Chapter 43: Chapter 43 - Two Hearts (1)
Chapter 43 . Two Hearts (1)
Yeon-woo tried to get up from the bed to thank Galliard .
“You need to rest a little longer . It’ll take some time for your senses to settle down . ”
‘Senses?’
Yeon-woo realized that Galliard was the reason his senses had become much stronger .
“I’ve done something to your body if you haven’t noticed . ”
Galliard spoke as he placed the basket on the table .
Yeon-woo narrowed his brow slightly .
“What do you mean?”
“Let me guess . You did something to make your body stronger, right? And you needed me to protect you while you were out . ”
“Yes, I did . ”
Galliard snorted at his answer with his arms folded .
“But you did it wrong . ”
Yeon-woo’s eyes glistened .
“Can you explain in detail?”
“I saw Akasha’s Snake grow abnormally big . You took the Neidan, right? And I bet you consumed something similar to the Neidan before that . ”
That was the Snow Ginseng .
Yeon-woo nodded his head .
“You didn’t even know if your body could handle one elixir . And you dared to take two at the same time?”
Galliard continued speaking as he clicked his tongue .
“I don’t know if you thought you could handle it or you had something prepared, but the energy in your body was either going to explode or go out of control . ”
Yeon-woo understood why Galliard said he had done something to his body . He must have thought Yeon-woo would end up dying if he hadn’t settled the energy in his body .
Apparently, Galliard was a well-known hunter within the Dark Elves tribes . Yeon-woo thought it wasn’t strange at all for someone like him to have one or two secret skills .
“For now, I’ve got you covered . By the way, it was only possible because you had little mana in you, otherwise you would have been in big trouble . So, if you get your hands on several elixirs like today, don’t you ever chug them down like you did this time . You’re really gonna die unless you’re something like a dragon . ”
I did make a contract with a dragon
Yeon-woo almost said that out loud .
‘You really didn’t have to do that though . ’
Yeon-woo desperately fought the urge to laugh .
His body was fundamentally different from an ordinary player’s . He not only had Reinforced Physique, but also had the succession process already underway . His body should have been enough to accommodate all the energies by itself .
But Galliard couldn’t have the slightest idea of what kind of body Yeon-woo had . Moreover, he was indebted to Yeon-woo for finding his long lost pendant . He couldn’t stand there and watch him die .
‘Is that how this thing in the Mana Circuit was made?’
Yeon-woo then asked Galliard .
“So you modified my Mana Circuit to stop the mana from deviating, right?”
Galliard grumbled as if something bothered him .
“It’s the same way I use to make Undine’s Goblet . Besides, I had to use the one you had to calm the deviation . Do you have any idea how much work that is?”
“I appreciate it . ”
“Whoa, you’re not getting off that easy, are you?”
“I’ll pay you back later when I get the chance . ”
“Like hell you will! But looking at you running your mouth off like that, I guess you’re okay now . ”
Galliard left the cottage leaving Yeon-woo to rest in the room . And just before closing the door, Galliard said in a small voice .
“Oh and, thank you . ”
Galliard called his secret skill ‘Undine’s Divine Water(神水)’ .
And he said he had applied the skill on his body, just like when making Undine’s Goblet .
‘The human body can be used like Undine’s Goblet? I didn’t know he could do that . ’
But just as Undine’s Goblet was used to contain Akasha, he figured the human body, which was a vessel that could hold mana, could also be used that way . Still, it would take a lot more effort to make that work . Galliard said because there was too much mana deviating inside his body, he had to use the Undine’s Goblet Yeon-woo had . As a result, not only did he absorb mana much more easily during his sleep, but his body and senses had also been upgraded by more than one level . It was a stroke of good fortune .
As soon as Yeon-woo got somewhat attuned to his senses, he came out of the cottage and started to stretch his body .
Galliard came beside him and grumbled with an annoyed look .
“I told you, you’ll need to rest at least three more days to heal up completely…!”
*Swish*
“…Unless you have a great healing factor . ”
Galliard ended up mumbling his words as he watched Yeon-woo freely running over the rocky mountains .
He stared at Yeon-woo in bewilderment .
How was that the movement of someone who just left his bed from a serious injury? Moreover, he was using Shunpo so well now . It looked like it was his skill from the very beginning .
It wasn’t just Galliard who was in for a shock .
“Is this what it feels like to conduct mana?”’
Yeon-woo had never used mana properly until now . Even if he did, he used the least possible amount for casting his skills only .
However, it was different now that he could handle his mana at will . All he did was to wrap mana around his legs, which made Shunpo incomparably better than before . With it, he could jump higher and run faster .
Unlike the time when he had to climb up the mountain to get to Galliard’s house, he now could get there with just a few jumps .
His body was so light to the point that he almost felt weightless . However, it wasn’t because there was a big growth in proficiency, after all he had only increased it by one percent .
‘Maybe all the skills and movements I’ve known so far have been inefficient . ’
From what he heard, most of the players in the tutorial knew how to handle mana . They said it’s the minimum requirement for players to be able to achieve something in the tutorial . And the criterion for joining the ranks of the strong was also Magic Power .
However, Yeon-woo hadn’t been able to handle mana up until now . He did not know neither the concept nor the theory behind it . All he could do was walk the bumpy road, constantly working to build up his stats . And still, only relying on what he had, he advanced through the tutorial all the way to section E, killed several boss monsters and became a match for other top rankers . All of that was done with a sheer physical strength .
And now, he had mana . The fuel that he had been lacking until now .
It was time for him to soar .
*Tak*
Yeon-woo soon landed on the ground after doing some flips in the air . He didn’t have to gasp for air even after that intense workout, with only tiny drops of sweat appearing on his forehead . He actually felt refreshed as if he had just gotten up and stretched . All the fatigue from lying on the bed seemed to have melted away .
“If there’s this much improvement at 92%, how will my body change after completing the remaining 8%?’
Yeon-woo wiped the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand as he examined his Mana Circuit again .
A smile appeared on Yeon-woo’s face .
After he finished checking up his body, Yeon-woo opened the quest window to claim his reward . It was obvious that the more items he had, the better .
‘I completed two quests before fainting, right?’
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Resurrection Ceremony, the Hidden Quest, and Monster Outbreak, the Sudden Quest . The rewards for both quests had all been granted to him, as both had been cleared by Yeon-woo .
Fortunately, nothing was lost because the rewards required the player to confirm the completion of the quest for them to materialize .
‘Let’s check the Hidden Quest first . ’
The reward was covered with question marks in the quest window, so he had no idea what it was . The moment he pressed the ‘Receive’ button, a black bracelet fell on Yeon-woo’s palm .
[You have obtained ‘???’s Black Bracelet’ as a reward . ]
‘What is this? Why can’t I see its name?’
A frown formed on Yeon-woo’s brows .
The artifact given as the reward was an old, simple-looking bracelet . Compared to good artifacts that usually had classy looks, this one was almost too crude . Besides, the aura radiating from the bracelet was that of a common ordinary artifact . Still, it was a reward from defeating Akasha’s Snake .
Not losing hope, he tried identifying the item .
[???’s Black Bracelet]
Classification: Wrist Guard
Rating: ??
Description: A bracelet cherished by ???, the owner of Akasha’s Snake . Akasha’s Snake always misses its great master, so it keeps the master’s belonging in its stomach in hopes of his return .
* Soul Bind
Fixed chance of reaping the soul of the killed target . The reaped souls lose their memory and become corrupted, left with only deep resentment .
* Black Blade
Consumes the reaped souls and converts them into dark property energy . If imbued to a weapon, it will inflict curses upon hit .
Ability locked . (Sealed)
Ability locked . (Sealed)
Ability locked . (Sealed)
** This is a ‘Unique’ artifact . no same artifact exists in The Tower, and it will be bound to its owner . It cannot be transferred or traded between players .
** Some of the abilities are sealed . You must meet the qualifications or conditions in order to lift the seals .
** Some information cannot be accessed . You must meet the qualifications or conditions in order to view the information .
‘If it’s a Unique artifact, it must have great abilities . Only if I can unlock them . ’
The options embedded in Black Bracelet were quite peculiar even among Unique artifacts .
Soul Bind and Black Blade .
‘So it reaps the soul of the killed target… Seems like someone had a bad taste . ’
Even in death, the souls weren’t allowed to rest in peace . Souls bound by this bracelet could only wait to be used as disposable tools . This kind of options were rarely seen in The Tower .
‘The original owner, was he a Demon?’
He needed to find information about the previous owner in order to make proper use of this Unique artifact, But the information was completely blocked .
For now, it seemed impossible to bring out the whole power the artifact could offer .
However,
‘It doesn’t matter . ’
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There was no need to be in a rush to know about the owner . The only thing that mattered was whether the artifact was useful or not . And he thought this artifact would come in handy .
Of course, it was true that its abilities were quite disappointing for a Unique artifact, compared to Bathory’s Vampiric Sword that can extract the target’s stats and skills .
Yeon-woo, however, took note of the three sealed options .
‘The real power of the Black Bracelet must lie in there . It could be the power of its original owner . ’
He thought the inability to identify the rating must mean that the artifact was not yet fully open to him . An artifact like this was never easy to come by .
*Click*
Yeon-woo opened the clasp of the bracelet and wore it on his right wrist . With a pleasant locking sound, Black Bracelet shrank down to just about the size of his wrist .
And then,
*Tsss*
A pitch black aura rose from the bracelet and began to seep into his right arm .
Yeon-woo was startled by the sudden effect, but soon realized it was the process of recognizing the wearer . If something were to happen, he was confident he could force it to stop with mana .
He felt the black aura flowing through his veins, permeating into the Mana Circuit and spreading across his entire body . At the same time, a black substance slowly smeared the white of his eyes . Then suddenly, previously unseen things began to appear in his sight .
[Under the influence of ‘???’s Black Bracelet’, you have gained an ability to observe the world of the dead . ]
[The ability has merged with your skill ‘Draconic Eyes’ . ‘Draconic Eyes’ skill proficiency has increased . 13 . 5%]
Yeon-woo saw hazy figures floating in the air . The appearance of a rag doll with three holes cut out in place of their eyes and mouth . There were thousands of such things swirling around Yeon-woo .
Then suddenly, they stopped moving and turned their heads towards Yeon-woo . It seemed that they noticed that he was ‘seeing’ them .
They started to growl and glare at Yeon-woo . It was an obvious display of hostility .
He felt their deep resentment lying beneath the belching aura, thought it didn’t pose much of a threat .
Yeon-woo had a pretty good idea of who they were .
‘They’re the monsters I killed or those who were eaten by Akasha’s Snake . ’
These monsters were all those who fell prey to Yeon-woo’s scheme . It wasn’t surprising at all that they would hold a grudge against him and followed him even after death .
Still, he didn’t expect that so many ghosts were following him around .
‘Have they been wandering around me all this time? I was lucky I didn’t get cursed . ’
But that didn’t make Yeon-woo flinch even a bit . Rather, he thought of it as a good opportunity .
He obtained a new piece of equipment, and conveniently enough there were targets everywhere to test out his newly acquired ability .
Yeon-woo grabbed Carshina’s Dagger backward and fiercely swung at one of the souls .
Feeling some sort of danger, it tried to move away from the dagger’s trajectory . But it wasn’t fast enough to avoid Yeon-woo’s slash, and ended up being cut down .
The white soul soon scattered into a murky haze and got sucked into the Black Bracelet .
[Number of bound souls: 1]
Then a small message window popped up on one side of his retina .
‘Then . ’
Yeon-woo pumped mana into the Black Bracelet .
And this time, he held Carshina’s Dagger pointing forward .
It was to use Black Blade .
[Number of the bound souls: 0]
The count went back down .
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*Whoosh*
Dark energy rimmed along the blade .
‘Dark element mana . ’
Yeon-woo’s eyes gleamed at the sight .
Along with the light element, the dark element was one of the rarest . Moreover, it was also a kind of buff that many players were looking for .
Dark element could be used both as a buff to increase one’s attack power or as a debuff to curse one’s enemies . It was the element most specialized in offensive uses .
To test its power, Yeon-woo poured a lot more mana into the dagger and made a full swing to his right .
As soon as the dagger made a scratch on the rock,
*Kwakwa*
Not only did it split the rock in half, but the tree that was far behind the rock also blew up .
‘This is more than I imagined . ’
Yeon-woo felt delighted .
It seemed that the dark energy was much stronger than he originally thought, as expected of an artifact used by Akasha’s Snake’s master .
To top it off, the rock and the tree started to decay from where the blade cut through . That was the curse followed by the attack .
While Yeon-woo caressed the black bracelet, his eyes sparkled with a sudden idea .
What would happen if he mixed the dark energy with other skills?
‘Maybe . ’
To try out his idea, Yeon-woo captured five more souls, and this time, he drew the dark energy to his hand instead of his weapon .
The black haze converged and formed an orb .
Then, Yeon-woo added another skill to the collected energy .
[Flame Infusion]
The moment the dark energy was combined with Flame Infusion,
*Kwang*
A wild explosion occurred right in front of his eyes . An explosion that would easily blow up the head of an Orc or a Lizardman .
Yeon-woo quickly cast Shunpo and retreated far from the blast range .
When the explosion ended, a big scorch mark of 3 meters in radius was left on the ground, and a burnt smell tainted the air around it .
The second Yeon-woo saw this, the corners of his mouth started to roll up .
If only five souls could create an explosion this big,
‘What if I turn all the souls into dark energy at once?’
Yeon-woo took a gulp while watching the thousands of souls surrounding him .
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