Chapter 27: Clue to Mainland (2)
TL: Hanguk
Currently, my stats are as follows.
– Level: 33
– Stats
Strength: 17(+2) Agility: 18(+2) Magic Power: 12(+8)
Remaining stat points: 0
With the addition of item options, my strength is 19, and both agility and magic power are 20.
Most of the stats I gain through leveling up are invested in strength and agility, while magic power is supplemented by items.
Basically, I prioritized strength and agility over magic power, so it turned out this way.
‘Of course, it would be great if magic power were high.’
It would allow me to use more techniques, such as powerful attacks and superior mobility skills.
However, even if I increase the magic power stat by one through leveling up, there’s no significant change in combat power.
I judged that having superior physical abilities is better when considering combat endurance.
As a result, my main combat pattern has settled into fighting enemies with basic swordsmanship and using a powerful strike at crucial moments.
‘This is merely the result of choosing the next best option. Since the points given by leveling up are just 1, it’s impossible to evenly increase all stats.’
But now, I have found a way to drastically increase my magic power stat in one go.
This means, the next best option I had no choice but to take can now become the best option.
“My goodness.”
In the middle of the jungle temple, I carefully handled the millennium ginseng, which shone brilliantly, as if touching it might wither it, or moving it might break it, like handling a baby with utmost care.
‘Millennium ginseng, that’s something you’d find in martial arts novels!’
Could it be that Willia recommended me to head north because of this?
The image of Willia morphed into an angel with wings on her back and a halo over her head.
‘How much will my magic power increase?’
Usually, in martial arts novels, elixirs are shown to dramatically increase one’s internal energy.
So, I couldn’t help but look forward to it.
Of course, it’s nonsensical to expect my magic power to increase by 100 at once, but even a 30, no, at least a 10-point increase would make me extremely happy.
This is like getting a stat boost for free.
So, I started digging carefully.
In case the tiny roots got damaged and the efficacy of the millennium ginseng decreased.
-Kkuik?
But, maybe my actions were incomprehensible to it?
The crazy pig, no, Fatty squatted next to me and, like when it was plucking thread grass and healing herbs earlier, it suddenly grabbed and yanked out the millennium ginseng.
“Hey, you crazy bastard!”
Caught off guard by this unexpected turn of events, I, who had been watching, was startled and reflexively threw a frog punch at Fatty while squatting, causing the millennium ginseng, which was weakly pulled out, to flutter in the air before dropping to the ground.
-Kkuik!
“My elixir!”
I rushed towards the millennium ginseng after it had fallen to the ground, leaving Fatty, who had collapsed behind me.
[Millennium Ginseng / Elixir / Rare]
– Consuming it permanently increases a certain amount of magic power.
Was it divine intervention?
Or had Fatty’s grass plucking skill reached its peak?
Fortunately, the millennium ginseng seemed to have no problems.
“Phew.”
After sighing in relief, I felt a delayed sense of guilt towards Fatty.
Although it did something crazy, it was an action taken with its tiny brain, probably trying to help me in its way.
I approached the bleeding monster and applied a low-grade potion as a gesture of apology.
‘What do I do with this? It feels a bit off to consume it here, right?’
Usually, in martial arts novels, consuming elixirs involves a great deal of struggle. Could it be the same with this?
As I was having a stare-down with the millennium ginseng, I decided to put it in my inventory for now and consume it in a safe area.
I figured Willia might know a thing or two about elixirs, and if any issues arise during consumption, I could seek her help.
‘Since I’ve ventured deeper into the northern part of Wolgwang Island than I expected, it’s time to head back today.’
During my exploration of the northern part of Wolgwang Island, I discovered an unexpected treasure.
A treasure that might eventually lead me to the mainland.
When I acquired the Stepping Stone skill yesterday, a thought suddenly occurred to me.
What if I combine my Leap skill with the Stepping Stone skill? Could I possibly run through the air from Gauido Island to the mainland?
So, I tried it out.
I created stepping stones in the air and used the Leap skill to jump across them.
And with a magic power of 20, I was able to cover about 450 meters.
That means I crossed 45 meters with each leap, a result of high physical ability, the effect of the Leap skill, and exceptional skill proficiency.
‘But a 450-meter leap is far from enough to reach the mainland.’
The distance from Gauido Island to the mainland is 3 km.
However, there are reefs that can serve as resting points in between, so if I can cross 1.5 km in one go, I can easily reach the mainland since there are reefs laid out at intervals of several hundred meters after that.
‘I never thought 1.5 km would feel this far.’
The sea is swarming with high-level giant marine monsters.
Since swimming across is not an option, I inevitably thought of combining Leap and Stepping Stone.
Just then, I obtained millennium ginseng, which could increase the number of times I can use the skill.
Thanks to this, I began to hope that maybe I could reach the mainland.
‘At least until Willia told me more about the millennium ginseng.’
I furrowed my brows and asked Willia again.
“What did you say just now?”
“If it’s millennium ginseng, consuming it should increase your magic power by about 10.”
Magic power 10.
My current total magic power is 20, so consuming it would bring it up to 30.
Adding Willia’s Bless (a 20% increase in stats) would make it 36.
Unfortunately, this is far from sufficient to cross to the mainland.
‘I thought I’d be overjoyed if my magic power increased by even 10 for free…’
I never expected it to actually be 10.
It was the minimum I had considered…
“Wow, wow, I see.”
“There’s no need to force yourself to be happy. It’s obvious.”
I had to force a bitter smile at Willia’s response.
“Do you want to go to the mainland that badly?”
“Of course. My parents are there.”
Even if I reach the mainland, Wolgwang Island will be my main base.
It’s my own land, inaccessible to others.
But the difference between being able to freely travel to the mainland and not is huge, both psychologically and strategically.
‘And why is that?’
If I don’t set a waypoint on the mainland early on, I feel like I’ll regret it for a long time.
So, it was inevitable that the disappointment washed over me as the possibility of reaching the mainland seemed to fade.
Willia, seeing my state, pondered with me as if it were her own problem.
“Then, for now, you should consume the millennium ginseng and gather items that can maximize the increase in magic power.”
That’s probably the best course of action.
‘If I keep leveling up and collecting the necessary items, maybe I can escape on my own eventually. But who knows when that will be.’
Should I just leave it to the flow of time?
“It would be easier if there were MP Recovery Potions, but unfortunately, there aren’t any.”
That’s when it happened.
Willia mentioned an item I hadn’t thought of.
“MP Recovery Potion?”
“Yes, it’s a consumable item that recovers magic power.”
A bolt of lightning struck in my mind.
Why hadn’t I thought that there might be such a thing?
In this game-like world.
If there’s a way to recover magic power, I could potentially fly to the mainland right away.
I grabbed Willia’s arm urgently and asked.
“How can I get it?”
“You need to defeat magic or spell-casting monsters, but unfortunately, there are no such monsters on Wolgwang Island, so it can’t be obtained here.”
I relaxed my grip.
Come to think of it, all the monsters I’ve encountered on this island are of the physical combat type.
Even the succubus attacked with weapons…
“So, such an item does exist?”
“Yes.”
“What’s the item grade?”
“As a consumable item, it’s high-grade, and as a general item, it’s ‘Special’ grade.”
At that moment, something flashed through my mind.
It was the casino located on Gauido Island.
So, I mentioned the casino on Gauido Island to Willia.
“The item draw slots at the casino?”
“Yes, can I draw a MP Recovery Potion there?”
Currently, my affinity with Willia is at 73%.
I believed she could tell me whether what I was attempting was feasible or not.
“You can draw one, but it will cost a lot of money…”
That was all I needed.
The important thing was the answer ‘it’s possible’.
I smiled wryly and shoved the millennium ginseng into my mouth.
“All I have left is coins.”
And who knows, maybe I’ll score an unexpected haul at the casino?
[A lot of energy from the millennium ginseng is being absorbed.]
[Please lie down in a safe place and rest.]
***
Kim Han-sung, one of the few young men on Gauido Island, became friends with Seo Baek-ho after being treated to a meal by Kim Yong-geun, his father.
He was a member of the Gauido Island youth group, learning how to fight and leveling up under Seo Baek-ho, but recently he was under severe stress due to two things.
“Why can’t you do this?”
“I, I’m sorry.”
“When a monster attacks, watch it till the end. Then dodge or slash according to its attack. Or you can block then slash. Why do you keep just dodging and blocking, getting pushed back?”
“I’m sorry.”
The first reason was Seo Baek-ho’s training sessions, which were hard to keep up with.
Seo Baek-ho believed that real combat was the only way to quickly build skills unless one had long experience with swords, so he took the Gauido Island youth group to a goblin spawn area to fight monsters.
Of course, he intervened at the right moment if the situation became dangerous, but the ensuing lectures were quite burdensome.
“Goblins are smaller, weaker, and slower than you, Han-sung. Isn’t it a waste of your equipment to be scared just because they have a stone knife?”
Goblins might be quick, but even their speed is slow compared to a human’s basic stats.
Moreover, while a goblin is armed with nothing but a 30 cm stone knife and its bare body, Kim Han-sung was equipped with a decent longsword made from a steel plate bought from a shop and even held a shield.
There was a significant difference that shouldn’t allow him to be pushed back by mere goblins…
But theory and practice are not the same.
Facing a goblin with a fierce roar and a menacing presence could freeze anyone in place.
“You’re freezing up again! Straighten your back! Look directly at your enemy!”
And an even more bitter fact was that among the Gauido Island youth group learning to fight from Seo Baek-ho, his growth rate was the slowest.
The other three were often praised by Seo Baek-ho, pushing the goblins back quite steadily.
Therefore, Seo Baek-ho’s training sessions were a huge pressure for Kim Han-sung.
“That’s enough for today.”
“Phew… Good work!”
The second source of stress after Seo Baek-ho’s training sessions was the presence of the village chief’s daughter, Kim Min-hee, who would run to him after the training.
“Hey, Han-sung.”
“What?”
She was his only same-aged friend on Gauido Island.
Their parents were also close, so they grew up together as childhood friends.
Even though they spent their school years in different regions, they maintained a close relationship without any awkwardness upon reuniting after a long time.
Moreover, Kim Min-hee was cute, and Kim Han-sung secretly harbored feelings for her.
“Isn’t the teacher always so cool? Ha… I wonder if he has a girlfriend on the mainland?”
But Kim Min-hee had fallen for Seo Baek-ho.
The turning point was that event.
When Gauido Island was attacked by monsters, Seo Baek-ho alone swept away all the monsters and saved the village.
At that time, Kim Min-hee was about to be captured and eaten when Seo Baek-ho appeared and killed the troll with a single strike, saving her.
It was a situation anyone could fall for, and Kim Min-hee was completely smitten.
“He must have someone, being as outstanding as he is.”
“Maybe?”
“In this crazy era, being strong is a spec. Who knows, he might have quite a few followers?”
“Well, that does seem likely.”
Including the two of them, the people of Gauido Island were unaware that Seo Baek-ho lived on Wolgwang Island.
They simply thought he traveled to Gauido Island via waypoint from the outskirts of the mainland.
Therefore, they assumed Seo Baek-ho must have a considerable force on the mainland.
“Did he go there again today?”
“Probably. Why, you want to go see again?”
“Looking won’t wear it out, will it?”
“You’re worried that your staring might make him feel burdened and stop coming to Gauido Island.”
“Nonsense.”
The two headed towards the safe zone along the hill road.
Recently, there wasn’t a single resident who didn’t know Seo Baek-ho was continuously playing the slots at the casino within the safe zone.
He had spun the slot machine hundreds, if not thousands of times, at a cost of 10 coins each, astonishing everyone with his wealth.
Initially, everyone thought Seo Baek-ho was simply gambling, trying to hit it big with one shot.
However, recently he had been shouting about “MP Recovery Potion” while playing the slots, making it clear he was investing money to obtain that item.
“There he is. Playing the slots again today.”
“What is this MP Recovery Potion that he’s pouring so many coins into?”
Thus, the two entered the casino and discreetly watched Seo Baek-ho.
“Will he come up empty-handed again today?”
“Who knows.”
Kim Min-hee, smitten with love, watched Seo Baek-ho gamble, smiling foolishly with affection.
Just then, when a sigh was about to escape,
“I got it!!!”
Seo Baek-ho suddenly shouted jubilantly, starting to dance around the casino.
Kim Min-hee cautiously approached, pretending to know and asked if he got what he wanted.
Seo Baek-ho grabbed Kim Min-hee’s hand and started spinning her around.
“Kim Min-hee, did you see that?”
Kim Han-sung, watching the two happily smiling, felt a severe headache.
What was strange was that he didn’t feel jealous of Seo Baek-ho.
Even to a man, Seo Baek-ho was admirable and so well-accomplished that rather than jealousy, Kim Min-hee looking up to someone she couldn’t reach seemed more pitiful.
But then,
“Kim Han-sung.”
“Yes! Teacher!”
Seo Baek-ho, caught up in the excitement, coughed and approached Kim Han-sung.
“I think we’ll have to take a break from training for a couple of days, tomorrow and the day after.”
With that sudden announcement of a break, Kim Han-sung looked puzzled.
“Is something going on?”
“I have a place I need to go.”
*****
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Thank you for the chapter
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