Trying to Buy Me with Money! — Limit Break
Are you trying to buy me with money?! Limit Break. The one and only way to overhaul the gacha system, which had only gone up to 2-stars so far. After three whole weeks of just craning my neck and waiting for it to unlock...
"Finally...!"
It was finally here. I was on my way to the training grounds but ditched the idea and headed straight home. I grabbed a light dinner—just enough to keep the hunger at bay—then plopped down on the bed.
"Phew. Let's take a peek."
I took a small breath and dove deep into the Limit Break function.
• Limit Break is achieved by overcoming trials.
• Trials can be challenged once every 24 hours.
• Completing the designated conditions clears the trial.
• Injuries or death during the trial have no effect on your real body.
Will you challenge the 1st Trial?
[YES / NO]
'Feels like clearing a trial.'
It seemed like if I cleverly used all the powers I'd gathered so far to clear the trial, Limit Break would naturally progress. And since injuries or death wouldn't affect my real body...
Was it pulling me into some kind of virtual reality? Whatever it was, I couldn't know for sure right now. I'd have to experience it myself. Worst case, I could just wait 24 hours and try again.
Consciousness Synchronization: The Reclusive Sculptor, Park Jeonghyeon
"Let's do it."
I synced with the consciousness of the artist boasting the strongest physical prowess right now and challenged the 1st Trial. Just like when acquiring a consciousness, my vision flipped in an instant.
The area around me was a barren wasteland without a single blade of grass. So it teleports you somewhere else to run the trial, huh.
"So, what am I supposed to sculpt here..."
What exactly was the condition I needed to fulfill in this place—
"..."
No message window had even popped up with the trial conditions yet. But I instinctively knew what I had to do here.
"That's... pretty damn big."
A shadow blanketing the entire wasteland. A colossal height that had to be at least five apartment stories tall. A giant stood smack in the middle of the wasteland, making me feel like an ant.
...No way. They want me to take that thing down?
• Defeat 1 Erosion Giant.
• Time Limit: 30 minutes.
Whoa, fuck. This is a bit much.
Despair bubbled up automatically—right then, the giant's hollow eyes swiveled toward me.
A brief staring contest. Then, soon enough, the giant started moving.
-Thud!!!
The ground literally shook as it stepped toward me. If I just stood there dumbfounded, I'd be turned into paste.
I grabbed my scissors and carving knife and charged at it. Running away wouldn't last long—I'd just get stomped anyway. The silver lining? Its massive body made its movements sluggish.
I barely dodged its hand trying to snatch me and jammed the carving knife into its ankle.
-Crunch!
The flesh tore way easier than expected. Probably thanks to the Erosion Slayer title boosting my attacks against erosion entities by percentage.
But...
"..."
No matter how much I stabbed and slashed at its massive bulk, it wasn't enough to bring it down. Hell, what kind of Achilles tendon is this thick? I wanted to sever the heel to limit its movement, but things weren't going my way.
Pure lack of attack power. I could feel it instinctively—this guy was beyond me right now.
"Argh."
A wave of helplessness washed over me, but I shook my head and kept fighting. Giving up meant game over. And even if I failed this trial, gathering as much info as possible now would help later.
I dodged its furious attacks nimbly while collecting data on it. Then, exactly 18 minutes and 23 seconds into the trial...
-Crunch!
My skull shattered in its grip.
24 hours until retry available
"...Hah!"
The rush of air back into my lungs felt utterly alien. I frantically patted my head—thank god, it was still attached. So the promise of no real harm from injury or death wasn't bullshit.
Judging by my clothes, the consciousness sync had auto-canceled.
'Feels weird.'
This wasn't my first brush with death, but that didn't make it familiar. I shook my head vigorously to shake off the unease and analyzed the fight.
First off, the giant didn't seem to have any obvious weak points.
'Even stabbed the nape of its neck just in case.'
Not just the nape—heart, head, all the usual human weak spots. But it didn't go down. Maybe my power was just too weak to do real damage.
Anyway. One thing was clear: with my current specs, taking down that giant was impossible. Not nearly impossible—straight-up no.
'Should I grind slowly for a bit and come back stronger?'
That felt like the right answer. Limit Break just unlocked today, so it was probably meant for gradual growth over months before clearing the trial.
But I didn't like it. If I could only clear it months from now, I'd be stuck without 3-star syncs in the meantime—no snowballing my growth. Speed would tank.
"There has to be... some way..."
I flopped back on the bed, staring at the ceiling, racking my brain for quick growth hacks.
I stared at my status window, desperately brainstorming for five silent minutes. Then...
"...Ah."
It hit me.
'That might work.'
Like in other games, instanced content sometimes hid secret dungeons. Dungeons often popped up in untouched areas—and even in academy city Providence, there were a few such spots.
The undeveloped outskirts. Technically part of Providence, but so vast it hadn't been fully developed. Compared to the well-equipped central area, it had almost no residents, poor security, and served as a hideout for villains. I recalled the black market Underground mostly operating there.
Anyway, ancient ruins slumbered in Providence's outskirts for ages. And I knew exactly where a dungeon spat out the item I needed as a reward.
'Definitely... yeah... G-12 District.'
One problem, though.
'Even that's too tough for my current specs.'
Back to square one—my power was lacking. But no other ideas besides raiding that dungeon came to mind. Was there really no way? Did I have to grind for months before the trial?
"Ah!"
Then a brilliant idea struck.
The trial for Limit Break had to be cleared solo, but dungeons? Not necessarily. So why not team up with someone stronger than me?
The first name that came to mind: Eirin. But dragging her into a dungeon raid had too many hang-ups. She wasn't exactly swimming in free time.
'And if she grills me on how I knew about the dungeon, I'm screwed.'
Eirin was my supervising professor. If she started probing my knowledge, I'd either spill the truth or fumble a lame lie. Neither ended well.
Someone stronger than me who wouldn't pry too much—or whom I could brush off easily.
"Just one person fits."
Time to link up tomorrow.
* * *
As expected, Karen was at the water cooler in the corner of the main building, filling her stomach with water.
"You really love chugging water, huh?"
I called out, and she shuddered for a second before slowly turning around.
"...Spit it out. You were quiet for a while—why're you here again?"
"Here, take this first."
I shrugged and handed her a bag stuffed with snacks—bread, cookies, drinks, sausages, the works.
"..."
Her lips twitched up for a split second, but I didn't tease her about it for her pride's sake.
"You're doing this 'cause you want something. Out with it quick. I hate dragging shit out."
"This is just a gift. Take it whether you say yes or no to my request."
"So you do want me to do something. I'm telling you now, whatever you're scheming, I'm not doing it."
Karen growled at me, eyes full of suspicion.
"Obviously not for free. I'll pay you handsomely."
"...You trying to buy me with money right now?"
She froze for a moment, then let out a hollow laugh, glaring at me coldly.
"You couldn't afford me unless it's a ridiculous sum."
The air crackled like something was about to explode any second. I slowly opened my mouth.
"Ten million mihwan."
"......"
Karen froze solid again at the words.
"...W-Well, that's... kinda changes things."
The icy vibe from moments ago vanished; she averted her eyes, scratching her cheek and mumbling. Guess it was too much to turn down.