SWNOVELXO Chapter 16
With a cheerful sound effect, the desired window finally appeared.
[Supreme Domination Acquired]
[New Entry Unlocked]
[Mu Geuk Martial Arts Created]
Lee Jun quickly braced himself for the inevitable scolding from his master, Mu Geuk-ja.
However, no such reprimand came.
Instead, the sound of laughing shook his head.
[Kahaha! I knew this would happen.]
“Ah, you’re not going to scold me?”
[Recognizing the personality of my foolish disciple is also a great virtue of an outstanding master.]
“Hah, thank goodness. I was preparing to hear lectures all day.”
Feeling both relieved and slightly uncomfortable, Lee Jun was still skeptical.
Mu Geuk-ja was not the type to be so lenient.
It would have been unusual if he didn’t scold him.
A creeping uneasiness began to surface with the master’s unusual behavior.
Then, he pressed the button for Supreme Domination.
But…
“What is this!”
[Supreme Domination (Unavailable)]
Grade: B (Growth-type)
Description: Supreme Domination, a martial art crafted by Mu Geuk-ja, inspired by the power of celestial beasts, is a superior technique.
Martial Art Growth Condition: All Stats above 300, Inner Power 600
Usage Condition: All Stats above 180, Inner Power 400
The unease was justified.
Not being able to use the martial arts after spending 650,000 points was a worst-case scenario.
If he knew this would happen, investing in stats would have been wiser.
[Hehe. You wasted your points. Should’ve listened to this master.]
“You should’ve told me earlier!”
Lee Jun’s indignation provoked Mu Geuk-ja’s sharp rebuke.
[Gaaaaah!]
The booming voice of Mu Geuk-ja echoed again.
As expected.
Lee Jun had been wondering when the scolding would finally come.
The force of his voice shook the very walls, making Lee Jun feel dizzy.
Unable to endure the headache, he raised his hands.
“Alright, I’m sorry, Master!”
Only after surrendering did Mu Geuk-ja’s thunderous voice finally cease.
[Hmph. It’s been a while since I raised my voice. My throat is sore now.]
“Huff, huff…”
Lee Jun took deep breaths to calm himself.
‘What kind of old man has a voice like that?’
Even though his body was purely a spirit, it could still sustain damage.
Once again, Mu Geuk-ja felt extraordinary in Lee Jun’s eyes.
He glanced at the root window with a twinge of regret.
650,000 points were spent, and all that remained was 1,750,000 points.
He had to make the most of this.
-The Path of the World Mu Geuk (SS)
Specialty (1): Nature’s Embrace (0/250,000)
Martial Art (1): Mu Geuk Martial Arts (0/3,000,000)
Stats (2): Strength +15 (0/100,000)
∴ Remaining Tech Tree Points: 1,750,000p
Lee Jun gazed at the tree for a long while.
He had a hard time deciding, and his decision-making wasn’t the quickest.
Finally, he decided to seek help from Mu Geuk-ja.
“Master.”
[No need. What do you want now, boy?]
“I am a pitiful disciple, unable to match your wisdom.”
[Hmm.]
If he buttered up a little more, Mu Geuk-ja might have been charmed.
“I swear I’ll never question your words again. Just this once, overlook this mistake.”
[Really?]
“I swear it.”
[Hmph. Proud to have a kind-hearted master, you should be.]
“Of course.”
It was fortunate that Mu Geuk-ja was simple-minded.
[Grow Nature’s Embrace to increase your elemental affinity by +20%. Put the rest of your points into stats.]
Lee Jun sat silently, staring ahead.
Was it that easy?
Thinking he should deliberate more carefully, Mu Geuk-ja spoke too simply for his liking.
‘Should’ve tried it on my own.’
He felt foolish for overthinking and worrying.
Following Mu Geuk-ja’s advice, Lee Jun steadily upgraded the tree.
[Specialty Nature’s Embrace acquired.]
[All elemental affinities increased by +20%.]
[New entry unlocked.]
[Blessing of Nature created.]
Remaining points: 1,500,000p.
Total stats he could upgrade: 12.
He still fell short of meeting Supreme Domination’s ambiguous requirements.
“I’ll aim to maximize my stats to 180.”
[Strength +15 acquired.]
[New entry unlocked.]
[Dexterity +15 (100,000) created.]
[Health +15…]
He steadily raised his basic stats three at a time.
The once substantial point total dwindled in an instant.
Lee Jun quickly opened his status screen to confirm.
[Basic Information]
Title: Youngest Disciple of the Recluse (Outside 1)
Name: Lee Jun
Age: 18
Potential: Beyond Rank
Unique Skill: Hwonwon Shingong (SSS), Supreme Domination (B) (Unavailable)
General Skills: Vampire Magic (A), Sky Emperor Fist (B), Supremacy (B), Ten Steps Divine Fist (C), Divine Dragon Art (C), Myriad Poison Palm (C), Seven Severing Marks (C), Swirling Chain Technique (C)
Trait: The Path of the World-Weary Mu Geuk (??), Master of Qingho’s Sanctuary (S) (Outside 1)
∴ Tech Tree Points: 300,000p
[Stats]
Health: 146/300
Body: 148/300
Strength: 185/300
Dexterity: 150/300
-Special Stats-
Inner Energy: 450/1000
Mental Power: 300/300
-Status-
Combat Power +10%, All Elemental Affinity +20%
Only the strength stat met the requirements for using Supreme Domination.
Remaining points: roughly 300,000p.
With just a quest, it seemed he could fulfill the conditions for Supreme Domination.
“Phew. That was tough.”
Lee Jun flopped onto the bed.
The moment he completed his tech tree, all his tension relaxed.
Sleep gradually took over him.
“Master, I’m going to sleep.”
Lee Jun’s eyes closed, and he fell into a deep sleep.
***
On the weekend, Lee Jun didn’t wake up until after 11 o’clock.
“Ugh, that was refreshing.”
He had a rare, peaceful sleep.
As he stretched, a fleeting feeling of something forgotten crossed his mind.
“What was that? What did I forget?”
Suddenly, he turned his head to the side.
“Right. I had Parang!”
Lee Jun kicked the blanket aside and leaned over to the side of the bed.
“Sniffle.”
Parangi was whining on his own.
He was still just a pup.
He could not hunt on his own and couldn’t find food himself.
The necessity of hand-feeding him.
Lee Jun slammed his head into his palm.
“You idiot.”
Apologizing, he comforted Parang.
“I’m sorry, sorry. I’ll feed you soon.”
Comforting Parang, Lee Jun called out to his master, Mu Geuk.
“Master. Since Parang is still a little one, he must drink milk, right?”
[That’s what I would think.]
Truth be told, Mu Geuk had never raised an animal or a child before.
Maybe with fully grown adults, but with kids or animals, he was unsure.
So even though Mu Geuk always gave confident answers, this time, he hesitated slightly.
“I’ll go out to get some milk.”
There wasn’t much in the fridge for Parang to eat.
As he prepared to go out to buy milk, he grabbed his clothes.
“Ki-yoo! Ki-yoo!”
Parang started to whimper.
[Looks like he doesn’t want to be away from you.]
“Then, should we go together?”
As Lee Jun tried to pick up Parang, a knock sounded at the door.
Quickly, he hid Parang.
“Who is it?”
“Secretary for the school chairman.”
“The chairman’s secretary?”
Lee Jun opened the door.
In front of him stood a young woman with short hair, appearing to be in her mid-20s.
“Are you Lee Jun?”
“Yes, that’s me. What’s going on?”
“The chairman wishes to see you for a moment.”
“You’re calling me?”
Why would the chairman be looking for him?
In his previous life, he had never seen the person. In this life, the last time was in the hearing room.
‘It must be because of the Gate.’
[That seems likely.]
‘No need to meet him.’
Meeting the chairman seemed like it would only lead to more trouble, so Lee Jun decided to avoid it.
“I have something very important to do and can’t go with you.”
As Lee Jun tried to leave, the secretary grabbed his arm.
“Is something more urgent than meeting the chairman?”
Obviously.
Parang had been starving since yesterday.
If Parang died because of this, would she take responsibility?
For Lee Jun, the most important thing right now is buying milk for Parang at the convenience store.
“Please let him know I’ll meet him another time.”
Lee Jun gently pulled her hand away and walked out.
The secretary of the chairman was left alone.
Nam A-Young looked at her hand, trembling slightly.
‘I grabbed him tightly, but he got away.’
She was an Awakener.
Though not from a prestigious family, she was a B-class Awakener. Few people could escape from her grip within the school.
Even Yi Ki-Hong, whom she defeated, was only a D-class.
At higher levels, the power gap was enormous.
‘It must have been a coincidence.’
Nam A-Young regained her composure and followed Lee Jun.
***
“Should I get today’s milk or urban milk?”
While Lee Jun was deliberating between two brands, the secretary, who claimed to be from the chairman, picked up urban milk.
“This one tastes better.”
“Got nothing better to do? You even followed me to the convenience store.”
“Meeting the chairman is more important than coming to a convenience store?”
“Nothing is more important than necessities.”
[Correct. You speak well.]
Mu Geuk clapped in agreement with her statement.
Nam A-Young’s expression remained quite stiff.
She seemed to be holding back her anger.
“Then, let’s just buy this and go with me to meet the chairman.”
“I have other matters to attend to.”
Lee Jun grabbed the urban milk and swept up a can of tuna.
He added food for Parang and some snacks for himself to the basket.
The sound of the POS machine continued to beep at the checkout.
“The total is 108,000 won.”
That was quite a lot.
Well, it felt a bit like stuffing a cart full of at least a 1 billion-won B-class magic stone.
“Wait a moment.”
Lee Jun took out his card and handed it to the clerk.
Beep.
-Card usage declined.
The machine kindly informed him.
“Excuse me, student, it seems your limit has been exceeded.”
“Uh?”
Lee Jun’s face turned red with embarrassment.
[You don’t have money?]
‘I thought I at least had 100,000 won.’
[A man should have thick pockets.]
Currently, all he had was a magic stone and no cash.
‘What do I do?’
[What do you mean ‘what do I do’? If you don’t have money, you should sell the magic stone. You can get quite a bit for it, right?]
‘Can I sell it? Without converting it into internal energy?’
That was music to his ears.
[Yes, your current level has reached the top tier. Your experience has been accumulated while subduing the Blue Lake, and your internal energy is sufficient. You can exchange it for money. If all else fails, you can absorb magic from other gates.]
Money could be obtained by selling the magic stone, but that wasn’t the real issue at the moment.
Thinking briefly about stepping outside to convert the magic stone into money, a hand suddenly appeared from behind.
“Please use this for the payment.”
The secretary handed over her card.
“This isn’t necessary…”
“Please just take a moment.”
This time, the secretary wasn’t forceful.
She humbly bowed her head in a polite request.
Continuously refusing a woman’s request would not be good etiquette.
“Alright. I’ll meet the chairman then?”
“Yes, Mr. Lee Jun is expected.”
“Let’s go. Before going to the chairman’s office, I’ll stop by my room for a moment.”
“Understood.”
***
Lee Jun left the convenience store and went back to his room.
He gently placed Parang on his bed and poured milk for him.
“Eat it nicely.”
Parang gobbled up the milk, and Lee Jun stepped out of the room.
Outside, the chairman’s secretary was waiting.
Lee Jun spoke to her,
“I’m not having you pay just to win my favor, so don’t misunderstand.”
It wasn’t because he was surrendering to money.
It was about showing respect to someone who helped him.
Let’s call it flexibility.
Nam A-Young watched Lee Jun’s back as he walked ahead.
The information she knew matched perfectly.
‘D-class awakener. Nothing more, nothing less. But what was that strength earlier?’
She exerted strength to grab him.
From the start, she went all in to subdue him, but he easily shrugged it off.
Is a D-class awakener shaking off a B-class awakener’s grip?
It was something that couldn’t happen, even by chance.
‘Am I mistaken?’
As Nam A-Young was lost in thought, they arrived at the chairman’s office.
She stepped forward and knocked on the door.
“Chairman. This is Nam A-Young. I’ve brought Lee Jun.”
“Let them in.”
From inside came a soft male voice.
Clank—
Nam A-Young opened the door and motioned for Lee Jun to step inside.
“You may go in.”
Lee Jun slightly bowed and entered the chairman’s office.