Because of magic, the penalty of weight became a lot easier to cope with. But that was only for a few days. The moment that he felt used to it,
‘It became heavier.’
Sungmin bit his lips. Mush’s penalties were harsh and cruel. As he got used to it, it became worse and worse.
Sungmin walked. He used the strength magic. He added inner strength just to be able to move.
[It’s gotten worse.]
Sogo came up as Sungmin was struggling to lift his spear. She put out her hand towards Sungmin. Sungmin’s spear came to her.
Sungmin’s weight didn’t count towards her. Sogo swung her spear a few times and shook her shoulders.
[You don’t have to swing your spear all day to practice spear techniques, can’t you use your bare hands?]
[But it’s better with the spear.]
[You’re so stubborn on strange things.]
Sogo laughed
[It’ll be harder to practice Shadowless. If I told you, I shouldn’t have taught you it.]
[Wow.]
[I’m kidding. Since it’s like this, I’ll give you some advice.]
Sogo gave back the spear. When he got it, he almost dropped it because of the weight.
[The suffering of this mountain, if you think about it, helps you move towards your goal]
Sogo started to write.
[It’s the hardships to reach your goal that you keep in your mind. Do you understand?]
[... I don’t understand.]
[It’s simple. As you keep achieving your goal, you get more rewards.]
[Rewards. That’s strange.]
[It’s not like that all the time. That is… Mush is pretty fair. Suffering always gives rewards. For me, it’s the level of martial arts.]
Sungmin tilted his head. Sogo kept writing.
[It’s like this. Let’s say you made your goal to reach the 2nd level of Shadowless. If you succeed that, you might get up to the 3rd level, not just the 2nd.]
It was direct and easy to understand. Sungmin barely understood the mechanisms of the mountain.
Mush said that the mountain was a reward. That wasn’t wrong. The goal that he made for this mountain was to get stronger. As he achieved that, he achieved fast rates of growth.
Therefore, rewards were coming to him.
[I don’t know what you're goal is. You didn’t say. I don’t want to criticize you for making such a high goal. But there is this saying. A thousand miles starts with a step.]
Sogo smiled.
[How about keeping your goal smaller?]
At that, Sungmin figured out something. He had Wijihoyun as a goal, and he was reckless to that goal.
‘A sparrow gets hurt trying to walk like a stork’
Sungmin smiled bitterly. It wasn’t a good feeling thinking that he was a sparrow. No, maybe he wasn’t.
He might be.
Name: Lee Sungmin
Job: No Class
Skill:
Bright ear.
[Sense brightens in the forest. Can hear small sounds.]
Slaughterer
[Can easily dismantle corpses.]
Murderer
[Experience with murder.]
Quiet steps.
[Can quiet the footsteps.]
Below the useless passive skills.
Amethyst Cloud(4)
High Heavens Sungmin(3)
Iron Skin(8)
Stone Body(8)
One Thunder(6)
Shadowless(1)
Haste
Strength
Fatigue recovery.
Mental cleansing.
His skills and magic showed up. The Iron Skin and Stone Body increased in power natural as inner strength grew. The Amethyst Cloud improved a bit, and so did the High Heavens.
But Shadowless was slow. It might be because of the penalty of weight.
‘The goal is Shadowless to the 2nd level.’
Sungmin made a goal.
“I don’t understand.”
Sogo stopped her steps. She sighed and looked towards the direction of the sound. Plam was sitting on top of a tree. Plam smiled brightly as he jumped off.
“Why do you care about that kid?”
Plam asked.
“He doesn’t have talent. He’s just a normal kid. Why do you care. You made him your pupil.”
Instead of writing. Sogo mouthed something. Plam understood what she was trying to say.
“Don’t worry about it? Why? I can’t stand curiosity. You know me.”
Sogo wrinkled her face. She moved her mouth and Plam shook his head.
“Oh is it that? The normal people are just trying to help each other?”
Sogo turned cold at that. Murderous intent covered Plam. He was shaken slightly at that but wasn’t afraid. Plam smiled and waved his hand.
“You’re mad because it’s true?”
Sogo didn’t say anything. She closed her mouth. Plam laughed at seeing the expression on Sogo’s face.
“It’s funny. A genius like me doesn’t understand that feeling.”
Plam turned around and left. The skill that he showed on purpose while leaving was Shadowless, Sogo’s best skill. Sogo bit her lower lip. What that kid showed was nothing different from what Sogo could do.
She didn’t move from that spot for a while even after he left. She regretted showing off her malice and rubbed her neck. Normal people helping each other. That wasn’t false. Sogo wasn’t a genius to Plam.
‘You don’t know.’
Effort. Plam didn’t know. He didn’t have to stay in this mountain. But he was, only to have fun with the mountain’s penalties.
Therefore, Plam wasn’t suffering anything. He was enjoying them and was using his genius talent to make fun of the other trainees.
Sogo wasn’t a genius.
She fell into despair when she first met Plam. There’s a person like that in the world. Compared to him, Sogo was nothing.
But now, she didn’t care. There was nothing that she could get out of being in despair. That’s why she stayed here. Scarlet, Bejun, all of them faced that.
And Sungmin.
That’s why Sogo taught Shadowless to Sungmin. To make him not fall into despair. To not be discouraged. To stand up and take up the penalties.
She wanted to help.
That was all.
She was that sort of person.
After a month, Sungmin reached the 2nd level of Shadowless.
‘No, the third level…’
Sungmin was surprised as he checked the status screen. His goal was to reach the 2nd level of Shadowless.
But what showed up was the 3rd level. Naturally, the 3rd level of Shadowless came up in his head. Like Sogo said, there was a reward.
“It’s suffering and hardships.”
A voice came to him. Sungmin felt surprised as he turned around. Mush. Mush was shaking and laughing.
“But human. Don’t be too happy. If you can reach something easily, how is that hardship. Like the penalties, when you get used to it, the rewards get harder to reach.”
Mush smiled and laughed. It was a small goal. He had gotten the reward. He was going to do this a lot, but Mush was saying that it wouldn’t work anymore.
[Why are you here?]
Sungmin wrote down. Mush was a God and could appear anytime. When he wanted Mush, she was there. She was a pretty sweet god.
“It’s time.”
Mush smiled and said. He felt it then.
Half a year.
After half a year, a penalty is added. It was for everyone, Sogo, Scarlet, Bejun. Plam as well.
[I didn’t get used to my penalties yet.]
“You wanted those. That’s not my concern.”
Mush answered.
“If you want to stay longer, you need to get a penalty. That’s the rule.”
Sungmin had 4. Weight. Taste. Voice. Dreams. The ones other than voice were incredibly annoying.
‘The rewards get better as more penalties occur.’
He understood that. With his lack of talent, he had already gotten up to a nice level of martial arts. He was probably at the first rate now. His body wasn’t strengthened yet, and it’s only been 2 years since he came here, but he had already surpassed his previous self.
Of course, it wasn’t all because of Sungmin’s efforts. Wijihoyun was there. Potions were there. Sogo was there. Also, without the mountain, Sungmin wouldn’t have learned this fast.
[Telepathy.]
“You’re avoiding it.”
Mush laughed at Sungmin’s answer. There was no choice. He had a few that he was thinking of but not yet. He couldn’t get another annoying one without getting used to his current penalties.
So he was avoiding this one.
“Well, that’s fine. You’re probably going crazy over the ones that you have. Haha. How long can you last”
Mush laughed and held out her hand.
“If you want, sell your soul to me. Then, I will give you rewards. Way more than what you’re trying to achieve.”
Sungmin turned around without answering. The soul that bypassed the principle of life. Mush wanted that.
But Sungmin didn’t plan on giving up his soul to Mush.
At least, not yet.