Chapter 47
“Ahem. Could you get us more Lapang-rank os?”
“If the price is right.”
“Since we’re buying Shen-rank os for two hundred Coins, we’ll buy the Lapang-rank os for one thousand.”
Seong-Hwi was discussing business with a chunky man. Although he was short, he looked the same as a human. However, his big, sharp eyes, robust body, brown skin, and overgrown beard stood out.
“How about some more generosity? I’ve heard dwarf artisans are swimming in Coins. Fifteen hundred.”
“Hah! Are you playing with me, human?”
“Besides, it’s not like Clan Blue Anvil can collect endless amounts of it. Lapang-rank Metal Warriors are hard to come by in the first zone.”
The dwarf smacked his lips and nodded. “Fine, but you’d better keep the promise you made with us on the first day.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone that Blue Anvil is collecting the os of Metal Warriors.”
Seong-Hwi did not know what the Blue Anvil dwarves were making, but they would be unhappy if the materials they were using were exposed.
The dwarf sighed and complained, “Tsk, you can never trust a promise made with a human, but I suppose I have no choice. Where in the world did the information leak from?”
Seong-Hwi replied, “You can’t trust a promise made by a human, but you can trust Coins. I don’t want to lose this exclusive trade by leaking it.”
“I suppose so,” the dwarf said, reaching out his fist.
Seong-Hwi brought out his palm, and the dwarf placed his fist on the palm like swinging down a hammer on an anvil.
[Trade (Common Quest)
Rank: F
Description: The os of 42 Shen-rank Metal Warriors costs 200 Coins each. The os of 1 Lapang-rank Metal Warrior costs 1,500 Coins.
Condition: 9,900 Coins.
Penalty: None.]
Seong-Hwi handed the dwarf a leather pouch filled with forty-three os, and the dwarf gave him Coins after checking the contents.
[9,900 Coins obtained.]
***
Chaya and Seong-Hwi entered an Indian restaurant in Middle Earth.
“Umm, hyung-nim. You don’t have to—”
“There aren’t any Nepalese restaurants, so you’ll have to be satisfied with this. What’s wrong? You don’t like it?”
“N-no, Nepalese food is similar to Indian food,” Chaya answered happily.
Seong-Hwi nodded and sat down. “I’ll leave the ordering to you. Don’t worry about Coins since we earned lots thanks to you.”
“Okay!” Chaya said, calling the staff to order various foods.
Seeing that, Seong-Hwi thought, He’s more useful than I thought.
Seong-Hwi had only hired Chaya Singh Rai because his potential was already guaranteed since he had risen to the position of the Cecil Hotel’s Chief of Execution in his past life. However, he was currently a newbie; he was nowhere near strong enough to hunt alongside Seong-Hwi, a Double-D human.
He realized he wouldn’t be useful in battle and focused on support, much better than recklessly charging in. He has sound judgment.
Aside from his unique skill, Concealing Cloak, Chaya’s scouting, luring, and recon abilities using skills were considerably useful, allowing Seong-Hwi to hunt many more Chaos than if he had been alone. Chaya had also been the one who discovered and lured the Lapang-rank Metal Warrior. Hence, Seong-Hwi shared ten percent of the Coin profits with Chaya.
But I can’t take him to the second zone yet. It’s far too early for a newbie, Seong-Hwi thought as he looked at Chaya, who was deep in thought while staring at a cup of water on the table.
“Is there something wrong with the cup?” Seong-Hwi asked.
“No, I was just thinking about the caliber of stats you explained. You told me that the amount of power contained in one stat point for a human is lower than that of the other races.”
“I did.”
“But why is there such a difference between races?”
Seong-Hwi smiled and answered, “I’ll tell you why if you want to hear someone else’s theory.”
“You... sometimes talk like you know many people in the Mirror World.” Chaya stared at Seong-Hwi and continued, “Please tell me.”
“Okay. Why is there a difference in the caliber of stats between races? From the theory I’ve heard, it’s because of the difference in the original environment that each race came from.”
“Difference in the original environment?”
“Yes. Like humans are originally from Earth, the other races also have their home dimension.”
Chaya nodded. He had not thought deeply about it, but it was natural.
Seong-Hwi flipped the empty cup and continued, “We humans start with no Magic stat because we have never used mana in Earth’s environment. That’s just how we’ve evolved.”
He then filled the cup with water to the brim and said, “In comparison, the mana density of the dimension known as Echion is so high that life on it can’t survive for even one second without mana.”
“Echion?”
“It’s the name of the dragons’ home dimension. Because the dragons evolved and acclimated to that environment, they have an immense mana pool and a secondary force called Draconic Mana.”
Chaya nodded.
Seong-Hwi continued, “A dragon’s body is the perfect large vessel to hold mana. On the other hand, a human’s body is a small vessel that is only just acclimating to mana. That’s why our output is so different even if we have the same Magic stat.”
“So that’s what the caliber means,” Chaya mumbled, understanding the theory.
The staff arrived with the food and placed the naan, dal, biryani, sambal, and tandoori chicken on their table.
Seong-Hwi waited for the staff to get far enough and continued, “Hence, the dragons’ Magic stat caliber is extraordinarily high. However, their Strength stat caliber isn’t as high since mana is all that matters for survival in Echion.”
Seong-Hwi ripped the naan and said, “Let’s take the dimension Gigas for example. Its gravity is several thousand times stronger than Earth’s gravity. Think about how much higher the Strength caliber needs to be to survive in such a dimension.”
“Gigas? Whose dimension is that?”
“The giants. However, the mana density there is very low, so their Magic stat caliber is only slightly higher than that of humans.” Seong-Hwi dipped the naan into the dal stew and continued, “The feats of each race were achieved through hundreds of thousands of years of evolution. Do you get how many feats we must achieve to catch up to that level of caliber?”
Chaya remained silent. He had thought the stat caliber was only an inherent difference between races, but it was the amount of time each race spent through evolution.
“Do you understand now? People complain about the difference in stat calibers, but they’re just ungrateful. This world heightens your stat calibers by achieving feats. It makes it possible to achieve the evolution that each race spent millions of years to reach, in just a few years. It’s a blessing.”
“A blessing, huh?” Chaya mumbled.
He couldn’t deny it. He didn’t know what it was since he had yet to achieve feats, but if the calibers could be heightened just by doing so, it was indeed a blessing.
Seong-Hwi said, “If you want to heighten your stat calibers and become truly strong, you must endlessly challenge your limits. It’s like how your bones get stronger once they break. Put your life on the line to grow stronger.”
Although anyone could collect Karma and open stat cubes, only a few could heighten their caliber and enlarge their vessel. This separated the self-proclaimed powerful from the truly powerful. If two people raised their stats to the maximum value of S(99), the outcome of their battle would be decided by whose stat caliber was higher.
Chaya nodded, moved by Seong-Hwi’s statement. He would never acknowledge the words of a sweet talker, but he had seen Seong-Hwi battling an enemy stronger than himself with his life on the line.
“The truly powerful! I see, I must endlessly challenge my limits with my life on the line!”
That is the path of a warrior! The mindset of the Gurkha! Chaya shouted inwardly.
“Yeah,” Seong-Hwi replied as he smirked.
He brought the tandoori chicken to his plate and thought about Lina Ahn, the comrade who taught him the theory regarding the difference between races.
I must transcend this human vessel, the size of a soy sauce dish. She holds the possibility for heightening the stat calibers without achieving feats.
“Humans are... poor creatures. We’re born with weak bodies and desire too much. A gap between reality and ideals is a sign of mental illness. Take a look at us poor psychos and pity us, Seong-Hwi.”
***
Seong-Hwi walked toward North Earth alone after finishing his meal. The graffiti on the cement walls of the Hong Kong streets was falling off. On the ground was a groove for a tram to travel along, made by a manipulator who ran a tram business.
What use is a tram when people can move faster than cars? Well, at least they could earn some Coins from it.
Seong-Hwi arrived at his destination before he realized it. The building used to be a diner, and the neon sign with no power read Chalisi. Dozens were in line in front of the store. From their gear, Seong-Hwi guessed they were mostly F to E-rank humans.
He approached the last one in line and asked, “Is this the pruning place?”
A middle-aged man scanned Seong-Hwi and answered, “Yes. The gardener here is famous.”
Seong-Hwi nodded. The words pruning and gardener were jargon. This place was where people went to receive recommendations for their skill tree. In other words, people received consultations for which stats, skills, and items they should use with the amount of Karma they had. The jargon came to be from the consultant trimming one’s skill tree.
Seong-Hwi had come to meet his former Calasanz clansman, Lina Ahn. She was a second-generation Korean-American immigrant and a veterinary behaviorist on Earth. Her extraordinary insight garnered trust in the clan, and she worked well with Jurie, who possessed a vast information network.
The book, Living as a Human in the Mirror World, authored by Lina, was published on the Network for free viewing and saved countless newbies.
Seong-Hwi recalled old memories as he focused his senses, listening to the voice inside the building.
“You have no talent in conjuration. The rule you established on your D Weapon is a complete dud. It’s just flashy garbage. I suggest you polish the emission category. Get the F-rank item, Pincool’s Bow, and switch to a ranged attacker. As for skills, you—”
Seong-Hwi smirked and mumbled, “Her rambling habit hasn’t changed.”
***
Seong-Hwi’s turn arrived after over two hours.
“Next person, please,” the voice inside the store said.
Seong-Hwi entered the store. The interior was nothing like the exterior. Several bookshelves were on the walls, messily filled with books, bundles of paper, test tubes, and beakers.
“Are you here for a pruning?”
Seong-Hwi turned to the voice. An intellectual-looking woman sitting on a leather chair was staring at Seong-Hwi. A microscope, a syringe, and a knife were on the table before her. She had black hair and eyes and wore glasses with a purple frame and a white gown.
You haven’t changed a bit, Lina, Seong-Hwi thought.
Her cold first impression and rough aura were the same.
“Yes, I am,” Seong-Hwi replied.
“Please sit,” Lina said as she gestured to the chair across from her.
Seong-Hwi sat as she instructed.
Lina asked, “How extensive would you like the pruning? The amount and quality of information depend on the Coins you pay.”
Seong-Hwi designated the highest amount of Coins he could currently pay. “How extensive will the pruning be if I paid fifty thousand Coins?”
Lina stopped as she was preparing a paper and pen. She looked up at Seong-Hwi and said, “Mostly F-rank humans visit this establishment and usually pay around five hundred Coins at most, but you want to pay a hundred times that amount?”
She removed her glasses, set them on the table, and sighed, “Huuu... I don’t know which clan you’re from, but I don’t accept recruitment offers. All I know is effective combinations of F-rank skills and items, some of E-rank. I won’t be able to meet your expectations.”
“Oh, there seems to be a misunderstanding. I’m not from a clan. I’m just a newbie who hasn’t been in the Mirror World long,” Seong-Hwi replied and smiled.
Lina stared intently into Seong-Hwi’s eyes. Anyone would have felt uncomfortable being stared at so piercingly, but Seong-Hwi did not avert his gaze from hers. The silence continued for a few seconds.
Lina wore her glasses again and asked, “What’s your rank?”
“Double-D.”
“That means you already have a main skill. As I’ve already told you, my information is limited to F and E-rank.”
“That’s fine. I’m here because I’ve heard the trees pruned by the gardener here grow amazingly. Do you know in which direction trees grow?”
“Toward the sun,” Lina answered.
“Exactly. Then where is my sun?”
Lina’s expression changed for the first time. It was faint, but Seong-Hwi was sure she had smiled.
“I will... take that as you want to know which category you are suited for. But first, what do you think?”
Seong-Hwi shrugged and answered playfully, “Hmmm. To be honest with you, I think I’m a genius. I have talent in every category.”
“I can finally believe you’re a newbie. All newbies think that way. Well, everyone has the right to misunderstand that they’re special, but they’ll have to deal with the despair that comes after. The higher your ideals, the more it will hurt when you fall back to reality, but you can only know for sure once you fall.” Lina grabbed the glass slide from the microscope and said, “Put a drop of blood on this slide.”
“Okay.”
Seong-Hwi cut his palm with the Shaco Knife before Lina could hand him the knife on her table. His blood fell on the glass slide. Lina stared momentarily at Seong-Hwi. She placed the slide on the microscope stage and looked into the eyepiece. The microscope was then enveloped with blue mana, indicating a skill activation.
It’s been a while since I’ve seen Lina’s D Weapon, Microscope of Truth.
According to the pseudoscience D Weapon personality analysis, those with glasses for D Weapons were highly investigative and curious, caring more for the truth than good or evil. However, Lina’s D Weapon went beyond glasses and was a microscope. One could guess her personality just from that.
Lina could risk her life or even sell her soul for the truth. Like Jurie, she was a non-combatant in Clan Calasanz. She was a true scholar who initially researched how humans could surpass the other races and then later researched topics like why the Mirror World was created and why the races were Lost from their dimensions. The scope of her research did not end there. She endlessly pursued the truth of anything because her curiosity covered the entire Mirror World.
“This mana pattern is... enhancement? No, that’s not it. Conjuration? No, it also has patterns of emission and manipulation. Wait... even transformation?”
Lina looked away from the eyepiece to Seong-Hwi.
Seong-Hwi answered, “I have not told a single lie since I entered this room. I have talent in all five categories and am willing to pay you fifty thousand Coins or even more if you tell me where my sun is.”
“Could you be... a specialist?” Lina’s aura changed from cold and rough to one filled with energy. Even her eyes began to shine. “I’ve never seen this kind of mana pattern! I’ve analyzed the patterns of at least ten thousand people in the past three years, but this is the first time I’ve seen such a beautiful hexagonal mana pattern!”
Lina sprang up from her chair and walked to the front door as if in a trance.
She opened the door and said to the people in line, “I won’t take any more customers today. Please come back tomorrow.”
“What?”
“But I waited three hours—”
Lina slammed the door shut without caring about their complaints and locked it. She looked at Seong-Hwi like an anatomist staring at a rare animal.
She said as kindly as capable, “Can I have some of your time?”
Seong-Hwi laughed inwardly at her behavior, which hadn’t changed from the past, and thought, How awfully sudden for a date request.