Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 920

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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 920
As the work drew to a close.
My Master finally returned.
He wore the same clothes as the last time I’d seen him, with not a single wrinkle in his sleeves.
It was almost as if his garments received a steam pressing every single time.
And without even a hint of perspiration, one might wonder if he were human at all—perhaps a machine instead.
“Welcome back, Master. Your unworthy disciple has been awaiting your return.”
As Jin Cheon-hee bowed respectfully, my Master nodded in acknowledgment.
Though it felt like ages since I’d last seen him, somehow it seemed like only yesterday.
“Indeed. Did you enjoy your seaside journey?”
“Enjoy? It was dreadful.”
Jin Cheon-hee said this while promptly bringing out tea and refreshments.
Ordinarily, this would be Yoo Ho’s task, but he was occupied at the moment.
Frantically occupied, in fact.
Plink, plink—
The pale green tea liquor filled the teacup to the brim.
Jegalling savored the fresh essence of spring through the tea.
“Premium white tea, I see.”
“Yes. Made from spring’s tender shoots. Cheonwoo sent it to us.”
…
My Master lingered over the aroma before taking a sip.
He offered no particular response.
That was a good sign.
Had the tea been too hot, too cold, steeped too long, or conversely, not steeped enough, such a reaction would not have emerged.
It meant everything was perfectly balanced—nothing added, nothing lacking.
Presently, my Master spoke.
“Your skill in brewing tea has improved considerably.”
“You flatter me. This disciple advances daily thanks to having such an excellent Master.”
On the surface, he was the very picture of an ideal disciple—like something from a painting.
The kind of disciple every sect, every martial school, and every Buddhist temple could only dream of.
This exemplary disciple now produced the refreshments.
Clink—
“What is this?”
“Ah, pomelo mini cupcakes. I made them this time. I crafted them quite small so they fit perfectly in one bite.”
…Yes. Everything except this.
‘He’s not even trying to hide it anymore.’
There was a time when he’d call cheese “gannak,” but now he’d abandoned any attempt to translate it into martial world terminology.
And so Jegalling found himself eating pomelo mini cupcakes as refreshments in the martial world.
The fluffy texture melted on his tongue, and the fragrance of pomelo resting atop the cream filled his nasal passages.
It was delicious.
This fellow’s reputation as a housekeeper in the martial world was likely earned because of this very skill.
There’s no one else who could prepare food of this caliber.
In any case, the combination of white tea infused with spring’s essence and yuzu mini cupcakes was nothing short of paradise.
I found myself wondering if such luxury even existed in this world.
“So then. Tell me what you learned and felt.”
My disciple’s eyes reflected a blue light.
He rolled them, gazing out the window, then looked down at his own feet, and finally at his own hands.
He seemed to be recalling the past.
Yet there was something painful in that gaze.
“…In the end, it was war.”
“Hmm?”
“The war between the Empire and the Suksin Tribe. A war fought over territorial control.”
“War, you say.”
“But it was certainly different from wars between humans.”
A war between predator and prey.
The Goe-eo-in race viewed humans as food from the start, and they were beings who transformed humans into their own kind.
It could be called a relationship of exploitation—both as sustenance and as a means of reproduction.
“Of course…. Those who desire the ‘blessing’ would think differently, but from the perspective of species alone.”
“That’s not wrong.”
“Actually, I thought the Goe-eo-in could refrain from eating humans if they chose to. There are Goe-eo-in who eat only fish. But… it seems human sacrifice cannot be stopped. They too have a god they believe in.”
I had given Taha-pa a choice, but he showed not even the slightest hesitation.
What did that signify?
Through those human sacrifices, they created numerous miracles.
Whether it was an existence like Hyeolseon or something else entirely, I couldn’t say, but at least that god sided with the Goe-eo-in.
Even Hae-seon, who had been sealed away, didn’t call the Goe-eo-in ‘children’?
It was a term used as if speaking of one’s own flesh and blood.
That was it.
Just as ‘she’ loved Jin Ju-eonga, Hae-seon loved the Goe-eo-in.
Therefore, Hae-seon would grind up humans well and feed them to the Goe-eo-in.
Just as a mother bird catches worms and places them in the mouths of her chicks.
After all, we feed pork to our own children, yet we rarely think about how pitiful that pig must be.
“I realized that as long as humans are their resource, coexistence is impossible. Ah, and….”
I gulped down my tea.
“…I also learned that when one must be ruthless, one must become ruthless.”
My voice carried resolve.
But at the same time, anguish was evident in it.
“Still. Yes. If there is a species with which coexistence is possible, I intend to extend my hand at any time.”
There was Yoo Ho, and that alchemical monkey from back then as well.
Yeon Won-wang.
I had investigated him, but there were no records of him eating people when he was a bandit leader.
Of course, in the distant past, it might have been possible to hunt and eat them that way, but recently it seems they prefer fruits and alcohol.
‘I’ve been searching everywhere for that scheming monkey, but there’s not a single hair to be found.’
If it can’t be helped, then it can’t be helped.
When I think about it, this isn’t an era with ID cards. If the bandits decide not to cause trouble and disappear, there’s no way to catch them.
But for some reason, I had a premonition that we would meet again.
My Master spoke.
“I see. But one more thing. You must understand that dangers beyond your comprehension can appear before you at any moment. Haven’t you already used the pocket watch once?”
‘Ah, so he knew all along. Well, it was the pocket watch Yoo Ho gave me…’
Now that I think about it, what did my Master do when he went out on his journey?
I said.
“Ah, speaking of which, Master, I should be careful not to let Boggi’s blood spill in the underground city. There’s one starting point of destruction there…”
“…Hope. An underground city? No such thing exists.”
“Pardon?”
“The entire city is buried under earth and soil. How could you possibly enter there?”
“Huh…?”
It wasn’t just that the entrance was blocked and the ceiling had collapsed, destroying the city. The entire city was submerged in earth and soil itself?
Without years of civil engineering work on the scale of a county, it would be impossible to enter the city.
It required a level of labor entirely different from simply pushing over a mountain.
“After you destroyed the city with explosives, an ‘unexplained’ earthquake struck once more, and now there is nothing left there. Furthermore, when the earthquake occurred, there was also an ‘unexplained’ fire, so the surrounding people couldn’t even approach it.”
Thus the Big Red Button was sealed.
Could this really be called a seal?
Usually, when people speak of seals, they imagine talismans plastered all over the end of a secret passage, which only break when a swordsman chants an incantation.
Can it be called a seal to make something impossible to revive without the strength of hundreds of thousands of laborers?
‘After all, is the greatest seal a physical one?’
Indeed, if an evil organization wanted to revive the Demon King at the end of an underground dungeon, wouldn’t they have to overcome countless traps?
Rather than placing traps there, it might be simpler to just pour concrete.
In any case, if villains were digging there, the villagers and heroes would discover them.
That’s how civil engineering works.
“…!”
‘Unexplained.’
I felt a chill run down my spine.
I never knew this word could sound so terrifying.
My Master continued speaking calmly while sipping white tea.
“Furthermore, the Goe-eo-in in the nearby area also died from an ‘unexplained’ red tide phenomenon.”
“A red tide? Normally, fish would certainly be in danger from a red tide, but they’re Goe-eo-in, aren’t they?”
“However, this red tide was strangely selective—the fish were fine, but it was particularly toxic to frogs and Goe-eo-in.”
“Frogs don’t live in the sea anyway.”
“You know well. That’s why only the Goe-eo-in were affected. The ‘unexplained’ red tide dispersed and resolved quickly, but the Goe-eo-in suffered significant losses.”
Even if I had witnessed the Goe-eo-in suffering.
Frogs couldn’t live there in the first place.
But how did you know what’s bad for frogs?
“Well, there are many things of unknown cause.”
Whoosh—
My master answered without changing his expression.
“Whether human or Goe-eo-in, one must live righteously. This is what we call karmic debt in the martial world.”
…Master, what exactly did you go do?
* * *
The seasons passed in a blink of an eye.
Spring gave way to summer.
As the weather grew warmer and more humid, everyone fanned themselves with their collars.
I sent Cheonwoo an appropriate gift in return.
Internal injury medicine made at Baekrin Uiseon and spirits—alcohol in other words.
To put it simply, medical-grade ethanol.
Some martial artists who receive this actually drink it thinking it’s strong liquor, but Cheonwoo wouldn’t do such a thing.
And there was also jam made from yuzu.
In the martial world, sugar exists, though it’s much more expensive than honey syrup.
A luxurious dish made by boiling down such sugar.
Even if they don’t know what jam is, they’ll know yuzu syrup and figure out how to use it well.
‘I miss Gwon Je.’
If he were still alive, I would have sent him alcohol, but now I can only leave offerings at his tomb.
After wrapping up all the gifts and sending them off, I suddenly realized I hadn’t heard from Sama Hyeon.
‘What is he doing?’
By now, three or four letters should have come and gone, but it’s been quiet.
The letter I sent last time has no reply either.
‘During long-term missions, he’s outside the Golden Blood Hall, so there are times when I don’t get responses.’
I thought this and wrote another letter.
The second one.
I had a feeling this time might also go unanswered.
But that’s fine.
He’s not the type to die somewhere.
‘Last would be Ha-ryun.’
I sent Ha-ryun a lengthy letter as well.
Along with some spicy candy.
Ha-ryun still sends replies.
Since there’s a possibility someone might intercept the letters, I’m not mentioning what I’m doing, but he says he’s healthy, so that’s a relief.
However.
‘Hmm…. His handwriting is becoming more angular than before.’
This world has no typewriters or phones.
Handwriting is seen as a reflection of a person’s character.
What could it mean that his handwriting is changing in such a world?
I rose to my feet after thinking that far.
Baek Rin was busy managing everything.
What was certain was that these vast farmlands would experience a bumper harvest as long as nothing went wrong.
Once I implemented the nitrogen fixation method, the crops grew abundantly.
Of course, there were Noeji, Cheonjin, and Nanman.
Even including all the people who had mastered the Thunder Technique, we couldn’t apply lightning treatment to every single field.
Instead, we were spreading fertilizer produced through the nitrogen fixation method.
The effect was less than directly embedding the Thunder Technique into the fields before sowing, but this method also produced excellent results.
‘This is good. Really good.’
On top of that, high-quality farming tools had been distributed.
For farmers, agricultural implements were consumables.
After plowing through one field, the tools would inevitably become dull.
They had to make do by repairing or sharpening them.
Farming tools made from quality iron were simply incomparably wonderful.
Especially when using oxen or horses for cultivation, the plowshare held up properly, allowing them to plow three times more land than before.
A true agricultural revolution!
‘Later, we even had surplus iron.’
So we began exporting iron tools to the outside.
From farming implements to kitchen knives, cauldrons, and all sorts of ornaments.
Baek Rin.
Furthermore, all of Gangso Province experienced great prosperity.
‘If this were a game, a golden age notification would have appeared.’
I remembered obsessively playing Civilization 5 back then.
Civilization 5 was certainly a time-consuming time machine, but since I wasn’t playing against other players, saving and loading was easy.
So I could just play one turn and save, then come back and play another turn and save again.
‘Sejong the Great was updated too, and it was really fun.’
By now, wouldn’t Earth have released Civilization 9 or something?
I missed it.
I didn’t miss my hometown or family since I had neither.
But I simply missed the things I enjoyed on Earth.
Movies, web novels, games, music.
The warm energy of concerts and the raw power of rock music shaking my insides.
The taste of cola scraping down my throat.
Longing for one’s homeland.
Why did these two characters come to mind?
I shook my head vigorously.
‘Let me just finish thinking about Baek Rin.’
There was no point in yearning for Earth, a place I could never return to.
I was a dead person, after all.
‘As iron production increased, workshops began popping up all over Baek Rin.’
The first to arrive was the mirror workshop.
The mirror workshop that had been created in collaboration with the Golden Blood Hall began to be established on the outskirts of the city.
Placing it in an unpopulated area wasn’t for any other reason.
While land prices were cheaper, the primary concern was preventing technology leaks.
Even in such circumstances, there were those who somehow managed to extract information…
‘It seems the gains are less than expected.’
The float glass method isn’t something simple.
It looks easy on the surface, but attempting to replicate it proves difficult—that’s the float glass method.
It requires proper internal knowledge, not just surface-level understanding, and skilled artisans.
The artisans didn’t perform well from the beginning either.
The number of broken mirrors surely reached three digits, didn’t it?
Thanks to that, expansion has been progressing smoothly… or so it seems, but the Golden Blood Hall also has significant concerns.
‘It’s difficult to increase production volume.’
That’s how information leaks work.
To protect secrets, one naturally must work with a small, elite group.
Yet to increase production, information leaks become inevitable.
The fact that only surface-level information has leaked so far could be called a miracle.
That’s why I’ve begun opening expansion workshops in Baek Rin’s territory, where iron production has increased.
‘Hyeon trusts me far too much.’
I wonder if I’m stepping on my own feet in the process.

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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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