Chapter 37
Unable to retrieve the Core of the Earth, I rolled across the ground.
THUD.
The dull sound of the sword striking the bare ground.
No, it was a sound caused by the Dokkaebi's own brutish strength.
The Dokkaebi immediately pulled the sword free and swung it wide horizontally.
WHOOSH.
It was less a technique of cutting and more one of crushing bone and flesh to kill.
I urgently twisted my waist to dodge the attack.
At the same time, I used Demonic Eye and Stealth, hiding myself in the shadows where the moonlight did not reach.
“…”
It had only been a single exchange, but my breathing was already ragged.
I had only thought of offering mana and receiving an item; how could I have expected to be met with hostility?
I quieted my breathing and tried to catch my breath.
But the creature’s bloodshot eyes scanned around, searching for me, and soon, its gaze met mine exactly.
“…”
“…”
Could it be…
The Dokkaebi was a monster configured to give an item in exchange for mana.
In other words, it was possible that it could identify and distinguish mana.
Sure enough, the Dokkaebi charged at me without hesitation.
Judging that I could not dodge in time, I instinctively switched my grip on the dagger to a reverse hold.
Following the sword's trajectory with my Demonic Eye, I swung the dagger and…
CLANG.
With a clear metallic sound, the dagger shattered into pieces.
“…!”
Even after clashing with the dagger, the sword’s trajectory did not waver and it slashed my forearm.
“Hk!”
There was no bleeding.
This was partly due to my durability of 10, but it was also proof that the creature could not pinpoint my exact location.
I put distance between us again.
Should I just run out of the cave?
No, with my mana exposed, it would probably chase me to the end.
Revealing the existence of a Dokkaebi, which was only passed down in folklore, was also a burden.
Most importantly, I could not tolerate anyone else getting their hands on this fated encounter.
That meant I had to resolve this situation on my own.
“…!”
Soon, the creature charged again.
This time, it was a thrust relying on the tip of the sword.
I lowered my posture enough to dodge the sword and then used the ability Bind.
The target was, of course, the Dokkaebi.
However, contrary to my expectations, its movements did not stop.
Instead, an unknown repulsive force arose, and my vision swam.
“…No way.”
It was an opponent completely immune to Bind.
Usually, an ability’s effectiveness is based on intelligence.
Although the duration was short, I had never failed to bind an opponent with high intelligence before.
In this case, it must mean its stat was far higher than my intelligence of 11.
Unfortunately, I did not know the Dokkaebi’s stats.
It was not a monster designed to be fought from the beginning.
SHING.
As my body leaned in its low posture, the sword grazed past the crown of my head and stabbed into the air.
The unfiltered vibration of metal was transmitted through my skin.
I quickly rolled on the ground to a nearby tree root and hastily used a coin.
[1 Remake Coin will be consumed.]
Time stopped unnaturally.
Colors faded, leaving behind shades of gray.
An alien silence seeped in.
It was the first coin I had used since raising my agility last time.
“Ha, damn it, what kind of Dokkaebi cave does a mere event mob have?”
Even while using Demonic Eye, I felt no mana being consumed.
That was because mana itself had also stopped.
I looked directly at the creature with my Demonic Eye.
The sword itself was double-edged, yet it was short enough to look like a dagger.
It only seemed that way compared to the Dokkaebi’s bulk; if a human were to hold it, it would be a length that would not be unreasonable to wield with two hands.
Its mana was denser than any human's, and its attacks were solely based on its physical advantages.
Relatively simple, but just as destructive.
I had used up all my mana potions, so I could probably dodge its attacks two or three more times…
“There’s no answer.”
This was the worst.
The one thing I learned from this observation was that the Dokkaebi was moving around the Core of the Earth.
It was not solely targeting me; it was also concerned about the Core of the Earth.
It was probably thinking of killing me and taking the Core of the Earth as its prize…
“Is this some kind of wild instinct?”
Although I had used a coin as an escape measure, there was nothing I could do with my stats or attributes.
<Stats>
[Durability 10.0] [Strength 3.5] [Stamina 3.7]
[Agility 18.2] [Intelligence 11.0] [Magic Power 7.3]
<Attributes>
[Fire 0%] [Water 0%] [Wind 0%]
[Earth 30%] [Lightning 0%] [Light 0%]
[Dark 90%] [Void 15%]
<Abilities (5)>
[Stow]
Stores items in contact with the user, up to the user's weight.
[Night Eye]
Opens the Demonic Eye for a certain period.
When opened, it sees through the target's mana and its movements.
When opened, it sees through visual obstructions such as darkness, fog, and smoke.
When opened, it grants immunity to mental status effects such as confusion, threat, provocation, and seduction.
[Stealth]
Hides the user's presence for a certain period.
Hides the presence of a specific target connected to the user's shadow along with the user.
[Bind]
Restricts a specific target connected to the user's shadow along with the user's movements for a certain period.
Overlays a shadow on the bound target to apply physical pressure or restrict the flow of mana.
[Demonic Veins]
Grants immunity to status effects classified as poison.
[Remake Coins in possession: 7,795]
If anything, I could use the remaining coins to raise my stamina and fight desperately.
Hoping against hope, I checked my inventory.
The only useful weapon was… the MA13 looted from the hunter Bruno.
But I could not fire a gun in the middle of the night.
“…”
Should I just run?
Would the hunters stationed around Hallasan Mountain do something?
My life was more important than a fated encounter.
It was not a common fated encounter, but there were others remaining.
“Running away…”
Come to think of it, this situation was not unfamiliar.
In the battle with the hunter Bruno, he had attacked by tracking my mana, and this Dokkaebi was also tracking my mana.
If not for my training with An Hwigom in all these situations, I would have spaced out and departed this world.
Who knew the old man's training would be this useful?
It was almost as if it had been tailored for me.
“…Wait a minute.”
At a thought that flashed through my mind, I unknowingly clenched my fist.
What An Hwigom had been trying to teach me through training.
Could it have been how to hide my mana?
I had thought it was simply training to move without making the bell sound, but in retrospect, I had never once detected An Hwigom approaching first.
“Basically, perception-impairing abilities like my Stealth are just sleight of hand.”
It was an incomplete ability that could be captured on camera and easily seen through by detection abilities.
Putting other things aside, it was ridiculous that I, with an agility of 18.2, could not even sense An Hwigom approaching.
I could not use Demonic Eye during training, so until now, I had just thought it was a difference in experience.
But for the same result to occur over numerous training sessions, it could not be seen as mere coincidence.
“Even if not on camera, a perception-impairing ability that isn’t easily seen through is…”
As far as I knew, since the age of Awakeners began, there was only one group that concealed themselves so tenaciously.
“Manyeong…”
The Ten Thousand Shadows.
Excluding the Demonic Beings, they were the pinnacle of the underworld, standing in opposition to the Special Affairs Division.
A group that was never clearly depicted even in the original work.
Did that mean An Hwigom was a member of Manyeong?
If he had been serving at Hero Prep for decades as a member, it would be better for my well-being to pretend I did not know.
As I said, Manyeong was a group that concealed itself tenaciously.
They were ‘experts’ who would do anything to maintain their secrets.
“…”
While I was lost in thought, a system message appeared.
[1 Remake Coin will be consumed.]
A penalty for the time taken.
But a new message followed.
[The conditions for ‘Simulated Training’ have been met.]
[Condition: Sub-character]
[‘Simulated Training’ will be activated.]
[Proficiency Increase Multiplier: 20.0]
Before I could even understand the message, the colors around me returned.
Within a circular space of about a 2-meter radius.
It felt as if I were trapped inside a snow globe where it was constantly snowing.
Right in front of me, it was still frozen in gray, but within this small space, I alone was moving freely—a bizarre phenomenon.
“Simulated Training… Does this mean I can practice?”
As if it had heard my question, a relevant explanation popped up.
<Simulated Training>
This space is maintained by continuously consuming coins.
Within this space, an Awakener’s proficiency increases by 20 times.
If all coins are consumed within this space, you cannot return to the original time.
It was clear.
A change that occurred as my status changed to a sub-character.
It was a space where I could improve my ‘skills,’ which could only be obtained through investing experience and time, not coins.
For example, knowledge exploration, weapon proficiency, ability practice, and so on.
A virtual space where I could simulate all direct and indirect things that involved experience.
“A proficiency multiplier of twenty times means…”
Swinging a sword once would have the same effect as swinging it twenty times.
I shouted as if pouring out all my past sorrows.
“You should have told me something like this sooner!”
An opportunity to close the gap with the ‘real Awakeners,’ a gap that could not be filled with coins.
It was exactly what I wanted.
“For a character who entered Hero Prep, my physical abilities have been ridiculously low.”
Could this be considered the devoted reader’s consideration?
Well, I guess it means they have some conscience.
I calmed my excitement and plopped down on the ground.
Although my proficiency would increase dramatically, the fact that coins were being consumed remained unchanged.
“I have to gain as much as possible.”
If I could not master what An Hwigom was trying to teach me, my situation would not change.
“How to hide one’s own mana…”
An ability that could deceive the gray, unnaturally frozen Dokkaebi just a few steps away…
[1 Remake Coin will be consumed.]
A coin was spent while I was contemplating.
“What was it that An Hwigom taught me?”
The first thing that came to mind was to feel the surrounding mana completely, without any interference.
I took off all the items that interacted with mana.
Even the suspenders.
And, having seen it somewhere, I sat cross-legged, closed my eyes, and focused on the flow of mana permitted only in this space.
“…”
[1 Remake Coin will be consumed.]
[1 Remake Coin will be consumed.]
[…]
How much time passed like that?
I opened my eyes again, having consumed only coins with no gains.
“Is this not it?”
I could feel the surrounding mana more sensitively, but that was all.
There was no way anything would change just by closing and opening my eyes without any knowledge in the first place.
“What else did that old man say…?”
The words that came to mind immediately were curses and lectures.
But among them, one particularly bothersome phrase came to mind.
“The bell… He told me never to lose it.”
Saying it was more precious than life.
I took out the bell used for training from my inventory.
It looked slightly different from the ones used in Weaponry Skills lectures.
It looked like an ordinary object with nothing valuable about it and was not even an item.
But when I used Demonic Eye, I saw an unusual mana inside the bell.
A device I had not been able to see because I could not use Demonic Eye during training.
“Does that mean the ball inside the bell is the item…?”
Without delay, I broke its surface.
A sphere the size of a pinky nail fell onto my palm.
I stared at the information that appeared before my eyes.
[Moon-Shadow Spirit Pill: A pill made from Moon-Shadow Herb, which grows in shadows untouched by light. Its effect is only active when the moon is out, and upon use, it consumes the mana in the body to the threshold of depletion for a certain period. Items made from Moon-Shadow Herb contain toxins and can cause a state of mana insensitivity.]
“…Just as I thought.”
Moon-Shadow Herb was a prohibited item designated by the Bureau of Superpowers.
One of the items for which mere possession makes you a heinous criminal.
There is only one person who can produce this herb.
An unknown alchemist who has been active as a member of Manyeong for a long time.
This made one thing certain.
An Hwigom was a member of Manyeong.
“A new setting for an extra I didn't create.”
He must have served as a bridge between the 4th Scholastic District and Manyeong.
That was the reason he had been employed at Hero Prep for decades.
“Am I unlucky, or lucky? Now I can't even complain about the bizarre training methods.”
In many ways, he was undoubtedly a man who had reached the pinnacle in some field.
“But why is he training me?”
And the reason for entrusting me with an item that only one person can create.
“Don’t tell me he’s trying to bring me into Manyeong…”
For a moment, various emotions mixed, and soon, a chill ran down my spine.
If that were the case, I was in quite a predicament.
That was because the Special Affairs Division and Manyeong, who fought over the weapon called ‘information,’ were like oil and water.
[1 Remake Coin will be consumed.]
A system message popped up as if to rush me.
“Well, I’ll think about that later.”
Hiding the Moon-Shadow Spirit Pill like this meant I was supposed to use it.
It was probably a process to realize how to hide mana.
“The concept of eliminating the mana in my body and accepting other mana… what a brutish method.”
However, there was no better way to feel external mana than by emptying one’s own.
Taking off the items was ultimately in the same context.
“The meaning of hiding mana is to be concealed by something else.”
There was no possibility of losing consciousness by exceeding the mana depletion threshold.
It only forcibly maintained the threshold for a certain period.
Of course, without detailed information, I could not be entirely sure.
How long would it take?
How should I develop my senses?
Perhaps the effect of the Moon-Shadow Spirit Pill would last until all my coins were consumed.
But…
“…At a point where it's become difficult to expect Lee Eunho’s cooperation anyway, this is the ability I need most.”
Besides, the penalty of the Moon-Shadow Spirit Pill, the toxin, was not a problem.
I was immune to poison due to the Demonic Veins ability.
Therefore, in this unique opportunity, I was in a more advantageous position than anyone else.
“It wouldn't be strange to see this as a fated encounter given to the character Ji Seokhyeon.”
I fiddled with the small pill with my fingers.
I had made my decision, but hesitation had crept in.
But that too was brief.
[1 Remake Coin will be consumed.]
Pressed by the depleting coins, I bit down and swallowed the Moon-Shadow Spirit Pill.