Chapter 21: Terraforming

A clear ding! rang out.

The long list scrolled up smoothly.

I started browsing for useful items, fiddling with the filters as I went.

"As expected... nothing worth buying with just 1,500 Karma..."

The only things even remotely worth considering were in the consumables section.

But if you asked whether they were useful right now? Not really.

"Mostly food staples and daily necessities... no potions or anything."

The only fantasy item unavailable on Earth was 'Height Growth Potion.'

In other words, nothing I needed urgently.

The Skill Shop and the Other shop full of all sorts of items.

Contrary to my expectations, the quality was disappointingly low, and I couldn't hide my letdown.

"And the Function Shop doesn't even have a single thing I can buy..."

I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had a pretty good guess what 'functions' meant.

When entering a novel for the first time, there was a choice: enter as your true self, or as the protagonist or someone around them.

It had warned that it wasn't unlocked yet, forcing entry as my true self, but I was sure this Function Shop was where I could buy and unlock it.

There was one more.

Thanks to the angel casually mentioning it on the first day, I'd noticed its existence.

The function to carry possessed items when entering a novel or returning to reality.

If I could unlock that, its usefulness would be obvious as day.

"Well... nothing immediately useful anyway..."

It was fine.

I hadn't expected much to begin with.

1,530 Karma.

That was what I had right now.

The angel had praised my quest-clearing speed as impressive, but it was still just what I'd scraped together in a single day.

No way it was a huge amount.

Sure, by (former) Park Chanyoung's standards, it was close to a month's worth, but...

'That's because that bastard's a moron, not because I'm some genius.'

None of the quests so far had been ones only I could clear.

Even an average person could gather this much Karma if they gritted their teeth and went all out.

I never expected to snag useful skills or items easily with the pittance you could earn in a day.

What I needed now was a goal. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Accumulate a certain amount of Karma and decide what to buy—that was top priority.

Blindly hoarding Karma without a plan was for idiots.

'Plus, having a clear reward in sight really fires you up.'

I tweaked the shop filters more precisely.

Removed the 'purchasable items only' filter and set it to show only items priced 1,000 to 5,000 Karma.

Whoosh!

"Huh?!"

"Hard Mode Quest?"

A new function had appeared, costing 5,000 Karma.

Maybe because I'd been so curious about functions? My eyes locked right onto it, ignoring everything else.

A clear ding! rang out.

My instincts were screaming.

I needed to unlock this function as soon as possible.

"So that's why there were almost no failure penalties until now... because of Hard Mode Quests."

There'd only been one quest with a real 'failure penalty.'

The first day in the novel.

The one where I told the Shelter leader, Doctor, my personal details.

If I didn't get assigned to Combatant, it reset me back to the start until I did.

"Every quest after that basically had no failure penalty..."

In other words, real failure penalties were reserved for Hard Mode Quests.

My mind raced at full speed.

Not just going on gut feeling—I wanted to judge its value as rationally as possible.

The system message promised 'high rewards.'

Probably Karma, items, skills.

Any avenue to acquire more Karma was worth expanding.

"Especially since, over time, 5,000 Karma would be chump change..."

But thinking that simplistically made me a sucker.

I couldn't fall for the system's wording.

Quest failure penalties weren't just the ones listed in the window.

There were realistic ones: the shitty situation I'd be in after challenging and failing.

For example, say a quest was [Kill an Orc] with a 500 Karma deduction penalty.

It wasn't just losing 500 Karma.

Failing to hunt an orc? I'd get counter-killed by it.

On top of the deduction, I'd die, regress, and lose out on [Novel Complete] rewards.

The pain and trauma from that? Separate issue.

"So the conclusion is..."

It was obvious.

I had to unlock this fast.

Especially while my true self was still weak.

Strange, after listing all the downsides? Not at all.

As my stats rose, it wouldn't be simple stuff like 'Kill --' anymore.

Things like 'Annex the -- nation into your forces' or 'Perfectly tame the ferocious evil dragon of --.'

Absurd quests with nauseating conditions tacked on to match the escalating difficulty.

But right now?

Hard-to-achieve quests everywhere, but none that risked my life or left me crippled on failure.

The realistic penalties were mild—that alone made it worth rushing to unlock.

"A function that boosts Karma income is a must-have. The sooner, the better."

In management-heavy games, ramping up income fast was key.

Sure, Hard Mode Quests might be so impossible I'd never clear one and waste 5,000 Karma outright...

But obsessing over every extreme risk meant never taking a step forward.

Fearing 'blind murder' and skipping work? That's not even funny drunk talk.

Goal set.

I'd gather 5,000 Karma as fast as humanly possible.

*

The sun rose bright.

Warm sunlight pierced the misty riverside, and my vision went white.

Not from the glare—from utter exhaustion.

"Gaaahhh!!"

"Haha! Regeneration ability—solid performance! With a power like that, no wonder your training motivation's through the roof! Way more enthusiastic than yesterday!"

"Nngaaah!!"

"Good! Five more with that energy!"

"Grraaah...!"

I was supposed to be losing weight—why the hell was I doing anaerobic ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠strength training?

Blame Brack, who radically revised the schedule to maximize my Natural Healing.

'Kill me... just kill me...'

Truth be told, I'd agreed to add anaerobic workouts.

Not to use the trait usefully, like Brack thought.

Anaerobic quests cleared way faster than aerobic ones, which took fixed long durations.

To hasten unlocking Hard Mode Quests and trigger the Reality Return quest.

Those two goals had me blitzing quests as fast as possible.

At least until dawn today.

"Nngh... Dooone...!"

"One more! Just one more—then five-minute break!"

"Fuuuuck...!"

I'd steeled myself, but doing it? Pure regret.

Cardio was better.

Anaerobic tore your muscles like they were ripping apart.

And they actually were tearing.

Experienced folks say cardio's way tougher.

Muscle pain gets tolerable over time, but that chest-burning shortness of breath? Never.

Head spinning, vision blurring...

That panic-inducing suffocation? I hated it too.

"Good! Five-minute break."

"Haaaah..."

Splat!

But now, I preferred cardio.

Thanks to the trait, no heavy breathing, and even if winded, my mind and sight stayed sharp.

But Natural Healing didn't block muscle tears.

Or the pain I felt.

And the intensity far exceeded my imagination.

Maybe that's why quest clears were incomparably faster than yesterday.

"Don't puke up breakfast."

If breakfast hadn't been digestion-friendly porridge, I'd have hurled long ago.

Stomach churning now, but I swallowed back the bile.

Apart from protein intake, this bloated body hungered constantly—I wanted to minimize empty-stomach time.

Its stomach was huge.

Even regular meals required vigilance to stick to one portion.

Training camp's buffet-style cafeteria was pure temptation hell.

Brack handled diet now, thankfully.

"58 seconds... 59 seconds... Break over! Next drill!"

Dogshit.

Five minutes that short?

*

After one set, I sprawled half-dead on the ground.

Cheek to the dirt.

Mud in my mouth, but no energy to spit.

A clear ding!

Yeah...

After yesterday's insane training too—no stat gain would be bullshit.

Motivation flickered back to life.

Since I was training anyway, I'd pushed hard hoping for stats, and it paid off.

But the good news didn't stop there.

A clear ding!

I'd been clearing backlog notifications in a detached haze, dismissing completion messages on autopilot.

Then words sharpened my foggy mind.

"Finally!... Finaaaally!..."

Sun-dried fluffy blankets, steaming hot showers, smog-hazed skies danced in my vision.

I'd poured every ounce of human strength, but unknown power surged through me.

"Grraaah!"

I forced my collapsed body up.

Finish this, then rest dominated my thoughts.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Legs and arms trembled like a phone on vibrate, but I stood.

"What? You squeezed every drop, yet...? Mental fortitude alone...? Im... impressive! Splendid! ...Fine! Rest time matters, but that spirit—I can't hold back!"

"Swi... swimming... swimming..."

"Hoho! Even picking your own drill? Full-body swim, no less? In that state...? No regrets?"

No breath to answer.

Focused solely on moving—brain offline.

Zombie-like, I shuffled to the riverbank.

Splash... splash...

Cold water climbed ankles to calves.

Nearly rolled in—water hit chest-level fast.

Ah...

This was why water rocked.

150kg body floated with buoyancy, easing the load massively.

Brain kicking in, a thought surfaced.

'Wait, couldn't I rest first, then swim? No big deal...'

Fuck!

Even five minutes mattered hugely with Natural Healing.

Quest wouldn't vanish—why dive in panicked?

Was I this dumb?

Sudden injustice welled up.

But self-inflicted—no one to whine to.

Blame my stupidity...

...Fuck!

Still mad!

I was exhausted, brain-fried—diminished capacity!

Consider that, rewind one minute!

"Uh... on second thought... rest sounds good...? Overtraining risks injury..."

"Don't quit before trying! Recall that spirit! What drove you to stand?!"

Brack, mistaking willpower for training zeal, scolded excitedly.

My goal then or now: rest.

No way he knew.

"You're in the water— no breaks till set's done! Ready position!"

Those eyes brooked no retreat.

'I'm the idiot... total idiot...'

Moisture in my eyes...?

Spray from pre-swim stance, surely.