Chapter 42
Chapter 42
Chapter 42: Foundation (4)
Translation: godtl
Was it because it was the evening rush hour?
The streets were bustling with people, including students and office workers.
"Oh my god! Oppa Si-hyeok!"
"No way, why is his back exposed like that?!"
"Kim Jong-jun actually caught Kim Si-hyeok..."
"Argh! My bet!"
And a collective groan erupted.
Everyone frowned in disappointment, but there was one exception.
'Even after I warned him...'
A handsome man with striking features.
Kim Si-mun chuckled softly as he stared at his phone screen.
-An unexpected turn of events!
-Against all expectations, Player Kim Jong-jun has taken the first match against Player Kim Si-hyeok!
-This isn't so much about Kim Si-hyeok underperforming as it is about Kim Jong-jun excelling—how did he manage to evade Kim Si-hyeok's sword strikes?
The commentators and hosts groaned in unison with the crowd.
Listening to their voices through his earbuds, Si-mun let out a sigh of relief.
'I was a little worried that the future might change because of the information I gave him...'
It had been a needless concern.
That cocky little brother of his hadn't listened to him at all.
Well, not entirely.
'At least he seemed somewhat aware. He even used Shadowless Slash.'
Shadowless Slash.
One of Sword Saint Kim Si-hyeok's signature techniques—a terrifying skill that remains nearly invisible even when infused with aura.
It was also the move that would earn him the title of Sword Saint in this National Team Selection Tournament.
In his past life, Si-hyeok had never used such a trump card in the first match.
'He usually just toyed around with basic techniques.'
Though Si-hyeok wasn't one to pay much attention to others,
Si-mun knew well that his brother absolutely despised bad manners in the Arena.
Perhaps there had been some friction.
After all, Si-hyeok had been the one to wipe out the Scorpion Guild when it disbanded.
'Come to think of it, Kim Jong-jun has that crimson aura again.'
The crimson aura that had briefly flickered across Kim Jong-jun's body.
Thanks to the tremendous speed boost it granted, the Si-hyeok of his past life had suffered a fatal blow and lost.
And this time was no different.
'I didn't realize it back then, but seeing it now, it feels oddly familiar.'
Was it because in his past life, he had been a Level 1 with mana disability, whereas now he wasn't?
The crimson aura—likely a buff—emanating from Kim Jong-jun felt strangely familiar.
-Ah! Player Kim Si-hyeok looks utterly stunned!
-Frankly, he must have been confident he wouldn't lose a single match against Kim Jong-jun.
-Exactly! While Kim Jong-jun is a veteran player, he's not a Ranker, is he? The gap between them is significant.
As the commentators spoke,
the phone screen showed his younger brother's dazed face after respawning in the waiting room.
'He must be pretty shocked.'
Given his personality, it wasn't because he lost to Kim Jong-jun.
'It's probably the shock of losing the first match, just like I said.'
"Even someone as strong as you won't sweep all three matches. You'll probably lose the first one."
Right about now, those words must be echoing in his brother's head.
That was just the kind of person he was.
A prodigy who excelled at everything, especially academics.
But when something unexpected happened, the shock would linger for a long time.
'It was the same ten years ago.'
Ten years ago.
The incident that had cursed him with mana disability.
Even amidst the excruciating memory of his blood vessels burning,
he could never forget the frozen, blank expression on his younger brother's face.
Tap.
"Phew! Enough of these pointless thoughts. What's done is done."
Si-mun slapped his cheeks lightly, shaking off the dark memories.
"Time to make some money."
He minimized the National Team Selection Tournament to one side of his screen and opened a betting app.
There was no need to watch the rest closely anyway.
'Si-hyeok will go all out now, and even if he doesn't, he can't lose because of Heavenly Martial Body.'
Heavenly Martial Body—one of Kim Si-hyeok's three SSS-rank Traits.
From weapon techniques to all kinds of skills, even extreme cases like Traits.
It was an insane ability that allowed him to comprehend and deconstruct the essence and forms of all martial arts.
Combined with his younger brother's exceptional talent, it created a truly fantastical synergy.
The most notable example?
'He never falls for the same trick twice.'
It was one of the reasons the Sword Saint Kim Si-hyeok of his past life had been hailed as the strongest player.
'Even Mal-suk acknowledged that much.'
Heavenly Demon Go Mal-suk—one of the few who could stand against Kim Si-hyeok alongside Fist King Jong-ri Chu.
"Even I don't feel ashamed about copying others, but your brother went beyond that. That bastard isn't even human."
Even the haughty woman had to acknowledge Kim Si-hyeok's prowess.
By now, that monstrous younger brother of his must have completely dissected everything about Kim Jong-jun from their first match.
And just like before the regression.
He would crush the remaining matches with three consecutive victories, seizing both the individual championship and MVP.
As expected.
—Aah! Player Kim Jong-jun! This time, he's split into four pieces!
—Overwhelming! As expected of Kim Si-hyeok! Kim Jong-jun's lightning-fast attacks aren't landing at all!
—Exactly. His movements are as if he's seen everything in advance. Ah... Is this how a titan of the first generation falls?!
Before anyone realized it, he had already swept through two matches in a row.
And now, Kim Si-hyeok was cleanly wrapping up the final one.
Si-mun felt pride swelling in his chest at his brother's performance.
No.
"Let's see."
With a pleased smile at the money his brother was about to rake in, he completely dismissed the National Team Selection Tournament from his mind and instead scrolled through the Arena betting app.
'The AP I exchanged earlier was 175,000 points...'
Though the sales revenue from the Mana Sclerosis Cure hadn't come in yet,
he still had a decent amount of reserve funds.
Namely, the AP (Arena Points) he'd earned from his recent broadcasts.
The total AP accumulated so far was roughly 180,000 points.
Out of that, he had wagered 175,000 points on the finals.
Considering the one-to-one exchange rate with dollars, that amounted to over 200 million won.
With that sum, he had bet on Kim Si-hyeok's 3-1 victory—
and even accurately predicted the exact round of defeat, the first match.
'As expected, most bets are on Si-hyeok's clean sweep.'
Filled with anticipation, Si-mun skimmed through the betting app's payout statistics—then his eyes widened slightly.
'Huh? There are way more people betting on 3-1 than I thought?'
Of course, it was still less than 20%,
but it was completely different from what Si-mun had expected, which was single digits.
'I see. Reverse bettors, huh?'
The so-called "reverse-betting addicts."
A fair number of people had mindlessly placed bets against the odds.
Why wouldn't they?
Beyond realistic data and facts,
there were always those who threw their bets in, lured by high odds and a "what if" mentality.
'Hmm. Even accounting for reverse bettors... roughly a 23x payout, huh?'
His lips curled up on their own.
If he multiplied 200 million won by 23...?
Oh shit.
"Philosopher's Stone, if there's any material you want, just say the word. Today, I'm treating."
—Kyaha! Really? I was already happy with the ones our young master gave me!
Jackpot.
No other word was needed.
"Hmm-hmm~."
A hum escaped his lips.
How could it not?
'46 billion won in total! With this, I won't even have to worry about moving to a bigger place!'
And it wasn't just about moving.
With this, he could easily secure a spacious lab for his work—including the production of Arena disease cures.
'I'll even be able to comfortably buy rare or hard-to-find materials!'
With a spring in his step, Si-mun opened the door to his tiny rented room.
"Guess it's time to say goodbye to this place too."
A cramped studio apartment, barely 16 square meters.
Truth be told, even renting this place had been a struggle.
'They say fortune comes all at once when it finally arrives...'
It still didn't feel real that he was now in a position to move to a much larger, better place.
—Oppa? I get that you're overwhelmed by the money, but shouldn't we check on things soon?
"Right! This isn't the time for this."
Snapping out of his reverie at the Philosopher's Stone's words, Si-mun shook his head vigorously and
immediately headed to the worktable set up in the corner of the room.
There, a maturation device glowed with a faint green light.
A sign that the Spirit Elixirs had finished maturing.
With practiced hands, Si-mun opened the device and carefully retrieved the elixirs.
—Oppa, these turned out really well, didn't they?
"Right?"
—Hurry and check them! We even used Achievement Points to synthesize this maturation device.
"Hold on, you."
Si-mun carefully took out the elixirs that had been placed inside.
There were three in total—
one in pill form and two in potion form.
Among them, he first picked up the pill, its purple hue reminiscent of mochi.
[Moon Rock Pill]
Grade: B+
Permanently increases Agility stat by 4 upon consumption.
Slightly increases flexibility upon first consumption.
A Spirit Elixir made by blending moon rock powder and shade grass.
Through high-level alchemy and maturation, its efficacy was further enhanced.
"Nice."
B+ grade.
Thanks to the flawless production process, it naturally earned the "+" rating.
'And thanks to the elixir maturation, it seems the additional effect was guaranteed too?'
Normally, at C-grade, there's a "low probability," and at B-grade, a "high probability" of additional effects—both uncertain.
For example, in the case of the [Moon Rock Pill]'s secondary effect:
If the pill hadn't undergone both perfect crafting and spirit elixir maturation,
Instead of the effect:
- Slightly increases flexibility upon first consumption.
The description would have read:
-"Has a high probability" of slightly increasing flexibility upon first consumption.
Si-mun gazed at the Moon Rock Pill's second effect with satisfaction.
'It boosts flexibility rather than stats. Even if it provides fewer stat increases than the Blood Flower Pill, this makes up for it.'
The previously crafted [Blood Flower Pill] had been C-grade.
Yet perhaps because it was made from byproducts of a Hidden Boss, it had increased Strength, Agility, and Constitution by 2 points each.
In comparison, the higher-grade Moon Rock Pill,
while offering a lower total stat increase of just +4 Agility compared to the Blood Flower Pill,
carried the additional effect characteristic of high-grade spirit elixirs:"Slightly increases flexibility upon first consumption."
"The others should be similar, right?"
With expectant eyes, Si-mun examined the two potion-type elixirs.
[Elixir of Violent Force]
Grade: B+
- Permanently increases Strength by 5 upon consumption.
- Permanently increases Stamina by 1 upon first consumption.
An elixir crafted from the hearts of ogres, trolls, and various beasts.
Advanced alchemy and maturation have further enhanced its efficacy.
[Diamond Water]
Grade: A
- Permanently increases Stamina by 7 upon consumption.
- Permanently increases Stamina by 2 upon first consumption.
- Slightly increases natural recovery rate upon first consumption.
An elixir based on refined, consumable mithril.
Advanced alchemy and maturation have elevated its grade.
As expected, both elixirs provided stat boosts alongside secondary effects.
"My god......"
Among them, the elixir that made Si-mun's jaw drop was [Diamond Water].
-Oppa, Diamond Water's actual grade increased!
"Yeah. I was just noticing that too."
Originally, Diamond Water should have been B+ grade like the other two elixirs.
But what about the Diamond Water before his eyes now?
It was nothing less than an A-grade elixir.
Si-mun could easily guess the reason.
"It's probably because of the mithril used in the Diamond Water."
-Well, yeah. The fact that you refined mithril into something consumable was insane to begin with. I was genuinely shocked back then.
Before entering the previous Arena,
Si-mun had crafted these elixirs using leftover materials from Park Jin-uk's Mana Sclerosis Cure.
At the time, lacking enough special metal for Diamond Water,
he had substituted mithril obtained as a reward from the Special Arena [Nightmare of the Heated Mine].
-I never imagined a human could refine mithril to that degree.
The Philosopher's Stone, witnessing the process, had alternated between awe and disbelief.
-Not to underestimate you, Oppa, but even mana-sensitive races struggle with that.
"Is that so? Well, the first refinement was pretty tough."
-Pretty tough?! Oppa, that's not something you can brush off like that! Honestly, I'm still suspicious.
"Suspicious?"
-Yeah! Like, did you use some trick besides alchemy?!
"You little—there are better things to doubt."
What trick could he possibly use when all he could do was alchemy?
Besides—
"Even if I had, you'd have noticed, Philosopher's Stone."
A mythical construct like the Philosopher's Stone couldn't have missed it.
-Well, that's true but...
Was it really that hard to believe?
The Philosopher's Stone still hesitated.
"Doubt all you want, but if you recall the Elixir recipe, you'll understand."
One of the Elixir's ingredients was mithril.
If he couldn't refine mithril for consumption, creating an Elixir would be impossible from the start.
Naturally, the Philosopher's Stone knew this too.
-Right, the Elixir! It required a large amount of mithril, didn't it?
"Exactly. Starting to believe me now?"
And considering Si-mun had made it at Level 1, there was no choice but to accept it.
"Thinking about it, this kinda hurts? Our dear Philosopher's Stone doubting me like this."
-Eh? N-no no no! That's not what I meant—!
The Philosopher's Stone's voice instantly rose in pitch, flustered.
-It's just that Oppa makes such high-level refining look so easy... I-I mean, I was super shocked, okay?!
"Anyway, smooth talker."
-Ack! Oppa, you know how I feel~ Right? Hmm?
"Enough. It's gross."
-Oppaaaah! Ugh! Fine, just drink those already. Don't you need to reach Gold quickly?
Maybe it was time to let it go.
"You little..."
Chuckling, Si-mun uncorked the highest-grade elixir—Diamond Water.
As the Philosopher's Stone had said.
"Gotta reach Gold-rank quickly so I can use this [Broken World Tree Seed Fragment]."
Hadn't he already tasted the sweet rewards of a Special Arena once before?
"Shall we do some stat boosting then?"
Pop.
With the crisp sound of an uncorked potion.
Gulp.
Si-mun downed the Diamond Water without hesitation.