Remodeling the Villa
As much as I wanted to gorge myself on poison and dive straight into mana training, there was something I needed to take care of first.
Right — I have to return the cube.
The Life Cube was, after all, a loaner from Park Na-ri and Beomi. Two days had passed, so returning it was only proper — of course, only after finishing the remodeling as promised. That was how you banked trust, and banked trust was exactly what would get it lent out again next time.
And so, once classes ended, I made my way to the Magic Engineering Workshop.
Workshop No. 1 was as hectic as ever, a whirlwind of activity. As I waited out front, a few seniors passing to and fro recognized me and traded nods with me.
"Back again?"
"Good afternoon."
We'd crossed paths enough times by now to know each other's faces. They seemed to have a fair guess as to why I'd come, too, because they turned straight around and went off to fetch Bong Jae-seok.
Before long, Bong Jae-seok came rushing out, dropping everything mid-task. Expectation he couldn't quite hide flickered in both his eyes.
"I was planning to call for you sooner or later anyway. What brings you here?"
"You know exactly what."
And I didn't disappoint that expectation. The moment I answered and slipped the Life Cube out, his grin stretched from ear to ear.
"...You borrowed it?"
"Yes. I'm returning it today, but I wanted to have it touched up first."
"Good, you brought it. Come in, come in."
The ultimate goal of Bong Jae-seok and the Magic Engineering Club was to complete a true S-rank Life Cube. Naturally, that was a goal staggeringly distant and treacherous. In the meantime, a chance to examine a sample was nothing short of rain after a drought — even just watching over my shoulder would net him plenty.
On top of that, I added an offer.
"How about you do the hands-on work yourself?"
"I'd love to. But what if I go meddling where I shouldn't and break something?"
Of course Bong Jae-seok wanted to pick it apart and study it more deeply — but if it malfunctioned in the process, there would be no undoing it.
I put the hesitant man at ease.
"You don't need to worry about that. If anything goes wrong, I'll be the one to fix it."
"Really? Then obviously I'm doing it."
Bong Jae-seok swiftly settled himself in front of the Life Cube, pulled over a handful of magitech tools, and manifested his skill — whereupon the tools and both his hands alike took on a blue glow.
I pointed to one corner of the cube and gave my instructions.
"Start from here."
"Alrighty then!"
Following my directions, Bong Jae-seok began repairing the Life Cube bit by bit.
Honestly, I could have copied Magic Engineering and done the work myself. Nothing about it would have stumped me, and it would have saved a great deal of time besides.
The reason I chose this cumbersome route anyway was simple.
My slots are too precious to waste.
1. Thief's Step(B+)
2. Overheat(C)
3. Ice Wall(B)
All three were prime skills with not a single flaw worth trading away at this point. Copying Magic Engineering would overwrite one of those three slots, and once the job was done, I'd have to track down Dang Gyu-young or Hong Yeon-hwa and copy their skills all over again.
Han Gyeo-wool was out of the question outright — we'd barely learned each other's faces.
And setting aside the bother of hunting someone down, abruptly demanding to see their skill would be strangely unnatural on top of it. Even Dang Gyu-young, who shared a considerable portion of my secrets, knew nothing about my copying ability.
"Would you use Thief's Step for me, just once?"
"Huh? Out of nowhere?"
Something along those lines would surely play out.
In the end, it was a hassle no matter how I sliced it, so I had decided to proceed without touching my copy slots at all.
Besides, from Bong Jae-seok's standpoint, working on it directly would teach him far more than mere spectating.
And so I kept issuing directions, and Bong Jae-seok kept manifesting Magic Engineering.
"You'll want to take special care with this inner wall. The amplification effect comes from right here."
"So that's what that was. Saw it in the blueprint."
"Save that part for last. Touch it wrong and we're in serious trouble."
"...Really? Okay, okay."
Thus, absorbed past all sense of time, we worked on — and when we finally surfaced, a Life Cube sat before us, immaculate as if it had just come off the production line.
The scratches that had pockmarked it here and there were gone, and a soft aura of life energy breathed out from within. In some ways, it even seemed improved over before.
For a while, the two of us simply gazed at the cube, steeped in satisfaction. Then I broke the silence.
"Thank you for your hard work."
"I just did what you told me. Learned plenty this time, though. Thanks."
I stored the Life Cube in my inventory and gave Bong Jae-seok a deep bow.
"I'll head back now, then."
"Sure. Come find me whenever you need anything."
At those words, something occurred to me, and I asked, "If you have any Random Rank-Ups to spare, I'd like to take one off your hands."
"Of course I've got spares. Take it."
Bong Jae-seok pulled Random Rank-Ups from his inventory. A full three of them.
"One is plenty for me."
"Just take them all. Think of it as tuition."
Saying that, he all but pressed them into my hand, and I played the part of reluctantly giving in and accepted. Freely offered things were not something I turned down as a rule.
With my respect for him deepened another notch, I bowed once more.
"I'll put them to good use."
"By the way, Kim Ho."
"Yes, senior?"
"......"
Uncharacteristic of his brisk, no-nonsense personality, Bong Jae-seok let a beat pass before venturing his question carefully.
"...I couldn't help noticing you're still unaffiliated. Any thought of joining somewhere?"
"Not yet, no."
"If you truly can't make up your mind, give our side a serious look. You set your mind to it, and the cube gets finished in no time, doesn't it?"
He was right — if I devoted myself to nothing but the Life Cube, I'd see S-rank within the year at the latest. That alone would be a legendary achievement, and I still had a full two years left until graduation besides. In Bong Jae-seok's eyes, I must have looked like something more than a mere rising prospect.
But I declined with courtesy.
"Thank you for the offer. Even so, for now I'd like to focus on other goals."
After all, I had entered this game of a world aiming for EX-rank from the very start. I still had to slay a dragon, raise an EX-rank tree sloth, and bring about world peace — the road ahead stretched long indeed.
By comparison, the Life Cube was nothing more than a waystation even at S-rank. There was no reason to join the Magic Engineering Club and squander time on it.
Bong Jae-seok confirmed my resolve was firm and gave a small nod.
"Can't be helped, then. If you ever change your mind, say the word anytime."
"Yes, senior."
With the repairs finished, next came returning the item to its rightful owner. So I called for Park Na-ri — and whatever the hurry was, she came sprinting out even faster than Bong Jae-seok had.
Then, the instant she laid eyes on me, she opened with her thanks.
"Th-thank you!"
"What are you thanking me for? It's yours."
"F-for... returning it... so quickly...?"
I wondered whether getting her own property back on schedule was really something to be grateful for — but I soon found more than enough reason to understand. A very great deal of it, in fact.
Cat fur clung to Park Na-ri from head to toe, thick enough to waft with every step. Her hands and arms, too, bore far more scratch marks than usual.
And Beomi, cradled in her arms...
"Grrrrr."
...was letting out a low growl, making her foul mood plain.
I had a fair idea of what the past two days had held. In place of the cube, she had most likely been using Park Na-ri as her villa and scratching post.
"Mrow!"
Before long, Beomi wriggled in discomfort, then swung a front paw up into Park Na-ri's chin.
— THWACK!
"Oof!"
Park Na-ri's head snapped backward. It had the look of an ordinary cat punch, but the force behind it was evidently anything but.
...I'm a believer now. You really are a hellcat.
Such was the toilsome life of a butler.
Creaking, Park Na-ri worked her head back into place, soothing her struck chin as she spoke.
"The... the cube, please..."
"Here you go."
Any more delay, and a second or third cat punch might send Park Na-ri's jaw clean off its hinges.
So I produced the Life Cube, eased the lid open a crack, and said in my gentlest tone.
"Lady Beomi, the remodeling is complete. Please, have a look inside."
"......"
Beomi stared at the cube for a few seconds, then hopped down from Park Na-ri's arms. I sank to one knee to match her height.
Beomi pressed her nose against the cube here and there, sniffing — then in one bound, dove into the box.
"Meow!"
"I take it that meets with your approval?"
Rather than answer my question, Beomi flicked the lid shut with a front paw. I would take that as a yes.
Lid closed just as it was, I held the Life Cube out to Park Na-ri.
"Take it."
"...Thank you."
Relief and gratitude left Park Na-ri in the same breath. Then, hugging the cube tight to her chest, she started off.
Her retreating back looked at least twice as exhausted as usual.
— Scritch— scritch— SCREECH—!
From deep inside the cube, the sound of gleeful scratching rang out again and again.
The Training Center. I settled myself in the middle of a mana training room.
First, I put one of the Random Rank-Ups I'd received from Bong Jae-seok to the test.
— Fwoooosh... The magic scroll fluttered apart into black ash, and a notification printed itself.
[Rank Up failed.]
Even so, the corner of my mouth crept upward.
Finally.
▷ Stamps: 10/10 ✦
▷ 10-Stamp Reward: Rank Up (C)
Ten accumulated failures had completed my Stamp Coupon.
As for the Rank Up, I had decided long ago where it would go.
[Using "Rank Up (C)".]
[Amplification rank has increased. (C → B)]
[Duration: 10 min → 15 min]
[Cooldown: 1 hr 20 min → 50 min]
Amplification was the most powerful and versatile skill I owned, which made it the most deserving of first investment. Lately, the tuning scrolls had stretched its duration — and its cooldown right along with it — and with Octopus Legs now in the mix, managing it had felt trickier by the day.
Now that it had climbed to B-rank and its cooldown had shrunk once more, I could finally breathe a little easier.
I still had two Random Rank-Ups left, but I resolved to save those toward the next Stamp Coupon.
Time to start eating, then.
I would down the poisons I'd hauled back from the Temporary Confiscation Storage, one after another, and take my shot at Thousand Poisons Immunity.
Pulling the Hermit's hoodie over my head, I plunged a hand into my inventory.
The first thing my fingertips snagged on came out to reveal an adorable little glass bottle filled with pink liquid. Innocent at a glance — anything but in truth.
◈ A pink liquid in a deceptively cute glass bottle
◈ Sweet as cotton candy — corrosive enough to melt flesh
An item that could turn up at a fixed chance even from the slot machines aboard the Academy Train. Back then, with no countermeasure against poison, I had steered well clear of it.
These days, any poison will do nicely.
When I popped the cork, a sweetness like cotton candy brushed the tip of my nose. It was as if the bottle were coaxing me — go on, drink me.
And so, happy to oblige, I tipped the entire contents down my throat in a single gulp.
Oof, that's bitter.
A bitterness beyond imagination slammed into my taste buds. Nor did the Adorable Deadly Poison stop there — it slid down my esophagus toward my stomach, trying to dissolve everything it touched along the way.
A searing sting spread through my whole body, but I had expected at least this much.
Well then, let's begin.
I squared my posture and closed my eyes. Then I began focusing my mind on mana training.