Chapter 239
Chapter 239
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 240
Chapter Title: Surging Waves of Mana
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Endless waves of mana continued to pour in.
Swept up in those mana waves, I clenched my fists amid the agony, desperately trying not to lose consciousness.
Right before my eyes, a situation was unfolding that differed from both the original story and the futures I'd seen through spells.
I couldn't see the future.
And Jin Cheon-woo had succeeded.
It was a bewildering statement.
It sounded like Jaun had anticipated this exact scenario.
But I felt doubt.
The fact that I couldn't see the future was probably a change born from my intervention...
Was it possible to predict something like that?
Above all, it was hard to grasp the difference between Jin Cheon-woo having "returned" and having "succeeded."
Up until now, I'd thought "Jin Cheon-woo has returned" meant success.
That's when Natasha asked Bert.
"Bert, is it true that you couldn't see the future?"
Bert nodded instead of answering.
Her eyes trembled faintly, and a subtle smile played on her lips.
Seeing Bert like that, Natasha muttered with a dazed expression.
"...So that person really succeeded. I never even imagined it was possible."
"Everyone, listen up. From now on, we're scrapping all our previous plans."
At Bert's words, everyone in Jaun's group nodded with stern faces.
"The first thing we need to do is find that person's fourth journal, the one containing the truth."
The mana waves spreading out from Bert grew steadily stronger.
Lee Seo-jun beside me had already passed out following Daria.
I was struggling to stay conscious myself.
My entire body twisted in pain from the relentless trembling of the mana inside me.
As I writhed in torment, Bert's gaze turned to me.
She stared at me silently, then slowly walked over.
Unable to move, I lay sprawled on the ground.
"Maintaining your consciousness amid these mana waves... You're no ordinary person."
Bert approached and looked down at me as she spoke.
Then she pulled a small piece of paper from her pocket.
"This is my contact. Call me here if you need the second and third conditions of the blood oath."
Bert slipped the paper into my pocket.
"Nice meeting you. Let's see each other again soon."
Bert smiled, patted my shoulder, and returned to her comrades.
And just like that, Jaun departed, leaving behind a trail of unanswered questions.
There was no way to exit the virtual world on one's own, but since Berner had taken control of the Demon of Observation, escaping wouldn't have been difficult for them.
Meanwhile, inside Wigen, Association wizards and Wigen's security mages were undoubtedly tracking Berner and Jaun's group.
I lay flat on my back on the ground, staring up at the sky.
The endpoint of the Holy Martial Festival.
The 'Inner Sanctuary' was collapsing.
It was my first time seeing a virtual world crumble in real time, and it felt strangely fascinating.
I stared blankly at the ceiling, then recalled everything that had happened today.
The long Holy Martial Festival had finally come to an end.
So much had happened in so many ways.
I'd learned secrets of the world I hadn't known before, and unexpected twists had left me confused at times.
I wondered what events awaited me next...
Lost in thought alone like that, I activated External Aid.
[You have achieved the 'One-Sided Deal' accomplishment.]
[You have obtained 3,000 points as a reward.]
[A major change in the world has been detected.]
[Karma rises by 1.5.]
[Karma has reached 20.]
[One Authority is unlocked.]
Karma had finally surpassed 20. Gaining a new Authority was a bonus. I wondered what it would be this time.
［Authority］
Possibility Manipulation [Karma 20]
—You can temporarily manipulate the probability of certain events.
"...Possibility Manipulation?"
Just the name alone suggested it was no ordinary Authority.
Manipulating the probability of events.
Did that mean I could alter things like victory probability in a fight against someone?
I couldn't grasp the exact meaning, but like Dimensional Observation, it was an ability utterly impossible with ordinary magic—a true 'Authority.'
...Though with it costing 20 Karma, I wasn't sure when I'd actually get to use it.
"Ugh..."
That's when Lee Seo-jun regained consciousness, sat up, and clutched his head.
"You okay?"
At my question, Lee Seo-jun looked up at me. He grimaced in pain and opened his mouth.
"...Where's Jaun?"
"Gone."
"...I see. Are we still in the virtual world?"
I nodded.
"It's the virtual world, but we're on our way back to reality."
Lee Seo-jun glanced around at my response. He stared blankly at the crumbling world, then looked down at his hands.
He must have sensed the storm of mana raging through his body.
The mana waves from the [Mana Core] had likely dragged the vast reserves of mana dormant in his heart to the surface.
Even without my advice, Lee Seo-jun would figure out how to use and control the mana swirling inside him on his own.
And he'd grow several levels stronger than before.
That's when it happened.
Wooong!
The space behind us ripped open, and someone new appeared.
"Huh? Senior!"
It was Choi Seo-yoon. Behind her, Lily Rose looked around with a flustered expression.
I tilted my head as I looked at them.
Why were these two here together?
They'd had no connection in the original story.
"The test ended, but you didn't return to reality, so we kept going and ended up here."
As if reading my mind, Choi Seo-yoon smiled and explained.
"Ah."
I nodded.
"Ah! Right. Congrats on the win, sen—"
Choi Seo-yoon stopped mid-sentence.
She'd spotted Lee Seo-jun's pale face and the unconscious Daria.
Lily approached me and asked.
"...What happened here?"
"Yeah, Jaun attacked."
At my answer, bewilderment crossed Lily's face. Choi Seo-yoon looked much the same.
"...J-Jaun? That terrorist?!"
I nodded.
"You'll hear all about it automatically once we're back in reality."
As the virtual world's collapse finished, we returned to reality.
The real-world scenery after so long.
The first thing that caught my eye was the Demon of Observation facility.
The massive sphere that had once blazed with brilliant light now emitted none at all.
Proof that its lifespan had fully ended under the [Laws of the World].
Seeing it brought various thoughts to mind, but I shook them off quickly.
Either way, the Holy Martial Festival was over.
With Jaun's intrusion causing chaos, the Association and Wigen were too busy pursuing him to hold any lavish victory celebration.
...And so.
I finally returned to the dorm after so long.
"Nyaang!"
Opening the dorm door brought a familiar, welcoming voice I'd missed.
"Gretel!"
Overjoyed, I scooped Gretel up in my arms.
Stroking her prickly back brought a sense of calm to my heart.
"Did you behave?"
"Nyaang."
Gretel replied energetically. I chuckled and set her down.
Then I looked around.
I'd worried she might have messed up the room during my week away, but surprisingly, it was spotless.
No, the floor gleamed so much it seemed cleaner than when I'd left.
"Gretel, did you clean?"
Gretel nodded vigorously.
Seeing that, a wave of emotion swelled in my chest.
"Wow, so Gretel can clean on her own now?"
"Nyaang!"
"Aww, our little nyaang is so clever."
Gretel's intelligence was improving day by day.
She only made babyish nyaang sounds, but her actions showed she'd grown up long ago.
She even knew to share food. And now cleaning by herself.
How did she always pick the most endearing things to do?
At this rate, calling her a demon tree spirit felt wrong—she was more like a house fairy.
"Good job. How about some tasty treats later, Gretel?"
"Nyaang."
Gretel grinned happily in agreement.
"Yeah, play by yourself for a bit."
I stroked her back once more and sank into the sofa.
Sinking into the soft cushion, I closed my eyes for a moment before turning on the TV.
"Breaking news. Though the Holy Martial Festival has ended, the situation at Wigen remains gravely serious."
As expected, the TV was filled with Holy Martial Festival coverage.
The main topics were Jaun's intrusion into the virtual world and Wigen researcher 'Berner.'
"...The Association has begun pursuit. They currently speculate that Jaun did this to perform 'future observation.'"
After that, rumors swirled that the victory celebrations had been postponed indefinitely.
Since it was all information I already knew, I wasn't particularly surprised.
I lost interest in the news and lay back on the sofa.
"Hmm... Well, I never ended up using them."
[Owned Points: 142,000]
With the Holy Martial Festival victory and various fame points, my total had exceeded 140,000.
Enough to buy a decent S-Rank trait.
I'd planned to use them during the Festival tests, but luckily, everything resolved without spending any.
"...Might as well save up more."
It wouldn't hurt to aim for an SS-Rank trait soon.
I opened the point shop.
Browsing through, I confirmed a trait I'd had my eye on for a while.
［Moon's Blessing (SS)］
Category: Trait
Description: Blood of the yokai who guards the moon
［Continuous Effect］
►Moon's Embrace
On nights of a full moon, basking in moonlight multiplies all stats by 5x.
Price: 400,000
Needless to say.
The description was simple, but the trait was monstrous.
A 5x boost to all stats.
Even I couldn't predict how strong I'd become—5 times stronger, not to mention optimal usage.
Of course, it only activated on full moon nights.
Full moons came about once a month.
So no effect otherwise.
Even so, the reason I coveted this trait was simple.
Rather than vague growth from A or S-Rank traits, wouldn't it be better to handle things decisively once a month?
Especially since the Demon of Observation had warned that future events would come sooner.
But at our current growth levels, there were many incidents we couldn't resolve.
With this trait, couldn't I eliminate threats in advance?
...Even if the threat was 'Jaun.'
Above all, to face the disaster-class beast that killed Lee Seo-jun in the original—the evil dragon 'Cruas'—ordinary methods or mere growth wouldn't cut it.
I'd need to exploit loopholes like this to see even a sliver of hope.
"Hmm..."
Still, it was a tough call.
"...400,000 points."
Expensive.
400,000 could buy four S-Rank traits.
Of course, I could save up, but was it cost-effective? That gave me pause.
"...I'll think on it more."
Yeah, plenty of time.
As I closed the point shop, my smart student handbook chimed with a message.
I stared blankly at the name on the screen.
［Photo］
［Little bro's safely back. Thanks, it's all because of you.］
It was Daria.
Unlike her dark expression throughout the Festival, the photo showed her beaming brightly with her brother.
Judging by their clothes, it was just taken.
Jaun had promised to return her brother today, and he'd kept his word.
Guess he was too busy fleeing to renege. The blood oath must've scared him straight.
［Good to hear. Be careful so it doesn't happen again.］
I replied, and a response came right away.
［Yeah. Gotta. I'll bring him to Korea soon as thanks. Saying it again, really thanks.］
［Got it.］
After replying, I checked other messages.
A ton had piled up over the week.
Starting with Yoo Ah-yeon, Yoon Ha-young, Choi Il-hyun...
My smartphone had messages from Yang Tae-min about JWK company matters.
"Lots to do."
Oh, right— the note from Bert.
I pulled it from my pocket.
A long string of numbers. Likely for a special untraceable communication magic tool.
Sigh.
A sigh escaped me.
I'd cleared the big hurdle of the Holy Martial Festival, but mountains of tasks still awaited me.
Checking messages, one name caught my eye.
［Han Se-yeon］
She had quite a few piled up too.
I'd warned her I might be out of touch for a while, but she'd messaged out of boredom anyway.
"...Come to think of it, it's been a while."
We'd both been so busy.
We used to comfort each other over drinks when exhausted.
I smiled lightly and checked Hanse Group news.
「Chairman Han Dae-hyun continues bold moves despite health decline.」
It was time to think about the Han Dae-hyun issue I'd been putting off.