< Episode 79: Gift (1) >
Friday night.
I was sitting at my desk, grinning ear to ear.
“If it’s like this, the jumping ability of the rabbit tribe isn’t bad either.”
D Rank [85/99]
These were the measurements of my strength, agility, and stamina ability stats, taken in a personal training room.
“It’s oozing with goodness.”
Just yesterday, it was D Rank [35/99]. The detailed stats have increased by 50 in just one day.
I’m really not far from C Rank now.
But B Rank still feels a bit far.
“As expected, the rate of increase decreases as the rank goes up.”
At first, when ‘Boiling Pure Blood’ was fully integrated, the rank rose by one, and some detailed stats were left over.
Then, when ‘Predator’s Killing Intent’ was fully integrated, it increased from E Rank [70/99] to D Rank [35/99], an increase of about 60 in detailed stats.
And today.
The complete integration of ‘Rabbit Tribe’s Jumping Ability’ has resulted in an increase of about 50 in detailed stats.
In other words, the higher the rank, the slower the increase in stats.
“It’s obvious though …”
The fact that it requires more stats to raise a higher rank is not without reason.
Becoming E Rank from F Rank
It’s more than 10 times harder to become an A Rank from B Rank, so it requires 10 times the bonus points.
Superhumans also know this, so they want to use bonus points at the highest rank possible.
But where is this?
An F Rank nobody has become a D Rank+ in just two months.
I closed the [Note on Complete Integration] with a satisfied smile.
“Good.”
I took out a small box placed in the corner of my desk.
“Taking the Elixir is always right.”
This box contains the honey of the Honey Bear.
It’s the by-product acquired from the Wednesday Yeoncheon field hunting, and it’s now being distributed.
The distribution was delayed because of the Tyrant Drake incident, and the handling of the deaths of the cadets.
“This little bottle is worth over a billion.”
I admired the radiant yellow liquid contained in a 100ml bottle. It definitely looked like honey. A very luxurious feeling honey.
“They say to strike while the iron is hot.”
Pop-
The sound of opening the cap was cheerful.
The enchanting sweetness tickled my nostrils. The sound of swallowing saliva echoed in my throat.
“I’m going for it.”
I gulped it down in one breath.
As befitting its name as honey, a sweet taste filled my mouth.
Yet, it’s not too sweet. Should I call it a delightful sweetness?
Swallowing it was art.
It glides smoothly down the esophagus, sending a refreshing sensation all the way down.
The Honey Bear’s honey disappeared into my stomach in an instant.
“Wow.”
Is this an Elixir?
I heard that medicine is usually bitter and tasteless, but it’s different in this world.
The taste was addicting, and I could want more.
If there were no side effects from overconsumption, I would try to get it again.
“Ah. Now’s not the time.”
I pulled myself together.
The important thing is not the taste but the efficacy. Increasing magical capacity. How much change will there be?
I closed my eyes with expectation.
I felt the magic flow from the ‘Magic Vessels’, the special organs that send magic between the veins.
The center of the body is where the magic vessels converge. An intangible energy fluttering near the heart.
The place where my magic, which has the fire attribute due to the ‘Flame of Engraving’, is stored.
If the magic capacity increases, this is the first place where the change happens.
I focused my senses there.
“… It’s increased way more than I thought?”
The change was much greater than I anticipated. Maybe because my magic capacity was small to begin with. It seems to have increased by about 1.2 times.
Although it’s only 1.2 times, this is, at best, a medicine that can be acquired in the field, and it’s a billion-won Elixir.
While it has efficacy, it’s hard to expect a dramatic change.
Considering that the change in magic capacity for B Rank superhumans is about 1.03 times, 1.2 times is a truly enormous increase.
“… Did the evolution of the magic vessels increase the absorption rate or something?”
Perhaps it’s thanks to the complete integration with the Elven trait. It’s probably certain.
“Anyway, it’s awesome.”
I’m very satisfied since I achieved greater results than expected.
“Squeak.”
“Are you awake?”
At some point, Goldie woke up and was rubbing its cheek on my foot.
Then it lightly jumped onto my lap.
“… Are you going to sleep here?”
It curled up again and fell asleep.
Whether it liked the scent of my body or not, it buried its face in me, purring.
A natural smile spread across my face.
Brrr-
At that moment, the phone I had placed on the desk vibrated.
[Little one. You know 11 o’clock tomorrow, right?]
It was a message from Maiden Critines.
[Yes, of course.]
I couldn’t possibly forget.
Tomorrow is the day to receive the ancient relics from Maiden.
* * *
The classic music is flowing gently in the splendid room.
The Maestro is at the center, eyes closed, lost in thought.
The plan to adjust Drake’s perception with the power of a ghost spirit, unfold the doppelganger, and kidnap Shin Jia through the weakened security network, had failed miserably.
“I thought it was a fairly viable plan, but it ended in an attempted kidnapping,” the Maestro thought.
“Interesting.”
The Maestro smiled menacingly.
He was not particularly sorry.
This operation was of no consequence whether it succeeded or failed.
If Shin Jia’s kidnapping had succeeded, they would have been able to obtain information about the Vagabond incident. But from the beginning, the Maestro never thought the likelihood of success was high.
‘The person who handled Vagabond so perfectly. They would not fall for such a shoddy plan.’
The real purpose of the operation was ‘failure’ from the start.
In the absence of information in the current situation, there needed to be a sacrifice to obtain new information. That sacrifice was the Sword Spirit and the Ghost Spirit.
The Maestro pressed a button on the controller he was holding.
Then an image was projected onto the wall.
―You bastards. Nice to see you.
The scene of Sword Spirit, Ghost Spirit, and Kang Seo-yul fighting was being broadcast.
Since the Maestro was convinced that the two would fail from the start, he had prepared a miniature drone in advance to film the battle.
“Watching it again, it’s not the combat power of a cadet.”
A short battle lasting about 10 seconds.
The image of him overwhelming the Sword Spirit alone was enough to draw the Maestro’s admiration.
But that was all.
‘Veins protruding all over the body. Likely using an instant enhancement doping skill. Judging by Sword Spirit and Ghost Spirit’s dull reaction, they probably have a skill that suppresses detection and sensing.’
He must have a buff skill that was effective enough to overpower the Sword Spirit.
And generally, such skills have a short effect duration.
Evidence for this was that Kang Seo-yul did not stop attacking, even though he was dominating.
‘That must be because the time limit for the enhancement skill was approaching, trying to buy time. He probably thinks he’s already instilled enough caution.’
Indeed, the baffled Sword Spirit and Ghost Spirit could not attack rashly.
‘Falling for such bluster.’
Stupid guys.
The Maestro clicked his tongue.
―Little brother. I’m counting on you for Chaos Ghost.
The video ended there.
The Maestro’s prepared mini-drone could not penetrate the Chaos Ghost.
“…I expected it, but it’s disappointing.”
Although the drone had been optimized for stealth using magic power, he had expected that it wouldn’t be able to get through the magical confusion caused by the Chaos Ghost.
Still, he had used this method because the only drone that could penetrate the unusually stringent sensors around the Yeoncheon field was this one.
“Hmm.”
And quite some time passed.
The next video flowed.
It was the footage after the Chaos Ghost had been completely released.
―Guild Master of Bihon!
The first thing that was seen was the corpses of Sword Spirit and Ghost Spirit, throats pierced, gasping their last breaths.
Next was the figure of Kang Seo-yul, who seemed to have struggled quite a bit, his body covered in large and small wounds.
―I took care of these two.
And finally, Yu Hwa’s figure was seen.
Perhaps Kang Seo-yul somehow held on, Yu Hwa intervened, and Yu Hwa finished off Sword Spirit and Ghost Spirit.
From this brief video, the Maestro gained certainty.
“So Yu Hwa was the mastermind after all.”
The mastermind behind the plan to trap Vagabond is undoubtedly Yu Hwa. Considering the points of capturing the doppelganger and handling Pyo Il-chan, Yu Hwa must have a considerable understanding of the information within the organization.
‘Or there could be someone behind Yu Hwa.’
The Maestro twisted the corner of his mouth.
‘There’s also a possibility that the cadet named Kang Seo-yul is the real power behind the scenes.’
Kang Seo-yul seemed to be quite close to Yu Hwa. It’s not an impossibility.
‘I need to investigate Kang Seo-yul for now.’
Starting with the least likely possibilities and eliminating them one by one was the Maestro’s way of handling things. Besides, something about Kang Seo-yul bothered him since the first time he saw him.
“You look unusually pleased.”
“Hermit, is it?”
Hermit appeared behind the Maestro.
“What’s going on?”
“The investigation you requested last time on Kang Seo-yul. It’s finished.”
“Oh ho.”
A glint appeared in Maestro’s eyes.
“I never thought that Hermit would fulfill my personal request. Honestly, I didn’t even expect it.”
“It wasn’t a difficult task. Just something I did on the side.”
“Hmm. Anyway, good timing.”
Hermit spoke, tossing a few sheets of paper onto the desk.
“Let me get to the conclusion first.”
The document read as follows:
[Results of Kang Seo-yul’s Investigation]
“There was not a single suspicious point in Kang Seo-yul’s past.”
“Not a single one?”
Maestro’s eyes narrowed.
“Yes. The only thing worth mentioning was that he’s an orphan.”
“Hmm.”
Maestro began to quickly scan the documents.
“Just as you said, apart from the fact that he’s from a shelter called Saetbyeol Orphanage, there’s nothing unusual.”
It was just as Hermit said.
The only unusual thing was that under the family section, it was written that he was from [Saetbyeol Orphanage].
‘I can trust Hermit’s investigation. I can rule out the hypothesis that Kang Seo-yul is behind it for now.’
He gained certainty from this report.
Kang Seo-yul was just a talented cadet.
The reason he could respond to Shin Jia’s crisis faster than anyone else was likely because he saw Shin Jia’s missed call.
His desperation likely stemmed from ‘love.’
‘I just need to focus on investigating around Yu Hwa.’
Maestro smirked.
“….”
Hermit watched Maestro and thought to himself.
‘Fortunately, he doesn’t seem to suspect.’
The investigation record of Kang Seo-yul that Maestro was looking at was manipulated by Hermit.
Not just Maestro’s report, but he also simply concealed the records existing within the organization.
‘Sunshine Orphanage.’
Hermit thought about Kang Seo-yul’s ‘real’ past.
‘Kang Seo-yul. What on earth are you?’
Hermit’s pupils trembled with questions and astonishment.
* * *
The next day at lunchtime.
I was drinking coffee in a cafe near Gangnam, the appointed place.
The current time was 10:45 in the morning.
15 minutes before the agreed time.
That was when two women entered the cafe.
One was Maiden Critines, who at a glance captured everyone’s attention with her sophisticated fashion, looking like a beauty in her twenties. The other was the beautiful Yu Hwa, dressed in her usual suit.
I stood up from my seat to greet them both.
“Hello.”
“Hello. You came quite early, Seo-yul.”
Yu Hwa greeted me with a bright smile. But Maiden’s expression was icy cold.
“…You too?”
She looked at me with a serious face. Was something wrong? Or did I make a mistake?
“What’s with your clothes?”
“Pardon?”
“Black jeans with a black shirt…”
Maiden pressed the bridge of her nose in irritation and spoke as if sighing.
“Um… Isn’t it okay?”
Is something wrong?
“Okay? Of course, it’s okay. Because your face saves it.”
Ah. Is that what she means?
“Aren’t you wasting that face by dressing like that?”
“I don’t think I’ve ever thought it was a waste.”
Maiden covered her eyes with one hand and lamented.
“Why are there only people like this around me?”
“…Why are you looking at me, unnie?”
Maiden’s sigh deepened.
“One in the National Assembly look from Yeouido, and the other in all-black.”
“…”
“…”
Yu Hwa and I were rendered speechless.
“This won’t do. Let’s buy some clothes for you two today.”
Maiden’s eyes blazed with fire.
I just stared blankly at her.
Maiden Critines.
A dungeon creator ranked 32nd in the world.
Her dungeons are famous for two things.
The first is, of course, their maliciousness.
And the second is…
“You, little one, should also get your hair done while we’re at it. I know a great hair designer. They’re nearby.”
Design.
“I don’t think we need to go that far…”
“First, let’s get a few daily looks sorted out… Where was that decent department store nearby? No, let’s start with a boutique.”
“No, wait.”
Maiden seemed not to hear my words.
“Hwa, what time did we book the reservation with Black Smith’s Korean branch for the equipment order?”
“7 PM.”
…Huh?
“You said Black Smith just now?”
Black Smith.
The large Chinese maker that produced my ‘Horn of the Sleeping Dragon.’
It’s a craftsman maker that doesn’t even deal with equipment below A rank.
They’re tailoring my equipment?
“What? You don’t like it? Is it too common a maker? Should we go somewhere else?”
Maiden tilted her head.
“No, it’s not that I don’t like it… Isn’t it going to be too expensive?”
“Little one.”
Maiden smiled, baring her teeth.
“Didn’t I tell you? This big sister has money rotting away.”
Wow.
“Just trust your big sister and follow me.”
Why does that sound so cool?
