Chapter 115
Chapter 115
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 115
Chapter Title: Aporia and the Immortal Demon Tree Gretel
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He gave me a suspicious look at my rude attitude. But there was a reason for me treating him this way.
Master Craftsman Yang Taemin.
The owner of "Shincheol Workshop," which would bring massive change and revolution to the world of wizard equipment.
In three years, he would craft the world's first SS-Rank weapon.
And that weapon's owner would be Lee Seojun.
An endless darkness where nothing was visible.
Bound in mana restraints that blocked all sensation, Teresa was being taken somewhere.
The only thing she could tell was one.
The floor was shaking.
That alone let her vaguely realize she was aboard a ship, not on land.
Her destination was a secretive little island unknown to the world.
As the ship drew near the island, a massive barrier blocked their approach.
At that moment, one of the Association's wizards infused mana into the "key" to the barrier he held.
The barrier reacted to the key's mana, creating a small gap for the ship to pass through.
The ship kept moving. Before long, they reached land.
Teresa couldn't sense anything, but when her feet touched solid ground, she realized they had arrived.
During the process, she felt her heart pounding.
The Association members led her to a massive building.
This island was Aporia, the special magic prison that held international Level 6 or higher magic criminals.
Teresa walked straight through the interior of Aporia.
She had no idea how long she walked.
But after quite a long time, she vaguely sensed that this place was structured like a complex maze.
She arrived at a certain room.
Her arms and legs were bound, and she was laid down on something hard.
At that point, some object drew near her heart. A powerful mana burst forth. With it, she felt intense pain in her heart.
The heart pain vanished quickly.
Teresa realized what had just happened to her.
The "source of mana" in her heart was gone.
Thanks to the holy relic, the Source Destroyer, she had become a body that could never wield mana again for the rest of her life.
She felt a profound emptiness.
She felt people's hands on her again. Someone led her body somewhere.
Thud!
A door opened. The worst prison that no one in the world had ever escaped, a tiny birdcage.
Soon, her arms and legs were bound.
The restraint covering her entire face was removed.
Sounds reached her, and her vision returned. In front of her eyes was Kim Deokhyeon.
"Teresa. This is the first time seeing your real face."
At Kim Deokhyeon's call, Teresa quietly smiled.
Her face, now free of disguise, was covered in freckles.
"Heh. Way scarier than I thought."
"You know where this is, right?"
"Aporia."
"Correct. It's where they keep Level 6 criminals like you. A place that suits lunatics like you perfectly."
Kim Deokhyeon stared at her face for a moment before speaking again.
"You can't even die if you want to now. You'll suffer here forever until you wither away and die of old age."
Teresa grinned.
"Looking forward to it."
"This is your last chance at mercy. An opportunity to end your own life."
An opportunity to end her own life.
Teresa understood what Kim Deokhyeon meant.
Spill Jaun's information and commit suicide with a blood oath.
Her mana source was gone, but the blood oath was still in effect.
Ptooey.
Teresa spat.
"Get lost."
"That's too bad."
Kim Deokhyeon shook his head and refitted the restraint over her face.
Late at night.
Back home, I checked the auction items again.
Fortunately, since the auction items weren't canceled, there was no financial loss.
Though I did waste this afternoon.
Still, it wasn't just a loss.
Because I'd met Yang Taemin—who would rise to become a major character from the mid-story—much earlier than expected.
I never imagined that man was Yang Taemin.
Before my regression, the Yang Taemin I'd seen in photos had a bushy beard.
His talents hadn't fully bloomed yet, but in the near future, he would grow into a top-tier craftsman.
Building a connection with him ahead of time would surely be a huge help.
[Shincheol Workshop CEO Yang Taemin]
I saved the number from Yang Taemin's business card.
I'd contact him again before the year ended. He'd be a key client in my plans, so I had to treat him well.
"Now, time to finish unsealing this."
I sat in front of the sealed box on my desk.
The seal had loosened quite a bit already. With luck, I could fully break it today.
"Hup!"
I poured in mana. The complex mana formulas had become familiar over time, speeding up the unsealing process.
About two hours later.
A flash of light burst before my eyes.
[You have achieved the 'A-Rank Seal Breaking' accomplishment.]
[You have obtained 5,000 points as a reward.]
"Got it!"
I'd finally unsealed it. An A-Rank sealing spell on a box, no less.
What incredible item required an A-Rank seal?
I was getting excited.
"Ah, this is thrilling. If it's an S-Rank sword, jackpot."
Even selling it cheap would net 10 billion. That would cover all the underground auction losses and expenses.
"Let's open it."
Full of excitement and anticipation, I opened the box.
Creak.
Inside were two items.
A round orb and a paper covered in magic formulas.
"An orb and paper?"
Elixir and enchantment scroll?
I activated External Observer's Benefit.
[Shinamdan (A)]
Classification: Elixir
Description: Increases summoning energy upon consumption.
[Demon World Summoning Contract (A)]
Description: Uses summoning energy to contract with a summon.
Elixir and summoning contract?
A completely unexpected reward.
This... seems summoning-related.
Upon closer inspection, these two items were definitely tied to summoning.
And likely one branch of summoning: contract summoning.
"Hmm."
Summoning generally uses two methods to call summons.
One is spirit summoning, creating a lifeform based on mana and attributes.
The other is contract summoning, borrowing the power of an actual existing summon.
Spirit summoning is a summoning spell based on the summoner's mana power and summoning energy.
Think of it as infusing your mana with will to create "living mana with a will."
Of course, turning mana into a living creature isn't something anyone can do.
Like support magic, it's the highest-level technique, possible only for those innately talented in this field.
About 80% of wizards who specialize in summoning are born with this "will creation" ability.
But not only the innately gifted can use summoning.
By using contract summoning instead of spirit summoning, even those without the gift can wield summoning magic.
Contract summoning is simple.
Summon a monster via the contract scroll and contract it.
It's so straightforward that first-year summoning classes focus mostly on this.
The school provides contract scrolls for bottom-tier monsters like slimes.
That said, not just anyone can do contract summoning. The summoner's level and compatibility with the summon must align to some degree.
"Summoning, huh."
An unexpected dilemma.
On second thought, learning some summoning magic wouldn't be bad.
If you raise a summon well, it's like gaining a reliable ally.
Plus, unlike spirit summoning, contract magic reflects less of the user's abilities.
You don't need to invest tons of time in summoning magic; a well-raised summon can grow plenty.
Of course, contract summoning has drawbacks.
It consumes enormous mana to maintain the summon, and if the summon dies, all your efforts go to waste.
That's why so few summoning wizards use contract summoning as their main specialty.
"Alright, I'll use it."
I'd been interested in summoning for a while anyway, so why not dip my toe in?
I could learn contract summoning separately or acquire it via traits.
"What to do first."
I rubbed my chin, pondering.
I did take basic summoning classes in first year, but I possessed this body starting second year.
In other words, I had little knowledge of summoning.
"Guess I'll eat the elixir first."
That seemed best.
I swallowed the Shinamdan in one gulp.
As with elixirs, the taste was mediocre.
Not that taste matters; you're not eating it for that.
[Summons energy has increased.]
[The probability of a summoned beast feeling affinity toward you during contract summoning has risen.]
[Due to the adaptive trait 'Elixir Amplification,' you gain additional summoning energy.]
"Did it work?"
I checked my body. No major changes.
I felt some new energy, but nothing hugely noticeable.
"Hmm."
Time to try the ritual.
I spread the summoning contract on the floor.
From memory, infuse mana into the contract, then apply blood.
I got right to it.
Infusing mana made the text on the contract glow blue.
I used magic to nick my hand and smeared blood.
[The contract absorbs your summoning energy.]
A voice echoed in my head.
It was the "will of mana" contained in the contract.
[Searching for contractable summons using your summoning energy.]
[You may select one of three summons.]
One of three?
At that moment, mana text choices appeared before my eyes.
[Confirming contractable summons.]
[Select one.]
1. Demon World Beastkin Archer Arin
2. Perfectly Bewitching Succubus Lilia
3. Immortal Hell Demon Tree Gretel
"What the..."
Seeing the choices, my heart started pounding.
It was the dream selection everyone fantasizes about at least once.
"Is this for real?"
I rubbed my eyes and looked again. It was real. No dream.
"Jackpot."
A romance anyone would dream of at least once.
Who in the world could pass this by pretending not to see?
I never thought it'd happen to me.
"...No choice but this one."
No matter how I thought, only this.
The name alone stood out.
[You have selected 'Immortal Hell Demon Tree Gretel.']
Immortal Hell Demon Tree, seriously.
"...The name alone makes it sound insanely strong."
Hell beast.
First thing that comes to mind is Cerberus, the myth's guardian of hell's gates.
Even if not Cerberus, his siblings like Hydra or Chimera—hell has tons of beasts.
If a mythic monster appeared, it could give massive advantages going forward.
Of course, "Gretel" sounded unfamiliar, so probably not mythic, but as a hell beast, it'd be huge for close combat, right?
Wonder what monster it'd be.
Then, intense light poured from the summoning magic circle.
The summon appearing now?
Whoooosh....
Flash!
[Contract summoning successful.]
[You have achieved the 'First Steps in Summoning' accomplishment.]
[You have obtained 3,000 points as a reward.]
[You have achieved the 'Rare Species Contract' accomplishment.]
[You have obtained 3,000 points as a reward.]
"Oh! Oh! ...Ooooh?"
I blinked. It was completely different from what I expected.
Demon tree... well, it was a demon tree as named, but a bit off.
I'd thought "beast" (獸), like a hell beast.
But "tree" (樹) wasn't the beast I thought.
?
Right now, in front of me was a hand-sized little tree. Of course, not a normal tree.
It had eyes, nose, mouth. And arms and legs.
"What is this."
The tree looked up at me with big, sparkling eyes.
No leaves on its head, giving an eerie newborn-baby vibe. Was this the uncanny valley or something?