Chapter 41
Chapter 41
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: A Desperate Cure
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Chacha, having been moved to the penthouse, was lying on the living room sofa.
Because Haon had thrown away the bed, there was no place softer than the sofa.
Solmae, who had been examining Chacha, put down his stethoscope.
“The painkillers aren’t working.”
“Wh-why? What do we do then?”
Bani didn’t know what to do, tightly holding the hand of Chacha, who was writhing in pain.
When Solmae shook his head as if there was nothing he could do, Bani’s gaze turned to Haon.
“Haon…”
Haon didn’t feel at ease either.
Although the side effects were caused by mana, caring for a patient was beyond her abilities.
Mana Engineering could create medical devices, but it couldn’t cure diseases, which was why she had called Solmae. He might be unlicensed, but he was the best doctor in the Old District.
“I wonder how much of that Awakening Agent she took.”
Solmae, too, seemed to know about the potions circulating in the underworld.
“Sir. Do many people with these symptoms come to your clinic?”
“More than a few, but this is the first time I’ve seen a case this severe. Her condition is so bad that even painkillers have no effect. It could get worse.”
“…”
With a bitter expression, Haon studied Chacha’s pale face.
To Haon, not ‘Eun Haon’, she was still just one of the villains she couldn’t trust.
A person who might suddenly grab a weapon and rob a bank, or start printing counterfeit money.
At the same time, she was someone who cherished and warmly cared for Bani, and who wasn’t unkind to her either.
Even if she wouldn’t go out of her way to be nice, she didn’t want to be cruel, and she wanted to help if asked.
‘But how…?’
Things like Awakening or forced Awakening were new to Haon as well.
She hadn't yet found a way to nullify the Awakening Agent.
If Chacha’s body had been suitable for mana in the first place, she would have Awakened around the age of ten.
Nova had also used an Awakening Sphere to Awaken, but seeing as his only side effects were changes in his hair and eye color, his body must have had a decent compatibility with mana to begin with.
“Keuk!”
Just then, Chacha’s eyes flew open, and she writhed, clutching her throat.
“!”
“Aah! H-Haon! Haon!”
As Haon and Bani’s faces paled, Solmae quickly pried open Chacha’s mouth to check.
“She’s having trouble breathing. Her airway has swollen shut.”
He then took a long tube from his bag and pushed it into her gasping mouth.
“S-Sir! Is that okay?”
“It’s not. But what can I do? We have to at least create an airway for her right now.”
Solmae tried his best to clear Chacha’s airway, but her throat was too swollen and his tools were rudimentary, making it difficult to insert the tube.
Haon pressed a hand against her anxiously pounding chest.
So people die here, too.
People die everywhere, of course, but watching someone you know lose their life in front of you felt strangely unnatural, as if it defied the laws of nature.
In that moment, the most absurd thing in the world becomes ‘the death of a familiar face.’
How many more? Who’s going to die next?
Countless screams and cries echoed in Haon’s ears.
“Haon!”
“!”
At Bani’s tearful cry, she lifted her head.
“P-please do something. Please save Chacha.”
“But I’m not a doctor…”
“Please! Haon, please. Please save Chacha!”
Bani begged, tears streaming down her face.
Haon’s gaze, trembling slightly, flickered between Chacha’s pained face and Solmae before she stood by the sofa, her mind made up.
I don’t know anymore…!
“Sir. Please hold Chacha down so she doesn’t struggle.”
“What are you planning to do?”
“Whatever it takes.”
She then placed a hand on Chacha’s heaving chest and pressed down firmly.
She couldn’t manipulate mana with her bare hands, but she could sense its flow.
The unnatural mana mixture was tormenting Chacha, stuck to the walls of her blood vessels like gum. It was tightly twisted and clumped, and it didn’t look like it would come off easily.
Haon sat down below the sofa, held her phone with both hands, and began to work.
“Blue. I need to separate the mana.”
[Scanning Chacha’s body. The mana is tightly entangled with other components of the drug. Separation in its current state is difficult.]
“I know. That’s why I’m going to convert the mana into a liquid state.”
She wasn’t a doctor; she was a mana engineer. Since she didn’t know how to untangle a thread with gum stuck all over it, she decided to change the properties of the thread itself.
[To synthesize with a liquid component instead of radio waves, I need to know the quantity and structure of said component.]
Having studied the short-term Awakening Agent for days, she had a perfect grasp of its components and their ratios.
Without a hint of hesitation, Haon’s fingers flew across her phone’s keyboard.
Countless letters and equations scrolled across the screen, and a blue light flickered around Chacha like electrical wires.
Bani and Solmae couldn’t tear their eyes away from the incredible sight, yet they worried about what exactly Haon was doing.
Before long, the mana filling Chacha’s body bonded with hydrogen and oxygen.
[Bodily mana successfully synthesized with water!]
‘It worked…!’
The mana, converted into a liquid, separated from the gum-like residue of the Awakening Agent and trickled away.
With the mana gone, the other components, tangled up like filth, slowly began to move through her bloodstream.
Since Chacha’s body wasn’t compatible with mana, the liquefied mana would be expelled through sweat or excretion.
The other toxic components would torment Chacha for a while longer, but she trusted that Solmae would be able to handle that.
“…Her body temperature is returning to normal.”
Solmae muttered in amazement at Chacha’s visibly improving condition.
Her face was still pale and she was covered in a cold sweat, but her breathing had stabilized, and the grotesquely swollen muscles and veins were slowly subsiding.
Finally seeming to relax, Bani collapsed onto the floor.
“Thank goodness. I really thought she was going to die…”
“What did you do?”
Solmae was perplexed, even checking Chacha’s pulse again, but Haon couldn’t find the words to explain.
“Well… I took a special component that’s hard to observe… and like melting ice into water…”
Haon trailed off, her words faltering. A light went on in her head.
‘Couldn’t I make a patch that nullifies potions this way?’
What if she could create a patch that induced bodily mana to bond with hydrogen and oxygen, and then shoot it like a gun?
Haon shot up, phone in hand.
“I just thought of something I have to do. Please take care of Chacha, sir. I’ve given you both access to the first floor and the rooftop, so feel free to use the cafe. I’ll be busy.”
She rushed out a string of words and ran for the door.
“Haon.”
She turned at the call that followed the sound of footsteps and found Bani giving her a sudden hug.
“!”
Bani held the completely frozen Haon in a tight embrace before letting go.
“Thank you. Chacha is all I have.”
Then, her eyes darted around as she added.
“Well, I have you now too, Haon. Anyway, thank you for saving her.”
After an awkward nod, Haon blankly watched Bani’s back as she returned to Chacha’s side.
She must really care about Chacha. Her reaction was completely different from when ‘Eun Haon’ had died.
It felt strange to be hugged by the same girl who had come to rob the house when ‘Eun Haon’ died.
As she headed for her lab, Haon rubbed the spot on her chest where the warmth lingered.
* * *
The Central District, located between the Old and New Districts, was home to Hero Headquarters and other public and cultural institutions, making it more heavily guarded than other areas.
The patrols, notoriously lax elsewhere, were exceptionally strict in the Central District, making it a place that villains tended to avoid.
Long after closing time, a light flickered on in a corner of the history museum, and people began to walk in with heavy steps.
In the wide corridor between the first and second exhibition halls, chairs were arranged in a circle.
Those who took their seats in the order they arrived were the five bosses of the Old District.
Cue of District 1.
Halla of District 2.
Two-Shot of District 3.
Rusty of District 4.
Weaver of District 5.
And at the end of their uncomfortable gazes was the leader of the Heroes.
“Looks like everyone made it on time.”
As Hunter surveyed the five bosses, Two-Shot rolled his eyes in dissatisfaction.
“I know why you called us, but we haven’t even had a proper taste yet.”
“It’s the same for District 1. And unlike the other districts, we haven’t caused any trouble.”
As Cue from District 1 agreed, Halla glared at him.
“Trouble? Are you saying we caused trouble?”
“What is picking a fight with a Hero who was minding their own business if not trouble?”
“Cue. Aren’t you the one most likely to take a potion and terrorize Hero Headquarters?”
Cue bristled at Rusty’s remark.
“Who are you to act so dignified when all you do is covet other people’s districts?”
“You make it sound like I’m the only one with my eye on another district.”
Rusty smirked, glancing toward Two-Shot. Cue had also been eyeing Two-Shot’s territory.
Weaver, who had been listening to the argument in silence, spoke to Halla.
“As for me, I too find it regrettable that you failed to control your subordinates.”
The calm tone brought the fierce argument to a halt.
Hunter, who had been watching the bosses while leaning against a wall, walked over and sat in an empty chair.
“What I want to know is the source of the potion.”