WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: DereKimchi
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Abandoned Tank is a Disaster-class Awakener ◈
Chapter 29
──────
Fwoosh!
A faint cluster of light gathered in the center of the return room at the American Awakeners Association.
Soon, the light took the shape of a person.
Step.
Someone landed on the floor.
Snow-white hair.
A staff with cold energy swirling around it in one hand.
And a faint chill still lingered around her body.
It was Shin Hye-won.
“...I'm back.”
The first thing she said after returning.
She sounded as relaxed as if she had merely gone to the convenience store.
I let out a small laugh.
“Good work.”
Beside me, Miller adjusted his glasses and looked Hye-won up and down.
Then.
“Indeed!”
He gave a short exclamation.
Hye-won blinked.
“...Pardon?”
“When I first heard about you from Mr. Kang, I admit I had my doubts.”
Miller was honest.
“An Awakener whose combat ability was never properly recognized in Korea, and who was eliminated at the document stage of the special selection process.”
Hye-won's shoulders drew in slightly.
But what followed was different.
“Yet not long after coming to America, you broke the national record for the first floor.”
Miller raised one finger.
“You defeated the Guardian alone.”
A second finger.
“And you even claimed the throne.”
The corners of his lips slowly rose.
“There is a saying in the East, is there not? People of a kind flock together. As expected of the world's best Mr. Kang, even the Awakeners he recommends are something special.”
As expected of the chairman.
His skill at flattering both Hye-won and me into the sky was no joke.
Hye-won's ears immediately turned red.
“N-No, it's not like that. I just...”
She even lowered her head a little.
It was hard to believe she was the person who had just returned after defeating a Guardian alone.
And.
‘She's definitely different from before the regression.’
She was different from the cold White Witch I remembered, too.
“Seong-un prepared everything for me...”
Hye-won came toward me as she spoke.
Then she bowed deeply.
“Thank you again.”
Hye-won slowly raised her head.
“I never thought I could do something like this.”
Her voice was quiet.
But unlike before, it did not tremble with a lack of confidence.
“If it weren't for you, Seong-un, I would still think my ability was nothing special.”
“...”
“Thanks to you, I even had an Evolutionary Awakening.”
Hye-won looked down at the staff in her hand.
“I defeated a Guardian by myself.”
Then she added with a slightly embarrassed expression.
“And even set a record.”
I shook my head.
“It is true that I created the conditions for it.”
But.
“You were the one who defeated the Guardian, Ms. Hye-won.”
“...”
“So don't give me credit for that as well.”
Hye-won looked at me for a moment.
Then she smiled faintly.
“...Okay.”
Then, as if she had remembered something, she hurriedly moved her hands.
“Oh, right!”
She rummaged through her inventory.
But she was not used to it yet and kept grabbing at empty air.
“I-I have something to give you.”
What she finally took out was three sheets of paper in a familiar form.
The moment I saw them, I recognized them.
“Enhancement Tickets?”
“Yes.”
Hye-won held them out to me.
“...!”
I thought they might be Relic Enhancement Tickets, but surprisingly, all three were Skill Enhancement Tickets.
“All three of them... are Skill Enhancement Tickets?”
“Yes.”
“...”
For a moment, I was speechless.
I had opened several chests as solo-clear rewards, but I had only received a single Skill Enhancement Ticket.
The same was true of the rewards from the 28th floor.
Of course, I had obtained Snow Queen's Staff, but aside from the medal, the rest had been Relic Enhancement Tickets.
So I assumed the odds of getting Relic Enhancement Tickets were very high.
But what was this?
Hye-won had brought three Skill Enhancement Tickets.
‘As expected.’
There was nothing strange about the chests.
My luck had been the strange thing.
“...Why are you smiling?”
“I'm not smiling.”
“You just smiled.”
“I'm just feeling deflated.”
Miller, who had roughly grasped the situation, laughed quietly from beside us.
“So there was at least one talent Mr. Kang lacked.”
“...What is it?”
“Luck.”
“...”
I had no argument.
“And.”
Hye-won spoke again.
“This too.”
She held out her hand.
A small medal rested on her palm.
“...”
I knew better than anyone what it was.
“Just in case, let me say this.”
So I voiced my concern.
“You don't have to give me all the rewards you received. Whatever you need, Ms. Hye-won, you can...”
“Yes, I know. I'm giving it to you because I think you can make better use of it than I can.”
“...”
She was always embarrassed, yet she was good at expressing her opinion when it mattered.
So I naturally accepted the medal.
It bore the face of a hideous goblin one might see on the first floor.
And.
【Gorko's Medal】
Grade: miracle
Type: Possession Relic
Bound: Unbound
Effect: All Stats +10%
“Ah!”
Hye-won was not exaggerating when she said it would be useful to me.
Its effect was incredible.
All my Stats would rise by a full ten percent.
‘Is it a little special because it is a first-floor Guardian's medal?’
Even Verderaum's Medal, belonging to the Guardian of the 26th floor, only had an effect of +20 to Stats.
Of course, fixed numbers were more helpful when one's Stats were low, but it was obvious that percentage-based values were better in the middle and late stages.
Miller must have noticed that my reaction was unusual, because he came closer.
“Is it a good item?”
Without taking my eyes off the medal, I answered.
“...Yes. Very.”
“I'm glad you like it.”
Hye-won was also quite pleased by my reaction.
The three Skill Enhancement Tickets had already been surprising enough.
Then she had pulled out something like this at the end.
I slowly looked at Hye-won.
She blinked anxiously.
“...Why are you looking at me like that?”
“...It's nothing.”
They said one well-raised disaster was worth more than ten Vanguards.
The medal and miracle-grade relic had been worth the investment.
And this was not just a one-time thing. She would continue clearing the lower floors and bringing back rewards like these.
At this point, none of my previous investments felt wasteful.
No, the returns on that investment were simply absurd.
* * *
After clearing the first floor, Hye-won went to rest.
But Miller and I did not part ways. We immediately took the elevator down several floors.
It was the underground research area of the American Awakeners Association.
Ding.
As the doors opened, the first thing that hit my nose was the smell of medicine.
Alcohol.
Dried herbs.
Mana catalysts mixed with a strangely sweet scent.
And even a faint burnt smell.
“...That is quite a smell.”
“This is a potion research lab.”
Miller walked ahead.
“If you were expecting a pleasant fragrance, you will be disappointed.”
After passing through the security door at the end of the hallway, a spacious laboratory appeared.
Glass tubes.
Mana-measuring devices.
Multi-layered distillers.
Cultivation rooms that controlled temperature and humidity.
On one wall, herb samples brought from the Tower were stored by type.
The facility itself was impressive.
The problem was.
“...”
It was quiet.
Dozens of researchers in white lab coats were at their stations, but not one of them looked lively.
Some stared blankly at the same test tube.
Others flipped through formula sheets covered in failure marks.
In a waste bin in the corner, bottles of cloudy potions were piled high.
‘It looks like they have not made much progress.’
Just then.
“...Chairman?”
A man walked over from deeper inside.
He looked a little over fifty.
His thin face was pale, like someone who had not slept properly for several days, and patchy stubble covered his chin and cheeks as if he had stopped shaving halfway through.
His lab coat was wrinkled, and four pens were tucked into its breast pocket.
His hair was even worse.
It looked as though he had run a hand through it once, and it had stayed that way.
Miller raised a hand toward me.
“Allow me to introduce you.”
Then he pointed at the man.
“Dr. Jonathan Crawford. He is the head of this potion research lab.”
Crawford pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.
Miller added very naturally.
“He is skilled.”
A brief pause.
“His personality is a little eccentric.”
“...Chairman.”
“I only stated the facts.”
Crawford sighed deeply.
Then he looked at me.
Despite the dark circles beneath his eyes, his gaze was sharp.
“Mr. Kang Seong-un.”
“Yes.”
“This is our first time meeting in person.”
He offered me a handshake.
A faint herbal scent clung to his fingertips.
“But.”
After we shook hands, Crawford glanced around the laboratory.
“What brings the busiest Awakener in the world to such a shabby research facility?”
The facilities were far too good to call shabby, but his expression did not seem like mere modesty.
It was closer to self-mockery over a laboratory that had failed to produce results.
“Well...”
I was just about to answer.
「So you know it is shabby.」
“...?”
Crawford's expression stiffened.
Rustle.
A large mushroom cap suddenly rose behind my shoulder.
It was the Herb Spirit.
The moment it appeared, it sniffed the air.
Then its face twisted in disgust.
「Hmph.」
“...”
「Hmphhh.」
Crawford furrowed his brow.
“Is there a problem?”
The Herb Spirit stared at him for a long moment.
Then it clicked its tongue.
「The fact that you ask what the problem is means there are many problems.」
“...?”
「If a sick person knows their illness, they are already halfway cured.」
“...”
After saying that, it no longer paid Crawford any attention.
Hop.
It landed on the floor and headed straight for the nearest cultivation room.
Rows of herbs with red leaves were growing inside.
The Herb Spirit studied them for a while.
「Who is drowning these poor things?」
One of the researchers flinched.
“...Drowning?”
「You have not watered them. You have soaked them in water.」
“The optimal soil moisture level we measured is seventy-one percent.”
It was small, but its bearing was no joke, so the researcher naturally spoke politely.
The Herb Spirit stared at the researcher.
「And?」
“...Pardon?”
「Are you a grass root?」
“...”
「If you pour an amount of water suited to your own mouth onto a grass root and call it appropriate, do you think the grass would laugh or cry?」
“...”
The researcher fell silent.
The spirit pointed at the red leaves in the cultivation room.
「Crimson Flame Herb grows along fire veins. The fire energy held in its roots must dry out the soil once so that the impure energy escapes and its medicinal potency becomes clear.」
“Then should we reduce the watering schedule?”
「Once every two days.」
The spirit raised one finger.
「When the sun is setting.」
A second finger.
「Lukewarm water is forbidden.」
A third finger.
「Do not wet it up to the root crown. Let the water flow around the edges.」
The researcher hurriedly wrote it down on a tablet.
“Why around the edges?”
The Herb Spirit snorted.
「The water should seek the roots. Must you make the roots drown and flail in the water instead?」
“...”
It was already heading to the next place.
This time, it was a distilling apparatus where medicinal liquid was boiling.
A blue-green liquid bubbled inside the glass tube.
The moment it saw it.
「Hmph!」
The Herb Spirit's eyes widened.
「Turn off the heat!」
“...Pardon?”
「The heat!」
“We are maintaining the reaction temperature right now.”
「To hell with the temperature. Turn it off! That thing is dying!」
The researcher looked at Crawford in panic.
Crawford spoke briefly.
“Turn it off.”
Hummm.
The heating stopped.
The Herb Spirit let out a deep sigh.
「Goodness. You must have wracked your brains all night wondering why the medicinal effect dropped after boiling Azure-Meridian Herb so fiercely.」
Crawford's expression changed.
“You know Azure-Meridian Herb?”
As the head of the laboratory, he too naturally began speaking politely.
「You cultivate it while knowing it is an herb, then ask me whether I know it?」
“...”
「If I do not know it, what exactly did you grow? Ornamental grass?」
Crawford's beard twitched.
Miller laughed very quietly.
I pretended not to hear.
The spirit pointed at the liquid in the distiller.
「Azure-Meridian Herb has a mild cold nature, so if the heating process is excessive, its medicinal energy dissipates first.」
“The heating process?”
「The heat's intensity and timing.」
It spoke as if he were hopeless.
「What difference is there between brewing medicine without understanding heat and holding a knife while asking where its edge is?」
“...Please continue.”
Crawford had already begun taking notes with a serious expression.
「Do not boil it. Warm it. It should be hot when you put your hand in, but still bearable.」
“What would that be in an exact temperature?”
“An exact temperature?”
The Herb Spirit narrowed its eyes.
「The place of origin, moisture, and age of the ingredients all differ. How can you measure the world with a single number?」
“...”
「Still, since you like numbers, I can give you a standard. Start low, raise it slightly when the medicinal potency begins to release, and cut the heat the moment the scent changes.」
“The moment the scent changes?”
「When the grassy smell fades and a cool fragrance rises.」
Crawford immediately spoke to a researcher.
“Attach an aromatic compound sensor.”
“Yes!”
The Herb Spirit tilted its head.
「You leave even scent to machines?」
“Everyone's sense of smell differs.”
A brief pause.
「Hmm.」
It stroked its beard.
「That may be somewhat useful.」
Crawford's eyes flashed.
It was the first time the spirit had acknowledged a piece of modern research equipment.
But the joy did not last long.
The spirit picked up a formula sheet beside it.
「And what is this?」
“...It is a recovery potion formula.”
「You put this and this together?」
“Yes.”
「Do you wish to die?」
“...”
「Snow-Heart Leaf suppresses fire energy, while Crimson-Meridian Root boosts yang energy. One puts out the fire while the other throws on firewood. Do you think they will harmonize if you put them in the same pot?」
“According to the analysis, the conflict value was within the permitted range.”
「Not conflicting does not mean they complement one another.」
The Herb Spirit slapped the formula sheet down.
「Medicine does not end with merely not fighting. They must join hands and move in the same direction.」
Crawford paused for a moment.
“...Complement one another.”
「Yes.」
The spirit nodded.
「The monarch leads the chief herb, the minister supports its efficacy, the assistant suppresses toxicity, and the envoy guides the medicinal potency along its path.」
Crawford slowly repeated the words.
“Monarch, minister, assistant, envoy...”
「Putting in ten herbs does not make medicine ten times better.」
The spirit snapped its fingers.
「If ten generals give different orders, only the soldiers die. A medicine pot is no different.」
“...”
The laboratory fell silent.
Several researchers looked at one another.
Then.
Tap tap tap.
Fingers began moving at once.
Notes.
Records.
Formula revisions.
Scrape.
Crawford pulled a chair directly in front of the Herb Spirit.
“Then what is the biggest problem with our recovery potion right now?”
The Herb Spirit looked at him.
「Greed.」
“...Pardon?”
「You put in everything you thought was good.」
“...”
「You want recovery, detoxification, restored stamina, and improved mana all at once.」
The spirit clicked its tongue.
「Do you think you will become an immortal if you mix ten doses of tonic medicine into one bowl of rice? You will get an upset stomach.」
Sounds of suppressed laughter came from around the laboratory.
But Crawford did not laugh.
Instead, his eyes shone.
“Then should we separate them by purpose?”
「Now you are finally making sense.」
“Separate lines for basic recovery, removing fire toxin, suppressing bleeding, and recovering mana?”
「Yes.」
The Herb Spirit stroked its beard.
「The claim that one miracle medicine cures every disease is something a medicine peddler says. A true medicine sage looks at the illness and chooses the medicine.」
“...”
Crawford slowly nodded.
Then he suddenly turned around.
“Formulation team!”
“Yes!”
“Stop every existing composite recovery-agent project.”
The laboratory stirred.
“Separate them by effect and redesign them. Reverify all heating conditions for Azure-Meridian Herb.”
“Understood!”
The laboratory, which had seemed dead just moments ago, slowly began to awaken.
The Herb Spirit looked at the scene and nodded with satisfaction.
Then it spotted a cultivation tank in the corner and frowned again.
「Who planted that thing?」
“...Why?”
「Did you plant Yin Herb in the middle of direct sunlight and pray for it to grow well?」
A researcher cautiously spoke.
“We adjusted it to the wavelength with the highest photosynthetic efficiency.”
「Oh, dear!」
The Herb Spirit closed its eyes.
It did not say anything for a while.
Then.
「Do you think something that does not like sunlight will enjoy receiving the best possible sunlight?」
“...”
「Imagine you are trying to sleep while the finest musician in the world beats a drum beside your ear all day.」
“...That would be miserable.”
「It is the same for that thing.」
“...I will lower the light intensity.”
「Half. And reduce the blue light. Create shade.」
“Yes.”
Now, no one argued.
Instead, each time the spirit opened its mouth, the researchers gathered around first.
“What about this?”
「Why use the stem? Use only the leaves.」
“And this?”
「If you dry it three times, its medicinal potency dies. Stop when it is half-dried.」
“What about this root?”
「If you put that in your mouth, you will have diarrhea for three days.」
“...We will dispose of it.”
「Why throw it away?」
“...Pardon?”
「Even poison becomes medicine if you know how to use it. Store it separately.」
“...”
The researchers' eyes widened one by one.
Some of them were smiling.
They looked as if puzzle pieces that had been blocked were falling into place before their eyes.
I watched them for a while.
Then something occurred to me.
“Ah!”
At my exclamation, Crawford finally turned around.
“Come to think of it, I have not shown you what I brought yet.”
“...What did you bring?”
“This.”
I opened my inventory.
Then.
Thud.
I set herb pouches down on the floor one by one.
The Herb Spirit glanced at them and spoke.
「Now we are finally getting to the point.」
Crawford looked at the pouches.
“What are these?”
“Herbs gathered on the 28th floor.”
“...The 28th floor?”
I opened a pouch.
Whoosh.
Cold energy flowed across the laboratory floor.
Blue Ice-Snow Herb.
Silver Cold Dew Flower.
Frost-covered Cold-Meridian Leaf.
Warm-Meridian Root.
And all sorts of other cold-natured medicinal ingredients.
The researchers approached one by one.
“I have never seen this species.”
“The mana reaction is high.”
“Wait, do not touch it directly.”
“Preservation team!”
Among them, I took out one small storage case separately.
Click.
The lid opened.
A transparent blue fruit.
Cold energy slowly swirled inside it, as if a small blizzard were trapped within.
It was Ice Crystal Fruit, one of the rare herbs.
“...”
Crawford's eyes widened.
The Herb Spirit stroked its beard.
「It bears fruit only after feeding on cold energy for nearly a hundred years where cold meridians gather.」
Crawford asked almost in a whisper.
“What is its effect?”
「You ask about the effect first again.」
“...Then what should I ask first?”
「You should ask how to handle it.」
The spirit pointed at the Ice Crystal Fruit.
「Preserving treasure is harder than obtaining it. The moment that thing is picked, its medicinal potency begins to leak away.」
“How should it be stored?”
「Keep it cold. But do not freeze it.」
“Airtight?”
「Do not.」
“Vacuum-sealed?”
「Especially not.」
“...Why?”
「Do you want to suffocate the living cold energy to death?」
“...”
Crawford immediately shouted.
“A ventilated low-temperature storage container!”
“We will prepare one!”
「Do not use metal.」
“No metal!”
「Wood will not do either.」
“No wood either!”
「Ceramic is best.」
“Ceramic container!”
“...”
I laughed in disbelief.
Now, whenever the Herb Spirit spoke, Crawford translated it directly into modern research instructions.
“And you may research all of these as well.”
“A-All of them?”
“Yes.”
Crawford stopped.
The researchers around him also looked at me all at once.
“As for the formulas.”
I pointed at the Herb Spirit.
“That one probably knows them well.”
The Herb Spirit snorted.
「Do I merely know them? Even if you boil pots for your entire lives, there are countless things you will never understand.」
“...”
Crawford's eyes gleamed.
“Will you really teach us all of it?”
The spirit looked at him.
Then it spoke slowly.
「I can teach you.」
“Thank you.”
「However.」
“...?”
「The question is whether your brain can keep up.」
“...”
Crawford did not get angry.
“...Ha ha!”
Instead, he laughed.
It was a laugh I had never seen before.
“I suppose we will have to experiment to find out.”
The Herb Spirit's eyebrows rose slightly.
「Oh?」
For the first time, it looked pleased.
「That is a rather medicine-crazed thing to say.」
“I am a researcher.”
「They are similar.」
“...”
Crawford turned around.
Then.
“Everyone, attention!”
His booming voice echoed through the laboratory.
“We are reprioritizing every existing project!”
The researchers began moving.
“Analyze every new ingredient from the 28th floor!”
“Yes!”
“Call in the cultivation, preservation, and pharmacology teams!”
“Yes!”
“Reverify every existing formula from the beginning based on this person's explanations!”
The Herb Spirit bristled.
「Who are you calling this person?」
“...Then what should we call you?”
The spirit stroked its beard.
After thinking for a long time.
「Call me Elder Medicine Sage.」
“...Understood, Elder Medicine Sage.”
「Good.」
It nodded with satisfaction.
「You finally understand proper etiquette.」
“...”
From that moment on, the laboratory changed completely.
Until moments earlier, these people had been hanging their heads among failed potions and discarded formulas.
But now.
“Assign sample numbers to the Ice-Snow Herb!”
“We have established low-temperature conditions for the Cold-Meridian Leaves!”
“Elder Medicine Sage! Please look at this formula too!”
「Form a line! Even medicinal veins have an order, so why are humans so impatient?」
“We have been stuck for three hours!”
「If you have waited three hours, can you not wait three more breaths?」
“We cannot!”
「Hmph. You are all mad for medicine.」
“...That is praise, right?”
「Half of it.」
Laughter broke out throughout the laboratory.
Beep beep beep.
Analysis equipment ran.
Medicinal ingredients were moved.
New formulas were written.
The researchers' voices constantly passed back and forth.
It was a completely different space from before.
And at the center of that change was the Herb Spirit.
「Did I not say that is not the right ratio!」
It sat on a tall chair, scolding three researchers at the same time.
“Isn't it seven to three?”
「Not seven. Six and a half! Do you think medicinal potency drops off as though cut with a knife?」
“Record six point five to three point five!”
「And add that one last! If you add it before the chief herb, will the assistant herb not act like the master?」
“Order revised!”
“...”
Watching them move in perfect unison at the Herb Spirit's words, it seemed that American potion research would advance much faster than I had expected.
Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried
