15
15 - Intense Chemical Reaction
Jin-woo, who was rushed to the emergency room, ended up being hospitalized.
Two weeks of treatment. It wasn't a minor injury, but receiving treatment only two weeks after fighting that battle was rather fortunate.
The hospital room Jin-woo was admitted to was a six-person room, and even with money, he couldn't get a private room. Due to the opening of the 0th Realm, Hunters who were injured kept pouring in, filling up all the hospital rooms to capacity.
At least being able to get into a six-person room instead of a makeshift bed at a temporary relief center was thanks to the Management Bureau's arrangements.
Mayor Ma Du-sik's hint to take care of Jin-woo's convenience seemed to be working well in all sorts of trivial places.
Focusing on physical recovery in the hospital room, he spent leisurely time for the first time in a while. In the hospital room where there wasn't much to do, there was plenty of time to think, and he spent a lot of time reflecting on this incident.
'The inventory works properly now.'
After receiving treatment and regaining consciousness, the first thing Jin-woo checked was his inventory.
The inventory, which wouldn't open as if it had malfunctioned, now opened well. The items inside remained properly as well. The white gem sword, the supplied iron sword, and the fang dagger were all intact.
'Why didn't it work in the 0th Realm? Was there something blocking subspace in the Elf mansion?'
Otherwise, there was no reason for the inventory not to work only there.
It was puzzling, but there was no way to verify it. Re-entry to an abandoned trial was impossible, and the same trial would never come down again.
While thinking it was fortunate that it had returned to normal, on the other hand, he felt very regretful.
'All of that was worth so much...'
It was too regrettable that he couldn't collect a single corpse from those many Werewolves.
If he had collected them all, he could have easily made billions, but he had thrown it all away.
Despite killing so many monsters, his profit was 0 won. He gained nothing - no monster corpses, no magic stones, no excellent items, no outstanding abilities.
But.
Still, he had gained a lot.
'The flame inside my body has grown.'
First, the size of the blue flame burning within Jin-woo's inner self had grown incomparably larger than before.
It had grown by absorbing the flames of hundreds of Werewolves and even the leader's flame. It seemed to have grown at least twice as large as before.
If asked what he could do with that enlarged flame, he didn't know yet... But it didn't feel bad. The vitality filling his body seemed to have greatly increased compared to before, and his condition was at its peak.
Except for having to be confined in a boring hospital for two weeks due to his injury, he had no complaints whatsoever.
And next, he had become even more familiar with the sword.
'When I first awakened my sword ability, I thought I was already familiar with it.'
From that time, there was no awkwardness in holding a sword, and it was as natural as my own arm. That's why I thought it was an ability. The ability to handle even a sword held for the first time like a beloved weapon used for many years.
Whether it was a long sword or a dagger, even a kitchen knife picked up for fish preparation felt perfectly comfortable in his hand, so it was reasonable to think so.
So I thought I couldn't become more familiar than this, but after going to and returning from the 0th Realm, I felt I had become even closer to the sword.
Indeed, the old saying that there is no end to learning was absolutely right. Until now, I had only focused on training and mastering the techniques I possessed, but there was still plenty of room for the techniques themselves to develop.
There is no end to the sword. Realizing this fact might be the greatest harvest from this Gate.
Several days passed like that.
Focusing on physical recovery, Jin-woo spent time only with thoughts and contemplation. There was no time to be bored. He had swung his sword to his heart's content in the 0th Realm, and time passed smoothly just by reviewing that.
Then a small commotion was heard from the corridor.
-Ma, Mayor, isn't it!? What brings you here...
-I heard an acquaintance was injured, so I came to visit. Is room 304 this way?
-Yes, yes! I'll guide you.
Soon after, Mayor Ma Du-sik entered the hospital room accompanied by a nurse. Perhaps because the small-statured nurse was with him, Ma Du-sik stood out even more.
"Ma, Mayor?"
"Is that really the Mayor?"
The people in the hospital room widened their eyes and whispered. They were surprised to suddenly see in the hospital someone they had only seen on TV.
As if accustomed to such gazes, Ma Du-sik politely greeted the people in the hospital room and then approached Jin-woo. He pulled out a chair from under the hospital bed and sat down heavily.
"I heard the news. I heard you were badly injured."
"It's nothing serious. They're all wounds that will heal."
"Hmm? Hahaha. Well, if they're wounds with no aftereffects and no permanent disability, then they're nothing serious. How is your recovery?"
"The doctor says it's fine."
Originally, they were supposed to meet around this time to have a meal together. They had planned to be treated at Jeongun, a restaurant especially famous in Seoul, but it was canceled due to the opening of the 0th Realm and Jin-woo's hospitalization.
"We'll have that meal next time, right? It's not canceled completely, is it?"
"Of course. After you're discharged, and by then the next Gate will probably open, so after you return from there, I'll treat you once. There won't be a shortage of drinking snacks."
After returning from a Gate, there would be plenty of stories for drinking sessions again. If we went to a restaurant like Jeongun, there's no way we wouldn't drink.
After firmly making the promise, Ma Du-sik asked.
"How was the 0th Realm?"
"I failed. It was quite difficult."
When Jin-woo shrugged and spoke, Ma Du-sik laughed heartily.
"That can happen. The 0th Realm is particularly difficult, so many fail - don't be disheartened. Originally, Hunter Kang Jin-woo specializes in exploration, so it would be unreasonable to raid a monster den alone."
Ma Du-sik offered words of comfort, but in fact, what Jin-woo meant by difficult was completely different.
The trial itself wasn't difficult at all. The content of the trial was to raid an Elf mansion, but the mansion was already burning due to a Werewolf attack.
Jin-woo just had to kill that last remaining child. No, even if he didn't kill directly, just watching would have cleared the trial.
It was an easy task, but also the most difficult task.
"What was the trial target? For novice Hunters, Goblin villages appear most frequently."
"It was something similar. It wasn't Goblins, though."
He gave vague answers to Ma Du-sik, who asked about the trial.
How could he explain that the target was actually an Elf mansion, which was already burning from a Werewolf attack, he slashed Werewolves there, but actually saved the target Elf and brought them back?
"I see. Anyway, I'm glad to see you looking healthy. Let's visit Jeongun after you return from the next Gate."
"I'll be looking forward to it."
It wasn't empty words - he was really looking forward to it. After sending Ma Du-sik away like that, the next day.
This time, Shartia came to visit.
At the appearance of a beauty so stunning it made eyes spin, the people in the hospital room held their breath. Despite the age differences, they were all men, so they couldn't help but steal glances at Shartia.
The hospital room, which had been filled only with the smell of disinfectant, suddenly felt as if a forest fragrance was wafting through.
"How's your body? Looks like you had a hard time in the 0th Realm."
"It was rough."
Watching Jin-woo sigh and joke around, Shartia smiled.
"Still, it's good that you're safe. Can you tell me what happened? If you don't want to talk about it, I understand."
"It's a bit awkward here, shall we go to the rooftop?"
"Is it okay for you to move?"
"I'm almost fully recovered, so it's fine."
Jin-woo took Shartia up to the hospital rooftop.
The rooftop had a small walking path and garden arranged for patients to do light exercise or leisure activities.
Sitting together on a bench, this time Jin-woo took out canned coffee from his inventory and handed it to Shartia.
"I'll enjoy it."
"Actually, I met an Elf in the 0th Realm."
"Oh really?"
"The raid target was an Elf. There was a large mansion built intertwined with a forest, and I was told to raid it."
"That's worth failing."
Raiding an Elf mansion was an absurdly difficult trial for the current Jin-woo. Shartia nodded in understanding that failing was natural.
But Jin-woo shook his head.
"Actually, the Elf mansion was already under attack. At least hundreds of Werewolves were burning the mansion and killing all the Elves."
"Hmm..."
Shartia frowned slightly as she could imagine the rather horrific scene. She silently urged only for the next part of the story.
"At first, I thought I'd just stay still, but there was a child who looked about 4-5 years old. I ended up taking them and running away."
"If they looked about 4-5 years old, being an Elf, they would be about 50 years old."
"That would be right. Anyway, I took the child and ran away, and the trial failed like that."
"Did you escape well?"
"The escape was successful. Though I paid the price of two weeks of treatment."
Shartia was relieved that it was still fortunate. Failing the trial didn't matter. It was a trial of the 0th Realm that not only novice Hunters but also quite a few high-ranking Hunters failed.
The top priority was escaping without major injury, and while Jin-woo was hurt, it wasn't an injury that would leave aftereffects, so it was fine.
"By the way, can I ask about some Elvish?"
"What is it?"
"What does &@# mean?"
Jin-woo asked about something that had suddenly come to mind. The word the injured child kept searching for.
"It means mother."
"..."
"Looking at your expression, it doesn't seem like you heard it in a good situation."
Feeling sorry that his guess was correct, Jin-woo smiled bitterly. He silently drank his canned coffee. Unlike what he had given Shartia, Jin-woo's was cold iced coffee.
"Jin-woo. Since we have the opportunity, would you like to learn Elvish from me? I naturally knew it when I awakened my ability, but it seems you haven't recalled the language yet."
"Elvish? I'd love to."
Shartia firmly believed that Jin-woo's previous life was an Elf. On the other hand, Jin-woo was fifty-fifty.
It seemed he had some connection with Elves, so there was a possibility he was an Elf, but he might not be.
So the offer to teach Elvish was even more grateful. Going to Gates in the future, there would be more occasions to clash with Elves.
At those times, only understanding the enemy's words would have sufficient merit.
"Good. Then I'll teach you whenever I have time for a while."
"But don't you need to return to New York?"
"Oh, I decided to become a citizen here. I'm a Seoul person now."
"I see... What? Naturalize?"
Jin-woo was startled by the bombshell statement that came out of nowhere.
Naturalization - did that mean completely changing nationality? From New York to Seoul? An S-rank Hunter?
"As neighbors in the same city, please take care of me from now on, Jin-woo."
"Ah, yes. Welcome, Shartia."
"I don't know much about Seoul, so please teach me a lot. I'll also teach you Elvish well."
"Of course."
They shook hands and made such a promise somewhat bewilderedly.
***
An S-rank Hunter naturalizing - it was an issue with considerable impact.
Each S-rank Hunter has precious power and human resources with unimaginably high value.
Receiving requests from other cities and performing missions was one thing, but completely changing nationality was an entirely different story.
-[Breaking News] New York's S-rank Hunter Shartia announces naturalization.
-New York's Druid Shartia reveals naturalization stance.
-Shartia "Found great charm in Seoul".
As if there was a predetermined timing, articles poured out all at once.
Naturally, the internet was in a state close to chaos, and it was the same in reality.
"Jin-woo sir, Jin-woo sir. Isn't this Miss Shartia the lady who came to visit you recently?"
The grandfather using the bed next to Jin-woo's asked.
"Yes, that's right."
"My goodness, that lady was an S-rank Hunter. I thought she had an unusual presence. Isn't that right, grandmother?"
"You just had your eyes spinning because she was pretty, what presence..."
"That's not it!"
The grandfather and grandmother bickered, and another patient in the hospital room also asked Jin-woo. Whether that woman was really an S-rank Hunter, what their relationship was, how amazing it was for an S-rank to naturalize to Seoul, etc.
It was only this much because it was a hospital room, but currently, the world was bustling with this story.
Wherever people gathered, everyone talked about Shartia.
An S-rank Hunter, and moreover one called a Druid, moving nationality to Seoul - it couldn't help but become a hot topic.
When he turned on the TV in the hospital room, the news was also in the middle of talking about Shartia. Her interview appeared, talking about the reasons that made her decide to naturalize to Seoul.
-That's right. I was already thinking of leaving New York, so I was looking around various cities, and Seoul caught my eye.
-Wow, as a Seoul citizen, this is really something to be proud of. May I ask what aspects caught your eye?
-First of all...
Several reasons came up, but from what Jin-woo heard, they weren't reasons that really resonated. Probably hiding the real reason.
He was curious what reasons there might be, but forcing someone to reveal what they're hiding wouldn't be polite.
The interview continued in full swing, and the reporter praised Shartia's appearance and achievements with exaggerated reactions.
Especially regarding her appearance, you could feel the sincerity and admiration to the degree that even the female reporter spoke that way, so there definitely seemed to be something mysteriously unusual about Elf's appearance.
Like that, all of Seoul heated up in a festive atmosphere of excitement. Not just any S-rank Hunter, but that Druid.
Experts and ordinary people alike were all busy predicting how much she would bring to Seoul.
However, it wasn't all good news. Every incident was like two sides of a coin - if there was a front, there was also a back.
-New York City Hall and Hunter Management Bureau's position statement. Very regrettable.
-Fierce criticism from Tokyo, New York's ally. Even the bizarre expression that stealing S-rank Hunters goes against international morality...
-Beijing, whatever Seoul promised, we'll give three times that, so come to Beijing...
Like watching an intense chemical reaction, there were startled reactions from all sorts of places.