Chapter 69: Mana Overload Syndrome
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 69: Mana Overload Syndrome
Her voice sounded deeply unsettling.
"What's wrong, Yeon-hwa?"
Jinhyuk asked cautiously.
"Oppa, Grandfather... Grandfather collapsed. They say he might not make it through the night..."
Yeon-hwa's grandfather... could it be Elder Yu Cheon-yeong?
Come to think of it, he remembered Kim Gi-tae talking about Yu Cheon-yeong during the Awakening Test.
He had definitely asked if the elder's health was alright.
And Yu Yeon-hwa had snapped back in response.
A veteran who had climbed the [Tower of Trials] alongside him under the nickname 'Bulgwang-dong Nuclear Fist'.
'For Yeon-hwa, who always smiled so brightly, to call me in such a state...'
There was likely no hope left.
She was probably just grasping at straws, wanting to pour out her grief to anyone who would listen.
"Where are you?"
"Huh?"
"Where are you right now?"
"Seoul National University Hospital. But even if you come, Oppa..."
Seoul National University Hospital.
It looked like he would have to slightly alter his plans for tonight.
"Just wait there. I'll be there in thirty minutes."
* * *
"Oppa, over here."
He saw Yu Yeon-hwa waiting in front of the hospital room.
"Thank you for coming. I... I really didn't know who else to talk to."
Her face was haggard and worn.
Her eyes were stained with tears, showing she had been crying heavily.
He sympathized with her grief, but right now, identifying the nature of the illness was the priority.
"Can you tell me what kind of illness it is?"
"It's a symptom where mana runs wild. Grandfather originally had a chronic illness, but after the Tower of Trials appeared, his condition suddenly took a turn for the worse."
The Tower's mana had leaked into the outside world.
And that had triggered various changes.
Relics stored in museums turning into sacred relics, or causing various side effects like this, were prime examples.
He could roughly guess the cause.
'It must be related to the martial arts Elder Yu Cheon-yeong practiced.'
The Tower's mana and the true qi he had accumulated over a long time had clashed, causing a violent reaction that made his mana run wild.
"Maybe I can do something about it."
"R-really?"
At Jinhyuk's words, Yu Yeon-hwa's eyes widened instantly.
To save her grandfather, whom everyone else had given up on.
Even if the chances were slim...
Just the fact that a sliver of hope had appeared made her frozen heart melt in an instant.
"First, I need to check his condition myself. Is he in here?"
"Yes. Hold on."
Wiping away her tears, Yu Yeon-hwa opened the door to the hospital room.
Creak!
The metallic creak echoed exceptionally loud.
Stepping inside, he saw about a dozen people.
Doctors and nurses in white coats, healers holding wand-like magic tools, and burly men dressed in martial arts uniforms.
Of course, the most eye-catching among them was the robustly built elderly man lying unconscious on the bed.
Jinhyuk's eyes narrowed.
This man was Yu Cheon-yeong.
'The strongest in Korea, huh?'
——————————————————
Name: Yu Cheon-yeong
Gender: Male
Age: 78
Level: 5
Strength: 25 | Agility: 50 | Stamina: 38 | Mana: 7 | Sage Qi: 103
Available Stat Points: 0
Coins: 0
Class: None
Unique Ability: Formless Taiji
Skills: Lv13 'True Grand Purity Hwarang Heart Method', Lv12 'No Retreat in Battle', Lv12 'Enhancement', Lv11 'Match for a Hundred'
——————————————————
[Copy Condition: The healers currently present have long taken Yu Cheon-yeong's death for granted. If you expose the schemes of these leeches who are draining tens of billions of won despite being certain there is no hope, and then save Yu Cheon-yeong's life, you can copy one of his skills.]
The status window of Yu Cheon-yeong viewed through 'Gluttony's Eye' was nothing short of spectacular.
His level was a mere 5.
However, one must not judge this man solely by his level.
Although concrete player rankings had not yet been established, if one had to name the strongest person in Korea so far, Yu Cheon-yeong's name would undoubtedly come up first.
Level and unique ability aside, it meant his raw, inherent capabilities were just that formidable.
'They said he had never entered a dungeon even once, and it turns out that was true.'
The few levels he gained must have been solely from dealing with monsters that spilled out during an outbreak.
Since it happened while Jinhyuk was inside the labyrinth, it was a bit of a shame he hadn't witnessed it.
'That's why I went out of my way to come here.'
The reason he had abandoned a comfortable rest and a delicious meal to come here.
Of course, his friendship with Yu Yeon-hwa played a part, but the most important reason was to seize the opportunity to copy the stats and skills of a powerhouse.
After all, opportunities to meet a giant like Yu Cheon-yeong did not come often.
Right then.
"Lady Yeon-hwa. Where have you been? This is no time to leave your post... Gasp?"
One of the scolding healers suddenly gasped loudly.
It was because he had spotted someone incredibly familiar behind Yu Yeon-hwa.
"I-it's Player Kang Jinhyuk!"
"The one who received an S-rank recently?!"
"Yes, that's him."
"What is he doing here?"
How could they not know him?
He was currently the most talked-about player in Korea.
Not only had he received an S-rank with an overwhelming mana stat, but the martial prowess he displayed against Cheon Yu-seong and Hong Deok-pyo in the training hall was a memory not easily forgotten.
"H-how do you know him, my lady?"
"Jinhyuk Oppa and I have known each other for a long time. He said he'd take a look at Grandfather's condition, so we came together."
"What? Take a look at his condition...?"
"Surely, Player Kang Jinhyuk doesn't mean to treat him?"
Everyone in the room voiced their doubts.
It was hard to believe, of course.
Someone had appeared out of nowhere, claiming he would cure what no one else could.
No, beyond disbelief, they seemed anxious that something more critical might be exposed.
[Damn it. Why did a ranker suddenly pop up?]
[He hasn't noticed that we're just sucking up money while keeping him on life support, has he?]
[It's a bluff. Yes, definitely. How could a guy who only knows how to fight tell a vein from an artery?]
Through 'Mind Reading', one of the abilities of 'Gluttony's Eye', the inner thoughts of the healers drifted into his mind.
People who traded on others' hopes were the absolute scum of the earth, but these guys were the worst of the worst.
They knew Yu Yeon-hwa would never give up on her grandfather, and they were exploiting that.
'Disgusting bastards.'
Making others weep tears of blood just to line their own pockets?
Jinhyuk's expression turned ice-cold.
And at that very moment, his subspace inventory opened.
Whirrr!
Emerging with a shower of light was a liquid contained in a glass bottle—an 'Elixir'.
However, even upon seeing the Elixir, known as the panacea of all medicines, the healers' expressions did not change.
In fact, some even clicked their tongues, as if they had expected him to bring out exactly that.
"I think I know what you're planning, but we've already tried Elixirs several times," said Heo Jin-su, the representative of the healers.
After all, when it came to treating Yu Cheon-yeong, was there anything they hadn't tried?
They had poured in everything they could, from surgical procedures to various elixirs and herbs.
"Well, you might have talent in combat, but this field is entirely different. Entirely."
"None of the ingredients currently found in the Tower of Trials can suppress this illness."
"Indeed. Please don't worsen the patient's condition with half-baked knowledge."
Words mixed with mockery and criticism poured out.
How should he put it?
It felt as if they were warning him not to dare trespass into their sacred domain.
Their stubbornness, heavily steeped in elitism and authoritarianism, was palpable.
Only now did he understand the copy condition set by the system.
It must have found it disgusting how they acted as if they knew everything about the Tower with their shallow knowledge.
He could fully sympathize with that sentiment.
And so, he wanted to crush them even more ruthlessly.
Jinhyuk tilted his head, feigning ignorance.
"Hmm. Don't tell me you used the Elixir just as it is?"
"Of course we did..."
"Haha. Surely, experts in this field wouldn't just pour an Elixir down the throat of a patient whose mana is running wild. Unless, of course, your heads are completely empty."
"Ugh."
"Hmph! Cough!"
The healers' faces flushed red.
It was because he had hit the nail right on the head.
However, if they got angry or argued back now, they would be admitting he was right. Thus, they had to bite their lips and swallow their rage.
Good.
Now they looked a bit more like gentle sheep.
"The reason his symptoms worsened is that the heart method he previously trained in clashed with the mana originating from the Tower. The conflicting natures of the two energies exacerbated his chronic illness. In other words, if you know how to dilute the clashing mana, you can restore his health."
"T-then, are you saying you know that method, Player Kang Jinhyuk?"
"Of course I do. Just like the wonderful healers here."
"What?"
"Oh, come on. Why so humble? You already knew this method can only be used when the patient's symptoms worsen and they fall into a coma. Isn't that why you've been patiently waiting until now?"
Jinhyuk smiled brightly.
To an outsider, it might have looked like a charming smile, but to the healers facing him, it was a smile that made them want to bash him with their staffs right then and there.
'If I say I don't know here, I'll never be able to set foot in this industry again.'
Heo Jin-su clenched his teeth.
A healer inferior to a combat-class player.
If word of that got out, just imagining it was horrifying.
"O-of course. That is indeed what we were waiting for."
"I knew it! In that case, with my shallow knowledge, I shall learn a thing or two from you esteemed healers."
Jinhyuk took a step back.
At that, Heo Jin-su's expression contorted as if he had chewed on a piece of crap.
"W-well... we do know the method, but because we've consumed so many ingredients in the meantime, we need some time to gather them again. It will take at least a few hours, so we would appreciate it if Player Kang Jinhyuk could do it instead."
"Hmm, that's strange."
"What do you mean by strange?"
"That you're short on ingredients. From what I see, you should have plenty left over."
He tossed the words out casually.
"...Gasp!?"
Heo Jin-su gasped involuntarily.
He was quick to control his expression.
But it was useless.
His inner thoughts were already being completely laid bare through 'Gluttony's Eye'.
[H-how... Is he just testing me? Or does he actually know about the kickbacks?]
Well, how indeed?
The corners of Jinhyuk's mouth curled upward.
[I'm the only one who knows about the accounts. Especially the borrowed-name accounts spread across seven different places and the Bitcoin wallet addresses—even if he were a god, he couldn't find out about those.]
"I see borrowed-name accounts, and wow, you even have Bitcoin? Since you pocketed tens of billions of won in total, of course you wouldn't have any money left to buy ingredients."
"T-that's... impossible."
Heo Jin-su stumbled backward.
It was only natural, given that secrets that should have been impossible to uncover had been completely exposed.
'What a cheat-like ability.'
Although it came with conditions, the power to read others' minds exerted overwhelming force anytime, anywhere.
But then,
[Absolutely...]
in the thoughts of Heo Jin-su that followed,
[...must not.]
This time, Jinhyuk's pupils shook in shock.