The Eclipsed Order

Chapter 198: Chapter 199: The Elixir of Rebirth

Ares eventually made his way back toward Ji Won’s apartment.

By the time he arrived, the evening had already settled over the city, and most of the surrounding streets had become considerably quieter than they had been earlier.

He stopped in front of the apartment door.

Then he knocked.

Knock. Knock.

A few seconds passed.

There was movement from inside.

"Who is it?"

Ares smiled slightly.

"It’s me."

Silence.

Then the sound of hurried footsteps approached the door.

The lock turned.

The door opened.

Ji Won’s expression immediately changed when he saw Ares standing outside.

"Tae-ho."

Ares gave him a small smile.

"It’s been a while."

"Yeah."

Ji Won stepped aside.

"Have you been doing well?"

"Yeah, I’ve been doing fine."

Ares entered the apartment.

Ji Won closed the door behind him, but his expression remained noticeably different from usual.

There was something he clearly wanted to talk about.

"By the way..."

He looked toward Ares.

"It’s actually a good thing you’re here."

Ares turned.

"Why?"

"I have something important I want to ask you."

Ares raised an eyebrow.

"Something important?"

"Yes."

Ji Won gestured toward the living room.

"Let’s sit down."

"Alright."

The two walked over to the sofa and sat across from each other.

For several seconds, neither spoke.

Ares finally broke the silence.

"So, what is it that you wanted to ask?"

Ji Won took a breath.

"You see..."

He hesitated.

"Earlier today, there was a Dungeon Collapse."

Ares nodded.

"Oh."

Ji Won’s expression became serious.

"I was there."

Ares looked at him.

"And then?"

Ji Won lowered his gaze for a moment.

"I got surrounded by monsters."

He clenched his hands slightly.

"There were too many of them. I couldn’t get away, and I couldn’t fight all of them by myself."

Ares remained silent.

Ji Won continued.

"I honestly thought I was going to die."

His voice became quieter.

"But then something happened."

Ares already knew what was coming.

"A crimson light suddenly appeared beside me."

Ji Won looked toward him.

"At first, I thought someone had come to help."

He shook his head.

"But then I saw it."

Ares listened.

"It was a woman."

Ji Won searched for the right words.

"Not a human woman. A spirit."

"She was enormous. Around two and a half meters tall, wearing crimson armor that looked like it was made entirely from spiritual energy."

He paused.

"She had a massive spear in her hand."

Ji Won’s eyes remained focused on Ares.

"And the moment she appeared, she started fighting."

Ares didn’t interrupt.

"She moved so fast that I could barely see her."

Ji Won shook his head.

"Every monster that came near me was killed almost instantly. She didn’t hesitate, and she didn’t waste a single movement."

He swallowed.

"She protected me until the entire area was clear."

Ares remained quiet.

Ji Won leaned forward slightly.

"Then, just as suddenly as she appeared, she disappeared."

Ares smiled faintly.

"I see."

Ji Won stared at him.

"That’s why..."

He hesitated.

"I’ve been thinking about it ever since."

His expression became more serious.

"There’s only one person I could think of who might have done something like that."

Ares raised an eyebrow.

"Who?"

Ji Won stared at him.

"You."

Ares remained silent for a moment.

Then he smiled.

"Oh."

He leaned back slightly.

"So that’s what you wanted to ask."

Ji Won nodded.

"Was it you?"

Ares didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, he raised one hand.

A faint crimson light appeared beside him.

The air began to tremble.

Ji Won’s eyes widened.

Ares calmly spoke.

"Come out."

The crimson light expanded.

"Crimson Valkyrie."

The light suddenly burst outward.

A tall female figure appeared beside Ares.

She stood approximately two and a half meters tall, her body covered in magnificent crimson spiritual armor that seemed to glow from within. Long strands of pale spiritual energy flowed behind her like a cloak, while a massive spear rested firmly in her hand.

Her presence alone was enough to make the atmosphere inside the apartment feel heavier.

The Valkyrie lowered her spear.

Then she bowed respectfully toward Ares.

"Master."

Ji Won froze.

His eyes widened.

His mouth opened slightly.

For several seconds, he simply stared at her.

"Y-you..."

The Valkyrie remained perfectly still.

Ji Won looked at Ares.

Then at the Valkyrie.

Then back at Ares.

"As I expected..."

His voice trembled slightly.

"It really was you."

Ares nodded.

"Yes."

Ji Won suddenly stood.

"Tae-ho!"

Ares looked at him.

"Thank you."

Ji Won’s expression became completely sincere.

"Thank you so much."

He looked toward the Valkyrie.

"If it wasn’t for your summon, I would’ve died today."

Ares shook his head.

"It’s nothing."

He gestured toward the Valkyrie.

"I purposely left her behind to protect you in case something happened."

Ji Won stared at him.

"You left her behind?"

"Yes."

Ares smiled faintly.

"I wasn’t going to let you wander around without any protection."

Ji Won looked at the Valkyrie again.

"She’s not an ordinary spirit, is she?"

"No."

Ares shook his head.

"She’s considerably stronger than an ordinary summoned spirit."

Ji Won swallowed.

"How strong?"

Ares answered casually.

"Her strength is comparable to an S-Rank Awakener."

Ji Won’s eyes widened.

"S-S-Rank?"

"Yes."

Ares glanced toward him.

"Is there a problem?"

"N-no!"

Ji Won immediately shook his head.

"Not at all."

He looked at the Valkyrie again.

"To think you actually left an S-Rank-level spirit behind just to protect me..."

He laughed awkwardly.

"How am I supposed to repay something like that?"

"You don’t have to."

Ares answered calmly.

"I did it because I wanted to protect you."

Ji Won’s expression softened.

Ares continued.

"And Jung-ho hyung as well."

Ji Won blinked.

"Jung-ho?"

"Yes."

Ares nodded.

"I also left a summon with him."

Ji Won stared at Ares.

"You did?"

"Yes."

"To protect him?"

"Exactly."

Ji Won remained silent for several seconds.

Then he slowly looked back toward the Crimson Valkyrie.

"I see..."

He rubbed the back of his head.

"You’re really something else, Tae-ho."

Ares smiled.

Ji Won looked at the Valkyrie again.

"Still..."

His expression became increasingly bewildered.

"Just how many summons do you have?"

"Because even this one..."

Ji Won pointed toward the Crimson Valkyrie.

"...could apparently clear an entire C-Rank Gate by herself."

He shook his head.

"And you casually left her behind just to protect me."

The Valkyrie remained completely silent beside Ares.

Ji Won stared at her for another few seconds.

Then he looked back at Ares.

"I really don’t know what kind of person I became friends with."

Ji Won remained silent for several seconds.

His eyes were still fixed on the Crimson Valkyrie.

Even after everything he had experienced with Ares, seeing a spirit of that level standing inside the apartment was still difficult to process.

Eventually, Ji Won slowly shook his head.

"Until now, I’m still shocked."

Ares smiled faintly.

"You’ll get used to it."

"I don’t think I will."

Ji Won gave a helpless laugh before looking at Ares again.

"By the way, Tae-ho."

"Hm?"

"Are you planning to go anywhere tomorrow?"

Ares looked at him.

"Why?"

"I was invited to join an A-Rank party from the Titan Guild."

Ares raised an eyebrow.

"The Titan Guild?"

"Yeah."

Ji Won nodded.

"They’re planning to clear a Gate before its time limit reaches the critical stage."

He paused.

"So I was wondering..."

Ji Won looked at Ares.

"Do you want to come with me tomorrow?"

Ares considered it.

"Hmm."

He leaned back slightly.

"Is it alright for an E-Rank Awakener to come along?"

Ji Won shook his head.

"Unfortunately, no."

Ares nodded.

"I figured."

"But..."

Ji Won smiled awkwardly.

"If I talk to the party leader, I’m pretty sure they’ll agree to let you come."

Ares glanced at him.

"Even though I’m E-Rank?"

"Yes."

Ji Won hesitated.

"But there’s one condition."

"What?"

"You’ll have to work as a porter."

Ares sighed.

"A porter?"

"Yeah."

Ji Won scratched his cheek.

"Since you’re technically E-Rank, they probably won’t allow you to participate in the combat formation. But if you’re willing to carry supplies, I can probably convince them to let you join."

Ares shrugged.

"I don’t mind."

He glanced toward the Crimson Valkyrie.

"I can just store everything inside my spatial storage anyway."

Ji Won blinked.

"Right."

He suddenly remembered that Ares possessed a storage ability that was already far beyond anything ordinary Awakeners could afford.

"That would actually make things easier."

Ares nodded.

"So it’s settled."

Ji Won smiled.

"I’ll talk to the party leader tomorrow."

He paused before continuing.

"Actually, I’ve already received invitations from several other guilds."

Ares looked at him.

"You did?"

"Yeah."

Ji Won nodded.

"Some of them are interested because I’m an A-Rank now."

"Did you accept any?"

"No."

Ares raised an eyebrow.

"Why not?"

Ji Won smiled faintly.

"Because we’re a party, right?"

He looked toward Ares.

"And we’ve already earned more than enough money."

Ji Won continued.

"I’m not really interested in joining a guild just because they can offer me more money. For now, I’m hunting for my daily expenses and saving whatever I can."

He paused.

"Especially now that my father’s treatment is getting more expensive."

Ares nodded.

"I see."

Ji Won looked at him.

"Besides, I don’t want to forget why I started hunting in the first place."

Ares remained silent.

Ji Won smiled.

"I want to become stronger, but I also want to save enough money that I never have to worry about whether I can afford something important again."

Ares nodded.

"That’s a reasonable goal."

There was a brief silence.

Then Ji Won looked at him curiously.

"By the way..."

"Hm?"

"Where do you usually go when you’re away from Korea?"

Ares’s expression became slightly more guarded.

"That’s not something I should tell you."

Ji Won immediately nodded.

"I see."

He gave a small smile.

"Sorry for asking."

"Don’t worry about it."

Ares glanced toward the Crimson Valkyrie.

"Anyway, you can go now."

The Valkyrie immediately turned toward him.

Ares smiled.

"Thank you for your hard work."

The Crimson Valkyrie lowered her head.

"Yes, Master."

A faint crimson glow surrounded her body.

Her spiritual armor began dissolving into light.

Within seconds, her entire figure disappeared, leaving only a few crimson particles drifting through the air before fading completely.

Ji Won stared at the empty space.

"...Even after seeing her disappear, I still can’t believe she was actually here."

Ares laughed softly.

"That’s understandable."

Ji Won remained quiet for a moment.

Then Ares suddenly looked at him.

"By the way, Ji Won."

"Hm?"

"Your father has a special disease, right?"

Ji Won’s expression immediately became serious.

"Yeah."

He looked at Ares.

"Why do you ask?"

Ares remained silent for a moment.

Then he spoke.

"Do you want your father to be cured?"

Ji Won froze.

"What?"

Ares repeated the question.

"Do you want him to be cured?"

Ji Won stared at him.

Then his expression slowly changed.

"Of course."

His voice became quieter.

"If I were given even a single chance to save him, I’d take it."

He clenched his hands.

"Even if it cost my life."

Ares remained silent.

Ji Won lowered his gaze.

"I haven’t repaid everything he did for me."

His voice trembled slightly.

"When I was younger, my parents sacrificed everything for me."

He swallowed.

"That’s why I wanted to become successful as quickly as possible."

He looked down at his hands.

"I wanted to give my parents a better life."

Ares listened quietly.

"But then my mother and my brother died."

Ji Won’s expression became distant.

"My father was the only family I had left."

He took a slow breath.

"Then he became sick."

His voice became increasingly strained.

"I spent years working because I thought that if I just earned enough money, I could eventually save him."

He laughed bitterly.

"But the disease kept getting worse."

Ji Won looked toward Ares.

"That’s why I can’t give up."

Ares remained silent.

Something appeared within his mind.

An image.

A small bottle.

Its container was made from translucent crystal, while a faint golden liquid moved slowly inside.

The Elixir of Rebirth.

It had been sitting inside Draven’s treasury among countless other treasures.

A relic capable of restoring the body to its natural state and eliminating almost any form of illness or physical deterioration.

Ares had never needed it.

Until now.

He reached into his spatial storage.

Ji Won watched curiously.

"What are you doing?"

Ares pulled out a small crystal bottle.

The moment it appeared, Ji Won’s eyes widened.

Inside the bottle was a clear golden liquid that seemed to glow faintly even without any external light.

"What..."

Ji Won stared at it.

"What is that, Tae-ho?"

Ares held the bottle out toward him.

"You wanted to save your father, right?"

Ji Won slowly nodded.

"Yes."

"Then take this."

Ji Won hesitated before accepting the bottle with both hands.

He examined it carefully.

"It looks like some kind of potion."

Ares shook his head.

"It’s not just some random potion."

He looked directly at Ji Won.

"It’s an elixir."

Ji Won’s fingers tightened around the bottle.

"What kind?"

"The Elixir of Rebirth."

Ji Won stared at him.

Ares continued calmly.

"It’s capable of curing illnesses and restoring the body from severe physical deterioration."

He paused.

"I’m confident that your father will be alright once he drinks it."

Ji Won’s breathing stopped for a moment.

"Really?"

"Yes."

Ares nodded.

"It can cure virtually any illness or disease."

Ji Won stared at the golden liquid.

"But..."

Ares continued before he could ask.

"There will be some changes after he drinks it."

Ji Won looked up.

"What kind of changes?"

"The elixir doesn’t simply remove the disease."

Ares explained.

"It restores the body to a much healthier state."

He looked at Ji Won.

"His physical condition may change considerably depending on how much damage the disease has caused."

Ji Won’s eyes remained fixed on the bottle.

"Then..."

He swallowed.

"Are you saying it can really cure him?"

"Yes."

Ji Won’s hands began trembling.

Ares remained calm.

"I can guarantee its effects."

Silence filled the apartment.

Ji Won stared at the bottle as though he were afraid that looking away would somehow make it disappear.

"Are you really giving this to me?"

"Yes."

Ji Won looked at Ares.

His eyes were already beginning to turn red.

"Tae-ho..."

He struggled to speak.

"Do you know how valuable something like this is?"

Ares didn’t answer.

Ji Won continued.

"Anyone from a wealthy family would pay more than 100 billion won for something like this."

His voice trembled.

"Even an alchemist couldn’t produce something like this."

He looked down at the bottle again.

"And you’re giving it to me for fee?"

"Yeah."

Ares nodded.

Ji Won’s lips trembled.

"I..."

He couldn’t finish the sentence.

Ares stood.

"Why don’t we go to the hospital now?"

Ji Won looked up.

"Now?"

"Yes."

Ares nodded.

"You can see for yourself."

Ji Won stared at him.

For several seconds, he didn’t move.

Then he carefully closed his fingers around the bottle.

’Is this really happening?’

His breathing became unsteady.

’Will this really cure my father?’

He had imagined this moment countless times.

But every time, it had been nothing more than a dream.

A miracle.

Something that couldn’t actually happen.

Yet now, that miracle was sitting inside his hands.

Ji Won’s eyes filled with tears.

"I..."

His voice broke.

"Thank you."

Ares looked at him.

Ji Won lowered his head.

"Thank you so much, Tae-ho."

A tear fell onto the floor.

"I don’t know what I can possibly do to repay you."

Ares shook his head.

"You don’t need to repay me."

Ji Won wiped his face.

"But..."

"It’s fine."

Ares smiled faintly.

"Let’s just go."

Ji Won nodded.

"Yes."

He stood.

The two left the apartment together.

---

Several minutes later, they arrived at the hospital.

The building was considerably larger than the ordinary medical facilities Ji Won had visited in the past, with several sections specifically dedicated to Awakener-related illnesses and injuries.

Ji Won led Ares through the familiar corridors.

His steps became increasingly nervous as they approached his father’s room.

They eventually stopped in front of a door.

Ji Won’s hand rested against the handle.

He took a deep breath.

"My father is inside."

Ares nodded.

Ji Won slowly opened the door.

The room beyond was quiet.

A hospital bed stood near the window.

An older man was lying on it.

His body was thin.

His face was pale.

Several medical devices were connected to him, monitoring his vital signs and mana circulation.

He remained almost completely still.

The disease had already taken away most of his ability to move.

Only the faint movement of his chest showed that he was still breathing.

Ji Won stood at the doorway.

His eyes became wet again.

"Father..."

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