Chapter 124
Chapter 124
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 124
Chapter Title: The Regressed Extra Becomes a Genius
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It was the same sparkle as when he had discovered food in the convenience store bag last time.
Even with eyes, nose, and mouth attached, a tree was still a tree, huh.
Crouching down, I looked at Gretel. Gretel was still watching the broadcast with shining eyes.
A vast forest. A scene of nature.
As I blankly watched the documentary alongside her, a sudden thought crossed my mind: what if Gretel wanted to return to nature?
If Gretel wanted to go back to nature, what should I do?
Should I send her back to the wild? Or keep her by my side for the fruit?
An inexplicable guilt weighed on my heart.
Oblivious to my feelings, Gretel was focused on the documentary.
At that moment, an alarm rang on my smartphone.
Instinctively, I realized who it was from.
[What are you doing?]
As expected, it was Han Se-yeon.
She'd said she was busy lately. It seemed she had a brief moment of free time.
[Resting. What about you, Han Se-yeon?]
[I'm on a short break after working overtime, so I messaged because I was bored.]
That reply left me momentarily dazed.
Overtime.
It was past 10 p.m., yet she was impressive.
I'd seen her at the Association this morning, and she seemed busy from the start.
[It's already past 10. Aren't you pushing yourself too hard? What if you collapse from overwork?]
[There are pills everywhere here. If I collapse, I just take one. (Giggling emoticon)]
Her mindset was incredible. I felt not just respect, but even a touch of fear.
[Photo]
Then a photo arrived.
It was a scene from a vast, stark white room. It looked like a lab.
But it was completely empty of people, giving it an eerie feel.
[I'm alone here, and it feels like ghosts might come out.]
Her uncharacteristic whining made my fingers pause for a moment. After pondering what to reply, I sent something vague.
[Just go home then.]
[Seeing you joke around, you must be bored too? Come hang out if you're bored.]
[Not bored enough for that.]
[Tch. Still, it's nice to have a real conversation after so long. Lately, it's been all business talk, which has been depressing.]
I could sense mental strain in her messages. It made me feel sorry for her.
[I'll get back to work now.]
[Have a good day.]
[7,250,000,000 won has been deposited.]
Saturday.
The auction proceeds from the sword sale had hit my account.
From 8 billion, minus fees and taxes, it was 7.25 billion.
My total assets were now close to 11 billion. A huge sum pouring in all at once brought a natural smile to my face.
I needed to repay Han Se-yeon quickly too.
I packed Kim Jin-woo's clothes into my sub-space and said to Gretel,
“Gretel, you have to stay still in the bag.”
Gretel stared at me intently, then nodded.
I put Gretel in the bag. Since sub-spaces couldn't hold living beings, it was unavoidable.
I opened the door and stepped out of the dorm.
It was the weekend, but a busy day awaited me today as well.
As always, I needed to use the 'Victory Report' ability, and I had to buy the land I'd scouted in advance.
I decided to check the land first in Kim Jin-woo's form.
I took a gate to the destination.
Hwacheon, Gangwon Province.
Countless mountains came into view.
Clear air and thick natural mana filled the senses.
It looked like a great place to live with good air and natural mana, but it was a high-risk area teeming with high-rank monsters.
I had to be extra careful not to get hurt in any crises.
I opened the bag and took out Gretel.
As soon as she came out, Gretel's eyes sparkled. She looked happy to be in a natural environment.
“Like it?”
Gretel nodded vigorously.
I chuckled and said,
“Follow me carefully.”
I stepped forward.
Since the land I wanted to buy wasn't in a safe zone, there was no paved path—I had to trek a rugged mountain trail.
Along the way, I encountered monsters a few times.
[Lightning attribute proficiency has increased.]
['Blessing of the Great Nature' effect grants additional lightning attribute proficiency.]
“Whew.”
Of course, they were levels I could handle alone, so no real danger.
If anything, it helped with my lightning proficiency, which was a bonus.
I still couldn't wield it properly, but I wasn't startled by sudden sparks anymore.
“Training consistently paid off.”
My lightning attribute control had even surpassed 10%.
That was when it happened.
Tadak-tadak!
A monster charged rapidly from behind. As I hurriedly turned to counterattack, something unexpected startled me.
The wolf monster lunging at me had its leg bound by a tree vine rising from the ground.
— Yelp! Yelp!
With one leg trapped, the wolf barked at me.
I turned to Gretel.
Gretel had her hand on the ground, using mana.
“Jackpot.”
As expected of a summon, Gretel had abilities beyond just the fruit.
It was an auxiliary spell that summoned tree vines to bind the enemy's legs.
The leg-bound wolf struggled to break free from the vine. But the vine's strength was considerable—it only tightened harder around the thrashing wolf.
“...Impressive.”
— Yelp! Yelp!
Drooling, the wolf glared at me. The vine crept up toward its neck and squeezed.
Choked, the wolf's eyes rolled back, and soon it foamed at the mouth and collapsed.
The vine that had risen from the ground sank back into the earth and vanished.
['Cooperative Combat with Summon' achievement accomplished.]
[Reward: 3,000 points acquired.]
“Jackpot.”
I looked at Gretel.
Seeing the wolf collapse, Gretel lifted her hand from the ground.
“Gretel, good job.”
At my praise, Gretel smiled brightly. She seemed about to approach me, but then staggered and plopped down.
Probably because she wasn't used to using mana. She looked like she'd hit mana exhaustion.
“Come here.”
I extended my hand and lifted Gretel onto my palm.
Gretel's eyes drooped tiredly. Her head bobbed sleepily, and soon she fell asleep.
She must have overexerted her mana trying to protect me.
Still in her growth phase, her mana reserves were low. Her effort made me smile proudly.
Rediscovering Gretel.
I carefully placed her in the bag so she wouldn't fall or feel uncomfortable.
She was sleeping soundly, so I pulled clothes from the sub-space to cover her without waking her.
Then I resumed climbing the mountain.
“Whew.”
No paved hiking trail made the path rough, but my consistent physical training kept major dangers at bay.
Time flew by, and I soon reached my destination.
A vast plot atop a mountain peak.
This was the golden land where, in about two months, a dungeon brimming with enormous natural magic stones would emerge.
It was the land that would bring me immense wealth.
“It's bigger than I thought.”
Numerous trees and grasses dotted the area.
Being near the summit, no monsters were in sight.
A dungeon was great, but creating a rest area for Gretel nearby wouldn't be bad either.
This place was too far, so buying a nearby mountain section might work.
« Q 99
I'd have to think about this slowly.
One thing was clear: Gretel needed her own space.
Now that I'd seen the land, it was time to meet the owner.
I checked the documents I'd prepared in advance.
After finishing Saturday's schedule, I returned to the dorm.
I'd completed the land contract and taken down a villain to gain the Victory Report effect.
The land still had some procedures left, so it wasn't fully done.
But with the contract signed, it was basically over.
I quickly pulled Gretel out of the bag.
Emerging, she looked around curiously.
“You did well.”
At my words, Gretel looked up at me and waved both hands. As if saying I'd worked harder.
I smiled, sat down, and checked today's messages.
['Land Contract' achievement accomplished.]
[Reward: 3,000 points acquired.]
[Victory over the target!]
[Victory Report effect: Strength +0.4, Mana +0.4, Mana Control proficiency +2%, Lightning attribute proficiency +4%.]
[Karma increases by 0.1.]
Today's Victory Report was disappointing—no trait gained.
Still, the stat boosts and karma were satisfying enough.
My strength had grown considerably; I could now easily take down most B-Grade villains.
So, for faster growth, hunting A-Grade villains might be next.
My mana control was between B and A, but only for manifestation types.
Immodest as it sounds, I handled reinforcement, auxiliary, and other types decently too.
With Heart of Great Nature, Mana Elixir, and Battle Instinct combined, my overall combat prowess could rival A-Grade.
“A bit scary, though.”
I should meet Han Se-yeon soon. Most villain info I had was B and C-Grades, so I needed intel on new ones.
lost in such thoughts, I naturally turned on the TV.
「Around 5 p.m. Korean time, a terrorist attack occurred at the Mystery Museum in the UK, one of the world's top three museums. 25 dead, six items stolen.」
「Among the stolen items is the holy relic, 'God's Golden Key.' The World Wizards' Association suspects the terrorist group Jaun and is investigating.」
The TV was covering the terror attack.
Jaun was steadily progressing their plans by stealing holy relics today too.
It was a plot from the original story, but living in this world made such events feel incredibly real.
The top three museums had terror-proof systems with all sorts of magic tools.
“...Well.”
On second thought, Jaun succeeding in such high-difficulty terror wasn't strange.
In the future 'that incident' from the original—crucial despite its extreme difficulty—Jaun had massive success.
Then my smart student handbook chimed.
[Seonwoo~ What're you up to?]
It was the documentary PD.
Long time no contact.
[Just resting at home.]
[Ah. I've been hearing about your recent exploits, Seonwoo! So impressive, I felt proud.]
Straight to praising me.
The reason was obvious. Probably pushing for a sequel documentary.
I'd flatly refused her persistent requests last time, and here she was again.
[Seonwoo, have you given it any thought? The sequel doc.]
[Sorry, no interest in filming. Focusing on grades now.]
[I can edit it favorably. Yeah?]
“Persistent.”
[Anyway, sorry. Second semester's tough.]
[So third year would be okay...?]
Time flew in the blink of an eye. Three weeks passed.
Today was week 5 Monday of the second semester.
Just three weeks, but many changes around me.
First, Jaun hit two more overseas sites, stealing holy relics and artifacts.
Of course, it wasn't definitively proven as Jaun.
But the methods were very similar, so the Association was largely assuming it was them.
“Wah.”
And Gretel had grown a tiny bit larger.
The fruit on her branch head had doubled from day one, shifting from green to a reddish hue.
I figured it'd ripen fully soon.
With good care of her mood, the fruit's condition should be prime.
“Be good while I'm gone.”
I gave Gretel a small puzzle and headed out.
Gretel dove into solving it without even saying goodbye.
Outside, a slightly cool breeze blew.
The sweltering summer was ending.
My heat resistance helped me endure better than most, but I still felt it—just less.
So I welcomed the weather shift.
Cool fall over summer. Winter over summer, fall over winter, spring over fall.
Tastes vary, but that's mine.
Lost in sentiment on the morning walk to school, I bumped into a familiar face.
“Kim Seonwoo?”
A man with a bright smile.
It was Lee Seo-jun.
“Lee Seo-jun, early bird today?”
“Woke up early. Got a good morning workout, shower, breakfast, all that.”
He said, but faint fatigue showed in his eyes. Slight dark circles too.
Looked like he hadn't slept.
“Didn't sleep?”
“...What? How'd you know?”
“You look wiped. It's obvious.”
“Really? Sharp eyes.”
Lee Seo-jun gave a wistful smile.
“...Tch.”
From the looks of it, he'd tossed and turned over Jaun's recent terror news.