Gluttony
Jinhyuk clamped a hand over his mouth after downing the potion.
It's rotting—aaaagh!!!
What could he even call this flavor?
It was indescribable—beyond words.
He'd thought he'd built up some tolerance to awful taste thanks to Ellia's potions, but that had been a massive misconception.
There's always someone above you, he thought bitterly.
"Gweeeeeeeh…!"
"The Chief is dying, sir!"
"No!"
"He can't! Absolutely not!"
Ellia reached out and clapped a hand firmly over Jinhyuk's mouth.
"You can't throw up, okay? Unless you want to scoop it back up off the floor and eat it again."
Jinhyuk stuck out a thumbs-up.
Even hearing that was enough to traumatize him—an incredible motivator.
"There, there. Just a little more and it'll settle down."
She rubbed his back from top to bottom.
It reminded him of the halmi-sori yakson, his grandmother's soothing "healing hand" from the countryside days.
[The diffused energy of the elixir settles into every part of your body!]
[Your physical aging halts completely!]
Thank goodness the First Emperor of Qin wasn't here to see this.
He would've died of jealousy.
"Whew."
Jinhyuk exhaled and sat up.
He looked down at both hands.
At first glance, nothing felt different.
"How is it? Anything hurting?"
"No. I feel perfectly fine."
"Really? Then wait a bit. You're about to not feel fine."
He didn't even need to ask what that meant.
His heartbeat suddenly spiked.
Heat surged through him, and his condition rapidly deteriorated.
[The vile energy of the Imoogi infiltrates your body!]
[A deadly poison that melts all cells is taking effect!]
Ding!
[All Status Ailment Resistance SSS+ resists the 'Poison' state! You are immune to the poison!]
[All Status Ailment Resistance SSS+ resists the 'Serpent's Curse'! You are immune to the curse!]
.
.
.
Just how many grudges had this insane Imoogi accumulated?
Status ailment immunity messages scrolled endlessly.
Without that Trait, immortality or not, he would've died ten times over.
"Truly a marvelous body. To stay fine through all these curses and toxins."
"The Chief's face is about to explode, sir!"
"It's probably the heat. Apparently fever doesn't count as a status ailment."
"How can you sound so calm, you old bat?! Do something! The Chief's gonna explode!"
"I was about to."
With a grunt, Ellia took out something.
Jinhyuk's eyes nearly popped out of his skull.
A syringe nearly the size of a breadstick.
Inside, a bubbling violet liquid churned ominously.
He wanted to stop her, but the heat robbed him of his voice.
"Here we go."
Stab!
She plunged it straight into his chest.
"Kyaaaaaaak! The old bat killed the Chief!"
The violet liquid rushed into him.
His body convulsed violently again.
And Ellia wasn't done—she kept pulling things out of her bag and sticking them into him.
"You do know what you're injecting, right?! You're not a priest or a doctor!"
"Hm? If you're talking about medical knowledge, of course I don't. I'm just an alchemist."
"…Eh?"
…Eh?
Even on death's doorstep, his ears perked.
He'd assumed she was treating him because she kept injecting things nonstop.
"The Imoogi's vile energy is forcing all your cells into extreme activation. You have to cram in as much as possible right now if you want them to grow."
A completely unintelligible explanation.
And she continued injecting without pause, as if planning to use up every single item she had.
Prick, prick, prick, prick.
Finally, after sticking in four acupuncture needles, Ellia wiped the sweat from her brow.
"Whew. That's the last of it!"
"How can you look so refreshed?! The Chief's body is turning blue!"
"It's fine. Thanks to that absurd Trait, he won't die no matter how many poisons or curses I use on him."
"You were trying to kill him?!"
"Is there something club-like around here? Seira, be a dear and quiet this raccoon down."
Jinhyuk squeezed his eyes shut.
His friends' voices seemed to drift away into the distance.
[The Breath of Inferno, the Fire Spirit, attempts to burn your body!]
[Your body resists the Breath! Resistance and immunity steadily increase!]
Ding!
[Inferno's Breath is defeated and gradually disperses!]
A spirit's breath? What on earth had she injected into him?
Still, the various energies fighting inside him began to decrease.
After some time, even the fever that felt like it would devour his mind started to fade.
His muffled hearing cleared.
His hazy vision sharpened.
He saw his friends standing around him, looking down.
"You all right, Master?"
"Yeah. But… why am I fine? This isn't one of those 'last leaf on the branch' situations, right?"
"Of course not."
Ellia, looking like she'd gone toe-to-toe with a tornado, examined Jinhyuk.
"Just wait a bit longer. You'll feel the changes."
He lay still.
An odd feeling crept over him.
He turned his head.
They were on a peak of Mt. Yulong—blizzard winds still howling fiercely.
Why am I not cold?
He'd stripped earlier because of the heat.
Snow was falling directly onto his bare skin, yet he felt no chill.
"Hey, Ice Boy. Put some of your ice on Master."
Dark formed a palm-sized piece of millennium ice and placed it on Jinhyuk's chest.
Before, just being near it dropped his body temperature instantly.
Now, he felt nothing—actually, it was pleasantly refreshing.
"Next."
Wearing the Star Gauntlet, Ellia formed a small alchemy circle.
She tossed a few things into it.
A moment later, a blazing fireball engulfed Jinhyuk.
Kancho and Momo jumped back in fright.
"Not hot, right?"
Jinhyuk, stunned, nodded.
Even watching it felt surreal.
Flames were roaring on his chest, yet it felt like a warm hand-warmer.
No burns, no soot.
Ding!
[All elemental resistances greatly increase!]
[You can now withstand attacks from top-tier spirits!]
"Oooh!"
"Did something pop up?"
"It says he can withstand top-tier spirit attacks."
"Splendid! Truly the ideal body for experimentation."
Ellia slapped his shoulder and blew out the flames.
"So how is this possible? I thought all I'd get was immortality."
"I shoved every spirit breath and artifact I had into your hyper-activated body. Normally, you wouldn't last even one of these, but you were bracing against a multi-century Imoogi's energy. That was the perfect moment to feed you as much as possible."
She examined him again, humming under her breath.
"Even so, I didn't expect this much. The materials I used were high-tier spirit grade at best. No matter how well your body absorbs it, you shouldn't be able to exceed the limits of the ingredients. But… seems your body is even more absurd than I thought."
Smack!
Ellia thumped him on the chest with a bright grin.
"In short, it's an excellent body."
"Thanks. Honestly thought you were trying to kill me at first."
"Aw, how could you say something so hurtful? I'd never!"
Cold sweat slid down her back.
Truthfully, she'd accidentally used something too potent while rushing.
If it weren't Jinhyuk, he would've died.
Well, it turned out fine… so it's fine?
She convinced herself and summoned the Star Workshop.
The vault was empty.
She had stored only her most precious treasures here.
Took me three thousand years to collect all that, and I used it up in minutes.
Mixed feelings tugged at her.
But she didn't regret it.
She'd given everything to the person she most wanted to grow strong.
"Ellia."
Jinhyuk stood and approached her.
"I'll fill it back up."
"I'll help, sir!"
"Momo too!"
"I'll pitch in as well."
"If you keep making tasty potions, I'll help too."
Her friends clustered around her.
Ellia smiled softly.
It was empty now, but the vault would fill again soon.
She had gathered everything alone until now—but she wasn't alone anymore.
"I'll make the vault even bigger. So make sure you all help fill it again."
She spread her arms wide and hugged the little ones.
It had been so long since she'd felt warmth like this.
A private lounge in Lijiang Airport, China.
Xiaochen sat on a sofa, swirling a glass of liquor.
He was debating.
Should he return?
Or go to Mt. Yulong and look for Runner?
Ordinarily, he should go home.
Runner had leapt from ten thousand meters.
A human who had only just reached the 40th floor—his chance of survival was near zero.
Strange.
Logically, his mind had concluded Runner was dead.
But his intuition refused to let go.
Xiaochen's instincts were insisting—almost with certainty—that the man was alive.
"Jingyan."
"Yes."
"Has the Hall of Fame updated?"
"Not yet."
Xiaochen sank deeper into his seat.
Jingyan watched him quietly.
This was the first time he'd seen Xiaochen so fixated on someone.
Was it because he wanted Runner's secrets for climbing the Tower?
That was part of it, but not all.
During that brief encounter, Xiaochen had seen something—something different.
Something that reignited a spark long dulled.
Ring ring ring ring.
"Excuse me."
Jingyan stepped back and answered the call.
Urgent information poured through.
His eyes widened.
"I understand. I'll inform him right away."
He lowered the phone and approached Xiaochen.
"Sir. It seems the Chinese government has a situation."
"A situation?"
"Yes. Government Hunters are mobilizing on a large scale. Liu Gai's organization has also disappeared."
Xiaochen frowned.
Liu Gai—once Xiaochen's fierce rival.
But for nearly two years, Liu Gai hadn't climbed the Tower.
Not due to personal issues.
He'd simply devoted himself entirely to something else.
But the secrecy around him had been impenetrable—no one knew what he was working on.
"Hmph. If he's in trouble, good for him. Understood."
Normally, he would have laughed, delighted.
But right now, his mind was consumed entirely by Runner.
Liu Gai could do whatever he wanted—it didn't matter.
"Sir."
"Hm? Something else?"
"They're heading to Mt. Yulong."
"!!!"
He hadn't asked Runner.
Why he was going to Mt. Yulong.
Runner had fallen there hours ago—
And now Liu Gai was suddenly mobilizing as if the sky were falling.
A coincidence?
No.
This was inevitability wrapped in coincidence.
"Prepare everything."
Xiaochen set down his glass and rose.
Getting involved with Liu Gai would be troublesome.
But that didn't matter.
"We're going to Mt. Yulong."
It was time to move.
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T/N:
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