Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Cursed Heart

An office located in Yongsan.

A man with a neat impression who was in the middle of document work slightly raised his head.

The name written above the name tag attached to the chest.

Section chief, Park Dan.

“...Snow wood monster?”

At Park Dan's question, the man sitting in front nodded.

“That's right.”

“That's nothing special.”

“Originally it is.”

“Originally···?”

Park Dan furrowed his brow.

“I don't like riddles. So speak directly, investigation department team leader Hwang Chan-seung. Just what did you see that you're making a fuss?”

The man with a body as thick as a rock, Hwang Chan-seung grinned.

“I saw a monster.”

“What monster is a snow wood monster? It's a common rock plant.”

“It was an undead snow wood monster. The stem alone reaching 30m.”

“What is that···?”

Park Dan was speechless.

“What undead is a tree? Moreover, do you know what a plant stem is? Not branches, not roots, only the stem 30m?”

“Investigating, it was so. Even just measuring the length took a long time.”

“What was that guy doing in the crystal cave?”

“It was sucking a lot of mana. Mana that had pooled above the cliff for a long time accidentally flowed into the dead fellow.”

“...My god.”

Park Dan who pushed away the documents he was processing extended his hand.

He received the pad from Hwang Chan-seung and checked the photos.

“Is there even a crazy plant bastard like this. It completely swallowed the inside of the cliff?”

“That's right.”

“Your words are correct. This bastard, it was really a monster.”

Hwang Chan-seung shook his head.

“The monster I said isn't this though.”

“Then? There's more of this plant bastard?”

“No, not a plant but a person.”

“...Hmm?”

Park Dan's finger flipped the screen quickly.

Soon the gaze stopped.

Above the empty air.

The place where hundreds of roots stopped.

Empty in the photo.

Originally there would have been a person.

“...A mage?”

“That's right.”

Next page.

Huge claw marks engraved above the huge tree stem.

“Shape transformation.”

“Quite a level.”

“But only a front paw. The essence of true shape transformation···.”

“It's the fourth entry.”

Park Dan narrowed his eyes.

What nonsense is this again.

He beckoned his chin as if to explain.

“It was the fourth entry into the labyrinth. There's a somewhat smart information department fellow named Lee Heeyeon, it was caught in the fellow's radar. Completed shape transformation in exactly the fourth entry.”

“Absurd words.”

“I also think so, but fact is fact.”

“If that's fact, I'll resign from the position···.”

Suddenly Park Dan's gaze stopped at the last page.

[Used emergency evacuation passage]

[Deducted points: 3,150]

Emergency passage used only in urgent situations.

The points automatically deducted while passing there are as much as 3150 points.

That means.

This person obtained 30,000 points in the labyrinth.

And below that.

A clearly written message.

[Labyrinth entry count: 4]

“This is crazy···.”

Park Dan put down the pad with a trembling hand.

Words don't even come to mind properly.

A mage who succeeded partial highest-level shape transformation in four labyrinth entries.

Has such a case existed even once in the Republic of Korea?

“The report wasn't leaked outside. Me who directly visited the site upon receiving the rescue request, and agent Lee Heeyeon who secretly grasped the situation and disposed of it. And only the team leader knows.”

Park Dan clutched his head.

“Then why did you tell me? I'm already at the point of my head bursting from too much work.”

“...Oh dear. You didn't know?”

Looking at the suffering superior, Hwang Chan-seung grinned.

“Originally work concentrates on people who do it well.”

#

Right after killing the snow wood monster, I immediately lost consciousness.

Opening my eyes, it's the hospital intensive care room.

Of course it wasn't a reality hospital.

It was a treatment facility constructed inside the tower by the state paying a large amount of points.

After waking up, I suffered a bit.

There was no physical injury but mentally it wasn't.

Headache tightening the head every time blood flow passes.

Tinnitus and hallucinations periodically ringing in the ears.

Even the appearance of the dead Lee Heeja floating before my eyes.

Right. Unluckily it was Lee Heeja of all people.

It would have been good if mom and dad appeared instead.

“Fortunate.”

Yes, fortunate.

After two days passed, the symptoms disappeared.

The taut mental string also loosened to some extent.

“That string is medically called mental tension. Awakeners call it spirit thread.”

A middle-aged person wearing a doctor's gown smiled softly.

“There was almost no trauma, but the internal state was quite serious. Honestly I thought maybe couldn't recover but···the patient's mental strength was truly amazingly strong.”

···Was it that serious.

Hearing the doctor's words directly, I freshly felt it.

How big a crisis I overcame.

“Occasionally in the case of awakeners who extremely exclude body use and focus only on mental cultivation, this kind of abnormal mental ability is discovered but···.”

···Hmm.

It seems like I just heard it now.

The origin of my abnormally strong mental strength.

Did the 8 years of forced mental cultivation have an effect.

“...Anyway, it seems sufficiently recovered at this level.”

“Then is visitation allowed now?”

“Yes. The waiting visitation···.”

The doctor who pushed up his glasses narrowed his eyes.

Then slightly raised the corners of his mouth.

“Quite popular. There are quite a few people hoping for visitation.”

A while later.

The first visitation counterpart entered.

Alteon workshop master Lee Ju-ha.

Shield security team leader Lee Chan.

Both ran over in a hurry as soon as they saw me.

“A-are you okay?”

“We worried a lot, mage!”

Both appearances were completely a mess.

As if not recovered even with potions, the whole body was full of wounds.

Seeing wounds as if cut and stabbed by blades, I freshly feel it.

While I succeeded magic above Mana Thread.

How desperately they continued the fight below.

“You suffered a lot.”

I carefully heard the situation at the time.

Everyone put in desperate effort to endure until the magic was completed somehow.

Fortunately the operation succeeded.

There were injured but no dead.

Fortunate considering facing the worst situation.

“By the way, how did you fell the guy?”

The eyes of team leader Lee Chan who asked sparkled.

“Didn't you see?”

“...Ah, yes. The combat below was so intense moreover···the flame was so intense I couldn't even raise my head.”

“I-I also didn't see···hahaha.”

Lee Ju-ha also glanced at me while scratching his head.

He seems to want to hear it quite a bit.

I didn't talk up to shape transformation, and roughly made up that I suppressed with overwhelming firepower.

Seeing the sparkling eyes of the two.

It seemed sufficient with just that.

“...This is our sincerity for saving our lives.”

I opened the small bag Lee Ju-ha workshop master handed over.

Interior filled with shock-absorbing lining.

One ring with a small cubic embedded was inside.

I placed my hand above it.

[Ring of the Snow Mountain]

Lee Ju-ha opened his mouth.

“A ring made by processing the gem discovered at the place the huge snow wood monster died. Appraisal wasn't done, but thinking of the guy's weight class, it's thought to be considerable level equipment.”

“...Thank you. I'll use it well.”

Then we lightly conversed.

The two proposed rewards in reality too but I refused.

Gaining fame in reality is premature.

A matter to think about after cultivating sufficient power to protect myself.

The conversation flowed pleasantly throughout.

In a way, I was the one who summoned the snow wood monster.

But no one brought up words about that and quietly left the hospital room.

Knock knock knock.

The next person who visited was staff member Lee Heeyeon.

She first gave thanks.

“Thank you for saving me.”

Retreat and transport, even treatment.

I heard Lee Heeyeon who happened to be on duty took responsibility for everything.

But unexpectedly she didn't care much about that fact.

“Rescuing an awakener who had an accident in the labyrinth is a natural thing. By the way···.”

Lee Heeyeon smiled softly.

“I saw the traces of scratching the snow wood monster. To speak honestly, I couldn't even imagine it would be this level.”

“Luck was good.”

“What luck, absurd. Mages who can create such enormous firepower are only a few even in Korea. Moreover, perfectly controlling intense fire energy enough to melt the entire cavity wall···honestly for me it's unimaginable.”

···That.

In fact, it was unimaginable for me too.

But fortunate that I managed somehow.

Lee Heeyeon continued speaking.

“The reason I visited today is···to report that I additionally informed two people of Mr. Transcendence's information.”

“...”

“I apologize for arbitrarily judging and acting without permission.”

Two people from the investigation department learned about me.

It seemed an unavoidable problem.

In an urgent situation, the ones who were dispatched learning about the victim was not a problem at all.

“Thank you so much for caring. I'll go now.”

After finishing the greeting, I returned to reality.

The motel ceiling visible as soon as I opened my eyes.

Only then did I freshly realize.

···The fact that I came back alive.

#

I lay down and rested for a full day.

In a situation where even movement is inconvenient, I couldn't go around in a state where condition was at the bottom.

In a lying state, I collected this and that information.

First, the Chuncheon detached house fire incident didn't hit the media at all.

As expected.

An imprisoned cripple awakening and escaping after 8 years is not an easy thing to imagine.

Even writing it as a novel would get cursed.

I raised my hand and checked the ring.

[Ring of the Snow Mountain]

-A ring made by embedding a gem that accumulated the concentrated magic power of the snow mountain as much as possible.

-Reduces mental strength consumption according to rapid mana consumption, and prevents dizziness.

-Raises magic resistance a small amount.

The performance looked sufficiently good.

Leaving other things aside, just reducing mental strength consumption is satisfying.

Finding equipment related to mental strength is like picking stars from the sky.

An option that can't be exchanged for anything for a mage.

“By the way...unexpectedly quiet.”

The incident of part of the crystal cave collapsing whole.

I thought the community would be noisy but unexpectedly quiet.

Only some complaining about inconvenience talking intensively.

Even that passed backward without much reaction and disappeared.

Why.

Suddenly Lee Heeyeon's face comes to mind.

‘Maybe that side used some method.’

There are hunters who try to gain fame, but I'm not like that.

Lee Heeyeon also knows that fact well.

She said she'd control information as much as possible, and it seemed to work well.

Maybe Lee Heeyeon is more capable than thought.

I ate the elixir and dug through information then closed my eyes.

Whether because of mental fatigue, a day passed in an instant.

The next morning.

I drove the car and crossed Seongsan Bridge.

Whether after finishing a life-risking combat, tension isn't felt with driving level.

They say the longer the awakener life continues, the excitement threshold rises and reality becomes boring.

Maybe it's such an effect.

Knock knock.

I stopped the car and entered the office.

Inside the somewhat dark office as usual.

Yu Ji-seong and Yu Seo-ha jumped up from their seats.

“You've come···!!”

“Good work.”

An office where information power is important above all.

It seemed they already knew the matters until now.

I sat down and briefly explained what happened.

Yu Seo-ha nodded.

“Th···so, summarizing, you dealt with some super-large undead old monster magic mineral plant?”

A bit bizarre summary but not wrong words.

I nodded and turned my head.

The seat next to the old man with a peaceful expression.

A youth flustered by the bizarre conversation method of moving the body with Mana Thread and scattering mana in the empty air like water came into view.

A pale face.

A splint on the arm.

Even small wounds engraved on the skin.

[Mr. Choi Geon-u?]

“Y-yes? Yes, yes! Mage, I'm Choi Geon-u. Thank you so much for saving my life.”

Was isolated in a separate space and then rescued, it was said.

Staff member Lee Heeyeon guessed it seemed left as a kind of emergency food.

Well.

Whether food or snack, that wasn't important.

Only the fact that he came back alive safely is important.

[You suffered a lot]

I know better than anyone about the frustration and despair suffered from imprisonment.

But fortunate.

That he can return to daily life somehow.

Him too.

Me too.

“Thank you sincerely for saving my son.”

The old man Choi deeply bowed his waist.

He took out one shabby cross bag onto the table.

Zip, the zipper opens and the contents are revealed.

Familiar yellow.

Full of crumpled 50,000 won bills.

The old man who closed the zipper politely extended the cross bag with both hands.

“It's my entire fortune. It might be trivial money to the mage, but still I want to repay the grace of saving my son. Please accept it.”

What kind of heart is it toward the one who saved a child from confirmed death.

I can't dare to presume.

But seeing the tears flowing along the old man's wrinkled eye corners, I can guess to some extent.

I didn't refuse.

[Thank you]

He'll be fine.

Repay the debt of the heart with this money.

And be able to walk forward using the son as a support.

“And this is the item I promised.”

The next item came out from under the table.

A well-sealed transparent plastic bag.

Inside that, a pitch-black heart jumping.

It's the cursed heart.

© Dome Hwangcha #1yy6t