Chapter 38
The sensation of breathing disappeared.
Like being in a state of constant motion sickness, I was losing my reason, only craving mana.
“Heok! Huu… ugh…!”
That same feeling from when I had fallen into mana depletion.
It was the threshold of mana depletion caused by the Moon-Shadow Spirit Pill.
I stuck out my tongue strangely, chasing after the surrounding environmental mana that I could not properly absorb.
I also dug up and ate the dirt floor of the 4-meter diameter space and struggled to catch the moonlight seeping through the ceiling of the wooden cave.
It would have been better if I had lost consciousness completely, but since I was stopped right on that line, the pain just continued.
[1 Remake Coin will be consumed.]
I could not even remember how many system messages I had glimpsed.
All I did was continue my pathetic struggle to replenish my depleted mana.
“Ugh… argh! Haaah…!”
How much time passed like that?
By the time I remembered the purpose of this training, I had already consumed over 5,000 coins.
[Remake Coins in possession: 2,350]
“…”
When I came to my senses, the skin of my durability 10 body was roughly broken out.
The nearby tree root was damaged beyond recognition, and my tongue, tasting the bitterness of the bark, coughed up phlegm.
One thing I could tell from the traces of this chaos was that the effect of the Moon-Shadow Spirit Pill was still ongoing.
But…
“…I no longer feel the thirst of mana depletion.”
No, the thirst itself was there.
It was just that the surrounding environmental mana was naturally circulating into my body and resolving it.
As if I had become a part of nature.
Soon, the pill’s effect ended, and as the mana in my body returned, I immediately used Demonic Eye.
And when I looked, my own mana was overlaid with the same color as the surrounding environmental mana.
With the same colors as the mana floating in the atmosphere right now.
[You have acquired the ability, ‘Assimilation’.]
<Abilities (6)>
[Stow]
[Night Eye]
[Stealth]
[Bind]
[Demonic Veins]
[*Assimilation]
Assimilates the user's mana with the surrounding environmental mana for a certain period.
“Assimilate mana…”
It was a success.
[Stamina and Magic Power increase by 0.8.]
There was even a stat reward to signify the harshness of the process.
By the way, just adding one line of ability made such a palpable difference.
An empty laugh escaped me.
“This is insane.”
I had no time to lament.
If I lost any more coins here, it would be hard to handle the intervention rate of the next episode.
“Hoo…”
A brief deep breath.
I deactivated the coin usage, put on the Phantom Thief’s cloak, and used Stealth and Assimilation together.
“…”
“…”
The Dokkaebi I faced again still exuded a threatening aura, but it could not distinguish me at all.
As proof, it took a step back toward the Core of the Earth, keeping a close watch on its surroundings.
From the Dokkaebi’s perspective, this was an inexplicably bizarre situation.
Feeling confident, I headed toward the vicinity of the Core of the Earth that it was guarding.
As I drew near, I could see the back of its head right above the Core of the Earth.
It looked perfectly shaped for a good smack.
But I had no intention of attacking.
As I said, this Dokkaebi was not a monster made for fighting.
Naturally, it had no weaknesses, no type advantages, and no guarantee that an attack would even work.
There was only one way to deal with it from the start.
To feed it mana.
I secretly touched the Core of the Earth and moved it to my inventory.
The Dokkaebi was startled and began to let out angry breaths.
It was flustered that the delicious mana had disappeared.
I opened my mouth after putting a moderate distance between us.
“That’s the price.”
“…?”
“It’s mana that’s too precious to give to an ignorant fool who repays kindness with enmity.”
There was no answer.
However, a look of bewilderment was drawn on its face.
“I scattered mana all over your dwelling for your sake, yet you brandished your sword without a second thought… You have no business ethics, none at all.”
I slowly circled around it.
“So there’s no mana to give to a fool who can’t even recognize a benefactor.”
“…”
The Dokkaebi moved its head, following my voice, but it did not raise its sword to charge.
Rather, it looked at me with eyes that seemed to want to grab onto my pant leg.
As a creature that knew the value of the Core of the Earth better than anyone, it could not be unaware of the urgency of this situation.
Sure enough, it picked up the corpse it had thrown and carefully placed it down in the direction my voice had come from.
“…”
“…”
Was it seriously telling me to take that blood-reeking corpse?
I let out a scoff in disbelief.
Still, it meant there was room for negotiation.
“Hey, you think that’s enough? Show some proper sincerity.”
“…”
The Dokkaebi began to inspect its cave.
Soon, it gathered branches, dirt…
It brought all sorts of strange things, but there were no suitable items.
It was a creature that only appeared on a full moon in the first place.
Even if it had prepared a cave, it would have just hunted like it did today and then disappeared again.
I clicked my tongue and said.
“Forget it, my patience has reached its limit. I think I’ll have to give this thing to someone else who knows some business ethics.”
“…”
“What? What is it you want?”
“…”
“I just want to see a small token of sincerity.”
“…”
“You have nothing? Then at least cut off your beard and give it to me.”
You might think a beard is out of nowhere, but since it was a monster, its hide and fur would be treated as items.
Even if it was an undefined monster.
Besides, considering the value of its existence, it was obvious that even a single strand of its hair would be treated as expensive.
The Dokkaebi hesitated for quite a long time.
As they say, one's body, hair, and skin are received from one's parents; as a being from folklore, it felt a resistance to cutting its beard.
But with a resolute face, it cut off its beard and placed it on the ground.
I had wondered, but it seemed there was no exception for a monster blinded by mana.
The beard was about 50 cm long and thick enough to make a pair of socks.
[Mystical Beard: The beard of a monster whose very existence is unknown. It is imbued with mysterious mana.]
I let out a deliberately loud sigh and took it.
“Alright, now I see your sincerity. Then I’ll forgive your earlier actions. From now on, shall we talk about whether or not I’ll give you that item from before?”
“…?”
“What? I told you to show sincerity, I never said I’d give it to you.”
The Dokkaebi kicked the ground in irritation.
It looked ready to charge at any moment, just like before.
But because it could not pinpoint my location, it just vented its anger on the spot.
As expected of An Hwigom’s training…
The performance is guaranteed.
“What? Are you trying to attack again after just asking for forgiveness?”
“…”
“Calm down. Did I ask for your blood? Did I ask for your hide? I came here with good intentions, so I want to wrap things up nicely too.”
The creature began to forcibly swallow its anger.
It understood its own position.
“But what to do… an unexpected problem has arisen.”
I drew out my words and threw the broken dagger in front of it.
“My cherished sword was shattered into pieces because of someone. …So what I’m saying is.”
Before I could finish my sentence, the Dokkaebi flinched and hid its sword behind its back.
I put on a vicious expression that it could not see and said.
“If you give me your sword, I promise I’ll give you that sphere containing immense mana.”
“…!”
“Hey, this is your last chance. I’m giving you a chance to make amends, ethically speaking.”
“…”
The Dokkaebi fell into deeper contemplation than when it had cut its beard.
The sword itself contained considerable mana, so it must have recognized it as a valuable item.
I watched it for a moment, then moved a little further away and took out the Core of the Earth, placing it on the ground.
“Behave yourself.”
“…!”
Temptation.
The Dokkaebi groaned, looking back and forth between the sword and the Core of the Earth.
The Core of the Earth was one of the items containing the largest amount of mana in this world.
It was a shame to trade something like that, but an item you cannot get rid of has no real value.
Moreover, considering the original work, getting rid of it like this was cleaner.
“…”
A few dozen seconds passed like that.
The Dokkaebi seemed to have made a decision, stuck the sword in the ground, and retreated far away.
I rolled the Core of the Earth far to the opposite side.
As it moved towards that direction, I ran toward the sword.
The moment my hand touched the hilt, astonishing information popped up.
[Mist-Clearing Sword : A sword that illuminates dense fog. Made of the pure white metal Platium, it has very high dark attribute resistance due to the metal's properties. Created by a renowned dwarven blacksmith, this sword’s metallic balance is perfectly maintained and cannot be destroyed by physical force.]
There were three surprising things.
That it was an item I had never written.
That it was made of Platium.
And…
“It’s just a useless indestructible ability!”
In other words, it was just a hard piece of trash.
But it was too early to be disappointed.
The original purpose of this fated encounter was to give the Dokkaebi mana and receive an item in return.
I turned my head to look for the Dokkaebi.
But…
“…What is this?”
The Dokkaebi was nowhere to be seen.
Nor was the Core of the Earth.
I instinctively used Demonic Eye.
Then, I saw dense environmental mana near where the Core of the Earth had been rolled.
“It seems certain that the Dokkaebi took the Core of the Earth…”
The Dokkaebi only gives out an item when it receives mana of a higher level than what it previously received.
In the original work, after receiving a satisfactory amount of mana from Lee Eunho, it personally handed over the item and disappeared into the forest.
It did not disappear entirely, but rather left to find even purer mana.
So, the Dokkaebi, which could not have received mana higher than the Core of the Earth, should have given me an item…
“But why did it disappear?”
For a moment, I faced a concern I did not want to believe.
A concern that the Dokkaebi, which roamed this world in search of mana on every full moon, might have found abundant mana and passed on to the afterlife.
“…Ah, please.”
Ignoring my anxiety, I approached the place where the mana lingered.
Then, a simple and clear system message appeared.
[You have subjugated a mystical being.]
[Earth attribute increases significantly.]
[Wind attribute decreases significantly.]
The reward for defeating the Dokkaebi.
“…”
Just in case, I used a coin.
But the changed attribute value was a mere 10%.
There were no new abilities or changes in stats.
In the end, all that was left from this meaningless fated encounter was a beard obtained through wit and a useless sword.
“…”
I scraped the ground with the tip of the sword.
Irritably.
SCRAPE.
Oblivious to my mood, it made a good sound.
As expected of Platium, the strongest metal in this world.
An item made of Platium could not even be listed on Mammoth Market, let alone be openly displayed.
At this point in time, the quantity of Platium was so minuscule it could be counted on one hand, and due to its rarity, proving its ownership and acquisition was nearly impossible.
More than anything, just the rumor of possessing it was enough to become a target for Demonic Beings.
To them, it was lethal enough to be called the ‘Anti-Demonic Being Metal.’
As a prime example, the wound on my forearm from being grazed by the Dokkaebi earlier was still open with no sign of healing.
This was because I possessed 90% of the dark attribute, the attribute of Demonic Beings.
Of course, if my light attribute were negative like a real Demonic Being, my skin would have already been burning away.
“If I practice swordsmanship with this, I’ll end up following the Dokkaebi.”
The biggest problem with the Mist-Clearing Sword was that it had no advantages to offset its disadvantages.
Indestructibility was a very rare effect, but in reality, it was just a tin can relying on the metal's strength.
“It looks kind of plausible, though…”
It was highly likely to become a permanent resident of my inventory, taking the place of the Core of the Earth.
It was, so to speak, a sword with a lower practical use rate than the training swords installed in the Hero Prep training grounds.
The weight of the sword was also not trivial for a human to handle.
“I have to hide my abilities, and I have to hide the sword I got from a fated encounter…”
A character with a strange fate who must hide his family's narrative and even his existence.
“I’m already a recognized loser at Hero Prep without even having to hide my strength, so what the hell do you want?”
As I was lamenting self-deprecatingly, Gwon Chihun’s name appeared on my smartwatch.
-Investigation Division Gwon Chihun: Hey, where are you! The water got cut off at the guesthouse while I was showering…
Why did Gwon Chihun not turn off his smartwatch when he had chosen a guesthouse on the outskirts to maintain secrecy?
It was not like he did not know about GPS.
SCRAPE.
“…Should I just sleep at the airport?”