The Second Trip to Korea
I left Han Yugyeong staring in shock after I told her I still had four abilities left to grant her, and immediately opened the next trait selection window. I couldn’t unlock all four remaining choices at once; I had to open them one by one. It seemed that after level 6, the system restricted simultaneous selection because the new traits were often related to ones I’d already picked. The message appeared clearly in front of me.
Please select a trait
① Saint of Martial Arts
② Summoning Contract [Coordinates: 335%7#**56]
③ Master of Net Dive
④ Lucky
My luck sitting at a whopping 18 must have helped. The options were all pretty solid. The one I’d been secretly hoping for—Saint of Martial Arts, the absolute pinnacle of fist-fighting traits—had appeared, but given how Han Yugyeong’s stats were distributed, it wasn’t the best pick for her. What a shame. I mentally prayed it would show up for me next time instead.
That left Summoning Contract and Master of Net Dive. Hmm. Rather than deciding alone, maybe I should talk it over with her? After all, these were traits for her. It felt wrong to choose without her input.
I put my glasses back on, lay down beside her again, and offered my arm as a pillow. She immediately nestled her head against it.
“Explain it to me. How does this work? How are you giving me superpowers, and how can I get four more abilities on top of that?”
Han Yugyeong demanded an answer. I couldn’t just tell her outright that this world was basically a game. I needed to soften the explanation a little. After thinking for a moment, I opened my mouth.
“You know the concept of karma, right?”
“Yeah, you mean like karma?”
“Think of it like experience points in a game. If you live your life to the fullest, that karma builds up and awakens one of your hidden potentials.”
“And you can see that potential and awaken it for me?”
“Exactly.”
I roughly compared game EXP and leveling up to karma. The terms were similar enough, and since Han Yugyeong was incredibly sharp, she understood my half-baked explanation perfectly.
“There are selection options, and since these are your abilities, I didn’t want to pick them arbitrarily. That’s why I thought we could lie here together and decide while talking.”
“Oh, that’s what you meant? Hehe, then tell me about them.”
She burrowed deeper into my embrace. I explained Summoning Contract and Master of Net Dive to her in detail.
The summoning contract wasn’t random like basic summoning magic. If this were a gacha game, it would be a guaranteed pull. Back when I was playing the game before possessing this body, I would’ve searched the strategy site for the coordinates 335%7#**56 displayed in that semi-transparent window to see what would be summoned… but now it was basically the same as normal summoning. I had no idea what would come out.
The only coordinates I had memorized were the two for the creatures once called the Supreme Beings. And of course, 335%7#**56 wasn’t one of them.
Master of Net Dive had been considered a broken trait in TMC, the previous work starring the youngest son of MegaCorp. But since this sequel was a prequel set before VR net-diving became mainstream, it wasn’t quite as overpowered or essential here.
“Then I’ll go with the summoning.”
After listening to my explanation, Han Yugyeong thought for a moment before choosing summoning.
“Any particular reason you picked summoning?”
“I thought about whether it was something I could obtain with money. Net divers are people I could hire with cash even without learning the skill myself. But the summoned creatures you mentioned seem to come from entirely different dimensions. Those can’t be bought with money, right?”
Ah, I see. She had a clear standard. If it could be obtained with money, she would choose the option that couldn’t. That seemed to be her criterion.
I sat her down in the middle of the bed, moved back a little, and selected Summoning Contract [Coordinates: 335%7#**56] from the trait window.
The light around us vanished for a split second, then returned. In that brief moment, a pitch-black panther had appeared, sitting obediently in front of Han Yugyeong.
Oh. So those coordinates were for a shadow panther.
It wasn’t one of the highest-tier summons, but it was still incredibly useful. It could hide inside shadows and travel with her anywhere, and its combat ability was strong enough to easily defeat two humans who had undergone body modification. Nice. Even though she had Dixon as a bodyguard, in the most critical moments she could rely on this shadow panther.
“Kyaa! It’s so cute!”
It was a massive panther easily ten times the size of a house cat, yet Han Yugyeong was losing her mind over how adorable it was. She rushed forward to hug it, but the shadow panther lightly leaped aside, avoiding her, and came over to me instead.
Its owner is clearly Han Yugyeong, so why is it approaching me?
The shadow panther dropped a piece of paper at my feet, then returned to her side. I picked it up with a puzzled expression.
“What is this?”
Is the offering still not ready?
Aha. It looked like the Daughter of the Abyss had interfered again and twisted the trait selection. That made sense. Since it was a shadow panther, it would naturally fall under her influence. What kind of offering should I give it? I had no idea what its tastes were, so I was stumped. For now, I’d try the blood sausage soup I’d thought of earlier. If it didn’t like it, I could offer something else.
“What are you going to name it?”
“Nero!”
I doubted she’d taken the name from some old 1953 pop song. She had probably named it after the black cat from the children’s song of the same name.
The shadow panther had already grown close to her. It rubbed its forehead against her arm, showing affection. Han Yugyeong scratched under its chin and stroked the back of its neck.
“It’s so soft! It doesn’t even feel like normal fur.”
I walked over and stroked its back as well. It gave me a slightly annoyed look, as if to say I wasn’t an enemy but still a bother. Still, it didn’t show any hostility. Just like she said, the texture really was different from normal animal fur.
“Do you know how to take care of it?”
“Yeah. The moment you chose the summoning trait, information about Nero just flowed into my head. It feels so strange.”
From her explanation, Nero was basically the ultimate upgraded version of a cat. It didn’t shed, took care of its business in the shadow realm, and even had combat capabilities. It could even be used as a mount in emergencies, which meant the dream of becoming a Panther Rider wasn’t just fantasy anymore.
When Han Yugyeong told Nero to explore the house, it seemed to understand her perfectly and wandered around on its own. Even when doors were closed, it slipped through the shadows underneath them. I had used similar tricks to open windows before, but seeing it in person was still fascinating.
The next trait selection wasn’t nearly as good. One completely useless option called Master of Cleaning appeared, along with a choice between a random item or Master of Throwing Techniques. I picked the latter since it was at least somewhat useful. Throwing skills relied more on mental stats like concentration and judgment than pure physical power, so it suited her.
I guess I’ll have to tell her to start carrying shuriken and throwing knives… Still, the image of Han Yugyeong riding a panther while hurling blades was pretty cool.
For the remaining two traits, I chose ones that matched her stats and current situation quite well: Majesty of the Monarch and Cold Reason.
Majesty of the Monarch was a charisma skill linked to her charm stat. It reduced the chance of subordinates betraying her and made them more obedient. Since it also applied to summoned creatures, Nero would probably move even more efficiently. And since Han Yugyeong would eventually have to take over the Shingang Group, any trait that granted authority and dignity was worth taking as many times as possible. Right now her only subordinates were Nero and Dixon, but the more people who served her in the future, the more powerful this trait would become. A classic late-game monarch-type ability.
Of course, to reap those benefits later, she needed to start gathering followers little by little from now on.
Cold Reason allowed her to maintain rationality during emergencies, powerful mental attacks, or severe psychological shock. It was far better than panicking and stomping her feet helplessly, so I selected it without hesitation.
To test Cold Reason, we tried surprising her—shouting “Boo!” out of nowhere, or suddenly tossing her into the air like we were doing the hammock toss. She definitely got startled, but she recovered her composure almost instantly without losing her mind. It might actually be a better trait than I first thought. It even offered some defense against mental attacks.
I couldn’t let her fall under hypnosis and get taken advantage of by some glasses-wearing pervert. Of course, the glasses-wearing hypnotist was just a joke, but real hypnotists did exist, so preparing mental defenses was only logical. That’s why I had chosen Cold Reason.
“I have one more question…”
“What is it?”
“I’m curious if it lets you keep your reason even when you reach orgasm.”
At my words, Han Yugyeong lay back on the bed and gave me a seductive smile.
“Shouldn’t we test it and find out?”
I couldn’t hold back any longer and pounced on her. The experimental result was that Cold Reason did not activate during sex. That was the conclusion I reached after making her pass out completely.