Chapter 654: Human World [R-18] (83)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 654: Human World [R-18] (83)
After taking Jin Seo-yoon, who said he had to return, back to Korea, Lucia Valencia quietly came back and descended into the basement.
The underground laboratory. With a blank expression, she turned on the monitor.
While Jin Seo-yoon had been unconscious after she brought him here, she had run a detailed examination using a specially designed diagnostic device. The results were now before her.
“This is…?”
Lucia murmured, her fingertips slowly tracing the various figures and analytical data displayed on the screen.
‘Here, there’s something in this part.’
The image zoomed in on the head.
A minuscule, hole-like object was visible. It looked as if something was embedded deep inside, a bizarre foreign object so small it would be hard to find without a thorough check.
It wasn't a physical defect. The problem was with his soul itself.
‘A normal human would have become an imbecile by now… or gone insane.’
However, she had a strong feeling that something was preventing the hole from forcibly expanding.
Lucia’s gaze grew sharper. She had encountered similar cases a few times in the past.
‘The closest case involved a foreign substance with special powers…’
There was no life signature. It wasn't an infection. And he himself seemed unaware of it. It was strange.
‘A powerful person like Jin Seo-yoon should have definitely felt this sense of wrongness, but he doesn’t feel it at all?’
In her experience, a warrior of his caliber would have recognized that something was wrong with them. The problem was, without treatment, even someone with the strongest mind could only last about a year. After that, they would inevitably go berserk or their personality would completely collapse.
‘But you… how on earth are you still walking around perfectly fine?’
On the other hand, she also suspected he might already be insane. Reviewing her observations and data, he had often acted in ways that were far from normal.
‘Morality? It was completely absent. Instead, he seemed to act without thinking, obsessed only with sex and pleasure… I couldn't see him as a normal human being.’
Perhaps he had always been that way. Maybe he was just lucky he hadn't become an imbecile yet. Or could it be because of that unique ability of his?
‘…The problem is, in all the similar cases I’ve seen, the outcome was never good… It’s dangerous.’
Whatever the case, she needed Jin Seo-yoon’s power.
As she analyzed the data, she began to think deeply about whether there was a way to return him to a normal state.
The solution that came to mind was to administer refined aether consistently over a long period, healing him little by little.
‘The problem is…’
The person in question, Jin Seo-yoon, was hell-bent on killing her. Honestly, even if she tried to talk to him now, he probably wouldn't listen.
‘Ha, what a headache. I can’t just kill him either…’
A living being that held the aura of purification within its body was incredibly rare. The reality that this human, possessing such a rare power, was holding on in a state where he could snap at any moment was endlessly frustrating.
Shaking off her distracting thoughts, Lucia quietly closed her eyes. The sooner the treatment began, the better. That much was certain. But could he truly return to normal? She couldn't guarantee it.
‘The problem is how long he’s been in that state.’
And the backlash after the treatment was even more frightening.
‘If I heal that… he’ll definitely become immensely stronger.’
To borrow a common expression from the martial arts novels she read in her spare time, the effect would be similar to a martial artist opening their Ren and Du Meridians all at once. No, it might be even more dramatic.
For Jin Seo-yoon, who displayed such power even in his twisted state, the backlash would be beyond imagination.
That was why Lucia hesitated. Should she help him with the treatment, or would it be better to leave him as he was?
‘If his personality stays the same…’
Considering his tendencies, she could be subjected to something worse than rape.
The unanswerable question stretched on.
‘I’ll treat him. But… I’ll need to set up a safety measure, just in case.’
First, she had to prepare evidence that Jin Seo-yoon would believe. That was the only way to get through to the man.
Lucia slowly rose from her seat and began her preparations.
*
With Lucia’s help, I made a hasty return to Korea.
The moment I arrived home, I found ability users from the Association and members of the Halcyon Guild swarming the area, practically surrounding the house.
The scene was tense, as if a national emergency had been declared.
The TV and internet news were in an uproar. But the commotion Lucia and I had caused was officially announced as "the work of criminals."
It seemed the government and the Association had managed to clean up the situation in their own way.
Soon after, Im Hye-rin and Im Hwa-yeon heard I had appeared and dropped everything to rush over.
Reassuring the two of them was draining. Normally, I would have soothed them with sex, but I wasn't in the mood.
[Status Window]
Name: Jin Seo-yoon
Level: 59
Strength: 53 (+2)
Stamina: 55
Agility: 50 (+2)
Vigor: 51 (+1)
Internal Energy: 62
Divine Power: 1
‘A whole chunk of my stats just vanished…’
Most of my stats had dropped by more than 10 points. My Internal Energy stat, in particular, had evaporated by 20 points. My body felt empty, as if every cell had been consumed.
But the fact that I had saved Bi-yeon made it all worth it.
‘Right… this is enough. I just need to focus on getting stronger from now on.’
For a moment, I entered ‘The Hero is Defeated and Climaxes Today.’
I headed straight for the place where Ma Wan-yong was.
The capital of Sibern.
In the middle of a vast plaza, dozens of human slaves were struggling to carry bricks. Above them, on a low platform, stood a man with noticeably short legs.
“Move it, you slave bastards! If you don’t finish repairing that collapsed wall today, there’s no dinner for you!”
The dwarf stomped the edge of the platform with his boot and shouted at the top of his lungs. With his arms crossed, he acted as if he held all the power in the world.
I quietly walked to the base of the platform.
“Ma Wan-yong.”
At the sound of my familiar voice, Ma Wan-yong jumped in surprise and snapped his head up.
“M-My Demon King?! W-What brings you to such a humble place…?”
I stared down at the man, who was sweating profusely and flustered.
“I have something to show you. Come down.”
“Yes! Yes!”
Ma Wan-yong leaped off the platform, knelt on one knee before me, and bowed his head. His previously cantankerous demeanor was gone without a trace, replaced by a tense expression.
I carefully took Bi-yeon out of my inventory.
“Can you repair this sword? It’s more important than my own life. If you lie and say you can when you can’t, I’ll devour your very soul.”
Ma Wan-yong’s body trembled at my chilling warning.
Wiping away his sweat, he cautiously raised his head to look at Bi-yeon in my hand.
“M-May I take a look at it for a moment…?”
“Handle it with care.”
“Yes! I’ll be extremely careful!”
Trembling, Ma Wan-yong received Bi-yeon with both hands.
He looked at the sword resting on his palms and took a deep breath. Then, as if handling a sacred relic, he examined it with extreme caution.
First, he gently traced the crack on the blade with his fingertip. As he looked closer at the minutely fractured area, his face darkened.
“This… is no ordinary metal.”
Ma Wan-yong clicked his tongue unconsciously as he carefully felt the crack in the sword.
“But… if it’s left in this state, in the worst-case scenario, it could completely shatter.”
I let out a low growl.
“So, just answer me. Can you do it or not?”
He hastily shook his head.
“I’m sorry… we cannot repair this. This… was not forged by an ordinary blacksmith. It is nearly identical to a weapon crafted by a god.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“A god?”
“I can’t say for certain, but I saw the weapons of several gods when I was young. This feels similar…”
He was a useless dwarf bastard.
“A god. Is there a way to meet one?”
“That, I do not know…”
“I see. Get lost.”
Ma Wan-yong scrambled backward.
I stared down at Bi-yeon for a long time before setting off again.
This time, I went to see the dwarf chieftain in the Alcladion territory.
“Hmm, this cannot be repaired… It’s not a matter of skill or materials. If a god personally laid hands on a weapon, no craftsman in this world can mend it lightly.”
“Does that mean there’s no way at all?”
He thought for a moment, then cautiously shook his head.
“With our skills… there’s simply nothing we can do. You’ll have to find the god who made it, or ask a god of equal standing.”
“Understood.”
In the end, if even the dwarves couldn't repair it, no one else could either.
Returning to reality, I let out a heavy sigh.
‘A god-level being, and a blacksmith-type god at that, is the only one who can do it…’
I slowly organized my thoughts. I mulled over the names of gods that came to mind, and suddenly, Hephaestus crossed my mind.
‘Eternal Spire… the blacksmith god, Hephaestus.’
Hephaestus was known as the greatest craftsman among the gods, unparalleled in creating weapons and artifacts.
But the problem wasn't simple.
‘Reaching the top floor… it could take years.’
I was still on the lower floors. No matter how strong I had become, each floor had a boss room, and the cycle for when they opened was almost random. I could try to force my way through, but…
‘I can’t ignore the Tower’s rules…’
Breaking the rules would surely result in penalties. And the gods wouldn't look kindly on a human who broke them. In a situation where I needed Bi-yeon restored, antagonizing them would do me no good.
‘If I’d known this would happen… should I have cleared the floors in advance?’
Regret washed over me, but it was useless to dwell on it now.
After thinking for a while, I decided I needed to add to my empty list of creations.
‘What creations are there related to gods, specifically blacksmiths…?’
I immediately turned on my laptop and started searching the internet. I gathered all sorts of materials—comics, fantasy games, webnovels, various lore books…
But the blacksmith gods in these stories all had difficult personalities. The conditions for even meeting them were incredibly complex. Many were conditions that couldn't be overcome with sheer force.
There was only one thing worth salvaging from the list.
It was a webnovel titled, I'm Trying to Terminate My Contract with the Goddess, but She's Obsessed with Me.