Power Enhancement
Power Enhancement
As soon as I touched the vending machine, the space shimmered like always and the products inside changed.
※ Morning-After Pill (No Side Effects, 48h) — 1 Coin.
※ Stamina Enhancer (Permanent) — 5 Coins.
Enema — 1 Coin.
※ Skill Bestowal Scroll (Random, 0.2%) — 100 Coins.
※ Subordination Scroll (0.1% Success Rate) — 50 Coins.
※ Random Attribute Enchant Scroll (0.7% Success Rate) — 20 Coins.
Base Creation Scroll — 500 Coins.
The product list wasn't anything special.
Most of them were things I'd already seen before.
'So the new additions are the base creation and the enema, I guess.'
The enema was intuitive enough to grasp immediately.
Nothing more, nothing less than a tool for doing it through the back hole.
But I had no clue what the Base Creation Scroll was supposed to mean.
'A base, huh... how does it work? Some kind of safe zone concept? And since there's no special symbol, it doesn't look like a Dark Merchant exclusive.'
The lack of a probability marker meant it was guaranteed.
Well, at 500 Coins, that only made sense.
'Doesn't seem like a bad idea to buy at least one to keep on hand.'
I decided I'd stock up when I had coins to spare, just in case.
And I'd grab a few Skill Bestowal and Attribute Enchant scrolls while I was at it.
"What came up this time?"
Ha Hui-ryeong asked, grabbing my shoulder.
Instead of answering, I tapped the vending machine's buttons in rapid succession.
[Payment completed. 1460 Coins consumed.]
[Coins remaining: 3651 > 2191]
Clatter. A pile of parchments and pills spilled out.
I gathered them up and handed one parchment to Ha Hui-ryeong.
"The Skill Bestowal Scroll from last time. Keep one on you for now."
"Really? Nice."
Ha Hui-ryeong giggled and started to rub the parchment against her arm.
Just before she did, I grabbed her wrist and stopped her.
"Didn't I tell you I've got a trait that boosts probabilities? That thing isn't a guaranteed success, so don't use it right away. Just hold onto it. I'll go first, then we'll do it together."
"Oh, you did? I feel like you might've mentioned it once..."
Ha Hui-ryeong scratched her head, looking a little sheepish.
I looked away from her and rubbed the parchment against my own wrist.
It dissolved like ink, seeping into my body.
[Confirmed use of Skill Bestowal Scroll.]
[Activating trait 'Lucky One.' Enhancement probability is being compensated. 0.2% ▷ 20%]
1, 2... Ding!
[Enhancement successful! The wheel of constellations spins to bestow a skill.]
[Activating trait 'Lucky One.' Compensation is applied.]
[Congratulations! You have acquired the ability 『Attraction』.]
『Attraction』
-Pulls a target toward the caster.
-Cooldown time is 10 seconds.
-The stronger the target's resistance, the longer the cooldown time.
-Range is limited to 50 meters for players.
What the hell? This is better than I thought.
I blinked as I scanned the list of details.
Because it was unexpectedly useful.
Even with the conditions, it was undeniably an attractive ability.
This could fill the gap in my short-range weakness.
It could also prevent the unlikely accident of me losing my grip on the crowbar.
'First, a test run...'
The first person to catch my eye was Jeong Ji-min, the one I'd told to keep watch.
True to her slick personality, instead of doing what she was told, she was absorbed in goofing off, kicking at small rocks scattered around.
...Well, that means there's no reason to hesitate.
I reached out my hand toward her.
And as I made a yanking motion in the air, something truly astonishing unfolded before my eyes.
"Huh, huhhh?? What the—???"
She had been backing up, and in an instant, she flew toward me as if sucked in by something.
"Whoa!"
I barely managed to catch her as she came flying in at considerable speed.
It all happened so fast that a bewildered expression naturally formed on my face.
Jeong Ji-min wore an equally dumbfounded look.
"Wh-What? Wh-What is this? Did you do something again, oppa?"
"Yeah. I did something. I needed a test subject for a new ability, and you just happened to catch my eye."
"Wh-What did you say!? You're treating me like a lab rat!? I know I'm easy to push around, but this is really too much...!"
"What's too much about it? Considering how much you've mooched off me, you should be able to handle this much."
"Wow, you son of a—"
"Son of a?"
"Son of a... stunning sense of style, I meant. Hehe."
When I frowned, she immediately corrected herself with a sly smile.
I was dumbfounded, but I didn't bother picking a fight over something like that.
Meanwhile, Ha Hui-ryeong, who had been watching from the side, pressed Jeong Ji-min's forehead hard with her finger.
"You're the walking definition of a treacherous minion, aren't you?"
"Ah, unnie. Treacherous minion...? I was just flexibly adapting to the situation, that's all."
"By sucking up to him? Kekek, that's a pretty good joke."
Ha Hui-ryeong, who had been laughing airily, turned her gaze back to me.
Then she fluttered the parchment she was holding and said,
"My turn now, right? Seeing what happened earlier, looks like you got something pretty decent. Wonder if I will too."
"If you get something good again, that's just cheating. Cheating."
"Why? If I get stronger, that's good for you too, isn't it?"
"...The human heart isn't that simple."
Anyway, after that, Ha Hui-ryeong used her scroll too.
We held the scroll together and lightly rubbed it against her wrist.
[Confirmed use of Skill Bestowal Scroll.]
[Activating trait 'Lucky One.' Enhancement probability is being compensated. 0.2% ▷ 20%]
1, 2... Ding!
[Enhancement successful! The wheel of constellations spins to bestow a skill.]
[Activating trait 'Lucky One.' Compensation is applied.]
"Oh?"
"What, did you get something weird?"
I tilted my head and asked at her puzzled exclamation. She made a bitter face.
"No, it's just... it says 'Intuition'?"
"What's that? Sharpens your gut feeling or something?"
"Something like that. Seems like a system that warns you in advance when something bad's about to happen... I'm not really sure yet."
A seriously ambiguous ability.
Ha Hui-ryeong had always had good instincts anyway.
Call it wild intuition, but detecting danger instinctively was practically her specialty.
So getting a skill similar to that probably felt a bit underwhelming.
"It's vague. And I doubt it's actually effective in real combat."
"I know, right. Ugh, this time it's a bust. Total bust."
Ha Hui-ryeong sighed and shook her head.
She clearly looked disappointed the result wasn't as good as she'd hoped.
I subtly turned my head to look at Kim Ha-yoon.
She'd been staring blankly into space for a while.
From the looks of it, she was probably checking the bulletin board.
"Ha-yoon, you come here too."
"Me?"
"Yeah. It wouldn't hurt for you to get another skill at this point."
"I suppose... so."
She agreed lightly and trudged over to me.
I rubbed a parchment on her in the same way.
[Confirmed use of Skill Bestowal Scroll.]
[Activating trait 'Lucky One.' Enhancement probability is being compensated. 0.2% ▷ 20%]
1, 2... Ding!
[Enhancement successful! The wheel of constellations spins to bestow a skill.]
[Activating trait 'Lucky One.' Compensation is applied.]
"....."
"How is it? Did you get something decent?"
Kim Ha-yoon's expression was as flat and emotionless as ever.
So I couldn't tell which way it had gone at all.
Finally, she parted her lips.
"Mine is... 'Amplification,' it says. I guess it strengthens existing abilities."
"Huh. That's a bit ambiguous."
"I don't know. I think it's... pretty useful. Because it says it can be applied to others, too. Though there seems to be a duration limit."
What? Then that's a different story.
If it can be applied to others, its versatility expands massively.
It would be a huge force in combat, and maybe even utility-type abilities could receive a boost through 'Amplification.'
"Really? Want to try it on me, then?"
"Yes. Sure."
She placed her hand on my chest.
I was slightly puzzled why she had to touch me there of all places, but I decided not to press the issue.
A moment later.
['Seoribal's' ability 『Amplification』 is being applied to the 'Dark Merchant.' However, 'Lucky One' is excluded as it is not a valid target.]
Amplification duration: 30 seconds.
-Vending machine random product +1 added.
-『Yin-Yang Unity』 bonus increased.
-『Attraction』 cooldown reduced by 5 seconds.
A notification window followed, but I didn't feel any tangible difference.
It just told me in text, 'This is how it works.'
"Hmm. That's pretty decent. Except for the short duration."
"You think so?"
First, I checked the vending machine immediately.
And sure enough, I saw one new product had been added.
※※※Heavenly Protective Barrier — 5000 Coins.
...Five thousand?
That's a jaw-dropping price.
And there wasn't even a detailed description attached.
Buying it on impulse was out of the question.
On top of that, since it was a benefit from Amplification, it soon disappeared from the list.
'Sigh... Utility stuff is always so ambiguous. The other things are intuitive and easy to understand.'
The short duration was also a drawback.
For Jeong Ji-min, who was also a utility type, Amplification probably wouldn't be very effective either.
"Hey, me too. Try it on me too. Let's see how much stronger I get."
"Um... would it work on me, too, maybe?"
"Of course it won't work on you. Know your place, you bitch."
"Ah, you never know!"
While I was smacking my lips in slight disappointment, Ha Hui-ryeong and Jeong Ji-min clung to Kim Ha-yoon, demanding all sorts of things.
"Alright, I got it. Both of you, back off a bit, okay?"
Kim Ha-yoon dealt with the two of them, a prickly look on her face.
"Why? You were clinging to me just fine before. What, are you sick of me now?"
"That's...! At night, I just, I kind of lose my restraint...!"
"Well, to be fair, Ha-yoon unnie really does totally lose her marbles when night comes. I thought she was a crazy bitch back then, too."
"...Get on the ground."
"Huh...?"
Nice to see them getting along so well by themselves.
I left them to it and walked over to the truck.
"Hey, Ha-rin. Come out for a sec."
"...What."
Kang Ha-rin, who had been slumped over the steering wheel, maybe dozing off, slowly lifted her head.
She looked pretty exhausted from driving for so long since early morning.
But that's one thing, and this is another.
"Don't even think about lying. Tell me honestly what it says. Got it?"
"Huh? What's that supposed to suddenly—"
Kang Ha-rin furrowed her brow, as if my words, coming out of nowhere, felt abrupt.
But before she could even finish her question, I snatched her wrist and rubbed the parchment against it.
"Ah, no! What is it this time!?"
"It's something good, so just take it quietly."
Her fierce reaction lasted only a moment.
[Confirmed use of Skill Bestowal Scroll.]
[Activating trait 'Lucky One.' Enhancement probability is being compensated. 0.2% ▷ 20%]
1, 2... Ding!
[Enhancement successful! The wheel of constellations spins to bestow a skill.]
[Activating trait 'Lucky One.' Compensation is applied.]
"...Huh?"
Immediately, a confused exclamation escaped her lips.
She was so surprised she rubbed her eyes a few times, staring into empty space.
"What is... this?"
"I told you it's something good. So, what does it say?"
Maybe that wasn't the answer she wanted, because she pursed her lips and hesitated.
But when I moved my hand to her ass, she finally let out a long sigh and opened her mouth.
"Hah... It says 'Guardian.' Basically, an ability to create a protective barrier."
"Oh, that's pretty useful."
Which means this now basically fulfills the supporter role too.
Ha Hui-ryeong's 'Saintess' trait was also a recovery type, but she was more of a vanguard fighter on the front lines, not a backline supporter who healed others. She was far from it.
If anything, she was closer to a berserker with self-healing, wasn't she?
In that sense, the ability Kang Ha-rin had manifested was very welcome.
"Can you apply that to targets other than yourself?"
"Yes. I think so."
"Then, to that truck over there, too?"
"...I'd have to try it to know."
A sour response, as if she couldn't figure out my intent.
I pulled the corners of my mouth up slightly.
"Just hurry up and try it."
"...Fine."
With that answer, she squeezed her eyes shut and focused her mind.
The position of her outstretched hand pointed toward the truck.
"Is it done?"
"Yes. I think so. My senses are screaming that it is... but honestly, I don't really know. Whether something like this is truly possible in reality."
"You've seen us use our abilities. This movie-like world is reality now. It's easier to just accept it."
"....."
I shrugged my shoulders lightly and slowly approached the truck.
Then I really did feel a transparent membrane blocking my approach.
When I touched it with my finger, ripples spread out like touching water.
But it was by no means fragile.
Seeing as 'Decomposition' didn't activate even when I swung my crowbar at it, I confirmed it had the property of nullifying an opponent's ability.
"This is even better than I thought. Though I don't know how much shock it can withstand."
"Is that... so?"
"Yeah. And seeing as it wraps around the whole truck, the range is unexpectedly wide, too."
If I could send Ha Hui-ryeong out with this barrier layered over her, wouldn't she be invincible, a match for a thousand?
And it would give us the upper hand in fights between ability users too, so it's versatile in a lot of ways.
"Alright, let's head back to the others now."
I didn't get a specific answer, but Kang Ha-rin quietly followed behind me.
Near the vending machine, the three of them were still messing around and giggling.
"Oooh! The lightning really did get stronger! Look at this. Crackle!"
"Kyaaah! What are you doing, that's dangerous!"
"Kekek, just kidding. Just kidding."
"Ugh, haven't you heard the saying, a frog can die from a carelessly thrown stone?"
"Does that mean you admit... you're the frog?"
"No, why are you ganging up on me too, Ha-yoon unnie...!"
They'd gotten pretty close.
Though it was mainly Ha Hui-ryeong and Kim Ha-yoon ganging up to bully Jeong Ji-min.
"What. You gave one to her, too?"
"Yeah. She got something pretty useful."
"Hmm. Is that so?"
The two of them reacted like it was no big deal, but Jeong Ji-min was different.
"Eyy, what the...! You didn't give me one, but you gave one to Ha-rin unnie...!"
"Well... with you, it's just a bit..."
"That's so rude! What's that reaction supposed to mean! What's wrong with me!"
Thing is, this bitch gave me a weird, uneasy feeling.
Maybe because I was still hung up on how she'd burned up those Subordination Scrolls in a row last time?
So I was reluctant to hand her a scroll that cost 100 Coins a pop.
"Forget that, let's get ready to move. We've been here too long."
"Ah, don't ignore me!"
I pushed away Jeong Ji-min, who was getting up in my face, and said that.
Ha Hui-ryeong asked a question.
"Okay. So what's the next target?"
The answer was obvious.
"Hunting humans."
We've got new strength. Let's test it out on the bastards around here.