Chapter 31: A Master at Grinding (2)

 

“Detailed explanations will be provided by the system... Tutorial, start!”

 

Right after the fairy dropped the weapons and left…

 

“Hello? Scrawny-nim?”

 

“Yes, hello... What did you say?”

 

I approached a Scrawny man and extended my hand for a handshake.

 

This was the man who, in the past, had bestowed upon me the highly valuable trait of ‘Awe [C]’.

 

And I was here to experiment if I could get this trait from him a second time.

 

“Now, I have something to show you. Will you follow me for a moment?”

 

Being summoned to a tower and then asked to follow by a suspicious man right away—anyone would be hesitant.

 

It’s normal to be skeptical when a stranger in an unfamiliar environment suddenly tells you to follow them, after all.

 

However.

 

“...Shall I?”

 

After a moment of hesitation, Scrawny obediently followed me.

 

The reason was simple.

 

 

It’s all thanks to the ‘Curiosity’ trait that I acquired from Choi Ji-won.

 

Traits named after emotions fundamentally amplify that particular emotion.

 

And what if the grade of the trait is an astounding ‘A’...?

 

Amplifying even the faintest hint of curiosity into something magnificently large is not out of the question then.

 

So, when Scrawny followed me to the pile of weapons...

 

Whoosh!

 

With incredible speed, I unsheathed a sword and performed my own sword dance. As extravagantly, impressively, and sexily as possible.

 

The level of my swordsmanship was in a different league compared to when I had demonstrated it in front of a group of men by a previous pile of weapons.

 

I had become much stronger since then, and the quality of my swordsmanship had also improved.

 

“…!”

 

The people around me were pushed back by my aura. Although my swordsmanship trait was only at F-grade, by ordinary standards, I was a master of the sword.

 

‘It probably feels like watching a martial arts film.’

 

I knew the feeling quite well, because I felt the same when I watched Choi Ji-won.

 

“...That’s!”

 

I saw Choi Ji-won widening her eyes from a distance, but I didn’t pay much attention. After all, I was planning to regress anyway.

 

“So, what do you think?”

 

I asked Scrawny after completing my sword dance.

 

“…”

 

He couldn’t respond, sweating profusely.

 

His eyes dodged my gaze, darting from side to side, and his mouth was agape to the extent that he wouldn’t notice if a fly flew in.

 

“That was... extraordinary. Fast, flexible, and above all... impressive.”

 

Although Scrawny lavished me with praise, he was subconsciously taking tiny steps backward.

 

It seemed that the ‘Awe’ trait had been activated. But I didn’t sense any particular emotion emanating from him.

 

‘It seems acquiring the same trait multiple times from the same person is not possible.’

 

Alright, let’s say all that is given. Then, what about some other trait from that person?

 

“How about you accompany me? Even beyond this Vacant lot.”

 

I extended my unarmed hand toward Scrawny.

 

“As you can clearly see, I possess great traits.”

 

“…”

 

“I assure you, I’ll do my best to protect you. What do you say?”

 

Security. Relief. Or perhaps, a sense of empowerment.

 

Any of these feelings would do. These positive emotions would all serve as nourishment for my ‘Hero’ trait.

 

So, Scrawny, take my hand.

 

This is a golden opportunity. I believe you’re not foolish enough to let this chance slip away...!

 

“…Alright.”

 

Scrawny gently took my hand.

 

His face was flushed red.

 

“...?”

 

Why is he so red?

 

“It’s... really comforting, you know. I’ve seen my share of wannabe badasses, being a bit of a troublemaker myself. But next to you, they’re like infants.”

 

He spoke, his face still red, head bowed low.

 

“From now on... I’m counting on you, Hyung.”

 

“Uh, uh-uh...”

 

Something about that ‘Hyung’ sent shivers down my spine, and I involuntarily let go of his hand.

 

“Ah...”

 

Scrawny reached out to me with desperate eyes.

 

This isn’t right. It can’t be...

 

Without thinking, I slapped myself hard on the cheek.

 

*Smack!*

 

 

 

***

 

The process was a bit strange, but I had indeed confirmed that I couldn’t acquire duplicate traits from the same person.

 

I managed to elicit ‘Awe,’ and even ‘relief,’ from them, but I didn’t feel like I was absorbing those emotions.

 

Now, what was next on the agenda?

 

It was time to slay the Minotaur and practice swordsmanship simultaneously.

 

So, was there a way to accomplish all these tasks at once?

 

There was.

 

“I come from the future.”

 

“...What are you talking about all of a sudden? Who are you?”

 

“First, watch my swordsmanship.”

 

All I had to do was make the events unfold as closely as possible to the time I was defeated by the Goblin Shaman.

 

The only difference this time was that I revealed my ability to regress to Choi Ji-won from the start.

 

I saved people, practiced swordsmanship with Choi Ji-won, and patiently waited until firefighter Park Cheol-jin found us.

 

The subsequent developments unfolded just the same.

 

*Thud!*

 

“Groooaaarrr!”

 

As the Minotaur fell into the swamp and the exhausted Goblin Shaman stumbled toward the base of a tree,

 

*Swoosh!*

 

I swiftly cut its throat from behind.

 

You blindsided me once, so consider us even, Goblin Shaman.

 

“Is, is that... a portal?”

 

“Whoa!”

 

This time, I could confirm that people were safely entering the portal.

 

It would have been great if I had seen this spectacle in the previous round...

 

The only regret was that, although I defeated the Minotaur again, my achievement level didn’t increase.

 

‘It seems acquiring duplicate achievements is also impossible.’

 

In that case... it means there’s a limit to how powerful one can become on each floor.

 

I didn’t consider it good news. The possibility of grinding levels and breaking through to higher floors had been eliminated.

 

“...Kim Jun-ho.”

 

“Go.”

 

“...Alright.”

 

After confirming Choi Ji-won passed through the portal, I triggered the regression.

 

 

 

***

 

Next on the agenda was trait grinding.

 

I’d confirmed that I can’t acquire duplicate traits.

 

However, that didn’t mean I’d already gained traits from everyone.

 

To put it plainly, there were gaps—holes, even.

 

Remembering each face, I differentiated between those I’d saved and those I hadn’t, and proceeded with the trait grinding.

 

It sounds like a monumental task when spoken aloud, but with only four rounds of regression, I managed to gain traits from everyone.

 

After all, when initially defeating the Minotaur, I had already acquired traits from over 100 people... Getting the remaining traits wasn’t that challenging.

 

For the record, all the emotions I’d absorbed were categorized under the ‘Hero’ trait, but even after completing the grind, the grade didn’t increase.

 

It was disappointing, but... well, what could I do?

 

And lastly, I decided to test the effects of the trait.

 

Which trait, you ask?

 

 

 

It’s this one.

 

Truth be told, I’d never activated the ‘Hero’ trait even once.

 

That’s because I hadn’t had the chance to fight to protect someone since acquiring the trait.

 

Right after obtaining it, I followed Choi Ji-won around to eliminate mutant goblins... And when I took down the Minotaur, I was in charge of protecting the Goblin Shaman.

 

Therefore, I wanted to clearly verify the condition that says, “You become stronger when fighting to protect someone.”

 

How do I verify though?

 

The only way to do is to test it.

 

“Woah, aaah!”

 

Roaming through the forest, when I heard a shrill scream from somewhere, I ran toward it… and saw:

 

A man lying on the ground paralyzed with fear, and a mutant goblin, drooling as it held a large club.

 

A familiar scenario.

 

‘Here, if I intervene between them,’

 

 

“Whoa...”

 

I could feel a slight enhancement in my physical abilities.

 

Swish!

 

“Screeeech!”

 

As I swiftly cut down the mutant goblin, the effect of the trait vanished as quickly as melting snow.

 

As expected. The effect seems to last only as long as the enemy exists.

 

“Th... Thank you...”

 

“Kyaaaah!”

 

Another scream rang out from the distance.

 

I didn’t even reply to the word of thanks and bolted toward the source of the scream.

 

“...Huh.”

 

The situation had changed this time.

 

Two women were running frantically, and a single mutant goblin was chasing after them.

 

What if I intervene here...?

 

 

 

 

Just as I expected, I was able to confirm that the ‘Hero’ trait would activate multiple times if I simultaneously protected multiple people.

 

“...Nice.”

 

With this...

 

I should be able to take down the Minotaur.

 

Quite some time had passed.

 

I continued the grind right up until the point where I felt like throwing in the towel.

 

I had extracted traits from every single person present in the vacant lot.

 

I had explored every nook and cranny of this island until the layout became familiar, concluding that I hadn’t missed any hidden pieces.

 

Sure, there could be something, but I didn’t feel like digging any further. I felt like I would throw up.

 

All the groundwork that could be done was now complete.

 

‘Now, all that’s left is to dive in and see.’

 

If my plan succeeds... I’ll be able to take down the Minotaur single-handedly.

 

Everyone in the clearing will survive.

 

And the Minotaur will die.

 

Killed by none other than me.

 

Slam!

 

 

 

***

 

“…”

 

Though I regressed, I didn’t act recklessly. I didn’t even talk to myself.

 

It’s because of the Trait of Curiosity.

 

Even a small action on my part could spark unnecessary curiosity and derail the plan.

 

“What the hell! Where is this?”

 

I calmly waited for the right moment.

 

“Hello, you pitiful humans wasting your lives! Nice to meet you!”

 

I stifled my breath, merely staring down at the dirt ground.

 

“Detailed explanations will be provided by the system... Tutorial, start!”

 

Finally, the tutorial fairy left the clearing.

 

As an awkward silence settled in,

 

I slowly rose from my spot and picked up a sword from the pile of weapons.

 

A familiar weight. A familiar grip. A familiar texture. Holding the sword brought a sense of stability.

 

Next, I turned my head to look for Choi Ji-Won. After all, I already knew where she’d be summoned.

 

“…?”

 

Choi Ji-Won looked at me with eyes filled with a hint of doubt.

 

Watch closely. See what I’m doing.

 

“Everyone,”

 

I began to speak in a voice calmer than ever before.

 

I knew what I had to say.

 

It was something I’d repeated countless times in the past.

 

“My name is Kim Jun-Ho. Please, take a moment to hear me out.”

 

Choi Ji-Won.

 

“I don’t know whose prank this is, but in a crisis like this... we must stick together.”

 

This is the answer I found.

 

– – – End of Chapter – – 

 

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