[Aaron Side Story Episode 32]
4. The one who longs for power (3)
* * *
Aaron stood up.
However, the young man’s energetic morning awakening stopped at the level of raising his back in bed.
It was because the pain was coming from all over the body.
“Ugh!”
As soon as he opened his eyes, Aaron struggled.
My whole body ached as if I was on fire.
There are bandages everywhere you look.
The body part below the neck is wrapped in bandages like a mummy.
“Are you awake, patient?”
Aaron hurriedly looked to the side.
Someone was standing by the bed.
“You can’t move yet. Are the wounds that have healed sore?”
“Who are you?”
“I am a therapist sent from Niflheim to help patients.”
Aaron looked up and down the therapist.
‘Is this a therapist?’
He is wearing a wide white robe.
Hood tightly pressed.
I couldn’t tell if it was a woman or a man.
I looked inside the hood and saw that it was wearing a grotesquely decorated mask.
An elaborate fox pattern was drawn on the outside of the mask.
“Please understand. There are circumstances in which I cannot reveal my face.”
“Ah yes….”
“Still, I will do my best to treat the patient. Please trust me.”
The voice was unclear.
It’s as if some magic was used to hide it.
‘Lidigion said he brought a healer.’
But isn’t it too suspicious to be a therapist?
Aaron’s such trivial doubts disappeared the moment he examined his condition.
This is Aaron’s room in the cabin.
However, the atmosphere changed 180 degrees with just a few things added.
For example, the unidentified white string pierced through Aaron’s wrist.
The end of the white string was stuck in a plastic bag hanging over the bed.
The plastic pack contained a clear liquid.
“What is this?”
Aaron said, shaking the wrist where the string was attached.
“It is a treatment fluid to help the patient’s treatment. It’s called Ringer.”
“Ringer?”
“At Niflheim, we are researching advanced treatment methods to help our heroes recover quickly. Combining Earth medicine and Mobius magic, we can call it magic medicine.”
As Aaron stayed still, the therapist laughed.
“You don’t have to understand. You just have to accept it. Even a serious injury that requires medical treatment for a month can be cured in four days. We have plenty of blood transfusion packs prepared, so you can roll around freely.”
“Yes….”
“In addition, there will be experiments like this in the course of treatment, but please don’t worry about it. It is a cornerstone for research. Cook Cook.”
“Are you talking about experiments?”
“Either draw blood.”
“At that level…”
“Something like experimenting with special drugs, cutting open the stomach, or collecting cerebrospinal fluid.”
“Please wait a moment.”
“Do not worry. You won’t feel any pain because you’re anesthetized. Cook Cook. Without even knowing it, the patient becomes the material for my great research.”
Aaron felt chills.
Shuk.
When the healer raised his right hand, a small silver-white knife appeared from the sleeve at the end of the robe.
“How about it? What color is the blood of a human with karma? Will the intestines be all right?”
“Please wait no!”
I tried to escape, but my body wouldn’t move.
“Cook cook. Please leave it to us. Quickly, painlessly…”
Aaron tried to scream.
But no voice came out.
As if an intangible energy was blocking his mouth.
Like that…
“It’s a joke.”
the therapist said.
Suddenly, the knife in his right hand was gone.
“If the patient overdoes it, the wound will open more. Lie down and relax. Meals will be brought to you on time.”
“….”
“Then please rest well.”
The therapist smiled and left the room.
Only then did Aaron, who lost his strength, lean on his back on the bed as if collapsing.
* * *
“…”
Aaron removed his hand from the book and looked at Yurnet.
“Why is that, Aaron?”
Yurnet smiled naturally.
He looked like he had no idea why.
“No, no.”
“He is a very competent therapist. You can’t imagine combining medicine and magic. Maybe a genius?”
“Ah yes. You are a great genius.”
“Huh-huh…”
Aaron let the therapist laugh sullenly and reached for the book again.
Because the story isn’t over.
* * *
Although seriously injured right before death, the treatment period was only four days.
As promised, magic medicine combining medicine and magic was amazing.
Aaron’s condition improved day by day simply by changing the plastic pack containing the sap and casting healing magic on the wound.
After two days, I was able to walk.
Aaron took a break and began to organize his thoughts.
What is the identity of karma?
‘Do you compress and stab the past years of training?’
The power was great.
The greatsword that Aaron broke was said to be a top-class weapon made using the best materials and techniques.
Comparatively, it could be the sacred weapon held by the 5 knights of Niflheim or even more.
Aaron had destroyed such a weapon with one stab.
‘It’s huge, but…’
Wouldn’t it be enough to avoid it?
It may be a sure death, but it is definitely not.
If the power of that amazing karma was only a compression stab, high-ranking heroes wouldn’t be so afraid of their teacher.
“…”
Before going to the competition.
When he completed his training camp in Niflheim, his classmates did not think highly of his teacher.
He viewed the other 1st party members who were active here and there more highly than the eccentric teacher who was stuck in a strange dimension all day.
This was especially true of Ridigion.
Siris and Yurnet don’t show up often, and Nihaku often does outside activities due to his role.
If so, the 1st party member that can be seen most often in Niflheim was Ridigion, who took on the role of assault leader, defense leader, training leader, and so on.
In fact, the high-ranking officials of the training center can be called the line of the Lidigion.
They would raise their voices saying that Ridigion should be the submaster instead of Siris, who couldn’t even figure out what to do.
Although the dissatisfaction subsided as he dismissed it.
The Niflheim account is a large group of over 20,000 heroes.
Of course, with such a number of people gathered, factions are divided and categories are divided.
Starting with the core member, the 1st party, each line had its own line.
Lidigion is a symbol of power in the waiting room.
A group of training camps to train new recruits, a defense force to prevent invasion, and several parties aiming to capture the tower.
It would not be wrong to say that it was the military department of Niflheim.
Lidigion was widely recognized as the representative of the military.
Urnet represents the mages and artisans within the antechamber.
Many clandestine mages and scholars who do not like to live in groups, and many artisans who take great pride in the things they create.
The state-of-the-art airships and various powerful and mysterious artifacts that Niflheim is proud of are all their work.
They followed Yurnet and exercised a quiet influence.
Nihaku took charge of Niflheim’s external activities during Loki’s absence.
Arbitration of various alliances, management of various colonies, even armed intervention if necessary, was granted the right to negotiate independent diplomacy by Master Loki.
The girl looks clumsy on the outside and tends to work alone, but under her command is a large fleet and troops for armed suppression that work only for her.
They also had a significant influence in the waiting room.
In this way, in Niflheim, there were three major factions.
Whether they like it or not, it is like a duty for those who have risen to a high position.
Even if each of these three factions became independent in Niflheim, they had enough skills and authority to be reborn as a powerful force in the game.
On the other hand, Siris is the leader of the 1st party and has the status of a submaster, but the support in the waiting room is very weak.
The backbone of her power is that Master Loki, who has absolute charisma, directly appointed her as a sub-master, and the other members recognize her. Just two.
Many of the heroes in the waiting room had little political power to support or represent any group.
On the contrary, Siris often infuriated military loyalists by opposing Master Loki’s policies from time to time.
That doesn’t mean it doesn’t have any power at all.
The truly unique member is the last boy.
It is safe to assume that the boy spends most of his time in Luanan, an independent dimension, and never appears in the waiting room.
Low-ranking heroes used to gossip, saying that they were only listed on the roster, but in reality they belonged to a different affiliation.
This is because the 1st party members showed their presence in other ways besides fighting, while the boy did not appear at all.
It must be said that there is no work to be done on a regular basis.
The boy had no assistants like adjutants or staff attached to other members, and of course he had no supporters, and even his existence was strongly suspected.
Occupying a seat on the glorious thirteenth floor of Niflheim?
High-ranking heroes or followers of other members who were aiming for the position would loudly criticize this situation.
Niflheim’s operating credo is thorough meritocracy.
To them, a boy was seen as a parachute entangled with a strong network.
They thought that the fact that a boy who didn’t even know his face, didn’t know what his abilities were, and had no political power was a member of the 1st party.
However, this prejudice is limited to the majority of low-level heroes or heroes from outside.
The higher the rank, the more experience there is on the battlefield, the louder the voice that recognizes the boy.
Because they saw it firsthand.
Do not show up in the waiting room.
There is no normal work at all.
The majority of heroes don’t even know if they have supporters.
The reason why the boy still occupies a place in the 1st party.
There can only be one.
“Because it is that strong.”
Aaron murmured the conclusion in his heart.
When he was in Niflheim, Aaron had a conversation with several heroes who had seen his master fight in person.
He wanted information about the boy.
Aaron learned two things.
First fact.
The battlefield for the boy to step out is extremely limited.
Unlike the members who actively take action, the boy does not participate in most battles in Niflheim.
When a boy goes to the battlefield, only two.
one. In the case of a high-rise climbing mission in which failure to capture will lead to the collapse of the entire force.
two. When it is considered that there is a chance of defeat in external battles due to key events or alliances of powerful enemies.
The boy was Niflheim’s asymmetric force.
A joker card hidden by Loki to overcome the situation when an intense and dangerous variable is encountered.
The boy’s abilities even escaped the restraints of the system and exercised powers close to cheats or bugs.
Second fact.
Therefore, the high-ranking heroes who directly observed the boy’s battles were afraid of him.
It was clear that they were trying to sneak away from the boy, as if they had seen a demon or a monster.
Those who saw the boy’s strength and were not afraid of him and treated him normally were only the 1st party members and a few heroes.
‘They were all afraid…’
Why were they afraid?
‘It’s different from Ridigion’s reaction.’
They admired or were jealous of the strength of Lydigion.
‘Because it’s a strength that can be understood.’
no matter how strong
The source of its power is martial arts.
That’s why they can respect the Lidigion.
The same goes for Yurnet and Siris Nihaku.
Their strength was situated in an understandable line.
You can think that maybe it could be that strong.
Even though I think it can never be done, I am convinced that it is possible for them.
‘Then, is Master different?’
reason to be afraid.
Because I can’t understand its strength.
Humans instinctively feel fear of the unknown.
up.
It is an extraterrestrial force.
In the first place, the system was just determining that it was karma.
It is not a true name, and karma may be part of its power.
‘Maybe I can become very strong.’
Weird imaginations spread all over the place.
There was only so much to do lying down anyway.
“Uhuhu….”
“Why are you splitting the thread? feel bad.”
“Hut!”
Aaron looked to the side, startled.
The boy was looking at his disciple as if he was pathetic.
Then he laughed.
“Did you just imagine being supreme?”
“yes? What are you saying…”
“Didn’t you just drink kimchi soup? I’m the strongest so blah blah blah. Come on, world. King Wangjjang’s body descended?”
“no!”
“Oops. I praised it once and it spread!”
“I’m sorry.”
Aaron lowered his head.
It was just as the master said.
He is discussing strength while not being able to properly handle this ability.
“What happened? It’s not a bad thing to have hope. Imagine it to your heart’s content Wouldn’t it be nice if it really happened?”
“I guess so.”
Aaron smiled.
The teacher was right.
0 and 1 are the difference between the sky and the earth.
Something that has no possibility of becoming stronger, and something that exists even slightly.
‘The fact that there is such a possibility makes me feel at ease like this.’
The 60 years in Aaron’s memory were a time of endurance and hell.
Days of recklessly swinging and stabbing spears with no guarantee of becoming stronger.
The more blood and sweat piled up, the more dried up the tears became.
It felt like the soul itself was disappearing.
But now it’s different.
It’s a little bit, but I have hope.
With that alone, Aaron could come alive.
“So you’re bored just lying down?”
“yes. It is.”
Second day of hospitalization.
My body itched.
If I go out on my own and get caught, the therapist will do an ‘experiment’, so I can’t even go out because I’m scared.
“I wonder if it’s time to talk about it. I found a suitable one.”
“What story are you talking about?”
“You want to know. About karma.”
Aaron’s expression hardened.
the boy continued.
“I’m not hiding anything, I’ll give you a hint.”
I wanted to tell you everything from beginning to end, not hints.
The boy interrupted him.
“Did I tell you everything? in your past you’re just forgetting I will never tell you twice.”
“Is that so.”
“Today, I will tell you about danger.”
“Risks?”
“You’re barely paying attention. At least the ability we use is not human power.”
The boy laughed single.
Although they were talking seriously, the teacher’s face remained the same with a smile.
“There was an interesting story on Earth. Where did you say it was a cartoon?”
The master pondered as if thinking of something, then nodded.
“That’s right. That’s right.”
“…?”
“There is a story called a 500 million year button.”
The master started talking.