Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 495

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 495
But what about this body of mine?
‘Wang Gak-yeon’s physique is actually superior to mine.’
That was the truth.
This body of mine has only a single cooling system.
It’s like I’m pushing a single graphics card to its absolute limits with just one cooler attached, running 24-hour cryptocurrency mining operations.
I’ve blown out a few times doing this, but the reason I haven’t died is because I’ve extracted the internal OS so beautifully that I’m using every last bit of available resources cleanly. Plus, thanks to my qi reserves, the power supply is excellent too.
Wang Gak-yeon at least has two coolers attached.
Gongseon Yeong uses liquid cooling.
Yeo Ha-ryun… this one is what’s become popular lately in the cryptocurrency underground—what they call a deep fryer cooler.
Instead of golden olive oil, they pour mineral oil generously and run it as a liquid cooling system.
If it works properly, even Intel imports the design as a divine mining rig, but if managed poorly due to heart demons, instead of cooling, it becomes a genuine deep fryer that only fries potatoes.
‘It’s fine. I set up Yeo Ha-ryun’s system well.’
Still, thanks to the silver essence reduction system I thought through twice before implementing, guidance on martial arts, and talented individuals, it’s running smoothly.
However, from an intellectual’s perspective, with that level of performance, he could even calculate weather patterns, so it feels sad that he’s just mining cryptocurrency instead.
Similarly, as long as Yeo Ha-ryun remains in the Demonic Cult, he’ll be mining human lives instead of bitcoin. That’s the Gangho, and that’s the Demonic Cult.
I shouldn’t be worrying about others.
‘Damn it… my left arm… cursed thing.’
This body of mine, which isn’t naturally martial, has already had one component fail.
Even after the bone restructuring and rebirth, it improved considerably.
But it seems that when a body like mine undergoes bone restructuring and rebirth, it’s incomparable to children who were born to be martial artists undergoing the same process.
So once I grew big like that, my height won’t increase anymore.
“That’s not the issue, Hope. If you had grown step by step, choosing opponents suited to your level like ordinary martial arts children do, this wouldn’t have happened.”
Speaking thus, my Master inserted a golden needle into my left arm.
“Ugh…!”
“Bear with it. Think of it as karmic retribution.”
Looking out the window, thick snow began to pour down.
“Master, are you alright?”
“Mm, I’m fine. Since your surgery, I’ve grown considerably as well. Just the fact that the risk of sudden death has decreased—it’s amazing how much a person can change from that alone.”
“I… see.”
“In the past, I didn’t need to think about what comes after. For someone whose end was already determined, it was enough to simply be devoted to the present. Back then, there was nothing to take responsibility for. Once I died, it would be over, wouldn’t it? That was the way of it.”
My Master spoke thus and inserted the next needle.
“Hgh!”
“Now I’ve become someone who must worry about the future. My goal has become ensuring that you, this brat, can live with all four limbs intact and move about the world.”
The disciple protects the world, and the Master protects such a disciple.
The covenant between two people remains valid even in this very moment.
“So listen.”
This time, my Master picked up the longest needle.
Seeing the qi gathering coldly at the needle’s tip, it looked like it would hurt tremendously.
“Master… ah… gently….”
“Would you prefer I pierce slowly and deliberately? Savoring the pain can be quite an instructive lesson.”
“No, Master. Please finish it in one stroke.”
Thunk!
“Guh…Ah…@#!%#^@#!!!!!!”
I contorted my body like a serpent, spewing out a stream of colorful Korean curses.
Jegalling savored my disciple’s profanities with evident amusement before speaking.
“It’s already been three months since you arrived in Hangzhou.”
“Yes, yes.”
Winter had now fully arrived, and each day brought increasingly bitter cold.
Fortunately, the Bundata Master’s second branch in Hangzhou had perfect ondol heating installed, keeping the interior perpetually warm.
With the Namgung Family’s superior techniques, skilled craftsmen, and my modern methods added to the mix, even the Baekrin Medical Guild’s main headquarters was worth considering for similar renovation.
My Master spoke.
“Still, the Baekrin Medical Guild has now firmly taken root in Hangzhou.”
“Yes. Beyond the wandering physicians, a portion of the Baekrin disciples has been permanently stationed here. With the logistics flowing smoothly, the entire city of Hangzhou has become even more vibrant.”
My Master gazed intently at the needle embedded in my wrist for a long moment.
For conditions like this, observing how the needle tip moves after insertion was equally important.
“The smallpox situation is nearly resolved at this point. The people in the slums have found employment through the Baekrin Medical Guild’s enterprises, making their lives easier, and naturally the number of patients has plummeted.”
“Yes. The soap is selling quite well too!”
“Everything is progressing at an astonishing pace. Frighteningly so.”
My Master fell into contemplation, then withdrew one of the needles from my wrist.
The golden needle’s tip was stained dark.
“Normally blood should seep out, yet toxic fluid is emerging instead. What manner of body do you possess?”
“I have no idea either.”
This time, my Master picked up a different needle and pierced my right finger.
Ordinarily, a needle alone wouldn’t penetrate flesh.
Since the needle tip was rounded, it merely pressed against the acupoint rather than piercing through.
But when internal energy was channeled into the thrust, it was different.
As expected, a droplet of blood emerged.
Yet almost immediately, the red mark closed rapidly.
After observing the recovery speed, Jegalling asked this question.
“Hope, when was the last time you felt fatigue?”
“Hmm…?”
I counted on my fingers for a long while, lost in thought, before answering.
“Now that you mention it, that is strange. Master, ever since my final confrontation with Hao-mun, I’ve barely felt any fatigue at all.”
“How many hours of sleep?”
“One… double hour?”
“…Living like that would normally drive one’s mind to madness, Hope.”
With that, he took my wrist and felt my pulse for a long time before speaking.
“It’s said that upon reaching Hyeongyeong, one achieves harmony between heaven and earth. Your inner energy accumulation speed is indeed exceptional, but… this is strange.”
My Master shifted from my wrist to the back of my neck to take my pulse again, then placed his hand on my lower dantian to pulse-read once more.
After examining it for quite some time, I spoke.
“First, it’s not Heavenly Earth Transformation. My inner energy absorption speed has become remarkably faster. It seems I gained great enlightenment from this martial training.”
“Ooh!”
“On the other hand, my left arm continues to deteriorate because my body cannot withstand the inner energy it receives.”
“It doesn’t seem to have gotten much worse, though?”
“If I had to describe it, it’s like a rock being weathered by rainwater. Of course, a rock might take a hundred or thousand years, but you’re doing that to a human body.”
I fell into thought and asked this.
“Have I become stronger?”
“If you call a cannon made of glass strong, then yes.”
“…So I shouldn’t use power beyond my realm.”
“That’s right. If you covet power beyond your limits, using that power alone will leave scars on your body. However, Hope, think about why heart, energy, and body must be balanced.”
“I understand, Master. But…”
“…Yes. If you hadn’t drawn upon that power, you would surely have died.”
Jegalling lowered his eyes and fell into thought.
“You underestimate yourself, but there is no talent in Gangho like yours, Hope. If we look at growth speed alone, you are truly unprecedented.”
“…”
“However, that is growth that mortgages the future to live only for today, Hope. In plant terms, you’re growing too tall.”
In my past life, I once had a succulent that grew too tall.
Growing too tall and becoming ugly—that can happen,
but sometimes it grows so much that the pot tips over, and sometimes the plant cannot support its own growth and dies.
‘Of course, there are cases where it grows healthily even while growing too tall…’
The problem is that I’m not a succulent but a human.
“I’ll have to live as a pacifist for a while.”
“Yes. Finally you understand.”
“It will be good for treating patients.”
“And make sure to rest for at least two hours, even if you have to force yourself.”
“Yes.”
Jegalling spoke.
“Anyway… things have stabilized here now, so we should appoint a Bundata Master and both return. Don’t we need to make that new medicine you’re so fond of as soon as possible?”
So that was the main point.
He’s right. Now that we’ve done everything we can, all that’s left is to return.
Back at my home, there’s Muyue who’s like a bear and culture medium that’s like a rabbit.
Moreover, the forearm tissue extracted from Dong Cheon-gun, just like the Asura Blood River Monster’s arm that Master cut for me, is growing well.
Especially in the lab where even bear insects die and collapse, Dong Cheon-gun’s forearm tissue stubbornly thrives.
Even the inexperienced Ha Uiwon tends to it, and it grows splendidly.
A similar example on Earth is HeLa cells.
These HeLa cells were named after the donor, Henrietta Lacks.
Of course, since it was long ago, there was no permission or consent from the deceased.
It was forced donation.
From today’s perspective, it’s an act that would get you a one-way ticket to hell through a lawsuit, but in that era, such legislation didn’t even exist.
In any case, HeLa cells are classified as cancer cells, yet they never die even after being replicated hundreds of times.
Ordinary cells begin to weaken after just a few divisions, and even cancer cells eventually perish if forced to divide continuously.
But HeLa cells follow no such law.
How can I affirm the result when the process itself is flawed?
I am no philosopher.
Yet I know this dilemma will haunt humanity for as long as we draw breath.
Regardless, HeLa cells aided in the creation of polio vaccines, contributed to radiation research, and served in cancer treatment experiments.
Similarly, using the cells of Dong Cheon-gun, I intend to leave a profound mark upon the annals of human history.
Unlike Earth, this creature devours human flesh and has slaughtered thousands as sacrificial offerings.
That’s why the Medical Guild laboratory simply calls them “those cells.”
It means we haven’t settled on a proper name.
I suggested we simply call them [Dong Cheon Cells] for convenience, but everyone recoiled in horror.
‘Master surely didn’t anticipate I would use them in such a manner when he procured Dong Cheon-gun as a sample.’
But Master, hear me out.
Considering the number of people the Hyeolseonggyo disciples kill anyway, wouldn’t it be acceptable to put this arm to good use?
Setting aside the cherished “cells” of Dong Cheon-gun.
There remained but one final task in Hangzhou.
“Ah… Master, before we depart, there’s something I wish to attempt.”
“What might that be?”
“Dermatological treatment, specifically.”
“Hmm?”
Among smallpox’s defining characteristics is that even those who survive bear pockmark scars across their bodies, rendering them grotesque.
They must spend their entire lives as second-class citizens, pelted with stones by society.
In the end, those afflicted must either die from the disease itself or perish from the shame of their scars.
‘Surely with my current knowledge, I could restore them to some degree.’
Master spoke.
“There exists a secret technique to erase scars, but it would require one to be a master of Gangho to accomplish it.”
“Yes. That’s why I wish to explore whether I might perform the procedure through alternative methods.”
“Would such a thing be possible?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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