Chapter 29. Was That Really Max?
Chapter 29. Was That Really Max?
"What is this...?"
A tangy, spicy fruit with a sharp kick.
The fruit I had grabbed without thinking was now setting the news on fire.
"The people I gave this to were definitely..."
There had been quite a few.
Aside from Longwei and Reina, there were my parents, the Association President, and Nova Group.
I had made a point of telling them not to eat it, so they probably used it for research instead.
"Laila, do you know what Frost Blood Syndrome is?"
Laila calmly explained everything she knew.
An extremely rare disease that appeared in people with high mana sensitivity.
"The problem is, there's no cure. You have to spend your entire life inside a machine filled with a special solution that thaws frozen blood vessels."
"...Your whole life, stuck in some tiny metal tube?"
"Yes, and the issue is, even that only extends your lifespan a little. Eventually, your blood vessels freeze up, and you die in excruciating pain."
The more Laila explained, the more a chill crawled down my spine.
So they had to spend their entire lives in agony, trapped inside a machine the size of an oil drum?
"And that fruit is a crucial key to a new treatment for the disease?"
"Yes, the 'Hongyeom Fruit' you brought back, Hero."
"Well, if it's being used for a good cause, I'm all for it."
When the recipient uses a gift meaningfully, the giver felt great about it.
And if my gift was being used to treat people in pain, how much more meaningful was that?
"Laila, could you heal it?"
"I'm not sure. As you know, Hero, my connection with the Goddess weakened when I crossed over here."
"So the Association President is..."
— Ring ring ring...!
"This guy can't give me a break either."
I put the call on speaker so Laila could listen with me.
In the background, I heard the hum of machinery and the buzz of people murmuring.
"Ah, Hunter Hoon! Do you have a moment to talk?"
"Sure~ go ahead, speak freely."
"Would it be at all possible to secure an additional supply of Hongyeom Fruit?"
"..."
What a pain.
I had said this to Reina back at the auction too, but it was too far away and a huge hassle to get there.
As I remained silent, someone suddenly snatched the Association President's phone and spoke.
"Son."
"...!"
"How about we talk face-to-face first? Mom will send a car over to you."
"Mo—"
Just as I was about to say something, the call ended.
They arrived the moment the line went dead.
She probably sent the car ahead of time while we were still talking...
---
"So this is it..."
"Yes, it's an incredibly important key to curing Frost Blood Syndrome."
"But why is it always these types of people who get it?"
I glanced at the documents.
It was a disease mostly contracted by the wealthy upper class.
There were occasional cases among ordinary citizens, but the majority were people with some financial means.
"Why only the rich?"
Their hypothesis pointed to the superior mana sensitivity of high-ranking hunters as the cause.
The high mana sensitivity of top-earning hunters was naturally passed down genetically to their children.
And so, those who inherited such genes ended up suffering from this disease.
"What about regular people who aren't like that?"
"Just raw talent. Overwhelming talent that has nothing to do with bloodlines or anything else. But that exceptional mana sensitivity is what triggered the disease..."
"Too much talent became a poison instead...?"
I also heard about the cause of Frost Blood onset.
When body temperature overheats due to mana, the body activates cells to lower it.
However, through a peculiar reaction of mana, this process became excessive, causing body temperature to plummet abnormally low.
"It's strange though. There are cases where the child is perfectly fine, but the parent contracted it..."
"Not everything about Frost Blood Syndrome has been uncovered yet. At present, everything is just a hypothesis."
"So that's why you need the Hongyeom Fruit?"
"Yes, it's been confirmed to reliably reduce the cooling reaction. Enough to make daily life possible."
"Still, a complete cure is out of the question, I see."
"Unfortunately..."
So they would need to ingest the Hongyeom Fruit periodically using some method.
But in the end, it only suppressed the onset of Frost Blood—it couldn't eliminate the root cause.
"In that case, would it be possible for us to use your stream footage, Hunter?"
"Sure, use it however you like. But what are you using it for?"
"We plan to edit it as a raid guide video and provide it to parties who are heading out to collect Hongyeom Fruit."
"That's going to be pretty brutal..."
"We know. Still, thanks to you clearing it, we've determined it's perfectly feasible with the right fireproof suits and sturdy masks."
"Well, go ahead and do that then."
"Though it won't be possible with hunters of just any rank, of course."
After saying that, I returned home with Laila.
I turned on the stream, same as always.
[ World's Strongest Hero : On Air ]
As expected, the chat was flooded with talk about the Hongyeom Fruit.
[Wow, but the fact that Frost Blood Syndrome can be treated is legendary]
[Yeah, this guy's making legendary moves every time he does something lol]
[True, you've been the talk of a lot of civic groups lately, you know]
I didn't even know about that.
From what they said, apparently there was public sentiment that I should naturally be the one to go to Baekdu Mountain and bring back the Hongyeom Fruit.
[He's not some damn volunteer, forcing him to go is disgusting]
[Just makes me laugh lolol they do absolutely nothing but hold signs and run their mouths]
[Yeah, for real lol they act like going to Baekdu Mountain is a walk in the park]
"Am I some saint who should give up my own time and keep going back and forth there? And I already provided the full version of the video for you to use as a raid guide, didn't I?"
Was my wording a bit harsh?
The chats floating up started to tame down as the viewers began reading my mood.
[ Saintess's Foot Wiper has donated 10,000 Watts! ]
- Honestly, if you go get it, we should be grateful, not turn you into trash for not going. Those guys are the idiots, just ignore them lol
[What does the Saintess say about it?]
A single line in the chat caught my eye.
I stared at Laila, and she seemed to be lost in deep thought too.
"There's no need to sacrifice your own well-being for it."
'Was it really okay for the Saintess to say something like that...?'
I had expected her to naturally argue that we must help.
"When we first received our teachings, we were always told to look after ourselves first, then help others. That way, you can objectively assess what kind of help a person truly needs."
[That's right, charity always starts at home lol]
[Try living a tough life yourself lololol there's no helping anyone then, I've got my own damn struggles]
[ Saintess's Foot Wiper has donated 10,000 Watts! ]
- The Association was saying if you prep properly with the fireproof suits and stuff, it's doable though
Still, while reading the chat and quickly flipping through SNS, the general public opinion was mostly favorable, aside from a few specific groups.
[We wouldn't have even discovered it without him in the first place, you know]
[Yeah, he saves them and now they're demanding he hand over the whole bundle lol]
Some rights were given to me as the one who discovered the Hongyeom Fruit and provided the raid footage.
Whether I was born lucky or what, money keeps flowing in even when I didn’t actively try to make any.
'That's a good thing.'
[Anyway, the year-end party is just a couple of days away lol]
[So freaking excited]
[Hero sir, let's meet on the 1st floor]
"What, you want to see my face?"
[ Saintess's Foot Wiper has donated 10,000 Watts! ]
- As if lololol they're going to see the Saintess, not you
"..."
"To be honest, I'm a little excited too. The streamers I've played games with recently were all incredibly nice~"
[lol]
[You haven't seen that guy when he plays League yet though]
[When he plays that game, he's an absolute tyrant, no joke]
"Ah, right."
[?]
[What?]
[?]
I clicked my mouse and opened three private chat windows on the screen.
Resignation Letter Always in My Pocket, Overflowing Holy-Power Pouch, Saintess's Foot Wiper.
"You said you'd quit your job, you said you'd dance, and you said you'd juggle. So when are you doing it?"
Not one of the three responded.
"5, 4, 3..."
At that, they all started typing furiously in a panic.
"You have to pick a day, right? How about you come do it at the year-end party?"
This was probably a bolt from the blue for them, but for me, it was just another stream segment.
Unlike these three, who were likely seeing their vision go dark, the other viewers were cheering.
[Whoa, right in the middle of all those big streamers lol]
[You're gonna be super famous lololol make your debut too, guys]
[An appearance on an S-rank Hunter's stream? That's a huge success lol]
"Now that I think about it, is it okay to stream during the party?"
I was a bit curious about this.
I definitely heard that streamers who don't show their faces were coming too...
Then, chats from people who also watch other streams started popping up.
[Doesn't seem to matter?]
[Yeah, people just handled it on their own, sensibly]
[And there are designated sections there, so some people set up cams in their spots]
looked like some people drop in for a light cameo.
I had already decided to go to the year-end party, so if I stream while I was there, it's killing two birds with one stone.
[Though one thing's for sure, you're gonna attract a ton of attention]
[With drones flying all over the place around you, there's no way you won't lolololol]
[Other streamers will probably be curious and come find you too]
[He streams with that crazy expensive equipment, I'd be curious no matter who I was]
"Then, shall I do a stream with my phone for the first time in a while?"
I thought a taste of something raw and unfiltered would be nice for a change.
Viewer opinions were split down the middle. Half said it's okay to do it, the other half said they wanted to keep watching from multiple angles like now.
"Well, I can just switch between them, so... wait a moment..."
My phone rang, and I checked the caller ID to see the Association President.
I briefly muted the mic and answered the call.
"Hunter Hoon, this isn't about anything else, but Max Morgan has come to visit."
"What does he want?"
"He definitely said he told you he was coming by...?"
"Ah, don't tell me..."
So that three-thousand-dollar donation was really from the actual Max Morgan?
A massive, macho hulk of a man watched my stream and sent donations?