Chapter 85 : Chapter 85

Chapter 85 - Shaman (1)

[Kim Gyu-sik]

[Lv.38] [Guardian Angel Buff in effect]

[ Strength: 16

Agility: 16

Durability: 16

Stamina: 16

Luck: 1

Mana: 10

Remaining Points: 18 ]

It was the status window I hadn't seen in a long time.

I didn't have many opportunities to look at it these days.

In the case of the Second Ordeal, thanks to the special environment, I was able to wreak havoc without being constrained by stats.

However, events that took place outside the Tower were often decided by straightforward spec battles.

The Guild Grand Unification Event that I would be attending soon was a prime example of that.

‘From now on, I need to grow more strategically.’

No matter how many crazy tricks I had up my sleeve, those were only possible if the minimum conditions were met.

I couldn't create something from nothing. I needed to set a clear guideline with a definite purpose.

Thinking that, I distributed the stats.

Alright, in my judgment, having poured countless hours into Conqueror, the best choice was as follows.

[Kim Gyu-sik]

[Lv.38] [Guardian Angel Buff in effect]

[ Strength: 20

Agility: 20

Durability: 20

Stamina: 20

Luck: 1

Mana: 12

Remaining Points: 0 ]

“...”

Hmm.

It might look like I just matched the numbers without much thought, but this was all a meaningful investment.

First of all, I heard that the remaining parts of the Cheonryongpo were nearing completion.

Equipment generally tended to require a user's stats to be well-rounded. How much more so for equipment like the Cheonryongpo, where the entire body was treated as a single set.

‘Equipment...’

Thinking about it, Conqueror was one of the games that was often called an equipment-reliant 'damn game'.

It was a game where, besides skills, there were many pieces of equipment that could completely break the balance, especially in the late game.

The Ebon Scale I used to clear the 1st Ordeal was a case in point.

A mere replica had enough power to one-shot a boss; the power of the original was truly beyond imagination.

In a specific route where I faced the Platinum Knight as an enemy, I can't even remember how many times I died.

‘Of course...’

Even excluding such cheat-level equipment that was hard to find a match for in the entire game world, there were plenty of useful items that a player could obtain with a little effort.

The Cheonryongpo I designed was one of them. Honestly, once this was completed and achieved the Unique grade, it would be an item that could be used well into the late game without any problem.

In other words, the standard for what was generally considered ‘end-game gear’ was around the Unique grade.

Now.

In that respect.

Here was one item that was extremely bizarre.

[ Mysterious Vessel / Grade: Unique ]

[ A vessel that once held mysterious and precious liquids. It has been influenced by powerful mana and has gained special effects. ]

[Effects]

[ ‘Item Synthesis’ possible with this item ]

[ Increased chance of great success when attempting ‘Item Synthesis’ ]

[ ??? ]

[ ??? ]

[ ??? ]

“...”

This thing.

I had ‘never’ seen it before.

Even from my perspective, who had cleared Conqueror so many times, it was an unknown item. It might be because the acquisition process was unusual.

Even though there was no way I wouldn't recognize a Unique or higher grade item.

There were only about 1,219 of them in total, weren't there? I could recite that much with my eyes closed.

‘Anyway.’

The fact that its grade was ‘Unique’ even though only a few of its features had been revealed meant that even my mother-in-law wouldn't know how high the item's grade could skyrocket if everything was revealed.

The only grades above Unique were [Special], like the Gnosis's Heart I was currently wearing, or [Legendary] items, of which there was one for each category.

“...”

Or.

It could be an item that existed completely outside the system, like the ‘Share’ skill I possessed.

I only knew about it through data, so I wasn't sure.

‘Either way...’

The most certain way to check an item's performance was to use it.

So I had been using this for various things recently. The easiest things to synthesize were consumables, so I focused on those.

“...I-I can't drink anymore...”

“Just a little more effort.”

“Ugh, ugh...”

“Good girl. It's all going in. Swallow it all.”

“Mmm... Mmph...”

The things I made as a result were all fed to Meirin-ssi.

Well, they were all things that helped supplement her absolute amount of mana and Qi.

It's good for you, so drink up.

A backup battery is best when it's always fully charged.

“W-what are you two doing-!”

Because Seo Ah-in rushed in and shielded Meirin-ssi, I couldn't feed her as much as I had planned.

Well, it didn't really matter if I fed her slowly. As long as I nurtured her well before taking her to the Grand Unification Event, it would be fine.

I had some time to spare now.

“...”

The problem was.

Even after using it so much, there was still no sign of its hidden functions being unlocked.

Since it wasn't an item I knew about, I had no clue in which direction I should be trying.

‘...Hmm.’

However.

I knew one person who might be able to tell me.

***

“...So you weren't going alone.”

Seo Hye-in-ssi said that as soon as she saw me.

Indeed, next to me was Ahab, whom I had called out after a long time.

Well.

It was true that I called her to go somewhere with me. But I didn't know where the idea of it being just the two of us came from.

Even her attire looked like she was going out to play. Not the neat uniform she usually wore, but an off-the-shoulder knit and jeans.

On top of that.

“Your makeup is pretty.”

“...I-it’s nothing.”

“No. You look like a different person when you're all dressed up.”

“A-ahem. Hmph!”

Seo Hye-in-ssi cleared her throat loudly and pointedly turned her head away.

The redness that had crept up to her neck showed she was really quite pleased.

“Did you meet a man just before this? It's obvious you put in a lot of effort.”

“...”

The blush instantly faded.

Instead, the corners of her mouth twisted at a strange angle, as if she was suppressing a sudden surge of anger.

Wow. This was the first time I had seen a person's complexion change so drastically.

“Hey. Kim Gyu-sik.”

“What.”

“Are you perhaps an idiot?”

“...”

Why was this bastard suddenly picking a fight again?

When I glared at Ahab, who was snickering next to me, he smirked and replied.

“I'm not particularly knowledgeable in that area either, but... this is severe. You must have it rough.”

“...Thank you.”

A strange sense of camaraderie suddenly formed between Ahab and Seo Hye-in-ssi.

What was this? I suddenly felt like I was being ostracized, which made me sad.

“Just lead the way. We've come this far, it'll be hard to go back now.”

“Hmph. You don't have to tell me.”

Ahab said so and took the lead.

After striding along, we arrived at Rotten Town. Among its alleys, a gloomy one with not a single person.

“Rash actions are strictly forbidden inside. Stick close behind me and follow.”

Ahab, who had laid down the threat, then tapped on the wall at the end of the alley.

Then, a mystical change occurred around us.

The walls forming the alley shimmered, and in an instant, they revealed a much larger space inside.

“Is it an illusion? I didn't feel any mana...”

Seo Hye-in-ssi muttered in surprise, to which I shrugged and replied.

“Well, this place is the ‘outlet’ for all guilds. They probably slapped on all sorts of things because they don't want to be found.”

“Outlet...?”

“It means this isn't a place that deals in things that can be traded openly.”

In other words, it was a black market.

Mainly powerful drugs controlled at the Climber Association level, illegally modified weapons, information about Dungeons and the Tower, and extremely rare materials dropped by Demonic Beasts. Well, surprisingly wholesome things like that.

“...Are those wholesome?”

“They are wholesome.”

Because they didn't trade in criminal items that openly disregarded human rights like Demi-human slaves. The main purposes were tax evasion, money laundering, and minor deviations.

In the first place.

Compared to the real ‘hell’, that much could be treated as a tacit agreement among guilds.

If you go to Europe, there are even worse things.

“...Hmm.”

But this model student, perhaps unfamiliar with this kind of atmosphere, kept looking around and letting out uncomfortable groans.

Well, the atmosphere itself was a bit tense.

The guys passing between the buildings with stern expressions were all formidable-looking, and they were exuding an aura that said ‘I’ll kill you if you talk to me’.

My and Seo Hye-in-ssi's objective combat power was by no means negligible, but Ahab wasn't just bluffing when he warned us not to do anything foolish.

That was also why I brought Seo Hye-in-ssi along.

Because she was the one with the best individual combat power among the people I could freely call upon.

“...Does that mean, in other words, that you trust me the most?”

“That's... probably right?”

It could be interpreted that way, depending on how you looked at it.

But just by saying that, she seemed much more at ease compared to before.

You could tell just by how she suddenly put a lot of strength in her shoulders and stepped in front of me.

“Hmph. Hmph-hmm. Then, as Kim Gyu-sik-ssi's number one colleague, I will repay your trust!”

“...”

Well, if she was happy, then that was fine.

Lately, watching this person, I often thought that it was no coincidence she and Seo Ah-in were sisters.

“Being motivated is good, but if you act like that inside, you'll die.”

Ahab said that, signaling that we had arrived at our destination.

Decorations with a strong gypsy feel. Dreamcatchers. Stuffed animals. Incense. Complex diagrams and hieroglyphs.

“Here is?”

“Are you familiar with the concept of a Shaman?”

It's a truly god-tier profession.

It had to be, because according to the lore, the person in this building was the ‘only’ shaman in the world of Conqueror.

It was unavoidable due to the characteristic of being a single-lineage succession.

“She's a celebrity in the black market. Even using the name of the Heukryongdang's leader, the best I could do was just barely schedule an interview.”

“Right. Thanks for the explanation, you useless guy who can't even do that one thing.”

“...”

Leaving the speechless Ahab behind, I chuckled and entered the building.

I had Seo Hye-in-ssi and Ahab wait outside for now.

“...”

Because a conversation that would be troublesome for them to hear might take place inside.

Well, considering the characteristics of the Shaman's abilities, it was unavoidable.

Inside the building, perhaps because of the strong incense being burned, the air was filled with so much thick smoke that it was hard to breathe.

And inside, a small girl. Dark gray hair. Pitch-black eyes. She looked even younger than Meirin-ssi, who was the youngest around me.

But the tattoos and piercings all over her body, plus the sight of her smoking a long-stemmed pipe and puffing out smoke, was the very condensation of decadence.

“Shaman Eliya. Is that you?”

“...”

Without an answer, only the smoke Eliya exhaled billowed up.

But her deeply sunken eyes were staring straight at me.

“I came because I wanted to get an item appraised. You heard about it beforehand, right?”

I said that, but.

The black eyes, which didn't even pretend to have heard, had no intention of leaving me.

She kept staring, and staring.

As if trying to see through something inside.

“You.”

Then.

“Yes.”

“You're going to die soon.”

She suddenly dropped a bombshell..

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