Chapter 42
Chapter 42
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: Diving into the Moving Island
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The view in front of me warped, and a bluish window appeared.
Character window.
A feature that didn't originally exist in this world, but a perk granted to me as an otherworlder.
「Park Ha-yul」──────
▶Rank: Protagonist
▶Clan: Prime Brew Clan
▶Main Attribute: Fire (火)
I quickly skipped the basic description and stats, moving straight to the traits window.
I clicked to browse, scanning through the list of knowledge I'd acquired so far—knowledge that was as good as skills to me.
[Republic of Korea Hero-Grade Armament Codex (Upper Volume)]: 64%
[1st Grade Fire Control Technique: 87%]
[1st Grade Water Control Technique: 85%]
[1st Grade Wood Control Technique: 82%]
[1st Grade Wind Control Technique: 80%]
[1st Grade Earth Control Technique: 44%]
[1st Grade Metal Control Technique: 48%]
[Three Disasters Art: 42%]
Ignoring the minor ones, this was roughly what I had related to combat.
It was the result of my own efforts, built up by skimping on sleep over the past days.
"I've worked hard, huh."
Seeing it all at a glance stirred some emotions.
Of course, it wasn't comparable to those who'd trained normally, but it hadn't been as easy as one might think.
How many dozens of times had I collapsed unconscious...?
Having mastered them through attributes meant there wasn't a single day my body was unscathed.
I'd endured the backlash of mana depletion every day—something most people never experience even once in their lifetime—like it was just ordinary muscle soreness.
Anyway, this wasn't a report card for self-praise, so I'd stop whining here.
Now, it was time to look at it critically.
First, let's examine the issues revealed in today's battle.
"Starting with the spells."
My original goal had been to raise proficiency in all 1st-grade spells to 90%.
Once I crossed 80%, progress stalled like pouring water into a leaky jar, but I wanted perfection in the basics.
But today...
Even a spell cast at near-perfect proficiency was blocked by Helmut.
A 1st-grade Fire Control Technique at 87% proficiency should have destructive power equivalent to at least 2nd circle or higher.
It lacked nothing essential, enough to be considered flawless...
I'd acted nonchalant, but it would be a lie to say I wasn't shocked.
"As expected."
Circle differences can't be ignored, it seems.
So, I'd boldly scrap the 90% target.
I'd cap it at 85% and move Fire and Water Control Techniques to the next stage.
An 80% 2nd-grade spell would be stronger than a 90% 1st-grade one anyway.
If I contacted Secretary Choi, I could easily obtain a 2nd-grade spellbook compiled by the clan.
Things would differ starting from 3rd-grade, where lineages diverged...
For now, selective focus on spells: all-in on 2nd-grade Fire and Water Control Techniques.
"More than that..."
Actually, the urgent matter was armament manifestation.
The ultimate move I absolutely couldn't let dull had been broken today without me even using much power.
The situation was unfavorable, and his response was abnormal, but those were just excuses.
Failure was failure.
So why had it been powerless?
Insufficient comprehension stats?
No, that wasn't it.
True, the Armament Codex was so complex and arcane that stat growth was glacially slow compared to spells.
But proficiency didn't scale directly with armament performance.
It was about the number I could handle.
Besides, it wasn't a problem of the armaments being weak.
Ultimately, it was an issue of utilization.
The combat style of just hurling them and relying on their inherent effects had reached its limit...
And this stemmed from my mindset as well.
Over a month since entering this world, I still couldn't shake the thought that I was just a regular person.
...
Thus.
I'd only fought using browsing and manifestation power, without putting in efforts like Baek Sa-young swinging a sword hundreds of times a day or researching better swordsmanship.
"But now I have to accept it."
That the genre of my life has changed.
I muttered to myself like a pledge.
Now, as an Awakener, I needed to draw out the utmost performance from my armaments.
So, how?
Most of my armaments were swords, so I imagined modeling after Baek Sa-young.
Even if razor-sharp blades flew at her, she wouldn't blink—thrusting, slashing, parrying, then charging again...
"...This might be tough."
I stopped there immediately.
It was a realm unreachable by mindset alone.
No joke, I might end up swinging a sword for a whole year straight.
Swordsmanship was fundamentally about embodiment, not acquisition—understanding didn't make the body follow.
Especially for Park Ha-yul, whose overall stats were lacking, it would just be reckless overreach.
That left ranged combat, then...
To actively utilize my main armaments, the single sword and double swords, nothing beat this.
"Bo-shuriken arts."
Not hurling them brainlessly like now, but true bo-shuriken arts layered with precise control.
And I knew the guy—person—who held unrivaled fame in this field.
Not an Awakener, but a demon.
His name was Radeon, I think?
He was a villain who rose to prominence in the mid-game, wielding dozens of bo-shurikens like his own limbs.
His special trait helped, but the core was the armament he coincidentally obtained while barely surviving death.
"Thousand Silken Threads."
The world's sturdiest thread, also called Spirit Thread.
Infused with mana, it could turn transparent or change length, etc.—a utility armament with endless applications.
He connected this Thousand Silken Threads to his bo-shurikens and gained infamy.
"But what if..."
I moved one step ahead and claimed the Thousand Silken Threads?
It would neutralize a powerful villain and give wings to my single and double swords.
"Think it'll work?"
But putting it into practice wouldn't be easy.
The timing was decent, but it required dying and coming back to life, literally.
It wasn't that the demonic beasts to face were strong; the space holding the Thousand Silken Threads itself was bizarre.
I pondered briefly, then picked up my phone to check the location first.
But.
"What the hell."
Quite a few messages had piled up.
I checked the unknown number first: it was the auction house.
[Dear customer Park Ha-yul, hello. This is Lee Sa-young, merchandise manager at Sejong Auction House. First, my apologies...]
They'd figured out the necklace had a bomb and were handling the aftermath.
[We'll process insurance at twice the winning bid, plus VIP tickets to the secret auction house...]
Oh ho.
The compensation was substantial.
Principal guarantee was expected, but double that plus VIP tickets...?
Considering the current developments,
And even the clan succession war down the line, more money was always better.
Wealth was as crucial as force, a universal truth across East and West, ancient and modern.
It said to call, so I'd contact them Monday.
I scrolled down to check the other messages.
[Sender: Baek Sa-young]
[Where are you, Park Ha-yul?]
[Heard you returned. You okay?]
[Sender: So I-hyun]
[Thanks to student Park Ha-yul, the incident passed without major damage...]
[Sender: Joo Ah-rin]
[What happened with you and Seo Yun? Also, I have questions about that necklace. Why...]
I replied simply to Baek Sa-young, and for Joo Ah-rin's message...
I just ignored it.
It was too vague to explain.
I couldn't exactly say I knew it was a bomb and bid anyway.
Better to stay silent.
Doubts and interest would fade with time.
Same with my relationship with Cheon Seo-yun.
It might be awkward now, maybe even treated like enemies, but if I let it pass indifferently, it'd eventually numb.
Forgetting works on emotions as much as memories—an immutable truth...
"Enough thinking."
I shook my head to clear my thoughts, then accessed the green window as originally planned.
To pinpoint the Thousand Silken Threads' location, I searched 'Moving Island' and soon found what I wanted.
Mokpo, South Jeolla Province.
Quite a physical distance, but portals made it quick.
Fortunately, early in the story, no signs of professional investigations yet.
Tales of the 'Moving Island' were just seen as one of many ghost stories, circulating only among locals.
At least, the guy hadn't found it yet.
"Location secured."
Next, how to survive that bizarre space.
I needed full preparation to hold my breath for extended time in strong acidic liquid.
Combining existing info with internet searches, I found answers.
Strong acid first: king starfish mucus?
Spreading its strong alkaline liquid could dilute it.
For breathing, I rummaged through related spells but pivoted to a simpler method.
No need to overcomplicate.
"Breathing apparatus and oxygen tank."
Advanced science can substitute magic sometimes.
* * *
Sunday morning, I left the academy.
Portal to Seoul first, then to Mokpo.
Destination was a small seaside village, so bus from there.
Left at 8, arrived around 10.
I first inquired about boats to the 'Moving Island'.
At a dock too small to call a harbor, I met a cheerful-looking captain.
"Why go there? Hard to dock, and nothing to see anyway."
"Just... research. Please."
The captain, waving it off as futile, nodded quickly at the bills in my hand.
"Let's go. After dropping you off, just wait?"
"Yes. 3 hours is plenty."
I patted the oxygen tank on my back unnecessarily and followed the captain.
Thus, we headed to the Moving Island by boat.
Close enough to see with the naked eye from land, so we arrived fast.
"Whistle when done; I'll be nearby."
He dropped me on the island and left coolly.
No exact entrance given in the original, so I circled the island once.
Size of Dokdo maybe?
Tiny, so easy to find.
Center of the island.
Trees there shook unusually; instinct told me.
Approaching, sure enough...
Between trees, a massive pit about 2m diameter.
Strong winds rose rhythmically from it.
Peered in cautiously: pitch black, hard to see.
Anyway, right place, so I geared up.
Undressed, donned full-body wetsuit—for protection from strong acid.
Took out king starfish mucus from two 1.5L PET bottles, applied evenly.
Dawn delivery, arrived this morning.
Coated goggles and oxygen tank thoroughly too.
Radeon from original who got Thousand Silken Threads.
Remembering his skin and hair melting right after falling in, I couldn't help but be hyper-vigilant.
Prep complete, I timed it briefly.
Then, when a strong updraft surged from below.
"Going in."
No hesitation, I jumped.
The true nature of the Moving Island.
A colossal irregular demonic beast from history's pages: Ancient Beast Mountain.
Into its heaving blowhole...