Min-jun stared at the cracked stabilizer core on his desk, its faint violet glow a taunting reminder of his precarious state. The numbers hovering at the edge of his vision hadn't budged in days:
"[Corruption Level: 50%]"
"[Warning: Critical Threshold at 60%]"
Seung-ho's temporary fixes had bought him time, but the surgeon's methods were no longer an option. The stabilizer's schematics, now burned into Min-jun's memory after weeks of study, offered no permanent solution. The answer had to lie elsewhere—in the one place he'd avoided confronting.
'Himself.'
The system's cold logic had dissected his condition ruthlessly:
"[Diagnostic Report]"
"— Aurora Corruption: Integration with cellular structure (Stage 3)"
"— Recommended Action: Decentralized purification via controlled energy dispersion"
"— Success Probability: 38%"
In simpler terms, he needed to burn the corruption out. Not with external cores or guild tech, but by turning his unstable fire affinity *inward*.
---
Min-jun spent days cross-referencing his skills,
pushing "[Data Analysis]" to its limit. His notes sprawled across the apartment floor:
1. "[Fire Affinity (Lv. 2)]" — Could generate and marginally control heat.
2. "[First Aid (Lv. 4)]" — Understood human anatomy at a surgeon's level.
3. "[Core Manipulation (Lv. 1)]" — Basic ability to channel Aurora energy.
The plan was insane, but the system's calculations deemed it feasible:
"[Skill Fusion Available"
" Fire Affinity + First Aid + Core Manipulation = [Internal Pyroregulation]"
"[Effect: Precision incineration of corrupted cells]"
The cost? Agony. One misstep, and he'd reduce his organs to ash.
---
Min-jun chose an abandoned subway tunnel for the ritual—far from prying eyes, its walls still scarred by Aurora mutations from the early days of the Incident. He laid out his tools:
- A stolen IV drip rigged to administer fluids and suppressants.
- A fire extinguisher (useless, but psychologically comforting).
- A journal filled with anatomical diagrams, each corrupted organ marked in red.
He injected himself with a black-market analgesic, its bitter taste flooding his mouth.
"[Pain Tolerance (Lv. 3) Activated]"
The system's interface shifted, overlaying his body with a glowing skeletal map. Corruption clustered around his heart, liver, and bone marrow—violet tumors pulsing in time with his heartbeat.
"Begin,"he whispered.
---
Min-jun's hands trembled as he focused. Heat bloomed in his chest, a spark kindled by [Fire Affinity]. The system's warnings flashed:
"[Temperature Critical: 42°C… 45°C… 48°C]"
Sweat evaporated before it could form. His vision blurred.
He visualized the corruption near his heart, the system's overlay guiding him. A tendril of flame lashed out, scalding but precise.
"[Critical Strike: 5% Corruption Purged]"
He screamed. The smell of burnt flesh filled the tunnel.
Two hours in, Min-jun collapsed to his knees. Blood dripped from his nose, sizzling as it hit the floor. The system's monotone voice echoed in his skull:
"[Corruption Level: 41%]"
"[Vital Signs: Unstable]"
He'd underestimated the corruption's resilience. It fought back, twisting his flames into jagged spikes that tore through muscle.
"[Improvised Combat (Lv. 4) Activated]"
Absurdly, the skill triggered—his body treating the internal damage as an enemy. He wrestled control back, inch by inch.
---
By hour four, Min-jun's world narrowed to pain and the system's icy directives. His journal's pages fluttered in the heat, anatomical diagrams curling to ash.
"[Corruption Level: 22%]"
"[Warning: Cardiac Arrest Imminent]"
His heart stuttered. The flames wavered.
'Soojin's face flickered in his memory—his younger sister laughing, untouched by the Aurora's horrors. Then her voice, frantic on the phone months ago: "Oppa, Mom's getting worse. The guilds won't help…"'
Min-jun roared.
White-hot fire engulfed him.
---
When consciousness returned, Min-jun found himself sprawled on the tunnel floor, his skin blistered but whole. The system's alert glowed softly:
"[Corruption Level: 0%]"
"[New Title: Phoenix]"
"[Effect: +20% resistance to heat-based attacks]"
He laughed, the sound raw and broken.
"[Skill Evolved: Internal Pyroregulation → Cellular Rebirth (Lv. 1)]"
"[Effect: Regenerate minor injuries via controlled combustion]"
A notification chimed—a voicemail from Soojin, timestamped three hours prior:
'"Oppa, they're moving Mom to a guild hospice. They say… they say it's terminal. Please come."'
The fire in Min-jun's veins, now a docile warmth, flared once.
---
Min-jun stood at the subway exit, dawn painting Seoul in hues of gold and violet. The guild hospice address burned in his mind. He'd avoided his family for months, fearing his corruption would harm them. Now, cleansed but forever altered, he had no excuses left.
A final system alert flickered:
"[New Quest: Family Reckoning]"
"[Objective: Confront the past]"
**[Reward: ???]**
He stepped into the light.
---