Mutant — Part 1
I carefully inspected the barrier.
Then, I unleashed my full strength and struck it with my fist.
Boom!
The barrier shook with a deafening roar, but not even a single crack appeared.
[Giant’s Strength], [Vajra Body], [Undying]
[Mana Soul], [Close-Combat Mastery], [Strike]
Even with those traits, my punch couldn’t break it.
It was a blow capable of shattering the mana barrier deployed by a Level 3 Defensive Warrior.
In other words, this barrier was almost as tough as a Level 5 defensive barrier.
“Impressive.”
“Right? The previous owner lived here for a long time. He was also a superhuman from the warrior class, so all the necessary facilities for warriors are already set up. He moved to Gangnam and needed cash urgently, so he put it up for sale. Otherwise, it would have been nearly impossible to acquire.”
In front of me stood a massive standalone mansion.
No, calling it a mansion feels insufficient.
When combining the house and the garden, it spans over 200 pyeong (approximately 660 square meters).
It features a swimming pool, a mini theater, a golf practice range, and even a sizeable elevator.
A training room?
That’s an understatement.
It would be more accurate to call it a secret martial training ground.
Deep beneath the ground, the facilities rival the martial training grounds I saw at Seo Woojin’s home.
The security was top-notch as well.
You could even station full-time security personnel here if needed.
With the sanctuary already in place, mansion barriers, defense drones…
It’s the epitome of a noble’s estate in this world.
“You’re not planning on hiring any staff?”
“No. Periodic maintenance is enough for me.”
“In that case, the mansion might not be properly maintained… Properties like this surprisingly require a lot of upkeep.”
“As long as the security is solid, I’m fine. I plan to use golems and magical spirits instead of security personnel.”
The sanctuary for the mansion was already in place.
I planned to install another sanctuary exclusively in the basement.
There’s no reason not to use the divine statue I received from Kim Saje.
Considering that the Old Father’s Cult still covets me, it’s better to be overly prepared than underprepared.
“Understood. As you requested, we’ll send workers for cleaning and maintenance just once a week.”
“They don’t need to enter the basement. Maintaining the ground floors is sufficient.”
“Yes, Superhuman.”
Manager Choi nodded obediently.
I surveyed the mansion with a sense of awe.
This estate cost 30 billion won.
The building alone spans close to 200 pyeong, featuring five bedrooms and three bathrooms.
But the highlight is the basement.
I don’t know how the previous owner used it, but it’s a vast space twice the size of the secret martial training ground.
“That area could be used as a garage.”
“For someone who loves cars, sure. But I’m not much of a car enthusiast… Oh, by the way, sorry about the car I wrecked last time.”
“Huh? Oh, don’t worry about it. I gave that car to you anyway, didn’t I? And I’m just glad you survived that incident safely. It’s been fully repaired, so I’ll leave it parked in the garage.”
“Thanks, as always.”
It wasn’t just the car.
I had requested more things as well.
Manager Choi fiddled with his smartphone, pulling up the list of items I had ordered.
“You requested a precision measurement device, a magical spirit computer, an elixir bath, and a restructuring elixir recipe. Correct?”
“Exactly.”
In the game, breaking through one’s limits was straightforward.
Just guzzle down nectar or ambrosia, and that was it.
The experience bar would break, the level cap would shatter, and you’d progress to the next stage.
Sometimes, failing the breakthrough attempt would trigger the [Wasted] debuff. But as long as you soaked in a mana spring or stayed at a resort for a while, you’d recover.
The problem is, this isn’t a game, and I’m not a game character.
If I got hit with the [Wasted] debuff here, it would be a disaster.
I’d have to recuperate for months, which is time I absolutely don’t have.
Becoming as weak as a Level 0 character?
How am I supposed to “relax” under those circumstances?
Manager Choi scratched his head.
“Superhuman, I think you’ll make it to Level 7 without much trouble. You’ve overcome Divine Fever and even achieved a 6-layer mana circuit overlay.”
A subtle way of asking if I’m SSR-grade.
If the growth cap for someone born N-grade is Level 4, R-grade is Level 5, SR-grade is Level 6, and SSR-grade is Level 7.
I shook my head slowly.
“I thought so too, but no. After reaching Level 4, I’ve hit a wall.”
“Surprising.”
“Maybe I grew too quickly.”
That’s why I need the restructuring elixir.
In the game, raising levels only required nectar, but in this world, consuming processed nectar and trait elixirs is standard practice.
A specially optimized elixir for breakthroughs.
A miracle potion that minimizes the risk of becoming Wasted.
“All four items have been ordered. By the way, I was shocked—who would’ve thought there’d be a mana spring at Geonwoobong?”
“You saw it last time, didn’t you?”
“I assumed you had it custom-installed.”
Right after my battle with the Cleaner Association at Geonwoobong, I collapsed into the mana spring I had transported from home.
Now that I think about it, I must have drained the water in advance back then.
I didn’t fully utilize the underground training area at the time.
“Your disciples must be thrilled. You’re not planning on selling the house, are you?”
“Of course not. The mana spring alone is incredibly valuable.”
If I hadn’t been able to buy the elixir bath worth billions, I would’ve simply expanded the basement instead.
The new equipment started to arrive one by one.
The precision measurement device was installed in its designated area, and the elixir bath was set up.
The magical spirit computer, which was larger than a supercomputer and resembled the server room of a major IT company, was also ready.
After inputting the restructuring elixir recipe into the magical spirit computer, the workers packed up and left.
“Busy, as always.”
The move was finally complete.
This was my second home.
In the game, I had moved from the Geonwoobong house to the Iron Fist Tower, and later to the Songpa skyscraper. I had never spent any time in this place.
But now, having secured this house with my own efforts, I couldn’t help but feel a surge of pride.
‘This isn’t the time to be getting sentimental.’
I had already wasted too much time moving in and installing all the equipment.
I needed to level up quickly.
While I was certainly stronger than a Level 5 thanks to my various high-grade traits, leveling up remained the most fundamental condition for growth.
After all, traits ultimately amplify the base stats that come from leveling, working as multipliers.
Flash!
As I inserted a Level 5 Mana Core into the magical spirit computer and activated it, the system booted up.
It was faster than an SSD, completing the boot process in just 0.1 seconds.
A clear, vivid image appeared.
A palm-sized girl with transparent butterfly wings.
She was a fairy-shaped magical spirit.
[Hello, Master! I was born to assist you, Master! How can I help?]
“First, take control of the mansion’s systems and set the security level to maximum.”
[Understood! Beginning immediately! A small mansion has been registered: 3 floors above ground, 5 floors underground. Detected resources include one magical spirit computer, ten auxiliary computers, one precision measurement device, two smart TVs, four smart refrigerators, ten smart air conditioners, two smart beds, one elixir bath… No personal tablets detected. One smartphone found. Would you like to connect it as well?]
“Connect it.”
[Understood! Connection in progress. Detected sanctuaries: two. Detected barriers: three layers. Security assets include ten combat golems, twenty defensive drones, twenty-five automated defensive machine guns, twenty-five hidden CCTVs, twenty-five standard CCTVs, fifty claymores…]
To be honest, it was overkill.
But I had installed these security measures with an almost obsessive level of precaution.
It had cost me a fortune—nearly all the money I had saved up until now had been poured into this house.
[All synchronization is complete. From now on, I will manage the mansion for you, Master.]
“Good. When can the precision measurement start?”
[It’s ready to begin at any time.]
“Let’s start immediately.”
I stepped into the measurement device.
It resembled a large glass chamber.
Soon, the entire device began to glow, scanning me thoroughly.
The results were transmitted in real time to the massive monitor installed in front of me.
A red silhouette of my body appeared, overlaid with intricate blue mana circuits crisscrossing like a spiderweb.
The tangled circuits were gradually separated, with speech bubbles popping up one by one.
[Level 4]
[Warrior Class]
[6-layer Circuit]
[Musculoskeletal — Giant]
[Musculoskeletal — Vajra]
[Regeneration — Undying]
[Mana — Soul]
[Mana — Sigurd]
[Combat — Tiger King Sword Technique]
So this is how the data was displayed.
As I stood with my arms crossed inside the glass chamber, the magical spirit fluttered over to me.
[Master, shall I begin designing the restructuring elixir?]
“Yeah, go ahead. Do we have enough data?”
[Yes. If I combine the Trinity Elixir with the Double Power Elixir, the results should be promising.]
The main reason I had purchased such an expensive magical spirit computer was to design the restructuring elixir.
But there was one issue…
“Run the precision measurement again.”
I activated my Trait Swap ability, changing all of my traits.
Immediately, the monitor updated, showing an entirely new set of results.
[Level 4]
[Warrior Class]
[6-layer Circuit]
[Defensive — Magic]
[Defensive — Indomitable]
[Sensory — Sixth Sense]
[Sensory — Insight]
[Combat — Close-Combat Mastery]
[Combat — Gunplay]
The mana circuits had completely changed.
The magical spirit began beeping frantically, emitting warning sounds.
[Error! Error! An error occurred during the mana circuit measurement!]
[Initiating re-measurement. Starting re-measurement!]
[Error! Error! An error occurred during the mana circuit measurement!]
[Initiating re-measurement. Starting re-measurement!]
After several repeated attempts, the magical spirit stopped and stared at me.
I raised a finger and wagged it side to side.
“Don’t leak this information. Understood?”
[Yes, Master! I am a spirit completely bound to you, so I cannot leak information even if I wanted to. But Master… how is this possible?]
“It’s my ability. I can alter my mana circuits in real time.”
[That’s possible? My data doesn’t contain any such ability.]
“You’ve seen it for yourself.”
I swapped my traits a few more times.
Each time, the measurement device displayed entirely different results.
I even demonstrated changes in my physique, which left the magical spirit visibly astonished.
If she weren’t a magical spirit designed to be unhackable and self-delete upon intrusion, I wouldn’t have revealed this secret.
The magical spirit glanced at the restructuring elixir recipe displayed on the screen, then scrunched it up and discarded it.
[Master, you must not consume an ordinary restructuring elixir.]
“Exactly.”
[Yes. Combining the Trinity Elixir with the Double Power Elixir would only specialize you in one area. But Master, you don’t just have musculoskeletal, mana, regeneration, and combat abilities. While defense is included, you also rely heavily on sensory and mobility traits. Oh, and crafting as well.]
I was glad I’d been honest about my abilities.
My most frequently used traits were indeed Giant’s Strength and Vajra Body, but I also made extensive use of Gunplay and detection traits.
If traits like Gunplay, Sixth Sense, or Insight were weakened, it would have been a major disadvantage.
The same went for crafting.
I planned to delve into blacksmithing or alchemy in the future.
[Please share all of your abilities with me, Master. I’ll design a restructuring elixir that can be used universally.]
“Alright. First…”
I began listing my traits, one by one.
First, my high-tier traits: [Giant’s Strength], [Vajra Body], [Undying], [Indomitable], [Magic Resistance], [Close-Combat Mastery], [Gunplay], [Sixth Sense], [Tiger King Sword Technique], and [Sigurd Cultivation Technique]—a total of 11.
But what if I included all of my general-purpose and class-based traits as well?
The answer was 136.
Even after excluding traits like [Frenzy], [Detection], and [Swift], which were still embedded in equipment and couldn’t yet be transferred, the total was the same.
[…136 traits?]
“Yeah.”
[Master, you have 136 traits?!]
“That’s what I said.”
[Wow… Wowww… Woooow…]
Despite being a newly created magical spirit, her emotional expressions were incredibly vivid.
After flapping her wings in shock for a while, the magical spirit finally calmed herself.
[Please tell me everything about them.]
“Alright. Let’s start with [Giant’s Strength] and… No, wait. It’ll be faster if I just show you.”
One by one, I equipped each trait and ran a precision measurement.
One trait at a time.
A total of 136 precision measurements.
Initially, I thought I could group them in sets of six to save time, but after a few attempts, the magical spirit requested otherwise.
She insisted that equipping only one trait at a time would provide a clearer view of the mana circuits.
It took over three hours.
The sound of ten auxiliary computers whirring in unison echoed loudly in the room.
The magical spirit seemed deeply engrossed, tilting her head, puffing her cheeks, and carefully analyzing the results of each measurement.
[Wow… Master, you’re truly incredible. How does your body grow and shrink so drastically every time you change traits? You look like an entirely different person each time.]
“Haha.”
[No, seriously! You look completely different. Even your mana patterns change, your brainwaves shift, and your cells transform.]
“Really? You can see all that?”
[Yes. You can’t see it with standard measurement devices, but it’s visible with precision ones. If you used ultra-precision equipment, it’d be even clearer. Could you possibly get one?]
“That’s… a bit much. Too expensive.”
[Please consider it for the future. But this is fascinating. Despite having such extraordinary abilities, you’ve already hit the superhuman wall. Is it because your body keeps changing? Your mana circuits don’t seem to have room to expand further.]
Well, that’s what happens when you’re born N-grade.
I didn’t reply, just offered a faint, bitter smile.
The magical spirit flew to the monitor and spread her arms wide.
The screen split into 136 sections, displaying the mana circuits of all my traits in a grid-like arrangement.
She pouted her lips as she crunched the data.
[Trinity Elixir or Double Power Elixir… Those would create too much imbalance, so let’s rule them out. Master, you want to retain all your current abilities, right?]
“Yeah. I’d rather be 110% effective across the board than 150% in just one area.”
[A jack-of-all-trades approach? Master, you’re quite ambitious. I’ll need to reference the Thousand Tribulations Apex Elixir for this.]
“The Thousand Tribulations Apex Elixir?”
[It’s an elixir that exists only in theory. The name comes from the legendary blessing known as Apex of the Thousand Tribulations. It’s said to enhance the talents of warriors, reinforced fighters, mages, and priests alike.]
“Sounds like it doesn’t suit me.”
[It doesn’t. You’re firmly in the warrior class, after all. The challenge here is to specialize in the warrior class while ensuring a baseline effectiveness in every known superhuman ability…]
RUMBLE!
The computer roared like a jet engine preparing for takeoff.
I worried for a moment that it might overheat and explode.
Even the magical spirit’s face turned red, as if she herself were overheating.
After cranking the air conditioning to maximum, I waited. A considerable amount of time passed before the calculations finally concluded.
[Master! It’s finished!]
“Great work.”
[But… the ingredients are a bit… excessive. Will that be okay?]
“How excessive are we talking?”
The magical spirit conjured a sheet of parchment in midair.
I had expected materials like a Phoenix Heart or a Thunder Dragon’s Horn.
Instead, what appeared were entirely unexpected items.
[Giant Mutant Mana Core]
[Demon Mutant Mana Core]
[Yaksha Mutant Mana Core]
[Thunderbird Mutant Mana Core]
Mutant Mana Cores.
These were not your average mutated beings.
They were mutants who retained their human intellect—sentient beings who had only recently earned recognition as individuals with human rights.
And now, the magical spirit was claiming that their hearts were essential for my restructuring elixir.
–TL Notes–
Hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you want to support me or give me feedback, you can do it at patreon.com/InsanityTheGame
Join my Discord! https://discord.gg/BWaP3AHHpt
Hunting time?