Declaration Of Extra Strike

 

While Jeong-hyeok rushed out to gather mana potions, Zero casually asked from beside me,  

 

“What are you going to do?”  

 

“What do you mean?”  

 

“You’ve already figured out that potion is a counterfeit, haven’t you? I happen to know a bit about this place. Even if you save her, it’ll be hard to get any compensation. Most people here are penniless after long-term care and endless struggles.”  

 

“Who doesn’t know that?” 

 

“Then why are you investing your time and resources to save her?”  

 

I ignored him at first, but then I turned my head to look at Zero. His narrow, smiling eyes gleamed with interest.  

 

“Honestly, this isn’t something you need to worry about. Since it’s a fake, even if you’re Kang Eui-jin, there’s no responsibility on you. So why bother? Is it some kind of hero complex? Or maybe, do you feel indebted or responsible for some reason? Could it be that?”

  

“Why are you curious about that? I’m just helping out a first-time customer.”  

“They probably can’t even pay you.”  

 

“So what, should I just walk away when someone’s suffering?”  

 

When I snapped at him, Zero’s lips curled into a sly grin. His attitude screamed that he had me figured out. As I frowned, he crossed his arms and spoke in a dignified manner.

 

“Ha ha, that’s an amusing response. But you can’t take care of every suffering person in the world, can you? Sometimes, you have to ignore and move on. Offering to heal without expecting anything in return—are you trying to live like a saint?”  

 

Annoyed by his pretentious nonsense, I rubbed my temples and scowled.

  

“I’ve never thought about it that way, and it doesn’t matter. Why am I doing it? Because I

want

to! There’s no other reason. Now, if you’re going to keep spouting nonsense, get lost.”  

 

I waved him off, telling him to scram, and Zero made a zipping gesture across his mouth, shrugging one shoulder as if to ask if something was wrong.

 

Since Yoon Ha-yan’s rank was higher than expected, it took quite a while to gather mana potions exceeding ten times the capacity of her mana pool. It seemed like Jeong-hyeok was borrowing them bit by bit from people around, but more complaints and distrustful voices were heard than people willing to help.  

 

“Can we really trust him? If we refill her mana, her madness will flare up again…”  

 

“We have to try something, don’t we?”  

 

“Why trust some young, inexperienced guy! Right now it’s mana potions, but soon he’ll start talking about charms and rituals!”  

 

“Jeong-hyeok, no matter how hard it gets, you still have your family. You have us. Don’t fall down a strange path, okay?”  

 

Doubts about me and curses directed at “Kang Eui-jin” poured in abundantly. I didn’t need to hear 105% worth of insults to feel full. Since the potion wasn’t even mine, and they were cursing a target without substance, it didn’t bother me too much. However, one thing a passing woman said earlier lingered in my head and wouldn’t leave.  

 

“How did everyone get this potion anyway? As far as I know, Ilimital is damn expensive and not easy to come by.”

  

“It’s definitely expensive, but not impossible to get. They used to advertise it as an essential emergency potion… You could get it from various suppliers. Regular potion shops or Potionland, for example.” 

 

“Was it really that easy to obtain? What did people trust to buy it?”  

 

“It was handled by guilds like Terran, Hornet, and Sangeong. They’re all allied with Nox. Having those guilds selling it was practically a guarantee that Kang Eui-jin made it. If they were scamming us, Nox wouldn’t have stayed quiet, would they?”

 

I groaned, leaning my head back. I had assumed it was just some daring idiots imitating my potion, but I hadn’t expected to hear those names.  

 

Terran, Hornet, and Sangeong were all unofficial subsidiaries of Nox. Not just in a cooperative relationship, but actual guilds where Nox’s capital and manpower held the leadership, practically making them Nox’s children. For such guilds to sell fake versions of my potion? This might as well be Nox’s doing. And it was me who had given Nox the Ilimital recipe and production rights…  

 

“Potion Maker! Boss! Everything’s ready.”

 

Jeong-hyeok’s urgent call snapped me out of my thoughts, and I got to my feet. In front of me was a variety of mana potions gathered in a pile. Concerned that Yoon Ha-yan might go on a rampage if the emergency treatment failed, people had armed themselves with weapons and sedatives, surrounding the tent outside.

 

“I’ll stop all the medications we’ve been giving her now,” Jeong-hyeok said.

 

As soon as he pressed a button, Yoon Ha-yan’s body convulsed violently. At the same time, a faint blue spark began to crackle from her pale hands. Despite being restrained, the energy she emitted was strong.

 

“Now! Administer the mana potion!” 

 

Jeong-hyeok pulled the lever down, and the blue mana potion began to slowly flow through the hose, which had previously been carrying only stabilizers. Everyone held their breath, watching Yoon Ha-yan. 

 

As the mana potion entered her system, the electrical current around her intensified. Sparks crackled, reaching from the walls and ceiling to the floor, threatening those of us nearby. 

 

Lim Cheong, with her eyebrows raised, drew a line on the floor with the tip of her weapon, and while the sparks danced, they couldn’t cross the line.

 

As Yoon Ha-yan’s mana levels exceeded 100%, the glowing sparks became so bright that they flickered in and out of my vision, practically blinding me. The detective hastily pulled a child into his arms and backed away, while the people who had been watching from outside could no longer hold back and rushed in, shouting.

 

“Stop! Stop it! Drain the mana now!”  

 

“Administer the next potion.”  

 

“Are you crazy? Are you trying to kill her? Jeong-hyeok, don’t do it! Stop now!”  

 

“If we stop now, everything will be for nothing. Administer the next potion. Hurry up.”  

 

“That quack! Don’t you realize this is what happens when you trust Kang Eui-jin? You don’t even know who this person is, Jeong-hyeok!”

 

Jeong-hyeok hesitated, glancing nervously between me and the people around him. His hand slowly lifted away from the lever, uncertainty clouding his expression.

 

‘This idiot.’

 

I considered smacking him in the back of the head to snap him out of it when I felt a tug on my pants. Looking down, I saw the little girl standing there, her face still streaked with tears and snot, probably from having cried herself out earlier.

 

“Hunter nim.”

 

“Why.”

 

“Can you really heal my mom, Hunter?”

 

“Of course.”

  

“Hey! You can’t go over there!” 

 

I reached out to stop her, but it was too late. She crossed the line Lim Cheong had drawn and ran straight to Jeong-hyeok. Startled, he quickly wrapped his arms around the girl, completely letting go of the lever in the process. The blue line connected to Yoon Ha-yan began to fade, flickering away.

 

Just as I was about to curse, a small arm poked out from Jeong-hyeok’s embrace and pulled the lever back down. The high-pitched buzzing grew louder, and Yoon Ha-yan’s electric sparks intensified dramatically. Yet, it seemed as though the electricity was aware of the girl’s presence, as the sparks didn’t spread toward where Jeong-hyeok and the girl were standing.

 

Yoon Ha-yan’s mana levels surged, reaching 1000%. The sparks gradually subsided, and her violent convulsions came to a halt. Her chest rose sharply for a moment, and then she exhaled a deep breath.

 

“Ha… Ha-yan ah!!” 

 

Jeong-hyeok ran to her, embracing her tightly as her eyes slowly fluttered open. Gasps of shock spread through the room. Clutching Ha-yan, Jeong-hyeok burst into tears like a child.

 

“Ha-yan, oh God, you… you’re back…”  

 

“Jeong-hyeok? What… what’s going on? What happened… Ha-jeong!”  

 

“Mooom!!!”

 

I waited quietly for their family reunion to unfold, but the atmosphere in the tent was growing tense. Some people slumped to the ground, while others took hesitant steps backward. Then, someone screamed, and chaos erupted.

 

“Mana potion! We need mana potions!!”  

 

“We have to get them, now!!”

 

I glanced over my shoulder to see the detective standing with his mouth wide open, staring at the awakened Yoon Ha-yan. I walked over and tapped him on the arm.

 

“Hey, you seem like someone with some authority around here, right?”  

 

“What? Oh, uh, yes! Yes, I am!”  

 

“Go tell everyone this: You have to administer 10 times the amount of mana potions compared to what the patient normally holds. And this is only a temporary fix—her side effects haven’t disappeared. If they don’t follow that, people will start dropping like flies, and chaos will break out. Yoon Ha-yan might be conscious now, but she’s still a ticking time bomb. I don’t even know at what mana level the madness will return. If they can’t manage to supply the potions, they shouldn’t wake anyone up in the first place.”

 

The detective nodded rapidly, looking more serious than before, and hurried off to relay the message.

 

The detective, still in a daze, pulled out a notebook from his pocket and started jotting down my words.

 

“I’m telling you now—don’t come back later causing trouble, saying you misunderstood and demanding I take responsibility. I really hate that kind of crap.”

 

“Y-yes, I understand. I’ll keep that in mind.” The detective nodded vigorously as he kept scribbling down notes.

 

Tear-streaked Jeong-hyeok approached him and spoke. “Detective, you should go now. So-hyun is… waiting for you. Here, take this… the leftover mana potions…”

 

“No, it’s fine. Jeong-hyeok, you’ll need them. Don’t let Ha-yan’s levels… drop too much…”

 

“I’ll provide the mana potions since he’s a customer of mine. Don’t worry about it, just take them.” 

 

I gestured towards Jeong-hyeok with my chin, and the detective’s eyes welled up as he bowed repeatedly in gratitude.

 

After sending him off to manage the crowd outside, it was just the few of us left inside the tent. I pulled out the contract from my pocket and called Jeong-hyeok over.

 

“So, what do you say? Ready to seal the deal now?”  

 

“I’ll do anything.”

 

“What’s going on? Jeong-hyeok, what’s this about a final contract?” 

 

Ha-yan, still not fully aware of her condition, asked from where she sat, cradling a sleeping Ha-jeong in her arms, her expression full of confusion.

 

Looking around at Ha-yan, Jeong-hyeok, Lim Cheong, and Zero, I sighed. There was no choice but to speak.

 

“You’ve probably noticed by now, but I…”

 

Despite starting off with confidence, I couldn’t bring myself to introduce myself as a Potion Master or even as Kang Eui-jin. Scratching my cheek, I muttered instead.

 

“I’m a genius.”

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