Chapter 36

Chapter 4 Eyelid (9)

**

It feels cathartic. The feeling of finally facing something I've long ignored and turned my head away from. It's terribly sad and still repulsive, but ultimately, that was me.

This is how I live. When I'm sad, I laugh even more, and when I'm in pain, I shout even louder. And then I die, until the day I can finally confess my sins before the two of them.

To do that, I must live today to the fullest.

The professor, having fully regained control of his body, first checked his status window.

==========

Name: Professor

+ Race: [Human]

+ Gender: [Male]

+ Age: [Growth Period (20 years)]

+ Appearance: [Huge / Muscular / Pale / Rough / Infected Human]

+ Starting Point: [World 3 / Northern Rodric]

+ Origin: [Bastard of a Fallen Knight Family]

+ Occupation: Mage's Test Subject

# Warning: 'Mutation Blood' Infection Rate 97% (Delayed by an unknown force)

+ Skills: Basic Medicine (12%), Water Mana Affinity (95%)

- Traits:

1. [Curiosity] - Your interest in the new world you encounter is boundless. This adds a positive effect to your skill growth rate.

2. [Magical Aptitude] - You sense an unknown energy. You receive a positive effect on growth related to magic.

3. [Sparkling Gaze] - You see the world a little more beautifully. You receive additional bonuses in activities related to art.

4. [Extreme Regeneration] (Glass Body + Mutation Blood Regeneration Enhancement + Mutation Blood Epidermis Enhancement): Durability 120 fixed / Natural recovery rate increased by 5200% / In critical situations, regenerate x4 by consuming blood / If blood consumed by excessive regeneration is not replenished, death will occur.

5. [Honorable Soul] - You inherited your father's spirit. In certain situations, your choice is fixed to the 'Honor' option.

6. ★[Overcome Mental Fatigue] - You faced your trauma and successfully accepted it. You scrutinize the world with eyes that once feared it, and your heart, which once isolated you, strongly resists external intrusion. / Provides the effects of 'Sensitive Observation' and 'Steel Will'.

7. ??? - Out of data / Out of data / Something is with you.

+ Realistic Mode ON

==========

A lot has changed.

The infection rate has risen to the point where it can't go any higher, and the natural recovery rate of extreme regeneration has also increased.

'Unknown force... Is it that guy?'

After I fully regained consciousness, he disappeared somewhere again. He's probably watching me from somewhere in my head. Since he said he would suppress the infection factors as much as possible, it must be his doing. The absence of infection traits like [Mother's Call] must also be due to him, since he said he was free from his mother.

'Basic Medicine... It seems to have developed from performing a lot of first aid, and that's all good. But... '

★[Overcome Mental Fatigue]

I have no idea how this happened.

Is this game really that simple? It perfectly replicates a person and puts them in the game, the game entity touches on the person's trauma, and overcoming it is recorded in the game system?

'What the hell... What was Gedroits thinking when he made this game?'

I don't know. But it's definitely not a game made just for fun.

'...Let's think about it later. The crisis isn't completely over yet.'

Although the mental danger has been eliminated, the situation hasn't changed much. Simple infection factors are still steadily rising in my body, and muts are wandering outside.

'From the sound of it, they don't seem to be near the Mandalius mansion. Oh, right, I left the broadcast on. Did anyone see anything while I was messing around with that thing?'

The professor opened the 47th district chat room without much thought.

- LandlordLord: So, using a water purifier is more power-efficient than using a pump, right?

- FootprintJinDae: Does water come out just by digging the ground? Do you know how much groundwater is contaminated? Why don't you just mix cesium into the water like a psycho gang?

- PomPomKodo: Oh, that sounds delicious.

- Oswald: Hehe! Dirty clip, let's go!

- SoySauceGayBar: W, what is this?

- SpeedWagon: This isn't that kind of room.

- DeerDrug: Oh, this is precious. I'll use it gratefully~

- DOOMgay: Hey, the professor is awake.

- Unemployed: Really? Now he's moving? He was shouting like crazy earlier, is he okay now?

Chatter! Buzz!

"What... What is this...?"

The speed at which the chat messages were appearing was beyond what he could follow. Strange? I clearly reduced the screen to a small corner because of the gory scenes and set it to show a warning before entering.

The number of viewers had increased to an unbelievable extent.

- SoySauceGayBar: Hey! Professor! Manage your broadcast! Stop playing and work!

- TakeALook: Oh, you have your status window open. You've grown a lot since the first time I saw it.

- DeerDrug: Back then, you needed the state's welfare. Your head was completely infected, how are you controlling it? With the mutation traits appearing, you're almost completely a mut now.

- SpeedWagon: Your traits have changed a bit? What's the starred one?

- NamBaThree: First time seeing it.

- Jokass: Me too.

"No, no, what's going on all of a sudden? Why are there so many people?"

- SpeedWagon: Why? Your play style is so unique that it became famous.

- Jokass: Right after the game started, you got beaten by a white Sonic and flew around like a bowling pin. Then, when you came to, the mages were grinning and using infinite healing. There's never been such hardcore play in GG history.

- SoySauceGayBar: Why did everyone think it wasn't interesting? I spread the word a bit, and look how many people came!

Hmm, I underestimated this. Thinking about it, everyone here is from the wasteland, so they wouldn't be too bothered by this level of gore.

- Jokass: Anyway, what did you do to suddenly get such strange traits? Overcome? I've never seen a trait with such a prefix.

"I'll explain when I have time. Did anyone see where the muts went while I was going crazy inside?"

- HighWayNachoman: I saw them. They came and went around you a few times, then just left. They acted like they didn't see you. It was quiet for a while after that.

Sure enough, they must have searched inside and then left.

- SpeedWagon: But what are you going to do about the infection? You know that mut blood has a freshness limit, right? If the infection factors inside die, the suppression effect will disappear.

"Yeah, I need to solve that first."

Let's put the complicated thoughts aside for now. I need to handle the urgent matters first.

The professor recalled the observations he had made over the past few days. The infection was delayed through injury. While the infection factors were focused on regeneration, the infection didn't progress. And the wider the area of the injury, the higher the delay rate.

'A severed leg takes a long time to regenerate, but in the moment, it only regenerates the cut surface, so the area isn't that large.

From this, an idea to solve the incurable infection came to mind.

'I need to completely re-engineer this body.'

The professor picked up a rock fragment from the wall destroyed by the mut and smiled. If this works, he wouldn't have to suffer from a lack of combat power anymore.

***

Clunk, clunk!

- TakeALook: Uh, um... Professor?

"Twenty... three! Why!"

- TakeALook: Sorry to ask when you're busy, but... what are you doing?

The professor carefully looked around the underground research facility, confirmed that the muts were completely gone, and returned to the original room. In his hands were the broken iron bars from when the muts pushed their way in and a rope he found nearby.

"What? Exercise!"

That's right. The professor was doing weighted squats with a barbell made by tying brick fragments to the iron bars.

"The infection factors! They use their strength to repair the injured area, and the larger the area, the more strength they use!"

The professor realized that he didn't need to create external injuries to increase the area of the injury.

"The principle of muscle creation is simple. If you apply a load that the muscle fibers can't withstand, they break down. When these broken muscle fibers regenerate, stronger and tougher muscles are formed."

Huff!

With trembling legs, the professor lifted it one more time while explaining.

The key is that you can destroy muscle fibers at the cellular level through exercise.

'And if you push it even further, the muscles will necrotize.'

That's why there's a limit to the amount of muscle a person can build through exercise over a certain period.

"But my body, as you know, has a regeneration capacity! End... end...!"

Crash!

"Huff, huff! Finish... it..."

A large but small injury. If he stops exercising for a moment, it regenerates instantly.

- SpeedWagon: Wait a minute. Even so, there's a limit to muscle growth through exercise, right? As