Chapter 64
Chapter 64
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: Skythread Upgrade
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Orientation had ended late into the night.
I was lying spread-eagled on the training ground floor.
[Mana level has increased by 0.025.]
[You have acquired purer mana than before.]
[The quality of your mana has faintly improved.]
After brushing off my first encounter with a demon, I'd spent the next five straight hours in meditation, and now I was completely drained.
But I couldn't just keep lying there.
I was living in a different flow of time from everyone else.
[Remaining time: 25 days, 10 hours, 51 minutes]
"Urgh."
I checked the time, then pushed myself up to a sitting position.
Out of habit, I pulled up my status window and gazed at it thoughtfully.
▷Strength: 4.9
▷Stamina: 4.3
▷Agility: 4.6
▷Senses: 4.3
▷Intelligence: 5.1
▷Mana: 4.575
▷Luck: 3
As expected.
Maybe because my foundation was so weak, but even just basic physical training was steadily boosting all my stats across the board.
They were still pretty pathetic, but the gains relative to the time invested were explosive.
Satisfied, I closed the status window.
With my drive recharged, I skipped straight to the next step, pulling out a strand of Skythread and laying it on the ground.
I'd gained a new ability, so I was itching to test it out on something.
"Hmm."
I crossed my arms and stared it down for a bit before activating Manifestation, following the plan I'd already mapped out.
The goal: boost the Skythread's cutting power up to special-grade armament levels.
If it worked as intended, the Skythread's value would skyrocket... what was that thing called again?
Right, the Ruyi Jingu Bang.
It'd be something like a lesser version of that legendary armament that only existed in lore somewhere in this world.
It already had that unique length-adjustment feature, and adding special-grade attack power on top?
"Let's do this."
I straightened my posture and poured my will into it. Messages responded immediately.
[You wish to enhance the Skythread's cutting power to special-grade armament levels.]
[Calculating required SP, factoring in post-enhancement ripple effects, plausibility breaches, and more.]
[This will take a moment.]
.
.
I stared into empty space, heart pounding. If it was under 100 SP, it'd be perfect...
[Calculation complete.]
[Required SP: 400]
[Insufficient SP. Enhancement impossible.]
But the result was shocking.
"What? 400 SP? That's not a dog's name or anything."
A surge of irritation rose up, but I swallowed it back down. Getting mad wouldn't change a thing.
Fine, special-grade was too greedy anyway.
With a magnanimous mindset, I dialed back the conditions and tried again.
[You wish to enhance the Skythread's cutting power to rare-grade armament levels.]
.
.
[Calculation complete.]
[Required SP: 280]
[Insufficient SP. Enhancement impossible.]
But the outcome wasn't much different.
Still an absurdly high price that left me speechless.
"......"
Why the hell was there such a gap?
It seemed way too steep compared to enhancing that girl's portrait, so I reviewed the system messages.
-Pay a set amount of SP as the price, varying based on the degree of plausibility breach.
Then I spotted it again.
"Degree of plausibility breach..."
That was the issue.
Even if the painting became a masterpiece, it was still just a painting—but the Skythread was an armament.
The sheer ripple effect of enhancing it must have spiked the SP cost.
"For now, skip the cutting power boost."
I waved my hand to dismiss the messages, then brainstormed alternatives.
The second option that came to mind: complete invisibility for the Skythread.
It was already nearly transparent, so anyone below rank-5 wouldn't notice it—but the gap between "nearly" and "completely" was huge.
No matter what I tried, I couldn't bridge that... ah, pointless then.
I gave up on the idea without further thought.
With my current SP, it was obviously out of reach.
"So what do I enhance then?"
I rubbed my chin, deep in thought.
It was too vague to just throw out random ideas, so I narrowed the scope.
Not the past, but the future—specifically, the battle with Roberto.
His trait was some freakishly bizarre type, so the key was to avoid entering his "field of vision" as much as possible...
Narrowing my thinking like that sparked a sudden flash of insight.
"Range."
Range was the key.
More precisely, I needed the ability to intercept him from beyond his "field of vision."
And that tied directly into the Skythread's length.
What was the Skythread's max length right now? Around 50 meters?
Long, sure, but if I could triple or quadruple that...
On the surface, it'd just be tweaking a physical property—nothing special.
But for me, who could control it freely with my will via Manifestation? Totally different.
I'd gain long-range sniping capability, and huge advantages for casting spells too.
My fighting style shone brighter the more distance I could guarantee from the enemy.
A simple one-dimensional change in "length" would diversify its uses massively.
"This is it."
I activated Manifestation again to proceed with the enhancement.
Start with 3x, up to 150m max.
[You wish to increase the Skythread's length by 3x.]
[Required SP: 30]
The result was as expected.
The cost had plummeted into affordable territory.
But the performance felt a bit lacking.
So I tested increments one by one.
[You wish to increase the Skythread's length by 4x.]
[You wish to increase the Skythread's length by 5x.]
.
In the end, 4x cost 50 SP, 5x was 70 SP, and 6x was 90 SP.
I weighed my options carefully, then picked the 6x version, maxing out at 300m.
I figured that's the minimum distance needed for a meaningful change.
[90 SP deducted.]
[Current SP: 30]
[Beginning enhancement.]
A moment later, a brilliant light burst from the Skythread, then faded.
No other changes, so I reached out and touched it.
[Skythread] + [Range Enhancement]
[Grade: Rare (High)]
[Description: A thread drawn from the Cheonjam, a rare monster said to be extinct. Known as one of the world's toughest fibers.]
[Effect: Becomes nearly transparent when infused with mana. Freely adjustable length (+max 300m)]
Was there any other low-cost, high-efficiency upgrade like this?
Sure, my SP reserves—heading toward the 200 mark—had taken a hit, but seeing the added text made my lips curl up anyway.
"SP's something I can farm again."
Feeling the growing importance of Achievements, I jumped to my feet.
Time to test the upgraded Skythread's power—log into the training system.
I tried summoning a straw dummy.
But then, a flashing promo banner at the bottom of the hologram caught my eye.
The first-half 'Virtual Reality Mission Contest' has begun.
Open to all Tae Academy students.
Challenge now and claim the 50 million won prize!
* * *
Virtual Reality Mission Contest
This Tae Academy staple blended training and competition, running for two weeks. A famous on-campus event.
Most students joined half for fun, half for the hype. The format was simple.
Hit the apply button, make a nickname, clear the set mission.
Scores based on time, skill, stability—results updated in real-time for all participants.
Like an online game, it stoked students' interest and rivalry.
It'd been featured in the original story too, so I knew it well.
I remembered Seol Yun-gi and Baek Sa-young trading top spots in a fun back-and-forth record battle.
"Shall I give it a shot?"
Perfect timing for a chance like this—I figured I'd dip my toe in.
The missions were ideal for testing the enhanced Skythread, after all.
Plus, who knows.
A good showing might net me an Achievement.
"Worst case, no loss."
With a flicker of anticipation, I hit the entry button. The screen shifted, and a message popped up.
Enter your nickname.
Nickname, huh.
Just a casual try, and anonymity was guaranteed, so I rattled off the first thing that came to mind.
"Bu Han-si..."
Your nickname is 'Bu Han-si'.
Roughly "time limit" spelled backward.
Would you like a detailed contest briefing?
I selected 'No' and clicked [2nd Year Real-Time Rankings].
Nicknames scrolled in, sorted by score.
Even on day one, entrants were already over 200.
1st: One Stroke Two Halves [291 points]
2nd: 10th Circle Mage Ji-long [290 points]
3rd: I Am Legend [287 points]
4th: chlrkdals02 [282 points]
5th: Macho's Pure Love [278 points]
.
.
At least the top five prize spots were all familiar faces.
1st, One Stroke Two Halves: Seol Yun-gi.
2nd through 4th were top students from other departments—named rivals I'd face in the inter-departmental matches later.
5th, Macho's Pure Love: Lee Dae-ho.
But true to real-time, rankings shifted constantly.
Baek Sa-young would probably debut tomorrow and smash the top score, Cheon Seo-yun would climb soon too.
And Joo Ah-rin was tied up with direct team interviews for a while...
"...Wait. Around now..."
The thought trailed off, and I checked my phone.
Sure enough.
A text from an unknown number.
[How were today's classes, everyone? This is Roberto. The world's greatest...]
It was him.
The demon infiltrating the conversation club.
Using the month-long special lectures as an excuse to send group texts.
He'd play the friendly author for a bit, then show his true colors before long.
Asking one by one to model for his new work, luring them out.
Eventually targeting Joo Ah-rin as the sixth victim.
So for now, nothing for me to do.
He was approaching slow like a drizzle soaking clothes, so I needed to observe patiently too.
While bracing for any plot twists.
"First, the mission."
I shook off the thoughts with a deep breath.
Loosened up a bit, then hit the mission start button.
Grrr rumble.
The space shifted with a faint vibration.
Epic BGM swelled, injecting a weirdly immersive vibe.
This Virtual Mission Contest's challenge is 'Boss Extermination'.
Break through dozens of guards and take down the boss.
I smirked at the system's grim narration.
Sorry, but I lacked both the stamina and the inclination to punch through dozens of guards.
I'd just stay way back, make full use of the enhanced Skythread, and snipe the boss solo.
Perfect strategy for the task, right?