Chapter 429
Chapter 429
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 430
Chapter Title: Late Night
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Late at night.
Inside Ha-ryeong's building, I lay on the sofa, staring at the [Outsider's Benefit] message.
[Possessed Points: 532,500]
[Causality: 69.3]
Thanks to the various recent events,
A substantial amount of points and causality had piled up.
In just a week, I'd gained roughly 400,000 points and 10 causality.
It felt great earning so many points at once—practically like hitting the jackpot—but it left a bitter taste, too, knowing that no matter how hard you grind, you can't outdo a single act of showboating.
“……Well. Gotta think positive. 400,000 points ain't nothing to sneeze at.”
The time Cruas had promised was drawing near.
It was about time I started preparing something to counter that bastard.
Before checking the point shop, I looked at [Causality] first.
I didn't check causality often since it had no real use, but it had passed 50 and was nearing 70 now.
That left just 31 causality until [Deus Ex Machina], the ability I suspected was the key to returning to reality.
“Hmm……”
I stared blankly at the numbers before me, then checked the causality description again.
[Causality]
—Gained by resolving major events in the main story. The amount you earn increases based on your involvement and the changes to the story.
—Can be spent to use authorities.
Reading the causality description after so long.
In the past, I'd thought of this causality as just another form of currency, like points, for buying abilities.
But looking at it now, it felt entirely different.
It seemed to carry a nature similar to the "chaos" or "karma" the mysteries had spoken of to me.
“……So the more karma I rack up, the more causality builds?”
Hmm. Thinking of it that way made me realize just how much karma I'd accumulated.
It was true that I'd stirred up massive chaos in the world with all my meddling.
But I felt wronged, too.
I'd lived quietly in my previous life, only to regress—what was I supposed to do?
“……Damned if I do, damned if I don't. Sheesh. Tsk tsk.”
Muttering to myself like that, I turned my attention to [Authorities], the uses for causality.
[Authorities]
Deus Ex Machina [Causality Cost: 100] —Makes your desires come true.
Dimensional Observation [Causality Cost: 1] —Briefly observe all dimensions and timelines you've experienced.
Possibility Manipulation [Causality Cost: 2] —Temporarily manipulate the probability of certain events.
Dimensional Travel [Causality Cost: 3] —Access the world's archives to observe, once, any timeline from dimensions you haven't experienced.
“......Authorities.”
Excluding [Dimensional Observation], I hadn't tried two of them yet.
It was hard enough scraping together even 1 causality, let alone mustering the total of 50 needed for them.
Above all, I didn't want to waste causality needed for [Deus Ex Machina].
But with so much causality stacked up now, my eyes naturally drifted to those two unused authorities.
What would happen if I used them?
Possibility Manipulation…… Dimensional Observation…….
I turned my gaze to [Possibility Manipulation].
“Possibility Manipulation. This one really looks like something special.”
Just the name alone reeked of 'cheat ability'—as a former web novel veteran reader (regretting it now), my 'OP skill radar' was pinging hard.
Using this would surely trigger something massive.
Of course, being a one-time use, I couldn't just fire it off recklessly.
“……No. Snap out of it.”
With only 31 causality left until [Deus Ex Machina], I couldn't blow 2 on something like this.
Unless I was in some hopeless dead end with no other options.
I swiped away the [Authorities] window and opened the point shop.
That was when it happened.
[Ta-da~!]
[New Year's Special Event!]
[All abilities in the point shop are 15% off for one month!]
[Special limited items added for the lonely outsider!]
[Check them out now!]
I blankly read the message floating before me.
“……Limited items?”
[……Unbelievable. How can something like you exist?]
……The final chamber of the ruins shrouded in deep darkness.
The guardian statue's massive body was crumbling away. The statue looked down at the man before it, 'Kim Chang-hyun.'
[Product of chaos…… The world will take notice of you.]
Boom!
The statue vanished, kicking up a huge cloud of dust on the floor.
Kim Chang-hyun let out a short breath and walked to the altar holding the ruins' 'reward.'
“……Dimensional stone. Finally found one more. Six left now?”
Muttering to himself, Kim Chang-hyun picked up the 'stone' on the altar.
A purple stone imbued with mysterious mana.
As he infused it with a bit of mana, a straight beam of light shot from the stone toward the ruins' ceiling.
Rumble!
The light embedded in the ceiling, creating a small rift.
The rift led to pitch-black darkness where nothing was visible.
Kim Chang-hyun stared at it for a moment before cutting off the mana infusion.
At once, the light from the stone faded, and the 'rift' in the ceiling vanished.
“……Heh.”
Kim Chang-hyun gave a brief smile and exited the ruins.
Outside stretched a vast desert.
He gazed blankly at the landscape before shifting his eyes to the sky.
Deep night. Countless stars shone brightly amid the darkness.
Kim Chang-hyun's face took on a look of deep thought as he murmured softly.
“Chaos has descended upon the entire world. In this life, truly……”
That was when it happened.
Feeling a sudden presence, Kim Chang-hyun hardened his expression.
An ominous aura…… This was definitely the aura of 'that one'—the person his master had warned him dozens of times to avoid if encountered.
And soon, a man slowly emerged from the darkness before him.
“……How are you here?”
“I tracked your scent. Thought I might be too late, but luckily I wasn't.”
The man said that, then eyed the purple stone in Kim Chang-hyun's hand.
“That stone. A dimensional stone?”
Sensing the dire situation, Kim Chang-hyun poured all his mana into his legs.
He twisted his body to flee.
Right then.
....
Blue light mana enveloped Kim Chang-hyun's body at invisible speed.
Boom!
“Argh!”
Kim Chang-hyun's body was swept up in the impact and slammed into the ruins' entrance.
He barely managed a barrier for defense, but the attack had been too fast for a perfect block.
“Regressor. Tell me. What is your true goal?”
The man asked in a calm voice, as if Kim Chang-hyun's pain meant nothing.
Grimacing at the excruciating pain coursing through his body, Kim Chang-hyun glared at the man before him.
“……You know a lot, don't you.”
“Your master and I shared many secrets. So yeah, I know more than most.”
Kim Chang-hyun spat out the blood pooling in his mouth and slowly rose.
“……This is bad.”
He'd run into the one person he least wanted to meet.
Though the man kept a low profile and his fame wasn't widely known, he was a monster among the top three in the world……
Escaping was next to impossible.
“……Guess I have to kill you after all.”
“You? Kill me?”
The man let out a small laugh.
“……You're underestimating me. Looks like your master didn't tell you about me.”
“I was told to be more wary of you than Kim Jin-cheol……
Kim Chang-hyun trailed off, then opened his mouth again.
“Choi Il-hyun! You!”
Bang—
A blue magic spell materialized above Kim Chang-hyun's head and shot toward Choi Il-hyun at high speed.
As if anticipating it, Choi Il-hyun conjured a blue magic circle in his palm.
And then.
The spell he'd fired reflected straight back at Kim Chang-hyun.
Boom!
Sandstorms erupted across the desert.
Choi Il-hyun lowered his reflecting palm and immediately conjured countless magic orbs.
Bang!
The orbs shot rapidly toward Kim Chang-hyun.
Boom! Boom! Boooom!
“……Argh!”
Kim Chang-hyun's scream burst from the dust cloud.
Choi Il-hyun gave no openings.
With the opponent's full strength unknown, he couldn't afford to lose momentum now.
Releasing spells while charging forward, Choi Il-hyun closed the distance to Kim Chang-hyun.
“……Urgh!”
Kim Chang-hyun vomited blood, trying to block the approach, but there was a clear gap in speed.
Soon, Choi Il-hyun was right in his face. Kim Chang-hyun tried to counterattack but lacked the strength after taking so many spells.
In the end, Choi Il-hyun grabbed his throat and slammed a conjured orb into his gut with his other palm.
Boom!
“Guh!”
Kim Chang-hyun's body flew back from the impact, rolling across the ground.
Seeing that, Choi Il-hyun prepared a final, compressed orb strike with no mercy.
Boom!
In an instant, massive dust billowed up, obscuring Kim Chang-hyun's form.
Though visibility was blocked, the guy wasn't in any shape to counter, so Choi Il-hyun was certain of victory.
The dust slowly cleared, revealing Kim Chang-hyun's figure within.
And then.
Choi Il-hyun's eyes, steadfastly emotionless until now, trembled faintly.
“......What is that?”
A golden barrier enveloped Kim Chang-hyun's entire body.
The mana flow was anything but ordinary at first glance……
Choi Il-hyun knew the identity and secrets of that magic.
“……The Paeho Tribe's Golden Barrier?”
Noticing the situation turning strange, Choi Il-hyun asked.
“Kim Chang-hyun. How can you use that magic? You're supposed to be from the Meteor Tribe.”
The Paeho Tribe, exterminated in Ja-un's minority tribe purge.
And the magic now manifested before Kim Chang-hyun was their secret art.
Naturally, a minority tribe's magic required that tribe's blood to use.
Instead of answering, Kim Chang-hyun extended his palm toward Choi Il-hyun.
Woooom!
In that moment, countless magic circles rose from the ground where Choi Il-hyun stood.
Choi Il-hyun read the incantation within and hardened his expression.
“Tch!”
He infused mana into his feet and leaped high into the air.
At the same time, white light beams erupted from the magic circles toward him.
“……Even Rune Binding.”
Choi Il-hyun calmly fired magic orbs at the pursuing beams, deflecting the attacks.
But he couldn't block every endlessly tracking beam.
“……Then.”
Choi Il-hyun drew up more mana.
Soon, new light poured from above his head, summoning a blazing flame bird.
It was one of his abilities: spirit summoning.
Caaaaw!
The bird cried out loudly in the sky before diving at the light beams.
Right then.
The beams pursuing Choi Il-hyun reacted strangely to the bird's mana.
They began chasing the summon, infused with Choi Il-hyun's mana, instead.
Choi Il-hyun seized the opening.
He landed swiftly on the ground and infused mana into the rune binding's incantation, disrupting its circuits.
Woooong!
As a result, the magic circles vanished along with the light beams. It had all happened in less than 3 seconds.
Feeling incredulous, Kim Chang-hyun muttered.
“……Impressive. Dodging Rune Binding with summoning, of all things.”
Choi Il-hyun took a short breath and turned his gaze to Kim Chang-hyun.
“……Kim Chang-hyun. I'll ask again. How can you use magic from other minority tribes?”
At Choi Il-hyun's question, Kim Chang-hyun stared silently before speaking.
“How?”
Soon, he gave a chilling smile.
“Because the blood of 25 minority tribe members flows in my body. Thanks to that one's experiments.”