Chapter 2623 – 2623. Dark Moon

[Sung Yu-jin
Level: 95
Strength: 150 Stamina: 150 Agility: 150 Intelligence: 140 Spirit: 150 Mana: 150]

[Available Points: 36,259]

The first place to use the unexpectedly accumulated points was already decided.

[Sung Yu-jin
Level: 95
Strength: 150 Stamina: 150 Agility: 150 Intelligence: 150 Spirit: 150 Mana: 150]

[Available Points: 16,259]

I spent 20,000 points to invest in my Intelligence stat. It looked neat and pleasing to the eye, with all stats having the same value.

‘Honestly, it feels a bit wasteful. Unlike other stats, raising Intelligence doesn’t seem to change much.’

Anyway, it’s a relief that it looks better.

I tapped the Spirit stat on my smartphone screen with my index finger. A notification window popped up on the screen.

[3,000 points are required to increase the Spirit stat.]
[Do you want to increase the Spirit stat?]

3,000 points.

I can only raise the stat by 5 points. Of course, it’s worth it. The higher the stat, the more valuable each point becomes.

‘Just raising my Mana stat would definitely make me feel stronger.’

There was one reason why I hesitated, even though I knew this.

My current stats were what I had aimed for at S-rank.

‘Looking back, I think I invested too much in stats.’

And points aren’t the only way to raise stats. Sometimes, stat rewards pop up as quest rewards. Also, there was a chance of getting an elixir that raises stats from random draws.

‘Getting elixirs from worlds like the Bright Ascension is also an option. But bringing them to reality seems to weaken their effects and the stat increase is small, so it doesn’t seem very meaningful.’

There was also the method of training. The problem was that I didn’t know how much training I would need to raise my stats at my current high level. It felt like I could suffer for a whole year without any stat increase.

‘Points are the most efficient way to raise stats… right? Right now, quests seem more efficient.’

I suddenly realized that I hadn’t been chugging elixirs in reality. Unlike other game worlds, reality was quiet without any major incidents, so there was no rush. Even if things got urgent, time would stop when I entered a game world.

It might not be very effective… but it’s worth trying at least once.

‘I have plenty of elixirs anyway. I can steadily bring them from the Bright Ascension world.’

I took out the elixirs from my inventory. Most of them were weeds. Elixirs imbued with spiritual energy. I didn’t even know what kind of weeds they were. The effects of the elixirs varied subtly depending on the type, and they could even be poisonous.

‘I don’t care if it’s poisonous. I have poison resistance.’

I grabbed a handful of elixirs and shoved them into my mouth.

Crunch. Crunch.

Even though they were elixirs, they tasted like weeds.

‘Bitter and astringent… disgusting. I want to spit them out right now.’

I endured and chewed. I could feel the spiritual energy with each chew. When I swallowed the elixirs, spiritual energy flowed out from my body. And then it disappeared.

‘Even if I chant the Thunder Heaven Art, I can’t hold the spiritual energy in my body. My body is already full.’

The vessel to hold the spiritual energy was already full. To contain more spiritual energy, I needed to expand the vessel itself.

‘It wasn’t that difficult in the Bright Ascension world. My talent itself was ridiculously high. But I have no talent in reality. No matter how many of these low-grade elixirs I eat, I’ll only get a full stomach.’

[You have absorbed poison. Your health and mana are restored.]

‘Well, well. It seems like the elixirs mixed in my stomach and became poison.’

I patted my stomach. I didn’t feel anything other than a bloated sensation. It meant that the poison was weak enough to be immediately suppressed by my poison resistance.

‘Should I try the real stuff instead of the low-grade ones? It’s a bit of a waste for someone like me with no talent to use it in reality, but…’

The Supreme Demonic Pill.

One of the elixirs made by the Heavenly Demon Church in the Bright Ascension world.

Even as the young leader of the Heavenly Demon Church, it wasn’t easy for me to obtain. I had to use a bit of coercion to get it.

I sat in a lotus position, composed myself, and put the Supreme Demonic Pill in my mouth.

Spiritual energy and demonic energy simultaneously erupted from the center of my body. I used the Thunder Heaven Art, not the Heavenly Demon Art, to control both energies. I was already aware of the core of my mind, so it was easier.

[Your Mana stat has increased by 1.]

My stat increased. It was just one point, but I could feel that my maximum mana capacity had increased significantly. It felt like I could drop 5 to 7 more lightning bolts.

That’s good.

It was good, but my expression wasn’t good.

[Sung Yu-jin
Level: 95
Strength: 150 Stamina: 150 Agility: 150 Intelligence: 150 Spirit: 150 Mana: 151]

‘Damn it. That 151 is so annoying!!’

Should I use points to raise my stat? 155. It’s a bit lame for me, but it’s better than 151. I seriously pondered before closing the status window. I tried to change my thoughts.

‘The elixirs I brought from the Bright Ascension world worked. I saved 3,000 points thanks to the Supreme Demonic Pill. This is totally lucky, isn’t it? Damn it.’

What would happen if I ate another Supreme Demonic Pill? I can guarantee that it wouldn’t work. The effects of elixirs also depend on talent, and you develop a tolerance to them. It’s unlikely to get the same effect from eating the same elixir again.

‘If that wasn’t the case, the guy who ate the most elixirs would have become the strongest in the world.’

I thought about the elixirs in my inventory.

A list formed in my head, and the elixir list appeared. It was the search ability attached to the inventory skill. Thanks to that, I didn’t need to organize my inventory separately. I could take out exactly what I needed when I needed it.

‘The inventory is very convenient. Should I invest points in it this time?’

[Do you want to use 20,000 points to increase the Inventory Lv.5 level?]

I didn’t have enough points.

I gave up and spent some time idly before entering a game world to earn points.

[You have selected Dark Moon.]

[Starting the game.]

• • •

I opened my eyes, which I had briefly closed while sitting in my office chair. It was like déjà vu. I felt an immense sense of incongruity.

‘…Again.’

It was as if this place wasn’t reality. It felt like I had returned from a distant place. Of course, this sense of incongruity disappeared in less than a second.

‘Did my brain malfunction again?’

I used mana to check my own body. From head to toe. From my brain to my pancreas. As a result of the check, there were no problems.

‘It’s one thing to say it’s just a feeling, but I’ve been experiencing this feeling every month for the past month.’

There was nothing wrong with my body, even after an examination.

‘If it’s not my body, then is it my soul? It might be the influence of the black magic I’ve been researching since before.’

I had no intention of giving up black magic. The more power I had, the better. I used black magic with the black mana from the external organization, Dark Hole, which meant I could prepare for a situation where I couldn’t use magic because I had exhausted all the mana in my body.

I looked at my desk.

It was cluttered with work documents, invitations to social parties from Neo London nobles, and documents related to magic.

‘First, I’ll skip the party invitations. There aren’t any invitations from real big shots.’

I ordered a servant to send rejection letters with small gifts.

Most of the work documents were related to the superconductor LK-99. Even though quite some time had passed since the announcement of LK-99, it was still a hot topic.

‘The number of people wanting to invest is increasing. I’m sorry, but I have no intention of receiving investments. I lack the capacity to turn the company into a giant corporation. For the time being, I’ll focus on internal management.’

Next were the documents related to magic. Most of them were magic theses.

‘I thought I might gain some enlightenment if I learned about other people’s perspectives and research on magic… but it’s not very helpful.’

Rank 7.

At my current level, I could aim for Rank 7.

‘…Is it impossible to reach Rank 7 by gaining enlightenment from this kind of thing? I thought I saw information about such a case in the original game, so I tried it….’

It wasn’t a complete waste of time. I did gain something. It was worth the high price.

‘Even after skimming through about 300 pages, there’s still nothing about useful arcane magic. The arcane magic written here is all trash that’s only arcane in name.’

I gathered all the magic-related documents and put them in my inventory.

Since 1 inventory point and 10g of gold were consumed as a usage fee per day, I was trying to use the inventory as efficiently as possible.

‘The paperwork is mostly done, so next is magic training. I also need to check the factory producing LK-99… and visit the Lemen Prison to check on the new inmates.’

A sigh escaped my lips. There was too much to do. Still, my current focus was on Rank 7.

‘To reach Rank 7… the fastest way is probably to follow the method from the original game. I don’t know if it’s possible now that the game has become reality.’

Bang!

Suddenly, the fluorescent light on the ceiling shattered.

[Using Moment. Remaining stacks: 11]

As soon as I heard the sound, I unconsciously used Moment. I calculated the spell in the slowed-down world.

[Barrier]

The magic was activated at the same time as my thinking speed returned to normal. A transparent barrier blocked the falling glass shards.

Crack, crackle.

Electricity sparked on the ceiling where the fluorescent light had been. It seemed like some kind of overload had occurred. Thanks to the sunlight coming in from outside, the office wasn’t dark.

‘These fluorescent lights are mainly used by nobles, so they’re specially designed for safety and shouldn’t break easily. They can easily withstand at least 50,000 volts.’

But it broke. If there was a problem, it must have come from outside.

I reflexively looked out the window.

The flower garden was on fire. Servants were rushing to put out the fire with fire extinguishers. What was surprising wasn’t the garden, but the annex. A large fire had broken out in part of the annex. Servants who knew how to use magic were quickly responding.

My office was soundproofed from the outside with magic, so I couldn’t hear anything. The exception was the office door. This was also designed so that internal sounds wouldn’t go outside for security reasons.

Knock knock.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Following that, the voice of a maid working at the mansion echoed.

“Master. There has been an overload in the mansion’s electrical wiring system. All appliances have been damaged, and fires have broken out on the first and second floors of the main building and the third floor of the annex. All the servants are currently putting out the fires.”

I opened the door.

The black-haired maid was calm despite the sudden situation. She was a double-class maid. She wasn’t someone who would be flustered by such an accident.

“It seems like it wasn’t an attack from the outside, since it’s relatively quiet. What’s the cause?”

“Before the accident, the gardener reported that the cherry tree briefly glowed.”

“The cherry tree caused an accident… It’s been quiet lately, and now it’s causing a big mess. Take care of the cleanup.”

Leaving the bowing maid behind, I headed towards the cherry tree.