The Man with Hypnotic Powers Doesn't Hold Back the Second Time Around-Chapter 276

—Chills.

…There was a monster. A monstrous woman, wasn’t there?

She couldn’t recall the creature’s appearance or strength, but her instincts screamed that she had encountered something far from ordinary.

What on earth…?

—Pat, pat.

[The Constellation of Compassion gently pats your shoulder.]

["You’ve worked hard all this time. Now, find happiness."]

Unbeknownst to her, all of this had been orchestrated by Mir.

The Constellation had slyly joined her during her trip to the countryside, quietly taking a seat in the back of her car. From the moment she entered the Gate, Mir had been tagging along. A mischievous smile crept across the Constellation's lips.

"There was definitely a monstrous woman…"

—Ding.

[Hmm. I thought I erased that memory. Does your head still hurt? Sorry about that. Hypnosis isn’t exactly my forte; Yujin’s the expert. Let’s see, where’s the problem~?]

A small hand rested on Seol Hayeon’s back as she continued to complain about an odd sense of unease.

Then, like a tidal wave, fragmented memories of the previous night flooded her mind—traces of an instinctive experience she hadn’t been able to erase entirely.

First came the most vivid memory, the moment right after she cleared the Gate. She had defeated the boss monster and was preparing to leave when…

[Beruhige dich. Ich kam nur auf Caritas' Bitte. (Calm yourself. I came at Compassion’s request.)]

A woman with silver hair stood before her.

This was the transcendent being from another dimension who had once been summoned by Mir during the S+++ Gate incident. She had offered sage advice to Yujin and had been affectionately referred to as “Transcendent Big Sister” by a certain earnest young man.

[What is this…!? My organs feel like they’re liquefying just from hearing her voice! This… this is verbal assault!]

Upon seeing the Transcendent, Seol Hayeon immediately fell into a state of complete incapacitation.

Even Yujin, who possessed a sliver of divine power at the time, could barely endure her overwhelming presence. The Transcendent’s very existence crushed Seol Hayeon like a massive weight.

[Es wird nicht lange halten. Ich stecke es in deine Tasche, kümmere dich selbst darum. (This won’t last long. I’ll tuck this into your pocket—take care of it yourself.)]

And then…

Thud.

Seol Hayeon collapsed. Her vision blurred, fading just as the Transcendent slipped a small, ornate wooden box into her arms.

Mir clicked their tongue in mild exasperation.

[It seems she’s at least mid-tier among Transcendents… But sending such a being to help? Truly impressive.]

This Transcendent had come at Mir’s request, part of the abundant support provided by the Constellations—ranging from external invasions to helpful status screens. Of course, nothing came without a price.

In exchange, Mir had agreed to one tiny condition: if they ever encountered a cute and kindhearted boy in this dimension, they would send him over. It was a trivial pact, and the mortals they selected were always those leading miserable lives here anyway.

It wasn’t about their preferences, but their moral compass. Mir saw no reason not to trust them.

That was the truth behind the events Seol Hayeon had forgotten.

[Hmm… There’s no benefit in remembering any of this. Forget it.]

"…Hmm? Hm."

Why was I agonizing over something I can’t even remember?

With that, the memories were safely erased.

Finally, Seol Hayeon lowered her guard and relaxed, letting out a sigh of relief. She had worried over nothing, she thought, as she patted her chest in reassurance.

—Clatter.

"Hm? What’s this now?"

It was then that she noticed the wooden box in her arms.

Inside was a single leaf.

"…!!!!?"

This divine energy… Isn’t this the final ingredient Paimon mentioned?!

Her eyes widened in disbelief. Paimon’s reaction wasn’t far off.

"Hero! Weren’t you supposed to be retired?"

"Never mind that. Look at this. Is it what I think it is?"

"The… World Tree’s Leaf?!"

Paimon nearly jumped out of their skin.

What Seol Hayeon held was indeed the legendary World Tree’s Leaf, an item bestowed only upon those blessed by the World Tree itself. Its mere existence was unheard of in this dimension.

"How did you…?"

"Never mind that. This can make it, right? The rejuvenation potion!"

"…Let me think about it."

Paimon’s brilliant mind began racing.

The hero wants me to brew her a potion to regain her youth. Even heroes can’t fight against time.

Of course, it was a simple enough request for Paimon to grant. But a demon like her never gave anything for free.

If I’m the only one in this dimension capable of fulfilling her wish… If this could win me favor with a revered hero…

A sly grin spread across Paimon’s face.

This could be worth its weight in gold.

Feigning deliberation, Paimon schemed ways to use this opportunity to her advantage.

"Sure, I can do it. But I have a ‘tiny’ favor to ask in return."

"What is it? If it’s within my power, I’ll do it."

"Tell Seo Yujin to treasure me far more than he already does!"

—Smirk.

"All I need to do is dominate that man, and the rest of the world will fall into my hands. Huhu."

Paimon’s first target was Seo Yujin.

If she could charm him, at the very least, Korea would be under her control. Truly, it was the kind of devious strategy befitting a villain who almost brought about the end of the world.

"Alright, alright."

That Yujin must be giving her hell. I’ll just have a little word with him to keep it reasonable.

Seol Hayeon, unaware of the gravity of Paimon’s scheming, remained indifferent. Knowing full well how much Yujin tormented Paimon regularly, she thought to herself, I’ll just tell him not to push her too far.

At least this would stop the poor demon from becoming the local punching bag whenever Yujin was bored.

Paimon, naturally, had no clue.

"Hero, can you swear on your pride as a woman?"

"Of course, I can. I’ll talk to him properly, so don’t worry."

"Good. Then I shall begin the brewing."

And thus began the preparation of the rejuvenation elixir.

While Seol Hayeon diligently supplied ingredients, Paimon busily manipulated her magical energy. Surprisingly, the process didn’t take long.

"…That’s it?"

"It was a rather tricky recipe, but with my skills, it’s nothing. As long as all the ingredients are here, it’s quick work."

Though I honestly thought gathering the ingredients would take 300 years.

A shimmering green elixir glowed in the vial.

Seol Hayeon’s instincts screamed with joy. This wasn’t some fraudulent concoction; it was the real deal. A pure, miraculous potion that would restore her youth.

Her gaze dropped downward.

"…"

Lately, things haven’t been the same. This is perfect.

She stared at her chest. In her twenties, everything had been firm and supple. But now, at sixty, while it still looked fine outwardly, she couldn’t ignore the subtle signs of age.

The thought of becoming a wrinkled old grandmother without ever fully blossoming as a woman filled her with dread.

Today, she decided, was the day she would cast off that regret.

"Do I just drink it?"

"Yes. It will transform your muscles and bones into those of an elf’s, so there will be some pain. But as a hero, I’m sure you’ll handle it with a smile."

"Elf or not, I got it."

She grabbed the vial without hesitation, bringing it to her lips and downing the shimmering green liquid in one go.

Paimon watched, impressed. As expected of a heroine I’ve acknowledged. Truly bold.

But then…

—Something went terribly wrong.

"…Gaaahhh!!!"

Thud.

Seol Hayeon collapsed, her face contorted in pain. The glass vial slipped from her hand, shattering on the floor.

"Huh? Hero, are you alright?!"

"My body… so cold…"

"Excuse me, I’ll have to check—!"

Sensing the severity of the situation, Paimon moved quickly, stripping Seol Hayeon’s clothes and placing a hand on her abdomen.

In a moment, she realized the cause of the reaction.

"Why is there so much yin energy…? Ah!!!"

That’s right! This is a gender-reversed dimension!!!

The potion was designed for her original dimension, where women had yang energy and men had yin.

But Seol Hayeon, a typical individual of this world, naturally carried yin energy. The imbalance caused by the potion’s design led to catastrophic side effects.

"See! I told you ginseng wouldn’t cut it!"

She acted so confident—like she had a hidden trick up her sleeve—but there’s barely any yang energy!

To make matters worse, the potion was supposed to contain an ingredient imbued with yang energy. Ideally, it needed something like the Neidan of the Eternal Flame Fox, but even a lesser yang-infused herb would have sufficed.

When Paimon explained this, Seol Hayeon confidently handed her some ginseng, claiming her instincts assured her it would work.

Paimon, thinking women in this world naturally carried yang energy, didn’t question it.

Two minor miscalculations compounded into a medical disaster.

"Stay with me!"

"…So sleepy…"

"If you close your eyes now, you’ll freeze to death!"

Paimon panicked.

Frankly, she didn’t care if Seol Hayeon died. But if anyone found out she had poisoned Korea’s hero?

Her already precarious life would be over. Being accused of assassinating a national treasure wasn’t something she could survive.

Paimon realized she was utterly screwed.

I need to save her. But is there any yang-infused ingredient around? Not that I know of…

Damn it. If only my magic were intact, I could have transferred some of my overflowing yang energy…

I can’t die like this! I haven’t even done anything yet—this is unfair!

Then, a sudden realization struck her.

—Pause.

Wait… yang energy. That man…

Someone overflowing with yang energy. A man whose libido surpassed even the most robust heroines.

Seo Yujin.

He was the only one who could save Seol Hayeon now.

Paimon didn’t waste any time.

"Wait here! I’ll bring him immediately!"

—Whoosh!

The desperate demon raced toward the academy.

She sprinted to the principal’s office, where Yujin, two days into his new role as Association Chair, was likely meeting with the newly appointed principal.

"Professor—I mean, Principal. I look forward to working with you."

"Ah, likewise, I look forw—"

Bang!

This chapter is updated by freēwēbnovel.com.

"Yujin!! It’s an emergency!"

"What?! Grandma Seol collapsed?!"

She was getting up there in years, but this is so sudden…!

Yujin’s heart sank. To him, Seol Hayeon was a sixty-year-old elder. Hearing she’d collapsed made him think, Ah, so it’s finally happened.

He braced himself, thinking this was the inevitable conclusion.

"It’s not my fault—!"

"Save the excuses. Just run!"

I’ve hypnotized her to prevent any scheming, so at least I know she didn’t pull anything this time.

Yujin didn’t suspect Paimon at all.

After all, he’d secretly hypnotized her. If she ever tried anything malicious, she’d be cursed to spend the rest of her life naked. Since she was clothed, she was in the clear.

Thanks to this, Paimon’s life was spared.

"But why me?! I’m only good at hypnosis therapy. Wouldn’t Suyeon be a better option?"

"You’re the only one who can help her!"

"…She’s finally lost her mind, hasn’t she?!"

Yujin reluctantly sprinted to the infirmary to deal with whatever mess Seol Hayeon had gotten herself into before it spiraled out of control.

Bang!

"Grandma! Are you alri—Uweeeeehhh!!!"

MY EYES!!!

He froze.

He’d burst into the room, only to come face-to-face with a completely naked Seol Hayeon.