Chapter 158

In the martial arts novels I used to read, there was this concept called “seongak-hutong*”—roughly explained as “Mental breakthrough/Enlightenment comes before physical mastery.” It means you awaken to a concept first, and then your body slowly catches up to that level of understanding. If you’ve read enough web novels, you’ll probably get what I mean.

“…”

But in my case, it was the opposite. Not realization before mastery, but rather mastery before realization. The more I circulated cold mana through my body, the more this strange sense of calm began to settle in. It felt like my body was gradually adapting to it. I couldn’t explain why, but something was definitely improving. If nothing had changed, I could’ve just accepted it and moved on—but with this constant sense of progress, I couldn’t bring myself to stop.

“…Is my body adapting? Or is it just the nature of the mana itself? Is it even something I can control?”

That annoying sensation—like I’m almost touching the answer but not quite. I couldn’t tell whether I was getting closer to the truth or just going in circles on the wrong path. Whether it was thanks to the elixir or my own talent, things were clearly improving. I just had no idea how.

“Hmm…”

In the end, I had to keep going. Maybe if I focused a little more, something new would emerge.

So I turned inward once again, concentrating on the flow of mana inside my body, gradually falling into a deep state of meditation.

Or at least, I tried to.

But something warm kept brushing against my senses.

Not from inside me—it was coming from outside.

At first, I ignored it, trying to stay focused.

But the warmth only grew stronger… to the point that it became impossible to ignore.

Finally, I opened my eyes.

I’d had them closed for so long that my eyelashes clung together from the cold air that had filled the room.

“…?”

What I saw immediately upon opening my eyes was… weird, to say the least.

Three players stood frozen near the door, their poses ridiculous, staring straight at me.

And one woman with a short bob haircut was radiating heat, practically burning with hostility.

What the…?

Why were they standing like that?

Did they… want to say something?

Then why weren’t they saying it?

“…Ah. Right.”

It finally clicked.

They’d all frozen up after walking into the cold mana I’d been releasing during training.

The moment they entered the room, the chill must’ve locked up their bodies.

The short-haired woman probably had fire-based abilities—that’s likely how she resisted it at all.

Wait…

Does that mean eleven days have already passed?

I knew that with my stats boosted, I could survive for long periods without food or water, but actually experiencing it was still jarring.

“…”

-Thud. Thud.

As I stopped circulating my mana, the others began to move again, their bodies free once more, and they collapsed to the floor in a heap.

…This wasn’t how I’d wanted them to see me.

I’d planned to greet them with a cool, composed air.

But after losing all sense of time, I hadn’t been ready at all.

Should I regress?

I still hadn’t fully mastered cold mana.

I didn’t want to challenge the 12th floor while still half-prepared.

Just as I made my decision and was about to bite my cheek to trigger the reset—A flash of memory crossed my mind.

The reward list… from the final test.

[20] Book of Potential (Unique)

[30] Elixir of Choice (Unique)

[40] A-Rank Trait Selection Ticket (Unique)

‘…Book of Potential?’

If I remembered right, this book quantifies the user’s potential—turns it into raw stats.

Wouldn’t that be the perfect tool to figure out the direction I should take with my mana? Yeah, without a doubt, it would help.

Even if it didn’t offer any guidance, at the very least, it could serve as a milestone to show how far I’ve come.

“Hmm, hmm.”

Having made up my mind, I stretched my neck, stood up from the bed, and greeted them as casually as if nothing had happened.

“Hello.”

I should probably go ahead and clear the 12th floor once.

***

“I sincerely apologize. I didn’t do it on purpose. My mana has a rather unique nature—it’s a type of cold mana…”

Kim Jun-ho sat with the four players who had stormed into his room, calmly explaining himself.

Even now, faint wisps of white mist still trailed from his body, lingering like breath in winter air.

“…”

Acne Guy was arrogant, yes—but he was also the easygoing type.

Normally, he would’ve cracked a few jokes to break the tension by now.

Something like, “Cold mana? Wow, that sounds like a refrigerator brand,” or “You sure that isn’t just dry ice?” something like that.

But not this time.

Right now, he sat quietly with his hands neatly folded, listening intently to Jun-ho’s explanation.

The reason?

Simple.

This Jun-ho guy—he was different.

It’s not like Acne Guy had never met someone stronger than him.

Even the short-haired girl next to him had more raw power.

He’d encountered standout players on the 4th and 11th floors—plenty of skilled elites.

But they all still felt like players.

Fast, strong, talented, blessed with special powers—but ultimately still within reach.

Like honor students in school. You admire them, maybe envy them, but they’re still human.

But this guy?

He just rested, and the natural phenomenon changed.

He had this strange pull to his presence, and the longer you looked at him, the more uncomfortable it became.

Rather than a fellow player, he felt more like a 12th-floor boss monster.

The aura around him was just… different.

The other two—Mole Guy and Glasses Girl—felt the same.

They were curious about him, sure.

But at the same time, they felt uneasy, even fearful.

There were so many things they wanted to ask, but the words just wouldn’t come out.

The combination of Jun-ho’s foggy, cold aura and his Curiosity and Mysterious Aura traits had triggered something unexpected.

The Awe trait had activated, creating a synergy that left the group in awe.

Only the short-haired woman seemed unaffected by it, likely because of her own traits.

But since she was naturally quiet, the room remained heavy with silence.

“…?”

Jun-ho quickly caught on to the strange atmosphere surrounding him.

‘Those guys aren’t the type to act like this,’ he thought.

And when he subtly opened his status window, he saw the reason—

His Awe trait had activated, along with its trait-copying effect.

‘But wait—last time, even after trying to intimidate, the Awe trait didn’t trigger.’

‘So what changed this time?’

There were only two new variables.

One: the soft, white mist rolling across the floor.

Two: the freshly acquired trait, Mysterious Aura.

Only then did Jun-ho take a moment to look around and think it through.

A quick bit of mental math, and he understood:

To them, this whole scene must look incredibly mystical.

He even realized that when Acne Guy muttered “immortal,” he’d been talking about him.

Immortal, huh…

Honestly, he did kind of look like one.

“Well then, everyone up.”

The moment he understood the situation, Jun-ho’s tone shifted—suddenly crisp and composed.

He’d realized that their misunderstanding could actually work in his favor.

And now that Awe had activated, things were about to get a lot easier.

‘This… might actually be great.’

Until now, Jun-ho only knew two modes of interaction:

Be polite and professional, or go full-on threatening.

But now, he was learning that there was… another way.

No one said a word on the way.

Since Jun-ho walked in front, the others simply trailed after him in silence.

Knowing that the cold mist added to the mystical effect, Jun-ho kept his mana circulating just enough to release a faint stream of smoke.

To them, it probably looked like some passive aura—

In truth, he was working really hard to keep the effect going.

====

<12th Floor>

Pass a total of three rounds of “tests.” Each person can only participate once each round. If the final test is failed, no rewards will be granted.

All rewards are distributed individually after clearing the 12th floor.

====

Once they arrived, everyone took their seats.

Thanks to the cold mana circulating through his body, Jun-ho didn’t even feel discomfort from the icy metal chair.

- Before we begin the first test, please select your reward for the first round.

[1] 10x Low-Grade Potions

[5] Custom Item Box (B~D Rank)

[10] Elixir of Omnipotence – Increases all stats by 3.

A message window appeared in front of him.

Jun-ho didn’t hesitate—he picked [5].

He’d already gotten the Elixir of Omnipotence once, and stacking elixirs had no additional effect.

It would’ve been a waste to choose it again.

Instead, he was curious to see what would come out of the custom item box.

As soon as he confirmed his choice, the protective barrier surrounding him vanished, revealing the others’ faces.

Their expressions were… still visibly uneasy.

They kept glancing at him from the corners of their eyes, only to look away the moment their gazes met.

If they were girls, he might’ve called it a green light.

But since it was a bunch of dudes…

Yeah. Not quite the same vibe.

“Uh, I—I picked [5].”

“Me too.”

“Same here…”

Just like in the previous run, everyone was claiming to have picked [5].

Since I also picked [5] this time, the total should logically be [30].

I immediately looked toward the elevator to check the number, and then—

“…Huh?”

[25]

The number displayed above the elevator was just 25.

Five players.

All said they picked [5].

Which means, if everyone had been telling the truth, the result should have been [25].

Simple enough.

But that seemingly obvious number carried a deeper meaning.

“Heh.”

This time, the liar got scared after seeing me.

– – End of Chapter ––

 

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