Chapter 450
Chapter 450
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 451
Chapter Title: Return from the Boundary
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At the same time, a warm green light poured out, and the life force contained within began to spread.
It was an enormous life force.
The fatigue accumulated in my body from the battle with the Great Spirit was instantly restored, and the pure white snow piled up around us began to slowly melt.
[The seal containing life force has been released.]
[Strong life force infuses your body.]
[Stamina recovery speed permanently increases significantly.]
The dazzling light floating before me gradually faded. And shortly after, the reward hidden within the magic circle revealed itself.
After subjugating the Great Spirit of the Snowy Mountains, we returned to the village.
The villagers had already realized the Great Spirit had been defeated upon seeing the changed landscape of the snowy mountains, and they welcomed our return with great fervor.
A festive atmosphere continued for a while.
For them, the spirit that had been a long-standing headache was now completely gone, so they couldn't contain their joy.
...And so time passed.
Late at night after all the festivities ended, I slipped out of the village quietly to sort through my complicated thoughts.
"...Hoo."
As I let out a short breath, a small puff of vapor formed in the early morning chill.
I sat blankly on the ground, thinking about the remaining schedule.
Having achieved the goal of subjugating the Great Spirit, the only task left for me was to return to the world of the living.
According to Kim Jung-hee, the remaining time was about four months...
After spending nearly two years here, I felt an inexplicable sense of relief mixed with reluctance.
"...What should I do first when I get back."
It was something I'd been pondering for a while.
Was it right to reunite immediately with the main characters, including Lee Seo-jun?
Or should I hide my resurrection and target Ja-un and Kim Chang-hyun, who were scheming in the shadows?
Honestly, I had no idea.
In the past, joining Lee Seo-jun right away would have been the right choice, but the world had changed so much due to my interventions.
Relying on my original story knowledge could even become poison.
[Me: What do you think will happen if the world finds out I'm alive?]
I asked Pico out of curiosity.
As always, a reply came in less than a second.
[Pico: Who knows~ Some will be happy, others wary~ Sus!]
I couldn't help but chuckle at the response.
It was a case of asking a foolish question and getting a foolish answer.
Then I reread the last part of the message.
"People who are wary, huh..."
If it became known that I was alive, Ja-un would likely heighten his vigilance and act more cautiously.
He'd suffered so much at my hands, and there was deep resentment too.
"I guess I should stay quiet and lure them into complacency..."
Ja-un had been monitoring everything related to Lee Seo-jun, who was Jin Cheon-woo's blood kin, for a long time.
It might be better to quietly target their backs rather than clumsily approaching Lee Seo-jun and raising their guards.
"...Sigh. I don't know."
I cleared my complicated thoughts and lay down flat on the meadow.
The densely clustered stars twinkling in the black sky came into view.
"Pretty."
As I stared at them blankly, I suddenly recalled the rewards from subjugating the Great Spirit of the Snowy Mountains.
I'd been too busy and distracted to check them.
I sat up and examined the trait obtained through the victory report.
［Ruler of the Boundary (S)］
Category: Trait
Description: Ruler of the Boundary, summons the Great Spirit of the Snowy Mountains.
［Usage Effect］
►Ruler of the Boundary
Consumes a large amount of mana to summon the Ruler of the Boundary, the Great Spirit of the Snowy Mountains.
The power of the Great Spirit of the Snowy Mountains is proportional to the summoner's magic power, and the summon is released if mana runs out.
Cooldown: 60 days
"...Wow, damn."
I almost swore without thinking.
I'd had some expectations since it was an S-rank trait, but this was far more monstrous than I'd imagined.
"I can summon the Great Spirit of the Snowy Mountains?"
Though I'd defeated it easily thanks to the Reversal's Grace, the Great Spirit of the Snowy Mountains possessed power comparable to a disaster-grade beast.
To be able to summon such a being. It was an absurd cheat ability.
"...The one flaw is that it's S-rank."
If it could summon the Great Spirit in its full form, it probably wouldn't have been rated S-rank.
It would easily qualify for SSS-rank, given how cheat-like it was.
"Looks like it's been nerfed in various ways."
Obvious without checking.
Probably extreme mana consumption, or the spirit's power is less than half—or even weaker. There must be plenty of restrictions.
"...Still, better than nothing. I'll have to be satisfied with this."
With that thought, I pulled out the two items obtained from subjugating the Great Spirit of the Snowy Mountains.
One was a small seed glowing with a faint green light.
The other was a necklace infused with cold chill.
I checked the seed first.
［Seed of the Origin (Sacred Relic)］
Category: Seed
Description: A seed containing the power of the origin.
［Continuous Effect］
►Power of the Origin
Activates immediately upon possession.
All recovery speeds increase by 500%.
Potential increases by 50%.
Luck increases.
Mental strength increases.
All attribute resistances increase by 50%.
All stats increase by 10%.
Magic control efficiency increases by 20%.
Easier to gain favor from spirits.
"...Hmm."
As expected of a sacred relic, it had a variety of effects.
Individually, the boosts weren't that high, but the sheer number made it feel special.
Plus, it emanated a holy power befitting a sacred relic.
"Now I need to use this to create the Holy Grail."
I didn't know the exact effects of the Holy Grail.
But I knew it was powerful enough to perform 'miracles' like resurrecting the dead.
With the Cup of Life and the Seed of the Origin in hand, I had the key materials for the Holy Grail.
The problem was how to craft it.
I'd figure that out slowly after leaving.
I stored the Seed of the Origin in my subspace and checked the next item, the necklace embedded with a transparent ice shard.
［Blessing of the Snowy Mountains Great Spirit (S)］
Category: Necklace
Description: A necklace containing the blessing of the Snowy Mountains Great Spirit.
［Continuous Effect］
►Blessing of the Ice Spirit
Depending on the grade of Ice Attribute Control, all stats and recovery speeds increase from 5% to a maximum of 40%.
It was another reward besides the main one from subjugating the Snowy Mountains Great Spirit.
Calling it a sub-reward was underselling it, as it was an S-rank item that could outshine main rewards from most dungeons or ruins.
"...Hmm."
Theoretically, the effect was incredible.
A 40% increase to all stats.
And it was always active—an absurd cheat item.
The downside was that the effect depended on Ice Attribute Control grade, making it largely meaningless to me.
"I should give this to Yoon Ha-young or Choi Seo-yoon."
And if choosing between them, Choi Seo-yoon seemed better.
Yoon Ha-young leaned more toward Demon Extermination than ice attributes, so Choi Seo-yoon's grade was probably higher.
I tried equipping the necklace right away. Along with a chill, a faint new power flowed in.
[Receiving the effect of Blessing of the Ice Spirit.]
[All stats and recovery speeds increase by 5%.]
"Oh... It's better than I thought?"
With my already high base stats, even 5% was noticeably felt.
"...Maybe I could just use it myself."
Hmm. Suddenly torn.
December, the last month of the year.
At the Antarctic research base where investigation teams from various countries searching for Jin Cheon-woo had gathered, Lee Seo-jun was walking through the frozen ancient ruins.
For reference, this was one of the ancient ruins reportedly conquered by Kim Chang-hyun in Antarctica.
"Formula found here too."
Lee Seo-jun stopped at Shin Young-jun's words from beside him.
Turning his head, there was indeed a complex formula inscribed on the wall, just as Shin Young-jun said.
Shin Young-jun snapped a photo of it and asked Lee Seo-jun.
"Deciphered it?"
"Yeah. Seems to be about the existence of prophecy."
Over nearly two years, Lee Seo-jun had steadily continued studying formulas.
With his exceptional genius, though difficult, he had mastered interpretation faster than others.
"Prophecy? Wasn't that in the last ruins too?"
"Yeah. I've felt it for a while, but these ruins—here and elsewhere—have a lot about prophecies or the future."
At Lee Seo-jun's words, Shin Young-jun fell into thought.
"Prophecy, huh..."
Then a small voice came from behind them.
"...If prophecy really exists, who decides it?"
The owner of the voice was Choi Seo-yoon, the new agent who had joined this year.
And at her question, Lee Seo-jun sank into a new doubt.
"...Someone decides the prophecy? Never thought of it that way."
It seemed trivial, but it was worth pondering.
The existence of prophecy had already been proven by numerous occult scholars.
But who issued it and how remained completely unknown.
"Yeah? Who issues prophecies? Gods?"
Shin Young-jun also tilted his head, sensing something odd.
Yu Ah-ra and Yoon Ha-young too fell into unexpected contemplation.
But no answer came.
Those with prophecy abilities had always been reticent about it since long ago.
Then Shin Young-jun said.
"Maybe they read the world's flow and deduce the most likely answer?"
"Prophecies are highly accurate. Not something you get from mere deduction."
They had already experienced the terror of prophecy once.
Starting from 'Kim Sun-woo's death,' which was about to reach its second cycle.
"Then gods issue prophecies? Those with prophecy abilities communicate with gods?"
As Shin Young-jun muttered, Yoon Ha-young spoke up.
"Before that, do gods even exist?"
"Who knows. Academia is divided on it."
Everyone fell silent at the sudden question.
It was a question anyone could easily consider, but strangely, no occult scholar had ever raised it before.
Then Choi Seo-yoon said.
"...If gods issue prophecies, does that mean our future is already decided?"
---
At that moment, a chill swept over their bodies from somewhere.
It wasn't mana from monsters or the ruins. More like akin to mysterious power.
Everyone wore confused expressions at the unfamiliar phenomenon.
"...What was that just now?"
Having achieved the goal of 'Great Spirit Subjugation' in the Boundary world, I spent the remaining time on various trainings and developing new techniques.
Kim Jung-hee steadily taught me support magic, and with my [Formula Comprehension] reaching S-rank, I absorbed his teachings faster than before.
My overall abilities grew rapidly.
Even excluding traits and skills from the point shop, I equipped new spells through Kim Jung-hee.
...And then four months passed again.
The long-awaited 'final day' in the Boundary arrived.
"...So this day has come after all."
Early evening as the sun slowly set.
Gazing at the gradually darkening sky, I recalled the past two years.
I'd met so many people and gone through so many events.
Through it all, I'd grown and gained confidence to handle future incidents.
It wasn't wasted time.
Of course, parting with people I'd grown attached to brought some regret, but I had things to do.
"Kim Sun-woo."
As I stared at the sky lost in thought.
A familiar voice came from behind.
Turning around, there stood Jung Min-ha, the first connection I'd made in the Boundary.
Her face, looking up at me, held deep reluctance.
"You're leaving today, right?"
"Yeah, pretty much."
"...I see."
Jung Min-ha pouted her lips and pulled something from her bosom, handing it to me.
"Take this. A gift."
"A gift?"
I took the item she offered.
It was a long cylindrical handle shaped like a flashlight.
［Mana Light Sword (Relic)］
Category: Sword
Description: Inject mana to manifest sword aura. Sword aura strength proportional to user's magic power.
What the heck.
It was none other than a relic.
An extremely rare relic weapon among relics.
Of course, relic weapons don't necessarily have greater destructive power than normal ones.
Relic weapons just add unique effects absent in normal weapons.
That said, their performance is at least B-rank or higher.
Jung Min-ha looked at my face and smirked.
"It's a mana light sword. Inject mana and it extends the sword aura straight. I don't need it, so consider it a farewell gift."
Stunned by the sudden expensive gift, I asked.
"You sure you can give this to me? Looks like a relic at a glance."
"It's fine. Thanks to you, we subjugated the Snowy Mountains Great Spirit and got lots of help. And you know, I'm a support magician, so I don't need a sword."
Hard to argue with that.
But curiosity struck, so I asked.
"Where'd you get this, anyway?"
"...Huh? Oh, um. Got it by chance while exploring ruins before. Had to use silver sword, so stashed it in storage."
Total lie.
Clearly an item with some backstory.
Reading my hesitant reaction, she poked my arm.
"Anyway, just take it. Okay?"
I let out a small sigh.
Couldn't refuse when she put it like that.
Just think of it as gaining a good item.
I nodded and injected mana into the mana light sword.
Bwoooong!
A long blade of blue mana-infused sword aura manifested.
I gazed wondrously at the mana blade before me.
It was like a lightsaber from the movies.
Since the entire sword was essentially sword aura, it would be highly effective for someone inexperienced like me.
Probably not great for a master like Lee Seo-jun.
"Thanks. I'll use it well."
Stopping the mana injection, the sword aura dissipated.
I pocketed the light sword handle. Small size made it convenient to carry.
Time passed, and I exchanged final goodbyes with the villagers.
After two years, we'd grown attached; their faces showed reluctance.
Finally, Kim Jung-hee appeared.
"All goodbyes done?"
"Yes."
"Alright, then let's prepare."
According to Kim Jung-hee, the moment to return to the world of the living was once every two years when the 'Boundary's Red Moon' rises.
Similar to a lunar eclipse where the moon is shadowed by Earth, a mysterious mana phenomenon occurs then, crumbling the boundary with the world of the living.
I gazed blankly at the sky.
The moon overhead was gradually turning red.
Natural mana surged, a eerie wind brushed my skin, and the world's wall slowly crumbled.
I turned to look at everyone.
As if for the last time, they all smiled at me.
I returned a light smile as my final farewell.
Watching, Kim Jung-hee raised his mana and began drawing a formula in the air.
Shoooo.
Thanks to the outsider's benefit, I could read the information in the formula.
It was a protective formula for my safe return.
"All preparations complete."
I nodded at Kim Jung-hee's words.
Looking up, the moon now shone fully red.
['Boundary's Red Moon Observation' achievement completed.]
[Obtained 5,000 points as reward.]
Mana swirled from somewhere, enveloping my body. I closed my eyes, feeling its energy.
It was mysterious and powerful mana, like a natural mana disaster.
Instinctively, I knew.
This mysterious mana was guiding me to the world of the living. That I could soon return to my world.
"Kim Sun-woo. Take care."
"Farewell."
"Thanks for everything."
The villagers' final farewells rang out.
I opened my eyes, smiled at them, and said.
"Thank you."
Then Kim Jung-hee's farewell came.
"It was fun being together. And don't come to a world like this again."
Blackness swallowed my vision.
A strong mana tremor. Dazzling light flashed.
The air flow changed. Warmth touched my skin, and a nostalgic scent wafted from somewhere.
Slowly opening my eyes, intense sunlight blinded me.
—Ah, late for work.
—Yawn... So tired...
—Yes, Team Leader. Should arrive by 12 o'clock today.
Everyday sounds followed.
My vision adapted to the sunlight, revealing the scenery hidden by the glare.
I slowly surveyed my surroundings.
People hurrying somewhere with busy steps...
High-rises everywhere, incessant car noise blaring.
['Return from the Boundary' achievement completed.]
[Obtained 3,000 points as reward.]
[Changes in the future detected.]
[Karma increases by 1.]