The Revelation
Although his head throbbed and his body ached, Do-hyun did not feel pain. He simply knew he had fainted. Slowly, he opened his eyes. The ceiling above him was not unfamiliar. It was the inside of the dungeon.
Hanging from it and swaying this way and that, the sensation of being carried felt uncomfortable. But the unpleasant feeling slowly faded. Do-hyun’s senses returned, and he finally understood the situation.
‘Ugh…’
Still inside the maze, Ji Yu-chan was carrying him and passing through the exit.
Naturally, the guide was not Do-hyun. Hana Rin had been studying the map given by the previous instructor.
Because she was so sensitive to mana, reading the map did not trouble her at all. She was quite skilled at it.
Unlike the experienced guides like Do-hyun or Park Jin-hyun, she could not guide them as well. But simply knowing the route from the map placed her in the top ten percent among D-class hunters.
Do-hyun watched the two of them working so hard and stretched his body as if yawning.
Only then did Hana Rin and Ji Yu-chan realize Do-hyun had woken up.
“Ughhhhh…”
“You’re awake?!”
“Already?!”
They had expected Do-hyun to remain unconscious for days after killing Galakro and blocking the aftermath with his own body. Waking up much sooner than that left both of them stunned.
Meanwhile, Do-hyun woke up lightly and naturally turned on Analysis. He muttered,
“[Analysis] of the time I was unconscious.”
“[You were unconscious for 21 minutes and 37 seconds.]”
The kind Analysis even told him how long he had been out.
He really had only been out for a moment. Do-hyun quickly checked his own body.
His body still felt tired and heavy, but all wounds had recovered. Guardian’s Body was off, and his mana had fallen to nearly the bottom.
It had only been moments ago that he was recovering.
Although mana was at its limit, Do-hyun was not worried. He stepped down from Ji Yu-chan’s back.
Then, after stretching and shaking off the stiffness, Hana Rin approached him and handed over the items.
“……?”
Do-hyun looked at Hana Rin with confusion. She smiled faintly and answered.
“Oppa said to collect the rewards.”
“Ah?”
“That guy dropped everything he had.”
Do-hyun quickly gathered the items Hana Rin handed him. Only a massive scythe and one book had been left behind. He could not help but frown for a moment.
Dropping only two items? It was a pity, but when the message popped up in one corner of his vision, Do-hyun did not feel much dissatisfaction.
Villain defeated. Villain’s points acquired.
Points distributed by party member contribution.
Total points obtained: 149,830P
‘A villain over 130 strong. The points were huge.’
He had earned nearly 150,000 points.
Killing one villain and receiving so many points felt excessive. Even an E-rank dwarf like Tagulun, known as a rich race, had dropped 50,000 points. Do-hyun could newly feel just how many hunters Galakro had slain.
He shook his head and looked at the remaining rewards: the scythe and the book. He checked the scythe first, reluctant to use it.
Then.
[Harvest Scythe]
▶ “A scythe used long ago by a harvester.”
▶ “Using it greatly improves harvesting.”
▶ “Very durable and does not rust or break.”
▶ “Cutting power never dulls.”
It had quite a few effects, but Do-hyun did not feel drawn to it or find it particularly good.
Being durable and never breaking or rusting, and its cutting power never dulling, was an enormous effect. But he was not skilled with a scythe.
He currently had a sword and a dagger, so he had no use for it. He decided to sell it later and placed it in his magic pouch.
Next came the book. As soon as Do-hyun analyzed it, his expression stiffened.
It was nothing less than
“[Black Magic Textbook — Aesthetics of Sacrifice (A)] being analyzed.”
The moment he saw it, a sense of disgust rose in him. Did Analysis sense that feeling too?
It quickly answered.
“[Black Magic being analyzed.]”
『Black Magic』
▶ “A magic that has systematized the complicated and difficult aspects of primitive magic, unlike magic that became systemized from primitive magic.”
▶ “In particular, black magic often borrows power from other places among primitive magic.”
▶ “Because the complexity and difficulty are often compensated for by paying a price, it has many images that evoke disgust.”
▶ “However, the price does not necessarily have to be corpses or life force.”
▶ “Black mages mainly borrow or use other-dimensional power by paying with their own mana.”
▶ “But as often seen in media, black magic does not corrupt the user.”
▶ “There is no particular hesitation toward black magic even inside Black Gates.”
▶ “However, among black magic, those closer to primitive magic are one of the things to avoid.”
The explanation was quite long. But after analyzing it, Do-hyun’s heightened intuition quickly understood it.
In short, the act of gathering heads like Galakro and sacrificing them was a matter of personal preference. Normally, it was about borrowing other-dimensional power by paying with mana.
Do-hyun looked at it and decided it was not that bad after all, so he examined Aesthetics of Sacrifice.
Hana Rin and Ji Yu-chan looked at him curiously as he suddenly unfolded the book. They wondered what kind of book it was that Do-hyun could read it so quickly.
Unbothered by their gaze, Do-hyun quickly read the book.
“[Successful analysis of the book.]”
“[1,000 AP acquired.]”
『Aesthetics of Sacrifice (A)』
▶ “A type of black magic. By sacrificing something, you can borrow other-dimensional power to temporarily raise one of your abilities by one rank.”
▶ “The sacrifice can be anything, but the other-dimensional being must feel interest in it to use the power.”
▶ “Originally, using black magic often required a contract with the other-dimensional being. But Aesthetics of Sacrifice is a very clean and beautiful process that lets the other-dimensional beings feel aesthetics, so it does not require a separate contract.”
‘Oh ho?’
For other-dimensional beings to contract just to lend power? It was a magic so clean you could sacrifice something and use it immediately. His interest was piqued.
Moreover, it allowed him to temporarily raise the rank of the skill he was currently using. He liked it very much.
So black magic like this existed.
Of course, its rank was A-grade, on par with Reverse Flow, Gold Sword, and Will Magic.
He had to master it.
Do-hyun confirmed Aesthetics of Sacrifice and naturally looked at the message that appeared.
“[Acquire Black Magic — Aesthetics of Sacrifice (A)?]”
『3,000 AP』
▶ 『1,500 AP』 Acquire Black Magic — Aesthetics of Sacrifice (A)?
Of course he learned it.
Do-hyun acquired Aesthetics of Sacrifice.
Black Magic — Aesthetics of Sacrifice (A) acquired.
Ability beyond current stats.
Cannot be used at original power.
Of course it said it could not be used at original power. But he knew he could still raise its rank.
Still, seeing how Galakro had used it, Galakro had not been able to use body modification up to B-rank. Yet he could temporarily raise it to A and pull up the body modification that would normally be D-rank to C-rank. Just that was significant.
It was a technique he could not use yet, but it allowed him to use it quite fully. So for Do-hyun, who had many skills above his stats, it was quite useful.
Then suddenly, a thought crossed Do-hyun’s mind.
‘Then what happens if I temporarily raise the only S-rank skill I have, the Ether Heart?’
Thinking this, Do-hyun looked at the Ether Heart in his chest and wondered if he should try Aesthetics of Sacrifice right then. At that moment, Analysis rushed out and warned him.
Cannot raise S-rank because Transcendence has not been obtained.
A suddenly flashing message startled him, but it seemed like he had gained meaningful information.
‘Transcendence?’
Do-hyun asked, and Analysis worked.
“[Analyzing Transcendence.]”
“[Insufficient qualifications.]”
“[Failed to analyze information on Transcendence.]”
‘It failed?’
Even though it was just information, the fact that Analysis failed immediately made Do-hyun look at it strangely. But no more messages appeared.
Analysis could analyze everything Do-hyun did, so it had mentioned Transcendence. But beyond that, it was silent.
Feeling somewhat frustrated by the lack of information, Do-hyun decided to move on.
It did not seem like information he could do anything about right now. Anyway, he had gained a new black magic textbook.
Do-hyun closed the book with a refreshed expression. Hana Rin and Ji Yu-chan, who had been waiting curiously, asked.
“What kind of book was that?”
“What kind of technique was in it?”
Seeing both of them ask the same question, Do-hyun answered casually.
“Black magic.”
“Whoa?!”
“What?!”
Both Hana Rin and Ji Yu-chan jumped in surprise, eyes wide, staring at Do-hyun.
After all, they were looking at a textbook containing black magic. Thinking of Galakro, they swallowed dryly while looking at him. Do-hyun looked at them with amusement and explained.
“It’s not like Galakro where you gather heads and sacrifice them as offerings.”
“Huh? Then what?”
“I-I didn’t mean that?”
Both of them looked at him with expressions as if the world they knew had been shattered. Do-hyun carefully explained black magic and briefly told them about the book’s ability.
Hana Rin’s eyes sparkled with interest, while Ji Yu-chan was greatly disappointed it was magic and not a technique.
Still, Do-hyun hesitated for a moment, watching Hana Rin show interest in black magic.
He wondered if she could learn black magic, but the conclusion came quickly.
“If you want to learn it, go ahead. But it won’t be very useful.”
“Hmm… it’s black magic that raises skills you already have…”
“But the price is usually mana. Why not use more mana to apply various magic like now? That would be more efficient.”
“Oh.”
Hana Rin’s sharp comment made her recall something she had overlooked. She nodded in agreement.
Just like Ji Yu-chan, she was inwardly disappointed.
In the end, only Do-hyun had gained from defeating the villain.