Part 8
“But… are those all the materials you need?”
“Fewer than you expected?”
“Yes… Far fewer than I expected.”
Mincheol stared blankly at the black plastic bag.
It wasn’t even a large twenty-liter bag, but a small one that could hold five liters at most.
Inside were the medical supplies Yugeon had brought.
“You may still have doubts, but don’t worry. Treating your mother won’t take long.”
“No. I trust you now, Boss.”
Mincheol smiled.
He hadn’t been staring at the bag because he doubted Yugeon. He was merely surprised by how few materials were required.
Yugeon had already given him more than enough reason to trust him.
“Is your mother asleep?”
“She was awake until a little while ago, but she fell asleep after taking her painkillers.”
Mana Poisoning was divided into early, intermediate, and terminal stages.
The symptoms of the early stage included chronic fatigue, headaches, numbness in the hands and feet, mild fever, and loss of appetite.
During the intermediate stage, patients developed trembling hands, muscle spasms, difficulty breathing, and severe pain with no apparent cause.
By the terminal stage, every organ in the body became damaged, ultimately leading to death from mana-induced shock.
Mincheol’s mother was in the intermediate stage of Mana Poisoning.
Even then, she had only remained at that stage because they had delayed the progression of her symptoms as much as possible.
As a result, she couldn’t easily fall asleep without narcotic painkillers.
“That’s actually better. She can sleep soundly and wake up in good health.”
“Please take care of her, Boss…”
PAT.
Yugeon smiled gently and patted Mincheol on the shoulder.
CREAK.
He then entered the master bedroom with Mincheol.
RUSTLE.
THUD.
“Huh?”
Mincheol tilted his head as Yugeon removed the items from the bag.
They were all items he had seen many times before.
In fact, any Awakened would be familiar with them.
“Those are White Spirit Incense, a Meteor Stone, and Crimson Bloodroot, aren’t they?”
【Item: White Spirit Incense】
Grade: Uncommon
Category: Herb
A rare incense that releases a faint white smoke when burned.
When an Awakened inhales the fragrance while meditating, the mana running rampant within their body calms, and its impure flow becomes orderly.
However, its effectiveness decreases as the user’s level increases.
【Item: Meteor Stone】
Grade: Uncommon
Category: Mineral
A mineral that creates subtle resonances in response to nearby mana.
When manufacturing magic devices, it is used as a material to guide the flow of mana in a specific direction.
If mana possessing a consistent nature exists nearby, the stone draws that mana toward itself.
【Item: Crimson Bloodroot】
Grade: Uncommon
Category: Herb
A thick medicinal root with a crimson hue.
Cultivated in forested regions with dense concentrations of mana.
It helps damaged organs recover and gradually restores weakened stamina.
Mincheol studied the items carefully.
He had used each of them at least once, and they could all be purchased easily from stores.
“Are these the cure?”
“They’re materials for the treatment. I’m not going to make your mother consume a cure.”
FSSST.
Yugeon took out a bowl and lit the White Spirit Incense.
The window was already closed, as was the bedroom door.
Even the draft-sealing strips around the door were perfectly in place.
HISSSS—
As the White Spirit Incense began burning, a pleasant fragrance spread throughout the room.
“Do you know why Mana Poisoning can’t be cured?”
Mincheol shook his head.
“It’s because everyone only tries to neutralize the mana inside the body.”
Mana wasn’t poison.
The Awakened themselves needed mana.
Their bodies absorbed, circulated, and utilized it.
However, an ordinary person’s body couldn’t properly circulate mana after it entered their system.
The mana spread through the nerves and blood vessels before gradually seeping deep into the organs.
It was like dye soaking into a wet piece of cloth.
If someone tried to remove it by force, the surrounding tissue would be damaged as well.
Of course, there are items capable of curing Mana Poisoning instantly…
However, there was no way to obtain one of those items right now.
Even if he could, Mincheol’s mother’s condition wasn’t severe enough to justify using one.
She was still at a treatable stage.
Don’t neutralize the mana. Detach it.
Then, draw it out of the body.
CRRRK.
“Ah?!”
Around a minute after the White Spirit Incense began burning, bluish, vein-like lines started glowing throughout Mincheol’s sleeping mother’s body.
After another five minutes passed—
SHIMMER—
The blue light, which had spread into numerous branches like blood vessels, gradually began converging in one place.
SWOOSH.
As the mana flowed toward a single point, Yugeon placed the Meteor Stone near her solar plexus.
Then—
HMMMMMMMM—
The mana gathered in that one location began flowing into the Meteor Stone.
“Gasp!”
CLAP.
Mincheol cried out in surprise at the sight.
Startled by his own voice, he hurriedly covered his mouth.
Th-the mana…!
HMMMMM—
SWOOSH!
PLUCK.
After watching the process for several minutes, Yugeon removed the Meteor Stone from her solar plexus once it had absorbed the last traces of mana.
“Boss…”
“The treatment is finished.”
“……”
THUMP.
Upon hearing that it was over, Mincheol collapsed to the floor.
He had been so tense that all the strength had left his legs.
“Your mother isn’t an Awakened, so you’ll need to decoct the Crimson Bloodroot before giving it to her. Simmer it over low heat—not high heat—for about two hours. Then remove the root and give her only the infused water.”
“……”
“Mincheol.”
“Yes, Boss… I’m listening.”
“Do you understand?”
“Yes. I’ll… I’ll remember every word.”
Mincheol lowered his head as tears streamed from his eyes.
Every day, he had felt as though a heavy boulder rested inside his chest because he feared his mother might die.
Now that she had finally been cured, that burden began melting away like snow.
***
CREAK.
THUD.
Having finished his work, Yugeon left Mincheol’s home.
The future has changed.
Standing in front of the building, Yugeon thought of Cha Mincheol.
His mother would no longer lose her life.
Furthermore, Mincheol would become Yugeon’s companion instead of joining Genocide.
One by one, I’ll change everything.
SWOOSH.
CRUNCH!
Yugeon crushed the Meteor Stone in his hand.
He had changed the past using his knowledge of the future.
DING—!
[You have changed the fate of a key figure from the future.]
[The Sanctuary is startled upon seeing Cha Mincheol.]
[The Outer Realm becomes enraged upon seeing Cha Mincheol’s dormant trait.]
[The Sanctuary searches for ■■■, the original owner of the Heavenly Killing Star.]
[The Outer Realm curses ■■■, the original owner of the Heavenly Killing Star.]
[The Sanctuary and the Outer Realm express concern upon seeing Cha Mincheol’s dormant trait.]
Feat +1
Oh, my Feat increased.
Although he had gained levels and increased his stats, his Feat had remained at two this entire time.
He had wondered how to increase it, but the message was beginning to make the answer clear.
It seems my Feat increases whenever I significantly disrupt or alter the course of events.
Of course, he couldn’t draw a definite conclusion yet.
He needed to observe it further.
In truth, Cha Mincheol was the first person to discover this treatment method.
Several decades from now, even after his mother’s death, Cha Mincheol would remain obsessed with finding a cure.
Ultimately, he would discover a method for treating Mana Poisoning.
He devised a technique that stabilized mana with White Spirit Incense before extracting it with a Meteor Stone.
A Meteor Stone couldn’t absorb mana under normal circumstances.
There was, however, one special exception.
It could absorb mana when the mana became uniform.
In other words, the erratic currents of mana had to be aligned into a single pattern.
Once the mana had been organized into one consistent flow, the Meteor Stone could absorb it.
Otherwise, even a hundred Meteor Stones piled together wouldn’t be able to extract mana that had seeped into the body.
More importantly, the reactions from the Sanctuary and the Outer Realm…
Something was strange.
They were startled upon seeing Mincheol’s trait?
The Heavenly Killing Star…
One born with a destiny of slaughter.
Or a murderer sent by heaven.
However, contrary to what was widely believed, the Heavenly Killing Star’s true meaning was—
Not a killing calamity sent by heaven, but a killing calamity that slays heaven.
Judging by the reactions of the Sanctuary and the Outer Realm, they apparently hadn’t known Cha Mincheol possessed that trait.
Could it be…?
The message saying they were concerned made Yugeon suspicious.
Before his regression, Cha Mincheol had been betrayed and killed by Genocide.
Could the Sanctuary and the Outer Realm have interfered?
If the two groups where the gods resided reacted this strongly, it wasn’t an unreasonable suspicion.
I’ll have to keep watching for now.
It was time to retrieve the Legendary item he intended to give Hwang Mungi.
His preparations for the future were steadily progressing.
***
Yugeon and Mincheol stood before the entrance leading into the Tower.
“How is your mother?”
“Haha! She woke up early this morning and started running around in front of the apartment building. She said her body felt light enough to fly.”
“You gave her the Crimson Bloodroot infusion, didn’t you?”
“Of course. Perhaps because of that, her condition has been improving even faster.”
SWOOSH.
Mincheol looked at Yugeon and bowed deeply.
“Boss, you are my benefactor.”
“It wasn’t anything difficult. Besides, you were the one who taught me that treatment method.”
“Pardon? I taught you?”
Mincheol tilted his head.
He hadn’t even known that such a treatment existed.
“I’ll gladly sacrifice my life for you from now on, Boss!”
THUMP.
Mincheol struck himself on the chest.
Yugeon was the benefactor who had granted him salvation.
No matter what happened, he would remain by Han Yugeon’s side, supporting and serving him.