NOVEL WEB 81. Mountains Beyond Mountains (2)
[And it’s been a while, Gaho! Did you miss me?]
“Ka-Kalia?”
[I thought you were smart, but have you already forgotten my name? It’s not Kakalia, it’s Kalia!]
“……I know.”
Kalia appeared without warning, just as she had disappeared. Hearing her voice cackling about it being a joke, I suddenly realized how much I had missed this cheerful sound.
“Welcome back. I trust you’ve been well?”
[My authority has been significantly reduced, but other than that, I’m fine! I’ve been watching how well you’ve done. Good job, Gaho!]
“Um, unni, she’s using an item right now, so please wait a moment.”
I had told Cha Taeyang about the monocle during our previous dinner. Quickly realizing that I was conversing with Kalia, Taeyang asked Han Cha-hyun for understanding on my behalf. Instead of thanking her verbally, I squeezed Taeyang’s hand, eliciting a small laugh from her.
I wanted to catch up more, but this was the World Tower. You never know when something might happen. Rubbing the gem attached to the monocle, I got to the point.
“You just mentioned a barrier, didn’t you?”
[I take back what I said about you being sensitive! Gaho, you’re quite dull, aren’t you? Turn on your eyes first.]
“……Kalia, what is that?”
As soon as I activated Explorer’s Eye, a massive energy from the distance hit me like a blow. This energy, completely different from the plague, seemed to be the cause of the fog.
“I can’t believe I didn’t notice this until now.”
[Don’t be too hard on yourself. It looks like something truly extraordinary created this. Maybe even greater than me.]
Greater than Kalia, who bears the title ‘World-Shaping Alchemist’? It was a realm far beyond my comprehension. Moreover, with the source so far away, I had no idea how to dispel this barrier.
Kalia, uncharacteristically, held her tongue, as if waiting for me to come up with an answer.
“We need to get closer to either dispel it or not.”
[But that’s not your specialty, is it?]
“Pardon?”
[Isn’t there something you’re best at? That should be enough to get through here. There’s even a perfect item to use as material!]
Seeing that I still didn’t understand despite her long explanation, Kalia generously offered one last hint.
[This cloud of mist is like a guard. It erodes and expels those who intrude on the barrier without permission. With that enormous power of unknown origin.]
“Erode with enormous power… Erode?”
[Hehe, have you figured it out?]
I nodded quickly. It was surprising that I hadn’t realized it sooner. At the same time, Akis’s voice from the sea flower replayed in my mind.
– Being eroded by a power that deviates from one’s essence. Tarin, the master of mana studies, called this phenomenon ‘pollution’. There are two ways to resolve a polluted state.
If my guess was correct, we were currently in a state of ‘pollution’ from this fog. If we let ourselves be eroded, we’d end up going in circles and being expelled, just like Shin-ju had been.
Once I understood this far, the answer came naturally.
“We need to create a purification item.”
[Correct! You might be a bit slow, but you’re not stupid.]
“You were referring to this as the good item, weren’t you?”
As I tapped the face covering that hid my lower face, Kalia excitedly exclaimed that I was right again.
Detoxification and purification are branches from the same root. Since their essence is the same, only minor modifications should be needed. Just as I was about to test it on my own face covering, I remembered that we had a spare of Cha Taeyang’s, which had the detoxification skill.
‘Han Cha-hyun said he’d keep it.’
I spoke towards the direction where I thought he might be.
“Hunter Han Cha-hyun. I’d like the spare face covering, if you please.”
“Yes. Would you come this way?”
“Just a moment… Oof.”
As I was fumbling my way towards Han Cha-hyun’s voice, my foot caught on a tree root. Just as my body tipped forward, arms shot out from various directions to catch me. When I touched the hand on my shoulder, a soft chuckle sounded.
“Be careful, Gaho-ssi.”
It seems I had found the right direction. Even after Han Cha-hyun’s hand let go, two arms remained. I didn’t need to see to know who these two were. The one gripping the back of my collar, practically lifting me, was Yun Su-ho, and the one supporting my waist was likely Shin-ju.
“You really never change.”
“I wouldn’t have tripped if it weren’t for the fog.”
“Reaaally?”
I pulled away from Shin-ju, who was slyly trying to tickle my waist. Seemingly sensing my presence, Han Cha-hyun’s voice sounded right beside me.
“Hold out your hand in front of you.”
I wondered why suddenly, but Han Cha-hyun wouldn’t ask without reason. As I raised my arm, it bumped into something. Judging by the smooth silk texture, it seemed I had hit Han Cha-hyun’s upper body. As I hurriedly tried to withdraw my hand, Han Cha-hyun grasped my wrist.
“Stay still.”
Speaking as if soothing me, Han Cha-hyun turned my hand so that the back faced downward. Only then did I understand his intention. As I spread my palm wide, Han Cha-hyun placed his hand holding the cloth on top of mine.
“This is a more reliable way to hand it over.”
“Yes, I understand.”
His hand, a size larger than mine, withdrew after saying he hoped it wasn’t unpleasant. If we were to lose it in this thick fog, it would be a challenge to find again. Reflexively, I tightened my grip, feeling the soft fabric between my fingers.
“Would you give me a bit more time? I have something I want to experiment with.”
When I examined it using Explorer’s Eye, it was just as I had expected. It seemed I would only need to modify the existing circuit slightly. Now that I had reached a conclusion, all that remained was to act.
The trajectory of magical power drawn by my fingertips glowed vividly through the fog.
[Your skills have improved, haven’t they?]
“You think so?”
[Ah, but there! You’ll need to double-check the part with the attribute formula.]
Unlike water attributes, dark attribute magic formulas have many restrictions, she said. Between what Akis had said and this, my resolve to study attribute formulas grew stronger.
With the modification of the formula near the attribute formula, the work was finally complete.
‘Now, if I just add one more point……’
Just as I extended my index finger, an entirely unexpected system window appeared.
[Please select an effect to apply to ‘Amanoiwato (A)’:
– Innate: Of Repose (A)]
‘I didn’t use a skill, so why did this pop up on its own?’
Originally, the skill Enchant involves the system providing guidelines, which I then implement to activate it. And now, that order had been completely reversed.
After glaring at the text, I muttered like a sigh.
“Huh, apply the innate effect ‘Of Repose’.”
Whether the system was being capricious or I had misunderstood something, it wasn’t a loss for me. Wasn’t this proof that there were no mistakes in my modifications? That ‘order’ was just my own assumption to begin with.
‘Kallos said it was all my ability in the end, didn’t he?’
Moreover, in the World Tower where every second counts, hesitation was a luxury. I couldn’t keep my companions waiting any longer after they had already been so patient.
For some reason, the success rate was fixed at 100%, so I immediately uttered the activation phrase.
“Enchant.”
A brilliant light burst forth, and the expected message appeared.
[Enchant successful!
– ‘Of Repose’ (A): Additional skill ‘Heaven’s Favor’ (B) → ‘Heaven’s Grace’ (A)]
When I put on the completed product over the face covering I was already wearing, the fog disappeared as if it had been a lie. The first thing that caught my eye was my companions huddled together under branches swaying in the winter wind. I unconsciously smiled at the cute scene visible only to me.
“So, how did it go?”
“It’s been resolved successfully. If you stay still, I’ll modify your items as well.”
“Yes, yes, teacher!”
I gently pinched Shin-ju’s cheek before imbuing her face covering with the purification function. Since it was a repetition of the same process, my hand movements were lightning fast. It took only about 10 minutes in total, and even that could have been shortened if we weren’t in a situation where we couldn’t remove the face coverings.
“That’s the last one!”
“Good work.”
Yun Su-ho, who was last in line, straightened his awkwardly bent waist. The goblin, who had been rolling around, approached my feet as if he had been waiting for this moment.
“Mr. Kim, what about our Taeyang?”
“Of course, I haven’t forgotten. Come here, Hunter Cha Taeyang.”
Unlike me who had fallen pathetically, Cha Taeyang walked confidently as if there were no obstructions in her sight, stopping precisely in front of me. Her intuition seemed even higher than that of Yun Su-ho, who was S-rank.
‘Seeing this, I wonder if she could just go around normally.’
You never know how things will turn out. I draped the face covering I had made first, which was originally meant for Cha Taeyang, around the back of her head.
“I briefly placed it over my own face covering before setting it aside separately. It might still feel uncomfortable, but please bear with it for a moment. I’ll wash it for you when we find a place with water.”
“Mm, it’s fine.”
My hands kept fumbling, unable to properly make even a simple ribbon. What good is an increased dexterity stat if it doesn’t help in real life? The goblin cackled at the sight of the sloppy ribbon.
“Heh, the black Mr. Kim is good at making things, but his knot-tying skills are pretty lousy.”
“Is it really that bad? Shin-ju, come here and retie the ribbon……”
“No! I like it as it is. If it comes undone, you can retie it then.”
If it were someone else, I might have worried, but this child walks around fine without a face covering. Thinking it would be okay even if the ribbon came loose, I nodded, and Cha Taeyang smiled as brightly as her name suggests.
Shin-ju, who had been watching us with a pleased expression, beckoned me with a wiggle of her finger.
“You wanted to see where I placed the marker, right? It’s here.”
“Hmm, it really is an ordinary pillar.”
“That’s what I said.”
A star-shaped marker was engraved on a short wooden pillar that seemed to be about 30cm tall. Even after careful examination and touching, I couldn’t find anything unusual.
If I had to point out something, maybe the two lines engraved around the upper part of the pillar?
“Well, I can’t make anything of it.”
“Judging by how docile the skill is, it doesn’t seem to be a very old object.”
[No matter how I look at it, it’s just a piece of wood.]
With not only the other companions but even Kalia saying this, it really did seem to be an ordinary object. Unable to let go of my suspicions, I rubbed the rough surface of the pillar before standing up.
“Let’s move on to Cheonsan now. Please lead the way, Shin-ju.”
“Hunter Yun Gaho. Is there something still bothering you?”
“No. I think I was just being overly cautious.”
It’s possible that being inside the barrier had some special effect. I patted Han Cha-hyun’s shoulder as he narrowed his eyes, then pushed Shin-ju’s back.
“Alright, everyone, just follow our Shin-ju!”