Chapter 245
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 245
Chapter Title: The Ailing Hawk
-----------------------------------------------------------------
In a modern society overflowing with noise, I usually didn't keep my senses particularly attuned, but...
I hadn't even noticed Cheongsol getting so close.
I must have been too absorbed in my writing.
"What's up?"
I switched the computer to sleep mode and turned to Cheongsol.
- Kyuwook!
Of course, the little guy wasn't about to say, "Hello, Director. Sorry to interrupt, but I have urgent business."
Some spirits could talk, but this one... Well, the fact that it understood me was something.
It was cute, great at finding spirit plants full of energy, and cute was enough.
Cheongsol tapped at the window, as if urging me to follow.
Sorry, but this was the second floor?
I could go out that way, but climbing down the tree from the window felt a bit much.
"Got it, I'll head that way!"
Like any modern person, I circled back through the front door and started toward the direction Cheongsol was pointing.
"Huh?"
But the moment I stepped out the front door, I spotted an unfamiliar creature smack in the middle of the garden.
Of course, our house was already teeming with life.
The plants were a mix of what the previous owner had tended and the few I'd added myself, so I had a rough idea of what was there.
As for animals... aside from Cheongsol, there were plenty of uninvited guests.
Mostly arthropods, and at best, maybe reptiles.
"A bird buddy? That's a first."
A Northern goshawk perched boldly in the center of the garden was incredibly out of place.
'Do goshawks normally fly around Busan...?'
I'd seen them soaring in Sichuan now and then, but in Busan... Hmm. I wasn't the type to stare at the sky often, but this felt like ages since I'd last spotted one.
Usually, they perched on treetops or building roofs, right?
Why the middle of our garden?
- Kkikyuwoook!
"Cheongsol's friend?"
Did it call me out to introduce this one?
I approached with extreme caution.
The hawks I knew would bolt the second you got within a hundred meters.
This one seemed used to people and stayed right where it was.
"Nice to... Huh?"
The closer I got, the stranger the energy I sensed became.
Ordinary people or animals without cultivated inner energy had only the faintest auras.
You could sense their presence if you tried, sure.
But this one—not quite on Cheongsol's level, but definitely carrying spirit energy.
It was just fluctuating wildly from its poor condition.
"You hurt?"
Wing or leg injury?
Ah, so it had called me here to treat it.
"Not sure if you understand me. I'm coming closer to help, so don't fly off."
Whether it got my words or had already chatted with Cheongsol beforehand, it showed no resistance as I closed the distance.
In fact, when I got right up to it, the hawk extended its talon.
"Let me take a look."
I checked it over for injuries.
"..."
Everything looked fine.
Wings, legs—all of it.
At least to the naked eye, no wounds anywhere.
As a spirit creature, it probably wouldn't come to a human for something minor like a sprain...
- Kkiiing...
Suddenly, I noticed its breathing was off.
I didn't handle birds much, so it took me a second, but its head was trembling too.
Balance was shot.
- Kkik! Kkikyuuk!
It glanced urgently between Cheongsol and me, as if begging for treatment, but I couldn't quite figure out what was wrong.
I mean, veterinary medicine wasn't my specialty!
I couldn't even ask when it started or why, so I was stumped too.
All I could do was observe.
- Pooddeuddeuk!
It flapped its wings, but the feathers were all fluffed up and ragged.
Reaction time seemed sluggish too.
And mucus from the nose... Wait.
Runny nose? A cold? Some kind of contagion?
But as a spirit creature, it shouldn't be laid so low by a regular cold.
"...Avian flu?"
- Kkiiiii... Kkeuk!
- Kyuwoook!
Looked like I'd nailed it.
My guess: a friend or acquaintance of Cheongsol's, another spirit.
Got exposed to an infected bird somehow, or ate something bad.
Whatever the route, infection hit hard and fast.
Cheongsol must've seen it staggering and brought it here.
'What now?'
This was a real pickle.
For a human with avian flu, I'd recommend antivirals first, then supportive herbal treatment.
But from what I knew, birds with it...
Containing the spread came first.
Treatment took a backseat to culling or quarantine.
For poultry, news stories of thousands culled on suspicion alone were routine.
A protected species like the Northern goshawk might get different handling, and if a human insisted on treating it, maybe they'd allow it.
But since it'd trusted Cheongsol enough to come here, I doubted it'd stay calm through capture, crating, and a trip to an avian vet.
"Hang tight for a sec. I'll find something from my meds that might work."
Plan B: convince it or knock it out for the hospital trip.
For now, I rummaged for immediate options.
With my inner energy stores, maybe I could suppress the virus a little and boost its vitality enough for it to fight back on its own?
- Kkii.
The two spirits waited patiently in the garden while I searched.
It felt feverish—early-stage fever and inflammation raging.
Stamina critically depleted.
Tailoring meds without a history for a bird was impossible anyway.
And time was short.
I pulled out the herbal sample packs I'd gotten from that recent meeting with PK.
'Yin-Qiao Powder... Yin-Qiao Powder... Got it!'
A formula packed with anti-inflammatory gems like honeysuckle and forsythia.
I fed the soft extract right into the goshawk's beak.
"This'll smash that virus."
Thankfully, it didn't bolt and took the medicine nicely.
"This one's a tonic. It'll build your strength to pull through."
While it was eating well, I slipped in another dose.
Added Bojungikgi-tang too—astragalus, ginseng, atractylodes—to restore energy and amp immunity.
"The meds will help, but you've gotta beat it with your own power. Rest up and recover."
Whew. A leg or wing injury would've been a breeze to fix.
Treating a bird I suspected had avian flu? Total first for me.
'Too light a dose? Nah, it's way lighter than a human—one pack should suffice.'
The hawk flapped its wings, as if it understood.
"Think you can handle acupuncture?"
No verbal reply, but it didn't flee when I pulled out the needles.
I soothed it as best I could, placed the minimal set, and channeled energy straight into its blood points.
- Kkii. Kkiiiing.
- Kkwa! Kkwauu!
Done. I'd given it everything I could here.
Prayer was all that remained.
I nodded at its gesture of thanks, then opened the window to an unused first-floor room.
"Nights are chilly—don't wander off. Rest here. I'll feed you morning and evening."
No sense risking spread to other birds.
Warmer spot would be better for it too.
Glad I'd bought a house. In an apartment, I couldn't have brought it inside.
With that, I handed over a room to my animal pals and headed back upstairs.
I'd been careful about droplets and saliva, but just in case, I tossed my clothes in the wash and took another shower.
What kind of midnight nonsense was this?
I slid the mouse over, and the half-finished email popped up.
Right... I'd been replying to Sasha's check-in, recommending a few Seoul eateries.
'Oh, gotta add this story.'
Secret friends and all— this should be fine, yeah?
[Sasha, get this. Guess what happened while I was writing this email...]
I tacked on the bizarre tale of treating the goshawk.
Typing like I was chatting made the words flow effortlessly.
This'd blow Sasha away, right?
She wouldn't doubt it... Nah, a pop star who loved dungeons and inner energy? She'd buy it.
I grinned to myself as I finished the email.
For a second, I got why Sasha had whispered to me with that goofy smile.
Treatment done. Email sent.
With my senses faintly open, feeling the hawk and Cheongsol downstairs, I drifted off to sleep.
The next day.
Down in the room I'd given them, the hawk and Cheongsol were sleeping soundly in the warm spot.
They woke the instant they sensed me and came over.
"Alright, meds and needles time today~."
Felt like having an inpatient at home.
I couldn't take a bird's pulse, but I could tell its breathing had improved.
Way steadier than yesterday.
"Food first. Think you can eat?"
I whipped up some simple porridge using chicken breast from the fridge.
Hard to read a bird's expression, but it didn't seem thrilled.
Still, treating it like medicine, it slurped down what I offered.
Same formulas as yesterday, plus needles.
Now that it'd been through it once, it accepted without a fuss.
Good—dosage spot-on, and its own vitality holding strong.
Perfect, it was a holiday.
I studied English while checking on the two spirits now and then.
Picked an 8-week grammar crash course—the instructor was killer.
'Follow the curriculum, memorize vocab... Pen pal's perfect for reading and writing practice. Phone English next?'
By afternoon, a reply from Sasha.
First email took time—awkward vibes—but my quick response opened her up.
Solo traveling Korea? Gotta be bored sometimes.
'Whoa.'
Unlike the first one's health rundown, this was packed with everyday stuff.
And one bit jumped out from the long email.
[You treated a hawk??? OMG! That's so cool! A hawk! The fastest bird in the world, right?! Wow, when it recovers, you think it'll repay the favor? Gonna raise it? Train it as a messenger pigeon for letters to the US?]
I rubbed my forehead.
...Even in the martial world, folks occasionally raised and trained hawks.
Some for hunting, others—like the Hao Clan—for intel delivery.
And this one had spirit energy, so smarts and physical prowess way beyond a normal hawk.
Still, there were limits.
Crossing the Pacific? Come on.
I fired back to Sasha right away.
[That's a brilliant idea. But no matter how fast, this hawk won't beat the internet.]
Pigeon mail, she says. Appreciate modern tech, you lot!