Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 899
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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 899
-My wife is ill. If I don’t catch many fish this time, I won’t be able to afford medicine. Please, let there be a bountiful harvest.
豐
May you become a fisherman.
-A typhoon approaches from afar. We’re fleeing, but… will we survive? My wife will be waiting for me.
-When I came to my senses, there were merfolk around me. I’ve heard of them before. According to the Classic of Mountains and Seas, they are people of the Diren Kingdom. They don’t age, don’t fall ill, and don’t tire easily.
-They say they can heal my wife. In exchange, they ask for my firstborn child. I promised to do so.
-I returned with medicine along with a few gold pieces. My wife recovered. I was overjoyed.
-My wife’s appearance changed somewhat strangely. As if she were becoming like them. Yet, I love my wife regardless.
-We had a child. He seems to resemble both my wife and me equally. A sturdy boy.
-They came for him. When I resisted their attempt to take the child, they made me an offer. To receive a blessing.
-I received the blessing. Now I too have become one of them.
-I should have received the blessing long ago. Strength fills my body, and vitality overflows. My wife is delighted as well. The child is healthy. I hear that since we don’t age, we’ll live long if we’re not injured. The Elder has apparently lived over a thousand years—I hope that’s true.
-I’ve lived here quite a while now. But we’re expecting a second child. I’ll need to catch even more fish.
-The Elder called for me. He asked if I’d learned the Imperial tongue, and when I said I’d studied it before our family fell into decline, as we were originally a scholarly house, he said he wanted to entrust me with work. After much deliberation, I accepted.
-I was chosen for dealings with humans on the surface. For the first time in decades, I ascend to land.
-The work is arduous, but thanks to it, I’ve married off my firstborn and am raising my second child. A third has come as well. The third is a lovely daughter.
…
…
.
-The freshness of humans being delivered lately is poor. That’s always how the Sect Members operate.
-My daughter’s eyes met with that Flounder Guy. Why does she have to like such a creature… I’m worried.
Reading through the diary in sequence, I could understand more clearly how things had unfolded.
As these goe-eo-in transformed humans into their kind, their minds gradually transformed into goe-eo-in as well.
Since they no longer thought of themselves as human, they had no qualms about treating humans as prey.
It seems they primarily use humans for rituals now, but occasionally they consume people as well.
‘Does the mind change when the body changes?’
Just as water takes the shape of its vessel, when a person transforms into a goe-eo-in, does their mind inevitably follow suit?
Then again, during the Rakshasa incident, everyone had to forget the memories of that night to preserve their sanity.
They sacrificed an innocent child to protect their own humanity.
That choice itself was so painfully human that it leaves a bitter taste.
However, this situation is fundamentally different from that time.
The goe-eo-in here already desired the ‘blessing’ from the start and are adapting to this life.
Their minds became monsters along with their bodies.
‘So the most crucial information is this: they don’t age. As evidence, the Elder has lived over a thousand years. And the owner of this diary became a goe-eo-in decades ago, with contact with humans only beginning in recent years.’
-I’ve heard of them before. According to the Classic of Mountains and Seas, they are people of the Diren Kingdom. They don’t age, don’t fall ill, and don’t tire easily.
Words written in the diary.
And those with incurable diseases from the surface who recovered must have regained their health by transforming into the goe-eo-in race through this blessing.
They are certainly a more robust species than humans.
That such beings have lived in the depths of the sea for so long…
But one thing was certain.
If I left them unchecked.
‘The people of Qingdo would become sacrifices, and before long, this entire region would be conquered by these Goe-eo-in.’
The hybrids who still retained human form would masquerade as humans and hide their circumstances from the imperial government.
The garrison soldiers—they loved gold.
It was like an instinct of the garrison, something that had existed even before the Hwa Empire.
Incorruptible officials were assassinated and killed, while obedient ones were given gold.
For a race that lived nearly eternally, a mere few decades meant nothing.
By replacing the government office just three times, they could fill it entirely with their own people.
‘But recently, their true nature has surfaced.’
I thought they would emerge first, but reading the journal, it seems my Master may have begun pruning the roots before that.
Either way.
If I left this unchecked, it was clear the entire Gangho would be drenched in blood.
I had to stop this before that happened.
‘Sigh… How far ahead did my Master see?’
I exhaled deeply.
One thing was certain—my Master had definitely predicted that I, as a disciple, would face the truth and rack my brains over it. That much was one hundred percent foreseen.
Still.
‘I’m grateful I’m not fighting alone.’
I have my siblings.
* * *
‘What should I do? What should I do…?’
My eyes rapidly shifted to a deep blue.
If they were merely physically transformed, perhaps I could treat them as human.
But those whose souls and ideologies had already diverged so far from humanity could not be treated as human.
After all, they had chosen to abandon humanity of their own accord.
‘But… no. I won’t harbor such hesitation any longer.’
I clenched my teeth.
They were already devouring humans, weren’t they?
‘That’s right. I am not a god.’
These were beings who had chosen to abandon humanity and become something else.
Rather than worrying about such beings, saving even one more person took priority.
How could I prevent them from ascending to the surface and slaughtering people?
First, my Master said the Goe-eo-in kept appearing continuously, and I think I understand why now.
These beings can truly transform humans into Goe-eo-in.
There would be many sick people they could tempt into agreeing.
There would be many who would agree even if it meant becoming monsters and creatures that devoured humans.
Among them, there would surely be those who would agree simply for the sake of living nearly eternally.
‘In the worst case scenario…’
I recalled the fire my Master had once ignited.
Merciless and beyond reason—a force of nature incarnate.
Those who dwell in the mountains fear wildfire above all else.
For it is something no human strength can withstand.
My Master resembled such a wildfire.
He did not compromise.
He did not ‘negotiate’ with them. He gave no consideration to the individual circumstances of each one.
If they became Goe-eo-in of their own accord, then they must bear the consequences themselves.
It appeared cold, yet in a sense, it was a choice made as a species.
As long as they devoured humans, no compromise or peace treaty held any meaning.
So he killed them on sight.
Just as no hunter negotiates with a dangerous beast.
And if that dangerous beast were stronger and longer-lived than humans, there would be even less room for compromise.
‘That is my Master’s way. I too have no desire to show mercy to those who have forsaken humanity. No—I lack even the capacity to do so.’
I clenched my teeth and rose from my seat.
Jin Cheon-hee, Cheonwoo, and Sama Hyeon—all three were absolute masters who had reached Hwagyeong.
Under normal circumstances, we would not be discovered.
However, if there existed a Goe-eo-in of Taha-pa’s caliber like the one we had encountered before, the longer we delayed, the higher the probability of exposure.
Based on his appearance, Taha-pa seemed to be a Goe-eo-in who had lived for centuries.
The Goe-eo-in already possessed greater stamina and strength than humans, and this one was a monster who had spent all that time cultivating martial arts alone.
Though I had demonstrated martial prowess equal to, or perhaps even exceeding, what was needed to drive such a being away, my own assessment remained simple.
‘Troublesome.’
After reviewing a few more details, I immediately left the office and headed back to where we had initially scattered.
Below, they were still conducting the ritual to create that elixir.
Whether all those performing the ritual were pureblooded Goe-eo-in, I could not understand their words since they did not speak the Imperial tongue.
I spread my perception widely and examined the surroundings carefully.
‘I sense no one worth being cautious about.’
I immediately headed toward the entrance.
Sama Hyeon and Cheonwoo spotted me and quickly joined up.
The three of us exchanged nods and simultaneously moved outside.
Not merely outside the estate, but outside this entire city.
I had no intention of climbing those endless stairs.
Thump!
Sama Hyeon’s body bounced upward like a rabbit leaping across the moon’s surface, landing on the gaps between the stairs.
A peculiar form of rock climbing.
Bounding and bounding again with only the Toekyeong technique, he ascended.
Meanwhile, Cheonwoo used the Cloud Walking technique to traverse the stairs like stepping stones.
And I—
‘Let’s go.’
Spiraling like a snail’s shell, I climbed the winding stairs by treading along their outer edge.
From above, it would have looked like spinning a squirrel wheel.
Cheonwoo asked in surprise.
[Hyeong, aren’t you getting motion sickness?]
[No. This is comfortable.]
The way I walked at a perfect 90-degree angle, following the grooves of the screw, was nothing short of grotesque.
In any case, the three brothers ascended to the surface quickly, each in their own manner.
[Next time we come, let’s bring a rope~ Hyeong,]
[That would be better.]
Jin Cheon-hee agreed as well.
Outside, the garrison soldiers were nodding off.
The three persons emerged leisurely and saw the morning sun.
[Wow, that was like a nightmare.]
The underground city—a town of grotesque creatures.
What I saw there was something most horrifying in this world.
* * *
Suddenly, I recalled what Eungryong had once said about the End Times.
-It refers to the moment when the balance of heaven and earth is broken, and the master of the world changes. Who is the master of the surface world now? Is it not you, descendants of Boggi, and the humans you protect? However, when humans themselves create chaos in the world, that time comes. The moment when the master of the surface world changes.
-When that time arrives, humans can no longer claim to be masters of the surface world. The world will be washed clean by human blood, and a new order and rules will be established. Even if Boggi bestows the Eight Trigrams to protect you, it will not be able to prevent this.
What a damnable hypothesis.
‘If the End Times come, do creatures like the Goe-eo-in become the masters of the world?’
Having just witnessed a human-grade butcher shop, my mood felt particularly foul.
Jin Cheon-hee performed breathing exercises with this thought.
Cheonwoo’s limbs were cold, so I inserted needles to warm him.
It was understandable.
What Cheonwoo had just witnessed was something he could never have imagined in his life.
What Cheonwoo, a member of the Righteous Faction, typically dealt with were at most the Black Blade gang or Hyeolseonggyo.
While the misdeeds humans inflict upon humans were certainly not weak, they operated on a different dimension than the food chain one species inflicts upon another.
‘And there was a deep-seated malice felt there. It wasn’t even a proper space.’
With a kind of soul-stealing technique at work in that space, even the most steadfast Kang Ho-in would have their spirit shaken.
Jin Cheon-hee performed light breathing exercises and continued inserting needles while pressing Cheonwoo’s vital points.
“I’m fine, Hyeong.”
“No. These things need to be handled as quickly as possible to prevent serious problems later. Just stay still.”
Cold sweat beaded on Cheonwoo’s massive frame.
This wasn’t my first time, and Sama Hyeon as well….
Still, having experienced incidents like the mushroom incident last time, I seem to be adapting well.
Perhaps, as he himself said, because I’m a “villain chosen by heaven” from the start, I’m naturally unaffected by such things.
“Hyeon-a. Let me check your pulse as well.”
“Yes, I shall present my wrist.”
She spoke playfully and extended her wrist.
Upon checking her pulse, it was remarkably calm.
‘Hmm, Hyeon is… truly something bestowed by heaven…. Is that what it is?’
I understand that she operates quite differently from ordinary human sensibilities.
However, I decided to leave it alone—showing concern might only wound her.
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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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