Chapter 151
Chapter 151
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 151
Chapter Title: Main Player (3)
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Seong Woo-hyeon readily agreed to help with Min Dan-ah's growth.
He seemed to have something else to say to me, but he stopped with a strange expression.
It felt like he was hiding something, but after racking my brain, I couldn't think of anything Seong Woo-hyeon would need to hide from me, so I set my suspicions aside.
“So it was only half-effective after all.”
I clicked my tongue, looking at the stats displayed on my status window.
Stat Limit Removal.
It was definitely incredible, and I had certainly reaped its benefits.
But it wasn't as effective as I had initially thought.
‘It only removed the chapter limit, not the limit on the stats themselves.’
I'm overflowing with coins.
Yet there are stats I can't raise.
What I needed here was a ‘breakthrough.’
‘I’ve gathered all the necessary materials for the breakthrough.’
My eyes gleamed for a moment.
Three B-grade elixirs that raise the Magic stat.
These were the materials needed to break past the wall of 70, and the first step to summoning another Captain-grade entity with 100% certainty.
[Um, do you know how to use this?]
“I do.”
[You didn't seem to be on good terms with the demons, so will this really be okay…?]
Uriel fidgeted, eyeing the ‘Holy Grail’ in my hand.
She worries too much.
This isn't a real Holy Grail imbued with immense power.
It does have a special power, so I just call it a Holy Grail for convenience.
‘Three things are needed for a breakthrough.’
The ‘Silver Chalice (Single Use)’ sold by the angels.
A special magic circle that demons can draw.
And the specified number of elixirs for each breakthrough stage.
I promptly summoned Besial.
“Besial. Draw the magic circle.”
[…For free?]
“What else?”
[You know this usually costs money. It requires a demon to expend their own power. That’s why we charge coins for it.]
Besial was telling the truth.
Just like buying the single-use Silver Chalice from an angel for 1000 coins, you had to pay a demon 1000 coins to get the magic circle.
I tilted my head and narrowed my eyes.
“So what?”
[N-No, I was just asking if maybe I should get a little something for my trouble… but of course I’ll do it for free! Hehehe.]
Besial, sensing the mood, gave a cheap laugh and quickly began to draw the magic circle.
Should have done that from the start.
He needs to remember the situation he's in.
“Good. Nice work.”
[…But you’re really not giving me anything?]
As I stared at him, Besial, looking guilty, hid himself.
He grumbled something as he left, but I could let that much slide.
I’d only been giving him the stick so far, so I was planning to give him a carrot soon enough.
I placed the Silver Chalice in the center of the faintly glowing magic circle.
Drip, drip.
Inside went all three of the B-grade elixirs that raise Magic.
The two that Yurgan gave me were a huge help.
Fwaaah!
The magic circle lit up, and as if in sync, the chalice and its contents also began to shine brightly.
I leaned over to check inside the chalice and saw that the purple liquid had turned a beautiful blue.
A slight smile touched my lips before I immediately raised the chalice and downed the liquid.
[You have succeeded in the 1st stage breakthrough for the Magic stat.]
[The maximum value for the Magic stat that can be increased with coins has risen from 70 to 80.]
It was a strange sensation.
Like some kind of vessel inside my body had been forcibly expanded.
I examined my body for a moment before opening my status window.
The coins needed to raise it by one point after 70 was… 2000 coins, was it?
It's ridiculously expensive.
But the effect is certainly worth it.
[20,000 coins have been used.]
[Magic 70 -> 80]
[This stat cannot be raised any further.]
After 70, you have to gather materials and perform a new breakthrough every 10 points.
If this time required three B-grade elixirs, the next would require even more difficult materials.
On top of that, I have to do this separately for Strength, Stamina, Agility, and Magic.
‘This was the kind of thing that was bound to be annoying every time I played the game.’
[The total points for the Magic stat have exceeded 100.]
[The excess bonus stats will be converted to Efficiency Amplification.]
[Character Information]
Name: Kim Se-hyeon
Gender: Male (26)
Strength: 70(+19) Stamina: 70(+28) Agility: 70(+25) Magic: 80(+20)(+3%)
Unique Ability: %인$^#레$%*(EX)
Traits: One Who Started from the End (S), Accustomed to Battle (B), Wind and Moon (B), Lord of Darkness (S), Disaster Eater (S), Diamond Body (S)(Inactive)
Skills: Extreme Eye (S)
Bonus stats had three different effects.
When the sum of invested points and bonus points is less than 100, and when it's greater than 100.
And finally, when you reach 100 with only invested points.
The effect changes in each case.
When the total is less than 100, it has the same effect as invested points.
Raising a stat to 50 with coins is the same as raising it to 30 and getting a +20 bonus.
When the total exceeds 100, as in my current state, the effect is converted to ‘Efficiency Amplification’ by the amount it exceeds.
My original Magic stat was 70(+23), but now it's 80(+23). This means the 3 points over 100 have been converted into ‘3% Amplification.’
‘Of course, this doesn't mean the stat value itself is amplified.’
It's literally just an amplification of efficiency.
I crossed my arms and watched the chalice dissolve into particles of light.
Having to buy that from the shop for every breakthrough is clearly a massive coin drain.
‘If I could get my hands on the ‘real Holy Grail,’ I could save a lot of coins.’
“The magic circle isn't a concern since I can just order Besial around…”
[Next time, I’m definitely getting paid for my work!!]
“What, you heard that?”
[You said it loud enough for me to hear!]
I must have said it out loud without realizing.
In any case, as long as he’s bound to me, he has to do what I say.
I can just ignore Besial’s grumbling.
[Ugh, I was counting on you, Lady Succubus….]
His dejected, tail-between-his-legs look was cuter than I expected.
“…”
[Oof! Why’d you hit me?]
“No reason. I just suddenly felt annoyed.”
[What kind of absurd reason is that!?]
Recalling how he interfered and screwed me over during the stadium and the Ruler incident, my fleeting thought of him being cute vanished instantly.
This guy is a demon, after all.
A being for me to use, not to trust.
I forcibly sent Besial away and started on the next task.
[Using ‘Kairos's Dice’.]
[The success rate of the next probabilistic action will be increased by 70%.]
The ornate die rolled, leaving a trail of light, and stopped on the face with three stars.
As if it knew what I was about to do.
‘Soldier, Knight, Captain. There are three grades, so three stars makes sense.’
I chuckled and stretched out my hand.
“I offer 15 points of my Magic stat.”
[Performing the ‘Summoning Ritual’.]
The maximum Magic stat that can be offered is 15.
This doesn't change, but the probability also depends on my Magic stat at the time of the offering.
Naturally, offering 15 points when my stat is 80 has a higher probability than offering 15 when it's 70.
If the former had a 15% chance, the latter has a 30% chance.
‘But if I add the effect of Kairos's Dice to this.’
It completes the 100% success rate for summoning a Captain-grade entity.
Swoooosh…
The magic circle gradually fades.
Its light dims.
No, to be precise.
Even the light was being swallowed by something.
The endlessly surging darkness soon blurred even my senses.
‘Indeed.’
My eyes sparkled as I watched the spot where the magic circle had been.
I’ve already drawn Alpha, so he won't appear.
There are eight Captain-grade entities in total, so it will be one of the seven remaining.
Whichever one appears, it will be a great asset in the war against Paradise.
‘A mage is best for large-scale battles like a war, though.’
I thought of the book lying dormant in my inventory.
The grimoire Yurgan had given me.
If a mage appears, I could even pass it on to them.
The best-case scenario right now would be a mage.
Soon, the darkness began to recede.
Along with it, the magic circle vanished.
Meaning the summon itself was a success.
I watched the spot with anticipation, but even after the darkness had completely disappeared, nothing was there.
The spot was empty.
“…This isn't bad either.”
The corner of my mouth twisted into a smirk.
It was obvious who had been summoned.
Only one of them makes an entrance like this.
“Show yourself, Death Walker.”
Darkness gathered where the magic circle had been, forming a single figure.
An overall sleek and sharp appearance.
Death Walker. A Captain-grade entity classified as an assassin.
The Death Walker silently paid its respects.
A being whose loyalty, despite its silence, is second to none, not even Alpha.
“From now on, your name is ‘Zeta.’ I have no orders for you at the moment, so I'll summon you again later.”
Technically, it should have been Beta, but just as with Tenebris One, I used the name I had given it for convenience when I played the game.
Without a word or a movement, Zeta vanished from the spot as if extinguished.
As an entity of a fundamentally silent nature, its silence was its affirmation.
‘Not the best-case, but it doesn't matter.’
How can a single, incredibly skilled assassin change the tide of war?
Zeta was a being that could demonstrate that perfectly.
‘This trait is really useless if you don't have money.’
To think a single summon costs over 30,000 coins.
This was the downside of the ‘Lord of Darkness’ trait.
Without a huge amount of capital, you couldn't even utilize a quarter of its true potential.
Worse, if you weren't lucky or didn't have a way to drastically increase the odds, you'd just waste coins without ever drawing a Captain-grade entity.
‘And if you factor in the cost of restoring the offered stats….’
It's a real money pit.
I gave a bitter smile and restored my Magic stat from 65 back to 80.
Cost: 27,500 coins.
A sigh escaped me at the thought that a significant portion of the coins I'd earned in Chapter 11 was already gone.
***
A commotion was brewing in the middle of the residential area.
The succubus was explaining something amidst a crowd of people, who were listening intently.
In that moment, I knew that what I had been waiting for had begun.
Jeong Ha-yeon and Choi Yeon-soo were near the twins.
It felt strange that Jeong Ha-yeon was still here.
Had she really decided to rejoin my party?
‘…I’ll watch her a little longer.’
I gave Jeong Ha-yeon a light nod and approached the twins.
“What's going on?”
“Ah, Oppa.”
“Hyung! Perfect timing. Look at that!”
I turned my gaze to where Jo Min-woo was pointing.
A white gate, identical in shape to the others but a color never seen before, floated silently next to the succubus.
[You all are too underdeveloped to proceed to the next chapter. All because someone defeated Ignis ahead of schedule.]
Noticing me, the succubus shot me a sharp glare.
Because I defeated Corrupted Ignis back in Chapter 11, everything up to Chapter 14 was skipped.
They must have been busy, with the chapter progression thrown into emergency mode.
There was no way she'd look at me favorably.
Chapters are a kind of procedural training, prepared by the angels and demons to temper the players.
As the story progresses, both players and enemies grow stronger.
But there's a reason why it always seems like the enemies are just strong enough to be beaten, however narrowly.
‘The reality is the opposite.’
It’s not that enemies appear to match your level; it's that they interfere in all sorts of ways to make you strong enough to face those enemies.
[So, we've prepared something special. Don't be shy, go ahead and use it. It's not free, though.]
I must have arrived at the tail end of it, because the succubus disappeared shortly after.
Only the white gate remained, silently holding its place.
I slowly raised the corner of my mouth.
The second method to increase our strength in a relatively short time in preparation for the war with Paradise.
That was that white gate.