Chapter 14
“Uh, uh uh? Uh uh uh!”
The middle-aged man who made eye contact with Kang Taehan reacted in three stages.
He was surprised to see Kang Taehan, surprised again to see his friend lying below, and surprised once more to see that Kang Taehan looked perfectly fine.
“What the! When did you come up?!”
“You came up here alone? Carrying a grown man?!”
“No, I mean… How is that even possible?”
The reactions of the others weren’t much different.
All they could do was stare at Kang Taehan and the injured person lying below with wide eyes, alternating their gaze between the two, and letting out gasps of admiration.
“…Student. Are you by any chance a special forces soldier or something?”
“Hey. Even if he were special forces, how is that even possible?”
“Then what is he? A rhythmic gymnast?”
“No… A magician?”
“Oh, will you guys stop? Is that really important right now?”
While they were busy making absurd guesses among themselves, one man from the group stopped them and stepped forward.
He was the most well-mannered looking one, and seemed to be the leader of the group.
“Student, thank you so much, really, truly thank you.”
He took off the hiking cap he was wearing and bowed his head in gratitude.
Both his voice and actions expressed sincere gratitude.
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After the rescue, the man was transported with the help of the mountain rescue team that arrived late.
It seemed that he had lost consciousness due to a concussion, but they said that because the rescue was swift, there was no need to worry too much.
Thanks to Kang Taehan’s efforts, the rescue process was skipped, and they were able to transport the patient immediately.
Of course, there was a scolding from the rescue team member who said, “You shouldn’t do this again.”
“Student. Thank you once again.”
“I don’t know how to repay you.”
Four of the group went down the mountain with the injured man, but the other two remained with Kang Taehan.
It was the gentle man who had expressed his gratitude first, and the rather lighthearted man who had asked if Kang Taehan was in the special forces.
At their repeated thanks, Kang Taehan smiled slightly and waved his hands.
“Don’t mention it. I’m really fine. More importantly, how did your friend fall down the hill?”
“He’s a friend who loves photography… It seems like he fell while taking pictures. I didn’t see it myself, though.”
“He definitely fell while taking pictures. I saw him slip while holding his camera. Tsk. Of all places, why there?”
He clicked his tongue, scolding his absent friend.
It had been such a careless act that he would have deserved a smack on the head if he hadn’t been injured.
“By the way, we haven’t even introduced ourselves.”
“Oh, my business card… Ah, here it is.”
As if they had just remembered, the two men each handed Kang Taehan a business card.
『Baek Hospital Director Park Hoyeon』
『Gongju Country Golf Club Owner Jo Wonho』
Kang Taehan felt a sense of wonder as he checked the business cards.
To be honest, they were quite impressive titles for people he had met while hiking.
Especially the latter, as he seemed like a typical neighborhood “ajusshi”, perfectly fitting the image.
“If there’s anything I can do to help, please don’t hesitate to contact me. Anything at all.”
“My hospital may not look like much, but it’s quite successful. And I… Well, I can lend you money if you need it.”
“…Can you not joke around even at a time like this?”
“I’m not joking?”
The playful scolding and responses exchanged between the two friends were familiar and natural.
It seemed like they had been close for quite some time.
Then suddenly, as if he had just remembered, Jo Wonho clapped his hands.
“Right. Student, do you like to drink?”
“Alcohol? I don’t dislike it, but…”
“That’s great! Wait just a moment.”
Before Kang Taehan could even refuse, Jo Wonho put down his backpack and started rummaging through it.
Soon, a water bottle filled with brown liquid emerged.
“This is bellflower liquor, and it’s really good for you.”
“…Where did you get this?”
Just a moment ago, Kang Taehan was about to wave his hand and decline.
But the moment he saw the bottle that came out of the backpack, his eyes changed subtly.
To be more precise, it was from the moment he sensed the energy emanating from it.
“This? You can’t buy this even if you have money. I dug it up myself and made this liquor. There are only a few bottles of this in the world.”
Jo Wonho said, patting his chest.
He seemed to be in a good mood, pleased with Kang Taehan’s reaction.
“May I have a taste?”
“Huh? Well, I took it out to give it to you, so there’s no problem… You seem to really like alcohol?”
Jo Wonho said, sounding surprised by Kang Taehan’s eagerness.
Until then, Kang Taehan had given off a calm and composed impression.
Meanwhile, Kang Taehan received the bottle, immediately opened the lid, and poured a little bit of the liquor.
The quality of the liquor itself wasn’t that high.
As is often the case with homemade liquors, it was just about average.
But that didn’t matter.
The reason Kang Taehan was surprised earlier wasn’t because of the quality of the liquor.
‘It’s more than I expected.’
A small amount of liquor sloshed at the bottom of the cup.
However, the energy that emanated from it filled the cup, boasting its presence.
It was the clearest Spiritual Energy he had felt since returning to the modern world.
‘With a bit of exaggeration, you could even call this an elixir.’
Elixir.
Literally translated as a spiritual medicine.
It refers to a medicine that possesses spiritual energy, and simply consuming and absorbing it into the body can grant one years, even decades, worth of internal energy.
Most of them are just inferior goods with fancy names and no real effects, but elixirs made from rare ingredients like thousand-year-old ginseng or the core of a spiritual creature possess such powerful effects that they can cause a stir throughout the entire Murim.
Of course, this bellflower liquor wasn’t enough to be called an elixir.
It certainly contained Spiritual Energy, but that was it.
If he had tried to sell this as an elixir in the Murim, he might have been chased away as a con man.
But that was from the Murim’s perspective.
Considering that this was the modern world where the concept of Qi itself had become blurred, this level was more than enough to be called an elixir.
‘Let’s see.’
Kang Taehan carefully took a sip from the cup.
Tasting it directly, he could feel the presence of Spiritual Energy even more clearly.
Pure Spiritual Energy, reminiscent of the clear air of the morning mountains.
It was a unique feeling that could only be felt from medicinal herbs that had grown while absorbing Spiritual Energy.
‘…Good.’
The clear Spiritual Energy circulated within his body, naturally being absorbed.
The amount of Spiritual Energy itself wasn’t much, to the point where it could be absorbed naturally without even practicing breathing exercises, but the feeling of Spiritual Energy itself, which he hadn’t felt in a long time, was special.
It was to the extent that even the taste of ordinary homemade liquor felt fragrant.
“How is it? Not bad, right?”
Jo Wonho asked, watching Kang Taehan.
Kang Taehan smiled and slowly nodded.
“It’s good. You have every right to brag.”
“Hahaha. Everyone thinks it’s nothing special, but once they take a sip, their expressions change. I’m telling you, I don’t give this to just anyone.”
Jo Wonho burst into laughter, seemingly pleased with the honest compliment.
“You said earlier that you dug it up and made it yourself, right?”
“Hmm? Ah, yes I did.”
“Where did you dig it up, if you don’t mind me asking?”
It was possible that he had accidentally dug up a bellflower root with exceptionally high Spiritual Energy.
If so, this bellflower liquor with Spiritual Energy would be just a product of coincidence.
It wouldn’t be the only liquor made from that bellflower root, but it would still be a limited item.
But after tasting it, he could tell.
It was the land itself, the mountain itself where this bellflower root was dug up, that possessed a strong Spiritual Energy.
If that was the case, the possibilities were much greater.
After all, this was just a bellflower root.
Frankly speaking, it was a common medicinal herb, far from being an elixir.
What if he were to collect other medicinal herbs that grew on the mountain where this bellflower root was dug up?
What if, by any chance, he found wild ginseng?
It was an imagination that Kang Taehan couldn’t help but be interested in.
“…Why, why are you asking? Are you worried I dug it up from somewhere I shouldn’t have? It’s not like that.”
Meanwhile, Jo Wonho waved his hands with an awkward expression at Kang Taehan’s inquisitive questions.
He wondered if Kang Taehan, who hadn’t shown much interest even after being rescued, was misunderstanding something, now that he was being so proactive.
‘Collecting medicinal herbs or wild vegetables in the mountains is illegal!’ The warning signs he had seen throughout the hiking trail flashed through his mind.
Perhaps sensing his thoughts, Kang Taehan chuckled and shook his head.
“No, it’s not that. I’m just a little curious. My father also enjoys making liquor.”
“Ah, is that so? You should have said so earlier!”
Homemade liquor.
Jo Wonho’s expression brightened again as his hobby came up in the conversation.
“I thought he might like it if I dug some up for him.”
“I see. As I said earlier, I didn’t dig this up from here. I dug it up from a proper private property with permission.”
“Private property?”
“We have a friend who owns a lot of land. It’s his mountain.”
This time, Park Hoyeon answered instead.
He had been listening to the conversation from the side, and it seemed like he was getting bored just standing there.
“It’s in Gongju… Where was it? I don’t remember the exact address, but it’s a bit far from here, but it’s a manageable distance by car.”
“The name of the village is Ogok? Oryong? Anyway, there’s hardly anyone there, so the mountain path is a bit rough, but it’s great for digging up stuff like this.”
“I’d like to visit sometime. Could you perhaps introduce me to him?”
Jo Wonho grinned at Kang Taehan’s words.
“Of course. I’m sure he’d be happy to meet you.”
“He’s the one you just saved.”
“…Ah, I see.”
Kang Taehan nodded with a small exclamation.
It would certainly be better to ask the person he had helped than to ask a complete stranger.
It had been a coincidence, but if it were this kind of coincidence, he would welcome it any number of times.
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“Then I’ll be sure to contact you next time!”
“Give me a call if you ever want to play golf!”
“Yes. Have a safe trip down.”
Kang Taehan had to climb further up the mountain, and Park Hoyeon’s group was on their way down.
Kang Taehan gave a light bow and continued on his way.
‘It’s a good thing I didn’t just pass by.’
At first, he had wondered if he really needed to step in, if he was being unnecessarily nosy, but in the end, it was a good choice.
Kang Taehan recalled the business card he had just received.
Baek Hospital was a fairly large and famous hospital, within walking distance from his home.
He had no intention of boasting about his connections, but it wouldn’t hurt to know them, just in case his father needed to be hospitalized.
He had also obtained a bottle of bellflower liquor, which he could call an elixir, and found a possibility of securing more elixirs in the future.
It was a truly unexpected gain.
…But apart from that.
“Hmm.”
Kang Taehan looked down at his hands and wiggled them a couple of times.
These were the hands that had once shed the blood of others to survive, and created a sea of corpses and blood for revenge.
It would be pure hypocrisy to say that he was doing good deeds with these hands.
However.
“However… it doesn’t feel that bad.”
Helping someone and receiving gratitude, aside from the unexpected gains.
It was a more rewarding experience than he had expected.
