Chapter 74
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: The Mandragora's IV Nutrient Drip
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“So, did you make it to District 11 alright?”
Cheon Doun asked, his expression intrigued.
“We made it, yeah. But a lot of things happened along the way. We were almost caught by human traffickers, and we ran into a nasty gang that nearly sold us off to a begging ring. As you know, the slums aren't exactly a place for kids to wander around on their own.”
Yu Beom said, recounting the events of that time.
It had been so long that the memories were hazy. But once one came back, others followed, connecting like a spider's web.
“It took us over three months to reach District 11. So much happened on the way. Looking back, it feels like a miracle we even arrived alive.”
“So after you arrived, did you go to an orphanage there?”
“No. We didn't.”
Yu Beom shook his head.
“There wasn't any place suitable. We peeked into a few, but they weren't orphanages. They were run by gangs... what should I call it? It felt more like a training ground for lackeys.”
Even to a seven-year-old Yu Beom, it looked dangerous.
He felt that if he went in just because he was hungry, he'd end up dead, so he turned away.
Understanding what he meant, Cheon Doun nodded.
The chances of finding a proper orphanage in the slums were slim.
The one Cheon Doun had been in was one of the few, but even that wasn't a great environment due to a lack of resources.
“Still, it was definitely better than District 13. A river runs through District 11, right? Just having drinking water and a place to wash nearby made a huge difference in our quality of life. The water was surprisingly clean, too.”
While living like that, they were kidnapped by the illegal research institute.
They met Cheon Doun again there, but they didn't recognize each other.
They were all too young to remember a brief encounter from a year before.
“It's pretty amazing. To think that connection from back then would continue like this.”
“What do you mean?”
“The kid you were talking about. That was me.”
The siblings couldn't comprehend his sudden statement. As they tilted their heads in confusion, Cheon Doun spoke again.
“The one who told you to go to District 11 back then. That was me.”
“What... What are you talking about? The name is different. That kid's name was definitely...”
“Cheon Wonman was my name before I changed it. The orphanage director gave me a new one.”
“You changed it? You changed your name? Why?”
“The other kids teased me too much about my name.”
The siblings fell silent for a moment.
A thought crossed their minds: maybe Cheon Doun's name change wasn't for his sake, but for the safety of the kids who teased him. But they didn't say it out loud.
“They said they gave me my current name with the meaning that I should live helping people. The meaning's a bit much, though. It means to help a thousand people. A thousand people. Don't you think that's going a bit too far?”
“Well, I don't know about a thousand, but you definitely saved two. My sister and I are alive thanks to you.”
Yu Beom's face showed his amazement as he spoke.
At seven, he received help in the slums.
At thirteen, he received a return stone at the research institute.
Reunited today, he was able to continue his dying life thanks to the Mandragora medicine.
Could such a coincidence exist? The siblings looked at each other and smiled.
Watching the two of them, Cheon Doun spoke.
“Should I build an orphanage in the slums?”
“An orphanage? Why all of a sudden?”
“Listening to you two made me think it would be a good idea. Besides, I've already got the manpower to run it.”
Cheon Doun said, thinking of the Space Gang members.
“Once the city cleanup is mostly done, I'll buy a few buildings and convert them into an orphanage. The gang members can be the teachers. Doesn't that sound good?”
Men who were once gangsters had become street cleaners. Now, they were on the verge of becoming orphanage teachers.
“If that's possible, it sounds like it would be fun.”
The siblings replied with a smile. They couldn't guess when those words would become reality.
It might be a long time before it became a good place to live.
But if it meant no more children would starve like they had, it was worth the wait.
“Well, let's decide on that later. Are the shovels done now?”
While they were reminiscing, three shovels had been made.
Black bluestone, said to be hard to break even for an A-rank Hunter. Shovels carved from it were now in their hands.
Cheon Doun drew a circle on the ground where they would dig.
“We'll dig the entrance this big.”
It was an entrance large enough for three people to stand side by side and enter.
Next to it, he drew a much larger circle.
“The inside will be this big. It'll be an 'L' shape. The path down will be packed into stairs, so let's dig at an angle.”
Cheon Doun said, driving his shovel into the ground. Yu Beom and Yu Jia also took their positions.
Those with the power of disaster-class monsters began to dig.
* * *
Every time Cheon Doun and the siblings moved their shovels, the ground gave way like pudding.
In an instant, they had dug down to their desired depth.
While the siblings widened the inner space, Cheon Doun carved out the entrance at an angle, creating stairs.
“Is this wide enough?”
Yu Jia asked, looking at the interior space that was easily over seven hundred square feet.
“It's good. The ceiling is high, too. We can store plenty of firewood for the winter in here.”
The three of them emerged from the dugout, looking at the cellar entrance with proud faces.
“Should I bring some luminous stones inside?”
Cheon Doun looked at a corner of the yard. A pile of yellow ore fragments, leftovers from carving the fence, was there.
Cheon Doun picked out some long pieces, about a foot long.
He drilled holes into the ore, cut up the remaining luminous stones, and inserted the pieces, creating mood lights.
“I'm starting to run out of luminous stones. I should mine some more when I get the chance.”
Cheon Doun went into the cellar and threw the ore toward the ceiling of the staircase.
It seemed like a light toss, but the long pieces of ore embedded themselves in the ceiling as if sinking into tofu.
He threw a few more pieces to embed them in the inner ceiling as well.
Coming back up the stairs, Cheon Doun looked at the cellar entrance.
The golden light spreading out from within gave off a mystical atmosphere.
“It kind of feels like a wizard's laboratory.”
Yu Beom commented. When he turned around, he saw the lime-green fluorescent house covered in handprints.
Looking at that, then back at the cellar, it seemed a little different.
“...It feels more like an alien research lab.”
The nuance of his appreciation had subtly shifted.
Cheon Doun paid it no mind and laughed.
“Now we just need to fill it with the firewood I Baekho brings.”
With this, their winter preparations were perfect.
When it snows, let's build a giant snowman in the yard.
That would make the house even cozier. Cheon Doun felt satisfied with the current situation.
* * *
A room thick with the smell of chemicals.
Lying in bed, O Bongsu groaned and opened his eyes.
“You're awake?”
“Who... Ah. Manager Kim.”
O Bongsu bowed his head upon seeing Manager Kim.
He didn't know Manager Kim's full name, but he recognized him as one of the people who had helped him.
“You've been sleeping for days. How are you feeling?”
“I'm okay now. Where am I?”
“My house. I couldn't just leave a sick kid alone. You can stay here for a while.”
Manager Kim handed O Bongsu a thick book.
“This is for you to read and learn. It contains general knowledge about Awakeners, mana training methods, and so on. It'll be good for you to read it in your spare time.”
O Bongsu took the book, looking bewildered.
He still couldn't believe he had become an Awakener.
“I have some research to do. Ask me if you have any questions while you're reading.”
After handing over the book, Manager Kim went to the next room. O Bongsu followed out of curiosity and found a room set up like a laboratory.
The first thing that caught his eye was a glass tank on the desk.
Inside the soil-filled tank, two dried roots were walking around.
-Huuuh!
-Huu, huu!
The roots would occasionally tap the glass wall with their fine rootlets.
Manager Kim glanced back and forth between the roots and some documents, muttering something.
‘He looks busy. I shouldn't bother him.’
The moment O Bongsu turned away, a cheer erupted from behind him.
“I did it!”
Startled by the sudden shout, O Bongsu spun around.
“I did it! I finally perfected it! In theory, it's perfect! It's going to be the world's first hair loss treatment!”
Manager Kim cheered as he packed his bag. He turned around, cradling the glass tank from his desk.
When his eyes met O Bongsu's, Manager Kim beamed.
“I'm going to see Mr. Cheon. You stay here and get some rest. If you get hungry, there are some delivery menus there, so order something. Oh, here's my card.”
With an excited expression, Manager Kim left the house. Left alone, O Bongsu stood blankly for a moment before sitting on the sofa.
He didn't know the details, but he understood that Manager Kim had solved something that would help Cheon Doun.
‘I... I have to be of some help to him, too. I need to be able to use my awakened powers skillfully.’
As a man, he had to repay the debt of having his life saved.
His face taking on the expression of a noir film protagonist, O Bongsu opened the book Manager Kim had given him.
* * *
A Gate opened in the yard of Cheon Doun's house.
Cheon Doun, who had been relaxing after building the cellar, looked over.
There were only a few people who could open a Gate directly to his house.
Nam Giseok and the Yu siblings were already in the Demon World, so that left one person.
As expected, Manager Kim emerged from the Gate.
He was cradling a glass tank.
“You've been coming here a lot lately. Any good news?”
“Ah, Mr. Cheon! You're here. Yes, there's good news. Two pieces of good news, in fact. Mr. Nam Giseok is... not here. Then, I'll start with this news first.”
Manager Kim took a small case from his bag.
Inside was a five-centimeter IV bag and tubing.
It was so small it looked like a toy, but its intricacy was far from that of a toy.
“It's a special IV nutrient drip, exclusively for Mandragoras.”
Manager Kim said confidently. Cheon Doun smiled, looking at the tiny, toy-like IV bag.
He had once wondered if he'd have to put one on an IV drip, but he never expected someone would actually make a miniature one.
“This is also related to the hair loss treatment... no, never mind that part. Anyway, the Mandragora nutrient is complete. The problem is this.”
Manager Kim took another plastic case from his pocket.
Inside were several hypodermic needles, smaller and thinner than those used for humans.
“They're small. Are these the IV needles?”
“Yes. This nutrient has to be injected directly into their bodies. I tried soaking the roots in the nutrient, but external absorption had a negligible effect. It seems we have to use a needle...”
Manager Kim picked up a needle. As he brought it toward the glass tank, the dried roots flinched.
-Hu, huu...!
The Mandragoras backed away.
*Are you trying to stab us with that horrendous thing?* They seemed to cry out, waving their fine rootlets.
Seeing this, Manager Kim withdrew the needle with an awkward expression.
“As you can see, this is how they react. To be honest, I tried to inject them a few times and failed. After that, they've been like this. They avoid it on sight.”
Manager Kim offered the needle case to Cheon Doun.
“These roots follow you well, so I brought them thinking you might be able to do something.”
“Really? I've never done anything like this before. I'm not sure if it'll work.”
Cheon Doun took a dried root out of the glass tank. He laid it face down on his palm.
*It'll be less scary if it can't see the needle.* Cheon Doun brought the needle to the root's back.
-Huu...?
The dried root was startled by the cold sensation on its back.
*I know what this is. It's cold and sharp. The thing that cruelly stabbed my back.*
-Hu, huuu...!
The dried root turned to look at Cheon Doun.
Its leaves trembled finely. Terrified, the root began to shake and struggle.
-Huuung?
-Hung, hung?
The sounds of its kin asking for help woke the individuals in the garden patch.
The Mandragoras emerged from the garden patch and gathered at Cheon Doun's feet, following the sound.
Dodagi, who had been sleeping in the bag, also woke up and poked its head out.
-Huuung?
*Helper. That little root is scared. What is going on?*
Dodagi's curious gaze was fixed on them.
Cheon Doun looked at the needle in his hand. It was so thin that the root wouldn't even feel the prick.
But to the young Mandragora, it looked like a greatsword about to cleave its body.
Its poor eyesight made the needle look blurry and wide, which made it even worse.
-Huuu....
The dried root turned to look at Cheon Doun.
Half a drop of plant sap welled up in its eyes. It was too dry to even produce a full drop.
Seeing that, Cheon Doun paused before inserting the needle.
He tried to apply pressure again, but the trembling of the dried root transmitted to his palm. His hand stopped once more.
‘What is this? Why is it so hard to poke it?’
Cheon Doun's expression became conflicted. It seemed it would be easier to fight a giant monster.