Chapter 7: Using the Privilege
Chapter 7: Using the Privilege
How much time had passed?
“……”
When I managed to open my eyes, the gray brick of the Summoning Room came into view. Thankfully, it seemed the time for the Rite of Passage had not yet arrived. Feeling like I would fall fast asleep if I closed my eyes again, I grunted and lifted my head.
As expected, pre-confirmation messages were floating in the air. Though I was still lying down, I could read them without much trouble. I let my head rest on the floor again and began to read.
『You have received a massive internal shock that your body cannot handle. Your Stamina has been permanently reduced by 10 points.』
『Congratulations. All waste and impurities within your body have been burned away. Vitality flows, and the circulation of magic power has greatly improved. Stamina permanently increases by 2 points, and Magic Power permanently increases by 6 points.』
『The Ever-Burning Flame. The Eternal Flame has settled in your heart. Your current synchronization rate with the Eternal Flame is 100%.』
I was reading through them blankly when the message about my Stamina stat dropping jolted me awake as if I’d been doused with cold water. As I read the subsequent messages, biting my lip, Seraph’s voice flowed into my ear.
“User Kim Soohyun. Are you awake? Is your body alright? User Kim Soohyun!”
My hearing was back, at least. The voice kept interrupting my thoughts, and I was about to snap back that she should already know the state of my body.
“—. —. —.”
What the? Why is it just a wheezing sound…
My voice wouldn’t come out. No, a sound came out, but it was just a hoarse rasp. My throat was completely shot. Frustrated, I tried to speak again, but only the sound of escaping air emerged.
In the end, I had no choice but to wait for my body to recover.
I let out a deep sigh and called up my Player Status window. I decided to examine it now that it reflected the privilege, until I had recovered to some extent.
〈Player Status〉
1. Name: Kim Soohyun (Year 0 User)
2. Class: Sword Specialist (Secret, Sword Specialist, Master)
3. Nation: -
4. Clan: -
5. True Name · Nationality: One Who Needs to Prove Their Qualification, Prospective User · Republic of Korea
6. Sex: Male (23)
7. Height · Weight: 181.5cm · 75.5kg
8. Alignment: Lawful · Chaos
(Before) [Strength 94] [Durability 92] [Agility 98] [Stamina 78] [Magic Power 90] [Luck 88]
(After) [Strength 94] [Durability 92] [Agility 98] [Stamina 70] [Magic Power 96] [Luck 88]
(Remaining stat points: 0)
〈Achievements (0)〉
〈Unique Ability (1/1)〉
1. Third Eye (Rank: S Zero)
(Description: Third Eye transcends the ordinary concept of sight and belongs to an unconventional category. It can be described as an ‘unseen eye’ linked to the user’s intuition. Going beyond simply ‘seeing,’ it grants higher-dimensional insight into every phenomenon occurring in the present. It should originally be capable of examining phenomena beyond the present, but because an unknown force awakened it rather than the user’s own training or enlightenment, it received a 2-rank penalty. However, the pure fire essence held by the Eternal Flame restored 1 rank. In effect, nothing in the present can deceive User Kim Soohyun’s eyes.)
〈Special Ability (1/1)〉
1. Unity of Sword and Self (Rank: EX)
The highest state of swordsmanship, in which the person becomes the sword and the sword becomes the person. The moment you hold a sword, every action involving it receives an additional positive bonus. Although you have grasped the sword’s ultimate limits, you have not yet reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship. However, due to years of seasoned experience, numerous achievements, and class correction, it has received a 2-rank boost.
〈Latent Abilities (4/4)〉
1. Close-Quarters Combat (Rank: A Plus)
(Description: For one who wields close-combat weapons, this ability has already surpassed ordinary limits. At this stage, you have reached the highest level of growth a human can attain, beyond mere combat technique. You will never be forced back in close-quarters combat. Due to years of seasoned experience and class correction, it has received a 1-rank boost.)
2. Unyielding (Rank: A Plus)
(Description: You do not know how to give up a fight. You do not accept defeat. Such willpower allows you to continue fighting even when suffering near-fatal injuries. Combat is still possible even after receiving a decisive, critical wound, but the combat power maintenance effect is reduced accordingly.)
3. Mind’s Eye (Stillness) (Rank: A Plus)
(Description: The mind’s eye sees not a target’s outward appearance but their inner nature. It refers to the ability to introspect, observe all things, or perceive phenomena with a similar effect. A mind disciplined to its limit can maintain its composure even under mental contamination magic of S-rank or lower.)
4. Blessing of the Battlefield (Rank: EX)
(Description: The blessing of Athena, the goddess of the battlefield who protects peace. It activates only on a battlefield and grants the grace available to a soldier fighting there. The blessed User gains a field of vision broad enough to encompass the entire battlefield and can immediately locate allies in danger. Furthermore, because the blessing is imbued with divinity, it unconditionally reduces damage from magical effects even outside the battlefield. (This is calculated based on the ability’s rank and the user’s Luck stat.)
Although User Kim Soohyun’s Luck stat is only respectable, the blessing has reached its highest level. It therefore grants a partial defense check against magical effects 1 rank above the calculated value and a reduced defense check even against effects 2 ranks above it.)
(Remaining ability points: 0)
After reading through my Player Status, I felt a mix of awe and disappointment. The randomly acquired Close-Quarters Combat and Unyielding were out of my control, but they weren't bad abilities, and their ranks were decent. Besides, wasn't it better to have familiar abilities I'd used before?
The one problem that exceeded my expectations—and made me burst out laughing—was the drop in my Stamina stat. Stamina was the pillar that supported all other stats.
70 points of Stamina. I could still produce the output I originally intended, but the fact that my Stamina was only 70 points was certainly a problem to consider. To use an analogy, it was like a car. The design specs were outstanding, but the engine's durability was extremely unstable. If the engine overheated, there was a risk of having to retire or even of it exploding. In the end, Seraph's prediction and mine were each half-right.
Worries about my Stamina kept circling in my head, but there was nothing I could do about it for now. I couldn't guarantee how many points I could gather in the future, but I had to scrape together as many as possible to secure some spare points.
I may be a Year 0 User, but I brought back my ten-year body… It’ll be hard to raise it through training.
It was a problem I couldn't solve right now anyway. I pushed the complicated thoughts to the back of my mind and decided to focus on recovering my body for the time being. Seraph's glare was getting more and more intense. Then again, my abilities were already dazzlingly brilliant; wanting more might just be greedy.
……. ……. ……. ……. ……. …….
How much time had passed? It felt like about 20 minutes, but I wanted to know the exact time. Of course, Seraph would keep track for me, but we had both fallen silent after I received all the privileges. The conversation had been cut off. Resigned to whatever happened, I closed my eyes.
As time slowly passed, my body began to cool down. Not that I was dying; it was simply the sensation of the heat raised by the Eternal Flame draining away. As the heat filling my insides diminished, my physical senses seemed to return to normal.
I had checked my entire Player Status window. For the remaining time, I calmly turned my awareness inward.
There was certainly a drawback. But I was alive, so in a way, the plan was a success. But the harder the ordeal, the greater the reward, and what awaited me after clearing this hurdle was immense. In particular, all the waste and impurities that had been spread throughout my body were completely eliminated, and all my blocked energy channels were cleared.
That wasn't all. An unexpected gain was that even the minute energy channels at the tips of my fingers and toes, which magic power had never reached before, were now wide open. My vitality was circulating faster than before, and the speed and efficiency of my magic power flow had risen far beyond those of my previous body. Considering that in a battle between users of the same level, the slightest difference can decide the victor, it was as if I had gained several hidden trump cards.
“Hoo.”
Feeling my senses return to some degree, I sent magic power to every corner of my body. It flowed smoothly to the tips of my fingers and toes. Gaining confidence from this, I gently moved my right arm and realized my body felt much lighter than before. Of course, my joints still ached and throbbed, but it was far better than when I had lost all sensation.
Finally, with a grunt, I pushed myself up. I raised my head and stared straight at Seraph. She, too, showed little reaction and watched me quietly with a calm gaze. My clothes were in a state that was embarrassing to even call rags, but I didn't feel particularly ashamed. After all, the woman before me was an angel, someone I couldn't see as a member of the opposite sex.
I shrugged once, then tapped my left wrist with my right hand, a gesture asking for the time.
“It is time to enter the Rite of Passage. Please prepare.”
Seraph’s voice was cold and dry. She was clearly angry. In that moment, the image of her anxiously stamping her feet while looking at me flashed through my mind.
…
I decided to leave it at that. I had no desire to get into a pointless argument. I had already gotten everything I wanted, after all.
“I’m ready. Send me.”
“User Kim Soohyun. Is your body truly alright?”
“Yeah. Not bad.”
“…Then I will transport you immediately. We are short on time, so I recommend you act as quickly as possible once you enter the preparation room.”
“Yes, yes.” At my half-hearted reply, Seraph furrowed her elegant brow. But soon, she raised a slender finger and flicked it lightly.
Snap!
With the sound of her fingers snapping, my body began to fade. It was as if I were being erased by an eraser.
“If I may offer one piece of advice, you must never let your guard down, no matter when or where. I hope you pass the Rite of Passage safely so that we may meet again. I wish you the best in your fight, User Kim Soohyun.”
“Seraph, you must never nag any further. I hope you’ll keep your mouth shut next time we meet.”
Whirr, whirrr.
The moment I retorted with a bit of sarcasm, I heard a familiar mechanical sound. Unfazed, I looked down and saw that my body, starting from my legs, was already more than two-thirds faded. Watching it, I slowly closed my eyes.
A new start after ten years. From now on, a new future would unfold. The future that was to come, the future I would pioneer. A future where no one was lost and no one despaired, a future that I, Kim Soohyun, would change. As I thought of that, for some reason, my heart swelled with emotion.