Janet — Part 2
“Hi there!”
Baek Sorin greeted Janet with cheerful energy.
Janet’s blue eyes locked onto Baek Sorin.
“Who are you?”
“I’m Baek Sorin! What’s your name?”
Baek Sorin asked with a bright smile.
Janet stared at her for a long moment before looking around the room.
Her gaze lingered on me, sitting quietly, then swept over the furniture in the room before finally settling on the outside view.
The sun blazed brightly outside, and where there had once been poppy fields, there were now cosmos flowers swaying in a breeze, their colorful petals dancing in harmony.
“…Are you my master?”
The question came out of nowhere.
Baek Sorin, flustered, repeated herself as if her mind had short-circuited.
“Huh? What? What did you say?”
“Did you buy me?”
“Uh, no?”
Her response was as confused as the question was sudden.
But I had a sense of what was happening.
The character description in the game only said that Janet had “suffered since childhood,” but it wasn’t hard to deduce the details.
She must have been unwanted—by family, by friends, by anyone.
Considering where she was found, it wasn’t a stretch to assume she had been trafficked.
And not just forcibly trafficked, but likely sold off by her own family.
“We didn’t buy you. We found you locked up down there and decided to rescue you.”
I spoke in a low voice, and Janet turned her gaze to me.
“Then… are you my master?”
Sure, I might’ve looked that way in my old world, but Warrior Kim is in his early 20s!
I shook my head.
“I’m not your master. Call me Teacher instead.”
“Teacher?”
“You’re aware of your psychic ability, aren’t you?”
The mention of her psychic ability made Janet visibly flinch.
Her expression twisted, and then a burst of light shot out.
“Mommy!”
Baek Sorin screamed in surprise.
Of course, the light was headed straight for me.
She really couldn’t control it.
Clang!
I drew the Black Tiger Sword and struck the light.
With a clean unsheathing and a practiced parry, I deflected the light, sending it arcing into the ceiling.
The added power from her newly acquired mana core was evident—the ceiling caved slightly, and clumps of dust and debris began to fall.
Baek Sorin quickly drew her sword.
“You! Were you trying to kill Teacher?!”
Her killing intent flared as she pointed her sword at Janet, clearly thinking the attack was intentional.
Janet shook her head quietly.
“I didn’t mean to.”
“Then what was that?”
“I can’t control it.”
“You can’t control it? Why not?”
“I don’t know. I’ve been like this since I was little. But it’s strange… Normally, after one burst, I’d be too drained to stay conscious.”
She looked down at her hands in wonder.
It seemed she’d always been left in a fully uncontrollable state after a single outburst.
But not this time.
It appeared [Mana Core] wasn’t entirely ineffective, even if it didn’t completely solve her issue.
Occasional bursts would likely still happen, but at least she wouldn’t collapse.
I sheathed my sword, and Baek Sorin did the same, though she still looked visibly confused.
“What’s your name, little miss?”
“Janet. My name is Janet.”
“So you’re not from this country, huh? And you’re saying that earlier burst wasn’t intentional?”
“Yes. I don’t know why it happens. My mom and dad took me to temples and mage towers, but no one could teach me how to control it. One mage tower even tried to capture me, and I barely managed to escape.”
The mention of her parents made Janet’s face noticeably darker.
Baek Sorin, however, didn’t seem to catch on.
“You have parents? Then shouldn’t you go back to them?”
“They’re not around anymore.”
“Huh?”
“They died when I escaped from the mage tower.”
“Oh… I’m sorry.”
Baek Sorin’s expression turned awkward.
I shot her a reproachful look before turning back to Janet.
“Janet, was it? Do you have somewhere to go? If you have a place to return to, I’ll take you there.”
“Somewhere to go… I don’t know.”
“How do you not know?”
“Well…”
Janet fidgeted with her small lips, mumbling.
If her parents had passed away, she was likely left with relatives afterward.
From what I could gather, she probably wasn’t sent to an orphanage.
Most likely, one of those relatives had sold her off to someone like Go Junbeom.
And Janet herself was fully aware of it.
“If you have nowhere to go, you can stay here.”
“Here?”
Janet glanced around, her expression clearly wondering where “here” was.
Her guarded demeanor remained.
How could I persuade her?
While I was still pondering, Baek Sorin jumped in.
“Come on, Teacher. This place isn’t suitable. How can you let a kid, and a girl at that, live here? That’s asking for trouble!”
“You have a point.”
“Why don’t you come live with me instead? I live alone. I used to live with my parents, but since they passed, I’ve been in this big house all by myself. Sometimes it gets scary at night. If you stay with me, it won’t be so scary anymore.”
“With you?”
“Yep! Think of it like boarding.”
“What if that light thing flies at you, like it did earlier?”
“Do you think I’m some kind of scarecrow? That stuff doesn’t even hurt!”
Baek Sorin swung her sword through the air.
A radiant sword light lingered in its wake.
[Slash]—a trait.
Not only had she reached Level 3, but it seemed she’d also earned an offensive trait. She must’ve been working hard.
Janet stared at the sword light, mesmerized.
“A superhuman…”
“You didn’t know? I’m a superhuman. A top-notch Level 3 superhuman, to be exact. Even if you shoot bundles of light at me, I can block them all!”
She was showing off in front of her junior.
This from the same person who came out of the bathroom with a bruised face every time she bathed Janet.
“If I became a superhuman, would I be able to handle it better?”
“Of course! No doubt about it!”
Baek Sorin turned to me.
I nodded firmly.
“Becoming a superhuman and awakening power that complements your psychic ability will make it possible. Do you want to become a superhuman?”
“Yes…”
“And what about the price?”
“Well…”
Janet hesitated, her lips trembling as if she wanted to say something but swallowed her words instead.
She glanced at me, then at Baek Sorin, clearly unsure of how to respond. She was flustered by the kindness being shown to her, but at the same time, wary of it.
“Janet, you know that if you become a superhuman, you’ll be a very powerful one, right?”
“Yes… I know.”
“My terms are simple: payment comes later. After you’ve reached at least Level 5 or higher, you’ll repay me. Sorin here trained under me with the same condition and became a superhuman. What do you think?”
“How would I repay you? Money?”
“Money won’t be enough. I’ll take something more valuable than money. We’ll discuss the details when the time comes.”
Janet stared at me intently.
“So, I really don’t have to pay anything right now?”
“That’s right.”
“And if I want to refuse later?”
“If I ask for something that would harm you physically or mentally, you can refuse. I have no intention of making unreasonable demands.”
“In that case… okay.”
It’s not easy collecting an SSR-tier character.
Baek Sorin beamed brightly beside me.
“Welcome! Let’s get along from now on!”
“Yes… unnie.” (TL Note: Younger women refer to older women as Unnie as a form of respect. It means Older Sister)
Janet bowed her head politely.
Flash!
As she moved, a burst of light shot out in Baek Sorin’s direction.
“Whoa!”
Baek Sorin barely dodged it, her reflexes almost animal-like.
She glanced at the shattered window frame, then turned to Janet with a look of exasperation.
“You really are someone we can’t take our eyes off of.”
“S-sorry! I didn’t do that on purpose!”
“I know, I know.”
Baek Sorin sighed and turned to me.
“Teacher, how are you going to train her? If you try that Spartan-style training you did with me, it’ll be a disaster.”
“I can’t train her the way I trained you.”
Janet’s situation was entirely different. She might actually die if pushed too hard. Her Innate Qi had drained so much mana and nutrients that her body hadn’t developed properly.
I had to stabilize her by helping her awaken her Mana Soul as quickly as possible.
‘But how should I awaken it?’
There are several methods for awakening a Mana Soul.
The first and most common method is through a special quest. The second is through trait synthesis.
But neither option was viable for Janet.
The first method was too dangerous, and the second was impossible because Innate Qi had already taken up one of her trait slots.
That left the third option: inheritance.
The method I used to pass sword techniques to Baek Sorin could also be used to pass traits to Janet.
The problem was that I didn’t have the Mana Soul trait myself.
‘I need Diamonds.’
Specifically, three.
I had exactly three diamonds left. After receiving eight from Director Kang of the Hunter Association and completing the Trinity build, these were the leftovers.
But could I use these three to pull out a mana concentration artifact from the belt?
It didn’t feel like enough.
Even with my Insight and intuition fully active, it seemed like I’d need two or three more Diamonds to make it work.
Despite using the belt for quite some time—thanks to the gift from Seo Woojin—it still wasn’t enough.
I messaged the junk dealer at the Shinwon Market.
[Do you have any items in stock?]
A disappointing reply came back.
[Sorry. Diamonds are extremely rare. Should I check the special event market for you? Or perhaps consider participating in the Ultimate Unlimited Tournament?]
[Isn’t the regular tournament easier?]
[After your debut match was so impactful, it’s been difficult to find challengers for you, Superhuman.]
Well, there wasn’t much I could do about that.
If I couldn’t solve the problem right away, I’d have to teach Janet something else first.
“I’m going to teach you two abilities.”
I spoke to Janet as she sat before me.
“You have two major weaknesses: your body is too frail, and your mana is insufficient.”
“Frailty… and mana?”
“Your psychic ability is called Innate Qi. Do you know what Qi is?”
“Teacher! I do!”
Baek Sorin shot her hand up like she was in a quiz show.
“It’s like sword Qi, right? Sword Qi?”
“Close. If the weaknesses are addressed and she reaches a high enough level, Janet will be able to use a form of Qi stronger than that of a Swordmaster.”
“Really? That’s so overpowered!”
“It’s as broken as Baek Sorin’s Heavenly Killing Star.”
“Hehe.”
Baek Sorin chuckled while Janet looked puzzled.
Janet didn’t yet know that Baek Sorin possessed the Heavenly Killing Star trait.
‘If we’re talking about raw attack power, Janet was the strongest among the top three characters in the game.’
The only downside was the lack of a mobility skill in her starting traits.
However, instead of focusing on mobility, traits like Battle Cry or Lion’s Roar—taunts and war cries—suited her better.
After all, Janet was a tank.
A tank equipped with devastating offensive capabilities.
“First, we’ll start with strengthening your physical body. That’s the logical order. If your mana increases while your body remains weak, you’ll face side effects like mana overcharge, mana addiction, or even a heart attack.”
“Yes, Teacher.”
“Teacher, Teacher, what about me?”
Baek Sorin looked at me with an expectant expression, clearly hoping for something.
She was capable of managing herself, but after thinking it over, I realized there was something I could teach her.
[Heavenly Killing Star][Indomitable][Rampaging Train]
[Nine Lives][Slash]
What she lacked was Mars Swordsmanship.
While it was a trait that had to be earned through a personal quest, there was no harm in giving her something to use in the meantime.
It might even help her acquire Mars Swordsmanship.
“Alright. I’ll teach you swordsmanship.”
“Swordsmanship? Didn’t you say your swordsmanship wasn’t all that great?”
“I’ve picked up a few things recently.”
“Wow! I mean, it did seem like you were on another level earlier.”
I shrugged and swapped out my traits.
[Giant’s Strength][Vajra Body][Undying]
[Swordsmanship Expert][Swordsmanship][Insight]
In the game, players could establish a teacher-student relationship between characters.
After setting up the relationship, selecting the traits for inheritance, and grouping the characters in the same party, traits would naturally transfer over time.
Of course, it took quite a long time, so spending Diamonds to expedite the process was common practice.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t use Diamonds for Janet and Baek Sorin.
I was barely scraping by with the Diamonds I had for myself. How could I spare any for this?
‘Teacher-student relationship setup, trait designation… Nope, doesn’t work.’
It seemed my ability only applied to trait swapping and nothing more.
Even when I focused on establishing a teacher-student bond or transferring traits between the two, no prompts or feelings emerged.
Just like when I first arrived in this world and futilely tried calling out for a status window.
There was no choice.
For now, I’d have to stick close to the two of them.
“I’ll teach you two abilities, Janet: Vajra Body and Mana Soul.”
“Vajra Body… Mana Soul…”
“Vajra Body strengthens both your body and mind, making them as resilient as diamond. It will help you withstand any external attack—physical, magical, or mental.”
That was probably what Janet longed for the most.
In the game, Janet was someone who bore deep emotional scars and suffered through biological experiments because of her Innate Qi.
Though I explained this to Janet, it was Baek Sorin who brightened with interest.
“I want to learn that too!”
“I don’t know if it’ll suit your abilities. It slows you down, you know?”
That was due to the Fortress trait embedded within Vajra Body.
This was why Innate Qi didn’t mesh well with mobility traits.
As for me? I could simply switch traits as needed.
“Oh… yeah, that’s true.”
Baek Sorin accepted the explanation with a sheepish look, while Janet barely stifled a small laugh before quickly straightening her expression.
“What should I do to learn it?”
“Training. It won’t be easy.”
“I’m ready for that.”
Flash!
Another burst of light flared.
I waved my hand, deflecting the energy with ease. Baek Sorin gave me a look somewhere between a laugh and a grimace.
“Um… Until this settles down, how about we all stay here? I’ll stick with Janet!”
“That’s probably for the best. If you take her to your place, your house will be destroyed.”
“Sorry…”
“It’s not like you’re doing it on purpose, so don’t worry about it.”
It seemed we’d be staying at the Geonwoobong facility for the time being.
Not a bad arrangement.
I could use this opportunity to refine my traits or even unlock some new ones.
I already had some materials on hand, thanks to the gifts from the dismantling expert.
“All right, let’s eat first.”
“Eat?”
“To learn Vajra Body, you need a strong body. Just look at her. Doesn’t it seem like she hasn’t eaten properly?”
“Now that you mention it, yeah.”
Janet, who was small and thin even for her age, looked undernourished.
In the game, her character model was 180 centimeters tall, even as a woman. Clearly, her body needed to grow.
Though Baek Sorin had managed to feed her a little in recent days, it had mostly been a few spoonfuls of porridge.
We started our lesson with a hearty meal.
“This is… too much.”
“Eat more. You need to eat a lot to grow taller. Isn’t that right, Teacher?”
“That’s right. Feed her as much as you can. As long as she doesn’t throw up, it’s fine.”
“Come on, say ahh.”
“I’m full…”
“Ahhh.”
“Ahhh.”
Baek Sorin played the role of a drill instructor—or, in martial arts terms, a senior sister.
Janet seemed to have taken a liking to her as well.
It probably helped that Baek Sorin was a superhuman.
Even when Janet accidentally released bursts of Innate Qi, Baek Sorin managed to dodge or block them.
Occasionally, she got hit, but she just laughed it off.
And so, our days passed.
We ate, trained, and repeated the cycle.
Janet was growing rapidly.
While Baek Sorin’s progress with her swordsmanship training was slow, Janet’s progress with Vajra Body was visible day by day.
With Insight, I could see the beginnings of Vajra Body taking shape—it wasn’t fully there yet, but I could make out something resembling a [ㄱ] (the Korean letter) of the trait forming.
Starting traits truly made a difference.
An SSR-tier character like Janet developing traits the way I did as Warrior Kim was practically magical.
“Guh!”
“Teacher, are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
I wiped the blood from my mouth.
While teaching them, I wasn’t idle myself.
I had been drinking portions of the medicine I’d received from Demolition Specialist.
As a result, I acquired the [Disease Resistance] trait.
Combining it with [Contamination Resistance], [Curse Resistance], [Poison Resistance], [Drug Resistance], [Disease Resistance], and [Purification], I finally completed [Indomitable].
It would’ve been ideal to gain it the way Baek Sorin had—by getting bitten by a zombie—but that had only been possible because of her starting traits. For me, this was the best approach.
‘Collecting top-tier traits like a true completionist.’
Once I completed Mana Soul and Grand Assault, I’d have little to fear.
As I smiled faintly, watching Baek Sorin and Janet train, someone approached.
“Um… Boss?”
It was a member of the Iron Fist Gang, hesitantly stepping forward.
“What is it?”
“Well… it’s just… someone from the Sun Mage Tower is here.”
“The Sun Mage Tower? What do they want?”
“They’re saying… they bought her.”
My face hardened as I frowned.
The Sun Mage Tower, huh…
Could it be the real Sun Mage Tower?
In the game, it hadn’t been.
Real or fake, it didn’t matter.
After all, I knew the Tower Master personally.
–TL Notes–
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