Chapter 88

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As soon as I told the three of them I had something else to do, they parted ways.

I immediately used the warp gate to head to the place where the Thunder Lord's Hammer Guild was.

As soon as I stepped out of the warp gate, someone welcomed me,  and it was none other than the man I had seen before where Esmeralda Lysnerger was held captive.

"I've been waiting for you. Come with me.”

As soon as he saw me, he bowed his head politely and guided me to the car he had parked.

He treated me with a very business-like yet respectful attitude.

I could only think that he had been influenced by either Lee Myung-Joon or Horie Yuzuki, as his attitude was clearly different from before.

“Welcome, Ji-Hyuk.”

When I arrived at the guild, Horie Yuzuki, who was waiting at the entrance, reached out as if she was happy to see me.

After the incident in Aegis, she and I had become quite close.

“The boss has already given full authority, so it shouldn't be a problem. However, Ji-Hyuk, since you are an outsider, you'll have to be accompanied by me, but you'll need someone by your side to explain things to you, right?”

"Of course."

With that, she said to the man with me, 'Good work, Alexander,' to which he bowed his head and replied that it was no big deal.

As I looked at it, Horie smiled slightly and said.

“I got promoted, you know. The only person higher than me in the guild now is the boss."

“Congratulations, Horie-ssi.”

“Actually, I’m not in a position to be promoted…… I guess the other people liked me and recommended me."

In some other future, would she know that she had become the Guild master of the Thunder Lord's Hammer?

With that thought in mind, I followed her quietly around.

As she guided me, she told me several stories so that I wouldn't feel awkward.

“Yes, here.”

Not long after, we arrived in front of a crude iron gate.

She asked me to turn my head for a moment, and soon I heard the sound of over twenty buttons being pressed.

She started with pupil identification, then went through all sorts of biometric recognition that I've only seen in movies, like fingerprint recognition and voice recognition, and held out her hand to me.

“Congratulations, Ji-Hyuk. You're the first person to enter the Guild's warehouse as an outsider.”

With the words, the door opened smoothly without any sound, and soon the inside was revealed.

Inside, there were several weapons and objects displayed in an extremely practical and efficient manner rather than a splendid manner.

Each one of them would be a ridiculous item worth hundreds of millions of won.

"You can freely choose. Of course, you can't choose all of them.”

Adding playfully, she nodded and added.

“Oh, by the way, I got a call from Ye-Sul. I heard you've decided to bring Ye-Seul's share as well, Ji-Hyuk, is that correct?"

“… Yes. That's right."

She nodded once more as if she understood.

"Well, I've been holding you for too long."

She still smiled and said, looking at me with a favorable gaze.

“Ji-Hyuk, you've brought enough qualifications to deserve this kind of treatment. Thanks to you, the boss's position has grown tremendously. So, please, don't feel pressured and choose. There will be brief explanations, but if you need more detailed explanations, feel free to call me anytime.”

After she finished her words, I immediately walked inside.

I didn't hesitate, because I already knew what I would choose.

With the emotion window up, I first headed towards the side with the armor, and also towards the place where the gauntlet-type things were.

After a while, I was able to find what I was looking for.

Mirage's Gloves (Unique)

― This is a protective gear that, when worn, does not feel heterogeneous or resistant.

Its sturdiness makes it a great weapon on its own.

It bears the marks of someone's long years of use.

― If you engage in melee combat while wearing this equipment, you may inflict additional shock on your opponent.

― You can use physical force on formless bodies, fluids, and spirits.

— ???

It was none other than the Gauntlet, one of the Shadow Walker's legacy.

The only way she could get this legacy in the original story was by stealing or robbing, and in fact, this was actually a difficult item to get in the original story, as it could be only obtained by breaking into and stealing it from within Lord Thunder's Hammer Guild.

The reason for taking this first was that it was a reward for Jin Ye-Seul, but the skill gained by using it was a bigger reason.

If you acquire that skill, befitting the name of the Mirage Gloves, you can create a perfectly identical replica of something by touching it while wearing it.

As no one could detect it and only the wearer of the glove could find it, its uses were limitless.

After getting it first, I began to slowly look around the armor and other weapons.

I didn't need any more weapons right now.

There was the dagger that Jin Ye-Seul had given me as a gift, and by weaving a branch of a World Tree to Nidhogg's fang, it was possible to create something like an arrow.

In the case of the bow, I didn't need anything else as I had the World Tree bow.

So I focused my search on armor, but unfortunately most of it was heavy armor or wizard's robes that I didn't need.

I was able to find one that was okay, named 'Lampton's Shirt' which looked like an ordinary t-shirt, but it was stronger than mediocre armor and had the ability to be restored by infusing it with mana.

Lampton's shirt was almost in the corner, perhaps of relatively low importance.

… Of course, this would have been something that could easily receive a few hundred million if it was released on the market.

I looked around more, just in case, but I couldn't find anything I liked.

And I moved to a place where potions, consumable items, and other small things were collected.

“… There’s no way there isn't.”

And there, I found an Awakening potion and smiled a little.

I searched carefully to see if there was anything that increased my stats like the sap of the first substance, but unfortunately, I couldn't find any such items.

Still, I picked it up right away, thinking this was enough.

Then, I felt something twitch in my right arm.

When I turned my head to see what it was, the branch of the World Tree flickered into view, asserting itself towards somewhere else.

When I looked over there, I saw that there was a green gem-like object.

Dryad's Seed (Ingredient / Rare)

― They are also called hamadryads, and it is said that they live their whole lives with trees, and when the trees die or are cut down, they also die. There is also a legend that, in extremely rare cases, when a tree ends its lifespan due to a natural cause, the power of the dryad left in the place of the dead tree is refined into a gem. 

Perhaps the legend is true.

“…… .”

Honestly, it was useless to me, but it was one of the few times a branch of the World Tree had expressed its will with such intensity.

After thinking for a while, I picked it up and he trembled with joy.

In the end, the items I chose were Mirage's Gloves, Lampton's Shirt, Awakening Potion, and finally Dryad's Seed.

What else should I bring?

I had no choice but to think a lot because I could never come back to a place like this.

And at the sight of my worries, Horie Yuzuki seemed to have mistaken for a different meaning.

“… Is that all? You can take a few more."

"Oh, is that okay?"

She nodded as if to say, what are you talking about?

"Of course. It goes without saying that as you're not only choosing your share, Ji-Hyuk, but also Ye-Seul’s.”

When she said that she would be scolded by Lee Myung-Joon if she just let me go like this, I turned around again.

Even though she said that, I don't really have anything else to bring.

It's better to ask for cash than to sell the items and turn them into money.

After pondering for a while, I decided to pick something that I could give to Han Soo-Young, Choi Hyun-Woo, and Jin Ye-Seul.

For Choi Hyeon-Woo, I picked up a sword with excellent strength, for Han Soo-Young an old-fashioned grimoire, and for Jin Ye-Seul a necklace that can change into a weapon.

When I left with the things I had chosen, Horie Yuzuki meticulously checked the items I had chosen, wrote something on the list, and nodded.

“Yes, you can take them all with you. If you want, should I send them to the academy safely?”

“Then please.”

“Yes, then go back and send me the coordinates. I'll warp them right there. Oh, have you eaten...?"

"I've just eaten."

“Um, I can't just send you back after you're done with your business.”

Horie Yuzuki said that and winked at me.

“Actually, this is a secret, but do you know that the boss covets Ji-hyuk so much? You're still in your first year, so he's not allowed to have any prior contact with you, but he'll be able to contact you in your third year, and he's determined that he must do it then. So, I've told him many times that we need to create a good image for the guild if possible."

I just nodded at her words.

It's two years.

After that amount of time, it would already be time to return to the original world.

Or face some other outcome.

“… Thank you. Then I'll get going now.”

“Yes, then please take care on your way back."

I handed her the rest of the items I had picked, except for the Awakening Potion, Dryad's Seed, and Lampton's Shirt.

“If you are going to wear it, should I show you to the changing room?"

“No, I don't have much time, so I'll go. I don't want to bother you anymore.”

When I refused moderately, she nodded as if she understood.

After refusing her offer to drive me to the warp gate, I immediately stepped outside and walked to a nearby park where there were few people.

As I entered the public restroom and put on Lampton's shirt, I saw that the branch of the World Tree had come out.

It was wriggling violently, as if it was complaining to me.

“Okay, here it is. Here."

When I handed over Dryad's seed as if I were tossing it, he snatched it as if he had been waiting.

Then he pulled it into my body, wrapping it tightly.

To my surprise, the fist-sized Dryad's seed disappeared as if it had been sucked in, but I did not feel any pain or foreign body sensation.

[The branches of the World Tree begin to absorb large amounts of nutrients!]

[The branches of the World Tree begin to take on the spirit of an old, ancient tree...… .]

[‘Spirit's Blessing E (Temporary)’ temporarily increases to ‘Spirit's Blessing  D (Temporary)’!]

Looking at the notification windows that emerged sequentially, I opened the bottle to use the most awaited Awakening potion.

I can feel the taste and aroma that I have experienced once flow through the esophagus into the body.

Eventually, I chose to awaken Henir's Shadow, which had only the last awakening left.

Soon after, notification windows began to appear one after another, as if I could hear them rattling with my eyes.

[A bizarre and mysterious power dwells in your body and awakens your mind...… .]

[The hidden power opens his eyes in response to it!]

[Henir's Shadow has succeeded in awakening all latent abilities!]

[Stamina, agility, and art are permanently increased by one level!]

After checking that far, I immediately checked the status and Henir's Shadow.

Name: Yoo Ji-Hyuk

Gender: M

///

Stamina: C

Strength: C (++)

Agility: B (+)

Mana: D (+)

Arts: C (+)

Luck: C (――)

Karma: 10

Henir's Shadow (Bonded / Parasitic / Growth / Legendary)

[Effect][Active]

― You can cast Henir's Shadow at will. Henir's Shadow has acknowledged you as master and is willing to serve you.

― Hernir's Shadow can be wrapped around a part of the body and used as armor.

— You can make things that touch the shadow temporarily sink into the shadow. The depth and duration of the sinking depend on the owner's ability and the conditions of the object it comes into contact with.

― You can move from shadow to shadow using Henir's shadow as a medium. The greater the distance, the greater the amount of mana consumed. Only those who possess Henir's Shadow can move through the shadows. The shadow must be large enough to move.

―  Henir's shadow can be removed to create a shadow clone with the same stats as the owner. The created shadow clone acts according to your will and is capable of autonomous thinking. If you receive more than a certain amount of shock, the shadow clone will be canceled naturally and you will not be able to create a shadow clone for a certain period of time. You can share your senses with the shadow clone, and if a great shock is applied to the body, the impact can be sent to the shadow clone. You cannot use other abilities of Henir's Shadow while creating and maintaining a shadow clone.

This was the reason why Jin Ye-Seul was called the strongest when it came to close combat in the original story.

Originally, Henir's shadow would have been fully awakened after a year had passed.

As I was feeling somewhat elated, the shadow moved on its own and looked at me.

Then, when I thought that my eyes met, he bowed his head politely and went back to his original state.

Okay, then, let's go back now.

It was when I was about to leave the bathroom thinking that way.

[The condition to become a singularity in the scenario has been met.]

[Parts of the main scenario will be changed.]

[Status window update is about to begin! (Estimated time ― 4 days, 13 hours)]

Another notification window popped up, as if to tell me not to forget such a thing.

[You have become a being that changes the flow of this world.]

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