I Never Run Out of Mana Chapter 32

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32. My Way (4)

The laser indiscriminately pierced through the monsters, ripping them to shreds.

However, the wounds, as they received damage, seemed to heal at the same time.

It wasn’t perfect, but bleeding stopped quickly, and something seemed to fill the empty holes in their bodies.

“It would be great if I had a skill to prevent their regeneration.”

Most high ranking magic had some kind of ability that prevented enemy from recovering.

It had incredibly high damage output, as well as preventing recovery. It wasn’t just called a high ranking skill for nothing.

They also sported an incredible price matching that.

Putting aside my disappointment, I looked at them.

‘Griffon.’

With the head and wings of an eagle, and sharp talons.

It was a giant monster with the body and hind legs of a lion.

The moment it came within my sights, it flew towards me with incredible speeds.

From its beak to wings, it came at me like an arrow.

From what I found out, until its life was extinguished, it would attack like this.

However, when its fire of life was about to be extinguished, it would attack as if its life is on the line.

The last final attack.

Its body glanced the shield casted around me.

Due to the incredible amount of speed and power, the Reflect Shield seemed to waver a bit.

It was a shield that had reached lv 100. It seemed that I didn’t give enough credit for its attack power.

Until it turned its direction to head back towards me, the shield recovered its form and I finished preparing to receive its attack.

With its multiple attacks, the Reflect Shield was countering by reflecting the attack back at it.

Then.

While I was focused solely on its attacks, the ‘Poison Naga’ continued to spray sticky vomit around me.

The vomit it spewed all over to floor started to boil like hydrochloric acid on metal.

Soon, a foul smoke began to permeate.

If I make a mistake and step on it without my shield, it wouldn’t end with just losing my boots and armor.

The vile poison would instantly seep into the foot of the Awakened.

If that happens, there is only one solution. Without a single bit of hesitation, to amputate from the calf down.

If you try to pathetically save one’s foot with an ‘Antidote’ spell, you’d lose your life within a minute.

The one thing that made me shudder was for the high stamina tank type Awakened.

Due to the defense capabilities from their stamina stat, no magicians that would normally enter a level 18 dungeon would be able to amputate. Thus only the poisoned member themselves could, and would have to cut off their own limb.

Even if you were an Awakened with 100 stamina and 10 strength, you were able to hurt yourself as if your body was that of a normal person.

As if a scene from the movie “Saw.”

Of course high ranking healers could regenerate the lost foot.

You’d have to pay an incredible sum of money though.

A monster with the body and tail of a snake, a halfling.

From the waist up, the hands each held a sword thin as paper.

After spitting out venom repeatedly, it flicked its tongue, getting closer.

It could slide quickly on the areas the venom it spat out landed.

“A chicken and a bowl of snake soup. I’m blessed with food.”

Time for the griffon to attack again.

I casted Fire Shock.

In a radius of 15m around me, the dark dungeon was bathed in bright red.

It was a skill with only a duration of 10 seconds, so I had to hold them in place as long as possible.

The moment they were in my sights, I used Bind to root them.

The level 21 bind would only last for 1 to 2 seconds, but I just need to keep casting is all.

The moment when the griffon was caught by its hind legs and flapped its wings desperately to struggle free…

I casted Hold on the naga that was swinging its sword at me.

It was obvious that its sword attacks would be all blocked by my shield.

However, I knew that the constant attacks would slowly eat away at the duration of the shields.

The flames from the Fire Shock meeting with the venom caused the dungeon to become a gas chamber.

If my shields gave out right now, and I was to inhale this smoke…..

Since I did not raise my agility stat, I was weak towards status changes. It was obvious that a tragedy would occur.

A skill that did not take account for the surroundings, truly for those who play solo.

It’s a hunting method that a hunting party cannot even dream about.

Without being able to move, they could only get hit by the Fire Shock head on.

10 seconds.

It was the time left before I casted Gravity Laser again since casting Hold and Bind with both my hands prevented me from casting it.

Until then I had to focus only on halting their movements.

I noticed that their ability to recover had been reduced drastically.

As the sea of red ended, stopping the cast of Hold and Bind, I continued to spam Gravity Laser.

After Bind being undone, the griffon that was flying at me continuously suddenly stopped 3m above my head.

His life force must be nearly extinguished. The only thing left must be his last resort attack.

Despite the laser penetrating and ripping its entire body apart, it spread its wings and continued to flap its way towards me.

But that was for a brief moment.

As it stopped its wings, the feathers from the inside of its wings began to pour down.

The small black red shards were like sharp assassin weapons, resembling that of an assassin’s ‘Weapon Throw’.

The shape was different, but it wasn’t just an attack. It was truly a final attack.

Feather that came pouring like rain. Just in case, I had even casted Spirit Armor.

Due to the attack above me, my vision was nearly blocked due to all the feathers being imbedded in the shield.

As if from the battles with Guseon 1 where all those arrows and explosives were embedded on it.

Even on the naga who was nearly dead, there were hundreds, if not thousands of featheres embedded on it.

The destroyed body that struggled till its last fell to the ground.

[100,000 Experience Obtained]

[100,000 Experience Obtained]

For killing one, the experience I gained was 100k!

Level 18 dungeons were different from the manticore and succubus dungeons.

Unlike those dungeons where hundreds of monsters appeared, there were only 20 to 25 monsters.

But even those few, if I could get them all I could obtain a minimum experience of 2 million.

Unlike the 800k experience I received form the succubus dungeon, the experience I gained rose over 2.5 times from before.

In order for a level 108 to increase his or her lv by 1, the experience required was 60 million.

After lv 30, the required experience began to exponentially increase, and now has become 60 million.

To take down both these two, it had taken only 2 minutes.

But thinking about the 3 minutes cooldown time of Fire Shock…

I realized that it would take roughly 1 hour to take them all down.

“This isn’t going to work out.”

Thought for a brief moment…

The collapsed bodies gave off a green ‘demonic fire’ along with the blood stone.

The light was absorbed by a monster far away who was merely watching the fight.

“I forgot about him. Ah. I have a headache. One hour probably isn’t enough?”

The one who absorbed the light, its form became a little less ethereal than before.

Its name is ‘Reaper Louver ‘.

From the dungeon entrance onwards, this place looked like a road to guide the dead to the underworld.

To match that, a reaper that guides all the monsters’ soul in the dungeon had appeared.

“Passing the summer, they’re filming ‘Legend of the Homeland’.”

As our eyes met, it turned its back on me and disappeared into the darkness.

It wouldn’t attack right now.

Maybe when all the monsters here have died. If the hidden boss appeared, it would probably absorb its soul and then fight.

The boss itself was a mid-tier boss, but if it absorbed the soul of the hidden boss, I heard it would become incredibly strong.

I didn’t have time for this.

I gave my all and charged forward.

Continued to take down the enemies.

Hunting by grouping only 2~3 of them at a time. And they kept recovering.

And the 3 minutes cooldown of Fire Shock.

The result was going overtime on the dungeon’s time limit.

All the monsters that fired magic gleefully disappeared, and the exit opened in the center of the dungeon.

“Damn it.”

And that’s how I tasted my first defeat as an Awakened.


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I Never Run Out of Mana Chapter 31

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31. My Way (3)

I had decided on my current goal.

I needed an M/B or M/A ranking weapon.

The reason I needed a weapon was for the dungeons that were resistant to magic.

For mana stat, no matter how much you raised it, it wouldn’t affect the magic’s damage.

Only the total mana and the recovery rate.

Even the Awakened’s level did not affect the skill’s damage.

No matter how high leveled you were.

If you had the same skill and skill level, you’d do the same damage.

If there is a difference between a low level Awakened and higher leveled Awakened…

Increasing the mana stat to improve your overall mana pool and mana regen, allowing you to continuously cast the strongest skills.

Thus, the important thing to a magician class is the ‘skill level’.

That’s why they would be entering the level 18 dungeon.

If you think about it, it’s a hunt for weapons, but I’m skipping from the level 13 dungeon to the level 18 dungeon all at once.

For the average Awakened, the level 13 dungeon’s requirements was a 5 to 6 man party of level 65 minimum.

However, for the level 18 dungeon, you’d have to be a party of 5 to 6 members, all 85 levels higher than before, a group of lv 150s.

It took a minimum of 4 to 5 years of effort to make it possible.

And if you take account of the experience points and equipment befitting these members, there was a huge gap between me and them.

The amount of experience points you could earn would be on a different level.

The experience you could earn from the manticore dungeon would be 12 million or so.

By clearing the succubi dungeon once, you could receive up to 80 million experience. Just by the dungeon level increasing by 1, there was this much of a difference.

Of course, it’s biased since I was able to defeat the revival succubi as well in the level 13 dungeon.

My current level is 95.

I was able to achieve what would’ve taken others 3 years in only 3 months.

Roughly speaking, I had 12 times the growth speed of others.

A regular Awakened’s year would be only a month to me. But this isn’t the end.

Because the gap will only increase from here on out.

The skill and level growth rate only being 12 times higher?

No. I was sure that at the minimum, it would be 50 times.

It was like hitting the cheat key in BattleNet and casting ‘Psionic Storm’ that a ‘High Templar’ uses?

I didn’t think of stupid thoughts like ‘I’ll go to the level 18 dungeon when my level meets the requirements.’

Raising my main attack skill and shield to level 100! That was my requirement for entering the level 18 dungeon.

***

It was the time of year that nights became longer than day, and cold winds from morning till evening blew.

Time had passed to the point where I had to flip the calendar past October.

The safe house Jong Ho and I looked for before, we were able to match the timing of moving in with her birthday.

After the move, I went around to my neighbors to giving welcoming rice cakes around, and most reacted like this. 2

‘There are people who still do this?’ or ‘They are coming in because they won the lottery,’ was the general response.

I was a little disappointed.

But I really liked the home that was going to give peace and reassurance to my mother and my heart.

Since I was earning a lot more than what I thought, it was time for me to whip myself back into shape from a period of relaxation.

Happiness I obtained through difficulties.

I cannot have it stolen.

I cannot have it crushed.

I only hope that it’ll stay this way.

Finally today. I was able to reach level 100 in all skills with the exception of ‘Frost Orb’, ‘Heal’, ‘Hold’, and ‘Bind’.

For ‘Eye of the Storm’, since the increase in level didn’t do much, I leveled it up on to 70 and stopped it there.

I only hunted to level my skills, but ended up naturally leveling to 108.

If Jong Ho heard about this, he would probably fall over backwards and faint.

The only reason I was able to achieve such a satisfying result was diligence.

I could get rid of fatigue and physical wounds with Heal.

However, there was the hindrance known as ‘sleep’.

This was something that Heal couldn’t cure.

But I found even time used for sleep a waste. I wanted to grow even quicker.

I even searched for magic that would get rid of sleep.

The time I allowed myself was 6 hours.

This period of time did not only include sleep, but also for eating and taking care of myself.

Other than that, I only focused on hunting. 18 hours a day succubi hunting.

It was a brutal training. However on Sundays, I would take a break no matter what happened.

I was growing stronger for happiness, so I wouldn’t skip time with my mother.

Returning from the hunting grounds, I opened a safe in the corner of my room to retrieve the Awakened Essence.

And without hesitation, Awakened Gravity Laser.

I held the skill book against my chest and thought about Awakening the Gravity Laser.

Then.

[Would you like to Awaken Gravity Laser?]

Look at this kind narration provided by this noona.

I know this would be impossible, but I wanted to meet her someday and take her out for dinner.

“This is great.”

After Awakening the spell, the status window that showed Gravity Laser had a star in front of it, and the skill’s level became 1.

The required experience to level was 98 million.

Before Awakening, the experience required to level up the skill from level 1 was 100. It felt like the difference was too steep.

Finishing the Awakening, all preparations to enter the level 18 dungeon was perfect.

***

I arrived in front of the dungeon entrance, located in Nowon. 3

Guri, where I was currently living at, was 30 min away from the entrance. 4

Since I could not find any level 18 dungeons nearby, I was forced to waste 1 hour a day traversing.

Preparation was complete, and I could see the dungeon entrance before my eyes.

“Is there a need to hesitate?”

Dungeon is being activated.

The interior of the dungeon was something completely different from what I’ve seen so far.

A narrow rural road of 5m wide.

Each side of the road was accompanied by darkness that seemed to swallow light itself, which I found to be cliffs.

If felt as though if I fell, I would go straight down to hell.

Not only were the cliffs, but the ceiling and everywhere else was covered in complete darkness.

The only thing that had color in my sights was the rural road.

‘If there was a road the grim reaper would guide people through, would it be like this?’ was what I was considering.

Sightseeing ends here.

Without hesitation, I started to run.

I wonder how much time has passed.

When the entrance seemed smaller than a fingernail.

I heard the cries of the monsters ahead.

When I looked at where the sound came from, the first one I noticed was the ‘Poison Naga.’

The owner of the sharp piercing cry was the ‘Griffon.’

And next to it, there was a ghastly faded form.

It was exactly as I learned.

Until now, all dungeons had a single type of monster.

However, from level 16 and beyond had 2 to 5 different types of monsters mixed in.

For the level 18 dungeon that I’ve entered, it featured 3 different types of monsters.

If the variety of monsters increase, the different defense and attack become difficult to deal with.

Melee and ranged monsters, as well as monsters that use special abilities.

The reason why 5 to 6 members enter together as a party was to execute the correct strategies that work against the different monsters.

Even if physical attacks didn’t work, this was why tanks such as Paladins and Dragonite Warriors are needed. 5

Amongst the warrior class, the tank was treated like royalty.

Without being carried, it could keep growing.

But is that really important.

‘Even today, I’ll do it by myself!’

As the Griffons Fear 6 rang out, I casted the ‘Awakened Gravity Laser’ to max range and ran full speed.

It was an attack skill that attacked anything within 100m without discrimination, regardless of what monsters and life forms they were.

The attack had begun the moment I could tell their shapes clearly.

All lasers within range were firing out in all directions.

I could not help but be surprised as I closed the distance between me and them.

“Huh? What the?”

Awakened Gravity Laser had a different thickness and color.

The thickness and clearness could not be compared to the previous version before Awakening.

Even when it got near level 100, it never showed crushing force like this.

It was as 3 times as thick, a mixture of red and blue powerful laser that poured out.

Through Awakening, the skill’s increase in power had increased to eye opening levels.

“Guess this is the reason why everyone focuses so much on money. Let’s kill!”


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I Never Run Out of Mana Chapter 30

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30. My Way (2)

The last night of August.

It was the last day of attending school.

The next 3 months! I could focus completely on hunting.

Starting with a month of summer break, and 2 months of hunting in between schooling was what it took to achieve growth like this.

Looking at the full moon of the night sky, it felt like it was foreshadowing that my growth would raise leaps and beyond.

After quitting the guild, different from the usual, I continued to hunt.

I informed Jong Ho about the situation.

At this moment, all my doubts about him vanished, as if all the worrying was a waste of time.

For many days, we met and shared many conversations.

Jong Ho focused mostly on the topic of ‘taking care of oneself’.

His argument was this.

Since it has only been a few days since you left the guild, if they attacked me now, the blame would natural shift to the Noblesse guild. So for now, they were lying in wait.

It could be that we’re suspecting them without any solid evidence. 7

But better safe than sorry. I obtained the habit of keep my shields up by rotating through cooldowns after leaving the guild.

‘For joining the wrong guild once, I might develop a phobia.’

In front of the relator building Jong Ho decided to meet at, I gave a call.

It was to find out about the contract involving the safe house.

I was going to reveal the surprise present to mother in 5 days.

“Hyung. Where are you?”

“I’m waiting for the left turn signal. Wait a bit.”

“Okay.”

It didn’t take long for Jong Ho to arrive, sporting a fashion that made me astonished once more.

“Wow….. Even today hyung, that’s something.”

“Since I was coming back from an important meeting, I took the extra effort.”

“Perhaps you do cosplay? You went to a meeting with these clothes? I know I say this constantly, but please stop wearing tight white shirts that stick to your body! Hyung, you look like a raisin… Ha….. Let’s just go.”

“What are you saying kid. White shirts and blue jeans are the symbol of manliness.”

‘If it’s only the white shirt, I’d leave it alone, but what are you going to do about the skull ring on your finger and the chain shackles on your jeans. Sigh.’ I tightly kept a hold of these words and resisted the urge to blurt it out.

Inside the relator building, I checked at the office if there are any listed for sale.

Thankfully there was one that was at an affordable price, near the current location we lived at.

For now, I left after informing them that I will be contacting them within a week.

“Hyung. Did you know I’ve been hunting with a rose knife for almost a week?”

“Right. You said that as you left there, you returned the sword?”

“Yes. Now I’m left with one jewel that was embedded before. Hyung, since we’re here together already, can you come along and help me select a good weapon?”

“Weapon? If that’s the case… allow me the white shirt!”

‘Are you trying to repeat the disaster once more!’ With a straight face, I turned around and waved at him.

“Be careful on the way back hyung. See you later!”

“That’s cruel! How much are you willing to spend?”

“Since I’m buying a new house, the leftover money I have is 200,000 or so. Ah! With the Manticore’s Soulstone, it should be 300,000.”

“Oho, hey. With that much, it won’t be as good as your previous sword, but you should be able to get something usable? 100 strength stat ones should be possible.”

“Is there any weapons or armor that gives me cooldown reduction?”

“Are you playing an online game? Is being an Awakened a joke to you! Argh!?”

Who can stop this energetic man.

As if he saw it from a movie, or perhaps from a trend, he yelled at me with an ugly and awkward expression.

“That expression!”

“Let’s just go for now.”

“But it’s seems really wasteful to buy a sword when I was using one for free. Feels like I’m wasting money.”

“If it seems that wasteful, you can make it all up with hunting.”

“Is there a sword that can match up to Heugdo?”

“Plenty! Swords that cannot even be compared to man stat wise, as well as the shapes that are just killer. But the prices are just too much. They do drop from higher level dungeons though.”

“How much does the decent strength increasing weapons cost? If you say it’s 10 or 20 million, I will punch you in the gut.”

Hearing my words, Jong Ho tried to contain his smile and spoke.

“Million? … You know that the limit of mankind for crafting is an S rank? A sword of that stat can be bought with money. But weapons and items dropped form monsters have an M in front of the rank. An abbreviation for monster. Thus a monster drop M/S weapon cannot be bought even with millions. Even I wouldn’t sell it.”

Previously, I went to the store in front of the manticore dungeon and purchased SA ranking goods.

One of them was the ‘Lich King’s Staff’. The staff that I was holding onto despite being at death’s door.

If the mana stat was replaced with strength, it was a weapon similar to Heugdo.

It was only an M/B ranking weapon, but the prices were from millions to tens of millions.

The Heugdo that I returned as I left the guild probably had the same price.

‘Damn it… Why did I listen to Jong Ho hyung. Even if a widow bought land, it wouldn’t give me this much of a stomache.’ (TL: Expression for complaint of waste of money.)

Throwing away my regrets with resolve, I asked Jong Ho.

“Where does M/B and M/A rank weapons drop?”

“Level 18 dungeons, but not from ordinary mobs. If you defeat the hidden boss, there is a small drop rate.”

‘What?’

Lv18 dungeons can be easily conquered by someone like me.

But hidden bosses similar to the ‘kelvacore’, and the drop rate is low?

Picking up the regret I’ve tossed away, I wanted to shout ‘Judge….. Please return my Dark Sword. I’m without blame.’

It was almost to the point where I even had stupid thoughts like ‘Park Hyun was really a good person…..’

Picking up my broken mental resolve, I asked more seriously.

“Lv 18 dungeons, the required entry level is 150, right?”

“Of course. Above level 150, and 5 to 6 people. What? Why are you so serious. Are you planning to go there now or something. Hurry up and let’s go buy C or M/D ranking weapons with that 300k.”

“For now, let’s hold off on that. I’ll go first. Hyun! Let’s go have dinner with my mother sometime at a nice restaurant sometime. My treat.”

“Hey. Min-Cheol. I’m saying this just in case, but don’t think about going there recklessly. Do take care.”

“Yes, hyung.”

Level 18 dungeon.

Level 13 to 15 dungeons are immune to magic attacks. Level 16 to 18 dungeons are immune to physical attacks.

Thus, what I need to do now is…

The money that I was going to spend on weapons must be invested in skill books.

With infinite mana, I could cast spells without limit, so my skill levels would probably rise insanely?

My main offensive spells ‘Gravity Laser’ and the ‘Fire Shock’ I ordered from the midget a couple days ago, I planned to Awaken both skills and destroy the level 18 dungeon.

That was the gist of it.

It was fortunate that I did not use the Awakened Essence on Piercing Sword.

A skill that I had #1 priority to Awaken, but to go to the level 18 dungeon where physical attacks do not work, Gravity Laser rose past the ranks of importance.

Maybe I’ll be lucky and get the M/B weapon Jong Ho was talking about.

The rose knife that I thought I would be holding on for the last time, I tightened my grip around it.

‘At least for a week….. I don’t think you’ll be cutting carrots. Sorry.’

The goal is the level 18 dungeon. And to Awaken two magic skills!

“It won’t take long. Let’s go!”

* * *

From the small fry, I obtained Bind and Fire Shock spell books.

The three couldn’t look at me in the eyes till the end, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

In the future, if I had more uses for using the underground channels, I’m sure I’ll see them again.

[Will you obtain the Fire Shock skill?]

The sound of narration always excited me.

Without hesitation, I used all the skill books in my hand.

“Hm…. Bind and Hold, I’ll raise later. For now, it’s Fire Shock!”

Fire Shock send out massive amounts of flames around me.

It wasn’t a skill that continuously used up mana. Thus, it had a cooldown.

A whole 3 minutes.

It could be considered exaggerating to call 3 minutes that.

However, the skill’s duration was only 10 seconds. Waiting 3 min for 10 seconds, it was a skill far less efficient than Eye of the Storm.

And even if the skill level rises, the duration did not. Only the damage did.

Of course, you really can’t compare a main offensive skill and a support skill.

Range was 15 meters from the caster. Both range and duration was pathetic for the price.

So why did I purchase such a trash-like skill, paying with all that money?

The answer to that is the massive increase of damage as it gets closer to lv 100.

There is almost nobody who would spend the time and effort to raise a skill like this.

After casting, Fire Shock spewed out enough flames to melt all opponents nearby within 10 seconds.

There was no shape to the flames.

As if from ‘Love and Soul’, the dead’s soul piercing through a person.

The flames would flow deep into the target’s bodies, causing severe lethal harm internally.

Unfortunately, it didn’t reach a satisfying amount of damage until it reaches near lv 100, so most didn’t attempt to raise it. And the skill book didn’t drop easily either. It was a ghost like skill. (TL: Pipe dream. Raise the unraisable, do the impossible, row row fight the power!)

I was planning to Awaken this ghost like skill as well!

“Seems I’ll need a lot of Awakened Essences….. Guess I’ll be seeing the midget and two goons often?”


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I Never Run Out of Mana Chapter 29

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29. My Way

After three months of being an Awakened, I felt like I accomplished something.

I wondered if I ever came back home brimming with this much confidence before.

Within seconds of ringing the bell, mother opened the door hastily.

Guess she was worried for her one and only son.

“I’m back.”

“… Are you okay, son?”

With a look of worry, she checked for injuries.

You wouldn’t know how touched I was from her expression of worry.

I purposefully raised my tone of voice and answered.

“Mrs. Bak. Have you forgotten our promise at the hospital? That I will not get hurt or die.”

“Thank you. Thank you.”

“It’s all over now. That entire headache inducing interest and even the original debt is gone from this time onward. Before when you were dealing with those three goons, you were amazing. Pulling up your sleeves! Looking straight at them.”

“What are you saying. When did I do that.”

“It was the most beautiful side of you that I have seen. It all starts from here. I’ll get you all the money in the world! Let’s spend lots of money! How about we change our family motto to ‘splurging and living!’ How about it?”

With my expression and tone filled with playfulness, mother smiled brightly.

Her eyes were wet, not with sadness and despair like before, but with happiness and affection.

‘Yes. This is what I wanted most after becoming Awakened.’

A young age of 18.

The Awakened status that found me. And the incredible ability of having infinite mana.

If I put in the effort, no one could stand against me.

I dare anyone to block my path.

I’ll give you the answer to if the afterlife exists or not.

 

* * *

There was only one hour left before I had to attend school. After eating breakfast with mother, I quickly went to my room.

It wasn’t because I was looking forward to the skill books in the shoulder bag. 8

The kelvacore dropped the decent Eye of the Storm support skill last time.

Repressing my expectations, I scanned the skill book.

Personally, I was hoping for an attack skill A rank or above.

After the scan finished, the skill information popped up on the phone.

-Reflect Shield-

Usable Class: Bagi Warrior. Paladin. (If obtained by other classes, mana cost increases ten fold.)

Mana Cost: 200 (For every 10 skill levels, mana cost increases by 10%.)

Skill Introduction:

* After casting, you are protected by an invisible shield.

* Absorbs physical attacks aimed at the caster.

* With a 10% chance, returns 50% of the damage taken. (For every 10 skill levels, reflection chance increases by 2%, and reflected damage by 1%.)

Cooldown: 30 min.

Duration: 5 min. (For every 10 skill levels, duration increases by 10%.)

Additional Explanation: Can be used simultaneously with other shields.

Skill Book Price: 3.5 million.

I thought it wasn’t a bad skill.

With this, I had 3 defensive shields.

Unlike other shields, Reflect Shield had the ability to deflect damage.

A skill like this compliments a tank class.

To tanks that had a low attack capability, it was skill that allowed a chance to reflect physical attacks back to the monsters at a fixed rate.

No matter what, I was going to Awaken all shield type spells, but I was not fan of how the level of the skill affected the reflect chance as well as the amount of damage reflected.

If I was able to master it after Awakening it, the reflection chance would increase by 50%. It was a spell that only reflected physical attacks, but this made me realize there must be skills out there that protect me against magic attacks.

If it wasn’t anything that raised my mana stats, whether equipment or skill, I thought it was the correct decision to obtain it.

As my skill rose, I became more disappointed of the higher ups.

Anyone who had fun leveling would know.

With quick leveling and physical growth as my basis, I thought that I could clear the level 28 dungeon in a single attempt for the first time like ‘Choi So-Hyeon’, the one Tae-Seong could not stop fanboying about.

As if to laugh at all the decades of effort they showed.

My interest for the skill book was brief.

I was distressed about Noblesse Park Hyun’s text message.

Today at 6, round two of the guild war would began against Empire.

I planned to head to the Noblesse guild’s building today.

* * *

In the building of Noblesse, 60th floor where Park Hyun’s office room was located, there I was.

5 in the afternoon. Roughly 1 hour before the guild war began.

With the guidance from the intern secretary, I entered the office and dropped the Dark Sword on the conference table.

Wondering what my actions meant, with a small nod, Park Hyun sent all the secretaries out and asked me a question.

“Mr. Min-Cheol. What is it? I was about to move because the guild war was about to begin.”

“I think it’s time to return this sword.”

Hearing my words, she could not hide her confusion any longer and spoke.

“What are you saying…? Do you not like the weapon?”

“No.”

Taking a moment to relax my breathing, I continued.

“I’m quitting the guild.”

“…..”

As I finished my sentence, Park Hyun’s face became cold for a split second.

But she changed her expression again, and in silence, fiddled her thumbs about.

Contemplating for a while, she opened her mouth.

“Hm….. What is it? Is it the requirement to join the guild war?”

“There is no reason. I’m losing my own time.”

“If that’s the reason, instead of making a hasty decision, we can solve it by talking…”

In the middle of her sentence, I cut her off.

And after bowing politely, I spoke.

“I am very thankful that you saved me. I feel a gratitude that I cannot forget for the rest of my life. However, I don’t think that Noblesse is where I belong.”

“You won’t even tell me the reason?”

“…..”

She looked straight at me, who remained silent, and asked.

“Is there a scouting offer from another guild? What deal are they offering?”

“No. I just dislike situations where I am underneath another, being ordered around.”

Park Hyun. She was a guild master, taking command over hundreds of Awakened.

It was an incredible display of a poker face.

She was a woman who became scarier the more you learned about her.

My prediction stated that she was going to cling onto me till the end.

But I could not help but be surprised at her next words.

“Well… Okay, sure. Looking at your expression, I don’t think I can hold you no matter what I say. If that’s the case, it can’t be helped. Contracts are contracts. According to the contract we’ve created before, you are free to leave. Without any penalties of course.”

With her words, I could not help but be confused.

“…Yes. I am aware since I searched thoroughly in the contract.”

“If you do not need a guild, then do as you please. But you don’t know how life will turn out. If we meet again and you return, then I sincerely hope that we are together once more.”

Her cryptic words ended, and I was left with both relief and yet felt unsettled.

Was it because my weapon was gone? No.

It must be the doubt I feel towards Park Hyun.

The feeling of confusion was brief. With that, I left the Noblesse guild.

“Must I raise my rose knife again?” 9


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I Never Run Out of Mana Chapter 28

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28. Growth. Revenge. (4)

How long has it been?

My gaze shifted towards my watch.

There was only about 20 minutes left before the dungeon closes.

The guys that became ragged like a bunch of dirty washcloth after 30 minutes of lesson were tossed into the corner of the dungeon.

To leave the dungeon, I had to clear all the monsters.

Within 10 minutes, the dungeon center was filled with manticores’ red bloodstones.

Thinking that the exit would open, I turned around.

Suddenly, in the level 12th dungeon that I visited after two months, a kelvecore appeared.

‘Aah, if I knew this would happen, I would have beaten those two son of bitches a little less.’

Ten minutes left.

With the growth I’ve achieved, I should be able to take care of it easily.

Hunting the kelvecore last time, I was able to obtain a bloodstone, a soulstone, a jewel and a skillbook.

I was looking towards to the rare drops again.

Its powerful breath and poison sting that once put me in danger no longer affected me.

Not giving it any space and attacking it at close range while circling around it, I did not allow it to show off its main range attacks.

It didn’t take long for it to die, accompanied by a howl that was always awful to hear.

The blood stone that floated above it gave a magnificent glow like always.

Without a doubt, the skillbook and soul stone dropped.

Matching the title of hidden boss, it seemed to be very polite. 10

‘Okay. Seems like I got some spending money.’

Since there was not much time until the dungeon closed, I put off checking the skillbook and picked up the drops, walking towards the two guys on the floor.

After healing them completely, we headed toward the exit at the center of the dungeon.

To the guys who are keeping their distance without a word, I asked them a question.

Of course, I didn’t forget to keep my shields up.

“Was it a good time?”

“…..”

“…..”

With a smile, I asked them while looking at that straight in the eyes, and they reacted naturally with fear, looking down at the ground.

I was someone who had witnessed succubi murdering people.

I will not kill these people today.

But all the wrongdoings they committed cannot be repaid in a single hour.

Quickly arriving at the exit, I stopped them and asked.

“Hey. How much did you say I owe?”

“…..”

“Ha…. Please don’t make me ask twice, hurry up and answer.”

“Yes… Yes! The leftover debt is 4.1 billion.”

“4.1 billion? Wow, you people sure are something. The original debt was 200 million won, but now it’s 4.1 billion? The midget outside, he’s the CEO?

“Yes….”

“Even if I don’t pay the debt, there’s not big issue, right?”

“T-that’s…”

From the hand that held my sword, the sound of my knuckles popping could be heard as I waited for their answer.

Hearing that, they were shaking in fear.

“Alright, I want to go out there and bring that midget to near death. But that guy isn’t an Awakened, so heal doesn’t work on him. If I even hit him a little, he’ll die quickly. What do you suggest?”

“What are you saying.”

“What am I saying? There is 4 minutes before the dungeon closes, so are you going to give me an answer I like so you can go through the exit and survive, or will you perish with the dungeon is what I’m asking!”

Then the smaller warrior class goon quickly opened his mouth.

“W-we’ll take care of everything. Please spare our lives.”

“It’s an answer that I like, but you guys aren’t the CEO. He’s the owner, right? To be honest, I was going to pay back the original amount due to my conscience. That is until you all came and threw quite a fit.”

“… Honestly speaking, our boss can’t do anything either.”

“Ah, is that so. Then please be a CEO in the next life.”

I casted Piercing Sword.

The swords surrounded the two.

Since it was a skill that followed my will, it did not attack them.

“Take care.”

With those words, I tried to turn around, looking cool.

Then.

“N-no! That’s not it. We’ll take care of it.”

To the fools who were flailing about in panic, I gave them an offer.

“Then let’s do this.”

“Eh?”

“Hold, Bind, and Fire Shock.”

“… What are you saying?”

“There is 50 million won left on the original amount I owe. For beating the hell out of you today, I’ll give you 500 million won. These three skill books plus forgoing the rest of the debt, how about it?” Since the skill books will cost only 400 million won, it works out fine, right? You’re slow to answer… Do I need to cast Meteor’s Call so you’ll answer?”

“That’s not it! I’ll obtain all three skill books for you.”

“Of course you will. We have come to an agreement on the trade, but if your boss shows his ugly mug again near my house… You know what happens then, right?”

“Yes, yes!”

“Please obtain them within a week. Then we’ll be leaving now.”

Out of the three skill books, Hold and Bind wasn’t very expensive.

But they were almost never sold. A skill book with an incredibly low rate of dropping.

If there is a lack of supply, the price will naturally rise.

But for the effect the skill provided, the mana cost was too high and the duration was too low, so it was rated as a weak skill.

From what I’ve searched online, the official site did not have any up for trade.

However, I thought if they tried obtaining it from the underground market, it was possible.

Bind roots the target to the ground.

A stone golem’s hand shoots out from the ground, grabbing onto the target’s legs.

As the skill level rises, the duration and strength of the root increases, and it could bind a greater number of targets.

Second spell is Hold. It’s a skill that lives up to its name, preventing the opponent from moving their body.

Similar to bind, the duration increases depending on the skill level and the target’s level, but what if I crushed them with an incredibly high skill level?

Tying their feet with Bind, then using Hold to prevent them from moving their hands. I could put them in stasis like living dolls, leaving only the functioning of breathing intact.

Both skill was for the priest class.

Priests were in between tanks and healers, a defending and supporting class.

Since the class focused on health and agility, Hold and Bind were inefficient skills.

* * *

We exited the dungeon. The CEO was asleep in the car.

“Please bring that bastard over here.”

Instead of answering, they hurriedly ran towards the car.

About two minutes had passed?

Suddenly the CEO struck one of them on the cheek.

But before he could slap the other guy…

The one who was slapped grabbed him by the thigh and slammed him to the ground.

“Oho?”

The boss was dragged in front of me by his underlings.

“You heard, right?”

“…..”

“You still don’t get what’s happening? Whatever, just hand over the charter.”

“…..”

The boss was silent for a bit, pulling out the charter from his pockets with shaking hands.

Snatching the charter from his hands, I threw it into the air and casted Piercing Sword, shredding it apart until it became dust.

Seeing my skill, his eyes grew wide.

“There should be paperwork stating that I paid off my debt, right? So that you can’t say otherwise behind my back.”

“Yes…..”

“But since I learned that honor that you guys always talk about, I could not avoid paying you the original amount of debt.”

“…..”

“Is something wrong? Your facial expression doesn’t look very good.”

“That’s not it… That’s not it at all.”

“Then let’s get that paperwork done immediately. Ah! Since I’m asking for the skill books as a special request, get them to me fast as possible, okay?”

* * *

A few moments later.

Shoulders sagging, they disappeared.

Finally, I was able to solve this headache inducing debt issue.

I gave the two goons a stern talking to make sure the CEO couldn’t do anything rash.

Ah, by talking I mean physical harm of course.

While riding the taxi back home, I organized my thoughts.

You couldn’t do anything without power.

But with power, I could take care of these pieces of trash so easily.

I had to get stronger.

Get stronger, and become tougher.

I had no intentions of becoming an ally of justice.

It’s busy enough trying to eat and live well by myself in this world.

* * *

“Thank you very much.”

Arriving in front of the house, I left the taxi.

While basking in the rays of the morning sun, I headed home.

It was then.

[Guild Announcement]

2nd round with guild Empire.

Time: xxxx year xx month xx day

All guild members must attend.

A message from the Noblesse guild.

“Round two with Empire? This has to be a joke.”

I was sticking with this shady guild because of this one sword I obtained from them.

With the money I have, I should have enough and leftovers after purchasing a sword of this level.

Even if I purchased a lower rank sword considering the amount I had to spend to move to the safe house, for someone like me who has an incredible amount of skill points, it wasn’t going to make much of a difference.

Looking at the text, I was reminded of another problem I had to solve.

To Heugdo attached at my waist, I mumbled.

“Guess this is the end between you and me.”


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I Never Run Out of Mana Chapter 27

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27. Growth. Revenge. (3)

The dungeon formed.

With the hooligans, I showed my Awakened ID for verification.

Only the two hooligans and I entered the dungeon since the midget was not an Awakened and was thus unable to enter the dungeon.

The midget who was taking a smoke break next to his car parked near the entrance of the dungeon smirked and said.

“Farewell, kid.”

‘A-ha. So you were planning to send me off like that? Did you need fresh organs or something? It wouldn’t be a funny story if I was done in like this. I’m planning to rewrite the ending of this story. So please wait a little and die afterwards.’

“I’ll see you in a bit.”

With those last words, I entered the dungeon.

Throughout the dungeon, I could hear the snarling of the manticores.

It was a noise that I’ve grown tired of, but today, it sounded different.

Right now I was wondering how those two would act.

Would they bring the monsters to me?

Or would they attack me even before hunting?

My curiosity was answered before ten seconds passed.

“This little kid, didn’t you have quite the mouth?”

“Acting all mighty! If it wasn’t for the boss, I would have killed you on the spot.”

It appears what I said to those two back at the house wasn’t so lightly taken.

Each of them saying what they wanted to say, they showed their true colors.

One of them pulled out a dagger that was hidden behind his back.

The other one pulled out knuckles with sharp blades and equipped them.

‘Assassin and warrior huh.’

“Oh, why are the hyungs so angry at me?”

“Shut up, you haughty son of a bitch. Why’d you let your mouth run, all you had to do was pay off your debt quietly! You dug your own grave, don’t blame me too much.”

“Blame the fact that you were born in the age of criminals.”

“Pfft, so you want to 2v1 me right now?”

As soon as my words fell, I quickly casted a shield just in case of a sudden attack.

Looking at the opaque Frozen Shield being formed around my body, they laughed out at me.

“Puhahaha! You’re really going to try to block me with that?”

“Aah, what’s up with the sword in your hand? Seeing that you’re casting Frozen Shield, you must be a magician. Did you bring the sword to play war?”

They laughed at me who was a magician holding onto a black sword.

Without changing my expression, I spoke with boldness.

“Aah, you’re talking too much. I won’t let you die so easily, it’ll be difficult, but enjoy yourselves.”

“I’ll stab my sword through that skull of yours!”

With a dash, at the same time as his words ended, he casted Dagger Throw and threw his dagger with great speed.

His short sword against my level 66 Frozen Shield broke apart pathetically similar to rotten wood being struck with metal. 11

The other small fry who saw this occur must have panicked because he rushed at me desperately while casting Enchant on his knuckles.

“Yaaa!”

His fists which were red with trails of fire made an incredible noise each time it flew through the air.

As his knuckles struck against my Frozen Shield, it created steam and the shield was chipped.

“Oh-ho? So you can throw some decent punches? But did you turn the fire off at your house? You should save energy.”

‘Lightning Spray!’

Condensed lightning on each of my hands shot out towards them.

“Ahh!”

The whites of their eyes were showing and they were shaking uncontrollably.

“It doesn’t seem like you’re going to die from just this.”

Was it because of the Lightning Spray skill level?

The two of them were easily rendered half unconscious.

This occurred with just one cast.

While they were losing their consciousness, I stabbed Heugdo into one of their arms. 12

“Ku… ku-ahh!”

With the hand that was holding onto the sword, I condensed lightning, and the other hand casted Heal.

It was only a level 1 Heal, but since the skill had no cooldown, I could infinitely heal him.

As his eyes became focused, I casted Heal on the other guy to have him conscious again.

I was almost surprised that there was this sort of cruelty inside of me.

But after my father’s death, these were the guys that tortured me and my mother for years.

They were disgusting faces that had made me suffer being poor and helpless.

Their faces, I remembered them one by one, and with the revenge I took, these were the unfortunate victims.

I did not want to give them an easy death.

I wanted them to feel the pain that my mother and I felt.

“Are you two awake now?”

“This… Son of a bitch…”

“I guess the rag that was in your mouth hasn’t been spat out yet.” 13

As he regained his consciousness, the warrior reequipped on his knuckles and spat out curses.

Through Heugdo that was embedded in the assassin’s arm, I casted Lightning Spray, the assassin was once again knocked out.

Their only attacks were only generic strikes with the edges of their sword. 14

His attacks were all being absorbed completely.

“Since you might die while I’m electrocuting you as if lighting a street lamp, I’ll keep healing you, here you go.”

Watching the horrific display occurring before him, as soon as my words finished, he realized that something was very wrong.

Receiving the lightning throughout his entire body, he was frothing at the mouth and there was no movement.

He’s probably not dead yet, though.

My gaze shifted to the warrior.

“S-spare me…!”

“Of course, of course, I’ll let you live, that’s why I’m giving you heal, to let you live on.”

“Waaah! Please!”

I didn’t attack him with anything else but Lightning Spray, but he looked like he lost his mind looking at his partner pathetically defeated on the ground.

Thinking of the level of Piercing Sword and Gravity Laser, if I casted those on them, they’d die instantly.

It was disappointing that I didn’t learn more skills beforehand.

There was not much of a level difference between me and them.

But look at the results, they couldn’t even attack once properly and were on the floor begging to be spared.

A result from just the skill level!

Different from how regular Awakened could raise their skill level with their limited mana, I was on a whole different dimension when it came to abilities.

In the future, I’ll obtain Meteor Call, Magma Pool and other high ranking spells.

I was almost scared of myself.

“Hey, there’s still 50 minutes left, your friend is sleeping so peacefully, but you’re still so lively. Why are you sweating so much? Does your stomach hurt? Are you uncomfortable?”

He couldn’t even look at me in the eyes, kneeling on the ground and biting his nails.

‘If he’s sweating because it’s hot, let’s treat him to some shaved ice.’

Towards his upper and lower body as well as all his joints, I casted Frost Orb.

To the pain that he was receiving from his joints being frozen over, he could not even let out a squeak.

But I was absolutely not going to kill him or cripple him.

They were an Awakened like me.

They must have strengthened their bodies with points in stamina and agility.

The effect that you would receive from agility wasn’t only dodge ability.

It also increases status debuff resistance.

Over time, that level of frost bite would be cured.

The reason why I did not raise any points in agility was because I was able to cast all sorts of shields at my pleasure.

If that was the case, then a situation where I would get hurt wouldn’t exist in the first place.

If I was able to use a shield that used up 10 times the mana of other shields, even if there was a cooldown?

I would never be done in by anyone.

“While ahjussi eats the shaved ice, I should probably wake up the other guy sprawled on the ground over here. There’s good news. My Heal level is rising, thus the next 50 minutes can feel like 50 years to you guys.”

While I was glaring at the guy who was frozen, both of my hands were continuously casting Heal on the collapsed goon.

“St-stop!! Gaaah!”


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I Never Run Out of Mana Chapter 26

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Ch 26. Growth. Revenge. (2)

With an anxious heart, I headed in.

Without fail, my intuition for misfortune was spot on.

There were three pairs of shoes at the entrance.

I recalled the hooligans from before.

The midget and his goon were sitting in the living room. 15

They sat there with their feet up as if owning the place.

One thing that put my mind at ease was that my mother was standing tall and proud without fear in front of those hooligans.

It was something so incredibly different from what it was like two months ago.

I could no longer see my mother bowing her head in apology.

It was a welcoming sight to see.

It was then while I saw the situation unfold before me.

The small fry lean his head forward and told my mother.

“Hey. Mrs. Pak Se-Ran. If you had the money to buy a house like this, shouldn’t you be paying off the debt to us? Since it looks like your son is an Awakened and is able to earn money.”

“Huh? Honored? Why are thieves talking about honor?” 16

“What? Since I’m saying this nicely, are you looking down on me?”

The small fry pulled out an envelope from his breast pocket and raised his voice.

“Look at this. It’s the loan agreement with your name on it! I helped you following the law! I have the right to receive my money.”

“I heard that my son gave you 1 million. And before that, he even gave you 10 million won. We already paid off more than half of it before that. So why are you barging in at another person’s house this early in the morning, you thug?” 17

“Do you think this is a charity? Even banks have interests on loans. Do you think that I am digging the ground to earn money? Are my words not getting through to you, bitch?”

It wasn’t a time for me to just stand still.

I couldn’t help but move the moment he said ‘bitch.’

Instead of saying that, he should have said, ‘Pak Se-Ran, Pak Se-Ran banzai! Please show us mercy.’

Tossing my luggage at the entrance with a ‘took’, I walked towards the midget and the hooligans.

When my mother saw me, she gave me a small but strong smile.

“So you guys came back again? I didn’t drag my feet and gave you the money, why are you coming back and bothering us?”

“Haah. You don’t have any manners. Did you win the lottery? Aren’t you acting a little bit crazy? Kid, do you not see the adults behind me? It looks like you’re not afraid of anything just because you’re Awakened. But, if you don’t want to end up in a cold coffin like your father, then shut up and give me the money!” 18

As soon as his words ended, the two goons who were only watching cracked their necks and stared at me.

Thinking back, when I was helpless and couldn’t do anything before, my rage boiled over.

If the anger was directed at myself previously, now it became anger that made me question how to crush these bastards.

And then.

The anger that I had towards them changed to a feeling of superiority and bemusement.

The guys that I couldn’t even approach before now were below me.

Clearing my thoughts, I gave out a fake laughter.

“Ha! Are you a bunch of thugs? How much money do you get a month doing this? Why don’t you use this time to hunt instead of sucking this midget’s ass hole?”

“Haah…”

One of the two gave a fake laughter back as it didn’t make any sense to him.

I was always ready to fight.

‘Come here, you bitches, are you weak? Guess I’ll have to teach you a lesson.’

“Ah, does it not make sense that a child is talking like an adult? I’m right. Looking at you two, it looks like you’re level 60-70 Awakened and can earn over 1 million won even if you can’t hunt very well. Isn’t it true? Or did I overestimate you all?”

“Do you want to die, bitch?!”

Looks like those two became angry at what I said for they walked towards me with their arms folded.

‘Okay.’

Without a hitch, they moved as I predicted.

But then.

“Wait.”

The midget stopped the angry goons.

“If Awakened fight in a household like this, it’ll cause big problems. We are pure, innocent people who follow the law dutifully.”

With a smile that could sicken the heaven and earth, he looked towards me and my mother.

“Oh, isn’t your son so brave! Isn’t he, mother Pak Se-Ran? You must be so happy to have a son like this. As the senior to life, I should have a quiet conversation with your son. What do you say, child?”

I could tell what he was thinking, it was obvious.

This was a household in the center of the city and it involved my mother who wasn’t an Awakened.

If we made a ruckus in a situation like this, then the Awakened clean-up task force will be dispatched and would cause more complication.

He was probably trying to set this up because he was afraid that the ‘legal’ acts they were doing would be exposed.

It was obvious that he was trying to take me to a dungeon or someplace shady like that to dispose of me.

‘It’s a situation I can’t even laugh about. Yeah! If I killed them here, then it would become complicated. Let’s go somewhere nicer. It wasn’t that long ago that I bought the sofa and the television.’

Even though I was thinking about how I would convince these guys to go to the dungeon so I could dispose of them, they already did the work for me.

“Sure.”

“I’m glad that you’re brave, let’s go.”

Hearing my answer, my mother showed nervousness on her face.

She knew about my growth, but was uncomfortable about how I was being dragged along by vile villains.

Instead of answering or giving her an explanation, I gave her a wink.

Looking at my cheesy expression, she smiled as if her heart was reassured.

She looked at the window without a word.

***

I entered the car owned by the midget that was parked in the parking lot in front of the house.

Similar to a criminal having been caught by the police, the shorter goon sat in the driver seat while the taller goon and the midget sandwiched me in the rear seats.

Since they could attack me at any time, I didn’t let down my guard.

Since the Heugdo was a sword that the blacksmith made, it was impossible for them to know the abilities of my sword.

As we drove through the streets for a long time, the midget that was sitting on my left opened his mouth.

“How long have you been Awakened for?”

“Three months or so?”

“Kukuku, three months? Have you heard about the manticore? We’re going to the level 11th dungeon. Since you’ll have to become stronger in order to pay off the debt quicker, right?”

‘…Haah. This doesn’t make any sense. It’s like promising an elementary kid that you’ll buy them pork cutlets but finding out that they were taking them to the hospital instead. Are you really trying to bait me with something like candy?’

Thinking about what would happen afterwards, I wanted to laugh whole heartedly but held it all in and pretended to know nothing.

“Oh yes, are you trying to helping me out?”

“Of course! That’s what we’re trying to do.”

After all the driving, we reached in front of the level 12th dungeon. 19

It wasn’t like the dungeon that I ran as if eating meals, but instead was a dungeon in a place far away from civilization in the middle of a forest path.

Saying that they would take a quick smoke break, they headed towards the corner.

Of course, they were probably discussing how to get rid of me.

I was unable to hear what they said.

While I was waiting for them, one word I recalled the midget said was the ‘refrigerator.’

I thought that the rotten bastards were not only doing illegal loans but were also involved in murder.

How far did these guys fall to give fear to people in similar situation like mine, or perhaps to do something even more sinister.

Well, it doesn’t matter.

The only thing in my head was that while we’re here at an isolated place like this, then it was a chance for me to not only dispose of the midget but also the other two hooligans.

After throwing down the cigarette and extinguishing it by stepping on it, they yelled at me.

“Alright, let’s go in!”

“Of course, let’s go. Let’s go.”

‘I struggled to think of how to raise my Heal skill level, so until I go to school, I guess I’ll perform nightingale bing-ui.’ 20


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I Never Run Out of Mana Chapter 25

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25. Growth. Revenge.

Level: 88

Exp: [25,254,600/47,163,790]

Class: Magician

Special Trait: Does not run out of mana.

Strength: [305+20+30+200+55] 610

Mana: ∞

Dexterity: 10

Stamina: 150

Unspent Skill Points: 0

Owned Skills

Frost Orb Lv. 35 [16,244/320,000]

Lightning Spray Lv. 78 [128,456/750,000]

Eye of the Storm Lv. 54 [88,243/510,000]

Piercing Sword Lv. 99 [680/960,000]

Gravity Laser Lv. 61 [361,546/580,000]

Frozen Shield Lv. 66 [134,890/630,000]

Spirit Armor Lv. 52 [24,455/490,000]

Heal Lv. 1 [0/100]

“Whew, guess I’ll stop for today?”

The usual hunting ended.

Power leveling for over 12 hours a day.

If I didn’t continue to use skills to level them up, even if my passive gave me endless mana, it would be useless.

The level 13 dungeon was immune to magic damage, but by hitting all the targets with spells from one hand while the other hand casting Piercing Sword to finish them off, I was able to continue leveling up the magic spells.

I was able to grow and increase my skills at a rate that cannot be followed. No, at a rate that cannot be thought possible.

October was coming.

Since I only had to attend the mandatory required days for school, I was thinking of making this my last week of attendance.

After that, a special break time for a month for me, who has lived a life without being late or absent.

And since it continues into winter break, I would be able to obtain nearly three months to focus completely on growth.

If I was able to focus on growth for 90 days, I should be able to obtain results far greater than what I have been able to obtain.

I currently had one ‘Awakened Essence’ in my possession.

I was able to obtain it by hunting the incubus.

Other than that, I was able to obtain ‘Shaman’s Ring’ and ‘Magician’s Insight Bracelet’ through hunting.

Since they all raised my mana, I could sell them without hesitation.

I could get more money selling it on the web rather than at the market, so made deals directly with buyers online.

I guessed it would happen, but one of the three offers was a fraud.

He confirmed the stats of the bracelet and casually invited me to a dungeon with the excuse of wanting to purchase it.

He was not only aiming for my bracelet, but also the Heugdo and the skull ring.

Seems he tried to trick me without noticing my level, which is lazy on his part since you needed identification paperwork to use the trade site.

On the profile, the day you’ve received the Awakened identification paperwork is written.

His date was December, 2014.

Since I became Awakened three months ago, he’s underestimating and targeting me.

* * *

Not sure if he’s still alive.

I grabbed him and casted all my shields, then set Gravity Laser to 1m while casting Piercing Sword with my free hand with reckless abandon.

Then I beat the mobs and walked out by myself.

Even though I hit him until he was at death’s door….. I’ll leave the rest to heaven’s will.

It was a trade that could’ve been dangerous, but there was something I learned.

‘If I needed someone beaten and silenced so that my identity is not found out, head to the dungeon’.

* * *

Piercing Sword’s level was at 99.

Soon, it should reach level 100.

With a skill of this ranking and destructive force, I wanted to Awaken it.

Another reason was because I witnessed Park Hyun’s secretary displaying immense power with his Awakened Piercing Sword.

Searching, I was able to find out information regarding the Awakened Essence. An incredibly low chance to drop from regular mobs, and a low chance for it to drop from hidden bosses.

There was no market for this item, no trade offers or of it being sold.

It was probably because everyone used it for themselves instead of selling it, being incredibly rare and all.

“Hm… Guess I’ll have to visit a expert in this field…”

Using the communicator, I heard a man’s voice.

“Hyung. What are you doing?”

“Ah, Min-Cheol. Hyung is selling blood stones at the market. Why do you ask?”

“When are you done? I have some questions for you.”

“Go ahead and ask. What is it?”

“You know of ‘Awakened Essence’? The thing you use to Awaken skills. Do you know where I can get some?”

“You can get it if you defeat the bosses. Did I already tell you this before?”

“That I know already, but do you know anywhere that has a higher drop rate? Like a special dungeon or specific conditions.”

“Oh. Aren’t you asking too much? Ahem! One thing I am sure of is that levels don’t matter. There was a group of people who just became Awakened clearing a level 1 dungeon as a group of 6, killing the ‘Ghost King’ and obtaining the essence, instantly becoming rich. Thus the level of the boss or dungeon does not matter.”

“So it may be better to do lower level dungeons quickly?”

“That’s it for today! I’m not selling information today.”

“I understand. Let’s talk more if we can, Hyung.”

“Yes, do your best.”

His amorous and exuberant voice only added onto the high class information he provided, like sweet honey.

“Hm… So as long as I take down the boss, the level doesn’t matter.”

Ending the call with Jong Ho, I wanted to immediately run towards the level 1 dungeon.

If I wore the boots of swiftness, I could clear the dungeon at incredible speeds.

However, I’d have to give up on growing stronger and the high level drops.

The one I had was going to be used for Piercing Sword.

The next spell to awaken after hitting level 100 skill points would be Gravity Laser.

So until then, I decided to obtain an Awakened Essence.

Because growing stronger was the priority.

October 4th is my mother’s birthday.

For that day, I was preparing a present for her.

Not the house she’s living in now, but a house build with the new material. 21

An incredibly expensive price, aimed at Awakened or family members of the Awakened, able to withstand attacks from most monsters. A sturdy safe house.

I could not help but worry for my mother, since I spent most my time hunting while my mother stayed at home alone.

But if I was able to get a house like this, I could stop worrying and focus on hunting.

It was the high price of 4 million, but it was nothing compared to the cost of magician skill books.

The rare drops of items and with blood stones…

With all the money I’ve earned till now and how much I will be continuing to earn in the future, I should be able to sign the contract by her birthday.

With only two weeks left, I went home with happy thoughts about how it will be a wonderful surprise present.

The air at dawn after a hunt is always refreshing.

Heading toward my apartment room, I rode the elevator.

“Huh? Why is the door open?”


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I Never Run Out of Mana Chapter 24

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24. Noblesse Guild (5)

After school ended, Jong Ho’s SUV was waiting at the front gate.

Next to the vehicle, I could see Jong Ho leaning towards the sun roof with his arm as support.

‘Uwaa! Shitty fashion! Please don’t act as if you know me, please don’t look this way! Please!’

Different from what I hoped for, he waved his hands towards me.

“Yo! Min-Cheol! Over here, right here!”

‘It’s that shitty white t-shirt again.’

Instead of answering, I increased my pace towards Jong Ho.

“Iya, it’s been a long time since I went to a school. But why do I see dull men for the most part and only a few female students?”

“Please stop lollygagging and get in the car quickly!”

“Why! Why! Are you being chased?”

Jong Ho was looking around as if it was a scene in a spy movie.

“Hyung, I’m really embarassed at your fashion sense. Please get in!”

“Ah, is that it. Only wearing student uniforms, to be with a fashionista like me, are you embarrassed that we’re suddenly getting attention? I guess you’re young and all.”

“…..”

Ending the conversation that made me red with embarrassment, we went to the parking lot near Jong Ho’s vehicle.

“Hyung. When hyung called me yesterday, you went to the outing after the guild war?”

“Yes. There’s nothing much to worry about. But what about the text message yesterday?”

I told Jong Ho the conversation with Park Hyun and the current situation.

“Hm… We’re going to be like family. The strong and superior win, while the weak and inferior becomes the loser…..”

I asked a question to Jong Ho who was talking to himself and fidgeting with the sand on the floor.

“Don’t you feel something?”

“It’s something I was told before from the hyungs I used to work for, but I didn’t pay attention to it that much. Hearing your words now though, something seems off.”

“I have a hunch that it is the radical faction, but I don’t know how much of Noblesse guild is involved, or if everyone is.”

“Since the government isn’t accusing the group, either the guild has incredible power or they leave no loose ends.”

“Taking care of business?”

Jong Ho, while looking straight at me, replied to my question.

“Min-Cheol. Do you know how many become Awakened and disappear?”

“No clue.”

“300 per year! About 500 people become Awakened if there are a lot Awakening that year. But more than 40% aren’t able to pass 5 years, disappearing.”

“Isn’t it because they die to either the portal explosion or monsters in dungeons?”

“Of course it could be that. Let’s say an Awakened that’s only been one for 1 to 2 years died in dungeons, that’s no surprise. But what about people past 5 years, people with levels above 100, with knowledge and experience to match it? There is no reason why they would die so easily, right?”

“That’s true.”

“The official reason of death would be ‘death due to monsters within a dungeon’, but if it’s a dungeon where you can’t even find the corpse after despawn time, there is something a lot more sinister occurring.”

“That is to say, there are murders happening in dungeons. And among those murdered, there could be people who are against the radical forces?”

“Bingo.”

After hearing Jong Ho’s words, I realized that I was in a precarious situation.

“No time to dillydally. Hyung! Let’s go to the association.”

“What? You want to report this?”

“No. Going to buy ‘Gravity Laser’.”

“Eh? Is that your solution for this situation?”

* * *

I was able to purchase ‘Gravity Laser’, ‘Heal’, and ‘Spirit Armor’ from the association.

Since Heal and Spirit Armor were both beginner necromancer’s skill, they were being sold for cheap.

Since I couldn’t forsake attack or defense, I used all the money I had to do so.

As sunset approached, Jong Ho said that he had a hunting party he promised to attend and left.

Unlike others, Jong Ho did not ask for favors in return despite seeing how strong I was, taking out all the succubi.

Jong Ho said that he’ll try to get more information on Noblesse guild.

Since he could suffer the consequences for snooping around too deep, I did not forget to warn him to pull out at a reasonable time.

“If you exclude how he dresses, he’s an amazing person.”

While talking to myself and looking at him leave, I planned ahead.

There were only rumors at the moment, as the government wasn’t doing anything and there wasn’t a single shred of evidence. Taking that into account, the radical faction was not something to mess with.

If I went to report, it was obvious that I’d become a target.

My only and dangerous option is left.

Until Park Hyun and the rebellion forces make their move, I will only focus on growing stronger.

If they move faster than I predicted, I’ll pretend to help them and buy time. Waiting until I’m able to surpass them…..

Since I was able to obtain a higher amount of exp in the level 13 dungeon using the ‘Bloodsucking Revival’ and ‘Incubus’ Revival’, I had to give up on level 14 and 15 dungeons that could give higher ranking blood stones and gear for now.

It was because the money I was earning now was nothing compared to how much I’ll be earning after my growth.

“Compiling done. Let’s go level up!”

* * *

The new skill I learned, Gravity Laser, was an incredible skill.

In the area I target, a dome shaped similar to a ‘Barrier’ is formed, shooting out countless laser beams.

Since it was a skill that continuously drained mana to attack until the enemy perished, I could increase the skill level incredibly quickly.

It was a skill that fit my ability the best.

An attack that continuously drained mana and destructive force to match it!

Even though it wasn’t able to damage the level 13 dungeon’s succubi, it was able to target.

Casting Piercing Sword with one hand while the other hand holds Gravity Laser that can continuously attack!

I did not forget to cast Frozen Shield, Barrier, and Spirit armor and let myself get hit between Piercing Sword to obtain experience for shield skills.

Due to the rebellion faction, I had to give up earning more money, but instead gained an incredible amount of speed in growth.

Different from my expectations, there was no movement from Park Hyun.

If I could continue to buy time like this and grow stronger, I could step on those who dare to threaten me.

However, I just wanted to earn more money instead of wasting time like this.

‘Come at me! Come get me!’


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I Never Run Out of Mana Chapter 23

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23. Noblesse Guild (4)

After Min-Cheol left the guild, Park Hyun summoned all the Noblesse guild’s vice leaders to the office.

Sitting at the end of a huge office table, Park Hyun opened her mouth.

“Is everyone here?”

“Yes!”

“Good. Today, we will be discussing about the capture of Noblesse’s new guild member, Min-Cheol.”

Guild master Park Hyun – Her responsibilities wasn’t just to be a guild master of Noblesse.

She was a comrade of the radical forces, in charge of supplying them with new members.

Capturing guild members under her, or using debt owed to force others to work towards a world only for the Awakened was what she did.

Park Hyun continued.

“There could be people who do not understand his existence, so could you explain briefly, Mr. Sangmin?”

“Yes master.”

With Park Hyun’s words, Sangmin stood up and spoke zealously similar to a private in front of their commander.

“When did you meet with Min-Cheol?”

“About 3 months ago.”

“What was his level then?”

“He said it was 13.”

“I see. But before you entered a level 12 dungeon together, he used Lightning Spray?”

“Yes master. Despite the weapon, equipment, and accessories being a useless disguise that didn’t provide anything, he was able to use Lightning Spray 4 times. Suspicious if he was lying to us, we entered the dungeon together, and I saw that his body glowed when he finished the manticore hunt. He had leveled up.”

“For the week after that you hunted together, and he continued to level up, correct?”

“Yes, that’s right. Seems he has some incredible ability.”

“Good. Thank you. Let’s hear one more. Mr. Hwang Jae Hyuk?”

From the corner of the room, Hwang Jae Hyuk showed the same zealous movement like Sangmin did.

Jae Hyuk and Sangmin both did not have the rights to attend the meeting of vice leaders, but they were attending because they were needed for this meeting.

“Yes master!”

“You’re in the same class as Min-Cheol, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Can you explain what you saw, Mr. Jae Hyuk?”

Hesitating for a bit, he gave in to the pressure of all the attention on him and spoke.

“Originally, Min-Cheol wasn’t anyone important at school since he wasn’t Awakened. Only useful for being a bread train. After the summer break though, he became stronger than me when he came back to school, and I was Awakened a year ago.”

“Good. So that means that within one month, Min-Cheol grew to meet what you accomplished in a year, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“How did you find out?”

“That… On the first day, we got into a fight and despite fighting fiercely, I lost in the end.” 22

“Thank you, Mr. Jae Hyuk. Mr. Jae Hyuk and Mr. Sangmin, please wait a moment.”

Jae Hyuk sat with a red face that looked like it was about to explode from embarrassment.

“When I first saw Min-Cheol, it was after he had soloed a Kelvecore. Of course he was injured to the point of death, but someone who had only been an Awakened for less than a month had completed a level 12 dungeon and the hidden boss as well.”

With Park Hyun’s words, the office became unsettled.

“We do not know of his exact ability, but there is a portion we can guess. An incredible amount of magic regeneration!”

“You’re saying that a passive regarding mana regen exists?”

“How could it be.”

Park Hyun spoke.

“For now, it is merely an assumption, but we can find out the truth if we can turn him to our side. Whatever his ability is, it is without a doubt that it carries an incredible amount of hidden potential.”

“If he declines…..”

Park Hyun looked straight into the eyes of secretary Lee Jae Young as she answered his question.

“Well, we’d have to take care of it following protocol. If a kitten grows into a tiger and sides with the government… That would be a headache. So we’ll kill him.”

To her killing intent, everyone in the office couldn’t help but become tense.

The questions continued, as if to shake off the mood.

“Do you have any good ideas to turn him to our cause?”

“He’s currently obsessed with money. He’s struggling to part with being poor.”

“…..”

“The reason why he joined Noblesse was for money! To get the sword, that is.”

“At this rate of growth, he’ll be able to obtain a huge sum of money within months. Will he just accept the deal that easily?”

“Apologies to everyone, but I will be offering an incredible sum of money.”

All the members in the office became uneasy.

Everyone thought, ‘how much will she pay a greenhorn who just became an Awakened?’

“20 billion! Even if he is able to understand his potential, it will be difficult to decline an amount that he hasn’t even been able to see his entire life. If this method doesn’t work, I have one other plan.”

“What is it?”

“Using his only family member… His mother.”

“We’re going to use his mother as a hostage?”

Hearing the question, Park Hyun gave chilling smile.23

“We can’t rush and make him our enemy. The only thing we have to do is this. Just have to show that his mother was injured or killed due to a non-Awakened member who is a high ranking personnel in the government. Then naturally, he will become enraged towards the useless government, no?”

It was too much to handle for most of how easily Park Hyun treated people’s lives like flies or ants.

The meeting was over and all participants left.

Sangmin and Jae Hyuk who had connections to Min-Cheol were the only ones left waiting in the office.

“Mr. Sangmin and Mr. Jae Hyuk, your roles are crucial. Whether you have a positive or a negative relationship with Min-Cheol, you are the only guild members with a connection toward him, so I’m trusting you to make this offer to him.”

“Yes master.”

“I understand.”

“Please keep an eye on every move he makes. And no matter what happens, you cannot give our identity away. Until the prepared plan works out perfectly……”

“Understood.”

Both answered with zeal.

“Then, I ask of you. Together, for tomorrow’s glory!”

To Park Hyun’s raised arm, both shouted with a fist on their own chest. 24

“For glory!”

“For glory!”

Jae Hyuk had not been recognized in the guild or the radical faction. With advice from the guild, he joined, but he did not accomplish anything of note.

So he saw Park Hyun’s words as a chance.

‘If I am able to capture this little shit…… Wouldn’t it be a big accomplishment? Finally, I get an opportunity. An opportunity to secure my position!’

Her instructions were already forgotten, blinded by the desire to succeed.

After the conversation was over, Park Hyun sent Sangmin and Jae Hyuk back.

Park Hyun, now seemingly alone, tilted back her chair and spoke to the ceiling.

“Jin.”

The shadow of a desk in the corner of the office started to distort.

A man’s form, as if a puff of smoke, appeared.

His nickname was ‘Jin’, and he had the same ranking in the rebellion as Park Hyun.

With a plain smile fading from his face, he went towards Park Hyun and spoke.

“Seems I heard something interesting.”

“It is as you heard. I need you to go out there.”

“You need me to handle the little brat?”

“No, please keep an eye on the two I just sent.”

“Ku ku kuk, you are vile as ever.”

“It’s an important job for the mission. Jin, you’ll have to act with prudence.”

“Sure. If both of them betray or try to leak information, I will take care of them according to our creed.”

After finishing what he had to say, he hid himself into the shadows again.

“Whether or not the recruitment for Min-Cheol will succeed depends on how much of a good catalyst those two will be.”


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