Chapter 39: Ex Machina (8)
Mayor Myung Eun-sook anxiously waited alone at City Hall for the results.
She glanced at the mirror without thinking and noticed deep wrinkles.
They hadn’t been there yesterday. In just one day, they had carved into her face like a sculptor’s knife.
Myung Eun-sook bit her nails nervously.
“No. This is too fast. It’s getting faster and faster.”
It all started two years ago when a man brought her some blood.
He claimed it was proof of a promise made with Golden Tail, an absurd story.
Taking a chance, she diluted the blood to nearly one ten-thousandth and consumed it.
The feeling she experienced the first time she took it was nothing short of euphoric.
Not only were her bodily wounds healed, but the accumulated stress also seemed to wash away in an instant.
At the time, Myung Eun-sook was suffering from a brain aneurysm, and it was unclear when it might lead to a hemorrhage.
In short, she was living with a ticking time bomb inside her.
But the blood of Golden Tail cured even that in an instant.
Myung Eun-sook had gained a new lease on life.
Had she been satisfied with that, none of this would have happened.
But Myung Eun-sook realized another effect of the blood.
“Youth. I can escape the most dreadful curse that living beings are burdened with.”
She had discovered the elixir of immortality that even Qin Shi Huang failed to find.
A treasure like this could not be shared.
If the truth got out, everyone would be scrambling to capture the sirens.
Naturally, Myung Eun-sook’s share would decrease.
“That’s absolutely not going to happen.”
So she ignored the man’s proposal and instead imprisoned him.
But even the blood of the sirens wasn’t perfect.
Once she stopped consuming it, her appearance began to rapidly revert.
The youth she regained seemed to be only temporary.
But Myung Eun-sook didn’t give up.
If it has an expiration date, why not keep consuming it?
After that, Myung Eun-sook secretly began hunting sirens, even hiring mercenaries for the task.
She set up a place underground where she kept the captured sirens and continuously drew their blood.
Somehow, the sirens learned of this and attacked the harbor, but that was a risk she could take.
The problem was that the blood of ordinary sirens didn’t have much effect.
Even if she combined all the sirens’ blood she had collected, it wasn’t worth a single drop of Golden Tail’s blood.
So, Myung Eun-sook came to a conclusion.
“I need Golden Tail’s blood. If a single drop had that much effect, capturing it could make immortality a reality.”
After years of investment, Akula finally assured her that he could capture Golden Tail.
When the sirens attacked the harbor again, she seized the opportunity.
Now, all she had to do was wait for Akula to hunt down Golden Tail.
How long had she been waiting like that?
Suddenly, there was a commotion outside.
“Have they arrived?”
It had to be the hunters returning.
As Myung Eun-sook was about to leap from her seat with excitement, the door burst open more forcefully than she had expected, and a group of people stormed in.
Someone in a suit displayed a badge and shouted,
“Myung Eun-sook! You are under arrest for embezzlement of public funds, kidnapping, murder solicitation, and breach of trust!”
Before he even finished speaking, the agents rushed in and cuffed Myung Eun-sook’s wrists.
Myung Eun-sook started thrashing like a live fish.
“No! Let me go! I’m the mayor of Wonsan City! How dare you…!!”
Myung Eun-sook resisted the sudden intrusion by the officials, but it was already over.
Watching it all unfold, Hyun Suho expressed his gratitude to Branch Manager Kwon Cheol-jung, who was standing beside him.
“Thank you for your support and trust, Branch Manager.”
Although Nova had hacked the ship and stopped it in the middle of the sea, that alone couldn’t stop the hunters.
In fact, Akula had used absurd strength to row the ship forward, hadn’t he?
The only reason the hunters stayed quietly in the sea was due to Kwon Cheol-jung’s persuasion.
Kwon Cheol-jung crossed his arms as he watched Myung Eun-sook being dragged away.
“I knew something suspicious was going on in the city. The Association tried to investigate in our own way, but we failed every time.”
Every time the Hunter Association tried to conduct an official investigation, the city officials blocked them, claiming that investigations were the job of public officials and that the Hunter Association had no jurisdiction.
Something felt off, but he never imagined this was what was happening behind the scenes.
So when Hyun Suho asked for his help, he decided to cooperate, even though he knew it sounded ridiculous.
“I thought she wouldn’t be more corrupt than the previous mayor, but it looks like I was wrong.”
“No one could have predicted this. I only found out later myself.”
“Ugh!”
No matter how much Hyun Suho tried to console him, Kwon Cheol-jung seemed unable to shake his feelings of self-reproach.
He stood there dazed for a long time, then suddenly, as if something had occurred to him, asked,
“So, did you find the people you were looking for?”
“Yes, thankfully. They seemed exhausted, but fortunately, their lives weren’t in danger.”
As expected, Mir’s merchant Guild Master and his daughter were found in the bilge of Akula’s ship, along with others.
They would have become sacrifices if Hyun Suho hadn’t shown up.
They were all safely brought to the harbor and handed over to the police. They would serve as witnesses to expose Myung Eun-sook’s crimes.
“Do you still have work left to do?”
“Yes. I need to inspect the underground of City Hall. Can you help me?”
“Of course. Don’t worry. I go to the sauna every week with the prosecutors here. I’ll talk to them so you can look around freely.”
“Thank you.”
It felt like he had been moving non-stop since arriving in Wonsan City, but there was still work to be done.
[We’ve obtained the blueprints of City Hall. I’ll guide you to the location of the underground facilities.]
“Please do.”
* * *
Despite her great contribution in capturing the demon Kraken, Aerin retreated to the deep recesses of her underwater cave once the ordeal was over.
It was her nest, her sanctuary.
But it was also her place of escape.
Ever since the man left with the blood, Aerin had secluded herself here, refusing to move.
No matter how much her younger sister Coral tried to persuade her, she remained unmoved.
Wounded and with her heart closed off, Aerin stayed there, refusing even food.
Two years passed this way.
Now she had reached her limit.
Even as an 8th-level named monster, it was impossible to go two years without eating or drinking anything.
Aerin was ready to collapse and fade away.
But today was different.
“Sister! Sister!”
Coral came running as if she were about to fall, in an unusual hurry.
She hadn’t been this breathless when human ships approached or even when the giant Kraken appeared.
What was even stranger was her expression.
It was an ambiguous look, almost impossible to tell if she was crying or laughing.
Perhaps it was because the sisters’ hearts were connected?
Realizing the meaning behind Coral’s expression, Aerin instinctively started to run forward.
Thud, thud, thud!
She couldn’t even tell if her lower body was legs or a tail.
The only thought in Aerin’s mind was that she had to move as fast as possible.
When she emerged from the cave, other mermaids were swimming in a long ribbon-like formation, guiding her with their bodies.
Aerin swam in the direction they pointed and swiftly broke through the surface of the water.
Splash!
Finally, she reached the island.
At the edge of the island, bathed in the multicolored sunset, stood a man.
“Ah… haha, hi. It’s been a while.”
The man had reappeared after two long years.
What had happened to him?
Once a healthy man with bronzed skin, he was now emaciated, pale, and so gaunt that his veins were visible.
He looked as if he might collapse at any moment, standing there precariously.
He tried to smile as brightly as possible, but his weariness was clearly etched on his face.
“I’m sorry. I’m so late, aren’t I?”
He had been trapped in a cold underground cell for two years.
Just as Aerin had secluded herself, refusing food, he had never once forgotten her.
If it hadn’t been for the hope of seeing her again, he wouldn’t have survived.
Aerin walked slowly, as if buffering, taking one step at a time.
Their gazes met, and they both seemed to treat this moment as if it were a dream.
Then, suddenly, Aerin started to run.
She dashed toward her lover, who had never lost faith for a single moment.
As the sun dipped halfway below the horizon and stars hastily revealed themselves, it felt as if they were blessing the scene.
The waves crashing against the cliffs surged into the sky like celebratory fireworks…
Boom!
At last, the two lovers, transcending their species, embraced and felt each other’s warmth.
* * *
After that, time passed in a whirlwind.
For a few days, it felt like the news was all about Wonsan City.
Fortunately, there was no mention of Siren blood in the media.
Perhaps the prosecution deliberately avoided exposing it, or maybe Myeong Eun-sook kept quiet to reduce her sentence.
It was a relief.
If even a hint had leaked that Siren blood could help with aging, Wonsan City would have been overrun with hunters seeking to capture Sirens.
I hoped it would all end quietly like this.
During that time, Hyun Suho stayed quietly in Wonsan City, focusing on two things.
He had expected it to take at least 2-3 years to reach Level 5, but after dealing with a Level 9 boss monster, his experience bar was suddenly full.
Yet, his level didn’t increase.
“It’s the wall of Level 5.”
No matter how high your rank is, everyone faces this stage.
It’s a level you can’t surpass with just experience; you need a special epiphany.
He believed he could solve it with time and contemplation.
The next thing was the new stat he had gained.
The reward for clearing the Hidden Epic Quest.
Surprisingly, it was just a single point in the Divine Power stat.
“What am I supposed to do with this?”
This was a quest Akula had spent years on, even sacrificing human lives as offerings.
Although Suho had essentially snatched it at the end, the quest was successfully cleared.
Akula had acted as if this power would quickly make him a transcendent being, but surprisingly, nothing seemed to have changed.
“It’s a bit of a tingly feeling…”
How to describe it… it felt like an extra arm had sprouted from his back.
It was a strange sensation, like he could wiggle a finger, but it wasn’t strong enough to lift a piece of paper.
However, if he could learn to use it properly, it felt like it could be even more useful than his original two arms.
“I’ll have to research this, too.”
The father and daughter of the Mir Merchant Guild were busy with the prosecutor’s investigation for a while, but eventually managed to meet with Hyun Suho.
The first thing they saw when they entered the hotel room was some kind of solid, slippery object.
Jeon Jung-gu carefully picked it up and asked,
“Is this… a Siren scale?”
“Yes, sir. Do you recognize it?”
“I’m not sure… I can tell it’s no ordinary item. But is this why you called us?”
Even though Siren scales were valuable, it wasn’t enough reason to request a meeting.
Then Suho smiled and said,
“What if I told you I could secure about two hundred of these every month?”
“T-Two hundred? Every month? Regularly?”
“Yes. That’s the minimum estimate.”
At those words, Jeon Mi-rin, who had been sitting weakly, perked up and pulled out a calculator.
“Siren scales can be used for crafting, and when processed, they can become expensive accessories. If we have at least two hundred of these every month…”
Click, click, click!
Mi-rin quickly punched numbers into the calculator and showed the results.
“Even just selling the materials would bring in at least 20 billion won a year. If we craft and sell them, we could earn nearly double that!”
Nova confirmed that their calculations were accurate.
Crafted, they would bring in 40 billion won annually.
Considering various overheads, it was an income on par with a decently-sized small-to-medium enterprise.
As Suho smiled with satisfaction, Jeon Jung-gu swallowed and asked,
“Is this for real? Where on earth are you getting these regularly?”
“I’m just getting a bit of help.”
Hyun Suho was now the hero of the Sirens.
He had averted a war with humans, killed the Kraken, and reunited Aerin with her lover.
All Suho asked in return was something very simple.
For them to collect and hand over the scales that periodically fell from their bodies.
Aerin had even offered to give him blood whenever he wanted.
Suho hadn’t refused, but he didn’t plan on selling it as an elixir of immortality.
‘I’ll refine the blood into a healing potion.’
He planned to make potions that were especially effective for healing.
Depending on how much blood he could collect, it would be a lucrative business.
Nova had once shown him a hologram of a mechanical army.
The cost of resources made it inefficient, so the project had been shelved, but things were different now.
Using mana circuits, the mechanical army could unleash powerful firepower.
‘Automatic hunting is sweet.’
As a result of his experiments, no matter how far away they were, the experience points earned by the mechanical soldiers went directly to Hyun Suho.
There were still a few issues to address, but once he leveled up and acquired skills like magic engineering, the efficiency would increase dramatically.
He planned to prepare for that time.
He was drawing a grand picture for the future, ten years ahead.
For that, Hyun Suho spoke the real words he had prepared for the Mir Merchant Guild’s father and daughter duo.
“You two… join my guild.”
Suho had high regard for their abilities and planned to accept them as guild members.
At first, the two were startled by Suho’s proposal, but after hearing his future plans, they seemed intrigued.
“You’re going to use the Sirens to open up new water routes?”
“Yes. They agreed to help willingly.”
The Sirens were truly like the giving tree.
With their help, he wouldn’t have to worry about aquatic monsters.
To further convince the still doubtful pair, Suho introduced someone, or rather, a mermaid.
“Come on out.”
At Suho’s words, Coral emerged, her vibrant coral-colored hair still shimmering.
She had shed her seashell outfit and was now neatly dressed in the clothes Suho had given her, exuding an otherworldly beauty, much like Nova.
“So, you’re the ones Suho talked about. I look forward to working with you.”
She confidently smiled and offered a handshake.
The mermaid princess who had finally come ashore, her eyes were filled with curiosity about this new world.
