NOVEL NEXT Ch. 46
‘…Where in the world does this confidence come from?’
Kim Satgat looked down at U-jin, who was sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed, with a complicated expression.
He had no choice but to nod because U-jin had been so stubborn in his demands, talking about wrists and what not, but the truth was, his heart wasn't in it.
And for good reason.
Although he could be called the creator of this 'Mana Augmentation Procedure,' which formed a new augmentation circuit along the blood vessels, the only time he had succeeded was the very first time he performed it on his own body.
If successful, it would grant tremendous application potential, which was why countless people had requested it from him just like U-jin, but half of them lost their lives, and the other half became mana cripples who resented Kim Satgat.
In the first place, even Kim Satgat's own initial success with mana augmentation was the result of an improvisation, achieved while half-unconscious after falling into qi deviation from consuming an overly potent elixir.
‘…He won’t be any different.’
Of course, Kim Satgat himself acknowledged the fact that U-jin was special.
After all, when he first headed here under the Constellation's orders, his impression of U-jin was that he was surprisingly similar to 'Isaac Einstein.'
Proof that this feeling wasn't wrong was the fact that U-jin had managed to read Kim Satgat's mana augmentation amidst that impossibly chaotic battle.
Therefore, even if he let it slide for now, Kim Satgat planned to use Murim's information network to investigate U-jin's extraordinariness separately.
But that was that, and this was this.
The people Kim Satgat had attempted this procedure on before were by no means lacking in talent.
Since U-jin said he would take responsibility, Kim Satgat would proceed, but inwardly, he believed that U-jin was bound to fail.
“Are you ready?”
“Yes.”
“Regardless of success or failure, it will not be easy. There will be no visible external injuries, but since it is a procedure that remodels the body, the pain from the internal damage will be substantial.”
All preparations were complete.
Besides, if one knew the method, not much was needed in the first place, and whether by chance or fate, U-jin had a substitute for the only required ingredient, a refined Mana Stone.
+
■Name: [Mana Protuberance]
■Grade: ★☆☆☆☆
■Description: [A mana crystal that sprouts from the body of a powerful Oni. Depending on the method of use, it shows efficiency greater than a 1-star Mana Stone.]
■Special Ability: [-]
+
“If I sense any danger, I will stop it by force. However, if that happens, you will no longer be able to use your Mana Circuit.”
Nod—
“…Then, let us begin.”
With that low voice, Kim Satgat's Mana Augmentation Procedure began.
* * *
Gag.
Along with the bitter taste of that bastard Shuten's spike, the metallic taste of blood rose up my throat.
I barely suppressed the overwhelming urge to vomit and focused again on circulating my Mana Circuit.
…This probably wasn't how Shuten had originally intended the
He was probably right about consuming the spike to replenish mana.
The 'method of use' he had in mind was likely as an 'emergency mana reserve' to be used when all mana was depleted during battle.
A method that didn't deviate from the spike's original purpose.
However, the situation was perfect, and there was nowhere else to get highly concentrated external mana.
It was better to use it for the expansion of my Mana Circuit now rather than as a simple consumable.
Although the risk was a bit greater than using a refined Mana Stone.
Hooo—
Blood flowed from all seven orifices of my face.
My heartbeat was forced to race, and the mana that permeated my entire body dug into my blood vessels, gnawing them away.
Compared to the mana from the refined Mana Stone I used before my Regression, that bastard Shuten's mana was far rougher and more ferocious, tearing my insides to shreds.
The pain and difficulty were much greater, but high risk brings high return.
In fact, it made me look forward to the result even more.
Thump— Thump—
My racing heart began to calm down, and my Mana Circuit slowly started to recover.
Since I wasn't in combat, it was difficult to maximize the healing power of my vampire Trait, but I could feel the minor wounds healing one by one.
And so, the extension of the augmented Mana Circuit settled into place along my blood vessels.
And that was it.
I had completely digested the high-capacity mana contained within that bastard Shuten's spike.
Just as you'd expect from a guy whose epithet was 'Rage', the energy infused in the mana was more ferocious than I thought, making it quite a struggle to control.
Well, thanks to that, I think I've obtained an Augmentation Circuit with incredible output.
Tring—!
[A strange, permanent change has occurred in your Mana Circuit.]
[You will awaken a new Trait.]
[You have acquired
+
■The Chosen One (★☆☆)
[The Chosen One gains Grade 3 access to The Order's database. You can view targets within your line of sight, with restrictions based on the information's importance.]
■Slaughterer (★☆☆)
[When the Slaughterer kills entities consecutively, Slaughterer stacks are accumulated. Stacks up to 5 times, increasing attack speed by 10% per stack.]
■Half-Vampire (★☆☆)
[The Half-Vampire possesses superior regenerative abilities compared to others. This effect increases dramatically when absorbing the blood of a hunted target.]
■Augmentation Circuit (★☆☆)
[Allows the use of an augmented Mana Circuit. The Augmentation Circuit provides a secondary boost to mana output.]
+
As if to prove the Mana Augmentation Procedure had succeeded, the system window displayed a pleasant message.
Of course, the system window wasn't the only thing announcing my success.
“…To think you actually succeeded.”
The face of Bamboo Hat Mister, who let out a low exclamation with an expression of utter disbelief, also clearly proved my success.
‘…It's understandable.’
It was the same with the 'Half-Vampire' Trait I got from Jerry, but this 'Augmentation Circuit' Trait wasn't something that simply ended with the meaning of being 1-star.
It was a type of 'growth-type Trait' with limitless upward potential depending on the user's abilities and experience.
Of course, raising its grade would require considerable effort and time, but it was true that its potential was much higher than other fixed-type Traits.
As such, it was a kind of hidden Trait that couldn't be obtained through normal means.
…Then again, considering the insane risk where only one person had ever succeeded in acquiring it, with half the attempts resulting in crippling and the other half in death, it damn well better have been worth it.
“You……”
Pfft—
He had a face full of questions.
He might have tried to overlook my unusual actions before, but at this point, he must have felt that something truly beyond the norm was involved.
Just as he opened his mouth to ask me something.
Ssk—
“…Is your business finished?”
Jerry interjected with perfect timing.
“…If it's over, I'd like to return to the train. My business is being delayed in real-time. If you're going to be longer, I'll depart first.”
“Ah. Right. There was that.”
“……”
“Judging by your expression, it seems you have a lot to ask. But let's call it a day for now. Today isn't the only day we have.”
“…For now, let's do that.”
Bamboo Hat Mister, unable to completely erase the look of confusion, nodded in agreement.
“Did you say you're going to Shandong?”
“For now, yes.”
“…I'll see you soon. I'll come find you myself.”
With those last words, he turned to leave.
* * *
I reach out with my right hand and gently grasp a smooth, round stone.
Not too hard, not too soft.
Distributing just enough force to my fingertips for the 'movement'.
*Ssk—*
I turn my head and focus all my attention on a single point.
Wobble, wobble—
It's shaking precariously because of the poor foundation stone, but I don't give up and place the sacred finishing touch that will punctuate all the preceding actions.
Gently—
“…What are you doing right now, partner.”
“What does it look like?”
One more.
Gently—
“Can't you tell just by looking?”
“…I'm asking because I can't tell no matter how hard I look.”
Again, one more.
Gently—
“Hmm…… why? No matter how I look at it, isn't it clearly the 'Game of Stacking a Stone Tower on a Succubus's Belly'?”
“……”
When I looked up at that guy Jerry, I could see his brows furrowed as if he couldn't comprehend it at all.
“…That's a game I've never heard of in my life.”
“…Really? It's all the rage these days. Looks like you've fallen behind the trends from living in hiding. Everyone plays games like this now.”
“…I own the foremost casino and entertainment facility in the eastern part of the continent. There isn't a single casino nearby that deals in such a low-class and simplistic game—.”
Rumble—
“Ah. It collapsed. It would have been twelve stories if I'd just stacked one more.”
“……”
The tower of pebbles that had been teetering precariously on that girl Loxy's belly came crashing down.
The angle of that guy Jerry's furrowed brow as he watched was quite steep.
“……That's enough, get up. Stop pretending to be dead.”
Flinch—
She wasn't deeply wounded, and it had been a while since she collapsed, so it made no sense for her to still be unconscious.
She was probably waiting until the eyes and ears of Bamboo Hat Mister, who had entered a realm beyond human, were far enough away.
At my words to get up, Loxy, who had trembled once and stealthily opened one eye, asked back.
“…You knew?”
“Why else would a perfectly fine stone tower collapse? It's not like someone knocked it over.”
“……”
Loxy glanced down once at herself, with a pile of stones stacked on her belly.
With a ‘ahem, ahem’ clearing of her throat, she dusted herself off and stood up.
“…Seeing everyone so perfectly fine is truly a shame.”
“……”
“I was praying that everyone except me would just die.”
Pfft—
It seemed she was in better condition than I had thought.
“…She's fine.”
She faced Shuten, and then Einstein, going through a near-death crisis.
Regardless of whether one was human or Magical Beast, anyone experiencing such a situation for the first time would inevitably be left with lingering fear.
That's why I thought that girl Loxy would be trembling in fear for a while, unable to get up.
Even though I knew she was deliberately not getting up, that was part of the reason I didn't wake her.
However.
‘…More than I thought.’
Seeing her jump up the moment she confirmed they were gone and brazenly say, 'I wish they'd all died!', it seemed my worries were unfounded.
Scratch, scratch—
Watching Loxy casually spout her gruesome wishes, Jerry asked.
“…Do demons pray?”
“Sometimes.”
“…An interesting tale. I was under the impression they served nothing other than the Demon King. To which god do you pray?”
“Who knows. Be it an idiot god or a crippled god, whoever grants my wish is my god, I guess.”
“…I see.”
Shrugging as she answered, Loxy turned her head to look at me again.
“More importantly, who was that man in the bamboo hat from before?”
“……”
“I've never seen that human before, so how could he fight on par with that crazy human, Isaac?”
Swish—
Jerry, who had also been wondering about it, turned his head to demand an answer from me.
“…That is a question I have as well. As far as I know, the Wandering Poet is merely a 1-star Hero. Is there something he's hiding?”
It was only natural they didn't understand.
If Bamboo Hat Mister was truly just a 1-star Hero, he wouldn't have been a match for Shuten, let alone Isaac.
Especially in their case, since they had a direct connection to Isaac Einstein, they would be even more aware of his standing within the Demon King's Army.
Even if it was just a clone, they couldn't help but be curious about the identity of Bamboo Hat Mister, who fought on par with… no, who snatched victory from Isaac.
“Who knows.”
“……?”
But that was something I couldn't reveal.
『Why did you take on such a role?』
It was Bamboo Hat Mister, who had hidden his identity for nearly a century for the sake of a great cause.
『Heheh— That's obviously… because I was the only one suited for the job.』
And his target was none other than the Constellations of The Order.
『Do you think deceiving those high-and-mighty folks up there is such a simple task?』
The time for him to reveal what he was hiding was already set.
So.
“…There must be a reason.”
…Probably at a time not far from now.