NOVEL NEXT C2
Chapter 1. 62%
“Mr. Iberis Hyun, I’m truly sorry to have to tell you this.”
The doctor, holding the test results, began with a somber expression. Iberis, sitting across from him, quietly waited for what was to come. The doctor, hesitating as if unsure how to phrase it, finally spoke with difficulty.
“As you may have guessed to some extent, the test results are very poor.”
“I see.”
Iberis replied calmly. He was able to remain unshaken because he had anticipated this even before the doctor spoke.
“Ahem.”
The doctor cleared his throat unnecessarily at Iberis’s impassive response. Then he continued cautiously.
“As I’ve mentioned before… for Espers like you who utilize their entire body, the more you use your abilities, the more strain it puts on your muscles, nerves, organs, and so on. In your case especially, due to chronic lack of guiding, your physical damage rate is higher than other Espers. Not to mention the mana contamination levels.”
Click. The doctor manipulated his mouse and waved his hand in the air once. A blue screen appeared, listing Iberis’s test results and various data.
“I hesitate to say this, but your physical condition is by far the worst among the patients I’ve seen. It’s worse than those who have been on the battlefield for much longer.”
The doctor displayed the detailed examination results in the center of the screen. He explained while analyzing Iberis’s readings one by one.
“You’re probably already aware of this. You mentioned falling into a coma recently due to mana overload? You’ve also been fainting frequently lately.”
“Yes. It’s been happening more often than before.”
“That means the rate at which mana is depleted in your body has accelerated compared to before. It also means your body has weakened to the point where it can’t withstand overloads. Your body is deteriorating at a rapid pace…”
“So, what’s the conclusion?”
Iberis, who had been quietly listening to the doctor’s explanation, slowly moved his lips. A voice as dry as winter air flowed from between his chapped lips, white as if frosted. His silver-gray eyes, contrasting with his jet-black hair, turned to the doctor.
“Please be honest. How much time do I have left?”
“Pardon? Ah, that…”
The doctor’s lips tightened, momentarily captivated by the enigmatic eyes that resembled both dewdrops on a window and snow flowers in midwinter. A patient asking about their own death was the most difficult case to handle.
The doctor discreetly avoided Iberis’s gaze and pushed up his glasses that had slid down his nose. Despite having met numerous patients as an Esper specialist and having delivered more bad news than good, this moment never seemed to get easier.
“…Assuming the current state continues without intervention, at the earliest, a year and a half, at the latest, three years.”
“I see.”
Iberis nodded slightly at the doctor’s pronouncement. He showed no signs of despair or surprise despite being told he had little time left.
“The timeframe I mentioned is just my personal opinion. Medical theories and technologies regarding Espers and guides vary widely between hospitals and doctors, so judgments can differ.”
It was the doctor who was taken aback by Iberis’s calm demeanor, uncharacteristic of a patient who had just received a terminal diagnosis. Feeling somehow rushed, he hurriedly spoke.
“That’s why I recommend getting detailed examinations at other Esper specialist hospitals or institutions. It’s best to visit as many places as possible…”
“No, the hospitals I visited before coming here gave similar diagnoses. The time they say I have left differs slightly, but it’s certain that I’m terminal.”
“Well, um…”
The doctor mumbled lowly, momentarily at a loss for words at Iberis referring to himself as terminal. He had felt it when Iberis first came asking for an examination, but this patient was quite unique.
Iberis Hyun.
The doctor mulled over the patient’s name while unnecessarily shuffling through the test results on his desk. His patient was a celebrity known to anyone interested in ability users.
At first, he was surprised by the boyish face that didn’t match his actual age, then shocked by the worst physical condition he had seen in an Esper in years. And now, he felt strange at the near lack of reaction to being told he had little time left to live.
“Ahem, ahem. So what I want to say is…”
The doctor couldn’t hide his perplexity at Iberis’s attitude, acting as if this was someone else’s story rather than his own. Struggling to find words, he tried to compose himself and looked at Iberis.
“The maximum of three years is if you continue living exactly as you are now. If you start taking care of your body consistently and receive treatment from now on, you could have 10 years…”
“Whether it’s 10 years or 3 years, isn’t it just a matter of time? The end result is the same – death, isn’t it?”
Iberis interrupted, questioning the doctor. The doctor’s mouth closed again at these scathing words. As Iberis said, whether it was 3 years or 10 years, there was only a difference in duration; the end result was indeed the same – death.
“It’s too early to give up hope. Even at this moment, research on Espers and guides continues, and medical technology related to ability users is constantly advancing. So don’t give up, and let’s try active treatment.”
“…”
“For now, I advise you to use your abilities only to the extent that you don’t faint. You must avoid falling into a coma again. If you’re not careful, you might never wake up.”
The doctor warned with a deliberately lowered voice and a stern face. However, there was no response. The doctor swallowed a sigh, feeling frustrated by Iberis’s impassive demeanor. It felt like talking to a doll rather than a person.
“The best solution is, above all, to find a guide with a high matching rate with you and enter into an exclusive contract. If we can just resolve the chronic lack of guiding, your body will improve incomparably to how it is now. Ah, since you’re an S-class Esper, you should have a ‘Name’ on your body…”
The doctor suddenly made an ‘oops’ expression as he realized what he was about to say. An Esper who had found their Name counterpart wouldn’t have suffered from a lack of guiding in the first place.
“Ahem, anyway, there have been several cases of miraculous recovery through continuous guiding with a compatible guide after receiving a terminal diagnosis like yours, Mr. Hyun. I hope you’ll consider this method as your top priority.”
“A guide… Well, that’s even more impossible than not dying.”
“Pardon?”
“I mean, it would be faster for me to die than to find a guide with good compatibility and a high matching rate with me.”
Iberis replied in a monotone voice. Finding a suitable guide? That was even harder than not dying.
After all, it had been 15 years since he awakened as an ability user, and 10 years since he became an Esper in the Defense Force, but the highest matching rate Iberis had ever had with a guide was only 47%.
Moreover, the guides currently assigned to Iberis’s unit couldn’t even make proper physical contact for guiding because they couldn’t withstand his mana. This was why Iberis was skeptical of the doctor’s recommendation.
“Is there no other treatment method besides guiding? What if I retire? How long could I live if I don’t use my ability at all?”
“You might live longer than the period I mentioned, but… your body is already severely damaged, so I can’t make any guarantees. You’d still need to use your ability periodically to release the mana that accumulates in your body.”
“I see. I understand.”
Iberis nodded lightly and stood up as if all business was concluded. He then gave the doctor a nod.
“Thank you for your time. It was very helpful.”
“Wait a moment, Mr. Hyun. You can’t leave like this. We need to make a treatment plan…”
“It’s fine.”
Iberis rejected the doctor trying to stop him and left the consultation room. Then, as if remembering something he had forgotten, he made an “Ah” sound and stopped walking.
“As you’d expect, everything we discussed today must be kept confidential. If not, it would be very troublesome for you, doctor.”
Iberis turned his head and slightly narrowed his eyes at the doctor. For a moment, the doctor felt goosebumps rising on his skin. The air in the consultation room, which had been maintaining a comfortable temperature, suddenly changed, making the back of his neck prickle. Startled, the doctor stepped back in fear.
“I trust you’ll maintain doctor-patient confidentiality.”
Leaving these words of warning to the frightened doctor, Iberis left the consultation room without hesitation. As soon as he left, the air in the room, which had momentarily turned cold, returned to normal as if nothing had happened.
“Major.”
As Iberis entered the corridor, Brenda, who had been sitting anxiously in the waiting room chair, stood up abruptly and approached him. Iberis frowned slightly at her.
“I told you not to call me that outside.”
“I’m sorry.”
Brenda quickly apologized at Iberis’s rebuke. Although he had told her to call him comfortably, addressing her superior of many years by name was very difficult for her. Watching Iberis cautiously, Brenda carefully asked.
“How were the test results? What did the doctor say?”
“The same thing as the last place we went to.”
“What? Then…”
Brenda’s face turned pale. This meant that this hospital’s doctor had also given Iberis a terminal diagnosis.
“Should we look for another hospital?”
“Well…”
Iberis trailed off at Brenda’s question. With the same results from three places, it didn’t seem likely that going to a new hospital would yield different results. After pondering for a moment, he started walking again.
“Let’s go back for now.”
As Iberis stepped outside the hospital, sunlight filled with the warmth of spring poured down on him. Squinting as if dazzled, he pressed his hat down firmly.
“Nice weather.”
Iberis muttered lowly, looking up at the cloudless blue sky. In late winter, just before spring, the weather was too clear for a day when he had received a terminal diagnosis.