Suspicion (3)

The Instant Death skill ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠is as extreme as its name suggests. There is no option other than death. Its applications, however, were not quite so limited.

It's theoretically possible, at least.

Say, for instance, you had a patient with terminal lung cancer. If I could just see the tumor itself, I could erase it cleanly with my ability. When Instant Death is manifested at full power, it becomes annihilation.

The problem was that I'd never actually tried it this way. I'd successfully treated a few cancer patients in my previous life, but I'd never once dealt with Mana Addiction.

"Th-that's... what do you..."

"There is a way. I can't honestly guarantee it'll work, though."

Which was why I couldn't be certain. The cause of Mana Addiction is mana generated by a malformed core. Shatter that core cleanly, and in theory, it's a complete cure. The catch was that I'd never actually removed a core before. What kind of side effects that might produce was anyone's guess.

The choice would rest entirely with Yujin.

"...So you're saying you can save Yuri?"

"There's a possibility. I won't force you. Whatever you choose is yours to decide. Even if you refuse, I'll still help. I'm certain they're lying — but if it would put your mind at ease, I'll join the government for a while. If only because of how much you've helped me."

By any reasonable standard, I was a Hunter. No matter how powerful a Hunter's abilities, could they really save someone who was dying? A Hunter's power was meant to take lives, after all. It would be hard to accept. Cold logic would say that if she was going to die anyway, you might as well try anything — but staying cold when family is involved is a different matter entirely.

I looked at Yujin. Her trembling eyes and shaking hands made it painfully clear how unstable she was right now. I waited patiently. Yujin lowered her head, then spoke in a very small voice.

"...That's impossible. The work I've done for the government carries weight. If they turned me into an enemy, they'd be in serious trouble. They wouldn't betray me — not because of that."

"I understand."

...Guess there's no helping it.

In my previous life, I'd been part of the government myself. So I knew. How foolish they were... and how cruel. But from Yujin's perspective, it would be nearly impossible to imagine. She'd devoted most of her life to the government — the idea that they'd actually been planning to betray her. Even if she knew it was true, she wouldn't be able to accept it.

I had no intention of forcing her. There was a chance I could cure the disease. But if something went wrong — if some unexpected result meant I killed her little sister with my own hands...

"I know you're a strong person, Seonghun. Stronger than anyone. And I know you're not a bad person, either. I may not look it, but... I'm a pretty good judge of character. This is different, though. Being powerful doesn't mean you can save someone who's sick."

Yujin looked at me and smiled faintly. ...Unfortunately, given that she still trusted the government, her judgment of character left something to be desired.

"The choice is yours, Yujin. You don't need to sound like you're apologizing to me."

I answered her seriously and stood up ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠from my seat. It left a bitter aftertaste. Maybe someday, if I heard that something had happened to her, I'd be left pounding the floor in regret.

"...Then I'll take it that I'm joining the government for a little while. Spend some good time with your sister."

Joining for a bit and then leaving wouldn't be difficult. I had more than enough power to clear away anyone who got in my way.

Anyway... here comes the self-loathing.

I'm a selfish bastard. Always have been, and I still am. In the end, this is a choice I'm making for myself. I wanted to run away. Knowing the miserable ending that awaited and still refusing to subvert that cliché — it came from wanting to erase as much of my own responsibility as possible.

I felt uneasy. But I had no intention of forcing her to change her mind. If I made some grand promise and then something ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠went wrong, it would only be worse.

I was just about to turn and walk away.

"Seonghun."

"...?"

She grabbed my arm. Still shedding those clear tears, she looked me straight in the eyes and spoke.

"It's strange, though. I've spent years with the government, and I've known you for less than a month — but I want to trust you more."

"......"

"I have a feeling I'd regret it. So."

Yujin spoke with conviction.

"Huh...? That's weird. Cough. I was sure you'd already left. You're back again."

I stood at the bedside with a grim expression. I glanced at Yujin. With a composed face, she lowered herself and took Yuri's hand.

"Yuri, you trust your unnie, right?"

"Of course I do. If I don't trust you, who would I trust?"

"...This man is going to treat you."

"Huh...?"

"I'm sorry. I can't explain much."

Because even unnie doesn't know.

The unspoken words rang in my ears like an echo. I took a deep breath and spoke.

"Would it be all right if I checked your condition?"

Yuri looked at me with startled eyes. How bewildering must it be — the man who'd just been here as her sister's boss, now suddenly offering to treat her. But thankfully, she seemed to trust Yujin completely.

"...I don't really know what's going on, but I trust my unnie. Yes. Please check."

I carefully took Yuri's hand and sent mana flowing through her to examine her condition. The mana produced by her malformed core was eating away at Yuri's heart. Confirming that it had already filled to the limit, I clenched my teeth.

It's worse than I thought.

The conclusion was clear: we were out of time. If we'd been even a little later, we wouldn't have been able to attempt this at all.

"Yuri."

"Cough. Yes."

"...Once the treatment starts, it's going to hurt a lot."

"It's going to hurt? I don't like pain, though."

Yuri let out a small laugh and shook her head, as if it were a joke.

"Of course it'll hurt. I'm already in this much pain. I don't care. Cough. As long as I get better."

"...It's going to hurt ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in a way that doesn't even compare to this."

The vessel that holds mana is called a core. Every Hunter has one — it's just like MP in a video game. To use your abilities, the mana stored in this core is essential. And when it malfunctions, you get Mana Addiction. The causes vary wildly. What's certain is that it occurs with extremely rare probability.

From this moment, I was going to kill Yuri's core. The problem was what came after. If a core that's actively generating mana bursts, the mana will go berserk.

"You need to stay focused. Because you're going to have to rebuild the core."

"...The core?"

"The process is going to be incredibly painful. And you — you'll have to endure that pain and rebuild the core yourself."

The fact that she'd contracted Mana Addiction meant Yuri had already awakened as a Hunter. If she'd gotten it this badly, she probably possessed enormous talent. It was a disease that only afflicted those who already had something to begin with.

"Can you do it?"

I asked Yuri with clear, unwavering eyes. She seemed to realize from my detailed explanation that this situation was serious. She nodded with a grave expression.

"All right, then. I'm going to remove the core now, so you need to stay sharp."

Tense to the limit, I placed my hand near Yuri's heart.

To use Instant Death, two conditions are required. First: a target to kill. Second: my will. When killing a monster or a person, I can designate the target through sight. But for a core — something invisible to the eye — I had to construct a detailed image of it in my mind. If, during this process, my concentration wavered or I failed to fully concretize the target, her body might explode.

I have to succeed.

I attached the mana I'd sent through her earlier to the outer surface of the core inside Yuri's body, to grasp its exact shape. Very slowly — like drawing a perfect, unwavering circle — I poured every ounce of my concentration into it, breathing steadily. And as a result...

Found it.

I was able to discern the shape of her core without much difficulty. I whispered inwardly.

Something shattered inside her body. The core had been successfully destroyed.

"Ghhhk! AAAAAAGH!"

At the same instant, Yuri thrashed her entire body and screamed. The bed rattled and shook as if an earthquake had struck. I looked at her with a pained expression.

Just hold on a little longer.

Yuri would be feeling the pain of her flesh being torn apart right now. The mana that had been condensed inside the core had all burst out at once. But it wasn't over yet. This was where it really counted.

"The core's been destroyed. Now you need to rebuild it. Can you try gathering the scattered mana into a single point?"

She squeezed her eyes shut, cold sweat pouring down her face. Then she let out a ragged breath, clenched her fists tight — and her complexion gradually began to stabilize.

"You're doing well. Now breathe slowly. Feel the oxygen circulating all the way down to your cells."

I gently wiped the sweat from Yuri's forehead with a handkerchief. Her breathing was gradually returning to normal. The convulsions were lessening.

Good. This should be a success.

It was a relief that Yuri had some talent. If she hadn't been able to manipulate mana even a little, this would have been far more difficult.

"Yuri, are you okay?"

Yujin looked at her, tears streaming down her face.

"Unnie..."

And then.

"Ghk!"

"...!"

Blood sprayed from Yuri's mouth.

"Yuri!"

Damn it, this is bad!

Her concentration must have slipped. It was even more likely given how weak her body and mind already were. I hurriedly pulled out an item.

Without a moment's hesitation, I poured the elixir down her throat. Ordinarily, it would be better to administer an elixir once the body had stabilized. But waiting might mean it would be too late.

"We're almost done. Yuri, just hold on a little longer."

She looked like she could barely even swallow it. Gulp, gulp. She had to drink it even if it took every last ounce of strength she had.

"What's happening? Yuri's going to be okay, right?"

Yujin asked, her face pale with panic.

"Don't worry. She's much more stable now. She'll get even better with time."

The scattered mana was migrating toward the area around her heart. A good sign — a new core was forming.

"Seonghun. How am I supposed to repay you for today...?"

Yujin looked like she was about to burst into tears at any moment. I looked at her and smiled faintly.

"Remember that wish ticket I gave you a while back? Let's just call it even with that."

Yujin turned her head away. Droplets of water fell to the floor.

"I appreciate you saying that, but I can't."

"It's fine. I didn't do this expecting anything in return."

Yujin wiped her tears and put on a resolute expression.

"No. I'll serve you for the rest of my life."

"Excuse me? You don't have to do that."

Yujin grabbed my wrist.

"I want to repay this debt no matter what. Please."

The look on her face said she wouldn't back down. I thought it over for a long while before opening my mouth.

"All right. Then do it for as long as you want. 'The rest of your life' is a bit much, though."

It was a formality — just something to ease the burden on her heart. I'd let her do it for about a week, then tell her she'd repaid me enough and have her stop.

"Thank you. I look forward to working with you."

Yujin bowed her head deeply.

I was enjoying a leisurely cup of coffee on the sofa.

That went well.

Yuri's condition was steadily improving. In a few days, she would open her eyes.

The doorbell rang. Someone had pressed the buzzer. I sprang up and headed for the front door.

"Just a moment."

I threw the front door wide open, and a familiar face greeted me.

"Yujin?"

"Hello. I've come to start work."

She was wearing the same office attire I'd first seen her in. I stared at her with an incredulous expression.

"Why are you showing up for work at my house...?"

"Because I agreed to serve at your side from now on."

I looked at the time.

"Yujin, it's two in the morning."

"I'm aware. But attendance is required even at dawn."

"You're not sick or anything, are you?"

"No, I'm perfectly fine. I want to show you how sincere I am."

"Ah, I see."

I ignored her and slammed the front door shut. A textbook door-in-the-face.

I've already got my hands full taking care of Chaewon.