Chapter 4. Apocalypse (4)
By the time Lee Hwa-yeon woke up, all the security guards had been subdued.
Few mages or martial artists could match Lee Hwa-yeon. Moreover, she was known for burning everything down, so if they didn’t want to die, they had no choice but to hit the floor.
But Jin-woo was different.
Emerging from the laboratory, Jin-woo was conversing with Hwa-yeon as if being interrogated.
“So, you’re saying Dr. Kim Jin-han kidnapped Aina to complete his medicine, and you stole my car to go save her?”
“Yes, that’s roughly it.”
“Ha! This is driving me insane.”
Hwa-yeon glared at Jin-woo with murderous intent.
She wanted to punch Jin-woo right away, but she was reluctant to touch a minor.
Jin-woo just smirked.
The reality of the research lab was exposed, so they would figure out how to handle what Kim Jin-han and Ferme Pharmaceuticals had done.
Seeing Jin-woo’s smile, Hwa-yeon’s face crumpled.
Jin-woo smiled because he was glad to see Hwa-yeon.
There was a time when she was his direct superior.
Due to her fiery personality, she was always involved in incidents, and Jin-woo got swept up in them too.
Still, she was righteous.
A bit twisted and tangled, but her direction was clearly towards justice.
“You’ll have to explain in detail at the Magic Association’s detention center.”
“Talk to my lawyer about that.”
It was what he had most wanted to say to her.
“Lawyer? You… come to think of it, where…”
“I’m Lee Jin-woo.”
“You…! Lee Jin-woo of the Ilsin Group?!”
Hwa-yeon remembered looking up Jin-woo’s face.
Her gaze sharpened.
She had good instincts.
The wounds on Jin-woo’s body were not simple. They were clearly the traces of battle. And she noticed he was suffering from the side effects of mana exhaustion.
She also saw the shocking traces from the monster presumed to be Dr. Kim Jin-han.
“It’s you? Multicasting.”
“What’s that?”
Hwa-yeon glared at Jin-woo.
“Since you saved me, I will surely repay you.”
“Who do you think you’re treating like a dick, kid? Shut up before I burn you to death.”
Jin-woo turned his head and looked to the side.
Inside the Magic Association vehicle Hwa-yeon brought, Harmu and Aina were asleep.
They were sleeping closely together.
“Thank you. For saving me.”
“What?”
Sincerity was evident in Jin-woo’s words.
Jin-woo closed his mouth and fell backward. And he immediately fell asleep as if passing out.
“Hey, hey! Hey…”
Hwa-yeon shook Jin-woo roughly, but she couldn’t wake him up.
Several vehicles, including an ambulance belonging to the Magic Association, arrived.
She took a cigarette out of her pocket and put it in her mouth.
“Phew…”
Cigarette smoke billowed out.
“This is going to be a mess. Damn it.”
She would be right.
* * *
Unfortunately, Jin-woo did not end up in the Magic Association’s detention center. When the truth about the lab was revealed, Hwa-yeon became very busy.
Hwa-yeon inadvertently became the person who discovered and stopped that horrific tragedy. The Magic Association seemed to like that appearance, so it solidified that way, and they played it up in the media like that.
Hwa-yeon’s opinion didn’t matter.
The infamous Enforcement Department finally made a big catch!
And it was that crazy dog Hwa-yeon who did it.
The Hancheon Group tried to block it somehow, but they couldn’t. Because they heard the news that Lee Jin-woo, the youngest of the Ilsin Group, was involved.
The Magic Association tried to summon Harmu, Aina, and Jin-woo for questioning, but as soon as Jin-woo’s lawyer arrived, they had no choice but to send them back nicely.
The status of a third-generation chaebol was indeed very convenient.
‘Good.’
Kidnapping.
The story went that Jin-woo was also kidnapped along with Aina.
Jin-woo also preferred it that way.
He could save Aina, and he had a good excuse not to go up to the main house. Although there was a big fuss at the Ilsin Group because of Jin-woo, he didn’t care.
He was already a troublemaker youngest son anyway, so they would handle it well.
Jin-woo was currently with Harmu and Aina at a villa a little distance from Harmu’s house. They couldn’t stay at her house because it was a mess.
Harmu had just packed some things from home.
There was another reason why Jin-woo couldn’t go to the main house now.
‘I thought the side effects would be quite severe, but…’
Harmu was smiling brightly and stroking Jin-woo’s head. She had an expression that said he was so cute she could die.
Jin-woo looked much younger.
Based on the condition of his mana core, it was estimated that he would return to his original appearance in about a day.
In this state, it was difficult to properly judge his physical condition.
Even his cheeky attitude became charming when his appearance turned cute. Jin-woo’s younger appearance was extremely adorable.
Harmu was going crazy, hugging Jin-woo or rubbing her cheeks against his.
“I’ll take back what I said before. Young Master, you’re cute. Very, extremely, tremendously.”
“Ugh…!”
It was a completely different vibe from the usual Harmu.
“Can you stop now? This is annoying as hell.”
“Oh, did you say that? Hehehe.”
“Ah, what a headache.”
“Are you hungry? Do you want to eat? Do you want some snacks?”
Jin-woo’s head hurt.
Aina was also sticking close to Jin-woo.
After what happened, it would be understandable for her to be anxious, but she didn’t show such signs. Rather, she actively wanted to learn ways to protect herself.
After a day passed, Jin-woo’s appearance returned to normal.
Perhaps thanks to the side effects, his wounds had disappeared. It seemed that the remaining wounds vanished due to his age reverting as if time had been turned back. Even the scars originally on Jin-woo’s body were gone.
It was as if Jin-woo’s time had been erased and filled with his own time instead.
Everything was normal except for the slow mana recovery and heavy body.
Harmu was very disappointed.
She didn’t ask why there were such side effects or what magic he had shown while fighting Dr. Kim Jin-han.
Her expression was filled with trust in Jin-woo.
“I should get going soon.”
“To the store?”
Aina asked in a disappointed voice.
“I have something to do first, but after I take care of that, let’s go to the orc restaurant.”
“Okay, I’ll wait. I’m good at waiting.”
“I’m not very good at making people wait though.”
Aina smiled brightly.
Jin-woo looked at her for a moment, then turned his gaze towards Harmu. It was a signal to talk separately for a bit.
After parting with Aina, Jin-woo went outside the villa with Harmu.
Harmu’s expression was dark.
“Aina… even at most, she won’t last a few months, they say.”
“That’s what that tentacled monster said, right?”
“Yes.”
Jin-woo shook his head slightly.
“You believed that fraud?”
“Th-then, is it okay?”
“She’ll at least live longer than me. He was just putting on a show to try to take Aina.”
Yesterday, spending the day with Aina, he was able to properly observe her condition.
At Jin-woo’s words, Harmu seemed to lose strength in her legs and sat down. She repeatedly muttered that it was a relief.
“I checked Aina’s condition.”
“What?”
“She inherited a very strong elven bloodline, making her appearance close to a pureblood.”
Harmu nodded.
Although born from the same parents, unlike her who had the appearance of a half-elf, Aina was close to a pureblood.
“It’s a rare phenomenon found in those of mixed blood. With the physique of a half-elf and the vast mana of a pureblood elf, side effects are inevitable. Well, thanks to that, we were able to eliminate that tentacled monster.”
Harmu stared at Jin-woo with a blank expression.
“The mana flows through the bloodline, pressuring the brain, and after flowing, it accumulates in the eyes, causing the disease. Half-elves have larger mana cores than elves, but their bloodline is narrow. She probably has severe headaches too. And her spinal nerves are also compressed, so she couldn’t move her lower body properly.”
It was a rare disease that occurred in those of mixed blood.
It seemed the cause had not been revealed yet.
“There’s no need to even go to unified medicine.”
“…Young Master…?”
“You’re an engineer, right? You’re a mage, right? Now you know the cause and effect. Then there’s only one thing to do.”
“Th-then…?”
“Do I really have to say it out loud?”
Jin-woo looked at her as if she were pathetic.
Harmu’s eyes slowly reddened.
“I’ll arrange accommodation for you near my house, so move there.”
“Young Master.”
“What?”
Tears flowed down Harmu’s cheeks.
“Why… why are you doing this for me? I… I lost the bet, I was just ticking you off… and…!”
Jin-woo helped her while getting injured himself.
He saved Aina.
Harmu brought up the question she hadn’t asked before, the one she wanted to ask but couldn’t.
“The contract.”
Jin-woo took his gaze off her.
“It was written in the contract. About employee benefits. So you should have read the contract carefully.”
“…Is that so?”
“It’s too late to regret it now. Anyway, I’m going.”
After saying that, Jin-woo walked forward.
Harmu watched Jin-woo’s back until he disappeared, then returned home.
“Sis, did Jin-woo leave?”
“You’re not even thinking about me now?”
Aina laughed at Harmu’s complaint.
She looked at the contract carelessly placed among the clothes in the luggage she had brought.
‘A contract…’
It was a ridiculous contract Jin-woo had made up on the spot after their bet.
It was a strange situation where her salary went up despite losing the bet.
Her job was just doing the assignments Jin-woo gave her and some secretarial work. It felt like she had returned to college.
She noticed the handwritten phrase at the very top.
While his equations were so neat, his handwriting was terribly messy.
Family-like company (thorough employee benefits)
A family-like company.
Harmu stroked the writing with her finger and gave a deep smile. She quietly looked at the contract for a while, then turned to Aina.
‘I found out the cause.’
There was hope.
Hope that she could grasp herself.
“Want to move?”
“Move…?”
Aina tilted her head.
Harmu just smiled as she hugged Aina.
* * *
Jin-woo, who had returned to the mansion, had a complicated schedule due to the people who had flocked from the Ilsin Group. The Magic Association demanded an in-person investigation of Jin-woo, but the Ilsin Group’s legal team easily refused.
Although only a few days had passed, it naturally caused a big fuss.
They had conducted human experiments near Seoul. The evidence was all perfectly preserved, and there were even surviving victims who had been kidnapped.
When the line connecting Dr. Kim Jin-han, Ferme Pharmaceuticals, and even the Hancheon Group was revealed, the Magic Association launched a massive search and seizure of the Hancheon Group and Ferme Pharmaceuticals.
A joint investigation team between the Korean government and the Magic Association was formed, and Lee Hwa-yeon was recommended as the team leader.
Lee Hwa-yeon’s achievements were remarkable.
She was in charge of the initial discovery and commanded the incident, and if it ended well, it would greatly help her career.
In the past, she had even been demoted due to conflicts with the leadership. Because of her personality, there was no compromise.
She also had no accomplishments and was always involved in incidents, so it couldn’t be helped.
‘You should have endured it a bit.’
‘Hey, once you compromise, the next time it becomes a compromise. After compromise comes agreement. That’s how you become an idiot like the higher-ups.’
‘Thanks to that, becoming a High Road candidate is out of the question. You have no achievements and have poked at the dirty secrets of important people.’
‘I did well to burn their scalps.’
‘Anyway, I’m resigning.’
‘What? Hey! Why?’
‘Someone has to take responsibility. I’m also sick of the Magic Association.’
In the end, she didn’t make it to the ‘High Road,’ the leadership organization that ran the Magic Association.
‘This time is different.’
Jin-woo smirked.
It was a solid achievement that would support her from behind. Moreover, it was widely exposed in the news and various media, so currently, few people didn’t know her name.
Jin-woo upgraded her car by several levels and sent it to her as a gift.
It was her real dream car that Jin-woo sent.
It was under the pretext of thanking her for saving him from the kidnapping. Of course, she immediately returned the car. When he refused to take it back, she burned it on the spot.
Her fiery personality was still the same.
‘Of course, the Ilsin Group won’t believe the Magic Association’s announcement.’
The Ilsin Group’s intelligence capabilities were excellent, so they would roughly know about Jin-woo’s whereabouts.
‘Artifacts…’
Jin-woo was aware of various incidents caused by paranormal phenomena and artifacts. The question was how the Red Scalpel ended up with Dr. Kim Jin-han and Ferme Pharmaceuticals.
The one who made good use of black magic and artifacts was none other than Lee Jin-woo.
The clue might be on the corporate side.
‘First…’
Now was the time to enjoy the advantage of knowing the future.
“Phew…”
First, he checked his physical condition.
Thanks to absorbing the Red Scalpel, the authority of time was strengthened.
‘If I use my full power, even triple layering might be possible.’
Moreover, his mana capacity had increased, and his physical abilities had risen significantly. It felt like the blood vessels connected to his mana core had become much sturdier. It felt like changing from a national road to a highway.
The biggest achievement was that he had acquired the characteristics of the Red Scalpel. Perhaps due to the authority of time, it was modified to suit his abilities, but that was even better.
Jin-woo reached out his hand and quickly drew a magic circle.
Perhaps because he roughly skipped the minor processes quickly, the activation speed was close to instant activation. However, the magic circle was incomplete, with teeth missing here and there.
Originally, magic wouldn’t activate from such magic circles.
This was called a bad sector of a magic circle.
Far from activating, it could explode and damage the caster. For low-level magic like this, the mana would scatter into the air and disappear.
But.
Bzzt!
Red lines appeared in the empty bad sectors and connected in an instant.
The roughly created magic circle became complete.