SWNOVELXO Chapter 52 - Special Sale Store (4)
Chapter 52. Special Sale Store (4)
Yuri ran frantically, moving so quickly that his legs seemed to blur.
If anyone had seen him, they might have wondered what could possibly be happening in the dead of night to make him so urgent.
However, despite his busy body, the pace of his search was frustratingly slow.
“Damn it, this place is disgustingly huge!”
His harsh curse echoed down the long corridor.
‘How many rooms are there?!’
Tap-tap-tap.
Yuri sprinted down the hallway, checking each door as he went.
One by one.
He opened every door, confirming what lay inside before moving on.
It was a grueling, repetitive task, an infuriatingly time-consuming process that only ate away at the already scarce time he had.
The only saving grace was the luminous stones embedded in the ceiling, which greatly aided his search.
Thud-thud—bang!
The sound of doors opening and closing repeatedly filled the corridor.
As time passed, Yuri’s face gradually grew pale.
And then, finally.
“…Is this the end?”
Yuri had reached the end of the first-floor hallway.
Thankfully, there was a staircase leading up, so he headed straight for the second floor.
Seeing the seemingly endless corridor stretch out before him again, Yuri sighed.
“Ha….”
The fact that there were stairs at the end of each hallway leading to the next floor meant he wouldn’t have to backtrack, which was a relief.
However, the challenge before him was too daunting for such a small comfort.
‘How many were there?’
He had roughly counted the number of doors—dozens at least.
There were certainly more than thirty, but he had given up counting after that.
‘Since there were about thirty halfway through, let’s assume there are at least sixty.’
Which meant that Yuri had at least sixty rooms to check on each floor.
Per floor. Per floor!
This was likely the same on the second floor and possibly the other floors as well.
And the number of floors Yuri had to check…
‘At least ten floors, if not more.’
It could even be as many as twenty.
At that point, Yuri gave up on calculating the time.
‘There’s no way I can check each room one by one.’
If he did, it would be impossible to find the shop in time.
So, Yuri decided to change his approach.
‘If it’s a shop… there has to be someone selling the items.’
He needed to find that person.
Or more accurately, the flow of mana emanating from that person.
[Johan had said, once you reach a certain level, you begin to handle something called a zone. Although there are slight variations from person to person, you usually acquire this zone when you reach around the seventh rank.]
According to Johan, within a zone, one could perceive everything in fine detail.
The wind blowing through, the raindrops falling.
The killing intent that approached in silence.
Even the flow of mana in the world.
Within a zone, all these elements would imprint on the brain, transcending the limits of the five senses and creating an entirely new form of sensory information.
This was why, Johan had said, the outcome of a battle between warriors of the seventh rank or higher often hinged on how precisely they could control their zones.
Johan had added:
[It takes countless experiences and efforts to finally acquire this zone… but you’re different. If you’ve mastered Magic Flow, you might not replicate it perfectly, but you can imitate it somewhat. I’d say it’s about 40% similar. Hmm… maybe more like 30%….]
Magic Flow, the art of controlling the flow of mana, the essence of all things.
Johan had explained that, with Yuri’s mastery of Magic Flow, he could experience effects similar to those of a zone.
And indeed, Yuri possessed a form of what could be called the ‘zone of Magic Flow.’
It was a sensory field unique to Yuri, one that allowed him to detect all manner of flows.
However, its range was limited to a mere 1-meter diameter around him.
So now, Yuri was thinking of expanding that ‘zone of Magic Flow.’
‘Even if I run close to the doors, I’d need to expand the zone to at least ten meters to sense the flow inside.’
Expanding the zone from 1 meter to over 10 meters.
Some might scoff, saying it was impossible to achieve that instantly.
‘There’s nothing that can’t be done. It must be done.’
It had already taken him nearly 20 minutes just to search the first floor.
If he didn’t succeed in expanding his sensory field, it would be impossible to search all these floors within the time limit.
‘I can’t let that happen!’
How far had he come to get to this point?
Clenching his teeth, Yuri moved his mana according to the principles of Magic Flow.
Suddenly, he began to perceive every flow around him in fine detail.
The mana within the luminous stones, the flow of light emanating from them.
The circulation of air in the corridor.
The waves felt from behind the doors.
But the range was still small.
Barely 1 meter.
‘I can’t significantly expand this zone right now.’
Without a massive breakthrough or a clear advancement in his skills, expanding the entire zone was impossible.
In that case…
‘Selective focus!’
Yuri concentrated on the zone of Magic Flow.
If he could focus the zone, which was spread throughout his body, into one area.
If he could concentrate solely on that zone.
‘Then it might be possible.’
Yuri began to channel the sensory awareness that was spread throughout his body into his left arm.
Amazingly, the zone of Magic Flow that was dispersed throughout his body started to gather in his left arm.
The zone that had been spread across the rest of his body gradually faded, while the zone in his left arm grew larger and more distinct.
Focusing the zone into a single point.
If someone else had seen it, they might have been shocked and asked how such a thing was possible.
But Yuri couldn’t have provided an answer.
He was simply ‘doing it because he could.’
How it was possible, or by what principle it worked, even he didn’t know.
After a short while.
The zone of Magic Flow had coalesced in Yuri’s left arm.
Its radius extended slightly beyond 2 meters.
Despite his success, Yuri’s expression remained somber.
‘…Not enough.’
Even after gathering the zone, the limits were clear.
This was because the total amount of zone Yuri could manage was fixed.
There was no way to increase this total amount at the moment.
So, a change was needed.
Zzzt, zzzt—
The concentrated zone in Yuri’s arm began to pulse.
Then.
Shlick—!
A thin tendril shot out.
That was just the beginning.
Shlick-shlick-shlick—
The concentrated zone kept extruding thin tendrils.
The tendrils of the zone extended in all directions, like spider silk.
The tendrils stretched out to a length of nearly 20 meters.
Even if it was just an imitation and not a true zone.
Despite not being taught by anyone, Yuri instinctively grasped how to adjust his zone.
The fact that he managed to succeed on his first attempt without any practice was thanks to his innate talent.
As the zone’s threads spread in all directions, a faint smile appeared on Yuri’s face.
‘It worked!’
Although the density might be lacking, the range of his search was now overwhelming.
If anything were to touch the threads of his zone, it would be immediately relayed to him.
‘This… with a bit more research, it could turn out to be quite the useful skill.’
In the face of an urgent and difficult situation, Yuri had grown and gained a clue for further growth.
Meanwhile, the threads of the zone Yuri created snaked into the cracks between the doors and walls, extending further inside.
Simultaneously, a wealth of information was relayed to Yuri’s brain.
The shape of the space beyond the doors.
Its approximate size.
The objects within, and more.
A vast amount of information flooded Yuri in an instant.
His eyes sparkled as he quickly absorbed and analyzed this information.
‘The flow of objects and people is distinctly different. I just need to find the flow of a person.’
If he could find that, it would surely lead him to the special discount shop.
‘Let’s go.’
Yuri began to walk slowly.
One step, two steps.
At first, he only walked, but as he grew accustomed to processing the information, his pace quickened.
Gradually, his strides lengthened.
Then, his speed increased exponentially, and before long, Yuri was running.
Tap-tap.
As his speed increased, so did the volume of information flooding into Yuri.
It was like a waterfall of information.
‘Not here, it’s not here. Not here either… Nothing! Nothing! No!’
Each time he passed by a door.
Yuri’s face grew paler as he processed the countless pieces of information he detected and analyzed.
Yet Yuri endured.
Finally, he reached the end of the second-floor corridor.
“Huff, huff.”
Sweat dripped down his forehead as he panted heavily.
What drained Yuri more than using Magic Flow was the speed at which the information piled up.
The process of sorting through the information pouring into his brain each moment and determining whether a person was present or not.
To maintain his running speed, all of this had to happen in an instant.
This process was overloading Yuri’s brain.
He had only searched one floor, yet his head was already throbbing.
But Yuri smiled.
‘At this pace… it’s possible!’
Though it was exhausting, it only took 2-3 minutes to search an entire floor.
He had about 40 minutes left.
There was enough time.
‘To the next floor.’
With a smile, Yuri headed to the third floor.
At the end of the 10th-floor corridor.
“Huff—huff—”
Yuri staggered as he exhaled heavily.
He didn’t seem to be in a good state.
Finally, blood began to drip from his nose.
Drip, drip.
Seeing the blood dripping onto the floor, Yuri pinched his nose.
“…Damn it, all this just to buy something.”
Whether it was swimming across a vast lake for hours or running across land the size of a domain all night.
And now, as a result of overexerting his brain, he was bleeding from his nose.
“…If it turns out these items are worthless, Senior Jerry won’t get away with it.”
Although this ordeal had slightly improved his handling of the Magic Flow zone.
That was beside the point.
If the items in the special discount shop were disappointing compared to his efforts, he would seek out Senior Jerry and settle it with blood.
Yuri resolved firmly.
Staggering, Yuri leaned against the wall and climbed to the next floor.
At the end of the 11th-floor corridor.
Even after somehow reaching the 11th floor, his head throbbed, and he felt nauseous.
He wanted to rest for a moment, but he couldn’t stop.
His pace had already slowed considerably.
If he decided to rest, he might collapse then and there.
“Hoo… let’s go.”
After taking a deep breath, Yuri moved forward again, extending the threads of his zone.
His speed was noticeably slower than before.
But Yuri did not give up.
Step by step, he made his way to the middle of the 11th floor.
‘Tch, is this floor a bust too?’
Just as he thought that this floor, like the previous ten, would yield nothing.
“…?!”
Something touched the threads of his zone.
It felt entirely different from anything before.
Yuri stopped right where he was and focused on the room in question.
‘This is….’
It wasn’t just an ordinary object but something warm, with a flow of mana.
It was certain.
‘A person!’
A hint of excitement colored Yuri’s face.
Sniff!
After clearing his nosebleed, he nervously pushed the door open.
Click—creak—
The well-maintained door opened without a sound.
The first thing Yuri saw when the door fully opened was pitch-black darkness.
Yuri was taken aback.
‘Huh… What?’
The interior, faintly illuminated by the luminous stones in the corridor, looked like a closed tavern.
Chairs placed upside down on the tables as if in the middle of cleaning.
A bar where a bartender might stand, along with shelves.
The dim light revealed the vague shapes within the room.
But what truly perplexed Yuri was something else.
‘What… I definitely sense a person. Why can’t I see them?’
He was certain that there was someone beyond that darkness.
Yuri’s Magic Flow had detected a person’s presence, so it had to be true.
But nothing was visible?
‘Did I sense it wrong?’
Just as Yuri was feeling bewildered.
“Who’s there?”
A voice called out from a corner.
At the same time, a set of bright white teeth appeared, floating in the darkness.
“…?!”
Startled, Yuri took a step back.
Flick.
A small match was struck, producing a tiny red spark.
Whoosh.
With a sound like an exhaled breath, the room was suddenly illuminated.
Only then did Yuri understand why he hadn’t seen the person before.
He looked at the figure revealed in the light and muttered quietly.
“…A Black woman?”
The person who had appeared from the darkness was a middle-aged Black woman.
She had dark brown skin and tight, curly hair.
Thick lips and narrow eyes.
Even though her loose black clothing covered her, she appeared to be quite plump.
In her mouth was a lit cigar.
Whoosh.
As she blew out a puff of smoke, the woman spoke.
“What, never seen a Black person before?”
Having seen quite a few Black people during his travels across the continent, Yuri shook his head.
“No, that’s not it.”
“Then why were you so startled?”
“Wouldn’t anyone be scared if all they saw were teeth floating in the dark like a ghost?”
“That’s true.”
The corners of the Black woman’s narrow eyes curved slightly.
She was probably smiling.
But only for a moment.
Her eyes opened slightly, revealing the eyes hidden beneath, as she scrutinized Yuri.
“Hmm, a face I haven’t seen before… where’s your epaulet?”
“I didn’t get one.”
“You didn’t get one? What nonsense are you talking… wait?”
As if realizing something, she quickly spoke again.
“Don’t tell me… are you a first-year? Part of the 50th batch?”
“Well, not yet, but I will be soon.”
“Oh my goodness!”
She was so shocked that the lit cigar fell from her mouth.
But before it hit the ground, she quickly snatched it out of the air.
Putting the cigar back in her mouth, she looked at Yuri as if he were a strange creature.
“Unbelievable… a mere cadet made it all the way here? How?”
“I managed just fine. Who are you, anyway?”
“Me?”
At Yuri’s blunt question, she chuckled.
Then she walked over to a well-organized shelf.
A shelf filled with bottles and glasses.
Beside it hung a luxurious golden rope.
The Black woman grabbed the rope and looked back at Yuri.
“If you must know….”
With that, she pulled the rope.
Creak—
The shelf in front of her moved back with an eerie sound.
Then, with a sliding sound, a new shelf emerged to take its place.
Resting her hand on the new shelf, the woman smiled and said.
“You could say I’m the shopkeeper.”
At her introduction, Yuri looked over the newly revealed shelf.
Dozens of square compartments, each separated by transparent glass dividers.
And within them, a variety of colorful items.
Seeing this, a look of joy spread across Yuri’s face.
“I found it.”