Chapter 171

Chapter 171 Finishing their somewhat rowdy lunch, the three took some time to explore the various facilities of the hospital together. To others, it appeared that Se-Hoon was being given a tour of the grounds since he had been stuck in the empty lot doing repairs all morning, but in reality, they were conducting reconnaissance for their sneak-in operation scheduled after lights-out tonight. “This is the facility where patients train their mana control...” While simultaneously listening to Jane’s explanation, Se-Hoon discreetly examined the hospital's security systems. As expected, the security is pretty tight here. CCTV cameras were installed so densely that there were virtually no blind spots, and numerous hextech devices were set up throughout the building in case of emergencies. On top of that, the building's durability was incredible, seemingly able to withstand even bombings. And there was a good reason why the rehabilitation hospital was so well-equipped. The patients hospitalized here have many enemies in the outside world. As previously all high-ranking heroes, the patients naturally all had grudges with demons. Because of that, assaults targeting heroes during their times of weakness like old age or injuries were not uncommon. Even so, this place is a bit more stringent than others... though it’s still not entirely impenetrable. Having found some blind spots, Se-Hoon was mentally mapping out how he and Luize should infiltrate when he suddenly heard a loud noise echo from the fifth rehabilitation exercise room. Bang! Looking through the transparent glass door, Se-Hoon saw an elderly man holding a wooden spear. “...” The old man stood as still as a statue. He didn’t make a sound either, and the tip of his spear didn’t waver in the slightest; he looked frozen in time. “Hmm...” Observing the old man’s stance, Se-Hoon saw the man suddenly twist his body and thrust the wooden spear toward the glass door. Bang! “Ah!” The shockwave from the spear's tip forcing the glass door open startled Luize. Unlike her, however, Jane and Se-Hoon remained completely calm and just looked at the old man, who retracted his spear and glared at them. “It seems the Pilgrimage Church has changed a lot these days, having doctrines that dictate they spy on others,” the old man snickered. Unfazed by the old man’s blatant sarcasm, Jane gently responded, “It seems there’s a misunderstanding. We heard a noise during our break and were just checking what was happening.” “Is that so? Then you guys can leave now. It’s hard for me to exercise with someone watching.” Waving his hand dismissively, the old man turned around. At his rude actions, Jane made a bitter smile and Luize clenched her fist hidden in her sleeve while managing her expression. Is this hospital just full of mad dogs? First the other old men in the morning, and now this one; why were all the patients in this hospital like this? Trembling, Luize tried to push down the anger that had been building up since the morning. “Sir.” Attracting everyone’s attention, the silent observing Se-Hoon asked the old man a question. “Do you have a prosthetic installed on your spines?” Stopping in his tracks, the old man turned back with a disapproving expression. “Why are you asking me that?” “It’s just that when you rotated your body earlier, it seemed like your spine was giving you pain. I apologize in advance if I have offended you.” “...” The old man, Karl Madden, began scrutinizing Se-Hoon. Did my expression give it away? No, that can’t be... Having spent years on the battlefield, Karl was aware that even small changes in expression could be a weakness in actual combat and was thus adept at hiding his pain. He was so adept at it that nurses would plead with him to tell them when he was in pain during treatment. Yet the young man before him had seen through him instantly. “...You seem to have good intuition.” Hearing the wariness that laced Karl’s voice, Se-Hoon gave an embarrassed laugh. “It’s nothing special. I just have this C-rank skill called Pain Detection, so I’m quite sensitive to these things.” “Pain Detection... I think I’ve heard of that before.” Though still cautious, Karl found some credence in Se-Hoon’s explanation. It was a skill he’d heard of, and it seemed plausible that such a skill would enable someone to detect his pain. In the past, I could have hidden my pain even from that kind of skill... Smiling bitterly at the thought, Karl quickly adjusted his expression upon remembering the three strangers before him. “Yes, you’re right. I do have a spinal prosthesis. Twelve years ago, a monster almost split me in two, which damaged my spine.” Using the spear as a cane for support, Karl looked at Se-Hoon with a prickly expression. “Since then, I’ve been unable to maintain my balance without the help of the prosthetic and ended up here after retiring. Is this enough of an answer?” “Ah, yes, it is. Thank you.” “Alright. Now, could you leave? You’ve already taken three minutes of my training time.” At Karl’s prickly words, Luize’s eyes twitch with anger. But before she could explode, a cold and stern voice sounded from behind the three. “That won’t be possible.” Simultaneously turning, the three saw the large nurse, Alessia, behind them. “Unfortunately, you’re now prohibited from exercising for three days.” “Uh, Alessia. When did you—” “Sir.” Cutting off Karl’s words, Alessia made a large smile. “Return to your room. Now.” At her instruction, Karl’s face twisted, and he let out a deep sigh. He then switched out the wooden spear for a crutch from his void pocket and looked at the three people standing to the side when he walked out. “This is why I shouldn't have gotten involved with religious folks...” “Sir!!!” “Alright! I'm going, I'm going!” Grumbling in displeasure, Karl walked away. A few moments later, when he disappeared from sight, Alessia bowed her head to the three of them. “I’m terribly sorry! He’s not usually like this, but he gets very sensitive whenever someone interrupts his training...” “It's our fault for disturbing him while he was in the middle of training. You don't need to apologize,” assured Jane. “No, I do. It’s our job to make sure he won’t exercise by himself, but since his rehabilitation showed progress recently, he's been sneaking in more workouts...” Alessia proceeded to let out a deep sigh, a clear indication that she often had to deal with this. Observing the golden aura gently enveloping his entire body, Karl soon began to feel an invigorating energy slowly fill up his body and loosen his previously stiff body. As expected, Divine Magic is top-tier in this aspect. Unlike ordinary healing magic, which felt like massaging a tense area with an elbow, Divine Magic felt like a warm compress that gently relieved tension. Both the process and effects of Divine Magic were superior in the restoration aspect, which was why injured soldiers often fought to be treated with it on the battlefields he had fought on in the past. ...Why do I keep reminiscing about the old days? Smiling bitterly, Karl shook his head and just stood in the center of the magic array. Soon, Se-Hoon, Luize, and Jane walked over from somewhere in the auditorium’s interior. “Nice to see you again, sir.” Despite Se-Hoon’s warm greeting, Karl squinted his eyes and gruffly responded, “Don’t waste time with small talk. Just get on with the treatment.” “Haha, alright. But why don’t you have a mana-control device on you?” “As long as I don’t summon my mana, it’ll be fine. I found it unnecessary.” Se-Hoon made a wry smile at that response. “How does everyone react the same way...” “What?” “Nothing. If you say so, sir, it’s fine. Sister Luize, please activate the Divine Magic.” Prompted by Se-Hoon, Luize stepped into the magic array and softly whispered, “Assimilation.” Woong~ Stirred by Luize, the divine mana in the magic array penetrated deeper into Se-Hoon and Karl’s bodies, causing Karl to flinch at the unfamiliar sensation and reflexively try to summon his mana. Damn it...! But he quickly remembered his own words and suppressed his mana, allowing the divine mana to embed itself deeply within him. It felt like he was awakening divine mana, an experience he had never had even during his active years. Savoring the unique sensation, Karl looked down at his body. “It’s all finished. Now, please take out your training weapon.” “Ah, okay.” Though puzzled, Karl put away his crutch, took out his wooden spear, and naturally assumed a stance. That was when he noticed Se-Hoon standing in front of him, holding a golden spear. “In no circumstances should you bring forth your own mana!” Ending with those words, Se-Hoon suddenly lunged forward, thrusting the spear at Karl’s heart. “What...!” Caught off guard, Karl instinctively swung his wooden spear to block it. Clang! He parried the golden spear just before it could close the distance. However, the spearhead twisted like a snake and swiftly aimed for his solar plexus. Shocked by the unexpected movement, he gripped his wooden spear even more tightly. Not yet! Assuming he could parry it once more, he was about to summon his mana before remembering Se-Hoon’s instruction. Oh, right, if I summon my own mana... Because of that, his body froze and was unable to react in time. Thwack!!! The golden spear struck his solar plexus mercilessly. “Guh!” Feeling the pain spreading through his body, he gasped and stumbled backward. If he had relaxed even a bit, he would have fallen to the ground. “You bastard...!” Infuriated, not from the pain in his solar plexus but the humiliation of not being able to block the attack, Karl was about to unleash his magic in fury when Se-Hoon’s voice cut through. “Sir! Before you get all angry, try checking your body first! It should feel much better than before!” Hearing Se-Hoon’s timely shout, filled with genuine concern, Karl paused and looked at his body. “...Huh?” Not only had the muscles around his chest, where the spear had struck, loosened, but all his muscle aches and bruises seemed to have visibly improved. It was as if he had been directly treated with Divine Magic in the areas where Se-Hoon had struck with his spear. The unexpected effect left him staring at Se-Hoon in disbelief. “How could this...” “This is a special treatment method recently developed by the Church. It involves activating the body through sparring to facilitate healing.” “Huh. I can’t believe such a treatment exists...” If he had just heard about it, he would have dismissed it as nonsense. But having experienced it firsthand, he had no choice but to believe it. “However, if you summon your own mana even once during the treatment, your body will develop resistance to divine mana, preventing you from trying the treatment again for several days. That’s why we asked you to wear the mana-control device beforehand.” “Hmm, is that so...” Though Karl understood what Se-Hoon was saying, he was dissatisfied. If they explained before the treatment, I might have worn it... hmm... actually, I would have probably stormed out, saying it was nonsense. Having objectively reflected on what he might have done if he had been warned beforehand, he awkwardly cleared his throat. Seeing Karl calm down, Se-Hoon breathed a sigh of relief. “Should we continue with the treatment?” “Fine. I just can’t summon my own mana, right?” “Yes, just try to not activate your mana,” Se-Hoon confirmed with a gentle smile. Bang! He then lunged at Karl even faster than before. “Wait...!” Karl swiftly swung his wooden spear in retaliation, but the golden spear twisted again, piercing inward. Thud, thud, thud! “Ugh...!” The spear struck fiercely at Karl’s neck, solar plexus, and abdomen. Overwhelmed by the sudden barrage of attacks, his body stiffened, allowing the spear, twisting like a whip, to mercilessly batter his entire body. The onslaught of attacks was so fierce that it seemed Se-Hoon had been waiting for this moment. Completely taken aback, Karl looked at the young man pushing him to the limit. “You’re doing great! Just keep enduring it!” Se-Hoon shouted. He seriously suspected that Se-Hoon was using the treatment as an excuse to exact revenge on him.