Chapter 123: Love Line

After the mana-suppression devices, they were told to strip. They might be hiding something on their bodies.

Ion glanced at Jin Seong-ha, wondering if he really had to—Jin Seong-ha was already stripping like he’d been waiting for it. Ppuru, sleeping on his chest, shot up in surprise with a ppro-long!

After Jin Seong-ha’s body show and the search, they changed into the white lab coats provided by the guards.

Next…

“Don’t touch Sanse!”

Ion shouted sharply while putting on lab gloves. The guard lifting the Sansevieria pot froze. A flame sword blazed in Ion’s hand despite the multiple suppression bracelets.

“Leader, calm down.”

Jin Seong-ha placed a hand on Ion’s shoulder. He stuck his bare hand into the flames, going “whoa, whoa,” and the fire died down a bit.

He approached the frightened hunters.

“Why were you trying to dig into the plant?”

“W-we thought something might be hidden in the soil…”

“Digging up a plant can kill it. I’ll keep it in my inventory. Okay, Leader?”

“…”

They had done the same during the Age infiltration, so Ion nodded.

The watching hunters were dumbfounded.

Wearing mana-sealing and inventory-sealing devices like accessories—yet casually using skills and opening inventory… What was the point of security…

Leaving the baffled hunters behind, the two headed to the lab.

It was Sunday, so only four researchers were present—including Wendy Lowell.

Wendy, blonde hair messily tied up, was staring at monitors with three colleagues she had worked with even before coming to Korea.

Multiple screens were filled with numbers, graphs, and English symbols. Ion was fluent in Idea language and decent at ancient tongues, but these math and chemistry symbols were unreadable—and he had no desire to read them.

Knock knock.

Jin Seong-ha tapped the glass door. The researchers looked over.

“Huh? That’s Jin Seong-ha?”

“It’s Hunter Jin Seong-ha! Whoa.”

The researchers waved happily. Jin Seong-ha pressed the switch beside the door and spoke.

“Came to talk to Wendy Lowell for a bit. Got time?”

“Ah, Wendy again?”

“Lucky her. First D-NATE’s Ason, now Horizon’s Jin Seong-ha monopolizing her attention.”

“Stop teasing. It’s not that kind of talk.”

Wendy put in a translator earpiece and stepped out of the lab.

“You’re Jin Seong-ha, and you’re Ion. Guild Master Ason said you’d come looking for me. No plant? He said you’d be hugging one.”

“I put it in inventory. Want to move to the break room if you’re not busy?”

Wendy sighed.

“I want to say I’m not busy, but as you can see, I’m here on a Sunday. No time for a proper sit-down. Make it quick. Go.”

She chugged a non-awakener stamina potion.

She still hadn’t awakened. Ion was slightly surprised, but thinking about it… in the novel she awakened <Sanctuary> in a moment of crisis. No such crisis had happened, so it made sense.

Jin Seong-ha and Ion exchanged glances. Jin Seong-ha asked,

“You heard about the awakening condition? What do you think?”

“Yeah, Guild Master Ason told me. I was pretty bitter at first—I used tumblers, handkerchiefs, all that—but now I think about how much I flew around the world…”

“So you accept it?”

“Yeah. It explains why so many women awakened too.”

“Then why are you so busy right now? At this point, the system has already judged everyone’s awakening eligibility. No need to rush awakening ampoules.”

Wendy ruffled her hair as if it was ridiculous.

“There’s every need! Because what you just said is only the ‘condition’ for awakening!”

“Explain in more detail.”

“‘Condition’ and ‘method’ are completely different. Even if the condition is met, without the method, no awakening.”

She continued rapidly.

“In Korea there’s this thing called subscription accounts, right? I have one. Put money in for 20 years, met the ‘condition’ to apply for an apartment. But does the government just go, ‘Oh, someone met the condition—give them an apartment’? No. You have to apply through the proper process. That’s the ‘method.’”

“Very Korean example.”

“Guild Master On-il’s example. …Wish she’d come back soon.”

A brief worried look passed.

“Anyway, people who awakened sporadically after the initial mass awakening on Cataclysm day—they were already in the system’s awakening queue. They accidentally fulfilled the ‘method’ and awakened. We think that method is the secretion of specific hormones.”

She said “think,” but her eyes were 100% certain.

“Based on that, we’re making ampoules to push forward the turn of people like me who got pushed back for half-assed environmentalism. Even if we distribute one to all humanity, it’ll only work on those who meet the system’s ‘condition’—no issues!”

People like me… who got pushed back.

Ion silently repeated.

It wasn’t just echoing her words.

It was his own story.

Then… did I get pushed back because stress hormones weren’t secreted enough?

He had been so stressed every time he depleted mana—was it still not enough?

Ion had often felt wronged and confused ever since Sieg and Semil told him the awakening condition. He still had a long way to go to become a “compliant plant-like existence”…

Anyway, this question would be answered once Wendy Lowell completed the awakening ampoule.

Today’s visit also had the purpose of warning her that System Age would target her team.

When Jin Seong-ha explained System Age, Wendy spat contemptuous curses.

“I heard there are freaks who worship the system as god, but they’re even crazier than I thought. What era is this—doing Nazi shit…!”

“Team Leader Lee Jin-ah will explain details later, but the key point: their goal requires awakening drugs. They’ll definitely target your team. Horizon is preparing an external lab and safehouse; I’ll escort during the move.”

“Got it. Another move. Packing lab equipment costs hundreds of millions each time… moving the equipment Horizon supported this time will need special devices—probably tens of billions.”

“Don’t worry about money. By the way, how’s the lab equipment compared to before? Tell Team Leader Lee if anything’s lacking.”

“Only been a few days, hard to say. Most of it is what we used at D-NATE… Ah!”

Wendy frowned as if remembering something.

“Why does Horizon apply animal ethics to monsters? I love animals too. Jin Seong-ha, your Ppuru is really cute. But—”

Ppuru.

Ppuru wiggled happily at the passing compliment.

“Monsters aren’t animals. Except Ppuru, not a single monster anyone tried to tame has ever been successfully domesticated without taming skills. They’re literally insane monsters. Why ban live experiments? It’s like banning experiments on minerals.”

“D-NATE did them, I take it.”

“Not just D-NATE—everywhere does it openly. Only Horizon insists on ethics and uses corpses.”

“Short on ether for experiments?”

“Not short.”

“If ether isn’t lacking, no need for live monster experiments.”

“Right. Honestly, I only need ether, so live monsters aren’t necessary for my research. But I’m worried about Horizon.”

Wendy narrowed her eyes.

“At this rate, Horizon will fall behind other guilds. How can you compete with places doing live experiments using only corpses?”

“Then did everyone who experimented on live animals pre-Cataclysm come out ahead now?”

“…”

Pre-Cataclysm, those who bought products from companies that didn’t test on animals awakened. Those who mocked them for paying more didn’t awaken.

Those who opposed fur awakened; those who sneered, “One person not buying won’t save animals,” didn’t.

Likewise, it was easy to guess that those who did animal testing didn’t awaken at all.

If “awakening” = being ahead, they were the ones left behind.

“Monsters are living beings, not inanimate minerals. ‘Sick demon-realm creatures.’ You heard madness is a contagious disease. Then—if, could you experiment on a human infected with that disease—while alive? Skin them, drain their blood, inject unknown drugs?”

“…I could. It’s for the greater good.”

“What if the subject was your parents?”

Wendy Lowell’s face hardened.

Jin Seong-ha continued,

“Leaving aside my personal ethics—the system classifies monsters as living beings. From Cataclysm experience, the system gives high scores to those striving for coexistence. So even if Horizon seems behind now, things might flip someday.”

“…”

Wendy Lowell remained silent, expression stiff.

An icy silence settled.

Forget love—pure frost…

Ion stayed neutral, saying nothing.

He knew nothing about romance, but wondered if he should leave the room.

“…Just like the rumors, Jin Seong-ha.”

Wendy Lowell smiled.

No displeasure at all.

Rather, a refreshed smile, as if a long-held issue was resolved.

“I had massive inferiority issues. I always thought I was special, but after the Cataclysm I became ordinary. The pitiful kind who hears, ‘We didn’t awaken, but let’s cheer up!’”

“…”

“I was always curious what made you so special. What difference between us made you an S-rank with four skills while I’m stuck in a lab desperate to awaken.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“Our values are different. Of course I wouldn’t experiment on my mom and dad. Never. But I’d catch other humans and experiment on them so my parents don’t fall to madness. That’s my value system.”

Jin Seong-ha neither judged her values right nor wrong—he just listened.

“Break time over. I’m going back. Have a safe trip down.”

Wendy Lowell waved and turned, white coat fluttering.

Leaving two blinking men behind, she walked away with a refreshed face.

“It was a test.”

“Seems so.”

“Did I pass? She looked relieved.”

“Opposite. She was relieved to finally confirm your values—she didn’t know before. Content-wise, you failed.”

“Hm. In the novel we were in love. I don’t know how we formed a romance with such different beliefs. I definitely won’t fall for her. The novelist really didn’t know me at all.”

Ppuru! Ppuru!

“Yes, Ppuru. Of course I love you the most.”

Watching Jin Seong-ha kiss Ppuru, Ion turned away coldly.