Chapter 82
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 82
Chapter Title: Closer Than a Cousin
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Narang and Sojeo's pupils were shaking violently.
"You...
saw it..."
I started feeling anxious, wondering if maybe Narang and Sojeo would try to imitate it.
Please. Don’t try this at Hak-kwan.
I looked at Narang and Sojeo with an awkward expression, mouthing 'It's poison' over and over.
True to her mastery of animal communication, Narang and Sojeo instantly understood my intent.
Their faces grew even paler, and they began radiating an energy like they might charge over here any second.
Ah.
This wasn't it.
"Chyu... Chyuiit...!"
I grabbed Daram, who was still pounding away at my solar plexus.
"It's fine. I won't die. I have the antidote."
I chanted a reassurance spell.
"Chyuiit...!"
Only then did Daram scamper off, climbing up Narang and Sojeo's ankles and leaving another satisfying rip in their stockings.
She nimbly stuck to my worry pocket, then bounced off it to leap up, landing by my ear and chattering away.
Only then did a hint of relief settle on Narang and Sojeo's faces.
We'd been briefly delayed by this unexpected witness.
But in the meantime, my Absolute Taste, Absolute Esophagus, and Absolute Stomach had already roughly analyzed the poison's components.
Huh, it's a familiar taste.
No wonder chefs always say to start by tasting a lot.
Tasters' Choice wasn't just an empty slogan.
I scribbled the answer sheet in one swift go.
"...!"
"Already...?"
"No way, how...?"
I strode confidently toward the proctor, ignoring the other candidates' chatter that blatantly defied the no-talking-during-exam rule.
"...Huh."
Even Proctor Dang Mok seemed startled by my speedy finish. He unfolded my neatly folded exam paper and checked the answers.
Three veins bulged on his forehead.
Full marks.
Still, since he was the instructor, I bowed my head in respect.
With the most humble-genius expression I could muster—like 'It wasn't a big deal, but I worked hard and solved it effortlessly thanks to the era's grace'—I boldly exited the exam hall.
Me, Kang Lim.
Gold medal, secured.
"Aaaah, so stiff—."
Now only one practical left: the advanced sparring.
That'd be a sparring test anyway.
I could just grab that Yong Wicheon punk who's been creeping up lately, give him a good thrashing to reassert dominance, and pass easily—
"Young master—!"
What the.
Narang and Sojeo.
Did you bomb the exam? Why settle for silver?
"Wh-what about your exam... Uh, um."
Suddenly, Narang and Sojeo roughly yanked my wrist and dragged me back into the Medical Hall.
So forceful...!
I thought maybe returning to the exam hall.
But Narang and Sojeo hauled me into the pharmacy instead.
"Just, wait a moment...!"
"Chyu, chyuit-chyu!"
They sat me down and frantically rummaged through the pharmacy drawers, pulling out herbs willy-nilly and lining them up.
"Ugh, not this one, licorice here, and Haeryeong herb and Manghyang root... Manghyang root..."
Listening, it sounded familiar.
It was almost exactly the antidote recipe I'd submitted on my answer sheet earlier.
Was it thanks to Proctor Dang Mok's tutoring?
Or did she truly inherit the Tang Family's talent?
...But seriously, I'm fine.
"Um, I—"
The moment I tried to speak up and stop the bustling Narang and Sojeo.
"Chyuiit!"
Smack!
Daram spun in a ramchip spin and slapped my cheek with her tail.
"...?"
Wondering what outrageous act this was, I looked at Daram.
"Chyu, chyuit, chyuiit!"
The squirrel was standing upright on hind legs, arms crossed sternly under her chin, shaking her head no.
Was my Heavenly Beast Heart-Returning Art training still insufficient? Or had Daram not opened her heart to me?
I couldn't read her exact thoughts.
But...
"...!"
I somehow understood the meaning of her gesture.
In human terms.
- When someone's pampering you, just shut up and take the chance, idiot.
Something like that.
I abandoned my plan to stop Narang and Sojeo and sat obediently.
"Chyu, chyuit!"
Daram nodded solemnly.
This one.
She's a spirit beast through and through.
Even peeking into her mind daily, all I got from the mutt was 'feed me, play, walkies, bored, meow meow'—a whole different level of intelligence.
Waiting quietly.
"Here, here...! Drink up...!"
Using the exact ingredients.
Well-crushed and juiced for quick absorption, a bowl of medicine was offered to me.
Just looking at the thick, muddy brown liquid that seemed to ooze bitterness on contact with my tongue gave me a bad feeling.
"Ahh—"
"Ahh..."
Ahh is cheating.
Like a baby bird taking food from its mother, I opened my mouth wide and let Narang and Sojeo pour in the mud.
The taste was beyond stable—it was pure bitterness, intense enough to convert my Absolute Taste into pain receptors.
But the formulation was spot-on.
The dosage perfect.
And the effects would kick in immediately.
Aside from the minor fact that I wasn't poisoned.
It was like they'd handed me a perfect exam paper...
"Kuhk, kek, kherok...!"
Bitter...!
So bitter...!
My secret base is the second drawer of the master bedroom dresser stacked with fluffy blankets—totally cozy, no light when closed—and my most prized possession is my smartphone...!
"Hang in there, Young Master! It's to prevent any issues later...!"
My Absolute Esophagus and Absolute Stomach finally protested shoving raw crap like this inside.
Just like Narang and Sojeo said, I desperately held it down.
If not for the warm hand gripping mine tightly, I'd have spewed it all over some wall by now.
Suddenly.
Proctor Dang Mok's lesson flashed in my mind.
- Sometimes medicine becomes poison.
Blood is thicker than water, they say.
Dang Narang indeed...
After a numb spell where my tongue went on strike.
"Huu, huu, thank you, Narang, Sojeo..."
"Feeling better now? Hehe, good thing!"
Thankfully, my stomach digests poisons and elixirs alike.
It easily handled the medicine Dang Narang made with such care.
But the bitter aftertaste lingered in my mouth.
That's why they bother compressing pills into neat shapes or brewing decoctions.
Yeah, even fresh fruit juice tastes better with mostly syrup over pure fruit...
A random epiphany made my Pill Refining skill feel like it leveled up by 1.
"By the way, Narang, Sojeo. How'd your exams go? You didn't rush out worrying about me, did you...?"
"Ahaha. The exam? Eung... It'll be fine! I wrote everything I knew!"
Good to hear.
Seeing Dang Narang handle a full exam portion without Daram made me oddly proud.
Maybe I.
Have a knack for instructing or doctoring?
Cured Narang and Sojeo's Ratatouille syndrome.
Luri's community anxiety down 10%.
Forced that filthy beggar into OCD.
Yong Taek's gambling and Lady Seol's gynecomastia, well.
Natural disasters.
Just the Moyong Family bloodline.
Lost in random thoughts, we slipped out of the Medical Hall before the other candidates finished.
We hadn't had much cozy time lately with all the exams, so maybe open up a bit more.
But.
"...Huh?"
The moment we neared the dorms.
A wild Cheon Luri appeared!
Cheon Luri used Eye Beam!
"Luriyaa! Scold Young Master Geum a bit. So, what happened was..."
Narang and Sojeo naturally dashed off to tattle to their pet Luri.
"...!"
Luri's pupils expanded to full moons.
Ignoring the academy's no-lightness-skill rule, she zipped to me in an instant and peered right into my face.
Her eyes held genuine worry.
"Cadet Luri. Penalty point. ...I'm fine, so don't worry. Just a bitter mouth."
I calmly reassured her with just the facts.
Then.
"Here."
"Wh-what...!"
A miracle occurred.
Of all things.
Of all things, Luri...!
Offered me candy first...!
Her slender fingers trembled slightly—she seemed unsure, reluctant to part with it.
So.
"Mm."
I put the proffered candy back into Luri's mouth.
Is this how a father feels watching his daughter grow?
Today felt like it'd be heartwarming.
"Haa..."
Finally, after practicals.
The last written exam.
Understanding the Classics—all done.
Zombie-plus, jiangshi-minus.
I sighed watching the staggering wave of near-collapse cadets shuffling back to dorms.
"Geum hyung, why the death glare?"
"Don't wanna go home..."
"...You mocking this homeless beggar right now?"
I smacked Unhak's back for his nonsense.
Well.
Academy life was fun in its way.
But a new reason not to go home had cropped up.
Satan's kin returned.
I should pack and move out quick.
Heading to the jianghu soon anyway.