Chapter 2412 – 2412. Eternal Eden
The voice phishing scammers were unusually persistent.
‘Do they have a grudge against me? Why do they keep calling from different numbers after I block them?’
This is when I regret not having hacking skills. If I had hacking skills, I could immediately track their location and find out who they are, or I could unleash a virus bomb to teach them a lesson so they can never do voice phishing again.
‘If I had hacking and space-time teleportation scrolls, I could have gone and killed them.’
They’re lucky bastards.
Since unknown numbers kept calling even after a few minutes, I just turned off my smartphone.
‘It’ll probably quiet down after a few hours.’
I was briefly thinking about how to modify my supercar when I got bored and wandered around the main building.
It wasn’t hard to find Irina. She was training alone at the shooting range used by the Royal Guard, drawing her bow. She must have come to the shooting range when the Royal Guard wasn’t using it. I watched her focus for a moment.
‘Her bow-drawing posture is perfect.’
Her chest is huge, but it doesn’t seem to get in the way as she shoots arrows just fine. The range could shoot up to 300m, and Irina hit the 300m target every time. The arrows landed in different spots on the target, but she hit it nonetheless.
‘To hit a 300m target with a bow, not a gun. She really does have the Divine Archer ability.’
Irina received a buff for all actions involving a bow.
I approached her when she lowered her bow.
“Irina.”
“Ah, Yujin-nim.”
“You’re working hard.”
“Ah, no. It’s not really hard work….”
I grabbed Irina’s shoulders. She seemed flustered, but after looking at me, she closed her eyes. I hugged her roughly and kissed her.
Of course, it didn’t end with just a kiss.
• • •
After spending a pleasant time with Irina, I went to find Yoo Seo-jung.
Her lab was on the first floor of the main building. Unfortunately, Yoo Seo-jung wasn’t alone in the lab. Her daughter, Kim Ji-hee, was also there. Kim Ji-hee was sitting behind her, blankly watching Yoo Seo-jung’s research.
“Ah, Yujin-ssi. You’re here?”
“…Hello.”
Kim Ji-hee was still wary of me. Her voice was softer than when I first met her, though.
‘Too bad. I would have tried to take Yoo Seo-jung if she was alone.’
Well, I can take her at night.
“How’s the research going?”
“Yes. I received research data from Dr. Na. She was also doing some research on drugs.”
Technologist Na Chae-young specializes in machines. But there was no restriction on her not making drugs. Even if she couldn’t make drugs herself, she could make machines that could make drugs. Of course, her expertise would be far less than that of Bionics.
“Ah. Dr. Na said she could make simple drugs using machines.”
“Yes. Bister I. Basic drugs can be mass-produced by machines. Bister II can also be mass-produced if the machine is adjusted well. That adjustment is one of my tasks.”
Bister I. Slightly increases physical abilities, reduces pain, and eliminates fear caused by excitement. A drug with no side effects when taken once every 10 hours. It’s given to the Royal Guard and the general security team.
Bister II. Greatly increases physical abilities. When taken by a normal person, they can temporarily gain power comparable to a superhuman. As effective as it is, the side effects are severe. When the effects wear off, they can faint or develop permanent high blood pressure. There’s also a possibility of death due to internal bleeding.
I have Bister II. I was originally going to give it to the Royal Guard, but… there wasn’t enough of it. The main ingredient of Bister II is a beast variant, which is hard to obtain.
‘I can’t use Bister II recklessly. Even if I use recovery, resistance will build up. No, resistance will build up faster because I’m using recovery.’
If resistance builds up, the drug’s effectiveness decreases. That’s why I don’t use drugs carelessly.
“Ah, and this… I made a drug.”
“Already?”
“…It’s a drug that was accidentally created at the Daemado secret lab. The ingredients are… the hearts of humanoid variants. There are quite a few variant corpses at Seongak Elementary School.”
It’s not just variants. Mutant corpses are also stored in the freezer. Even if the corpses rot, it doesn’t matter because of my ability, so I’m storing them haphazardly. Of course, it’s for research purposes.
I received the white pill bottle she took out of the drawer.
“The main ingredient is the heart of a humanoid variant, so it might be repulsive… but the effects are quite good. Of course, there are side effects. If you take X-cream, you’ll hear tinnitus and won’t be able to hear other sounds. The effects last for about 15 minutes… and your hearing will return when the effects wear off, but you’ll gradually lose your hearing. If a normal person takes it about 7 times, they’ll completely lose their hearing.”
“Still better than Bister II. That can kill you with one dose. What happens if you take it while deaf?”
“It puts a lot of strain on the heart. There’s a high probability that your heart will explode and you’ll die. Of course, that’s based on a normal person. For Awakened… there’s not enough experimental data, so I can’t say. Ah, the effects are….”
“I can experience the effects myself.”
I opened the pill bottle and took out a pill and put it in my mouth. If I take the drug for the first time during a battle, I might not adapt to the effects and get defeated. It’s better to experience it once instead. Even if a little resistance builds up.
‘Especially since this drug called X-cream seems complicated.’
Crunch.
The moment I crushed the pill with my molars and swallowed it, the effects spread immediately.
Beeeeeeep!
I heard tinnitus. I couldn’t hear any other sounds. It was as Yoo Seo-jung said, so I wasn’t surprised.
My heart is beating fast. It feels like it’s beating 500 times a minute. My vision also became clearer. It seems that my other senses, except for hearing, have been greatly activated.
‘My overall physical abilities have increased.’
Yoo Seo-jung opened her mouth in surprise. I can’t hear her voice.
‘The speed at which her lips are moving… is about 1.3 times slower. No, my thinking speed has become 1.3 times faster.’
It’s like watching a video at 1.3 times speed.
‘It’s much slower than Gale Faith. Still, it’ll be a great help in battle.’
I tested my physical abilities by lifting things in the lab. Compared to Bister II, the increase in physical abilities is small.
Personally, I liked X-cream better. In that other senses besides hearing are enhanced.
‘I’ll be able to swing my sword more sharply.’
After 15 minutes, the effects wore off. My ears were a bit muffled. The sounds I heard were also a bit strange. It’s like using cheap earphones after using expensive ones. The sound quality is bad.
‘This is when I need recovery.’
My hearing returned to normal.
“Even if you have recovery abilities… taking drugs recklessly like that is a bad habit. What if it was a poison that would kill you instantly? Please be careful next time.”
Yoo Seo-jung said with concern but firmness. She still doesn’t know that I can bring dead people back to life.
It feels like being scolded by my mom… but not really. My mom used to hit my back when she scolded me. It felt like being scolded by a teacher, specifically an elementary school teacher.
“Yoo-sensei. Saving you was the right choice. You’re great.”
It’s not an empty compliment. Just her being here will make Seongak Elementary School develop faster.
“…You’re too kind. I haven’t shown any real results yet.”
Yoo Seo-jung said shyly. Her mind seems to have become younger as her appearance has become younger. It’s not for nothing that they say the mind follows the body.
“I can’t take up too much of Yoo-sensei’s time. See you later.”
When I said with a smile, Yoo Seo-jung blushed and nodded.
As I was leaving the temporary lab, Kim Ji-hee, who had been quiet, followed me out.
“Sung Yujin-ssi. Can I talk to you for a moment?”
“Even though I look like this, I’m a busy man. Do it here.”
“…I’m grateful that you saved my mom and me. And that you let us stay here.”
“It’s because I promised Yoo-sensei. You don’t need to thank me separately.”
“……Here. I heard how Seongak Elementary School operates. And that you’re also running a religion called Seongjin Church.”
It seems that Yoo Seo-jung told her daughter everything, even about Seongjin Church. I expected it, but Yoo Seo-jung was too weak for Kim Ji-hee.
“Are you saying you want to leave Seongak Elementary School?”
“No. That’s not it. Unlike the Ilwoo Group, I’m satisfied that you don’t treat us like slaves. My mom feels the same way.”
I’m glad she’s not causing trouble over moral issues. In this regard, Kim Ji-hee is definitely different from Yoo Seo-jung. Kim Ji-hee knows how to compromise with reality. My evaluation of Kim Ji-hee has gone up a bit.
“You and Yoo-sensei will be treated according to the work you do.”
“I’m not doing anything.”
“You’re helping Yoo-sensei with her work.”
“Helping? All I do is sit behind my mom. Even if my mom talks to me about biology or genetics, I don’t understand anything. I can’t understand in hours what my mom understands in an instant.”
“Bionics is buffed by biology. It’s not that you’re weird.”
“Sung Yujin-ssi. I want to do something that only I can do, something that can help this force. I know that the Lord’s power is dangerous for you. But my power will definitely be helpful to you.”
Kim Ji-hee’s eyes are shining with determination.
“Why are you trying so hard? No one will say anything even if you don’t do anything. It’s easy and nice to just sit back and relax.”
“…I don’t want to be useless. I can’t stay in my mom’s arms forever. I want to help my mom in my own way.”
Just as Kim Ji-hee is Yoo Seo-jung’s weakness, Yoo Seo-jung is Kim Ji-hee’s weakness.
‘That means if I manage Yoo Seo-jung well, I can control Kim Ji-hee well too.’
The Lord’s ability to forcibly awaken ordinary people and increase the power of the entire force. It was a coveted power.
“The Lord class is an ability that can’t help but become a ruler. You know that, right?”
“…Yes. The Ilwoo Group was wary of me because I’m a Lord. I have no intention of betraying you.”
Is it a lie? Or is it the truth? I couldn’t see into her heart. Still, I have the card called Yoo Seo-jung. As long as Yoo Seo-jung is here, Kim Ji-hee won’t act recklessly.
‘First, I need to get closer to Kim Ji-hee if I want to do a mother-daughter double.’
“Follow me. Let’s test your abilities.”
I took her to the training room. I also called 10 members of the Holy Royal Guard. The Royal Guard members stood motionless behind me. They were stiff and expressionless, but they weren’t emotionless. Their eyes were full of faith as they looked at me.
“…What do I need to do?”
“As far as I know, the Lord has the ability to awaken ordinary people, right?”
“Yes. They’re called Guardians. You can awaken ordinary people with high loyalty. The stronger the Lord’s ability, the more Guardians you can appoint… I have the basic 5.”
Kim Ji-hee was at the Daemado secret lab, so she couldn’t develop her Lord abilities.
“Holy Royal Guard. All of you, pledge your loyalty to Kim Ji-hee.”
“Yes, Your Holiness. We will pledge our loyalty to Kim Ji-hee.”
The Royal Guard bowed to Kim Ji-hee without any objection.
Kim Ji-hee’s eyes widened in surprise.
“…You’re really pledging your loyalty to me. And all of you are willing to give your lives for me.”
“What? Can you even check their loyalty?”
“Yes. It’s the Lord’s ability. It’s not exact, but I can roughly feel it.”
“I see. Royal Guard. Let’s see how much your physical abilities have increased.”
A simple physical test followed.
And I was surprised. All of the Royal Guard members had their physical abilities increased by at least 10%. And this is just the basic number. The increase will be greater as the Lord’s ability grows.
What’s amazing is that you can get it with just loyalty.
“Royal Guard. Abandon your loyalty to Kim Ji-hee.”
“Yes, Your Holiness.”
“Huh?!”
Kim Ji-hee gasped in surprise. Judging by her reaction, it feels like the Royal Guard’s loyalty has completely disappeared.
‘This proves it. Loyalty and faith are separate. And faith is above loyalty.’
With this, I can use Kim Ji-hee’s abilities.
‘First, should I awaken a few Royal Guard members?’
“Pledge your loyalty to Kim Ji-hee again.”
“Yes, Your Holiness.”
Following my orders, the eyes of the Royal Guard members looking at Kim Ji-hee changed rapidly.
“Kim Ji-hee. Can you awaken this guy as a Guardian?”
“Yes. I can.”
“Do it.”
Kim Ji-hee narrowed her eyes as she looked at him. She’s concentrating her consciousness. Soon, the Royal Guard member’s body flashed.
The Royal Guard member has awakened.
