NOVEL NEXT Chapter 51
I’m being raised.
[950 hours 26 minutes]
There’s no other way to say it.
It feels like I’m being nurtured by a doctor.
I’m very lethargic and comfortable.
But my mind is uneasy.
Something is shouting that this isn’t right.
“…I need more medicine…”
Why does it feel like this?
I’m doomed.
I’m pickled.
But there’s nothing I can do.
It might be better to just leave it to instinct and rest like this.
……
Rest?
What are you talking about?
Are you going to keep resting in this state?
How much has the medicine gnawed at my brain to think like this?
“Ugh…”
I’m doomed.
This can’t be reversed.
In fact, I wonder if it even matters anymore.
It’s definitely too late to turn back.
I’m just going to…
Just like this…
What’s going to happen?
That part is a question.
I’ve probably already exceeded the lethal dose just for the medicine I’ve taken today.
I remember them talking about half-lethal doses in the laboratory.
Anyway, I’m not dead.
So I can take a little more.
The more, the better.
More is good.
The medicine must have been good for me.
I don’t care if it’s bad for my body.
After all, my life is already ruined.
If my mood gets better, that’s all that matters.
“Ha…heh.”
Do something.
Where did all the plans I had set up go?
I was supposed to do something.
I just forgot everything.
That’s why most of my memories evaporated.
I was always knocked out from the medicine in the laboratory.
All the bad memories just got blown away.
My heart is uneasy, but I like the typical tingly feeling of the medicine.
I want to get up, but I don’t have the strength.
I don’t even know where this place is.
“Medicine…”
“You just took some five minutes ago.”
Did I?
Can I not even endure that much anymore?
I can’t find any self-control.
No, actually, there’s a reason.
There’s a definite reason why I need to use all the medicines here.
What was it again?
My brain feels like it’s melting away.
I can’t remember.
It’s broken.
Still, just a little more.
I want to be happier.
“Still…”
Still, give me more.
Let me go.
“[Give me more.]”
“It seems like you can somewhat control even the fangs.”
I don’t care.
It seems like the fangs don’t work on the doctor anyway.
“Rather than fangs, would you say they’re similar leeching words?”
I don’t understand what that means.
It sounds like it’s not something for me to comprehend.
“The medicine is here.”
– Whoosh.
It’s medicine.
[953 hours 1 minute]
Time has noticeably decreased.
Once it crossed 800 hours, time didn’t seem to increase much.
But there should still be a lot of medicine left.
“More. Give me more…”
I push the needle in again.
[955 hours 46 minutes]
The sensation of every single nerve cell waking up.
It’s not enough.
It’s still not enough.
Because the medicine is everywhere.
I’m going to use it all.
Ah, I remembered.
Why I need to use all the medicine.
There’s a reason I have to do that.
So this is the room.
The study.
The place where the doctor reads complex medical books.
I’m just lying on the carpeted floor.
The bookshelf in the study has a secret compartment.
“Haah…”
If you push the bookshelf, there’s a space inside.
It’s a place where a lot of medicine is stored.
I have to use it all.
I will.
I will use it all.
– There’s a lot of medicine.
– Yes, I’m planning to share it with the people here.
– Share it?
I don’t understand why you want to share the medicine.
Really, I can’t comprehend it.
– Yeah. It’s not time yet, but that’s why.
– Why?
Why are you trying to just sprinkle the medicine?
If you’re talking about the people living here, it must be the people from the slums where the factories are located.
Are you giving it to kids like Yul or Hyun too?
Why?
That can’t happen.
– Happiness grows when shared.
What are you saying?
This kind of happiness is enough for me alone.
– Why?
– Of course, the people living here aren’t awakeners, but if they use the medicine, then for a little while…
– No way.
I grab the doctor and say.
– I’ll use all the medicine myself.
And that’s where I am.
How much have I used?
100?
No, it can’t be that much.
If I keep using it, won’t the stock eventually run out?
I can’t let anyone else use the medicine.
I won’t create more addicts.
That’s how it has to be.
Thinking back, when the doctor first gave me the medicine, he didn’t charge me.
For free.
He probably sprinkled it on many people besides me.
So, I’m…
“Haah.”
The medicine.
I need…
“More…”
I have to use it all.
Even what others could have used.
– Whoosh.
“Ugh.”
[958 hours 24 minutes]
I’m about to die of happiness.
I think I’m doomed.
So, I have no future.
But even without the medicine, I had no future.
So it’s better for everyone if I just use all the medicine and go.
That’s the wisest choice.
[958 hours 23 minutes]
Honestly, I don’t care about that kind of stuff; I just want more medicine.
As long as I stimulate my pleasure center, that’s enough.
As long as the reward circuit keeps running.
Just taking the medicine is everything in the world.
It’s a surprisingly vast world.
Just a prick and I’m happy.
Something that’s on a different level from the pleasure you can normally get.
Prick. And the pleasure.
It feels nice.
I’m glad.
I’m happy.
Prick. And the pleasure.
It feels nice.
I’m glad.
I’m happy.
An infinite loop.
While the pleasure licks over my body, nothing else comes to mind.
Common sense doesn’t apply.
Ethics and morals crumble.
As long as I feel good, that’s all that matters.
Someone once said.
The ultimate goal of life is happiness.
So maybe I’ve already achieved that goal.
“Hehehe…”
Honestly, stopping others from using the medicine is just an excuse.
If it really was, I would have broken all the syringes and medicine containers using whatever ability or means I have.
So what if I do?
If I’m going to break it anyway, it’s better to use as much as I can before breaking it.
I need to conserve resources.
That’s only natural.
But why is the doctor giving me so much medicine?
He used to sell it for money.
I hope that later, it’s not that all the charges are on credit.
“More…”
He gives me everything I ask for.
I don’t ask for anything but the medicine.
“Let’s stop here for today.”
Tap.
The doctor closes the book.
He doesn’t look like he intends to give me more medicine.
[970 hours 39 minutes]
Why?
I can’t stop here.
“Medicine…”
“Can you get up?”
My strength is all gone.
Still, getting up is something I can do.
“[Get uup…]”
I pushed against the wall with my arm and stood up.
Somehow, I managed.
“Since I’m up, then more medicine…”
Give me more.
It’s already too late to stop.
If a vehicle moving at 500 kilometers per hour suddenly stops, the passengers inside can get hurt.
I don’t think the medicine can just be cut off like that either.
970 hours is a lot, but still.
“More…”
I need more.
*
I need more information.
When did Seo-A become friends with Si-Hoo?
And why are they friends?
So I investigated.
It’s not like Si-Hoo is the only one I know at the Academy.
Many people have benefited from the ‘Saint’.
There are Academy students among them.
There’s nothing wrong with getting some moderate information.
But there was so little information that it was hard to gather even that.
It seems like they briefly attended at some point, but there’s no one I know or have seen.
No one said they were in the same class.
In the picture, they were in academy uniforms.
The Academy uniform.
As I suspected it might be a doctored photo, I eventually found someone.
A person who knows Yoo Seo-Ah.
At the very least, someone who has met her.
“Seol Ha-Jin?”
“Ah, Saint?”
The white hair is impressive.
He’s handsome, but not as much as Han Si-Hoo, and he has a bit of a punkish look to his eyes.
“So… it’s been a while.”
It’s a café near the Academy.
There aren’t many people around.
“So, you’re looking for that girl Seo-Ah?”
“Yeah, something like that.”
“Well, she isn’t at the Academy right now. I found it quite strange too, but it seems like the Academy has really hidden her away.”
“Tell me everything you found out through your watcher abilities. Then, I’ll treat that person you want me to.”
It’s a trade.
In exchange for information about Yoo Seo-Ah, I’ll provide treatment.
Although the treatment ability isn’t omnipotent, it’s much closer to being so than an ordinary Awakener.
“Uh, well. Both Yoo Seo-Ah and Han Si-Hoo are from the slums. One’s an ace without a doubt. The other’s a psycho.”
That’s harsh.
“A psycho?”
“I would think so. You know, a typical middle schooler syndrome, wearing an eye patch. She was kind of cute, though. Maybe that’s why Han Si-Hoo liked her.”
“He likes her? Han Si-Hoo?”
Did he like her?
Were they that close?
“I’m not sure about the past, but it seemed like he was protective of her. Later on, he even threatened to kill anyone who tried to watch her or get close.”
“Hmm.”
That’s a new side of him.
I’ve never seen Han Si-Hoo get that angry.
“Also, what I know is… she went to some special class? But then disappeared from there one day. That’s about it. Han Si-Hoo said he would kill anyone who attached a watcher to her, so it’s creepy that I can’t do anything.”
“Looks like he did something wrong.”
“I was just trying to take care of a junior, but I misread the situation… Oh, speaking of which.”
Something seems to have come to mind.
“What more is there?”
“Well. I was wondering about when and how she came; apparently, she was found stabbed. There was a witness. It was a staff member from the Academy. They told me it was the person responsible for transporting the victims.”
“Getting stabbed? What happened there…”
“I don’t know either. That’s all I can tell you. But why are you so curious? You seem to know something.”
“Just personal reasons.”
Nothing to be concerned about.
“So, who is the person asking for treatment?”
“It’s my teacher’s younger sister.”
“Uh?”
The selection of the subject is unique.
Could there be some backstory?
“There’s a teacher named Lee Yoo-Ram, and I’ve heard that his younger sister is in bad condition. I thought it wouldn’t be bad to treat her on this occasion.”
“Well, I see. So where’s that younger sister?”
“Ah… about that.”
He hesitates.
“You would need to know in order to go treat her, right? I wouldn’t mind if she came my way.”
“I think Han Si-Hoo is taking care of her.”
“……Huh?”
I need to treat the teacher’s younger sister, but Si-Hoo is taking care of her.
I see now.
“Si-Hoo?”
Why is it Si-Hoo?
I don’t understand what that means.