# Chapter 62
‘Gi-ryeok,’ a form of energy, exists in the human body. It’s a power that everyone has, like physical strength or muscle power.
As humans grow, gi-ryeok undergoes a mutation through principles not yet discovered, and some people become able to release it externally.
That was superpower.
Gi-ryeok possesses a wavelength similar to a fingerprint, and each person has one unique wavelength. In other words, it’s impossible for an individual to be born with various superpowers.
Therefore, it was also impossible to use someone else’s superpower by using one’s own gi-ryeok.
Although gi-ryeok exists in everyone, not all types of gi-ryeok can manifest as superpowers. The national superpower ranking assessment measures externally released gi-ryeok, and gi-ryeok that cannot be released externally is completely useless.
“This bracelet forcibly adjusts the wearer’s gi-ryeok to match the wavelength of the superpower contained in it as closely as possible and forces it out. Even non-superpower users can use their gi-ryeok to access superpowers.”
“…Is that possible?”
“The side effects are enormous. First of all, the gi-ryeok contained in the bracelet itself isn’t impressive, and since it’s impossible to match the gi-ryeok wavelength perfectly, the superpower output falls far short of the standard, and the wasted gi-ryeok is tremendous. It doesn’t even reach the level of an average Tier 1.”
Generally, just having a superpower was enough to be classified as Mugunghwa Tier 1. It was widely accepted that superpower users had more gi-ryeok than non-superpower users, but the bracelet couldn’t even achieve the minimum efficiency of gi-ryeok naturally present in the human body.
“But it’s noticeable that you have a superpower. There’s a difference between 0 and 0.3. It’s enough to impress ordinary people.”
“Even if the output is shabby, it’s still a technological innovation…”
And you can choose and use various superpowers as you wish. As Iyeon muttered this, D.S shook her head.
“No matter how useless gi-ryeok might be to ordinary people, it’s fundamentally bio-energy. What do you think happens when you recklessly extract and use something like that?”
Ah. Only then did Iyeon understand why Sua’s sister had collapsed.
“You might be fine once or twice, but the more you use it, the more your gi-ryeok is drained, and you become weak. Given how little gi-ryeok is contained here, the owner is already in danger.”
“That’s why I brought it to you.”
Iyeon explained Sua’s request. D.S closed her eyes as if she had expected it.
“Simple weakness and gi-ryeok depletion are similar, so medical tests show nothing wrong with the body.”
Gi-ryeok depletion was a phenomenon that occasionally occurred when superpower users who didn’t know their own limits used their superpowers to the extreme. The victims from the club laboratory who had their gi-ryeok forcibly extracted were also in a state of gi-ryeok depletion. Doctors would never have thought that ordinary people could show symptoms of gi-ryeok depletion.
“Can you explain what you just told me again to my client if I bring her here? I think it would be better coming from an expert.”
With D.S’s consent, Iyeon immediately contacted Sua. Soon, Sua came rushing over.
“Iyeon-ssi!”
“Ah, Owner. You’re here?”
When a woman in a flowing outfit that seemed out of place in the workshop rushed in, D.S, who had been tapping the bracelet, looked up. Their eyes met.
“Oh, Deokseon unnie?”
“…Han Sua?”
“You two know each other?”
That’s even more surprising. Iyeon looked back and forth between them. It was hard to find commonalities at first glance between the prickly D.S, who stayed cooped up in her workshop, and Sua, who ran a restaurant.
“Yes, our families are acquainted…”
“Families?”
D.S’s family was the descendant of Choi Heewon. They held tremendous influence in Chohosi. If Sua’s family was acquainted with such a family, it meant her family wasn’t ordinary either. He had already sensed they weren’t ordinary when they casually entered the hospital’s special room, but…
“I heard you’d left home, but I didn’t know you’d opened a workshop.”
“They’re not exactly proud of it.”
That ended the brief greetings. D.S gave Sua a kinder version of the explanation she had given to Iyeon and Sano, and Sua’s face hardened with concern after hearing it all.
“So, Subin can’t wake up because her gi-ryeok is depleted? …In the future too?”
“No.”
It was Iyeon who answered.
“If the cause is gi-ryeok depletion, and she’s alive, she will wake up eventually.”
Gi-ryeok was bio-energy. Like human stamina, it would replenish after sufficient rest. In Subin’s case, it might take a bit longer since she hadn’t depleted it in the usual way, but since she was resting so well, it was only a matter of time before she woke up.
Sua seemed a bit puzzled by the definitive tone, but she soon nodded. Her relieved face relaxed considerably.
Bzzt, bzzt…
“Yes. …Oh, tell me.”
At that moment, Iyeon’s phone vibrated. After checking the caller, Iyeon quickly answered and stepped outside the workshop to talk.
“Have you heard anything from your sister about where she got the bracelet?”
D.S continued her investigation with or without Iyeon present. The bracelet had no engineer’s seal. It probably wasn’t stamped on purpose because there was something fishy about it. Or maybe it was made by a novice who couldn’t even be called an engineer.
While examining the bracelet, she felt that the creator was a madman, for better or worse. As a fellow technician, she couldn’t help but be curious.
“We weren’t close enough to discuss such trivial matters…”
Sano, who had been quietly watching with his arms crossed and leaning against the wall, asked:
“How can you tell what kind of gi-ryeok is in the bracelet and how much?”
“I can’t tell what kind of gi-ryeok is in it until I try using it.”
Even with the same superpower, the gi-ryeok wavelength differed depending on the user. Cross-referencing countless superpower wavelengths was only possible with access to the Superpower Management Office’s database.
“As for how much is in it, see this gemstone here?”
D.S’s hand tapped the blue gemstone adorning the center of the bracelet.
“This is the core. See the slight golden tint? Its durability decreases each time the stored superpower is used, and it will likely shatter to pieces once it’s completely used up.”
“What about those?”
Sano pointed with his chin at the gemstones Iyeon had brought along. D.S shook her head.
“The bracelet body is a very sophisticated output device. The core alone can’t be used separately.”
It was then that a cheerful voice dropped in.
“I found out where the bracelet was circulating!”
All three people turned their attention to Iyeon, who was entering the workshop. Tapping his phone, which had finished the call, Iyeon smiled brightly.
“Hyegang finally found it.”
Despite investigating for several days, Hyegang hadn’t made much progress. The problem was the overwhelming amount of information. Bracelets were too common, and while Subin’s bracelet had a somewhat unique shape, its design wasn’t particularly rare.
There had been no progress. It was on the third day that he changed his perspective.
“He says he thoroughly searched through Subin noona’s social media followers.”
There must have been someone who approached Subin to give her the bracelet, and that would have happened within her network of connections. People she knew, people who knew people she knew, people who knew people who knew people she knew… That was the convenient thing about social media. You could easily navigate through web-like relationships with just a click.
In today’s world, only people like Iyeon or Sano, in their twenties, didn’t engage in social media at all. In other words, almost everyone else did.
“Apparently, there’s someone who discreetly sells bracelets to young people at parties held by the upper class. It seems quite famous among party enthusiasts. Very popular too…”
“So they don’t know about the side effects?”
To D.S’s question, Iyeon shrugged.
“If they knew, they wouldn’t buy it. They value their own lives, after all.”
The fact that they targeted innocent kids made it even worse. They needed to catch them before more victims appeared.
“Is it possible for us to attend that party?”
If Subin could attend such parties, Sua would surely qualify as well.
“Where is it?”
“Apparently, the parties where the bracelets are believed to be distributed have one thing in common.”
Iyeon counted on his fingers.
“They attract many young people and have a free-spirited atmosphere.”
“Hmm.”
Sua crossed her arms and rested her chin on her hand. After a moment’s thought, she took out her phone and began scrolling through it quickly.
“Then among the ones happening today, this one seems most likely.”
She held out her phone. The mobile invitation, written in elegant gold leaf, had text that was too curved to read easily, along with the phrase “Foundation Celebration Party.”
“She started this kind of business too?”
“I heard she was venturing into it. Apparently, she received enormous investment and seems to have put a lot of effort into it.”
Listening to D.S and Sua’s conversation, it really hit home that she originally came from high society. He thought they were just friendly neighborhood residents, but wealthy people were scattered everywhere.
Wait a minute. Je Sano is also self-made. Don’t tell me I’m the only poor one here? Iyeon was struck by this minor realization.
“The representative here is only in her thirties and is familiar with foreign cultures due to her long study abroad. The party will run from night until dawn… It will have a strongly open atmosphere. Look, the dress code is even ‘early 1990s America.'”
“Early 1990s America?”
“Well, they’ll probably just come dressed like they’re from The Great Gatsby or something.”
Sua, who had answered matter-of-factly, made a troubled sound. Her gaze, alternating between Iyeon and Sano, was somewhat embarrassed.
“Actually, there’s a bit of a problem…”
