Chapter 69
Chapter 69
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 69
Chapter Title: Core Weapon
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Core Weapon.
*
My head was spinning.
My whole body ached like I'd been hit by something.
Even as I shuddered from the stuffiness, I didn't want to wake up, but a bright light piercing through my eyelids, along with someone's presence, forced my eyes open.
"Lemon!"
A bright woman's voice rang out.
Scarlet hair that no ordinary person could have.
*This feels like something I've experienced before...*
My mind still felt submerged in water.
I just blinked blankly as the voice kept calling someone.
The woman with the scarlet hair furrowed her delicate brows and flicked my nose with her finger.
"Ow!"
"Get a grip, Lemon!"
The pain brought a sharp sense of reality.
I bolted upright and looked around.
"...Roze?"
"Phew, finally."
"Where are we? No, more importantly..."
My gaze instinctively went to my left arm.
It was fine.
Just like the injury had been a lie from the start, my original "human" arm was there.
Was it a dream?
But it hadn't been erased entirely—the state of my arm wasn't exactly the same as before.
"This is...?"
Dark tattoos covered my entire left arm.
From my fingers all the way to just below my shoulder.
They were so dense that more red ink showed than my natural skin tone.
Strange designs.
No clear pattern or regularity.
Still, some were recognizable.
*Is this a claw...?*
Near my wrist, four sharp lines branched out, stretching to my fingertips.
It looked just like the claws attached to that scarlet arm.
*Yeah, probably.*
It even felt like I could summon it if I really wanted to.
But this wasn't the place to test it.
I examined the rest.
Around my shoulder was a tattoo of a snake's head with newly etched eyes, and on my palm, one shaped like something spreading outward.
"The doctors have no idea. It's not just surface ink—it's permeated the flesh and even the blood vessels, reacting the same color all the way through."
"Barton? You were here too."
"Hmph!"
Merdi sat primly on a chair a short distance away, back straight as a rod.
"...Merdi too? What brings you...?"
"...Whatever. I saw you wake up. I'm out."
She spat it out in her usual sharp tone, stood abruptly, and strode out of the room.
I called after her retreating back.
"Thanks for visiting."
"Don't flatter yourself. I just came to check if the jewel I earned was still in one piece."
"Uh, yeah, she's gone...?"
Did I say something wrong?
"Pfft! For all her attitude, she's been coming by thirty minutes every day without fail."
"Looked like she was desperate to go every time. Fidgeting like crazy."
Even Barton smirked and gossiped behind her back.
What if she hears you?
I started to laugh but glanced at the door, wondering if Merdi might come back.
"Up until yesterday, they were worried the contamination was so bad you might not make it."
"Really?"
"Yeah. If your condition hadn't improved suddenly yesterday afternoon, you'd have been shipped off to a specialist treatment center."
"...Lucky break."
I knew what that place was.
Specialist treatment center my ass—it was where they experimented on terminal cases with every untested method in the book.
Perfect guinea pig material.
Anyway, glad I didn't end up there.
"Those tattoos appeared right after your condition stabilized."
"How long was I out?"
"A week."
"Huh? What about the Core Weapon ceremony?"
"It's been postponed. They're saying next week sometime."
"Makes sense. Big event like that—they'll wait till things settle."
A whole week already.
I'd slept too long.
Still, considering they'd even divined I might never wake up, this was generous.
Barton went on to summarize everything that had happened while I was unconscious.
Once he finished, he hopped up and headed out.
"Take it easy then. I'll head out first."
"...Yeah, already?"
"Better focus on someone else instead of me."
What did that mean?
As Barton left, the door clicked shut.
The unusually quiet Roze suddenly leaped onto the bed and straddled me.
Then, out of nowhere, she slammed her fist into my solar plexus.
"Guak...! Cough! R-Roze...?"
"I told you not to make me worry."
Coughing from the pain, our eyes met.
Her trembling gaze held a hint of tears.
She looked so wronged.
I was the one who got hit—why the hell did she look like that?
Then Roze grabbed my left arm, shook it in front of her face, and yelled accusingly.
"You did this, didn't you? You took that red bastard's thing and stuck it on, right? No way your severed arm just magically heals."
"Y-Yeah."
"...Why'd you do something so stupid? You almost died, you idiot!"
"..."
"You were doing so well. Why? Were you impatient? Didn't trust me? Your master Roze, who taught you everything?"
I'd never seen Roze like this.
Overwhelmed by her emotions, I couldn't say a word.
*It's all my fault.*
My greed nearly ruined not just me, but my friends too.
If luck hadn't been on our side, it would've happened.
I wouldn't have died, but I'd be in way worse shape than now.
"...Sorry. I was lacking, and I made you worry."
"...Liar. You'd do the same thing if it happened again."
She pursed her lips and denied it.
"No, really. Never again."
I'd learned my limits the hard way.
Esper abilities weren't omnipotent.
I wouldn't attempt suicide like that ever again.
"I promise."
Roze hooked her pinky with mine from my left hand.
Childish as it was, it held special meaning for her.
"Promise?"
"Seal it with thumbs too?"
"...Yeah."
We pressed thumbs together.
She was still mad, lips pressed tight, squeezing hard.
It didn't hurt.
I squeezed back to match her.
"...Ow! It hurts!"
Roze suddenly yelped.
I let go in surprise as she shook her finger and blew on it.
"Ow. When did you get so strong?"
"I got stronger?"
"Yeah. Way stronger."
"No way. Compared to me, you're the—"
Wait.
I spread my left hand and examined it.
It was my hand, but not *my* hand.
The scarlet hand.
If so, my physical abilities might've changed without me realizing.
I gripped my right hand with my left and squeezed.
"Urk...!"
The left was definitely stronger.
Power kept surging endlessly, like Excel with no limits.
I tested moderately and stopped.
"See?"
"...Yeah, it is."
"Gonna take a while to get used to it."
"Haha..."
Academy life was almost over, and now I'd signed up for sparring hell again.
But I couldn't refuse.
I grinned vacantly at Roze.
Our eyes met again.
Silence stretched, turning the mood awkward.
"...A-Anyway, recover first. Sparring later."
"...Yeah."
"Well, then..."
As Roze lifted her hips to slide off my stomach and pulled her legs free—
The door burst open.
"Boss, heard you were up, so..."
"Don't block the door, come in..."
Giz, Yoon Ji-hye, and a bunch of cadets froze mid-step inside.
Our position was perfect for misunderstandings.
Sure enough, their imaginations ran wild as they slammed the door shut.
"Sorry, boss. Didn't realize."
"Wait! It's not what you—!"
"See? Told you those two..."
"Boss is busy. Come back later."
Giz herded them out with his big hands, flashing me a goofy grin before leaving.
Thumbs up.
Door shut.
"..."
"..."
Silence filled the room for a moment.
*
Alien contamination is incredibly hard to remove, even with current medical tech.
Once cells mutate, they're like incurable tumors—no going back.
From internal organs to bones, blood vessels, skin—widespread changes make it far worse.
That's why my recovery speed sparked debate among the medics.
Sudden improvement, conscious in one day, fully normal in another.
Most unbelievable: mutated cells reverting to normal.
Impossible by their standards.
Figure out the cause, and you'd make a name overnight.
They even showed interest in experimenting on me.
If not for my stern warning and invoking confidentiality treaties, I'd still be dealing with them today.
Tidying the bed, a thought hit me.
*Come to think of it, this...*
Normalizing cells mutated by alien contamination.
Possible with my esper ability.
My body had self-healed that way, after all.
Specifically, isolate the alien factors from the area, leave only normal cells, and let the body's natural healing do the rest. Same result.
And crucially—
Could I do it on *others*?
*Wanna try?*
I'd tested my ability on humans before.
First was Roze.
No dice.
Same for others.
Jean Werewolf? Might work, but too risky—we backed off.
For "connection," both sides need stability. He couldn't provide it.
*Don't even wanna touch it.*
Some unease too.
Usually, extracting traits via esper ability kills the target.
Mine reads and steals info from connected aliens—can't arbitrarily "rewrite" structures.
Plus, Jean was practically fused with alien.
One wrong move, disaster.
And he's one of the Miracle Generation 5, humanity's hope.
*Wait till I understand my ability better.*
But this case was different.
Decontamination was simpler.
Just remove "unnecessary" alien factors from a human body—no side effects.
*Gotta try.*
I got discharge approval and headed to the dorms—but changed course.
*This way...?*
A week ago's incident left the ward packed with patients.
Severe cases had already mutated, I'd heard.
Target room was right next door.
*Keeping same-type patients together.*
I opened the door.
Disinfectant stung my nose, blocking potential spread.
"...Senior Leonard?"
The guy in bed recognized me and called my name.
I knew him.
First-year cadet.
From the bunker, when handing out armor suits—one of the three who rushed up first, demanding theirs. This was the leader.
Name was...
"It's written on the chart."
"...Ur Karmas?"
"Uur Kar-ma."
"...Haha. Shoulda included the pronunciation guide."
"More cheerful than I heard. Speak casually—suits me fine."
"No need to ask twice..."
Ur looked like a refreshing Indo-Western mix.
Middle Eastern skin, half-Western features—exotic handsome vibe.
Unique accent bunching his words, plus a big mouth that amplified his bold look, stood out.
"So, what brings you here?"
I'd seen Ur in action.
Esper power and martial skills rivaling second-years.
Leadership to boot.
Promising, for sure.
*But he's not in my memories.*
Ur doesn't appear in the original story.