Downtown Market (2)

As the radiance that had flooded every direction like a flashbang finally died down, the onlookers who came to their senses came swarming in.

"What the— what was that?"

"What was that effect just now?"

"Looked like a first-year using a Random Skill Book."

"Random Skill ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Books can put out an effect like that?"

But Seo Yein, who had stirred up the whole commotion, had already left the spot long before. More precisely, I—having seen the trouble coming—had whisked her away in a hurry.

I gave Seo Yein a light scolding.

"What do you think you're doing, using a skill book right there? Look, it's still chaos over there."

"Wanted to use it."

"Why?"

"Just because."

Just because she wanted to—her gut had told her to. With an answer like that, there was nothing left for me to say.

And with the results being what they were, there was even less.

"So? What did you get?"

"I find myself quite curious as well."

When Go Hyeon-woo and I fixed her with looks brimming with curiosity, Seo Yein pulled up the notification message that had printed out when she used the skill book and showed it to us.

"Unbelievable."

Luck was one thing, but this was straight-up broken.

Go Hyeon-woo, whose knowledge of skills was far thinner, could only tilt his head.

"What manner of skill is this, that it astonishes you so, Brother Kim?"

"The best perception-acceleration skill there is."

"Perception acceleration?"

"Everything slows down. Everything you see."

"…!"

Bullet Time. For the duration of the skill, the caster's perception accelerates dramatically, letting them see everything as if in slow motion—so precisely that you could even watch an incoming bullet spin as it flew.

At F-rank, the duration was one second, with a five-minute cooldown. The cooldown wasn't terribly long, but it wasn't something to be spammed either, and the duration lasted barely an instant—a skill that demanded the utmost care in its use.

But for the moment Bullet Time was active, it granted an overwhelming advantage in combat. In a firefight against another ranged class, for instance, you could slip every one of their attacks while landing your own shots, and answering—and countering—a strike from an assassin-type closing in up close became far easier as well.

Go Hyeon-woo let out a murmur of awe.

"Hoo. A skill like that would serve me well indeed. Eight thousand points would not be the least bit wasted."

"It's incredible no matter who's using it. If you can actually master the thing, it'd be worth eighty thousand, not eight."

For all its tremendous performance, Bullet Time's acquisition difficulty was every bit as vicious. Ahn Jungmi, naturally, had never managed to learn it, and even among the gunners I'd raised to S-Rank, those who possessed it could be counted on one hand.

And that vicious of a skill—Seo Yein had barely set foot in the gunner section, given the stalls one idle sweep of her eyes, picked up a Random Skill Book, and learned it on the spot.

The world was, without a doubt, a place brimming with unfairness.

Seo Yein stared blankly at the two of us for a while, then tilted her head.

"Lucky, huh?"

"…"

"…"

Where on earth did she even learn to say that?

I shook my head. Sudden and absurd as the whole thing had been, Seo Yein's combat power taking a massive leap was more than welcome.

"I was going to have the butler teach you something, but I suppose mastering this will do."

"Mm."

Putting Bullet Time to practical use demanded a very high degree of proficiency. The skill's effect, at its core, only accelerated the caster's perception—her actual speed wouldn't change one bit. Since her own movements would feel every bit as sluggish as everything else looked, she would need time to adapt to that as well.

And beyond that came practicing how to seize the optimal timing—so with nothing more than the skill learned, there was still a long road ahead.

"We'll need to work on its rank, too."

"Now that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you mention it, it is F-rank at present. What happens as the rank climbs?"

"Duration goes up. Cooldown comes down."

"Hoo. And to think it grows stronger still from here."

Go Hyeon-woo made no effort whatsoever to hide his envy.

I turned my gaze back to Seo Yein.

"For practice, it really is better to have a partner."

"Do it together."

"Of course we will. But midterms are right around the corner, so once those are over, we'll kick this into full gear."

"Mm."

Seo Yein gave a small nod. With that light promise made, the next sales section on our tour was melee—the warrior classes.

"My turn, then." Go Hyeon-woo burned with enthusiasm—then, a touch slyly, he asked me,

"If I were to procure a Random Skill Book of my own… might I, perchance, come to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠learn a powerful skill, as young lady Seo did?"

"That'd make you a wooden cup of the Feathered Snake tribe."

"Then it is not to be."

Having grasped reality, he let go of the notion without ceremony.

"Ahem. In that case, I shall look around mainly for equipment."

"About time you picked some up, honestly."

Seo Yein had felt no need to buy new gear, since most of hers was already exceptional—overly good for a first-year, really, and pieces like the Cumulus Cloud Bracelet would remain serviceable even after graduation. That was why we'd focused on skill books for her, and Go Hyeon-woo was the exact opposite.

Skills? He'll manage just fine on his own. He fought with the unique martial arts his sect had taught him, polishing his techniques one by one. Unless it was something outright broken like [Bullet Time], there was no need for him to go learning other skills and pouring time into them.

His equipment, on the other hand, had only just barely managed to keep his weapon from being destroyed. It was high time he turned his eye toward other options.

Just as at the gunner corner, the moment we stepped into the warrior section, a few seniors came drifting our way. These ones, however, seemed able to tell at a glance who was a melee class and who wasn't—judging by how little interest they spared for me and Seo Yein, anyway.

A third-year senior pulled up short in front of Go Hyeon-woo and looked him over from head to toe. The [Feathered Snake Shamanic Sword] at his hip, the [Sturdy Pen] tucked into his shirt pocket.

"Sword and pen for gear—you have the look of a warrior about you. Am I right?"

"That is correct."

"And your armor?"

"This uniform is all I have."

The senior scrunched his face as though this were beyond all tolerating.

"Flimsy. Flimsy, I say. Warrior or no, this won't do—not even the barest safety net to speak of."

"I was just feeling that lack myself, as it happens."

"Thought as much. Come along, then."

He guided Go Hyeon-woo off to one side, settled him into a seat, and seemed to confer with the other seniors about something. Before long, he brought back three pieces of armor and laid them out before Go Hyeon-woo.

"Bearing in mind that you're a warrior, I brought mostly light pieces that won't hamper your movement. Pick out whichever takes your fancy."

The first was a snow-white T-shirt holding a faint sheen.

It carried a modest measure of defense, and the recovery magic triggered even while you simply stood still. Merely wearing it raised your staying power.

The second was the model of a bare ribcage. Some manner of dark magic seemed worked into it, judging by the black haze smoldering up from the thing.

The options alone made it plain that the piece was built around magic defense. Go Hyeon-woo had yet to take a proper thrashing from a mage, but there was nothing wrong with preparing ahead of time. Being able to cast [Bone Armor] even once a day had its own appeal, too.

The third was leather armor etched with geometric magical patterns.

[Defense Penetration] was a skill handy for punching through the defenses of thick-hided foes like Ogres. Against heavily armored warriors, too, it could deal out critical hits when least expected.

[Piercing Resistance], put simply, was a trait that dulled the sting of stabbing-type attacks. Since most ranged attacks—bullets, arrows, and the like—came in under a piercing judgment, you might as well have called it ranged resistance.

"Hmm…"

Go Hyeon-woo sank into deliberation. Whichever he chose would prove useful, that much was certain—but having to pick just one of the three, agonize he must. Sustain through healing? Reinforced magic defense? Or Defense Penetration in hand while shoring up his resistance to ranged attacks?

"What's your read, Brother Kim?"

"This one's pure preference. They're all different fields entirely."

"A genuine quandary, then. They all look serviceable to my eye…"

His gaze roamed back and forth across the three pieces, unable to commit. Then, some idea seeming to strike him, he put the question to Seo Yein.

"And your thoughts, young lady Seo?"

The so-called lucky-mascot chance. He had apparently resolved to leave it to fortune.

"…"

Seo Yein stood quiet for a moment, then raised a hand and pointed somewhere. Not at one of the three pieces—at somewhere entirely out of left field.

Every gaze turned that way.

"What might be over there?"

"Well now, wait just a moment."

The senior trudged over to where Seo Yein had pointed, rummaged through the display stall, and came back holding a suit of armor. It was made of bronze, shaped like the shell of some crustacean.

"This is what you were looking for?" the third-year asked.

Go Hyeon-woo had left the call to Seo Yein's judgment, but he wore a doubtful look, as if unsure this was really it. Compared to the three pieces before it, nothing about the thing seemed especially good—even factoring in the open upgrade slot.

Could Seo Yein's luck for the day have finally run dry? Was that why she'd just jabbed a finger at random?

Just then, I nudged Go Hyeon-woo and threw out a single word.

"Buy it."

"…!"

A subtle change came over Go Hyeon-woo's eyes. All this while I'd hung back calling it a matter of taste—and now I was telling him to buy this unprepossessing armor on the spot. He sensed at once that something was up.

And Go Hyeon-woo took my advice as gospel.

"I will purchase this one."

"You're certain? It'll run heavy for a warrior."

"I will adapt."

The third-year senior looked every bit as dubious, but with Go Hyeon-woo standing firm, he let it be. From where he stood, one way or another, a sale was a sale.

"I'll respect your choice. Four thousand points, if you would."

Go Hyeon-woo promptly drew out his student ID and settled the payment, and we moved on to our next destination—the mage sales section.

Stowing the Bronze Carapace into his inventory, Go Hyeon-woo spoke up.

"I bought it without a moment's hesitation because I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠trust you, Brother Kim—but I confess I still don't quite follow."

"You bought well."

Thanks to a little of Seo Yein's luck still left over, Go Hyeon-woo, too, had managed to pull a pearl out of the mud.

"That thing, as it happens, has two upgrade slots."

"Then the 'Bronze' modifier was attached by way of an upgrade?"

"Exactly."

Armor crafted from an exceedingly rare crustacean-type monster. Its name the moment it's forged: [Transparent Carapace].

The Transparent Carapace's defining trait is that it takes on, wholesale, the properties of whatever material goes into its upgrades. Metal, a piece of a monster—it made no difference.

"No telling how bronze ended up in there as upgrade material, but all you have to do is strip it back out."

"And after that…"

"We slot something else in."

Once we'd gotten our hands on the two finest materials there were.