Chapter 259
Chapter 259
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 259
Chapter Title: Unlocking a New Stat
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After spending several hours with Ariya at the Magic Tower, I returned to my dorm to find that deep evening had already fallen.
*Click.*
As soon as I entered the dorm, I threw myself onto the bed, a strange sense of fulfillment in my heart.
‘Not bad.’
I didn’t think I had seduced Ariya or won her heart, as I’d initially considered.
And yet, what I had gained was immense.
In fact, it could be said that I had gained far more than I had ever imagined.
The fact that Ariya, even if it wasn't affection, looked upon me favorably was a harvest in itself, but what was most significant was that I had succeeded in fully accepting the mandrake after all that hardship.
It was an unexpected stroke of luck, an achievement.
*Rustle.*
I then absentmindedly shifted, turning to stare at the ceiling.
The room was pitch black, as I hadn't turned on the lights.
A small sigh escaped me as I gazed at the dark ceiling.
“So what… in the world was that?”
However.
As the question I had set aside resurfaced, my heart was not entirely at ease.
My lips parted.
I tried to say something of my own volition.
It was to utter certain words.
‘I am a person from another world.’
But no proper words came out of my mouth.
‘I’m not from this world.’
I tried to form another phrase, but the result was the same.
“I came from another place.”
*Thump.*
When the words finally escaped, I couldn't help but frown. Truly ambiguous expressions faced no restrictions. But when I tried to say directly that I was not of this world, my voice wouldn't come out, as if something was stopping me from speaking.
“Should I see this as a restraining force, a suppressive force… something like that?”
I muttered, feeling confused.
I had already spent nearly half a year in this world.
But even so, I had never thought to reveal the truth that I was not from this world, nor had I dared to speak of it.
After all, who would believe the absurd claim that I came from another world? That I wasn't a person of this world?
I figured even I wouldn't believe it if someone told me that.
But today.
When I swallowed the mandrake and my body reached its limit, my mind growing hazy, I had unconsciously tried to tell Ariya the truth.
Perhaps Ariya could understand me.
She, whose role in the story had to be intentionally reduced, might just be able to accept my words.
And yet, I couldn't say it out loud.
Even now, alone, no proper sound came from my mouth.
“Wait. Then maybe…”
The thought struck me, and I hurriedly sat up and grabbed a quill. Then, I began to scrawl on a piece of white paper.
—I am a person from another wor…
I definitely intended to write that.
*Swoosh!*
But at some point, my hand started moving on its own.
As a result, the quill stroke was greatly distorted, and the sentence I had in mind was not written properly.
“As I thought…”
It seemed that even trying to express it indirectly like this wouldn't work. I shook my head.
I hadn't known because I had never tried.
‘Have I been under some kind of restriction without realizing it?’
I had fallen into this world for reasons I didn't understand. And living as myself, I had focused on the crises right in front of me.
Besides that, just managing relationships with various people kept me busy day after day, leaving no room to worry about anything else.
…….
How much time passed as I was lost in thought and anguish?
Staring at the completely darkened interior, a hollow laugh escaped me.
“There’s no answer.”
To put it in a single phrase, that was the conclusion I had reached after so much thought.
It wasn't a topic for which I could find an answer, no matter how much I pondered it.
Fundamentally, applying the basic questions of who, what, where, when, why, and how—often used to find answers—was meaningless.
Who, when, where, what, how, why.
It was no exaggeration to say that none of the questions I had could be answered with any certainty.
It felt like wandering through a vast labyrinth with not even a step visible ahead.
Whether I should go forward, backward, or sideways—I truly knew nothing at all, so what was the point of thinking… There was no way an answer would come.
*Flump.* I sat down and then sprawled out on the bed.
“I don’t know.”
It felt like the blood wasn't even circulating properly in my head.
If this was an issue that wouldn't yield an answer no matter how much I agonized over it, maybe it was better to just leave it be.
Suddenly, even that thought crossed my mind.
I had no clue as to the reason I had fallen into this world.
Even after nearly half a year, this world wasn't telling me a specific purpose.
In a novel, a clear goal is presented, and the protagonist follows it, but that wasn't the case for me.
And yet, there was something I could vaguely feel.
I had formed relationships with many people, and as I lived in this world now, the future was changing drastically.
And it was changing rapidly because of me.
People who should have died were alive, and Leonhardt, who should have grown steadily, had lost his trait due to an unforeseen accident.
Each was a major change.
In addition, characters who originally had no significance had grown immensely.
And at the center of it all was me.
Because the people connected to me were undergoing great transformations.
“Change…”
Suddenly, that word stuck in my mind.
Had my influence in this world grown too large at some point? Was that why a completely different future was unfolding?
In the past, I had felt that I might not be an extra or a supporting character.
And now?
When I looked back on it again…
“……”
I was at a loss for words.
‘The protagonist…’
The thought came to me naturally.
That I had, at some point, come to possess a role as significant as the protagonist of this world.
Otherwise, it wouldn't make sense.
There was the incident with Leonhardt. Having resolved to take his place, I began to intervene in events more actively.
It was different from the original story, but now I was fully aware of the several women who held feelings for me.
And that was not something that could happen under normal circumstances.
“Adelia, Kalli, Glacia…”
An instructor falling for a cadet, or Glacia, with a level 4 trait, getting a clue about a skill.
The people who could be said to be entangled with me had brought about a future that would never have happened in the original story.
Moreover, today. I had spent several hours with Ariya, with whom there was no point of contact in the original story. That time itself was deeply meaningful.
The beings connected to me through the choices and judgments I made.
The future was changing drastically because of the choices I made. And on top of that, the people around me were also changing greatly.
…All of it pointed to one thing.
That I was a being with influence comparable to, or on the same level as, the protagonist.
“……”
As I thought, all sorts of ideas now flooded my mind.
I was being restrained, unable to tell anyone that I was from another world.
When I thought about why that might be, the easiest explanation came to mind.
‘Because it could cause great confusion.’
If the person who heard my words refused to believe me, it might just end as a strange incident.
—But what if they believed me?
—What if they took it seriously?
There were more women than I thought who would accept my words that way. And that in itself could bring about great chaos.
After all, the women connected to me held great influence in this world.
Then, suddenly…
“The reason I’m in this world.”
My thoughts reached the most fundamental question.
I believed that for major events, there was a clear cause and effect.
Trivial things could happen by chance, but significant matters, things that required thought, did not happen without a cause.
In that sense, the reason I was in this world…
“The Nine Apostles.”
Suddenly, those words escaped my lips.
It was as if I had spoken them unconsciously.
It was a danger that had not appeared in the original story, and it was also the greatest danger I now faced.
Above all, that was the biggest difference.
And even now, I was sensing that danger. That was why I had felt the apostles' alien presence at the training ground last night.
“……”
It was a strange feeling to think about it.
Was that something I had to bear…
Something I had to take responsibility for?
After a few thoughts, my head nodded naturally.
“Right, because I’ve decided to live in this world.”
It couldn't be someone else's problem.
Even if I tried to live while ignoring it, the danger clearly existed.
…Recently, I had also solidified my feelings regarding several women.
That itself had its own meaning.
‘I am already…’
Existing as a person of this world. My mindset no longer even assumed a return to my original reality.
I had no thought of going back, no thought of leaving this world.
So I couldn't turn away from the coming crisis, even if I could.
—!
It felt as if my confused heart had converged on a single point.
And fundamentally, why I had to face the approaching danger.
“…”
As I thought, a strange smile lingered on my lips.
So that was it.
As the stuffy feeling in my chest cleared, I muttered to myself.
Now that my mind was clear, it felt rather obvious.
After all, I was already planning to head to the front lines after graduating from the academy.
With my turmoil gone, I wanted to check what I had gained today.
“Status Window.”
*
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Name: Han Cheon-seong
Gender: Male (20)
Title: One Who Advances.
Height · Weight: 179cm 70kg
Current Continental Influence: 3185
*[The status window's information will now be displayed with additional details!]
*Path Forward [Currently Undergoing Mana Awakening]
—Expand detailed conditions.
【A new stat has been unlocked due to the Mandrake!】
*Stats.
[Strength 30]
[Agility 44]
[Stamina 40]
[Magic 26]
[Luck 5]
[Resistance 1]
*Traits [1]
[Spearmanship Lv.5 Growth Rate - 11%]
(Keyword for reaching Trait Lv.6: Indomitable Fighting Spirit is 41% fulfilled.)
*Skills [1]
[Seven Forms of the Asura Spiral lv.1 Growth Rate - 7%]
-First Form. Asura Spiral Spear Proficiency - 10%.
…
…
————
*
As I slowly checked for any changes, I found myself blinking blankly.
“Resistance?”
Contrary to my expectation of a physical change from the mandrake, a new stat had appeared.
I focused my gaze to learn the detailed effects of the stat.