Chapter 28

Less than 24 hours after the NIS agents returned from their conversation with Jaeha, the government pulled a classic cut-and-run. They claimed the NIS had acted on its own initiative and that they had never issued any such orders.

The government tried to smooth things over, but before long, they issued a formal apology to Unknown and Jaeha. It seemed the worldwide backlash—not just domestic criticism—had stung quite badly.

Along with the apology, the government promised various forms of support. In response, Jaeha, in Unknown’s name, requested the right to legally purchase bullets and other ammunition from the government, and they ultimately accepted.

<Well, since things worked out in the end, it’s neither here nor there, but did you really have to grind them down that hard?>

At Herb Gramps’s words, Jaeha smiled.

“Well, that’s not something I need to worry about. Honestly, even if I’d been nice and polite to them, do you think they would have relayed what I said to their superiors exactly as I said it?”

<That’s true, but in the end, only those two who came to see you got left out in the cold, didn’t they?>

“Either way, the NIS is the one taking the flak. Whether they got stripped bare or not, they came to see me because they picked the wrong side. They should regret that their own choices were mistaken.”

<Well, that’s not wrong either.>

“Anyway, is there something you need? You wouldn’t have called just because you felt sorry for the NIS agents.”

<Right. Actually, the appointment is set.>

“Appointment?”

<The one we postponed last time. My friend.>

“Ah, you mean the chairman of the Blue Dragon Group.”

<Yes. I’ve set up the meeting.>

“When is it?”

<Tomorrow at dawn.>

“Hmm, does it have to be at night? People should be sleeping at night.”

<Says the guy who can go days without sleep and not even blink.>

“Haha, well then, what time and where do I go?”

<Come to Korea University Hospital in Seoul by 3 AM.>

“Understood.”

With that, Jaeha hung up and finished up what he’d been doing. Now that he could legally procure bullets, he had no immediate plans to enchant and sell them, but he still needed to prepare his own supply, so he purchased a considerable quantity of bullets and enchanted them.

‘As for selling, I can take my time with that later.’

Jaeha organized the finished bullets and stacked them neatly in his Inventory.

* * *

After finishing the enchanting, Jaeha returned home and spent his time resting. As the promised 3 AM drew near, he got ready and left the house. He headed straight for the meeting place—Korea University Hospital.

Upon arriving at the hospital entrance, Jaeha spotted a man in a suit wearing sunglasses and approached him.

“Ah, you’ve arrived. I’ll escort you right away.”

Jaeha walked into the hospital alongside his guide. When they reached the VIP room inside, Jaeha opened the door and stepped in.

“You’re here.”

“Yes.”

Inside the VIP room, aside from Herb Gramps, there were three men. The two by the door appeared to be bodyguards—though they didn’t seem like ordinary ones. As Jaeha approached Herb Gramps, he introduced the man in front of him.

“The one sitting over there is the son of the man lying here, and he’s currently serving as the interim chairman of the Blue Dragon Group.”

“A pleasure. I’m Ju Jinryong.”

“A pleasure.”

Jaeha deliberately didn’t introduce himself. But Ju Jinryong didn’t seem to mind, looking at Jaeha as he spoke.

“My father…… I’m entrusting him to you.”

“I can’t promise for certain that I can cure him yet.”

With that, Jaeha looked at the old man lying in the bed as if dead. After quietly observing him for a moment, Jaeha began taking his pulse with his fingers. After silently checking his pulse for about ten minutes, Jaeha withdrew his hand and looked at Herb Gramps.

“What?”

“It seems my prediction was correct.”

“So it really is that gu poison?”

“Yes. I don’t know how something that was lost to history was restored, but it certainly appears to be gu poison.”

“Can you cure it?”

At Ju Jinryong’s words, Jaeha pondered for a moment.

“Honestly, I’ve never done it before, so I can’t say for sure.”

“…….”

Gulp.

Ju Jinryong swallowed nervously.

“It’ll be a bit difficult, but I think it’s possible.”

“Well, he is getting on in years.”

“Then……?”

“Yes, it’s possible. It’s just that some preparation will be needed. Given his age and how long he seems to have been addicted to gu poison, I’ll need to get a few things ready.”

“Ah……”

Ju Jinryong let out a small exclamation at that. Then he spoke.

“I beg of you. Whatever you want, I’ll give it to you…… please, my father.”

“Well, that request is already being taken care of by the elder beside you, so it’s fine. And money—I have plenty of that anyway.”

“Ah……”

“Then I should start preparing right away.”

“What kind of preparation are you talking about?”

“First, I need two things. A long needle and medicinal herbs.”

“A long needle?”

“Yes. Since I need to insert needles into the brain, I’ll need a long needle that can reach the center of it.”

“You’re saying you’ll insert needles…… into the brain?”

“Gu poison lives in the brain, after all. So only someone who can needle the brain can treat it. As you know, the brain is an extremely sensitive organ. If I make even the slightest mistake and damage it, it’s connected to his life, so it requires a high degree of concentration.”

“Ahh.”

“Still, the fortunate part is that the level of gu poison is on the lower end. Well, restoring something that was lost to history must have been difficult enough. It seems the higher-level ones haven’t been restored yet. In any case, those two things should be all I need.”

“Yes.”

Ju Jinryong nodded at that. Then Herb Gramps looked at Jaeha.

“So I just need to get you the long needle and the herbs?”

“No. A needle of that length won’t be available on the market. It would need to be custom-made, and rather than entrusting it to some blacksmith I don’t know, it’s easier for me to just make it myself. As for the herbs, I’ll use a branch from the World Tree and an elf’s vocal cords as the main ingredients and mix them appropriately. Just gather the herbs I tell you about.”

“Is that so.”

“I’ll write down the herbs I need and let you know.”

“Understood.”

With that, Jaeha rose from his seat.

“Tomorrow should be enough. Let’s do it at dawn tomorrow.”

“You can do it that fast?”

“Well, the elixir is quick to make. It’s the long needle that takes time.”

“Alright. I’ll have everything prepared by dawn tomorrow.”

“Yes.”

And so Jaeha left the hospital.

* * *

Back home, Jaeha decided to make the long needle first. Heading straight to the blacksmith shop, Jaeha began crafting it. In an instant, he turned an iron ingot into an impossibly thin iron needle, then flicked and bent it, inspecting it this way and that.

Satisfied that it wouldn’t break easily and had a decent amount of flex, Jaeha nodded and put the needle into his inventory. After making the needle, Jaeha immediately placed the World Tree branch and the elf’s vocal cords into the furnace to dry them.

Jaeha waited for them to dry completely, and once both were thoroughly parched, he ground them up. As he did, he searched through his herbal arts for the elixir he would make.

‘There it is. The Great Cycle Pill¹.’

An elixir that was essentially an upgraded version of the Small Hwan Dan Jaeha had made in the past—it had once been a secret elixir of the Shaolin² Temple. Of course, the method of making it had been lost to history by now, but in the old days, it was called a truly legendary elixir.

Using the World Tree branch and elf’s vocal cords as a base, Jaeha began mixing in various other herbs to create the Great Cycle Pill, and before long, he was able to complete it.

[Great Cycle Pill]

[Upon consumption, grants energy equivalent to 60 Ether]

‘60 Ether. About 60 years. One gapja, then.’

The amount of ingredients that went into it was certainly enormous. Clearing the Elf Forest once yielded roughly 300 to 400 vocal cords and branches. Using all of them, he could barely make just one.

“So clearing the Elf Forest once is enough to make about one Great Cycle Pill.”

With that thought, Jaeha began tidying up the area.

‘The medicine’s done and the needle’s made, so maybe I should rest a bit.’

There was a major surgery the very next day, so he needed to conserve his strength. He didn’t know what might happen, after all. With that, Jaeha slowly began to rest.

* * *

“Yes, I’m heading out now.”

Jaeha received a call from Herb Gramps as he was leaving the house.

<Good. Understood. I’ll be waiting with everything ready, so hurry over.>

“Don’t worry.”

Before long, Jaeha arrived at Korea University Hospital. Upon arriving, he was guided by a security guard to some location, just like before.

“Operating room?”

The place was, indeed, an operating room.

“You’re here.”

“We’re doing it in an operating room?”

“Yeah. Booked it in advance.”

“Money really does make things easy.”

With that, Jaeha pulled out the long needles and the Grand Recovery Pill from his Inventory.

“What’s that?”

“Care to see the effect?”

Herb Gramps asked upon spotting the Grand Recovery Pill, and Jaeha showed it to him as he spoke.

“……60 ethers, huh.”

“To put it simply, that’s mana you’d only obtain after sixty years of effort.”

“Hah, so you know how to make things like this too.”

“But with something like this, selling it is more of a problem than making it.”

“True enough.”

He could sell it if he wanted to, but putting something like this on the market wouldn’t just be a worldwide issue—it’d be far beyond that. Muttering to himself, Jaeha looked at Herb Gramps and Ju Jinryong.

“I’ll begin right away. I can’t predict how long it’ll take.”

“Go ahead. Let’s step out.”

At that, Herb Gramps spoke while looking at Ju Jinryong.

“Yes…….”

He nodded, then looked at Jaeha and spoke.

“Please take good care of my father.”

“Don’t worry.”

“Yes. Well then.”

With that, they headed outside. Left alone in the operating room, Jaeha first took out a small dagger from his Inventory and began cleanly shaving off his hair. Once all his hair was gone, Jaeha stood still and lifted the long needles.

“Let’s begin.”

As he said that, a window appeared before his eyes.

[You are using Vision Acupuncture.]

Then, Jaeha’s hands began moving at rapid speed. After spending nearly an hour inserting close to a hundred long needles into his head, Jaeha slowly relaxed his tension.

“Hoo.”

With all the needles in place, Jaeha mixed a little water into the Grand Recovery Pill he had set aside. As a bit of water entered the completely dried, pill-formed mass, it transformed into something like clay. He began carefully spreading that clay-like substance over his head, where the needles were densely planted. Before long, having spread it all over his scalp, Jaeha waited quietly.