After finishing the meal in a harmonious atmosphere, I followed the guild members of Skyscraper with Ara.
For reference, the name of the awakened person who spoke fluent Korean was Yu Bihong.
“Yu Bihong is the Korean pronunciation, and it’s actually Liu Feihong. You can call me Yu Bihong for convenience.”
“Thank you for your consideration.”
But…
I was bothered by a few people trailing behind us.
Kang Hanul, Kim Si-young, Jeong So-yeon, Lee Hae-sol, and even Ryu Cheon.
‘We’re going to talk about Ryu Cheon, so why are they following us?’
It looked like non-related individuals were secretly trailing us. Yu Bihong seemed to notice my concern and awkwardly smiled.
“Our young lady is very shy. She has a bashful personality…”
“I see.”
Yet, she was so forward with Ara.
Even now, Ara, held in my arms, peeked over my shoulder and gave a beaming smile.
“Hehe.”
“…Cute.”
It seemed they were not secretly following us but coming along because they wanted to make eye contact with Ara.
“Is it okay for the others to follow us?”
“It’s a bit uncomfortable, but it can’t be helped. As Mr. Kyu-seong is part of Ara Hongryeon, we are the ones asking for a favor…”
A request related to an illness…
I hadn’t asked about the exact illness yet. The fact that a famous awakened person like Ryu Cheon’s illness was not publicly known suggested they were keeping it hidden, so it was awkward to ask in a crowded place.
Moreover, I knew the Skyscraper Guild was a larger multinational guild than Ara Hongryeon, and if they couldn’t solve it, it must be a serious illness.
‘All I have is an antidote?’
I hadn’t cultivated any ingredients that could treat an illness yet. Of course, I might discover something if I keep farming different things, but not immediately.
So I was curious about what they wanted to talk about. Did they see potential just because I could make an antidote?
We soon entered a building assigned to the Skyscraper Guild. Our guild’s executives, who had followed us, stopped in their tracks.
“Kyu-seong! You’re not transferring to the Skyscraper Guild, are you?!”
“Can we visit the dungeon sometimes? Then I’ll let you go.”
“Kyu-seong! Even if you go, leave Ara with us!”
“Kyu-seong, even if you transfer, please continue to supply ingredients.”
Watching people make nonsensical jokes, Ara waved her hand.
“Goodbye~!”
“Ara!”
Hearing Jeong So-yeon’s desperate(?) cry, we entered the building.
“Ara Hongryeon really values Mr. Kyu-seong.”
“It’s more love than I deserve.”
“It’s nice to see.”
Soon, we entered a conference room-like place where no one else was and sat down. Ryu Cheon, who had followed us to the end, sat next to Ara, gazing intently at her face.
“Cute.”
The fact that she kept repeating that one word from earlier felt a bit creepy.
“Thank you for coming despite it being burdensome.”
“It’s nothing. I’d like to hear the details.”
“Young lady.”
At Yu Bihong’s call, Ryu Cheon shifted her gaze from Ara to me.
“First, thank you for the antidote.”
“It’s something I do for compensation.”
“Thanks to you, my guild members and I could be detoxified.”
Her clear eyes and articulate Korean made me wonder if she was the same person who had been dazedly staring at Ara earlier.
“You might have heard, but the reason we called Mr. Kyu-seong here is because of my illness. It’s a condition I’ve had since birth.”
“I’ve never heard that Ryu Cheon has been ill. May I ask about the nature of the illness?”
“It’s mana frost.”
“Mana frost?”
It was a combination of words I had never heard before. Was such a disease even possible?
“Since birth, I’ve had strong magical power, but my body couldn’t handle it. My body’s qi and blood flow became completely messed up.”
“Ah…”
I hadn’t realized there could be such side effects.
I had always thought Ryu Cheon was just an incredibly talented young awakened one, but I had no idea about this story.
“Qi and blood, meaning it’s a problem with the blood vessels. As you might know, mana flows through the blood vessels like blood, so our young lady constantly suffers from severe shock and injuries to her blood vessels.”
“Is she alright?”
Although I didn’t know the details, it sounded dangerous at first glance. Yu Bihong slowly shook his head and continued speaking.
“If it weren’t for Skyscraper’s financial and physical support, the young lady would have passed away before she even turned ten. Even now, she’s suppressing her mana as much as possible, but she strained herself during the recent Mammon subjugation.”
“Wow.”
“The young lady lives with constant pain. It might be easier to understand if I compare it to a mana reflux condition? Because of this, she’s always in and out of the hospital.”
Suddenly, Ryu Cheon’s expressionless face seemed quite impressive.
So, this patient who should be bedridden was walking around as if nothing was wrong?
Though she showed no signs, I could roughly gauge how serious her condition was, even if I couldn’t experience it myself.
Mana reflux was something every awakened one was familiar with.
‘There are quite a few awakened ones who die from mana reflux.’
From what I understood, Ryu Cheon was in constant pain similar to mana reflux.
“I understand Ryu Cheon’s condition. Is there something you wish to ask of me?”
“We recently operated a strike team for the Mammon subjugation. During that time, Ms. Ryu Cheon was not only poisoned but also had to use much more mana than usual.”
I nodded and listened to Yu Bihong’s explanation.
“After returning urgently, we administered your antidote. Given the severe condition, we were grateful just that she survived.”
“You’ve been through a lot. I also heard from our guild master that we owed you. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you.”
When I bowed my head, Ara, noticing my gesture, followed suit and bowed to Ryu Cheon.
“No, it was my duty. Great power comes with great responsibility.”
Ryu Cheon, still expressionless, spoke in a calm tone. However, the slightly elevated pitch of her voice indicated she wasn’t displeased.
‘…But it hasn’t been that long since the incident happened.’
For someone whose life was supposedly in danger, Ryu Cheon looked remarkably fine. As if responding to my unspoken question, Yu Bihong continued.
“After administering Mr. Kyu-seong’s antidote, the young lady immediately regained consciousness. We were all astonished. That wasn’t the only surprising thing.”
“Could it be…”
The fact that they mentioned the mana frost first and then brought up this conversation led me to a conclusion. It seemed my antidote didn’t just cure the poison but also had some effect on Ryu Cheon’s mana frost. That’s probably why they called me separately.
“Your guess might be correct. After taking your antidote, the young lady said she felt light for the first time in her life.”
“Isn’t it hard to confirm that it was helpful just because she felt lighter?”
“You’re right. Due to the recent dungeon break of the Insek Dungeon, we couldn’t conduct a thorough examination. However, I believe Ms. Ryu Cheon wouldn’t say she simply felt a little better if it weren’t significant.”
Ryu Cheon, who had been quietly listening to Yu Bihong’s words, nodded enthusiastically. Ara found Ryu Cheon’s gesture amusing and followed suit, nodding her head and laughing gleefully.
“I think I can guess. Since it also has the effect of smoothing the flow of mana…”
“That’s right. We also suspect that this effect might be improving the young lady’s condition.”
In that case, to confirm a precise cure, I should just have her eat a lot of bell pepper. After all, the flow of mana was more related to the magical bell pepper than to the antidote itself.
“However, due to the current shortage of the antidote caused by Mammon, we feel it’s too much to ask Mr. Kyu-seong for more. Would it be possible to request it separately once this situation is resolved? We promise to compensate you at the guild level.”
“Oh, there’s no need for that.”
“Pardon?”
Seeing the puzzled looks on Yu Bihong and Ryu Cheon’s faces, I took Bokkeum out of my backpack and spoke.
“Just give me one bell pepper.”
Pop—.
Immediately, a bell pepper popped out.
[Magic Bell pepper LV.1]
A crop containing magic power. Harmless to the human body. When consumed, it slightly amplifies magic power for 0.2 seconds. Continuous consumption makes mana circulation smoother.
It seemed this bell pepper was indeed the reason for Ryu Cheon’s improved condition. Moreover, not only did it have a temporary effect, but continuous consumption also provided a permanent effect of smoother mana circulation.
“What is that…?”
“I think this is what slightly improved Mr. Ryu Cheon’s condition. Would you like to check it out?”
“It’s a bell pepper!”
Yu Bihong and Ryu Cheon approached and examined the bell pepper. After reading its effect, both of their eyes widened.
“It wasn’t the antidote’s effect?!”
“To be precise, the antidote is made by combining the effects of these crops.”
As I spoke proudly, Ryu Cheon quietly held the bell pepper and spoke.
“Could I… recover?”
A desperate question.
The trembling voice and expressionless face created a contrast that made it look even sadder.
Both Yu Bihong and I, momentarily at a loss for words, cautiously spoke up.
“We will try our best, young lady. You will surely recover.”
“I can’t give you a definite answer. But I will do my best.”
I had heard that our guild members, who went out as part of the strike team, could all escape safely thanks to Ryu Cheon’s efforts. I had already received a favor and must repay it.
“For reference, as you can see, this is a Level 1 bell pepper. However, I can gradually level up the crops.”
“Gasp! Really?”
“Yes. Even if we can’t cure Ryu Cheon’s illness right now, I believe we will be able to eventually.”
To be honest, I thought that even just continuously taking Level 1 bell pepper might be enough to cure her, but I couldn’t give a definitive answer based on assumptions.
She must have suffered from this illness all her life, so I couldn’t rashly say that she could be cured immediately.
“Please, Mr. Kyu-seong!”
“I’m asking you too. And thank you.”
Listening to their pleas, I nodded confidently. I had already successfully treated Si-young and Baek Seung-hyun.
Although their illnesses were different, I had confidence that my abilities could somehow find a solution.
‘Even if bell pepper alone doesn’t work, other crops might eventually help treat the illness.’
Of course, I had a feeling that just the bell pepper could be enough to treat Ryu Cheon’s illness.
“Ryu Cheon! You must not be sick! Kyu-seong will cure you!”
“Yes. Thank you.”
Watching Ryu Cheon naturally hold and rub cheeks with Ara, I made a new resolution.
Cliche Novel 