Colosseum — Part 1
The completed elixir glowed with the color of molten lava.
A vivid, bright orange—just like the kind you’d see on TV.
Its thick, syrupy texture bubbled, exuding an intense heat of its own.
I reached out to the crystal bowl with reverence.
[Be careful, Superhuman.]
[This is already your second dose. They say taking too much can be dangerous…]
I could picture the worried face of Manager Choi.
It’s fine.
I’d gone all the way to Cheorwon and hunted down the Mountain King to remove any side effects, after all.
I’d even adjusted the trait selection to add some safeguards.
[Mountain Breaking Sword Art] [Einherjar Cultivation Technique]
[Potion Dependency] [Potion Addiction]
[Mana Stabilization] [Purification]
Two traits to guide my growth.
Two more to maximize the Nectar’s effects.
The last two were dedicated solely to controlling side effects.
That should be enough.
“Phew…”
The moment of truth.
I lifted the crystal bowl.
Scalding heat seeped into my palm.
Ignoring the sensation of my skin cooking, I swallowed the elixir in one gulp.
This was nothing like the times I drank only Nectar.
An energy as fierce as a volcanic eruption slid down my throat.
My throat, esophagus, and stomach burned, yet simultaneously regenerated.
It had begun.
Lava surged through me.
It felt like throwing myself into the heart of the sun.
A blistering, unbearably hot, scorching heat surged within me as if it would burn me alive.
But then, from within that blaze, something began to bloom.
A coolness.
A refreshing, crisp power.
The sensation of raw mana followed the burning heat and flooded my entire being.
‘Ah…’
I let out a sigh of awe inwardly.
Is this what it would feel like to escape a cramped coffin and awaken atop a mountain peak?
An overwhelming sense of liberation and exhilaration surged through me, rekindling my spirit.
My body was evolving.
It felt as though even my soul was ascending.
As if leaving behind this narrow, earthly realm and swimming toward paradise.
Crack, crack.
A subtle metamorphosis was taking place.
Within it, my mana circuits expanded.
At Level 3, the mana circuit had reached the tips of my limbs.
Now, it grew tougher. Thicker.
Furthermore, the circuits began connecting with one another.
Previously, they had extended vertically toward my extremities, but now, they overlapped, creating layers of bypass circuits.
Naturally, it was more efficient and exhibited even greater power.
And there was more.
A warmth surged up from deep in my lower abdomen.
The energy pulsed up to my head, then settled into my heart.
And there it waited, ready to be called upon at any moment.
The [Valor] trait.
A gift from the Mountain King.
It was a trait on par with [Fortitude], somewhere around a Tier 1.5.
What made it unique was that it only activated during combat, never at rest.
But when it did, it provided significant boosts to both strength and stamina.
If measured in numbers, it would even surpass [Fortitude].
I clenched my fist.
Power surged through me.
My whole body felt light.
An omnipotent confidence, as if I could accomplish anything.
An overflowing self-assurance.
I was itching to move.
And the side effects… were non-existent!
“Perfect!”
I was glad I’d made this elixir, glad I’d included [Mana Stabilization] and [Purification].
I cycled my mana, and there was nothing obstructing the flow.
No matter where I focused within my body, mana reached there instantly.
Thanks to the Einherjar Cultivation Technique, my mana was as fierce as a storm and as resilient as steel.
And yet, it placed no burden on my body.
“Hahaha.”
I let out a soft laugh.
“Hahaha! Hahaha!”
My laughter grew louder, echoing through the training room.
Level 4, Level 4!
If reaching Level 3 meant being recognized as a true Superhuman, then Level 4 was even beyond that.
Anywhere I joined, I’d be treated as a mid-level operative.
The value of the jobs I’d take, the pay—they would all ascend to another realm.
To modern military forces, I would be akin to a walking attack helicopter.
“Hahaha! Hahahaha!”
I laughed for a long while, then gradually stopped.
Looking over at the magic tub in the corner, I chuckled.
With this, I didn’t even need mana transference.
Maybe I should have chosen [Mana Absorption] and [Mana Core] instead of [Mana Stabilization] and [Purification]?
‘No.’
If there had been side effects, I’d be coughing up blood by now.
‘This was the right choice.’
Especially now that I’d reached Level 4.
For a character born with Grade N potential, that’s the limit.
To reach Level 5, I’d need a breakthrough, and I couldn’t afford to be held back by side effects.
‘How much more will it take to reach Level 5?’
Just drinking Nectar wouldn’t be enough for a breakthrough.
I’d need to find additional elixirs, something similar to the trait elixir.
‘I’ll have to secure more Nectar.’
What I had now wouldn’t be enough.
With these thoughts, I poured myself a cup of coffee.
Cheap instant coffee mix.
Drinking it from an expensive tea cup, I muttered a single word.
“Strength.”
The third trait I’d acquired since coming to this world.
It was also a basic trait for a higher-tier trait I planned to assemble.
“Mighty Strength, Fortitude, Valor, Intimidation, Mighty Body.”
Combine these six, and you obtain the trait known as…
Giant’s Strength.
A high-tier trait exclusive to the Warrior class.
Only a Warrior could obtain and wield it.
And the conditions for acquiring it were notoriously difficult.
You had to complete a challenging special quest or consume the Giant King’s heart after defeating it in a raid.
Still, I often gave Warrior Kim this trait.
The combination difficulty was relatively manageable.
Just the fact that it required [Strength], a Tier 3 universal trait, as a base was already a blessing.
I grabbed the protective suit hanging on one side of the training room.
And from the hidden safe, I took out the Diamonds I’d collected from the Shinhwa Market’s junk shop.
“Should I switch my armor?”
I’d acquired the protective suit’s trait by chance.
No, no.
[Giant’s Strength] and its lower-tier traits stack with each other.
[Mighty Body] is a valuable trait, so it’s worth keeping.
Plus, the protective suit itself offers excellent defense.
Until I can secure an SSR-grade protective suit, I’ll stick with this one.
Slowly, I put on the protective suit.
I slipped my legs into the pants, pulled the top over my body.
Moving sluggishly, like a caterpillar.
Each time the protective suit brushed against my skin, waves of happiness thrilled through me.
My heart pounded like a hammer.
The magical resistance alone, with its combination of six different resistance attributes, was incredible.
So, how much more could [Giant’s Strength]—a trait coveted by every Superhuman Warrior—showcase?
My heart thumped with excitement, like the night before a journey.
Once I had the suit on, I took a seat in front of the full-body mirror, clutching the Diamonds.
Taking a deep breath, I tried to calm myself.
But my racing heart refused to settle, so I borrowed the powers of [Deep Breath], [Mana Stabilization], and [Meditation].
Then, I applied it.
I embedded the Diamonds into the chest of my protective suit.
The moment they made contact, they melted away like snow.
A spectrum of light caressed my protective suit, leaving a faint glow.
I could feel a new power seeping into my body.
There were no immediate visible changes.
So, I stripped off the protective suit’s top and bottom.
Now, only in my underclothes, I noticed there was no further change.
Which meant the [Mighty Body] trait from the suit had fully transferred into me.
“Now…”
The final step for today.
I methodically assembled my traits.
The basic [Strength] trait, which enhances strength.
[Mighty Strength], which temporarily boosts strength explosively.
[Fortitude], a trait that combines strength, resilience, and vitality.
[Mighty Body], which enlarges the body while increasing both strength and stamina.
[Valor], which provides steadfast support during combat.
Finally, [Intimidation], which instills fear in weaker opponents.
Thump, thump.
My heart roared.
My entire body tingled with electricity.
I focused my mind.
It was similar to when I assembled the magical resistance trait.
The mana circuits shattered and reconfigured, coursing toward my heart.
Meanwhile, every muscle in my body tore.
My bones were being dismantled.
The combination for [Giant’s Strength] was far more dramatic than the magical resistance one.
It didn’t just impact my mana circuits and heart; it directly affected my entire musculoskeletal system.
I gritted my teeth, enduring the rising pain.
Just as I felt my spirit was about to flee my body…
After what felt like an eternity, the trait combination was complete.
“Ahhh!”
A powerful energy surged through me.
Steam evaporated, rising in thick clouds.
The white mist billowed like a cloud around me.
The sweat I’d shed had vaporized, reacting with my activated mana circuits.
I stood up.
Clearing all my traits, I equipped only the [Giant’s Strength] trait and looked at myself in the full-length mirror.
Originally, Warrior Kim had a lean frame.
But the reflection staring back at me was completely different.
A perfect physique, rippling with muscle.
A body reminiscent of a professional bodybuilder.
I’d grown taller too. From just under 180 cm, I now easily exceeded 190 cm.
And if I equipped additional lower-tier traits?
[Giant’s Strength]
[Strength]
[Mighty Strength]
[Mighty Body]
[Fortitude]
[Smash]
My muscles swelled even more.
My height increased further.
Now, I stood almost two meters tall, a massive figure.
My muscles had grown so large that I resembled a certain green-skinned mutant hero from the movies.
‘This is like a full-on mutation.’
With mutant muscles and a mutant body, I had looked similar when I had the [Mutant] trait equipped too.
Though I looked a lot more human now.
In actual combat, it might be better to use [Valor] instead of [Smash].
The reason I’d chosen [Smash] right now was a bit different.
“Huuh…”
I clenched my fist tightly.
Focused on the empty space before me.
With all my strength, I threw a punch!
Boom!
A shockwave erupted from the sheer force of my muscle-driven strike.
The air trembled violently.
Even without using mana, the impact generated a shockwave that threatened to shatter the mirror.
But I looked at the cracked mirror and gave a wry smile.
“Was that a bit too much?”
That was a serious punch.
Even just striking the empty air, a sharp pain ran through my hand.
A tingling shock spread up my entire right arm.
Even with the stamina boost provided by [Giant’s Strength], it still hurt.
Maybe using [Valor] alongside [Smash] would help mitigate the pain?
No, what I needed was [Vajra Body].
If I used [Giant’s Strength] and [Vajra Body] together like a set, it would prevent my body from taking damage from my own attacks.
As things stood now, if I kept throwing punches like this, my fists would break before the target did.
‘I have all the materials I need.’
The ingredients for [Vajra Body] were [Resilience], [Iron Skin], [Fortress], [Endurance], [Resolve], and [Fortitude].
All I needed to acquire were the [Fortress] from the shield and [Endurance] from the lower part of the protective suit.
The problem was the Diamonds.
The ones I’d been buying up from the Shinhwa Market had all been consumed transferring the [Mighty Body] trait.
It seems I used more Diamonds than expected, likely due to the high-grade nature of the trait.
[Any new stock available?]
I texted the junk dealer, but his response was disappointing.
[Not until next month. As you know, it’s difficult to secure the supply.]
[Understood.]
Wouldn’t it be nice if a Diamond mine suddenly appeared somewhere?
I sighed, but then a thought struck me—there was another high-tier trait that was almost complete.
The [Healing] necklace.
Didn’t I get this from Kim Saje?
It combines [Regeneration], [Revival], [Wound Recovery], [Healing], [Vitality], and [Valor] to create the higher-tier trait known as…
Undying.
A combination of [Giant’s Strength] and [Undying] wouldn’t be a bad choice either.
The ideal setup would be the holy trinity of [Giant’s Strength], [Vajra Body], and [Undying].
‘Just one or two more Diamonds would be enough.’
Unlike the game, there was no way to check my proficiency percentage.
But since it only took a few days to embody [Fortitude], [Healing] should also be complete soon.
There’s no need to rush.
It’s only a matter of days, at most a few weeks.
Until then, I can fill the gap with other traits.
[Giant’s Strength]
[Mountain Breaking Sword Art]
[Einherjar Cultivation Technique]
[Resilience]
[Fortitude]
[Valor]
With that setup, I put on the protective suit and slipped on the Bloodsucking Glove, which I’d set aside.
Losing the [Fortitude] trait was painful enough that I was willing to endure the curse of bloodsucking.
[Or, Superhuman.]
Just as I was mulling over alternative plans, my smartphone buzzed again.
[How about coming with me to mine some Diamonds?]
[Mining Diamonds? You can mine Diamonds?]
[Heh. Well, technically, yes. The official name of the Cleaners is ‘Purification Workers,’ you know. We just call it ‘cleaning.’ Diamonds are the same.]
This wasn’t something that appeared in the game.
I blinked at the message on my smartphone.
Mining Diamonds? Was that even possible?
After all, Diamonds were produced by superhumans who shaved off parts of their own mana.
In theory, it was said to cause a level down, but that was rare.
In the game, Diamond acquisition mostly came from grinding character cards.
[Sounds good. I’ll join you.]
[Good choice! But there’s a bit of risk involved. Like with cleaning out the Corruption, right?]
[Right.]
[Come along and see for yourself. If you don’t like it, you can always just watch. We won’t force you into anything dangerous, Superhuman.]
[What is this exactly?]
[Hmm… it’s not something I can discuss over the phone. It’s a highly confidential area. Let’s talk in person.]
[Alright.]
I set the meeting with a sense of curiosity.
Late that night, we met at Shinhwa Market.
The junk dealer, Kim Chunbok, bowed deeply in greeting.
“Hop in, Superhuman.”
“Do I need to be blindfolded?”
“Oh, come on! We’re not strangers here, are we? No need for that. Though I’ll ask you to be discreet once we arrive. There are quite a few superhumans where we’re going. Level 3, Level 4, and even some Level 5.”
“Level 5? Where exactly are we going?”
“You’ll see when we get there.”
The junk dealer clamped his mouth shut.
Instead, he simply sped up, heading westward.
Whoosh!
We weren’t far now.
About 40 minutes out from Sillim-dong.
A city connected to Seoul, but administratively distinct.
Around this point, I started to put two and two together.
“Bucheon, right?”
“Yes, Bucheon.”
In Arcane Seoul, there’s one facility that comes to mind when you think of Bucheon.
The largest fighting arena in the metropolitan area.
A place where superhumans battle each other to the death.
In the game, it’s where the ranking matches take place.
The Colosseum.
–TL Notes–
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