S-Classes That I Raised to Devour - Chapter 21

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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 21. There’s No Such Thing as a Free Lunch (2)
I placed the Spirit Medicine I’d received from the Association chairman directly into Gyeoul’s mouth without hesitation.
Spirit Medicine doesn’t need to be chewed. The moment it touches saliva, it dissolves like water and is absorbed.
The instant she swallowed the Spirit Medicine, her body reacted. The magical power infesting Gyeoul’s body began to run rampant.
At that moment, she lost consciousness. She couldn’t breathe. For all practical purposes, she was dead.
But this was something I’d anticipated. I quickly pressed the Highest-Grade Mana Stone I’d kept ready against her solar plexus.
I began to control the magical power I’d forcibly destabilized with the Spirit Medicine, using the Highest-Grade Mana Stone as a conduit.
Drip.
Blood flowed from her nose and eyes.
This entire process isn’t automatic. The corrupted magical power is embedded in every single cell like thorns.
I’m finding and removing each piece.
Of course, if you forcibly extract magical power embedded in cells, those cells collapse.
This is the fundamental reason why Awakening Disease is considered incurable.
But if you fill the void left by removing the corrupted magical power with pure magical power at the same moment, the cells don’t crumble.
Rather, they become even healthier and stronger.
At the same time, the Spirit Medicine doesn’t just serve to destabilize corrupted magical power.
It protects the weakened body, preventing life from being cut short.
“Manager, there’s blood!”
“Don’t come near.”
I pushed back Yeoul, who was approaching with a towel.
I should have warned her beforehand not to touch anything, but I must have been more on edge than I realized.
‘Made it through the critical point…?!’
Just as I was removing the corrupted magical power from the surface, I felt something unbelievable.
Ordinary Hunters wouldn’t know this, but magical power actually comes in different types. And what I felt from Kim Gyeoul’s body right now was the absolute worst kind.
I sensed the presence of Dark Magic Power.
I had no idea how Dark Magic Power had gotten into Gyeoul’s body, but this was a variable. And a dangerously dirty one at that.
The moment I perceived the Dark Magic Power, it perceived me. It began attacking me as if it were alive.
Lurch.
Blood spilled from my mouth. The Dark Magic Power’s attack had just twisted my insides.
‘You bastard.’
The Dark Magic Power was cunning. I’d intended to draw it into my own body and destroy it there, but it attacked me while remaining in Kim Gyeoul’s body.
‘Now it’s threatening me?’
The Dark Magic Power provoked me from near Kim Gyeoul’s heart.
As if to say it would tear her heart apart if I didn’t rise to the challenge.
‘Fine. Let’s see this through to the end.’
I steadied my breathing.
This wasn’t merely inhaling and exhaling. It was my internal cultivation method—the Mirror of Clear Water.
The Mirror of Clear Water is known for its pure and clear magical power, but that’s not all. Its true effect is the annihilation of evil itself.
The pure inner force of the Mirror of Clear Water swallowed the Dark Magic Power whole in one breath.
Keeeeeeek!
I could almost hear the Dark Magic Power’s scream.
But I didn’t let my guard down and continued the pressure.
Splurt!
That was an actual sound—the sound of black liquid spraying out from across Kim Gyeoul’s entire body.
‘This son of a bitch doesn’t stop causing trouble even at the end.’
Just before dissipating, the Dark Magic Power scattered itself across Gyeoul’s entire body.
Though incredibly minute, the fact that it was scattered everywhere meant I had to recover it all. And with the Mirror of Clear Water’s inner force, which was difficult to handle no less.
“Haa, haa.”
My breathing grew ragged. My body was already drenched in sweat. My eyelids felt impossibly heavy, but I focused.
Bite.
I bit my lower lip until blood came, clearing my mind slightly.
Whether it was ten minutes or an hour, I couldn’t say. But I succeeded in removing all traces of Dark Magic Power from Kim Gyeoul’s body.
What filled that space was the inner force of the Mirror of Clear Water. The Highest-Grade Mana Stone had settled near her heart. It would become her artificial Mana Core.
‘Work, damn heart.’
I stimulated the lifeless heart. At first there was no response, but after touching it a couple more times, it began moving little by little.
Thump, thump, thump, thump. I felt her heartbeat gradually becoming more regular and faster.
Body heat returned to her cold skin, and then—
I lost consciousness.
* * *
“I’m here!”
Crash-bang-bang!
Lee Minji arrived carrying so much food that it nearly obscured her own body.
From the entryway, the smell was so strong she had to cover her nose.
“Did you take a dump, mister?”
When there was no answer, Minji pushed through the mountain of food and entered the room.
“Wow, what is all this?”
Kim Gyeoul and Kim Yeoul were nowhere to be found. Only Chae Mujin was lying on the floor.
The source of the putrid smell was the bed. Kim Gyeoul’s bed was covered in something pitch black and grotesque.
Listening carefully, I could hear water running from the bathroom.
“Yeoul, is that the bathroom?”
“Yeah, just wait a moment. I’ll be right out.”
“The mister’s not dead, is he?”
“Oh, no! He’s alive.”
“Hmm.”
Minji crouched down to examine the collapsed Chae Mujin. When she put her finger under his nose, she confirmed he was indeed breathing.
“…You know, when he’s quiet like this with his mouth shut, it’s actually kind of my style.”
Suddenly—
“Aaaack!”
When Chae Mujin’s eyes suddenly snapped open, Minji was so startled she fell backward.
“Damn it, my head.”
Chae Mujin, holding his head as he got up, looked down at the sprawled Minji.
“What are you doing?”
“…Can you please stop scaring people?”
“Where’s Yeoul?”
“In the bathroom.”
“I’m going mad from the smell. Open the front door—there’s no window anyway. And get that bed out of here. Far away.”
“Me?”
“Should I do it? Can’t you see I’m bleeding?”
“What happened? What did you all do without me?”
“Kids shouldn’t know about this stuff.”
“Geez…”
Despite her grumbling, Minji did as she was told and carried the contaminated bed back upstairs.
In the meantime, Chae Mujin checked his own condition.
“Injured, but nothing critical.”
I’d exhausted all my stamina, energy, and magical power and briefly lost consciousness, that was all.
To be honest, even now I was so tired I could sleep for days.
But something felt odd, so I opened my Status Window to check, and sure enough—
[Status Window]
Name: Chae Mujin (Lv.8)
Class: Supporter
Strength: 17 Constitution: 17
Agility: 1 Mana: 31→
63
Traits: Savior (EX), Akashic Record (EX), Sword Ghost’s Soul (A), Healing Share (D)
Skills: Buff (Unique), Collection (EX), Taishan Pakto (C), Light of Healing (D)
“My Mana… what? Why did it go up?”
This wasn’t the first time I’d treated Awakening Disease.
But it was the first time my Mana had increased.
“Not just a little—it doubled.”
For a Supporter, Mana is the core stat. The fact that my Mana had doubled meant my overall power had increased sixfold.
“I can even maintain a Buff for twenty-four hours now.”
I’d only performed the treatment to saddle Kim Yeoul with a Gratitude Debt, but unexpected fortune had intervened.
“I suppose this is what they call a blessing in disguise.”
Despite nearly dying because of the Dark Magic Power, I’d overcome it and was now enjoying this windfall.
‘Still, I’d rather not do this again.’
Though there was no basis for it, I had a gut feeling that even if I performed the same procedure again, my Mana wouldn’t increase. Well, I’d find out if I tried, but that was my instinct.
Creak.
Just then, the bathroom door opened and Kim Yeoul came out. She immediately prostrated herself.
“Thank you, thank you, Manager…!”
“Thank me all you want. I deserve it.”
“…Um.”
A bright voice made me look around. A girl was peeking through the bathroom door.
Her eyes and hair had originally been a pale gray. But now they’d changed to a clear sky blue.
Gyeoul spoke shyly, mumbling her words.
“Th-thank you.”
“How’s your body? You okay?”
“Yes…”
“Can you move around on your own?”
“I think I could even run.”
“Good to hear. Want to come here? Just in case, let me check you over.”
“J-just a moment.”
“What, does something hurt?”
“N-no, that’s not it.”
Kim Gyeoul, who went back into the bathroom, could be heard taking deep breaths quite audibly.
“…I-I’m coming?”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
Kim Gyeoul emerged from the bathroom carefully. Her frame was still thin, but her body radiated remarkable vitality.
As she walked hesitantly, she stopped again at the doorway.
“Come closer. My arms aren’t that long.”
“Y-yes.”
Kim Gyeoul crept up to Chae Mujin and squeezed her eyes shut.
Finding this utterly adorable, I stroked her hair.
“You did well. You hung in there.”
“N-no, um, I heard from my sister. That you… shed blood to save me. I’m really so grateful.”
Kim Gyeoul, prostrating herself just like her sister.
Seeing both siblings bowed like that, I felt guilt rather than pride.
“That’s enough. I didn’t do this for free, remember? Get up, come on.”
I was just forcing them both to stand when—
[Collection target has been updated.]
Collection target: Kim Yeoul
Gratitude Debt: 10,889→
482,830
I’d almost forgotten. I have the Collection skill.
For treating Kim Gyeoul, Kim Yeoul’s Gratitude Debt had accumulated to nearly five hundred thousand in one stroke.
‘When saving someone’s life only increased it by ten thousand, it wasn’t much.’
For Kim Yeoul, her younger sister’s return from the brink of death was equivalent to saving her own life fifty times over.
And the Collection target update didn’t stop with just Kim Yeoul.
[Collection target has been updated.]
Collection target: Kim Gyeoul
Gratitude Debt: 0→
800,000
‘What? Eight hundred thousand all at once? This is insane!’
Even considering that she was the one whose life I’d saved, eight hundred thousand seemed excessive.
Eight hundred thousand was approaching the million point needed for an S-rank skill, and it could buy eight A-rank skills.
Such a staggering increase couldn’t be attributed solely to saving her life.
‘It’s individual variation. Gratitude Debt increases based on individual differences.’
The secret of Gratitude Debt had been solved.
In a way, it made sense. Even when you help two people equally, one is grateful and another thinks nothing of it.
Gratitude Debt worked the same way.
The difference was that the Collection skill forces a certain amount of Gratitude Debt even if the person isn’t grateful.
But the real surprise was only beginning. Being a Collection target meant she was now an Awakener.
When I saw the Collection list that had appeared above Kim Gyeoul’s head, my eyes widened.
Collection target: Kim Gyeoul
Gratitude Debt: 800,000
[Collection List]
Traits:
‣ Ice White Spirit Form (Inscribed)―10,000,000 [Collection Impossible]
‣ Pure Body (S)―1,000,000 [Impossible]
Skills:
‣ Absolute Zero (S)―1,000,000 [Impossible]

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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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