Chapter 7
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: Former Former Hao Sect Leader Mok I-do
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The possession duration of the reincarnation Park Jin-su has ended.
The difference in soul ranks is minimal. A complete inheritance will occur.
You have acquired the skill [Mid-Grade Monster Tracking].
Choi Si-woo frowned in his half-asleep daze.
Transparent letters shimmered in the air. With eyes half-closed, he read the message.
His sleepiness vanished in an instant.
It was an unexpected gift. A laugh escaped him before he knew it.
"Haha."
"Mm? Oppa...?"
"Nah, keep sleeping."
Leaving the busty girl collapsed in exhaustion, Si-woo headed into the bathroom.
He splashed cold water on his face and checked the message again.
'Mid-Grade Monster Tracking?'
A quick search in the [Shop] showed it was a 500-karma skill. He felt cheerful at the pleasant, unforeseen gain.
'No more worries about finding monsters from now on.'
He'd been bummed about losing Park Jin-su's tracking skills, but this eased his mind.
'Soul rank, though...'
He wondered exactly what a soul's rank meant.
According to the message, the minimal rank difference had allowed a perfect inheritance.
Put another way, even awakening as a sword master who swung sword beams wouldn't let him fully inherit those abilities.
A week slipped by.
He'd been hitting rifts every day since. Fatigue piled up, drawing out a yawn.
Dragging his slippers, he shuffled into the nearby convenience store.
"Welcome~!"
The pretty part-timer greeted him with a bright smile.
Si-woo stole a glance at her. Newly awakened to the female form, he was curious what every woman might taste like.
'Breasts are a letdown.'
The clerk's chest was flat. He let out a small sigh of disappointment and turned away.
Big tits were his thing. If she'd known, she'd probably be floored, he thought, grabbing a banana milk.
He plopped down under the parasol out front.
Slurp-
Sipping the sweet banana milk, he mulled things over.
He needed to tally his earnings from the week's rift runs.
And plan his next moves.
First off, total income: 5 million won. After buying consumables, pure profit left: 500,000 won.
Compared to his porter days, it was overwhelming. Still, slightly unsatisfying. There were ways to boost income.
'...E-rank rifts feel a bit iffy. Finding a party sounds like a hassle...'
E-ranks alone doubled the pay. But compared to F-ranks, they were definitely riskier.
'No need to take risks.'
He wasn't some lunatic who got off on risking his life in battle. For now, easy and comfy was the goal.
Park Jin-su's [?? Earth] he'd simply named [Ruined World].
No idea if he'd ever go back to that hellhole, but it beat broken letters.
'Karma at 116 already!'
Busting his ass hunting all week had paid off. Just seeing the karma filled his belly.
Enough for a 100-karma skill.
A grin spread across his face. Keep grinding karma steadily like this...
'No... this ain't it.'
He scowled. Grinding karma through hard hunting was fine, but this wasn't the life he wanted.
Easy living off others' backs.
Not this honest, rewarding grind.
'Anyway... time to spend.'
[Low-Grade Body Reinforcement] (Purchased for 100 Karma)
Slightly enhances all physical abilities. Applies to all reincarnation bodies.
The moment he bought it...
Crack, crunch.
Faint bone-creaking sounds came from his whole body. In an instant, his flesh transformed. His body felt light, like gravity had weakened.
'Let's see...'
His hands itched. Gripping a coin and squeezing, it dented slightly. Faint abs firmed into solid six-pack territory.
'This is "slight"?'
Nothing like the description. It felt tangibly stronger.
He casually lifted his pants to check his privates.
He nodded unconsciously. Utterly satisfied.
"Ahem..."
All physical abilities enhanced, including down there. Big enough to call a monster. Thrilling news for a guy freshly into women.
Never heard of awakeners getting hornier, but it felt that way.
'Skill's effect is killer.'
Now, how to farm karma.
Karma. . Complicated if overthought, simple otherwise.
Just influence others' lives.
But sex with a few women that week barely netted any.
He hadn't impacted their lives much.
'Then... how about banging women I'd never cross paths with?'
Seducing no-strings women made his groin stir.
High-class, beautiful female martial experts!
Next agenda set on the spot.
'Off to Martial Arts Earth.'
Not just the women—he craved the martial arts too.
Moves that cleaved mountains and soared skies.
Wuxia scenes flooded his mind: sword swings blooming sword qi like petals, martial artists summoning lightning.
Imagining wuxia heroes pumped him up.
Would you like to connect to [Martial Arts Earth]?
'Hold up.'
Then it hit him: might possess a frail kid again.
Gun.
Needed modern firepower.
He bolted to a gun shop.
Loaded up on assault rifles, pistols, and heaps of ammo, then hit the counter.
"Ring me up. Here's my hunter ID."
"Uh... you're an awakener, but you really want these?"
Mana awakeners buying normal guns drew an awkward smile from the clerk.
"...You know these aren't rift-material guns, right? Can't take 'em into rifts. Only good for rift stragglers outside. No refunds if you complain."
"It's fine. Gimme."
"Er... total's 2.32 million won."
Preparations done, Si-woo stood in his studio's center.
Would you like to connect to [Martial Arts Earth]?
"Yeah."
Once more, Si-woo's mind got sucked away somewhere.
*
The moment awareness returned, he aimed his pistol while shielding his upper body.
No clue what this body did for a living, but even holding the gun steady was tough.
His arms trembled fiercely.
Barely holding on to keep from collapsing, he scanned warily.
Soon, [Low-Grade Body Reinforcement] kicked in, steadying him a bit.
A quick look around revealed a dim cavern.
'A cave...?'
The cave, lit only by faint glows, was murky. Relying on the dim light, he swept his eyes everywhere. Nothing alive stirred.
In the silent cave...
No signs of danger.
'Safe... enough?'
Si-woo eased his tensed body slightly.
He consciously accepted the blocked memory transfer. Thanks to [Mental Protection], this was possible.
No real pain anymore. Memory infusion complete, he dropped his guard.
Stashed his gear in inventory.
Nothing dangerous here.
Si-woo slowly reviewed the inherited memories.
*
Mun Ji-hong.
20 years old, born into a wealthy merchant family—a golden spoon kid.
One hell of a lucky guy with a happy childhood.
But as if paying the price for all that fortune, disaster struck.
A few years back, family fortunes tanked.
Ambushed somewhere, lost shipment goods... eventually, the clan went bust.
The Mun Ji-hong family scattered, dodging debt collectors. He fled far with his escort warrior.
His parents died mid-escape. Chased relentlessly, he got cornered at a cliff.
A sheer drop called Myeongjang Valley. Raging waters below.
Mun Ji-hong jumped. Not suicide.
Trusted the water below, but foolish. From that height, water or dirt—same difference. He'd shatter on impact, dead instantly.
But luck was his gift. Fierce winds battered him against the cliff, tumbling wildly.
Flung somewhere, he crashed into a cave.
Splash-!
"Ugh..."
Saved by the cave puddle, he looked around.
A skeleton and a book lay there. Straight out of a fairy tale encounter.
Mun Ji-hong picked up and read the book.
"Young one. You're damn lucky."
"This one is Hao Sect Leader Mok I-do. Bestowing upon you this fateful encounter."
"..."
"Every Hao Sect Leader trained in the Sun-Moon Divine Art, but this one wasn't satisfied."
"They say the founding lord wielded ten thousand energies freely. Why settle for Sun-Moon? It handles just yin and yang qi."
"..."
"Master this Mixed Origin Qi Art, and you'll reach unrivaled supremacy under heaven."
"..."
"Wall Restoration Pills are fully prepped—eat them while cultivating. Diligent practice will get you strong enough to leave this cave."
"Finally..."
"To you, recipient of this gift... cheers!"
⟨ Mixed Origin Qi Art Manual ⟩
Reviewing the memories up to there, Si-woo yelped in confusion.
"Wh-what the fu—? Cheers?!"