Chapter 83 – Heavenly Demon’s Disciple (5)
I need to get stronger.
After suddenly being sucked into the dream again, I genuinely felt the necessity of power.
Was it because of my habit of meddling?
That was only one cause. Even if I ignore people in trouble from now on, there’s still a chance I could get dragged into a dream again.
“You’re really okay? Your expression looks dark.”
“I’m fine. Probably.”
“Look me in the eyes and say that.”
Song Sun-young’s serious gaze met mine directly.
Ahem! “I’m fine.”
I didn’t know how much weaker I’d become from that death, but it was clear that it messed up my grand plans.
Swimming, athletics, Taekwondo.
I would still qualify for the Olympics in all three, but my chances of winning medals had undeniably dropped.
“Seriously… I took time out of my schedule to help you, and this is what happens.”
“Yeah… sorry about that.”
“Well, I still have plenty of time left today, so let’s settle it with a bet.”
“No way… swimming? Now?”
“Why? If you think you’ll lose, we can postpone it.”
“Ha! Let’s go!”
Provoked by Sun-young, I boldly accepted.
***
“And after acting all confident, I lost miserably and ended up buying the meal.”
I complained while getting my regular checkup at Elmolance University Hospital.
A shocking defeat.
My aptitude might not be “swimmer,” but to lose to someone who barely trains? And she’s a working professional while I’m the active athlete! I never imagined such humiliation.
After listening to my story, Chief Seo Hye-joo said:
“Good job.”
She praised me.
“For what?”
“In the end, you swam together and ate a meal with a very pretty girlfriend, didn’t you?”
“Well… but still, losing to Sun-young means I’ve really gotten weaker.”
If I died stupidly like that again, wouldn’t my Olympic chances be in danger?
Honestly, it felt a bit unfair.
“You were thrown into an unexpected dream completely unprepared. The starting point was terrible too, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then until we understand the conditions that trigger Ranuvel, you’ll just have to endure it.”
“Ranuvel?”
“Oh! I forgot to tell you. We named this incurable condition that drags people into dreams ‘Ranuvel.’”
“Why Ranuvel?”
Ranuvel.
It sounded like a proper noun, but I had no idea what the origin was.
“She’s the goddess said to take Earth’s social outcasts and lead them to another world.”
“Oh!”
A goddess who guides Earth’s outcasts to another world—Ranuvel.
Not a bad name.
“It’s not fully understood yet, but we estimate there are about 130 Ranuvel patients worldwide.”
“Is 130 a lot?”
“It’s few. But considering you’re the only one who can cure it and treatment takes a long time… it’s actually a lot.”
“Hm…”
One hundred thirty people.
That number raised doubts about my peaceful life plan of entering the Olympics for pension money.
“Don’t worry about it.”
“But…”
“You’re not a savior. Like any doctor, you only need to treat patients who pay a reasonable treatment fee.”
“……”
A “reasonable treatment fee.”
Meaning: treat the ones who pay the most first.
“Since the cure is still uncertain, we haven’t launched the business side yet.”
“It’s a business?”
“Of course. A business where human lives are on the line.”
Chief Seo’s cynical tone didn’t sound like a doctor’s.
“What do you mean by uncertain?”
“Nam Hae-soo.”
“Ah…”
“He was very old at the time of death, and he left a will, so nobody questioned it—but if the only cure has a high mortality rate, it won’t be commercially viable.”
“I see.”
Treating rich people sounded like it would bring in piles of money, but after hearing Chief Seo Hye-joo’s explanation, it didn’t seem that simple.
Then what about this new patient?
“He’s a patient who plans to give up cleanly and choose euthanasia if you fail. So you don’t need to feel any pressure.”
“Oh!”
“But if you die during his treatment, we don’t even break even.”
“Well… I’ll just have to do my best. Did the investigation results come out?”
“Since we’re talking about it—want to come with me to the detective agency I hired?”
“Yes.”
There was no need to rush. Even though I died after being thrown into an unexpected dream, I was still alive.
There’s still a chance to recover.
And for revenge!
That handsome man who appeared out of nowhere and sliced my waist clean in half—
I would become strong enough to stomp him into the ground.
***
“Chief… how is this a detective agency?”
The detective agency Chief Seo hired was located deep in the mountains.
Pine trees, plum blossoms, bamboo, junipers…
A beautifully landscaped garden with a small lake in the center—and in the middle of that lake, a large palace-like building.
It looked more like a tourist attraction than a detective office.
“It’s a famous shrine.”
“That much I could guess at a glance.”
Tourists taking photos everywhere, families walking around—people were all over the place.
“Look carefully. This place is run by your senior.”
“A shaman?”
“His aptitude isn’t ‘prophet,’ yet he’s famous for predicting the future accurately.”
“That’s possible?”
“It must be, or he wouldn’t be a famous shaman.”
“Oh!”
A prophet can only predict unchangeable futures.
But self-proclaimed shamans—without that limitation—generally have terrible accuracy, so most people visit them for fun.
The line to enter the shrine stretched endlessly.
“Impressive, isn’t it?”
“It really is.”
“You need to make a reservation just to get a reading—and that takes around 15 hours.”
“Ghk!”
“But I have some connections, so I don’t have to wait. And I know business secrets that must never be leaked.”
“……”
I suddenly regretted coming.
“Let’s go in.”
“Yes.”
The gatekeeper supervising the long queue greeted her immediately.
“Welcome, ma’am. The head of the house is expecting you. And the person beside you… is he with you?”
“Yes. I didn’t ask the head’s permission for him.”
“No issue. Please go inside.”
“Thank you.”
We were treated with utmost courtesy as we entered.
“Who are they?”
“Getting special treatment, huh?”
People waiting in line stared at us resentfully. If I were them, I’d think the same.
“Is this okay?”
“It’s fine. I once saved the head’s life. I mean, I charged a fair treatment fee, but still.”
“The head?”
“This family has carried shaman blood for generations. That’s why the entire household are shamans.”
“Shaman blood…”
Just like Song Sun-young, whose aptitude became “swimmer” because she inherited it from her mother, former national swimming athlete Jang Seo-yeon, aptitudes seem heavily influenced by genetics.
If one parent is a basketball player, the child becomes a basketball player.
If one parent is a physicist, the child becomes a physicist.
It’s not absolute, but when choosing a spouse, people definitely consider aptitudes.
Shaman though… not really.
My parents weren’t shamans. Not even close.
My relatives on both sides?
Also just normal people.
“For reference, the talisman Choi Kang-hoon bought for you was handmade personally by the head.”
“Oh, that talisman.”
It was expensive, so I kept it as a souvenir.
“Right. I forgot to ask—did the talisman help you?”
“Not at all.”
According to Choi Kang-hoon, the talisman supposedly released a guardian spirit that would protect me.
But the result?
In the dream, all I saw were sword-wielding ghosts and soft alien creatures like Molang.
“Don’t take it too seriously. This family’s fortune-telling is more famous than their talismans.”
“Yes.”
Inside the shrine, consultations and reservations were being handled.
I opened my ears and listened quietly…
“I want to know when my husband will finally stop gambling on stocks.”
“Is that your only question?”
“I also want to know if my son can get into a good university.”
“So two questions. The fees range from 1st grade—where the head himself does the reading—down to 9th grade, which is done by trainees who are still practicing.”
“…I’ll take 4th grade.”
“4th grade. Noted. Please write your legal name, date of birth, and contact information here.”
“Yes.”
I only eavesdropped for a moment, but I could feel both professionalism and business-savvy in the air.
How accurate are their readings, I wonder?
On the other side of the hall, customers who had already been contacted were listening to the results of their readings.
“Is there any hope?”
“It seems she already has another man in mind.”
“I knew that part already.”
“Unless you quit smoking and find stable employment, she won’t spare you a single glance.”
“There’s no other way? I can’t go a single day without cigarettes!”
“The reading is complete.”
“What…!”
“That is the limit of grade 8. If you have more questions, there’s an additional fee—and it will take more time for another reading.”
“Ugh!”
It felt more like life counseling than fortune-telling.
Romance, investments, health, compatibility, lifespan…
Customers who had waited 15 hours asked all sorts of things.
I guess there are many ways to make money.
It was fascinating.
Rattle—
A tightly closed door deeper inside the shrine slowly opened.
“Come in, ma’am.”
An elderly man seated like a king at the highest position greeted us with a gentle smile.
“I’m very glad to see you looking well, Head.”
“Hello.”
Following Chief Seo Hye-joo, I politely bowed.
So that’s the head of the family?
To his left and right were elderly women of similar age, and the further down the rows you looked, the younger they became.
Near the entrance, a small child—no more than kindergarten age—was sitting neatly on a cushion.
Seeing a kid that young unable to just play freely felt a bit sad.
This place is suffocating.
It was definitely not somewhere I wanted to linger.
“Ma’am, is the young man beside you…?”
“Yes. The shaman I briefly mentioned during my previous consultation.”
“Indeed!”
The old man looked me up and down, extremely pleased.
Why?
“……”
Since I was only a tagalong, I chose to stay silent.
“A raw gem born directly from nature, without any inherited lineage!”
“……”
“Kang Moon-soo.”
“Yes.”
“Would you consider becoming this old man’s disciple—no, my successor?”
“……”
I was completely stunned by the unexpected offer.
“Head?!”
“Father?!”
The family members looked more shocked than I was.
In response, the head of the family cast a cold, disappointed gaze around the hall.
“I don’t recall giving failures who can’t even make a simple talisman permission to speak. Strange.”
“……”
“……”
Everyone instantly shut their mouths and bowed their heads.
“Kang Moon-soo.”
“Yes.”
“No need to overthink. I only made the offer because I fear the secret arts of our 700-year-old bloodline will die with me.”
“……”
I subtly glanced at Chief Seo Hye-joo.
She shook her head.
Meaning: Nope. Not planned. Not a trick. This wasn’t set up beforehand.
“Of course, it won’t be free.”
“How much is it?”
A 700-year-old clan’s secret techniques.
For someone hungry for power—and vengeance against the handsome man who cut me in half—this was a dangerously tempting offer.
“Your blood.”
“How much do you need?”
“Haha! As much as possible. You may take as many women as you like.”
“……”
By “blood,” he meant my genetics.
“What do you say?”
“Sorry. I think it’s a little too early for me to think about marriage.”
Once again, I regretted coming here.
“Hahaha! It seems this old man was too hasty.”
His tone held amusement, not anger at being declined.
I bowed again.
“My apologies.”
“No need. There is nothing to apologize for. I respect your decision. You are worthy of respect.”
“……”
Did I avoid trouble…?
“Ji-eun. Step forward.”
“Yes, Head.”
A young woman whom he called stepped out to the center.
“What do you think of her?”
“……”
“I’m asking you, Kang Moon-soo.”
“…What?”
“How do you view my great-granddaughter?”
“……”
“If she isn’t to your taste, I can lend you another woman. Or you may choose one yourself.”
“This is… a bit much.”
My head spun at the conversation that completely exceeded the bounds of normalcy.
Maybe she noticed.
Chief Seo stepped in.
“Head. If you lose your composure, your illness may relapse.”
“…I must have become impatient. Not much time left, after all. I’ll leave the requested personal information in Ji-eun’s care, so take her with you.”
The great-granddaughter turned and bowed politely to us as if asking for our guidance.
“Understood.”
“Chief?”
Without even asking for my opinion, Chief Seo accepted the head’s arrangement.
“It’s free.”
“…Then I guess there’s no helping it.”
I really hate this part of me that can’t refuse free things.