The Holy Body Pellet

Jin-soo held to the mark of 22 hours, 22 minutes, and 22 seconds and tore through the Tower as far as Floor 19. There was only one problem.

It's barely climbing at all.

Since the blessing had grown on Floor 12, it had risen only once more by the time he reached Floor 19. His ordinary active and passive skills had climbed to level 22, and the option effects weren't bad — but the blessing's growth had slowed to a crawl.

I kept earning titles, clearing hidden dungeons, and leveling up. I didn't think it would be this slow.

From Floor 12 to Floor 19 he had climbed seven floors in all. His stats had not grown in the slightest. Only the levels of his shared skills had risen.

So the first time really is what matters?

The first time he had climbed while keeping to 22 hours, 22 minutes, and 22 seconds, the blessing had surged. After that its growth had slowed by degrees, until Floor 12, where it all but stopped.

Even if I keep the Law of Two, does repeating the same act just stop working?

Items had been the same. At first, equipping two identical items made the blessing grow. Not anymore.

It hasn't grown even once.

Maybe the items' levels were too low. Maybe duplicates simply did nothing. Maybe the blessing now demanded far more experience. There was no way to tell. He had thought he understood the blessing well, and still what he didn't know outweighed what he did.

It can't be doing nothing.

With that thought, Jin-soo cleared Floor 19 and stepped onto Floor 20.

And in that instant—

The blessing had grown.

Reaching Floor 20 made a real difference.

A smile spread across Jin-soo's mouth.

What went up this time?

He looked over the changes.

Insane.

Jin-soo's mouth fell open.

I can lock the level of two equipped items at 22?

He truly had not seen this coming.

Could something like this work, too?

He fixed the Ring of Revival at level 22, then slipped it off his finger.

Doesn't work.

The moment it left his finger, the Ring of Revival dropped back to its original level.

Figures. If that worked, there would have been no need to specify equipped items — or to cap the number at two.

Keeping an item's level after unequipping it would be no different from a gold-duplication bug. Of course it didn't work.

I can't activate another stack, either.

Even while it sat unequipped, the blessing stack he had spent on the Ring of Revival remained consumed.

So whether I wear it or take it off, the stack cost is the same.

He put the Ring of Revival back on, and its level became 22 again.

Don't tell me that once I choose an item to lock, I can never change it.

Two items for now. Later, that number might grow.

It hardly matters at the moment. But the higher the level I can fix, the more careful I'll have to be.

Locking something at level 22 meant little. Even level 122 would be the same. But if, as with his stats, the day came when he could fix an item at level 922? He would have to spend the blessing's option only on items worth using for the long haul.

For blessing-exclusive skills, the only thing I can lock is Status Window Switch.

Only natural. It was the sole blessing-exclusive skill he had.

Will more of them appear later?

He hoped so. He couldn't be sure.

The stacks and cooldown on Status Window Switch changed.

Stacks had jumped from 2 to 8, and the cooldown had plunged from 22 hours to 6.

This one's a field floor.

Jin-soo looked over Floor 20, then set out to earn titles and clear hidden dungeons. As before, he broke through Floor 20 at the mark of 22 hours, 22 minutes, and 22 seconds, and arrived on Floor 21.

No change.

He had half hoped the blessing might grow once more. Nothing.

Still, a lot of experience must have piled up.

He cleared the titles and hidden dungeons Floor 21 had to offer, then moved on to Floor 22.

In that moment, the blessing grew twice.

So it's because this is Floor 22.

A bright smile broke across Jin-soo's face. He didn't even need to open the blessing's information. He could feel his stats rising on their own.

Finally. Still, I should check.

He called up the blessing.

Jackpot.

He had gained increases to magic-skill attack and magic-skill defense, and on top of that the boosts to Strength and Vitality had grown from 12.2% to 22.2%.

If the blessing grows once more, the increases to the remaining stats should rise too.

Jin-soo hurried on, cleared ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the titles and hidden dungeons, and climbed to Floor 23.

Didn't rise.

This time the blessing did not grow.

It still can't be doing nothing.

He kept the rule of 22 hours, 22 minutes, and 22 seconds and climbed without a break. Through Floor 24, Floor 25, Floor 26, Floor 27, and Floor 28, the blessing never grew.

This is far too slow.

Frowning, Jin-soo stepped onto Floor 29.

Only then did it grow.

From ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Floor 20 to Floor 29, four times. That's all.

One of those had been on Floor 20. Two had been on Floor 22.

So the first time really is what matters?

The greatest gains had come the first time he reached Floor 20, and when he reached Floor 22, where the two was doubled. And after that? From Floor 23 through Floor 29, even though he was still keeping to the rule of two, the growth was nothing like as fast.

Let's try Floor 32.

If the blessing grew the instant he set foot there, it would mean his guess was right — that even among the same twos, it was the first two that pushed the blessing's growth the furthest.

But where on earth is that thing?

Jin-soo knew more about the Tower than anyone living. Even so, his memories of the hidden dungeons on the lower floors were hazy, and fainter still when he had only heard of them from someone else rather than walked them himself.

I think I heard it came from a hidden dungeon before Floor 50.

The elixir known as the Demon Spirit Divine Pill.

Spirit elixirs usually raised a stat for good. Most of what he had received as hidden-dungeon rewards so far were of that kind.

The problem is, those elixirs are completely useless to me.

Eat one, and the blessing kept his stats from changing. All he would be doing was wasting an elixir he could have sold for a fortune. The Demon Spirit Divine Pill was different.

It isn't an elixir that raises stats.

It widened the mana circuits themselves — the channels through which mana flowed.

Widen those alone, and the amount of mana I can draw up at once jumps.

His combat power would shoot straight up with it.

Not that he had neglected the work. Ever since entering the Tower he had circulated his mana without rest, bent on expanding the circuits. The efficiency was miserable.

I didn't miss it. It'll turn up eventually.

The Demon Spirit Divine Pill was far rarer than any elixir that merely raised a stat.

There are practically no listings for it, even at the auction house.

And if one did appear, the price climbed without a ceiling — a winning bid so high that even Players working the Tower's middle and upper floors hesitated to pay it.

I'll have it. No matter what.

Resolved, Jin-soo set out to clear titles and hidden dungeons.

"Kiiiik!"

"Kyaaaauk!"

The monsters were swept away in an instant, and another hidden dungeon fell with them.

Another miss?

Jin-soo frowned down at the clear reward, an elixir that permanently raised the Mana stat. If not for the blessing, he would have been delighted. A proper jackpot. It raised Mana by a full 30, after all. To him, it was nothing but a feast he could never eat.

I'll put it up at the auction house later.

He dropped the elixir into his pouch.

It's all points, so that's something. But...

The Demon Spirit Divine Pill he was after refused to appear, and the restlessness crept in.

I've got time to spare. I should search more carefully.

With that, he set himself to using what time remained as efficiently as he could.

So this was here too?

He had found one more hidden dungeon. Unfortunately, the clear reward was not the Demon Spirit Divine Pill.

Must be an elixir that raises Vitality.

Thinking so, Jin-soo drew his sword.

"Kruk! Kruk!"

"Graaaaagh!"

The orcs burst into furious roars and charged him.

No orc warriors.

Only ordinary orcs were coming at him.

Finish it fast.

Shaaaak!

Jin-soo swung. A blood-red heat haze bloomed in the blade's wake.

Thuck! Shlick!

"Graaaak!"

Orcs stronger than goblins were carved apart in an instant.

Gear really is everything.

Drawing up mana to reinforce a sword and cut monsters down without the help of a skill burned far too much mana to be efficient. The Blood-Sucking Sword was different. On little mana, it cut far harder.

Almost as if a passive skill were running.

Shwaaaaa!

The Blood-Sucking Sword drank the blood of the dead.

Crack!

"Graaaak!"

Jin-soo cut the last orc's breath short.

The Holy Body Pellet was given to Jin-soo, who had finished the mission.

Huh?

He had meant only to see how much Vitality it raised, then drop the pellet into his pouch. His eyes went wide.

This isn't an elixir that raises stats.

Transforms the body to suit holy-affinity classes? What does that even mean?

Before his regression he had eaten elixirs beyond counting. Never once had he heard of one that changed a body to suit a specific affinity.

Did I not know because I was dark-affinity?

It was true that Jin-soo knew relatively little about holy-affinity classes and items. Even so, he could not possibly have failed to know that the Holy Body Pellet existed at all.

And if there's a Holy Body Pellet, that means there's a Dark Body Pellet too.

Holy and dark were two faces of one coin. There was no such thing as an elixir or an item that was outstandingly good on only one side.

But is it all right for me to take it?

Jin-soo held both a holy-affinity class and a dark-affinity class. If he ate the Holy Body Pellet and his body became suited to the holy side—

When I use Status Window Switch and my class turns dark, won't that cause a problem?

The worry made him hesitate.

It doesn't say the dark affinity takes a penalty. I'll switch to the holy status window first, then take it.

If the thing ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠could harm his body, the system would have added another line — that dark-affinity classes could not ingest it, or that ingestion was not recommended. Trusting the message, Jin-soo switched his status window and tipped the Holy Body Pellet into his mouth.

Prepare for pain? What does that—

The moment the question formed—

Krrrk. Krack.

Muscle and bone wrenched out of true.

Damn it.

Muscle tearing, bone breaking — an enormous pain slammed through Jin-soo's skull.

"Nngh—!"

He clenched his molars and endured.

Crack. Crack. Krack.

For a long while, in the empty dungeon, the sound of muscle and bone twisting and warping went on and on.