Chapter 34
Chapter 34
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: Wrong Encounter (3)
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Drag. Druuuk.
"Hey, Yang Woo-bin... What, what are you trying to do?"
"Yeah, I'm curious too, so explain it quick and clear! How exactly are you gonna give this precious little runt something to brag about?!"
Their questions hit my eardrums at the same time.
Since they were both asking the same thing, I answered while finishing up tidying the room.
"The elixir I made. I'm giving it to you, Fuyuno Tsubaki."
"Elixir? To her?"
"E-Elixir? For me?"
At the word "elixir," both of them widened their eyes in shock and stared at me.
Ryu Jia's red eyes and Fuyuno Tsubaki's ash-gray eyes mixed with blue focused on me at once, making me feel a bit embarrassed.
"Yeah. But did I not mention it? Hmm, guess not. Whatever, doesn't matter if I did or didn't. If I've decided you're taking it, then you are."
"W-Well, if you say so... I guess I have to..."
"Exactly. Now come sit here where I've cleared the space."
"Got it, Yang Woo-bin!"
Without any resistance, Fuyuno Tsubaki obediently followed my words.
"I'm sitting! What now?"
She sat in the middle of the space I'd cleared by moving the furniture—big enough for two people comfortably—and looked up at me with her head tilted back.
Kneeling at my feet, gazing up with sparkling eyes, she looked exactly like a loyal pet dog devoted to its owner.
...No matter that I'm her lifesaver and rescued her from bullying, is it okay in this world for a woman to show this kind of loyalty to a man?
For a moment, Fuyuno Tsubaki's abnormal behavior made me worry.
But it was just worry—I actually found it convenient how she followed without complaint when time was short, so I swallowed my needless words and answered her question.
"Open your mouth wide."
"O-Okay. Aaaahhh..."
"..."
Before I could even pull out the elixir I'd prepared from my pocket, Fuyuno Tsubaki had already stuck out her small red tongue and opened her mouth wide.
...Whoa, look at that pure white throat—even her uvula's trembling and visible. Is it because this is a gender-reversed world that women have less shame?
"Whoa, for real? First time seeing a girl show her mouth like that to a guy..."
"Ahh..."
Ryu Jia's genuine admiration and Fuyuno Tsubaki's ears turning bright red showed it wasn't about less shame.
That meant Fuyuno Tsubaki was feeling shame enough to make her ears ripen red, yet still obeying me without a word.
Sure, it was great for me, but it felt a bit burdensome seeing her go this far.
"Put your tongue away."
"Ah, okay..."
But she was so obedient to me that it was convenient, so I just told her to retract her tongue and pulled the elixir from my pocket.
It was a red pill, like Ryu Jia's eyes, sealed in a transparent acrylic case.
As I took the elixir out, curiosity flickered in Ryu Jia's eyes.
"Huh? That elixir... I feel a familiar energy from it."
"Right, it's made from that flower you satisfied the president with. Grown in this Volcanic Dragon club room where you spend the most time, absorbing the mana you emitted. Its name is Volcanic Dragon Pill."
A single flower blooming in the potted plant in the Volcanic Dragon club room.
Dubbed the Volcanic Dragon Flower, it was a hidden piece in Reverse Hero Saga you could get by sneaking into the club room without Ryu Jia noticing.
As explained before, this flower grew by feasting solely on Ryu Jia's special mana, so even eating it raw slightly increased your mana capacity.
But refining it through this special process into a pill unleashed its true power.
"...You made an elixir from a flower that grew on my mana? You? Yourself?"
"Yes. Me. Personally."
"Heh, you're good at cooking and massages—that was surprising but plausible. But elixirs too...? A proper one at that... How?"
Ryu Jia, sensing the energy leaking from the Volcanic Dragon Pill, let out a disbelieving chuckle and asked.
I answered her question with a grin, no hesitation.
"Trade secret."
As a veteran gamer with knowledge honed by the Yang family's handiwork, this elixir contained the essence of Yang Woo-bin—it was a true trade secret I couldn't reveal.
"R-Right. Makes sense. It's an elixir, after all..."
Ryu Jia knew the immense value of elixirs in this superhuman society, so she didn't press further.
Having answered Ryu Jia—the biggest contributor to making the Volcanic Dragon Pill—I turned to Fuyuno Tsubaki, who would consume it.
"Alright, now I'm putting this Volcanic Dragon Pill in your mouth. But there's something you must follow, Fuyuno Tsubaki. Ignore it and you could die or end up crippled at best. So listen carefully. Got it? Nod if you do."
"Mm-hmm!"
Nod!
"Good."
At my serious tone, Fuyuno Tsubaki nodded vigorously, her eyes filled with determination.
Her great attitude made me nod back, then I opened the lid.
Whoooosh—!
The moment I did, the energy from the Volcanic Dragon Pill flooded the club room in an instant.
"...A newbie made this?"
"H-Huhhh..."
Ryu Jia, who'd actually consumed an elixir before, gaped in awe at the ultra-concentrated mana and energy packed inside.
Fuyuno Tsubaki's mouth was stretched even wider in shock.
I inwardly enjoyed their reactions as I explained the precautions.
"This pill's effect is seal-breaking. It took our president's destructive mana, refined through my hands to alter its nature, gaining the power to shatter seals. It's custom-made just for you, so be grateful. Nod if you are."
"Mm-hmm!"
Nod!
"Good. Now, the precautions I just mentioned. Actually, it's the same as taking any normal elixir. Swallow it, close your mouth, shut your eyes, and wait until it fully soaks into your mana core. Easy, right? Nod if it is."
"Mmm-hmm!"
Nod!
"Good. Here it goes. Keep your mouth open wide."
"Mm! Aaaahhh..."
After the explanation, as I told her to open wide, Fuyuno Tsubaki stretched her already wide mouth even further.
Seeing her actually follow my earlier instruction about the tongue made me start thinking she was commendable.
Plop.
"Now close your eyes and mouth!"
I placed the Volcanic Dragon Pill in Fuyuno Tsubaki's mouth, then gripped her crown and chin, pressing them together.
At my rough handling, her mouth snapped shut with a smack, and she quickly squeezed her eyes closed.
Right then, Ryu Jia's power—trapped in pill form—broke free inside Fuyuno Tsubaki's frail body and went wild.
Rumble rumble ruuumble...!
"Ngh, urgh, ughhh...!"
Like dozens of fireworks exploding at once, the shock made muffled groans leak from her sealed lips.
Her clenched fists trembled, her whole body instantly drenched in cold sweat—it was clear what agony she was enduring.
"Hang in there. It'll be over soon. Keep your eyes shut and mouth closed."
Of course, I only thought I knew—it was her hurting, not me—so like a dentist who says "just a bit longer" no matter how much you raise your hand, I told her to signal if it hurt too much but kept saying it would end soon.
About a minute passed—not long for me, but an eternity for her.
"...Alright, done."
I checked her status window and nodded in satisfaction.
The seal was broken, revealing her hidden mana affinity, and she absorbed the mana in the elixir, boosting her pitiful total mana from 3 to 80.
Dabcheon's weakest superhuman—no, not even worthy of the title—Fuyuno Tsubaki had finally taken her first true step as a superhuman.
"Now you've got something to brag about. Good job, Fuyuno Tsubaki."
She must have been in a lot of pain absorbing the elixir's energy, but she endured without complaint, making her truly commendable now.
Well, technically she couldn't complain because I was holding her jaw shut, but she didn't anyway, so I'd count it.
As I praised her and patted her ash-gray hair side to side, life returned to Fuyuno Tsubaki's half-exhausted, dazed eyes.
"Heh, hehehe..."
She even smiled brightly, enjoying my big-dog-like head pats.
"...Not a runt, more like a pet dog, huh?"
A highly relatable comment came from behind, but praising her mattered more than responding, so I ignored it and kept petting.
"Good girl, good girl, good girl."
"Ehehehehehe..."
Repeating "good girl" three times in a row drew the longest, happiest laugh I'd ever heard from her.
I smiled back at her joy-filled laughter, stopped petting, and got to business.
"Alright, rested up? Got your praise. Time to start training."
I'd even fed her an expensive elixir—time to get to work.