novelraw Chapter 136 : Chapter 136
Chapter 136 : Chapter 136
Chapter 136: Pain Curse (2)
To state the conclusion first, a major disaster was averted.
Do Haru, who dashed straight to the bathroom, succeeded in protecting her dignity.
The problem was what came after.
[DoDay(Do Haru): It was you, wasn’t it.]
[Ryu Jinwoo: What was?]
[DoDay(Do Haru): It was like this before, too. Before, when we went to the arcade. That strange sword of yours……. I was trapped in the bathroom for 30 minutes back then, too. Don't you remember? It’s exactly the same as back then right now.]
[Ryu Jinwoo: Sorry…….]
[DoDay(Do Haru): Why is it me again? Why the stomach of all places? Why…….]
Do Haru sent a sobbing fox emoticon.
‘I’m sorry…….’
It was one hour later that I could properly apologize.
Because that was when Do Haru finally returned.
Do Haru was depressed but slowly recovered around the afternoon.
It was likely thanks to me fetching warm water, buying porridge, getting enteritis medicine, and showing the epitome of devotion from the sidelines.
Though it bothers me a bit that she left after saying, “I met Hayun…… in the bathroom,” at the end.
Still, it was resolved for now.
Personal maintenance time arrived after finishing such a bizarre day.
I got up from the bed and sat in front of the desk.
I moved the trivial odds and ends and the laptop to the corner and took out the items I brought.
I even packed two training daggers, a supply-issue real sword, an axe, various small arms, and a BB gun.
These were the preparations for a small experiment.
I grabbed the BB gun first.
‘If this works, it’s a jackpot.’
Firing curses safely from a distance.
Just thinking about it makes life look easier.
I wouldn't have to put my body on the line and make a scene like I do now.
I flowed Pain into it with anticipation.
And I realized quickly.
“……This is going to be tough.”
A feeling of rigid rejection even when trying not to be conscious of the boundary.
It felt like piercing a solid iron wall with a needle.
Just in case, I grabbed a handful of BB pellets and tried, but the result was similar.
“Even the bullet doesn’t work?”
It bounces off helplessly.
There shouldn't be anything simpler in structure than a BB pellet.
‘Proficiency probably influences it.’
Basic system.
In the first place, Pain was infused into the sword because the sword itself felt like my own body.
How familiar and skilled am I with it, and how much talent do I have regarding that equipment?
Factors like that were more important than anything else in handling the ability.
In my case, that is the sword.
Just as swordsmanship spells were easy to learn and definitely applicable regarding spells.
‘So guns are difficult for now.’
If the much easier BB gun doesn't work, there’s no way a more complex and tricky live round would work.
Swallowing my disappointment, I put down the gun.
I tested the axe next.
It was better than the gun, but the flow still cut off intermittently.
The energy didn't flow smoothly.
Efficiency: 0 points.
‘……In the end, it comes back around to the sword.’
The last thing to test was the dagger.
What about this guy?
You are technically a sword too.
As expected, the feeling came as soon as I held it.
This grip that wrapped perfectly around my hand.
When I familiarly flowed Pain into it, it seeped into the dagger without much resistance.
“Ooh.”
It’s a success.
I swung it lightly to check.
Using it on a person would be dangerous, naturally.
How about over there? I threw the dagger just like that.
SWISH-! THWACK!
The dagger embedded deep into the reading stand.
The reaction came immediately.
[The curse is activated.]
SIZZLE-
The spot the dagger touched turned black.
Smoke rose as the wood grain crumbled like poison was poured on it.
“This is definitely usable.”
The power is certain.
Even if the firepower isn't that strong because only a microscopic amount of Pain is used, the possibilities for application were endless.
However, there was one point that needed to be addressed.
When I pulled out the dagger, the blade was a mess.
It was heavily twisted and worn down.
‘Is it disposable?’
The moment I put Pain into the weapon, its durability is depleted.
Basically one-time use.
It can be said that the weapon takes the suffering instead of my body.
“In the end, the cost is the problem.”
Tens of thousands of won fly away with a single dagger throw.
It’s practically pouring money onto the ground.
I can’t receive academy supplies indefinitely either.
Then, will the plan to utilize Pain be aborted like this?
No way.
There was one method.
I opened my laptop and found the site.
[Blind Auction]
A closed, anonymous auction house.
On the surface, it just looks like a suspicious site, but I plan to use it frequently in the future.
MacGuffin Auction House, that is the name it’s called on the outside: Blind Auction.
As soon as I attempted to connect, a red window popped up on the screen.
[Access permission is required.]
In a normal case, this would be the end.
Because access permission is not at a normal level.
You need to possess a Hero License or occupy a significant position in the political or business world.
A normal cadet wouldn't even be able to enter.
However, in my case, I am prepared.
I took out my press pass and held it to the screen.
Then, the scan began on the device within the screen, closely examining my biometric information.
After the verification process, which lasted quite a while, ended.
[Identity verification complete]
[Welcome, Cleaner Ryu Jinwoo.]
A notification window welcoming the Cleaner popped up.
I cleaned up that filth one by one just to use this place.
I will probably have to clean again the next time I access MacGuffin World.
I shook my head at the bitterness that rose suddenly.
Still, the harvest was certain.
Once the authentication procedure ended, the main screen of the Blind Auction opened immediately.
What caught my eye first were the top-tier artifacts hung on the main banner.
The number of ‘0’s on the price tags was enough to cause dizziness.
‘Not this.’
It’s still too early, far too early.
I scrolled all the way down and clicked the Junk Market tab stuck in the corner.
It was a place where scrap items with barely any durability left or items rendered unusable by curses were posted for dirt cheap prices.
Unless you were quite the eccentric or someone doing strange work, it was a garbage dump you wouldn't even glance at.
But for me, it was the perfect place to fill what I lacked.
[Bundle of 100 Steel Throwing Daggers]
[Selling defective goods cheap. Slightly chipped. For training. No negotiation.]
“This is just right.”
I need to put Pain into it, and it needs to withstand that to some extent.
Products that are barely at the level to be called swords won't do.
The condition shouldn't be too bad either.
In that respect, the product I found was at the perfect level for me to utilize.
A bundle of 100 daggers for the price of one or two decent daggers.
That means, normally, it’s a product no one would even click on.
I pressed the [Buy Now] button without hesitation.
BZZZT-!
At the same time the purchase was confirmed, the space above the table before my eyes shimmered.
The immediate transmission spell that the MacGuffin system boasts.
Because of this, people inevitably flock to the Blind Auction.
It is thoroughly anonymous, and receiving the goods happens literally instantly.
CRACKLE-!
Before I knew it, a parcel was placed on the table.
As if it had been there originally.
As I opened the box, along with the musty smell of iron, metal pieces in poor condition poured out.
Defective goods rusted in places and chipped.
“Good.”
They are bullets to be used once and thrown away anyway.
They don't need to be sharp, nor do they need to be durable.
Rather, it was best that they were appropriately damaged and dirt cheap.
“Oh, even service items?”
I even took the throwing gloves roughly tucked in the corner.
Since the weapons are ready, it was time to properly test the ability.
***
WHOOSH-! THUD!
Late at night at the throwing training ground, a dagger cut through the air.
The throwing motion wasn't completely smooth yet.
I caught my breath and thinly coated the newly picked-up dagger with Pain.
‘Don’t get greedy. Just like coating it.’
If I push too much in, it will scatter instead.
Fine control was required.
SWISH-!
Throwing daggers itself was actually quite fun.
Most didn't stick properly to the target and bounced off, but it didn't matter.
‘It just needs to touch.’
Throwing it toward the target.
That action alone was satisfying the activation condition for the curse.
[The curse is activated.]
A message popped up every time I threw.
A strange thrill ran down my spine every time I saw the notification.
Irresponsible pleasure, was it always this good?
Until now, my ability always demanded equivalent exchange.
If I convert Pain, it turns into corresponding pain, and I had to feel that agony entirely.
Coating it directly on my body?
Paralysis occurs.
If I use a skill, settlement pain comes as a basic requirement.
Everything had a price attached to me.
‘But this is different.’
I don’t hurt at all.
Since the amount of Pain I can coat on the sword is still only microscopic, the destructive power is lacking, but it didn't matter.
Just the fact that there is no damage to me made the training value sufficient.
‘Though I won’t be able to recycle the daggers.’
Corroded and broken pieces of metal rolled around on the floor.
My body was fine, but the weapons were in a state where they took the suffering instead.
They corroded, rusted, and broke upon contact with Pain.
‘Humans get pain. Objects get broken. Is that how it works?’
So I am wielding a power that ruins objects in an instant.
Mimic, just what kind of power are you giving me?
This was enough.
I’ve definitely gotten used to the sensation of coating Pain, and I’ve checked the power.
Today’s practice ends here.
Packing up the remaining daggers, I left the training ground.
***
Meanwhile, in the corner of the training ground at the same time.
There were eyes watching that scene.
‘Daggers?’
Sonic Park put down the water bottle he was drinking from and looked at Ryu Jinwoo.
That guy was throwing daggers.
Why is the guy who swings a sword ignorantly suddenly throwing daggers?
‘This is my territory.’
It bothered him subtly.
To be honest, he was slightly nervous.
‘……He won’t be good at it, right?’
What if that guy ends up being good even in his field of expertise?
Could he endure it?
Sonic Park wasn't confident; confident he could endure it.
Sonic Park, who started watching Ryu Jinwoo like that.
A sigh of relief came out in less than 10 seconds.
SWISH-! TIK!
The dagger failed to stick to the target and bounced off in vain.
‘He’s unskilled.’
It was gratifying; he didn't even have the basics down.
His snap was a mess, and he didn't even have the concept of finger grounding.
That guy doesn't even know the basics of throwing.
‘There’s no way he can hit anything like that.’
It was the moment he was about to turn away with a smirk.
WHOOSH- THUNK!
“Hmm?”
Sonic Park’s eyes widened as they turned toward Ryu Jinwoo again.
The scarecrow target in the training ground had fallen over with a heavy sound.
“……What is that?”
Surprising situations continued after that.
ZING-! THUD!
Ryu Jinwoo threw daggers with a posture that was still unstable.
There was no room for doubt that his skill lacked even the basics.
Hits were occasional, and most just made a thud sound and fell down.
But the targets started to break, get holes punched in them, and collapse one by one.
‘What on earth is that?’
Far from a clean hit, it was embarrassing to even call it a hit.
However, the targets Ryu Jinwoo aimed for were all being destroyed.
Every single one of them in a wretched state.
Poison? Deadly poison?
No.
Using something dangerous like that in a training ground?
Furthermore, if the target ends up in that state just from a touch, the thrower shouldn't be unscathed either.
Then is it a trick? A special device? Specially made daggers?
No guess could form a conclusion and only drifted in his mind.
In the meantime, Ryu Jinwoo shouldered his dagger bag as if nothing had happened.
Then he calmly left the training ground.
Sonic Park walked to the spot where he had been as if possessed.
Daggers that Ryu Jinwoo had thrown were scattered on the floor.
Every single one was trash.
It seemed they weren't good daggers to begin with.
The condition was a mess, with blades chipped or rusted away.
Sonic Park carefully pulled out the last remaining dagger.
“He must have used a trick. I’m sure of it.”
However, there was no device.
It was just an ordinary, no, a cheap dagger that couldn't even be called ordinary.
The blade was pitted in places too.
The moment he lightly touched the blade with his finger.
CRUMBLE-
“What?”
The entire dagger blade corroded red and scattered into powder.
As if iron hundreds of years old had decayed and crumbled.
Sonic Park stared blankly down at the remaining handle.
His spine went cold.
‘That bastard……. Just what did he do?’
Perplexity, and an ominousness difficult to explain in words.
That guy was training a technique Sonic Park couldn't even begin to grasp.
“Tch!”
Sonic Park took out four of his own daggers hidden in his bosom.
Using only the flick of his wrist, he fired them straight at a distant target.
THUD-THUD-THUD-THUD-!
In an instant, the four daggers struck the target.
Then, the neck part of the target was sliced off smoothly.
Perfect accuracy and severing.
It was a situation that would normally be satisfying.
But it didn't feel refreshing at all.
‘Why is it like this?’
What Ryu Jinwoo showed was clumsy throwing skills.
Awkward movements without even the basics.
Yet, it felt more threatening than his own disciplined technique.
A power more chilling because it couldn't be understood.
Sonic Park swallowed dryly without realizing it.
Watching Ryu Jinwoo’s receding back for a long time without a word.