Chapter 106: Mana Affinity (10★)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 106: Mana Affinity (10★)
[Mana Affinity (10★)]
– A pure child reacts sensitively to mana.
– Mana stat increases by an additional 100% (+100%).
– Mana recovery rate increases by 150% (+150%).
– Mana recovery cycle decreases by 25% (+25%).
– Mana consumption decreases by 25% (+25%).
– Mana permanently increases by 2★ (+2★). This is applied independently of the base stat limit.
The options of the base mode alone are already incredibly overpowered.
At level 8, the mana stat increases by 80%, the mana recovery rate goes up by 100%, the recovery cycle is cut by 50%, and even mana consumption is reduced.
Just having this would pretty much solve all my mana issues, but now that it's raised to level 10 and the +100% normal mode effect is applied, the options have become absolutely god-tier.
Currently, with only the Base Invincibility effect active, my mana stat is at level 17. Adding the permanent 4-star increase makes it level 21. And with that level 21 mana boosted by an additional 200%, it shoots all the way up to level 63.
Does this even make sense?
There are so many stars I can't even keep track of them all.
On top of that, the mana recovery rate is increased by 300%, meaning I recover 3 mana each time. And since the recovery cycle is cut by 50%, a 10-minute cycle becomes 5 minutes.
3 mana every 5 minutes. In 10 minutes, I can use Time Deceleration and Time Acceleration once.
Then again, my total mana pool is so massive that I probably won't run dry even if I spam them recklessly.
Plus, with mana consumption slashed by 50%, even that cost is cut in half.
Since this also applies to Cheat Mode, using "Time Acceleration" and "Time Deceleration" simultaneously will only cost a total of 2.5 mana.
"I absolutely have to devour this."
Devouring someone doesn't mean they'll die.
Even if they did, this isn't a mode I could just give up on.
However, until I can devour it with absolute certainty, it's best to keep using it like this.
This mode is far too valuable to gamble on with a mere 5% chance.
It's not like Jeon Ye-sol is going anywhere just because I keep her as a resident.
To others, she's still just a useless child, and she has nowhere else to go anyway.
With that in mind, I also raised my Predation level.
– A hunting-exclusive mode. When defeating an enemy, there is a 15% chance to devour and absorb 1 of the target's positive modes.
– When defeating an enemy, there is a 50% chance that 2 random stats will increase by ★★★. (Max 4 stats / Max ★★★ / Lasts 120 minutes)
– There is a 20% chance to devour and absorb 1 of the target's modes. Upon failure, 1 of the target's random stats permanently decreases by ★. Failed modes cannot be devoured for 30 days.
– Transfer 1 of your owned modes to the target. There is a 5% chance the mode's level will increase by ★.
– Devour a target in a near-death state. Restores 20% HP.
– Devour zombies. Special modes will be activated based on the number of zombies devoured at each level.
(1★ : 0)
(2★ : 0)
(3★ : 0)
(4★ : 0)
(5★ : 0)
The predation rate, which was 10%, has increased to 15%.
The chance to devour a mode raw, which used to be 5%, has also increased to 20%.
But it's still not enough.
Even with a 20% chance and a 15% chance, the odds of failure are still much higher than success.
I'll reach level 10 soon anyway, so I just need to wait until then.
"We've finished organizing everything."
"Right. Good work."
With the task of organizing the retrieved weapons in the warehouse complete, Oh Yoon-seop and the hunting squad departed.
The rifles and pistols lined up on one side of the weapon warehouse, and the ammunition cans and boxes piled high on the other side truly made me feel incredibly secure every time I looked at them.
To fill a corner of a 3,500-square-foot warehouse this much, you'd normally have to completely clean out a small military base.
Perhaps because those bastards had set up their base in what looked like a military facility, they had already neatly sorted out only the necessary guns and ammunition, saving me the trouble of rummaging through everything.
"Well then, shall we get going?"
I cleared out Dong Seoul Terminal, but there's still a long way to go.
The war isn't over.
I've only finished up to Faction Quest 4-1, and 4-2 hasn't even started.
[Faction Quest 4-2]
– You have obtained a clue regarding the drug cartel's headquarters. Although the information is incomplete, you have captured a henchman who seems to possess the knowledge. Extract the information to continue the war against the drug cartel.
– Clear Condition: Discover and eliminate the drug cartel's headquarters.
– Reward: 5 Points, Normal Mode Level (★) Selection Ticket x10, 30,000 Coins, Safe Base-Exclusive Teleport Portal (★), Treasure Map (★★★)
"Wow... this is..."
Is this the final one?
I honestly don't know.
In reality, drug cartels rarely end with just a single local branch.
They often have international connections, so wiping out a few branches and their main headquarters in Korea might not actually be the end of it.
But at the very least, this chain quest hints at a finale by offering an incredibly massive reward.
A whopping 5 points.
And 10 Normal Mode Level Selection Tickets.
That alone is enough to make my eyes spin, but combined with 30,000 coins and a Safe Base-Exclusive Teleport Portal, it makes this an absolute must-clear.
"Could it really be a teleportation item?"
The name, which could only be described as such, was dazzling just to hear.
Taking the tram along the Seongsu-dong line takes nearly 15 minutes.
Part of it is because the tram isn't very fast, but this means I can drastically cut down that travel time.
In particular, if I place them at the four outer edges of the Safe Base, they'll be incredibly useful when expanding my territory outward.
Coincidentally, Dong Seoul Terminal sits right on the eastern edge of my Safe Base's 5km radius.
If I can link up with that spot and travel instantly, I can shave off a 20-to-30-minute commute.
After all, in a world where vehicles can't function properly unless the roads are completely clear, this is invaluable.
And then there's the Treasure Map.
This was an item that also existed back in Zombie Apocalypse.
It's basically like a Golden Goblin.
A map showing the location of a bunker or warehouse packed with food and survival supplies—though it doesn't move, of course.
According to the lore, they were created by the government or wealthy elites who marked down locations to retrieve later. But then the apocalypse happened, things went completely haywire, and the maps ended up scattered. If you found one while looting and followed it to the location—ta-da! You'd be showered with a ridiculous amount of rewards.
That's how it worked in the game, but now reality is handing it to me as a quest reward.
Naturally, the higher the level, the greater the rewards.
A Level 3 Treasure Map should lead to at least a small underground bunker.
If the treasure is a bunker, its value is bound to be astronomical, no matter how small it is.
A bunker is essentially a safe house designed to let people survive for years in the event of a nuclear war or the end of the world.
It's not just some makeshift shelter built by renovating a house.
If it weren't for Paradise, finding a bunker would be reason enough to pack up and move there.
So, if a bunker really is the reward location, the prize isn't just the supplies inside—it's the bunker itself.
Well, it doesn't mean much to me right now, so I'm not overly excited about that part.
But I'm definitely coveting whatever supplies are inside a Level 3 Treasure Map.
"I'm getting excited."
Keeping one of them alive was definitely the right call.
With such sweet rewards waiting for me, I can't just sit around waiting for them to come to me forever.
It's about time I found out where these bastards are coming from.
I headed to the place where the guy from Dong Seoul Terminal was tied up.
It was a small, warehouse-like building located in the woods next to my house.
I hadn't built it myself; since there were many arboretums and forests nearby, it seemed to be a shed used for storing landscaping tools.
A tiny shed, barely 180 square feet.
Since it had been left empty, tying him to a chair right in the middle gave it a distinct torture chamber vibe.
The guy was conscious.
"Just kill me..."
"Oh, I will. But I have a few questions first. Though, since you're going to die anyway, you probably won't tell me even if I ask, right?"
"Just kill me."
He glared at me with venomous eyes, repeating his demand.
He's got some loyalty, I'll give him that.
Then again...
Loyalty aside, rather than giving information to the guy who's trying to kill him, it makes more sense to just get a clean death since he's doomed anyway.
But what can you do?
As long as he's my enemy, it's not like I can just let him off easy.
"I didn't expect you to answer anyway."
It was true that I brought him here to ask where the drug cartel's headquarters was.
But I'm not the type to...
...get desperately hung up on things.
I hate those kinds of situations in the first place.
Situations where the other party holds all the cards.
Situations where I have to beg or put in effort just to get what I want.
Groveling and begging someone who has absolutely no intention of giving in is just pathetic.
Still, that doesn't mean I shouldn't even try.
My mindset is to lay out my plan, try to shake them up, and if that fails, just find another way.
So, even though he glared at me with such fierce hostility, I wasn't worried.
"Well, if you don't want to give up the info, so be it. I actually brought you here to test something else, too."
Above all, this guy is quite useful.
Aside from information, he possesses about seven or eight modes, including negative ones.
Judging by the fact that five of them are personality-related modes, he must have a pretty colorful personality.
He's the perfect test subject to try out Predation on.
"Let me know if it hurts."
[Devouring Jo Hun-jae's mode "Cold-headedness (2★)".]
[Predation failed.]
[This mode cannot be devoured for 30 days.]
[Jo Hun-jae's Strength permanently decreases by ★.]
"What the hell is... Aaaaaaargh!"
Mm. Indeed. Jo Hun-jae had just proved that the mechanics of Zombie Apocalypse applied here as well.