Chapter 365. How That Man Became Powerful (3)
Ten days pa.s.sed, and while his clone worked nonstop, Seo Jun-Ho lazed around and ate the consumable items he had bought whenever he got hungry.
“There are only six of them left.” Out of the 24 consumables he had bought, he had already taken 18 so far. And out of the six left, there were five he wasn’t planning to eat. He had bought them as gifts for his friends.
‘This one’s for Gilbe, this one’s for Mio, this one’s for Skaya, and these are for Rahmadat and Miss Si-Eun.’
Combined, they cost less than 3 million PP combined, but the items would seem priceless to them.
‘I think they’ll all be happy.’ Seo Jun-Ho looked like a pleased father.
He started to get hungry and pulled out his final consumable. “The main course.”
He had been saving this for last because it looked the most delicious. He stared for a moment at the appetizing peach and opened his mouth wide.
Crunch. Crunch.
Once he finished the delicious peach, he could feel his body changing.
“Woah. This is…”
He felt like all the hairs on his body were standing on end. He only ever got this feeling whenever his body was in peak condition. Usually, he had to spend at least a month preparing himself before he could reach peak performance.
“...But just from eating one fruit, my body will be in this state at all times.”
It was a little anticlimactic, but Seo Jun-Ho immediately got up and started stretching. ‘I’ve consumed 19 items, but with this, I don’t think I’ll even need to take time to adjust to the changes.’
This was the power of the item that cost 13 million PP.
He checked his status window.
[Seo Jun-Ho]
Level: 196
t.i.tle: Bringer of Spring (+7)
Strength: 677
Stamina: 685
Speed: 693
Magic: 717
After consuming the items, all his stats had increased by a total of 225 points.
‘With this, I think I’d be able to take on three Butchers and win.’
His body was itching to train. He didn’t have to spend time adapting to his stats whenever they increased, but he still had to train.
‘It’s simple.’ The more he trained, the more efficiently he could use his body.
He sorted through his thoughts and shook his head. He watched his clone run around and clean up the items in the Store. It had already been ten days since his clone started.
‘The clone is more important. I really like this skill.’
He kept the skill active the whole time, and the more he used it, the more he came to like it.
First of all, he didn’t have to give commands out loud.
‘Hey, that’s the wrong area. Put it in D-32.’
‘Do it yourself then.’
Moreover, the telepathic link between them wasn’t one-way. If he concentrated, he could also read his clone’s thoughts.
“His movements have gotten a lot better, too.”
In the beginning, his clone had only been able to use about 2% of his power, but now, his clone could use 16% of his capacity. Although his clone’s growth was slower than Seo Jun-Ho had expected, he could see that it would be worth it to train his clone.
“Train? Train who?! Just forget you have Cloning, and don’t summon me!”[1]
“Never.” How could he not summon his clone when it was so convenient? He even thought that it would be nice to start using this guy whenever he needed to do something bothersome.
“That’s some bulls.h.i.t you’re talking about!” his clone yelled as he worked. He was practically foaming at the mouth.
Seo Jun-Ho shrugged it off and began to sort through the things he had learned about his clone.
He and his clone could share their thoughts.
Upon skill deactivation, he would absorb all the memories, feelings, and experiences of his clone.
With the current capacity of his magic power, he could maintain a clone for about two weeks max. The duration would decrease if he used the clone in battle.
Seo Jun-Ho was satisfied. He liked Erebo’s Cloning much better than the Cell Regeneration he had obtained from Janabi.
“Huff. Huff.”
He also thought it cute that his clone often huffed and puffed while working because of the lack of stamina and strength.
“You’re f.u.c.king ridiculous. You enjoy watching yourself suffer?”
“I don’t usually look in the mirror that often anyway.” Now that he was looking at himself from an outsider’s point of view, he really was handsome.
“You’re crazy…You’re crazy…” The clone shook his head and approached him. “Hey, Original. I’m done with this, so just let me rest now.”
“Sure. Release.”
When his clone disappeared, his clone’s experiences and feelings vividly pa.s.sed through Seo Jun-Ho’s head. It took about a minute for him to absorb it all.
‘Um, maybe I was a little too hard on him.’ Seeing what he had done from the clone’s perspective, Seo Jun-Ho got the sense that he was acting a bit rude.
He did one last inspection of the neatly organized store and then went to Reiji.
“Reiji-nim. Reiji-nim.”
“Eugh, what.”
“I’m done cleaning the store.”
“...Then f.u.c.k off.” She waved him off, but Seo Jun-Ho didn’t leave. “What, you want me to praise you or something?”
“No, that’s not it.” Seo Jun-Ho smiled sheepishly. “Please give me back my sleeping bag.”
“...”
***
“Eh?” The Frost Queen tilted her head when her Contractor returned after under a minute. “Contractor, there is a large lump on your head.”
“Ow…”
In the end, Reiji said, “look at this little s.h.i.t,” and hit him. Fortunately, he got his sleeping bag back.
“Did you absorb the core?”
“Yeah. The Cloning Skill I got is really good. Wanna see?”
“Um.” The Frost Queen was usually full of curiosity, and she would have nodded immediately, but she looked greatly disturbed this time.
“What’s wrong? You don’t want to see it?”
“Looook. What if a second Contractor starts hara.s.sing me too? That is what I am afraid of.”
Seo Jun-Ho burst into laughter at her adorable reaction.
“W-why are you laughing?! This is a serious matter.”
“Come on, that’s so cute.”
“Ahem.”
In the end, they decided that he would show her the clone next time.
“Did you consume all your items?” The Frost Queen asked.
“Yeah. How did you know?”
“Your aura has changed somewhat.”
True masters often walked around with their energy concealed. The same was true for Seo Jun-Ho. At a glance, he seemed like a totally ordinary person. Even strong Players would find it difficult to gauge Seo Jun-Ho’s ability.
“What will you do now?”
“I’m planning to go to the 2nd Floor,” he said.
“The 2nd Floor? Are you referring to Frontier?” The Frost Queen’s eyes went wide. It had been a very long time since she thought of that place. “Did you have any other business to take care of there?”
Seo Jun-Ho shook his head. This time, he was going there for his training. “There’s someone I want to try fighting in a sparring.”
Hart. The overwhelmingly powerful knight protecting the emperor.
“He’s the strongest person I know,” he explained.
Hart was even stronger than the Heavenly Demon the last time Seo Jun-Ho saw him. In other words, if Seo Jun-Ho couldn’t defeat Hart, he wouldn’t be able to defeat the current Heavenly Demon either.
“But would they allow you to duel him so easily? Hart is a close affiliate of the emperor, after all.” The Frost Queen pointed out.
“I just have to try.”
He packed a few things and soon headed to the 2nd Floor.
***
It had been a long time since he came to Gilleon. Now, it was almost done being rebuilt.
“Humans are amazing. This city was in ruins not too long ago,” the Frost Queen admired.
“Yeah. Humans really are amazing.”
The same Gilleon that had fallen at the hands of the Fiend a.s.sociation was now bustling with people as it had always been in the past. They persevered through pain and sorrow, and this was made possible by their hopes and dreams.
“It’s a nice sight to see.” He smiled warmly, and they started toward the capital.
He expected the knights to block the entrance of the palace, but they actually gave Seo Jun-Ho a respectful salute once they saw him.
“Specter-nim.”
“I shall relay a message.”
He had known this before, but the people of Frontier really did love the legend of the 5 Heroes. Perhaps it was because the legend involved stopping the invasion of the Gates, which the others had failed to do.
“Allow me to escort you inside.”
Even though he didn’t say why he was there or who he was here to see, the attendant led him somewhere. They walked for a long time, going deep into the palace. Eventually, he started hearing shouts and noises of battle.
“This is…”
“This is where the palace guard trains. And this is the training hall where the royal knights hone their skills.”
Seo Jun-Ho looked at the attendant with a shocked expression. “Why did you bring me here?”
“His Majesty left a message. He said that if Specter comes, it is surely because he is seeking Sir Hart. So, we were instructed to escort you here.”
“Wow.” Seo Jun-Ho was deeply impressed. The emperor was truly deserving of his t.i.tle.
“Come.”
A group training session was in full swing. From the dais, the baby-faced Hart was giving orders to young and middle-aged men. It was a strange sight.
“The knight order is one. Repeat.”
“The knight order!”
“Is one!”
“You are not the only one who is exhausted. Your comrades are exhausted as well. Do not complain.”
“Yes, sir!”
“We have a guest, so we will end here. At rest.”
The knights were breathing heavily, but even then, they sat down with perfect posture to rest.
Hart looked at Seo Jun-Ho. “Player, what business do you have here?”
“...”
A quiet breeze made Hart’s red hair flutter. Seo Jun-Ho was. .h.i.t with the aura of a powerful man.
‘He really is impressive.’
Back when Seo Jun-Ho was still active on the 2nd Floor, it was impossible for him to even respond to Hart’s words.
Right now, Seo Jun-Ho realized just how much stronger he had become. Back then, he could only vaguely a.s.sume that Hart was extremely powerful, and Seo Jun-Ho even started sweating all over by simply standing under Hart’s gaze.
‘But now?’ Now, he could see it. He could see just how high Hart stood. He could see why the powerful Heavenly Demon had been unable to invade the empire.
Seo Jun-Ho looked him straight in the eye. “I wish to fight you.”
A very faint amused smile momentarily appeared on Hart’s brusque face.
“Follow me.”
***
Hart’s personal training room was huge. However, he pa.s.sed right by it until they actually left the castle.
“Where are we going?” Seo Jun-Ho asked.
Hart halted his steps and turned around. “You said you wished to duel, did you not?”
“I did.”
“The palace is much too small for us to fight in, and it would also be too dangerous.”
Seo Jun-Ho realized right there and then that Hart wouldn’t hold back against him.
They used a Teleport Gate and made their way to a wide, vibrant meadow in the east.
“Allow me to ask a question,” Hart said as he started putting on his armor piece by piece. “What do you wish to gain from this duel?”
“To see my potential.”
“I see...” Hart nodded. “There will be but one rule. Neither will stop until the opponent surrenders. Do you accept?”
“Yes.”
“Then come.”
The breeze blowing through the large meadow halted. The fierce, powerful aura that had been pressuring Seo Jun-Ho vanished.
‘I feel giddy.’ However, it made him even more nervous. Naturally, a hidden enemy was more nerve-wracking than a visible one.
He unsheathed the Sword of Ambition and activated Midnight Sun.
‘If I can’t defeat Hart, I won’t be able to defeat the Heavenly Demon either.’
Even if his current stats weren’t higher than Hart’s, they definitely weren’t lower. So if he was toppled here, it simply meant that he still had to get even better.
‘If I win this, I’ll go up to the 5th Floor.’ He resolved to do that so as soon as he came up to the 2nd Floor. It was all because Hart was the only person who could challenge his power.
“I ask that you excuse me for my actions.”
“Do whatever you want. I have all the time in the world.”
The meadow had always been devoid of people. However, the first battle that ever took place there lasted for two days and two nights.
1. The word for ‘train’ also means ‘raise’ or ‘keep’, usually in the context of children or pets, which is why the clone feels insulted. ☜