Transcendence Due To A System Error
Chapter 196: Price

< Chapter 196: Price (1) >

Savior’s Main Base.

The very heart of the Saviors and the most critical defensive line.

The ultimate defensive line, so powerfully fortified with barriers that even the Demon God wouldn’t dare to cross, and equipped with all sorts of buffs.

In a room at the center of this place, Kang Seo-yul was unconscious, with only his ragged breaths remaining.

“…You shouldn’t overexert yourself.”

The nurse Ini, who had been tending to Kang Seo-yul, spoke with a deeply concerned expression to Ai holding Kang Seo-yul’s hand.

“Shirakawa, can you get more medicine?”

“Again? But I just brought some…”

Ini gave a bitter smile.

“Unfortunately, it didn’t work. It seems the symptoms are different from magical exhaustion.”

“…I see. I’ll go get it.”

Ai let go of Kang Seo-yul’s hand and rose from his seat.

“What should I get?”

“Magic explosion neutralizer, circuit stabilizer. And also Mandragora extract. If you ask the pharmacist, they should prepare it.”

“Alright. I’ll be back soon. Take care, Seo-yul.”

Ai waved a small hand to the collapsed Kang Seo-yul and left the room.

“…”

Left alone, Ini placed her hand on Kang Seo-yul’s chest and closed her eyes. She was meticulously examining his inner state.

A magic specialist.

Thanks to being a Dragon Lord, she had the ability to examine at a cellular level.

“Fortunately, he’s slightly better.”

Compared to yesterday, his condition had improved a bit. Yesterday, he looked as if he was on his deathbed, but today he seemed more like a critical patient.

“… It’s not reassuring to be a critical patient.”

Because Kang Seo-yul seemed like he could die any moment just yesterday, even a slight improvement felt like a relief.

Ini shook her head vigorously, trying to stay focused.

“Stay alert. If I’m not careful, his condition could worsen.”

Kang Seo-yul’s internal state was a mess.

Even having lived as a Dragon Lord for 4,000 years, Ini had never seen such a chaotic magic circuit. It was a wonder he was alive in such a state.

With a shaky smile, Ini stabilized the magic within Kang Seo-yul.

“Whew.”

After about 5 minutes, Ini took a deep breath, looking at Kang Seo-yul, whose face had become a bit more relaxed. Trying to stabilize magic at a cellular level was incredibly draining.

‘Maybe it’s because of the aftereffects of magical exhaustion. I’m really tired.’

Ini moved her fatigued body around.

“Ini, I’m here.”

“Aqua.”

Aqua entered the room, opening the door. Aqua looked as exhausted as Ini.

“How’s Heavenly God doing?”

Just as Ini was responsible for Kang Seo-yul’s recovery, Aqua was taking care of Heavenly God. Meaning, Aqua had been tending to Heavenly God’s body for 24 hours straight. That’s why she looked so worn out.

“She’s improved a lot. She passed the critical stage quite some time ago, and now she’s stabilizing. If things go well, she might wake up today.”

“Really? That’s a relief.”

Ini sighed in relief.

“How about over here?”

“He’s somewhat better, but still in a critical state.”

The two of them exchanged serious glances as they looked at Kang Seo-yul.

“We still can’t determine the cause of his condition?”

“No, we can’t find any clues.”

Aqua’s elemental affinity, “water,” is highly efficient for healing.

Thus, naturally, Aqua should have been the one to heal Kang Seo-yul.

“But when we use divine or magical healing, his condition deteriorates…”

But for the current Kang Seo-yul, Aqua’s healing magic is more like poison.

That’s why the Dragon Lord, Ini, has been in charge of taking care of him.

“Thankfully, we have someone well-versed in medicine on our side. Otherwise, we would have been in big trouble.”

Ini shook her head as if she didn’t want to even imagine it.

Aqua looked at Kang Seo-yul with tight lips.

“This… it’s really the mark of Adam.”

“Oh, it’s your first time seeing it?”

“Yes.”

Aqua reached out and touched the mark on Kang Seo-yul’s chest, which had been exposed for treatment.

“It’s the mark of the Angel race, right? But why is it black?”

“… It’s probably because of the aftereffects.”

“Aftereffects?”

“Aftereffects from forcibly drawing out his power.”

“Drawing out power forcibly…?”

Aqua paused, pondering.

“Uh… I’m not exactly sure, but this Apostle… is there something wrong with his body?”

“Oh… Didn’t I tell you?”

Ini played with her hair, twirling a strand.

“To put it simply, this Apostle is from the future, and he’s suffering from aftereffects due to the events related to that.”

Aqua’s eyes widened in shock.

“From the future?”

“Yes. From the future, three years from now, after the world was destroyed by the Demon God. He sacrificed a lot… to return to this era.”

“… So that’s possible.”

Aqua continued to touch Kang Seo-yul’s chest in amazement.

“… What are you doing?”

“Huh?”

Watching Aqua’s strange actions, Ini gave her a cold glare.

“No, it’s just that in all my long spirit life, I’ve never seen such perfectly formed muscles. Taking a sample?”

Kang Seo-yul’s body was sculpted in beauty due to his overwhelming ‘charm’ attribute.

Naturally, his muscles were also formed in an almost ideal shape.

“You’re noticing muscles at a time like this?”

“Muscles don’t lie.”

Aqua spoke with a serious expression.

“These are pure combat muscles, without an ounce of excess. He must have undergone incredibly rigorous training in real combat scenarios every single day. Otherwise, muscles like these wouldn’t have developed.”

“…So in summary?”

“These muscles are trustworthy muscles!”

Aqua beamed with a smile.

“… That damned muscle-perfection theory of yours.”

Ini shook her head in disbelief.

Aqua pouted her lips.

“I’m serious… Anyway, someone finally understands me.”

Aqua affectionately stroked Kang Seo-yul’s body a couple of times with a strange look in her eyes.

“By the way, what was that power?”

“Which one?”

“The one that handled both divine power and magic at the same time.”

Aqua recalled the sight of Kang Seo-yul battling the Demon God. Though she observed from a distance and couldn’t see clearly, there was certainly a peculiar aura of magic shining brightly, a mix of the white of divine power and the black of magic.

“You saw it from a slightly closer distance than we did, didn’t you, Ini? Did you notice anything?”

“…Not sure.”

Ini gave a bitter smile.

“I was on the verge of collapsing from magical exhaustion at that time, so I can’t say.”

“Oh, right.”

Aqua nodded a few times.

“But I do have some rough guesses.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“What are they?”

“Hmm. Wait a moment. Let me check on him first, and then I’ll explain.”

“Ah, okay. I’ll help.”

Ini stood up and once again examined Kang Seo-yul’s body. She purified the drenched sheets with magic and wiped the profuse sweat from Kang Seo-yul’s body with a towel.

Under normal circumstances, she would have effortlessly cleaned the body with magic, but for the current Kang Seo-yul, magic is poison.

So, she had no choice but to manually wipe him down with a towel.

“There doesn’t seem to be any sign of worsening.”

“Yeah, he definitely seems better than yesterday.”

The two exchanged slightly brighter smiles.

“So, what was that guess you were talking about?”

Aqua’s eyes sparkled.

Ini chuckled lightly.

“You should really work on your patience.”

In response to Ini’s nagging, Aqua chuckled.

“Just let it slide. It’s just a trivial guess, after all.”

“Mm-hmm.”

The two sat facing each other.

“Kang Seo-yul, you know the Apostle of Adam can assume the form of any race, right?”

“Yeah, I’ve heard. He can become a Dragon, an Angel, and even a Spirit. But what’s that got to do with anything?”

How is that related to the current situation?

“I’m guessing that Kang Seo-yul isn’t just transcending racial values but is possibly also fusing them.”

“…What do you mean?”

Aqua tilted her head in confusion.

“In simple terms, he’s like a half-breed.”

“You mean, like a half-breed between the Angels and Elves from myths?”

“Exactly. Ai born from two different races inherits the characteristics of both, right?”

“Yes. Although there weren’t many, there were definitely such cases… Ah.”

Aqua’s eyes widened as she seemed to have a realization.

“You mean he can use the powers of two different races simultaneously, like a half-breed?”

“Exactly. His half-Angel, half-demon form would be the evidence.”

Ini smiled subtly.

“So that peculiar magic power is…”

“It’s probably a special fusion of the Angel’s divine power and the Demon’s magic. If we were to give it a name, maybe ‘Divine-Magic’ or ‘Sacred-Magic’.”

“Sacred-Magic…”

Aqua repeated the word, seemingly lost in thought.

“Is it even possible to merge two opposing natures? That’s like combining water and fire… No, it’s even more implausible.”

“I don’t understand it either, but what can we do? The person who demonstrated such an implausible feat is right here…”

Ini sneakily glanced at Kang Seo-yul and chuckled.

“He’s right here in front of us. We just have to accept it.”

“…That’s true.”

Aqua seemed convinced immediately.

Ini approached Kang Seo-yul again.

“If all your questions are answered, go back to Heavenly God. Once the medicine arrives here, I’ll need to adjust the prescription immediately.”

“Ah, okay. Understood.”

Aqua promptly got up from her seat.

“Take care, then. I’ll visit again later.”

“Contact me once Heavenly God wakes up.”

“Will do.”

With that said, Ini began to focus once again on treating Kang Seo-yul.

* * *

“…Ugh.”

Feeling excruciating pain, I opened my eyes.

“Seo, Seo-yul!”

A blurred vision of a tearful Ai.

“You finally woke up. You really slept for a long time.”

I saw Ini’s face, looking exhausted and drained.

“Wher… Ugh!”

I tried to ask where I was and what had happened, but an overwhelming pain made me close my mouth again.

“Stay calm. You’re still in critical condition.”

Ini clicked her tongue and injected something into me.

“Why did you push yourself so hard? Even if you wanted to save Heavenly God, you shouldn’t have. Don’t you know that if you die, it’s all for nothing?”

“…”

Was it a painkiller?

The pain in my body is gradually fading.

“Were you in a relationship with Heavenly God before you returned? Why did you risk yourself so much? Don’t you take care of yourself? Your body isn’t just yours.”

I quietly listened to Ini’s complaints.

I could feel the concern and relief in her voice, so I had no choice but to listen.

“I’m sorry for worrying you.”

The pain had subsided enough for me to speak.

“…Don’t do it again, okay? Whether it’s Heavenly God or anyone else. If you think you can’t handle it, just give up. Your life should be your top priority. Got it?”

“…Understood. I’ll do that.”

I wanted to say I hadn’t intended to overdo it, but I refrained, thinking it would only complicate the conversation. After all, excuses can be a sin.

“And… thank you.”

Ini awkwardly scratched her cheek, avoiding my gaze.

“Thanks to you, Heavenly God survived. Thank you.”

“Ah…”

I let out a sigh of relief.

So Heavenly God survived. What a relief.

“Why that satisfied look?”

Ai, still with tears in her eyes, looked at me angrily.

“You almost died, you know? ‘Don’t worry,’ you said… ‘I’ll just register her magical power and come back’…”

“…I’m sorry.”

I have nothing to say to Ai.

In this timeline, I had advised not to push myself too hard. To prioritize a safe return. Yet, here I am, having done the exact opposite.

From Ai’s perspective, it must have been shocking.

“Do you have any idea how worried I was?”

“I’m truly sorry. I won’t do it again.”

Again, I made no excuses.

If Heavenly God died, the one person who could oppose Demon God would be gone, and perhaps, three years from now, even a draw wouldn’t be possible.

Having thought that way, I couldn’t abandon Heavenly God.

…If I were to explain that, the conversation would undoubtedly drag on.

“If you say so, what more can I possibly say…”

Ai bowed her head deeply.

Once again, I realized that in apologies, refraining from making excuses is most important.

A brief silence ensued.

I was the first to break it.

“What happened after I collapsed?”

I wondered what transpired after my battle with Demon God.

“Why ask? Thanks to you, everything turned out fine.”

Ini grinned widely.

“The casualties weren’t many, and Heavenly God survived unscathed. On top of that, we managed to take down one of the seven sins, Asmodeus.”

“What about Demon God’s pursuit?”

“There was none. Given the circumstances, I was really worried that they might ignore the barriers and launch a surprise attack, but…”

Ini stroked my head.

“Perhaps because of your display of power, nothing of that sort occurred. Did you plan all this, even landing a blow on Demon God at the end?”

“…”

Is that how it was interpreted? I was simply trying to survive without much thought, and it just turned out that way.

“More importantly, how are you feeling?”

“Honestly, not great.”

There’s not a part of my body that doesn’t hurt.

My mana feels unstable.

My mind is foggy.

I feel as terrible as one could possibly feel.

“That’s you feeling much better. Six days ago, you were literally on your last breath.”

“… Six days?”

“Oh, I didn’t mention? It’s been six days since you collapsed.”

“Has it been that long?”

“That’s what I’m saying. What on earth is that power that made your body this wrecked?”

That power.

Surely, it must be referring to the transcendent strength displayed when handling both the holy power and the magical power simultaneously.

“Speaking of which, let me ask. That power… the fusion of holy power and magic, what exactly is it?”

“Um…”

Actually, I’d like to ask that too.

Exactly what was that power?

How could I produce such a force? What mechanism allowed it to, even for a fleeting moment, counter Demon God?

Of course, from my current position, I can’t just say I don’t know. So, I answered like this:

“It’s my secret technique. The Holy-Magic Power.”

I roughly named it “Holy-Magic Power” since it’s a combination of holy power and magic power.

“…I thought as much.”

Ini nodded repeatedly with a look of understanding.

“Okay. Got it.”

I wasn’t sure exactly what she understood, but since she seemed to move on smoothly, I just accepted it.

“I’ll go and call the others. They need to know you’re awake.”

Ini got up from her seat.

“Oh, right. I forgot to ask about this.”

Ini looked at me with cautious eyes.

“A suspicious-looking man came looking for you.”

“…Suspicious-looking man?”

Ai’s expression turned cold.

Noticing Ai’s reaction, Ini discreetly clicked her tongue and continued.

“Unknown. That’s what the man was called. He said he wanted to speak with you.”

< Chapter 196: Compensation (1) > End.