Chapter 41
Seong-Hwi and Chaya held the Teleport Rocks and simultaneously said, “To the Mirror World.”
The Teleport Rocks shone white and floated upward, turning into a rectangular pillar.
Seong-Hwi told Chaya, “I’ll be counting on you to do as I’ve said, Chaya.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Master is a little embarrassing. I told you to call me by my name, didn’t I? I told you it’s Cheon Seong-Hwi.”
“Master Cheon Seong-Hwi?”
“Just... call me hyung if it’s too hard for you.”
“Yes, hyung-nim,” Chaya replied proudly as his eyes shone brightly.
He’s so quick to change gears, Seong-Hwi thought as he shook his head.
The boy, who had acted so stiffly, claiming to be a proud Gurkha warrior, became extremely respectful once he received a Teleport Rock from Seong-Hwi and was hired by him. One could say he was highly professional or disciplined.
Well, these kinds of people are usually easier to control.
Seong-Hwi reached for Chaya and said, “Let’s begin.”
“Okay,” Chaya replied.
Chaya grabbed Seong-Hwi’s hand and summoned his kukri knife with the other hand.
[Activating Unique Skill: Concealing Cloak.]
The kukri turned transparent first, slowly concealing Chaya and Seong-Hwi’s presence.
[5 seconds until teleportation to the Mirror World.]
[4 seconds until—]
[3 seconds until—]
...
I’m going back to that endless warzone of survival, Seong-Hwi thought.
He naturally felt differently about heading to the Mirror World than everyone else, as he had already been there and failed. However, it would be different this time, as he was starting with a much higher advantage. He would advance quickly to widen the gap between him and those behind him while shortening the gap between him and those in front of him.
This time, I’ll survive until the end and stand at the pinnacle of all races!
That way, he would save his suffering race and grasp a destiny shining as brightly as his name. A blinding light from the white rectangular pillars engulfed them.
[Teleporting to the Mirror World.]
***
This is the doctrine of Malthus, applied to the whole animal and vegetable kingdoms. As many more individuals of each species are born than can possibly survive; and as, consequently, there is a frequently recurrent struggle for existence, it follows that any being, if it vary however slightly in any manner profitable to itself, under the complex and sometimes varying conditions of life, will have a better chance of surviving, and thus be naturally selected.
Charles Darwin, On the Origin of Species
***
[You arrived at the Mirror World.]
[Mandatory Quest: Path to the Mirror World, complete.]
[1,000 Karma obtained.]
[Generating Coin System.]
[You are of the race Human in the Mirror World.]
...
Seong-Hwi ignored the Akasha Messages and ran.
The Temple of Beginnings. No guards.
Seong-Hwi hid behind the giant pillars around him as he quickly left the Temple of Beginnings.
I doubt anyone is waiting since the mandatory quest period has passed, but one can never be too careful.
It was also why Seong-Hwi asked Chaya to activate his skill. In his past life, Seong-Hwi was forcibly dragged to the education facility, Edu, by people sent by the Union for one month. Although he learned a lot about the Mirror World during that month, the situation was now different.
Using that month for my plan is far more beneficial.
Seong-Hwi, concealed by the Concealing Cloak, escaped the Temple of Beginnings, Chaya following behind him.
***
“It’s okay now,” Seong-Hwi remarked.
“Okay,” Chaya replied and canceled the skill.
They were in a dark alley. Seong-Hwi walked as if he were familiar with the place while Chaya’s eyes darted around with his guard up.
“You can relax, Chaya,” Seong-Hwi said.
However, Chaya did not let his guard down. They reached a large street as they walked through the alley.
Chaya’s mouth widened, and he expressed amazement, “Wow!”
The bright sun lit up the spacious street filled with countless people and a few members of other races. To Chaya, who had grown up seeing only the snow-covered peak of Saipal in western Nepal, the European-style roads and people of various ethnicities made him feel like he was in another world. On the other hand, Seong-Hwi looked around apathetically.
I see a few elves. The relationship between humans and elves has yet to sour since the World Tree War hasn’t begun yet.
He could see people of various ethnicities and a few who were not human. He walked past them and entered the Lodi Hotel. A few Southeast Asians were arguing over items on a table in the hotel lobby.
“Come on! You promised you’d give it to me if you pulled a sword!”
“Yeah, but since it’s the Rotori Poison Sword, I’m gonna need more Coins.”
“Are you seriously gonna be like this?!”
Seong-Hwi ignored them and headed to the front desk. A white man with brown hair was yawning with his chin resting on his hand.
Seong-Hwi asked, “Any open rooms?”
“There are always open rooms. Urgh... were you out hunting Blood Chaos or something? You reek. That’s not human blood, is it?” the man asked as he frowned, staring at Seong-Hwi’s bloodstained clothes.
Seong-Hwi smiled and answered, “Of course not. This isn’t South Earth.”
“True. No way a murderer would be walking around in broad daylight on Middle Earth where Union executives are. Unless they want to be put on the wanted list. How many days are you staying?”
“Three, for now.”
“With the guy behind you?”
“Yeah.”
“A hundred fifty Coins per person. Fifty Coins per night. Cheap, right?”
Coins couldn’t be compared exactly to Earth’s economy, but most people usually compared them to the dollar. Fifty Coins were fifty dollars, meaning a one-night stay cost roughly fifty thousand won.
I’m sure I could find cheaper stays on other Earths, but I have business here.
Seong-Hwi brought his fist out toward the man, who then bumped fists with Seong-Hwi.
[Lodging (Common Quest)
Rank: F
Description: Two people will stay in the Lodi Hotel of the Capital’s Middle Earth for three days.
Condition: 300 Coins.
Penalty: None.]
...
[The quest will be complete once 315 Coins are paid.]
[You have no Coins.]
[Convert Karma to Coins?]
Seong-Hwi nodded. 315 Karma was consumed and turned into the equivalent amount of Coins.
[Deducting 315 Coins.]
[Common Quest: Lodging, complete.]
The man had demanded three hundred Coins, but fifteen extra coins were deducted. It was the quest commission—the stronger the penalty, the higher the quest rank and the commission was.
Fifteen coins, so five percent.
The man came out from the front desk area as Seong-Hwi was calculating the commission and said, “Follow me.”
***
Seong-Hwi and Chaya were guided to rooms on the second floor.
“Here are your keys. Rooms 205 and 206.”
The man handed Seong-Hwi the room keys and headed back downstairs. Seong-Hwi handed Chaya the key to Room 206. Chaya stared at Seong-Hwi, his eyes filled with curiosity but not faltering.
I’m sure he has a lot of questions, but he’s holding them well.
Chaya was likely questioning himself why Seong-Hwi seemed so familiar with the Mirror World despite them coming here at the same time. However, he stayed silent and simply followed.
Seong-Hwi asked, “Are you sure about this?”
“Pardon me?”
“Your little sister. You could have met her if you went to Edu.”
Seong-Hwi had told Chaya that his little sister Shaya was likely in a place called Edu, receiving education about the Mirror World for one month. He was also planning on sending Chaya to Edu, but Chaya refused, saying he couldn’t part from his employer since he had already received an advance payment. However, he seemed to have a different reason.
Chaya replied, “I am sure. To be honest... Shan needs this.”
He had always protected his little sister Shaya, but from what he had experienced in this world, anyone who did not learn how to stand on their feet would be in constant danger.
You need to learn how to protect yourself, Shan. Since hyung-nim said you’ll be learning in a place called Edu for a month, you’ll be safe.
Chaya felt like he was abandoning his little sister, but this was a decision he had thought long and hard about.
“Well, if you say so,” Seong-Hwi remarked as he turned the key and opened the door of his room. “First, get some rest. We’ll be together for at least a month, so I’ll tell you about the plan going forward, little by little. I’ll also teach you the Edu’s curriculum.”
“Okay,” Chaya answered as he also turned the key to open his room door.
Seeing that, Seong-Hwi asked, “Don’t you want to ask me anything?”
“I do, but I will wait until you are willing to tell me,” Chaya said as he closed the door behind him.
Seong-Hwi smirked and mumbled, “Would he believe me if I said... I found out through tarot card readings?”
Fooling people like Chaya was harder than fooling smart people.
***
The room was like any regular hotel room. The bed was fitted with white sheets, and next to it was a bedside table. There was a wooden chair with no backrest and a thirty-two-inch TV, which was only decorative since there were no radio waves in the Mirror World. There was a flower bud on the cone-shaped lamp on the ceiling, which bloomed and shone brightly once Seong-Hwi got closer to it.
“A luminare flower, huh? It’s been a while,” Seong-Hwi mumbled as he sat down on the chair.
He wanted to take a shower in the bathroom to wash away the month’s worth of fatigue, but needed to check what he had earned in the Dark Forest first.
[The heightened caliber of Destiny Force caused a change in the stat.]
[Destiny Force E(85) → Destiny Force E(3)]
First, the caliber of Destiny Force was heightened. Although it looked like the stat decreased from E(85) to E(3), there was no change in its output. The water in the dish was unchanged, but the dish itself had enlarged.
[Underdog (Trait)
Rank: F(0)
Description: The spiteful desire of the weak to devour the strong. It is activated when fighting an enemy stronger than oneself.]
One could obtain this trait by defeating someone stronger than oneself. Seong-Hwi also obtained it in his past life because the caliber of Destiny Force often heightened in life-threatening battles against powerful foes.
It only hardens the mind, but it’s not a bad trait.
Since it kept the holder’s mind from waning, it helped one stay focused during battle. Seong-Hwi then examined the aftereffects of using the White Snake of Equivalent Exchange.
[Health E(60) → E(32)]
[Dexterity E(45) → E(15)]
[Sense E(16) → E(3)]
...
They should be restored soon.
Seong-Hwi checked his Karma balance next.
[Karma: 109,190]
It’s time to raise my stats.
He first raised all the necessary stats to E(99) by going on a stone cube-opening spree.
[Cheon Seong-Hwi
Health: E(54+45-28) Strength: E(54+45)
Dexterity: E(99-30) Sense: E(99-13)
Magic: E(99) Destiny Force E(99)
Karma: 51,790
Destiny Weapon: Symbolic Tarot Deck E(99)
Skills (2) Traits (3) Items (3) Cubes (1)]
[Unique Skill: Symbol Embodiment]
[Item Skill: Myriad Faces]
[Traits: Natural Enemy of Chaos E(99), Hundred-Man Killer E(99), Underdog F(0)]
[Items: Silver Bracelets of Queen Consort Muryeong E(99), Myriad Cheoyong Mask E(99), Shaco Knife F(0)]
[Cubes: Skill Cube (S)]
57,400 Karma vanished in an instant, but almost all his stats were at the maximum value of E-rank as a result.
I have to choose well now.
Seong-Hwi could open five D-rank stat cubes with his remaining Karma. He stared intently at the bottom of his Status Window.
[Cubes: Skill Cube (S)]
“Keh, I still can’t believe what I’m seeing.”
It was an S-rank cube—a skill cube, at that, not a stat cube. Most people would never even see one for the rest of their lives because it was worth two hundred million Karma. Various clans fought to recruit rookies who happened to obtain an A-rank cube as a dungeon quest reward, so it was no question what it would be like for someone who got an S-rank cube.
Nino Manfredi hit the jackpot on an S-rank item cube and became a human High Ranker.
Nino Manfredi, also known as Titan, only became a human High Ranker ranked tenth thanks to the golem Antaeus he got from an S-rank item cube.
I’ve opened an S-rank stat cube once in my past life, but never a skill cube.
Seong-Hwi discovered his path forward from this unbelievable outcome. The Mirror World ran on rewards and punishments. It was cruel to the indolent who were satisfied with the present, and benevolent to those who risked their lives to break their limits.
I’ll restlessly challenge every dungeon, hidden quest, feat, and everything else that seems impossible!
The gap between Seong-Hwi and the Ten Lords and Fiends felt shorter today for some reason. It was now time to open the cube. He wondered which skill he could get from an S-rank cube.
But I have to do something first.
The residents of the Mirror World often created a routine to follow before opening cubes. They fasted, performed good deeds, folded a thousand paper cranes, ate their favorite food, retied their shoelaces, and many more. It was similar to a specific act that athletes performed for good luck before playing in a match.
However, Seong-Hwi did not believe in such superstitions. He simply left it to his destiny—because he could grasp it.
Fifty thousand Karma, huh? Magic, Destiny Force, and the D Weapon stats are necessary to use Borrowing Destiny. I have to leave some Karma to convert to Coins, too.
Seong-Hwi organized his thoughts and began purchasing cubes.
“One Destiny Force stat cube, one Magic stat cube, and one D Weapon stat cube. All D-rank.”
[Destiny Force stat cube
Rank: D
Description: A 4x4 bronze cube made up of 64 small cubes. The user’s Destiny Force stat will rise randomly between D(6~16).
Seong-Hwi opened a D-rank Destiny Force stat cube first. The range of stat points was lower compared to the E-rank stat cube, which rose the points between eight to eighteen.
A cube seemingly made of bronze, approximately one meter in each dimension, appeared before Seeong-Hwi. Each side was made up of sixteen squares; it looked as if sixty-four small cubes were stuck together to make one large cube. People called it a bronze cube.
The bronze cube glowed blue, and the smaller cubes were shuffled like a Rubik’s cube. It then stopped moving, and the sixty-four cubes flew out in all directions. The light inside the cube lit up Seong-Hwi’s entire body.
[Destiny Force D(10) obtained.]
[Destiny Force E(99) → Destiny Force D(10)]
Seong-Hwi opened the other two bronze cubes as well.
[Magic E(99) → Magic D(11)]
[Symbolic Tarot Deck E(99) → Symbolic Tarot Deck D(13)]
His Destiny Force, Magic, and D Weapon stats were all D-rank now. He fulfilled the minimum conditions to use the unique skill, Borrowing Destiny.
“I establish a rule,” Seong-Hwi declared.
[Commencing rule establishment of Destiny Weapon: Symbolic Tarot Deck.]
[Please establish an ability.]
“The skill name is Borrowing Destiny. It allows me to borrow the destinies of figures from Earth’s folklore, mythology, history, novels, and such to use their abilities and symbols.”
The unique skills Symbol Embodiment and Borrowing Destiny were the two masterpieces of his past life.
[Ability established.]
[Unique Skill: Borrowing Destiny]
[The unique skill stat is shared with the Destiny Weapon stat.]
[Please establish a restriction on the ability.]
“First, the higher the class of the figure whose destiny I borrow, the more mana and Destiny Force consumed. And...”
Seong-Hwi stopped for a moment, closing his eyes without realizing it. After a slight hesitation, he reopened his eyes, which were set ablaze.
“I can only borrow a figure’s destiny by betting or negotiating with them, or by receiving their permission. In that process, I... will not complain even if they take control of my body or their psyche corrupts mine.”
[Restriction established.]
[Converting the Destiny Weapon Symbolic Tarot Deck to Tarot Deck of Destiny.]
...
[Tarot Deck of Destiny (Destiny Weapon)
Rank: D(13)
Description: A deck of 78 tarot cards. The symbols on each card can be embodied through mana and Destiny Force. The destinies of Earth’s figures can be borrowed to use their abilities.
Unique Skills: Symbol Embodiment, Borrowing Destiny]
With this, his D Weapon was complete.