#17 Home, Sweet Home (1)
“We have to finish the base before winter hits.”
The tent Han Seohyun and I had been using as shelter was falling apart at the seams. Not that it was ever meant to be a permanent home.
It was the end of September now. Late summer no longer fit the bill. Just last week, the days had been sweltering enough to soak through our clothes with sweat. Now we needed thick outer layers just to stay warm.
Winter comes fast.
And an abandoned mountain like this will get even colder.
So we had to get the base built first.
The problem was the sheer scale of it.
“Isn't this a bit much when we've only got three people?”
I grumbled at Ray. And who could blame me? The foundation he described was absurdly massive.
━It's all because you're so damn incompetent! Engraving mana circuits is incredibly difficult. Compressing them simply is even harder.
Ray's nagging came down like an artillery barrage.
━And yet your demands are endless! Completely hide all traces, block out all presence, and the facilities have to be like some luxury hotel!
“Well, it's a base we're gonna use for a long time.”
━Yeah, all because you're so greedy. So quit whining and get to it!
I let out a deep sigh at Ray's words.
At least he wasn't saying it was impossible.
To follow his plan, we'd need a base almost as big as this cave. Anything smaller, and we couldn't properly engrave the mana circuits.
Han Seohyun, the skeletons, and I threw ourselves into mixing and molding bricks.
Only I could fire the mana stones, but anyone could help with the rest.
I'd tried ordering Kim Jaeho to pitch in, but the guy bolted into the woods.
Han Seohyun jumping up and down in a rage at the sight was only natural.
'No more borrowing Ratty!' 'No more treating you like a big bro!' He hurled what he thought were curses, but they just sounded like adorable pouting no matter how you sliced it.
“Weird. Just a few days ago, he looked so cool robbing that auction house.”
I responded to Han Seohyun's lament.
“Swans look elegant on the surface, but underwater, they're paddling like mad just to stay afloat.”
“You think that's the same?”
“What's the difference? Point is, you gotta grind behind the scenes for that one big stage. Or are you gonna pass on stuff just 'cause it doesn't look flashy?”
Han Seohyun fell silent right away.
━Did you use your ability?
'No need for tricks to sweet-talk a kid like that.'
Seeing us sprawled out must've sparked some guilt, because Kim Jaeho did help occasionally—but only for a moment. He'd haul dirt a few times, then vanish into the distance.
Han Seohyun hopped mad at the sight, but Kim never came back.
For a week straight, we slept, ate, shat, and made bricks.
In that time, we'd churned out 200,000 bricks. The three of us—skeletons, me, Han Seohyun—minus sleep, pumping out one every six seconds or so. The skeletons didn't sleep, so they probably made more.
“Can't... do more...”
Han Seohyun muttered that and toppled backward.
He started snoring on the spot. For someone as frail as him, that was his limit.
I glanced at the skeleton standing by his side. It stayed rooted like a sentinel, guarding the passed-out boy.
“Alright, just me now.”
I quietly began stacking bricks onto the blueprint I'd sketched on the floor.
The mana-stone-infused bricks stuck together like magnets. Channel mana into them, and they locked solid. No need for insulation or heat shielding. A base built from these would be one massive artifact in itself.
I piled the finished bricks high, engraving mana circuits on top. The bracelet hummed, expelling mana.
A sizzle followed, like something burning.
I stared at my forearm with dull eyes.
Hm.
My skin was charring away, but no pain came.
I could only activate two talents at once—mana circuits, that is.
One to draw mana from the bracelet.
One to engrave circuits into the bricks.
No spare capacity to boost flame resistance and protect my arm. Firing hundreds of thousands of bricks, I'd silently sacrificed it.
I healed with regeneration after each session, but starting before it fully mended had left it like this. Sensation was mostly gone. Not the worst outcome. It'd just hurt like hell anyway.
━Till you get super regeneration, that arm stays wrecked.
“How many strokes for super regen?”
━Three. Really need four to use properly, but I simplified it to that.
“Tch.”
Brute-forcing higher mana output wouldn't cut it.
Eventually, either more of Ray's functions would unlock or my processing power would improve, and I could fix this arm.
“Do we even need to? Long as it moves fine.”
━You... Sound like a grizzled vet who's rolled through decades of war. Your body was fine in your past life too.
“Just stating facts. Even with super regen, the pain keeps coming.”
Best would be upgrading the artifact, but I lacked the skill. No time either. So for now, this was fine.
━So optimistic.
And it wasn't all loss.
From the relentless mana use, the pathways in my body had widened. Like upgrading from a two-lane road to four. I could handle more mana at once.
Still capped at two active talents, but wielding them felt effortless now.
━Obviously. Your internal mana pathways train like any body part. Though your shitty foundation limits growth.
More grumbling from Ray. Even after accepting me as master, the guy had endless complaints.
So my talents could grow too. Makes sense—with so many circuits crammed in, more study was needed.
I'd fully mastered just one: my first awakening, Lie. Visualized to perfection.
The rest? No. Ray's cheat assistance let me activate them without true understanding, but it was surface-level.
True skill came from mastering your body's mana circuits.
Even great talents started raw in new awakeners.
That's why so many died in the adaptation phase. Overwhelming talent made most survive, so A-grades and up rarely perished...
Hm. When did Yuseonje and the Ice Witch die again?
I tallied timelines in my head. Plenty of time left.
Handle urgent stuff first, then get to them.
S-potential awakeners were rare. Yuseonje was a prick, but closer to good than evil. Had to save him.
I glanced at Han Seohyun sprawled on the ground.
Saving him wasn't in my plans. No Han Seohyun in my past life, no active necromancer in Korea. He'd probably... Well, past didn't matter. It wouldn't happen now.
Enough distractions. Back to engraving.
While I engraved circuits into the bricks, Han Seohyun and Kim Jaeho were training—or rather, Han Seohyun was charging at Kim Jaeho one-sidedly.
Even looking all limp and thoughtless, Kim Jaeho was a human weapon forged through childhood experiments. His tissues outclassed any normal human's. Even against a 6-star physical enhancer awakener, he'd hold his own.
Han Seohyun, barely hitting squat reps in hundreds now, stood no chance.
“Hiyah!”
Han was a mess of sweat and dirt; Kim Jaeho still crisp and dry.
Skeletons joined the chase, but not a thread of his collar got touched.
I watched for a bit, then resumed engraving. Damn chores never ended, no matter how many days. Would this ever wrap? Or till world end?
━Focus. Even if I handle the work, your concentration slips and it'll hurt twice as bad.
“Got it.”
I cut sleep too. Circulating mana to shake fatigue let me function on an hour a day. Mental strain was brutal, but I endured.
Another week like that.
Finally, the endless brick-engraving ended. Hauled in the water system, toilet, and basic furniture from outside. Skeleton of the house done.
Now, breathe life into it.
I picked up the Crimson Flame mana core and stood.
Han Seohyun swallowed hard.
“You're really using that here?”
“Yeah.”
A multibillion-won item, but I lifted it without hesitation.
“Don't touch me no matter what. No interrupting.”
“Okay.”
He eyed me with clear dissatisfaction but nodded.
His gaze was cheeky, but he'd obey. Good kid.
I flashed a faint smile, then turned serious, staring ahead.
━You're really doing this?
Ray tried to dissuade me.
━It's tight for your level. Cut the greed.
'Tight means doable.'
━One slip, and your whole mana circuits twist. Your barely strengthened pathways could tear apart.
'Do it right, and we're good.'
I ignored him, extending my hand.
Sink or swim, no choice.