NOVEL NEXT Chapter 293
Chapter 293. Question (4)
Yoo Ji-han, with his arms crossed, stared intently at the tree before him.
A brown tree growing upright in a large round pot.
Its height matched his own, and the thickness of the straight trunk was similar to an ordinary person’s waist.
‘Is this the original form of Florun?’
The first time he had seen Florun up close was during his meeting with Kim Si-hu.
And this was his first experience actually seeing unrefined Florun.
Countries that own Florun arboretums maintain ironclad security, making it difficult to even catch a glimpse.
Not even a clear photograph or video had ever been leaked.
“Is this Florun cultivated by my mom?”
“That’s right.”
A perfectly straight tree that seemed as if it had been measured with a ruler.
The craftsmanship of the elf who took care of it was evident in the exceptional quality of the Florun.
—Why is Erna’s tree here…?
The Sylph sensed the touch of the former contractor on the tree before her.
At the same time, she couldn’t comprehend why the tree she had cultivated was here.
Kim Si-hu shared the same doubts as the Sylph.
“But mom only worked in Korea.”
“There was one tree, which I secretly grew away from prying eyes. This is it.”
“Why is it in the Monster Research Institute?”
“Why do you think?”
Perhaps due to the cold, Kim Geon-oh’s nose was slightly red as he smirked.
Realization dawned on Kim Si-hu, who put a hand on his head.
“Florun has transformed into a monster?”
“Correct.”
“That’s absurd!”
Kim Si-hu stared at the tree with disbelief.
Maples and pines might be called ‘Goe-moo’ if they became monsters.
But this was a tree regarded as a top-grade material for artifacts, having transformed into a monster.
‘No matter how you look at it, it’s a Rank 1 Monster!’
Kim Si-hu instinctively toyed with his staff.
He was certain that the creature before him was a Rank 1 Monster, close to a major disaster.
If it started moving, it wouldn’t just mean the research institute being destroyed.
Perhaps a crisis would spread throughout Japan!
“What on earth have you done, Dad?”
The expression of Kim Si-hu, who knew this fact better than anyone in the room, stiffened.
Noticing his distress, Kim Geon-oh said, “Calm down. We’re safe for now.”
The weakness of a living Florun is temperature.
Unlike trees that can grow well without freezing even in sub-zero temperatures, Florun requires customized temperature management.
If careful management by the elves isn’t upheld, it could easily wither and die.
Perhaps because of this, the Florun here appeared completely still like an ordinary tree.
Yet, it was still alive.
“How is it still alive in this cold temperature…?”
“I decided to call this one ‘asleep.’”
“No!”
Kim Geon-oh answered with satisfaction.
At that point, Kim Si-hu raised his voice slightly.
“Why are we keeping this as it is? Did you think an accident wouldn’t happen?”
“As long as we pay a little attention, there won’t be an accident. Even if the entire Kyoto loses power, this place uses magic as auxiliary power and can hold out for over a year. Most of the researchers here are former heroes, and the building itself is designed to withstand any earthquake or shock…”
Kim Geon-oh calmly continued, explaining how safe this place was and how they managed the Florun securely.
It sounded like a well-prepared speech, exuding strong persuasive power.
Yet Kim Si-hu, still clutching his staff, glared at the Florun.
“You smuggled this out of Korea?”
“That’s about the gist of it.”
“There’s no way you’d get permission for such research in Korea.”
“You know well! But at that time, there were no laws, so it wasn’t illegal.”
“Don’t tell me… this tree made its way to Japan because of this?!”
“It wasn’t all because of that.”
Kim Si-hu glared at his father with sharp eyes.
His face showed he didn’t believe the answer.
“Why are you showing this to me now?”
“I’m showing it to ‘Yoo Ji-han’s party,’ not you.”
“What difference does that make?”
“Son, do you think your past self had the same value as now?”
“…”
Kim Si-hu pressed his lips tightly together.
The first interspecies guild established in Korea.
At the same time, the leader of the Sweet Fun Guild, which had gained such recognition overseas.
While there were guilds founded by different species around the world, nothing compared to the impressive activities and fame achieved in this case.
The former Kim Si-hu, merely the son of Erna Hass, and the now widely recognized excellent mage, found themselves in very different circumstances.
“What do you all think?”
Kim Geon-oh turned to the others and asked for their impressions.
His party, who had been listening to the father and son’s argument, replied awkwardly.
“It’s just… fascinating. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“I feel similarly.”
“Snap! I want to fight it once!”
“Why are you saying such useless things…”
Ordinary impressions that anyone could have uttered, regardless of being Yoo Ji-han’s party.
As Kim Geon-oh scanned the surroundings, his gaze settled on Yoo Ji-han, who hadn’t spoken yet.
Yoo Ji-han was deep in thought, fixating on the tree.
‘What is he expecting?’
Kim Geon-oh’s face looked filled with anticipation.
Yoo Ji-han couldn’t tell if he was looking at him.
Or if he was waiting for the invisible Sylph.
If he had to guess, it was likely the latter.
—I’m not going to do anything.
Even if they used the tree cultivated by the former contractor as bait,
the Sylph had no intention of coming forward.
She understood Kim Geon-oh’s intentions as well.
“It looks like a very sturdy tree.”
“And?”
“Other than that, I fully agree with Si-hu’s remarks.”
“…”
Perhaps it was a bit different from the expected response.
A hint of disappointment appeared on Kim Geon-oh’s face.
Yet at the same time, he seemed to find enjoyment in the situation.
“I trust all of you to keep today’s secret.”
“Of course.”
“If this news leaks outside, there will be protests from all over.”
A tree with more than enough potential to become a Rank 1.
If the existence of such a monster was known, someone might grow greedy and approach it.
The side effects that would arise from the information being revealed were too significant.
Kim Geon-oh knew this risk yet still brought his party along.
“I can’t understand you at all, Dad.”
“It’s all for the world.”
“This?”
“Think about creating artifacts with this Florun. They’ll all be incredible items! They could raise the level of heroes at least one tier higher. But if we could safely mass-produce it?”
Kim Si-hu paused to ponder at Kim Geon-oh’s question.
Florun, which could be crafted into high-grade artifacts just by existing.
Although there were variations depending on the quality of the tree, it contained an undeniable power.
If such Florun transformed into a monster and could be mass-produced like an ordinary tree…
“……Our society could completely change. Not just in Japan, but the repercussions could spread beyond Korea and China to the entire world. Someday, Florun might be considered essential equipment for novice heroes.”
“Just like my son! You understand quickly.”
Kim Geon-oh ruffled Kim Si-hu’s hair with his palm.
However, Kim Si-hu continued to stare sullenly at his mother’s final creation.
*
Yoo Ji-han followed Kim Geon-oh out of the monster storage.
Perhaps due to being in a cold place, the air in the research institute felt very warm.
As he began to feel some warmth, he noticed how quiet it had become around him.
“…”
“…”
It was because Kim Si-hu, who walked just behind Kim Geon-oh, had grown unusually silent.
The encounter with his mother’s Florun must have been quite a shock for him.
It felt drastically different from the cheerful atmosphere during lunch.
“[Oh? Geon-oh?]”
“[Why are you here on your day off?]”
As the tour of the research institute was nearing its end,
a group of researchers approached Kim Geon-oh.
“Just a moment.”
Kim Geon-oh asked for a moment with his party and spoke a little distance away.
—That person! That’s the one!
Zzzzzz!
At that moment, the Sylph’s cry rang in his ear.
Yoo Ji-han replied quietly so that those around him wouldn’t hear.
“What is it?”
—The one who visited the dead Erna!
“……!”
Yoo Ji-han whipped his head around.
“That woman?”
One of the researchers talking to Kim Geon-oh seemed to resemble a Korean more than a Japanese, appearing as a colleague who was familiar with him.
—The one who used magic to draw Erna’s blood.
The Sylph’s memory could not be wrong, so it was indeed someone who had visited Erna Hass’s hospital room.
Yoo Ji-han made sure to engrave her face in his memory, repeating it two or three times.
And just before leaving the research institute, he returned to Kim Geon-oh.
“I’ll be right back; I’m going to the restroom.”
Yoo Ji-han veered away from the party and headed to the restroom.
Creeeak!
He entered a stall with a toilet and locked the door.
Sitting on the toilet, he reached into his pocket and felt a small, grain-like object.
It was a shard of magic stone taken from Kim Geon-oh’s laboratory.
‘I need to use this as quickly as possible.’
Residual magic left faintly in the finely ground magic stone for research.
If time passed, even that faint magic would disperse into thin air.
Yoo Ji-han held it up in his palm and offered it to the Sylph.
“Here.”
—This wouldn’t even be a drop in the bucket.
“Do you have any intention of joining?”
—That’s just a figure of speech!
The Sylph, having settled on his palm, swallowed the small amount of magic stone.
—Hmm? Hmmm?
“Is the magic still insufficient?”
—Just wait a moment.
Spinning in a clockwise motion, the Sylph vibrated.
It looked like she was savoring the taste of the magic stone.
After about a minute of waiting…
—This is not Geon-oh’s magic, but that of another researcher.
Unfortunately, the result was that the magic stone turned out to belong to another researcher.
At that moment, the Sylph added, —But something feels off.
“What’s that?”
—Take a look for yourself.
Thump!
With a loud heartbeat, Yoo Ji-han’s vision quickly darkened.
The sound of water running from the restroom and the external noise began to fade away.
Yet even after something began to become visible, the darkness didn’t completely lift.
The limited amount of magic was likely the cause.
‘It’s the laboratory.’
He looked down from above at Kim Geon-oh’s laboratory.
Everything was blurred by darkness, but it was definitely the space where he had just picked up the magic stone.
‘Is that the woman I just saw?’
Kim Geon-oh was conversing with the woman he had encountered earlier.
Hearing the fluent Korean suggested that she was indeed Korean.
—Geon-oh~
However, the next scene was a bit unexpected.
The female researcher hugged Kim Geon-oh and kissed him on the cheek.
It wasn’t a kiss, but a very passionate peck, reminiscent of long-term lovers.
‘Well… People can date.’
Kim Si-hu’s mother, and his wife, Erna Hass was already dead.
Loving someone new could never be considered his fault.
Yoo Ji-han felt a bit uneasy, as if he were intruding into someone’s private life.
But then.
—When is the Half-Elf coming in?
—Tomorrow.
—The hero who saved Korea and entered another world! …What a successful life experiment this is.
The conversation, clearly referring to Kim Si-hu, suddenly froze Yoo Ji-han’s expression like ice.