Unbelievable Growth Speed (2)
Even from inside Absolute Space, Seon Yul could roughly grasp what was happening outside.
The reason was the system’s alert messages visible to him.
[You have eliminated the mana user ‘White Tiger.’]
[Calculating your contribution related to the elimination of White Tiger.]
[Contribution 100%. All experience points and loot are awarded to you. Due to the PvP success bonus effect, acquired experience increases, and the quality of loot improves.]
[You have gained a large amount of experience. Level has greatly increased (Lv55 → Lv60).]
……
……
White Tiger was certainly dead.
And Seon Yul’s level had reached an astonishing 60.
In truth, ever since he had begun the war against Baekdu Bloodline and eliminated its users, Seon Yul’s level had been rising at an unbelievable pace.
He had known that PvP offered generous rewards, but the actual speed of leveling far exceeded his expectations.
Yet now, by eliminating just White Tiger alone, he had gained more experience than he had received from killing dozens of Baekdu Bloodline civilian users combined.
His level had been 51 when he was first ambushed by Baekdu Bloodline users.
After killing the four attackers, the number became 52.
After waging war against Baekdu Bloodline, it had reached 55.
And now, after eliminating White Tiger, it had become 60.
No one would believe a leveling speed like this.
In any case, after confirming White Tiger’s death, Seon Yul opened the entrance to Absolute Space once again and stepped outside.
The scene outside was catastrophic.
It had already been in ruins from the concentrated bombardment and the battle between Seon Yul and White Tiger, but after White Tiger’s self-destruction, there was not a single intact place left.
Seon Yul searched the surroundings in case there were any surviving members of Baekdu Bloodline, but as expected, there were none.
If there had been survivors, he intended to extract further information from them. Reluctantly, he had to abandon that plan.
“Everything else is fine, but it’s a shame I couldn’t find out who commissioned this…….”
According to the original plan, once Phase 3 began and after fighting White Tiger, he would subdue him and extract information about the client.
However, midway through the fight, events had not unfolded according to Seon Yul’s intentions, and as a result, this was the ending they arrived at.
‘Ah! But there’s still something left to investigate.’
The rat at Stone Gate.
He did not know how that rat was connected to the Baekdu Bloodline.
No… he didn’t even know whether that rat belonged to Baekdu Bloodline or to the client.
‘But this doesn’t seem like something I should investigate myself.’
The rat at Stone Gate was a matter more suited for the Republic of Korea Gate Management Bureau to investigate than for Seon Yul.
‘In that case…… how much should I tell them?’
The first objective… erasing Baekdu Bloodline, was complete.
But revealing this fact to others was an entirely different matter.
‘There’s no need to say everything…….’
Of course, Seon Yul did not regret wiping out Baekdu Bloodline, nor did he feel any guilt over it.
He simply did not want anyone to know his information.
‘I’ll just say I was attacked by unidentified individuals and that it seems there’s a collaborator within Stone Gate.’
Seon Yul decided he would tell Cha Seong Hyeon a suitably edited version of the events.
If he explained any further, the story would inevitably connect to Baekdu Bloodline, and with even minimal investigation, the Bureau might discover what Seon Yul had done.
He did not want that. So this was where he would draw the line.
Lastly, Seon Yul roamed around the vicinity of Samjiyon and erased every trace he had left behind.
Fortunately, most of the bombardment marks he had made were almost entirely covered up by White Tiger’s self-destruction explosion.
The only remnants were fragments of shell casings or high-speed gliding projectiles. After clearing those away, Seon Yul returned straight into Absolute Space.
Now that the cleanup was finished, the only thing left was to check how much he had grown.
First, Seon Yul opened his status window and checked the level perks he was most curious about.
― [Stigmata Level] 60 (41.71%) (Stigmata Points: 4)
― [Unique Ability] Absolute Space <EX> (Level 10)
― [Level Perks]
Level 1 → (Upon entering Absolute Space, you acquire the ability ‘Hyper regeneration.’ However, the ability disappears immediately upon leaving Absolute Space.)
Level 10 → (You can use ‘Powerful Strike’ inside Absolute Space. Cooldown: 5 minutes.)
Level 20 → (Upon entering Absolute Space, you acquire ‘Wire Master.’ However, the master effect disappears immediately upon leaving Absolute Space.)
Level 30 → (You can utilize Absolute Space as a ‘Subspace.’ You may control all items inside Absolute Space from outside of it. However, more than half of your body must not be inside, and it can only be used as Subspace while outside Absolute Space.)
Level 40 → (You may use ‘Absolute Space [Tattoo]’ that can be opened on your body. The tattoo can only be inscribed on your own body, and the tattoo itself becomes an entrance to Absolute Space. Regardless of the existing number of entrances, only one Absolute Space [Tattoo] may be created. From the moment the tattoo is inscribed until the entrance disappears, 0.5g of intermediate magic stone is consumed per second in real time. However, the tattoo size is limited to 30 cm in width and height, and it has a cooldown, making consecutive usage impossible. [Cooldown: 10 minutes])
Level 50 → (Upon entering Absolute Space, you acquire the ability ‘Heavenly Cuisine.’ By discovering various Heavenly recipes and cooking them, you can create dishes that grant extremely powerful ‘buffs.’ Heavenly Cuisine can only be performed inside Absolute Space, and the buff effects are also obtained only within Absolute Space. However, buffs gained by eating the food inside Absolute Space remain even after leaving Absolute Space.)
Level 60 → (You may use the ability ‘The Dead Tell No Tales’ inside Absolute Space.)
― [Acquired Abilities] None.
The newly obtained level perk did not include a detailed explanation.
Instead, unusually, the phrase ‘The Dead Tell No Tales’ was clickable, and Seon Yul immediately selected it.
― The Dead Tell No Tales <No Grade>
: The dead originally tell no tales. Therefore, you may borrow the abilities of those you have killed without permission. However, the price must be paid properly, and to continue using the ability, you must continue paying the price steadily.
[Available Ability List for Rental] <Expand>
[Register Rental Ability] You may register one ability from a deceased mana user to borrow and use. To register a rental ability, magic stones are consumed depending on the grade of the ability.
SSS grade or higher (1 top-grade magic stone)
SS grade or higher (2 high-grade magic stones)
S grade or higher (1 high-grade magic stone)
A grade or higher (5kg intermediate magic stones)
C grade or higher (1kg intermediate magic stones)
[Use Rental Ability] When using a registered rental ability, 0.5–1g of intermediate magic stone is consumed per second, depending on usage time. The higher the grade of the borrowed awakened ability, the greater the consumption of intermediate magic stones.
[Rental Period] Once registered, a rental period may be used for one month. After one month, you must renew the registration or register a new one.
[Rental Limitations] Only the base ability included within the ‘Awakened Ability’ can be borrowed. Special awakened abilities obtained through level perks cannot be borrowed.
“…Huh.”
After reading the explanation, Seon Yul found himself speechless.
It was an ability he had never imagined.
He had never heard of such an ability, nor had he even considered the possibility of one existing.
‘Borrow… abilities?’
Of course, there were clear prerequisites for borrowing abilities.
Prerequisites that were not easy to fulfill… and additional rental conditions besides.
But even so, this ability was incredible.
‘A conditional ability copy?’
To copy and use someone else’s awakened ability?
There was no ability more dreamlike than this.
Seon Yul expanded the available rental list.
There, the IDs and awakened abilities of the many mana users he had killed were actually listed.
Among them, the one that stood out the most was this:
[White Tiger – Real Painting (SS+)]
Unfortunately, the rest of the awakened abilities barely caught his eye.
The condition of being inside Absolute Space was attached again, but it did not matter. As long as he had Absolute Space [Tatto], that condition would not be a major problem.
However, once again, the enormous consumption of magic stones was a heavy burden.
Especially if he were to rent Real Painting and use it while also activating Absolute Space [Tatto]… approximately 1.5g of intermediate magic stone would be consumed per second.
Converted into cash, that meant spending 150,000 won per second, 1.5 million won in 10 seconds, and 9 million won per minute into the air.
If a battle lasted 10 minutes, nearly 100 million won would be spent. The magic stone consumption was definitely no joke.
‘This is seriously just a money-burning ability.’
Even to register the desired ability required high-grade magic stones, and to continue extending its usage, high-grade magic stones would have to be consumed continuously.
In many ways, it was an ability that devoured magic stones.
“But… the ability itself is insanely good.”
Yet it was also an ability with such overwhelming advantages that it made all these disadvantages easy to forget.
“For now, I’ll try it later.”
Since it was not an ability that could be tested lightly, he postponed everything for the time being.
After finishing his check of the new level perk, Seon Yul immediately proceeded to what might arguably be the most important task… settling the loot.
‘I’ll just push all the miscellaneous material items to one side….’
In fact, the loot obtained through this war against Baekdu Bloodline was an even greater jackpot than the experience.
It went beyond merely being ‘a lot.’
Perhaps because it had been a guild composed of PvP users, the magic stones and various items each individual had carried were truly enormous.
‘Let’s gather just the magic stones first….’
Seon Yul collected all the magic stones into one place.
Then…
2 top-grade magic stones. 11 high-grade magic stones. 574kg of intermediate magic stones.
An absurd quantity.
“…This is insane.”
He had expected there to be a lot, but not to this degree.
During this war, Seon Yul had consumed about 30kg of intermediate magic stones and thought the consumption was excessive.
Now, that thought no longer occurred to him at all.
He combined them with the magic stones he already possessed.
The result became almost absurd.
5 top-grade magic stones. 20 high-grade magic stones. Approximately 1,040kg of intermediate magic stones.
With this much, just the magic stones alone might be enough to acquire a decent mid-sized company.
But the loot did not end there.
Incredibly, there were also items.
Not just items… two Legendary-grade items!!
And one of them was even an Enchanted Soul.
Absolute Mana Ring <Legendary>
― Long ago, before dying, a great archmage poured all his mana into a small ring and left it to his disciple. After passing through many owners, the ring came to be called ‘Absolute Mana.’
[Base Effect] Maximum Mana +100% / Mana Recovery Speed per Second +300%
[Owned Skill A] Mana Conversion (Active): Converts your mana into protective energy to create a shield that protects your entire body. Cooldown: 3 minutes.
[Penalty] None.
Immunity to All Poisons (Enchanted Soul) <Legendary+>
― Can overcome every type of poison that exists in the world!
[Base Effect] None.
[Owned Skill A] Immunity to All Poisons (Passive): Grants immunity to all types of ‘poison.’
[Penalty] None.
Unfortunately, the Legendary ring was not especially useful to Seon Yul. It was likely an item White Tiger had been wearing… While the increase in mana recovery was insane, Seon Yul barely consumed mana in the first place.
Still, the active skill attached to it was quite usable, so replacing the Ring of Protection with it would be the right decision.
The real jackpot was the second Legendary item.
Immunity to All Poisons!!
By using this Enchanted Soul to create an item, poison-type attacks could simply be ignored from now on.
Seon Yul intended to apply it to the leather mask he always wore.
“PvP… this is definitely addictive.”
After reviewing once more the experience and loot he had gained in such a short time, Seon Yul muttered with an expression of genuine astonishment.
Of course, this was a particularly unusual case.
Baekdu Bloodline had accumulated enormous loot through countless PvP battles over a long period.
Especially since they were in a delicate situation where they could not openly use their loot, they had simply hoarded magic stones and other items while waiting for the right time.
The primary reason White Tiger and Baekdu Bloodline sided with China and attempted to stab the Republic of Korea in the back was to freely use the stockpiled loot without drawing suspicion.
Then, in that extraordinary situation, a war broke out with Seon Yul.
And astonishingly, Seon Yul alone wiped out Baekdu Bloodline entirely.
Thus, this enormous experience and loot poured out as a result.
Regardless, it had now been thoroughly proven through Baekdu Bloodline that PvP guaranteed a growth speed incomparable to ordinary hunting.
‘There might be more mana users engaging in PvP than is publicly known.’
With this level of efficiency, there were surely many mana users secretly engaging in PvP, even if it wasn’t widely known.
‘I need to be more careful too.’
Now, Seon Yul had much to lose.
Naturally, there could be many who specifically targeted him.
Even in this case, the identity of the one who had put a price on his life remained unknown.
Which meant the person targeting Seon Yul was still alive.
‘Someday, you too….’
Thinking of the unidentified client, Seon Yul made a quiet vow of revenge.
And with that, the war against Baekdu Bloodline truly came to an end.
Seon Yul gained much from this battle.
But above all else, he believed the most valuable thing he gained was experience.
For Seon Yul now, safety… was no longer something passive, preserved by enduring, hiding, and pleading.
To the current Seon Yul, safety… was something active, seized by fighting, protecting, and overcoming.
Though it was the same word, ‘safety.’
The difference between the two was heaven and earth… Or even beyond that.
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