Chapter 46

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Sponsored Chapter- 3/3...

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“Ugh…  .”

I covered my nose with a pained sound. 

As the purification potion exploded inside him, he let out a piercing scream that sent the world flying, and soon his entire body melted apart as if his joints were tearing.

The stench was literally mind-boggling, but somehow I regained my composure and walked in front of his remains.

He had already melted, and now it was hard to even recognize his shape.

I wondered if some magical measure had been used to prevent it from decomposing.

The Flesh Golem had literally rotted and seared in the blink of an eye.

I had no idea how long it had been like this, but... .

“…… .”

I bowed my head for a brief moment for the unknown victims.

I never believed in religion and didn't know enough prayers to remember at a time like this, so this was the best I could do.

People, who got caught up because they had no power.

Maybe I would have followed the same path as them in this world.

“Whoo.”

Raising my head, I headed straight for the several doors guarded by the Flesh Golem.

Unlike the large open space, the doors were very small.

I opened the door one by one and checked what was inside.

Living space, bedroom, warehouse, laboratory, etc… .

In case there was a trap installed, I opened it with Henir's Shadow from afar, but fortunately, nothing special happened.

I just wandered around the rooms looking for useful things.

Cash, precious metals, magic materials, laboratory equipment, books, equipment, and even clothes that Isabel Gaudi would have worn were all piled up in a corner of the open space.

I still didn't know if the stench would go away, so I roughly tore off the clothes and covered my nose and mouth like a mask.

And it took about an hour or so before I was able to get all of her belongings out.

"No kidding."

There wasn't enough space to fit everything in the backpack.

Fortunately, if I applied Henir's Shadow ability, it can be used as a bag, so carrying it wasn't a problem.

Okay.

Storing it and categorizing it was the problem.

On top of that, considering the problem of disposing of them later, it was better to reduce the number of items to bring back as much as possible.

It was around 3 pm right now, so if I calculated the time I would have to leave just in time, I would have at least three hours to spare.

I had no choice but to take out my phone and open the emotion window.

Of course, it would have been easier to open a notification window in the air, but I didn't have enough mana to appraise all these things one by one.

“Whew… Eup!"

I sighed without realizing it, and stopped breathing at the stench poking the tip of my nose.

I tried to hold it in, but I couldn't hold it in very long, so I quickly took off my mask and lowered my body.

“Waeek… !”

If I stayed here, the stench and strange aura would make me really go crazy.

As I urged myself to finish it quickly and go, I continued using emotion on my phone.

A must-have for sure.

Hold.

Totally useless.

In general, when divided into these three categories, there were overwhelmingly many things that were classified last.

“How is it that someone who claims to be a witch doesn't have a single piece of enchanted clothing or a decent artifact?”

Perhaps when she went to fight Lee Myung-Joon, she took all the grandiose things with her and died just like that, so they just disappeared.

I frowned involuntarily at the assumption that had enough credibility.

All the clothes were crap.

There were rare luxury items, but they were all thrown away.

Where in the world would I use clothes that Isabelle Gaudi used to wear?

In addition to that, all the trinkets I checked carefully because I thought they were magic tools or artifacts were all bad.

It seemed like they were simply for decoration, but in most cases they were fake.

Some cash.

Two gold bars.

A few pieces of jewelry.

One thing that became clear to me as I looked at them was the fact that Isabelle Gaudi had not done much to prepare for retirement.

Putting aside my regrets, I quickly continued my work.

In the case of magical equipment and books that seemed to be for experimentation, I kept them all because it was difficult for me to honestly put a value on them.

Of course, all the unpleasant things were excluded.

As time passed, the general disposition or classification came to an end.

I let out a small laugh as I looked at the things that were pulled out separately.

It was spectacular.

[Sap of the first substance]

[Promotion Awakening Potion]

[Resistance Gastrolith ― Poison]

[Ring of Corruption]

[Earring of Mana Control]

[Introduction to Necromancy]

Originally, items related to Lee Myung-Joon, and the Banshee Necklace would have been added to the equipment items Isabella Gaudi would have been carrying.

But even this alone was a great booty.

Especially the first three.

The sap of the first substance was something I had gotten before, but it was an item with a simple and powerful effect that permanently raises one stat.

I took this right away and put it in my strength.

Name: Yoo Ji-Hyuk

Gender: M

* * *

Stamina: D (+)

Strength: C (+)

Agility: C (++)

Mana: E (+)

Arts: D (++)

Luck: C

Originally, I was wondering if I should increase my mana.

However, thanks to the branches of the World Tree and Electricity Storage, it became possible to receive and store extra mana, so I was able to invest in my strength without hesitation.

I picked up the other two right away.

Promotion Awakening Potion and Resistance Gastrolith.

The Promotion Awakening Potion was not as good as the Awakening Potion I had taken before, but it was an item that gave me a large amount of invisible experience.

In the case of the Resistance Gastrolith, it was an item that permanently increased resistance to status abnormalities.

I swallowed them as they were.

As for Promotion Awakening Potion, it increased the experience of Henir's Shadow, and when I swallowed the Resistance Gastrolith, a notification window popped up saying that my resistance to poison had increased as written.

“Whoo… .”

Being able to raise the ability for future events was a huge benefit.

Both strength and poison resistance were valuable abilities.

Henir's Shadow also acquired a large amount of experience, so hopefully the third ability might bloom in the near future.

Encouraged by that fact, I looked at the remaining three objects.

A ring, an earring, and a tattered book.

I used emotion in turn.

Ring of corruption (Curse / Rare)

It's a creepy-looking ring.

There is a reluctant anecdote that most of the people who carelessly put this ring on their finger gave up on life themselves.

― When worn, the wearer will be afflicted with an abnormal state (mental corruption).

― When worn, it blocks all mental interference except for the previous condition (mental corruption).

Earring of Mana Control (Stacked / Rare)

It is imprinted with the heart of a worm that eats magic crystals and forged.

This supremely beautiful appearance shows that it was made with considerable effort.

― It can only be worn by people with mana of C or higher.

― It draws out and strengthens the flow of mana to use magic more easily.

― It can be overlapped with objects and effects of similar effects.

Introduction to Necromancy (Skillbook / Consumable / Rare)

A book that will guide you through the first steps of an evil, stealthy, and powerful necromancy.

Anyone who has read this book will be different from who he was before, and he will be enslaved by the lust for power and commit taboos.

― Once used, the effect disappears.

― Mana of B or higher, and only those who have mastered ‘Introduction to Magic – Advanced’ can use it.

― You can learn the skill ‘Corpse Control’.

― You can learn the skill ‘Necromancy’.

― Permanently increases evil tendencies.

"Hmm… .”

They were definitely good items, but they were ambiguous for me to use.

I didn't want to wear the Ring of Corruption just because of the description.

Where in the world should I use this?

“I think it would be useful for torture…  .”

Or I might be able to defend against mental attacks by giving up the flesh instead of bones.

But honestly, the ring was on the better side.

In the case of the other two, even the minimum conditions for use could not be met.

Still, I might use them someday.

I used Henir's Shadow to swallow up all the items I had classified.

I then threw all the solid fuels I had brought into the items I had classified as useless and set them on fire.

It also included data and records on human experiments that Isabelle Gaudi had done throughout her life.

After confirming that they had begun to burn, I immediately moved on.

As soon as I came out of the cramped cave with smoke, I inhaled deeply.

“Puhu… !”

I feel like I've come back to life.

As I muttered this to myself and grabbed the bag that I had left beside me, I could smell the unpleasant odor.

It wasn't far away, it was the smell of my body.

“… Let's take a bath first."

* * *

“Do you think this is right?”

"Hold on."

Kim Yoo-Hyun flicked a hand through his sweaty hair as he hammered the giant halberd upside down into the ground.

As the sweat dripped from his gestures, Lee Hyun-Seung distorted his expression as if it was dirty.

Immediately he raised his glasses and carefully picked up the pale purple flower with a tong.

"How long will it take to check?"

“It takes less than five minutes to prepare the reagent and check the reactions. So in the meantime, take a break. In that time, I need to do my part.”

Lee Hyun-Seung answered Ivan Hunt's question with a confident voice.

I looked around as if it was okay, and Jin Ye-Seul also stuck by my side, pretending to look around.

“Then let’s take a short break.”

At the words of the team leader Ivan, Kim Yoo-Hyun collapsed and fell to the ground.

The terrain for this mock dungeon class was a plain.

Thanks to this, I was exhausted as I poured out my energy to check and block the monsters coming from all directions.

‘But why the hell am I on the vanguard with a dagger?’

I was told to be a scout, but if I looked at it, I was always standing on the frontline with Kim Yoo-Hyun.

But honestly, I did very little on this battlefield.

Knowing that he suffered as much as I had never done anything, I naturally stood on the perimeter.

It was when I reached for the water bottle I had tied to the waist, thinking I should moisten my neck or something.

“Um, here… Drink this.”

“Thanks, but I'll drink mine."

I said to Jin Ye-Seul, who held out her own water bottle in front of me, as if she had read my thoughts. 

And at my rejection, Jin Ye-Seul mumbled with a gloomy expression as usual.

“Sor, sorry… I made you uncomfortable... .”

Then she stuttered and bowed her head to me, a composition that made me look like trash no matter how you looked at it.

In fact, I made an instant eye contact with Lee Hyun-Seung, who was looking at us with interest, and seeing him awkwardly avoiding my gaze, it was clear what he was thinking.

"Excuse me."

"Huh?"

Meanwhile, Han Soo-Young approached me and spoke to me carefully.

She had a more serious expression than usual.

"What? Did something happen?"

“Can I talk to you for a moment?”

When I asked, Han Soo-Young asked in a quiet voice.

As I nodded my head, she let out a small sigh.

"...Did something happen with Hyun-Woo by any chance?"

"What?"

Why is Choi Hyun-Woo suddenly appearing?

When I shook my head as if I didn't know, she tilted her head.

“You don't know either… .”

“What’s going on?”

“He’s being a little weird.”

Han Soo-Young replied like that.

In short, these days, he had locked himself up in the training room, doing nothing but training.

She explained that training and discipline had always been a part of his daily life, but that it had recently gotten worse.

And after hearing that, I replied.

“But it’s not easy for me either. I don't think I'm in a position to tell anyone."

"No, uh. That's… .”

"That is?"

“…  .”

Han Soo-Young fell silent.

Then suddenly, she began to look at me with a grumpy gaze, and I quickly shook my hand.

"Yeah. As you said, it seems like a big deal. So you want me to go and ask, right?”

Han Soo-Young nodded her head and added.

“I asked once, but he didn’t move.”

“He doesn't even respond to what you say, is it going to be different if I say?”

“… I know what you are misunderstanding, but Hyun-Woo and I are just like family. We grew up together since we were young under the same master, so how can we not get along? He and I are just close friends.”

"Uh. Uh, yeah I'm sorry."

At Han Soo-Young's sudden stinging attitude, I took a step back.

Then, Han Soo-Young made a startled expression.

“So, sorry. I didn't mean to be angry... Anyway, that's what I mean...  .”

“Yeah, I know what you mean.”

I nodded.

I thought that if it was Han Soo-Young, it would have been very difficult for her to come and talk to me.

Then I told her about the memories that came to mind.

“It’s fine. After this is over, we can go to Choi Hyun-Woo's place together and then go to the library.”

“Uh, what?”

I put the water bottle back on my waist as I looked at Han Soo-Young looked at me confused, as if she had heard some strange words. 

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