The Spark in the Dark

Slam!

The shop door flew open with violent force. Lee Jinho burst out onto the landing, wearing a greasy, sneering smirk that verged on imbecilic. His eyes dragged over Saebyeok with an unsubtle your days are numbered gloat before he brushed past and strutted down the stairs.

"What is his deal?" Heejin muttered, crossing her arms. "Suffering from chronic eighth-grader syndrome?"

"Seriously," Jian sighed, shaking her head. "Oppa, can't I just beat him into the pavement?"

Saebyeok chuckled softly, letting the boy's antics slide off him, and pushed open the door to Shasha's establishment.

Creak—

"Shasha!"

"I see you have survived another day unscathed. Sssss."

"Yeah, thanks to you."

Saebyeok stepped inside, flanked closely by Jian and Heejin like a coordinated unit.

"Shasha, is there any way to make the living quarters a bit more comfortable regarding the heat?"

"Sss, sssss."

Shasha flicked his slender tongue, holding his silence for a moment as if weighing his words before speaking.

"Sssss, there is no need to fret over that. Once the World Tree is firmly rooted, a Sanctuary will unfurl. Within the Sanctuary's perimeter, temperature, humidity, and atmospheric purity are maintained in perfect balance."

"Oh! That's a huge relief."

"Sss. Provided you can defend it, that is. Sssss."

"Ah..."

"Once the Wave period concludes, naturally... Sss! Sss. During the Wave itself, the World Tree ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠will not undergo substantial growth. Yet the instant the assault ends, it will experience an explosive surge of maturation." Shasha paused, catching himself as if on the verge of revealing something more, before neatly pivoting the subject. "Did you require something to mitigate the heat immediately?"

"Is there anything you'd recommend?"

"Sss! Have you made use of the Microparticulate Mana Symbiont Culture Core yet?"

"Not yet. One thing led to another, and..."

"Sss. Most patrons inspect the items they paid through the nose for first. You remain quite peculiar, Saebyeok. Sss. Ah, perhaps you were so utterly consumed by your spearmanship that it slipped your mind entirely? Sss."

"Pretty much, yeah..."

Shasha shook his scaly head in slow disapproval.

"Sss. Dedication is a virtue, but excess breeds ruin. When you drown inside ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠your own skull, true strength eludes you. Sss. Look upon nature, observe the wider world... Sssss. In any case, cooling your head is an indispensable discipline. Sss."

"..."

Saebyeok stared blankly at the serpentine merchant for a beat, absorbing the unexpected lecture.

"I'll keep that in mind. Thank you. In that case, do you have any recommendations that complement the Microparticulate Mana Symbiont Culture Core?"

"Sss. You have yet to assimilate the first, and already you negotiate the second? Sss. Your greed knows no bounds. Sss."

"Haha..."

"Sssss!"

"That's... quite a mouthful of a name."

"Sss. It is an exceedingly rare treasure. The magnum opus of a thoroughly deranged biologist. Refined across tens of millions of iterations, extracted with meticulous precision from the single finest specimen among them. Once it nests within your flesh like a symbiotic parasite, it reconstructs the host's muscular and visceral tissues to mirror an Abyssal Electrophorus, granting the bio-capacitance to store and discharge immense electrical energy. Sss."

Saebyeok flinched slightly at both the staggering price tag and the grotesque, magnificent description.

"It will fuse seamlessly with the Microparticulate Mana Symbiont Culture Core," Shasha added smoothly. "A prior attempt was documented elsewhere in the cosmos, and the yield was spectacularly successful. It will undoubtedly serve you well, Saebyeok. Sss, sssss."

"Are there any side effects? Shoving strange organs into my body and rewriting my internals is starting to freak me out a little."

"Sssss. In male hosts, libido intensifies dramatically. Sss. Furthermore, while altering the intrinsic elemental affinity of mana itself has never been documented... Sss. With you, Saebyeok, one might witness an unprecedented outcome. Sssss."

"Haha... Libido? Seriously? Haah..." Saebyeok let out a dry sigh. "It's tempting, but I'm roughly thirty thousand CP short right now. Will it still be here next time?"

"Sss. That, I cannot guarantee."

"Huh? Heejin?"

"Come on, Oppa bought me this awesome combat gear earlier!" she chirped with a cheeky grin. "Consider it payback! Hehe."

"Oppa, take mine too."

Jian stepped forward from behind him, opening her system interface without a second thought.

"You two..." Saebyeok looked between them, genuinely touched. "Are you sure? Is it really okay for me to take this?"

"Yes!"

"Of course!"

Their voices ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠rang out together in distinct, harmonious pitches.

"Sss, sssss. A wise decision by all three of you. You will not regret this purchase. Sss!"

Shasha spoke while gazing past Saebyeok's beaming expression toward the two women behind him, who were exchanging thoroughly devious, predatory smiles.

"Shasha, can I get an upgrade too?" Heejin chimed in suddenly.

"Sss. Upgrades are always available. Sss."

"Even for newly awakened skills?"

"Sss. Yes."

While asking the question, Heejin was practically throwing a private festival inside her own head.

Hehehe... If Oppa's sex drive goes through the roof, what happens next?! I know the two of them sneak off to blow off steam together, but... if we can just pry the floodgates open once, even just once...?! Hehehehe!

Shasha flicked his claw, projecting a menu before Heejin's eyes.

Ugh... Did I spend too recklessly?

Having previously managed to copy spells and techniques from Eunbyeol, the academy scholars, and Sister Agnes, Heejin had assumed that simply swinging them around would make her stronger over time. She had practiced haphazardly whenever she had a free moment. But rough imitation turned out to be leagues apart from honing and reinforcing a genuine skill.

Only recently had she realized that once a skill crystallized on the status sheet, it could be upgraded via system points—which was why she was asking now. Even so, her craving for Saebyeok had overwhelmed her desire for combat efficiency, leading to an entirely unplanned drain on her point reserve.

"Is this the only one I can afford right now?"

"Sssss. Yes. The alternatives are far more costly. Sss."

"Sss. A prudent choice."

"Haha, thanks." Heejin turned to Jian. "Unni, aren't you buying anything?"

"Me?"

"Yeah. Oppa and I both bought stuff."

"Uh... I spent a massive amount not too long ago, so I'm passing this round."

"Hehe, got it. Alright, let's head out!"

"Good grief... You're just itching to test your upgrade right away, aren't you?"

"Ah! Well, yeah, kind of! Hehe."

In truth, Heejin couldn't care less about the upgraded skill. What she desperately wanted to witness was Saebyeok's newly supercharged libido in action. Naturally, she kept that part strictly to herself.

Just as she was about to step past the threshold, she paused and glanced back at Shasha.

"Hey, Shasha. Am I officially upgraded right now?"

"Sss. Indeed. I suggest observing the subtle shifts within yourself with care... Sssss."

"Mmh... Alright!"

Not that I feel any different, but I'll figure it out sooner or later, she thought carelessly, bouncing out the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠door.

"Oppa! Unni! We're heading back to our spot, right?"

"..."

"..."

Saebyeok and Jian exchanged an awkward, self-conscious glance before Saebyeok cleared his throat.

"Yeah."

"Hehe! Hurry, hurry!"

The moment they locked themselves inside the private chamber, Saebyeok collapsed to the floor, his entire body convulsing in agonizing spasms. Crackling arcs of pale electricity snapped over his skin, sizzling as they tore through the air. By the twentieth minute of his ordeal, thick plumes of white vapor were billowing from every pore of his overheated flesh.

Ugh, I wish Oppa didn't have to suffer like this... He goes through hell every single time. His wounds patch up on their own, but why does he always have to endure so much raw agony?

Heejin and Jian stood a few paces back, powerless to do anything but watch.

Standing there, a wave of bitter inadequacy washed over Heejin. She hated that all she could do was spectate his suffering. Most of all, she resented her own stats.

Physical capabilities that barely rose above an ordinary civilian's, a disjointed patchwork of skills, and incomprehensible, terrifying traits—Heejin despised looking at her own status window. When she had first awakened the hidden class of Black Saint, she had envisioned something grandiose and heroic. Reality had proven thoroughly underwhelming.

Do the people outside even know? Do they have any clue how desperately Oppa writhes in agony just to stay ahead of the monsters?

She wanted to grow stronger as fast as humanly possible, if only to shoulder some of his crushing weight.

"Phew..." A heavy sigh slipped through her lips.

"Heejin? What's wrong? Something bothering you?"

"No, Unni... I was just thinking how badly I want to get stronger so Oppa doesn't have to hurt this much. But there really aren't any shortcuts, are there?"

"Yeah..." Jian murmured quietly. "I feel the exact same way."

Another hour dragged by before the violent tremors racking Saebyeok's frame finally began to subside.

"Oppa, are you alright?"

Bzzzt! Crackle!

As Jian and Heejin stepped closer, miniature arcs of static snapped across the gap, warding off their touch.

"Ow-ow-ow-ouch!" Heejin yelped, pulling her stinging fingers back and shaking them furiously while blowing on her skin.

"Girls, I'm... I'm fine, so don't worry..." Saebyeok rasped from the floor, feebly lifting a hand to signal he was in one piece. "I just... don't have full control over the voltage yet. More importantly, what time is it?"

"Ten-thirty in the morning," Jian replied, checking her wrist. "It didn't take as long as usual this time."

Saebyeok pushed himself upright, crossing his legs and settling into a meditative posture.

Crackle... Zzzzzzt.

Blue-white currents coursed over his flesh like an illuminated biological x-ray. Every time a spark jumped, his skin seemed to turn momentarily translucent, laying bare the glowing, intricate pathways of the Organ Neural Network of the Abyssal Electrophorus as it rooted itself into his muscle fibers and viscera.

Both women immediately sensed the sudden, surging pressure of his mana circulating through his core.

Whoa... That's how Oppa circulates his energy? Good grief, you can actually move mana like that? What Eunbyeol and the others do is literally first-grade addition compared to this...

Heejin's eyes remained glued to the shifting currents within him. Yet, because the alien organ was foreign to human physiology and Saebyeok possessed the unique eldritch trait of sprouting cephalopod tentacles from his flesh, the pathways were so wildly chaotic that she couldn't even fathom attempting to imitate them.

"Wow... It feels like watching a high-budget nature documentary about the majesty of the universe."

"Huh?" Jian turned to her, blinking in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Unni, you see it too, right? The way Oppa's mana is wriggling and pulsing through his body?"

"No?"

"What?"

"I can sense the pressure," Jian clarified, "but I can't actually see it with my eyes."

"Really?!" Heejin stared back with an exaggerated how can you not see that? look on her face. "Though honestly, there's no way in hell I could ever copy it. It's ridiculously intricate. Ugh, my eyes hurt just trying to follow it..."

"..."