Episode 96.
Jung Si-woo’s coincidental research lasted nearly two hours. He continued to examine the flowing water and admired its mystery but soon realized its limitations and began to explore other objects by inserting mana into the water. He observed how it could be changed and strengthened. It was like his own body.
“Yeah, it won’t help during battles if it was only meant to see through clothes.”
The proper use of this ability was to see the inside of humans and living things by just looking at them. Water required quite a bit of concentration, but Jung Si-woo managed to capture his own bones, muscles, and blood vessels in his eyes after about thirty minutes of grunting.
‘This is kind of disgusting…’
He saw his blood flowing quickly, and the shape of the muscles surrounding the bones was amazing. The form of mana, which was embedded in all of them and strengthened them, looked mysterious.
‘It’s funny to see the flow of mana inside my body.’
Jung Si-woo recalled what happened the other day. Not only was he able to beat top-class player Kim Ha-ryong because Jung Si-woo was stronger than him and started with a successful blow, but most of all, he prevented him from using his skills. It was an instinctive way to deal with a player, but it was very harsh. This was because it was nothing more than a physical hit by detecting the opponent’s fuming mana and attacking where it was activated.
What would it be like to be able to understand the opponent’s mana at a glance? The level of difficulty of the battle would fall to less than half. You’d be able to figure out the best timing to use your skill and the best timing to stop.
“I won’t be able to do that right now. It’s already hard to see through my own body. But a fast-moving opponent? It’ll be absolutely impossible.’
He needed to train his vision and his see-through skills. Both of them weren’t easy, and it would also require some remodeling of the rubber balls. It was necessary for him to check in the kitchen. Apart from that, progress had been made in his five senses. If it were possible to see the inside of his body and check its mana flow, it would also be possible to check the active and passive skills. He could observe the passive skills reflected in the bathroom mirror shining inside him.
“I really wish I had a time room.”
He wanted to explore only his body, mana, and skills for about a year, but the reality was harsh. At that moment, Soo Ah-rin knocked on the bathroom door to ask if he was okay.
“Yes, I’m getting out now.”
Anyway, he knew well how visual and taste skills were created; he knew what position they were in his eyes and tongue and how they interacted with his body. The next step was to apply it to the rest!
‘I’d like to get all those skills at least before the World Player Representatives Conference.’
Jung Si-woo opened the door with a small pledge, being immediately greeted by Soo Ah-rin. After two hours of exploration, he was able to coordinate his visual skills enough that he no longer had to look away from her.
“I’m sorry, Ah-rin.”
“What are you sorry about? It’s weird when you say that.”
“I’m just sorry. Now let’s eat so that I can study the tasting skill.”
“You look like you’re trying to hide something from me…? I’ve prepared a meal, but…”
Jung Si-woo knew Soo Ah-rin was a very good girl, but in fact, she was extremely ashamed of what she heard from Jung Si-woo earlier so that she couldn’t play strong. After eating buckwheat soba and washing the dishes, Jung Si-woo sat down on the sofa and began work on the five senses skills. First of all, the sense of smell. He stimulates the sense and produces the skill in his nose by using mana.
“Then let’s take a potion. The healing and addiction potion…oh, here it is.”
“Why do you have to do it the dangerous way.”
“That’s the catch. Wouldn’t I be able to activate my sense of smell if I alternate between hazardous and non-hazardous smells?”
“Wouldn’t your senses be completely paralyzed?”
Jung Si-woo ignored Soo Ah-rin’s worries as always and smelled the healing potion. It smelled quite sweet, like strawberry juice. It was a scent that made him want to freeze and drink it. Next was the Addiction Potion. Why did this smell more familiar? It was because he had been poisoned a lot more.
“You’re always doing something dangerous.”
“It’s still a lot better than being hit by a rubber ball.”
Yong Se-ha locked himself in the training center while Soo Ah-rin stood by Jung Si-woo because she was worried that he might be poisoned. Jung Si-woo’s sense of smell research took place over the next two days as he inhaled the scents to a dangerous level so he could stimulate his sense of smell. That made Soo Ah-rin nervous, but all of a sudden, he distanced himself from the bottle and brought it to the kitchen, then ran in the opposite direction while closing his eyes.
“…Is it a potion that attacks your brain?”
“It’s not.”
After lightly tapping on Soo Ah-rin’s forehead because of her rude words, Jung Si-woo tried to smell with his nose again. When his mana moved and touched a specific part of the nose, the cells were activated, and its performance was increased. Then, the scent of the two potions placed more than a few tens of meters away could be distinguished. His sense of smell could even capture the approximate distance and the concentration of the potion.
“Good, it worked.”
“Good!?”
At the moment when Jung Si-woo murmured, the mana in his body quickly flocked to his nose. To be exact, Jung Si-woo, who embodied the possibility, was determined to lead mana to create passive skills there. Just as vision and taste had different forms, he was worried about how to harmonize his nose and the smell skill. But after a few hours of experimenting, he was able to learn more about the smell and how to distribute mana to enhance his nose’s ability.
[Mana is permanently reduced by 3.]
[Player acquired the sense of smell (passive).]
“Good.”
“So you really can make it on your own…”
It would have been impossible without his visual skills, but Jung Si-woo decided not to talk about it right now. Later, much later…he would tell her when he saw her in heaven.
“What’s left is the sense of touch and hearing, right? Alright, let’s master it with this momentum!”
“You haven’t slept in two days. Are you going to be okay?”
“Don’t worry. I’m totally fine.”
Rather, he was so excited that he couldn’t fall asleep because there were only two steps left until all of the five senses were acquired. He stretched while stroking Soo Ah-rin’s head, who was anxiously asking him to rest. There were three days left before the World Player Representative Conference was held, so he might be able to make the other two five senses into skills in time! It was at that moment that his phone on the sofa vibrated.
“Just when I thought I could concentrate on my skills…”
“Oppa, aren’t you going to answer the phone?”
Every time his phone rang, it was always something important. He was hoping that it wasn’t a loan call or an insurance scam. Jung Si-woo checked the number that popped up on his phone, his eyes quickly resembling a dead puffer fish’s. He didn’t know the number.
“Shall we ignore it?”
“It looks like a phone call from a foreign country.”
“Ha…”
He saved Marina’s number on his phone, so it wasn’t her. Then was it the UN? At this point, Jung Si-woo wondered if the world was doing something to prevent him from completing his five senses training, but he received the call. He lifted his phone with a deep sigh.
“Hello…”
[This is Jung Si-woo…right?]
Coincidentally, the caller was more likely to be annoying than the UN.
“Seria Wilson?”
[Right. You remember my voice.]
“Seria Wilson?”
Soo Ah-rin’s eyes narrowed. Jung Si-woo opened his mouth, thinking that Ah-rin must have had a hard time keeping him in check for no reason.
“I heard you got my number from Marina, but why did you contact me?”
[I’d like to talk about it in person. Is that okay? I’m in Korea now.]
Jung Si-woo thought these damn players would one day take over the airlines in each country. He couldn’t ignore the fact that she came all the way to Korea, but it was really annoying to stop the good flow of training and go out…Jung Si-woo asked carefully.
“It’s urgent, isn’t it? Is it something I really need to go out for?
[Very much.]
Yeah, he knew it. Jung Si-woo sighed, facing Soo Ah-rin’s sharp eyes.
“Yeah, let’s meet and talk. So…”
Half an hour later, Jung Si-woo entered the cafe that they decided to meet at. He was being watched by countless people passing by. The situation at Cafe Ando was similar.
“Oh, that man…!”
“It’s Jung Si-woo.”
“It’s really him.”
On the screen on the wall of the cafe, there was a scene where Jung Si-woo beat Kim Ha-ryong, and as the most notable people in Korea now were Jung Si-woo and Kim Ha-ryong, that had been broadcasted frequently for the past few days.
[It was the most exhilarating moment of the year. I don’t have any personal resentment or malice towards Kim Ha-ryong, but I’m just happy that the best player in Korea was beaten.]
[The master of the Soaring Tempest Guild was robbed of his fiancé and beaten. That’s sad, but he’s always been a little ratty.]
[Didn’t he try to flirt with Marina Bissett? I heard that he asked Lee Seo-hee to join his guild, but he got rejected right away. Hahahaha.]
[Even Lee Seo-hee and Jung Si-woo are close friends. Hahahaha.]
[Now, if Kim Ha-ryong turns coat and moves to another country, it’ll be the perfect third-rate novel.]
[Still, Jung Si-woo will win all of them. He’s the real deal.]
Roughly, these reactions were heating various Internet bulletin boards. It was really pitiful that he wasn’t treated well among players either. Now he would be the perfect villain if he showed his power and fought with Jung Si-woo.
“You’ve become very famous.”
“Oh, were you there?”
He ditched all the people giving him the same look. ‘He’s real! It’s really him!’ and found Seria Wilson. Her red-blonde hair and her eyes sprinkled with golden flecks were very impressive thanks to the remnants of Louisos, the god of light.
“Oh, she’s here to see Jung Si-woo!”
“Wow, it’s the master of the harem.”
“Why are all players so pretty? Why aren’t the women in our company that pretty?”
“Hey, you should take a look at yourself in the mirror first.”
Of course, she also had such beauty she attracted people’s eyes as much as Jung Si-woo, so as they stood facing each other, the sound of camera flashes could be heard everywhere. Jung Si-woo frowned.
“Who the hell picked this place to meet?”
“It was you.”
“I’m sorry.”
It was Jung Si-woo’s fault for overlooking the fact that he became very famous after being exposed to the media. He apologized to her and bought an iced Americano.
“Is this going to take long? There’s something I’ve been doing. I’m glad you came to Korea, but I’d appreciate it if you could finish it as fast as possible…”
“It’ll be short.”
Seria Wilson nodded as if not to worry. Unlike Marina, he could communicate with her easily! Seria Wilson looked at Jung Si-woo with a bright smile.
“I want to serve you. Please take me in.”
And she detonated the bomb with a look of no concern.
