Chapter 17

When in the world did this show up?

There was so little to see that I lived my life as if the Status Window barely existed.

When was the last time I even checked my Status Window?

It was definitely before I entered the Dungeon with Team Leader Kim Jeong-su.

Rewind: You can re-watch a specific moment from a past life of your choosing. However, Rewind can only be used for scenes you have already witnessed.

Charge Count: 1

Charge Rate: 62%

I can overlook the Charge Count being 1.

Charge Rate: 62%

What does that ambiguous number mean? Didn’t it charge because I did something? By killing Monsters? Or does it charge even if I just leave it alone?

“This damn System.”

I heard that for other people, even if just one Skill appeared, it would come with a friendly user manual, but mine doesn’t even show a Rank.

Still, whatever.

Rewind, huh.

I grumbled, but honestly, its uses are quite good.

It shows me any scene I want, from the magic formulas I’d overlooked to the knowledge I was confused about.

What should I use it for? It wouldn’t be a bad idea to use this chance to reread the books in the Mage Tower or review Intermediate Magic again…….

The thought I had earlier coiled in my mind again.

The image of the gasping child became clearer.

“……”

I lay down on the bed.

The decision was surprisingly easy.

If it’s just once. Just once should be fine to get rid of this nagging feeling. It’s also worth using as a test.

It’d be nice if something came of it, and if not, oh well. Anything more would be overkill. For someone I’ve seen for the first time in my life, and a person who stole someone else’s property at that, this is me being plenty considerate.

As I was thinking that, my eyes closed.

-The Skill Past Life Lucid Dream is being cast!

-Conditional activation. It will be replaced with Rewind!

Fwoosh!

That’s a relief.

I was wondering if there was a specific way to use the Skill, but it seems I can use it with will alone.

When I blinked, I saw Isaac.

“What are you up to this time?”

The forgotten memory instantly resurfaced.

This was a point in time exactly one year after I had left with Isaac for training, and we were in the middle of wandering all over the continent.

Places on a continent that didn’t exist on Earth, places that the me of my original world was hearing of for the first time.

“I’m going to plant a disease.”

I flinched. Let’s put that thought aside for later.

“A disease?”

The corners of my mouth curled up on their own.

“A disease that snatches away Mana. It intentionally severs the pathways that Mana travels through. Here and there. Snip, snip.”

It seemed I had arrived at the right moment. Around this time, I was conducting an in-depth study of Mana Disease.

However, there was one error in my memory.

“Who are you planning to plant such a disease in? Don’t tell me you’re thinking of becoming a Dark Magic user?”

I hadn’t treated someone who had Mana Disease.

“Of course, I have to plant it in my own body. Who else would I do it for?”

I had treated myself.

By inflicting Mana Disease on my own body and then curing it. All to widen the narrow Mana Pathways caused by the inherent limitations of being human.

“You crazy bastard. Why would you do something like that?”

That’s what I wanted to say.

What a crazy bastard.

“Because I’ll be able to store purer mana, cleaner mana, and much more mana in my Heart.”

Isaac looked at me with a troubled expression.

“I thought something was strange when you started crudely dividing magic into beginner, intermediate, and advanced. Do you even know what you’re doing?”

“I do.”

“And you’re still doing it? No. It’s too dangerous, even for you. One wrong move and your whole body will shrivel up and die.”

“I have to risk this much if I want to create something identical to a Dragon Heart.”

The me of this time was definitely unhinged.

To the point where, if it was for the sake of obtaining a Dragon Heart, for the sake of surpassing Dragon Language Magic, I could commit such an act without a second thought.

“I realized something when I absorbed the wyvern’s mana last time. Human mana absorption is pathetic. It’s pitiful.”

“Try living as an ordinary human, then.”

“Just as muscles grow as they tear, I thought that if I sever the Mana Pathways and reconnect them, they’ll become stronger. Of course, it’s still just a theory for now.”

I continued, smiling innocently.

“Listen. First, if I sever the main Mana Pathways, my body will cry out for mana, right? The pathways will naturally widen.”

“Yes, in theory.”

“Once the pathways have widened enough, I’ll create a temporary pathway with pure mana. Then I just have to wait for the Mana Pathways to regenerate. And that’s it.”

“Don’t say it like you’re eating soup. You’re probably the only person capable of that kind of Mana Control.”

“That’s right. The conditions are demanding. First, the mana acting as the temporary bridge must have high purity, and I have to be able to touch the pathways delicately without ever sustaining a fatal injury. And one more thing.”

“?”

I said with a grin.

“The mental strength to endure excruciating pain is an essential requirement.”

The next moment, the background changed as if a movie scene had transitioned.

It was after I had layered multiple safety-related spells. I closed my eyes. In a cross-legged position.

Damn it.

And then I began to cut through the 365 Mana Pathways all over my body.

With my own hands!

Drrrrrk-

It felt like every blood vessel in my body was being wrung out.

It was that painful.

But even in the midst of it, a thought occurred to me.

Honestly, it’s bearable.

If I can become stronger, isn’t this much pain something I can endure?

So, this wasn’t my thought, but Ian’s.

A thought possible only for a superhuman whose innate mental strength far transcended that of a normal human.

C-crack- Crack-

But strangely enough.

The longer I watched Ian’s life, the more my own mental strength seemed to be synchronizing with Ian’s…….

Fwoosh!

I woke from the dream.

As soon as I shot up, I looked for water.

My back was already soaked with sweat.

“Crazy bastard. That lunatic.”

I couldn’t help but say it.

What kind of person in the world would endure such pain just to widen their Mana Pathways a bit…….

“It’s not just ‘a bit’.”

I had to get my facts straight. In terms of traits, it would be S-Rank.

If I succeed.

Meaning, if I can just endure it, I can obtain an S-Rank trait.

Even if I take a cheap elixir, I’ll be able to have the mana absorption rate of a top-grade elixir.

If I just endure a little pain, my chronic problem of mana deficiency will also be drastically improved.

“……”

I stealthily sat down cross-legged.

“He didn’t die, did he?”

Others might call me crazy, but I was confident. Confident that I could perform the same nano-level, delicate Mana Control that Ian had. I was also certain I could withstand the pain.

But my original purpose was thwarted.

Because Wi Jeong-rak’s daughter would never be able to handle this procedure.

Even though I had cast five layers of soundproofing magic, the upstairs neighbors eventually came down.

They freaked out, asking if a murder had taken place.

It was that desperate of a time.

However, I received a reward to match.

My thought that it was an S-Rank trait was no exaggeration.

The Mana Pathways, once as narrow as a grain of millet, had become tremendously wide. The purity of the mana flowing through the pathways became much more refined.

Fwoosh-

Look at this.

The performance of the Beginner Magic [Fireball] is incomparable to before. At this rate, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it Intermediate Magic.

But if it ended here, it would be a bit ambiguous to call it an S-Rank trait.

The real effect is something else.

The real reason for widening the pathways was to increase the absorption of mana from external sources.

So, for example, I should take something like an elixir.

“How much is this?”

“Fifty million won, sir.”

The neatly dressed employee said something that made me tilt my head.

Did I hear wrong? Or is it obvious this is my first time at an elixir shop?

It was neither.

The price tag clearly said fifty million won.

“PK-13. It’s a popular line that anyone can enjoy.”

“…I see.”

For just this?

Even the elixir that Wi Jeong-rak seemed to have made haphazardly looked much better than this.

As I tried hard to hide my bewilderment, a call came through at just the right moment.

“Just a moment.”

I waved my phone at the employee as an excuse and answered the call.

-Gi-woong. You doing well?

The familiar voice made me check the caller ID again. It was Team Leader Kim Jeong-su from Ilseong.

“I’m doing fine. How are things over there?”

-It’s absolute chaos. I can’t even get any work done because of all the people looking for you.

Team Leader Kim Jeong-su’s voice was filled with excitement.

-It’s like they’re drug addicts. The moment they see me, they ask where Choi Gi-woong is, how they can get the buff. Their hands were even trembling.

“Really?”

-Your influence seems to be stronger than I thought. The B-Rank team leaders have all banded together, too. They’re saying things like, ‘Do we really have to be on bad terms with the Association?’ and ‘We don’t want to become an isolated island.’ But that’s all an excuse. The way I see it, it’s because of you.

Kim Soo-gyeom added a word from the side.

-The department head and Park Cheol-hyeong are also in an uproar trying to calm the kids down!

A series of good news broke out.

Right. I’ll keep building things up like this, and then, at the decisive moment, I’ll make it all explode.

After chuckling and exchanging pleasantries for a moment, Team Leader Kim Jeong-su adopted a serious tone.

-I have something to give you.

“Something to give me?”

-It’s a bit much to say over the phone. Let’s meet when you have time.

“Alright. I’ll drop by sometime.”

After I hung up, reality set in again.

The elixir.

Right. If I’m going to buy one, let’s buy an expensive one. I feel like I’ll regret it if I buy a cheap one.

Something that looks at least decent. Something that holds at least a similar amount of mana to the one Wi Jeong-rak made.

“How much is that one?”

“An excellent choice, sir.”

The employee brought a red pill labeled [Masunjeongrokdan] before me. As the pill got closer, I could naturally see it.

The price tag that read 500 million.

I nodded and stood up.

“I’ll look around a bit more and come back.”

I was on my way to the Association, with the bitter taste of capitalism in my mouth.

In front of the main gate, I saw a familiar face.

Wi Jeong-rak’s daughter.

What was her name again?

She was shivering, her face buried in her knees from the cold, while two lackeys standing next to her were at a loss for what to do.

I tried to walk past, pretending not to see. But my feet ended up heading in her direction.

As I got closer, the lackey with his teeth still intact hurriedly made an excuse.

“We told her to go home, but this brat is as stubborn as an ox…”

As he was speaking, the child’s head shot up. Then she strode toward me.

“When can I see my dad?”

The child’s voice was thick with anxiety.

“You took my dad, so why won’t you let him go? Is my dad getting anything to eat?”

I held up my palm to calm her down and spoke as gently as possible.

“I’ll let you see your dad tomorrow. Visiting hours are over for now. For today, just go home… friend.”

“It’s Yuja. I’m ten years old. Third grade, class two.”

Ah, it was Yuja.

“Yuja. I’ll let you see your dad tomorrow. It’s cold, so hurry and go inside.”

Wi Jeong-rak was currently locked up in the Association’s basement, in a detention center exclusively for Awakeners.

And he would probably die the moment he was released.

I heard the Chairman of JW Bio was furious.

As I thought that far, I gestured to the lackeys with my eyes.

Just as the quick-witted guys were about to lift Yuja up.

“By any chance, is my dad going to die?”

Her voice was wet with tears.

My expression hardened as I asked.

“…Who told you that?”

“People passing by.”

I frowned.

There are no secrets in this damn Association. Still, there are things you should and shouldn’t say in front of a child.

“He did it because he loves me so much. He didn’t have any bad intentions. It’s true he did something bad, but my dad isn’t a bad person.”

Yuja, who had been speaking haltingly, fumbled inside her clothes.

A piece of candy poked out from there.

“This is my favorite flavor. I didn’t even give it to Dajeong. Take this and…”

At some point, tears like horse droppings started streaming down Yuja’s face. The girl sobbed, but still tried her best to speak clearly.

“Please… save my dad.”

I wasn’t going to take it. But this little kid, I don’t know where she got the strength, but she forcibly opened my clenched fist.

When I came to my senses, a piece of candy was clutched in my hand.