TNAAS Ch 19

Episode 19

As Yeonwoo stepped into the room and sat down gently on the sofa placed alone in what looked like a spacious living room, he glanced around.

He had expected the place to be surrounded by luxurious jewels or gold like the door had been, but it appeared far more modest than he had thought. The wide living room contained nothing but the sofa, and he suspected the other rooms wouldn’t be much different.

The only thing that caught his attention was something glittering from the wall.

“What’s that wall that’s shining so much?”

“It’s made of diamonds and soul stones. If you want to compare the ratio, there are more soul stones than diamonds.”

“Soul stones…?”

Soul stones were items that could occasionally drop when defeating high-ranking boss monsters. They sometimes appeared from low-ranking bosses as well, though that was exceedingly rare. Weapons made with those soul stones had excellent durability and were hard to break.  

To think the walls were filled with such rare soul stones that were almost treated like mythical beasts themselves. Even if he were wealthy, could something like that really be possible? Yeonwoo thought that even with all the money he had, he wouldn’t be able to fill that wall.

“Where did you get all those…?”

“Some I bought, and many I mined myself. Would you like me to give you a few?”

Good heavens. Now Yeonwoo understood why Rai often went out to hunt mid-bosses. He must have been tormenting those bosses just to get his hands on those. As Yeonwoo turned his gaze away from the wall, looking somewhat exasperated, Rai opened a drawer in the corner and took something out, then approached him.

What he held in his hand looked like a jewel at first glance, and Yeonwoo, wary, wondered if he was really bringing a soul stone. Of course, it would be nice to have one, but he wasn’t comfortable accepting something like that without giving anything in return.

“What’s that…?”

“It’s not a soul stone, so don’t look at it like that.”

As if he had read his true thoughts, Rai sat down beside Yeonwoo and brought the jewel close to his chest.

If it wasn’t a soul stone, then what was he trying to do? Yeonwoo watched quietly, only to be startled when black mana began to flow from Rai’s hand.

“Wait… Are you actually doing a mana recharge directly?”

“That’s right. I’m sending part of my mana into your body to increase your mana recovery rate.”

“But the spirits said your mana and mine are completely opposite in affinity.”

“It’s fine. That’s what this jewel is for. By using it as a catalyst to contain the mana, it circulates into primordial mana, which allows people with opposite affinities to connect safely. It’s a bit of an expensive gem, though, so not everyone can use it.”

As if to prove his words, the jewel absorbing the black mana was briefly dyed dark, then the mana began swirling inside like air forming a tiny vortex. The more it spun, the lighter the saturation of the black mana became.

“A Spirit Master’s mana is fundamentally rooted in primordial mana. That’s why, if you try to use a regular mana charger, the conflicting manas collide. If done carelessly, it could even damage the body of the person receiving it.”

“Oh…”

It was a detailed explanation. Usually, players restored their mana through potions, but apparently, these people used such devices instead. While Yeonwoo was marveling at his explanation, the mana inside the jewel had already turned completely transparent.

The moment Yeonwoo opened his mouth to say something, transparent mana burst out from the jewel like an explosion and enveloped his body. Instinctively raising his arms in a defensive stance, he soon realized there was no pain and slowly lowered them.

“Wow, it’s beautiful.”

The transparent mana surrounding Yeonwoo shimmered with colors like an aurora. When it had been inside the jewel, it had been colorless, but now it was gradually taking on hues. As Yeonwoo examined the mana curiously, Rai chuckled softly and explained.  

“I guess things like this don’t appear in the game. Primordial mana itself has no color. But it takes on the unique mana colors of the spirits you have with you.”  

“I only have three spirits, though… There are too many colors here.”

Rai looked around at the mana that was being absorbed little by little, then pointed at one of the colors.

“What color does this look like to you?”

“Purple.”

“Then that means you’re bound by the Thread of Connection to the spirit with purple mana.”

“Then…”

Before all the mana was absorbed, Yeonwoo quickly checked each color one by one as Rai spoke. One, two, three, four, five, six.

“Seven…!”

“That’s right. Whether they’re asleep now or scattered somewhere, all of them are bound to you. Of course, each one has a different kind of magic they can use.”

This was something he had never known, since there had been no such setting in the game. Since arriving here, new information had poured in daily to the point that he was beginning to wonder if he had become stupid.

Moreover, to have as many as seven spirits was something he had never seen or even heard of. All he had known was that a Spirit Master could control spirits from birth, but he had never imagined they could handle so many different kinds.

“So how do I find them?”

“Well, I’m not a Spirit Master, so I can’t say for sure. But they’ll probably awaken or come to you naturally. If you’re really curious, you can ask the ones that are awake later.”

Ah, right. He could just ask Uwi, Dogi, or Gyeongi. Thinking he should strike while the iron was hot, Yeonwoo tried to summon them immediately, but only silence filled the air. His expression stiffened in confusion.

“Huh?”

“They probably won’t come out right now.”

“Why not?”

“Who knows. Maybe because they’re scared of me?”

That explanation wasn’t hard to accept. From their point of view, Rai wasn’t just someone of incompatible affinity; he was equivalent to a final boss, perhaps even of a higher rank. It would make sense if they had been frightened and fled.

For some reason, Yeonwoo felt a strange sense of kinship and nodded, deciding to postpone asking them for now. Thanks to the mana that had been completely absorbed, his body felt noticeably stronger than before.

Now that his mana had been recharged and his energy restored, it was time to get to the main issue.

“From the looks of it, when I crossed into this world, Helleo must have implanted his mana into my body. Will that be okay?”

“Don’t worry about that. I destroyed it completely when we were inside your mindscape.”

Ah, so that’s what he destroyed back then? Yeonwoo suddenly remembered the fog that Rai had shattered. He hadn’t realized that the fog itself had been Helleo’s mana.

Then, a sudden thought flashed through his mind, and he hastily opened his inventory. But as he feared, it wouldn’t open. The black card that should have been in the pouch tied to his waist was also gone.

“No way!!!”

“What’s wrong?”

Rai, startled by Yeonwoo’s desperate scream, sprang up from where he had been lounging comfortably on the sofa and looked at him. Yeonwoo was shedding tears more sorrowful than ever before, his face buried in his hands in grief.

“My money…! That bastard Helleo! Give me back my money!!!”

“Money? But I thought you said you were rich, Yeonwoo.”

He had been rich. Just a few hours ago, he’d had enough to build a building in an expensive neighborhood and live in luxury for the rest of his life. But now, it had all vanished like a mirage that could never again be grasped.

Lowering his hands, Yeonwoo looked up at Rai with teary, trembling eyes and clutched his hand tightly.

“Can you… Can you restore that mana somehow? Helleo made a system that let me store my items and money from the other world using that mana. My entire fortune was in there…”

Realizing what Yeonwoo meant, Rai let out a sigh of relief and gently patted his shoulder to calm him.

“I’ll make it for you, so don’t cry. How much could it be that you’re crying this hard over it?”

“34.5 billion won…”

“Oh, is that all? Were there any important items in it?”

The items didn’t matter. They were all high-spec gear for other classes that a Spirit Master couldn’t even use, so he had no interest in those unattainable treasures. Only the money mattered. With that much, even if he couldn’t leave this place, he could live comfortably.

Shaking his head frantically, Yeonwoo’s tear-filled eyes sparkled with hope as he leaned closer at Rai’s promise to make him a new one. As Yeonwoo drew so near their bodies were almost touching, Rai looked slightly flustered and gave an awkward smile.

“I don’t need anything else. I just need money. My black card!”

“Then, instead of bothering to make something like that, wouldn’t it be fine if I just gave you a card with 34.5 billion on it? Ah, or should I just give you my own card? It doesn’t have a limit.”

Oh my god.

“Are you an angel?”

“It’s nothing much.”

Truly, having money made everything in the world better. It pricked at his conscience to accept free money, but he could always repay it later.

“Just tell me what you want. I’ll do anything I can. I’m really good at cleaning, cooking, and there’s nothing I can’t do!”

Yeonwoo promoted himself even more passionately than he had at a job interview. After a brief moment of thought, Rai gently pushed back the overly eager Yeonwoo, who had leaned in too close and smiled playfully.

“Then how about living with me? You could clean the house and cook for me.”

“Would that really be enough? You could make me do more if you wanted.”

Rai’s modest suggestion made Yeonwoo clasp his hands together in near reverence, as though greeting a god. Seeing Yeonwoo staring up at him like a puppy waiting for a treat made Rai want to laugh, but he quickly straightened his expression and shook his head.

“I’m kidding. I can’t waste such a valuable talent on something like that.”

“Of course. Still, just say the word. I can do just about anything except what I can’t do!”

Falling into serious thought once again, Rai suddenly reached into his subspace and pulled out a sheet of paper. Seeing the paper filled with writing, Yeonwoo guessed it was a contract and focused intently, ready to hear Rai’s proposal.

After writing something extra on the document, Rai handed it to him with the brightest smile in the world.

“Then, instead of being a mercenary, how about joining our guild?”