Chapter 17: Moonlight

Heup, hooh, hoo…

I heard a gasping sound.

The owner of that breathing was Yoo Eunchae.

Her hair, reminiscent of twilight, was tied back in a crimson hue.

"Is, is there any, any meaning to this?!"

Yoo Eunchae spoke with a dying voice. I silently nodded and breathed.

"Of course. Everything requires physical strength."

"No, but still!"

"But you're still on the weaker side, aren't you? I'm not asking you to climb a cliff with your bare hands, and if you're late, I won't send you back up, will I?"

"You're not human…"

Yoo Eunchae grumbled.

"It seems you don't understand the importance of physical strength well. Do you know what kind of magic the Glacial Heavenly Moon is?"

"Its magic principle is to freeze."

She answered without a moment's hesitation to my question.

"Such a cheat magic, hooh, it's ice magic that only has debuffs, yet, hooh, it deals tremendous damage, and why is the CC so long? On top of that, it's legendary cheat magic that chunks down magic resistance, hooh."

Yoo Eunchae blurted out something unnecessary.

But she explains well while almost running out of breath.

"Stop! If, if it goes on, I'll die…"

'Die' is informal though.

But since her body was pushed to its limits, this must be right.

"Just rest a bit more."

Yoo Eunchae slumped to the ground.

Such a lack of energy.

As I looked at my newly acquired disciple with a tsk tsk, I started moving again.

[Stamina increases by 1.]

[Magic power increases by 1.]

Because my stats were steadily increasing.

'Really an absurd power.'

I couldn't help but smile.

My body is tired, but this isn't pain.

"Wow…"

"Why do you look at me with such sickened eyes?"

"Isn't it hard?"

"It's fucking hard."

"But you're smiling."

I touched my mouth with my hand.

Just as Yoo Eunchae said, my mouth was smiling.

'Well, it's fun.'

Every time I reincarnate, my body resets.

Each time, well…

'It feels like raising a new sub-character with the things honed through reincarnations.'

Now, I might be a bit tired, so I said I would teach my disciples.

But this was my true nature.

If weak, somehow carve a path.

If strong, do not settle but seek the most efficient way.

After finishing stretching, Yoo Eunchae was fiddling with a bead.

"What's that?"

"Ah, this bead? It allows you to learn traits."

"…Learn traits?"

What on earth does that mean?

"Today, you said we'd learn traits."

"That's right."

"Traits are nothing special. You can acquire them with this bead by killing enemies in places like gates or dungeons."

"Really?"

"Yes, this bead contains traits. Simply put, you can learn 'skills' as if it's a game."

Now that I think about it, there was such a thing.

Traits excluding Unique Traits.

I heard that these could be 'learned' without going through a learning process.

'I want to experience it once.'

As if knowing my thoughts, she offered me the bead of traits.

"Do you want to learn?"

"Don't you need it?"

"No, I just found it. Maybe it's like a bonus. It's not even that expensive, about 1 million won?"

"How do I use this?"

"Just touch and break the bead."

"Like this?"

Crack.

As the bead shattered, a message window popped up.

[You have acquired Slash(E).]

"You've learned it."

"How do I use this?"

"You can just shout the skill name in your mind, or harbor the intention to use the skill."

Following Yoo Eunchae's words, I held the dagger and shouted the skill name.

'Slash.'

My body began to move on its own accord.

[Your Unique Trait, Eternity, embeds itself in your magic power.]

[The function of Slash(E) is enhanced!]

I could stop, but with a let's-see-what-happens attitude, I observed what happened next.

A strange power began to imbue the dagger with a buzzing sound.

I swung it towards a nearby tree.

Swoosh─.

The tree's trunk was cleanly cut.

I looked at the dagger.

The energy that had initially changed its property was still lingering in the dagger.

"It's fascinating. Normally, a skill ends once it's activated."

"It's iron magic."

"What?"

"I transformed my magic to that of an Iron Attribute and infused it into the sword. In short, instead of saying it's Iron Attribute magic, the more accurate description is Sword Attribute magic."

I fell into deep thoughts while utilizing my Heavenly Eyes.

In an instant, I drew upon a different magic.

My Unique Trait, Eternity, is imbued within the magic itself.

"I imbue it with the attribute of sword magic. In the process, I forcibly overlay my magic without changing its nature."

It's the concept of overlaying.

Unfortunately, I possess neither the attribute of iron magic nor the attribute of sword magic.

Woong!

The sword begins to emit its sword cry. The attribute of the sword. I remember this.

The problem is what comes next.

'I've learned the structure of the skill.'

I saw the movement of its mana.

It's an interesting power.

I've never seen such a 'shoddy ability' among all the supernatural powers I've encountered.

'It's almost like a forced power.'

There's no process. It just brings out the result. With just one bead, one could learn a power that might even surpass magic or martial arts.

This ability, called the Status Window, forces its will on the user, making them move according to the rules they have set as if they were a god themselves.

'I don't like it.'

I couldn't help but laugh. I don't like this method. Since that's the case, I'll break it apart and do it my way.

"Tea, Teacher?"

With a brighter smile than anyone, I gazed at the dagger, at its pale qi, and at the entire structure of the magic that made it.

Then, I began to dismantle it and prepare to cut and remove the unnecessary parts.

But soon, I was puzzled.

'Nothing?'

There's hardly any unnecessary process that exists.

This power, which has strengthened humans, has no unnecessary parts.

Assuming the subject is an ordinary person, the result of countless beings' research and creation.

This is also a completed ability in itself.

'These guys really have nothing better to do.'

Though inferior to me, beings that could easily destroy a decent country have gathered their strength.

And with that, they created this already perfect 'skill'. Adding anything more would only cause most things to simply collapse.

'But it doesn't matter.'

Click!

I began to dismantle the skill.

I've collapsed its structure.

If the structure of the skill is a circle,

The most perfectly made circle begins to distort and break apart.

'In my own way.'

I began to change everything—The structure of its mana, its properties, its role.

I have to dismantle everything and clothe it in something else.

This in itself is perfect.

It's not a matter of ranks.

This is created by those from the clan of geniuses, all excelled in their respective abilities, to be as beginner friendly as possible.

Screeeeech!

The dagger began to scream. Yoo Eunchae's eyes gleamed with ecstasy as she looked at the dagger.

'Which one would be good.'

A simple slash. Iron Attribute magic. Sword Attribute magic.

Neither of those powers belong to me, because they are powers infused by some means.

'There's nothing I can't imitate.'

But this type of discipline is unfamiliar to me, and in the end, it only becomes inferior.

Both have their strengths, but they are inferior to other things.

Perhaps, the magic of the Heaven Attribute and the Eternal Attribute I originally possessed.

'Or magic.'

Glacial Heavenly Moon, Brilliant Blazing Fire, Divine Thunderbolt.

There were many that came to mind.

Glacial Heavenly Moon is the most efficient magic I pursued.

It is the magic I favored in my past life.

Brilliant Blazing Fire is a flame that embraces everything. This, too, does not fit.

Divine Thunderbolt is a magic that must never be used at this level.

Then, first of all.

'Glacial Heavenly Moon.'

I meticulously analyzed the Slash trait.

I began to remove the Sword Attribute magic..

Accordingly, the Slash trait began to change.

[The structure of the trait, Slash(E), is being reversed.]

[The trait, Slash(E), falls to rank E-!]

'As expected.'

This thing called trait was made to be able to grow—I was now certain.

'Disassemble.'

I disassembled the trait. And I began to breathe magic into it.

Wooong!

From the heart in my middle dantian, the magic formula of Glacial Heavenly Moon emanated, releasing an aura of extremely cold energy.

[The proficiency of Slash(E) increases!.]

[The Slash(E) Evolves into an Ice Sword(D)!]

Swoosh swoosh swoosh!!

The special ability manifests. Frost begins to form on the upper part of the sword, and the utterly cold Yin reveals itself from the Slash trait.

"What, what? No way, did you really evolve the characteristic?"

"That's interesting."

For now, I just gave it a new attribute.

I destroyed the structure. And still, the rank went up.

I don't feel like someone is watching me, meaning,

'Did they create an AI-like existence to do this?'

Well, I'm thankful for that.

No need to be under the weird gaze of others, after all.

Shaking off my thoughts, I reached out.

Again, I altered the structure set to the sword's attribute with my methods.

And this time I added the attribute of Eternity to the place infused with the magic of Glacial Heavenly Moon.

[A Unique Trait, Eternity, embeds itself in your magic.]

[The power of the Eternal Attribute imbues the Ice Sword. The proficiency of Ice Sword (D) increases!]

[Ice Sword (D) evolves into Frost Sword (C)!]

Zhejejejeok!

The upper part of the sword flickers with blue light.

'Not enough.'

It can evolve further.

But I've put in everything that could be.

Adding anything else would disrupt the balance—.

'No.'

I infused it with my own magical power.

The Heaven Attribute magic that I originally possessed.

As I infuse magic, the magic decomposes. It embraces the attributes of Heaven instead.

The sun and the moon, and also the thunder.

I erased the sun. I erased the thunder.

Only the attributes of the moon began to imbue.

[The power of Moonlight permeates the Frost Sword. The proficiency of Frost Sword (C) increases]

[Frost Sword (C) evolves into Moon Frost Sword (B)!]

'More than a sword.'

I just needed power.

I've mastered everything, but among them, Bare Hands and Empty Fist was the best fit.

Mana flows in at my will. It twists the structure and shatters it.

Yet the original form remains.

If someone were to recognize or see this, it has been altered to the point where even finding traces would be difficult.

'What's left now is.'

The modification for me to be able to use it.

Swords are fine, but my true martial art begins with my body.

[Your proficiency in Moon Frost Sword (B) has increased!][

Moon Frost Sword (B) evolves into Moonlight (A)!]

Ssshhh─.

The blue light disappears, and it is overtaken by a milky color.

A power that seems to blend the moonlight and coldness is imbued in the dagger, becoming Moonlight.

'I've obtained something useful as a substitute for sword qi.'

"What, what did you do?"

"Analysis."

And strengthening.

It's a simple tale.

There seemed to be many shortcomings in it, and I had the ability to enhance it.

When I explained it simply, Yoo Eunchae looked at me with a blank expression.

"…Did you really do that?"

"I'm asking because it's unlikely, but has no one done this until now?"

"That, yes. There hasn't been anyone until now. Well, one person only managed to raise a grade."

Yoo Eunchae looked dizzy as if thinking this isn't right.

"Hmm…"

But upon further thought, it's not so strange after all.

'The system seems like a benefit given only to Earthlings.'

If a character from the martial world or the magic world had received the system, it would have been known a long time ago.

'It's unpleasant.'

The usefulness that the system itself provides cannot be denied.

But could it be a misconception that it somehow feels closer to 'domestication'?

"Rather than that, I want to try experimenting with this."

"What rank is that trait?"

"A rank."

"…Really?!"

Yoo Eunchae looked at me with a shocked expression.

"Did you create an A rank in one go?"

"That sounds a bit odd."

The ability to create an A rank was largely due to the power of Glacial Heavenly Moon, one of the powers I have accumulated so far. It allowed me to raise the rank in one go.

'I'm actually more dissatisfied that it's only A rank.'

If this level of power is considered A rank, the value of S rank might be even greater than I thought.

I turned on the status window, gazing at the Moonlight skill.

Ding.

[Moonlight (A)]

It is imbued with the energy and divinity of the moon.The energy and divinity of the moon imbue you.

All stats +5.

Is this how it works?

'I thought my body felt lighter.'

Creating a skill increases the stats.

"Then, would you like to experiment?"

"An experiment?"

"Yes!"

Looking at Moonlight, I roughly understood how it worked.

'She wants to see this, huh.'

Let's show her the dignity of a master.