Trait Hoarder – Chapter 39

The Mutant Incident — Part 1

It was a massive statue.

It resembled both a bull and a dragon—an idol belonging to one of the priestly orders.

But its form wasn’t important.

What mattered was the mana pulse radiating from the mana core embedded in place of a heart. That pulse was very real.

[Sanctuary]

A space designated by its owner becomes a safe zone.

No entity can enter the sanctuary unless granted permission by the owner.

If a being with power exceeding the mana core’s capacity attempts to enter, they will be expelled, along with a strong warning.

Even if it can’t fully expel an overwhelming intruder, it will at least slow them down.

I ran my hand over the statue’s surface.

“Level 4, huh.”

A church that tops out at Level 3 had sent a Level 4 idol.

They must’ve gone through a lot of trouble to make this…

And then there was the holy sword.

A weapon that possessed the unique trait of a [Holy Sword], undeniably a top-tier weapon.

As befitting its unique trait, it was immensely powerful.

It boasted [Radiant Strike], which inflicted extra damage on enemies of the dark attribute; [Enhancement], which boosted all stats; and [Protection], which granted resistance to all kinds of attacks—three traits combined into one.

However, unlike other artifacts, no matter how much you train with it, you can’t absorb the Holy Sword traits.

Only a paladin can inherit the traits of a Holy Sword.

“Thank you, Kim Saje.”

Spending millions of won to gather gold and sacrificial offerings had been worth it.

A golden staff, a holy sword, and a sanctuary idol…

I felt full just looking at them, even though I hadn’t eaten anything.

I took the idol and the holy sword down to the underground training room.

After setting up the idol in a corner, I activated it.

Wooooong.

An invisible wave of energy enveloped my home.

I could finally breathe easy.

Honestly, my security had felt a bit lacking, but this sanctuary would be more than enough.

Sching!

I drew the holy sword.

It looked like a typical Western longsword.

The sacred letters engraved on the blade shimmered gracefully.

As I gazed at it, I felt as though light was flowing down the edge of the sword.

The grip fit snugly in my hand, as if it had been custom-made for me.

“Must be worth a fortune.”

Even N-rank holy swords are expensive, and this was an R-rank holy sword.

I swung it a few times in the air.

The sacred letters shimmered, imprinting marks in the air.

The marks trailed behind like the path of a glittering galaxy.

Suddenly, a rush of excitement surged through me.

I adjusted my stance and deployed the Mountain Breaking Sword Art.

Breaking the Mountain, Splitting the Mountain, Piercing the Mountain.

It wasn’t just a display. I alternated between precision strikes, slashes, powerful blows, and continuous attacks. First I used them individually, then combined two at once, and finally mixed all three techniques in a relentless barrage, pouring every ounce of my mana into the strikes.

“Huff, huff, huff…”

Although my mana had stabilized a lot over the past few days, it seemed I still had a long way to go.

My mana drained rapidly, and my breath was coming in ragged gasps.

But in front of me, a whirlwind of silver light spun like shards of glass caught in a storm.

It looked beautiful, but touching it would surely tear me apart.

As I watched the dissipating light with a dazed expression, I gripped the holy sword once more.

“I need to keep pushing myself.”

I had gotten stronger, but I still had a long way to go.

Even now, a single bullet could send me straight to the afterlife.

Just because I wiped out the Dagger Gang or easily subdued a corrupt bishop and his Guardians didn’t mean I could get cocky.

In Arcane Seoul, there were plenty of superhumans stronger than me.

“Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!”

I immersed myself in training.

I practiced the Mountain Breaking Sword Art, circulated my mana through the Einherjar Cultivation Technique, and when I was exhausted, I soaked my body in the magical water of the mana spring bath.

The effects were extraordinary.

All my latent mana was drawn toward my mana core.

At this rate, I’d be able to absorb all the mana from the Nectar and then some.

I didn’t even go outside.

Apart from eating and using the bathroom, I didn’t even go up to the first floor.

Sleep?

I had no time for such luxuries.

Circulating mana in the mana spring bath replaced the need for sleep.

It was physically demanding, but I was growing stronger at a rapid pace.

After a week, I had nearly exhausted my latent mana.

Cough!

Had I overdone it?

The side effects hit me like a brick wall.

I spat up blood, wiped my mouth.

“I pushed myself too hard.”

As the saying goes, haste makes waste.

The side effects were from how rapidly my mana was growing.

My body—especially my heart—needed time to adjust to the increased mana.

I needed to either engage in intense physical training, battles, or even lie down and do nothing for a while to let my body adapt.

I reconfigured my traits, focusing on those that would strengthen and protect my body.

[Mana Core], [Mana Stabilization], [Meditation]

[Vigor], [Endurance], [Regeneration]

“Still, I can’t just sit around.”

I knew exactly how this world was going to unfold. How could I afford to lie down and rest?

I had to keep moving.

I got up and went to my bedroom to check my safe.

When I first moved into this house, I had over 2 billion won, but now it was down to half.

But the things I had gained were far more valuable.

I placed the golden staff inside the safe and locked it.

“Should I make some money?”

Mining?

Not a chance.

I didn’t need to do dirty, dangerous, and tedious work when I could just sell the golden staff.

Instead, I picked up my smartphone.

Manager Choi Sunsoo

[Superhuman! What a surprise! To what do I owe the pleasure?]

“Oh, it’s been a while.”

[Yes! It’s been a while! Have you been well?]

“I’ve been fine. How’s the office?”

[Hahaha, it’s been crazy here! All thanks to you!]

“What do you mean?”

[Word’s gotten around that we’re working with you, Superhuman. Ever since then, requests have been pouring in from everywhere.]

“Are there any jobs I need to handle personally?”

[Most of them, no. I’ve kept a few promising ones aside, but since you said you were resting, I didn’t bother you with them.]

“That’s great. Actually, I need some real combat experience. If you’ve got any jobs where I can get into some solid action, I’d like to take one.”

[Combat experience? Perfect! Do you have any specific conditions in mind?]

“Yes. I can’t handle Level 3 superhumans, but I’m looking for missions involving Level 1 or Level 2 superhumans or mutants. Anything like that would be ideal. It doesn’t have to be people; monsters are fine too.”

The problem is, Level 1 or 2 monsters are hard to come by.

In this tiny country, most monsters were wiped out long ago.

You might find some near the DMZ, but the Eastern and Western Armies have that area on lockdown.

They only grant hunting permits to superhumans Level 3 and above.

Manager Choi went silent for a moment.

Then, carefully, he brought up a name.

[There is one job… but I’m not sure if I should mention it.]

“What is it?”

[You know Site 1, right?]

“Of course.”

[A cleaning team was sent there from another manpower agency recently, but… they all mutated inside.]

“Wait, what? The entire team mutated?”

[Yes. They sent in drones to confirm it—there are at least six mutants wandering around inside.]

“Damn. Do we know their levels?”

[That part’s unclear. But for that many to have mutated, they must’ve been exposed to a massive amount of contaminated mana. It wouldn’t be surprising if there are one or two Level 2 mutants among them.]

“Jeez.”

At least six mutants, minimum.

There might even be some Level 2s, or perhaps more than six in total.

“Shouldn’t this be handled by the Cleaner Association?”

[It’s a backdoor request. They can’t report it to the association.]

“Why not?”

[It’s the same old story. The higher-ups don’t want the association involved. If one or two cleaners mutate, they can brush it off and shift the blame onto the manpower agency for poor oversight, but an entire team mutating? That would cost several bureaucrats their jobs. Especially since the current head of the Cleaner Association is a pretty ambitious guy. If they report it to him, he’ll turn it into a media circus.]

That’s true.

The head of the Cleaner Association, Park Daeyeop, also appears as a major villain in the game.

“Still, if they leave the site unchecked, won’t it become a huge problem? Contaminated mana at a landfill can create a colossal monster, and it could even cause a massive explosion.”

[You’re right, but it’ll take a while for that to happen. At least a month before things get dire. If they can’t handle it by then, they’ll probably contact the association. Or hire a superhuman mercenary.]

A mercenary.

If they hired a Level 3 superhuman, they could take care of those mutants without a problem.

It’d cost a fortune, but better that than losing their jobs.

The public servants in this world were treated very differently from those in mine. Their social standing and compensation were worlds apart.

“Mutants, huh…”

Dangerous, but a shotgun would handle them easily enough.

I could take them on, even if all six turned out to be Level 2.

“What’s the pay?”

[Not a lot, I’m afraid. They’re offering 100 million won for each Level 1 mutant core, and 300 million won if there are any Level 2 mutants. You get to keep all loot as part of the deal.]

“That’s cheap. They’re risking their jobs, and that’s all they’re offering?”

[I brought that up as well, but they said cash was tight. Instead, they’re willing to offer an artifact as a success bonus.]

“What kind of artifact?”

[Well, Superhuman…]

Manager Choi hesitated before continuing.

[Are you interested in magic firearms?]

“Magic firearms? Of course I’m interested. Are they offering one?”

[Exactly. They’re offering a magic firearm as the bonus.]

Magic firearms are the gun version of magic swords.

Since attack power is critical for guns, magic firearms are even more highly valued than holy firearms.

“Is there a catch? Is it cursed or something?”

[Most magic swords and guns are, right? I only received a photo of it, no appraisal report. They claim it’s never been appraised.]

“When it comes to cursed items and magic weapons, not disclosing curses usually means you can sell them for a higher price.”

[Exactly.]

“Show me the photo. Maybe I’ll recognize it.”

Ding!

A moment later, a photo popped up on my phone screen.

The pistol looked just like a Colt M1911, the kind you see in movies or games.

The only difference was a long streak of black gold running along the barrel, etched with a glowing flame pattern.

I recognized it.

This was commonly known as [Black Flame], an R-rank magic firearm.

‘So it’s showing up here?’

It was a magic firearm used by the Old Father’s Cult to execute traitors.

If you hit someone with it, black flames would engulf them and burn them alive.

However, it came with a curse.

The user would be afflicted with the Black Flame debuff.

And its mana efficiency wasn’t great either.

It processed mana into black flame bullets, which naturally consumed a lot of energy.

But none of that applied to me.

I had already overcome the divine fever debuff and acquired the Black Flame trait.

It was as if this weapon had been made specifically for me.

‘I’ve got to take this job.’

My main weapon would be the holy sword, and the magic firearm would serve as my sidearm.

Add to that my assault rifle, automatic shotgun, and grenade launcher, and I’d be unstoppable.

“It’s a great gun. I’ll take the job.”

[Are you serious? You don’t even know what curse it has! You can’t remove the curse on a magic firearm!]

“I know this gun.”

[Oh… It’s a mass-produced model, then?]

“That’s right. It’s a firearm used by the Old Father’s Cult for executions.”

[Ah! Now I understand!]

“So, do you see what I mean?”

[Hahaha! Absolutely! You’re saying this gun is made for you!]

“Exactly.”

This was a classic holy-magic hybrid build.

You could combine a holy sword with a magic sword, a magic sword with holy armor, or a holy sword with a magic firearm. There were many combinations.

From my experience, using different types of weapons gave the best results.

Pairing a holy sword with a magic sword would cause interference, but that didn’t happen with a holy sword and a magic gun, or vice versa.

Manager Choi chuckled on the other end of the phone.

[Superhuman, partnering with you has been the best decision of my life! I’ll report to the government that you’ve accepted the request. They’re desperate for this to be resolved, so they’ll probably ask you to start tomorrow.]

“I’ll be there ahead of time, then.”

[No, no! Absolutely not! I’ll come to pick you up myself! How’s 8 a.m. tomorrow? I’ll pick you up at your house!]

“You really don’t have to…”

[Nonsense! You saved my life! I wouldn’t miss it for the world! See you tomorrow morning!]

“Alright. Sounds good.”

The next day.

I hitched a ride with Manager Choi and arrived at Site 1 Landfill.

Last time I was here, I was just a lowly temp cleaner.

Back then, only one junior public servant had come to oversee things. But today, the entire chain of command had shown up, from the manager to the lowest-ranked staff.

“Welcome. We’ve been expecting you.”

The silver-haired man extended his hand for a handshake.

I waved it off and cut straight to the point.

“There are six mutants, right? Any confirmation on their levels?”

“No… As you know, it’s difficult to detect anything due to the contaminated mana.”

“Fair enough.”

If they brought in a mage, it’d be easy, but of course, these guys wouldn’t do that.

I opened my golf bag and started gearing up.

On my left hip, I strapped the holy sword.

On my right, a cluster of grenades.

On my back, a thick automatic shotgun.

In my right hand, a rifle fitted with a grenade launcher.

On my left arm, a newly bought arm shield.

Underneath my tracksuit, I wore armor.

Fully armed, just like when I fought the Dagger Gang.

I couldn’t forget my [Healing] necklace and [Toughness] gloves either.

Sluuurp, slaaap.

The sound of the gloves sucking my blood echoed through my bones.

I didn’t use Diamonds just yet.

The Toughness trait was always ready to be activated, but I didn’t want to use up one of my nine slots just yet, so I was keeping it in reserve.

For now, I was willing to deal with the penalties.

“I’m going in.”

“Yes. Please, take care of this.”

Clunk, clunk, clunk.

The massive concrete door groaned open.

The dark abyss inside yawned open like the mouth of some primordial beast.

Sniff.

The stench hit me like a wave.

The air was completely different from when I had been here last.

‘Contaminated mana…’

It had only been a few days without cleaning, and it had already come to this?

I gripped my rifle tightly and took my first step inside.

Creeeaaak.

The door closed behind me, and darkness deeper than any abyss swallowed me whole.

–TL Notes–
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