The Poisonous Healer

"You're really amazing."

This was the fifth time.

The number of times Dr. Jin patted me on the shoulder with a fatherly smile.

I've learned something from spending time with him.

Human relationships don't always deepen with the amount of time we spend together.

Some people remain distant even after knowing each other for years, while others form a bond after only a brief encounter.

Dr. Jin was definitely one of the latter.

He was the one who shared secrets about the Poisoners and provided me with the equipment that allowed me to become an 'S'-rank hunter.

He was also someone with a close relationship with Kiril.

"The system wasn't working, so I haven't been able to contact you. But even without being in direct contact with V1, I can tell how much you've grown."

The appearance of an 'S'-rank Hunter.

Followed by his mysterious disappearance.

And the news about the Cleanup Clan that broke this morning.

Just as Dr. Jin said, it wasn't hard for him to know what I've been up to, even without direct contact.

"It's a shame it ended up like this."

Dr. Jin made a lonely expression while looking at the fragments of a weapon.

Considering his craftsmanship, it wasn't strange for him to refer to it as a 'child'.

The fragments laid out on the table were the wreckage of 'Exa', the device he had made for me.

"I'm sorry. I should have cherished it and used it better.”

"Ah, no. On the contrary, I'm the one who should apologize. If this fellow had held on a little longer, it would have made hunting those monsters much easier for you.”

Dr. Jin carefully gathered the pieces of Exa and placed them inside a metal case.

"After I was able to communicate with V1, I checked your condition first. Your growth was so remarkable it was hard to believe my eyes."

"Yes. I had no idea the Black Core would be this efficient.”

Being able to monopolize energy that others couldn't.

That was a privilege so great it could be called a blessing.

Quite a few hunters had accompanied me, the Poisoner, but none had ever coveted the Black Cores.

And those cores became my energy source, intact and complete.

"There's something I'd like to ask."

"Hmm? Go ahead, ask."

"When I caught the Giant Treasure... I felt the presence of a Buff.”

"A buff..."

"Is it possible to receive Buff support remotely? Like from another country across the sea, or something..."

"No. That's impossible.”

Dr. Jin answered decisively.

"I've never actually seen the 'Buff' ability myself either, but I do know its prerequisite conditions.”

"Prerequisite conditions….."

"The intended target for the Buff must be within sight. And the target and the objective must be aligned."

"......!"

Putting together what Dr. Jin said, it should be considered impossible for someone to cast a Buff on me from a different location.

Then that means the 'Buff' skill was activated by someone inside the dungeon...

'The only remaining candidate... is that guy.'

Buff is fundamentally a skill related to psychokinesis.

Yuk Cheolwan, a tanker, couldn't use it.

I, too, possessed only a potential that barely qualified for an 'E' rank.

Then the remaining suspect (?) was only one person.

The psychokinetic ability user who entered the dungeon with me, and capable of using the 'Stealth' skill.

'Bisu...!'

There was only one conclusion that I could reach.

Bisu was a top-tier esper with 'Buff'.

Did she even know this herself?

"There's a pickpocket on the black market who uses Stealth."

At that, Dr. Jin let out an incredulous laugh.

"They can use Stealth, and you're telling me all they do is pick pockets?"

"Yeah. Well, it seems like they have their circumstances. But anyway, it looks like that guy is the one who used 'Buff'.”

"That's incredible. If what you're saying is true, then our country has produced its very first 'Buff' ability user."

Dr. Jin said that if you receive a 'Buff', your abilities rise by at least 1 to 2 levels.

It means Yuk Cheolwan's physical strength, which was at 'B' rank, could instantly jump to A or even S level.

What would happen if an 'S' rank healing ability were activated through Bisu?

I might be able to heal all the injured people in sight at once.

"I'll definitely tell Kiril if I meet her later."

"Still unable to contact Kiril?"

"Yes. At this point, I think we have to assume she's probably not here."

"Here... You mean Korea?"

"Haha. No. It's probably more accurate to say 'this world'.”

If not this world, then where was he referring to?

Dr. Jin deliberately ignored my questioning expression and changed the subject.

"Anyway, with Exa broken, clearing dungeons won't be easy for you.”

"Yeah. For regular ones, beating them up is usually enough, but when it comes to boss mobs, honestly, I can't really tell. Otherwise, I can only stupidly draw my blood and stuff it in their mouths.…”

I said that while giving Dr. Jin a pointed look.

Hey, Dr. Jin.

If you have any good items, why don't you take one out and show me?

Even if it's not as powerful as Exa, there might be a device that can weaponize Black Aether.

"Hmm... That's not easy.”

However, contrary to my expectations, Dr. Jin made a troubled expression.

"Regardless of type, Aether is fundamentally similar in essence. It's the same for Knight, Healer, Esper, all of them. But Black Aether is different. We still haven't even properly grasped its components.”

The hunter devices lined up in a row on one wall.

Although they were made for Kiril, most of them were 'universal' weapons that even ordinary hunters could use.

He said custom devices made specifically for Poisoners require several times more time and difficulty to produce.

Hmm.

It couldn't be helped, I guess.

I couldn't exactly demand something that doesn't exist, could I?

"I didn't realize the conditions for making a custom device were so demanding."

"It's not just the conditions; the biggest problem is the material."

"The material?”

"Yes. To extract Black Aether from the body, you need a 'legendary substance'. A powerful metal strong enough to fully withstand the extraordinary density of Black Aether.”

That explanation sounded very familiar.

"Exa can extract your Black Aether for the same reason. It contains the 'legendary substance', even if only in a very low quantity.”

"What's the name of that 'legendary substance'?"

Dr. Jin raised his index finger with a serious expression.

"Prannium. It's a substance that even most 'S'-rank hunters would struggle to obtain once in their entire lives.”

Ah.

I never expected to hear about Prannium here.

I reached into my pocket, pulled something out, and showed it to Dr. Jin.

"This?”

"Yes. That's it. For making a Poisoner's device, this Prannium is like the alpha and omega. With this much quantity, we can start production immediately and finish it in just a week…”

Dr. Jin, who had been excitedly explaining, suddenly jumped up from his seat.

"Pra!!! Prannium!!!"

Maybe he forgot to be surprised because the conversation was flowing so naturally.

His reaction was so funny I couldn't hold back my laughter.

"Th-th-th-th-th-th-this……."

"You mean, how did I get this?"

"Exactly...!”

"The area around the Giant Treasure's core was wrapped in this material. I extracted and absorbed just the core, and naturally, only these guys were left behind.”

"'These’? So you're saying there's even more Prannium besides this?”

“Yes. I have a few more at home.”

“My God….”

An emotion I had never once seen before rose to Dr. Jin's face.

It was tinged with unmistakable greed.

For Dr. Jin, who had completely withdrawn from the world, to make such an expression.

It made me realize all over again just how extraordinary this mineral Prannium must be.

"I brought some just in case, and I'm glad I did. With this, you can recreate something like 'Exa,' right?"

"‘Recreate’? With this amount alone, it’s hundreds, no, thousands of times more than the Prannium that went into Exa. I'll create a masterpiece that will far surpass Exa!"

"I never actually said I was giving it to you."

Dr. Jin, who had been hastily putting the Prannium into the metal case, looked at me with a dumbfounded expression.

"Ah, r-right.”

"Hehe. Just kidding. Considering the devices you gave me, even if I gave you all the Prannium I have, it wouldn't be enough to repay you.”

"No. I can't ask for all that. Prannium is a material more valuable than the finest diamonds. Someday, it will become something that gives you strength, so take good care of it.”

Dr. Jin spoke to me without taking his eyes off the Prannium.

I should bring another piece when I visit next time.

"By the way, do you know someone named Do Isu?”

"I do. Isn't he the CEO of the Umbrella Industry?"

"So you know him. What kind of person is he?"

"A man of integrity."

He said it plainly, but that was practically high praise.

Especially coming from Dr. Jin, who feared everyone in the world, to the point of paranoia.

"The Umbrella Industry once received help from Kiril in the past. Do Isu ended up on the Association's bad side for defending Kiril, the person who saved his life.”

At the very least, he was not the kind of person who repaid kindness with hostility.

Summarizing Dr. Jin's words, it seemed that's the gist of it.

"You're starting to tremble. I think it's better to stop talking about the past now.”

"Alright. Let's leave it at that."

It would have been nice to stay overnight, but today I decided to head back right away.

I had plans at the black market the next day, and I was also afraid of seeing my sister's stern face the day after staying out overnight.

Even while we were tidying up, Dr. Jin kept grinning from ear to ear.

"I'll send you a message when the device is finished. It seems like the best piece is about to be born."

"I'm really looking forward to that."

"Oh, and one more thing…”

"?"

"I was originally planning to tell you when your Poisoner level increased, but since you're without a weapon right now, I think I should tell you now."

Dr. Jin told me to think back to the day I first awakened.

To be precise, the moment I summoned the Red Venomous Snake.

"Do you know how you summoned the Red Venomous Snake back then?"

"If I knew, I wouldn't be struggling this much in fights."

A self-deprecating laugh escaped me.

How wonderful it would be if I could summon it every time I fought.

I could just sit back and watch it smash the Giant Treasure to pieces.

"Even if I want to summon it, I can't do it. Honestly, I don't even really know how I managed to summon it back then.”

"It's only natural you wouldn't have a grasp of the feeling. All the Black Cores you've absorbed so far have been used to enhance your body."

If I don't put it into my body, then where else would I put it?

It was not like there was a separate storage warehouse I could put it in.

As I stared blankly at Dr. Jin, he rubbed his palms together and continued his explanation.

"Espers who use psychokinesis. Do you know where their Aether is most active?"

"Don't know."

Dr. Jin pointed a finger at his own head.

"The brain.”

"......!"

Right.

Thinking about it, it was only natural.

Focusing Aether into your toes wouldn't increase your psychokinetic power, after all.

Psychokinesis.

In other words, no matter who you ask, the organ most closely connected to mental power was undeniably the brain.

"Have you ever tried pouring newly generated Black Aether into your brain instead of your body?”

No.

Because I've never thought about it on that level.

But it was obvious.

If someone gave me energy to enhance myself, I would use it on my 'body', I wouldn't even think about using it on my 'brain'.

"Just as muscles and nerves can be enhanced with Aether, the brain can also be enhanced. And that, in turn, leads to the strengthening of psychokinesis abilities.”

Of course, that's something other hunters couldn't do.

Enhancement into a different type was possible only for Poisoners.

"Now I understand why Kiril called the Poisoners the chosen ones."

The potential of a Poisoner was something that even I, the one in question, had to marvel at.

"Next time you get a chance to obtain a core, give it a try. You don't have a weapon right now, so a chance to get a core might not come immediately…”

"I have one."

"Huh?"

"I still have a core I haven't absorbed yet."

And not just any core, there was a core, called a 'treasure', still left at home.

One with a conversion rate exceeding 97%, ready for absorption soon.

The very core that hunters call a dream item.

What kind of result would be achieved if I absorb that spiritual entity and direct its energy toward my brain?

Just the thought made my heart race with excitement.

"It looks like you still have a usable core left."

"It's not just 'usable', it's something others would go crazy over.”

"???"

Next time.

When I come to get my weapon, I might already be a different person.

I flashed a toothy grin towards Dr. Jin, who was blinking his eyes.