Chapter 12
Opening the door, I stepped into the living room to find my younger sister watching TV.
She was snacking on the chips I bought while watching a variety show. As I stared at her, she glanced at me.
“Why are you staring like that? Got something to say?”
“······.”
“Ah, just spit it out already.”
“It’s nothing.”
“Ugh, why make me curious for no reason!”
Seriously, her temper is no joke.
When I told her I was stepping out for a bit, she asked me to bring her back some snacks. Watching her munch on chips, I teasingly told her she’d turn into a pig if she kept eating like that, then quickly ran out of the house.
The future me can deal with the aftermath.
I sat down on a bench in the park near my house, accessed the Black Market app on my phone, purchased the necessary ingredients, and posted a request for an elixir. It wasn’t long before a Black Market employee arrived.
“Han Ji-an, it’s been a while.”
“Didn’t we see each other just yesterday?”
“That was just lip service.”
She extended her hand to me, and I handed her the 【Essence of Origin】. She looked at it with an intrigued expression.
“This is quite a rare item, and it’s genuine.”
“I’m counting on you to handle this well.”
“I’ll deliver it to the manufacturer right away.”
With that, she bid me farewell and vanished in an instant.
Like the wind, she came and went.
“Yes, ma’am. I’ve retrieved the item.”
“Good. Bring it here immediately.”
Before long, the employee entered the office and handed me the 【Essence of Origin】.
“Are you sure this is okay?”
At her words, I raised a finger to my lips and smiled, nodding.
“By tomorrow, it’ll be all over the news. Don’t worry. A sufficient payoff will silence them. They’ll accept it.”
“Understood.”
With that, the employee left the office, and I waved her off before heading to a bookshelf. Pulling out a book, the sound of machinery whirring followed as a hidden passage slowly opened.
Inside was a collection of various rare materials, including dozens of elixirs known to be highly valuable.
“It’s not time yet.”
I placed the 【Essence of Origin】 in an empty slot and stepped out as the door closed behind me.
“If he heals his sister now, he wouldn’t climb the tower anymore, right? Or worse, what if he dies and I’m left to follow after him?”
I’ve seen such futures play out too many times. I can’t let it happen again.
Sinking into a plush sofa, I checked the Hall of Fame and confirmed that the future had changed.
【Hall of Fame】
【7th Floor Rank 1 Clear Time: 5 minutes 12 seconds】
【7th Floor Rank 2 Clear Time: 3 hours 58 minutes 52 seconds】
【7th Floor Rank 3 Clear Time: 4 hours 27 minutes 42 seconds】
In a good direction, at least.
This is the first time I’ve seen a future like this.
Originally, the elixir could only be obtained on the 30th floor or higher, but in this life, he got it on the 7th floor.
Maybe this time, I can protect them.
‘Don’t worry about the elixir for Sister-in-law. When the time comes, I’ll gift it to you myself.’
By then, it should be fine to regain my abilities.
The next day, shocking news came to me.
【Breaking News】 A manufacturer active in the Black Market has suddenly disappeared.
└ Didn’t they have a good reputation?
└ Did they take the elixir ingredients and run?
└ This kind of scam is common in this field.
└ If it’s an elixir, that’s understandable. It’s worth a fortune.
└ The client is the real victim here.
The news that the manufacturer I requested had disappeared froze me in place.
“T-then, what about my elixir···?”
My hands and feet trembled, and tears began to flow.
What’s going to happen to my sister’s elixir?
【Master?!】
As I panted, Veronica anxiously tried to comfort me, but my mind was blank.
Ah, come to think of it, isn’t this something Veronica might be able to handle?
When I asked Veronica if she could catch him, she shook her head.
【I can’t track a dead human.】
“D-dead?”
【Yes, I can’t sense his energy.】
As she apologized, saying she was sorry, I hugged her tightly. Afraid my sister might overhear, I stifled my sobs and silently wept.
I cried until I was on the verge of exhaustion, and then I heard the sound of a phone ringing.
Desperately clinging to even a sliver of hope, I checked my phone. It was a call from a Black Market employee.
I frantically answered and screamed, asking what had happened to my elixir, but it was no use.
Apparently, the manufacturer I had found through the Black Market wasn’t technically affiliated with them but was more like a freelancer.
“We feel deeply sorry about what happened, so we’ve prepared compensation.”
“C-compensation…? I don’t need that! Just give me the elixir!”
“We can’t procure the elixir, but we will cover all the costs of your sister’s treatment. It can begin as soon as tomorrow.”
“······.”
The call ended with them saying they had already scheduled an appointment at Korea University Hospital, where the best medical professionals in the country were waiting for my sister. Shortly after, I received an alert from my banking app.
The amount needed for my sister’s rehabilitation had been deposited into my account. I had no words.
【Should I take care of them?】
“No, it’s fine.”
If I had to lay blame, technically, the manufacturer… that bastard was at fault. But since he’s already dead, was there a greater force behind this?
I couldn’t figure it out. My brain, never the sharpest, was working even slower than usual.
Still… at least my sister could receive rehabilitation treatment.
- ··Damn it.
As I composed myself and stepped into the living room, my sister asked if something had happened.
“Get ready. Starting tomorrow, you’ll be going to the hospital.”
“Huh? What hospital?”
“You’re starting rehabilitation treatment.”
Her eyes widened as she stared at me, demanding an explanation with her gaze.
“Well… some money came in, so I booked the hospital. Don’t argue and just go get treated.”
Thanks to the advances in science brought about by magic stones, rehabilitation can help her walk again.
It’s outrageously expensive, though.
If I had the elixir, she wouldn’t have to endure painful rehabilitation, and she could regain her abilities along with her legs, but there’s no helping it now.
“Wait, where did you get that kind of money? It’s only been a few days since you started climbing the tower.”
“I had a windfall. Now stop questioning me!”
As I ruffled her hair playfully, causing a commotion, my sister, who would normally protest or curse at me, was unusually quiet today.
Instead, she looked at me with teary eyes.
“Why… Why would you go this far for my treatment?”
What should I say?
No, the answer was already decided.
“Because we’re family.”
I’m 23 years old.
To take care of my injured sister and live together, I’ve done just about every job imaginable.
What does that mean? It means I can drive.
To accommodate my sister, who feels uncomfortable around strangers, I rented a car, helped her into the passenger seat, fastened her seatbelt, and started the engine. She looked at me nervously.
“Um… are you sure this is safe?”
“Don’t you trust me? I’m a licensed driver, you know.”
“Is that supposed to be good?”
“There are two types of licenses—Class 1 and Class 2. And 2 is higher than 1, obviously! It’s great!”
“Is it… really?”
Let’s see. The left pedal is the brake, and the right one is the accelerator, right?
It’s been a while since I last drove, but I trust my instincts.
Wait, why isn’t the car moving?
Oh, I forgot to shift gears.
As the car began to move slowly, my sister clung tightly to the handle next to her seat.
Does she not trust her brother?
“Let me tell you again—”
“Ahhh! Look ahead! Ahead! Watch where you’re going!”
“Hey! I’m talking here. Why aren’t you listening?”
“Please just look ahead, you lunatic!”
To think there’d come a day when my sister would call me a lunatic.
When she was five, she used to follow me around everywhere, saying how much she loved me…
Sigh, raising a sister is a thankless task.
After a nerve-wracking drive, we finally arrived at the hospital. My sister, looking like a completely different person from when she got in, scowled.
“I’m not riding in your car on the way back.”
“Then how are you planning to get home?”
“I’ll call an accessible taxi!”
Ignoring her screams, I helped her into a wheelchair and wheeled her into the hospital. As soon as I spoke to the receptionist, she asked us to wait, and moments later, a team of medical staff rushed over to us.
“Are you Han Min-ah and her guardian?”
“Yes, yes, that’s us.”
“Welcome. Please follow us.”
With an escort of twelve medical professionals, we went through a series of comprehensive tests. When it was over, they explained the results to us using a monitor. Their words were hopeful.
They said she could fully recover through rehabilitation treatment.
Perhaps I felt relieved that all my efforts hadn’t been in vain.
In front of my sister, I grabbed the doctor’s hands and wept.
“Thank you… Thank you so much…”
—
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