Chapter 431
Chapter 431
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 432
Chapter Title: Pico's Revelations
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"40,000 points, 2 causality points. Or a relic...
It felt pretty expensive for the information's value, but it was worth paying this much.
If I could just learn the day Cruas makes his move, I could focus all my power on it.
'...Hmm.'"
After some deliberation, I typed into the chat.
[Me: Got it. How do I pay the price?]
[Pico: What are you gonna give~?]
Points or causality points. Or a relic...
I'd decided what to offer the moment the proposal came.
[Me: A relic.]
After becoming the King of Demons, I'd stashed a few relics from my hideout in my subspace.
It was better to hand over some useless relic than spend points or causality points that money couldn't buy.
[Pico: Great! Just place the relic on your palm and show me a 'strong intention' to give it to me!]
"'Strong intention,' huh."
I immediately opened my subspace and checked inside.
What would be good?
The most useless relic I had right now...
"This'll do."
[Multicolored Mana Pencil (Relic)]
Description: Changes to the user's desired color for writing. The writing won't fade until the user dies.
It was small and light, so I'd pocketed it on a whim.
I'd brought it along as a novelty with its quirky function, but as you can see, I didn't really need it.
I placed the [Multicolored Mana Pencil] on my palm and infused it with a strong intention to give it to Pico.
That was when it happened.
Vwooom.
A pure white light burst from the [Multicolored Mana Pencil] and then—poof—it vanished.
A message popped up.
['Paid with a Relic' achievement unlocked.]
[Reward: 3,000 points acquired.]
"...Did it work?"
My smartphone chimed with a notification.
[Pico: Got it! So I just tell you the date of Cruas's descent, right?]
[Me: Yeah.]
[Pico: In 5 days, all the fate for Cruas's judge qualification will stack up. Probably that day?]
"'Probably that day?'"
I narrowed my eyes.
[Me: What? You don't know exactly?]
[Pico: How would I know that? I can't control Cruas's mind or anything.]
The sudden shift in tone left me briefly dumbfounded, but the info about 'all fate stacking in 5 days' was definitely valuable.
According to what Kasis had told me back then, Cruas would come for me the instant all the fates gathered.
"...In 5 days, then."
Tension rippled through my body.
It really felt like I had almost no time left.
I let out a small breath and asked something else nagging at me.
[Me: But how do you know stuff like that?]
[Pico: What do you mean?]
[Me: How do you know the day fate stacks up for Cruas?]
[Pico: What do you mean~?]
"...This guy's suddenly playing dumb."
To help it understand, I typed a longer message.
[Me: The info on Cruas you just told me. How do you know that?]
[Pico: What do you mean~?]
It had been acting human just moments ago, but now it was behaving like a regular 'chatbot.'
Feeling a bit exasperated, I typed again.
[Me: Pico?]
[Pico: Yeah! Sunwoo~ Oh right, did you know? It's supposed to snow later! Don't catch a cold! Peep peep!]
Now it was saying random nonsense.
It seemed like it was dodging my question.
After a moment's thought, I typed another message.
[Me: Can I ask one more thing?]
[Pico: Of course! Pico knows everything~ Hee hee!]
Finally responding properly.
Ignoring it, I threw out my next question.
[Me: Do you know what 'Outsider's Benefit' is?]
[Pico: 'Outsider' dictionary meaning: A person not belonging to any organization.]
[Pico: 'Benefit' dictionary meaning: Grace and favor combined.]
"Doing it again."
It wasn't clueless—it was deliberately dodging.
Stroking my chin, I decided to ask something else.
[Me: Do you know Kim Chang-hyun?]
[Pico: Who's that? A guy? Introduce me? Kyaa~!]
[Me: Kim Chang-hyun, the Meteor Clan survivor and magic academy graduate. Know him?]
[Pico: Of course! Pico knows everything!]
So it did know this.
[Me: Can you tell me his secret?]
[Pico: Need payment~ Hmm. 1 causality point and I'll spill!]
1 causality point...
That's easy enough to give.
But the price seemed suspiciously cheap, making me worry.
[Me: Got it. Take it.]
In that instant, a small light emanated from my body, and a message appeared before my eyes.
[1 causality point consumed.]
The reply came right away.
[Pico: (Whisper whisper) This is a huge secret... Kim Chang-hyun is actually a regressor!]
I furrowed my brow.
I already knew Kim Chang-hyun was a regressor.
[Me: I already knew that. Tell me another secret.]
[Pico: You knew? Hehe. My bad~~ Thanks for playing along.]
"...That's it?"
What about my causality point?!
Then another message arrived.
[Pico: Since you're pitiful, I'll throw in one more secret for free! I shouldn't, but special for you!]
...One more?
[Me: What secret?]
[Pico: Kim Chang-hyun has regressed more than twice!]
...
I stared blankly at the message.
It was completely unexpected.
I'd thought it might reveal his hidden ability or goal.
"...More than two regressions."
For reference, I've only regressed once.
So this life is my second round, but for him, it could be third round or beyond.
Come to think of it, in the dimensional observation of his previous life, he'd said something like that.
—This life's a bust.
"Now that I think about it, it makes sense."
His previous life...
That reminded me of entering the [World's Archive] to set the time period for 'Dimensional Observation.'
A black space reminiscent of outer space.
And in the air, the 'history of the world' divided into three parts.
"One was the history of the previous round... Another was this round's history...
And the remaining one.
There was another record I couldn't read at all.
Back then, I'd thought it was the history before I possessed this body, or maybe the next round...
"...No way that was the first world's line?"
My mind went blank for a moment.
So the world I'm living in now wasn't the second round, but the third, and there was a 'first world' I hadn't experienced.
I examined [Authority] again.
Dimensional Travel [Causality 3]
—Access the World's Archive to observe any timeline from dimensions you haven't experienced, once.
Now I finally understood this ability's true meaning.
It allowed observation of dimensions I hadn't experienced, like the 'first world.'
"But is this info even important?"
I get it—this world's the third round.
The question is whether it matters to me right now.
It's a past world I can't go back to or change anyway.
Aside from why I was summoned, it didn't mean much.
"Feels like there might be some hidden secret...
With that thought, I glanced back at the chat window.
This thing was more useful than I'd expected.
I typed another message.
[Me: Anything else on Kim Chang-hyun? Like his goal or something.]
[Pico: Hmm. 500,000 points and I'll tell you everything about Kim Chang-hyun!]
"...500,000? Forget it."
I clicked my tongue and put away my smartphone.
I had more questions, but the demands were getting steeper.
Letting out a short sigh, I leaned back on the sofa and lost myself in thought.
Every time I thought I knew a lot, new secrets I didn't know kept popping up.
Could I navigate this going forward?
"Sigh. Might as well check my abilities."
There was still plenty to look at in the [Special Limited Shop].
I scrolled through the list and checked the [Mysterious Proficiency Elixir]...
...And so three days passed.
[Kim Sun-woo's terrorism against Seoul City shows no signs of stopping. A week has passed, with casualties and injuries still at zero, but public criticism against the Association is intensifying.]
At the top floor of the Gochung Building.
Ha Ryeong stood silently, watching the news on TV.
Just as the King predicted, countless citizens had fled Seoul, and numerous wizards were gathering to capture the now-public enemy 'Kim Sun-woo.'
But ironically, the Association hadn't found even a trace of Kim Sun-woo.
His unique abilities were throwing off the investigation.
[Meanwhile, the 'Black Magical Beast' that shook the world last week has reappeared around China. It was suppressed early, but its sudden emergence has sparked anxious voices wondering if 'Cruas' is descending on Seoul, just as Kim Sun-woo prophesied.]
"...One day left, huh."
According to the King, Cruas would descend tomorrow.
To prepare, the King had vanished three days ago, asking her to come find him the day before.
Today was that day.
Beep.
Ha Ryeong turned off the TV and headed out.
She took the elevator down to her destination: 'The King's Room.'
But an unusual aura emanated from inside. Feeling puzzled, she slowly opened the door.
Shhh.
An intense mana aura spread out, as if to devour the surroundings.
The entire room was filled with thick mana.
Ha Ryeong stepped inside slowly, puzzled.
"...My King?"
She saw Kim Sun-woo's back. He was sitting on the floor, circulating mana.
But the aura was off. Different from usual, one might say.
At that moment, Kim Sun-woo seemed to hear her and stopped his mana circulation.
"You're here?"
At the King's call, Ha Ryeong bowed politely.
"One day remains until Cruas's warning, as Your Majesty said."
"...Has time passed that quickly already?"
Kim Sun-woo muttered and stood up.
Sweat dripped from his body onto the floor. Ha Ryeong stared blankly before speaking.
"...Your aura feels different."
"Does it?"
Kim Sun-woo wiped his sweat with a towel.
His attitude was the same as always, but his eyes brimmed with unmistakable confidence.
"Have you perhaps gained some enlightenment?"
Kim Sun-woo nodded.
"Enlightenment... Yeah. I have. A pretty important one."
As he muttered, he checked the message in front of him.
['Overimmersion' and 'Mysterious Proficiency Elixir' used to gain major enlightenment!]
['Pico's Advice' achievement unlocked.]
[Reward: 5,000 points acquired.]
['Mana Control Technique (A)' proficiency greatly increased!]
['Mana Control Technique' rank rises to S!]
[You can now manifest more precise and destructive magic!]
['S-Rank Wizard' achievement unlocked!]
[Reward: 20,000 points acquired.]