Bandits
Jinhyuk's party was walking through the blizzard-covered snowy mountains.
"You look cold."
"You look like a weirdo, sir."
"Really? Should I put on a shirt?"
Jinhyuk, who had been walking shirtless, pulled out his clothes.
He wasn't cold, so he'd been moving freely without a top.
But it would indeed look strange to others.
He slipped on a thin windbreaker and checked his status window.
It was time to finally use one of the Blank Cards he had been saving.
His friends had also leveled up, gaining new traits and skills.
'It'd be great if I could use Salamanca's amplification effect.'
He glanced at Kanchho trotting ahead.
Right now, the only one in the group who could be considered a fire-type ability user was Kanchho.
But there was no skill or trait suitable for Salamanca yet.
'Let's start with Jin.'
The Jin Card allowed him to choose a trait or skill to engrave.
He had something in mind.
"Darc. Can I touch the Everfrost Chain for a moment?"
"Go ahead. It won't freeze you anymore."
Darc held out the Everfrost Chain he summoned.
A weapon that held the chill of thousand-year glaciers.
Before, just approaching it had made his whole body tremble.
Jinhyuk fiddled with the Everfrost Chain for a moment.
Then, deciding firmly, he used the Jin Card on Darc without hesitation.
[Blank Card – Jin will engrave the Noble Phantom 'Everfrost Chain' of the Undying One, Darc Castro.]
Chains were not as versatile as swords.
More precisely, no one except Darc used such a weapon.
So finding a usable chain had been nearly impossible.
Because of that, even though he knew how to use one, he had rarely been able to make use of it inside the Tower.
[Everfrost Chain]
He tried the newly engraved weapon immediately.
A heavy Everfrost Chain appeared below his elbow.
"This thing is really heavy."
"You can still wield it. Your level may be low, but your stat growth is abnormal."
He lifted and dropped the Everfrost Chain.
Before fighting the Imoogi, the chain would've dragged his entire body around.
But now, having learned chain techniques, he could manage it to some degree.
"You won't get the glacial effect when you swing it. That needs a trait."
"This is enough."
He no longer needed to comb through department stores and outlets searching for chains.
Plus, the Everfrost Chain could be used both inside and outside the Tower—its value was immeasurable.
Jinhyuk took out Salamanca from his inventory and gripped it.
Now that he had the strength, he could swing it alongside the chain.
Seira, watching from the side, nodded quietly.
She didn't say it aloud with Darc present, but a sword and chain made an excellent combination.
If he could use both together, he'd gain offense, defense, evasion, and mobility all at once.
With a faint smile, Seira looked at Jinhyuk.
'He's getting strong too fast.'
When she had first taught him the sword, he seemed like he'd break with a light tap, so she had been extremely careful.
Now, she didn't need to be.
'I can hit him properly now.'
She silently resolved to train him harder tonight.
"Ugh."
Jinhyuk suddenly shivered as a chill ran through him.
He put away the Everfrost Chain and continued using the remaining cards.
First, he used two Blank Cards on Seira and one on Ellia.
[The unique trait of the Black Knights' Commander, Seira Kincayton, 'Motion Detection,' is engraved!]
Detects minute movements of the target you are watching and predicts their next action!
[The unique skill of the Black Knights' Commander, Seira Kincayton, 'Black Shadow Flash,' is engraved!]
The distance and speed of advancement scale with swordsmanship level, overall level, and available mana!
"Oh, hell yes."
He threw an uppercut into the empty air.
He had hoped for at least one decent technique, but to get Black Shadow Flash immediately—he couldn't help but celebrate.
Of course, with his low swordsmanship and mana, he wouldn't be using it like Seira anytime soon.
[The Star Alchemist, Ellia Posen's unique trait 'Basic Star Alchemy' is engraved!]
You can now perform basic alchemy!
New knowledge seeped into his mind.
When he held out his hand, a small, cute alchemical circle formed.
"Hoh."
Ellia leaned in curiously.
The more she watched, the more capable her master seemed.
"I'll teach you whenever you have time. Be grateful, okay? You're receiving the instruction of an alchemist who's lived for three thousand years."
"Thanks."
And just like that, he had one more thing to learn.
Finally, he used the Blank Card – Dog.
It selected one of his Hero Cards and taught a random locked skill—essentially a double-layered gacha.
There were too many possible outcomes for him to guess anything.
A vintage-looking roulette, like those from special benefits, appeared and spun.
The Hero Card was selected first.
[The Yordle Ranger Squad Leader, Kanchho, is chosen!]
Next, the locked skills of Kanchho spun.
Ding!
[The Blank Card engraves Kanchho's skill 'Explosion Enchant'!]
Imbues a weapon or object with explosive energy!Each explosion consumes mana!Mana consumption and explosion power scale with the force of the swing!
Jinhyuk's eyes sparkled.
It was exactly what he wanted.
An excited Kanchho hopped closer.
"This one is super good, sir! It eats a little mana and the power's weaker, but you can make explosions without clay, sir!"
"Explosion counts as a fire element, right?"
Seira nodded.
"Of course. Explosion magic is fire-element."
"Great, great."
At last, he could utilize Salamanca's amplification effect.
He was humming with joy without even realizing it.
"Let's head up the Tower once we find a place to stay."
Maybe because he gained so much in a single day, he couldn't wait to test it all.
He lightly slapped his cheeks.
'Focus, focus.'
He had obtained Firewalker and grown stronger in many ways, but that didn't make him immortal.
He couldn't afford to let his guard down.
"You'll live a long life."
Darc chuckled at the sight.
Most strong people died because of complacency.
But even when excited, Jinhyuk reminded himself to stay alert.
It was admirable.
"Commander, someone's up ahead, sir."
Kanchho waved his finger in a wide arc.
"They're spread out like this, sir. They look like they know we're coming."
Jinhyeonho's words from before came to mind.
After the Awakening, many awakened individuals had fled into the mountains to evade the government.
These were likely some of them.
Jinhyuk nodded and moved forward.
His friends silently(ed) their manifestations without being told.
They pressed through the blizzard, and soon Jinhyuk sensed presences.
Even though he had entered their encirclement, no one moved.
They seemed to be waiting until he reached the center.
Before long—
Swaeeek!
A spear flew at him from the right.
He didn't bother dodging.
It had been thrown to land five steps ahead of him anyway.
He stopped walking as silhouettes emerged from the snowstorm.
All wore thick fur clothing like Eskimos.
'They look like the yetis from the 60th floors.'
He didn't say it aloud.
It'd be rude on a first meeting.
As he waited, a large man approached.
"Are you alone?"
"Yes."
"You're not."
The man could hear the voice of the snowfield.
And the snowfield had told him there were at least five.
Soon, scouts who had gone to check the rear returned.
"Boss Wei. There's no one. That man is alone."
"What?"
Wei's brow twitched.
The snowfield never lied, but he couldn't keep interrogating the man indefinitely.
No idiot would walk alone through this blizzard if he had companions.
"Did you get stranded?"
"Yes. I was sightseeing and—u-ugh!"
Jinhyuk shivered as if he were about to freeze to death.
"I got separated from my group. I just kept walking and ended up here."
Wei looked over Jinhyuk's clothes.
This area was far from any tourist route.
It was a miracle he wasn't dead already in that outfit.
"Are you bandits? I don't have anything on me, though."
"We can check that."
Wei jerked his chin.
"Bring him. Give him a coat. He'll die on the way otherwise. Blindfold him."
Someone approached and handed Jinhyuk a thick fur coat.
He immediately accepted and put it on.
He wasn't affected by cold, but that didn't mean he disliked warmth.
'The route must be a secret.'
They even put a blindfold on him neatly.
For bandits, their security was surprisingly tight.
"Walk."
He moved forward as they pushed him from behind.
'This fur is so soft. My friends would love this.'
As he toyed with the coat, Jinhyuk opened his mouth.
"What's this made of?"
"Quiet!"
"Yes, sir."
It seemed they had no intention of answering him now.
Still, if they were bandits, they'd know the mountain well.
He'd ask them later about a good route down the mountain when he was done at Mt. Okryong.
He had no idea how long he'd trudged through the deep snow.
Eventually, they removed his blindfold.
'Whoa, they really do look like Eskimos.'
Iglus made of ice were scattered across the area.
There were over twenty in sight alone—this place was quite large.
And there was something else unusual.
Outside, the blizzard raged fiercely, but inside the settlement, it was utterly calm—as if the space had been separated.
'That barrier must be the reason.'
A thin, transparent dome shielded the iglu village.
As Jinhyuk looked around in wonder, the people around him took off their fur hats.
The boss, Wei, was a middle-aged man, while the one who had poked his back earlier looked like a young woman.
"Follow me."
Wei brought Jinhyuk to a large bonfire.
Around it, villagers were eating.
The atmosphere felt like a campfire gathering.
"Another tourist, huh? I can't believe there are still some left. Rumors have spread, yet idiots still wander this deep."
"He says he got stranded. Separated from his group."
"Boss, don't forget last time. A government guy pretended to be stranded and nearly got us all killed. Don't tell me you forgot?"
"Of course not. Sit."
Jinhyuk sat down by the bonfire.
It was wonderfully warm—he felt like roasting a sweet potato.
Wei poured steaming tea into a small cup.
But he didn't hand it over yet.
"Name and nationality?"
"Yoo Jinhyuk. Korean."
"Why did you come to Mt. Okryong?"
"Sightseeing."
Wei held up Jinhyuk's phone.
It unlocked with facial recognition.
'Please don't touch the banking app.'
Better to avoid problems if possible.
He had no hostile intentions and hoped for a mutually peaceful outcome.
But if they touched his assets, he'd have no choice but to take action.
'Ah, right. There's no Internet here.'
He let out a sigh of relief.
Finally, he felt at ease.
Wei scanned through the phone, then shook his head toward his group.
There was nothing suspicious enough to investigate further.
Wei furrowed his brow.
This man was absurd.
Instead of trembling in fear, he had been worrying to himself, then sighing with relief.
What on earth was he?
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T/N:
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