Janet — Part 1
Why is Janet here?
Well, it’s not all that strange for her to show up anywhere.
In the game, her first appearance was in the Colosseum, but this is several years before the game’s starting point.
‘Her character description clearly said…’
Janet had suffered from congenital psychic powers since she was a child.
She deeply despised mages and would even cause a commotion if she entered the Sun Mage Tower—it was one of the game’s events.
She was likely the victim of biological experiments.
By none other than the Sun Mage Tower Master, the one who always seemed so kind and friendly.
‘So this must be before she underwent those experiments.’
Using my [Insight] trait, I observed Janet.
There was only one visible and perceptible trait.
[Innate Qi]
It’s officially referred to as a unique trait.
It’s akin to Baek Sorin’s Heavenly Killing Star.
An irremovable and untransferable trait.
Bang!
“Ugh!”
“Watch out!”
A white flash flew past.
As it narrowly threaded through the gang members, chaos erupted among them.
The force was weak, likely due to insufficient mana being supplied at Level 0, but for an ordinary person, even a glancing hit could break bones.
“This is supposed to be a witch?”
Kim Chulkwon’s face twisted in confusion.
“More like a psychic or some sort of congenital ability user, right?”
“Where’d she come from?”
“We don’t know either. Go Junbeom’s the one who brought her here!”
Where did things go wrong?
In the game, wasn’t she discovered in the Dagger Gang’s territory?
The Dagger Gang, infamous for human trafficking without a shred of conscience.
They sold her to the Sun Mage Tower, where she endured biological experiments, escaped, and entered the Colosseum—eventually becoming the Janet I knew.
With these starting traits:
[Innate Qi][Mana Soul][Vajra Body][Shield Technique].
Kim Chulkwon turned to look at me.
“Superhuman, that’s not really a witch, is it?”
“No, she’s more like a congenital psychic ability user.”
“Thought so… But what do we do? She seems out of her mind. I’m not sure if we should even let her go.”
I stared into her empty, blue eyes.
Janet was blankly staring up at the ceiling.
Even now, she sporadically emitted flashes of light, releasing energy.
I knew why she was like this.
‘Mana depletion syndrome.’
Instinctively activating her Innate Qi to protect herself, Janet had run into a serious problem:
Innate Qi consumed an overwhelming amount of mana.
Although she had narrowly survived the immediate crisis, the mana consumption was so extreme that even nutrients meant for her brain were being converted into mana to fuel her ability.
She was hanging on by a thread.
If this continued for too long, she could die—or worse, become a vegetable.
“Do we have mana potions? Bring me one.”
“Pardon? Oh, yes. Right away!”
“Yes, sir!”
The gang members scurried off to fetch a mana potion.
It wasn’t even a low-grade potion, but a bottom-tier one.
When I gestured for them to open the prison door, the gang members hesitated, looking troubled.
“Well, the key to the cell… Go Junbeom’s the only one who has it.”
“What about the spare?”
“That too…”
“Of course. Just my luck.”
“Should I grab a cutter or—ugh!”
Right at that moment, Janet unleashed a burst of Innate Qi.
The gang member closest to the light projectile was struck, coughing up blood.
Terrified, the gang members stumbled back, pale-faced.
I waved my hand dismissively toward them.
“Step aside.”
When there’s no tool, you make do with what you have.
[Giant’s Strength][Vajra Body][Undying]
[Strength][Mighty Strength][Toughness]
My body began to grow.
Noticeably—by almost 10 centimeters.
The gang members stared in astonishment and fear, while Kim Chulkwon glanced at me with a confused expression.
I stepped forward decisively.
Reaching out with my thickened arms, I grabbed the iron bars.
And then, I pulled.
Creeeeaaak!
The bars screeched in protest.
The thick iron bars—almost as wide as an ostrich egg—began to bend.
A scene straight out of a movie or a video game.
The gang members stood slack-jawed, while Kim Chulkwon’s eyes widened in shock.
It was then that white light flared again.
Bang!
Janet’s Innate Qi struck me directly.
“Superhuman!”
Kim Chulkwon called out urgently.
Meanwhile, I spoke in a calm tone.
“Don’t panic. I’m fine.”
“Phew, that scared me.”
Kim Chulkwon quickly regained his composure.
After all, he’d seen me in action the night before.
Blocking a barrage of concentrated firepower and withstanding the attacks of other superhumans—
Someone like me shrugging off a mysterious light like this wasn’t surprising to him.
In stark contrast, the gang members now looked utterly overwhelmed.
Bending iron bars barehanded, tanking energy attacks with my body—
I must have seemed like a monster.
Or a superhuman among superhumans.
Pop!
Inside the cell, I opened the cap of the mana potion.
When I held it to Janet’s lips, she drank it obediently enough.
But nothing changed.
If anything, she emitted light more frequently, forcing me to take a few more hits.
“This is a problem…”
It was clear that she needed mana replenishment.
Only then would she regain enough clarity for us to talk.
And the environment needed to change.
The reason her Innate Qi was acting out was due to her self-preservation instinct.
Leaving her in this grim, oppressive cell meant that any mana I supplied would be converted into Innate Qi and immediately discharged.
“Mr. Kim. Get in touch with Manager Choi and ask for mid-grade mana potions—no, wait. That won’t work.”
The mid-grade mana potion I used to treat Seo Woojin came to mind.
It would be sufficient, but it also had side effects.
Specifically, it could lead to [Potion Dependency].
I had managed to work around it for myself, but I couldn’t risk giving Janet a dependency on potions.
What kind of idiot would ruin an SSR character like that?
“Get me 10 liters of saline solution, 10 low-grade mana potions, 3 demon crocodile hearts, and a Level 3 mana core. I’ll cover the cost.”
“What do you need it for?”
I nodded toward Janet.
“To treat her.”
“Understood.”
Carrying Janet in my arms, I left the prison.
Once we reached the top floor, I placed her on a bed in the executive quarters. Janet groaned faintly as she lay down.
Her Innate Qi continued to pulse out, preventing anyone from approaching. I waited for Manager Choi to arrive.
“Superhuman!”
Thankfully, he didn’t take too long.
As Manager Choi spotted Kim Chulkwon standing beside me, his eyes widened in disbelief.
“You’re with President Kim? What on earth happened yesterday?”
“The Iron Fist Gang betrayed him.”
“What?!?”
“So, I lent him a bit of help.”
“Ah, that explains it… Things outside are absolute chaos. A wanted notice might even be issued soon.”
A wanted notice?
Well, I did go a bit overboard in the police’s jurisdiction.
As I frowned, Kim Chulkwon bowed deeply.
“My apologies. This is all because of me…”
“It’s not your fault. They were after both of us from the start. A fight was inevitable.”
“For now, I, along with Director Seo Woojin, am trying to resolve things. We’ll do our best to prevent the wanted notice from being issued.”
“I’ll leave it to you.”
“That aside, what are these materials for?”
“I’m going to make an elixir.”
“An elixir? You’re going to grow even stronger here?”
“It’s not for me.”
Creating one by hand would require a lengthy and complicated process.
Fortunately, that wasn’t necessary here.
The lowest basement level housed a body modification facility.
All I had to do was feed the materials into the system, and it would produce the elixir.
The standard approach would be to put Janet in the machine and inject it directly into her body, but that was out of the question.
That would be biological experimentation.
Considering Janet’s relationship with the Sun Mage Tower in the game, this was absolutely unacceptable.
The completed elixir was a transparent solution with a faint reddish hue.
If this were the game, it would appear with a name like:
[Mana Core Solution]
It must be administered intravenously—drinking it would dilute its effects.
Carefully, I transferred the solution into an IV bag and hooked it up to Janet.
Flash!
Only then did I realize my mistake.
Janet’s Innate Qi had targeted the IV bag right next to the bed.
If Warrior Kim had used the Mana Core Solution, he would only need one liter—just a single IV bag for a day—to acquire a mana core.
But Janet?
‘It’ll take five days.’
That’s because she’s an SSR-tier character.
With Baek Sorin, I managed to recreate similar conditions to unlock her traits quickly, but Janet was different.
Since I wasn’t resorting to biological experiments, I was following the normal acquisition conditions, which would take a standard amount of time.
This meant I’d have to stay by her side for the next five days to ensure nothing went wrong.
‘Not a problem.’
I wasn’t the same person who used to collapse from internal injuries during training.
With my Vajra Body and Undying traits complete, I could stay awake and active for 365 days straight if needed.
Of course, I wasn’t about to push myself unnecessarily.
Clang!
I drew my Black Tiger Sword.
At the same time, a red line appeared, slicing through the air.
It was an attack signal revealed by my [Insight] trait.
I swung my sword carefully, like someone wielding a baseball bat.
Bang!
A loud crash echoed as a fierce impact shook my Black Tiger Sword.
‘Let’s think of this as training.’
Where else could I find such easy training?
All I had to do was watch and parry.
In five days, I should be able to gain the [Parry] trait.
If possible, I wanted to go a step further and learn [Deflection] to fulfill the conditions for becoming a Swordsmanship Expert, but that might be too ambitious.
At my current level, I could parry Innate Qi, but deflecting it was another story.
Bang! Bang, bang!
I focused entirely on training.
Kim Chulkwon, on the other hand, fidgeted nervously as he watched me.
“Superhuman, are you alright? Should I assist you?”
“No. You’ve got your own job to do, President Kim.”
“Excuse me?”
“Didn’t Manager Choi mention that there’s a chance a wanted notice might be issued? Take care of the aftermath of yesterday’s events. Work with Manager Choi, get help from Woojin if necessary, and don’t just clean up—use this opportunity to expand your influence to all of Gwanak-gu and Doksan-dong.”
“You’re saying that’s alright?”
“What choice do we have? If you don’t take it, the place will descend into chaos. It’s better for you to take on the burden than to let things spiral out of control.”
The higher-ups of both the Poison Gang and the Naked Gang were wiped out.
What happens next?
The beginning of a new Warring States Period.
With deteriorating public order as a bonus.
If someone had to take over Gwanak-gu and Doksan-dong, it was better for Kim Chulkwon to do it.
After all, his territory was essentially my territory.
“Understood. I’ll get started right away.”
“Please, Manager Choi, I’m counting on you as well.”
“Yes, Superhuman.”
Manager Choi moved immediately, in stark contrast to Kim Chulkwon’s slightly hesitant demeanor.
But then again, Manager Choi had seen enough of me to know that something like this wouldn’t hurt me.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
I cleared my mind of all other distractions and focused solely on Janet.
There was one slightly troubling issue, though.
While I could handle defending against her Innate Qi, managing other tasks at the same time was difficult.
Janet, who hadn’t eaten in quite some time, would starve to death if left alone.
So, I decided to call for backup.
“Teacher! It’s been so long!”
It was none other than Baek Sorin.
She had changed quite a bit in the weeks since I last saw her.
Much like me, she wore a tracksuit layered under a protective vest and carried a golf bag slung over one shoulder.
That wasn’t what mattered, though.
The real change was hidden in her heart—and her spine.
“Congratulations.”
The first thing I said to her made Baek Sorin beam brightly.
“I knew you’d notice, Teacher!”
“Huh? Notice what?”
“What’s going on?”
Kim Chulkwon, who had returned to give a progress update, looked utterly confused.
Baek Sorin cheerfully declared,
“I reached Level 3 yesterday!”
“W-what…?”
Kim Chulkwon’s shocked gaze turned to Baek Sorin.
It was no surprise.
He’d spent years managing the Iron Fist Gang, only reaching Level 3 after taking over the Geonwoobong facility thanks to my help.
Yet Baek Sorin had reached Level 3 in what felt like no time since her awakening.
Manager Choi glanced between me and Baek Sorin before letting out a dry laugh.
“The teacher and the student—what a pair of extraordinary people. Is this what they call being born with a silver talent spoon?”
“Ahaha, a silver talent spoon? That feels weird to hear. I’ve been told my whole life that I have no talent.”
“What’s your secret?”
“Uh… becoming Teacher’s student?”
“Hahaha! That must be the answer!”
Kim Chulkwon burst into laughter as well.
After all, his own situation was no different.
Baek Sorin joined in the laughter but soon stole a glance at Janet.
“And who’s that?”
Janet, lying on the plush bed, still emitted intermittent bursts of white light.
Flash!
At that very moment, a rough beam of light shot toward the IV bag.
I swung my sword and parried the beam.
“She’s a candidate to be my second student.”
“A candidate as your student?”
Baek Sorin’s eyes lit up with curiosity.
“That’s right. Like you, she has innate talent but can’t control it properly yet. I’m planning to accept her as a student and help her awaken her abilities.”
“Like me?”
“Yes, like you.”
“Wow!”
Baek Sorin let out a short cheer.
“But it’s going to take some time. First, I need to provide her with a new ability, and that’ll take about ten days.”
“That long?”
“All of that has to go into her first.”
I pointed at the IV bag, and Baek Sorin tilted her head in confusion.
“Doesn’t that take just one day? When I had the flu and got an IV, it started in the morning and was done by evening.”
“She needs to go through ten of those bags. At 12 hours per bag, it’ll take five days.”
“Oh… Isn’t there a way to speed it up?”
“Doing that could cause side effects.”
“Ugh, then it’s not worth it.”
Baek Sorin nodded firmly.
“Now I get why you called me, Teacher. You need someone to take shifts, right?”
“No.”
“Then?”
“I can manage the five days on my own just fine. The problem is feeding her and helping her wash. I can’t exactly bathe a girl myself, can I?”
“Ehh, couldn’t you just have anyone—oh, never mind.”
“Exactly.”
“Ugh. I could handle it though.”
“You’re not ready yet.”
Even though Baek Sorin had reached Level 3, getting hit directly by Innate Qi could still put her life in danger.
Baek Sorin pouted but then nodded enthusiastically.
“Alright! Since she’s my junior, I’ll take care of her!”
“Thank you.”
“Oh, it’s nothing to thank me for. It’s just part of my job!”
Baek Sorin immediately set off to bathe Janet.
It should be fine for a little while.
After all, Baek Sorin had the Nine Lives trait.
It nullified death once, so surely she wouldn’t get hit too many times in such a short span.
“Mommy!”
A sudden scream echoed from the bathroom.
Then came a dull thud.
Grabbing the Black Tiger Sword, I jumped to my feet and called out.
“Sorin! Are you alright?”
“I’m f-fine! Ugh, but this really hurts! I’ll be out soon!”
Moments later, Baek Sorin hurriedly carried Janet out, looking frazzled.
One side of her face was already bruising a deep purple.
“I thought I was going to die…”
And so, five days passed.
The final drop of mana core solution from the tenth IV bag fell.
At that moment, I unlocked the [Parry] trait.
And Janet finally woke up.
–TL Notes–
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