Sealing the Heavenly Punishment
"Huh...?"
[Gluttony (Glutton/)]
"Gluttony...!"
After absorbing the name of the brightest card, the name of the skill he had acquired caught his eye.
There was no need to read the description. The moment he held the card, the ability and its origin had already flooded into his mind.
But the joy quickly turned to confusion, and a thick layer of regret clung to him.
"No, why... is it this weak?"
It could only absorb up to the size of his waist, including both inorganic and organic matter. He immediately turned his gaze and reached for a pillow on the bed, about to activate the ability.
[Warning! Warning! Activating Gluttony in your current state will cause severe side effects!]
The words that had been about to leave the helper's throat in a frantic cry retreated in surprise.
"Whew. That was close."
> [Advice. Please regain your composure, Player Kim Shin. You are once again narrowing your vision and acting on impulse.]
At the helper's advice, he let out a sigh and calmed himself before continuing the explanation.
> [Your current mana is 0. In that state, the energy required to 'digest' and analyze what you absorb will be converted from your actual physical energy. Digesting and analyzing that pillow will require 10,000 kcal.]
"Ten thousand?!"
His eyes widened at the thought that a single pillow would cost that many calories. The helper continued explaining as he struggled to grasp the number.
> [Answer. Ten thousand calories is the baseline for consuming one type of food. You would need to eat 10–12 hamburger sets, 4 large pizzas, or 5–6 fried chickens.]
"....Crazy."
The most he had ever managed was one or two hamburger sets. This was on another level entirely.
It felt like the saying about a pearl necklace on a pig's neck. Even though he had the ability, the situation made it impossible to use. His hands itched with frustration, and he wanted to stamp his feet in irritation.
Suppressing the lingering regret, he took a deep breath, calmed his burning impatience, and turned his attention to the remaining cards.
"This is...? Inventory? Wait a second?"
It felt different from the item window. The sensation of having drawn a dud made him click his tongue. He checked the next one.
"Dimensional Storage. This one looks useful."
The total space was listed as 100x100x20. He was nodding at the description when the cards he had absorbed suddenly reappeared before his eyes. They began emitting an intense light instead of a faint glow and merged into one.
"Huh...?"
> [The camouflage of the Item Window, [Skill Inventory Dimensional Storage Gluttony] has reacted!]
> [It has achieved synergy with three abilities of similar nature!]
A window appeared before his eyes. He stared at it with his mouth slightly open, dumbfounded.
> [A new category has been created in Leisure Life!]
At the same time, the Leisure Life window appeared, and shining letters began to form as a new category was added.
Isolated Dimension
Several more windows popped up in rapid succession, but honestly, none of it really registered. Dimensions and such—he had no idea what it meant. He simply stared blankly until the helper spoke in a tone that could have been either a sigh or admiration.
> [...This is an absurd achievement. It is a space-type ■□ ability.]
"Huh? What did you say?"
When he asked again about the muted portion, the helper fell silent for a moment as if deliberating, then answered.
> [It is nothing. I simply said it is an extraordinary ability. In that case—]
He couldn't shake the feeling that something had been glossed over, but before he could dwell on it, he focused on the next explanation. It was described as a personal dimensional space or dimension that appeared in novels or healing stories.
Honestly, it wasn't a direct ability and didn't seem much different from the dimensional storage he had just seen. He nodded, thinking it was fine.
> [....]
"What now?"
Perhaps dissatisfied with his indifferent reaction, the air felt prickly despite the lack of a visible gaze. He rubbed the back of his neck, but the tension showed no sign of easing. Then, as if to rescue him, a system window appeared before his eyes.
Incredible achievement and luck! Points will be awarded after settlement.
"Points? How many will I get?"
> [Answer. The points to be awarded are expected to be substantial.]
"Ah. Really? When?"
The helper remained silent for a moment before answering his question.
> [Answer. My estimate is that they will be very high. However, I cannot confirm until the settlement is complete, so I recommend checking after it has been processed.]
He nodded at the somewhat dry response and turned to the two remaining cards he had yet to check.
Even the faintly glowing cards had produced this much. With a gaze full of admiration and anticipation, he looked at the card that shone differently from the rest.
Among the brightest card and the remaining faintly glowing one, he decided the best should be saved for last. He reached for the faintly glowing card first.
"....What is this?"
Skill: Imperturbability ()
(Acquisition conditions are locked)
(Acquisition hint available +)
"Hold on, what is this?"
He frowned at the lack of any information flowing in despite having acquired the skill. The helper spoke up.
> [Answer. It is a sealed skill. It is currently locked due to Player Kim Shin's low level.]
"Ah..."
He let out a sigh, like a child who had received a Lego set only to discover it was an advanced model even adults struggled with.
Before he could feel discouraged by the unreachable prize, he turned his head. The thought that the brightest card might be different crossed his mind, bringing a sense of unease to his chest.
As always, his bad premonitions were never wrong.
Trait: □□□□□ (■■■■■)
(Acquisition conditions are locked)
(Acquisition hint available +)
"Ah... Aah..!!"
Even though he had sensed something ominous, he had hoped it would be wrong. The fact that it was once again eerily accurate made him run both hands through his hair in irritation.
Imperturbability at least allowed some inference from its name, but this one had even the name hidden. He opened the acquisition hint just in case.
"....Put in the effort? Are you kidding me...?"
The mocking description only added fuel to the fire already burning in his chest, intensifying his frustration.
> [Answer. Additionally—]
> [You should not focus solely on raising system stats.]
The helper's words made his mind race. System. Status window. The clichés from other novels that the helper mentioned felt like fish bones stuck in his throat.
"Then you're just killing the system's strengths."
The helper responded firmly to his complaint-filled retort.
> [The choice belongs to Player Kim Shin.]
"...."
The tone, as if it expected nothing, made him slightly annoyed. He closed his eyes, swallowed it down, and turned his gaze away to avoid the conversation and check the remaining items.
"More tickets? Three of them? I'll leave these for now. First, this box and... is this a book?"
The highest-grade secret pill of the Shaolin Sect. If consumed by an ordinary person, they will enjoy a long, disease-free life.
For those with a suitable internal energy cultivation method, they will instantly gain one gapja (60 years) of internal energy depending on the level of their cultivation method.
"Oh!"
As soon as he read the description, he opened the palm-sized pill box. A refreshing scent of a bamboo forest filled the entire room, tickling his nose.
Inside were pills emitting a brilliant glow.
He stared at the pills, which gave off a faint golden hue that was hard to believe came from medicine, with eyes full of joy.
> [Compared to the synergy you obtained earlier, to react like this over such a low-grade pill...]
The helper's words, filled with disbelief, absurdity, and a hint of lingering resentment, made him snap.
"What...! Take it back! That last part!!"
As someone who enjoyed martial arts novels, he could not tolerate it. Martial arts always featured Shaolin, and to treat their greatest elixir so dismissively!
> [...Understood. Please look at the rest. Without an internal energy cultivation method, 99% of the pill's efficacy will be wasted anyway.]
The helper's tone was filled with resignation. He glared at the empty air in irritation, but the next words shocked him.
"...Really?"
> [Therefore, you must obtain a proper cultivation method, raise your mana to a certain level, and then consume it for maximum effect.]
At the helper's words, he looked at the Great Rejuvenation Pill with eyes full of regret before closing the box and storing it in his item window, removing it from sight.
Staring at it any longer would only make him feel worse. It was better to put it away in his current state.
The old book looked ancient at a glance. He examined it again with suspicion. Since it was written in Chinese characters, he picked up his phone to translate it, but a window appeared above it.
Mystic Heavenly Art ()
The more he read the following description, the more his heart raced.
It was the signature martial art from Breaker, his favorite webtoon among modern martial arts manhwa. He swallowed hard.
"Helper... Do I just need to read this to learn it?"
> [Answer. You can obtain the skill without reading it. However, I do not recommend doing so right now.]
"Why? You said I need a cultivation method to take the Great Rejuvenation Pill."
When he pointed out the contradiction with what had just been said, the helper replied.
> [Negative. It is correct that you should learn a cultivation method, but learning this one at your current stage would be useless.]
He waited for an explanation, puzzled by the helper's firm statement.
> [Of course, you can use it. There is a significant difference between using a cultivation method with the system's assistance and learning it directly. The lower limit is achievable with the system's help, but the upper limit is not. Therefore—]
To summarize the helper's explanation:
1. Being good at shooting guns in a game does not mean you are good at shooting real guns.
2. Learning this cultivation method now would be like trying to build a rocket engine without knowing addition or subtraction.
3. .....
"What do you mean by my current body condition?"
> [Answer. Although Player Kim Shin is currently in a suppressed state, you have a severe debuff.]
"Debuff?"
As if to resolve his question, the helper displayed a window.
□□□□ (■■■■) (Suppressed)
A heavenly punishment bestowed by the gods. It has been suppressed.
It poses no threat to your life. No threat to your life.
"....What is this?"
> [Answer. This debuff is the reason Player Kim Shin was extremely weak as a child.]
"....."
For a moment, he was dumbfounded. So that meant...
"The reason I quit boxing wasn't because I took too many hits to the head and accumulated damage. It was because of this damn heavenly punishment?"
> [Answer. Yes.]
Grind—!
He ground his teeth. He had no talent for studying. Soccer and taekwondo had also been beyond him. Yet even boxing, the one thing he had shown even a sliver of talent for, he had to quit because his body gave out.
Heat rose within him, and a pulling sensation at the back of his head made him slump down, leaning against the side of the bed. He closed his eyes and tried to calm himself.
Due to the sudden anger and stress, noise filled his vision even with his eyes closed, and a ringing tinnitus reached him. Beyond the noise, a hazy memory flashed by.
"Ha. So that's why I was always taking herbal medicine and strange pills when I was little."
A real childhood memory surfaced. At some point, they had moved houses, and the family's fortunes had gradually declined.
"Was it... because of me? If that's the case... it makes sense that Jiho and Suho held grudges."
He opened his eyes and stared blankly at the ceiling. Then he remembered the tickets he had set down earlier and spoke.
"So what's the best thing I can do with those? Raising skills won't help since I have no mana. Changing my appearance? That's just changing the outer shell, right?"
Self-critical thoughts naturally began to consume his mind. It was like when he had left home at twenty, running away. Everything had been dissatisfying back then.
The black emotions, thick and sticky like crude oil that was hard to scrape off, emotions he had thought had burned to ash long ago, began to encroach upon him once more.
Leisure Life? Fine. His stats had increased, and he had gained ridiculous abilities. But right now, what could he actually change—
Just as self-loathing was about to completely swallow him, a voice grabbed him by the nape and pulled him up.
> [Answer. Complete removal of the heavenly punishment is impossible. However, it is possible to go beyond suppression and seal it more firmly.]
The pessimism that had been consuming him like crude oil that would not fall came to a halt and dropped away with a splash.
> [Yes. Use the High-grade Appearance Change Ticket to completely change your current body. It is a ticket that even touches upon causality. Honestly, this ticket alone puts you in the top 1% of luck. Combined with everything else you have obtained, even calling it 0.01% would not be an exaggeration. Therefore—]
Do not be so harsh on yourself, Kim Shin.
It was a simple comfort. Friends and even an ex-girlfriend had said similar things to him several times before.
But the weight was different.
Those words, filled with conviction rather than mere comfort, made the foolish, pathetic, and utterly weak version of himself he had just been viewing from an objective standpoint feel embarrassing.
"Ah... Damn it...!"
He quickly ran his hands through his hair, shaking off the emotions clinging to him. Then he smiled and asked.
"Then let's do it. Explain it to me, Helper."
> [Understood.]
Thus, he cast away the sticky emotions that had been trying to cling to him and listened to the helper's explanation.
-
-
-
After hearing the helper's explanation, he used the High-grade Appearance Change Ticket. He had been customizing his appearance freely as instructed, but...
"...."
> [....]
The result was disastrous. His facial features looked as if they had been ground in a mortar, and his body proportions were so unbalanced that even a three-year-old's block tower would have looked more stable.
No matter how he adjusted it, the result only became uglier than his original face. Eventually, he slumped to the floor in despair and muttered.
"God. Character customization is really damn hard..."
The helper cautiously spoke to the despairing him.
> [Question... Shall I do it instead?]
"....Yeah. Show me the result first before you do it."
> [I will show you a confirmation image.]
He watched as various numerical values automatically adjusted rapidly. It was fascinating to see the figure being reshaped in real time, as if fast-forwarded.
After only a few minutes, the result appeared. He asked the helper in a trembling voice.
"Re... really... it can turn out like this?"
> [Answer. Yes. It will definitely turn out like this. However, the hair length will remain the same as the user's current length.]
At the helper's words, he stared at the figure that would soon be him.
A sharp face filled with confidence. He looked at least 8–9 cm taller than now.
Broad shoulders. Muscles visible even through the clothes that would not lose to anyone. He gazed at it, entranced.
> [Answer. Yes. It will definitely turn out like this. However, the hair length will remain the same as the user's current length.]
At the helper's words, he gritted his teeth with a trembling heart. The helper had said that if it were just a simple appearance change, the built-in pain-blocking and sleep functions of the High-grade Appearance Change Ticket could be used to skip the process.
However, to perform the measure of sealing the heavenly punishment, those resources could not be allocated.
The helper declared that the pain he had felt when raising his stats was merely child's play in comparison.
Even so, would he still go through with it?
Cold sweat ran down his back. The memory of the pain from just a few hours ago made his spine chill, and his body trembled naturally. Yet he gritted his teeth.
All he had to do was say the word to start, but his lips would not part. He bit them for no reason. Then, making up his mind, he stared at the empty wall and spoke.
"Let's begin."
> [Confirmed. In that case, please lie down comfortably on the bed, Player Kim Shin.]
The bed, only a few steps away, was the place that had always allowed him comfortable sleep.
But now it looked like a slaughterhouse filled with blood and flesh.
He closed his eyes again, took a deep breath, and before lying down, he bit down hard on a towel.
He went beyond simply biting it and wrapped tape tightly around his mouth as well.
After completely sealing his mouth, he thought to himself.
'Start.'
> [Confirmed. Then we will begin the High-grade Appearance Change.]
He bit down hard on the soft towel in his mouth and braced for the pain.
However, even as he closed his eyes and waited, the pain did not come. Just as he was beginning to feel puzzled—
His eyes flew open.
The dignified figure standing in the heavenly realm he had seen moments ago, everything, vanished from his mind.
A pain unlike anything he had ever experienced in his life engulfed his body.
His entire body convulsed as if he were an epilepsy patient. Tears streamed from his eyes. He wanted to scream and cry like a child, but with his mouth sealed by his own hand, he could not even let out a single scream to lessen the pain.
Someone had once said that the path to heaven is the path through hell.
He declared that was wrong. Why?
It was not the path to hell. It was being thrown into the middle of hell itself.
Before his eyes, hell unfolded upon his own body.
One second stretched into countless seconds.
Endure this? It was madness. He should not have done it. It had been suppressed anyway.
All sorts of regrets flooded in. Amid the pain, he blamed his past choices.
And soon, his vision went dark.
* * *
A silent room. Within it, the chilling sound of bones twisting echoed.
The helper watched it calmly and spoke in a mechanical voice.
> [Current progress: 3%. Estimated time: 8 hours.]
> [Simultaneously proceeding with the sealing of the heavenly punishment.]
Kim Shin lay on the bed, his body motionless like a corpse.
His bones and muscles writhed grotesquely, visible even through his clothes.
Something was constantly breaking and being remade.
> [Prediction. Without the heavenly punishment, this will be Player 'Kim Shin's' appearance after growth.]
With those words, the sound of breaking and tearing continued to echo in the room.