Chapter 67 : Divine Physician
Chapter 67: Divine Physician? Divine Loyalty! (1)
Throb.
I was certain I'd had an important dream.
I tried retracing my memories, but they evaporated as quickly as the blink of an eye.
Was this one of those clichés?
— Huh? Why am I crying?
I must've slept for quite a while.
The fact that I was thinking such ridiculous nonsense was proof enough.
“Ugh.”
Lee Taebaek groaned as he sat upright.
He wiped the corners of his eyes with his thumb, only to find them crusted over.
“Damn, that's gross—”
Something suddenly caught on the tip of his thumb.
Twitch.
A faint sting pricked the space between his eyebrows.
When he carefully felt it with his finger...
Something as thin as a needle touched his skin.
He cautiously pinched it between two fingers and pulled it free.
It's actually a needle.
The tip of the acupuncture needle glinted.
At the same time, Lee Taebaek's lifeless fish eyes instantly regained their vitality.
His gaze dropped.
A cactus had somehow entered his field of vision.
What's wrong with my arm?
And that wasn't all.
Silver acupuncture needles had completely occupied the exposed skin beneath his pants, which had been rolled up to his knees.
His bare abdomen was no different.
Judging by the purple circular marks dotting his pale stomach, someone had even performed cupping therapy.
It was horrifying.
But...
Why the hell have I turned into a hedgehog?
Had Ban gone and brought back an acupuncturist or something?
That was honestly creepy.
Because in Lake City...
Most doctors were unlicensed.
Even Yu Da-hee, the Vice Commander of the 9th Battalion, was an unlicensed healer.
Apparently, obtaining a medical license required swearing absolute loyalty to the City Government instead of taking the Hippocratic Oath.
She wasn't the only one.
Quite a few people had refused certification for exactly that reason.
Perhaps because of that...
Among unlicensed doctors, there were a handful whose medical skills resembled the reincarnation of Hua Tuo himself.
The foremost example was the Poison Sovereign among The 10 Wings.
Besides...
The Poison Sovereign simply never bothered getting licensed.
Who would dare question his skill?
Members of the Tang Clan learned to hold acupuncture needles before pencils.
When ordinary children drank formula...
They built poison resistance by eating poisoned porridge.
The Tang Clan's brutal upbringing had produced unparalleled medical arts.
Within the City, only Siesta could rival them.
They stood firmly as the top two.
But that was only the heavenly side of unlicensed medicine.
There was no need to descend into hell.
Reality was...
There was a saying in the City.
If you want to kill your family, hire an assassin.
If you want to kill your enemy, send an unlicensed doctor.
Guess I really got scared.
Even when facing Dojon Muyachi, I'd managed to keep my composure.
Yet now my thoughts were completely all over the place.
Anyway.
The important point here...
Was that the person who had treated my body seemed to be one of those unlicensed doctors.
Fuck... they didn't steal one of my organs, did they?
He shook his head to dispel the ominous thought.
The silver needles hanging all over his face and neck scattered in every direction.
Strangely enough...
Even after making such a huge commotion, none of his muscles hurt.
Creak.
The hinges squeaked shyly, announcing someone's arrival.
The figure who stepped through the door, now opened by about two inches...
Was Dumpling Bun.
More accurately...
The 3rd Battalion Commander, Tang Ji-hye.
“…What are you doing?”
That's what I should be asking.
Tang Ji-hye held a tray in both hands.
A bowl sitting atop it released thick white steam along with a pungent smell.
“What are you doing here?”
“You've got quite the attitude toward the person who nursed you back to health.”
“You nurse sick people.”
“Oh, really? Coming from someone who slept for two straight days, that's rich.”
“I slept for two days?”
Tang Ji-hye nodded without emotion.
“Yeah.”
“……”
“The only reason I took your clothes off while you were asleep was because of the treatment. So don't go imagining anything weird. I don't have a hobby of groping sleeping people—especially men.”
Her tone was gruff.
But there wasn't any hostility behind it.
Looking at the mess scattered across the floor, she frowned.
Then, with a sigh, let her irritation pass.
Carefully avoiding the needles, Tang Ji-hye tiptoed over.
She placed the tray on the bedside cabinet.
“Eat.”
When Lee Taebaek hesitated, she urged him again.
“Before it gets cold.”
“You're joking, right?”
“No. I'm serious.”
“No... How exactly am I supposed to eat this?”
“How else? With your mouth.”
Tang Ji-hye answered indifferently.
Meanwhile, she personally picked up every scattered needle and returned them to their acupuncture case.
So it was her.
Nothing else mattered.
Just knowing that Tang Ji-hye had been the one performing the acupuncture filled him with relief.
Whatever the circumstances.
Even if he asked...
There was no way someone with her personality would explain anything anyway.
People really were fickle.
Just moments ago he'd been terrified that something might've gone wrong with his body.
Now...
He couldn't have felt more refreshed.
There was just one thing.
Nowadays, the Tang Clan only used acupuncture as a means of killing.
Even if this is still five years before the main story of Raken's...
As far as he knew...
The Tang Clan's medical arts had effectively disappeared about twenty years earlier.
It had already been twenty years since Tang Munik's title changed from Dark Sovereign to Poison Sovereign.
The reason behind it remained one of the Tang Clan's deepest secrets.
And the person directly involved is sitting right here.
After putting away the last of the needles, Tang Ji-hye dragged over a chair and sat down.
She crossed her arms, folded one leg over the other, and arrogantly lifted her chin.
“Hurry up and eat. It'll taste even worse once it gets cold. Just so you know, I stuffed it full of every Spiritual Medicine I could get my hands on—”
Hands were faster than ears.
Like lightning, Lee Taebaek snatched the bowl and chugged the entire thing.
Urgh.
The moment the liquid struck the back of his throat, even his jaw tingled.
Ah...
This was the taste of life itself.
Bitter.
Sweet.
Salty.
Sour.
If someone gathered every unpleasant flavor imaginable and combined them into one drink...
This would be the result.
“Now that you're done, let's go.”
While Lee Taebaek repeatedly swallowed the lingering aftertaste, Tang Ji-hye dusted off her clothes and stood.
Without him even noticing, she'd already gathered every single remaining needle into one hand.
He'd only lifted his head for a brief moment to drink the medicine.
Her hands really were incredible.
“Go where?”
“To eat.”
“…Out of nowhere?”
“The medicinal soup you just drank contained a lot of the same ingredients used to make Flame Poison. When fatigue builds up, your body starts accumulating cold energy. Eating something spicy warms your body back up and prevents problems later.”
Having said only that...
She left, carrying a chilly breeze behind her.
Lee Taebaek stared silently at the closed door for quite some time.
Skipping explanations was one thing.
This was excessive.
Still...
By Lake City standards, Tang Ji-hye actually ranked among the better communicators.
The higher you climbed within the City...
The worse everyone's communication skills became.
People only said exactly what was necessary...
Then left.
When individualism spread across the universe...
This was the inevitable result.
Well...
What could he do?
He was the Creator.
He had no choice but to accept it.
[The Faith stat has been buffed.]
The sensation resembled a needle's eye—
Already invisible—
Being sealed shut even tighter.
After rubbing his face with both hands, he picked up the Para Blade leaning against the bed and headed out.
Descending the spiral staircase, he pondered.
The scenery kept changing with every step.
Why is Tang Ji-hye being so nice to me?
There was absolutely no reason for it.
They'd only met once before.
And even that hadn't exactly been a pleasant memory.
Tang Ji-hye was infamous for her terrible temper.
Seeing her act like this only made him more uneasy.
Goddamn this paranoia.
Why are you getting scared, Lee Taebaek?
“Haah.”
The world I'd created had turned me into this.
If two days have passed... then the Supreme Commander must've already told the Battalion Commanders that I fought Dojon.
Strictly speaking...
It wasn't really a proper match.
Still...
It was undeniably an impressive achievement.
Even if they belonged to different Battalions...
They were all members of the same organization.
Maybe she felt a little proud of him.
It was a childish interpretation...
But it was the only explanation he could think of.
Otherwise...
The only remaining possibility...
Was that Tang Ji-hye had become intimidated by him.
That's going way too far...
“...No way.”
Nah.
Couldn't be.
“……”
...Could it?
[＃1 Small-Scale] 1.9.3.1 Patch Notes
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• While near 「Operator: Lee Taebaek」, the passive skill reducing 「3rd Battalion Commander: Tang Ji-hye」's Mental stat by 20 is activated.
• 「Operator: Lee Taebaek」 has acquired a passive skill that increases his Foresight by 10, effective only against 「3rd Battalion Commander: Tang Ji-hye」.
• From now on, 「3rd Battalion Commander: Tang Ji-hye」 is far more likely to become unconsciously intimidated whenever she is in front of 「Operator: Lee Taebaek」.
• From now on, 「3rd Battalion Commander: Tang Ji-hye」 is more likely to unconsciously feel indebted whenever she is in front of 「Operator: Lee Taebaek」.
⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯
Name: Lee Taebaek
Level: 22 (↑6)
Life: 38 Mental: 44 Strength: 32
Agility: 41 Magic: 35 Faith: 50
⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯
〉〉 Auto Saving…….
〉〉 Applying Patch.
Following Tang Ji-hye, Lee Taebaek arrived at a street food stall.
She hadn't spoken a single word on the way there.
But the moment she saw the entrance awning...
A smile spread across her face.
It was the exact expression a Korean would make upon finding a kimchi stew restaurant in a foreign country.
As it happened...
That comparison wasn't wrong.
The moment Lee Taebaek stepped inside, his brow furrowed deeply.
The spicy aroma assaulted both his eyes and nose.
It became difficult to breathe...
Or even keep his eyes open.
Slurp...
On top of that...
The air carried the sharp smell of sweat.
The stall was completely full.
Everyone was drenched in perspiration as they devoured their food.
All of them sat shoulder to shoulder around ㄷ-shaped bar tables.
They ate in such a battle-ready fashion that no one even spared the newcomers a glance.
What the hell are they eating?
“Boss.”
Tang Ji-hye pulled out a chair and sat down first.
The middle-aged owner behind the counter merely listened while continuing his work.
“Two bowls of mala-tang.”
Ah.
So that was why she'd been smiling so broadly.
Of course.
To someone from Sichuan like Tang Ji-hye...
Mala-tang probably looked exactly like kimchi stew.
“What toppings?”
“The usual.”
“And the spice level?”
“Level 9 for me...”
Tang Ji-hye subtly glanced toward Lee Taebaek.
Without looking at her, he asked the owner,
“What's the beginner level?”
“Level 8.”
“…Judging by the number alone, that doesn't sound like something beginners should be eating. Is anything lower available?”
“If that's what the customer wants, I'll make it.”
The owner casually answered while ladling fiery red broth into a bowl.
“Though if anyone orders below Level 7 here, I won't call them a customer anymore.”
“I'll call them a baby instead.”
“And your girlfriend's eating Level 9 while you're asking for Level 8.”
“Doesn't that hurt your pride a little?”
“She's not my girlfriend.”
Tang Ji-hye answered before Lee Taebaek could.
Even before eating...
A faint blush had already spread across her face.
Lee Taebaek failed to notice.
He was too busy frowning.
“Level 9.”
“That's more like it. Now that's a proper customer.”
Their food arrived.
It looked violently spicy.
The crimson broth bubbled furiously.
Everything floating inside was bright red.
Seeing it...
Lee Taebaek let out a weak groan.
Meanwhile, Tang Ji-hye looked ready to start drooling.
“……”
“Let's eat.”
“Yeah.”
The meal began.
The very first bite drove away every trace of sleep.
The second made his tongue scream.
By the third...
His lips had swollen noticeably.
Picking absentmindedly at his food with his chopsticks, Lee Taebaek glanced sideways at Tang Ji-hye.
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear while gently blowing on a piece of meat.
「Good morning, citizens of the City.」
A television hung in the corner of the ceiling.
「We regret having to bring you unpleasant news so early in the morning.」
The announcer spoke with a solemn expression.
Everyone eating stopped.
Even the owner slowed his movements as he shook the water from the noodles.
「For the past two days, every MegaCorp except the Daeseong Group has faced the greatest stock market crash in history.
Among them, the company hit hardest has been Siesta, previously ranked second in market capitalization.
After losing 31 trillion in market value two days ago, it has lost another astonishing 59 trillion today.
A total of 90 trillion has disappeared in just two days.
Analysts believe the Daeseong Group's recruitment of Dojon of the Ten Wings influenced the stock prices of the other MegaCorps.
However, they unanimously questioned whether that alone could possibly explain such a dramatic collapse.
Siesta and the other MegaCorps have declined to comment, stating only that they will announce countermeasures soon.
Naturally, public attention has turned toward the Daeseong Group.
How the company chooses to respond remains to be seen.
Our next story... (……).」
“Man, that feels satisfying.”
Someone slammed down their chopsticks.
“Seriously! Those bastards have been acting so damn full of themselves!”
“When have they ever cared about ordinary people? Their idea of ordinary people only includes those living in the Upper District!”
“Fuck, I got a foreclosure notice not long ago. Seriously, how can a primary bank charge twenty percent interest?”
“Because MegaCorp controls the financial sector too.”
The owner twisted his lips into a grin.
“Serves them right. I hope every last one of them goes bankrupt and the Daeseong Group takes first place. They've got plenty of dirty secrets too, but they're still better than the others. Siesta, Haragusa... those bastards stink worse than the sewers in the Bottommost District. That's why I can never quit eating mala-tang. It's the only thing strong enough to wash away their stench.”
“Maybe you should worry about your own bad breath first.”
“You little shit—?!”
The stall erupted into noisy laughter.
Only Tang Ji-hye remained focused on eating.
Not until she'd finished the very last piece of meat did she finally look at Lee Taebaek.
“Eat while you can.”
“Think of it as a vaccine that'll prepare you for all the greasy food you'll be eating from now on.”
The 3rd Battalion Commander delivered the Supreme Commander's orders.
“Starting tomorrow... your assigned mission area will be the Upper District.”