Chapter 108
Chapter 108
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 108
Chapter Title: The Ladle of Mystery
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Considering the future developments, this was an enormous gain.
It might even drastically reduce Jaun's influence, which posed a major threat in the mid-to-late game, thanks to this incident.
"But this is no joke."
I'd felt it during the last raid, but the skill I obtained this time—Rune's Binding—had incredible effects.
It was powerful enough to immobilize an S-Rank villain for a few seconds.
Of course, it had a few drawbacks.
First, the target had to be alone, and someone else needed to attack in my place while they were bound.
On top of that, the mana consumption was enormous—I could barely maintain it for about eight seconds even with the Heart of Great Nature activated.
Even accounting for that, I couldn't deny the sheer power of Rune's Binding. I'd used it to eliminate a key mid-to-late game villain ahead of schedule.
Still, using this skill too often wouldn't be wise.
Rune's Binding was, after all, a secret art of the Rune clan.
A survivor of the Rune clan—said to have been exterminated by Jaun—was scheduled to appear later.
Of course, there was still a long time until then. I had to graduate from school first.
I got home and checked my backlog of messages.
[You have been involved in the capture of S-Rank villain 'Teresa.']
[A major change in the story has been detected.]
[Karma increases by 1.4.]
[You have achieved the 'S-Rank Villain Capture' accomplishment.]
[You have obtained 8,000 points as a reward.]
[You have achieved the 'Justice Realized' accomplishment.]
[You have obtained 5,000 points as a reward.]
[You have achieved the 'Secret Hero' accomplishment.]
[You have obtained 3,000 points as a reward.]
As expected from resolving such a massive incident, the point earnings were substantial.
I cleared the backlog and turned on the TV.
「The perpetrator of this terrorist incident has been identified as Jaun, a terrorist organization operating worldwide. Jaun members are known to have stolen the sword of Jaun's former leader, Jin Cheon-woo, which was on display at the 'Night of the Pioneers' event, and fled. The Wizards' Association has dispatched investigators and begun their probe.」
The TV was covering today's events. Afterward, there was criticism of Han Se-jin, the host of the Night of the Pioneers.
Come to think of it, this incident had dealt Han Se-jin a bigger blow than in the original story.
In the original, Han Se-jin hadn't overextended with the Night of the Pioneers since he avoided the dungeon business.
This event must have hit him hard. I'd have to watch and see what butterfly effects it triggered.
"Alright, time to use what I got this time."
I pulled out the 'Hephaestus's Hammer' I'd acquired.
A hammer capable of restoring lost mystical power.
I'd already decided where to use it. It was the only item I had that I could utilize anyway.
The broken ladle from the British thrift shop.
［Broken Ladle (Relic)］
Description: A broken ladle. Repair it, and mystical power will dwell within once more.
"Hmm."
What kind of relic would it turn out to be?
Since it was a relic, it probably wouldn't be a dud.
I infused mana into Hephaestus's Hammer. A soft glow began to emanate from it.
Now, all I had to do was lightly tap the item I wanted to repair.
"Let's give it a shot."
A tense moment.
With careful movements, I tapped the hammer against the ladle.
Woooooong...
At the same time, a rippling light enveloped the ladle.
Soon, something miraculous happened.
The broken ladle's shape began to slowly change.
"Ooh."
Flash!
A blinding light erupted, and the hammer's glow faded.
[You have achieved the 'Relic Repair' accomplishment.]
[You have obtained 4,000 points as a reward.]
"...Did it work?"
［Ladle of Mystery (Relic)］
Description: A ladle that scoops mystery.
［Continuous Effect］
►Mystery Infusion
Infuse mana into the 'Ladle of Mystery' to contain one ability from an item. Transfer the contained ability to another item.
*Can be applied to an item a maximum of once.
*Can only be transferred between items of the same category.
*Cannot contain abilities of the same rank.
*Cannot transfer mystical powers from holy relics, relics, or S-Rank or higher.
*Cooldown: 30 days
Durability: B
"Oh?"
It turned out to be even more unique than I'd expected.
The Ladle of Mystery. Exactly as the name implied, it was an item that could transplant mystical powers from one item to another.
"A maximum of once per item..."
Reading the details, there were several other restrictions as well.
Probably limitations for balance.
It was a bit disappointing, but I didn't dwell on it.
Being able to add a new ability to an item was a huge advantage in itself.
I racked my brain for items worth transferring to, but nothing came to mind right away.
Due to the restriction that it could only transfer between items of the same category.
"Guess I'll have to hunt for some items."
With a 30-day cooldown, it was best to move quickly. Items could be bought anytime with enough money.
"The problem is..."
I had no money.
I'd bought a house and participated in auctions, blowing through most of my cash.
I had 5 billion left.
Sure, 5 billion was a lot.
Enough to buy A-Rank items, or even off-meta S-Rank ones.
The issue was that spending it now would severely limit my ability to grow my funds going forward.
"Sigh."
Money was always the problem.
Even if I made big bucks, as long as there were competitors moving even bigger sums than me, I'd always be short.
I'd felt that acutely during the recent underground auction.
Jaun had come with hundreds of billions, while I'd scraped together barely over ten billion.
If I'd had enough to buy the 'Mana Core,' Jaun probably would've had to give up either it or the Broken Black Sword.
The outcome would've been even better for me.
In the end, lack of money led to this result.
"I need to make some serious cash."
Not just tens of billions—I needed dozens of times that.
Stock trading like before had its limits.
No matter how hard an ant flew, it was still just an ant.
To handle bigger money, I had to break free from the ant's constraints.
A way to make more money than just trading stocks with future knowledge...
Considering time, probability, effort—the most stable option.
It didn't take long to decide. I'd been planning it for a few weeks.
But it required seed capital.
Which meant using the Ladle of Mystery would have to wait.
"...Or not."
I needed a change in perspective.
On second thought, using the Ladle of Mystery could let me make even bigger money.
If I created items with two abilities and sold them, I could rake in a fortune overnight.
That would give me the seed capital to execute my plan in one go.
A smile crept onto my lips.
"...I'll need more money."
Since I was making items anyway, using them on expensive ones would yield far better profits.
For that, I needed high-value items.
But 5 billion was a bit iffy.
I called Han Se-yeon out of the blue.
"Han Se-yeon."
—Jin-woo? Did you get home safe today?
Her sudden warm concern made me feel a little guilty.
"Ah, yes. I got home fine."
—That's a relief. I was worried because such a huge incident happened.
"Did you get home safe, Han Se-yeon?"
—Yes, they told us to stay in a safe place. Thanks to that, I was fine. The problem was the other people... Oh, so why'd you call?
She seemed to realize I had a specific purpose. That made it easier for me.
"I'd like to borrow some money."
—Money? How much?
"About 3 billion."
—...3 billion?
Had I been too brazen? I could hear the disbelief in her voice. I continued quickly.
"I'll pay it back with generous interest, no skimping."
—3 billion... Hmm. Okay, got it. No need for interest. It's late now, so is tomorrow alright?
Oh.
I'd been confident about borrowing, but figured I'd need some convincing.
She agreed more coolly than expected.
"Yes, please."
—But what are you using the 3 billion for?
"To make money."
—Money? Alright. I can trust you more than anyone else, Jin-woo.
"Yes. Thank you. I'll hang up then."
—W-Wait a sec!
Her sudden shout, uncharacteristic of her, puzzled me.
"Yes? Is there more?"
—...No. Let's have a meal sometime.
"Ah, is that all? Sure. I've always been treated, so I'll buy this time."
—Hehe. Okay. Looking forward to it.
"Yes. Hanging up now."
—Okay.
Click.
"Whew."
Seed capital secured.
Lee Seo-jun returned to his residence, the massive mansion.
It was the living space of his grandfather, Kim Jin-cheol, who had raised him since childhood.
Entering the mansion, he looked around—no sign of Kim Jin-cheol yet.
It was only natural, perhaps.
With a massive terrorist attack in Korea, the Wizards' Association president wouldn't have time to spare.
Lee Seo-jun walked alone through the empty grand living room and entered his room.
He flopped onto the bed and recalled the day's events.
The explosion, the dying people, Jaun's appearance.
And the mysterious binding magic that enabled the capture of one of Jaun's members.
So much had happened in a single day that Lee Seo-jun still couldn't shake it off.
Countless questions swirled in his mind.
Why had Jaun risked everything for the Broken Black Sword? Whose was that unidentified binding magic?
Lost in those tangled thoughts, he opened his smart student planner.
Connecting to the internet, he searched for Jaun. Articles popped up about the terrorist attack at the Night of the Pioneers, along with past crimes and atrocities.
There was even an internet cafe for Jaun's victims.
He could see posts filled with the pain and resentment of those who had lost family.
Now that Jaun had resumed activities, victims like them would only increase.
Staring at the screen, Lee Seo-jun thought to himself.
At this moment...
What could I possibly do?
...Nothing.
I was too powerless right now.
The world praised me as a genius, but in front of such ruthless criminals, I was nothing.
He'd felt that especially strongly today.
I needed to become stronger than I was now.
To protect my family, my friends—my precious people.
Just then, the internet window closed as a call came in.
It was a familiar name.
Lee Hyun-joo, his childhood friend who always supported him in tough times.
Jaun's group safely returned to their hideout.
Not their usual Seoul hideout, but a secret one in a cave somewhere in the mountains.
The reason they'd gathered here was simple.
A special treasure for experimenting with the 'Mana Core' they'd obtained was hidden here.
"Good work, everyone."
"Anybody hurt?"
"Me. Broke my arm fighting those Dawn Blade guys."
"Treated?"
"Of course."
"Tch. Weaklings. This is why you need to learn enhancement arts."
Ska muttered disdainfully at the injured member. Bert stepped forward and addressed the group.
"Gather round, everyone."
At Bert's words, the eight of them clustered together.
"You all know what happened to Teresa, right?"
The air grew heavy.
Even for these ruthless types, losing a close comrade was tragic.
"I heard. Sigh. Caught in a factory, they say. She was bragging she'd crush anyone there."
Ska grumbled in a depressed tone.
"So, is Teresa captured or dead?"
"No idea. But even if captured, the 'Blood Oath' we have ensures no betrayal. Nothing can break the coercive force in that oath."
"True, but..."
"Right, Baek Eun-seong. You really don't know who that bearded guy was?"
Jin turned to Baek Eun-seong and asked.
"Nope. How many wizards out there have beards anyway? And back in Incheon, that guy had his hat pulled low