Chapter 32: So Much for Power Leveling
Just before setting off, a thought crossed my mind, prompting me to ask one more question.
"Do you know anything about red gems?"
"Red gems? What are those?"
"They’re shiny stones embedded in the bodies of monsters."
"There's something like that inside monsters?"
Karl's reaction made me furrow my brow. He was someone who had encountered chimeras multiple times over the past two months.
If he’d done more than just run away, surely he must have killed some of them.
I’d asked, convinced that he’d know about it, but Karl seemed entirely unaware of the existence of bio mana stones.
"Have you ever examined the insides of… chimeras, I mean monsters?"
"Of course not. I never had the chance."
"Excuse me? What do you mean?"
“Oh, you haven’t noticed?”
Karl clicked his tongue briefly, then looked around before asking me a question.
“Did you see any monster corpses while traveling with me yesterday?”
"…Ah!"
His words jogged my memory of a detail from the novel.
The tendency of chimeras to take away the bodies of their dead.
It was part of Dominic's command structure to keep the existence of bio mana stones hidden, but thanks to the Butcher's schemes, the stones’ existence had become too obvious, and I had forgotten about it.
“But why are you asking about the red gems?”
“Just wondering if you knew anything about them.”
“Do you have one on you?”
“Yes.”
I took a mana stone out of my pocket and tossed it to Karl, who examined it with a bemused expression.
“Were you cutting open monster corpses in that situation? Are you out of your mind?”
"Just curiosity. Besides, I collected Bethel’s Poison too, didn’t I?”
“Do you have kleptomania? Give me a heads-up if so. It'll be a problem if I find out later.”
Karl handed the mana stone back to me, waving his hand as if to dismiss me.
If he knew what this stone was capable of, he wouldn’t be so indifferent. Well, it wasn’t much use to Karl, so I supposed it didn’t matter.
I brushed myself off and set off in the direction Karl had indicated.
A vast field of reeds, taller than I was, stretched out before me.
I pushed through the reeds, following the directions Karl had given. Each step made a rustling sound.
It was a sound that would alert me immediately if someone approached, which I appreciated. After a short walk, a sizable clearing appeared in the middle of the reed field.
It was the place Karl had mentioned.
“Not bad.”
I looked around and saw that the clearing was surrounded on all sides by dense reeds.
I plopped down on the ground and emptied my pocket, scattering the mana stones.
Red gems rolled across the ground. Among them was one that had a purple hue. I’d gotten that one from the giant slime, and it radiated a more potent energy than the regular stones.
“Is this one for higher-tier chimeras?”
Ten red gems and one purple one.
I had more than enough, but the question was, what should I do with them?
After a moment of thought, I grabbed one of the red gems and started smashing it with the hilt of my dagger.
I kept grinding it until it became fine particles. After some time, the mana stone, which had been the size of my fist, was reduced to grains of sand.
I carefully scooped up a handful.
Maybe half a stone's worth?
Hoo—
Was this really okay?
I’d done this based on what I remembered from the novel, but there was a world of difference between something I’d read and the reality I’d experienced so far.
Nothing had gone according to plan so far. I just hoped this didn’t end with me actually dying.
‘But it’s not like I have any other options.’
With a short exhale, I threw the powder straight into my mouth.
My throat stung, and I grimaced. But soon, the powder melted smoothly and slid down into my stomach.
Moments later, a fiery energy surged up from my chest. At the same time, my mana sense became more acute.
The hot energy mixed with mana and coursed through my entire body.
Standing still, I focused on the intense flow of energy, a look of tension on my face.
The bio mana stone was a mana catalyst even more potent than mana fruit. The limitation was that it had no effect on those above Three-Star.
The stone’s energy was nullified by mana above Three-Star, but for One-Star or Two-Star users, it had a tremendous effect.
‘As long as I don’t suffer the fatal side effects.’
The energy of the stone wasn’t as strong as Three-Star-level mana, but it was stronger than anything below that.
In other words, there was a chance I could be overwhelmed by the stone’s energy.
A sticky, sluggish energy moved slowly through my limbs and torso.
After a moment, it climbed up my spine and reached my head. The surge was ferocious. I clenched my fists tightly.
It’s coming!
Bang—!
“Kuh!”
A groan escaped my lips. When I wiped my nose, blood was pouring out. A throbbing headache began, and my heart started racing.
An intense surge of pleasure and excitement flooded through me, along with a murderous urge. I wanted to tear, consume, and destroy.
I quickly checked my fingernails.
All ten of them were tinged red.
A side effect.
Just half a stone, and it was already this bad?
Damn, did I take too much at once?
My fingernails started digging into my palms.
A symptom of bloodlust.
Grimacing, I clenched my fists tightly, trying to suppress the thirst.
Thankfully, even though my nails had turned red, I hadn’t lost my sanity.
Was the Mental Barrier protecting me?
While assessing the situation, I felt a distinct energy emanate from the back of my right hand.
It was a gentle, cool energy, unlike the sticky feeling from before.
‘The ancient glyph!’
Though I hadn’t called for it, it started to glow softly, as if awaiting my command. Could it be reacting to the stone’s energy?
Flash—
As soon as I summoned the light, a warm golden glow gently wrapped around my body. And along with it, that familiar sensation from before!
The cozy feeling I had when I first acquired the glyph reappeared, and the raging energy within me began to settle.
My excitement waned, and the thirst disappeared.
The blood-stained red nails returned to their original color.
As if its task was complete, the golden glow receded back into the glyph. Watching it, I muttered a single word under my breath.
“...Purification?”
A purifying aura that reacted to impurity and malice.
This was the power of the ancient glyph that I felt.
“Hah, damn….”
Relieved, I collapsed onto the ground. My whole body was drenched. I must have been sweating from the fear of turning into a madman.
The side effects of the bio mana stone.
This tempting artifact promised rapid rank advancement early on, but if consumed recklessly, it could turn one into a madman, cursed with unquenchable bloodlust.
In the future, it would be known as the devil’s gem, responsible for creating hundreds, if not thousands, of madmen.
Still, it was said that consuming a single stone was manageable, but I’d experienced side effects with only half a stone.
‘Is it because I’m still One-Star?’
Unlike a Two-Star, consuming the stone at One-Star level seemed to push me to the brink.
‘Well, at least I’m not afraid anymore.’
With the Mental Barrier keeping my sanity intact and the glyph neutralizing the side effects, I felt like I could absorb several more stones if necessary.
If everything went as planned…
It looked like I had a fast track to Three-Star.
Time for some serious leveling.
***
Time passed quickly.
While Karl’s group searched for the bracelet, I focused on absorbing mana stones.
With a safety mechanism in place, there was no reason to hesitate.
After each absorption, I was hit with a wave of exhaustion, and I’d end my day by returning to the hideout to rest.
One stone per day was about right. I’d absorbed three already, and I could clearly feel my mana increasing.
But despite that, curses kept slipping from my mouth.
“This really is garbage for the cost.”
In the novel, even just one mana stone was supposed to push your rank up if you endured the side effects. But here I was, still stuck at One-Star after consuming three of them.
I cursed inwardly, but I kept at it, convinced I’d reach Two-Star within a few more days.
Five days passed since I started consuming mana stones.
After absorbing my daily dose, I returned to the hideout to find Karl. The same routine, day after day. And the same question.
“Tell me more about the story from yesterday.”
“Again? Why do you keep bothering me?”
“Because the procedure keeps getting delayed.”
“Do you have any idea how shitty it is to talk about nearly dying? Go bother Elton instead.”
“Are you trying to watch me get burned alive?”
I relentlessly pestered Karl whenever I had spare time.
Karl was someone who had survived countless brushes with death for over a decade. The scars etched into his body spoke volumes about his turbulent life.
The ‘Crisis Detector’ ability wasn’t just for show.
It meant he had exceptional crisis management skills and survival tactics.
I wanted to learn how to survive in this world from him.
Though Karl grumbled about how annoying it was, he always wore a serious expression when he spoke.
That was probably because of my attitude.
After all, I had been one of the most competitive students in Korea, where the desire to learn was as intense as it got. With such a strong desire to learn, I probably made it worth his while to teach.
Karl was undoubtedly a great teacher.
***
“So much for power leveling. This grind is painfully slow.”
After a week, I finally reached Two-Star.
It was a hard-won achievement after consuming a whopping six mana stones.
I could now understand why the Master had abandoned me.
The mana sensitivity of this body was truly garbage.
Woong—!
I looked at my glowing dagger. The sharpness in the enchantment was now much clearer.
If I had an attribute, I felt like I could layer it over the enchantment, but unfortunately, I hadn’t learned any.
With enough money and time, I could’ve learned some attributes.
‘Even the light from the glyph seems to have intensified.’
The range of the light had nearly doubled compared to before.
Just going from One-Star to Two-Star had made a noticeable difference in my abilities.
It was certainly a good thing, but somehow, I felt a sigh coming on first.
“Three-Star feels like a distant dream. Damn it.”
I doubted I could make it with the remaining stones, so I was pinning my hopes on the purple mana stone. But I wasn’t sure how that would go.
Would I need to collect more stones?
Honestly, I had no idea how many more I’d have to consume.
I brushed aside my thoughts and stood up.
I’d achieved my primary goal, so today I planned to head back to the hideout early and pester Karl some more.
He seemed to be starting to enjoy being annoyed, oddly enough.
Rustle— Rustle—
Just then, I heard the sound of reeds rustling in the distance. Frowning, I walked in the direction of the sound.
“Kyaaaah!”
A woman’s scream.
She was running desperately, clutching her half-torn clothes.
She was strikingly beautiful, the kind that would immediately catch anyone’s eye.
I hid in the reeds and watched her with a bored expression.
“There she goes, doing her thing again.”
“P-Please, save me!”
Her pitiful cries for help echoed through the area.
I watched the scene quietly.
“What’s going on!?”
“We’ll help you!”
A moment later, three men emerged from the forest, responding to the woman’s pleas.
Of course, they’d taken the bait.
The group was made up of three men, likely mercenaries. They hurried over to the woman, clustering around her.
Their eyes roamed over her torn clothing as they reached out to touch her, clearly not with good intentions.
But did I feel any sympathy for the woman?
“They fell for it again.”
As soon as I finished speaking, the woman collapsed to the ground, sobbing. Then, in an instant, she disappeared into the earth. The mercenaries looked around in confusion as the sound of metal echoed from all directions.
Papapapack—!
A rain of arrows.