Chapter 7. Selection (2)
“A stone?”
Eun-Ho blinked, thinking he must’ve seen wrong. However, when he opened his eyes again, he could still see a dull little stone through the shimmering light. It was smaller than a golf ball.
“Aah! Is that a real sword? What if I get cut?”
“Miss! Some chunk of metal just popped out. Do you know what this is? It’s heavy as hell!”
The woman in the tight pencil skirt had received a razor-sharp sword. An old security guard, squinting through weak eyes, held what looked like a riot shield straight out of a SWAT team arsenal.
“Whoa! Hyungnim, look at this!”
Even Jae-Hyuk had obtained a gleaming suit of armor fit for a medieval knight!
“U-uh, Eun-Ho? Did you just get a rock?”
Hearing Ji-Eun’s words, everyone turned their attention to the box floating in front of Eun-Ho.
“Oh, Young Man! All you got was a stone?”
“A stone? Ha, I thought my cape was the lamest. Guess not.”
“Oh, wishing you the best, sir...”
Generally speaking, everything the others held had at least some survival utility. Sure, the randomness meant there was a spectrum, but they still had some kind of a use.
“Hyungnim! Do you want to share my armor? We can take turns wearing it!” Jae-Hyuk said.
“Great. So you’re going to pass it over in the middle of a fight?”
“Well, I mean...”
“Hah. It’s fine. I could always throw the stone from an angle, I guess.”
No matter how well one threw it, though, a stone was still just a stone. Eun-Ho tried to console himself, but his hand, gripping the golden ribbon, was trembling slightly.
This was supposed to be my chance to make up for everything I’d missed out on!
It was called a random box for a reason—pure chance. Effort had nothing to do with it, albeit some people said luck was a kind of skill. Even as he tried to accept it, Eun-Ho’s shoulders drooped with disappointment.
“What about you, Ji-Eun?” he asked.
“I got this!”
Ji-Eun held up a dagger roughly the length of her forearm. Her eyes sparkled with curiosity and a hint of excitement. She seemed to like it.
“You’re handling it so well,” Eun-Ho said.
“Yeah, it fits my hand so perfectly. It’s weird. I’ve never held anything but a kitchen knife before.”
She turned the dagger this way and that, testing the grip. The fit was uncanny. It really did look as though it had been made just for her.
“That’s great. You’ll probably find plenty of uses for it,” Eun-Ho said.
At least Ji-Eun and Jae-Hyuk had gotten decent gear. In particular, the dagger could be useful even outside of combat. If she got used to it, it would be a handy tool.
Maybe I can get used to the stone too. I can try throwing and rolling it.
Resigned, Eun-Ho reached out and touched the small stone.
Fwoosh!
[You have absorbed the Abandoned Ridge's Diamond.]
The moment his fingers brushed the stone’s surface, it began to liquefy, as if melting in flames.
[Petrify(Lv. 1) has been unlocked.]
[Due to low absorption, the initial manifestation range is limited.]
Did I just get a new skill out of some random box? After all that relentless parameter calculation, I don't even get the skill that I had to run back and forth a hundred times for?
Sssshk.
The liquid crawled up Eun-Ho’s fingertip. A searing heat burrowed deep into his skin, muscles, and bones, spreading rapidly through his arm.
As his fingers slowly stiffened from the inside out, Eun-Ho gained an understanding of what Petrify could do. He was changing.
[Your initial manifestation range for Petrify(Lv. 1) is...]
Hmm, how much could it cover? Up to my legs? Or my arms? Maybe my whole fist?
[...the right index finger.]
Huh?
***
Thunk!
“That thing is seriously amazing!” Ji-Eun clapped excitedly, grinning. “It’s way more than just an ordinary stone!”
Eun-Ho had thought it was suspicious that such a plain-looking stone had a name. As it turned out, it allowed him to punch through concrete walls and marble flooring—it was on an entirely different level.
“So cool! I bet it’d be great for opening cans, too!” Ji-Eun said excitedly.
“Uh, you normally open cans with your thumb, not your index finger,” Eun-Ho replied.
“Oh, really?”
When he gave her a silent nod, Ji-Eun just shrugged, unconvinced but amused.
“Well, either way, I really like that it’s a Growth-type skill. I bet the range expands as the level increases.”
[Skills]
Petrify(Lv. 1)
- Hardens a part of the caster’s body for sixty seconds.
- Manifestation range: right index finger.
Now that Eun-Ho had already confirmed the durability, if he could expand the range, it’d become genuinely useful. Sure, having a sword or shield from the get-go would seem better at first glance, but a skill that enhanced his core abilities was far more important in the long run.
“Trial reward.”
[Please choose your trial reward.]
“Use my remaining points to upgrade Petrify,” Eun-Ho said.
[Petrify(Lv. 1) has been upgraded to Petrify(Lv. 2).]
[Please select an additional manifestation area: right thumb, middle finger, ring finger, pinky, left thu—]
“Right thumb,” Eun-Ho answered without hesitation.
The thumb and index finger were used together most often. Perhaps if he gripped something tightly enough, he could crush it completely.
[Skill upgrade has been completed.]
“Eun-Ho, wait. Are you seriously upgrading it to open cans?” Ji-Eun asked suspiciously.
“No way.”
Leaving Ji-Eun squinting at him in confusion, Eun-Ho scanned the others, trying to see if anyone else had also obtained a skill. They would likely become his competitors in that case.
Aside from Ji-Eun and Jae-Hyuk, everyone else got swords, shields, cloaks, or bombs.
The mystery boxes were wildly varied. Yet the expressions of those holding them were the same: confused about what to do with them.
“Oppa! How are we supposed to carry all this money? It won’t even fit in my bag.”
“Huh? Min-Jung, why are you putting my money in your bag?”
“What do you mean? It’s our money! We’re putting it toward our apartment anyway!”
The only ones who seemed thrilled were the couple who had received five hundred million won in cash. Unfortunately, it brought about a lovers’ quarrel.
“What do you mean, our apartment? I said I’m not interested in getting married.”
𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂
“You said once we were settled, we’d get married! And this money’s more than enough!”
“Ha, Min-Jung, that’s just...”
“Ugh! Whatever. Forget it. Get lost.”
Min-Jung stormed off toward a corner. After awkwardly hesitating, the man followed, trying to patch things up. In their wake, a palm-sized figurine sitting on a display shelf tumbled to the floor, rolling toward Eun-Ho’s feet.
Hmm?
The floor was slightly slippery, so the figurine kept rolling smoothly.
“Wait a second. Didn’t the admin say earlier that the floor is slippery?”
Thunk. Thunk. Clatter.
Next, someone’s half-finished tumbler rolled off a ledge.
“O-Oppa!”
“Waaah! M-Min-Jung!”
The couple, still arguing off to the side, slipped and yelled out as they fell. They collapsed forward in a heap. Then, one by one, other loose objects began to roll. Mere clumsiness wouldn’t explain this
“The floor is slanting! Watch your step, everyone!”
Before the warning could even register, the entire exhibition hall lurched and the floor tilted hard.
“Keugh!”
“What the hell is happening!”
“H-Hyungnim! The floor is tilting even more!”
The slant was getting steeper by the second. First, it felt like a gentle hill, then a steep slope. Now, it was practically a vertical cliff.
Unable to keep their balance, people stumbled one by one. Some lost their footing entirely and rolled down the slanted floor.
“How far is this going to tilt?!”
Thud! Rattle—clatter!
Flowerpots and decorative items crashed down and shattered. Large furniture and display cases toppled over and tumbled down the slope like an avalanche.
“Jae-Hyuk! Hold onto the pillar!”
Jae-Hyuk clung onto one of the support pillars scattered throughout the exhibition hall.
“Aaaah! H-Hyungnim, what about you?!”
However, unlike him, Eun-Ho had no such structure to hold onto on his side.
In that case, I’ll have to use my skill.
“Petrify!”
[Your skill has been activated.]
Thunk!
Eun-Ho drove his right thumb and index finger deep into the floor. With people sliding and falling all around him, there was no time to hesitate or wonder whether his strategy would work out.
Ji-Eun screamed her head off. “Kyaaaa!”
In the chaos, Eun-Ho managed to catch Ji-Eun’s wrist just in time.
“Are you okay? I feel like I’m too heavy,” Ji-Eun said.
“I can manage. More importantly... Hey! Is anyone hurt?!”
He called out to the others, who had all rolled down and clustered in the far corner. However, the only responses were panicked screams and groans.
Crackle!
To make things worse, a spark ignited at the feet of the couple who had landed furthest downhill.
“Shit! What the hell is going on!”
“F-fire? Oh my gosh!”
Fire? Out of nowhere?
With no visible source, flames burst out and rapidly swelled, engulfing the area.
“How do we put this out! Aaaaagh!”
The flame spread from the man’s toes upward. It climbed his legs, feeding off the thick wad of yellow cash that he still clutched desperately in both arms.
“Drop it! Drop the money, now!”
“Oppa, let go! Please!”
“Oh my gosh! Save meeee!”
There was no time to do anything.
The flames devoured the man in seconds. After the blazing beast consumed him like prey, the fire demon slithered sideways, seeking its next victim.
“Kyaaaah!”
In a blink, the couple was reduced to ash.
Fwoosh—!
“Hyungnim!”
They didn't even have time to think of saving them.
Boom—! Boom! Boom!
“Watch your head!”
A massive oak table—easily over two meters long—was plummeting straight toward Eun-Ho’s head.
If I pull my fingers out now, I’ll fall, and the flames will eat me up.
Below him, fire was roaring upward, jaws wide open as if choosing him as the next target.
[The parameters required for skill activation have been calculated.]
[Searching for a suitable skill based on your profile.]
Remembering the skill that had been stuck at ninety-nine percent, Eun-Ho remained silent and prayed with every ounce of desperation he had left.
Please give me anything useful—something I can use in this situation!
[Congratulations! Thanks to your unique adaptability, relentless drive to run until your heart bursts, and the muscle memory of overtaking others etched into your very being, you have unlocked a Unique Skill.]
[Acceleration(Lv. 1) has been unlocked.]
Acceleration? Isn’t that just running faster?
Swoosh—!
He was not even standing—just dangling from a slope, barely holding on.
What good is a bit of speed right now? It’s not like I can just sprint away from gravity!
“Hyungnim! You have to move!”
It was either burning to death or getting crushed to death. There was no time to weigh the odds. He had to do something.
“Acceleration!”
[Your skill has been activated.]
He intended to push his speed to the limit, dodging everything he could. However, he did not feel any faster.
Huh?
Eun-Ho frowned in confusion. However, he soon noticed Ji-Eun slowly opening her mouth. Her words dragged out—painfully, unnaturally slow.
“Euuuun-Hoooo—!”
Wait, what?
The skill didn't make him faster. It made the world slower.