BXBX NOVEL Chapter 158
Chapter 158
Chapter 158: Change
Before he knew it, Kim Minwoo was back in his room.
Flutter!
Perhaps excited by the familiar scenery, Hayang was perched on the bed.
—Coo.
The creature rubbed its head against the pillow.
‘I’ve earned a lot of rewards.’
The title, for one.
And the skill book that came from catching the full fledged witch.
The basic rewards alone were this much.
There was even a real reward.
After gently stroking its head, he checked the three rewards he had received this time.
First, the title.
[First Step of Legend]
[You have earned the right to challenge the Legend beyond the legend.]
[Effect 1. ‘Guidance of Fate (SSS)’ is activated.]
[Effect 2. You can grow this title by performing ‘missions’.]
[Effect 3. A special effect is added to the necklace you own, ‘Dragon and Witch’s Jewel’.]
The first step of Legend.
It was a title that appeared when the one who walked the path of a hero changed.
‘But the effect is…’
It seemed very peculiar.
The name of the first effect, Guidance of Fate, was the first.
He looked at the contents.
[Guidance of Fate (SSS)]
[‘First Step of Legend’ exclusive skill. It grows with the title.]
[Cooldown: 2 months]
[Effect 1. Possesses the future potential of a companion.]
[Effect 2. The future time and possession level vary depending on the current favorability.]
[Current List of Companions Eligible for Guidance of Fate]
[1. Park Siwoo, Favorability 83]
[2. Seo Yerim, Favorability 75]
[3. Isabella, Favorability 25]
It was a very peculiar skill.
‘To possess the potential of the future…’
As time goes by, companions will become stronger.
Considering that, it would be advantageous to possess them from a point further in the future.
As for the possession level, well.
It’s roughly a measure of how well the possession went, isn’t it?
“But their favorability isn’t as high as I thought?”
He didn’t know why Isabella was on the list, but let’s just say she is.
‘Siwoo, I changed his diapers, bought him a house, bought him equipment, and even filmed commercials with him, and his favorability is only 83?’
That’s when it happened.
A message popped up.
[* Would you like to see a detailed explanation of Favorability?]
He had to see this.
[0~20: Low trust relationship.]
[21~50: Average trust relationship.]
[51~70: Deep understanding of each other.]
[71~90: Strong bond. Consider each other as family.]
[91~100: Soulmates. Infinite trust in each other.]
“Aha.”
So that’s roughly the criteria.
Only then could he understand why Park Siwoo was at 83.
It meant they had a strong bond, but they weren’t soulmates yet.
‘Honestly, that’s true.’
It’s only been about five months since they met.
Unless he hypnotized them, it would be difficult to reach the soulmate level.
They were at a level where they considered each other as family.
‘Well, I can accept this.’
It was better this way.
He now had something to work towards to reach 100.
He could just pay more attention to them in the future.
‘I want to try it out.’
The cooldown was a bit harsh.
At that moment.
[You can use it once today for 30 seconds without cooldown.]
As if knowing his concerns, a pleasant message popped up.
It probably meant he could have a taste of it.
30 seconds was a short time, but it was better than nothing.
“Come out.”
—Did you call?
Cedric popped out.
“I got a new skill.”
—A skill?
“Yeah. I need to test it out. Let’s have a spar.”
—Sure.
Cedric nodded calmly.
He looked confident.
‘His head has gotten a bit stiff compared to before.’
Perhaps it was because his stats had increased a lot with the Blood Jade recently. He was lasting longer in their spars.
Compared to when he was cut down at level 1 in the past, it was a remarkable improvement.
‘I can still subdue him, though.’
He had a feeling it would be tough once Cedric leveled up and his seal was further released.
He might even become a weak master defeated by his own summoned creature.
He didn’t know whether to be happy or sad about that.
Anyway.
Since Cedric had grown so much, he would be perfect for testing Guidance of Fate.
With that thought, he opened the door and stepped out.
Mrs. Choi Yeonok, who was in the living room, greeted him.
“Oh, you’re back already?”
“Yes. It ended faster than I expected. Did anything happen while I was gone?”
“Uh, well, no. Not really anything major.”
“What is it?”
“Oh, it’s nothing. I just have some things to do.”
She said that and then started tapping diligently on her phone. It looked like she was sending a text message.
‘Whatever.’
If it was something urgent, she would have told me.
He went to the training room with Cedric.
The guy was spinning his spear around with a swoosh.
Wings fluttered behind him.
The guy, who had inflated his stats through Manifestation, looked at him.
—So, what kind of skill is it?
“You’ll see.”
He briefly considered who to use it on.
Then he made a decision.
The first try should be with someone he was most familiar with.
[Using Guidance of Fate (SSS)]
[Selecting Park Siwoo!]
[Current Favorability: 83]
[’83’ worth of future time]
[’83’ worth of possession level is applied!]
In an instant, Kim Minwoo’s world turned upside down.
Suddenly, the words flashed through his mind.
—I saw the realm of the Ego between illusion and the boundary line.
It was something he had said to the Swords Saint a few months ago when he played a prank on him.
He had never understood those words even once.
But now…
‘This was it.’
He seemed to understand.
The realm of cutting through the essence, beyond the material world.
The very realm that the swordsman had reached.
He swung.
In an instant, Cedric’s eyes widened in shock.
Swish!
Cedric’s body was split in half.
Heart Sword.
It wasn’t something he could block just because his stats had increased a bit.
Not unless the golden skeleton from the first trial was revived.
He revived.
Swish!
He was cut again.
‘Damn, He uses a lot of mana.’
After cutting him twice, his body felt empty.
A whopping half of his mana had evaporated.
Of course, it was worth it, but still.
In a split second, the battle was over.
Kim Minwoo stared intently at the sword hanging from his waist.
He didn’t know how far into the future 83 Favorability translated to.
He didn’t know how much 83 Possession Level meant.
But, he seemed to know one thing for sure.
The future Park Siwoo…
‘He became a real monster.’
To the point where even the current swordsman wouldn’t know what would happen if he fought the future Park Siwoo.
He summoned Cedric again.
—…Master. What kind of skill did you get?
“Possession.”
—Ha. The world is so unfair. Some people spend thousands of years swinging their spears to get stronger.
“The world is originally a place where the winner takes all. You still don’t know that?”
―So, can you use it often?
“It has a cooldown of two months.”
—Even considering that, the balance seems broken.
“No, it’s not.”
—Not?
“Yeah, it’s not. It doesn’t even give skills or titles.”
Wielding the sword with the future Park Siwoo’s level of talent and skill, yet no skills or titles were appearing?
That meant that part was completely blocked.
―You said the achievement shop sells potential potions.
“Right.”
―It’s very expensive for just an hour’s worth.
“That’s true too.”
―In other words, it means that unlocking the master’s potential is that difficult, right? Just to be sure, what’s the skill rating?
“SSS.”
―And you wanted an all-rounder skill with just that? I realize now, but you have no conscience.
“In other words, I’m an excellent necromancer.”
―…Ha. That’s… true. Now I understand why the Lord chose you as the successor. Character…
He gave a light knock on the head of the guy who was crossing the line.
That too, in a realm beyond the physical world.
The future Park Siwoo’s talent was at a level where it manifested even without a sword.
In an instant, his skull caved in.
[Cedric has been reverse summoned…]
‘Character, my foot.’
He chose purely based on skill.
[30 seconds have passed!]
[Guidance of Fate will be lifted!]
The exhilaration disappeared, and my perspective on the world shifted.
I held the sword, but the vision I saw before did not change back.
“Ugh.”
He already felt empty.
But what can he do?
At least he roughly understood.
He also got a sense of what kind of skill it is.
This was completely broken.
Especially as the number of companions with high affinity increases.
But there seemed to be a criterion for it. He had interacted with quite a few people so far.
Yet only three names came up on the list.
Park Siwoo and Seo Yerim were the main characters.
But Isabella…
‘Why was she included?’
Even he had no idea.
Was it because she’s an important supporting character?
But if that’s the case, the Sword Saint and other elders would also be important supporting characters.
Suddenly, a hypothesis crossed his mind.
It wasn’t a pleasant thought, though.
‘Could it be…’
It pulls from the strength of a future point in time.
But if someone is already dead and has no future, there wouldn’t be anything to pull from, right?
Given their age, it wouldn’t be strange if they weren’t in the distant future.
No matter how strong an awakened person is, they still age, and with age, they eventually die.
So, the first possibility is that they’re not there.
Or, there’s an unknown criterion he was unaware of, which is the second possibility.
‘…I don’t know right now.’
Maybe he needs to observe more to understand.
In the process of catching the outer god, another goal emerged.
To increase the number of companions who can be guided by fate as much as possible.
If this is possible.
‘I can cycle through jobs.’
He used the Heart Sword without being a swordsman.
He’ll be able to use magic without being a mage, and use a bow without being an archer.
Of course, building rapport is necessary.
Even if they appear on the list, the effect won’t be great if their affinity is low.
‘I’ll have to live a busy life.’
Raising the affinity of existing companions.
Also, to utilize various jobs…
‘I need to expand the pool.’
Main characters were highly likely to be included in the Guidance of Fate list.
And just in time, a main character came to mind.
Han Siah.
A magic genius.
A mage under the watch of the Griff family, the magic clan that swallowed up the entire German political and business world.
She was also a mage attending the Korean Magic Academy.
He hadn’t approached her yet, but…
‘It seems like it’s time.’
He had laid some groundwork in the US.
Touching the Griff family is the same as touching Germany.
But, he should be able to get away with it.
To be precise, he made it so that he couldn’t help but be acquitted.
The battery development, education, and potions weren’t done for nothing.
As long as the US stays quiet, it’ll be fine.
And it seems like they will.
‘I needed a lot of achievement points anyway.’
Good timing.
The domestic villain, Han Baekgil, was worth 600 points. So, what if he crushed the Griff family?
‘They’ll give me much more than that.’
His next move was decided.
He then examined the necklace.
[Dragon and Witch’s Jewel]
[Rank: Ancient+]
[Requirement: Title, ‘First Step into Legend’]
[A necklace embedded with jewels infused with the power of a true dragon and witch, as fate twists.]
[Effect 1. All stats +150]
[Effect 2. Stacking attack damage increased by 30%]
[Effect 3. All recovery speed increased by 100%]
[*Special effects have been added.]
Dragon and Witch’s Jewel.
Even with its original effects alone, it was a luxury necklace comparable to Isabella’s accessories.
But…
There were additional effects that he had never seen before.
[Special Effect 1. When the wearer’s health reaches 0, 30% of their health is instantly restored once. (3-month cooldown)]
[Special Effect 2. Can move to a liberated gate once every 3 months.]
‘From now on, I am one with the Orc Gate.’
Kim Minwoo solemnly declared.
First, Special Effect 1.
It’s a revival skill.
In other words, one extra life. It even has a cooldown, so it can be used repeatedly as long as time passes.
Beautiful.
Any other explanation is just trivial.
Special Effect 2 is also an ability with near-infinite potential.
Can he move to the already cleared Caesar Continent?
Acquiring the continent’s abundant resources.
Interacting with countless races.
His mouth was already watering.
‘I’ve gained a lot.’
There was even one more gate reward left.
The seed.
He heard its contents changed.
Of course, he should check it out, right?
[Retrieving ‘Delicious Seed That Birds Go Crazy For’ from inventory…]
Huh?
Delicious Seed That Birds Go Crazy For?
That’s when it happened.
—Coo!
Flutter!
In an instant, Hayang swooped in and snatched the seed.
She pecked at it with her beak.
He could’ve stopped him, but he didn’t bother.
The name itself suggested it was made for Hayang.
—Coo!
After devouring the small seed, Hayang plopped down as if her stomach was about to burst.
A green light emanated from her protruding belly.
Soon after.
Flash!
A message appeared along with the light.
[Your pet, Rainbow Phoenix, has eaten the Delicious Seed That Birds Go Crazy For!]
[The Divine Beast begins to grow!]