Chapter 14 – You Have a Skill Too? (2)
The voice continued to speak regardless of the blabbering ghost.
[Please select a skill card.]
This was real!
Two orange bronze cards started to fly. They began to speed around me enough to make me dizzy, but my mind was one something else.
-s.h.i.+t. What kind of cheat is this! Getting to copy all the monsters’ skills as well is unfair. Hey. Who’s the person that manages this Tower! Why didn’t you give this skill to me and to this lame-a.s.s kid instead!’
‘Ah. Let’s be quiet now.’
-Come out, you tower! This doesn’t count. Ahh, my anger!
Bae Hu-ryeong whipped his arms and legs around in fury. It was…just hideous. He was no different from a child that was angry because their candy was stolen. He was so hideous that it was a wonder he could be that hideous.
‘Sheesh. I should just focus on my cards.’
I observed the two cards flying in the air.
‘Both of them are p.o.o.p-colored cards so it’s not gonna be a good skill, but…’
But my heart pumped. Goodness. The skill of a monster. I could share the same skill as a monster! I felt like I had done something covert, like I played a prank on someone.
‘I’m curious.’
I stretched my hand out.
‘Let’s just pick one of them!’
And it was then, when I was just trying to grab any one of them.
-Huh? You’re getting that?
The ghost b.a.s.t.a.r.d couldn’t stay out of it and interfered again. My excitement faded away. Geez. His ability to bring someone down was really amazing.
‘Yes. It doesn’t matter which one I pick anyway.’
-Why doesn’t it matter?
Bae Hu-ryeong looked at me past the cards.
-Since you’re getting a free ride anyway, you should get a good skill while you’re at it.
‘I can’t tell which is the better skill. They’re both p.o.o.p-colored. This is just a game of luck.’
-What? How come you can’t tell which is the better skill?’
‘Geez. You’re especially bad at understanding today.’
I shouted in frustration.
‘The colors of the cards are the same! I can only see their backs! There’s no way to tell between them, so how should I know which one’s the better one.’
Then Bae Hu-ryeong tilted his head.
-But I can see it?
‘What?’
-I can see the front of the cards.
Bae Hu-ryeong spoke in a shameless voice. I was stunned into silence.
‘What kind of bulls.h.i.+t…’
Is that, is what I was going to say, but I realized in the middle of my sentence.
Location!
From my location, I could only see the back of the card. Even when I tried to look around, the cards looked the same. Like how you couldn’t tell which was the back of the moon on Earth, I could never see what was on the back of the card.
But that was just me.
Bae Hu-ryeong moved as he wished in this dark s.p.a.ce.
Yeah.
He could move to where he saw the cards!
‘Goodness…’
I muttered.
‘Can you really see it there? Can you see the card summary?’
Bae Hu-ryeong furrowed his eyebrows.
-Of course I can see it. What are you saying, looking at my eyes. I was famous for having good eyesight since I was young. There was a guy called Dog p.o.o.p in my village, right? So he shot a firecracker at me, but my sight was already good enough to avoid it. Eventually, I raised it up to Heaven Eyes. Haa, that was how perfect I…
‘Eureka!’
-f.u.c.k! Did this kid go crazy! Why are you screaming?
Bae Hu-ryeong was surprised but I didn’t care.
‘Eureka! Eureka! Eurekaaaaaaa!’
I was just happy at the luck that came my way.
Bae Hu-ryeong looked at me strangely and clicked his tongue.
-This kid’s brain really rotted like a zombie after calling him Zombie. Tsk tsk tsk…
2.
What Bae Hu-ryeong told me was this.
+
[Blessing of Reproduction]
Rank: E
Effect: Ah, nature has given us shelter, but also trials! This cruel world. Orc reproduction has amplified to defeat nature. An orc was killed? Don’t worry. There’s still 9 more where you can’t see ‘em!
※However, you are frequently aroused.
[Chiik, Chik]
Rank: F
Effect: ‘We added a chik to the end of our sentences chik. We don’t know why we do this either chik! But you should get some of this chiik too chik.’ The orc lifts his thumb. ‘Then you won’t be able to escape from the chik chik fun chiiik!’
※However, chiik chik.
+
‘Wow…’
p.o.o.p-colored cards.
They were all lunatic p.o.o.p skills. I couldn’t stop being amazed.
-How’s that? If I didn’t stop you, you would’ve chosen the [Chiik, Chik]. Gong-ja, you were born as a man. You should experience the power of an orc at least once. Say ‘thank you’ to me. Go ahead!
I was even amazed at what the ghost said. That meant I was out of it enough to be amazed.
‘Mm.’
I ignored Bae Hu-ryeong, deep in thought.
‘If I have to pick, I think [Chiik, Chik] is better.’
-Huh? Are you crazy?
‘No. I’m right.’
I nodded my head. I was completely sure.
“No matter how much I think about it, I think [Chiik, Chik] is more useful than [Blessing of Reproduction].’
-Hey, hey! Wait! Think about it a bit more. You have to be cool-headed…!
Smirk.
I laughed at the fumbling Bae Hu-ryeong.
‘I think you’re thinking the same thing as me.’
Before Bae Hu-ryeong could try to convince me anymore, I grabbed the p.o.o.p colored card. The cards quickly flew around, but it didn’t matter. Since there were only 2, anyway.
[Selection complete. The skill is being copied.]
[You are regressing to 24 hours ago.]
-N, No!
‘Yes!’
Bae Hu-ryeong and I shouted in harmony.
[Your current hunter rank is F cla.s.s.]
[You will not receive a penalty based on your skill.]
At the same time, the dark world became brighter.
ㆍ
ㆍ
ㆍ
ㆍ
ㆍ
ㆍ
My eyes burst open.
“Hm!”
I felt refreshed.
“Ah, this is nice. People need to sleep well to relax.”
This was no longer the 2 pyeong room that I used to stay in. It was the room that I requested of Sangryun. It wasn’t s.p.a.cious, but it was a big enough hotel room. After being chosen for the 1st place lottery ticket, I decided to stay here for the time being.
Meanwhile.
-d.a.m.n! I thought you would fall for it, but you’re uselessly smart!
“Hehe.”
Bae Hu-ryeong kicked the air around me. I guess he was angry that he wasn’t able to prank me. Mm. Just by looking at him, my mind became relaxed like I was looking at a painting.
“Let’s see, let’s get the elixirs…status window.”
I know longer had any reason to waste my time. I checked my status window on the way to the hunting ground.
+
Name: Kim Gong-ja
Rank: F Cla.s.s
Skill (4/4)
–>I Want to Be Like You(S+):Pa.s.sive
–>Returner’s Clockwork Watch(EX): Pa.s.sive
–>Sword Constellation(A+): Pa.s.sive
–>Chiik, Chik(F): Active+
“Good. There’s no problem.”
My skill slots were full. But it was okay. I could just replace [Chiik, Chik].
I’ll use you as much as I want to until I get my next skill.
-Gong-ja. So I was thinking…I think it’ll be okay to train just sitting criss-crossed. There’s no need to train until you die, right? Criss-crossed. Mental training. How cool is that?
“Hoohoo.”
We arrived at the 3rd floor hunting ground. I could see orcs roaming around from far away.
-Grrr…chik.
I observed their locations and pulled out the elixir. I drank it all in one gulp from the warm thermos.
-Hey. Gong-ja? Can you hear me? We should just quietly train. Even if we train in a criss-crossed position, I’ll help you understand Aura in half a year. Hm? Just trust me.
“Kya! Tastes good.”
It was only the 2nd time drinking it, but I already got used to it. It seemed like the pharmacist had specially taken care of the flavor when she made the elixir as well.
I waited for the effects of the elixirs to take over me.
“Sword Emperor. Did you know?”
-Huh? What? You’re gonna sit criss-crossed?
“You call me Zombie when it suits you, but you call me Gong-ja when you have the shorter end. And from earlier, you were calling me Gong-ja, and not Zombie.”
Thump.
“I’m kindly telling you that so you fix that habit of yours.”
As soon as I stopped speaking, the world flowed slowly.
My heart thumped. I could feel a faint flow in my heart along with it.
Aura!
The effects of the training definitely showed. Unlike last time, I immediately clearly grasped Aura right away.
“Hoo, oo…hoooo…”
I controlled my breathing and approached them. Flinch. The orc’s ears twitched after feeling someone’s presence. The large green monster slowly turned around.
-Grk?
The orc’s eyes grew bigger. He seemed confused. From his perspective, prey was walking on its own feet towards him.
-Krrrrrr!
The orc lifted his club like he decided to gladly accept this luck.
That was when I smiled to myself.
[Your skill is being activated.]
I opened my mouth.
“Ch…ik! Chik!”
Pause. The orc’s eyes were bigger than before. His club stopped midswing.
-Chirk…chiik? Chi..ik?
The orc tilted his head. He seemed to be wondering how to accept the fact that his prey was speaking his language.
Of course, it was impossible to understand with the IQ of an orc, and my IQ wasn’t lacking enough to throw this chance away.
“Chiik!”
The language of orcs perfectly poured out of my mouth.
It was a skill that made native-speakers defenseless!
-Krr? Ch…irk?
The monster in front of me was even more surprised. It was clear he was so confused that he didn’t know what to do. When I ran at him, he couldn’t properly react.
My sword smoothly cut the orc’s throat. I added a single drop of Aura on the sword blade that wasn’t too much or too little. A fountain of blood exploded and the orc fell over.
-Ch…irk…? Gr…chik…
Like it felt wronged.
If it was translated to human language, it would’ve been equivalent to ‘Even you, Brutus!’
“Chirk.”
I had a victor’s smile. Forcing Aura out of my body still hurt…but the condition of my body was incomparable to last time. I was okay. If I used just this much Aura, I was fine.
-You cheating b.a.s.t.a.r.d! I knew you would do this!
Bae Hu-ryeong trembled.
-Do you like tricking the nice orcs like this! Huh?! You don’t even think about how the orcs feel! The innocent orcs are hurt because of dirty humans like you!
I didn’t repeat what he said about it being fine to train using any method.
Instead, I just said a single word with a smirk.
“Chiik!”
-Argh! This is! So annoying! Why did you give such a cheat skill to this weak a.s.s guy, o Tower?!
When one week had pa.s.sed.
I pa.s.sed the hunting ground on the 5th hunting flood.