NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 338: Ski Resort (3)
It had been quite some time since Baek Yu-Seol last stepped foot in Ha Tae-Ryeong’s secluded hideout. After absorbing most of the knowledge he could from this place, he had swiftly returned to Stella, leaving his visits here scarce and fleeting.
“... Should I clean up a bit?”
Although he had never even seen Ha Tae-Ryeong in person, to Baek Yu-Seol, Ha Tae-Ryeong was both a mentor and a lifesaver.
Ha Tae-Ryeong had given him a remarkable insight when Baek Yu-Seol had hit a major bottleneck in his growth and could only rely on the game system.
The hideout resembled little more than a forgotten storeroom, its surfaces blanketed in layers of dust. The furniture - a bed and desk that might have been used centuries ago - was so aged and rusted that it no longer had a place in the modern world.
It was pointless to try salvaging such relics. And since no one else was likely to use this space again, Baek Yu-Seol discarded the useless debris and swept away the dust and clutter.
When he took a closer look at the old weapons, he noticed a wide variety. It appeared that Ha Tae-Ryeong had once experimented with not only swords but also spears, axes, and other weapons.
Yet in the end, it seemed he had settled on a sword… One designed to cleave through both magic and shields.
Then, Baek Yu-Seol found a book.
[On Mana Leakage Disorder][Author: Ha Tae-Ryeong]
Its cover was plain, and the handwriting was rough, yet this was the very book that had once taught Baek Yu-Seol everything he knew.
He had already recorded its contents in his Sentient Spec, leaving little reason to revisit the original text. Still, seeing it again stirred a wave of nostalgia.
When he opened the book, he found a slightly folded page he had read before, and something strange caught his eye.
— All life begins its journey toward death the moment it is born.
His own body was a little special.
From the moment he started running, the destination was already right in front of him.
She said: "You won’t live past twenty."
Mana Leakage Disorder.
This condition was so rare that only one person in a generation might be born with it. —
“... She?”
The word lingered in his mind. As he reread the passage, he realized the book frequently mentioned someone referred to only as ‘she.’
Until now, he had never given it much thought, assuming it referred to Leafanel. But...
“Is this you?”
— Hmm?
The tone of voice was completely different from Leafanel’s.
Unlike Leafanel’s soft and timid voice, which carried the hesitance of a shy child, the ‘she’ described in the book seemed to speak with the poise and confidence of someone far more mature.
Of course, it wasn’t impossible that Leafanel’s manner of speaking had changed over the span of thousands of years. After all, men often returned from military service as entirely different people.
— It’s not me.
“Really?”
With Leafanel denying it outright, Baek Yu-Seol was now certain. The ‘she’ mentioned in the book was someone else.
“Then who is ‘she’...?”
Baek Yu-Seol fell into thought, his fingers lightly tapping against the surface of his Sentient Spec.
“Activate text clip. Highlight every instance of the word ‘she.’”
As he turned the pages, the Spec projected glowing text into the air and each instance of the word ‘she’ shimmered faintly.
To his surprise, there weren’t as many mentions as he had expected, and nowhere did it reveal her real name.
Yet, scattered among the passages, a few clues emerged.
— I know her feelings. But accepting those feelings... is impossible. Even at this very moment, as I write this book, I can feel my life slipping away.
With each passing second, the flame of my existence dims.
And then he said to her.
"An enemy’s enemy is an ally, but we cannot become more than that."
After that, ‘she’ left.
When she comes looking for me again, I will probably no longer be in this world.
And that will be enough. —
There was one particularly puzzling line.
"An enemy’s enemy is an ally..."
Ha Tae-Ryeong’s enemies had undeniably been the mages. So by that logic, ‘she’ must have been an enemy of the mages as well, bound to him only by a shared opposition.
It seemed he had drawn a firm line between them, rejecting her feelings with the words, ‘We have only gathered to oppose a common enemy, and we cannot be together.’
In other words, identifying the enemies of the mages might lead him to uncover her identity.
But there was one problem.
“How many enemies do the mages have?”
Countless terms flashed across the display of the Sentient Spec in an instant.
“... There are too many.”
Even just recalling the groups and species that hated mages was overwhelming—it was impossible to count them all.
“Spec, you don’t have any suggestions?”
[I do not possess logical reasoning abilities.]
“Of course you don’t.”
Baek Yu-Seol let out a weary sigh. If only his Spec had the ability to reason, his search would be far simpler.
“You know... Maybe the mages really are the root of all evil.”
He muttered the absurd thought aloud.
But at that moment, Leafanel, who had been dozing off on his shoulder, suddenly lifted her head.
— Huh...?
“What? Are you awake?”
— That line... Ha Tae-Ryeong used to say that all the time.
“Oh, really?”
Well, that certainly made sense.
At the time, more than 80% of the general population, born with exceedingly sparse mana, were incapable of using magic and were thus relegated to the lower commoner class. Magic was, quite literally, a 'privilege for the privileged.'
Nowadays, even a faint trace of mana was enough to cast spells, thanks to advancements, but back then, the discrimination surrounding magic was far more severe… An unbridgeable chasm that formed hierarchy.
In a world where those with magic reigned supreme, it wasn’t difficult to imagine that factions opposed to magic would rally behind Ha Tae-Ryeong.
However...
Even so, Ha Tae-Ryeong’s group must have been very small.
Mages had earned the public’s trust by standing on the frontlines against dark mages, proving the superiority and nobility of magic. Ordinary humans, who had witnessed its awe-inspiring power firsthand, would never dare to defy the mages.
This suggested that Ha Tae-Ryeong’s group likely consisted of beings with abilities rivaling magic… those rare few who could stand against the dominance of mages.
In the Aether World, there were only a handful of such beings.
Hurriedly, he flipped to the next page.
— She did not love me. She only loved the fate of my mutation. From the beginning, we were never meant to be. While I could barely live for a few decades, having awakened my Nature’s Heavenly Energy Body too late, she could live for a thousand years… —
And that was the end of ‘she’ story. She was never mentioned again.
There weren’t many beings who could live for such an extraordinary length of time.
Yet, those who achieved a special state could persist for centuries, even millennia. As such, this clue, while intriguing, didn’t narrow the possibilities much.
Still, Baek Yu-Seol couldn’t push the thought aside.
Why did the name Scarlet, the Witch Queen, keep surfacing in his mind?
“She... loved my fate?”
The words left him perplexed.
People could love appearances, personalities, or even ideals. But loving someone’s fate? What kind of sentiment was that supposed to be?
Besides, witches were strictly forbidden from falling in love… bound by laws that made such emotions taboo.
“Hmm. Even if I find out, does it really matter?”
Baek Yu-Seol shook his head, trying to banish Scarlet’s unsettling image from his thoughts.
After all, wasn’t it natural for a man’s heart to stir?
Even if he was just a mage who couldn’t wield a sword, how could his heart not quicken at the sight of that radiant silver blade, gleaming like moonlight?
In ages long past.
It was a mysterious sword that Ha Tae-Ryeong had forged himself to face mages.
Though it never appeared in the novel or even in the game, Baek Yu-Seol knew for certain. This sword was a weapon made specifically for him, someone afflicted with Mana Leakage Disorder.
However, up until now, Baek Yu-Seol had been unable to lay a finger on that silver sword. The barrier encasing it repelled all attempts to approach.
There was only one way to get through.
"Leafanel, come down for a moment."
— Mm, okay.
After setting Leafanel down nearby, Baek Yu-Seol lowered himself to the ground, sitting cross-legged. He briefly considered sitting in a full lotus position, but it was far too uncomfortable and would only make it harder to concentrate.
“Hooh...”
Despite awakening his Nature’s Heavenly Energy Body, he could tap into only a fraction of its power in his normal state.
To draw out even a sliver of its true potential, he needed to enter the ‘Harmony of Heavenly Qi’ mode.
Slowly, he guided the energy from his heart, allowing it to course through his veins, circulate throughout his body, and radiate outward.
[Entering Harmony of Heavenly Qi mode.]
[Harmonizing with Natural Energy.]
[Physical Strength, Agility, and Sense stats increased by 2 stars.]
Flash!
When he opened his eyes, a blue radiance flickered within his gaze. The aura surrounding him pulsed with the rhythm of the natural energy flowing through the air.
Channeling that energy into his hands, Baek Yu-Seol clenched his fists tightly.
In the distant future, either Ha Tae-Ryeong or a more advanced version of himself might be able to envelop their entire body in this energy, shaping it into armor or even a sword.
But for now, Baek Yu-Seol could barely form a single glove.
‘This will have to be enough.’
Carefully, he approached the barrier and reached out his hand.
Buzz...!
“Ugh!”
A surge of energy, like millions of volts of electricity, jolted up his arm, spreading a tingling sensation to his shoulder.
But the barrier didn’t stop him.
‘I did it!’
The process felt rough and unstable, like digging through sand with bare hands, but he had broken through the barrier!
Baek Yu-Seol didn’t allow himself to relax. Carefully, he manipulated the natural energy flowing through his body, spreading the Harmony of Heavenly Qi armor across his wrists, forearms, and shoulders.
One slight mistake - if any part of his unprotected body touched the barrier - it could result in disaster.
With his life hanging by a thread, Baek Yu-Seol maintained razor-sharp focus. Sweat streamed down his forehead as he pressed forward, inch by cautious inch.
Baek Yu-Seol likely didn’t realize it himself, but during the process, the Harmony of Heavenly Qi armor covering his body had grown thinner, stretching itself to shield a larger area.
As he cautiously advanced through the barrier, extending the protective energy over his neck, chest, abdomen, and waist, he finally managed to squeeze his lower body through. However, the moment the tension released, his balance wavered, and he tumbled forward, rolling across the ground.
“Hooh... I thought I was really going to die.”
His landing had been far from graceful, yet, surprisingly, his head didn’t ache despite hitting the ground. Rubbing his forehead, Baek Yu-Seol pushed himself up and turned his gaze toward the silver sword. Taking a deep breath, he reached out his hand.
“Ugh! It’s heavy...!”
Expecting to lift it effortlessly with one hand, he was caught off guard when the blade refused to budge. Quickly adjusting, Baek Yu-Seol funneled all his natural energy into his right hand.
Rumble...
To his astonishment, the silver sword trembled before slowly sliding free from its resting place.
Flash!
The moment he raised it, the dimly lit chamber - barely illuminated by artificial light - was engulfed in a brilliant glow.
<Ethereal Wind and Moonlight>
Grade: Legendary
Description: A sword that can only be wielded by those who have mastered the essence of Nature's Heavenly Energy Body and become one with nature.
Effects:
Physical Strength +61%
Agility +47%
Sense +97%
※Usage Conditions:
Nature’s Heavenly Energy Body, ‘Harmony of Heavenly Qi’ unleashed
Special Abilities:
1. Like a Clear Wind
- Blends into nature, erasing presence, and increases natural mana circulation rate by 99%. Attributes change depending on the location.
2. Like a Bright Moon
- Identifies points that can absolutely be cut. However, executing the cut depends entirely on the wielder’s skill.
Baek Yu-Seol’s jaw dropped as he read the detailed description.
“This is insane...”
The sword was only one step below the legendary ‘Flash of Tribute’—the weapon wielded by his end-game character in Aether World Online.
While it lacked the guaranteed fatal-strike ability of the Flash of Tribute, Ethereal Wind and Moonlight compensated with its ability to expose weak points… an overpowered skill in its own right.
In essence, this ability was no different from a one-hit kill.
Of course, such an extraordinary skill inevitably demanded a heavy price. Given that Baek Yu-Seol had previously spent several days hospitalized from the backlash of using Harmony of Heavenly Qi, he knew better than to wield it recklessly.
Still, the mere fact that he now had a powerful finishing move - something he had always lacked - made it more than worthwhile.
[Harmony of Heavenly Qi has been deactivated!]
The moment his focus wavered while reading the description, the Harmony of Heavenly Qi mode flickered out, and the silver sword fell heavily to the ground.
"... So this is what it feels like."
Without the Harmony of Heavenly Qi sustaining him, the sword felt as if it weighed a thousand pounds, completely immovable.
Sighing, Baek Yu-Seol carefully stored it in his subspace before collapsing onto the floor.
Even though he had only maintained Harmony of Heavenly Qi for a short moment, the backlash was brutal, leaving his entire body drained and trembling.
This time, he had avoided breaking any bones by taking precautions, but the experience made one thing painfully clear… this ability was not something he could afford to overuse.
‘... No. That’s not the real issue.’
Baek Yu-Seol raised his right hand, flexing his fingers as if testing them.
He vividly recalled the overwhelming surge of natural energy that had coursed through his body just moments ago.
‘It’s not that my body can’t handle it—it’s that there’s simply too much energy for me to control.’
Using Harmony of Heavenly Qi alone had temporarily boosted his stats by 2 stars, but that kind of massive surge was too much for his current 5-star physical limits to withstand.
Two Possible Solutions:
1. Train his body until it reached 6 star capabilities to handle the power.
2. Limit the power output of Harmony of Heavenly Qi so that it could be used freely without severe backlash.
The first option, though ideal, was completely unrealistic in the short term.
Even with rigorous training, raising his stats by just 1 star would take years of effort.
That left him with the second option… adjusting the Harmony of Heavenly Qi to scale down its boost, making it usable without severe backlash.
‘I’ll have to slightly lower the stat boost... so I can use it anytime, anywhere.’
But there was one major problem.
"... How do I do that?"
The natural energy in Harmony of Heavenly Qi was still an unknown force to Baek Yu-Seol.
He could barely sense and guide its flow, let alone manipulate it with precision. Controlling it felt nothing like moving a limb or flexing a muscle… it was wild, boundless, and entirely foreign to him.
‘This isn’t like controlling muscles or strength... How do I even regulate something like this?’
The mere thought of it made the path ahead feel impossibly steep.
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Goal: 20 Bonus Chapters to Celebrate 300 Chapters of Flashing Genius!
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