Chapter 169

Chapter 169 The students who studied at Panacea were generally known for being imperturbable. As students of medical-related departments, they were frequently exposed to disturbing reference materials and even more intense experiences during their practical training, so it was inevitable. That was why there was a popular saying in Babel: “If an event shocks even students from Panacea, it’s a real problem.” “Okay, here I go.” “Gasp...!” “W-what....” The faces of the students attending Jung-Wan's lecture all paled. Gulp- Swallowing another blue elixir that had been prepared in front of the students, Se-Hoon felt it quickly dissolve and spread throughout his body. Woong- Scanning Se-Hoon’s body, the device next to him displayed the process in detail to the students. A few moments later, when the students saw that the blue elixir had been digested through it, Se-Hoon picked up another similar but white elixir. “Second one going down. Watch closely.” Gulp- Again, Se-Hoon swallowed the elixir without hesitation. Like before, the students watched the device to see the mana dissolve and spread throughout his body, but this time, spreading in a slightly different form than before. Still stunned, all the students watched blankly from their seats. It was only when the absorption was complete and Jung-Wan started explaining that they switched focus. “As you saw in the absorption process just now, unlike regular elixirs that spread through mana circuits, elixirs infused with divine mana spread through the body. This results in several changes...” For a while, Jung-Wan continued explaining while displaying various materials. Yet the students were unable to focus and kept glancing at Se-Hoon, who was standing perfectly fine beside Jung-Wan. Why isn't he on the ground right now? Shouldn't he at least be vomiting a bucket of blood? Maybe he just looks fine and is actually paralyzed somewhere internally? An elixir was an elixir no matter how low quality it was. And when one consumed such foreign refined mana, their body’s mana would inevitably react to it; there would be some kind of physical rejection. That was why auxiliary devices, mana, and time for digestion and stabilization were necessary for safe consumption of elixirs, yet Se-Hoon had completely ignored every prerequisite. Does he have a knack for absorbing elixir? Or maybe he just has excellent control over his body and can suppress the rejection... There are no symptoms of his body reacting after consuming the elixir. He must have perfect control of his entire body. Curious, the students all observed Se-Hoon to try and figure out the nature of his body. Bang, bang! Smacking the blackboard, Jung-Wan gathered their attention. “I understand that you all are very curious, but please focus on class right now. The first-semester evaluation exams are less than a month away.” “Exams...” “Ugh...” Reminded of the upcoming exams, all the students groaned and properly focused on the lecture. The sight of them made Se-Hoon put on a bitter smile. It feels like I'm disrupting rather than helping. If he knew it would be like this, then perhaps he should have pretended to be in a bit of pain. Shaking his head, he checked the effects of the elixirs he had consumed throughout the class. Hmm. They’re definitely low quality, but their effects aren't that bad. Checking the small amount of divine mana that spread throughout his body, he felt that if he scraped it all together later, it would be enough to cast Divine Magic once. He moved on to think about the Antonio Rehabilitation Hospital. The Marionette Factory, huh... Currently known for producing golems, the Marionette Factory later transitioned to the field of prosthetics, supporting injured heroes and assisting the human alliance. Although they were eventually annihilated by the Tuner, up until that point, Se-Hoon thought positively of them for aiding humanity to the end. To think it would get involved with the Pleasure District... Though, there was no definitive evidence yet, Se-Hoon, who had experienced various incidents throughout his life, was sure of it. He knew that even the most stubborn and uncompromising people often succumbed to temptation if it meant advancing their technology. I need to check out the hospital, but how to get there... The easiest way would be to conduct a raid with the Special Operations Division by using Seon-Woo like before, but there were many downsides to that approach. Security was likely to be tight, given that it could be a core part of an expansion project, and if it turned out to be a dead end, any other hidden traces he could exploit in the future would likely be completely eradicated. Should I just sneak in at night? It seems better to handle this quietly anyway. While deep in thought, trying to come up with a feasible method, Se-Hoon suddenly felt a faint gaze on him from in front. Searching for where it was coming from, he lifted his head and saw someone staring at him. She excluded a calm yet mature atmosphere with her wavy brown hair that reached her shoulders and eyes with a faint golden hue. At the sight of her, Se-Hoon narrowed his eyes. Those eyes... They were Eyes of Divinity, a trait that appeared when the divine mana within one’s body reached a certain level. Technically, it was simply a sign of an overflow of mana, but it was not something to be taken lightly because those who manifested Eyes of the Divinity were all disciples of the Pope of the Pilgrimage Church, Karl Andersen. Is she the youngest archbishop? Unlike the other archbishops who were educated within the Church, she was an oddball who had enrolled in Babel as a student. Yet despite her status, Se-Hoon met her gaze calmly, having expected to meet her at some point. Surprised, the girl widened her eyes. A moment later, her eyes glowed. It seemed she had made some kind of decision. “Can we talk for a moment after class?” At the voice resounding directly in his head, Se-Hoon just nodded slightly. Seeing that, the girl focused again on Jung-Wan and no longer paid attention to Se-Hoon who fell back into deep thought. The Pilgrimage Church, hm... Although he initially intended to avoid getting involved with them if possible, the encounter could help him solve his current issue quite easily. Confirming the details of the plan that flashed in his mind, Se-Hoon saved it and refocused on class. “I’ll proceed with the next elixir...” Gulp- “He's taking two at the same time...!” “He’s definitely going to explode this time...!” “Oh.” They figured that since Se-Hoon had successfully created mass-produced sword aura equipment, he might also be able to tackle the Divine Mana Conversion Device. It was a rather simple plan, but that didn’t mean it was bad. The Church was simply trying to leave it to someone who appeared more capable, as it seemed impossible for them to do it. And although the Pilgrimage Church wouldn’t have known, their choice was the best one. Divine Mana Conversion Device... it’s been a while since I’ve heard about that. Recalling his memories, Se-Hoon thought about the research project conducted during the war against the Demon Force. For that project, they had pooled all the technology experts from the human alliance to find a breakthrough. During it, there were incidents with extremists who believed it threatened the existence of God, traitors who sold the information to the Demon Force, and even a madman who went insane from the prolonged research and created a self-destruct button. Yet, despite all of those issues, they had ultimately succeeded. The resulting efficiency of the device was lower than planned, but regardless, they had created a device that could convert ordinary mana into divine mana. I should be able to make one right now if I prepare a few things... but it’s not the right time. It was too risky. Currently, just rumors about him awakening his divine mana would cause a commotion. And if people found out that he had created a Divine Mana Conversion Device as well, it would undoubtedly provoke a violent reaction from the Ten Evils. The Perfect Ones would likely protect him, but he could still end up dying foolishly in the fallout. Still, I should accept for now.... I’ll just plan around creating it according to the situation. At the moment though, the most important thing was the strategy against the Pleasure District, so he had to make sure it wouldn’t interfere. Having decided on a plan of action, Se-Hoon looked at Jane. “It’s a rather difficult request, so I can’t make any promises. But... if given the opportunity, I’d like to research it.” “R—really?” “Yes. However, I’d like to keep this strictly confidential. It could become quite dangerous for me if word of this gets out.” Jane quickly nodded. “You don’t need to worry about that. This has only been discussed between the Pope and the Archbishops within the Church.” “That’s a relief, then. We can discuss the details gradually from now on.” “Understood. Let’s formalize the agreement today.... Is there anything you need help with right now?” Pleased with how easily the agreement was reached, Jane was all smiles. Seeing that, Se-Hoon then brought up what he had been waiting for. “I’ve heard that the Church often volunteers at hospitals and rehabilitation centers. Do you visit those often?” “Huh? Oh, yes. The Church encourages us to volunteer regularly, so I do go to them frequently.” Just as Se-Hoon hoped, the Pilgrimage Church actively supported the battlefield and civilians. “Since that’s the case, I have a favor to ask...” *** The Antonio Rehabilitation Hospital was located on the Italian coast, giving it a clear view of the vast ocean. And the building was also as clean as the scenery was beautiful. Unfortunately, the internal atmosphere wasn’t as pleasant. “So you can’t see well with just one eye? Maybe it’d be better to take out the other one too, then.” “It’s your fault for not dodging me, you crippled bastard.” Rumble- The ambient mana around the one-eyed old man and the old man with crutches trembled. Even though they were old and retired, they were once high-ranking heroes who were evaluated as semi-S-rank. Thus, even their snarling could result in a large commotion. “Here we go again...” “Who gave those bastards prosthetics?” Watching the two, the other patients just clicked their tongues in annoyance instead of fleeing. The tension between the two old men escalated. But just as they were about to hit each other with a fist and a crutch, respectively, a thunderous voice shook the entire hospital. “GENTLEMEN!!!” The two old men immediately froze and turned to look at the source of the voice. “How many times do I have to tell you to behave because we have volunteers visiting today? Do you really want to see me tear my throat out?!” Loudly scolded by a nurse over two meters tall, Alessia, the two old men grumbled reluctantly. “He bumped into me first.” “That bastard picked a fight with me.” They glared at each other again. Seeing that, Alessia shouted, “Both of you, return to your seats!!!” “Grr...” “Tsk...” The two old men finally complied, grumbling as they returned to their places. Sighing deeply, Alessia invited the volunteers in. “You guys can come in now.” At her word, people dressed in priestly robes entered. From the group, Jane stepped forward and addressed the patients. “Nice to meet you all. I’m Jane Rose from the Pilgrimage Church.” The patients all stared indifferently from their seats. They just watched as a young man with black hair and a gentle demeanor stepped forward next. “I’m James Lee. I look forward to working with you.” The name lacked any real significance, but the patients didn’t seem to notice. Stepping back, James Lee—Se-Hoon—whispered to the woman with long silver hair beside him, who was bowing deeply. “Do it well.” “Shut up.” Stepping forward awkwardly, the woman, Luize, introduced herself softly. “I-I’m Luis Arisp. P-pleased to meet you.” Seeing the puzzled eyes of the patients, Luize nervously stepped back while grinding her teeth. ...I’m so going to beat him up when this is over. Clearly upset, Luize moved back deep into the group.