Episode 293 Because I Want to Do That
While the calligrapher was sleeping soundly, I had time to check on my own.
First, the sub-quest.
[Sub Quest: Week 16 PvP Battle] (Completed)
▷Goal: Complete 2 rounds of PvP (2/2 rounds)
▷Reward: Stamp Coupon (C+)
He finished first in both games and received the top prize.
If you previously obtained a C-rank stamp coupon, you could get up to 10 stamps, while a C+ rank stamp coupon could get up to 15 stamps.
Of course, the compensation is also increased by one level.
‘I knew this would happen, so I saved it.’
There are 4 random rank-ups that are left unused.
I’ll write this later.
Next, let’s bring up the skill and trait window.
[Skill]
▷Chillwind (D+)
▷Windforce (C+)
▷Wind Barrier (C+)
▷Spiral explosion (C+)
▷Inferno Fist (B)
▷Hyeon-eum-ok-ma-ji (B)
▷Ghostless
▷Amplification (B)
▷Buyeo (C)
▷Asceticism New!
▷Copy-Skill [3/3]
1. Thief’s Step (B+)
2. Overheat (C)
3. Ice Wall (B)
[characteristic]
▷Core (B+)
▷Monarch (B)
▷Protection of the West Wind
▷Distortion
▷Elemental Resistance (S)
▷Man-dok-bul-shim
▷Copy-Characteristics[2/2]
1. Retrocovery (S) New!
2. The Crown of the King
[equipment]
▷Deep-rooted seedlings
▷Dark Cloud Bracelet
▷Cloud trampler
If we were to set a direction based on these,
‘The first priority is to build up your inner strength.’
It was relatively recently that I achieved a B-rank core.
For now, rather than increasing the number of skill types, it is a more efficient choice to raise the ones you already have to B rank.
Even if you learn something new, you’ll start at F-rank, and its power will inevitably be lower than raising Windforce or Spiral Blast to B-rank.
‘It probably won’t take long.’
Since I use wind skills so often, I have already gained a considerable amount of proficiency in them.
In particular, the Windforce and Spiral Blast sub-skills are the most powerful of the main skills, so I guess they will soon escape the stagnation period and reach B-rank.
‘Second priority is utility.’
Among them, it is necessary to take care of the ‘penalty management’ skill/trait.
The maximum elemental penalty that can be suppressed with only S-rank elemental resistance is B-rank.
From that point onwards, damage will be done little by little.
Even if the B-rank Inferno Fist or the Hyeon-eum-ok-ma are strong, the level of enemies will only continue to increase in the future.
Then, like when you dealt with the Witch of Corruption, you need to boost to S-Rank, but you can’t use the standard elixir indefinitely.
‘First of all, I brought the retrocovery.’
Even if you use Fire Fist or Jade Magic amplified to S-Rank, it will still be able to heal you cleanly at least once.
Of course, it is difficult to say that the problem has been solved with this alone.
In addition, there is another penalty to be aware of,
‘The cooldown is getting longer and longer.’
The cooldown time for C-rank [Bonus] was not that long at 35 minutes, but it was used 30 times in a row with the octopus legs.
Thanks to this, I was able to successfully defeat the Witch of Corruption, but the cooldown was extended to a whopping three weeks.
It’s sealed until the end of the first semester.
Even though [Retrocovery] has a cooldown of 3 days and [Asceticism] has a cooldown of 7 days, you use this in conjunction with Octopus Legs?
‘It wouldn’t be surprising if it stretched out to several weeks, or even months.’
Therefore, the current situation is one where the need to manage penalties is growing.
‘Finally, third place.’
Problems that are relatively low priority and require slow resolution are:
[Crow Branch (S)]
This is an S-rank space material item given by the Great Sage as an investment and reward.
If you process it and make equipment, you will definitely get something amazing, but the road to getting there is not easy.
‘Finding a craftsman is one thing.’
It goes without saying that there aren’t many craftsmen who can handle such items.
However, this is minor compared to the other two issues.
‘Because you can just go find another crow.’
Because I know how to handle most of the dimensional crows.
It’s difficult for other people to find it, but for the veterans, it’s like turning the palm of their hand.
There is another, more important issue.
‘The wages will be no joke.’
I paid a large ruby and emerald to the crow tailor I met at Rainbow Lake, but the materials she handled were only rank C, so that was the end of it.
If it’s a job that involves handling S-rank materials, one or two rubies won’t be enough.
‘We don’t even have all the ingredients yet.’
Even if you make equipment using only crow branches, you will get at least an A rank, but since it is an item that was hard to obtain, shouldn’t you aim for the best possible result?
Therefore, there is also a need to procure auxiliary materials.
Most of them are A rank, so it will be very difficult as well.
The first place that comes to mind is the deep dungeon, but since Dang Gyu-yeong, who is going to go in with you, is busy with a hardship quest, let’s exclude it for now.
Although the principal and vice principal seem to be quite friendly, we will have to wait and see if they are worth trading with, so they are also excluded.
What remains through elimination is,
‘I guess I’ll need help from Hyesung Group.’
I need to talk to An Jeong-mi, but I think it would be better to do it after Seo Ye-in wakes up.
So I waited, maintaining Kim Ho-be-gae mode.
How much time has passed like that?
The mana that had filled the mana studio began to be sucked towards the calligrapher at a terrifying speed.
– Paaaaat—
The calligrapher’s entire body seemed to glow blue for a moment, then he floated slightly into the air and then sank.
“… … ?”
The calligrapher finally opens his eyes.
He wiggles around on his lap, then looks up at me and opens his mouth slightly.
“The day will come… … .”
“Did you get ranked?”
“huh…….
The calligrapher nodded slightly and shared the notification message.
[The rank of ‘Core’ increases. (C→B)]
“This is the day it really happens.”
At this point, there are probably only a handful of first-year students who have a B-rank core.
Song Cheon-hye, me, and one or two promising players.
I had been secretly considering Hong Yeon-hwa as a strong candidate, but this time again, Seo Ye-in broke my expectations and achieved B first.
‘The abandoned sloth is scary.’
Anyway, since I had successfully ranked up, the next thing to do was decided.
I looked down at the calligrapher and said.
“It’s been a while, butler.”
“I’m watching.”
“Not me.”
* * *
As we connected the communication, An Jeong-mi bowed politely beyond the crystal ball.
“Miss, Mr. Kim Ho. How have you been?”
“Yes, it’s been a while since I’ve contacted you.”
I have summarized and reported the main points of what has happened so far.
The calligrapher acquired the Ghostly Shadow through the arrangement of the Hwanma, and recently reduced his sleep to 10 hours a day to practice, and just recently achieved a B-rank core.
As expected, as I continued my explanation, Ahn Jung-mi’s face became filled with emotion.
And by the end of it, I was almost on the verge of tears.
“You worked so hard, young lady… … I don’t know how to express my gratitude.”
“Most of it was my own hard work. Especially, since you can do the Mana training while sleeping, it’s hard to say that it’s all my fault.”
An Jeong-mi had been assisting the calligrapher for a long time, so she would have known about the genius mana control and the idle sloth.
So I decided that it would be impossible to attribute all the credit to [Core].
But surprisingly, An Jeong-mi shook her head.
“That’s not true. According to the Future Strategy Office’s predictions, the young lady should have achieved a B-rank core in the latter half of the second semester.”
“I don’t quite understand. Why is there such a difference in time?”
Even if you just sleep, you can gain a lot of energy, so how can the prediction be off by almost half a year?
Then, An Jeong-mi explained with a somewhat bitter expression.
“It is true that you can use mana while you sleep, but whether you actually do it is a separate issue.”
“You’re saying that you only do it when you feel like it?”
“Yes.”
The idle sloth mode can be turned ON/OFF.
And from a calligrapher’s perspective, it would be much more comfortable to sleep without doing mana training.
Since we did this kind of mana training and didn’t do it, the Future Strategy Office predicted that Core B-rank would be a long time later, in the latter half of the second semester.
An Jeong-mi continued speaking.
“So, it is true that we achieved it earlier thanks to Mr. Kim Ho. We owe you a lot, including the fact that you readily shared the arrangements for the Hwanma. If there is anything you need, please let us know.”
“Actually, I recently needed something.”
I put into my mouth the list of items I had written while organizing my thoughts.
These are skills or traits related to penalty mitigation, or those required when crafting equipment with crow branches.
Since even the Hyesung Group couldn’t easily obtain these, An Jeong-mi was silent for a moment before making a suggestion.
“How about you take a look at the downtown stores first? We’ll pay for it.”
It’s like receiving a blank check.
If you happen to get the item you want, that’s great, but there’s also a good chance you’ll find something unexpected.
If you can’t find anything, An Jung-mi will find the items in other ways, so it’s not a loss either.
So I nodded coolly.
“Let me go and see.”
“When are you thinking about it?”
“I think next weekend would be a good time.”
Weekend of the strategy battle.
That is, right before the final exam week.
As a big exam is coming up, students flock to the downtown area to change their mood or to obtain items.
The stores in the downtown area also tend to bring in a lot of goods.
But then, a calligrapher suddenly joined the conversation.
“This week.”
“I heard next weekend will be more fun?”
Although he tried to persuade her gently, the calligrapher stubbornly persisted.
“This week.”
“Why do you want to go so badly?”
If there’s a good reason, maybe it would be a good idea to bring it forward by a week or so?
Then the calligrapher answered confidently.
“Because I want to do that.”
“Why are you talking so long? That won’t do.”
I have a mindset that says, “What can’t be done, can’t be done.”
If you give in to everything your partner insists on, it will only have a negative impact on your long-term relationship.
But if you attach a condition, it’s a different story.
“Today is Monday.”
“huh.”
“B-rank Magic Bullet by Friday. I’ll think about it if I get it.”
I deliberately set outrageous conditions.
Half of it was to make them practice hard.
And then half of it was ‘inevitably’ postponed to next week.
However, the calligrapher looked at me blankly and nodded, not knowing whether he knew what I was thinking or not.
“It harms.”
‘I can’t handle this.’
Magic Bullet is one of the Musketeer’s core skills.
It’s been quite some time since the calligrapher achieved C rank, so he must have gained considerable skill in the meantime.
But no matter how I thought about it, it was impossible to go up to B rank in just a few days.
* * *
thursday.
I was flying iron dolls around in the training room to practice my wind magic.
While I was doing that, a calligrapher sent me a message, so I checked it,
[Calligrapher: End]
[Kim Ho:?]
[Calligrapher: Magic Bullet]
[Calligrapher: B]
[Calligrapher: (victory cat emoticon)]
[Kim Ho:??]
[Kim Ho: (excited cat emoticon)]
[Calligrapher: (victory cat emoticon)]
[Calligrapher: (Majestic cat emoticon)]
[Calligrapher: Bustling Street]
‘You’re saying I’ll give this a B rank?’
Not even Friday, but on Thursday?
This isn’t a total scam.
The supporters ate it all
