Chapter 79
Terminally Ill, but It's Okay — Episode 79
Honestly, I'd walked into the shop without expecting much.
As the owner had said, the armaments had already been verified two or three times and sorted by price range, so their condition was all more or less the same.
Besides, my main objective was Cheon Seo-yoon's Lightning Power, not picking out an armament for her.
So I'd planned to give everything a quick scan with Appraisal, find something halfway decent, and get out right away.
That was the plan, until we stepped into the warehouse-like space.......
['Greed' says a thick, musty smell of blood is wafting from the third display case.]
The smell of blood?
I quietly moved toward the back, to the armament Greed had mentioned.
I placed my hand on a longsword with a long, thin blade—rusty in places and shabby-looking—and activated Appraisal.
[Longsword of the Wolhwa Corps Deputy Leader]
[Grade: Common (Low)]
[Description: The cherished sword of Song Chae-young, deputy leader of the Wolhwa Corps, a women's martial organization that rose to prominence during the Goryeo period. Though its appearance is shabby, it reveals its true power when certain conditions are met.]
[Conditions]
-The mana of a female swordswoman of outstanding talent.
What the hell is this?
I was surprised, but I soon moved behind Cheon Seo-yoon as if nothing had happened.
And I thought it over.
That was a conditional armament.
It only revealed its true worth when specific conditions were met, and it seemed like the kind of information that couldn't be discovered even by scanning with a magic device called an Armament Discriminator.
If it had been, it wouldn't have been rotting away in a warehouse—it would have been displayed somewhere with an astronomical price tag.
Its true value was probably at least High (Low), and the conditions fit perfectly, making it an ideal Armament for Cheon Seo-yoon.
Appraisal and Greed's damn dog-like sense of smell had proven their worth.
[Greed says that calling it dog-like is a highly insulting remark.......]
Whatever.
Just in case, I asked Greed.
I asked whether there were any other armaments with an unusual feel.......
If there were, I'd buy one for myself.
Unfortunately, Greed shook its head from side to side.
"Excuse me."
I grabbed the owner, who clearly looked annoyed, and went through one more round of confirmation.
Cheon Seo-yoon must have found the whole thing uncomfortable, because she poked me in the side—
But I just smirked.
I was curious how that face, so full of complaints now, would change later.
Anyway, once the owner left, Cheon Seo-yoon began picking out an armament with a rather serious expression.
I also moved to a nearby display case and stalled for time, pretending to browse.
It would have looked suspicious to say I had found it immediately.
But then.
She went and picked up a longsword that looked shabby at a glance and started swinging it this way and that.
Watching Cheon Seo-yoon even drop a tissue onto the blade without hesitation, I found myself thinking the time was being wasted.
"At this rate, when's she ever going to pick one......."
Imagining her camping out there for at least two or three hours, I decided that plausibility and all that could go to hell and it'd be better to just tell her, so I called Cheon Seo-yoon over.
"You're lucky. Buy this one. It's the best thing in here."
"......"
At that, Cheon Seo-yoon clenched her fist with a crunch, then let out a deep sigh.
"...Ha. Can't you just wait outside? Bet or no bet, I'll buy you the meal."
"Look first, then talk."
Before Cheon Seo-yoon could go on, I tossed her the sword.
The sword spun through the air and landed in Cheon Seo-yoon's hand.
"The blade's already pretty damaged, so the repair costs would be more than....... Hm?"
Cheon Seo-yoon fell silent as the sword settled comfortably into her hand.
Then, as if by ingrained habit, she swung it once downward—whoosh—and once to the left and right—whoosh—
Her eyes gradually widened as she began swinging it this way and that.
Since she had a natural gift for sensing a sword, she'd noticed the difference even though its true value hadn't been revealed.
"Hey, put that away."
When Cheon Seo-yoon pulled out another tissue, I quickly stopped her and guided her to the next step.
"Try channeling your mana into it instead."
"Mana? Why mana? If I overdo it and the sword can't handle it......."
"Trust me and try. If it breaks, I'll buy you that sword."
"You promise?"
With a somewhat softened attitude, Cheon Seo-yoon hesitated, then soon closed her eyes.
As the mana manifested from her hand surged up along the blade, the Wolhwa Corps longsword soon crumbled away with a crackling sound.
"Ack, I told you it was dangerous...."
Cheon Seo-yoon flinched in surprise, but the sword's destruction was not the end—it was the beginning.
It was a precursor to its rebirth.
Then, as though new flesh were sprouting, a new blade grew, and Cheon Seo-yoon let out a truly bizarre groan.
"Ah. Uh. Ah...."
* * *
[Longsword of the Wolhwa Corps Deputy Leader]
[Grade: High (Low)]
[Description: A women's martial organization that rose to prominence during the Goryeo period.......]
[Conditions]
-Strike of Pursuit: Injects mana into an opponent cut by the sword. Can deal additional damage or plant a seed of pursuit without the target's knowledge.
As we walked out, leaving behind the owner's face contorted between red and blue, Cheon Seo-yoon grinned like an idiot.
"Hehe."
She cradled the longsword in her arms as if carrying a precious heirloom, staggering along with the happiest expression in the world.
So an obvious question slipped out of me before I knew it.
"You that happy?"
"Of course. I got something worth over a hundred million for just twenty million won. Heehee."
Cheon Seo-yoon smiled brightly, her mouth stretching from ear to ear, then seemed to realize something belatedly and continued in an embarrassed tone.
"...Ahem, anyway, thanks. It's all thanks to you."
"Thanks, nothing. You just got lucky."
"No. You don't know me, but I'm a really unlucky person.... No, well, anyway......."
Cheon Seo-yoon must have felt she'd said too much, because she pressed her lips shut, then hastily changed the subject.
"But seriously, how did you know this was a conditional Armament?"
Now I was the one in a bit of a bind.
After all, Appraisal and Greed were both secrets I could not talk about.
I thought for a moment, then made up whatever excuse came to mind.
"I just saw something similar in a book once."
"Ah....... Smart people really are different. Are you the type who remembers everything after seeing it once?"
"No, not exactly......."
But it was kind of like that.
Except it wasn't seeing and remembering—it was just touching something and having it memorized automatically.
"Let's eat lunch before we head back. My treat."
Cheon Seo-yoon grabbed my sleeve without warning.
I thought for a moment, then nodded.
It happened to be lunchtime, and I had unfinished business that needed a place to talk.
I looked around for a suitable spot and soon found a place with a pretty decent menu.
It was food I liked, and Cheon Seo-yoon—whose tastes even resembled Yoo So-young's—loved it enough to bolt upright from sleep for it.
Sundae gukbap.......
Maybe because I'd recently recalled a related memory, I couldn't resist the pull and asked Cheon Seo-yoon.
"How about gukbap?"
"G-gukbap? No, why would we eat that. Let's eat beef, beef...."
Cheon Seo-yoon insisted on treating me to something more expensive, but I ignored her.
We went into a restaurant that was shabby in a charming way.
Cheon Seo-yoon kept grumbling even after we'd ordered.
But when the gukbap arrived—hearty toppings piled high over a milky broth, with a savory aroma wafting up and looking delicious at a glance—she soon forgot her words.
She took a spoonful of broth, let out a satisfied "Ahh," and began eating in earnest.
She ate so heartily, just like someone else I knew.
I stared at her for just a moment.
Then I rummaged through my pocket and took out a neatly folded piece of paper.
"Take this."
"What is it?"
Cheon Seo-yoon popped a piece of radish kimchi into her mouth, then accepted the paper.
I continued as if it were no big deal.
"I had a chance to read a book related to Lightning Power... and thought it might help you. I wrote it down separately."
"......Lightning Power?"
"Yeah. I don't know what your situation is, but you only use pure mana. I thought that was a bit strange."
"What the hell, you......."
I'd worried she might push back because of her strong pride, but Cheon Seo-yoon was unexpectedly quiet.
When even the sound of her chewing the radish kimchi disappeared, the silence became quite uncomfortable.
Before it could get any more awkward, I opened my mouth again.
"Someone once told me you are not unlucky—happiness just has not found you yet."
"......."
"What's written on that paper is really valuable. Think of it as your second stroke of luck and work hard to master it."
Feeling embarrassed for no reason, I gulped down the cold water beside me.
But it wasn't just empty words meant to sound nice.
It was a truly precious asset to me.
I had personally adapted and written down the early part of Samjaegong.
This was because the principle behind manifesting Lightning Power was stillness within motion—it began with the composure to control rampaging energy.......
And in that sense, the early part of Samjaegong could be called a perfect alternative.
Samjaegong also began with complete internal observation and focus.
Although she wouldn't be able to accumulate mana without the middle and latter parts, it was still a sufficiently valuable gift.
It was especially well suited to Cheon Seo-yoon, whose temperament was particularly free-spirited.......
If she could master it well and apply it in real combat, she'd probably be able to release Lightning Power more easily.
"...Thanks. I'll give it a read."
Cheon Seo-yoon stuffed the paper away, her face slightly flushed.
Soon she dipped her spoon into the gukbap as if nothing had happened, then hesitated again....... and carefully asked me.
"But why are you suddenly being so nice to me?"
"What do you mean?"
"No, it's weird. Didn't you hate me?"
"That's......."
I thought about how to answer, then came up with an excuse that seemed at least somewhat convincing.
"......The debt from the necklace."
* * *
A night when an owl hooted mournfully.
Feeling much lighter, I lay down on the bed and connected to Gumanet.
I checked on the auction that was still in progress.
The starting prices were high, so I hadn't expected much.
Nameless Poet's Fountain Pen: 20,000,000 won.
Noble Lady's Necklace: 25,000,000 won.
Whoa.
The current highest bids had easily surpassed the starting prices. The number of participants was steadily increasing, too.
The combination of accessories that would attract the wealthy and matching bonus effects was turning into big profit—
"Guess I've been doing a lot of good deeds lately."
Things were going pretty well.
I smiled in satisfaction and quietly lifted my clothes to take a look.
There, wrapping my body with a comfortable fit, was something that was neither a tank top nor AirXism.
It was 0000's Chainmail.
I wouldn't know who 0000 was until the seal was released, but I'd bet they probably wore it even while sleeping.
Maybe because it wasn't ordinary metal, it was softer and lighter than cotton.
It felt like something I'd wear 365 days a year. For someone like me with weak defense, it was a perfect armament.
"Anyway."
With that, my support for the protagonists' growth was more or less finished for now.
Joo A-rin remained, but there was no need to help her separately.
Midterms were now only a week away.
Once I got through that hellish main episode, I'd naturally earn rewards related to the original work and be able to grow another level based on them.
"Maybe I should start preparing soon."
I connected to Green Window and began picking out a few items.
A burner, a portable gas stove, a sleeping bag, and.......
"What is with the tomahawk?"
I filled my cart with ingredients that looked delicious even at a glance.
In the midterms, survival itself was a competitive advantage.
I paid the nearly two million won in a single payment.
......And then.
[The Time Shop (Lv1) is now open.]
[The Time Shop is a special benefit granted only to those with the Limited Lifespan trait.]
[You can use time as currency to purchase various Armaments and stats.]
I opened the cheat key I'd been neglecting lately.