Chapter 44: Midnight Alley (2)
The most basic lightning magic that an electro-type mage learned first was ‘Electrocution’.
It was an extremely simple magic that generated a strong voltage, like an electric shock device.
However, the light flashing in Diesel’s hand was powerful enough that it did not seem like such a beginner-level spell.
“Y-you…… what the hell are you doing……?”
“Me?”
Diesel spoke as he formed magic in his hand again.
“Someone out for a walk.”
“What kind of crazy—…. Krrrghhhk……!”
The man struck by the electrocution magic collapsed, making a sound like a glitching video game.
“…….”
The number of people subdued totaled three.
As Ar had said, they were not ordinary guys, but they were no match for Diesel.
〈That’s a bit noisy for a walk.〉
〈Shut up.〉
Diesel approached Kang Da-hee, who was collapsed on the ground, and checked her condition.
Her hair was a complete mess, and her once egg-smooth skin was caked with dirt stuck to tears and snot.
On top of that, perhaps from muscle spasms, her body kept twitching repeatedly.
〈Ar.〉
〈It’s a virus.〉
〈Yeah. I know.〉
“Ha, haak……!”
The convulsions wracking her body grew more and more violent, to the point where she was nearly losing her breath.
Ar flitted over and landed lightly on Kang Da-hee’s body.
〈Hmm……. They mixed together every virus you could find roaming the streets. This is the first time I’ve seen such a malicious combination. She might die before we remove them.〉
〈I’ll help.〉
〈Wait a moment, Master. It could be dangerous…….〉
Contrary to Ar’s worry, Diesel began removing the viruses with practiced ease.
〈Let’s deal with the lethal ones first. I’ll handle what’s attached to the respiratory system, so you take care of the nervous and circulatory systems.〉
〈Understood.〉
And after a short while.
Kang Da-hee, who had been unconscious, sucked in a deep breath and opened her eyes.
“Hhuup……!”
“…….”
Then suddenly she retched.
“Uweeegh……! Kgh, kgh……. Uegh……!”
Diesel waited briefly for her to calm down before speaking to her.
“Huhk……. Huhk…….”
“Are you all right?”
“A, aahk! P-please save me……. I’ll give you anything you want…….”
“Calm down. I’m not here for that…….”
“Please……. Please……. Save me……. Hheooong…….”
‘This won’t do.’
Diesel formed another spell in his hand.
It was a mental-type spell that brought stability to the target’s body and mind.
“U, uh……! Ah……?”
He etched the magic into his thumb and gently stroked Kang Da-hee’s brow, and her gaze gradually steadied.
“Are you feeling a bit clearer now?”
“A, ah……. What on earth is this…….”
Blinking her eyes slowly, Kang Da-hee noticed the assailants collapsed in the alley.
Then, as if she grasped the situation, she bowed her head sharply toward Diesel.
“Y-you saved me……. Thank you……. Thank you…….”
“Can you stand?”
“Yes……. Just a moment……. Aaahk……!”
She tried to get up, but perhaps her muscles had not fully relaxed yet, and she let out a cry of pain.
“Do you happen to have First Aid insurance?”
“Ah……. No……. I don’t…….”
“…….”
First Aid—a heavily armed trauma team that was dispatched immediately whenever a member’s body suffered abnormalities.
The monthly fee was insanely expensive, far beyond what an ordinary person could afford, but it was famous for being precise and swift in rescue operations.
‘Wasn’t she a sector councilman’s daughter?’
No matter how expensive the First Aid service was, not even signing that up for his socially active daughter.
Thinking about it, the apartment Kang Da-hee lived in was also quite shabby compared to her background.
“Please wait a moment. I’ll call the police…….”
“P-police? Wait! That’s not okay!”
As if she herself was startled by what she had shouted, Kang Da-hee flinched briefly before continuing.
“I’m sorry. But not the police. Please, I’m begging you…….”
“…….”
“Um…… this is shameless of me to ask, but could you escort me just up ahead……?”
“Up ahead?”
“……That apartment you can see right there is my home. I’d really appreciate it if you could just take me that far.”
With that, she groaned and struggled to her feet.
‘Hmm…….’
He had not intended to help this actively.
He had planned to save her life and then dump the rest on First Aid or the police.
“If you help me…… I will definitely repay you.”
Perhaps his hesitation showed on his face, because Kang Da-hee bit her lip tightly as she spoke.
She was already standing on her own.
〈She must still be in tremendous pain. That’s some impressive willpower.〉
A reward.
After a brief moment of consideration, Diesel stepped closer to Kang Da-hee.
If nothing else, it did not seem bad to at least collect the price of saving her life.
“Hold onto this shoulder.”
“Th-thank you……. Ngh…….”
* * *
“Uweeegh……! Uweeeegh……!”
Inside Kang Da-hee’s home.
Diesel knew that living standards in this apartment varied wildly by floor, but he had not expected the lower levels to be this shabby.
It was only a slightly wider living room than the rooftop room Diesel had once stayed in, with a single small room attached.
Heavily stained wallpaper and windows that let the cold draft blow straight in.
Inside the narrow bathroom, which looked like it barely fit a toilet and a sink, Kang Da-hee was throwing up.
〈Master. Among the viruses from earlier, there was one called ‘Midnight Blossom’. It’s a fairly high-grade virus, so it will take some physical time to remove it completely.〉
Ar spoke while repeatedly pricking up her ears toward the bathroom.
〈For now, I’ve suppressed it, but just like the virus’s name suggests, seizures will occur intermittently every midnight. Of course, they can also happen during the day. So if they aren’t dealt with properly each time, then probably…….〉
〈Probably what?〉
〈You know. She’ll die. The most likely causes would be suffocation from respiratory muscle paralysis, airway obstruction from vomit, cerebral hemorrhage from hitting her head during a seizure, and so on……. There are plenty of cases to cite.〉
A short while later.
Kang Da-hee came out of the bathroom, her face looking half gone.
“I-I’m sorry……. I invited you in, and all you see is this messy sight…….”
“It’s fine. Are you feeling a bit better?”
“Well…….”
At Diesel’s words, Kang Da-hee looked down at her own hands.
They were trembling violently, like a drug addict’s.
“It doesn’t really stop…….”
“Please sit here for a moment.”
“Yes……?”
Kang Da-hee looked confused for a moment, but soon obediently sat down on the chair.
Diesel went behind her and placed his hand on her shoulder.
“…….”
To Diesel’s eyes, which possessed electrosphere projection ability, the viruses roaming through Kang Da-hee’s implants were visible.
‘Is this it?’
Midnight Blossom.
The vaccine Ar had just planted was steadily eliminating the virus, but as the spirit had said, its replication speed was quite fast, so it seemed it would take some time to completely eradicate it.
‘If I remove it directly…….’
He moved his hand and crushed the virus as if squashing a bug.
“Ugh…….”
Perhaps feeling pain, Kang Da-hee let out a small moan.
〈Master, be careful. If something goes wrong, even you could be in danger.〉
〈Yeah.〉
He proceeded to eliminate the viruses extremely carefully, just as Ar had warned.
It was definitely faster than the vaccine’s processing speed, but still, an enormous number of viruses were rampaging through Kang Da-hee’s body.
He brought it down to the point where her hand tremors roughly stopped.
“You should be a bit better now.”
Kang Da-hee looked down at her hands again.
They were still trembling faintly, but it did not seem to be due to the virus anymore.
“Thank you…….”
“The viruses inside your implants haven’t all been removed. You should go see a tech doctor as soon as possible tomorrow.”
A tech doctor.
A specialist who dealt with mechanical bodies.
Some said they were closer to engineers or hackers, but they were still doctors who saved lives.
Of course, they used tools like wrenches and screwdrivers more often than scalpels in the operating room.
“Ah……. A tech doctor…….”
“From now on, seizures like the one just now will keep happening. So if you don’t want to die, go see one as soon as possible.”
Despair settled over Kang Da-hee’s face.
Like a patient who had just been diagnosed with a serious illness.
Then, as if she had made up her mind, she spoke.
“Um……. Perhaps…….”
“Yes.”
“You’re a tech doctor……. right?”
“…….”
When Diesel remained silent at her misunderstanding, she seemed to take it as affirmation and continued speaking.
“I can’t go to a hospital due to my circumstances. So……. Could you treat me like you just did? Of course, I’ll pay all the costs. Including off-site consultation fees.”
As worry crept onto Diesel’s face, Kang Da-hee hurriedly added,
“My place may be a bit shabby, but I’m a full-time employee at a megacorp. I have more than enough ability to pay.”
Following her gaze, he looked around the room.
All kinds of magic-specialized books strewn across the desk, tableware whose metal had completely faded from age.
Then, a single intact item caught his eye.
A high-performance installation-type cyberdeck, carefully placed in the corner.
It did not look like a cyberdeck meant merely for electrosphere access.
‘Hmm…….’
〈Oh……. Master, this is quite interesting, you know?〉
〈Why?〉
〈I can sense a connection between that cyberdeck and the test chamber you were trying to build earlier.〉
Noticing Diesel’s interest in the cyberdeck, Kang Da-hee immediately made an offer.
“That’s a cyberdeck exclusively for Matrix access. Are you interested?”
“…….”
“At the very least, when it comes to the Matrix, I’ve equipped it with facilities on par with professional installations. Due to the nature of my job, I absolutely need a research test chamber.”
“Is it a personal Matrix?”
“Yes. Its scale is mid-to-small, but I can confidently say most magic experiments are possible. Um…… do you perhaps have an interest in magic as well?”
“…….”
“I caught a glimpse earlier when you saved me—you were using magic. Electro-type magic, ‘Electrocution’, I think……. Was I right? It’s a simple spell, but its power seemed incredible. If you’re okay with it, I could give you a few pointers…….”
The unrefined magic formula Diesel had shown, and the tremendous magical potential hidden behind it.
‘She even analyzed it in the middle of that chaos.’
Perhaps the nickname ‘genius mage’ had not been given for nothing.
“Despite how I may look, I’m an expert when it comes to magic. I graduated early as the top student at Yeonhui Magic University and even earned a doctoral degree…….”
Kang Da-hee began rattling off her own profile—things Diesel already knew.
“And this is a bit sensitive to talk about, but…….”
“……?”
“The project I’m in charge of at Podvig this time is…….”
When new information came up, Diesel leaned in to listen.
“It’s related to magic artifacts.”
A dreamlike item for all mages—magic artifacts.
The mana called ‘Black Ice’ that had allowed Diesel to cut down ghosts, terrifying beings, and face a megacorp agent named Kaztikan had also originated from a magic artifact, the Seolha Thousand-Year Ice.
Noticing the slight change in Diesel’s gaze, Kang Da-hee continued.
“And on top of that…… I’m researching electro-type artifacts.”
“…….”
Why was she saying this?
Did she have circumstances so severe that she could not go see a tech doctor, to the point of even bringing up a company’s key project as a bargaining chip?
Perhaps it was related to her earlier plea not to call the police.
“So if, in exchange for you healing me, I were to provide you with information about magic……. Would that be some form of compensation? Of course, I’ll pay the treatment fee separately.”
Kang Da-hee made her final offer.
‘Magic artifacts, huh…….’
Of course, one could not expect much from a low-level employee like Kang Da-hee.
But at the very least, obtaining knowledge related to magical training through her did not seem like a bad deal.
The reason she had been able to enter Podvig was partly because she rode on the coattails of her father, a sector councilman—but that did not mean she lacked ability.
At least during the theory exam at the time of Podvig’s interview, she had scored higher than Diesel.
Moreover, she had access to a Matrix and test chamber facility that could be used immediately.
“James Meyer.”
Diesel spoke the name written on his forged ID.
At that, Kang Da-hee forced a smile onto her bloodless face.
“I’m Kang Da-hee.”
For some reason, it looked like a smile she had not made in a very long time.