Chapter 16
Chapter 16
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: ACT4. Authority of Flames (1)
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The stat limit.
Also known as the stat cap, it was a system in ‘End of Apocalypse’ that served to increase the difficulty.
It drew a line, preventing you from raising stats beyond a certain point in any given chapter.
For example, in Chapter 1, which we just finished, you couldn't invest more than 10 points into any single stat, even if you scraped together 10,000 coins.
It was a measure to keep players from progressing through the game too easily.
How many times had I been forced to struggle through, with coins to spare but no way to get stronger because of this?
Much later, I did happen to discover and exploit a certain bug, but that method was only usable far into the game.
‘But I can get rid of the stat limit without using that bug.’
More than half of the 3 million coins I'd received as a bonus would be gone in an instant, but this was well worth the price.
Without hesitation, I approved the purchase.
[The applied stat limit has been removed.]
It felt refreshing, as if a weight had been lifted from my shoulders.
I glanced at the bottom right corner.
Remaining coins: 1.2 million.
An amount of money difficult to amass even in the late game was still in my possession.
If only I could use this to raise my stats, too.
For a moment, a pang of regret passed through me.
[Location Tracker - 2000 Coins]
‘Found it.’
As I paid, it materialized from the shop window and appeared in my hand.
It was a pair of small transmitters.
The reason it was a pair of transmitters without a detector was because of its function: if two people each wore one, they could ‘intuitively’ know each other's location as long as they weren't too far apart.
[That's... not a weapon.]
“This is better. For now.”
Without this, my plans would run into a snag.
Besides, I had already obtained a decent weapon.
I continued shopping.
With this much money, I should be able to buy that one thing.
I scrolled for a while, but what I wanted didn't show up.
Is it not available from Chapter 1, or just not here at all?
‘I guess removing the stat limit should be considered a special privilege, too.’
I can always open the shop again.
I closed the Angel's Shop.
It reverted to the regular shop.
“By any chance, can the Devil's Shop be opened for free too?”
[I'm not a devil, am I?]
“...”
Right. Good point.
Stroking my chin, I murmured softly.
“I pay 666 coins.”
[You have entered a hidden code.]
[Switching to the Devil's Shop.]
Fortunately, the coins consumed for entering the hidden code could also be paid with the shop-exclusive coins.
[Pocket Watch Filled with Old Regrets]
[Curtain of Black Magic]
[Crimson-Gold Key]
…….
The Devil's Shop doesn't require coins.
But that doesn't mean it's a good thing.
There's no such thing as a free lunch. Naturally, it doesn't accept coins because it demands something else in payment.
If the Angel's Shop offered things that were a blessing you would eventually need, this one offered immediate convenience at the cost of some unknown risk.
It was like a loan from a shark, where you never knew how you'd have to pay it back.
A method befitting the name 'Devil's Shop'.
Nevertheless, there was one thing I absolutely had to buy.
“Oppa. Which stats should I raise?”
As I tucked the fist-sized object I'd bought from the shop into my clothes, Min-ah asked, looking unsure.
“Haven't you ever played a game? Obviously, you should raise Strength and Agility first!”
“I was asking Oppa.”
“Hey, I know Hyung is amazing, but honestly, this is the standard formula. Who raises Stamina first? You wanna be a tank? All I can picture is you getting hit and crying.”
Min-woo jeered, and Min-ah glared at him.
A faint smile escaped me.
To think these two would later become the ultimate duo. Who would believe it?
“Raise your Stamina to at least 6, and if you have anything left over, focus on Agility.”
“Huh? Stamina? Hyung, are you serious? Raise Stamina first?”
“The time will soon come when you'll be short on Stamina.”
Stamina doesn't just refer to your physical energy.
It includes endurance, defense, durability, and the ability to withstand hunger and thirst.
Right now, Stamina is the most important thing.
When I explained that, Min-ah grinned.
“You acted like you knew everything, but you were wrong.”
“I-I was just wrong this one time! I've never played this kind of RPG before!”
Looking vexed, Min-woo raised his hand with a pout and asked a question.
“Hyung, what about Mana?”
“I don't recommend it.”
Raising Strength lets you kill beasts more easily, conserving stamina, while raising Agility greatly reduces the risk of being hit.
In the beginning, when you have few traits and skills, any stat you raise will be worth it, as long as it's not Mana.
Mana is actually a useless stat in the very beginning.
Just look at the fact that it costs 1,000 coins to raise it from 0 to 1; it's not meant for beginners.
“Oppa.”
“What is it?”
“In games, Mana is like a resource you use for skills, right? So, is it okay to raise Mana depending on whether I have a skill?”
My eyes widened.
Well, look at this.
This was unexpected. To think Jo Min-ah had some knowledge about this stuff.
She was probably influenced by Min-woo.
“That's right. But unless you have something that's judged to be useful for offense, defense, or support…”
No, there's no need for me to explain.
I have Extreme Eye.
It should be the same as in the game, but just in case.
[Character Information]
Name: Jo Min-ah
Gender: Female (15)
Strength: 2 Stamina: 7 Agility: 3 Mana: 2
Unique Ability: (None)
Traits: Overcoming Fear (E), Intelligence (D)
Skill: Detection (E)
She didn't have a Unique Ability yet.
However, her Mana stat and skill were noteworthy.
It's impossible to have raised her stats that much with the coins from the first settlement.
It was safe to assume Jo Min-ah had the Mana stat from the very beginning.
‘On top of that, Detection is a very useful skill.’
Detection was, as the name implies, a skill for confirming the presence of enemies by spreading mana into the surroundings.
Even though the skill's rank was low, the beasts in the beginning are also low-ranked.
This was enough to make investing in Mana worthwhile.
“By the way, why is there a stat cap? Seeing how slowly we earn coins, it doesn't seem like we'd be able to max out all our stats anyway…”
Lee Seong-chan, who had been listening to my explanation nearby, scratched his cheek.
He must have maxed out his Stamina to 10.
It seemed like he planned to go full tank.
“Who knows. I guess they don't want to see us have an easy time.”
And that was actually the case.
Though it was meaningless to me now.
“By the way, it's been noisy over there for a while.”
Jeong Ha-yeon's words drew my attention.
Just as she said, a lot of noise was coming from the direction Kim Ji-hyeon and Lee Seon-yul had gone.
“I'll go check it out!”
It had become unusually rowdy.
I figured it was another conflict between people, but the dynamic was strangely different.
Chaos had erupted between the survivors and the original players.
Min-woo, who had headed over, returned shortly after.
Looking curious, Lee Seong-chan was the first to speak.
“What's it like?”
“It seems like they're doing something called a grade assessment.”
“Grade assessment?”
“Apparently, not all awakenings are the same. Some people have a better awakening right from the start. People are protesting because it's obvious they'll be treated differently once they're graded.”
“Grading us! What are we, cattle?!”
“This is a show of force! Stop this discrimination at once!”
“...Like that.”
If you looked closely, you could see people instigating the crowd.
If Hwang Chan-jin had been here, he probably would have eliminated them on the spot.
For now, I chose to watch.
“Then should we send the lower-ranked people to dangerous places?”
Lee Seon-yul's voice flowed out, its tone considerably lower.
It was a complete reversal of his usual, slightly high-pitched voice, and the protesters flinched for a moment.
“The grades are a procedure to ensure proper placement. It's not meant to discriminate against you. And it is only right that those who take on harder, more life-threatening jobs receive greater benefits.”
In the silence, people exchanged glances.
The instigators had also vanished at some point.
Thinking the commotion was resolved, Lee Seon-yul let out a long sigh and returned to his spot.
‘He makes it sound plausible.’
He wasn't lying. He just had ulterior motives.
Not that he'd reveal them just yet.
“I'll go and have a word with him.”
I pushed through the crowd.
Seeing a player whose face was contorted after receiving the lowest E-rank, I got the feeling he was a time bomb that could go off at any moment.
“It's quite a commotion.”
“...Mr. Kim Se-hyeon.”
Lee Seon-yul looked as if he'd aged ten years.
“I heard the gist of it. But it seems to have blown up more than I expected.”
“That's just the superficial reason. There are other factors at play.”
“Other factors, you say…”
“They're suspicious of us. The fact that we were players from the beginning, and that we took action as soon as this happened. Using those as reasons, accusations are being made that we're up to something.”
Lee Seon-yul glanced bitterly toward the survivors.
I could hear it, too.
It wasn't a widely supported opinion, but the very existence of such a view must be grating.
“Strictly speaking, that part isn't a huge problem. After all, we've become their 'saviors.' More people are defending us.”
“Of course. After they worked up such a sweat to save us.”
A man with an unbuttoned dress shirt grumbled as he sat down on a box.
From a corner of the platform, I slowly scanned the distribution of survivors.
The most conspicuous was a group of students in school uniforms.
They were gathered around Kim Ji-hyeon, desperately defending her.
“...And to be honest, we're starting to feel a bit skeptical ourselves.”
Rarely, Lee Seon-yul gave a weary smile.
“I see.”
There wasn't much I could say either.
No matter what their ulterior motives were, they had worked hard to help people survive, only to be met with resentment.
It was only natural to feel a sense of futility.
“Actually, the real problem is…”
Lee Seon-yul, who seemed about to continue, swept up in the mood, suddenly stopped talking.
“...Never mind. I almost said something unnecessary. Anyway, thank you for listening. I feel a little better having gotten that off my chest.”
Just as I thought he'd ended the conversation abruptly, Kim Ji-hyeon was walking toward us.
Did he snap to his senses upon seeing Kim Ji-hyeon and distinguish between what he should and shouldn't say?
What incredible influence.
I had a rough idea of what he was going to say, so I didn't press him.
“It's about time we get to work for real. We don't have time to... what, why are you here?”
“I couldn't just leave the conflict alone. I came to hear what was going on.”
“Conflict? What conflict... This is hardly anything to cause a conflict.”
She answered irritably, then took out a hair tie and pulled her hair back tightly.
As if to quickly change the subject, Lee Seon-yul interjected.
“More importantly, Mr. Kim Se-hyeon. Since you're here, you might as well get your grade assessment. Would you like to do it now?”
“Now that you mention it, I'm curious too. Considering what you showed us at the school, there's no way you'll get an E.”
A transparent crystal orb was held out before me.
A grade, huh.
A player's grade is determined by a comprehensive assessment, so it often turns out different from the ranks of their traits or skills.
Not that they don't have an influence, though.
Two S-ranks and one EX-rank.
I was also curious to see how they would factor in.
“Let's do it.”