Chapter 136
Elines seemed to be a bit strange in various ways.
‘But she is cute, though,’ Cha Jin-Hyeok thought.
The smile that gleamed brightly at him was brimming with genuine affection.
“Let’s take a selfie!”
“...A selfie?”
Surprisingly, she displayed a bubbly demeanor, making it hard to believe she had just experienced a traumatic event. Perhaps it was because she was the daughter of the Spirit King of Fire, but her mental recovery seemed unimaginably swift. N0v3lTr0ve served as the original host for this chapter's release on N0v3l--B1n.
“Daddy, give me your phone.”
“...”
Alkinas hesitated for a moment, then created an object resembling a phone.
‘I didn’t know modern Spirits use smartphones too.’
Taking the phone from Alkinas, Elines hugged Jin-Hyeok’s leg and took a picture. Jin-Hyeok thought she might take one or two shots, but her enthusiasm exceeded his expectations. Her passion was so pure and profound that Jin-Hyeok willingly played along.
“Hehe, finally got one good picture.”
‘Just one?’
Regardless, she did not seem like an ordinary child, but then again, she was the Spirit King of Fire’s daughter, so it was understandable.
“Can I post the picture?”
“Where?”
“On Enstagram!”
Enstagram was a universally used social media platform. For the record, Jin-Hyeok had never used it before. He did have an account before his regression, but it was managed by the support team and Wang Yuu-Mi.
‘Come to think of it, Enstagram has not been introduced on Earth yet.’
“Can I upload it?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
Jin-Hyeok knew his true face would be known to the world at some point, but the later that happened, the better. It would mean less hassle for him.
Elines’ expression turned serious. It looked like she might burst into tears in about three seconds.
“This is a precious memory between Elly and me. Let’s keep it a secret. Since Elly is a good girl, I know you are going to listen to me, right?”
“Yes!”
“Good girl.”
“Then, can you pat my head?”
“Of course.”
As Jin-Hyeok gently patted Elines’ head, she giggled.
In any case, he had formed a pact with the daughter of the Spirit King of Fire.
‘It’s fascinating that I can do this even though I am not a Spirit Mage.’
For Jin-Hyeok, this was an astonishing experience. Alkinas, holding Elines, spoke to him, “I will return to the Spirit Realm for now. If fate allows, we will meet again. I am grateful for your company. I won’t forget this favor.”
True to a Spirit’s nature of never forgetting favors, Alkinas handed Jin-Hyeok an item.
[Spirit Stone of Alkinas]
“This item serves as a medium to summon me once, even without a contract. Call upon me if you face insurmountable challenges.”
The grade of the item was Mythic-Grade. Jin-Hyeok had acquired another Mythic-Grade item, which most Players could hardly even see once in their lifetime.
‘I got the Mythic-Grade Card out of luck, but this time it’s different.’
Jin-Hyeok had only (?) spent five billion Dias, but he was lucky to have obtained the Mythic-Grade Card. However, that was thanks to the Pure Luck Mystery. Jin-Hyeok never expected to obtain a Mythic-Grade item without the aid of the Mystery.
In the midst of his overwhelming job, he was shocked, as if he had been hit in the head.
‘Ah.’
He once again found himself disappointed in his own actions.
‘I left silent gaps on my livestream again!’
Caught up in his conversation with the Spirit King of Fire, engrossed in the contract with his daughter, and mesmerized by the Mythic-Grade item, he failed to focus on his livestream.
‘Did I just make the same mistake? Damn it, Why don’t I ever learn?’
1. Constant application of all Achievement effects acquired in the New World Dungeon.
2. Enhancement of Achievement effects acquired during the first progression of any Scenario.]
“The Achievement I acquired from the New World is the One Who Breaks Artificiality.”
This Achievement increased damage against artificial beings, like mechanical monsters or chimeric monsters, allowing one to perform significantly better against them.
“It seems this effect, which was originally only applicable in the New World, is now always active, even outside the Dungeon!”
It was quite a satisfying effect. This power gave a definite advantage against specific types of monsters and situations.
“Also, when starting a Scenario for the first time, there seems to be an advantage in the form of enhanced Achievement effects.”
This seemed like something he could use to get great content for his Eltube channel.
Continuing the livestream, Jin-Hyeok noticed a change.
“The name of the previously Closed Spirit Gate has changed.”
[Clear Gate]
“Through that Gate, I can exit the Dungeon. It seems the Clear of the Dungeon has already been recognized.”
Jin-Hyeok could Clear the New World right now, by going through the Clear Gate. Although the strategies he knew from before his regression had changed significantly, he had essentially Cleared the Dungeon in a different way. However, he had no intention of passing through just yet.
“I need to go back to the basics. The Clear Gate might be open, but I still need to finish the first Quest I accepted.”
After some walking, Jin-Hyeok arrived at the earlier part of the New World, the western gate of Azov Village. The NPC guard at the gate recognized him.
“Oh, it’s you! You have returned alive! The Thermal Flower. Did you get it?”
“Yes. It’s right here.”
Jin-Hyeak handed over the vase containing the Mysterious Thermal Flower. As the NPC took the vase...
Whoosh!
A purple flame soared.
‘Huh?’
The NPC holding the vase was burnt to ash on the spot. And then, a series of strange notifications followed.
***
[The Seed of the New World has sprouted.]
From the ashes of the burned NPC, a peculiar plant began to grow. Rapidly expanding, it soon resembled the giant beanstalk from Jack and the Beanstalk, reaching so high that it touched the clouds.
“It has reached the clouds. I can’t even fathom its height... Wait, the entire Azov Village is being scattered by the wind.”
The New World Jin-Hyeok knew before his regression was, frankly, too grandiose to be named so.
“Azov Village has disappeared, replaced by a massive magic circle.”
The sight, never seen before, involuntarily made him gulp. He regretted not learning a new Skill, like Drone Flight Recording. Being so fixated on a first-person perspective prevented him from acquiring such useful tools. The view from above would have been quite refreshing.
“And it’s getting dark.”
The magic circle gleamed in five distinct colors, while the towering three radiated a deep red hue.
“And stars are falling.”
Numerous stars with glowing tails started to descend from the dark sky. With so many celestial bodies moving, it felt as if the ground itself was in motion, much like the way trees seemed to move when viewed from a moving vehicle.
“It’s a beautiful sight.”
Suddenly, a loud bang echoed. He instinctively looked up, even though he had a gut feeling of what had transpired.
“It seems the tree, which grew to the height of the sky, has hit this world’s ceiling.”
The Dungeon, the New World, was not infinite. Somewhere high, beyond his sight, there seemed to exist a boundary, an endpoint to this world. The massively grown tree, eager to grow further, writhed at its base, seemingly trapped.
“The tree is struggling, and the sky feels like it's shaking.”
The beautiful meteor shower, which gracefully painted the sky, had now started to fall chaotically. Another explosion occurred.
“The meteor shower isn’t beautiful anymore.”
Meteor showers were beautiful when viewed from afar, but when those meteors fell nearby, they turned into a meteor storm.
BOOM!
A dust cloud billowed. Lost meteors began to plummet to the New World.
“If this continues, the New World will crumble into oblivion. And I, who am inside, will go down with it.”
‘Good. This is what I call a Dungeon. It had been too easy up to this point.’
“This is getting interesting.”
1. Ordinary in Korean is ??, or Pyeong Beom. ?