Chapter 78
Chapter 78
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 78
Chapter Title: Deals with Goldrich
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A long time passed.
Goldrich, who had been anxiously mulling it over, finally came to a decision.
"Damn it, I'll sell it!"
"Okay! Thanks!"
With a thank-you that sounded just like someone snapping up everything for four bucks, Shin-hyeok paid the one million achievement points right away, fearing Goldrich might change his mind.
Goldrich, his face twisted in agony as he processed the transaction, grabbed Shin-hyeok's sleeve with a frantic voice.
"You're really going to introduce me later, right? If you don't, I'll throw myself on the ground!"
"I will. I need a reliable sales channel myself, so don't worry."
"Haa... I've never made a losing deal like this since becoming a merchant..."
"Strictly speaking, this isn't a loss. It's like losing a battle but winning the war, right?"
"...Sigh, alright. Here's my business card. The usage is—"
"You infuse it with energy, and it sends me a signal. Then I summon you."
"...You really know your stuff. That's correct. I hope next time I get to meet that artisan with you."
Only after receiving Shin-hyeok's firm confirmation did Goldrich finally shed his anxiety. He handed over his wandering merchant business card and bid farewell.
Soon after, with a burst of bright light, Goldrich vanished. Shin-hyeok immediately used the items he'd bought.
"Enhancement Stone. Use it on the Armor of Absorption."
"Nice."
A 10% boost.
It might not seem like much, but the effort and wealth required to close that gap were immense.
Especially since this amplification rate would hold even if the Armor of Absorption grew to mythic grade.
Plus, the unique skills now had the + suffix, making them even stronger. So the armor's growth wasn't just a mere 10%.
Satisfied with the result, Shin-hyeok moved on to the next item.
"Scroll to Awaken the Origin."
-Caw! Caw caw caw!
"Yeah, yeah, it's for you."
Whether it instinctively knew this would help it or not, Kakamaki circled Shin-hyeok excitedly, cawing away. Chuckling at the sight, Shin-hyeok used the scroll on it.
As with the enhancement stone, a brilliant light erupted from Kakamaki.
When the light faded...
Kakamaki had changed completely from before—a full 180 degrees.
For starters, its size had grown larger.
Next, its feathers, previously mostly brown with some black, were now pitch black.
And finally—
"Golden eyes, huh. It suits you. Looks pretty."
Its eyes were dyed golden.
Of course, it didn't last; they soon reverted to their original black.
Having confirmed all the physical changes, Shin-hyeok checked Kakamaki's messages first.
"Oh, Unique grade. It was about time. But Black Greed Gold Bird? First time seeing this species. What does it do?"
Kakamaki had reached Unique grade.
Having lingered at Rare for so long, Shin-hyeok figured it was due, so no surprise there.
But the next message was ambiguous.
Black Greed Gold Bird (黑貪金鳥).
Literally, a black bird that covets gold.
A species even pre-regression Shin-hyeok had never heard of.
"Opening its origin makes it a one-of-a-kind species, so that's expected."
Of course, unlocking a pet's innate origin meant it could no longer be bound by ordinary species limits. It was a foregone conclusion, so Shin-hyeok shrugged it off and checked Kakamaki's status window.
"The stats have skyrocketed. At this level, it'll be meaningfully helpful to me now. With Equipment Transformation, it adds half of its stats to mine... that's like All Stats +100 gear. Ha, legendary-grade equipment level?"
The first change was the explosive stat growth.
Of course, this level of growth still wouldn't deal significant damage to enemies.
Shin-hyeok was playing at Diamond level, and Kakamaki was barely Gold early-to-mid.
But with Equipment Transformation, it was a different story.
It was like gaining All Stats +100 gear.
Did that mean Kakamaki wasn't helpful otherwise? Not at all—
"Gold Power. So that's what it unlocked? Hmm, good... yeah, good things are good."
Thanks to unlocking its origin, Kakamaki had gained the special stat: Gold Power.
Gold Power.
As the special stat used by the recently departed Goldrich, its power was indescribable.
Growing Gold Power steadily would make Kakamaki far stronger than peers—it was obvious.
Special stats were inherently like that.
Of course, it'd require vast wealth, but Shin-hyeok's resources could cover it.
-Or so Shin-hyeok once thought.
[Gold Eating (金食)]
- Classification: Trait [Unique]
└ Can consume anything related to currency.
└ Consuming currency increases stats and elevates rank.
└ Accelerates Gold Power growth.
└ Penalty: Cannot consume anything unrelated to currency.
"...Huh?"
In a situation already demanding vast wealth to raise Gold Power, this extra blow made Shin-hyeok reel.
Money, and more money, and even more money.
-Caw! Caw caw! Caw!
Oblivious to Shin-hyeok's turmoil, Kakamaki was simply thrilled.
"...Gotta make money hard."
Finally shaking off the shock, Shin-hyeok sighed and shook his head.
Spilled water couldn't be poured back.
The unlocked origin couldn't be reversed.
Doing so might make Kakamaki vanish forever.
"Think positive. Kakamaki's growth benefits me too. Yeah..."
So Shin-hyeok tried to see the bright side.
Aside from the money sink, Kakamaki's growth speed had surged dramatically.
Though the issue was it cost not just a little money—a ton, an insane amount that'd make you curse.
Crunch crunch!
"...Who eats a tael of gold in one meal?"
-Caw?
"...Yeah, eat up."
Searching for something to feed the suddenly ravenous post-origin Kakamaki, Shin-hyeok lost a tael of gold and sighed, forcibly looking away.
He couldn't bear watching a million won vanish in one meal with eyes wide open, so he decided to unwrap the remaining rewards.
"Legendary-grade Trait Creation Ticket. The main event."
A pre-regression unseen item.
Suppressing his pounding heart, Shin-hyeok used the Legendary-grade Trait Creation Ticket.
"Like this, huh."
Nodding at the message, Shin-hyeok began pondering the trait he needed.
'Physical abilities are fine. Growth potential too. So what's left is energy-based abilities.'
Physical abilities?
No big issue.
Considering his preparations, physical stat growth wasn't critical. He knew Earth's top physical stat trainer, and 'that one' on Baekdu Mountain existed.
Growth potential was the same.
With Trait: Versatile and Trait: Late Bloomer's fantastic synergy, his growth path was smooth sailing.
So, energy-based abilities remained.
'My only energy ability is Mana Circuits. Tai Chi Divine Art and Heavenly Demon Divine Conclusion are top-tier, but they're skills, not traits—different in nature. Plus, Mana Circuits are limited to mana. The energy ability I need must encompass all my energies.'
Shin-hyeok already realized his shortcomings and was working to fill them.
This Legendary-grade Trait Creation Ticket was like rain in a drought.
With direction set, he shaped the concept, principle, and result without hesitation.
"Concept: Unify all my energies into one. Principle: Energy control based on Job: All Master effect and Trait: Versatile. Result: Unification of all energies."
"Yes."
With no doubt in his creation, Shin-hyeok nodded immediately.
"One Origin. The name says it all. Well, I designed it from start to finish, so of course."
The new trait acquisition message appeared.
Even knowing its abilities, Shin-hyeok checked the status.
[One Origin]
- Classification: Trait [Legendary]
└ Unifies all energies into One Origin Force.
└ One Origin Force can become any energy you possess.
* Caution: Failure to suppress repulsion during unification may cause severe damage.
"Perfect. Exactly as I envisioned."
Trait: One Origin.
This trait unified Shin-hyeok's diverse energies, massively amplifying the total amount.
Energy was always scarce.
From Bronze to Diamond, Challenger—every player thirsted like in a desert.
In that regard, One Origin's power to consolidate and explode energy quantity was beyond words.
Combining all his current energies would reach Diamond's peak.
In short, a secret technique to further boost his already immense output.
"Now, the last one: Mythic-grade Material Gacha Ticket."
Having used the Legendary Trait Creation Ticket fruitfully, Shin-hyeok eyed the final reward and swallowed dryly.
"First Mythic-grade item. Heart's racing."
Even after becoming Challenger Tier, he'd never seen Mythic materials or gear. This thrill was real.
Calming his reed-in-the-wind nerves, Shin-hyeok quietly used the gacha ticket.
A radiant light filled the room.
When it cleared, Shin-hyeok looked at the item in his hand and hardened his expression.
Because—