A Home of My Own — Part 2
Morning.
I woke up feeling more refreshed than I had in a long time.
“Yaaawn.”
I stretched with a loud yawn and had a satisfying breakfast. Afterward, I stood in the center of the training room.
‘Time to practice my swordsmanship.’
Building a gunslinger build based on firearm skills wasn’t a bad option. In fact, at lower levels, it was one of the strongest builds.
But the problem emerged at higher levels.
Ultimately, a warrior must return to the sword.
You could choose hand-to-hand combat, maces, spears, axes, bows, or crossbows—but choosing guns? That would be foolish.
I picked up my sword.
It was a mass-produced blade I bought at the gun shop—nothing special, just a factory-made steel sword. In the game, it would probably be marked like this:
[N] Steel Longsword
Still, it wasn’t a bad weapon for someone at level 2 like me to use for practice.
“Hooo…”
I took a deep breath.
As the air filled my lungs, mana seeped into them as well.
Was it because of the ever-present Mana Spring water?
The mana concentration in the basement training room was quite high.
I activated the [Mountain Breaking Sword Art] trait.
Referring to the mental image that played in my mind, I swung the sword in a downward slash.
The first movement of the Mountain Breaking Sword Art, Breaking the Mountain.
Mana surged from my abdomen, raced through my heart, and shot down into my arms, finally pouring into the sword with ferocity.
Boom!
A rough and intense sound reverberated.
I continued to the second movement, Splitting the Mountain, and then the third movement, Piercing the Mountain.
As I slashed horizontally, an invisible force shook the space ahead of me, and when I thrust forward, the momentum felt sharp enough to pierce through steel plates.
‘Not bad.’
The movements themselves were extremely simple.
Vertical slash, horizontal slash, thrust.
In martial arts novel terms, you could call it moves like Overwhelming Mountain, Sweeping Across the Sky, and Striking Serpent.
But the movements were not what truly mattered.
The real essence lay in how mana flowed inside the body and the precise control of power.
In that sense, the movements were merely a teaching tool.
It had to be that way.
Who in the 21st century still fights by swinging swords or thrusting spears?
The old saying, “The king of all weapons is the sword,” doesn’t apply in Arcane Seoul.
‘The king of all weapons is the gun.’
In front of a bullet, both children and muscle-bound adults are equally powerless.
That dynamic only begins to change around level 3.
At level 3, superhumans can use traits like Iron Skin or Mana Shield to block bullets.
Even I took a few bullets from the Dagger Gang during their attack, and I still managed to fight.
At level 5, or around level 7, ordinary bullets won’t even leave a scratch.
“Hooo…”
I took another deep breath.
Stabilizing my Mana Core, I focused on controlling the flow of mana as I swung the sword.
I poured all my attention into each strike.
With every movement, I unleashed all the mana I could muster, but the unrefined mana shook my blood vessels violently.
My entire body tingled with pain, and a dull ache settled in my chest, as if needles were pricking my heart.
‘Yeah, I’m in rough shape.’
It was only thanks to my recovery and mana-related traits that I was holding on.
Without them, I would’ve probably already suffered some serious internal damage—either from mana overflow or a heart attack.
“Huff, huff…”
Sweat poured down like rain.
Every joint in my body creaked, and my muscles burned with pain. On top of that, my mana pathways felt like they were being stabbed with knives.
I couldn’t hold out any longer.
“Grah!”
I tossed my sword aside and threw myself into the magic bath.
As the warm and refreshing energy from the Mana Spring water penetrated my skin and mana pathways, the pain quickly subsided.
I let out a sigh of relief.
Without the Mana Spring in my home, what would I have done?
I wouldn’t have been able to train properly.
Without it, I would’ve been forced to train at only 70% capacity, and I’d probably have been bedridden for days from internal injuries.
“Phew… I’m alive.”
If I had pushed myself just one more minute, I would’ve seriously injured myself.
Right now, it was just some minor damage to my mana pathways.
I switched my traits and basked in the feeling of the Mana Spring water.
The warm, soothing sensation was wonderful, but as I lay there, something still felt a bit lacking.
‘What other traits could I get?’
There were a few I could think of.
First, I submerged my hands in the Mana Spring water.
I activated the [Black Flame] trait.
I channeled all the mana I was recovering into the black flames.
I could generate the flames around my body, but it was easier to coat them directly onto myself.
Black flames surged up from both of my hands.
Bubble, bubble.
The Mana Spring water began to boil, bubbles rising as the temperature shot up.
The bathwater, which had been a comfortable 37 degrees Celsius, quickly climbed past 40 degrees, headed for 50.
‘Hot! Hot!’
Bathwater at 45 degrees Celsius can cause low-temperature burns.
But it wouldn’t be a problem for me at this point, right?
I steeled myself and poured even more mana into the black flames.
Bubbles roiled more fiercely, and the water grew hotter and hotter.
Steam began to rise in thick clouds.
For a moment, I regretted my decision.
But I bit down on my lip and pushed through.
Compared to the pain of the Divine Fever debuff, this was nothing.
I could endure this.
As I continued to pour mana into heating the water, fighting against the increasing heat for what felt like hours, a sense of relief finally washed over me as the heat dissipated.
[Fire Resistance] acquired.
“Got it!”
I quickly got out of the magic bath.
The basement training room was filled with a thick cloud of steam.
My body had fully recovered.
In fact, burns from boiling water were nothing to worry about. With the Wound Recovery and Regeneration traits, burns were easy prey.
It was internal damage that was the real problem.
‘This is the way to go, then.’
What other traits could I get from the magic bath?
With my next goal in mind, I swung my sword once again.
Breaking the Mountain, Splitting the Mountain, Piercing the Mountain.
Now that I’d practiced a few times, managing the flow of mana became easier.
The movements flowed more smoothly, and my control over the intensity improved significantly.
Although my entire body was still getting wrecked with each strike, I could feel the amount of mana I could handle gradually increasing.
‘It’s taking too long.’
Once again soaking in the magic bath, I clicked my tongue in frustration.
At this rate, it would take me at least three months to fully absorb all the residual mana from the Nectar.
And then what?
I’d lose a lot of that precious mana to decay before I could absorb it all.
It was clear—I needed a proper mana cultivation technique.
While thinking that, I activated Black Flame again.
This time, I generated the flames outside the water.
I raised my hand, projecting the black flames like a flamethrower.
Fwoosh!
A pillar of black flame shot out wildly.
There was no purpose to it—just unleashing the fire randomly.
Naturally, my mana reserves hit rock bottom in no time.
All that was left was the residual Nectar mana circulating in my pathways.
‘That should be enough.’
I removed all the mana recovery and absorption traits.
I kept only one: Mana Core.
I closed my eyes and sank deep within myself.
I focused solely on my heart, on the organ that harmonized with the Mana Core to gently produce mana.
It didn’t come easily.
In my old world, I had never been the type to meditate or contemplate.
If I had free time, I’d zone out in front of the TV or play games.
But by focusing on the unique texture and flow of mana—its birth and growth—my mind became heavier, sinking deeper and deeper into my subconscious.
All the experiences I’d gone through since falling into this world helped me.
Naturally, a new trait emerged.
[Meditation]
This new trait, combined with Mana Core, along with the magic in the bath, created a synergistic effect.
[Mana Stabilization]
I felt my mana settle into a calm, steady state.
The chaotic, disordered mana that had plagued me since drinking the Nectar began to find order.
The latent mana in my pathways followed suit.
As it grew denser, debris was shed from the process, which my Mana Core then absorbed.
‘Even so, it’s still going to take over a month.’
In a month, half of the mana would dissipate.
That remaining half would still be a massive amount—enough to consider attempting level 3—but it wouldn’t be as good as getting the full benefit.
Still, it was a piece of good news.
‘Just two more mana-related traits, and I’ll be ready.’
The Mana Core could evolve into a higher trait once five related traits were collected.
Most people wouldn’t have the patience and would usually obtain that special trait by completing a unique quest.
‘But I can’t get it too early.’
Having too much mana compared to your body’s capabilities was dangerous.
For mage-type superhumans, it was fine, but for warriors, it was a recipe for disaster.
It often led to mana overflow, leaving them half-paralyzed.
You needed to be at least level 5 to safely use that much mana.
Or, you needed to be in a special situation where you were burning through mana constantly.
Shing! Shing!
After resting a bit, I swung my sword again.
With the Mana Stabilization trait, the flow of mana felt more secure.
The tip of my sword, which had wavered unsteadily before, was now finding its mark with precision.
A clean, straight line.
Even as mana surged continuously, I maintained control.
As a result, the thunderous sound I had been hearing earlier was replaced with a sharp, clean cutting sound.
‘Just a little more. A little more.’
I immersed myself further in the sensation of cutting.
I lost myself in the process, letting go of my surroundings, my mana, and even myself.
With singular focus, I slashed downward.
Tssssk…
A high-pitched ringing echoed in my ears.
For a brief moment, the sword in my hand flashed.
A streak of light shot out from the blade, leaving a clear mark in the air.
It only lasted for an instant, but the image was burned into my retinas.
[Slash] trait acquired.
It was similar to Smash, but the final damage output was higher.
It added a multiplier based on the weapon’s power.
However, it only applied to bladed weapons—those designed for cutting.
‘Should I start practicing blunt weapons as well?’
Not a bad idea.
Swords, guns, spears, axes, maces, crossbows—being a weapon master and wielding a variety of weapons could be incredibly powerful.
Plus, my ability to switch traits made me a perfect match for a weapon master build.
‘No, no.’
But I quickly shook my head.
My goal was the Heavenly Demon.
Whether I survived in this world or returned to my old one, I had to become as strong as the Heavenly Demon to have even a 1% chance.
Would becoming a weapon master allow me to stand a chance against the Heavenly Demon?
It wouldn’t.
I’d tried that before.
To even stand a chance, I needed one of the Three Great Sword Arts.
Each sword art might not be able to surpass the Heavenly Demon’s Divine Art on its own, but in their respective strengths, they outclassed the Heavenly Demon’s Divine Art.
My goal was to master those sword arts and create an optimized trait set for each, switching traits in real time during battle.
That was my plan.
“Hooo…”
I put aside my wandering thoughts and focused on executing precise thrusts.
One, two, three, four.
The excitement of gaining the Slash trait faded as I calmed myself.
I focused all my attention on the tip of my sword.
The Meditation trait helped me maintain my concentration.
It didn’t only apply while sitting still in a traditional meditative posture.
And so, at a certain moment…
The tip of my sword glowed, tracing a beam of light in the air.
It vanished as soon as it appeared, but the radiant mana burned brightly for a moment.
What looked like a simple straight line from the outside appeared as a single, focused point to me.
“Phew…”
I collapsed to the floor, drenched in sweat.
I tasted metal in my mouth, and my vision blurred with dark spots.
I’d pushed myself hard in training, but maybe I overdid it.
I crawled over to the magic bath and submerged myself again.
“This is exhausting.”
But what else could I do?
If I wanted to survive, I had to train this hard.
Still, I had gained two core traits related to weaponry.
Slash and now [One Point].
‘I’d like to acquire the Swordsmanship trait as well.’
Unfortunately, obtaining a Swordsmanship trait wasn’t easy.
You either had to engage in fierce sword-only combat in real battles or receive intensive training from a renowned master.
Both were difficult for me to accomplish at the moment.
For today, I would have to be content with acquiring Slash and One Point.
Right now, learning a Mana Cultivation Technique was more urgent than swordsmanship.
‘How can I get a mana cultivation technique…?’
I gave up on the idea of completing quests or clearing dungeons.
Most of them were too difficult, and the few that were manageable didn’t offer anything worth my effort.
Buying one was still the best option.
And I had more than 20 billion won in cash lying in my vault.
‘I’d be willing to spend all 20 billion if I had to.’
The problem was that even with that money, it was still hard to find a decent mana cultivation technique.
Daily living expenses in this world were cheap, but luxury goods were astronomically expensive.
And a mana cultivation technique that could turn someone into a superhuman?
It was priceless.
Even a garbage-tier mana cultivation technique barely good enough to push someone to level 1 would still cost several billion won.
‘There’s really only one option left.’
It was the place I had in mind from the beginning.
And fortunately, it wasn’t too far away.
The timeline was a bit off from the game, but I remembered how the young shopkeeper NPC used to say:
[This has been sitting in the storage room for over ten years… You’re sure you want to buy it?]
Over ten years.
Which meant it should still be there.
I stood up right away.
It was almost midnight.
The perfect time to visit the Shinwon Market in Sillim-dong, where shady night operations were in full swing.
–TL Notes–
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