Lee Jia (4)
Lee Jia (4)
Walking down the darkened hallway toward the training room, I suddenly felt like I had forgotten something. It was like that feeling when you finish your business in the restroom and realize only the cardboard tube of the toilet paper roll is left.
A very unsettling feeling. A feeling that I had forgotten something extremely important. I furrowed my brow and racked my brain, and then Im Na-yeon came to mind.
"......."
With an aghast expression, I rushed toward the clubroom. How could I have forgotten Im Na-yeon? My head was spinning. What kind of reaction should I show if I get caught? Should I still pretend to be brainwashed? The way to break Im Na-yeon's hypnosis is the sound of her clapping.
I quickly stopped my pace toward the clubroom and headed to the classroom instead. I grabbed my bag and then headed to the clubroom. As I approached the clubroom, I realized that something like a force field was blocking the door.
Im Na-yeon is still inside the clubroom.
I swallowed hard. I opened the mask window. I don't know when it happened, but my level had gone up by one, and I was now wearing the [Mask of the Erotic Novel's Trainer] at level 2. And I activated Thousand Hands.
The ultimate master of manual dexterity, Thousand Hands.
Manual dexterity makes it easier, faster, and stronger to wield all kinds of weapons, and it not only increases proficiency but is also highly related to daily life-related occupations like cooking and crafting. Thousand Hands is a trait that, while not as good as manual dexterity that has been properly honed for related professions, has the advantage of having an incredibly wide range of applications.
Click.
I reproduced the thief's technique with the power of Thousand Hands. I squeezed through the force field and opened the door. As the door opened, a modern space was revealed.
And there was Im Na-yeon, eyes closed, quietly breathing in and out while naked. Fortunately, she was still unconscious.
"...How beautiful."
Unlike me, who was staring blankly at Im Na-yeon, wondering what to do, my mask suddenly muttered. It rummaged through my bag on its own and pulled out a blanket with white cats drawn on it that I had received as a gift on Valentine's Day. It spread the blanket out and covered Im Na-yeon's body.
Then, it crouched down and looked at Im Na-yeon's face. Pale white skin and shiny black hair. Small lips. A high-bridged nose. It was a beautiful face that seemed more suited to a celebrity or an actress than a student. Looking at her like this, she's as pretty as an angel.
"......."
My mask brushed away the bangs covering Im Na-yeon's forehead.
'What the hell am I doing?'
That was the thought I had while stroking Im Na-yeon's hair for 10 minutes. I stood up. My head felt a bit calmer. Since Im Na-yeon is unconscious like this, I should just stay brainwashed and act like a bad guy only when I'm alone with her.
I neatly folded the clothes Im Na-yeon had carelessly taken off. I left the artifact as it was. Just in case someone might do something bad to Im Na-yeon.
'...Is there anyone with the guts to do that?'
That thought crossed my mind, but you never know what will happen in the world. Who would have expected that I would fall into a game world?
I stepped out of the door. To avoid being humiliated by Lee Ji-ah again, I had to build up my stamina at the training center as soon as possible.
Click.
I heard the sound of the door closing. Im Na-yeon stayed in that spot for a long time. The presence of him, which could be felt through mana, began to gradually move away. About 10 minutes passed like that. Im Na-yeon opened her eyes, which she had been keeping tightly shut. As if she had just woken up from sleep, her mind was hazy.
-How beautiful.
His muttering came to mind. The voice was vivid in her ears. Her face flushed hot at those words.
"Crazy, crazy!"
How beautiful. Pretty. They were words she had heard often. Her appearance had been extraordinary since she was young.
She had power that no one would envy, and she had a lot of money that most working adults couldn't even dream of. Power, money, and looks. On top of that, outstanding talent. Naturally, the fruit flies aiming for the crumbs falling from her increased, and kids with decent looks who didn't know their place always said those words to her to try and seduce her.
"Aughhh."
But this time was different. It touched her heart more than any flowery language. How beautiful. Her body trembled at that one phrase. Could a single word be this beautiful?
Although some time had passed, her flushed face did not subside. Rather, it became more vivid. How beautiful. Im Na-yeon repeated the word with a hazy expression. It was the regret of a thousand years that she hadn't recorded what he said.
Beep-beep-beep! Beep-beep-beep-beep!
The smartwatch on her wrist began to ring. Im Na-yeon was startled and looked at the smartwatch.
[Teacher Choi: Im Na-yeon-nim, are you taking a break from training today?]
It was a text, but she could feel the cautious attitude. There was training, too. She let out a sigh. Looking at the clock, it was already 8:30. She didn't feel like training, but...
[I'll be right there. I'm sorry, I was just getting some private tutoring from Siwoo.]
She sent the text and got up. She wanted to rest, but she couldn't. She had saved her as 'Teacher' for convenience, but she was Im Na-yeon's senior. A 3rd-year student, two years higher. She was someone who had awakened a unique ability related to training.
A person who had been scouted by the group after the scouts made contact in advance. How much money did the group spend to serve her? Even just thinking about that money, she had to move.
[Teacher Choi: Siwoo? Are you talking about Lee Si-woo? If it's the first person to get a perfect score on a written exam in Academy history, you don't necessarily have to come!]
[No, I'm already done studying. Haha, I'll be right there!]
[Rabbit running emoticon]
[Teacher Choi: Yes, then I will have everything prepared.]
Im Na-yeon quickly changed her clothes and retrieved the artifact. And she headed to the personal training room.
What determines the qualifications of a hero is 100% pure talent.
To be precise, it is determined by excellent unique traits, stat growth rates, and how 'well' one learns the traits. Assuming one aims to be a hero, unique traits are usually unlocked around the age of 15 when training begins.
An ability that changes the nature of mana and will be with you for life. That ability is diverse and different for everyone. And if you raise your grade through effort that makes you bleed, or through excellent treasures or divine artifacts, at some point, it changes into a trait with a similar name.
An example of this is Master of Swordsmanship (A).
And if you acquire bone-crushing effort, trials that make you vomit blood, or a near-death experience, or the remnants of some myth, the trait is strengthened once more and reaches S-rank. Users call this a title. Sword Demon (S), Sword Lord (S), Thousand Hands (S)...
'Well, I explained it in a complicated way, but in the end, it's like a job.'
However, unlike this, there are things that have unique names from the beginning. Traits that do not evolve and exist solely on their own. Traits that are already 'complete,' like the Mask of a Thousand Faces I have, Knowledge Browsing, and Thousand Hands.
The Power of Defying Heaven and Karma of Magic that Lee Ji-ah has.
The Celestial Demon and Destiny of the World possessed by the heroes, and the Mad Wings of Kim Ha-rin and the Seven-colored trait of the girl with chuunibyou, as users call them, were those unique traits.
And perhaps the Mask of a Thousand Faces has the power to imitate them depending on what kind of relationship I form with the person who has these traits. And I wore a mask that imitates Karma of Magic.
"It's more bearable than I thought."
As I put on the mask, mana began to flow backward. It was a characteristic of Karma of Magic. Karma of Magic, which has the nature of defying heaven, causes the user's mana to flow backward. Therefore, it requires magical knowledge that is completely different from the existing one.
But it was a matter that didn't have much to do with me. I could know this and that while helping Lee Ji-ah, and I was able to accumulate my own knowledge while playing the game, so I could activate it right away.
'The requirements are simple. Expand your mental image, and circulate mana in the reverse order of the magic formula to deploy it.'
Of course, just circulating mana in reverse order doesn't mean everything works. Magic has its own system, and the formula changes depending on the attribute and environment. It's a shortcut that can only be deployed because it's the lowest-grade magic.
A sharp gust of wind was created on my palm. The gust transformed into a 10cm-sized arrow according to my will. The lowest-grade magic that anyone can use when they are introduced to magic, Wind Arrow.
Although it was a wind arrow not as good as the one Lee Ji-ah deployed, its size was overwhelmingly larger than that of students who were just starting magic. I pointed it at one of the trees scattered around.
Phak.
The arrow of wind pierced the tree bark and got stuck halfway into the tree. The power was decent for a first deployment. If I made it sharper, I could pierce it completely.
'It's pretty decent, though.'
It was ambiguous to use as a main weapon. Even without going as far as the heroes, it was not enough attack power to pierce the force field deployed by Kim Ha-rin's Mad Wings or Han Jong-woo's armor.
I looked at the Mask of a Thousand Faces. The power to imitate others' unique traits by raising the relationship level... Of course, there would be limits, but isn't it something to be able to use even a part of it?
It was a better trait than I imagined.
'I can finally see the growth direction.'
If so, the traits I will imitate in the future are also decided. Mad Wings and Seven-colored. Both are highly versatile and traits that go well with any other trait. It would be good to incorporate them into magic. It would be even better to incorporate them into martial arts.
I won't use the heroes' traits. The Celestial Demon possessed by the female hero is too unique a trait. It's a power that doesn't try to harmonize with any other trait and even devours other traits.
The Destiny of the World possessed by the male hero is a versatile trait that goes well with any trait, but...
'Having sex with a man is a bit.'
I hated it very much. No, I absolutely hated it. Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely! I'd rather die by the Demon God. What's the point if the ability is good? The opponent is a man. The same goes for the other S-rank trait, Calamity Fire of Extinction.
'Then the ones I should target are the Chuunibyou girl and Kim Ha-rin.'
The Chuunibyou girl was easy to target. If I just pretend to look cool, she'll be drawn by curiosity and solve it herself. The problem was Kim Ha-rin. It's a problem if I target her, and it's a problem if I don't. Actually, it's best not to get involved as much as possible, but since a pretty useful colleague and amazing rewards are related to her, I couldn't help it.
'If I target Kim Ha-rin and get Mad Wings, I can immediately challenge the Dungeon of the Kirin.'
The characteristics of Kim Ha-rin's Mad Wings and the effective strategies for the Dungeon of the Kirin came to mind. And the rewards sleeping inside that dungeon as well.
'Wind-Thunder Sprint Step, which boasts the fastest speed in the game. And the Immortal Divine Art sleeping in the Dungeon of the Black Tortoise.'
The Sword of Thunder containing the power of lightning. The bow containing the power of the storm, Tempest, the hammer containing the power of chaos, the spear where the power of gluttony and freezing sleeps, Thousand-Year Frost. The rewards of the dungeons outside the Academy floated in my brain.
'Well, first I have to target Kim Ha-rin.'
I thought of a man related to Kim Ha-rin. A man who resembles a baby pig.
Kim Ho-dong.
And one of the culprits behind the fake app called the Hypnosis App spreading in this school.
'...And the guy who has the real Hypnosis App.'
I moved my feet. The goal was the principal's office. This was because the principal who founded this school had spread the word that there was work for the scholarship students to do together.