The Age of Mana Civilization (1)
[Ring of Protection <Unique>]
[The energy flowing from the ring envelops your body and protects you.]
[Base Effect: Defense +120]
[Additional Effect: All Resistances +10]
It was a simple ring… true to its name in both form and function.
Privately, Seon Yul had hoped for something more powerful in terms of protective capability, but expecting that much from a mere Unique-grade item was, admittedly, excessive greed.
Naturally, he slipped the ring onto his right hand and collected the rest of the loot.
Intermediate-grade and lower magic stones were traded by weight, in kilograms.
However, once they reached high grade, they were traded per piece, regardless of size or weight.
The reason was simple: from high grade onward, the quality and quantity of mana contained within them were on an entirely different level.
The price of a single high-grade magic stone started at a minimum of 1 billion won.
If the size was large and the quality appeared exceptional, it could fetch up to 10 billion won.
Top-grade magic stones were worth more than Legendary-grade items. They had appeared so rarely that their market value could not even be properly calculated.
After collecting all the loot, Seon Yul opened his status window.
[Stigma Level: 20 (71.4%) (Stigma Point: 1)]
[Unique Ability: Absolute Space <EX> (Level 4)]
[Level Privileges]
[Level 1 → When entering Absolute Space, you gain the ability ‘Hyper Regeneration.’ However, once you exit Absolute Space, Hyper Regeneration disappears immediately.]
[Level 10 → Within Absolute Space, you may use ‘Powerful Strike.’ Powerful Strike has a 5-minute cooldown.]
[Level 20 → When entering Absolute Space, you gain ‘Weapon (Selectable) Master.’ However, once you exit Absolute Space, the Master effect disappears immediately.]
[Acquired Abilities: None]
“…Huh—Weapon Master ability!!”
At Level 10, the privilege had felt like a brief pause, granting Powerful Strike.
But at Level 20, the privilege was nearly on par with Hyper Regeneration in terms of impact.
True, it again came with the restriction that it only functioned inside Absolute Space, but even so, it was extraordinary.
Master-tier abilities varied widely.
But those who possessed them were all renowned figures:
Sword Master Musashi
Axe Master Valhalla
Bow Master Jumong
Fist King Taesan
Spear Master Dunhill
Glaive King Li Xiang
Each of them was a Noble-class user and a High Ranker, capable of wielding their mastered weapon type at the ‘ultimate realm.’
“If that’s the case, then for me it has to be firearms!!”
Gun Master immediately surfaced in Seon Yul’s mind.
If that were an option, he would become overwhelmingly powerful.
Unfortunately, firearms were not included in the selectable Weapon options.
Presumably, since firearms did not exist as official ‘items’ within the system, they were excluded from the Weapon Master selection as well.
“…That’s seriously disappointing.”
If he could have selected it, the difficulty of hunting would have decreased dramatically.
“At least… should I pick Bow instead?”
Seon Yul wondered which substitute to choose… gums if there were no teeth, chicken if there were no pheasants, or a bow if there were no guns.
He considered it seriously.
Still, something felt deeply unsatisfying. Switching from firearms to bows felt inefficient in every possible sense.
But right then.
One particular option caught his eye.
“…Wait. This… maybe…”
A Master ability no one had ever reportedly obtained. Yet the more he thought about it, the more perfectly suited it felt.
It was…
Wire Master.
“This would definitely help!”
In the end, Seon Yul chose Wire instead of Bow.
The moment he selected Wire Master, he pulled the drawstring from the waistband of his training pants.
The instant his fingers touched the string, an overwhelming flood of understanding rushed into his mind, every possible action he could perform with it.
If he wanted, he felt he could make the string stand upright in midair.
That was the power of Weapon Master.
Simply possessing it made you the absolute authority over that weapon.
“So this is what it is.”
Fully grasping the nature of Weapon Master, Seon Yul slowly nodded.
“Next… It’s finally time to raise Absolute Space to Level 5.”
Level 5 held tremendous significance for him.
Upon reaching Level 5, he would gain one additional entrance. and unlock an extra function.
Those two benefits alone were why he had been so eager to reach it.
The additional entrance, in particular, was crucial.
Until now, he had only one main entrance, meaning he had to reserve his emergency exit strictly for emergencies.
That would no longer be necessary.
With two entrances, he could gain various tactical advantages.
“Alright. Let’s do this.”
He immediately used his Stigma Point to raise Absolute Space from Level 4 to Level 5.
[ Absolute Space level has increased.]
[ The size of Absolute Space expands and its functions improve.]
[ The free service level period of Absolute Space has ended.]
[ The allowable external object import weight increases from 2,000kg to 3,000kg.]
[ Reaching Level 5 unlocks additional functions.]
Finally, Absolute Space had reached Level 5.
[Absolute Space <EX> (Level 5)]
[You can create an absolute space that no being may interfere with at will. This space belongs to no dimension and cannot disappear under any circumstances. The moment you close the entrance, it becomes perfectly sealed from the outside. No being may enter Absolute Space.]
[Space Size: 150 m² area, 6 m height (Maximum 200 m² — You may expand to the maximum size by paying 1 kg of intermediate-grade magic stone per 3.5 m².)]
[Number of Entrances: 2 (An additional entrance is added at Level 10.)
<Each new entrance consumes 10g of intermediate-grade magic stone when opened. The amount varies depending on the entrance size.>]
[Emergency Exit: Configured]
(Using the emergency exit consumes 200g of mid-grade magic stone.)
[Import Weight Limit: 3,000kg (1,912kg / 3,000kg)]
[Additional Function A: Structural Modification (By concentrating mentally and imagining clearly, you may alter the structure of Absolute Space. The more complex the structure, the longer the required concentration. If the visualization is incomplete, the structure will not change. Once modified, it cannot be altered again for 24 hours.) <Cost: 5kg of mid-grade magic stone per modification>]
[Additional Function B (Unlocked at Level 15)]
“Structural modification?”
The added ability was slightly different from what he had expected.
And the ‘free service period has ended’ message was mildly unsettling.
Perhaps because the free period had ended, everything from expanding space to structural changes now required mid-grade magic stones.
“…So nothing’s free anymore.”
Seon Yul carefully considered the recurring intermediate-grade magic stone consumption costs.
He stood from the bed, organizing his thoughts.
“I’ll have to manage my mid-grade stone reserves carefully from now on. And I’ll need to secure more… hunting alone might not be enough.”
After mentally running through calculations…
He accepted reality.
“Well. I’ll treat it as a small penalty for having an EX-grade ability.”
Spending what amounted to roughly one million won per new entrance opening hurt… but the power justified the cost.
“Let’s try Structural Modification first.”
Though it required 5kg of intermediate-grade magic stone, he still had around 10kg remaining.
[Absolute Space – Structural Modification]
After activating the keyword, he slowly surveyed his surroundings and began imagining how to reshape the space.
“First, divide the space into two major sections.”
He split Absolute Space into a residential area and a combat area.
“For the combat zone, place the entrance at the front and make it a long rectangular structure. For the residential area… similar to my one-room apartment, but as comfortable as possible…”
Imagining architectural layouts wasn’t easy.
He was not an architecture major, nor someone particularly interested in interior design. So he focused on keeping it simple…functional above all else.
After several minutes of deep concentration…
Suddenly, like snapping the final piece into place in a puzzle, the structure in his mind clicked into completion.
[Structural modification conditions satisfied.]
[5kg mid-grade magic stone consumed.]
[Absolute Space structure will be modified.]
Rumble
In an instant, the structure changed.
Objects inside the space remained fixed in position, while the layout reshaped itself exactly as he had envisioned.
“Wow…”
The transformation took barely ten seconds.
He stood still, observing.
A wall now divided the space cleanly into combat and residential zones. A door stood at the center of that wall.
Through the door lay the residential space.
Outside it, the combat zone.
The residential area was square, with a mattress against one wall and necessities arranged simply. He planned to decorate it later through the in-system furnishing shop.
The combat area, however, had received the most attention.
Roughly 7 meters wide and elongated into a rectangle stretching from the entrance inward.
The reason was simple:
If an enemy ever forced entry, he wanted to neutralize them as close to the entrance as possible.
Weapons were arranged along the rear and sides for optimized battle flow.
Both entrances were positioned side-by-side at the front, allowing dual tactical deployment if needed.
Meanwhile, the emergency exit was configured in the residential zone.
Escape was secured.
“For now… this will do.”
Nodding in satisfaction, he reorganized items as he moved between the two areas.
For the next few days, he intended to rest entirely within Absolute Space, spending time on minor tasks, cooking, eating, or sleeping.
***
There were countless types of mana users in the world.
And just as varied were their awakening abilities.
Naturally, the most recognized mana users possessed combat-related abilities.
The world was at war with the unknown entity known as ‘Gates.’ It was unavoidable.
But that did not mean non-combat awakening abilities were useless.
There were users with non-combat abilities who were acknowledged at the High Ranker level.
The community’s ranking system was purely level-based.
Levels increased by accumulating the intangible reward known as ‘experience,’ typically obtained by defeating monsters.
However…
Experience did not come exclusively from combat.
Non-combat activities could grant experience as well.
True, the speed difference compared to combat was enormous… But they still level up.
In fact, combat progression clearly hit ability-based ceilings, whereas non-combat activities had no such limit.
They were simply much, much slower.
For that reason, most non-combat mana users had relatively low levels overall.
In that sense, Cha Seong Hyeon, the Head of Magic Research at the Republic of Korea Gate Management Agency, was only Level 25.
Low, by pure numerical standards.
Yet he was essentially regarded as the second-in-command of the Agency.
Because he was a globally recognized authority in magic engineering.
His awakening ability was ‘Intelligence Enhancement (S).’
Among enhancement-type abilities, it was the most detached from combat.
Put simply, it dramatically increased his intelligence.
Through that ability, he elevated South Korea’s magical engineering to world-leading standards.
And the project currently occupying his full attention was known as ‘Project R’.
Major nations around the world were conducting similar research. The details varied slightly, but the overarching framework was identical.
Development of powerful combat weapons utilizing the energy of magic stones.
That was the objective.
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