＜ Episode 17 ＞
“This is classic again.”
Beep!
John muttered involuntarily as he watched the train enter the platform with a roaring sound.
The sight of the train slowly slowing down, spewing white steam from its large chimney, reminded him of the Galactic Railroad that vaguely lingered in his memory.
However, just like the cartoon’s No. 999, Luna’s train was only classic in appearance, but the interior was completely different.
profit.
The doors opened with a small mechanical sound, and John stepped between the passengers and saw the interior of the train.
Ergonomically designed chairs were lined up on the left and right, and the interior of the train, which was plastered with materials with a texture that could not be found at all, was very different from the exterior, reminiscent of the subway in Seoul.
‘That’s right.’
It was only for a moment that he admired the exterior of the train he had taken for the first time in Luna, and John, who sat in his seat with a carefree expression, closed his eyes quietly and concentrated on cooling his head from the rushing sensation.
– You want to develop your skills. Well, there is no specific curriculum for those with special abilities.
– Are you saying there is no way?
– Not necessarily. It is not that there is no way at all. Well, the best thing is for each one to find their own way, but isn’t there always a way out if you think about it?
– ···There is something.
– yes. But you’d better start with the basics.
– basic?
– yes. basic.
Although he is under pension because he has no special fighting skills, he is an invincible Ivan because he has a deep understanding of his abilities.
Just by lightly holding John’s hand, his ability to grasp the state of John’s body and the type of his special ability at once was unparalleled.
The basic thing he told John was to always maintain his abilities.
Although people with special abilities can intuitively know their abilities, Ivan argued that getting them used to them is a different story.
John judged that there was a point, and since the meeting with Ivan, he has been using his abilities non-stop.
This ability consumes stamina.
This is because, unlike other powers, it is a power that is fully manifested within the body of the person with abilities, and thanks to this, after awakening his abilities, John was feeling fatigue that he had never felt before.
On top of that, the tiredness of the overworked ‘institution’ and the enormous amount of information transmitted through the abilities scattered in all directions made my head throb.
He wanted to take his powers and rest his body right away, but John gritted his teeth.
‘It definitely works.’
Even though it was only for one day, he could see that his abilities had improved slightly.
No matter how painful and difficult it is, if it is a way to develop, you have to endure it, but fortunately, John is a person who is familiar with patience.
– The train departs.
The conductor’s voice rang in John’s ears as he closed his eyes, and he felt the train move with a light vibration.
***
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Most of Luna’s districts have a clear theme.
Just as District 53, where John is located, is concentrated in entertainment and shopping, District 56 is mainly a middle-class residential area, and it can be said that various convenience facilities are concentrated accordingly.
“It’s a different town.”
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My first impression of Area 56 wasn’t bad.
Compared to District 53, where neon signs advertising gambling halls and brothels were attached to every corner of the station, this place could be called peace itself.
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Most of the advertisements on the platform were about decent things or education, so it felt like I was in another city, just as John muttered.
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Most of all, it was good that there were no pickpockets and touts, which are expected at a train station.
Seeing the decently dressed people walking down the street, I even wondered if they had returned to Seoul.
‘I wanted to live in a place like this when I retire.’
The atmosphere in District 56 was good enough for John to get lost in old thoughts, and John, who was in a good mood, walked lightly to the taxi waiting in front of the station.
“Welcome!”
“At this address, please.”
The taxi driver smiled as much as he saw John, who was from a slum but looked like an elite celery man.
“It will take a while.”
Uh.
John closed his eyes and recalled his conversation with Ivan, leaning back in the back seat of the cab as it started with a slight vibration.
***
“Aside from the basics, I think there are other ways. Am I right?”
“Well?”
Ivan’s mood changed in an instant as he recalled a fishy-looking smile along with a simple answer.
From a hard-looking middle-aged man to a wolf-like figure exuding a dangerous atmosphere.
John thought that this was the true face of Ivan.
No matter how talented they are, there is something special about those who have achievements enough to create a huge organization in their generation.
“Looks like you don’t intend to teach me easily.”
“The value of things and information varies from person to person. Considering you now, I think I’m holding a pretty big hand.”
John crossed his arms in thought at the sight of Ivan smiling glaring at him.
Negotiations with these people are extremely dangerous.
If he judged that he had caught his opponent’s weakness, those who would try to extract even the marrow of his opponents were those of the dark side, and since Ivan was a man who had risen to the top of such people, he had no idea what to ask for or how.
Fortunately, John knew how to deal with these people.
“Then wake up.”
“Well?”
Ivan’s pupils shook at the sight of John standing up without regret.
“Goodbye. It seems like you’re trying to figure something out. I wish you success in that attempt.”
Compared to the strict security, there was no disturbance inside the mansion.
At least it means that Ivan has complete control of the inside of the mansion, and that means he won’t be under confinement like this forever.
But that’s a future that hasn’t arrived.
It’s basic, but since he got a clue, John was able to stand up satisfied with today’s harvest.
Being dragged around was a specification.
“for a moment.”
Ivan shouted in an urgent voice towards John, who activated the optical camouflage and slowly faded.
“Do you have something to say?”
Seeing John’s blurry appearance, Ivan responded with a dejected smile.
“…They say it’s not normal, but the rumors aren’t exaggerated. sit down again.”
Ivan’s face frowned as he drank the vodka in one go, and John, who had been staring at him, appeared and sat back in the chair.
John still had the same look and atmosphere, but Ivan completely changed his evaluation of him.
“It was a preconceived notion that I was from a slum. I think he worked in the military or in intelligence. Am I right?”
“Think of what is convenient for you.”
Seeing John shrug his shoulders, Ivan straightened his stance and hardened his heart.
They say they took control of the mansion, but they were incompetent guys who only knew how to use their strength, and all the talented guys who used their brains were all involved in the coup, so there was no one to trust and entrust the work to.
John came to such a situation.
Knowing that he had something he wanted, he tried to pull out the marrow, but he could see that he was a person who couldn’t be handled that way, so it would be right for Ivan himself to take care of what he cares about the most.
“…Research on people with special abilities is a long-standing subject of Luna. Witchcraft relies too heavily on chance, and it takes too long to learn magic or martial arts. On the other hand, once this ability is manifested, it can be used immediately. On top of that, life extension and a healthy body are bonuses.”
A special power that does not take much time to train and a dream of life extension.
Luna’s military and high-ranking people’s interests coincided, and huge budgets are invested in research on this ability every year, and there are numerous private research institutes aiming for a bite.
“But even so, I couldn’t figure out the system for the manifestation of this ability. You cannot observe the ‘organs’.”
An ‘institution’ that anyone with special abilities is aware of.
The person with the ability is accurately aware of the organism that can be said to be the source of the ability, but has not been able to find it by any external means.
“Innumerable researchers have become frustrated and bankrupt. In the first place, there are not that many people with special abilities, and there will be even less people who will donate their bodies for living experiments.”
In the end, human experimentation is the fastest way to find a system, but it is difficult to find such a subject.
“Eventually, some diverted research. Rather than revealing the process of the manifestation of people with special abilities, we started research to strengthen or neutralize their abilities.”
Having heard that far, John could guess what Ivan was trying to say.
“There is a way to enhance abilities.”
“···yes.”
Ivan’s face darkened momentarily as he answered in a slightly dejected tone, and it must have been some kind of intuition that Ivan’s ability came to John’s head.
‘The regenerative ability to the point of being called immortal, the power and wealth that occupied a place in the underworld. I personally did something.’
Ivan, who can control his sense of pain and has strong mental protection, can be said to be an ideal test subject from a different perspective.
I don’t know what he was thinking, but he set up a private research institute and conducted research using himself as a test subject.
‘I got something there.’
An almost certain feeling of foreboding rang in John’s chest.
The odds that Ivan was bluffing and lying to take advantage of him went down a bit.
“…That’s why it’s easy to talk with smart friends.”
Ivan looked at John’s expression and smiled.
Ivan is also a body who has been through all sorts of things in the underworld.
It wasn’t to the point where you couldn’t guess what the other person was thinking by looking at their expression or appearance.
“I am willing to provide that method.”
“What do you want?”
John did not hesitate to answer, and Ivan spoke with a hard face while watching John like that, and the more John listened to the story, the more he couldn’t help but make a strange expression.
***
“Im here!”
In front of John, who had paid the driver and got off, was a place where villas that looked quite spacious were concentrated.
It was late in the afternoon, so it was full of students leaving school and returning home. Seeing the parents welcoming such students, John questioned whether this place was the same Luna or not, but he shook his head.
A task is simple if it is simple, difficult if it is difficult.
It can be said that it is simple because it is only necessary to take care of a small child, but it can be a very difficult task because we have heard how difficult it is to take care of a child.
In addition, the child’s father is unusual, so there is no guarantee what will happen.
I knocked on the villa door with a little nervous heart, and the door opened soon.
No matter how peaceful it may look, the house in Luna is strong enough to withstand a fair amount of bombing. The door opened and a woman with a slightly tired face came out.
“…what’s going on?”
It’s natural to be wary of strangers, and John didn’t mind it.
“I came to see Ekaterina Danilova.”
“…who?”
Looking at the expression on the woman’s questioning face with a completely unsure look on her face, John knew at once that things had gone wrong from the start.
＜ Episode 17 ＞ End