Chapter 298: The Second Question (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 298: The Second Question (2)
Above and below.
The one who leads and the one who is led.
I used to think it didn't matter who played which role in a marriage.
Whether she was on top, or whether she took the lead.
My love for Han Ju-hee had never lessened or cooled.
“The part about being a necessary existence for Hunter Han Ju-hee… seems about right, doesn't it?”
The way she nodded, her expression wounded with pride, as if she’d just heard an offer she couldn't refuse.
Only now, far too late, did I realize how wrong my past self had been.
Ah.
Letting someone have their way for their own sake wasn't always the best choice.
I finally understood that even when you let go, you sometimes need to pull the reins tight.
Perhaps the smirk on my face was too much for her.
She shot me a sharp glare and attempted a counterattack.
“Don’t get cocky. I don’t know how any of this is possible, but… don’t forget that this research began because you wanted it.”
The point of her words was this:
Since this research started at your request, don't get high and mighty with your ability, and don't even think about holding back.
Well… on the surface, she was absolutely right.
“It may have started because I wanted it, but right now, Hunter Han Ju-hee seems far more desperate than I am… or am I wrong?”
“……”
My question hit its mark, and Han Ju-hee fell silent, her lips pressed tight as she stared me down.
She could try that on anyone else, but she couldn't win against me that way.
Because I knew better than anyone that she was completely obsessed with any research that piqued my interest.
After a long moment of locking eyes, Han Ju-hee broke the silence, her voice laced with irritation.
“Hah… so what is it you want? Are you saying I have to pay a price to use your ability?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
That was Han Ju-hee for you.
She always knew how to cut to the heart of a conversation.
I didn't want to give her anything for free.
I might for others, but with her, I always wanted to make her pay a fair price.
Whatever I planned to do from now on.
I had already decided what I would take as payment for the use of my ability this time.
“You haven't forgotten the contract we made, have you?”
“That was…”
One question, granted in exchange for continuing the experiments that delved into my secrets.
“I was thinking of asking my second question now.”
At my words, she bit her lower lip, as if bracing for the inevitable.
“But that’s… only valid for experiments related to your secrets.”
“Then I’ll tell you a little about my ability while we’re at it.”
The moment I finished my reply, her head drooped about twenty degrees.
She was probably weighing her options.
Wondering whether accepting or refusing my offer was the better choice for her.
To help ease her deliberation, I whispered in a low voice.
“You know, you definitely won’t regret it if you find out.”
A voice that was almost a murmur to myself.
But there was no way she didn't hear it.
The senses of an S-rank Hunter could, if she chose, hear a bug crawling in the farthest corner of this research facility.
After much thought, she lifted her head.
Her eyes were resolute, clearly showing the bulldozer-like personality that pushed forward once she made up her mind.
“…Fine.”
A thrilling sensation shot down my spine.
I never knew that guiding someone’s heart in the direction you wanted could be this enjoyable.
* * *
Unbelievable things were unfolding before her eyes.
A red pill, created by mixing mana of an unknown nature with a highly addictive drug.
It was being completely dismantled in Kim Do-jin’s hand.
‘How on earth…?’
Her assessment of the man named Kim Do-jin was simple and clear.
An enigma.
A person filled with abilities that seemed to completely negate the magic she had dedicated her entire life to understanding.
Just when she thought she had finally grasped one of them, something new would pour out.
‘What is the principle behind this?’
Her gaze shifted to the mana extractor on one side of the lab.
How could a human hand accomplish something that a machine worth billions couldn't?
From this utterly incomprehensible principle, she felt endless wonder and possibility.
‘If I can figure out the principle behind that…’
Magic, which had been in a state of stagnation, could advance dramatically.
No, the very modern lifestyle surrounding humanity might not just improve, but innovate.
That was right.
In the end, the unknown principle wasn't a problem for her at all.
It was a good thing.
To have a new life’s work, a new puzzle to solve, was a joyous thing.
However.
‘Of all people, why does he have that kind of power…?’
The problem was that the one holding this limitless potential in his grasp was none other than Kim Do-jin.
‘What does he want?’
A question, demanded as payment for demonstrating his ability.
With that question, he was trying to dig into her private life.
The problem was, it didn't seem like it would end there.
It felt as if these current questions were merely a preparatory stage, and his true intention was to see right through her.
Then, she realized.
‘The real problem was something else.’
There was a more fundamental issue than the fact that Kim Do-jin happened to possess such an ability.
It was the fact that even though she understood his intention to peer into her innermost thoughts, she couldn't push him away.
Wasn't that the real problem?
“Where should I transfer the extracted mana?”
Kim Do-jin’s question snapped her back to her senses. She pointed to a machine on one side of the lab.
“You can put it in there.”
A mana container.
It was a machine that forcibly contained mana, which would naturally dissipate if left alone.
The mana flowing from Kim Do-jin’s hand seeped into the transparent glass tube.
A concentration of 88% appeared on the small screen above the container.
In other words, the amount of mana from a single pill had filled 88% of the glass tube, which measured 30cm in width, length, and height.
“…This much mana from a single pill.”
It was unbelievable.
That a pill smaller than the tip of her little finger could contain such a vast amount of mana.
She forced herself to calm her racing heart.
Then, she pushed her hand into the transparent glass tube.
Soon, she felt a strange sensation.
‘This is…’
A faint heat touched her hand.
It was a minuscule amount, but it meant that fire-attribute mana was dissolved within.
Feeling this, her brow furrowed.
‘The proportion of fire-attribute mana is less than 5%.’
Then what kind of mana made up the other 95%?
‘…What kind of test should I run?’
Images of the countless machines that had aided her research flashed through her mind and disappeared.
But none of them seemed suitable for the current situation.
Kim Do-jin, who had been watching her quietly, tossed out a piece of advice.
“I told you earlier, didn't I? That pill first affects the user’s mana.”
“Ah…!”
An idea flashed through her mind.
‘What if I put my mana into the tube?’
Han Ju-hee released the mana from the glass tube.
When the concentration dropped to 50%, she stopped and infused her own mana into the tube, bringing the concentration to 100%.
To be precise, 50% of the pill’s mana and 50% of her own.
After setting the ratio perfectly, she kept her hand inside the tube and watched.
One minute, two minutes, three minutes.
Just as she was beginning to wonder why nothing was changing as time passed…
“……!”
A change finally occurred.
“The, the mana is…!”
The two different types of mana were fusing into one.
As she thought this, she quickly shook her head.
“No, this is…”
Watching her, Kim Do-jin added a comment.
“One is clinging to the other, isn't it?”
“…You’re right.”
He was right.
The mana extracted from the pill was clinging to her mana.
Like a parasite burrowing into its host.
Her heart pounded.
‘A parasitic mana… what happens next?’
She waited and waited, hoping for anything to happen, but the situation remained unchanged.
That’s when Kim Do-jin stepped in.
“May I ask just one thing?”
“What is it?” she replied, her tone flat.
A smirk spread across his lips.
“Hunter Han Ju-hee, your magic skills don't seem all that great… this can't be all you've got, right?”
“……!”
Everyone has words that are taboo.
To a friend who loves gaming, you shouldn't say, ‘You suck at games.’ To a friend in the arts, you shouldn't belittle their profession by saying, ‘Ah, I should’ve just gone into the arts, too.’
To put it in modern terms:
A ‘trigger button.’
Words that could instantly provoke a reaction from someone.
For Han Ju-hee, that was being told she was bad at magic.
It was a statement that ignored and insulted her life’s research and achievements.
The unexpected blow left her feeling dizzy.
If someone ignorant of magic had said it, she might have just laughed it off.
But the one who said it was Kim Do-jin.
A man who possessed several abilities she couldn't even comprehend.
“What… did you just say?”
Feeling truly humiliated, her emotions and mana surged simultaneously.
And a change began to occur in her hand inside the glass tube—or more precisely, in the mana surrounding it.
“……?”
Her mana was changing.
No, to be exact, it was being consumed by the parasitic mana clinging to it, transforming into the same state.
Her bewilderment made her miss the chance to explode in anger. Kim Do-jin continued.
“You can feel it now, can’t you?”
She frowned and asked, “…Did you say that on purpose just to make me feel this?”
“Yes.”
His playful smile held not a shred of credibility.
But that wasn't what was important.
She felt her mana, its properties now completely altered, and was astonished.
‘The destructive power has increased by at least 1.2 times.’
The dense fire-attribute mana became more active, running wild.
If she were to cast a spell now, it felt like it would be 1.2 times more powerful than before.
In that case, wasn't this a beneficial change?
Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.
“To think it’s mana that activates using a specific emotion… anger, as a trigger.”
Worse, the mana that had arbitrarily expanded its domain was now inducing her emotions to intensify.
In other words.
The mana, triggered by anger, was in turn affecting her emotions, making them stronger.
The result of such a vicious cycle was obvious.
“I see now why you want to stop this drug.”
The moment this drug spread, the world would become a lawless place where simple arguments could lead to death.
She forcibly severed the mana that was slithering up her arm.
Then, she turned to the brightly smiling Kim Do-jin and asked.
“How did you know all this?”
She couldn't understand it at all.
How had he figured out a fact that she had only barely discovered with the help of machines?
Two hypotheses came to her mind.
“Have you already experienced it yourself?”
The possibility that he had already tested the extracted mana with his absurd level of mana control.
But Kim Do-jin shook his head.
“No.”
“……”
Then only one hypothesis remained.
It was truly unbelievable, something she thought couldn't possibly exist, but…
‘If it’s him.’
Because the man before her was Kim Do-jin, it was an ability she naturally suspected he might possess.
She asked in a trembling voice.
“Your eyes… can you, by any chance, see mana?”
Kim Do-jin smiled and replied.
“Correct.”
In that moment, something inside Han Ju-hee’s chest came crashing down.
What had crumbled so helplessly was the pride she had always held in her magic.