Chapter 20
Chapter 20
'Alright, then.'
Now it was time to attend to the original task.
Joo Do-gyeom retrieved the Blessing Potion, Blessing of Abundance, from his inventory.
A single sip worth 5 billion won.
Without hesitation, he downed it.
『A blessing has been granted.』
『For one instance, ungraded item acquisition will be doubled.』
After confirming the message, Do-gyeom stood beneath the apple tree.
At the tip of a branch—
A single golden apple, plump and ripe, hung temptingly.
He reached out and plucked it.
Pluck.
The moment the fruit detached from the branch with a light sound—
Whoosh—!
The apple erupted in light.
The radiance split into two, settling into his palm with differing weights.
One apple had become two.
『You have obtained Adam's Apple (2).』
'Perfect.'
One for the chairman's daughter.
One for Eve's Gift.
Calculations complete.
The return on his 5-billion-won sip was overwhelmingly profitable.
Frankly, the information value of this single apple alone exceeded hundreds of billions right now.
To earn such an absurd sum from one sip—what better deal could there be?
'Is this the thrill merchants live for?'
With that idle thought, Do-gyeom carefully stored both apples in his inventory.
An unexpected trial.
An unexpected title.
Even an unexpected Leaf of the World Tree.
For a dungeon visit meant only to pluck a single Adam's Apple, his pockets had grown far too heavy.
'And the overwhelming strategy, too.'
Not a bad outcome.
Do-gyeom took one last look around Eden Garden's lush grasslands before speaking.
"Return to Earth."
『Confirmed.』
『User Joo Do-gyeom, returning to Earth.』
Same time.
Lee Young-sik, chairman of Taeseong Group, stood in silence, gazing down at the hospital bed.
Upon it lay his emaciated daughter, asleep.
Lee Seo-ah.
From childhood, she had been exceptionally bright and kind.
After his wife passed, she became his only remaining family, all the more precious to him.
The memory of her running toward him, laughing, calling Dad—it was still vivid in his mind.
Yet now, that same child had lain like a doll for two full years.
Unconsciously, his fists clenched.
Over the back of his hand, the weight of age settled.
"Joo Do-gyeom..."
The name slipped out in a low murmur.
The man who claimed to know of a cure.
Naturally, he'd had him investigated.
The results were disappointing.
He was no notable figure in the hunter industry.
No—he hadn't even been a hunter for more than a few months.
Until recently, he'd been an ordinary young man loading and unloading goods at a logistics center.
That was the Joo Do-gyeom on paper.
A background impossible to trust.
And yet—
'Those eyes... What were they?'
The man in person didn't match the documents.
Pitch-black pupils that hadn't wavered even when told to stake his life.
Lee Young-sik was a man who had climbed from the third son's position to chairman solely by his ability to read people.
And his instincts told him—
Those were not the eyes of an ordinary young man.
Yet, regardless, he couldn't bring himself to hope too much.
Not because he distrusted Do-gyeom, but because experience had taught him better.
Frankly, even veteran hunters with over a decade of experience had failed.
As if reading his thoughts—
His secretary, Kang Tae-woo, standing beside him, spoke quietly.
"We continue to recruit new hunters. Even if this attempt fails, we'll be ready to proceed immediately with the next."
Though his words used if, the implication was clear.
He, too, held no expectations for Joo Do-gyeom.
The statement was already framed around failure.
Young-sik nodded in reply.
"...Right."
The next attempt.
Always the next.
Two years' worth of next attempts had piled up, yet he couldn't stop.
Then—
Bzzzt.
A vibration hummed from Kang Tae-woo's pocket.
After excusing himself to take the call, his eyebrows twitched sharply.
A voice tinged with subdued anger escaped him.
"Joo Do-gyeom has returned?"
Young-sik's head snapped toward him.
He checked his watch.
Only half a day had passed since the man left the estate.
Joo Do-gyeom stepped through the door to Seo-ah's room and naturally took a seat on the sofa in the reception area.
Lee Young-sik, upon seeing him, spoke in a voice laced with anger.
"An unusually quick time to give up. Did you lose your nerve at the last moment?"
He hadn't taken Do-gyeom for that type.
Cutting off his own trailing thought, Young-sik studied Do-gyeom's face.
Still, no discernible emotion.
Not even a flicker in his eyes.
Then why?
What reason could he have for returning so soon?
'Don't tell me...?'
Just as an absurd thought surfaced in his mind—
Do-gyeom spoke.
"I've retrieved the cure."
"...That shouldn't be possible."
Young-sik muttered the words unconsciously.
He'd considered the possibility, but it was still too unbelievable.
Do-gyeom didn't bother with lengthy explanations.
Instead, he simply retrieved Adam's Apple from his inventory and placed it on the reception table.
Gulp.
Under the light, the faint golden sheen of the apple made Young-sik swallow dryly before speaking.
"...Explain."
"Adam's Apple. Consuming it alone can awaken anyone."
"...!!"
Young-sik's eyes widened.
Anyone can awaken.
A common phrase in this era—since awakening occurs the moment one enters a dungeon.
But mana-sick patients, who require dungeon entry, cannot undergo the process.
Because they cannot move of their own will.
Yet now, this golden apple before him—merely feeding it to them would solve that?
He wanted to believe it.
Desperately.
But his head refused to nod.
And for good reason.
How many before Do-gyeom had made similar claims?
Talismans, holy water, elixirs—
All promised solutions with mere use.
Yet none had worked.
In the case of talismans, one had even cursed his daughter further.
The ordeal of undoing that alone had drained him.
It was also the catalyst for his growing fury toward hunters who deceived him.
And now—an apple?
'Adam's Apple...'
This wasn't a matter for deep contemplation.
Young-sik turned to Kang Tae-woo.
"Have it verified."
With a bow, Tae-woo took the apple and left.
Young-sik's gaze returned to Do-gyeom.
"You worked in delivery until recently, didn't you?"
"Correct."
"You've been a hunter for less than a year."
"That's right."
"Are you naturally fearless?"
"..."
For the first time, Do-gyeom hesitated.
Not for lack of words, but as if pondering.
After a moment, he replied.
"Not naturally. More like... I became this way."
If he thought about it, the Do-gyeom of this timeline had originally been quite timid.
So much so that even in difficult circumstances, he hadn't dared consider becoming a hunter.
'Even five years later, he saw no other choice.'
Looking back, he'd changed quite a bit.
Young-sik interpreted his demeanor differently.
'His parents are both deceased. No siblings either.'
Left suddenly alone in the world, with no brothers or sisters.
No surprise if a person changed.
Young-sik exhaled deeply.
"Hah... So, what did you come here seeking? Honor? Money? Or—"
"Money. Or perhaps an item."
No hesitation in his answer.
Bordering on rudeness, yet that very bluntness made him seem more genuine.
Studying him with calm eyes, Young-sik spoke again.
"Right now, I sincerely hope you're not a fraud."
"Is that so?"
"Preferably, I'd rather not have to kill you."
"That's a relief."
Still unshaken even before the prospect of death, Do-gyeom continued.
"Not that it'll come to that."
His voice brimmed with confidence.
Just then—
Knock knock.
After the sound at the door, Kang Tae-woo entered.
On the wide tray in his right hand sat a small glass pitcher filled with what appeared to be golden liquid—the apple, finely juiced—alongside a syringe-like dispenser.
Tae-woo spoke.
"No abnormalities were detected in the examination. As for the system message—"
His gaze flicked briefly to Do-gyeom.
"—it matched what Hunter Joo Do-gyeom described."
"I see."
Though astonishing, Young-sik nodded composedly.
The system didn't lie.
But in this era, humans could still layer lies atop it.
Young-sik rose and approached Tae-woo.
"I'll do it myself."
"Yes."
Taking the tray from his secretary, Young-sik glanced once toward his daughter's room at the back of the reception area before turning his gaze fully to Do-gyeom.
He asked:
"Will you follow me in?"
"Is that acceptable?"
"You'll need to see the results with your own eyes to believe them."
His voice and eyes still brimmed with distrust.
Do-gyeom stood.
"Let's go."
Without a word, Young-sik nodded and led the way.
Do-gyeom followed, with Tae-woo bringing up the rear.
Though unspoken, a faint killing intent emanated from him.
A silent warning—try anything, and I'll act immediately.
Do-gyeom mused.
'Kang Tae-woo, secretary of Taeseong Group.'
In the future, he would die during the Seoul Invasion, but until then, he'd built quite a reputation as a hunter.
If they fought now—could he win?
Running through various scenarios, a smile unconsciously touched his lips.
Noticing it, Tae-woo's expression hardened further.
The killing intent thickened.
Do-gyeom paid it no mind.
To a regressor like him, this level of hostility was almost endearing.
'If anything, it sharpens my senses. Feels good.'
His smile only deepened.
Inside Seo-ah's room.
Lee Young-sik, holding the pitcher of apple juice, pulled a chair to his daughter's bedside and sat.
Then, carefully, he parted her dry lips and inserted the dispenser, letting the juice trickle in.
Seo-ah's throat moved instinctively in her sleep.
Once, twice... five times.
After over ten such administrations, the entire Adam's Apple had entered her system.
The dimly lit room fell silent.
No reaction from Seo-ah. No noticeable change.
The heavy stillness stretched past 30 seconds.
Nearly 100 seconds later—
Just as Tae-woo, having endured enough, opened his mouth to speak—
Flash—!
A brilliant golden light erupted from Seo-ah's body.
The radiance filled the room, stealing the breath from all present.
It swirled around her, enveloping her entirely before—
Slowly, as if seeping inward, it faded.
Or more accurately—it was absorbed into her.
Young-sik, forgetting to breathe, stared before hastily checking his daughter's face.
One glance was enough.
She was different.
The pallor of her skin was giving way to a healthy flush.
Her dry lips regained their sheen.
And—
Her long, thick eyelashes.
Flutter.
They trembled.
For the first time in two years—any reaction at all.
Overcome, Young-sik cried out.
"Seo-ah...!"
Then—
Her closed eyelids slowly lifted.
Beyond the faint haze still clouding her dark pupils, his own reflection stared back.
'Ah...!'
As he opened his mouth again, voice thick with emotion—
"Da...ddy?"
His daughter, Lee Seo-ah, called to him.
Young-sik's lips stilled.
Instead, tears streamed down his cheeks.
The man known as ruthless—
Weeping for the first time in decades.