That night, past 9 PM, Seo Jung-woo used his Parallel Dimension Teleport skill from his home.

The familiar sight of a neighborhood—not exactly in ruins, but filled with collapsed debris—unfolded before him.

"Phew."

He took out a necklace.

It was the same one he had bought when he entered the jewelry shop with Lee Seon-hwa, the top star of that world.

He placed the relic—a sarira of a high monk from the Goryeo era, which he had acquired in that world—into the small storage compartment in the necklace and closed the lid. Now, from the outside, it looked like an ordinary piece of jewelry.

He activated his Detection skill to examine the necklace.

'Even after bringing it here, I can’t sense anything.'

The level of his Detection skill had increased since the last time he investigated a sacred relic. If he was focusing this intently and still couldn’t detect anything special, it meant that other Awakened individuals wouldn’t notice anything about this necklace either.

Of course, it was also possible that this wasn’t a sacred relic at all, which would explain why nothing was being detected.

"Now, I need to confirm it."

One way to verify if something was a sacred relic was to have it come into direct contact with someone afflicted by a curse.

Seo Jung-woo walked toward the mobile hospital ward.

Inside one of the container wards, Seo Sora was there, taking care of Lee Seon-hwa.

The remnants of the curse lingering in this area had mostly been purified. Aside from the two individuals who had directly encountered the cursed monster, there were no other serious victims. Public access was still restricted, but those with mental resistance higher than the average Awakened, like Seo Sora, were permitted entry.

Lee Seon-hwa no longer had the strength to get out of bed. Her skin was so pale it looked almost white.

She spoke in a weak, lifeless voice.

"Oppa, where did you go?"

"I went to get you a present."

"A present? For me?"

"Yeah."

Seo Jung-woo took out the necklace.

"This."

Lee Seon-hwa smiled.

"It’s pretty. A necklace."

He had expected her to like it. He had asked the top star Lee Seon-hwa from that world about her preferences before buying this necklace.

"I’ll put it on for you."

Seo Jung-woo leaned over the bed. Her breath was so faint that he could barely feel it.

He placed the necklace around her pale neck. The touch of her skin on his fingers was cold. The pallor of her complexion, her unquenchable thirst, and her dropping body temperature were all symptoms of a vampiric curse.

After fastening the necklace, he closely observed her face.

'If this sarira is truly a sacred relic, there should be some effect.'

The higher the grade of a sacred relic, the shorter the time needed to break free from a curse.

Even if the relic’s grade was too low to fully overcome this curse, there should still be some noticeable positive effect.

If the sarira inside this necklace was genuine, her condition should improve, even if only slightly, right now.

Lee Seon-hwa spoke to Seo Sora.

"Help me sit up. And bring me a mirror."

Seo Sora supported her and helped her sit up in bed.

"Unnie, here’s a mirror."

"Sorry. I don’t have the strength to hold it."

If the sarira were truly a sacred relic, she should at least have the energy to hold a small mirror.

She weakly brushed her fingers over the necklace and looked into the mirror. After a brief moment, she smiled faintly and asked Seo Jung-woo,

"How do I look?"

"You look beautiful."

"You know, oppa, this is the first time you’ve ever given me a gift like this."

"I bought you a gun. The pink one you wanted. I even modified it to be caseless and reinforced it to withstand heavy use."

"Pfft. How can a gun and a necklace be the same?"

She continued stroking the necklace as she spoke.

"Oppa, you know… I’ve always wanted to act in a heartbreakingly beautiful love story. Not as a supporting character, but as the protagonist of that love. In movies, and in real life."

Tears welled up in her eyes. Her hand, which had been caressing the necklace, slid onto the bed.

"Why… why am I suddenly so sleepy?"

Seo Sora shouted.

"Unnie! Stay strong! Don’t give up!"

Seo Jung-woo called out.

"Seon-hwa."

Lee Seon-hwa, her voice completely drained of energy, responded with her eyes closed.

"Yeah? Say it. I can barely see you anymore, but I can still hear you."

"Save the acting for in front of the camera."

She opened her eyes slightly and adjusted her posture.

"Was it that obvious again?"

"Yeah."

"Ugh. That’s not how I wanted it to be."

Seo Jung-woo smirked.

"From the way you’re talking, you must be feeling a little better, huh?"

Lee Seon-hwa punched Seo Jung-woo.

"I feel energized! At least pretend to be fooled a little! You’re so mean!"

"Hehehe."

"Why do you keep laughing?"

"Because I like getting hit by you."

"Oppa, are you a pervert? Is that what this is? You should have told me. I’ll have to buy a whip."

Lee Seon-hwa reached out to Seo Sora, who was staring at her with wide eyes.

"Give me that mirror."

Seo Sora was flustered.

"U-Unnie? That was all acting?"

"See? Sora’s reaction is normal. But for some reason, only oppa never falls for it."

"Unnie! This time, you went too far with the joke!"

"Sorry. This is the only chance I have to act like this."

Lee Seon-hwa took the mirror from Seo Sora’s hand and carefully examined her face.

"Why do I still look so pretty even when I’m this sick?"

Seo Jung-woo asked,

"How much better do you feel?"

"Now that you’re here, I feel a lot more at ease. Ah, this isn’t acting. It’s real. I really do feel better."

Seo Jung-woo could tell that she wasn’t lying about her improved condition.

'So it’s working.'

The moment he put the necklace on her, her condition improved.

'That sarira was just an old relic in that world, but after bringing it here, it became a sacred relic.'

Another thought crossed his mind.

'Or maybe it was a sacred relic all along, but there was no way to distinguish it in that world.'

Either way, it didn’t matter. Lee Seon-hwa was saved.

She blushed slightly.

"Why are you looking at me like that? Is this the first time you’ve seen such a pretty face? No way. You’ve seen it plenty of times. I showed it to you often."

Seo Jung-woo grinned widely.

"Your face is returning to its original color."

"Huh?"

The pallor of her skin was fading, replaced by a healthy hue. If the curse was still affecting her, her complexion wouldn’t have recovered this quickly.

Lee Seon-hwa looked into the mirror. Life had returned to her face.

"Wow. Am I completely cured?"

Seo Jung-woo nodded.

"Without a doubt, completely, and perfectly. The curse is gone."

He already knew that the food from that world was delicious. He had assumed that its medicines would also be effective.

But he had only just confirmed that a sacred relic from that world also worked in this one.

And her recovery speed was much faster than he had expected. She hadn’t swallowed or absorbed the relic—she had merely worn it in a necklace, yet she had already broken free from the curse.

'Even with just indirect contact through the necklace, the effect is this fast and powerful.'

His original goal had been to acquire a rare-grade sacred relic. The diagnosis had stated that breaking the curse on Lee Seon-hwa required at least a rare-grade relic.

'No… This might not just be rare-grade… It could be legendary-grade…'

Lee Seon-hwa spoke up.

"But I feel a little weak. For real this time."

Seo Jung-woo adjusted his assessment.

'That makes sense. No way it’s a legendary-grade relic.'

Even rare-grade sacred relics were strictly controlled by the government and only taken out in cases of unavoidable emergencies.

Lee Seon-hwa muttered,

"Maybe I’m just too hungry. Ah, I’m really starving."

"That’s right. You’ve only had water since yesterday. A girl who eats as much as you going without food—it’s no wonder you’re weak."

Seo Jung-woo reconsidered the relic’s grade.

'If her appetite is already back, maybe it really is legendary-grade. It’s the sarira of a famous high monk from the Goryeo era, prayed over for a thousand years.'

He felt relieved. With such a high-grade sacred relic around her neck, she no longer needed to stay in this mobile ward.

"Seon-hwa, let’s go home and eat. You need to eat to regain your strength."

Her eyes sparkled.

"Do we have lots of good food at home?"

"Plenty."

"I’m going to eat a ton."

"You can empty the entire food storage if you want. Eat as much as you like."

"Then get out."

"Huh?"

"Go outside and wait!"

Seo Jung-woo was kicked out of the container ward.

Lee Seon-hwa changed her clothes, washed her face, shampooed her hair, and even put on makeup before stepping out.

Her hair was still damp, not fully dried.

She touched the necklace around her neck and asked,

"Oppa, what is this necklace?"

She wasn’t stupid—she had already sensed that this necklace was no ordinary treasure.

"When you put this necklace on me, the curse vanished and my body recovered. This is because of the necklace, isn’t it?"

Seo Jung-woo smiled and said,

"It’s good for you, so always wear it. I worked hard to get it."

She beamed brightly.

To her, the true nature of the necklace wasn’t all that important. What mattered was that Seo Jung-woo had obtained it to break the curse on her.

"Mm!"

As curse expert Hyun Seung-yeop walked toward the container ward, he spotted Lee Seon-hwa and was startled.

"Huh? How are you walking...?"

Lee Seon-hwa only knew that the necklace had helped her overcome the curse, but she didn’t understand the exact reason.

"Um… well?"

Seo Jung-woo gave a vague explanation.

"She overcame the curse on her own."

"No, but how…?"

"It seems the holy water I brought helped."

"But we already tested holy water."

"This is a very special holy water made by a high-ranking foreign priest."

"Ahh."

Hyun Seung-yeop didn’t question it too much. Lee Seon-hwa was standing right in front of him, perfectly fine, and curses sometimes disappeared suddenly under the right conditions.

Besides, he had heard a few things about Seo Jung-woo.

"Ah. I heard you were an outstanding agent, so I suppose you used your connections to get that special holy water…"

"I keep telling you, I’m not an agent. I was discharged as a sergeant."

Regardless, Lee Seon-hwa was walking. Since she had makeup on, it was hard to judge how pale she had been before, but the important thing was that she was now well enough to move around.

There was still much unknown about curses, making it difficult to find ways to break them. Curses themselves were rare occurrences, and they couldn’t be detected with electronic sensors, making research difficult.

Still, once the method was discovered, curses could be lifted. Simple curses could be removed with holy water, and even powerful ones like this could be broken if the right solution was found.

However, since curses were a form of sorcery rather than a disease, most treatments also involved sorcery. Some were said to have recovered after a shamanic ritual, while others, like this case, suddenly got better.

Curse expert Hyun Seung-yeop couldn’t even imagine that Seo Jung-woo had acquired a sacred relic. Sacred relics weren’t something an individual could obtain just because they wanted one.

Instead, he came up with a more plausible explanation.

"Most of the curses in this area have been removed, thanks to you handing over the corpse of the curse-wielding monster and the staff used as a tool for the curses. That, combined with the special holy water and Miss Lee Seon-hwa’s strong will, likely created a synergy effect, allowing her to overcome the curse."

Since he was providing a reasonable answer on his own, it made things easier for Seo Jung-woo.

"So that’s the reason, after all."

"Ah, by the way, I heard that the government is planning a reward in recognition of your cooperation."

"A reward?"

"They’re going to award you a medal."

"No thanks."

Seo Jung-woo pulled out his phone and called the Gate Response Center. As usual, the young woman who always answered his calls picked up this time as well.

– Yes! Agent!

"Seems like I’ve become your designated caller."

– Yes!

"Also, I keep telling you, I’m not an agent. I’m a former sergeant, but everyone keeps— Ah. I heard they’re planning to give me a medal."

– As a token of appreciation for your active cooperation, a medal will be awarded.

"I have enough medals, so I don’t need another one."

– Pardon?

"Instead of a medal, just give me one red potion from the government’s stockpile."

– Ah… A red potion…

"I know they’ll start talking about budget issues if I just ask for one, so tell them I’ll buy it. I’ll pay."

– Understood. I’ll report it that way.

"I’ll take it as confirmed then."

Just as he was about to hang up, she urgently called out to him.

– Agent!

"Is there something else?"

– My name is Kim Mi-hyun. It was an honor to work with you.

"Ah, right. Just so you know, I’m a former sergeant. Not an agent, not planning to become an agent, and definitely not reenlisting. A civilian, through and through."

After ending the call, Seo Jung-woo thought to himself.

'I wonder if Cheol-woo ahjussi has saved up enough to buy a red potion. He always throws his money into war zones, so I’m not sure.'

Lee Seon-hwa was officially declared completely free of the curse. The item that detected curses didn’t react to the sacred relic, so nothing was discovered.

As he walked home, he asked,

"Did the high schooler get discharged? I don’t see him."

Seo Sora replied,

"He was discharged just before you arrived and went to meet his parents. Since he’s an awakened individual with above-average mental resistance, he apparently overcame the curse on his own."

"That punk. Not bad."

Lee Seon-hwa urged,

"Hurry up and let’s go home. I’m seriously starving. I’m going to eat everything!"