Reincarnator’s Stream

After much consideration, Suhyuk finally chose two items. One, of course, was Selfish Sacrifice. That was a definite choice. If it could solve the lightning’s flaw, it didn’t matter how many points it consumed.

And the other was…

『You have purchased the ‘Nameless Magic Sword’.』

『Used 1,000 achievement points.』

『You can set the name of ‘Nameless Magic Sword’.』

A magic sword. It was a completely different type of weapon from what he had used before.

The power of a magic sword was unparalleled. As long as one had the stamina, its lethality had no equal.

The problem was that it wasn’t a good weapon for beginners due to its unique penalties.

‘I need to trial out the skill.’

Suhyuk had a new skill. Selfish Sacrifice. This skill could suppress the damage caused by self-inflicted skills or items.

‘The skill and the magic sword have good synergy. It’s better to use it from the start rather than leave the skill idle.’

With two items selected, the remaining points were 25.

『You have purchased a ‘Low-Grade Healing Potion’.』

『Used 20 achievement points.』

Just in case of unexpected injuries, he bought a healing potion, leaving him with mere peanuts.

“A magic sword, it is.”

Swoosh—

Did someone notice he had chosen all his rewards?

Hugo approached from behind Suhyuk.

Clap, clap, clap—

“That skill and item are well-matched. That’s for sure. But I don’t understand.”

The two items Suhyuk had chosen. From Hugo’s perspective, they were baffling choices.

“Why did you choose that skill? You might not even get a chance to use it, and its efficiency isn’t great.”

“Do I have to tell you?”

“…Me?”

“-Sir?”

Hugo looked at Suhyuk with a puzzled expression, unsure if Suhyuk was naive or just cocky because of his talent.

It was the first time a participant had spoken so informally to an examiner. But Suhyuk couldn’t help it either.

‘Changing the way I speak is hard.’

An examiner in heavy armor.

Knight Hugo. When Suhyuk saw Hugo was the examiner, he almost showed his surprise.

‘This punk became an examiner?’

Hugo.

When Suhyuk first met him, Hugo was an apprentice knight in the guild ‘Knighthood’.

A young Hugo had shyly approached Suhyuk during a meeting between Knighthood and Blue Eyes, asking for an autograph.

“C-Could I have your autograph, please?”

“…Autograph? I don’t have one.”

“Then just your name, please!”

Hugo stiffly offered a piece of paper, nervously looking at Suhyuk. Wearing his mask, Suhyuk wrote ‘Suhyuk’ in Korean for him.

Despite the horrible handwriting, Hugo thanked him profusely. And now that same Hugo was sitting as the examiner of the tutorial.

‘The world has changed a lot. Cruelly.’

It made him acutely aware of the 20 years that had passed and his position as a newbie challenging the tower.

“Anyway, I won’t be answering. Besides, you can’t talk about it outside anyway.”

Examiners couldn’t disclose the participants’ personal information. Doing so would immediately get them expelled from their position and heavily penalized by the guild union.

“True enough.”

“Then, I’ll be off—”

“Wait, wait!”

Hugo stopped Suhyuk from leaving.

“Do you have any interest in joining our ‘Knighthood’—?”

“No.”

『Would you like to move to the 2nd floor?』

Suhyuk quickly replied to the message that appeared before him.

“Move.”

Flash—

Suhyuk disappeared from sight.

“…What?”

***

『Tutorial completed.』

『Arriving at the 2nd floor.』

A blinding white light engulfed Suhyuk’s vision, only to clear a moment later. It was the effect of passing the trial and moving to the next realm.

Suhyuk opened his eyes in a shabby temple and headed towards the nearest city. A village always formed at the start point of a new floor. Particularly, the 2nd floor was a world with a large population.

“Fresh seafood from afar! Fresh and delicious!”

“We have special jerky! Come and try a sample!”

“Take a look! We have trinkets from Murim, beautiful designs from Earth—.”

The bustling marketplace. As Suhyuk walked into it, he paused to take in the lively scene.

‘I’ve made it here.’

For a player, stepping onto the 2nd floor signified something special. It meant successfully passing the tutorial and embarking on the challenge of becoming a player, the first step.

But for Suhyuk, it meant something more.

‘It’s the beginning.’

His second challenge. Having walked this path before, he had to do even better this time. To outperform the all-time number one player.

Lee Suhyuk, even better than himself.

And for that, he had to ensure one thing from the start.

Step, step—

Suhyuk walked past the marketplace and headed straight to the training grounds. A private training room for one person.

A training room of about 20 pyeong, it was a popular spot for players to train or trial new skills.

“What floor have you come from?”

The manager of the training grounds glanced at Suhyuk’s appearance and inquired. A novice player without proper equipment.

Today marked the start of the tutorial, so he assumed Suhyuk had just arrived on the 2nd floor.

“I just arrived.”

Suhyuk handed over his player kit as he replied. The number 2 displayed on the kit’s screen.

Evidence that he had just reached the 2nd floor. The manager confirmed it and said, “Then you should go to Training Room 1. You can use the prepared training rooms over there.”

“Give me Room 4.”

“Room 4?”

The manager chuckled in disbelief. The training rooms get progressively more challenging with higher numbers.

Beyond Room 10, the training dummies moved, posing a challenge even for high-level players.

“Are you doing this knowingly or unknowingly?”

“I know.”

“You could get hurt. There’s no refund if you give up midway.”

The manager clicked his tongue in concern.

“I’m just looking out so you don’t waste your money. I get my wages regardless.”

“I appreciate the concern.”

Swoosh—

Before he could say more, Suhyuk held out his hand to the manager.

“Thirty minutes, please.”

“Alright, your decision.”

With a sigh, the manager shook Suhyuk’s hand.

『Used 50 points.』

Points flowed out through his hand. With the 30-minute ticket in hand, Suhyuk entered Room 4 of the training grounds.

Creaaak—

A pure white room, perfectly soundproof, came into view. Trap mechanisms were installed throughout, designed to activate the moment he stepped inside.

“It’s been a while, here too.”

There was no better place than this training room to trial his new skills and items. It allowed him to assess the performance of his skills based on the level of difficulty before venturing out to hunting grounds or taking trials.

‘First…’

Swoosh—

『‘Nameless Magic Sword’ has recognized its master.』

『All stats are temporarily increased.』

『Stamina and mental strength are consumed.』

A message appeared as he drew the magic sword.

In the past, this would have been unimaginable. For Suhyuk, who used lightning, the side effects of the magic sword were fatal. It would further deplete his already scarce stamina, drastically reducing his endurance.

However, at this moment.

Suhyuk’s experiment wasn’t about the power of the magic sword.

Drip—

『‘Nameless Magic Sword’ is absorbing the user’s stamina.』

『All stats increase in proportion to the stamina consumed.』

Drip, drip—

Blood trickled from Suhyuk’s eyes. The veins on the back of his hand holding the sword burst, and his fingertips began to tremble. It meant he was reaching his limit.

‘With my current body, this is the extent.’

Suhyuk hadn’t expected that his body, freshly advanced to the 2nd floor, could handle Kindre’s magic sword.

The current experiment was to see how effectively Selfish Sacrifice could mitigate the sword’s burden.

『‘Selfish Sacrifice Lv1’ is resisting the damage from ‘Nameless Magic Sword’.』

『Some stamina and mental strength are restored.』

『Fatigue slightly increases.』

『‘Selfish Sacrifice Lv1’ fails to fully resist the damage from ‘Nameless Magic Sword’.』

‘At level 1, this is the limit.’

A rare-grade magic sword. Though considered a failure, it was still handcrafted by Kindre. The magic sword’s power was significant, and so was the stamina consumption.

Even with an F-rank skill, Suhyuk hadn’t expected it to fully mitigate the sword’s effects. But the skill’s effectiveness didn’t end there.

『Remaining Points: 10,770』

Suhyuk currently had 10,000 points. Just enough to level up Selfish Sacrifice once. Having harnessed the magic sword’s power, it was now time to enhance Selfish Sacrifice.

『Used 10,000 points.』

『The skill level of ‘Selfish Sacrifice Lv1’ has increased.』

Almost all his accumulated points vanished with a single click. After increasing the skill’s level, Suhyuk checked the updated effects of Selfish Sacrifice.

—

【 Selfish Sacrifice 】

Type: Skill

Grade: E

LV: 2

Suppresses the side effects of skills and items that harm the user’s body.

Points can be used to upgrade the skill’s grade and level.

Required Points: 20,000p

—

‘20,000?’

Even though the grade had increased by one level. The required points had doubled.

Would the necessary points double with each level-up?

If so, the effectiveness must rise accordingly.

‘I guess I’ll know once I trial it.’

『‘Selfish Sacrifice Lv2’ is resisting the damage from ‘Nameless Magic Sword’.』

『Partial resistance successful.』

『‘Nameless Magic Sword’ consumes the user’s stamina.』

『Additional stats increase.』

Crack, crack—

Muscles twisted, and it felt as if blood was flowing backward. Yet the exhilarating feeling from the increasing stats was almost euphoric.

‘It’s working.’

With the level-up of Selfish Sacrifice, the burden from the magic sword decreased significantly. This reduced burden allowed Suhyuk to harness the sword’s power more effectively.

Grasp—

Suhyuk looked at the traps installed throughout the room.

The 4th-level training room.

For a player who had just passed the tutorial and reached the 2nd floor, this place was out of their league. The traps here weren’t even comparable to the goblins from the tutorial.

But now.

Swoosh—

Suhyuk dashed into the room. And at that moment.

Whizz—!

The traps installed every inch of the room activated, targeting Suhyuk.

***

About ten minutes later, Suhyuk left the room without using up all the time.

Drip—

Blood dripped from his forearm and fell to the ground. His steps were unsteady, and his body was battered and torn.

Suhyuk looked as though he could collapse at any moment. But he wasn’t disappointed.

Instead.

Leaning against the wall, he lifted the corners of his mouth into a smile.

“Wow…”

A soft exclamation escaped. Soon, a voice filled with elation spilled from Suhyuk’s lips.

“It worked.”