Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 596

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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 596
I blinked.
Blinked again.
“So Ui-seon.”
“….”
The world came back into focus. The first thing I saw was Yeo Ha-ryun’s face.
“…Hyeong?”
He was alive.
Looking at me with eyes full of life.
“…Ha-ryun. Your neck is still attached, I see.”
“Hyeong?”
Everyone was staring at me as if I were mad. But they had no idea how precious this gaze was to me.
At least he was alive.
I heard someone sobbing. It was the Holy Maiden.
She was blaming herself for trusting her father, and mourning the death of her wet nurse because of it.
“Ah, I’ve returned.”
Judging by when the Holy Maiden began her wailing, it must have been at least six hours ago.
Six hours back on the timeline. A mixture of Eastern and Western reckoning, but it doesn’t matter either way.
Because I was alive.
The Holy Maiden was weeping inside the chamber, while I was laughing like a madman.
“Wow, I’m alive! I’m alive!”
“Hm?”
Yeo Ha-ryun tilted his head in confusion. His guards did the same.
But I wasn’t seeking their understanding.
I simply laughed and wept as if I had lost my mind.
I had witnessed multiple deaths.
I had seen snowflakes rising from the earth to the sky.
In that inverted landscape, the world had spun backwards.
‘Would they believe me if I said I had reversed time itself?’
No—even if they did believe, what if there was a Hyeolseon spy among them?
At last, Boggi’s blood had finally sprouted.
I was asked to choose between time and space.
Even if I had chosen space, nothing would have changed.
Yeo Ha-ryun, Gongseon Yeong, the Holy Maiden, Prince Han-bing… all of them were dead, and I myself was already on the brink of death.
That’s why I chose time.
‘Roughly… this should be the turning point between life and death….’
In that moment, with a sharp sound, one finger vanished.
My left pinky finger.
It literally dissipated like smoke.
As if severed by something invisible, the cross-section where my finger had been looked as cleanly cut as if sliced by a blade in a single motion.
“Ugh!”
Blood sprayed as searing pain coursed through my hand.
I immediately staunched the bleeding and applied pressure to the acupoints to dull the agony.
Yet the pain persisted, relentless and unforgiving.
‘My fingers are vanishing… Is this the price for reversing time? Must I pay such a cost?’
Where had the severed piece gone?
Reattachment surgery would be impossible now…
As such thoughts consumed me.
“Aaaahhhhh!”
In that same instant, my entire meridian network convulsed and agony flooded through me.
‘One finger was not sufficient payment! The price for deceiving the heavens is merely this much…? Ugh!’
I lost my left pinky finger.
My inner energy was violently disrupted, sending shockwaves through my meridians.
The price for reversing time was merciless.
Yeo Ha-ryun stared at me in alarm.
Understandably so. My elder brother had suddenly laughed and wept, then inexplicably lost fingers while his meridians twisted grotesquely, contorting his body like a writhing worm.
Regardless, I needed to survive this moment.
I spoke.
“Ugh… Ha-ryun. Do you happen to have any of those Eternal Life Pills you gave me before…?”
If not, I would have to manage without. But I held onto hope.
The Eternal Life Pill was that extraordinary.
-You must have already guessed—it’s an elixir possessing the power of divine techniques and supreme arts, capable of restoring both inner energy and wounds.
-Though now lost and impossible to obtain again, it’s renowned for being so effective it can even resurrect the dead.
But surely that was too much to ask.
I didn’t have enough wealth to carry around several elixirs from the already-extinct Jeon Dan Sect…
“I have them. The Demonic Sect always keeps such things in stock.”
He had them!
In that moment, cough—
Fresh crimson blood poured from my throat.
As I fully descended into the Deviation of Heart and Mind, my limbs twisted grotesquely and I hemorrhaged from seven acupoints.
Tears of blood streamed down my face.
Yeo Ha-ryun urgently placed an Eternal Life Pill into my mouth.
I forced it down along with the blood, dissolving it with my true qi. Yet the pain did not cease.
Yeo Ha-ryun’s expression twisted into something fierce.
‘This bastard… There’s much I need to ask.’
But for now, I could answer nothing.
Just as I was about to brush him off with vague words, the Holy Maiden, who had been weeping at my groans, suddenly gasped and rushed out.
“W-what is this…? Doctor! Are you alright?!”
* * *
Had this been the first cycle, this would have been the moment the Holy Maiden composed herself and grieved for the past.
In the second cycle, I had to tend to my severed left pinky finger and internal injuries.
The Holy Maiden did grant me some time to mourn, but given the emergency, there was no helping it.
I barely managed to enter my room, request that no one disturb me, and then sat alone in meditation after acupuncture treatment.
Yeo Ha-ryun’s Spirit Elixir proved invaluable.
‘Indeed, the Demonic Cult. Such divine treasures are scattered about like candy for children’s eyes.’
From that life-and-death struggle, I learned only one thing.
‘Wow, even if I turn back time, I could still just… die.’
Under normal circumstances, this would have been a situation that could lead to Heart Demon possession.
It was only because I possessed the Eternal Life Elixir and my medical skills were extraordinary that I could rapidly suppress the internal injuries.
Moreover.
The regenerative power held within Eungryong’s precious jewel was tremendous, allowing me to treat the internal injuries immediately.
‘I… really. I’m at a loss for words.’
Even now, when I close my eyes, I see Yeo Ha-ryun’s severed head.
It was the sound of the world crumbling.
The protagonist, who should be absolutely powerful.
That was right.
The protagonist who should have either won for certain, or at least escaped gracefully even in defeat, yet died so pathetically.
‘This is strange. Surely Ha-ryun is the center of this world… that should be the natural order…’
While meditating, tears suddenly fell.
My emotions still weren’t under control.
And… that ‘face’.
‘No. It’s not Senior. It must just be a coincidence that their faces look the same.’
Even their voice was similar.
‘Senior isn’t… their build is similar too, so of course their voice would be similar. ‘That person’ isn’t Senior.’
It couldn’t have been Senior.
After transmitting everything to Jin Cheon-hee, Senior had left.
I had tried to reach out and ask how they were doing, but felt ashamed of myself for still clinging to the medical institute, so I had closed the messenger app countless times.
So I never reached out first, waiting for Senior to contact me first.
I was too embarrassed to face them.
Afraid they might think I was doing fine without them.
But Senior probably wouldn’t have cared much, and yet that very shame made even a single message difficult.
‘Why can’t I remember their name?’
No matter how many dozens or hundreds of times I tried to recall it, I couldn’t understand.
And on the other hand, I was afraid.
Hadn’t quite a long time passed since coming to this world?
During that time, using the Hyeonwon Jeondan Singeong, I had even recalled and used small fragments of knowledge from my past life.
Yet Senior’s name alone would not come to mind.
No, I had even forgotten the fact that I couldn’t remember it.
Just as I couldn’t recall the mark of the Jicheon Cheonma.
Just as I couldn’t remember who wrote it or how I came to see it.
Cheon Hee’s upper body trembled.
‘Senior…’
It couldn’t be him.
It absolutely couldn’t be him.
My senior was someone who would curse even a spider that wandered into the hospital and shoo it out the window.
He was the type to carefully move earthworms to a branch whenever he spotted them after rain.
After doing such kind deeds, he’d curse that the weather was absolutely terrible.
He was always pestering me for chicken.
I didn’t mind buying him chicken.
I’d grumble about what a troublesome senior he was. But still.
‘■■ Senior.’
I still couldn’t remember his name.
Perhaps some restriction was placed on me when I entered this world within the novel.
I shook my head to dispel the thoughts.
‘Dwelling on this any further will only strengthen the Heart Demon.’
Fortunately, the Hyeonwon Jeondan Singeong was incredibly useful in such situations.
Neuroscientists say the human brain cannot inherently understand the concept of negation.
Suppose you tell someone “pink cat” and then command them not to think of a pink cat.
They cannot stop imagining the pink cat.
The harder one tries not to think, the more it comes to mind—such is human nature.
However, those who diligently cultivated the Hyeonwon Jeondan Singeong could achieve this.
Of course, even then, complete forgetting remained impossible.
But one could reach a level where even in the most agonizing circumstances, one could endure and continue one’s duties as a strategist.
‘I’ll need to burn medicinal herbs here as well.’
I mocked myself for having the foresight to bring potent ones beforehand.
Thus, I pushed thoughts of my senior into a corner and suppressed them, instead continuing my analysis from a different perspective regarding the Hyeolseon Gyoju.
The way the Hyeolseon Gyoju slashed at my throat remained vivid.
Half a step.
What would have happened if I hadn’t dodged by that half step?
The pain itself wasn’t frightening.
What terrified me more was not understanding why he was so overwhelmingly strong.
It was like witnessing a monster from the deep sea.
Is the realm of Hyeongyeong truly capable of such things?
Moreover.
‘Yeo Ha-ryun’s Cheon Sal-seong was in a state of unity.’
If so, according to the novel, he should have been able to manifest a realm one step higher and fight.
Yet Yeo Ha-ryun still lost?
Is there some secret hidden within the realm of Hyeongyeong?
Could a false Hyeongyeong and a true Hyeongyeong appear similar to eyes like mine, yet be entirely different realms?
Even with the power of Cheon Sal-seong, Yeo Ha-ryun should have been able to glimpse the might of Hyeongyeong for a moment, yet it had no effect whatsoever.
I rose from my seat after thinking that far.
Using the power of the Precious Jade, the effects of the Eternal Life Pill, and even healing incantations through medicine, I forcibly restored my condition.
Though I was missing one finger.
I could still fight.
Since I needed to conclude matters at the North Sea Ice Palace, I couldn’t afford to waste more time here.
‘The lost finger won’t return.’
Still, I was fortunate.
By using Boggi’s blood, I naturally came to understand the method of use, but the price grows greater the more extensively I use it.
Moreover, even if I use it sparingly, I cannot know which part will be taken as payment.
It could be an arm or a leg.
It could be inner energy, or it could be emotions.
Even invisible things can be taken as payment.
Especially if inner energy is touched, then even reversing time cannot undo the situation.
And.
In the worst case, it could take my eyes or parts of my organs.
‘While losing a finger permanently is certainly not a small price….’
The finger simply vanished into empty space.
It was part of some principle that humans could never comprehend.
‘If my left pinky finger was the price for saving everyone, then I was quite fortunate.’
Not only did I save them, but I completely erased the worst situation as if it had never happened.
‘Do Eun Wang-ya and Geum Wang-ya live with such power nearby?’
Martial arts still have principles.
Of course, they are principles far removed from modern physics, but there is still a series of processes—gathering inner energy through deep meditation and deploying martial techniques.
The supernatural abilities used by the imperial family had none of that.
‘Now, another question remains. Eun Wang-ya clearly said in the past… that this body ‘did not grow,’ that it ‘was an idiot.”
After pondering for a long while, I reached a conclusion.
“Hmm! Thinking about it endlessly won’t get me anywhere! Let’s just set this aside!”
A waste of time.
I decided to postpone that as well.
I checked my body once more and left the room.
Outside, the Holy Maiden sat watching me with concern.
The cut hair was exactly the same as before the regression.
Which meant.
‘Her growth through overcoming sorrow remains the same even with regression.’
Humans grow stronger in the face of crisis.
That firm resolve is something no regression can change.
Perhaps people call that destiny, I thought.
* * *
I told everyone I was fine and simply said the disappearance of my finger was due to some curse.
With that explanation, they accepted it, thinking I must have been afflicted by sorcery from the Hyeolseon Sect.
‘Oh, indeed, a martial arts realm. If this were Earth, I’d have sent them to a psychiatric hospital.’
Then the Holy Maiden spoke.
“Let’s go to the Holy Ground.”
“Very well.”
“At the Holy Ground, there is a sacred treasure of our sect. If we use it and perform the ritual, we can revoke the Gungju’s position. Father’s attempt to kill me was to prevent that. We must ascend to the Holy Ground and end this matter.”
A story I had heard before my regression.
At that time, I had climbed with half-doubt about the Holy Maiden’s words.
‘If I had proceeded with my original plan, bloodshed would have been inevitable. I thought if we could resolve it more peacefully, that would be preferable.’
Of course, the choice itself was correct. The five Elders of the Holy Ground were formidable.
All we needed was for them to disqualify the Ice Palace Master and select a new one.
‘But now I know that was the wrong answer.’
The true purpose of Hyeolseon was to weaken the influence of the Guardian behind the Guardian Sect.
When the son killed the father, the barrier became corrupted, giving the Hyeolseon Gyoju an opening to enter the Holy Ground.
I spoke up.
“I read the divination. If we go there, we’re doomed.”
“What?”
“I read the stars.”
“The stars? But the sky is so overcast…”
“I read them before we arrived here. The direction of Cheonbing Mountain is inauspicious.”
Everyone looked at me with suspicious eyes, but I spoke without hesitation.
“It is the secret astrology of the Jegallga. Our Gae Pa Josa witnessed stars falling upon the Five Palaces and realized a terrible future awaited, thus escaping his fate.”
“…I see.”
Saying I came from the future would be meaningless anyway.
Who knows if there’s a Hyeolseon spy among our escort.
“According to my star reading, Hyeolseon will soon discover our location and cause chaos. Roughly in ten, nine, eight…”
I began counting, but from two seconds onward, I was counting in halves of halves of two.
And finally.
“One.”
“What does that mean?”
At that moment, a thunderous crash erupted from outside the window and the door burst open.
“Holy Maiden! It seems we’ve been discovered. We’ll hold them off somehow…”
In that instant, I spoke the next words.
“Do you see? This is the astrology of the Jegallga!”
The timing was a bit off from the two-second mark, but it was close enough.
Everyone stared at me with astonished eyes.
I continued.
“Actually, I had a different plan prepared.”
I had abandoned my thoughts after hearing the Holy Maiden’s words, but now I knew my answer was the correct one.
Yeo Ha-ryun asked.
“Hyeong… what are you thinking?”
“Since it’s come to this, we’re heading to the North Sea Ice Palace.”
“Huh?”
Gongseon Yeong asked back in disbelief.
Jin Cheon-hee spoke.
“What are you doing? Running away will only lead to ruin. Don’t be scared for nothing—just go!”
With those words, he bolted through the window.
Everyone stared at Jin Cheon-hee as if he were mad, but seeing him clash with the martial artists, they hastily drew their blades and rushed toward the North Sea Ice Palace.
“Let’s make the second round spectacular!”
Ilgwang shouted something incomprehensible in his typical manner.
But no one understood what he was saying.
Yeo Ha-ryun simply followed his brother, unleashing a palm strike.
Kwaaaang!
He began pushing back the martial artists attached to Hyeolseon with devastating force.
“Everyone, follow me! This is revolution! Let’s drag that bloated North Sea Ice Palace Master outside! Bring forth the executioner’s block!!”
Jin Cheon-hee ran forward with a cigarette holder between his lips.
Singing a strange song as he went.
“Revo, revo, revolution taste! Curious, honey~”

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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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