Chapter 111 – Trend (Part 2)  

“This would really be amazing if it could be used in the Arena!”

My current body already had the physical strength buff at intermediate level 5 and boasted impressive capabilities.

But with this I could use up to twenty fold my current muscle ability?

Jumping, attacking, and speed even will all increase by 20 times!

‘Not only that, but the sensor was incredible. It doesn’t feel unnatural at all!’

I put force into just my big toe and attempted to jump.

A big jump and I leaped 1 meter in the air. I barely used the strength of a tip toe, that little strength, and it’s this much.

On top of that, I can control it to the point of grabbing a paper cup with ease. Which meant I wouldn’t accidentally break my guns when I pulled the trigger!

Odin said,

“We want you, Kim Hyun-ho, to take this synthetic muscle suit to the Arena for us. If you could, you two would obviously get one, and we would offer separate compensation for it.”

Research chief Vilhelm said something too and Odin translated it for us.

“He says he will pay 3,000,000 francs per suit. On top of that, is the conditions that our Nordic exam group’s will continue to protect your family.”

,000,000 in Swiss francs is in Korean money 3,300,000,000 won. (TLN: $3 million USD)

Considering that it was just a delivery charge, it was an incredible amount!

But thinking about the synthetic muscle suit that increases muscle power by 20 times, it wasn’t really an expensive price either.

Basically, if examinees with superhuman physiques used this muscle suit, what would happen?

That result was something that couldn’t be measured just in monetary value.

‘But money isn’t what’s important.’

Having allies that are strong like the Nordic exam group, on my side, was more significant.

I could always make money with the flames of life.

I nodded my head.

“First, I will deliver ten units. Can I deliver them to your territory?”

“Yes. I can hold them until our examinees visit my area and pick one up each.”

“On that note, amongst the delivery, please save one for Miss Cha Ji-hye.”

“Of course.”

On the account of delivering 10 suits to Odin’s Count Wolfenbrooke, I am to receive 30,000,000 francs. (TLN: 30 mil USD)

When Cha Ji-hye leaves the tropical swamps and gets a chance, she will stop by Wolfenbrooke’s territory and pick up the synthetic muscle suit.

We talked a lot about the other electronics I would be taking to the Arena.

It seemed the Nordic exam group brainstormed a lot of ideas upon hearing about the capabilities of my space bag skill.

They said they are working on a radio wave transmitter-receiver that uses majeong to increase thrust and send the signal to a wide area.

As long as the person was within that scope of the signal, a phone call would be possible.

“Our Nordic exam group has spent time a lot of time to develop a good amount of uses for majeong and, if it goes well, we can create a transmitter that at most can cover 2000 km, before the next exam.” (TLN: 1,240 miles)

“A whole 2000 km? That’s incredible.”

“With that distance, don’t you think something like a huge communication satellite won’t be needed?”

“I completely agree.”

The entire distance from Seoul to Busan is roughly 400 km. with 2000 km that was plenty to cover the distance between the Brown Mountains and Wolfenbrooke’s territory.

We talked about this and that and suddenly it was evening.

Research Chief Vilhelm Heinz said he’ll leave work and took off, and the rest of us decided to get dinner and headed to a restaurant.

“There is someone I wish to introduce to you.”

I kind of have an idea who.

“Someone that needs my treatments?”

“Indeed.”

“Is it a disease?”

“It is not a scientific/medical problem. She is a healthy 23 year old woman.”

“If it is not a medical problem, will I be of any help?”

“Her life is precarious. She is desperately grasping at straws and she is asking for your help.”

“She is an examinee.”

Deduced Cha Ji-hye.

With a surprised face, Odin looked at her then nodded.

“She is.”

Cha Ji-hye said to me,

“It is probably a problem of a curse.”

“A curse?”

Instantly, I recalled the dark magician I fought in the last exam, John Omento.

He too had used some curse to sicken the Tree of Life.

“Even if she did get cursed, won’t she recover once she passes through the exam door?”

“The body recovers.”

But the curse doesn’t go away?

“Something like that can happen?”

I became suspicious.

A curse that doesn’t disappear when you pass through the exam door?

There is something that the exam door, created by gods and angels, can’t cure?

“A psychogenic curse.”

Said Cha Ji-hye again.

With an impressed face, Odin said,

“You do know a lot. Yes, it is a psychogenic curse. The curse itself disappears, but in this instance, the mental agony from that curse is left in the head.”

“Then realistically, the thing I have to cure is psychological problem, not the curse?”

“Yes.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to seek the help of a psych doctor?”

“Do you think she wouldn’t have tried that?”

I shut my mouth at Odin’s remark.

I’m sure she has.

“The mental agony that a curse leaves is a level that is not possible in reality, therefore it is not a level that can be handled at a psych mental health facility.”

Neilson, who had long been silent, spoke up.

“She has attempted suicide three times so she is under 24/7 supervision. It’s a pity, she is a young gal.”

I don’t know if the psychological aftereffect can be cured by flames of life.

No matter, I had to try.

We got to the restaurant on the first floor when.

“I said don’t touch me –! I’ll kill you!!”

A female voice was shouting loudly in the Arena language.

A Caucasian woman with pure white skin, like a wax figure. Long blonde hair with large eyes, sharp nose, a classic beauty.

The situation is in the corner of the restaurant where she was sitting, surrounded by several examinee group employees.

They didn’t know what to do in the hysteria of this woman.

“Marie!”

Yelled Odin.

As soon as he shouted, the blonde beauty known as Marie saw him and went quiet.

“I told you to behave!”

As Odin approached her and scolded her, Marie looked quite uncomfortable and turned her head away and shrugged it off.

She was throwing such a loud fit, now she’s calmed in front of Odin.

Here, I can sense how big Odin’s status in the Nordic exam group was.

“You didn’t self-injure or anything again?”

Odin grabbed her wrists and checks them out around.

Marie angrily tried to shake her hands free from Odin. Like a father and a teenage daughter.

Then her eyes fell on me and Cha Ji-hye and her eyes sharpened.

“Who are you?”

“They are the people I told you about.”

“I said I don’t need it!”

“Whether you need it or not, I decide.”

With that snappy comment, Odin said to me,

“This woman is Marie Johanna and she is 23 this year. In her case, she died through suicide and became an examinee, she used to be well-behaved but she has changed to be this temperamental because of the curse.”

Marie Johanna looked disgusted that Odin was telling us her private information.

“Well, hello.”

I offered a greeting.

Marie abruptly turned her head away and ignored me.

Feeling embarrassed, I scratched my head.

“Can I be of any help?”

“Please try. You will be rewarded.”

“Understood.”

I made a flame of life.

Then Marie, who had been ignoring me, turned her eyes towards the flame of life.

I handed the flame of life towards her.

“Eat it.”

“You want me to eat that?”

Marie scowled.

“It’s tasty.”

I said jokingly.

Marie stared intently at the flame of life, thinking it over.

Odin grilled her.

“Hurry, eat it.”

Marie gave a coy look, then took the flame of life. She halted momentarily then swallowed the flame.

Su lu luk.

The flame entered her body.

Her expression that was full of anger and evil, gradually became calmer.

I was thinking that the energy the flame was giving her made her feel better.

“Didn’t I say it was tasty?”

I joked, laughing.

Then, Marie Johanna stared at me. Then,

‘Huk!’

Then, with a heart piercing beautiful, she smiled.

Such a bright smile, she extended her hand.

“......?”

With a suspicious look on my face, Marie stared at me.

Her expression was like a child asking for something to eat. Is that......

“I think she is asking for more.”

Said Odin with an air of annoyance.

“It’s not that I can’t give her more, but shouldn’t we check that it is effective? This is expensive.”

Some rich man in America with his head hung low, spent an astronomical amount of money to eat these.

Marie looked at me with such a pitiful expression, as if asking if I really won’t give her any more.

‘Gung!’

I won’t be swayed by beauty again!

I slowly shook my head.

With a dispirited expression, Marie put down the hand she extended to me. And her head hung down.

“Let’s eat first and we can talk slowly.”

We all sat down in our seats.

Odin and Neilson sat on either side of Marie and I sat alongside Cha Ji-hye.

But then, Marie just stared straight at me again, then looked back and forth between me and Cha Ji-hye.

Her beautiful blue eyes with double eyelids, shook.

It looked like her head was full of complicated thoughts.

Having decided, Marie got up and came around from the other side, to me.

She eased the chair close and sat really close to me.

‘Uh, what is this?’

When I gave her a strange look, she smiled again.

This was my first time experiencing such blatant flirting and I felt flustered and thought about how absurd this was all at once.

Odin let out a deep sigh.

“Her mental health was not on the good side originally, but her condition has gotten much worse after the curse.”

‘Basically, she’s a bit gone in the head.’

At first glance, she appeared that way.

At Odin’s remark, Marie looked angry again.

She threw the fork that was on the table.

Shwik!

I was completely surprised.

Because the fork was thrown like an arrow, but of course Odin quickly grabbed it with his left hand.

“I said to stop this shit!”

“Humph!’

Marie linked her arm into mine and snorted. As it she has deemed me her protector.

Within five minutes of meeting, she was treating me as if we were friends that had known each other for a long time.

“It is a mental regression.”

Cha Ji-hye looked at us and said lightly.

Regardless of what you call this, this woman is crazy for sure.

The restaurant employees brought us steak and salad and soup.

And when I picked up the knife and fork to cut the steak.

Marie had picked up her knife first and quickly she started to cut the steak on my plate.

Shwi shwi shwi shwi shwi shwik-

second?

It was but a moment. The steak was cut into even bits.

I was speechless at her lightning speed.

Neilson smiled and said,

“She might look like a crazy bitch, but she is a 24th turn veteran. As I understand, she is an aura control intermediate level 10. I heard she has mastered an assassination skill as her assist skill.”

Marie looked at me and her smile that was innocent and bright. With a knife in her hand.

I got a creepy feeling.