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Chapter 21 – Recipe Preview
A dark aura centered in Seojun’s heart.
When I saw it, my body seemed to move faster than my mind.
Thud!
I dragged my frail body and dashed swiftly toward Seojun.
He looked at me with a startled expression.
“Uncle, what’s wrong?”
I smiled at Seojun and said,
“Just a moment. I need to see something.”
I tried not to sound anxious.
I said it in a playful voice.
Seojun seemed to understand and stroked Nureongi.
I immediately used my spiritual eyes to look at Seojun’s body.
But—
“It’s gone?”
The dark aura that had clearly been positioned over his heart was gone.
It was as if it had never been there at all.
Seeing this, I tilted my head in confusion.
“Did I see wrong?”
A dark aura in the heart?
It was definitely a bad sign.
That’s why I was so agitated.
But I guess it was just a mistake.
“If it was a mistake, that’s a relief.”
I breathed a sigh of relief.
It probably just means that my spiritual eyes are new.
Maybe that’s why I’m seeing these illusions.
“Jin, were you playing with Seojun?”
“Ah, yes.”
I nodded in response to Grandma Yeongja. I turned my head and saw Grandma Yeongja holding a box. I immediately went to her and took the box.
“Here, this is something Mr. Heo left behind.”
“…It’s needles.”
My father’s acupuncture needles.
I’d been wondering where they had gone.
Despite searching the house thoroughly, I couldn’t find them.
I never imagined they’d be here.
“Thank you for keeping them safe.”
“Hoho, no need to thank me for something like this.”
But to me, it’s a huge favor.
Every single one of my father’s belongings is incredibly precious to me.
“Let’s keep Father’s needles safe.”
When I was young, my father’s needles looked like sacred swords.
It felt like an Excalibur passed down through generations of the family.
Looking at it now, though, it’s just some old needle.
But perhaps because it was meticulously cared for, there wasn’t a trace of rust on it.
“Grandma Yeongja. It’s not much of a reward, but…”
I mentioned the anomaly I’d discovered earlier.
“It’s about Seojun. I think you should check up on him at the hospital.”
“Hospital? Why all of a sudden?”
“It might just be my imagination, but there might be something wrong with his heart.”
Of course, I was probably mistaken.
When I checked again, the dark aura was gone.
But even the slightest anomaly…
A doctor doesn’t overlook the slightest anomaly.
That’s why I emphasized this to Grandma Yeongja.
“Even a simple checkup is fine. You must take him to the hospital.”
Upon hearing this, Grandma Yeongja smiled.
“All right, if you say so, Jin, we should go.”
“…Thank you.”
What if it had been someone else?
She would have brushed it off as a joke.
But Grandma Yeongja respected me.
“Please, let there be nothing wrong.”
Looking at Seojun, I could only hope that I was mistaken.
* * *
I was still feeling grim when I returned home.
Because of Seojun’s situation.
Then, Nureongi tugged at my sleeve.
“Young master, it’s probably nothing serious.”
“You think so?”
“Besides, didn’t you tell them to go to the hospital? There won’t be any problems.”
I nodded at his words.
Since I told Grandma Yeongja to go, she will definitely go. It does take over an hour to get there from here. But it’s not so far that she can’t make it.
“Yeah, she’ll definitely go.”
Besides, Seojun is a perfectly healthy boy!”
“Nureongi, you seemed to be enjoying yourself quite a bit, too, didn’t you?”
“I couldn’t run around with you, Young Master, so I got a bit pent up!”
“My apologies.”
If only my body were better, I’d be out walking and running with you.
“Then shall we catch up on some overdue work?”
“Yes, sir!”
Overdue work.
That was precisely medicine preparation.
The recipes in the Yakseon’s notebook were extensive.
The effects of the medicine made from them were insane.
That’s why I planned to list them on the Awakener Marketplace.
“But young master, what kind of medicine do you plan to make?”
“First, I plan to make Backache Medicine and Vitality Medicine.”
Those seemed to be the most versatile.
The Backache Medicine was intended for the elderly and adults whose work involved their backs.
The Vitality Medicine was in high demand among Awakeners tackling poison-related dungeons or PvP.
“Then let’s get started right away.”
The quantity wouldn’t be that large.
After all, this was my first listing.
Therefore, I decided to make ten of each.
“First, the Backache Medicine.”
Making the backache medicine was simple.
No special ingredients were needed.
Only earth materials were used.
Thanks to that, the Backache Medicine was made very quickly.
“Ten Backache Medicines complete!”
“Then the next one is the Vitality Medicine, I suppose.”
“The Vitality Medicine might be difficult with goblin venom!”
“It looks like we should start tackling the tower again soon.”
The tower raid had stalled recently.
We needed to gradually resume the assault.
However, that was only possible if the dimensional gate visitor came.
“Or maybe I should learn dark arts and go myself?”
[T/N: Changed Assassination Technique to Dark Arts from now on, I'm sorry for the inconveniences.]“Young Master, what are you thinking when you’re not feeling well?”
“I knew it.”
“Exactly! Going to the tower is suicide!”
Faced with Nureongi’s stubborn opposition, I abandoned the idea. In my current state, going to the tower really would be suicide.
Assassination techniques were best used when the gate was open.
“Then let’s quickly make the Vitality Medicine.”
The Vitality Medicine was made in no time.
After all, the goblin’s venom was just enough for ten doses.
However, that also meant the goblin’s venom was completely depleted. This meant that I would have to go back to the first floor to make more.
Then—
[You have crafted a medicine using a rare-grade ingredient ten times.]
[Conditions met. Reward granted.]
[As a reward, you have obtained Yakseon's Notebook - Preview once.]That message appeared.
“Oh, so there was this, too?”
“Well, then. I suppose I should work harder at making potions!”
“You’re right.”
There are probably more conditions beyond this one.
Maybe 100 or even 1,000 times?
It’s not just the rare grade, either.
Hero and legendary grades must exist, too.
“By the way, what exactly is the Yakseon Notebook Preview?”
I had that question, so I checked immediately.
[Artifact Info]
▶Name: Yakseon's Notebook - Preview
▶Description: Allows a slight preview of the next page's contents.It seems to be a literal preview.
I currently have four pages unlocked.
How is it used?
“It means I can peek at part of page 5.”
Honestly, I wondered if it was really that good.
But it’s better than nothing.
“Young Master, would you like to use it?”
“I will. I’m dying to see the next page.”
Yakseon’s Notebook was like an unexpected gift to me.
I never knew what medicine would appear next. For someone trained in medicine like me, the notebook was a massive treasure trove of information.
[Yakseon's Notebook - Would you like to use Preview?]“Yes.”
[Yakseon's Notebook - Preview used.]The message appeared, and simultaneously, the notebook materialized.
Swish!
The notebook’s pages turned all at once.
Then, page five opened.
But all I could see was…
“Just the name?”
Only the name of the medicine.
But that alone was enough. I confirmed the name of the medicine.
[Formula for a medicine effective against heart inflammation.]Seeing that name, I let out a chuckle.
“Surely… it can’t be?”
Seeing the formula’s name made me think of Seojun.
* * *
The next day arrived.
I decided not to sell the medicine just yet.
Setting aside the back pain medicine, I realized that my supply of the vitality medicine’s ingredients was lacking.
Of course, goblin venom could be purchased at the Awakener Market.
But…
The price was higher than the medicine itself.
It was far more expensive than the medicine I intended to sell.
In short, it was like the tail wagging the dog.
The price of the regeneration herbs alone was high enough to eat up the entire profit margin on the medicine.
I could raise the price of the medicine, but I disliked that idea.
Therefore, it was best to be self-sufficient for most materials.
“Divine Doctor, what are you lost in thought about?”
Nak-yong suddenly asked.
I was applying an external remedy to Nak-yong’s hand at the time.
He said he felt better than before.
“Nothing at all.”
“Well, that’s a relief.”
I must have looked serious.
“Then you should stay like this for a little while.”
“Understood.”
I stood up from my seat.
Just as I was about to do something else,
“It’s going to rain soon.”
Nak-yong said out of the blue.
“They did say a typhoon was coming soon.”
“Huh, then we should move things up a bit.”
After saying that, Nak-yong spoke to me.
“How about we start learning the dark arts?”
My eyes widened at those words.
“Can I really learn that?”
“You seem capable of it.”
“Huh?”
“Judging by what I’ve seen so far, you definitely can.”
Nak-yong spoke with a strange certainty.
I couldn’t understand why he was so sure.
But I wasn’t one to turn down a teaching opportunity.
“I’ll leave it to you.”
So, Nak-yong and I stepped out into the courtyard.
Then, Nureongi asked, looking interested.
“Young Master, are you finally learning martial arts?”
“I don’t know if I can learn them, but…”
I steeled my resolve and looked at Nak-yong.
Then, Nak-yong began speaking with a serious expression.
“To learn martial arts, there are several procedures that must be followed.
“What are they?”
“First, physical conditioning.”
“…Ah.”
“But you’re rather frail, aren’t you? Besides, you’re learning this for self-defense.”
“That’s true.”
“So we’ll skip the physical conditioning part.”
Thank goodness.
I can’t imagine having to do physical training with this body.
I’d rather he just kill me outright.
Otherwise, I might actually die.
“Next is agility training, then…”
Mid-sentence,
Nak-yong threw something at me.
Three small stones.
I caught all three.
“It seems you already meet the requirements.”
“How did you know I have good reflexes?”
“I can see it in your daily life.”
Martial artists really are different.
“You really are strange.”
“Me?”
“You’re physically frail, yet you have fundamental talent, don’t you?”
“Well, quick reflexes are a doctor’s lifeline, after all.”
“Hehe! That’s quite true!”
During diagnosis and treatment, anything could happen.
At that moment, a doctor’s quick reflexes can mean the difference between life and death for a patient.
So they must be exceptional.
“Then you can start the main training right away.”
“Throwing immediately?”
“Yes, but it won’t be easy.”
With that, Nak-yong set up a wooden target.
“Even a stationary target is hard to hit at first.”
“What should I throw?”
“A stone will do for now.”
“Understood.”
I wasn’t expecting much anyway.
I’d never thrown anything before.
I picked up a rock and looked at the target.
Then,
“Is this how I’m supposed to hold it?”
I unconsciously changed my grip.
Like pinching something.
It helped that I had picked up a thin, long stone.
In that instant—
Shh!
I threw the stone.
At that moment!
Thwack!
The stone hit the exact center of the target.
“How in the world did you do that?”
“I don’t know myself.”
I said this while already grasping another stone.
This time, it was another thin, long stone.
I threw it again, aiming for the target.
The result was the same.
“Another bullseye!”
Nak-yong exclaimed, unable to contain his admiration.
He clearly hadn’t expected me to do this well.
But I knew.
I handled the dart well, which is why I performed so well.
“Throwing it like you pick up a dart works well?”
I hadn’t expected it, of course.
Besides, it was fun.
Moving my body like this had never been fun before.
That’s why I picked up another stone.
A thin, long stone.
Then—
“Could I channel my qi into this?”
Typical martial arts involved channeling qi.
What if I channeled my qi into this stone? Wouldn’t that also be martial arts?
“Let’s try it.”
I focused my mind.
I began drawing clear qi upward from my dantian.
Suddenly, my entire body shrieked in pain.
“Guh!”
It was a pain I was slowly growing accustomed to.
The clear qi I drew up flowed from my arm toward the stone.
The moment the stone became saturated with the clear qi—
Whoosh!
The stone flew toward the target.
This time was slightly different from before, though.
Previously, the stone had merely embedded itself in the target.
Thud!
This time, the stone shattered the target completely.
Seeing that, I looked at Nak-yong, my eyes shining.
“Is this level acceptable?”
When I asked, Nak-yong gave a wry smile and asked back,
“You…you haven’t actually learned martial arts before, have you?”
His eyes were filled with utter bewilderment as he said it.
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