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Chapter 298: What Should We Do With This?

“What are we supposed to do with all this?”

The state of Hoiwon City was the epitome of chaos. Aside from a few structures that maintained some semblance of form, everything else lay in ruins, rolling about on the ground.

The only thing still standing was, unsurprisingly, the clock tower. Most of the destruction was wrought by the Demon King and his serpentine minions, yet the artifact known as the clock tower remained unscathed amidst the carnage.

One could speculate that the Demon King’s ploy to halt Hoiwon City was merely an appetizer, and the main course was that very clock tower.

Despite the fact that consuming time doesn’t seem to physically enhance strength or change anything, it must have been a personal preference.

Regardless, all the business foundations that had once supported Hoiwon City had crumbled. The city walls were no exception, leaving nothing but an open expanse.

“In such a situation, they seem rather healthy.”

A far-sight magic tool illuminated the conditions of Hoiwon City before my narrow view.

Countless people were sweating profusely as they cleared away the debris. Restoration efforts had commenced, starting with the outer walls.

And Yeonwoo could only watch this from his hospital room.

Because, like a mummy, he was wrapped in bandages, unable to move an inch, not even a finger.

At least he could speak.

“Did you see everything?”

“Thank you, Shar. You can clean up now.”

“Got it! I’ll leave it right here.”

With Yeonwoo’s words, Shar, holding the crystal ball with her little hand, cleared it away.

Restoration was underway on this side as well. Compared to Baek In-hwa or Kim Yoo-min, who had relatively minor injuries, Yeonwoo’s condition was quite serious.

“Wow, I was shocked when my leg shattered…”

“Do you know how startled I was?! I almost cried out loud!”

“I didn’t expect that either.”

After dedicating himself to training within the accelerated flow of time, and fighting to the last drop of mana, Yeonwoo’s body had completely fallen apart.

Shortly after the battle ended, it was as if he was a hollow clay doll thrown to the ground, beginning to disintegrate.

Completely stunned and gasping in disbelief, Yeonwoo was struck on the back of the head by Shar, who seized control of his mana, operating the elemental mana of ‘Chaos’ to avoid the disintegration of his limbs.

“Hmm…”

“Thanks to Dawn, other parts are gradually regenerating, but… what are we going to do?”

“I’ll just have to adapt as I live…”

As Shar noted, while the other parts were encased in Chaos mana just before disintegration, the right leg, which had shattered first with no time to wrap in Chaos, could not be saved even by Dawn’s regeneration.

Had the teacher contacted anyone? She visited once, looked at him with a serious face, and shook her head.

“Well, I suppose adaptation is inevitable. But how are we going to explain this to Mom and the nun?”

“Ugh…”

That was a tough subject to tackle. So far, Nea and Claire could not visit for safety reasons, but within a couple of days, once the arrangements were lifted, there would be no choice but to come out with the truth.

“I’m going to get scolded to death.”

“No matter how harshly Dad scolds you, he won’t be doing anything this time.”

“Oh boy.”

It seemed even the dear and lovely daughter had turned her back on this poor father. Well, there was nothing left but to brace for impact…

Thinking that, Yeonwoo rolled his eyes and gazed out the window. Since his neck wouldn’t turn, it was the only option.

“What a dirty sunny day.”

The clouds drifting overhead appeared peaceful, bringing him a peculiar sense of contentment. Yet, in the back of his mind, there was a shadow of worry. Can I survive this from those two?

*

“Hmm.”

Yeonwoo was sweating profusely. It was due to Nea, sitting beside him with her arms crossed and gazing down.

Of course, under normal circumstances, he would appreciate having her there, but with his current state, such calmness felt impossible.

When one has skeletons in the closet, it’s only natural to feel some pressure.

When would he get scolded? He wished it would just happen quickly. The sound of a deep sigh from Nea broke through his tangled thoughts.

“Oh, you foolish one. Why are you worrying so much?”

“Huh? You weren’t going to scold me?”

“I certainly feel the urge to, but I also see that you’re trying your best. If I keep scolding you every time you get hurt, it wouldn’t be good for either of us.”

While being scolded wouldn’t necessarily make him feel bad, Yeonwoo thought, he didn’t want to squander the chance of not getting yelled at.

“…I don’t want you to start hating me just because I get scolded all the time.”

As Nea turned her head, she mumbled that softly. Seeing those words and her bright red ears caused Yeonwoo to burst into laughter. Oops, I laughed too hard—my chest hurts!

“What are you laughing at? Is that allowed? Stop coughing like that!”

Despite her embarrassment, Nea rushed to press the nurse call button after Yeonwoo’s laughter didn’t cease.

The nurse’s warning about getting too excited when your girlfriend visits was merciless.

I could die from laughing too much; my condition is serious indeed.

“…Should I indeed be scolding you then?”

After the nurse left, Nea murmured, still in shock. Yeonwoo could only chuckle. A brief quiet moment passed before Yeonwoo spoke first.

“How’s your condition these days? Doing okay?”

“I’m a hundred times better than someone who can’t even wiggle a finger. At least I can walk around.”

“Fair point. But if you feel any deterioration, let me know. I’ll try to find something we can do.”

“I won’t decline sharply. It’s a gradual decline, so it’s manageable as it goes.”

“Exactly. It’d be nice if we could slow it down a bit.”

“Thank you for not giving up on me.”

At Yeonwoo’s words, Nea smiled brightly. Even though it was funny for a person who couldn’t move anything except their mouth or eyes to be expressive, perhaps if someone else were here, they would have laughed too.

“Alright, focus on recovering. I’ll make plenty of delicious food, so let’s have a party together.”

“Sure, I’ll look forward to it. Honestly, at this rate, I’ve nothing else to do but use divine healing magic.”

“Got it. Then I should head to the lab soon. You’ll be okay alone without crying, right?”

“Yes, Mom.”

With Yeonwoo’s spirited reply, Nea chuckled, then remarked, “I’m not your mom,” while patting Yeonwoo’s forehead as she exited the hospital room.

Though it was weak enough not to crush a mosquito, for Yeonwoo, it still hurt enough to feel like rolling on the ground.

“I should get better soon.”

With that determination, he summoned Dawn’s divine power, spraying healing magic all across his body. He was deploying all the mana he could muster toward recovery.

Although it was an excruciatingly tedious task, as mentioned before, it was all he could do.

*

“Congratulations on the first-ever Demon King subjugation.”

“Thank you.”

Upon entering the hospital room, Yeonwoo faced Riley, who greeted him rather formally right away. After hearing such accolades through his ring many times, he was starting to grow numb to it.

“You seem to be getting used to it. That’s good. Still, please remember to smile during the press conference.”

“Ugh, how long am I supposed to prepare for that darn press conference… I’m lying here trying to rest…”

“Hahaha, if you wanted to rest, you shouldn’t have subjugated the Demon King.”

Damn it. I did something good, so why am I being tortured like this? The slaying of a Demon King should benefit humanity, and me too. Why must I have no rest thanks to those darn reporters?

“I’m just joking. You should rest. After all, a person who has subjugated a Demon King wouldn’t get criticized for missing a little prep for a press conference. Showing up wrapped completely in bandages and in a wheelchair would likely leave them speechless.”

“Now that’s a good idea. Let’s go with that.”

“You’d be labeled as the hero who burned brightly to subjugate the Demon King; that’ll make headlines too.”

“…Wait a minute.”

“Ultimately, your reputation will grow even more, Yeonwoo. Can you handle that future?”

Hmm, hearing Riley’s words made Yeonwoo feel the urge to touch his chin. He was rubbing it with his mind, even if he couldn’t physically do so.

Riley was making an accurate persuasion, well aware that he didn’t particularly enjoy such attention.

“That’s a bit overwhelming, isn’t it??”

“Even if you rolled in here in your current state, it would still benefit the business, so feel free to decide until the day you discharge.”

Having said that, Riley rummaged through her bag and pulled out a clear glass bottle. A faintly green liquid swirled within.

“Oh, is that a prototype? Let me see…”

“Use it for recovery, and taste it yourself. It would help with recovery too.”

“I usually drink it through a special straw.”

“I’ll help you.”

Saying that, Riley removed her gloves and cast purification magic on her hands. Then, she brought her hand close to Yeonwoo’s mouth, starting to let drops of the mana booster flow onto his lips.

“Do you have to do it like that!?“

“It’s not like I have something useful to use, and it’s annoying to go fetch tools.”

Surprised by Yeonwoo’s reaction, Riley answered nonchalantly, while Yeonwoo concentrated solely on catching the falling droplets.

Every drop trickling in felt refreshing, coursing through his veins and mingling within him.

Although Riley’s actions were startling, Yeonwoo knew it was vital to gauge the concentration of the mana booster. Slurping and savoring the flavor and efficacy, he turned his gaze toward Riley.

“…Ahem, even if it’s me, I’d say you’re being a bit too persistent with the tasting.”

“Well, considering you just gave it to me, what do you expect?”

Seeing Riley, who seemed to be a bit embarrassed, left Yeonwoo astonished, and he couldn’t help but ask again. Regardless, the main point wasn’t that.

“What level is this? Base?”

“Yes, it’s base grade. Would you like to try others as well?”

“No, if the base concentration is this good, there’s no need to taste the others. You’ve had Nea and the other stakeholders review it, right?”

“Of course. That’s why I’m here for your approval.”

“Alright, let’s proceed with this. It works perfectly. It resembles a carbonated drink, so I think the kids would love it.”

The diluted sap of the Tree of Life, shortened to mana booster, comes in various grades.

Among them, the base grade was designed to allow children who hadn’t awakened yet to adapt to mana, minimizing the concentration as much as possible.

It might seem like a sales tactic, but actual research results had shown effects, and since it was priced as the cheapest, they didn’t plan to market it as an ordinary drink with a guilty conscience.

“I think there should be a bit more left.”

“You don’t need to save it; you’ll be rich. Just think of it as an investment for the future.”

“Now, please decide on the product name. Haven’t you figured out a name yet?”

“Mana Booster should suffice… um, let’s call it ‘Drops of Life.’”

“Ugh, so cliché.”

“If Kesh hears that, she’ll probably cry. Be careful.”

(Continued in the next part)

 

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