novelraw Chapter 35 : Chapter 35
Chapter 35 : Chapter 35
Chapter 35: Preparation (2)
"I feel it every time: a single day never feels like just a day."
Having returned safely to the Glory dormitory, I was looking back on the events of the day.
Leaving in the morning to meet Shin Yu-hwan, the Guildmaster of Horizon, and Cha Yu-na.
Spending almost the entire day completing the hidden piece of Waryong's Dungeon and obtaining rewards.
Meeting Yu-hyeon afterward and even gaining an unexpected additional reward.
And...
"Even the things that happened just a little while ago."
I recalled what had happened as soon as I returned to Glory.
In the time it took to get back to the dormitory, I had encountered far more familiar faces than I had expected.
'The first ones I ran into were Do Gang-ho and Oh Jin-eon.'
I remembered hearing that those two had first met while I was unconscious in the hospital room during the Lee Ho-jae incident.
'But I did not expect them to become that close.'
Judging by the heat I felt radiating from their bodies when I ran into them today, it seemed they had become close while training together.
Since both of them clearly had strong macho tendencies, they probably bonded through actions rather than words.
'After that, I ran into Kim Su-hyeok.'
Shortly after parting ways with Do Gang-ho and Oh Jin-eon after some small talk, I encountered Kim Su-hyeok.
What was different from usual was that Kim Su-hyeok was not alone.
'It was a combination that was both fitting and unexpected.'
The people with him were Ha Eun-ha, Ju Ha-yeon, and even Ryu Jin-oh.
Since the four of them had known each other since middle school, it was not strange for them to be together.
However, because all four had such vastly different personalities, they were also a combination that did not seem to mix well.
'From what I could see, they probably met because of Ha Eun-ha.'
I had expected Ha Eun-ha to be mentally exhausted after the villain incident, and it seemed they had gathered for that reason.
After all, those three were the only ones Ha Eun-ha opened up to.
So, I tried to pass by as if I had not noticed them, wanting them to have a good time together, but I was inevitably caught by Kim Su-hyeok.
'I realized too late that I should have escaped then by any means necessary.'
After that, Kim Su-hyeok began a long-winded story.
He went on and on about how things might have been truly terrible if it had not been for me, how he was truly grateful for me protecting Ha Eun-ha, and how he wondered if he could have acted the same way if he had been in my position.
It was an impressively long story; it was amazing how he could stretch the simple sentence "Thank you for protecting Ha Eun-ha" for so long.
What made it even more difficult was the reaction of the other three.
'I would rather they had said something. It was so awkward.'
Ryu Jin-oh did nothing but silently glare at me, while Ju Ha-yeon just scanned me from head to toe as if she were performing an appraisal.
On top of that, even Ha Eun-ha, who usually played the role of brightening the atmosphere, said nothing after a quiet word of thanks, which nearly drove me crazy.
Only after a conversation with Kim Su-hyeok that lasted a full hour in that awkward atmosphere was I finally able to return to the dormitory.
"Ugh, how can a guy talk so much?"
When I read it in the book, it was mostly omitted with phrases like "Kim Su-hyeok's conversation continued for a long time," so I had not known. But now that I experienced it, I understood why it was skipped.
If all of that had been included in the novel, I probably would have given up on reading it, too.
Thanks to that, I had returned to Glory in a happy mood, but now I was completely exhausted.
If making someone that tired just through conversation is a talent, then it is certainly a talent.
"Still, that is relatively minor."
In the first place, Kim Su-hyeok is a perfect being with nothing to criticize in terms of his humanity or his skills.
It was not strange for someone like him to have one small flaw.
Well... depending on how one feels, it might not be such a minor flaw.
"Anyway, I should finish my work quickly and go to sleep."
Even if I was exhausted, I had to finish what needed to be done before ending the day, did I not?
I immediately took the wooden box out of the bracelet I had received from Yu-hyeon and opened it.
The elixir with the brilliant appearance I had seen at the coffee shop earlier revealed itself before my eyes once again.
"Look at how extravagant the description is."
As if to show that its appearance was not everything, when I checked the elixir using the system, brilliant information filled my vision.
[Beaded Jewel of an Imugi]
Rank: B-
Category: Medicinal Ingredient / Consumable
Information: This is the beaded jewel held by the A-Rank Gate boss, the 'Cunning Serpent-like Imugi.' As it is the jewel of an Imugi that failed to become a dragon, its size is small. It is not intended for consumption, but if you do eat it, something incredible might happen?
How to Use: Swallow it in one gulp.
Even though the rank was listed as B-, this was still incredibly high.
An elixir was so rare that anything C-Rank or higher could command any price the seller wanted.
'It makes sense, since elixirs almost never appear as Gate rewards.'
Most elixirs are not obtained directly as rewards from Gates but are made using materials obtained from them.
However, among Players, those with the talent to create elixirs are extremely few.
Moreover, most of them are not particularly skilled.
Therefore, the reality was that no matter how well elixirs made by manufacturers were crafted, it was difficult for them to exceed C-Rank.
"...Wait, I feel like I have seen this somewhere before."
I seemed to recall a news report from a while ago about a famous Player team that had an elixir reward stolen from them...
But I quickly erased that thought from my head.
Even if I returned it, they would surely pester me with questions about where I got it.
In that case, was it not much better for it to go into my mouth?
"Well then, shall I give it a try?"
Therefore, without even a moment of mental preparation, I immediately put the elixir in my mouth and swallowed it.
Several minutes passed after I ate the elixir.
"What?"
Nothing happened.
I had even felt a pang of conscience and swallowed it with great reluctance, so was it a defective product?
I had an absurd expression on my face as I gently stroked my stomach.
But there was still no reaction at all.
Ultimately, I could not help but let out a voice mixed with irritation.
"How can this be..."
It was then.
An incredible, sharp pain suddenly surged through me.
"ARGH...!"
A loud scream did not escape.
It was a choking sort of scream where I could not even form words properly.
They say that in cases of extreme pain, even screams do not come easily, and that was exactly the situation I was in.
"...Damn it. Huff!"
I thought I had become accustomed to pain after receiving penalties from my talents.
But that was a huge mistake.
This was a completely different kind of pain.
If a penalty felt like being struck from the outside, this pain felt like being hollowed out from the inside.
I truly felt like I wanted to lose consciousness.
'But I cannot even do that because of this damn talent.'
A wish that was constantly active in real-time.
Apparently, my unconscious mind would not allow me to let go of my sanity.
In the end, I gave up on losing consciousness, grit my teeth, and focused my will with a voice that barely came out.
"Fine, let's see who wins...!"
I had to keep my sanity, yet the pain would not go away.
In such a situation, was there not only one thing I could do?
I had no choice but to endure it through sheer grit and stubbornness.
I held onto the single hope that this pain would pass quickly.
***
It was dawn, and the sun had not yet risen.
I had spent the entire night on the living room floor, where I had collapsed the previous day because I lacked the strength to even head to my bed.
"Sigh... I won. Damn it."
I could say for certain that it was the longest night of my life.
It was a night that felt like it would never end, incomparable to the night before a school picnic when I was a child.
The winner of the battle that continued throughout that long night turned out to be me.
Ultimately, the pain ended before I lost my mind.
'But I cannot even bring myself to smile.'
Usually, the winner of a life-or-death struggle takes the reward.
Therefore, I had also obtained a reward befitting the effort.
The problem was that the reward was ambiguous.
"Sigh. Status Window."
I barely squeezed out a voice that no longer even had the energy to speak as I summoned the Status Window.
[Physical Abilities]
[Vitality: D]
[Strength: D]
[Agility: C-]
[Mana Affinity: E]
[Remaining Points: 0]
Held Influence Points: 26,000p
The Status Window was unchanged from before I ate the elixir.
That was right.
The elixir I had digested while enduring that insane pain was one that had absolutely nothing to do with physical abilities.
However, there was a reason I was sitting here quietly without getting angry.
I checked the system text written below my physical abilities with exhausted eyes.
Held Talents: [Swordsmanship (D)], [Heterogeneous Gear (SSS)], [Embodiment of Admiration (EX)], [Persistence (F)]
Held Trait: [Response]
A new trait called Response had appeared below my talents.
Looking at it, I let out another sigh.
"Sigh. Should I be happy or sad about this?"
It was not that the trait was bad.
In fact, it was insanely good.
Traits were inherently difficult to obtain, and if one was gained, it was literally like having a thousand-strong army.
If you took ten thousand active Players and asked them to choose between an increase in physical abilities and a trait, every single one of them would undoubtedly choose the trait.
Yet, the reason I was sighing was simple.
It was because the ability of that Response trait was ambiguous for me right now.
[Response]
A spirit that pierces objects.
Maximizes all abilities of the artifact intended for use.
(Currently locked.)
A truly clean explanation.
I did not know what the second ability was, but the first ability, 'A spirit that pierces objects,' alone was enough to tell me it was an excellent trait.
But why was I sighing so much?
"Because it maximizes the abilities of artifacts, not my own abilities."
If I possessed a large number of artifacts, I would have welcomed this trait with a smile.
But right now, I only had two.
The Suppressing Blade and the Blood Wish Sword.
And among them, the Suppressing Blade was practically an artifact I could not use, so the Blood Wish Sword was the only one.
"...And even that is a bit iffy."
The description said it maximizes 'all abilities' of the artifact.
From that phrase, I could feel it instinctively.
This would undoubtedly be an ability that maximizes the penalties as well.
'I am no fool; I will not be tricked again.'
Since coming to this world, I have never received anything resembling kindness from the system.
Even when I train hard, my physical abilities only go up by a tiny bit, and the EX-Rank talent brings a penalty that feels like it will kill me.
In such a situation, who would think that the Response trait would only increase the beneficial abilities of an artifact?
"It's not like I can obtain other artifacts right away, either."
It was a miracle that I even obtained the Blood Wish Sword I have now.
In the first place, obtaining a useful artifact was no easy task.
"...Sigh. In the end, I have no choice but to think positively."
Come to think of it, the elixir was something I was never supposed to have.
A trait that was not supposed to exist just appeared out of thin air, did it not?
"Besides, in a way, I have gained a last resort."
I had not tested the abilities of the Blood Wish Sword yet, but it would not be A+ Rank for nothing.
It was certain to have a corresponding ability.
...Of course, the penalty would not be easy to handle either, but if it was maximized further, it meant I had a last resort.
Thinking that way, I felt a little better.
"Sigh. I should start getting ready for school."
I had not realized it because I was thinking about the elixir, but when I checked the time, it was already time to head to school.
I had been exhausted yesterday and had stayed up all night in pain, so I considered skipping, but I eventually shook my head.
"Today is an important day."
An announcement had been made that the schedule for the Midterm Exams would be explained today.
It was the first Midterm Exams for the villain den 'Glory,' which was full of trouble.
If I were an ordinary cadet, it would be different, but as someone who knows a fair amount about this world, how could I skip such an important day?
Therefore, I somehow forced my exhausted body up and began preparing for school.