Chapter 198
Unlike other heal-type players, Yu-Seong could continually operate Great Wind Spirit Cat, which was inexhaustible, as long as he supplied it with chakra. In this sense, his recovery ability was greater than that of others.
For normal players, such mana consumption might be burdensome, but Yu-Seong saw things differently.
‘The joint effect of drinking a mana stone extract every day and using The God’s Chakra are amazing.’
Yu-Seong also recently realized that the efficiency ratio of the energy created from The God’s Chakra was more than 1.5 times higher than that of ordinary mana.
In particular, the amount of chakra consumed in relation to the healing effect seemed relatively low, possibly because Great Wind Spirit Cat paired well with The God’s Chakra.
‘Though, this sort of detail never came out in the original novel…’
To put it bluntly, this was also a hidden piece. As a player who specialized in chakra mana, Yu-Seong was very satisfied with such a positive result.
Although puzzled by his recovery speed, the doctor approved Yu-Seong’s discharge, so Yu-Seong was making his way toward the hospital exit with a satisfied feeling. However, his eyes widened when he saw a familiar face waiting for him at the exit.
“Mi-Na noo-nim?”
With a box of beverages in one hand, as if she had planned to pay Yu-Seong a visit, Mi-Na blinked her big eyes and tilted her head. “Yu-Seong? I heard that you suffered a serious abdomen puncture wound, no?”
“Well… That’s not untrue, but… I’m fine now.” Yu-Seong laughed awkwardly and scratched his cheek.
“Your abdomen puncture wound healed in two days? No matter how effective heal skills are… Did you learn Super Regeneration?”
“It’s not like that, but I do have a similar skill.”
The Super Regeneration skill could only be applied on oneself, but Great Wind Spirit Cat could be used on others. Yu-Seong was proud that he possessed such an incomparable heal skill.
“Ha…” Mi-Na sighed and clicked her tongue before smiling and nodding. “Well, I expect as much from you. Please continue to amaze me, my dear Yu-Seong.”
“…for some reason, I feel a bit scared by your choice of words.”
“If you do well, I can leave this troublesome president position of mine and run off, right?”
“Haha…” Yu-Seong chuckled awkwardly and evaded the question.
In truth, Yu-Seong couldn’t picture Mi-Na leaving the Comet Guild’s President position.
‘Because you’re so good at what you do…’
No matter how much Yu-Seong developed, Woo-Jae, who had seen Mi-Na’s achievements with his own eyes, would never let her go. Although she outwardly expressed her annoyance with her title and responsibilities, Mi-Na was obviously skilled in running the guild.
Even though she had the support of Woo-Jae and the secondary effects of being supported by the Comet Group, no one could deny that her leadership and management skills, which stemmed from her overwhelming charisma, allowed the Comet Guild to quickly rise and become the number one guild in the industry.
“You probably don’t need this but take it anyway. Drink it when you get home.”
Yu-Seong quickly snatched the box of beverages from Mi-Na and nodded. “Thank you. By the way, you came to visit me in the hospital this time around, too.”
Was it because they often saw each other at work and their relationships overlapped in many ways? Unlike the past, when Mi-Na had looked at Yu-Seong with a somewhat displeased and doubtful look, Mi-Na currently looked at him with a hint of curiosity and appreciation.
‘Mi-Na noo-nim, who hates evil people, seems to have a hard time sorting out her emotions because of the past behavior of the original owner of this body, but…’
In any case, positive changes were taking place, so Yu-Seong decided to view this change as a good thing.
“Looking at your current condition, I guess there was no reason for me to come… But, like I just said, you may become quite useful to me, so I’m trying to be nice to you. If possible, please hurry up and quickly develop so that this older sister of yours can rest in peace.”
“I’ll try my best.” Yu-Seong smiled and nodded after hearing Mi-Na’s frank words.
However, no matter how far Yu-Seong developed, Mi-Na would likely find it difficult to quit her position as the Comet Guild president. Regardless, Yu-Seong decided to respond in a positive tone.
“Oh, the main reason for my visit is something else.”
“The main reason?”
“The investigation you requested for me to conduct.”
“Ah…” Yu-Seong responded. Recently, Yu-Seong had asked Mi-Na to investigate and look into the connection between Choi In-Young and a vampire.
As her eyes sharpened, Mi-Na gradually lowered her voice as she continued speaking. “I think your guess is somewhat correct. It will take more time for a firm conclusion, but I’m mobilizing all the manpower at my disposal. I think a conclusion can be reached within a month.”
“In a month? That’s fast.”
“To put it bluntly, considering that you’ve provided me with your own reinforcement forces, a month’s time is actually quite long. Everything has to be conducted outside of father’s gaze… It’s not like that side is filled with a bunch of idiots.”
“Ah…”
As Yu-Seong reflected, he recalled that it was not just Mi-Na who he had asked to look into the issue.
‘There’s also Ji-Ho hyung.’
Ji-Ho, the eldest who had retired from the Comet Group, was also looking into the issue from the shadows.
Perhaps Woo-Jae had already noticed what was going on to some extent.
‘I guess I’ll have to assume that the Special Police Force is also moving.’
In any case, the Special Police Force was the best track, search, and arrest specialists in the country.
Of course, it would be difficult for even the Special Police Force to freely investigate the Comet Group’s children. However, with the internal help from the Comet Guild’s president Mi-Na and with the protective cover that Ji-Ho had provided, the story was different for Yu-Seong.
‘The pieces are starting to fit together.’
Even if Woo-Jae found out about the Special Police Force investigation, Ji-Ho could come forward and help protect Mi-Na’s secret.
From Yu-Seong’s point of view, this was an unforeseen and unintended dynamic that further strengthened his overall plan.
“Since you pointed me toward a general direction and drew an overall picture, I was able to start putting things in motion, so I feel that you’ve done a tremendous job.”
Yu-Seong finally understood why he saw a slightly appreciative look in Mi-Na’s eyes. He said, “That wasn’t my intention, but I’m glad that you see me in such a good light.”
“If you drew such a picture unintentionally, that’s amazing in its own way. You’re doing great. You’re already fulfilling my wish by constantly surprising me.” Mi-Na shrugged, looking unconvinced.
She seemed to firmly believe that Yu-Seong had acted with intention and had created the current situation.
“Ah, but what if my guess is confirmed to be true…?”
What if In-Young was not simply involved with a vampire but was a vampire herself?
“We’ll have to capture her and tear her to pieces,” Mi-Na answered without a hint of hesitation as she gave a fierce smile.
From her point of view, a vampire was an existence that represented pure evil. Due to the deep-seated resentment she had for all things evil, which stemmed from her childhood trauma, Mi-Na was not going to wait around and see how things played out.
‘If Choi In-Young is a real vampire, she won’t be easily defeated…’
Considering that there was a high probability that Mi-Na would move with the assistance of the Special Police Force, Yu-Seong felt that there would not be much of a problem.
“Anyway, I stopped by today to update you on the situation. I think you have the right to know since you were the first informant.”
“Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it. This is nothing.”
“But you also took the time to visit me in the hospital,” Yu-Seong said as he saw Mi-Na smile back at him.
Mi-Na could be said to be tall, but for whatever reason, Yu-Seong felt as if she looked even taller from where he was.
‘Is it because of her body ratio? Or is it because of the atmosphere?’
In the end, Yu-Seong could not help but be left with an indelible impression that Mi-Na was a great person.
“If you hadn’t gone and caused so many accidents in the past, I would be more fond of you…” Mi-Na briefly expressed her thoughts before clapping her hands as if she had suddenly recalled something. “Oh, and also, you should keep in touch with Ji-Ho.”
“Ji-Ho hyung-nim?”
“Your most recent contact with him was to ask him to look into Choi In-Young, but you haven’t contacted him otherwise, right?”
“Ah, that’s…” “That guy is timid, so he might be secretly upset that you haven’t been keeping in touch with him. Be careful.”
“…I’ll make sure to get in touch with him.”
“Right. Anyway, good luck with the raid.” Mi-Na gave a smile before quickly turning around as if she had nothing more to say.
However, she quickly turned back around and ruffled Yu-Seong’s hair as if she had just thought of something.
Yu-Seong was a bit taller than her, but she was wearing high-heeled shoes, so her movement was not awkward at all.
“…Noo-nim”
“I just wanted to try such a gesture on my younger brother. Anyway, I’ll be off now,” said Mi-Na before she turned around and left.
Yu-Seong felt a strange feeling stirring in his heart as he watched Mi-Na leaving.
‘Family…’
Choi Woo-Jae, Choi Ji-Ho, and now Choi Mi-Na… The most unexpected change after entering the novel’s world seemed to be a change in the characters’ mindsets.
***
In a quiet traditional Korean house (hanok) built at the foot of an unknown mountain located on the outskirts of Goyang city in the Gyeonggi-do province, a pale-faced young man sitting in a wheelchair smiled while answering the phone.
“Yes, I know. Of course. Thank you.”
His responses in the conversation were a succession of short answers. It was, after all, unusual for him to give a lengthy response.
Nevertheless, the warmth in Ji-Ho’s voice made Baek Chul, who was standing behind Ji-Ho and watching him intently, break out into a smile.
“No. Of course not… Rather, I’m grateful that you contacted me first.”
For the first time in the conversation, Ji-Ho gave a long reply.
“Next time, I’ll try and reach out to contact you first. Don’t be concerned about me. I heard you have something important to do, so you should make sure to do well,” said Ji-Ho with a smile before hanging up the phone.
“Does it give you so much pleasure to have a phone call with young master Yu-Seong?”
“Hahaha… Did it show too much?”
“Your smile right now is the brightest I’ve seen in recent days. Your complexion looks much better as well.”
“Since Captain Baek is saying such things, even if it’s a bit of a nuisance, I’ll have to call Yu-Seong more often.”
“That sounds like a good idea.”
When the two shared a laugh together, a cool mountain breeze passed between the two.
Cough!?Ji-Ho let out a short cough.
Surprised, Baek Chul quickly approached Ji-Ho. “Master!”
“I’m okay,” Ji-Ho said lightly as he turned to Baek Chul and smiled.
However, blood was dripping from the corners of his mouth.
“Recently, it seems to be happening more often…”
“It could be worse. Everything must flow according to the will of the world, no?”
“Don’t speak as though you’ve reached some sort of enlightenment. Master is far too young for that.”
After Baek Chul gave his response, Ji-Ho smiled and nodded. He said, “I will try my best. By the way, if you have time, can you go to Seoul with me?”
When Ji-Ho made such an unexpected request, Baek Chul looked surprised as he was not one to hide his emotions. He asked, “You want to see master Yu-Seong?”
“I would like to say hello to my father…and see Yu-Seong and Mi-Na…” Ji-Ho’s voice trailed off as a firm sense of determination filled his eyes.
‘While I still have some time left…’?
Recently, Ji-Ho felt a strong desire to do as much as he could.
“Really… Will it be okay for you?”
After that fateful incident, Ji-Ho had chosen to live in seclusion and detested leaving the mountainside. As if he had been bitten by people and everything in the world, Ji-Ho had tried not to look at or venture out into the wider world as much as possible.
However, Ji-Ho was now trying to actively reengage with the world. This marked a monumental first step.
“Yes, I’ve decided after some consideration.”
“…Alright.”
Baek Chul no longer expressed his doubts. He also did not try to stop Ji-Ho; actually, to be more exact, Baek Chul was not able to stop Ji-Ho.