96.
‘What should I do?’
Sehun pondered for a moment. He understood what Jian was worried about.
Certainly, using an ability that utilized another person’s blood had plenty of potential for problems. If it became known that he absorbed life force, he might even be treated like a monster.
Mind control and enchantment were also abilities most Hunters avoided. This was due to the fear that such skills might be used against them as well.
That’s why Sehun had tried to use the Bloody skill as little as possible. Even when he used it to learn about the skill’s characteristics, he only used his own blood.
However, the problem was his current condition. With his mana and physical strength greatly reduced, it was difficult to control his sanity.
“Recovery potions don’t work on me.”
It was a secret difficult to tell anyone, but if it was Jian, he could tell him everything.
Also, thinking about it, if Jian knew he had a fatal weakness, his heart would soften even more, and he would certainly not think of abandoning him.
It wasn’t bad to think that he now had one more reason to bind Jian to him.
“What do you mean?”
In response to this bombshell statement, Jian’s mind went blank. Recovery potions don’t work?
He himself had suffered for a long time because regular recovery potions had no effect, as his life force was consumed each time he used a skill.
“The wound recovery potion worked though.”
Jian’s eyes widened as he muttered to himself. With a feeling of dread, he gripped Sehun’s arm tightly.
“Is it that mana recovery potions don’t work on you? Or physical strength recovery potions?”
“Both.”
This can’t be.
Jian’s lips curled inward at the words he didn’t want to believe. One hypothesis formed in his mind.
Seonghyun, who said his spilled blood had disappeared. Sehun with his blood-related skill. A body unaffected by recovery potions. And in the original story, people who were found dead with their blood drained wherever Sehun passed by.
Could it be that in the original story, Sehun drained people’s blood to recover his mana and physical strength instead of using recovery potions?
If that was true, then Sehun had a serious weakness, no less than his own. One that could harm the lives of others.
Now he understood Sehun’s strange behavior all this time. When everyone was eagerly drinking recovery potions, Sehun always hesitated.
He would only force himself to swallow a few bottles when Jian told him to. He never imagined that it was because they had no effect.
So even in the original story, Sehun wasn’t simply crazy for slaughter but did it to survive.
Jian pressed his palm against his forehead. A headache like dozens of needles stabbing his temples arose.
“Did you really absorb Seonghyun’s blood?”
He still hadn’t received a definitive answer. Sehun met Jian’s eyes and nodded slightly.
“Did it have an effect?”
“I recovered a little. I didn’t do it on purpose. …When I saw the blood, I couldn’t control myself.”
Jian felt various emotions as he watched Sehun, who added in an uncharacteristically timid voice.
Relief that he found out now, a sense of reassurance that perhaps his ability was meant for Sehun, and even sympathy for the Sehun in the original story who had no choice but to become a villain.
“Just a moment.”
He had thought that someday he would have to use this ability.
However, he had also wondered if that day would ever come, given the presence of recovery potions and those who played the role of healers.
Above all, it was true that he had been too afraid to use the skill recklessly since it recovered others’ physical strength and mana at the cost of his own life force.
“Cooking Porridge for Others’ Benefit.”
This was the name of the skill he was using for the first time. It was also the skill with the shortest cooldown time among Jian’s skills. It could be used again after just 5 minutes.
As he activated the skill, the background before him turned gray. He selected Sehun, who appeared in lime-green, and used the skill. Immediately, Sehun’s appearance was tinged with blue light.
It was a skill that restored the target’s physical strength and mana by ten times the amount of life force he used.
Not knowing how much to recover, he tried using 300,000 life force. At that moment, Sehun’s expression changed strangely.
He looked back and forth between Jian and his own body with disbelieving eyes.
“Did your mana and physical strength recover?”
Although he could tell from the expression alone, he asked to make sure.
“How did you do that?”
Sehun’s complexion became serious. As far as he knew, Jian’s life force decreased every time he used a skill.
A skill that restores someone else’s physical strength and mana? And it had instantly recovered 3 million of both.
When he absorbed Seonghyun’s spilled blood, his mana and physical strength had only recovered by about 10,000.
“I never knew why I awakened this skill until now.”
Jian smiled gently and stroked Sehun’s head. Unlike when he was young, now he had to slightly raise his heels, but seeing the worried face, he realized some things never change despite the years.
“I can restore someone else’s physical strength and mana by ten times the life force I consume. I’ve never used it before though.”
How fortunate that he had this skill. Because now he wouldn’t have to watch Sehun sacrifice others due to recovery potions not working on him.
There were many people in this world who deserved to die. Header Researcher was a prime example. Those who experimented on children deserved to die hundreds of times over.
Jian didn’t mind if Sehun killed such people, but he feared that Sehun might become numb to killing people at some point.
Although Sehun always tried to show his best side in front of him, Jian vaguely sensed that Sehun’s inner self was different from his appearance.
It wasn’t just based on his obsessive behavior toward him.
It wasn’t a normal mindset to think about consuming the hyung who raised him as soon as he became an adult, but there were moments when Jian realized there were even deeper cracks hidden.
If he had been just a little late in finding Sehun, Seonghyun could have been found in a much more critical condition than what he had just seen.
Because he knew that to Sehun, people other than Jian weren’t very important.
“So Sehun, try not to use that ability unless absolutely necessary. Especially draining other people’s life force should only be done to bad guys. People like Header Researcher.”
“…Won’t it strain your body?”
Despite Jian’s words, Sehun couldn’t hide his anxiety. A skill at the cost of Jian’s sacrifice.
He would much rather be in danger himself than have Jian get hurt. As for physical strength and mana, as Jian said, he could recover them by using people who deserved to die.
“You have life force recovery potions. And you have 10 million life force. Your life force value is high because you don’t have physical strength or mana.”
He had never told even Hyunwoo the exact amount of his life force. The 300,000 just reduced could be quickly recovered by drinking a life force recovery potion.
All this time, he had thought his skills were all show and no substance, but the recovery skill was quite useful.
If Sehun’s physical strength and mana were each about 5 million like other S-rank Hunters, Jian could fully recharge them multiple times.
“Still, don’t overdo it.”
Sehun embraced Jian and quietly pleaded while rubbing his forehead against Jian’s neck.
He had wanted to protect Jian when he became an adult. When he awakened as an S-rank Hunter, he thought the moment he had dreamed of for a long time had come true.
But even now, he still remained someone who needed Jian’s protection.
That fact made him angry, sad, and irritated, but learning that he was the first person Jian had used his skill on somewhat calmed his churning emotions.
“Use your ability only on me. Other people don’t matter anyway.”
The kind-hearted Jian would undoubtedly sacrifice himself without hesitation for others when the moment came that he needed to use his ability.
Just imagining that made his head throb painfully. Both Jian and his life force should all belong to him.
“I will.”
Jian embraced Sehun in return, as if soothing his anxiety. As Sehun said, others could use recovery potions, and there were people besides himself who could restore their physical strength and mana.
Why hadn’t this body and Sehun met in the original story? If they had, perhaps Sehun wouldn’t have committed acts sacrificing so many people.
Jian bit his lip at this thought that crossed his mind. The original story had already changed. Sehun, who was hugging him tightly, was no longer a brutal villain.
He was a precious younger brother whom he had raised with love since he was ten years old.
Reminding himself of this unchangeable fact, Jian steeled his heart. The two separated when the barrier disappeared.
