Chapter 12
Chapter 12
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: The Floor You Can't Leave Without Doing OO
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Lowest-grade mana stone.
It could be summed up in two sentences.
A stone containing low-quality mana.
Used for charging lowest-grade items and industrial purposes.
That was it.
Of course, even that alone had propelled humanity to great advances.
In medicine and daily goods, especially.
Though side effects came with it, naturally.
People who tried to become Awakeners by swallowing mana stones.
I'd seen plenty carted off to hospitals.
Hundreds every year, I think it was.
'They said it was at least a few hundred.'
Anyway, eating mana stones didn't turn you into an Awakener.
All it changed was your health.
For the worse.
But would it be different for me?
I'd eaten uranium, a lump of radiation, after all.
"Hoo."
I gazed at the mana stone I'd pulled from my backpack.
A small ore nestled among the coal lumps.
It emitted a faint purple glow.
"Let's do this."
Even after steeling myself over and over, I hesitated.
The uranium had gone down unconsciously during the fall.
This one, I'd have to swallow with a perfectly sound mind.
It was all jagged and rough.
Eating it would shred my mouth and esophagus.
They'd regenerate in an instant, but the pain...
"Urgh."
I shuddered involuntarily and gritted my teeth.
No way I could eat it like this.
Crunch! Crrrunch!
I crushed it with my reinforced grip strength.
My hand was a hydraulic press right now.
I pulverized the worthless bits, leaving only the mana stone.
Bean-sized nuggets filled my palm.
"Just these, right?"
My instincts screamed rejection.
But my resolve to push through and eat won out.
The tug-of-war had one victor.
"O-okay, just one first."
I gingerly placed it on my tongue.
No rolling it around in my mouth.
Swallow straight down.
The hard foreign sensation triggered instant revulsion.
Cold sweat and the urge to spit it out piled on.
I pictured the patients who'd been hospitalized after eating these.
That might be why it felt worse.
But for my family's sake...
Gulp.
I could swallow a hundred of them.
Trembling, I watched for changes.
My status window hovered beside me.
It took a few seconds for anything to happen.
"Oh?"
It hadn't appeared when I only ate food.
But this time was different.
The status window changed along with the alert.
'Did the Ring of Death and Circulation assist?'
It was just a ring that boosted innate ability control.
But it helped like this.
Good thing I'd kept feeding it corpses steadily.
I checked the updated status window.
Calories went up!
"Up by 30..."
Even with the unknown power of mana infused.
Mana didn't make a meaningful change there.
But it gave something else.
'A new number under the calories.'
The limit of 10, fully filled.
Was that mana?
My innate ability control was great for resolving doubts.
It injected info matching the changes.
"Hmm, so that's how it is."
Mana stones were out for calories!
Not a great source.
But they granted mana.
Limited mana, of course.
"Eating more won't give extra mana."
Max capacity: 10.
No clue how to increase it yet.
More experiments needed across the board.
Like trying top-grade mana stones.
'Got 10 mana for now.'
How to use it?
Control told me, naturally.
What if I hadn't gotten the ring early?
I planted a kiss on it.
"You're a real good boy."
Conclusion: Mana could boost my power.
Power meaning abilities, skills, passives.
Effects varied by what I boosted.
Had to use it right, in the right spots.
"Wonder how much 10 mana boosts me by."
Understanding in theory and applying were different.
Even if your head got it, if your body didn't follow...
Failure in real combat was inevitable.
'Like gaining muscles you didn't have.'
Proper handling would take practice.
I dove right in.
First, the passive: Radiation Manipulation.
"Ooh!"
Control shot way up.
But I botched the mana regulation.
Blew through all 10.
"Tricky."
Plenty of mana stones left anyway.
Ate another to recharge.
Next: Rapid Digestion.
My body endured more, as expected.
Beyond my 100k calorie limit.
Even 110k was doable.
"Mana. What a cheat this is."
And Hunters kept it to themselves?
Makes me jealous.
Good thing I got it now.
"Okay. Decision made."
Practice solidified my certainty.
Postpone conquering -5 floor.
One thing to do now.
'Practice until I can freely apply mana to all my powers.'
Trailing challengers' pace unchanged.
Stuck at -2.
Far from -4.
I didn't want to skip enhanced rewards either.
Bonuses for first clears on new floors.
Couldn't yield that.
So I set a practice deadline.
'Until one trailing challenger hits -4.'
That'd be time to descend.
Better to fully master my power.
'Even with great regen, worst cases happen.'
Imagine it.
An enemy immune to all my powers appears.
I'd get caught, tortured till calories ran out, then die regenerating.
'My power isn't infinite fuel.'
Especially without levels.
Purely down to user skill.
So hone new power to the max before going.
That was right.
The last survivor of Kurotsuki.
Tensho blended into the crowd.
Myeongdong, bustling with tourists.
Korea's safety rep spreading far?
A month-plus after the raid quest.
Even more crowded now.
'They catch Hunters like rats, but civilians? Whatever.'
What a pity.
Failed to assassinate JYS, lost two comrades.
His innate ability and killing intent erasure let him survive alone.
Erasing intent bounced him from the safe zone.
Hence this mess.
Beefed-up security. Sea and air routes blocked.
Even his homeland wouldn't help.
Too much fallout if ties leaked.
'Hoo, but meeting the broker today.'
Luckily, Tensho found a way out.
Heading there now.
To a university hospital area at dawn.
Nearby warehouse was the spot.
Step. Step.
Civilians oblivious to him.
Even brushing in the crowd.
They passed without noticing.
'Heh, S-rank Hunter innate ability. Dumb civilians don't even know what hit 'em.'
Survivors are the strong ones.
Tensho deemed himself strong.
Alive and heading home, after all.
Failed assassination? Do better next time.
Noted mistakes thoroughly.
JYS: Take out from range, quiet as a mouse...
Thud.
"Ah."
Someone bumped him.
University hospital street nearby.
Sparse foot traffic.
Tensho tried to dodge.
Couldn't.
'The guy did it on purpose.'
How?
Should've blocked all perception.
Tensho glared for the cause.
Slightly dark skin. Big eyes, high nose.
Cool-looking handsome man.
He adjusted his sunglasses.
Grinned right at Tensho.
Tensho recognized him then.
"Found you. S-rank assassin."
"You're from Turkiye...!"
Yurek Han.
The man staying in his second homeland, Korea.
He grabbed Tensho's collar roughly.
"Kugh!"
That one grab showed the gap.
Not same S-rank.
Stronger, sharper.
"How the hell!"
Tensho flailed, yelling.
Yurek Han casually scratched his sideburns.
"'Cause I cleared Tower of Despair down to -2?"
Rewards boosted him.
Could pierce most stealth now.
Subduing him was easy.
Mana squeezed Tensho.
"Lee Ha-rin-ssi. Target subdued. Matches description."
Fluent Korean into the radio.
Geon-gon Guild Leader arrived soon.
"Good work. Yurek-ssi."
"Haha, no biggie. We're allies, right? For JYS."
"True."
All for JYS.
They worshipped the same god.
Their meeting was fated.
"JYS's prophecy seemed weird at first, but working together smooths everything out nicely."
All ties from JYS.
A month after raid quest.
Results of steady prophecies.
"This the guy?"
"Yes. Tensho of Kurotsuki. It's him."
Member of assassin guild targeting JYS.
Lee Ha-rin investigated relentlessly.
No evidence? Dug viciously.
Borrowed tracking Hunters' power too.
Fruit of labor finally ripened.
"Better not dream of going home alive. You'll spill every Japanese politico tied to Kurotsuki from now on."
"Kuh, think death'll make me talk?"
"Plenty of ways. Necromancer Hunter on standby. Remember: I'm holding back from twisting your neck and peeling muscle from skin. Hate a painful death and soul-torture? Choose wisely."
This woman was insane.
Will to break even souls.
Her subtle madness seeped out.
And that killing intent.
How many lives had she taken?
Cold sweat down Tensho's back.
"Take him to Geon-gon HQ?"
"I'll handle it. Rest up, Yurek-ssi."
"Haha, got it. Call if anything. Especially JYS stuff."
Yurek Han grinned, shook hands.
His smile mixed relief and superiority.
'Lee Ha-rin-ssi still doesn't know JYS's real name? I do. Haha!'
Came to Korea repaying huge debt.
Protected his family too.
All discreetly.
Forged ID.
Hospital director bribes via contacts.
Clean money transfers.
Still officially missing: Jeong Yu-seong.
Family cared for by distant relatives, even in-laws.
'Heh, JYS brother. No, Jeong Yu-seong brother. Await our reunion. So much to say.'
Hope he was pleased.
Yurek Han turned away.
Time for promised return.
Back to Turkiye briefly.
Time to descend Tower of Despair again.
"Groooan!"
Disgust was an old friend now.
I stretched and smacked my lips.
"Tch."
Least mana refilled.
Usable only on -4 and below.
Currently my washbasin.
"Bleh!"
Important day today.
Scrubbed extra thorough.
Others would freak.
Hundreds of billions in value wasted on a bath.
Finished scrubbing.
Slipped on mana-washed clothes.
"Time's almost up."
One-month cooldown ending.
Day promised with Yurek Han approaching.
But first, my move.
"Time to go."
Predetermined day arrived.
Someone cleared -4.
AK initials? Birthday April 7th? AK-47. Good shot probably.
"Kek."
Snickered at the dumb joke.
Geared up positive and moved.
"Alright, let's head down~"
No record updates for a while. Must've been nice.
Maybe dreamed of first-place.
Won't happen.
Today I'd smash those happy thoughts.
'First record holder's mine.'
Familiar darkness, glowing stairs.
Reached the end.
New floor after so long: -5.
New scenery welcomed me.
'Huh. Weird layout?'
Middle blocked.
Semitransparent barrier splitting center.
How to pass?
Reached center, puzzled.
Wait. Cooperate? What cooperation.
"No one's here but me?"
Puzzlement short-lived.
System alert popped up.
Previous floor... -4? The one who just cleared it.
"Her? AK-47."
Muttered softly.
Then someone appeared opposite the barrier.
Farther than expected.
Safe from my radiation for now.
It was a woman.
White long hair, porcelain skin.
Strikingly, puzzled eyes pure white too.
Mysterious beauty.
Thought blind at first.
But stared straight here.
Not blind.
'Introductions later.'
I looked away.
Clear condition first.
Saw it.
My eyes filled with bewilderment.
"......The floor you can't leave without doing ......?"
Absurdly ridiculous condition.
I muttered despite myself.