Trait Hoarder Novel Chapter 52: Bet (2)

Bet — Part 2

“Okay. Let’s do it.”

I nodded without hesitation.

Seo Woojin’s face lit up instantly.

“Really?”

“Yeah. But how many friends are we talking about? Even if I lose, I can’t treat dozens or hundreds of people.”

“It’s a small group. There are only four of them.”

Four?

Could it be…?

Several nas popped into my head.

Feigning ignorance, I asked,

“That’s fewer than I expected. Alright. Whether I win or lose, I’ll treat those four.”

“Really?”

“If they’re your friends, then they’re not complete strangers to , right? I can manage that much.”

“You promise?”

“I said I would. But who are they? I should at least know who I’m dealing with.”

“Hold on a second.”

Seo Woojin fumbled for his smartphone, hurriedly searching through it.

Finally, he pulled up a group photo and showed it to .

They were all around Seo Woojin’s age, early twenties.

Each one looked as handso or beautiful as if it had been planned.

And they looked familiar.

I couldn’t rember their nas or traits exactly, but they all shared sothing in common.

They were the ones who appeared as Seo Woojin’s lieutenants in Arcane Seoul, Episode 3.

“Looking pretty healthy.”

“They’re like —they wear sealing tools. Hyunju here wears a necklace, Seungyoon has a vest, and Myungjin wears a belt, like this.”

“Looks like they’re all from well-off families.”

“That’s how the Old Father’s Cult operates. They give their blessings first to anyone they think will benefit them.”

Seo Woojin’s expression hardened with clear hostility.

“It’s surprising so many of you got away unscathed. It wouldn’t be surprising if there was so kind of anti-Cult alliance forming by now.”

“It’s frustrating, but the Old Father’s Cult is just that powerful. You can hardly find a politician who hasn’t taken their money. Plus, they’re all tied up in family, school, and regional connections with other groups.”

That’s how they manage to openly devour mid-tier companies, as if it’s nothing.

They never touch the big corporations that could be a real threat.

Wait, hold on.

Didn’t that Paladin I t earlier, the son of Seungcheon Security, also get forcefully blessed?

“By any chance, do you know Lee Jaeyeol? The son of Seungcheon Security’s president—wasn’t he forcefully blessed too?”

“Yeah, he was. Just a little before . His family situation’s complicated. The president’s current wife is the daughter of a subsidiary company of the Myeongseong Group, but she’s his stepmother. She had a son of her own a few years later, and not long after that, the president’s son was forcibly blessed. There was a lot of gossip about it.”

What is this, the Middle Ages?

It’s like sending the eldest son off to a monastery to pass the family business to the younger one.

There’s a reason people end up so ssed up.

Seo Woojin pointed to each person in the photo, explaining.

“This is Lee Hyunju, the eldest daughter of BY Construction. This is Kim Seungyoon, the eldest son of Galaxy Mall, and—”

I stopped listening for a mont, my ears almost deceiving .

Galaxy Mall?

That’s where Baek Sorin awakens, fighting off zombies.

‘…Ah.’

It hit

like a flash of lightning.

The Old Father’s Cult had their hands in this as well.

As I ntioned before, the zombie crisis begins when zombies flood various parts of Seoul.

Two Galaxy Mall locations are overrun in the chaos.

I had thought it was just a coincidence, but now I see it wasn’t.

‘This is perfect.’

It’s like killing two birds with one stone.

I can train Baek Sorin, get a favor from wealthy families, and interfere with the Old Father’s Cult?

I couldn’t pass up an opportunity like this.

“Alright. I’ll treat all four of them.”

“As expected! I knew you could do it, Teacher!”

“It’s possible, but it won’t be easy. Don’t think it’s sothing I can just do on a whim. You rember how hard it was last ti, don’t you?”

“Of course. You really went through a lot that ti…”

Seo Woojin glanced at , gauging my mood.

He had impulsively suggested it, but now he was realizing how difficult it actually was.

“I’m sure I’ll win the bet, but I’m agreeing to this because you’re the one asking. Keep that in mind.”

“Heh, I feel like I’m going to win, though.”

“We’ll see. And just so you know, if I can treat Divine Fever, what makes you think I can’t get soone to Level 2 in three months? What level are you at now?”

“…Oh, right.”

“Start looking for a master craftsman to make

a magic armor set. And get in touch with those four—tell them we’ll et tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow? That soon?”

“The sooner we take care of things, the better. Also, tell your friends this: if I lose the bet, I’ll treat them for free. But if I win, they’ll have to pay a price.”

“Wait, you’re not just going to do it for free?”

“Nothing’s free in this world.”

Seo Woojin looked a bit disappointed.

Did he really think I’d just offer my services for free?

Even if I was touched by his good heart, I wasn’t about to bend over backward for people I barely knew.

Seo Woojin scratched his head awkwardly and said,

“Ugh… I feel like a middleman now. Is there anything specific you want?”

“Just tell them I’ll ask for sothing reasonable. And make sure to ntion what your parents gave

before. That should ease their minds as long as I can actually cure them.”

“That’s true. As long as they’re cured, it’ll be fine.”

“Let them know and see if they’re available tomorrow. I assu you’ve already told them everything?”

“Actually, yeah. You told

to keep it secret, but they begged

so much that I couldn’t help it.”

Seo Woojin smiled bitterly, but at the sa ti, a weight seed to lift off his shoulders.

He must have been under quite a bit of stress.

I downed the rest of my iced Aricano and stood up.

“See you tomorrow. Where should we et?”

“How about my place? It’d be easier that way, and we wouldn’t have to worry about running into Cult mbers.”

“Works for .”

Baek Sorin and I left together.

This ti, we used the staff-only passage.

Although Baek Sorin had already submitted her resignation, her departure hadn’t been processed officially yet, so we could still use the employee exit.

As we walked out, Baek Sorin whispered.

“Teacher, were you the one who treated Seo Woojin?”

“I was.”

“How? I thought Divine Fever couldn’t be cured. I heard it could only be overco after awakening.”

“You’re right. I just helped him awaken.”

“Wow, that’s incredible… Ah, Teacher. Could you speak more casually with ? You talk so casually with Seo Woojin, but with , it’s a bit awkward.”

“Haha, alright.”

Had I earned a bit more of her trust after eting Seo Woojin?

Her expression had softened significantly.

Considering how wary she had been in the 3rd-floor lounge earlier, it was a huge improvent.

We parted ways after agreeing to et at Seo Woojin’s house.

The next day.

I arrived early, bringing along Manager Choi.

We were ahead of schedule, but Baek Sorin was already pacing anxiously in front of Seo Woojin’s house.

“Nice to et you.”

Manager Choi, ever professional, handed over his business card instinctively.

“I’ve heard all about you from Warrior Kim. So you’re his disciple. I’m Choi Sunsoo, and I assist Warrior Kim with various tasks. It’s a pleasure to et you.”

“Oh, thank you. It’s a pleasure to et you too.”

Baek Sorin smiled warmly as she accepted the card.

“Hehe, the pleasure’s mine, really. You’re his disciple, after all. A future Superhuman, no less! If you ever need anything, just call . I’ll drop everything and co running!”

“Oh no, I’m really not that talented… I don’t think I’ll ever beco a Superhuman.”

“That can’t be true! Warrior Kim wouldn’t have taken you on as a disciple otherwise, right?”

“As expected, Manager Choi knows

well.”

Vrrrr…

As we approached, the mansion’s front gate slowly swung open.

One of the house staff took my car keys to park it in the garage, while the three of us walked down the garden path into the main building.

“Wow!”

A small gasp escaped Baek Sorin.

She glanced around in awe.

The garden was in full bloom, even though sumr had just begun.

Though the weather was growing hot and muggy, the garden itself was an autumn paradise, filled with red and orange leaves.

Was the outdoor air conditioning running at full blast?

It felt like the entire climate of the garden had shifted into fall.

A cool, refreshing breeze blew through the trees, brushing past my forehead. The trees were all decked out in autumn leaves.

A waterfall cascaded through the air, turning into a stream that andered through the garden, its soft babbling fading into the distance.

Compared to my last visit, the scene was on a completely different level—an otherworldly beauty.

At the end of this srizing scene stood the President and his wife, along with Seo Woojin.

“It’s been a while, Teacher.”

The President bowed deeply to .

It was hard to believe this was the sa man who grumbled the first ti we t.

His wife smiled warmly.

“Thanks to you, life has been much more enjoyable lately. My husband even spent money on the garden, sothing he’s never cared about in his life, just because you were coming.”

“The garden is magnificent. It feels like stepping into a fairy tale.”

“Haha, doesn’t it? This is all the rage these days. It’s called climate control magic.”

“That must be expensive.”

“It’s worth it to welco the man who saved our Woojin. Please, feel free to enjoy your stay.”

“Thank you.”

Ah, money really is a wonderful thing.

The natural, cool breeze here was nothing like the artificial air from an air conditioner.

Soday, I’ll have to create a garden like this for myself.

With that thought in mind, I followed Seo Woojin to the drawing room.

There, four of his friends and their guardians were waiting for .

Their gazes were intense, as if asking, Are you really capable of curing our precious young masters and mistresses?

Ignoring their stares, I walked over confidently.

Maybe it was because none of them were from a security company, but their guardians were all fairly average.

All of them were Level 4.

To soone like , who had defeated Chairman Park Daeyeop, these people were nothing special.

“Nice to et you. Let’s sit and talk. I’m Warrior Kim.”

“Hello, I’m Lee Hyunju.”

“I’m Kim Seungyoon. Woojin has told

a lot about you. It’s an honor to et you.”

“I’m Chae Myungjin…”

After a brief round of introductions, I noticed Baek Sorin awkwardly standing off to the side, like a fish out of water. I motioned for her to sit down.

The Level 4 guardians looked at her with disdain, but so what?

I wasn’t here to play power gas, but it was clear who held the upper hand in this room.

“First, let’s make one thing clear. Everyone here was forcefully blessed by the Old Father’s Cult, correct?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Yes…”

“That’s true.”

“As you know, there’s only one way to overco Divine Fever. Unless you join the cult, you have to awaken as a Superhuman. Woojin went through the sa process. The result, as you can see, is that he beca a Level 5 Superhuman.”

All eyes turned to Seo Woojin, filled with admiration and awe.

His friends and their guardians were no exception.

After all, reaching Level 5 as a Superhuman was no small feat.

“However, I can’t guarantee that you’ll all reach Level 5 just because you awaken. Woojin’s case is special. He was blessed with elixirs from the mont he was born and probably drank them like water. He’s the heir to the two greatest sword sects, and after his awakening, all the elders from those sects must have rallied around him.”

“Of course.”

“I’d be happy just to get rid of this cursed vest.”

“Honestly, I don’t even care if I don’t beco a Superhuman. I just want to live like a normal person. Right now, this isn’t living—it’s torture.”

They all voiced their frustrations at once, practically shouting in desperation.

I clapped my hands to grab their attention.

“This is how my treatnt works.”

I explained in detail the thod I used to treat Seo Woojin.

How I used a Domain Shield to suppress the Divine Fever and engaged in combat training, helping him awaken his latent sword techniques.

I could replicate the resonance effect using [Black Fla].

After all, Divine Fever, Holy Fire, and Black Fla all stemd from the sa source—the Old Father.

The young ones looked horrified.

“Awakening through sothing like that?”

“If it works like that, wouldn’t everyone awaken just by sparring?”

“It’s impossible unless you’ve received the blessing. Actually, it’s only because of the Divine Fever that this thod works. Divine Fever enhances focus to an extre degree.”

I stared at the four of them, locking eyes with each one.

Their faces were sowhat familiar.

To be honest, I couldn’t rember them clearly.

But last night, I spent hours pulling deeply buried mories to the surface.

These were the four lieutenants of the Black Reaper.

One warrior, one Reinforced, one mage, and one priest.

In the smartphone photo, their eyes once burned with fanatical devotion. Now, they flickered with uncertainty, hope, fear, and expectation.

They were all geniuses in their own right, though not quite on Seo Woojin’s level.

All of them would eventually reach Level 7.

Naturally, the treatnt I used on Seo Woojin would work for them too.

I would just need to make slight adjustnts for each of them.

“The choice is yours.”

I spread my hands, gesturing toward the four of them.

“Just know this: the process will be excruciating. As much as you’ve suffered from Divine Fever, the awakening process will be equally painful. Only those who are ready for that should stay. The rest are free to leave.”

For a mont, no one said a word.

Then, one of the girls, who seed to have a strong will, spoke up.

“I just have one question.”

“Go ahead.”

“I don’t mind the pain. I’m used to it by now. But realistically, what are the odds that we’ll actually overco this? I don’t want to suffer through all this only to hear that I failed because I lacked the will.”

“The odds?”

I thought for a mont, considering the probability.

The answer ca to

quickly.

I smiled confidently.

“Let

be clear. If you follow my instructions to the letter, you have a more than 99% chance of overcoming the Divine Fever within a month.”

“W-what? Really? How can you be so sure?”

“Even so, 99% sounds a bit too… optimistic.”

“That’s impossible.”

“You’re lying, right?”

Their skepticism was palpable.

Even Baek Sorin looked like she couldn’t believe what I was saying.

The only ones laughing were Seo Woojin, Manager Choi, and the President and his wife.

“What do you think?”

I spread my arms.

Black Fla.

Dark flas erupted around , racing in all directions like a black dragon unleashed.

Soone gasped.

“Black Fla…”

The mark of a Superhuman who had overco Divine Fever.

It was a trait that could only be obtained by those who had conquered the fever, sothing rarely recorded in history.

Not even Seo Woojin had acquired it.

The awe that had once been directed at Seo Woojin now shifted to .

“Once again, the choice is yours.”

I t each of their gazes, one by one.

Would anyone refuse at this point?

No.

All four of them nodded.

And one week later…

We didn’t even need a full month.

In just a quarter of the ti I had initially expected, they all reached Level 3.

–TL Notes–

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