Chapter 91
Chapter 91. Possibility (2)
Min Yu-ri gently brushed her younger sibling’s arm with trembling hands.
As she touched her sibling freely, who had been unable to even touch her, it felt oddly fascinating.
She worried that the skin might turn dark, but as Kazimir had said, that didn’t happen.
“The patient’s body is not affected in any way, so you don’t need to worry.”
“…Really, thank you.”
Min Yu-ri, seated in the chair, leaned forward to express her gratitude to Kazimir.
Then she looked down at her sibling again.
‘So thin.’
The arm of her sibling felt incredibly thin as she touched it directly.
There was hardly any flesh, and the bones could be felt right through the skin.
Moreover, the skin was so saggy that it seemed unbelievable it belonged to a living person.
As she observed her sibling’s condition, Min Yu-ri felt tears welling up in her eyes.
Yoo Ji-han, standing at the foot of the bed, spoke to Kazimir.
“How did this happen?”
“While examining skin samples from patients with Magic Discoloration Syndrome, the samples kept changing to a dark color and it became annoying. So I created this to prevent that.”
“Is it really something you can just create whenever you want?”
“I’m at that level now, so I can create it.”
Yoo Ji-han nodded his head slightly at the unchanging expression with which Kazimir spoke.
It was confidence, not arrogance.
At this level, he had no choice but to acknowledge Kazimir’s skill.
Rustle—
While the two were conversing, Min Yu-ri was caressing her sibling’s face.
She swept aside the long bangs covering the face.
As the tender atmosphere continued, Yoo Ji-han kindly took Kazimir outside the hospital room for a moment.
Arriving at the break room on the same floor, he examined the vending machine.
“There’s no mint chocolate.”
“What?! I can’t believe it! This hospital needs to reflect on itself.”
Kazimir couldn’t find his preferred mint-chocolate drink in the hospital.
He sighed in disappointment and instead drank an ion drink from a can.
“Thanks for accommodating my request today.”
Yoo Ji-han expressed his gratitude to Kazimir.
The ingredient he developed had not yet been released to the outside of the research institute.
Nevertheless, he brought a prototype item to Min Yu-ri at Yoo Ji-han’s request.
Moreover, making it in the form of lotion to be easily used in daily life was Kazimir’s own preemptive suggestion.
“Did you say the patient is your younger sibling?”
“That’s right.”
“You two resemble each other.”
“Indeed. We have similar eyes.”
In the quiet break room of the night, the two sipped their drinks and exchanged light chatter.
Yoo Ji-han had begun messaging Kazimir once a week ever since he bumped into him at the Hero Department.
There was no one else around who could provide clues to treat Min So-yeon’s body, so he maintained contact by exchanging trivial stories.
Thanks to that, today’s meeting was possible.
“Yoo Ji-han. The girl named Min Yu-ri is one of your party members.”
“She’s the most recent addition to the party.”
“I don’t know how you brought her in, but if possible, don’t let her go in the future.”
“What?”
Yoo Ji-han tilted his head at the somewhat abrupt statement.
“Don’t let her go?”
“Her magic is… like the sea.”
“The sea?”
“That means she possesses a tremendous amount of magic.”
Through the blood scent that he sensed from Min Yu-ri and the contact with her hands, Kazimir realized she had an exceptionally rich source of magic.
She was among the few with such potential compared to every hero he had encountered so far.
“So Yu-ri is at that level.”
Using Magic Arrows, Min Yu-ri.
Though there are various types of heroes that fall under the category of long-range dealers, in her case, using magic itself as a weapon indeed requires a sufficient amount of magic as a prerequisite.
However, what drew Yoo Ji-han’s attention was not just her archery skills, but how well she combined with Chilla as a party.
“Perhaps the fact that that pet Chilla turned into a monster is also due to her magic.”
“Hm.”
“To possess such a level of magic as an individual indicates significant potential for the future. Whether she is aware of it, however, is questionable.”
Just because someone has a lot of magic doesn’t mean they become an outstanding hero.
But when there are multiple heroes with similar conditions, the hero with more magic clearly has the upper hand.
Their endurance in battle is exceptional.
‘I’m glad I brought her in.’
Even when using guns in war, having a sufficiently stocked magazine is crucial to eliminate more enemies.
Hearing Kazimir’s words, Yoo Ji-han felt as if he had unexpectedly gained something.
“If someone can sense the magic of others, they might envy that girl.”
“I’ve already signed a contract with her. No way she’s going to another place.”
Her contract, which included stock options, was not something he offered lightly.
He had signed the contract, and even if someone offered a lot of money, he had no intention of letting her switch to another guild.
“And about that White-haired Man you captured.”
“How do you know about that?”
“I’m participating in the investigation.”
The White-haired Man discovered at the university.
The body, which had allegedly chosen to commit suicide, was undergoing an autopsy at the research institute.
And Kazimir was included in the analysis of the man’s blood.
“I’ve extracted blood multiple times for examination, but the results were peculiar.”
“…?”
“I certainly could not regard it as the blood of an ordinary human.”
The blood possessed by the White-haired Man did not belong to any blood type such as A, B, O, or AB.
Thick oil-like substances floated on top of the extracted blood, and a foul smell permeated the air.
It was undoubtedly the strangest blood that the vampire, who was well-acquainted with blood, had ever encountered.
It was far from resembling that of an ordinary human.
“It was closer to the blood of an animal transformed into a monster than a human. Perhaps even filthier.”
“A monster…?”
“Others found in different regions with white hair also had the same case. Their blood was all like garbage.”
Kazimir scowled in disgust at the owners of blood he didn’t particularly care for.
Those who wouldn’t want to catch even a whiff of the filthy blood.
He regarded the White-haired humans as monsters beneath humanity.
“The Hero Department is now treating the reports of them controlling monsters as fact.”
“I can confirm that as I’ve seen it firsthand.”
There were even recordings left from capturing footage on site, and peculiarities were also confirmed from the blood.
The existence of factions that control monsters was gradually being revealed.
It was evident that something was happening in the unseen shadows.
“I heard that the official announcement has been postponed to avoid confusion.”
“Too many innocent lives have been lost because of them.”
“If you find any further clues later, relay them to the Hero Department. If you feel like it, you can contact me directly.”
“Got it.”
Even though he was leading a busy life with various research,
Kazimir was resolved to continue investigations regarding them as far as his power could reach.
As the only vampire at the research institute, there were many things he could participate in.
“And I want to propose something regarding the patient with Magic Discoloration Syndrome, Min So-yeon.”
“What is it?”
Kazimir explained the cooperative patient system of the Hero Department to Yoo Ji-han.
It was about patients with a certain disease helping with research conducted at the Hero Department’s institute, and if a fitting treatment was developed, they would benefit the most from it.
This was information Yoo Ji-han hadn’t heard before, so he listened attentively.
“Isn’t it dangerous?”
“There might be times when we need to extract blood or take samples of nails, skin, or hair, but I assure you, it’s not dangerous.”
“I should mention this to Yu-ri separately.”
Regardless, the chance to access the treatment first if it became available was a significant benefit.
Not just anyone could have such an opportunity.
If it weren’t for Kazimir, he would have overlooked such information.
“That’s all I have to say for today. It’s getting too late, so I’ll be on my way. Please send me a message regarding your answer about the cooperative patient.”
“Okay. Thank you for coming today.”
“Contact me if you need more lotion. I can make more.”
“I feel bad for receiving so much.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
After finishing their conversation, the two walked to the elevator.
And just before the elevator arrived at the floor,
As Kazimir watched the numbers climb, he said,
“Once again, don’t let go of that girl. She’s a rare talent.”
“Yu-ri is mine, you know.”
How dare anyone try to steal a party member.
Whether it was Min Ju-yong, who had kept an eye on her, or anyone else.
If someone tried to forcibly take Min Yu-ri from Sweet Fun, they would have to face Yoo Ji-han’s sword.
There would be no mercy for those trying to steal a party member.
“And if you ever encounter an intruder, be careful. If they can sense the magic of others, they might target Min Yu-ri first.”
“…I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks for the advice.”
“Recently, the situation has become dire. We have mutants and the White-haired Man issues, and reports of intruders are increasing.”
Yoo Ji-han recalled the beastman he had previously encountered.
He was an intruder who took pleasure in human meat among many delicacies.
The body of a hero who possessed magic was considered good prey for them.
Particularly someone like Min Yu-ri, possessing a large amount of magic, would undoubtedly become an immediate target.
“You must be having a tough time.”
“Ugh, don’t even mention it. I’ve been getting so much pressure because of those scum…”
Kazimir let out a short sigh.
Ironically, the ones suffering the most as the number of intruders increased were the alien races well-settled on Earth.
Even Kazimir, who had produced results in research several times, was no exception.
Although so far, he had managed to avoid any significant trouble because of his position at the institute.
Ordinary alien races, however, often faced much harsher circumstances.
Ding dong—
The elevator arrived, and Kazimir boarded.
“I’ll get in touch again soon.”
“Take care.”
*
After a long time touching her sibling’s body here and there, Min Yu-ri got up from her seat.
She felt bad for leaving the guests she had brought to the hospital outside.
“…?”
There was no one at the hospital room door.
Puzzled, Min Yu-ri slowly walked towards the break room.
But in the empty break room, only silence lingered.
‘Where did they go?’
Yoo Ji-han wasn’t the type to just leave without so much as a goodbye.
And she needed to express her gratitude to Kazimir again as well.
Min Yu-ri continued to look around the hospital corridor, searching for them.
‘Are they over there?’
In the quiet hospital corridor.
It sounded like something was happening nearby.
Min Yu-ri moved closer to the elevator, following the sound.
‘It’s them.’
As she got closer, the sound grew slightly louder.
It seemed like it was indeed the two of them having a conversation.
Were they about to leave the hospital?
Just as Min Yu-ri was about to run over to say goodbye before they left,
“Yu-ri is mine, you know.”
“…!”
She froze in place at the sudden words that pierced her ears.
After that, it seemed like the two were exchanging more words,
“…Huh?”
But no other sounds entered her ears.
