Chapter 146
Translator: uly
Chapter: 146
Chapter Title: Heavenly Demon, Catches a Cold (2)
[An excellent decision.]
He looked back at Jang Chaewon and spoke again.
[Don't worry too much. From my examination of the Heavenly Demon's body last night...]
But before Nameless could finish,
"Cough. Cough."
The Heavenly Demon suddenly bent over like a shrimp, coughing violently before collapsing right there.
[Heavenly Demon!]
"Heavenly Demon!"
As the startled Jang Chaewon and Nameless rushed to the fallen Heavenly Demon,
Crack, crackle.
A loud cracking of bones rang out, and the Heavenly Demon's frame began to shrink.
At the same time, his massive muscles gradually faded, and his hair softened until it was translucent.
"Hm?"
Something was off.
The Heavenly Demon, whose body had slimmed down in an instant, struggled to his feet.
"Did this seat... collapse?"
Leaning against one wall, the Heavenly Demon panted with a pained expression.
Rainbow-colored light shimmered in Jang Chaewon's eyes as she watched him.
"Oh my gosh!"
Before Jang Chaewon's eyes stood a peerless beauty that no computer graphics could replicate, leaning against the wall with disheveled hair.
With his Diamond Body shattered, he had returned to his original form once more.
[Heavenly Demon. Your appearance has changed again...]
Only then did the Heavenly Demon look down at his slender body in response to Nameless's words.
"So the Diamond Body has shattered again."
Clenching his fists, the Heavenly Demon gritted his teeth and circulated his inner energy.
"Hah!"
With a short shout, he forcibly drew up his inner energy, and powerful Reverse Extreme True Energy coursed through his body.
Grind, crackle.
Bones cracked once more as the Heavenly Demon's frame gradually expanded and his features grew fierce again.
"No, don't! What are you doing right now!"
Jang Chaewon jumped up, but Nameless raised both arms to block her.
[Get a hold of yourself, Jang Chaewon! This is how the Heavenly Demon recovers his body!]
"Ah, even so..."
[Jang Chaewon!]
Finally coming to her senses, Jang Chaewon let out a deep sigh.
"Ah, no. It's just... such a shame."
As Jang Chaewon narrowed her eyes with a regretful look,
Crack, crackle.
The Heavenly Demon, back to his fierce visage, nodded with his muscles bulging.
"Then this seat departs."
"Mm. Rest well."
Jang Chaewon smacked her lips as she watched the Heavenly Demon stumble away.
"If only he stayed like that..."
If the Heavenly Demon kept his beautiful form, the store's sales would skyrocket dozens of times over.
And her own happiness and work efficiency would multiply hundreds of times.
"Ah, no. Then the broadcasters might come sniffing around."
Jang Chaewon chuckled to herself, chin in hand, then let out an "Ah."
"Forgot to give him the medicine!"
Vroom.
A small, rounded, yet sleek van—the Lama—was slowly climbing a sloped alley.
Did cars really have souls?
As if worried about the Heavenly Demon's condition, it moved far more gently than its usual rough, sharp driving.
"Hm."
Gripping the wheel, the Heavenly Demon kept blinking, his vision hazy.
Even with the AC on full blast, the heat lingered, so he pressed the button to roll down the window wide.
[Heavenly Demon. Could you pull over there for a moment?]
"Urgent business?"
[Pardon?]
This was definitely not normal.
Nameless cautiously spoke to the Heavenly Demon, whose cheeks were flushed and who was rambling.
[No. Jang Chaewon seems to have forgotten the medicine. I'll go buy some quickly.]
"No need for drugs. This seat has avoided even spirit elixirs as much as possible."
Dizzy from the fever, the Heavenly Demon spoke confidently.
"Forced inner energy grown by spirit elixirs only expands the meridians without purity. It's akin to what they call 'watery energy.'"
[I-is that so? Still, the medicine...]
"No need. This seat's Reverse Extreme True Energy is the deepest and purest in the world. Circulating it once home will cure me swiftly."
[Yes...]
Realizing the Heavenly Demon's stubbornness was unbreakable, Nameless gave up on buying medicine.
Clunk.
After parking in the lot, the Heavenly Demon staggered up to the rooftop room, and Nameless said,
[Heavenly Demon. I have some brief business to attend to.]
"Do as you will."
Nameless watched the Heavenly Demon slip through the front door, then turned and dashed back down from the rooftop.
Poof.
Retracting its limbs and forming a sphere, Nameless rolled away swiftly.
Nameless's destination was the Special Response Team villa across the way.
Ding-dong, ding-dong.
Extending limbs again, Nameless hopped onto the video phone button.
[Are you in?]
Cranking the external speaker to max, Nameless called out loudly.
[I'm Nameless, the Heavenly Demon's nanobot from the rooftop across the street.]
Click.
The locked door opened, revealing a tall, handsome blond young man.
It was Yoo Eunho.
"Huh? What brings you here?"
[I'm truly sorry, but...]
Nameless narrowed its eye sensors and spoke gravely in response to Yoo Eunho's wide-eyed question.
[Could I see Shin Chaeyoung?]
Inside the Heavenly Demon's rooftop room.
A slender shadow appeared before the Heavenly Demon, who had collapsed into sleep.
A short-haired woman with pale skin and narrow, elongated eyes.
Her features were striking, but her gaze poured out a cold aura like an ice-carved doll.
It was the Special Response Team's healer, Shin Chaeyoung.
[Is it serious?]
Shin Chaeyoung nodded calmly to Nameless's question beside the recumbent Heavenly Demon.
"Doesn't seem like a regular flu. At this point, taking him to a hospital might be best."
[Well, the Heavenly Demon can't exactly go to one.]
The Heavenly Demon's normal body temperature was 40 degrees, and his skin couldn't be pierced even by a needle.
Not to mention, as an unregistered awakener, he couldn't visit an awakener hospital either.
"Fair enough."
[Could you help, Shin Chaeyoung?]
Shin Chaeyoung's skill was Healing Factor.
A cheat-level treatment skill effective on injuries, vitality—anything physical.
Nameless knew this well, hence the request.
"But how did you know I'm a healer?"
[I saw it while dungeoning with the Heavenly Demon. I happened to witness you treating other awakeners.]
A flawless, smooth answer.
Shin Chaeyoung suspected this little nanobot might even know her skill details.
"Fine. I'll do it."
[Thank you.]
"No need to thank me. I owe him anyway."
Shin Chaeyoung recalled the Stadium Dungeon, chased by a Landshark.
Without the Heavenly Demon's help then, she might still be bedridden.
Hum.
With a low vibration, Shin Chaeyoung activated her skill.
Her pupils dilated, and pale green light particles slowly rose around her.
The S-rank treatment skill, Healing Factor, was unleashed.
"No clue if it'll work well or not."
Grasping the Heavenly Demon's massive wrist, Shin Chaeyoung muttered lowly.
"This guy's body is completely different from a normal person's."
[Please.]
The light from Nameless's eye sensors dimmed.
Constantly monitoring and measuring the Heavenly Demon's condition had drained its power.
[...I'll rest now.]
Having held on in low-power mode, Nameless climbed onto the charging station and lay down.
* * *
"Not a problem at all."
Go Eunjin muttered, holding large baskets in both hands.
Looking up, she saw a rundown building nearly touching the shield in the sky.
A clothesline was strung up top, with blankets flapping as if someone lived there.
"Why order all this...?"
Go Eunjin had come to Complex Bokbok Interiors at Jang Chaewon's request.
Upon arrival, she got a strange task.
-The Heavenly Demon got sick and went home early without his medicine. Here's the address—can you drop it off? Oh, and grab some porridge for dinner too.
"That muscle senior's so sick he can't even move?"
Sighing, she looked down at her hands.
The large baskets brimmed with appetizing foods and fruits.
Jang Chaewon had packed them from various eateries for the Heavenly Demon.
"Huh? The door..."
Up on the rooftop, the door to the quaint brick rooftop room stood slightly ajar.
"Senior? You in there?"
Peeking inside the entrance, it was dark with no lights on.
"Muscle senior?"
Setting the baskets in the kitchen, Go Eunjin cautiously opened the bedroom door.
"Sleeping?"
Inside, the Heavenly Demon lay deeply asleep on the floor.
Beside him, a short-haired young woman gripped his wrist.
Pale green light particles floated around her, suggesting she was an awakener mid-skill.
"Who are you?"
Meeting the gaze of the frozen-cold woman, Shin Chaeyoung, Go Eunjin bowed her head guiltily and fled the rooftop.
"Sorry!"
Panting as she reached the street, Go Eunjin muttered.
"What was that woman?"
Recalling the woman holding the sleeping Heavenly Demon's hand, she frowned.
"Did he hire a healer?"
Healers who rapidly healed internal and external wounds were hired by the rich or discreetly paid for private treatments.
But their fees were so exorbitant, ordinary folk couldn't dream of it.
"Whatever. I delivered the food, that's what matters."
Pulling out her phone, Go Eunjin opened the screen and held the shortcut button. Amid construction noise, Jang Chaewon's face appeared.
-Already delivered? How's the Heavenly Demon?
Go Eunjin wiped her nose and replied, staring at the phone.
"No idea. Seemed asleep... There was a woman there, so I left."
-A woman? Who?
"Dunno. Really pretty and young."
-Huh?
Realizing she'd misspoken, Go Eunjin waved her hands.
"Ah, she seemed like an awakener with a treatment skill."
-An awakener treating the Heavenly Demon? No way.
"I saw it clear as day."
-Ah, the ones from the villa across...
Jang Chaewon trailed off, piecing it together.
She'd heard from Nameless multiple times that the Association awakeners across from the rooftop were friendly to the Heavenly Demon.
-Eunjin. You know the Heavenly Demon isn't a normal human, right?
"Yep?"
-Even so, hanging with Association awakeners... Plus that foreign investigator incident... So.
Scratching her cheek awkwardly, Jang Chaewon said,
-I'll head over soon, but can you watch him till then? Make sure he doesn't ramble or anything sudden happens. Especially since she's Association...
"But I..."
-Manager Jang. The downstairs owner's here.
On screen, a soaked Kim Chanwon approached.
Jang Chaewon looked at her phone and said,
-Eunjin, I'm swamped right now. Issue on site. Please!
Click.
Staring at the ended call, Go Eunjin looked bewildered.
"Well, muscle senior... He's from another world."
She'd faintly grasped his identity from Dongwon's story at the pocha before.
A being from another world, with power far beyond awakeners, strange speech, and worldview.
"No choice."
Scratching her head, Go Eunjin reluctantly climbed back to the rooftop.
She gathered the kitchen food bundles and stood before the bedroom door.
Knock knock.
Knocking politely this time, she entered and bowed to Shin Chaeyoung.
"Hello. I'm a coworker of muscle... your senior."
Deep in Healing Factor injection, Shin Chaeyoung stared fixedly at the Heavenly Demon's face, unresponsive.
'Girlfriend?'
Shin Chaeyoung stared intently at the Heavenly Demon, unmoving like a mannequin.
Yet gripping his hand with both of hers exuded a subtle warmth, like a candle on ice.
"Um. Excuse me."
Only then did Shin Chaeyoung turn at Go Eunjin's words.
"Yes?"
"Uh, I'm his coworker. Eat something while you're at it."
Seeing Go Eunjin laden with food, Shin Chaeyoung's eyes widened slightly.
'No way, girlfriend?'
Both women's minds flashed the same thought.
Shin Chaeyoung stared at the Heavenly Demon, Go Eunjin arrived with heaps of food...
An unavoidable misunderstanding.
"Don't get the wrong idea."
Shin Chaeyoung noticed Go Eunjin's gaze fixed on her hands around the Heavenly Demon's wrist.
"His body's really unique. Healing Factor won't inject directly."
"Don't mind it. Just brought sides and here to watch."
"Watch?"
"Ah, boss asked me to."
Noticing Shin Chaeyoung eyeing her food bundles, Go Eunjin said,
"Not food I bought, for sure."
Awkward air filled the room again.
Shin Chaeyoung and Go Eunjin both wanted to bolt.
But Shin Chaeyoung needed Healing Factor active, and Go Eunjin had to monitor till Jang Chaewon arrived.
-Suffocating.
How much time passed?
As sunlight faded outside and hot air pressed down,
Whir. Kiririk.
With mechanical sounds, white light flashed from Nameless's eye sensors on the charging station.
[Sorry. Slept too deeply. Power hit zero...]
Rising, Nameless spotted Go Eunjin opposite Shin Chaeyoung.
[Eh? How is Go Eunjin here...]
"Heavenly Demon here?"
Footsteps approached outside, and a long-haired woman burst in. Jang Chaewon.
"Heavenly Demon, you okay?"
Gazing at the deeply sleeping Heavenly Demon, Jang Chaewon finally noticed Shin Chaeyoung holding his hand.
"Huh?"
Cold mannequin-like looks, but her aura was no joke.
Jang Chaewon instantly gauged her as a high-rank awakener.
"Ah, hello..."
As their eyes met and Jang Chaewon smiled awkwardly,
"The Heavenly Demon! You okay?"
Clattering in came an old man in work clothes.
Kim Chanwon.
"Huh?"
He too spotted Shin Chaeyoung holding the Heavenly Demon's hand and blinked wide.
The heavy air turned suffocatingly awkward.
Jang Chaewon, Kim Chanwon, Go Eunjin.
Three pairs of eyes fixed on Shin Chaeyoung's face as she held the Heavenly Demon's hand.