Tears of the High Spirit

It was ten at night. The basement of Gangnam. A place where glamorous neon signs glistened like raw desire. Club Eden. A lawless zone where dirty money from the hunter industry was laundered and illegal auctions took place as casually as breathing.

I passed through the VIP entrance with practiced ease. "Young Master Lee Dohyun, welcome." The guards bent at a perfect ninety degrees. I didn't bother replying, simply flicking my hand as I stepped inside.

Thump. Thump. Thump. The bass that pounded against the heart. The stench of cheap alcohol mixed with the noise. I frowned. It was a good thing I knew the original novel's setting; otherwise I wouldn't have wanted to set foot in a place like this. But what choice did I have? The most expensive jewel in the world was buried in this trash heap.

Han Soeun. A genius cursed by her own talent due to the rare condition called Mana Insensitivity. The future Archmage who had been sold off to pay her father's gambling debts and was being treated worse than an animal. I had to find her.

I ignored the VIP room the waiter tried to guide me toward and headed for a dim corner of the main hall. If my memory was correct, this was exactly the time she would be suffering the worst humiliation.

In the corner of the hall, at a table crowded with drunkards, the sound of shattering glass rang out. "You bitch! Can't you even pour a drink properly?"

A middle-aged man in an expensive suit was yelling as he grabbed the woman's hair. On the floor lay a broken bottle of foreign liquor and a spreading puddle of red alcohol. And kneeling atop those shards was the woman—Han Soeun.

Her thin frame wasn't hidden even by the loose uniform. Skin so pale it looked almost transparent. But what stood out most were her eyes, trembling violently with terror.

"I-I'm sorry... My hand slipped..."

"Sorry? You think sorry fixes this? Do you have any idea how much this costs!"

Slap! The sharp sound cut through the loud music. Han Soeun's head lolled weakly to the side. Her pale cheek swelled red in an instant. The man raised his hand again. "Looks like you haven't been trained properly. Who do you think you are, staring at me with those round eyes..."

That was the moment.

Grab. My hand seized the man's wrist. His fist froze in midair. The man scowled and turned his head. "Who the hell are you? What the—ack!"

Instead of answering, I tightened my grip. I might lack mana, but thanks to the expensive elixirs I'd poured money into, my grip strength far exceeded that of an ordinary person.

"Aaaagh! Let go!"

"If I let go," I said in a voice cold as ice, "you'd just touch my property again with that filthy hand."

"What? Property?"

I looked at the man like he was a bug and violently flung his wrist away. He lost his balance and crashed into the sofa.

"Y-you bastard! Do you know who I am? I'm the younger brother of the Seven Stars Guild Master!"

The man rose, fuming. The surrounding guards began to move in, but the moment they saw my face they froze like statues.

"I-is that... Young Master Lee Dohyun?"

At the name that spilled from the guards' lips, the man's face drained of all color. The Daeseong Group. An absolute power in South Korea that made hunter guilds too insignificant to even offer a business card.

"L-Lee Dohyun...? Of the Daeseong Group...?"

I pulled a handkerchief from my inner pocket and meticulously wiped the hand that had touched him. As if it had been soiled by filth.

"Not even the guild master himself—just some nobody causing a scene." I tossed the used handkerchief onto the man's face. "Get lost. Out of my sight."

"Hieek! I-I'm sorry!"

The man fled without looking back. He was in no position to worry about the cost of the drinks.

Once the area had been cleared, I turned my gaze to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Han Soeun, who still sat slumped on the floor. She was still trembling. The man who had beaten her was gone, but an even more terrifying mad dog had appeared in his place. It was only natural.

I sighed and crouched down in front of her. Glass shards were digging into her knees. Blood seeped out, soaking her stockings.

"Ha." Irritation surged through me. Those legs were worth a fortune. For a mobile artillery mage, mobility was life itself. If a scar remained and caused muscle contraction, her combat efficiency would drop later.

"Stand up."

At my words, Han Soeun flinched and shrank back. "I-I'm sorry... Please, just don't hit me..."

A reflexive defense mechanism. How much must she have been beaten for screams to come before words?

Instead of answering, I grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet. It was skeletal. Her wrist—nothing but bones—fit completely in my one hand. With a body like this, how could she even have the stamina to circulate her mana core?

"Ow..." She let out a small groan. Bruises covered the wrist I held. Not from the man earlier, but layers upon layers of old marks.

I roughly rolled up her sleeve. Her white forearm was covered in purple bruises and cigarette burns.

"......"

My eyebrow twitched. This was obvious product damage. Treating an S-Class potential gem like this? Was this how they managed her?

Unable to hold back my anger, I muttered under my breath. "Which bastard did this?"

It seemed my voice carried killing intent. Han Soeun stopped breathing and looked up at me. Her eyes were shaking.

In truth, I was simply furious at the one who had damaged my expensive merchandise. But from Han Soeun's perspective, it must have sounded different. Among all the people who had beaten and exploited her throughout her life, this was the first man to look at her wounds and grow angry for her sake.

"Does it hurt?" I gently pressed the bruised spot with my finger, checking for muscle damage. But the moment my fingertip touched her, Han Soeun's body stiffened strangely. She didn't pull away. Instead, she trembled faintly, as if leaning into my body heat.

"N-no... I'm okay..."

"Don't lie. How can you say you're okay when you're this broken?" I clicked my tongue. In this state, magic training was impossible. I'd need to have her recuperate first.

At that moment, the club's manager, Madame Rose, came rushing over in a panic. "Young Master! Oh my, what happened? Did this child make a mistake?"

Rose glared at Han Soeun. "You there—did you offend the young master's mood? What kind of education have you received that—"

"How much?" I cut her off.

"Pardon?"

"The girl's debt. How much is it?"

"Ah... Well, including principal and interest, it's around five hundred million won..."

I pulled a checkbook from my jacket's inner pocket. Without hesitation, I scrawled across it. "One billion."

Rip. I tore out the check and stuffed it into the front of Rose's dress. "I've included a generous penalty fee, so keep your mouth shut and bring the paperwork. I'm taking her right now."

Rose's mouth fell open. Han Soeun stared at me in a daze. Even though she was being sold, her expression showed disbelief rather than fear.

"Let's go." Deciding to leave the paperwork to my secretary, I grabbed Han Soeun's wrist and pulled her along. She followed like a doll.

Outside the club, in the parking lot. The rear seat of the limousine. The moment I put Han Soeun inside and closed the door, the air grew heavy. She huddled in the corner, watching my every move.

One billion won. She must know her body couldn't possibly be worth that much. That left only one possibility: this man wanted her body, or possessed some even more horrific hobby.

"Um... Master..."

"Not Master." I answered grumpily as I took off my jacket, then draped it over her trembling shoulders. "Call ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠me Senior."

I had assumed she was shivering from the cold. It would be more troublesome if she caught a cold. But at the scent and warmth of my body from the jacket, Han Soeun's face flushed red.

"Senior Lee Dohyun... Why did you buy me?" She asked in a voice that seemed to crawl into itself. "I can't even use magic... I'm useless. My face... my body isn't anything special either..."

Her self-esteem had sunk to the depths. At this rate, her willpower stat as a mage wouldn't rise. Mental care was urgent.

I leaned toward her. Han Soeun flinched backward but stopped, blocked by the car door. I took hold of her chin and turned her face toward me. At a distance close enough for our breaths to mingle, I looked straight into her eyes.

"Don't misunderstand." With my thumb, I casually wiped the wound on her cheek. "You are far more expensive than you think."

"......Pardon?"

"Who called you useless? Those blind fools?" I smiled sardonically.

Mana Insensitivity? It wasn't because her mana circuits were blocked. Her vessel was simply too vast, so the normal mana in the atmosphere couldn't fill it, causing her body to scream in pain. It was like having a Ferrari engine but filling it with diesel.

"In my eyes, I can see it." I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠lightly tapped the spot below her collarbone—where her mana heart lay—with my finger. "Right here. Something more beautiful than anything else is embedded, like a diamond."

Han Soeun's pupils shook. A diamond. The person who called her—a girl treated like garbage—a jewel. Moreover, the person who had thrown an absurd sum of one billion won without hesitation to save her.

Her heart began to race madly. Although I had merely spoken of her potential, to Han Soeun those words sounded like a confession acknowledging the value of her existence.

I took out from my pocket what I had prepared in advance.

"Open your mouth."

"Pardon?"

"Drink it."

"It's medicine worth two billion won."

Since explaining was too much trouble, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I uncapped the bottle and pressed it to her lips. Though flustered, Han Soeun opened her mouth under my forceful attitude.

Gulp. Gulp. The cold liquid slid down her throat. Immediately afterward—

"Ugh...!" Han Soeun clutched her chest and groaned. The backlash from her clogged circuits opening. It must have been excruciating. Her body arched like a bow. Cold sweat poured down like rain.

"Hu... huek... It hurts... It's so hot..."

Writhing in agony, she collapsed into my arms. I frowned. Maybe feeding it to her all at once had been too much. She might go into shock.

I held her. Her limp body burned like a fireball. I patted her back, trying to stabilize the flow of mana.

"Endure it," I whispered softly into her ear. "If you can get through this, you'll be reborn."

"Huuuhk... It hurts too much..."

"I know. So endure it in my arms. Don't run away anywhere. You can do it."

If she died from shock, my three billion won investment would vanish. I had to hold her tight.

But Han Soeun's thoughts as she lay in my arms were completely different. Even amid the pain, the man's embrace felt vividly clear. His solid chest. The arms that held her as if they would never let go. And the voice ringing by her ear: "Don't run away. You can do it."

This person...

In her fading consciousness, she looked up at my face. Expressionless, yet holding her more firmly than anyone. The only man who had picked her up when the entire world had abandoned her.

My... savior.

It was imprinting. Like a newborn chick that follows the first thing it sees as its mother. The world of the girl who had been reborn now began to revolve around me.

Finally the convulsions subsided. Han Soeun clutched my clothes tightly as she gasped for breath. So tightly that her knuckles turned white, as if she would never let go.

"Senior..." Sweat-soaked hair clung to her cheeks. She gazed at me with hazy, dreamy eyes. That look... was somewhat dangerous. It wasn't simple gratitude. It was filled with blind, manic worship.

"I won't run away." She buried her face in my chest and murmured. "Even if you abandon me, Senior... I will never leave. Every single strand of hair on my head... belongs to you, Senior."

Oh. The elixir's effect must be excellent. Her loyalty stat seemed to have hit MAX instantly.

I smiled with satisfaction and stroked her hair. "Good."

"......Yes."

Han Soeun closed her eyes, savoring my touch. I signaled the limousine driver to start moving.

The scenery of Gangnam flowed past the car window. In my arms, the future Archmage slept. My reliable long-range damage dealer.

If she runs into Seo Yoona, the reaction will be worth seeing.

Tomorrow morning filled me with equal parts anticipation and worry. Well, if they didn't get along as party members, I could just give them some allowance money. I thought nonchalantly and patted the sleeping Han Soeun's shoulder. Even in her sleep, as if feeling cold, she burrowed deeper into my collar.