Chapter 180.

“…!”

Jin Sahyuk’s eyes shot open . Like someone who almost drowned to death, she began to hyperventilate . She was breathing, but she felt like she couldn’t breathe because of the overwhelming pressure pressing down on her .

“Huu… huu… . ”

Only after taking a few more breaths did she snap out of her daze .

She touched her forehead, which was dripping with sweat .

She finally came to the realization that she died .

“… . ”

She pulled her hair back and looked around her surroundings . The floor and walls were made of wooden boards, and the ceiling was white . She was in her personal waiting room .

When she realized this, a system alert popped up in front of her .

[You died . You must stay inside your waiting room until the start of the next tutorial . ]

[The next tutorial will begin next month on November 1st . ]

She was at a loss for words even at the damned system . She began to boil with rage . She seethed with unbearable hatred and killing intent . Her arms, legs, and the rest of her body trembled .

—See you later .

His final words echoed in her ears .

Fine, if that’s what you want, I’ll accept it . I will kill you . No, I will make it so that you cannot live or die .

…However, her heated rage was only short-lived .

After experiencing death, a powerful listlessness and exhaustion struck her . The rage boiling inside her quickly subsided like the tide beginning to recede . But while her body was feeling increasingly enervated, her mind became clearer . Emotions she normally wouldn’t have been able to feel rose up within her .

“Haa… . ”

She closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh .

She had lost without any room for excuses .

No, thinking about it rationally, there were many excuses that could be made . Her stats were restricted, and her opponent had started two months in advance…

However, Jin Sahyuk didn’t continue such thoughts .

She had already died, and there was no use making excuses .

She simply sat still in a daze .

‘I lost again . Was it twice now? Did I really lose to the same guy twice?’

Strength left her body, like her bones had liquified . She laughed at herself .

‘Is this it? Will you be able to fulfill your life-long wish like this?’

She opened her eyes within swirling skepticism . The white ceiling of her waiting room seemed to be shining brightly .

“…Is there anything I can do before starting over?”

She asked the empty air .

“Something to kill time with . ”

[Time is a concept . Therefore, it cannot be killed . I recommend studying to get smarter . ]

However, the system seemed to be happy that she died .

“…Are you fucking with me?”

[I recommend reading . ]

“Hm, reading…”

Now that she thought about it, she had never read a book since coming to Earth . The last time she read a book was in her hometown, when she was forced to read a few books as part of compulsory education .

“Then give me something to read . ”

[History of Losers]

In an instant, a comic book appeared in the air .

Jin Sahyuk stared at the book’s cover, then frowned .

“You piece of shit… give me something else . ”

[How to Overcome Illiteracy]

This time it was a proper book, but the title wasn’t appealing in the slightest .

“…Fucker, give me a proper book . ”

[How to Overcome Anger-management Issues]

[How to Talk Positively]

[Friendly Way of Talking]

Suddenly, several books began to fall from the sky .

[Anne of Green Gables]

[100 Facts Every Idiot Should Know]

[How to Maintain One’s Composure]

“Are you messing me, you piece of— aak!”

A book falling from the sky struck her head . It was a particularly heavy book, and she was hit by its edge . Jin Sahyuk clutched her head and groaned .

“Uuu, you son of a bitch…”

However, the attack(?) wasn’t over .

Tudududu—

Countless number of books fell from the sky like hail .

[The Bird That Drinks Tears]

[The Little Prince]

[The Prince]

[Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty]

[On the Origin of Species]

[Anatomy]

…

Soon, Jin Sahyuk found himself buried under books .

Inside this tomb of books, Jin Sahyuk clenched her teeth and mumbled .

“…If only it had a body . ”

Jin Sahyuk felt a strong urge to beat up the system, but she knew it was formless .

She shook off her frustration with a sigh, then looked through the books around her . There was one book that caught her attention .

[The Prince]

“…Hm . ”

The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli .

Jin Sahyuk smiled . There was something about the book’s title and author that she liked . She saw herself as someone who would one day become a ruler, so she picked up the book without hesitation .

**

[You won a duel with a Target!]

[Target ‘Kim Hajin’ acquires the following victory reward!]

[…As the Target is a ‘sworn enemy’, all stats increase by 1 . (Only 35% of it will be applied in this place)]

[You obtained 2 ‘Special Consolidation Ticket’ . ]

[You stole 1479TP from Player ‘StrongestWill’ . ]

“… . ”

I sat on the ground and stared at the system alert .

Unable to remember anything no matter how much I thought about it, I even looked through the entire system log . Then, I looked at my laptop’s system log with my smartwatch . 2029, 2028, 2027… Going back three years, I finally found my answer .

[Magic power of rage and obsession has formed a spell in a distant place . You have been selected as a ‘target’ . ]

[However, a miraculous luck strikes!]

[A mysterious power reverses the spell!]

[An unknown person’s Gift, ‘Targeting’, has been changed to benefit Kim Hajin!]

[Narrow Escape from Death (4/9) – a special stat, accumulation of luck, becomes partly unlocked . ]

“…Hm . ”

Using this log, I tried to figure out what exactly happened .

First, Jin Sahyuk selected me as a ‘target’ . My luck ended up reversing her spell, and she became the ‘target’ instead . By killing the ‘target’ today, I’d gained the above rewards .

It seemed this ‘target’ ‘thing was Jin Sahyuk’s second Gift .

…How complicated .

First, I looked at the reward I got .

===

[Special Consolidation Ticket]

—A consolidation ticket formed from a special Gift .

—By using this ticket, you can strengthen a Gift, equipment, Physique, or Art .

===

“Oh…?”

It was amazing item that didn’t exist in the original story . Of course, I would have to use it to know what ‘strengthening’ meant .

Should I use one on Master Sharpshooter?

While I was considering my options, a series of system alerts popped up .

[Two days later at 8 p . m . , a merit conference will be held in Prestige’s [Lv . 11 Medea’s Castle]!]

[As an influential candidate, you must participate in this event . ]

[If you don’t, you will earn the ill-will of Medea, and you will not be able to receive any rewards . ]

Rewards for completing Medea’s quest .

There should be a few special skillbooks and a Trait Recovery Coupon .

Since I should be first place, I should be able to recover a Trait with it .

“Hm . ”

I got up . It could think about what Trait to choose later .

“Ah, I should pick up Jin Sahyuk’s mana crystals . ”

[Lv . 1 Jin Sahyuk’s Mana Crystal x22]

[Lv . 2 Jin Sahyuk’s Mana Crystal x4]

I wasn’t sure what to do with them, but since Jin Sahyuk’s magic power was obviously high-ranked, I was sure it would come in handy one day .

After putting the crystals in my inventory, I checked the current time .

3 p . m .

Since the conference was two days away, I felt like I could do more ‘hunting’, taking care of Djinns that would become problematic in the future . Who would have thought I would become a Newbie Hunter?

In any case, I climbed up another tree . Then, I expanded my vision and looked across the horizon . Among the people paving through the harsh conditions of the 2nd floor, I found someone who was on my hit list .

—It’s so hot~ fan me properly~

Cecilia, a Djinn who had the ability of a succubus . She was currently ordering around some men she enslaved with her ability .

I transformed the Desert Eagle into an assault rifle .

Using a sniper rifle bullet was too wasteful . The assault rifle was enough for anyone other than Jin Sahyuk .

Of course, to increase the power of the bullet, I had to shorten the distance .

I jumped from tree to tree until I was about 400 meters away .

When I could see Cecilia with the naked eyes, I raised my assault rifle .

Aiming it at Cecilia, I pulled the trigger .

Shooong—

The rifle bullet shot through the air and pierced Cecilia’s forehead . She immediately scattered into particles of light .

[You stole 3568TP from Player ‘CharmCharmCharm’ . ]

—W-What?

—H…Huh?

With the succubus’ enchantment lifted, the freed men looked around the forest in a daze .

**

In 24 hours, I killed seven Djinns and procured enough food to feed 100 people for three days . I also found another dwarven stele .

Satisfied with what I achieved, I was thinking about going back, when I suddenly got curious what Kim Suho was doing . After finding Kim Suho and observing him for a while, I returned to the elevator . As expected, Suho was doing well on his own .

“…?”

When I was about to get on the elevator I found with the Book of Truth, something in my pocket suddenly vibrated . It was Muninn’s egg, which was sitting in the large pocket of my robe .

I quickly took the egg out .

On its surface, cracks began to form . The cracks got bigger as the egg continued to shake .

“Oooh . ”

I was slightly taken aback .

The descendant of the king of the Norse gods’ beloved pet was being born . What was I supposed to do in this situation?

For now, I unleashed Stigma’s magic power, wrapping the egg so that it could be born comfortably .

The egg stopped shaking inside the soft membrane of magic power .

Soon, the eggshell broke and a small bird peeked its head out .

Its feathers were wet, and it couldn’t open its eyes yet .

For a descendant of the bird loved by a god, it looked incredibly ordinary .

However, the information displayed on the membrane was nothing but ordinary .

===

[Lv . 5 Descendant of Muninn]

[Strength 0 . 2]

[Bite Force 0 . 2]

[Stamina 0 . 2]

[Speed 0 . 2]

[Perception 6]

[Vitality 0 . 2]

[Magic Power 6]

===

A Lv . 5 newborn with perception and magic power stats at 6 points .

My jaws dropped .

I held the newborn baby in my arms . It must have felt the warmth of my body, as it slowly opened its adorable eyes and looked up at me .

“…Hi . ”

I didn’t know whether it could understand human language, but I smiled and greeted it anyways .

Then, it tilted its head to the side as birds often did . It was trying to get a better look at me .

—…chirp .

Then it cried .

At the same time, a system alert popped up .

[‘Lv . 5 Descendant of Muninn’ recognizes you as its master . ]

[Make a name for ‘Lv . 5 Descendant of Muninn’!]

“A name… . ”

I pondered . I never thought about what name to give to this sacred bird .

After a moment of thought, I came up with a name .

“Ah! How about Ppomi?”

Ppomi frowned .

—Chirp, chirp chirp!

It didn’t sound happy at all . Did it sound bad?

“Then how about Phoenix?”

Phoenix pouted . Wasn’t it a cool name?

“Hm… then how about Lionel Ronaldo . ”

—Chirp!

“Son Heungmin?”

—Chirp!

“Vermillion Bird?”

I suggested every name I could think of, but Muninn’s descendant wasn’t easily pleased .

After about 30 minutes of back and forth… .

“…Is this really okay?”

—Chirp chirp .

The little bird finally smiled, its eyes forming a cute crescent moon .

I didn’t understand it, but it seemed like the name just sounded good in its ears .

“…Alright, then from now, you’re Mr . Spartan Keyser Söze Macbeth Junior . ”

—Chirp, chirp!

[Muninn’s descendant loves the name you gave . ]

[The naming ceremony has been completed . ]

[‘Mr . Spartan Keyser Söze Macbeth Junior’ activates its first Trait, Ring of Perception . ]

[From now, you can share your vision and thoughts with ‘Mr . Spartan Keyser Söze Macbeth Junior’!]

“Hm?”

[Second Trait – Information and Shop]

[‘Mr . Spartan Keyser Söze Macbeth Junior’ allows you to use the Tower Re-entrance Ticket and Earth Return Ticket for free . ]

[Furthermore, it will gift you 2~3 items per day . ]

[‘Mr . Spartan Keyser Söze Macbeth Junior’ will awaken more Traits as it grows up . ]

A chick that was only just born had this much potential .

Investing 20000TP was undoubtedly the correct choice . As expected of the descendant of a divine bird, Spartan was amazing .

“Alright, Spartan, let’s go up . ”

—Chirp .

I put down Spartan (short for Mr . Spartan Keyser Söze Macbeth Junior) on the ground . Spartan waddled into the elevator, and I followed suit . Also, since I gave Spartan a male name, I decided that it was a he .

[Going up . ]

I pressed the 3rd floor button . The door closed, and the elevator began to fly up . Meanwhile, Spartan continued to chirp as he explored the elevator .

I opened the messenger to kill time .

Nayunjajangman: 「Hyung-nim, you don’t happen to have a curse antidote, do you?」

Nayunjajangman: 「Ah, not that I was inflicted with a curse, haha . It’s actually my friend . 」

Nayunjajangman: 「It looks like the curse is getting stronger as time goes by . I think it’s still bearable… but anyways, if you have one, I can pay up to 2000TP for it . 」

A message that I received two days ago caught my attention .

“A curse…?”

The only curse that one could get on the 3rd floor was the banshee’s curse .

Although the ingredients were expensive, I knew the recipe for making the ‘curse counteragent’ . I still had several Random Dice in case I needed them too .

However, I was afraid to meet Nayunjajangman . I was afraid to find out whether he… or she… was the Nayun I knew .

“Mm… . ”

But I also couldn’t let Nayunjajangman’s friend die .

I leaned against the elevator wall and fell in thought .

—Chirp, chirp!

Then, hearing Spartan’s loud chirp, I glanced over .

—Chirp! Chirp!

Spartan was flapping its wings . Was he already trying to fly? He was only born 30 minutes ago!

—Chirp…

Spartan’s eyes were closed, and he was clearly trying to focus his strength on his wings .

—Chirp…! Chirp!

Unfortunately, he couldn’t fly just yet .

He seemed to be dissatisfied that he couldn’t, as he opened his eyes and glared at his wings .

—Chirp, chirp!

After letting out a disgruntled cry, he put his wings back .

I couldn’t help but smile at how adorable he was .

**

On the other hand, Boss returned to the Chameleon Troupe’s hideout on Earth . Because the Tower’s stat restriction was lifted, she felt a bit sore . However, she didn’t waste any time to stretch, and headed straight into the hideout’s lobby .

“Boss, you’re back . ”

Setryn discovered her first . Setryn ran over and tried to hug her, but Boss pushed Setryn back with a light emission of magic power .

“…Meanie . Why can’t you love me as much as Newbie?”

“Where’s Droon . ”

“Droon?”

Setryn tilted her head and pointed at ‘Droon’s Playroom’ .

“He’s been inside his room recently . What do you need him for?”

“… . ”

Boss didn’t say anything and walked over to Droon’s room .

Knock, knock—

Droon reacted to Boss’ harsh knocking .

The door opened, and Boss’ gaze fell down .

“Droon . ”

“Boss?”

A small child that only came up to her chest was looking up at her, blinking in surprise .

“Why’d you call me?”

“Tell me where Yoo Jinhyuk is hiding . ”

“…Eh? S-So suddenly?”

“…Didn’t I tell you to investigate his whereabouts? That was a long time ago too . ”

Droon flinched at Boss’ unusually irritable manner . It was a side of her he had not seen for a long time thanks to Hajin Hyung . Did something happen inside the Tower?

“I, I found out where he lives . B-But why are you looking for him…?”

“There’s something I want to ask him . I don’t think he’s going to respond to my messages on Violet Banquet, so I’ll have to go find him instead . ”

Boss was sure that Yoo Jinhyuk knew something .

Watching Boss’ determination, Droon swallowed his saliva .

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