Chapter 76
In the end, the whole day was less about the Aura formula and more about shaping and molding aura in daily life.
“Old man, don’t you think it would be better if you taught me the ins and outs of the Aura formula rather than this?”
“If you learned it now, your body would explode and you would die. Would you still learn it?”
“……Is that how we move here?”
“Yes. That’s how you move there.”
Apparently, my aura is still unruly and self-propagating, so if I try to move it according to the Aura formula, I’ll explode.
In that case, I’ll have to use…….
“Old man. If you could get out of Silver Town a little faster, would you come out?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
Kwak Chun-sik looked puzzled by my sudden question.
“I was wondering if you could come out of Silver Town.”
“Ha, would that be so easy?”
Kwak Chun-sik waved his hand in the air as if it was ridiculous.
“Even the Association’s bastards turned a blind eye to me killing a villain at first. That’s because I’ve done all the hard work. But at some point, the government, not the Association, started pressuring me. They say villains have a right to a trial. Of course, that’s not the only reason they sent me here.”
As I suspected, the government’s reason for sending him to Silver Town was to keep the Association’s growing power in check.
The Association’s existence was a force beyond the military’s reach for the government.
The presidential assassination mission that went along with it was pretty fun.
“I almost ended up in Niflheim, but the children of the Association petitioned for me to come here. But how can I get out of here?”
It was a standard answer but the world doesn’t work that way.
I gave him a grin.
“I don’t see why not.”
“……what?”
“Have you forgotten who I am?”
One of the things that allows Corleone to operate more than any other organization in South Korea is that it is so well-connected.
In fact, when we’ve taken down the Blunt family or caused trouble in the Gunsan abandoned factory complex, not a single one of us has had a problem with it, let alone appear in the news.
“There’s no way I can get any help from you, I’ll just grow old and die here.”
“Well, you can’t go into your study and not see pictures of your granddaughter everywhere.”
“Then where do you expect me to go after I get out of here? It was the government that sent me into exile to keep the Association in check, and you think they’re going to let me go back to the Association?”
Well, if that’s what he’s worried about, no problem.
“Isn’t there one other place besides the Association that would take you in?”
“……What?”
I smirked and blurted out the words I had prepared.
“You can come to the Academy. Retired heroes teach young heroes for the future of our country. It’s a good picture and a good cause.”
This was my ploy.
The Academy is an organization that is neither the Association nor the government.
If Kwak Chun-sik were to leave Silver Town and teach at the Academy, they would have no reason to oppose him.
They can’t stop a former legendary hero from teaching.
It’s in keeping with their values of respecting the free will of the Awakened. And it would go against their entire raison d’être, which is to actively support the development and protection of superhumans.
Besides, it wouldn’t be a bad thing for them.
They were afraid of Kwak Chun-sik because they were worried that he would take control of the Association and wage war against them, but what if he didn’t go to the Association and take a teaching position at the Academy?
The Academy’s staff, instructors, and students would be able to keep him under surveillance.
At that moment, a hint of hesitation flashed across Kwak Chun-sik’s face.
“The most important thing is that you will be able to see your granddaughter every day.”
“…… Granddaughter? You mean Ziyu?”
Was the granddaughter’s name Kwak Ziyu?
Anyway,
“Yes. I heard that the Seoul Hero Academy is going to open an elementary and kindergarten this year. It’s only been talked about among the upper faculty, but I’m sure it’s true. And……your granddaughter has also awakened, hasn’t she?”
It’s a chance to see the granddaughter he misses so much at the Academy.
Indeed, would he want to pass up such an opportunity if it were about his granddaughter?
“If you were to become an instructor at the Academy, you would certainly be able to see your granddaughter whenever you wanted. Besides.”
I smirked and prepared to deliver the final blow.
“Wouldn’t it be a wonderful opportunity to show your granddaughter what it’s like to be a teacher of superhumans? Imagine your granddaughter bragging to everyone that her grandfather is a teacher here.”
I can see the corners of his mouth slowly turning up.
It was almost a tipping point.
“Wait, I need to think about it.”
Was it the thought of leaving Silver Town after all these years? Maybe he needs to take his time but I already know the ending of this story.
In the end, he won’t be able to help it.
“Is that so?”
“Yes. I’ll try to organize my thoughts. By the way, you can call it a day.”
“What? You mean now?”
The only thing you’ve done so far is learn the art of manipulating aura.
“Alright, for now, practice until you can create a simple model without the bracelet. Once you can do that, we’ll move on to the next step.”
With that, Kwak Chun-sik waved his hand and gradually disappeared from my sight without looking back.
It’s good that he was so enthusiastic about my suggestion, but it’s a shame…… I have no time left.
While thinking about how to use the remaining time.
“Ah.”
I glanced at the screen of my smartphone, where I had left the GPS window open before coming here, and had an idea.
“Wasn’t there a wild ginseng field around here?”
Sure enough, there was an event in the game where you had a certain probability of stumbling upon a ginseng field while traveling around Gangwon Province.
On top of that, there was a setting in the world where the wild ginseng that was transformed by the magical waves generated by the dungeon became a species called magical ginseng and had the same efficacy as an elixir.
Okay, Kwak Chun-sik’s personality wouldn’t allow him to go digging for such a thing, so it must still be there.
“Well, I guess I can go home a little later.”
This was a good time to figure out how to repay the gifts I received from the other family bosses.
Magic Ginseng is great for elixirs, but it’s also great for stamina and food.
I summoned the [Otherworldly Warehouse], changed my clothes, and headed to where the dungeon used to be.
According to the game’s settings, there should be a wild ginseng field nearby.
“Alright, let’s go find it.”
Dungeons occur randomly in the game, except for mandatory events, so naturally the location of the enchanted ginseng that they affect isn’t fixed from play to play.
This means they’re usually hard to find.
However,
[Activate Skill: Aura Sonar].
Now I had a skill that made it easy.
The bracelet makes it a little harder to spread my aura over a large area, but I’m getting used to it slowly.
“Oh.”
I began to feel the aura in front of me being affected by the mana.
It’s a different sensation than I’ve ever felt before.
Until I put on the bracelet, I could only grasp the shape, but this time I could feel the flow of mana.
It was quite a strange feeling.
After retrieving the aura, I take slow steps, feeling like I’m climbing a mountain.
The air is fresh and at some point, however, I began to smell the scent of mana in the air.
I slowly look around and see a cluster of grasses with red berries.
“Found it…….”
With a smile on my face, I walk into the center of the ginseng field and look around.
Everywhere I look, I see the highest quality wild ginseng with bright red fruits.
I count about 30 roots, enough to eat and give away as gifts.
Though I don’t know how old each one is, that’s something I’ll have to find out later.
“Let’s get ready, then.”
I straighten up and look around.
It’s time to prepare the One plus One.
With all these elixirs around, there’s bound to be some creatures guarding this area.
He must have realized that I had entered his territory, and he would soon appear.
“……It’s here.”
I can feel the ground rumbling in the distance.
Trees cracking and falling, flocks of birds soaring through the sky.
───────!!!
It was a giant bear, snorting and emitting blue magic energy that had smashed through the trees.
“How much magic ginseng did he eat to be able to emit magic power just by breathing?”
A half-moon bear that consumed magic ginseng.
It was clear that he had also become an elixir that contained considerable magic power.
“Anyway, this bracelet has made me feel stiff, so let’s play with it.”
* * *
After returning home, the results of consuming the magic ginseng were beyond my imagination.
First of all, the aura’s operation, which was awkward because of the bracelet, became a little more flexible.
I tried operating the aura without the bracelet, just in case, and found that the aura moved more violently than usual.
It was probably related to the boost I had gotten from eating the enchanted ginseng.
I tried another root, just in case, but it only made me feel better. There was no significant change.
I wasn’t too disappointed, as it’s a fact in this world that you don’t get much benefit from eating the same herb twice.
The highlight of the day was the half-moon bear who had eaten the magical ginseng.
[Name: Enchanted Half-Moon Bear’s Gallbladder]
[Rank: Rare]
[Type: Elixir]
[Description: The gallbladder of a half-moon bear who consumed the oldest magical mountain ginseng and was transformed into a spirit. It cannot be ingested at this time and must be processed to be effective]
An elixir ingredient that can only be consumed by processing.
The ingredient itself has a rare ranking, so I was already excited to see how great the elixir would be after processing.
Who should I trust to process the elixir?
I thought of all the famous apothecaries in the game and tried to make a list.
-~♬
The smartphone on my bed started ringing.
It’s now 9pm.
Is there anyone who would contact me at this time?
With that thought in mind, I walked over and checked my phone, and the name of the recipient popped up.
[Kim Se-ah]
“Se-ah?”
Was there any reason for Se-ah to call me at this hour?
I pulled the call button and answered the call.
“……Hello?”
[Mr. Eugene.]
Unlike her usual cheerful voice, Se-ah’s voice was very shaky, as if she was scared.
The feeling was strange.
“……What’s going on?”
[……I…… that…… that…… hmph! something……wrong with me…….]
“Wrong? What do you mean?”
[He just said he has all the evidence……and witnesses……and I don’t know what’s what…….]
Evidence? Witnesses? What the hell are you talking about…….?
“Where are you?”
[I’m……! I’m at the police station……..]
Apparently, she’s in trouble.
