Doing Good Deeds Will Bring Blessings¿

Gu poison originally refers to the venomous insect that survives last in a jar filled with poisonous creatures. Strictly speaking, however, what I use isn’t a real insect. What I put down James Chen’s throat was an item made from my blood.

…Then again, considering the system treats me like a pest, maybe it’s not so different.

When I borrowed the lab last time to make reagents, I had prepared a few of these on the side. I hadn’t expected them to come in handy like this. By embedding my mana, materialized in the form of blood, into a monster’s shell, I created a temporarily controllable, insect-like construct.

“You say I’m being controlled, what exactly did you do… ghk!”

Staring up at me in disbelief, James Chen convulsed in pain once more, white foam bubbling at his lips.

“Oh dear. That’s what happens when you go off-topic.”

It seemed the gu poison lodged in James’s brain had administered a small penalty for defying my command.

The quest "Doing Good Deeds Will Bring Blessings¿" is in progress.

If Jeong Daon engages in behavior that does not meet social standards, stat restrictions will be intensified.

The system notes that “torturing a human being” is not an act supported by the majority of society.

“Torture? Surely you jest!”

At the system message that appeared, I feigned exaggerated shock. Annoying, yes, but I had anticipated this response from the system. I was prepared with an excuse.

“This is part of a medical treatment.”

It wasn't a lie. He might look like he’s suffering, but in truth, I just saved that man’s life. If my gu poison hadn’t infiltrated James Chen’s body and devoured the time bomb planted in his brain, his head would have already exploded like Lee Manbok. Compared to that old man who was reduced to a complete imbecile, a little headache is practically a luxury.

“Ghk… urgh…!” James’s body spasmed violently.

Ah. Perhaps “a little headache” is understating it. Since the gu poison needs to take root inside his body right now, the pain is bound to be somewhat severe.

“You could call it… a side effect of treatment.”

The system suspects User “Jeong Daon” of ulterior motives.

Crackle! A faint tingling ran through my fingertips. It seemed the system was attempting to restrain me as a form of check. But…

"..."

In the end, nothing happened. The stat restrictions were not strengthened. Just as I thought.

After all, I saved someone who should have died like Lee Manbok, and more importantly, wasn’t James the one who abducted me first and tried to experiment on me? For someone like that, a bit of pain—no, pain accompanying treatment—was deemed “justified.”

This is the limit of a collective intelligence.

Ultimately, it means that the majority of humans who make up society view me favorably. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Yet law and morality do not stand with the weak. In a broken society like this, it is very easy for a demon to slip in.

Collapsed on the ground, James vomited black blood. “Cough, cough…!”

“See? The surgery was a success.”

The suggestion magic that had been embedded in James’ brain had taken form and been expelled. Thick, dark blood seeped into the floor. It’s a pity the magic circle was too damaged to examine properly, but there were only so many people who would do something like this.

If Orbis had extended their hand to James Chen as well, I had assumed they would have taken precautions. The only real question was whether my gu poison would function properly. In the end, it worked exceptionally well.

“Looks like Han Jaeyeong did a good job.”

For the gu poison made from my blood to take root in another’s body and exert influence, that person’s mind must first submit to me. After all, the gu is an insect formed from my mana, and mana is the power of the soul. In other words, only when the other party feels they have been completely defeated by me can the gu properly settle inside their body.

That’s why I used Han Jaeyeong, their ever-shifting transformations, to be precise. I had thought that if Han Jaeyeong transformed into me and forced James Chen into submission, I would be able to make use of the gu poison. Of course, Han Jaeyeong probably never imagined that this was the real reason I asked them to attack James.

Twitch!

James’ body, sprawled on the ground, convulsed violently.

I grabbed him by the head and hauled him upright as he writhed in pain. "Tell me about Orbis."

“…I don’t—ngh…! I’m telling the truth! I really am!” As if to prove the extent of the pain he had already endured, James watched my expression closely while making excuses. “I don’t know anything called Orbis. I just know about items with that bracelet’s emblem… the snake engraving!”

“…Go on.”

“I’ll talk, so please—please do something about this…!”

“That depends on how useful your story is.”

At my words, James hurriedly continued, “I-it was over twenty years ago. I was looking for items and saw one with the same emblem!”

This was James Chen’s account: Like Leila, he had known since he was a minor that he possessed a talent for sensing mana. Naturally, he had dreamed of becoming a Hunter. And James’ wealthy parents had wanted their child to be a little safer, so they purchased a self-defense item to protect him…

…and that item bore the same snake engraving as the bracelet I showed him.

“You’re saying items with this engraving were circulating on the market?”

“Not through normal channels. I heard later… they were obtained through acquaintances on the black market. Th-that’s what everyone did…”

“…The black market.”

It wasn’t particularly surprising that a black market thrived in the United States. Even in Korea, illegal reagents circulated regularly, and the laboratory I rented in New York was practically in a gray zone.

“I heard they were pretty famous on the black market back then. Items engraved with that unusual snake emblem all had astonishingly low mana consumption but incredible output.”

“If they were that remarkable, even on the black market the artisan who made them would’ve been known. Who was it?”

“I don’t know that much. I-I’m serious!” Seeing me frown, James added hurriedly, “I was a minor at the time! How would I know the details of the black market?”

“But if the items were that impressive, you would’ve tried to get more later.”

“…I did try to look into it later.”

As expected.

“But by the time I became active as a professional Hunter, no new items were being distributed. People just speculated that the artisan who made them had been killed by a competitor.”

“...Hmm.”

"Ghk!" James cried out in pain and collapsed to the floor again.

The system notes that “torturing a human being” is not an act supported by the majority of society.

“I’m not torturing him. I’m checking whether any lingering suggestions remain.”

There were more than a few issues with James Chen’s story. First of all—twenty years ago?

Orbis has been in this world that long?

Strange. As far as I knew, Orbis had survived even before my death… and more importantly, the mage who became a lifeless idol in the previous dungeon had mentioned Orbis as well. Since that lifeless idol had been created after the world’s destruction, it was clear that Orbis survived even after my death.

And yet, items made by Orbis had already been circulating on Earth twenty years ago, before I was even born into this world.

That wasn’t the only inconsistency.

“I find it hard to believe. You just happened to purchase one of those items…?”

“Wh-what? What are you implying?! I’m telling the truth!”

James’ face was smeared with filthy bodily fluids as he pleaded desperately. At the same time, his fingernails scratched wildly at his neck and arms, drawing blood and bits of flesh.

He screamed, “It itches… It itches so much! I feel like I’m going insane!”

As the gu poison spread not only through James’ head but along his blood vessels, it was clear his entire body was itching. Looking down at him, I folded my arms and sank into thought. In truth, the likelihood that someone who had been mentally crushed and was writhing in agony like that was lying was low.

Which made this all the more strange. To implant a suggestion spell of that level, even Orbis would have needed direct contact with the target, and there must have been a reason to cast such a spell in the first place.

In that case…

“Look over here.”

As a test, I nudged the chin of James Chen, still convulsing and drenched in unpleasant bodily fluids, with my foot, forcing him to turn his gaze.

He looked up at me with a hideous expression. “Just kill me already—!”

“Stop exaggerating. One last question.” I created a small illusion above my palm. “Have you ever seen this person?”

Frankly, even recalling the image made me nauseous. But if Orbis had not reincarnated into this world…

Then they would look exactly as I remembered.

“Ah…” The moment James saw the illusion rising from my hand, admiration flickered in his eyes, completely at odds with the situation.

Silver hair cascading down to the feet like a symbol of authority. Pale blue eyes. Imperial robes lavishly embroidered with golden thread. It was the last appearance of Orbis as I remembered them.

James opened his mouth. “I’ve never in my life seen such a beauty—ghk!”

I kicked him in the mouth. “Don’t say disgusting things.”

James looked up at me as if to protest that I was the one who asked, but that was none of my concern. Who told him to spout nonsense like that?

Surely the gu hadn’t crawled into my own body by mistake? Suddenly my whole body felt like it was protesting in pain.

“It makes no sense that you’ve never seen them. That person planted a bomb in your head. They must be somewhere around you.”

“That’s… but I’m really telling the truth. I’ve never seen a woman like that in my life!”

What was this contradiction?

While I was lost in thought, James cautiously opened his mouth. “Is that woman’s name Orbis?”

"...Yes."

“You seem young. There’s a naive side to you. I don’t know the circumstances, but if you’re looking for her, she must be on the run. These days, people can change their faces with reagents or surgery. Fake identities are easy to buy if you have money. It’s simpler than you think.”

"..."

Seeing my expression, James hurriedly continued, “I-I mean I’ll help you find her! You said she must have contacted me, right? I’ll investigate everyone I’ve met over the past few years—”

“Shut up.”

At my words, James snapped his babbling mouth closed.

As if I hadn’t considered that possibility. Logically speaking, given Orbis’ purpose, she would never have confessed her identity or intentions to anyone. She might have changed her face.

Orbis is truly the Enemy of Humanity.

This Earth itself is Orbis’ enemy.

And yet…

…You’ve done something very unlike yourself, Orbis.

Honestly, I could hardly imagine the Orbis I knew doing such things. Hiding her natural face. Abandoning her name and status. Making money through illegal dealings on the black market. Going that far, all to try and preserve, if only slightly, the dying thread of a world that had already been destroyed beyond saving. To cast aside all pride and struggle in an entirely different world for decades…

A strange emotion washed over me. The one who had once been my beloved sister, my proud emperor…

“I-I’ve told you everything. I even said I’d help!”

James’ voice snapped me back to reality.

Right. There was no need to drown in tiresome sentimentality.

James Chen was now rubbing his body frantically against the ground. The itching must have reached its peak.

“So please make it stop. It hurts so much—it itches—and it feels like my veins are being gnawed away!”

“…Fine.”

Given how things had turned out, killing James Chen right now would be difficult. Besides, he was more useful alive. I took James Chen’s hand. Suppressing my disgust at the sensation, I gently let a thread of my mana flow into his body.

The moment my mana entered him, James, who had been thrashing wildly on the ground, froze, like someone who had wandered the desert and suddenly found an oasis.

“What… is this? Healing magic?”

Healing magic? Of course not.

I looked down at James Chen and smiled. “I merely fed the gu.”

“…No way.”

“And my gu feeds only on my mana.”

When it is full, the gu will sleep quietly. But when it grows hungry, it will awaken and crawl through the host’s blood vessels once more. In other words, unless James regularly receives my mana, he will suffer this agony forever.

“I’ve only just finished basic military training; I’m still a novice Hunter. I need many things to serve as my hands and feet.”

James’ eyes widened as if he were witnessing something unbelievable.

Yes. It’s not enough to merely announce to the world that I am not someone to be trifled with. I must build a force that truly moves at my command. That is the means to break through this situation.

“Wh-what are you talking about…! That’s impossible! There’s no way magic like this would be legally permitted—”

“It’s rather amusing to hear you talk about the law. Our sense of humor seems to align.”

We’ll be seeing each other often from now on, after all. No harm in that.

“Don’t worry. You’ll have a comrade.”

“A comrade…?”

“Ah, they’re arriving.”

In the distance, Leila Lopez approached alongside Han Jaeyeong and Yu Hanul. Judging by their hurried steps, they seemed quite flustered.

“We’ll continue the interrogation after we leave this place.”

I waved at them as I spoke.

“So act with discretion befitting a demon’s servant.”

After all, falsehood is a demon’s virtue.