Chapter 234: Customization
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 234: Customization
When I first heard the explanation, they mentioned a mythical entity, but I never imagined it would actually be customization. In any case, being able to change things to my liking was fantastic. The interesting part was that it wasn't just my own form that came to mind.
I could also clearly feel the emotions I had gathered so far. If I were to convert them into points, it would be about 3,000,000…
As I thought, nothing comes for free. I thought I had absorbed a fair amount of emotion since obtaining the Seat, but to think it was only this much… The system felt a bit stingy.
[The Seat of Sorrow is saddened.]
Hearing that useless voice, I let out a sigh. It seemed I could use the emotions I’d earned so far to change my body, which meant I had no choice but to be more careful.
The base body I was given was that of a top-tier demon—the body of Blood Dagger.
I had no intention of changing my base race to human, but just in case, I pictured my old body as Kim Taesung. I could immediately feel the amount of emotion that would be consumed.
‘Fuck.’
More than a third of my emotions. Honestly, comparing Kim Taesung’s old body to this top-tier demon body was an insult to Blood Dagger.
To think it would cost this much just to downgrade… Returning to being human was not an option, nor should it be. It was likely proof of just how vast the racial gap between demons and humans was. For example, when I pictured an Orc’s body, which was far stronger than Kim Taesung’s old body, the point cost was much lower.
It wasn't that I couldn't choose a completely different base race, but it didn't seem like a good choice to change it unnecessarily.
The base I chose was, of course, the demon body. What I realized from my fight with Goff was that I relied too much on item effects and my unique abilities. My body wasn't terribly weak, but compared to his, it was absurdly so.
I was just bridging that gap with my vast pool of mana; in reality, my body was insufficient to contain this much power. In terms of pure physical specs, my body was probably weaker than Gark’s or Hark’s.
That’s why I needed a sturdy body. A body strong enough to withstand the output of my mana.
For the frame, the sturdy bones of an Orc. I pictured Gark.
For the skin, tough and hard like an Ogre’s. I pictured Goff.
For the muscles, the elastic muscles of a Troll. I pictured Black Spear.
As I continued to envision the form I wanted, I could feel the amount of emotion being consumed. The image of myself in my mind slowly began to take shape. My external appearance didn't change, but the amount of emotion being consumed was enormous. The emotions I had were nowhere near enough.
Of course, that was to be expected. All of them were individuals who had reached a certain level of mastery. If I was imaging their bodies, it was only natural that a tremendous amount of emotion would be used.
But I could train my body, just as they had. I couldn't become exactly like them, but for now, I would reconstruct my body with tough, hard skin, elastic muscles, and sturdy bones. I was stealing bits and pieces of the traits of Ogres, Trolls, and Orcs and adding them to my base physique.
The amount of points being consumed was quite reasonable. Then, I imagined a body that could accept mana more smoothly, and it cost fewer emotions than I expected. It was probably because that was a racial trait of demons.
I began to feel a definite improvement in the body I possessed. Getting to this point cost about 800,000 points. My horns had gotten too big and were inconvenient, so I considered shrinking them, but since that also consumed emotions, I decided to leave them be for now. They weren't entirely unhelpful in battle, after all.
“Hoo…”
This was a more time-consuming task than I’d thought. If I were in the Item Shop, I could take as much time as I wanted, but when I looked outside, I could see the sky was already growing dark.
Even as I headed back to where the others were, I didn't stop thinking. Seeing my serious expression, no one approached me, so I was able to enter the castle in peace.
Another thing I coveted was good eyesight.
The phenomenon where time seemed to slow down when I pushed my concentration to its limit—I was certain my eyes played a huge part in it.
Just in case, I tried to imagine a magic eye like the ones in comic books, but I felt my emotions plummet in an instant. I couldn't even begin to imagine how many points I would need to earn to obtain that kind of eye.
For now, eyes with better vision than I currently had would suffice. Eyes that could see in greater detail, that could detect the minute movements of muscles. I felt my irises change, becoming a bit duller in color. But their performance seemed quite good.
I still had more than half of my emotions left. I could enhance my body further or work on other things, but having wings like Mev’s didn't seem like a bad idea. I immediately pictured large, majestic wings, but I didn't have enough emotions.
I still lacked what was needed to create wings that could be used as a shield rather than a burden—wings that might seem a bit childish but were highly efficient.
‘Tsk…’
A sigh escaped me, for no reason.
They called it customization, but there were far too many restrictions. Then again, being able to fly freely through the sky was a massive advantage. It was no wonder it consumed an enormous amount of emotion. If I stopped here, I felt this would be nothing more than a side-grade.
That’s why I had to think a little more.
What I coveted was a tail. A long, strong tail could surely catch an opponent off guard. It had to be a long tail that could strike the back of an opponent's head when we were facing each other at close range. It needed to be able to move freely, of course, and be strong enough to block powerful attacks.
It would be no different from having another weapon in battle. I briefly wondered what it would be like if fire shot out from the tip of the tail, but it reminded me of a monster from an anime I once saw, so I didn't bother trying.
When I pictured the overall appearance, a rather well-balanced form began to emerge. It wasn't bad. It was similar to a devil, but on the whole, it was quite an attractive form. I still had points to spare.
I observed myself from a slight distance and began to make my feet a little bigger.
I didn't kick often, but feet were important. Especially for someone like me, who had to consider my center of gravity when using weapons, a strong pivoting foot was a huge asset.
“Hoo…”
I thought it would be good if my hands were a little bigger, too. I needed hands that were perfectly suited for gripping a weapon. My grip strength also had to be much stronger. I thought it best not to touch my fingernails and toenails, but I did shorten my fingernails slightly.
Beyond that, I began to make fine adjustments to my entire body. I could feel that I had definitely gotten stronger. Thanks to that, after some time had passed, I was able to move on to the next part.
What I needed to work on next was none other than my face. I had completely adapted to my current appearance, but as I couldn't help but think about meeting Choi Seulgi soon, I began to slowly change my face to resemble Kim Taesung's.
However, it wasn't without problems.
‘It doesn’t match…’
The perfect demon body and Kim Taesung’s utterly plain face just didn't go together. I felt like I needed to make it more handsome. In the end, I had no choice but to tweak it a little more. Just then, a voice came from outside the room where I was sitting.
“Taesung?”
It was Jung Hayeon.
“What is it?”
“Ah… well, I brought you breakfast.”
I was momentarily startled. I thought not much time had passed since I’d entered the castle and come to my room, but it was already morning. Time had flown by incredibly fast. I thought it might be good to show my face for a moment, but I wanted to maintain my concentration, so I spoke toward the door.
“Leave it and go.”
“Ah… yes. Taesung, are you perhaps worried about something…?”
I couldn't very well tell her I’d pulled an all-nighter customizing myself, so I gave a suitable reply.
“There’s just something I need to think about. I’ll come out myself, so don’t let anyone in. Manage the tribe in the meantime.”
“Yes… I understand, Taesung…”
I couldn't help but think this was like a drug. I continued to adjust various parts of my face. I tried removing the fangs and shrinking my ears a bit, but a demon body without fangs looked incredibly awkward.
I raised the bridge of my nose a little, made my eyes a little bigger, and gave my irises a heavier feel. It was supposed to be Kim Taesung’s face, but it was completely different now.
Fortunately, it seemed that simply changing the exterior didn't consume many points, which allowed me to try a variety of things.
It even felt like it was taking more time than when I was building my entire body. That’s how much effort I was pouring into it. It felt like two hours, but in reality, about nine hours had passed before I was able to complete my face. By then, I was so exhausted that I started eating the breakfast Jung Hayeon had brought.
The next place to work on was my alter ego. It wasn't that I was dissatisfied with its current size and ability, but since I didn't dislike intercourse, it didn't seem like a bad idea to put a little more effort into it.
First, a little bigger. Then, as if shaping pottery, I began to sculpt my precious companion. Rather than a beautiful form, I thought a slightly more grotesque appearance would look more majestic, so I adjusted it to my taste.
My relations with the women of the tribe had been satisfying enough, but if I was going to do this, it would be better if I could give them even more satisfaction. If I had my way, I would have wanted to make it into something like tentacles, but my points wouldn't hold out for that. In the end, recalling past memories, I began to carefully craft it, and it truly felt like it had become a master key.
After nodding, I chose my overall skin color. I considered white skin like Jang Ye Ri’s or even human skin, but I decided that my old dark green would be better.
It would be a stretch to say I had completely abandoned my humanity, and I had lived longer as Kim Taesung, but by now, I was more accustomed to being Blood Dagger the Green Skin than a human.
“Hoo…”
The image in my head was quite satisfactory. I nodded once, then selected the body I had created with all my heart and soul.
There was always some degree of pain whenever I transformed, and just as I was wondering if this time would be the same, a sudden, immense agony wracked my body.
It was enough to make me bite my lip without realizing it. Although I had kept the demon body as the base, I had tinkered with so many things that it felt like my very skeleton was being rebuilt from scratch.
My face began to change, and my alter ego was also changing its form. The highlight was when the large tail burst out.
Blood spurted from my bitten lip.
The tail that shot out in an instant was long enough that I could see it with my own eyes. It was painful, but the change was over in a flash.
“Hoo… hoo…”
As I panted heavily, the reflection in the elven mirror was certainly the form I had envisioned earlier.