NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 33. Enhancement Heart
It was the worst week ever.
Kidnapped by a human trafficker and nearly killed by a thief targeting my items—all that happened in just one week.
“How many bones have I broken? It took days to heal!”
I huffed as I sorted out the empty magical power booster bottles.
The pain from my sudden injuries was annoying enough, but now I had to show up at the association today.
‘Come on, can’t I just do one thing right at a time? Why am I being interrogated again?’
I thought I could take it easy on Monday since the skills corrections were hastily wrapped up yesterday.
“Hah.”
But complaining wouldn’t change anything.
I picked out a suitable summer outfit from Kim Gi-ryeo’s closet and got ready to go out.
However, I faced a small problem when I put on a short-sleeved T-shirt. There was no good place to hide my accessories.
‘This lousy magic tool is said to be incredibly valuable on Earth, right?’
The bracelet, which was the root cause of the incident, sparkled on the desk.
Late to realize, its recent auction price had skyrocketed to the hundreds of millions, but…
‘It’s still nowhere near enough to buy a Dragon’s Lung.’
For some reason, I wasn’t ready to sell it off casually.
Damage immunity for two hits.
This could one day determine life or death.
Huh…
Especially those like me, who were magic handicaps, could burst open from even weak attacks.
But how could I sell a defensive item?
‘Let’s keep this inconspicuous for now.’
I tucked the bracelet deep into my pocket and set out.
Hmm, the air is humid.
The weather outside was just how an alien would like it, but I wasn’t feeling too upbeat.
Ah, going to the association is such a hassle.
That’s all I thought as I walked.
Bang! Bang!
But what’s going on as soon as I stepped outside…
Bang!
In front of Kim Gi-ryeo’s studio, an SUV was blasting its horn, taking up the narrow alley.
I turned my head out of curiosity to see which crazy guy was honking in broad daylight.
To my surprise, the driver’s window was down revealing… a real lunatic.
“Kim Gi-ryeo!”
Damn it, if I’d known this guy would park here, I would have chosen the exit on the other side.
“Where are you off to at this hour?”
“……”
“Lunch? Or some other appointment?”
We bumped into each other right at the entrance, so there was no way to avoid it now.
I reluctantly decided to engage in a conversation.
“I’m on my way to the association for some work, Hunter Kang Chang-ho.”
An S-Class Hunter, of which only three exist in Korea, suddenly appears in a crummy alley. Unbelievable.
“Oh dear! Have I been showering too long? Time has slipped away. I’m busy, so I’ll just… have a good Monday, okay?”
As expected, he was quick to bail when things got awkward.
I casually started to back away, but a quiet warning struck my back.
“Get in.”
Hunter Kang Chang-ho took off his sunglasses and stared at me intently.
“When I say this nicely.”
Fair enough.
I was an alien with intellect and culture.
I liked resolving issues through conversation, so I decided to heed Kang Chang-ho’s suggestion.
This wasn’t due to fear at all.
“Ah, okay.”
Thud. I opened the passenger door and got into the car, trying to hide my tension as I looked for the seatbelt.
Let’s see.
I felt more comfortable in the trunk of the van when I was kidnapped than in this situation.
‘Why did he come all the way here? What is he up to? Am I being dragged off to another strange place?’
I reflected like a kid scolded by his parents, wondering if I had done something wrong.
However.
No matter how much I thought about it, nothing came to mind.
I had kept my secrets about Jeong Ha-seong well up to this moment.
Besides, during the last kidnapping incident, I had testified in a way that was most favorable to Kang Chang-ho, just in case something like this happened.
He shouldn’t have any reason to be angry.
‘If I had known this would happen, I could have just linked this guy with the kidnappers and sent him off.’
Amid my tangled thoughts, the sound of Kang Chang-ho manipulating the car’s gear echoed.
And then, the vehicle began to move.
“I heard the news.”
Finally breaking the silence, Kang Chang-ho spoke up at the same time.
“I heard you were attacked by frogs.”
“Frogs?”
“The type of guys who hunt the same Hunters for food.”
Are they referring to those thieves?
“Yeah, something like that.”
I was curious where this information was leaking from, but I answered anyway.
Then Kang Chang-ho said, “Hmm. I heard you were injured, so I came to check if you were alright.”
Wait a second, did I just mishear something?
“You came to check on me?”
“I was worried that Hunter Gi-ryeo might have gotten seriously hurt. It was a dangerous accident, after all.”
Kang Chang-ho continued to speak as he gently turned the steering wheel.
“Getting caught up in an EX-Class Gate or being kidnapped… looking back, there’s hardly a calm day.”
“……”
“At this point, I’m starting to suspect you enjoy the risks.”
After the unexpected revelation of his visit’s purpose, I was left dumbfounded.
Kang Chang-ho glanced at me and then focused straight ahead again.
“I have a gift for you. Open the glove box.”
Receiving a gift is always an exciting thing. There’s no need to refuse, right?
But the problem was, I didn’t know what a glove box was.
“There’s a storage space near your knee. Pull that to open it.”
I belatedly realized there was a hidden compartment in front of the passenger seat.
Pulling the handle to check inside, as he said, an item clumsily rolled out.
A crystal vial containing a liquid.
“It’s a recovery potion.”
“…!”
“It doesn’t seem like you need it right now, but since I prepared it, just take it.”
Is this Earth’s version of a potion?
Ah, so he picked this item because he heard I got hurt in the robbery incident.
It was a common occurrence in my hometown too.
When someone lost a tentacle in an accident, friends would buy them recovery potions.
It felt similar to gifting fever reducers to someone with a cold.
Wow…
Even though exchanging recovery potions is a common thing, an inexplicable emotion welled up.
To think I’d receive such a kind gesture here on Earth.
“Thank you. I’ll use it well.”
It would be rude to refuse such a small gift. I accepted the potion without hesitation.
Seeing this, Kang Chang-ho smiled.
“You’re not surprised at all, huh?”
No, I’m totally surprised. It’s just shocking that someone like you is suddenly doing something commendable.
‘I hope there aren’t any strange ingredients mixed in. But I guess it doesn’t matter if it’s going to be used for research.’
I scrutinized the medicine in my hand.
So absorbed in the gift, I didn’t even notice the car was slowing down.
“We’re here. Get out.”
“Hmm?”
Squeak.
I startled at the sudden command and looked around. What I saw was a familiar ivory-colored building.
This was the road near the Hunter Association.
“Aren’t you getting out? Didn’t you say you had business at the association?”
Wait, did he really drop me off to my destination?
Well, he said to get out, so I would, but I still didn’t understand the situation.
“I didn’t expect you’d drop me off. I thought you had other business to attend to…”
“I told you earlier. I simply came to check on your condition today.”
Zing. The driver’s window rolled down.
Kang Chang-ho stared over at me with his vertical pupils, then showed one of those Earthling emotional expressions.
He smiled.
“Take care of yourself, okay? Don’t do anything foolish and get yourself killed.”
With a farewell, I found myself at a loss for words.
But it was about time I needed to ask this question. I gathered all my curiosity and spoke up.
“Yeah. Thank you. But why are you taking such care of me?”
Wasn’t he the one who said he’d kill me if I lied…?
Hearing my question, Kang Chang-ho promptly put his sunglasses back on, and it seemed he had prepared his answer.
“Honestly, I want the Korean Hunters to thrive.”
Now, that was an unexpected answer.
“I’m interested in nurturing talent. And you seem to have potential among them.”
Kang Chang-ho said this and rolled the driver’s window halfway up.
“So I don’t want to harm Hunter Gi-ryeo unless absolutely necessary. You understand what I mean, right?”
He probably meant to keep the matter concerning Jeong Ha-seong a secret, so I nodded, assuring him not to worry.
“I understand well.”
“Good. Then hurry along. You said you took too long in the shower.”
Kang Chang-ho left a short taunt before starting the car.
It didn’t take long for his vehicle to disappear from view.
“A talent.”
He was interested in nurturing Hunters in Korea and even smashed up a kidnapping organization that harmed awakened ones.
When he hears that a seemingly talented person got injured, he rushes over to give them potions.
I wanted to call him a patriot.
But the reality isn’t so simple.
‘What’s his real intention?’
Because it was unlikely that an awakened one, who wouldn’t hesitate to kill his kind for his needs, would have such righteous qualities.
I rolled the recovery potion in my hand, lost in thought.
Why would Kang Chang-ho show interest in someone like me, an F-Class? In the end, that was the crux of the matter.
But coincidentally, the answer to this puzzling question would reveal itself one day.
‘Ah, washing every day is such a hassle. Once I recover enough magic power, I should do something about the waste disposal process.’
On a Wednesday.
Just after taking out the recycling.
I sat down after washing Kim Gi-ryeo’s body like usual, looking at an internet site.
[Awakening Skill List☜]
It was personally surprising. It seems Earthlings organize and categorize the types of magic that exist in the world.
‘Information society is truly impressive.’
I admired as I browsed through the site.
[Mind Fire][Shield of Protection][Haste][Incitement of Hatred]
The explanations were simpler than expected, so the quality of information wasn’t particularly high.
But it was very entertaining to see what kind of magic Earth’s sorcerers used.
‘I thought they could only use primitive and simple magic. Is it because their civilization advanced first, causing their magic to evolve and our histories to differ so much?’
As I got almost addicted to web surfing as an alien…
“Oh?”
While scrolling down, I stumbled upon a skill.
[Enhancement Heart]
A positive term.
But after reading the skill description, I couldn’t feel joy anymore.
[Enhancement Heart]
[Description: Kill a strong person and steal their skills.]
“……”
I quietly moved my fingers to search for additional information about the skill.
Then an article popped up.
It told of a serial killer in Texas who possessed the [Enhancement Heart] skill.
“Hmm.”
Let’s revisit Kang Chang-ho’s actions.
First, he offered to support Hunter activities.
Second, he was sensitive to talented awakened ones leaking overseas.
Third, he warned me to avoid dying.
“……”
Could it be…
No, this can’t be right. He must just be a patriot…