Chapter 297 Part4 (1/2)
<chapter 29.=”” level=”” 7=”” -=”” 4=””>
Once Lee s.h.i.+n Woo reached level 7, he was able to more easily control the surrounding mana through his mana breathing ability.
”s.h.i.+n Woo, you've finally become a catalyst!”
”Nah. I'm not at that level yet...”
Kratia insisted that Lee s.h.i.+n Woo's body had become a catalyst and was even happier about it than him, but Lee s.h.i.+n Woo calmly denied her a.s.sertion.
Of course, his level up had drastically increased his control over mana, and he was somewhat able to draw and use the ambient mana around him. But after testing it out a few times, he realized that he wasn't able to replicate Kratia's Catalyst Magic yet.
”But you'll get there eventually. Let's study together.”
”Nah, I'm not the studying type. I'll try to figure it out in the field.”
”Tch...”
Kratia's eyes became really sullen. She was so mature when they had first met, yet she seemed to act younger and younger as time went on. Was that just his misunderstanding? It was probably proof that she was opening up to him, but it honestly made him feel a bit uncomfortable.
”Well, we'll be going now.”
”See you later. I'll make sure to give you updates.”
”I'm counting on you.”
Lee s.h.i.+n Woo touched Huginn's Eye for the last time, but he received a message that his Bone Reinforcement skill wasn't at a high enough level yet to absorb it. He'd checked when he first stole the artifact and carried it out of the facility, but despite his level, as well as Bone Reinforcement's level increasing, it was still beyond his reach.
”Is it a higher rank than the Bone Gate...?”
”Your compatibility must not be great. If there comes a day that you can absorb this, then...”
”I'll leave it with you until that day comes.”
”Ok.”
Finally, Lee s.h.i.+n Woo gave Kratia a soft embrace and left the base with Jin. Rem came along with them of course.
”s.h.i.+n Woo, you haven't equipped your gear.”
”Ah, that's right. I'd forgotten that my gear was unsummoned as my body changed from the level up.”
In the process of leveling up, his gear was released. Right now, Lee s.h.i.+n Woo's face had returned to that of a skeleton, but it was much whiter than when he had been a level 6, and even looked a bit transparent. It was proof that he was becoming more like mana.
He would elicit a response like 'H-He's strong!' from anyone now, as he looked like such a powerful skeleton. Lee s.h.i.+n Woo was fine traveling like this, but Jin urged him to wear his gear, so he summoned and equipped it. It seemed like his equipment had improved as well, perhaps because Bone Armory had gone up to level 9.
”You don't need to go to the shop this time?”
”Mm, I'd like to sell my wine, but...”
That wasn't all. He didn't know this was how it would turn out, but because he killed tens of thousands of monsters, and level 7 elites as well, he'd ama.s.sed a fortune of 100 million Perium. He wanted to chat with Pleine and go shopping, but...
”G.o.d told me something before I left her garden last time. That I should try saving my secret shop permits.”
”Ah, I think she told me that too. So how many do you have?”
Jin did his job as a hero, same as Lee s.h.i.+n Woo, but because all of his permits were pa.s.sed onto him, Lee s.h.i.+n Woo currently possessed 18 permits. It wasn't exactly unexpected, but it was still a ridiculous amount.
”But s.h.i.+n Woo, you can share the effects of the permits with people in a contract with you. If that's the case, then if all the other heroes were to form their own partners.h.i.+ps, then wouldn't they be able to ama.s.s permits really quickly?”
”It seems like it's not that easy to form a contract as we did.”
”Yeah, I suppose so...”
He hadn't really known before, but Lee s.h.i.+n Woo was able to form contracts because of his darkness mana.
Moreover, if the two parties don't trust each other completely, then it'll be difficult to form a contract between them; even Prince, who likes Lloyd so much, hadn't gone beyond just friends.h.i.+p, so it was understandable.
”Now that I think about it, I wonder if Prince leveled up.”
”You're about to go into the chatting channel again, aren't you?”
”I'd also like to see how everyone is doing. Plus, I want to make sure that Prince didn't say some weird stuff about me. Oh, and I'm counting on you to take us to our destination.”
”You a.s.shole...”
Lee s.h.i.+n Woo had reached level 7, but Jin was still level 6. Thus, rather than rus.h.i.+ng into the level 4 danger zones, they decided to clear the level 3 danger zones that they hadn't gone to yet.
And if it were at all possible, untrodden land that hadn't been found by the heroes yet. His main priority was to avoid Ethan Cruz at all cost.
'I know now. Ethan Cruz is level 8.'
He hadn't been entirely sure when he had watched him from afar, but he'd figured it out after meeting with the level 8 Archmage. He could sense something in common amongst the Archmage, Arema Steelworker, and Ethan Cruz. Their domination over magic.
'When I leveled up, I just barely learned how to subjugate the ambient mana around me, but... those guys are doing it pa.s.sively.'
Lee s.h.i.+n Woo recalled Ethan's black aura and shook. Level ups raised the level of one's 'existence', and thus, one could more naturally control mana.
Everyone had this in common, regardless of what their karma was.
'Hoo, I still have a long way to go. I have to work even harder...!'
Lee s.h.i.+n Woo not only understood this but also possessed the power to dominate mana as a level 7. If a level 8 were to hear about this, then they would pa.s.s out while screaming, but unfortunately, only Lee s.h.i.+n Woo was unaware of what exactly he had achieved.
Although he possessed the ability to dominate mana like Ethan Cruz and had figured out that Ethan was level 8, he gave himself a rough a.s.sessment, which was so like Lee s.h.i.+n Woo.
'But why is he killing other heroes if he's level 8? d.a.m.n it, he should just go straight to the capital...'
They had a level 8 hero on their side, so why did they have to be wary of him? That fact p.i.s.sed him off, and he entered the chatting channel. However.
[Mr. Lee s.h.i.+n Woo has entered.]
[Ye Jin Jin: Oh, you're here! Mr. s.h.i.+n Woo, I have a lot of questions for you! A lot!]
[Yasunori Akira: I heard, Lee s.h.i.+n Woo!]
[Lloyd H.K.: How did you already...]
[Mentes Orun: It's all luck. Luck I say.]