Chapter 212
Chapter 212
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 213
Chapter Title: Nayeo-ju Saves the World Part 2 Ch. 33
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The readings were a bit off, but Jeong Je-hwa's scanner had definitely worked.
That meant the red color could only signify one thing.
"Crazy..."
The Dark Addiction rate, which had been just 44% when he checked moments ago, had skyrocketed to the brink of explosion.
"Haa... ugh."
Unable to endure the pain, Jeong Je-hwa was clawing at his own body so fiercely his clothes were tearing.
Red scratch marks were already streaking across the skin beneath his black knit sweater.
"Wait, hold on!"
I quickly pulled Jeong Je-hwa into my arms.
It wasn't easy.
"Kuhk, heuk..."
His entire body stiffened rigidly, thrashing nonstop.
As I pressed closer to maximize contact, his claws now raked my body instead.
Every time his nails dug into my flesh, pain spread through me, bringing physiological tears to my eyes.
"Just a little longer... hang in there!"
I'm glad I'd worked hard to build up that favorability.
Feeling a quiet sense of relief, I hugged Jeong Je-hwa even tighter.
"Kuhk."
Along with the groan in my ear, I felt the purification skill take effect.
My body grew heavy rapidly, like a sponge soaking up water.
Pouring in stamina so frantically made my vision spin, but at least it was working.
Fortunately, the purification skill's effect was immediate.
His rigid body, shaking violently in agonized spasms, began to loosen bit by bit.
"Huu... ha, haa..."
The firm arms that had been crushing me relaxed, instinctively pulling me closer instead.
That was around when our positions flipped—I'd been half on top of him, but now he was over me.
"Haa... ha."
Unable to bear his weight on top of me and the oncoming dizziness, I squeezed my eyes shut. That's when a system window popped into view.
Thud.
Jeong Je-hwa's face dropped limply onto my shoulder.
"Haa, haa."
He still seemed to suffer some aftereffects of the intense pain, but thankfully his breathing was steadily returning to normal.
"Feeling better now?"
Worried about startling him, I whispered as softly as I could.
"...Miss Nayeo-ju."
"Your addiction rate spiked out of nowhere. I managed to stop it just short of full rampage, but... does it still hurt a lot?"
"Haa, I'm fine... now. It's still a bit tingly, but..."
His words said he was okay, but his body was still faintly trembling.
"This won't do. Hold on a sec."
I hugged him tight again and activated the skill once more.
"Ah..."
Feeling the Dark Purification skill's effect with a clear mind, a sigh-like moan escaped Jeong Je-hwa's lips.
"Now, ahem, you good?"
I coughed to hide the sudden nausea rising in my throat.
...I'd really poured everything into it.
The floor was a bit cold, but it seemed best not to get up just yet.
"Um, sir."
That said, having Jeong Je-hwa on top of me while lying down felt awfully awkward.
"If you're not still too uncomfortable, could you maybe move off?"
"Ah, sorry..."
His face still a little dazed, Jeong Je-hwa slowly rolled off me.
With his tall, muscular frame no longer pressing down, the spinning dizziness like motion sickness finally started to ease a bit.
"Aigoo."
Now that he was okay, I figured I should recover too. I pulled a bottle of Im Cheong-su's tonic from my sub-space.
It worked great, but honestly, the taste was awful—I worried it might upset my stomach more, but restoring my nearly depleted stamina came first.
"Ugh."
I shuddered at the familiar bitter tang that never got easier, no matter how often I drank it.
But its effects were just as reliably potent—my sinking, leaden body felt normal again in an instant.
"Uwaa, much better. Here, sir, have one too."
After enduring that level of excruciating pain, his body had to be wrecked.
Sure enough, Jeong Je-hwa accepted it without protest and downed it.
"Bitter, huh?"
"...It's drinkable."
Liar.
No way someone who loved sweet foods could find this bitter, astringent tonic truly fine.
Anyway, with my stamina back, lying here felt comfy enough, but it was awkward to keep sprawling on the floor in front of Jeong Je-hwa. I rolled over and sat up.
Then I apologized to him.
"Sorry, sir. This is because of the statue, right?"
"Probably. But you don't need to apologize. Even after the system warned me, I was the one who tried to dig deeper."
"The system warned you?"
"Yes. It said, 'Information access not yet permitted.' I'd seen readable info covered in question marks before, but this was the first time the internal structure itself was invisible, so my curiosity got the better of me and..."
"So the system attacked you?"
"No, it wasn't the system. It felt like the statue rejecting me."
"Sheesh."
An item that attacks Awakeners just for peeking a little.
Screw the 'Benign Divine Statue.'
I scooped up the figurine rolling on the floor and shoved it roughly into my sub-space.
Jeong Je-hwa asked,
"You sure that's okay? Keeping it around."
"If this thing attacks by spiking Dark Addiction rates, I'm probably safest holding onto it."
I wasn't affected by dark substances, after all.
He nodded in agreement, but couldn't hide his worry.
"I'll be fine. I'm not like you, able to scan the statue. I'll just toss it in my sub-space and smash it when the chance comes. Who does this item think it is, trying to hurt people."
"...It'd be nice if I could analyze it one more time before destroying it."
"After nearly rampaging, you're still saying that?"
"The system doesn't lie. It didn't fully reject me. It said 'not yet' accessible."
He really was a crafter through and through.
Under my incredulous stare, Jeong Je-hwa smiled sheepishly and stood, offering me his hand.
"Floor's cold. Sit on the chair and rest. I'll grab something edible."
Maybe from the stamina rollercoaster over the last few minutes, I was a bit hungry. I took his hand without refusing and got up.
"Whew, comfy."
Sinking into the plush sofa as the workshop owner led me felt heavenly; my body practically sighed in bliss.
Listening to Jeong Je-hwa's footsteps fade toward the back of the workshop to fetch food, I closed my weary eyes for a moment.
Jeong Je-hwa entered the kitchen area at the back of the workshop and closed the door.
"Haa."
He slid down against the door and slumped to the floor, a heavy sigh bursting from his lips.
To keep the sound from leaking out, he clamped a hand over his mouth.