HDAAD Chapter 151

The moment the car stopped, a person in a white coat rushed over – the head researcher of the laboratory under the Taesan Guild.

“What’s the matter?”

“The hunters sent by the Guild Leader aren’t responding to treatment.”

“Ugh!”

Shin Sooha’s steps caused the handcuffs to pull, forcing me to move along.

“Hey, be careful. You’re hurting my brother’s body.”

‘You son of a bitch. You’re the worst one here.’

Glaring at Taeju, who was concerned about Seo Go-woon’s body rather than mine, I entered the research lab where I saw the unconscious party members lying down.

“Is Michael sleeping?”

“He’s unconscious.”

I nodded, then noticed something strange about the treatment status of the party members.

I thought they would have been treated already since doctors came along, but they all had their eyes closed with only white lumps stuck to their wounds, looking no different from when we left.

“What do you mean by ‘not responding to treatment’?”

“Well…”

The research director wiped away cold sweat with a handkerchief and explained.

“Whether hunter or ordinary person, humans basically have the ability to heal their own wounds through self-healing. A doctor’s treatment is meant to aid that healing process and prevent the situation from worsening due to additional bacterial invasion and such.”

“And?”

“While it’s true that hunters have faster and stronger healing abilities than ordinary people, the extent varies from hunter to hunter-“

“Director. The conclusion, please.”

The research director, who had been rambling on about what he knew of the situation, flinched.

Then, wiping his cold sweat again, he said,

“The individuals brought in now seem to have lost their self-healing ability.”

“Lost their ability?”

“Yes. If you look here…”

The research director pointed to Yoon Seokjin’s arm next to him.

“Normally, when we apply a hemostatic agent, the bleeding should stop. Moreover, for hunters, the bleeding should stop and start healing immediately upon application. However…”

As the director removed the hemostatic agent, blood that had pooled in the open wound began to trickle down like rainwater from eaves during the rainy season.

“As you can see, forget self-healing, even the hemostatic agent is merely preventing the blood from flowing out, not stopping the bleeding.”

“So, you’re saying they can’t be treated?”

“Yes. We need to stop the bleeding before we can do anything, but we have no way to stop it.”

The director sighed after instructing the waiting researchers to perform blood transfusions.

“What about cauterizing the blood vessels? Usually, we cauterize and block vessels that won’t stop bleeding, right?”

Remembering Detective Woo’s surgery from two years ago when he retired due to severe injury, I asked, but the director shook his head.

“The bleeding is coming from the aorta. Blocking it would endanger their lives. Moreover, rushing such treatment now would be like pouring hot water on ice when considering the future.”

“How many people are untreatable?”

“Everyone except Hunter Michael is in the same condition. The worst case is Hunter Lee Chaewon over there. It appears a blood vessel in her brain has ruptured, and since we can’t stop the bleeding and self-healing isn’t working, we can’t even open her skull. By now, it’s probably filled with blood.”

Self-healing power not working?

While it’s true that there was a suicide bombing in the novel, there was no mention of something like this happening.

‘Wait… What if it wasn’t that there was no mention, but rather no need to write about it?’

I knew by now that the novel I had read was no longer just a simple text, and that this world actually existed.

But until now, all the events had unfolded exactly as I had read in the novel, so while I was aware of it intellectually, I didn’t pay much attention to it.

But what if what I had read was just a one-dimensional account of the events?

‘Since the end result is everyone’s death anyway, there would be no need to write about self-healing ability.’

Suddenly, a chill ran down my spine.

I realized how arrogant I had been to think I knew everything, and how lucky I had been until now.

‘So, what should I do now?’

What I learned through the novel was just the tip of the iceberg.

Like now… no, even bigger problems could arise.

Above all.

‘These are the people I brought.’

The people lying here now were all those I had taken to the tower. The Doomsday cultists were against the tower’s renewal, and these people were caught in the bomb they made.

In other words, these people were hurt because of me. Maybe even dying.

“Did you call me here just to keep saying you can’t do anything?”

“Well… embarrassingly, there’s nothing we can do.”

“Do the doctors share the same opinion?”

The research director nodded awkwardly at Taeju’s complaint and Shin Sooha’s lowered voice.

“Unfortunately, yes.”

“So we’re supposed to just let them die like this?!”

Taeju’s angry outburst cleared my confused thoughts in an instant.

‘What’s important now isn’t whether I know the future or not. I need to save these people first.’

Even if they could be replaced by others, these were my party members, the ones I had chosen.

I couldn’t let them die so meaninglessly.

“Master.”

Hearing a sudden call, I looked down to see Haegeum peeking out of my pocket.

‘Right. I still have Haegeum.’

Haegeum is the Seahorse of Wisdom.

Even if humans didn’t know about this phenomenon, Haegeum might.

“Haegeum, did you hear what’s going on?”

“Yes.”

“Do you know how to treat them?”

Haegeum mumbled with its snout.

“I’d like to take a look.”

“Should I bring you closer to show you?”

“No. Could you perhaps place me on one of the injured?”

I glanced around quickly.

The researchers were busy with their own tasks, and Shin Sooha and Taeju were engrossed in conversation with the director, not paying attention to me.

“Should I put you on their stomach?”

“Yes.”

With my hand that wasn’t cuffed, I took out Haegeum and placed it on Yoon Seokjin’s stomach.

Haegeum hopped towards Yoon Seokjin’s wound.

Then it pressed its long snout against the wounded area.

‘What if there are bad bacteria or poison?’

While I frowned with concern, Haegeum nonchalantly moved its snout around.

‘What is it doing?’

After a while of wobbling and moving its mouth, Haegeum turned around and ran towards me.

“Master.”

I reached out my hand to Haegeum.

Hopping on my palm, Haegeum said,

“It’s poison.”

“Poison? Are you okay?!”

At the mention of poison, I grabbed Haegeum and shook it upside down.

“Haegeum, spit it out. Hurry, spit it out.”

“Ma-Master! I-I’m getting dizzy.”

“I said spit it out!”

“What’s going on?”

I felt everyone’s eyes turn to me at my shout.

“Spit it out now!”

“What’s happening?”

Taeju, who grabbed my hand shaking Haegeum, asked.

“Let go. Right now, Haegeum is-“

“Master! I’m fine!”

“How can you be fine! I said spit it out!”

“It’s a poison that only affects humans, specifically hunters. It doesn’t affect me, so I’m fine! If you keep shaking me, I’ll get dizzy.”

‘A poison that only affects hunters?’

“What do you mean by that?!”

The research director, who had been watching us, rushed over urgently.

“A poison that only affects hunters? I’ve never heard of such a poison existing in the world!”

“It’s better to abandon the thought that humans know all poisons.”

Haegeum’s attempt to sound solemn by deepening its voice might have worked, but being held in my hand and ending with ‘yong’ made it look cute rather than solemn.

“So, there really is a poison that only affects hunters?”

When Shin Sooha asked again, Haegeum looked at me.

Seeing its gaze as if asking for my permission, I nodded.

“Hunters have mana, don’t they? It’s because of mana that they can become stronger and use abilities called skills.”

“Are you saying the poison blocked their mana?”

“That’s right.”

The research director, who had been listening to their conversation, said,

“If a hunter can’t use mana, they should be like ordinary people. But the hunters lying here have completely lost their healing ability?”

“That’s a misunderstanding. It’s not that ordinary people become hunters by gaining mana, but that those who have more mana than average become hunters. How can humans who are composed of mana from the beginning be normal after losing their mana?”

“Those with more mana become hunters…”

The research director muttered Haegeum’s words, lost in thought.

“If it’s poison, can’t we just use an antidote potion?”

Haegeum denied Taeju’s question.

“That won’t work.”

“Why not?”

Until now, antidote potions had been all-purpose potions that could neutralize any poison.

As Taeju said, if it was poison, it would be natural to think of an antidote potion, but…

“If it were a poison that could be neutralized by an antidote potion, it should have been somewhat detoxified when they drank the top-grade healing potion that the master gave them.”

“Ah.”

That’s right. The potion I used on Lee Chaewon was the top-grade healing potion I had been saving. Since a top-grade potion is a superior version of an antidote potion, it should have detoxified immediately upon use, but the fact that there’s still no reaction means that using an antidote potion would be meaningless.

“What about holy water?”

Shin Sooha, who had been stroking his chin while listening, asked.

“The same goes for holy water.”

“So, there’s no way?”

Just as I was about to despair, thinking we had no choice but to let these people die…

“No. There is a way.”

“There is?”

“Yes. We need to summon the Holy Maiden.”

“Holy… Maiden?”

Haegeum hopped up and down as it spoke.

“To neutralize that poison, we need divine power.”

“Didn’t you say holy water doesn’t work?”

“Holy water has sacred power, but the Holy Maiden’s power is divine power. Divine power can nullify everything, so only divine power can neutralize this.”

At Haegeum’s assertion, I quickly turned my head towards Shin Sooha.

The only person here with the power to summon the Holy Maiden was Shin Sooha.

“The Holy Maiden, huh.”

“You can summon her, right? You need to summon the Holy Maiden to verify if my story is true anyway.”

As I looked at Shin Sooha desperately, Taeju said with a displeased face,

“I’ll summon-“

“No. I’ll summon her right away.”

“Thank you!”

As I bowed my head deeply, Shin Sooha laughed softly and said,

“I’ll add this to your debt.”

If I could save the people who nearly died because of me, I didn’t care about debt or anything else. I nodded vigorously.

And I had no idea that I would come to regret this decision like crazy.

***

“The Holy Maiden is expected to arrive in two hours.”

‘As expected. Shin Sooha succeeded.’

In the novel, the Holy Maiden lived a life far removed from the secular world.

To be precise, she never left the temple except to deliver God’s words, and she never used her divine power for money.

The reason I asked Shin Sooha was because before the Holy Maiden awakened, she had received sponsorship from Shin Sooha’s family.

“Now, let’s talk.”

Shin Sooha pulled on the handcuffs.

It feels dirty, like being a dog on a leash, but he’s not the kind of person who would listen even if I got angry. So I sighed and was about to turn to follow Shin Sooha when…

“Ex-Excuse me! Hunter Seo Go-woon!”

The research director, who had been lost in thought after Haegeum’s words, urgently called out to me.

“Yes?”

“That seahorse from earlier…”

“Haegeum?”

“Yes. Could I perhaps take a look at it for a moment?”

I flinched and covered the pocket where Haegeum was with my hand.

‘Are you trying to use our Haegeum as an experimental subject?!’

Even though our Haegeum is a talking seahorse, to try to use it as an experimental subject! Even after it ate poison to save the hunters!

As I glared at the research director like I was looking at my parents’ enemy, he hastily waved his hands.

“Th-That’s not it!”

“What’s not it?!”

“I don’t know exactly what you’re thinking, but whatever you’re thinking right now, it’s not that.”

How does he know what I’m thinking to answer like that?

As I narrowed my eyes, the research director waved his hands again.

“I just want to hear what the seahorse has to say.”

“What kind of talk?”

Originally, scammers approach victims by trying to lower their guard through conversation.

Do you think I don’t know your plan to lure out our innocent Haegeum with words and experiment on it?

“If we listen to what the seahorse says, all the definitions we’ve given to hunters so far are wrong from the premise, so all research should be scrapped!”

The research director exclaimed, raising both arms as if giving a speech.

“This isn’t something we can just gloss over! We need to start researching right away, there’s no time to waste!”

So you’re saying our Haegeum knows a lot about hunters and you want to hear about it??

I looked at Haegeum peeking out of my pocket, then at the research director in his white coat.

At that moment, I remembered the behavior of researchers from my world that I had seen on the internet.

[Former N**A researcher exposes: “We dissected aliens! We conducted all sorts of experiments!”]

‘No way!!’