# Chapter 174
I’m not even sure how I managed to submit the paperwork that was my original purpose. Lee Taejin, really? Did I just meet Lee Taejin’s former colleague? And from piecing together what I heard, it was from that time when they were experimenting with Jesan-O…
The unexpected encounter left me dizzy. I trudged out of the Superpower Management Office feeling like I was possessed, when my phone rang. Checking it, I saw it was from Jaekyung.
Dang Jaekyung: Remember when we talked about the Cheongho gem core before?
Dang Jaekyung: I have something to show you, when are you free?
Every part of the message conveyed his urgency to meet right away. It seemed he had been bothered by the unsatisfying answers he kept giving whenever I asked about Mungchi.
Let’s see. Je Sano told me to eat dinner and go home, so he wouldn’t be back until late, which meant I could have dinner with Jaekyung. Conveniently, I had spent an enormous amount of time at the Superpower Management Office, so it was already around quitting time. I sent Hyegang a message that I would be leaving work directly and replied to Jaekyung.
Can you come after I get off work?
Let’s meet today
*
“Welcome~. Oh my, Iyeon-ssi. Are you here for dinner?”
“Yes. Hello, owner.”
Sua’s restaurant, Night Skewer, was quiet as usual today. Jaekyung and Iyeon, sitting at the most secluded table in the narrow space, ordered some simple food and beer.
“Why are you wearing your hood pulled down like that, Iyeon-ssi?”
“Ah.”
I had come straight from the Superpower Management Office still wearing my hood tightly drawn. Iyeon loosened the ribbon below his neck as he answered.
“I think my name got around because of catching that Dabalsin. I almost got crushed to death by people when I went to the management office. Did you have any trouble?”
Strictly speaking, Jaekyung was the decisive contributor to catching the Dabalsin. After all, he had broken the gem core, weakening the Dabalsin. But Jaekyung shook his head firmly.
“No. There’s no need to put your name down unless you’re a hunter.”
“That’s true, but… Didn’t you write your report about the Dabalsin like you said you would?”
“Oh, I omitted that part appropriately. If I said I caught a Dabalsin, the director would think I’m a complete lunatic with delusions. I just wrote that I went for a paranormal experience, accidentally encountered it, and got released.”
He seemed to have handled it flexibly in his own way. Iyeon asked playfully.
“So, was the response good?”
“What can I say? Since the news about the Dabalsin being captured spread, the director praised me, saying I was lucky to have seen it before it was caught.”
…Was that lucky? Iyeon momentarily had such doubts but let it pass. He figured there wasn’t much point in trying to understand the psychology of a mutant otaku from a hunter’s perspective.
The food arrived quickly. Taking a spoonful of the hot fish cake soup, warmth spread from my throat to my chest. Sua also provided a few pieces of fried chicken, saying it was on the house. The owner is the best. Iyeon flattered her until his mouth went dry, then bit into the fried food. Jaekyung also picked up a generous skewer, and for a while, only the sounds of eating continued.
After gulping down half his beer, Iyeon brought up the main topic.
“What’s this about the gem core?”
At those words, Jaekyung rummaged through his bag and pulled out a file. Inside the transparent file was a neatly arranged stack of papers densely filled with writing.
“Only you should see this, Iyeon-ssi. I copied it secretly.”
“…Are you sure I should be looking at this?”
Iyeon hesitated as he received the file, asking suspiciously. Did you do something weird again to get this? In response to his deeply mistrustful gaze, Jaekyung jumped up and waved his hands.
“No, no! I thought about it a lot, but the content is so strange. I felt like you absolutely needed to see it.”
Jaekyung’s face was quite serious. Figuring he must have a reason to say such things, Iyeon opened the file without further protest.
The dozen or so pages had been copied from the middle sections, with the front and back parts abruptly cut off. After skimming the front part, Iyeon unconsciously muttered.
“…Artificial gem core?”
“Keep reading.”
Jaekyung, who had clearly read the contents many times judging by the worn paper, simply urged him on. Iyeon continued reading the document with a skeptical expression.
The report described a theory about artificially creating gem cores and applying them to high-grade mutants that lacked them. Although most of it was technical terminology that he couldn’t fully understand, the context was clear enough to grasp.
To summarize, since artificial gem cores weren’t naturally part of the mutant, they couldn’t exist inside the mutant like natural gem cores. However, if the mutant could be made to recognize and accept the artificial gem core into its body, even mutants without gem cores could gain their power. There was also a limitation noted that depending on the mutant’s compatibility with the artificial gem core, the synchronization value could vary, potentially causing the fusion with the core to break.
“Wait, are you saying that the gem core Mungchi has could be an artificial one made here?”
If true, this would mean Mungchi was an experimental subject of this research institute, which seemed dubious considering Cheongho was a Grade 2 mutant that any institute would hesitate to use as a test subject. Besides, the method was absurdly far-fetched. Despite all the complex explanations, it basically suggested that if you just place an artificial gem core next to a mutant, the mutant would incorporate it into its body on its own.
Why not just claim that placing food nearby allows for nutrient absorption? Unable to believe such a fanciful story that belonged in science fiction, Iyeon finally looked away from the document and asked with a face full of doubt. But Jaekyung solemnly repeated the same words.
“Read it all before we talk.”
Since Jaekyung was so serious when saying this, Iyeon turned his attention back to the papers despite his dissatisfied expression.
Past the middle section came surprising content. It was a case record of actual application to high-grade mutants. While multiple mutants had undergone the experiment, Jaekyung had brought only one mutant record.
「Application Case 2: Mutant Cheongho」
Uh… Iyeon froze. Only his eyes rolled as they remained fixed on the paper.
「When first discovered, it appeared as a black cat, but observation confirmed mutant characteristics such as non-consumption of food. Except for its appearance, its general characteristics matched those of Cheongho. Whether congenital or acquired is unknown, but it is presumed that due to energy deficiency, it cannot regain its original form.
…(omitted)…
The synchronization value is not stable, so the artificial gem core frequently separates. However, due to stable compatibility, it has been confirmed that even if the artificial gem core is outside the body, the mutant can draw upon the core’s energy if it is within a certain distance. Transformation into adult form is possible with the gem core’s energy. Miniaturization can also be controlled according to its own will.
…(rest omitted)…」
In addition to the detailed text, the report also included some simple photographs. While the quality wasn’t great, it was clear enough to recognize the form.
It was unmistakably Mungchi.
As Iyeon’s silence lengthened due to the unbelievable content, Jaekyung carefully spoke up.
“Actually, I thought something was strange from the first time I saw it. There’s no record anywhere of Cheongho miniaturizing. If its skin hadn’t glowed blue every time it used its abilities, I wouldn’t have known at all. Well, given that there are so few records on this mutant, that might be excusable… but the idea of a gem core being taken by another mutant is truly unbelievable.”
“…”
“And this… doesn’t it look exactly like Mungchi?”
Instead of answering, Iyeon carefully examined the report once more. The same content entered his mind in more detail.
“…Well, if it recovered its power through the gem core, that’s good for Mungchi.”
Iyeon finally looked up after glaring at the documents for a while. The slightly crumpled papers rustled as they were placed on the table.
Whatever their intention was in doing this, thanks to them, Mungchi could live as a Cheongho. They could even be considered Mungchi’s benefactors.
“Still, to think it was experimented on. I wonder if it was similar to what they did at the club research institute? It couldn’t have been painful, right?”
It was a huge relief that Mungchi didn’t dislike humans like the mutants from the club research institute. If the experiments had been painful enough to make it hate humans, I wouldn’t even have been able to gather my bones when I first met the Cheongho.
“Well… judging by the tone of the report, it doesn’t seem like it was that harsh.”
Unlike the club research institute that forced experiments even when mutants died or got injured, this mysterious research institute seemed quite kind to the mutants. This was evident from the fact that they would terminate the experiment and postpone it to the next day if the mutant didn’t synchronize with the gem core, and there were no brutal terms like ‘forced’ in the report.
“Anyway, thanks to you, my curiosity has been satisfied. Thank you, Jaekyung-ssi. But where did you get this?”
“Ah, well. I came across it by chance…”
Jaekyung seemed to hesitate a little before honestly confessing.
“You know our institute’s director? I found it in their drawer.”
