Chapter 78
Chapter 78
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 78
Chapter Title: Laying the Foundations (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The categories were now clearly separated. Into general skills and magic.
General skills started with Mana Operation and included swordsmanship, spearmanship, shield techniques, and a whole array of other knowledge types that had been updated.
Magic, meanwhile, was subdivided into permanent spells and one-time spells. Every single one even displayed its attribute mana type and rank.
And it didn't stop there—purchasable sections were split by rank.
That meant separate tabs for Copper Badge and Silver Badge.
With a Copper Badge, the Silver Badge tab was locked and inaccessible.
Potions had been subdivided as well. The price gap between high-, mid-, and low-grade potions was a whopping tenfold.
'No, a hundredfold.'
Low-grade potions cost 150 mana for a set of ten, but a single mid-grade potion ran 1,500 mana.
A hint that low-grade potions wouldn't cut it in higher-level hunting grounds.
I fiddled with the ring, poring over the changes again and again for a moment.
'For now, time to wash up.'
I needed to get moving soon for today's schedule.
Just in case Velta woke up while I was gone, I quickly splashed my face and brushed my teeth before heading out.
Fortunately, the kid didn't stir for a little while longer.
"Um......"
Twitch, twitch.
Her ears, limp and drooping all through her sleep, perked up and twitched.
She was still rubbing her sleepy eyes, though.
'......She is kinda cute.'
Watching her tail swish back and forth from side to side, I could see why Yeon-woo was so keen on getting a pet.
'Doesn't mean I'm saying yes, though.'
I scooped up the half-asleep kid and headed for the bathroom.
Now that she was awake, it was time for her to wash her face.
Dazed and dozy in my arms, she finished up, then shook her face with a brisk purr.
She clambered right over me and darted out of the bathroom.
A step behind, I trailed her back to the bedroom.
Of all the timing, in that brief stretch from bathroom to bedroom, Velta had sunk her teeth into the skin lotion bottle I'd left on the nightstand.
Centler's tales about beastkin raced through my mind.
- Beastkin are born with incredibly tough bodies, so it's only natural.
If she had the strength to crack a human skull, a glass bottle was no challenge.
My thoughts hit that point, and my voice boomed out before I knew it.
"Hey!"
Velta jolted in shock and leaped from the bed, banging her head against the ceiling.
She landed deftly on the floor all the same. Seizing the moment, I snatched the bottle tumbling under the bed.
I shifted my gaze, and there was Velta, crouched low to the ground.
Her pupils were blown wide—like a cat in a frenzy.
Her stare locked on my hand.
Before she could spring from the floor, I stowed the skin lotion back in my storage.
At the exact same instant, my hand grew heavy.
"Huh?"
The spot I'd been watching was empty.
Velta was already dangling from my hand, yapping away.
"Gone! Why gone?"
If I'd been even a second—no, 0.1 seconds—slower, that bottle would've been hers.
Her speed, utterly beyond my perception, hit like a gut punch.
And yet the kid who'd delivered that shock wore the most innocent face.
The sheer disconnect was downright creepy.
In the split second I froze, she jammed her nose against my hand and started sniffing.
"Give it here, the smelly thing, quick!"
She even cranked up the volume to a shrill screech.
The memory of applying skin lotion to my face after washing floated through my head.
'No way... she wasn't after my hair all night, but my face?'
Looks like Velta had her eyes on my face the whole time. For the scent.
The moment it clicked—why she'd been glued to me—my face twisted in a weird mix of feelings.
The nagging mystery of her trailing me everywhere? Solved, and satisfyingly so.
But ridiculous that she'd wailed all night over a damn smell.
I stared at Velta for a beat as she clung to my hand, still whining for the bottle.
"K-nim, did you cough?"
Centler knocked on the door.
* * *
"Give! Gimme! Giiiive!"
Rasher had called me for breakfast together, but his eyes kept drifting upward.
Velta had claimed her spot on my shoulder again, yanking mercilessly at my poor hair.
'This ill-mannered little brat......'
I regretted my earlier decision with near-zen detachment.
'Should've just handed it over?'
Minutes ago, I'd cleared the nightstand—lotion included—to preempt any mishaps, then followed Centler out.
What if I'd just given in?
'At least Velta wouldn't be up on my head throwing a tantrum by the time we hit the dining hall.'
Sighs leaked out as her fingers tormented my innocent strands.
'No matter how much of a hassle, I can't give a kid something dangerous.'
Chemical product or not.
Not some toy for a brat who shoves anything new straight in her mouth.
So I gave zero reaction. Total radio silence.
No matter how much she fussed, I wasn't budging.
Our standoff stretched on.
Rasher watched from across the table, curling his lips in an awkward smile as he tried to chide her.
"Velta, you can't do that to our guest......"
"Giiiive!"
But if sweet talk worked, she never would've pulled this stunt.
Word was Velta was exactly four.
'The terrible fours in the flesh.'
As if determined to prove it, she burst into tears again.
Meow-meow, a heartbreaking wail like the world was ending. Brought back that dawn meltdown in a flash.
Feeling grimy about it, I spoke up.
"Excuse me."
"Huh?"
Rasher flinched, eyes flicking between me and Velta.
I kept my tone flat, just saying my piece.
"Are beastkin vulnerable to poisons or anything? Stuff they really shouldn't ingest?"
Zero clue on this alien species. Time to consult.
"Poison......"
Rasher stared at Velta, then gave an awkward chuckle.
"If you're trying to poison one, you'd need five or six times the human lethal dose."
"Huh."
"Beastkin have died from poison, sure... but it's rare."
Bottom line: slim odds of her eating something and keeling over.
A small relief—and my resolve wavered.
'Then a little lick can't hurt, right?'
Chemical or not, plenty of modern folks ingest cosmetics.
Licking lips and swallowing face cream? Happens all the time.
'Hell, they say guys swallow a few sticks' worth of lipstick over a lifetime.'
Stubborn as she was, she wasn't quitting. She'd just keep hounding me.
Might as well hand it over and get some peace.
Especially after hearing beastkin were built like tanks.
I had backups—no skin lotion shortage for me.
Still, some nagging worry held me back from handing it over.
'What if an accident happens?'
Better to lose some hair.
If the bottle shattered and she got hurt? Major headache.
I gripped my spoon, pretending there was no kid perched overhead.
Sadly, no soup for me.
A blinding flash seared my eyes, and then—thud—a foot slammed down on the table.
"This is discrimination!"
My soup bowl rolled forlornly right where the foot landed.
"Ha......"
What a morning. Nonstop drama.
I looked up from the spill. That orange nape? Definitely Ahel.
"......Ahel, back already?"
Rasher faced him head-on and barely got a word out before ten shot back.
"Back already? Yeah, I am! Bet you hoped otherwise, but tough luck—I made it!"
"......"
"Non-church members can't use portals? That make any sense? No wonder the mages all flipped and bailed!"
"......"
"I should've bolted with Master back then instead of sticking around for fame and fortune!"
Ahel's voice filled the vast dining hall—big enough for a ten-seater table with room to spare.
"It was too rushed back then......"
Rasher's reply, by contrast, was a faint mumble you had to strain to hear.
"Rushed means ditch me?! You'd leave me behind on the battlefield too!"
"......At least you made it back safe."
Rasher muttered without meeting his eyes.
"Damn right! Flew high the whole way to dodge croaking in contaminated zones!"
"......"
"Every time I dropped near those aerial freaks, my blood ran cold! Had to finish the spell before they ate me or I cratered—talk about living on borrowed time!"
Somehow, the longer they went, the bigger Ahel seemed to loom, while Rashar shrank.
I pieced together the gist while listening to their one-sided exchange.
I'd already heard temples could zip around via portals now.
'Key for the churches' turf wars.'
And non-members were barred.
From the flow: Ahel, no portal access, flew solo magic all night. Just touched down.
'No shit he's pissed.'
Didn't mean I'd forgive the mess, though.
My soup-drenched hand was way too sticky for that.
I wiped it off while tuning out their back-and-forth.
'Betrayal, huh......'
A glance—Ahel's neck shackle gleamed.
'That tied to it?'
Mages defecting. I'd poke around that soon enough.
No blunt questions now, though.
Could be a third-rail topic here.
'Betrayal's never a good look.'
Better to fish for it slyly, right timing.
Whatever schemes brewed in my head, their one-way chat raged on.
"Smelly thiiiing, gimmeee!"
Velta's whines piled on top. Total shitshow—just like "five minutes of hell."
'......Might not be the world's best digs after all.'
I let out a deep sigh and dug into my fresh soup.
Had to scarf it down quick. Wouldn't make my appointment on time otherwise.
* * *
Ahel was mid-rant at Rashar when he spotted me. Face flipped in an instant.
- Whoa, K?! You're here!
Quick enough to seem slimy.
I half-assed the greeting.
Truth: too busy prying Velta loose.
With Rashar's assist, we finally shook her off—and I instantly felt like the asshole.
She'd thrashed and screamed bloody murder.
Rasher scooped up the bawling kid and carted her inside. Left me with mixed feelings.
But today's plans were locked in before servers linked up. No rescheduling.
I glanced back at the fading wails for a moment.
Then hopped the carriage Centler prepped and rolled out of the mansion.
Didn't take long to hit the destination.
Nodded to the coachman, stepped down. Every eye in the area locked on me.
Ignored 'em and headed for the early bird.
"No way, K-hyung?"
"Yeah."
Kim Yul. He scanned me head to toe and tsked.
"Always so dramatic."
Mask flipped up, eyes only? Fair jab.
No mask-off plans here, though.
"You hawk your mug. Pass for me."
Player fame via face? Hard no.
Yesterday, didn't care who saw. Gearless, low-key.
Today? Gear up, hunting meant attribute mana bursts.
'Act like any Korean player could pop up anytime.'
Spotted five-plus zipping around Seoul already.
No slacking on face reveals there.
Plus, today's meet wasn't solo Kim Yul.
I eyed the guy beside him and gave a casual nod first.