Chapter 66

After enjoying the brief sense of liberation from dimensional travel, Yuseong quickly checked his surroundings upon returning to his original world.

The time ratio between Earth and other worlds was random.

From his experience so far, while there were more worlds with ratios close to 1:1, there were clearly extreme worlds with ratios of tens to hundreds of times different, where minutes on Earth could be days in another world, or vice versa.

Though he spent about ten days in [Jincheon Martial Arts family’s Youngest Disciple], there was a good chance that only a few minutes had passed on Earth.

However, Yuseong realized in less than a second that he had worried unnecessarily.

‘Is it night?’

Darkness had fallen over the city.

While he couldn’t be sure exactly how much time had passed, considering when he had used the goggles to escape, at least half a day must have gone by.

No matter how persistent they were, they must have given up after this much time had passed.

‘First I need to go back…’

BOOM!

A heavy vibration that shook his entire body.

When Yuseong unconsciously looked up, he froze in place.

The defensive barrier protecting the entire city and the giant pillars of light supporting it were familiar.

What caught Yuseong’s attention was the being beyond them.

‘A mage?’

A typical mage wearing a gray robe and holding a jewel-encrusted staff.

Each time the staff glowed, unprecedented magic struck the barrier.

Massive meteor bursting from spatial rifts.

Countless lightning bolts falling endlessly from the sky.

A tornado large enough to swallow the entire city whole.

While none of them broke through the barrier, that wasn’t because the magic was weak – rather, the barrier and its supporting output were beyond imagination.

A strength on a completely different level from ordinary Contractors. As far as Yuseong knew, only one being was capable of such feats.

“A user?”

In that moment, Yuseong’s and the mage’s eyes met.

No voice was heard.

They simply noticed his presence by chance while looking down from above.

Though the mage quickly flew off elsewhere after briefly looking this way, even that was enough to give Yuseong a powerful shock that made his heart clench.

‘Enormous.’

Though it was an ordinary gaze without any killing intent or other emotions mixed in, the moment their eyes met, Yuseong realized there was an enormous wall between himself and that mage.

No matter what he tried, his current self couldn’t reach even that mage’s feet.

Feeling his wariness of users rising again after it had somewhat faded from meeting Kang Changseok, Yuseong entered the shadows of a nearby building.

[You have spread information that can influence the world’s fate while completing the quest ‘Jincheon Martial Arts family’s Youngest Disciple’]

[The spread information is ‘Shadow Moon Style 16’, ‘Flash Step’]

[Analyzing impact. Please wait a moment.]

[750,000 karma will be confiscated.]

Just as karma points must be paid to take artifacts out of other dimensions, information also has its price.

After all, depending on how it’s used, information can have an even greater impact than skills or artifacts.

He had expected to lose some karma since he had completely shared information about Shadow Moon Style 16 and Flash Step with Wi Jinmu to create new martial arts.

The problem was the message that appeared next.

[Amazing! Though Han Yuseong’s grade isn’t high, you’ve proven your outstanding ability as a user by achieving very high clear ranks in most quests. Therefore, this program will provide a special quest for Han Yuseong.]

[Upon clearing the special quest, Han Yuseong will be able to obtain what you need most.]

[We look forward to your even more excellent achievements, Han Yuseong.]

“What is this?”

A message with content he’d never seen before.

Weren’t the goggles just a simple machine that found troublesome incidents in other dimensions and provided skills and abilities as rewards?

Yet suddenly it was offering to provide a special quest for him, saying he could obtain what he needed most by clearing it, and the final part about looking forward to more excellent achievements even gave him a strong sense of dissonance.

“…”

He decided to put the message aside for now.

This wasn’t a leisurely situation where he could worry about such things.

[Karma Held: 30,240,000]

[Item List]

-Wi Jinmu’s Teachings(???): 5,000,000

-Thunder Fist(B-): 3,000,000

-Vacuum Step(C+): 1,500,000

-Full Moon Cultivation Method(C+): 1,500,000 [note]TLN: Sorry guys, it was not “Full Moon Mental Technique” instead it should’ve been “Full Moon Cultivation Method”[/note]

-Moment in Time(C+): 1,000,000

-……

-……

-……

“I definitely have to buy Wi Jinmu’s Teachings.”

If he didn’t buy it, all memories of the conversations, ideas, and results with Wi Jinmu for creating new martial arts would disappear.

While purchasing other skills like Fist Energy and Sound Transmission, Yuseong paused at the message that appeared.

[Purchasing Full Moon Cultivation Method(C+) will create the ‘Internal Energy’ stat.]

[The ‘Magic Power’ stat you possess, Han Yuseong, may conflict with the ‘Internal Energy’ stat.]

[If you do not possess special skills or items that can handle ‘Magic Power’ and ‘Internal Energy’ simultaneously, please reconsider purchasing Full Moon Cultivation Method.]

“Come to think of it, among all the clients I’ve seen so far, none had two energies simultaneously. No, that old man Hae Cheongyeong had both internal energy and magic power.”

After contemplating, Yuseong eventually purchased Full Moon Cultivation Method.

Though he didn’t know how incompatible the two energies were to warrant such a warning message, he thought he could control them sufficiently with Eye of Truth.

[You have purchased Full Moon Cultivation Method(C+).]

[‘Internal Energy’ stat is being created.]

[New items are being added to the karma shop.]

A pricking sensation like being stabbed with a needle rose from his lower abdomen, but that was all.

‘Is it because the amount is too small?’

The newly created internal energy was just 1 point.

Even by simple arithmetic, it was 299 times less than his 299 points of magic power.

Finally, Yuseong began gradually increasing his internal energy by purchasing the newly added internal energy increases from the karma shop.

“Hmm.”

He definitely felt more dissonance as his internal energy increased.

There was no problem when the two energies remained in his heart and dantian, but whenever he tried to use both energies simultaneously, he felt mild pain as the magic power and internal energy collided.

However, Yuseong continued purchasing internal energy without hesitation.

‘This seems easier than expected.’

He could control both magic power and internal energy simultaneously with just a bit of attention, without even needing to use Eye of Truth.

And when his internal energy hit 299 points, Yuseong muttered in a deflated voice.

“They gave such a warning but it’s nothing special.”

Of course, that couldn’t be true.

The reason he could handle two energies with different origins, natures, and characteristics was because his wisdom stat, related to energy sense and control, was abnormally high.

Though it was a simple brute force method of forcibly making incompatible powers coexist through sense beyond imagination, it didn’t change the fact that he could use both energies simultaneously.

Wooong!

When he used Bermund’s technique and Full Moon Cultivation Method simultaneously, golden and silver energies flickered above his hand.

After watching the magic power and internal energy that seemed like they would mix but didn’t with amusement, Yuseong contained the energy and purchased the remaining skills.

Nodding with satisfaction at the most generous rewards from any quest so far, Yuseong frowned at the sound of massive explosions in the distance.

Being alone in a city of lizardmen dreaming of Earth’s conquest was troublesome enough, but outside, an unknown user was throwing unprecedented magic trying to break the barrier.

‘Seems like something happened while I was completing the quest…’

Though he wanted information, all he had was a specially made GPS.

After pondering briefly, Yuseong remembered there was another way to get information.

[Community – You have unread messages(381)]

[Welcome RoomDweller to the community!]

Though he didn’t know how many days had passed, he was about to scroll up through the accumulated messages when he had to stop at seeing the most recent message.

-SuperAnt: RoomDweller. Reply as soon as you see this message.

-SuperAnt: Keep ignoring and I’ll spread your information to other users?

-SuperAnt: Hey, I won’t get mad so say something.

-SuperAnt: You’re alive, right? Right? Please say you are. Please!

“What exactly happened?”

Realizing most messages were sent by Kang Changseok trying to find him, Yuseong shuddered with a slight chill.

Too many messages to think they were sent just out of concern for his safety.

Though he debated whether to reply or not, there was no choice if he wanted information.

-RoomDweller: You called?

-SuperAnt: This bastard, so you were alive! Well, someone who’s so careful about safety wouldn’t die. Damn! I believed in you!

-RoomDweller: Why the fuss? Should I leave?

-SuperAnt: Sorry! I’ll apologize so please calm down!

Rapid-fire replies.

After rambling for a while, apparently quite excited, Kang Changseok seemed to calm down somewhat and sent a more constructive message.

-SuperAnt: More importantly, where are you now? You haven’t left that city, right?

-RoomDweller: Still inside? Why?

-SuperAnt: Great!

Yuseong’s eyes narrowed at the incomprehensible message.

-RoomDweller: What do you mean great? No, let’s get situation details first. How much time has passed since I entered the city?

-SuperAnt: Why… Ah! So that’s why there was no contact at all. About ten days have passed.

-RoomDweller: Ten days, huh. What happened during that time? And what’s with the mage throwing incredible magic outside the city?

-SuperAnt: It’s a bit complicated to explain in words, but can you get to the highest building nearby?

-RoomDweller: Wait a moment.

Using Thorny Vine to climb to the top of a nearby building, Yuseong finally understood why Kang Changseok said it was complicated to explain in words.

The area around the city had definitely been empty plains just ten days ago.

But now it had formed a jungle of colorful trees the size of decent skyscrapers and bizarre plants he’d never seen before.

“They said they’d change the planet’s ecology to suit the dragon race…”

He never imagined it would mean such direct changes.

-RoomDweller: Confirmed.

-SuperAnt: Since ten days ago, unknown plants started spreading rapidly from the city center. Analysis of samples shows the atmospheric composition is changing to components with unknown effects on humans, and we need your help to stop it.

-RoomDweller: Me? What are the other users doing?

-SuperAnt: …They have their own circumstances. For now, the only user who came to help is the mage you saw, GreatMage.

Though he wanted to ask what circumstances could be so great they wouldn’t step up in this crisis, he decided to focus on the problem at hand for now.

-SuperAnt: According to GreatMage, the barrier surrounding the city isn’t just a barrier but a kind of ward that rejects approaches by beings or attacks above a certain power. Though he keeps trying to break it somehow…

-RoomDweller: I saw briefly from below, but it doesn’t seem like it’ll break from simple attacks.

-SuperAnt: Right. That’s why we need someone to disable the ward from inside.

-RoomDweller: You want me to find and disable whatever’s creating the ward somewhere in this vast city crawling with lizardmen?

-SuperAnt: I know it’s an unreasonable request but we have no other options. Of course, I’m not asking for help empty-handed. Whether money or artifacts, I’ll pay generous compensation.

-RoomDweller: Deal.

The moment compensation was mentioned, Yuseong accepted the proposal as if he’d been waiting for it.

If he had to do it anyway, there was no reason to hesitate if he could put a user in his debt and gain practical benefits too.

-SuperAnt: Huh? This easily?

-RoomDweller: It’s related to humanity’s survival. I can’t just think about myself.

-SuperAnt: W-well, that’s true…

He seemed unable to easily believe it, probably due to Yuseong’s behavior until now, but that wasn’t something Yuseong needed to worry about.

After putting away his goggles, Yuseong was about to leap toward the city center when he quickly stopped.

“Almost forgot.”

In Yuseong’s hand that had gone into and come out of his chest was Alice’s Soul Stone.