NOVEL NEXT WORLD chapter 72
72 – Randomly One (1)
Indeed, a feat quest.
Perhaps it’s because this isn’t just an event quest with a ‘feat’ label, but a standalone ‘feat quest.’
It was the most plentiful and the best rewards I had received so far.
“Is this why protagonists in possession stories fight for their lives?”
Of course, the characters in novels or games don’t risk their lives solely for the rewards.
But if the rewards are this generous for risking one’s life… isn’t it worth it?
I stroked my chin and nodded.
“…Ah, right.”
Now that I think about it, didn’t I have some points left?
I remember not using them to buy an S-Grade talent…
“Since it’s come to this, I should organize my rewards.”
I reopened the hologram on my smartwatch.
Then, after activating the notes function, I organized the rewards I just received along with the ones I hadn’t used yet, combining them with my points and usage tickets.
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400,000 points (+170,000) = 570,000 points.
A-Grade Talent and Skill Selection Ticket (2)
A-Grade Item Selection Ticket (2)
S-Grade Item Selection Ticket (1)
Grade Up Ticket (3 for B grade or lower)
Grade Upgrade Ticket (Below A Grade) Chapter 1.
Random Cheat Usage Ticket 5 pieces (+9 pieces) = 14 pieces.
Select Cheat Usage Ticket 3 pieces.
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“…At this point, I might not need to use any more points, right?”
I opened the point shop and searched for ‘S Grade’, ‘Talent’.
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‘Dragon Slayer (S) – 1,000,000 points’
….
‘Superhuman Strength (S) – 1,500,000 points’
….
‘Eye of Horus (S) – 2,000,000 points’
….
…….
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As expected, even among the same S Grade, there seemed to be a difference in tier, with the cheapest being 1 million points.
And the most expensive talent was… ‘Divine (S)’. 100 million points.
“100 million points….”
I understood that the Divine talent, being the power of a god, would be expensive.
But I couldn’t help but wonder if the day I would gather 100 million points would ever come….
“Well… I guess it’ll accumulate someday.”
I decided to think positively, reasoning that it was listed in the point shop because it was purchasable.
“Then I’ll skip the points this time as well….”
I rubbed my hands together, trying to calm my pounding, trembling heart.
While doing so, I entered ‘A Grade’, ‘Skill’ into the point shop.
With the selection ticket I obtained this time, I purchased the talent I had been considering since last time.
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『Clairvoyance (A)』
Can see beyond a thousand miles.
– Range Limit: 392 km
– The further the distance, the greater the consumption of magical and mental energy.
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Since the moment I used the item on the deserted island, I had been itching to make a purchase.
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『Telekinesis (A)』
Allows you to move objects without physical contact.
– Range of telekinesis: 1km
– The heavier the object, the greater the consumption of magical and mental energy.
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And I decided to buy telekinesis after witnessing Kali’s prowess.
‘No, how can I endure this?’
I can perform the Orb of Babil○.
Anyway, as soon as I purchased the two skills, I decided to try them out immediately.
“Whoa…, it’s floating, it’s floating.”
The water bottle on the table began to levitate gently.
It moved left and right, up and down, at my gesture.
I tried to make the water inside the bottle move.
Swirl, swirl, swirl….
While the bottle hovered in mid-air, the water inside began to swirl.
This time, I attempted to move it using only my thoughts, without any hand gestures.
However, unlike before, the bottle began to wobble precariously.
Thud.
In the end, the bottle fell to the floor.
“I guess I need to practice a bit.”
I used telekinesis to lift the fallen bottle and placed it back on the table.
Then, I decided to test how much I could lift.
First…, I tried to lift the heaviest refrigerator in this hospital room.
“Hmm, still manageable.”
I then attempted to lift the bed I was lying on.
“…still manageable.”
I lifted the 100-inch TV.
Immediately, my heart began to throb.
“Definitely lacking in mana.”
I carefully returned the items I had levitated back to their original places.
Then, I tried lifting smaller things, like water bottles, with my telekinesis.
One, two, three… and at fifteen, my heart throbbed again.
So, I placed everything back and took out a mana restoration potion from my inventory.
Once I had recovered a decent amount of mana, I decided to try using my clairvoyance.
Whoosh!
My vision soared.
From the academy hospital as a reference point, everything began to unfold like a map beneath me.
“Hmm… this is just like the clairvoyance item I used on the deserted island.”
Now, I needed to check how far I could see with my current level.
I pushed my vision forward.
And when I had moved about 10 kilometers…
Throb.
Once again, perhaps due to a lack of mana, my heart throbbed.
I let out a short sigh and ended the clairvoyance.
“…I should gather some materials for mana-related elixirs later.”
Or… should I use a random cheat ticket?
I currently have ’14 tickets’ in hand.
It takes 10 tickets to use for ‘infinite mana.’
So, I could use the tickets I’ve gathered so far to draw for ‘infinite mana.’
But the problem is… true to its name, the ‘random cheat ticket’ is indeed random.
“Hmm….”
I crossed my arms and pondered.
‘Should I use it or not?’
Should I gather a bit more? I have 14 now, and if I collect just 6 more, I could draw including ‘invincibility.’
No, that’s not right; what I need most right now is ‘infinite mana.’
So, with 14 tickets, it might be better to just roll comfortably.
….
…….
After some contemplation, the conclusion I reached was.
“…For now, I think I’ll use all the rewards I’ve obtained this time and then reconsider.”
…It was a decision to postpone things a little.
I found it amusing myself, letting out a sheepish laugh as I opened the status window.
Then, I used the grade-up tickets on the three talents and one skill listed.
First, I used three grade-up tickets (for B rank and below).
[The grade of Teleportation (D) will rise to Teleportation (C).]
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『Teleportation (C)』
Transports items to a desired location.
– Transports items within a radius of 50m.
– The farther the distance, the greater the mana consumption.
– Cannot transport into the interior of living beings.
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[Agile Movement (B) evolves into Shadow Step (A).]
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「Shadow Step (A)」
Silent and swift.
Let not your shadow be seen.
– When moving, ‘Agility’ is applied.
– When moving, ‘Stealth’ is applied.
– When in darkness, ‘Invisibility’ passive activates.
– Hide Shadow [ON / OFF]
– Agility + 15
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「Agility」
Effect of the talent ‘Shadow Step (A).’
Additional Correction for Step Speed.
Reduction in Step Energy Consumption.
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“Stealth”
Effect of the talent ‘Shadowless Step (A).’
Noise reduction correction for footsteps.
Noise elimination correction upon falling.
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[The Hero’s Skill Management (B) evolves into the Hero’s Mana Management (A).]
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“Hero’s Mana Management (A)”
A management technique created by a hero who attained enlightenment.
It not only reduces the waste of mana in skills but also allows for more efficient use of mana.
– 10% reduction in mana consumption for all skills.
– 50% increase in mana recovery rate.
– When mana is below 10%, mana recovery rate increases by 100%.
– When in a state of mana depletion, ‘Rapid Mana Recovery’ activates.
– Mana +15.
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“Rapid Mana Recovery”
Effect of the talent ‘Hero’s Mana Management (A).’
Automatically activates when in a state of mana depletion.
– Instantly recover 50% of mana.
– 200% increase in mana recovery rate for 1 minute.
– Reuse activation time: 24 hours.
[Take good care of your mana management.]
[- From a kind hero -]
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I evolved the B-grade skills listed in my talent roster to A-grade.
The transfer was… akin to my identity, hence I raised its grade.
And finally, the usage of the grade-up rights (for A-grade and below).
[The Secret of the Demon Hunter (A) evolves into the Demon Slayer (S)!]
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「Demon Slayer (S)」
Rage and hate.
Until all evil is swept away.
– 50% additional stat boost when fighting ‘enemies.’
– 100% additional stat boost when fighting ‘magical’ enemies.
– ‘Contempt for the Weak’ passive activates when fighting ‘magical’ enemies.
– ‘Rage’ passive activates upon encountering evil.
– ‘Demon Hunting’ passive activates upon encountering evil.
– 150% additional stat boost when fighting evil.
– ‘Indomitable’ passive automatically activates when entering a near-death state.
– Vision is not hindered by darkness.
– Immune to magic.
– When in an area with magic, health and mana recovery increased by 50%.
– Health +15, Strength +15, Agility +10
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「Contempt for the Weak」
A passive of the talent ‘Demon Slayer (S).’
Automatically activates when fighting ‘magical’ enemies.
– Reduces the stats of ‘magical’ enemies by 20%.
– Applies ‘Terror of the Prey’ to ‘magical’ enemies.
(However, the higher the enemy’s rank, the lesser the fear effect.)
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「Rage」
Passive Ability: ‘Demon Slayer (S)’
Automatically activates upon encountering evil.
– You become enraged. Until the evil before you is vanquished.
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“Demon Hunting”
Passive ability of ‘Demon Slayer (S)’.
Automatically activates upon encountering evil.
– Reduces the stats of evil by 20%.
(The greater your rage, the more potent the effect.)
[Demons are torn apart and slain.]
[- Demon Slayer -]
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“Indomitable”
Passive ability of ‘Demon Slayer (S)’.
Automatically activates when entering a near-death state.
– Increases health recovery speed by 200% for 30 seconds.
– Immune to all debuffs for 30 seconds.
– Reuse activation time: 24 hours.
[You cannot die yet.]
[- Demon Slayer -]
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“Wow…, really, wow….”
A stream of admiration escaped my lips.
I never imagined that an evolved A-rank ability could be this good.
With effects like this, it must be worth around four to five million points, right?
I immediately searched for ‘Demon Slayer (S)’ in the points shop.
‘Demon Slayer (S) – 4,500,000 points (not available for purchase)’
“I knew it would be around this much.”
4.5 million points.
In my opinion, the ‘Demon Slayer (S)’ was packed with very effective options against the Fallen, Apostles, and Outsiders.
It could almost be called a true counter to them.
“Wait a minute… wouldn’t it be more beneficial to evolve to A-rank every time I get a rank-up ticket?”
But that thought was fleeting.
“Ah… it won’t necessarily turn out well.”
Since this kind of system didn’t exist in the game, I had no idea which talents would be good to evolve.
Therefore, I couldn’t confidently say that this would yield good results, so it would evolve into a strong S-rank, right?
And the rank-up tickets I had obtained so far were from ‘Main Quest Chapter 2’ and this ‘Achievement Quest.’
As the name suggests, they were not easy to come by, so I couldn’t use them recklessly.
“Now, what’s left is… two A-rank item selection tickets and one S- rank item selection ticket, right?”
This time, there was no need to search the point shop.
I already had items in mind.
“I’ve always lacked defense.”
I felt this especially while fighting against the Bewitched.
I realized just how severely I was lacking in defense.
So, I decided to use these item selection tickets for defense-related equipment.
First, with the two A-rank item selection tickets.
I purchased an automatic potion item called ‘Potion Injector (A)’ and a combat suit to replace the tactical vest called ‘Ares Armor (A).’
And with the S- rank item selection ticket.
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【Imperfect Aegis (S-)】[0/500,000]
A shield crafted for the goddess of war.
The shield is missing a crucial element.
– When defending against melee attacks, 30% chance to reflect 50% of the damage.
– When defending against ranged attacks, 30% chance to reflect 50% of the damage.
– When defending against attacks, 30% chance to petrify the ‘enemy’ (10 seconds).
– Damage absorption (destroyed when absorption gauge is full).
– Critical damage absorption (destroyed after absorption).
– Item transformation possible (shield / ring).
– +30 Vitality
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I bought a shield to protect my life.
An imperfect Aegis (S-).
I purchased this because of its ‘Damage Absorption’ and ‘Critical Damage Absorption’ abilities.
Although it has several flaws, typical of a minus-grade item, and has a critical option called ‘Destruction’, it’s an option that doesn’t concern me at all.
Why? Because I have an ‘Infinite Item’.
“With this, I can avoid instant death now.”
I put the Aegis in my inventory, took out a replica, and transformed it into a ring shape. I then wore it on my right index finger.
“Ah…, I already feel reassured.”
It’s like wearing a nanomachine, just like the doctor in some game.
I stroked the Aegis, feeling satisfied, and checked my status window.
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[Name: Lee Yoo-jin]
■Physical Abilities: 101 → 176
– Vitality: 28 → 73 (+30)
– Strength: 23 → 38
– Agility: 50 → 65
■Mental Abilities: 94 → 108
– Magic: 28 → 38
– Spirit: 68 → 70
– Charm: -2 → 0
■Special Abilities
– Mental Resistance: 10
– Disease Resistance: 10
– Cold Resistance: 10
■Talents
– Devil Slayer (S), Sniper’s Sharp Sense (A+), Strong Spirit (A), Alchemist’s High-Ranking Transmutation (A), Unwavering Protection (A), Hero’s Magic Management (A).
■Skills
– Clairvoyance (A), Telekinesis (A), Insight (B), Teleportation (C)
■Derived Active Skills
– Live Focus (Sniper’s Keen Sense (A+))
+ Dead Shot (Chain Skill of Live Focus)
– Rapid Mana Recovery (Hero’s Mana Management (A))
– Steadfast Mind (Strong Will (A))
■Derived Passive Skills
– Scorn for the Weak, Fury, Demon Hunting, Indomitable (Demon Slayer (S))
– Stealth, Swiftness, Subtlety (Shadowless Step (A))
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“At this level…, it should be considered mid-high tier.”
Combining cheats puts me somewhere between high tier and top tier?
I nodded with a proud expression.
And now, it was time to unlock the cheats I had been putting off.
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[☆Arena Academy☆]
[v 1.1 plus 8 Trainer]
– [○] Invincibility
– [○] Infinite Health
– [○] Infinite Stamina
– [○] Infinite Mana
– [●] Infinite Items [ON / OFF]
– [○] Speed Limit Release
– [●] Super Accuracy [ON / OFF]
– [○] Enemy Slow Motion
[Number of Selectable Cheat Tokens: 3]
[Number of Random Cheat Tokens: 14]
[Next Usage Count for Cheat Tokens]
※Click [here] to check.
I opened the cheat tool.
“…Alright, let’s use it.”
I ultimately decided to go for it.
Without hesitation, I activated the random cheat ticket.
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【Available Draw List】
1. Infinite Health
2. Infinite Mana
3. Enemy Slow Motion
4. Infinite Stamina
5. Speed Limit Release
*You can draw ‘1’ cheat with ’10 tickets.’
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[Would you like to use the ’10 tickets’ for a random cheat? YES / NO]
“Let’s go! Let’s go─!”
I pressed the ‘YES’ button.
Suddenly, a roulette wheel appeared in my view.
Ding ding ding ding ding!
[Infinite Health] → [Infinite Mana] → [Enemy Slow Motion] → [Infinite Stamina] → [Speed Limit Release]
The wheel began to spin rapidly with the sound of the roulette.
“Please, Infinite Mana! Infinite Mana!!”
God, Buddha, dear Developer!
Please grant me Infinite Mana!
Just as I finished my prayer.
Bam bam bam!
Fireworks exploded on either side of the roulette wheel, and a fanfare echoed.
And then.
[‘Speed Limit Release’ has been activated.]
….
…….
“Hey, you b*stard…!!”