Shlrrrkkk-
The tentacle that had entwined Park Gwangrim’s body and head returned to my left hand with a repulsive sound.
“Now it’s done. Now it’s your turn, Doctor.”
“Could it be—Bbang-grim—that thing—”
“Yes?”
Her voice more languid than usual.
I Haseo, clutching both cheeks with her hands, spoke with a rapt expression.
“Could you do it for me too—?”
Do what now?
“Um...treat me for drug addiction?”
“No—me too! These tentacles!”
“Let go of my hand! I absolutely won’t do it! Stop! Don’t bite me!”
Only after resorting to magic was I able to pry I Haseo away.
“You’ll definitely do it next time—”
“Yes, but not today.”
“Great—can’t wait—”
Zzzkrrrk—
Clack.
The restraint device locked around Park Gwangrim’s unconscious body.
I’d removed anything that could cause lingering toxins or chemical dependency from his system.
But I can’t restore lost sanity points or safely dispel delirium with my power alone.
From here it’s up to the hospital and the physicians.
(Of course I’m uneasy that the doctor is I Haseo...)
Zzzzrrrk—
“I—heeheehee—are you all right—?”
I Haseo looked at me with a chilling smile. The moment I gave consent, her suspicious device would activate.
“Hmm....”
As Confucius once said, “Do not do unto others what you would not have done unto yourself.”
Reversed, it means: if you can do something to me, it’s fair to do it to others, right?
“All right. Please proceed.”
“Okay—let’s begin—”
Clack.
Bzzzzttttt!!
A horrific blue flash released a brutal electric shock.
Perhaps sensing my concern, I Haseo patted my shoulder and said,
“It’s all right~ The [Electric Shock Arousal Device] is a safe piece of equipment—extensively tested.”
“It’s causing convulsions.”
“Mm~ That means it’s working—Now, I’ll turn it up a bit more~”
I’m sorry, Gwangrim...perhaps I made the wrong choice.
Bzzzzttttt!!
“Aaaaargh!”
“Oh! Look~ He’s waking up now—”
Of course he is—he’s being electrocuted.
“Mr. Sinhwa? Kim Sinhwa! Why!? Why are you—!”
“Uh, Gwangrim? I know it sounds strange, but this is treatment. Just bear with it.”
“All right—just one more round~”
Park Gwangrim, his eyes now clear of the haze, shook his head emphatically.
“It’s over now! I’m all better! Really!”
“Uh...? Hmm...”
I Haseo, disappointed, watched me for approval.
“Doctor?”
“I think one more session would seal it...”
“I have no interest in discovering the enemy’s secret base. Let’s stop here.”
“Okay~ understood—”
With a smack of her tongue, I Haseo powered down the device.
“You all right, ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) Gwangrim?”
“Uh... I’m fine. Honestly, I was startled, but it didn’t hurt that much.”
“See~ You can have another go if you want~”
“Kim Sinhwa! Please spare me! That cultist might kill me with that hideous machine!”
“She’s not a cultist. She’s a doctor.”
I spoke as I summoned my magic.
Whirrrrr!
The belts of the torture rack—or rather the [Electric Shock Arousal Device]—all unclasped at once.
“Hahk! Ugh!”
Park Gwangrim stumbled forward as he hurried to stand.
“Careful!”
Vrrrrrrr!
This time I cast [Invisible Hand] to catch and steady him.
“Gwangrim, you’re not fully healed yet—just lie back down.”
“Th-thank you...thank you so much.”
I had anticipated this and prepared a wheeled bed in advance.
Even as he was laid down, Gwangrim cast me a grudging glance and muttered,
“How could anyone do something so horrific as fry a person’s head with electricity...”
Hearing this, I Haseo lifted her chin and glared.
“It wasn’t just random electrocution—it’s proper medical equipment!”
“That’s right. There’s technique, theory, and purpose behind it. Dr. I Haseo is a genius in this field.”
Yes, it’s all technical and theoretical—and never madness.
“It’s not mindless frying—this is a precisely regulated, safe discharge—see the specially crafted mana-stone embedded here?”
I was just frying him indiscriminately...a bit disheartening.
Since we snuck in late at night, we couldn’t follow proper admission procedures.
“I’ll check on the ward situation first~ In the meantime, get this IV drip—”
Fumbling, I Haseo hooked up the drip.
“This will make you a bit sleepy~ Nothing to worry about~”
“Thank you, Doctor.”
“Heehee—Sinhwa and I are—secret—friends—heehee—later, let’s have a secret chat about your body too—heeheehee—”
How can she pronounce something like that so eerily?
I turned away and spoke to the bed-ridden Park Gwangrim.
“Gwangrim, why push yourself like this?”
“Ha... I witnessed something too grotesque.”
Transformed by [Bazette], Hyuna’s form was horrifying even for a battle-hardened fixer.
If it were only the appearance, I might have coped—but the creatures of the [Cthulhu World] possess an alien presence capable of shattering the human mind.
“I dealt with that. You shouldn’t encounter it again.”
No—if I’m unlucky, I might see it once more.
Hyuna’s body still contains remnants of [Scaled Machination]. If ever she craves that power again—[Bazette] will awaken anew.
Whether I lied or not, Park Gwangrim seemed somewhat reassured.
After a deep breath, he spoke quietly.
“I’ve been tracking the Mannse Ilwon Church.”
“The Mannse Ilwon Church?”
“Yes. Last time you said you lost Dokgo-gyeom, right?”
Well, I did let him go.
He’s been on my mind, apparently.
The [Canopus Jar], which once contained a fragment of [Scaled Machination], passed into Hyuna’s hands via the Mannse Ilwon Church.
‘Park Gwangrim’s trail makes sense now.’
We were fortunate. Addu is a scoundrel, but had he failed to rescue Gwangrim, Gwangrim would have long since become a living sacrifice.
“Sinhwa. The Mannse Ilwon Church might be plotting something.”
“I already handled that. Don’t worry.”
“No. It’s not about the Blue Lake Faction.”
“Then?”
“There wasn’t just one smuggled container. Although most were seized by the Foreign Affairs Bureau...if any remain, they could unleash a similar disaster.”
“Hmm...”
The Mannse Ilwon Church is always a problem.
Even when we’re doing well, they or Helistic often trip us up and trigger a game over.
They’re one of the top-tier content factions. Are they gearing up again?
“All right. I’ll investigate separately—Gwangrim, rest for now. A festival’s coming up soon, right? How is it in China?”
“Similar. Mid-Autumn Festival is coming. Everyone returns home to meet family.”
Park Gwangrim wore a lonely expression.
“Ha...though... I don’t really want to go back. My family...they’re not exactly good people. I just want to see my younger sibling.”
“Call your sibling. You have the means.”
“This country isn’t that safe yet, is it?”
“Hmm—”
“I thought Sejong or Busan would be safe—after everything we’ve experienced, they’re not. Now I’m torn: bring my family here—or give it all up and return home.”
Sejong and Busan were among the more secure cities, but—because of me—or not solely because of me—major incidents happened in both.
“Korea, and here in Paju, word’s spread and people know too much...leaving abruptly feels wrong. But I’m ultimately an outsider; settling here—”
His voice softened, as if the drugs were taking effect, and he murmured.
“Tough choice.”
“Yes—truly tough. Kim Sinhwa...sir.”
“Hmm?”
“Thank you...my lifesaver...however things turn out, I’ll repay you...Kim...I don’t understand why you....”
“We outsiders have to help each other. Enough talk—get some rest. You’ll need your strength.”
“Hmm~ Now we can discuss secret matters~ my secret friend.”
“About the blood tests?”
I Haseo was entrusted with two blood samples.
Both were mine—but one was taken after my blood began crystallizing into mana-stone.
“Yes~ the crystallized blood, once I extracted the mana, liquefied, just as you said~”
“Was there any difference between the two versions?”
“No~ not really. It seems the problem was the overly dense mana concentration—probably a result of your growing power as a mage.”
“So it was simply a matter of mana density.”
“Yes~ I discovered other things too—”
“What are they?”
I Haseo grinned and said,
“You, Mr. Sinhwa, don’t have a blood type.”
“Hmm... I see.”
Surprising, but not shocking.
“Well, strictly speaking, your blood composition differs so much from humans’ that it can’t be tested. You came from Andromeda, after all. Don’t ever transfuse or exchange blood with anyone.”
“Understood.”
“I’ve seen a similar fluid before—so I looked it up—mmm—it was here—”
I Haseo used the term ‘fluid’ rather than blood as she rifled through documents.
“How does it compare?”
The graph alone didn’t tell me much.
“What fluid is this?”
“The Foreign Affairs Bureau asked me to analyze it—oh! It’s classified, so shh—okay? Shh.”
I Haseo pressed a finger to her lips but continued without waiting for my response.
“They said it came from a hospital somewhere on Gamaksan—let’s see...here’s the name: ‘Je Mugyeong.’”
“Je Mugyeong?”
“Yes, a mutant with four arms—human? Hard to call them human—they seemed heavily modified, even alien genes mixed in—”
That hospital on Gamaksan was built by Helistic using Mi-Go alien technology. The test subjects revolted, so Helistic hired fixers to eliminate the mutants.
Je Mugyeong was their leader.
And the fixers who killed him were Curtain Call and me.
‘Why does that name appear here?’
No—it makes sense.
The [Cthulhu World] began at Helistic’s secret lab.
And the body I’m possessing—
‘Was one of Helistic’s test subjects.’
It fits that I’d resemble Je Mugyeong.
“And, Mr. Sinhwa! Have you deciphered the characters inscribed on your body?”
“To some extent, yes.”
The body I possess is structured differently from humans’.
As mentioned, its blood resembles that of an experiment—or an interdimensional being—and inside its skin and organs were written characters.
Even the script used by the ancient species that spawned the Shoggoth.
“It’s just a fragmented list of words.”
A chaotic jumble of unconnected terms: [Destruction], [Advent], [Contraction], [Assimilation], [Fortification], [Amplification], [Compression]—
Alongside everyday words like [Utensil], [Cloth], [New], [Table], [Clothing], [Greeting], [Vehicle].
And so many incomplete, truncated words that no coherent interpretation was possible.
“Why such words? Unrelated to magic?”
“They lacked the unity of magical runes, and their arrangement was random. I couldn’t make sense of it.”
It might be a magic system unfamiliar to me, so I can’t be certain.
With so many chaotic days behind me, I haven’t had the chance to investigate—no need to burden I Haseo with this.
“Why would that be inscribed? What’s the purpose?”
“Perhaps I’m the reincarnation of someone’s discarded vocabulary notebook.”
“Aaaaah—!? Really?”
“No, I’m joking. Don’t take me seriously.”
