substitutes, so it was strange to even go looking for it.
It was possible that a corporation or the government had some for research purposes, but there was no way I could get my hands on it in a day or two.
That left only one option.
“Hoo...”
I rubbed my stiff neck and headed for the Magic Tower. To be precise, to Professor Shin Minha's workshop.
*
Clink.
The sound of a teacup being set down sounded unusually loud today.
For the record, there was no teacup in front of me. After all, I wasn't visiting as a welcome guest.
I looked at Shin Minha, who was sitting across from me.
Shimmering black hair, expressionless blue eyes, and smooth, pale white thighs revealed between the folds of her skirt.
She looked the same as always, but based on my experience with countless women, I could instinctively tell she was in a bad mood.
“So.”
Her icy gaze was fixed on me.
I tensed up without realizing it.
“Have you finished writing your letter of apology?”
“Pardon?”
Ah.
Only then did I understand why Shin Minha had seemed so displeased.
She had told me to bring a letter of apology by Tuesday, but instead of showing up the next day, I had waited until Thursday. Of course she'd be angry.
Even I had to admit I was being a bastard.
“...I'm sorry. I had a sudden moment of enlightenment and lost track of everything.”
“I'm sure you did.”
Shin Minha crossed her arms and glared at me.
Her eyes alone seemed to say, 'Of course you did.'
Come to think of it, what I had just said was a common excuse used by Magic Tower students. I don't know why it popped into my head just now, but I felt wronged.
It wasn't an excuse.
I considered revealing that I was a 5th Circle mage right then and there, but in the end, I decided against it.
It wasn't worth the trouble of making excuses, and my innocence would be proven at the verification ceremony in two days anyway.
“Professor.”
“Yes.”
I sighed inwardly and parted my lips.
I already had a record of rejecting Shin Minha's offer. And that was after she, a professor and a mage who was nothing but pride, had swallowed half that pride to practically sweet-talk me, a mere student.
And now, that same guy was showing up out of the blue to ask for a favor?
If I were the professor, I wouldn't have even let me into the workshop; I would have slammed the door in my face.
Should I have just offered to help with her experiments?
I regretted my choice from a few days ago.
But I couldn't just turn back now.
As far as I knew, the only way to get a unicorn's bodily fluid was from Shin Minha's summon, Riyal.
Unicorns had long been known as notoriously difficult mythical beasts to form a contract with. It was because of their species-wide obsession with virginity.
First off, they rejected all men, virgin or not.
So, to contract a unicorn, one had to be a woman, but that led to another problem. Even if she was a virgin, the contract was frequently rejected if she was unattractive.
In other words, to contract a unicorn, one had to be a virgin female mage with an aptitude for summoning and a pretty face.
How many people could possibly pass such strict conditions?
In my opinion, Shin Minha was probably the only one in the country. It wasn't like unicorns were the only mythical beasts out there, after all.
“I know this is shameless, but I have a favor to ask.”
“...A favor?”
“Yes. Could I possibly get some of the unicorn's bodily fluid? Just a few drops would be fine.”
At that moment, Shin Minha's eyes widened.
Surprise, shock, tension—a flurry of emotions crossed her face.
“...How did you know Riyal was a unicorn? Not even the other professors, let alone the Tower Lord, know that.”
Her sharp reaction made me wonder what to say. The atmosphere was too tense to just brush it off.
Should I tell her that her summon suddenly tried to rape me?
Even to me, it sounded ridiculous. She would never believe me even if I told the truth.
Besides, a strange killing intent had been pricking the back of my neck. It felt like she would strangle me on the spot if I said the wrong thing.
Even if she did attack, subduing her would be simple, but Riyal's cooperation was crucial for this matter.
There was no point in provoking her.
In the end, I chose silence.
Rather than try to escape with a lie that would quickly be exposed, it was wiser to gauge Shin Minha's reaction and respond accordingly.
Silence soon fell between us.
Shin Minha tapped her knee and stared at me intently. Then, she let out a short sigh.
“...There's a condition.”
“Pardon?”
“You weren't thinking of getting it for free, were you?”
I quietly shook my head at her cold gaze.
Considering the karma I'd built up, I wouldn't have a single thing to say even if I had ten mouths.
“Just do me one favor next time. I won't ask for anything excessive, so you don't have to worry too much.”
I breathed a sigh of relief internally.
I was worried she'd ask me to change my major, so this was a relief.
“Of course, getting Riyal's cooperation is entirely up to you, Student Kang Hyun-woo.”
“...Pardon?”
“Riyal is my summon, but we don't have a master-servant relationship. We see each other as equals.”
My vision went dark.
She wanted me to persuade that crazy unicorn?
They called it 'bodily fluid,' but it was basically asking her to squirt out some love juice. It wouldn't be strange if Riyal went on a rampage.
“Riyal.”
At Shin Minha's word, Riyal appeared.
She looked just as she had when we first met, her form so ambiguous it was hard to even tell her gender.
Riyal's gaze was fixed not on Shin Minha, but on me. It was so intense that I instinctively turned my head away.
Wouldn't a woman who ran into an ex she ghosted look less intense than this?
“Well then, I have a lecture to get to, so I'll be on my way.”
“What?”
Wait, she's just going to leave like this?
The moment I tried to stand up in a hurry, an formless energy pressed down on my shoulders. It was Riyal.
Her eyes, glowing with a purple light, were on me.
Scrape—Thud.
In that time, Shin Minha walked out without a single glance back.
She was being particularly cold today. She was clearly still sulking about what happened last time.
Given what I'd done, I couldn't openly complain. I would have done the same in her shoes.
But just for this moment, I felt a little resentful that she had left me alone.
“...”
“...”
Riyal and I stared at each other across the table in silence.
Suddenly, the shadows covering Riyal's body receded, revealing the beautiful, lavender-haired woman I had seen before.
Seeing her again, she was so different from the unicorn I had imagined.
“Don't you have anything to say to me?”
Riyal crossed her arms, a prim expression on her face.
Her face looked faintly flushed.
“Give me some of your bodily fluid.”
Give me some of your love juice.
Splash.
The moment the words left my mouth, Riyal splashed water in my face.
Should I have moved the water bottle off the table before speaking?
“Say that again.”
“...Five drops would be enou—”
Splash.
This time, it was black tea.
Thankfully, it wasn't hot.
“You took my first kiss and that's all you have to say?”
I let out a disbelieving laugh.
Anyone watching would think I had taken it by force.
“If you were even a little less handsome, you would have died that day.”
Ah.
The thought I'd meant to keep to myself slipped out.
Fortunately, there was nothing left on the table to throw. But that crazy unicorn was more than capable of throwing the teacup itself.
I started to get up, ready to dodge, but an unbelievable sight entered my vision.
“...Complimenting me won't work. It's too late. I'm definitely not letting this go.”
Riyal was twirling a lock of her hair, her face blushing.
Her words and actions didn't match at all.
The sight of this crazy horse—who had not only threatened to kill me but also tried to rape me—acting like this was giving me cognitive dissonance.
As I thought, she's not a normal woman.
I slicked back my tea-soaked bangs and collected my thoughts.
If I gave up on the unicorn's bodily fluid now, how long would it take to make the antidote?
If there had been a substitute, Marna would have told me.
That meant I would have to acquire either highest-grade holy water or an elixir, both commonly known as panaceas...
...Even if I pulled strings with the Seongbuk Choi family, it would take months.
That's how rare elixirs were. To say nothing of highest-grade holy water.
Of course, spending those few months training and preparing thoroughly wasn't a bad idea.
But my patience wouldn't hold out that long.
From the moment I left the training room until now, something in my heart had been whispering to me.
To break down the wall that once blocked me and advance to a higher realm.
A wall.
Right now, there was only one thing I could call a wall.
Asura Demon Lord (修羅魔君), Ma Paeseon.
An elder of the Heavenly Demonic Cult and an absolute master who had reached the state of Extreme Demon (極魔).
And the one who had tried to separate me from Cheon Yeo-hwa.
Now that I had reached the Transcendent Realm, there was no need to hesitate. Not that the thought that it might be premature didn't cross my mind.
But my resolve was stronger than that.
I'll be coming for you soon, so just wait, you old geezer.
But before that, I needed the antidote for Cheon Yeo-hwa.
For that, dealing with a unicorn with a few screws loose was nothing.
Of course, I would deal with her my way.
I stood up and walked toward Riyal.
“It's not like I'm completely blameless, so I'll give you a reduced sentence. One hundred years of confinement in the Everhart estate... Wh-what? Why are you coming closer...”
Riyal's eyes trembled as she looked at me.
“When we first met, you were so arrogant, going on about humans and whatnot. Now you're acting like a spoiled noble lady, aren't you?”
I reached out and caressed Riyal's flushed cheek.
Instead of pushing my hand away, Riyal just peeked at me, gauging my reaction.
The deer antler's effect seems a little too good...
At this rate, I might as well be a golden-haired delinquent from a doujinshi who screws every girl in sight. Though, only for unicorns.
I slowly closed the distance between us.
As I gently traced her lips with my fingertip, I heard the sound of someone swallowing dryly.
I suppressed a smirk.
To think that just a few days ago, she was kidnapping a passerby to jump their bones, and now she's as tense as a virgin.
Soon, we were close enough to feel each other's breath.
Riyal squeezed her eyes shut. I laid her down on the sofa and pressed my lips against hers.
I felt a searing heat.
Riyal's fidgeting hands grabbed the hem of my clothes. The way her body trembled was, I had to admit, a little cute.
˙
˙
˙
Around the time Kang Hyun-woo and Riyal were embracing and stripping each other's clothes off...
'Wh-what in the world is happening...?'
In a secret room of the workshop unknown to anyone, Shin Minha's eyes trembled as she secretly watched the two of them.