Chapter 56
Chapter 56
Chapter 56: Dragonkin (3)
Translation: godtl
[Status Window]
Title: Pioneer of Alchemy (and 3 others)
Class: Magic Class
Level: 42
Affiliation: South Korea
Strength: 11 (+4)
Agility: 11 (+4)
Stamina: 17 (+4)
Transmutation Power: 52 (+4)
- Demonic Energy: 28
- Dragon Power: 28
Remaining Stat Points: 12
Traits - Philosopher's Stone (D), Stigmata, Odin's Eye
Achievement Points: 7,500
The first things that caught Si-mun's eye were his stats.
His Transmutation Power, which had just increased by 10, jumping from 42 to 52.
'Come to think of it, I haven't allocated my remaining stat points yet.'
The 12 remaining stat points at the bottom drew Si-mun's gaze.
'Honestly, me. I had 12 points just sitting there, unused.'
Any other player who saw this would be utterly dumbfounded.
But there was nothing he could do about it.
'I haven't had the chance to check my status window.'
From the bomb terror to eliminating the terrorists, being summoned to the Association, and suddenly getting his own place—
Ever since he finished the last Arena, there hadn't been a single moment where he had the leisure to open his status window.
Si-mun allocated all 12 remaining points into Transmutation Power.
"That should bring it to 64, right?"
His level was clearly 42.
Yet his main stat had reached 64.
Even considering that he started with the maximum stat of 10 at level 1, this was a whopping 54-point increase.
On top of that, thanks to Odin being added to his 'Pick of Kings' title, the +3 stat bonus had increased to +4.
Total Transmutation Power: 68.
Nodding in satisfaction at that absurd number, Si-mun turned his attention back to the status window.
"Hmm. Dragon Power."
The newly added stat, Dragon Power.
Si-mun, who had fought tooth and nail against dragonkin in his past life, was well acquainted with this power.
"This must be the unique energy of dragonkin, right?"
Just as demons had Demonic Energy and celestials had Holy Power, dragonkin possessed their own exclusive energy—Dragon Power.
Of course, depending on their class, players could also use Demonic Energy or Holy Power.
But as far as Si-mun knew, no player had ever been able to wield Dragon Power.
At least, not until now.
'Well, Tiamat is the Dragon God, so it's not that surprising.'
It would've been ridiculous if he couldn't use Dragon Power after absorbing the blood of the Dragon God.
Snorting lightly, Si-mun opened the title window and checked 'Pioneer of Alchemy.'
[Pioneer of Alchemy] - Growth-Type
A title granted to an alchemist who has successfully transmuted all mythical alchemical products.
"Hmm. The consumption reduction has increased from 10% to 15%."
Even at 10%, the difference had been noticeable—but 15%?
Though it was limited to 'transmutation-related' actions, for Si-mun, whose entire combat style revolved around transmutation, this was incredibly welcome news.
Si-mun pulled out a small fragment from his inventory.
'This should be enough to attempt the Special Arena now.'
The entry item he had obtained after defeating the hidden boss, 'Crazed Vegetation Keeper Murie'—
The Broken World Tree Seed Fragment.
Between the 12-level leap from the last Arena and the growth he'd gained from Tiamat's blood,
even as someone who had just reached Gold-rank,
he should be able to clear this Special Arena, which had a Gold-rank restriction, without much trouble.
'Though, honestly, I could've cleared it even without my recent growth.'
Was it a kind of compulsion that all alchemists inevitably developed?
Preferring a 100% success rate, Si-mun smiled contentedly as he fiddled with the [Broken World Tree Seed Fragment].
Then—
Ding.
His phone, placed on the table, let out a small chime.
Checking the screen, he saw:
[Park Jin-uk: Mr. Si-mun, the sale of the Mana Sclerosis Cure has just been completed.]
Si-mun's smile deepened.
Sizzle.
As always, the sound of meat hitting the hot grill was accompanied by a rich aroma that tickled both ears and nose.
One.
"Damn it! Is this bastard alive or dead?"
The woman in front of the grill only furrowed her brows irritably.
Like a seasoned artisan,
her fingers flew across her phone screen at an incredible speed.
Of course they did.
No joke, she'd done this hundreds of times already.
As her practiced taps continued—so fast she could do it blind—message windows popped up on the screen.
[Go Mal-suk: What the hell happened? A terrorist attack? Are you okay? Hello?]
[Go Mal-suk: Hey! Say something. The address is the same as the one you sent. Right? Isn't it?]
[Go Mal-suk: Ugh, fuck! Answer me! Are you alive or not?!]
[Go Mal-suk: You better be alive. If you die on me, I swear... I'll really...]
[Go Mal-s.......]
A total of over 50 messages.
She wasn't even sure if the number they'd exchanged through whispers was correct.
Despite the flood of messages, not a single reply had come.
Go Mal-suk bit her lip hard.
'He couldn't really be dead, could he? No, no way! They said the investigation was still ongoing.'
After seeing the terrorism report on TV.
Countless online articles had covered the Sillim terror incident.
And uncharacteristically, Go Mal-suk had read through every single one of them.
'Those goddamn clickbait bastards! They don't know a damn thing but just keep churning out articles!'
The phrases consistently appearing across most articles—"investigation ongoing" and "awaiting the Association's official statement..."—meant that not a single concrete detail about the Sillim terror incident had been revealed.
It wasn't that she couldn't understand why.
After all, they were just reporters doing their jobs.
But still.
'At the very least, they should report whether there were casualties or not!'
To make matters worse, another explosion had occurred nearby, and footage of Awakened fighting had been captured.
Because of this, the Association had stepped in to investigate, but no accurate casualty reports had been released during the process.
And Kim Si-mun had completely dropped off the radar.
"Ugh! Damn it! This is driving me crazy!"
All Go Mal-suk could do was pound her chest in frustration.
And then, her thick skull—
"Ouch! You're driving me crazy too, you brat!"
Whack!
"Ow!"
—was struck with a crisp sound, making her stagger.
"Shit! Who the hell—"
Go Mal-suk's eyes shot up as she glared at the audacious culprit who had dared to smack her head.
Neat black nun's habit.
Beneath the distinctive long veil draped over the head, she recognized the wrinkled, blunt face.
"Ahem! Ahem!"
Swish.
Before she knew it, she was quietly scraping the now-charred meat off the pan, averting her eyes.
"Brat! Did I tell you to grill the meat or burn it?"
"Ah, you can just grill it again, can't you?"
"And how many years do you think it'll take to grill it again in time? The kids are starving and sucking on their fingers already!"
"Well, maybe if you'd packed tastier side dishes in the first place! How can your side dishes be so—"
"You little—!"
Whack!
Another crisp sound followed.
Clutching the back of her head, Go Mal-suk yelled,
"Old lady! Why do you keep hitting me?!"
"Because you deserve it! Stop yapping and grill the damn meat properly. Burn it again, and I'll burn you to a crisp too!"
"Ugh, fine..."
Pouting at the Old Nun's sharp words, Go Mal-suk picked up the tongs.
Just then.
Ding!
Her phone, placed nearby, chimed.
Go Mal-suk immediately snatched it up and tapped the screen.
[Kim Si-mun: Sorry. I've been too busy to check my phone properly.]
Her mood instantly brightened at the long-awaited reply—but only up to a point.
'Too busy to check his phone? Seriously?! Is that his excuse now?'
How busy could he possibly be in this day and age to not check his phone?
She couldn't accept such a ridiculous answer, and her temper flared.
[Kim Si-mun: You were right. The explosion happened at my place. But the Association's still investigating, so keep it quiet.]
The follow-up message instantly doused the heat inside her.
Letting out a sigh of relief, Go Mal-suk typed again.
[Go Mal-suk: Got it. You're not hurt, are you?]
[Kim Si-mun: Nah. You sent a ton of messages, though. Were you worried about me? Kinda touched, ngl.]
The heat that had been rising inside her moments ago now rushed to her face.
Her next message was the complete opposite.
[Go Mal-suk: BS. LMAO, you're delusional. Why the hell would I worry about you? I was just scared I wouldn't get to learn that technique, that's all.]
[Kim Si-mun: Ah... Yeah, figures.]
'What's with that reaction? What's wrong with me?'
One of Go Mal-suk's eyebrows twitched at Si-mun's reply.
Just what kind of image did this punk have of her?
[Kim Si-mun: Don't worry. I'll teach you for sure. Just got a new place, btw. I'll call you once I'm settled.]
[Go Mal-suk: Aight. Don't die and take care of yourself.]
[Kim Si-mun: Kk thx.]
Kk thx.
It was a phrase she used all the time herself, but—
'...Why does this annoy me so much?'
Why were her lips and eyebrows twitching uncontrollably?
Then—
"Heh heh. Look at this girl."
"Eek!"
Go Mal-suk jumped at the devilish whisper in her ear.
"Damn it! You scared me!"
"I wondered why a meat-obsessed brat like you was burning the food... Was it because of a boy?"
The Old Nun trailed off with a sly, sinister chuckle.
Go Mal-suk crossed her arms and rolled her eyes in response.
"It's not like that, okay? Stop saying weird things."
"There must be a reason you're glued to your phone these days. Where does he live?"
"Ah! Seriously, I told you it's not like that! What's wrong with you today, Grandma?!"
Mal-suk finally spun her entire body away in frustration.
But like the high-ranking Assassin Class Player she was,
the Old Nun had already snooped through the contents of her phone. Still smiling, she asked,
"Was that sudden trip to Seoul last time because of him too?"
"Well, I—yeah, okay, fine! But not in the way you're thinking!"
"Kim Si-mun, huh? That brat's name is quite likable."
"Graandmaa!!"
Mal-suk finally exploded.
But even under her murderous aura, the Old Nun didn't so much as flinch.
"So what does he do? Is he handsome? Broad shoulders? Any skills?"
"Ugh... Let's not talk about this."
Mal-suk hung her head low and dragged her palm up her forehead.
She shoved invisible earplugs into her ears and picked up the tongs.
Sizzle.
The pleasant sound of grilling pierced through her nonexistent earplugs.
And in between,
"If you're going to Seoul, you might as well go soon. It's not like you're short on time."
The Old Nun's voice wormed its way in anyway.
Mal-suk pretended not to hear and kept moving the tongs.
Or at least, she tried to.
Until the Old Nun's final words reached her.
"While you're at it, go see your father too."
"......Grandma, why are you bringing that up now?"
"You think I wouldn't ask? Since when is telling my own kid to visit their parents a crime?"
"That's not what you meant!"
Mal-suk finally turned around to glare at the Old Nun.
"That's over and done with. Don't you get it?"
"Tsk tsk, In-seok. The bond between parent and child isn't something that snaps so easily."
"That's rich! So what's he doing, huh? What's that bastard doing, leaving you alone here?!"
"At the very least, he's doing his part."
At that,
"......What do you mean by that?"
Mal-suk's face stiffened slightly.
"Grandma, don't tell me you've been taking money from him?"
"You little—! What kind of way is that to talk about your own father?!"
"Stop dodging and just answer me! Did you take his money? Did you?!"
The more rigid she became, the louder Mal-suk's voice grew.
Finally, the Old Nun raised her voice too.
"Yes, you brat! I did! So what?!"
"Are you insane? Why would you take it?!"
"And how else am I supposed to survive, huh? The orphanage expenses? What about the kids?!"
Mal-suk bit her lip hard at the Old Nun's words.
"......I'll earn more. That'll solve it. I'm an Awakened too."
"I know you're struggling. You've done enough for your age. Stop pushing yourself. And quit sending money from that Arena or whatever."
"Grandma!"
"Listen to me."
The Old Nun sighed softly and gently cupped Mal-suk's hands.
"Mal-suk, stop now and live your own life. I can handle this place alone."
"How can you say that at your age? That's ridiculous."
"I'll hire help."
"Funny. People don't work for free."
"If I'm short, I'll just squeeze your father for more. And that's my money, not yours. Why are you acting like it's your problem?"
The Old Nun grinned mischievously.
Mal-suk let out a hollow laugh and shook her head, but that was it.
She didn't flare up like before.
"Truly a devil of a granny. You're vicious."
"And you're no better, slaving away here at your age, you brat."
"Grandma, I'm your blood, remember?"
"Tch! Enough nonsense. Go set the table. Just opening the utensil drawer these days makes my joints ache."
"Fine."
Mal-suk snorted and left the kitchen.
As she walked away, the Old Nun's voice followed her.
"Mal-suk, you're going to Seoul, right?"
"Yeah. But not to see him."
"Then where are you going to sleep?"
"Am I a kid? I'll figure it out."
"Planning to stay at that Kim Si-mun boy's place?"
"Why does it always circle back to this?!"
The tension in Mal-suk's brow returned instantly.
"Good grief! They say raising daughters is pointless... I was just asking where you'd sleep."
"Why do you have to phrase it like that?! Fine! Yes! I'll stay at his place! Happy now?!"
"Good, good. Smart girl. I'm more open-minded than I look."
"What are you implying now, you old hag?!"
"Times have changed, haven't they? As long as you don't get knocked up before marriage, I don't care if it's pills or contraceptives—"
"GRANDMAAAAAA!!"
Mal-suk finally shrieked.
"I can't take this anymore, seriously!"
She stomped out of the kitchen, fuming.
"Tsk tsk. Wonder who she takes after to be this much of a pain."
The Old Nun clicked her tongue and shuffled back to the grill.
Sizzle.
"Damn it. I burned the precious meat again."
Old Nun cleared away the charred black meat.
Yet her lips were curled in a warm smile.