The LV87 Swordmaster, apparently very satisfied after drinking sikhye, ascended, granting me level 88 and even leaving behind memories from their world. On top of that, they left me some skills.
<possession lv30>
Since I chose reincarnation when dealing with the last specter, the possession skill is a welcome addition.
<reincarnation lv10>
Even if your fulfilled desires aren’t fully charged, you can reset your life. It lingers as slight habits and traits, and you continuously receive your past life through dreams.
Reincarnation was at LV1, but it could be swapped out. Of course, I swapped it. Level 1 is worse than this.
<swordmaster>
A title and trait given to a human who has reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship. Grants bonus attack power to all sword strikes and stat bonuses when wielding a sword.
Among the skills they left, there was one simply called “Swordmaster,” like a title. If I use this, does that mean I can wield a sword? It’s like equipping unlearned kendo skills, but a decent sword…
<meteoric iron>
You can create a weapon from a non-existent material. The weapon boasts superior hardness and weight. Special flames are required to wield it.
Raising my intelligence started unlocking descriptions I couldn’t see before. This is information even RiceCookerMan couldn’t explain.
It feels like my intelligence was forcibly used while possessed, but it’s not bad. I wondered why RiceCookerMan, from a less advanced world, was so witty with its quips—turns out it really was because of intelligence.
“It says I can forge meteoric iron.”
Apparently, I can make a sword from the meteoric iron that came from the red mage’s meteor. But… The meteoric iron looks smaller than the crumbs of a pig bar.
A sword from this? I couldn’t even make a toothpick. How much meteoric iron do I need?
“Oh.”
There’s one. Room 202’s kitchen knife. Since I barely cook, I don’t have a kitchen knife of my own.
My mom sent me a small fruit knife for peeling fruit, but for things like kimchi, I use scissors. I only use an air fryer, microwave, induction cooktop (optional), and rice cooker, so I don’t really need a knife.
I picked up the kitchen knife.
<equipped sword>
“Huh?”
<Due to the Swordmaster trait, strength and speed are tripled.>
<Equipping a better weapon increases the trait’s multiplier.>
“The ability to chop vegetables three times faster…!”
My strength is currently 139, but with the Swordmaster trait, it’s boosted to 417. Speed is 30, so it’s now 90.
The bonuses are absolutely insane. Just holding a sword gives me a massive boost to strength and speed.
<formless sword lv10>
You can slash and stab without a sword. When wielding a sword, you receive the full bonus. The length of the formless sword depends on the level.
“Whoa!”
I got a lightsaber shooting out of my hand. An invisible lightsaber, even to me. Since it’s a formless sword that can cut anything if I swing it carelessly, I held back, worried I’d slice my laptop, smartphone, or optional appliances.
<You can raise strength by 2 points per stat point!>
And my strength gets recalculated again.
“What, am I going to punch the moon to pieces or something?”
As a reward for ascending the Swordmaster, my level jumped by 18, giving me 18 stat points to use. But with the strength event giving a 0.5 multiplier, I could raise my strength by 36.
My current strength, including random level-up boosts, is 139. It’s an overwhelming amount of strength.
“Can’t resist. I’m raising it.”
I couldn’t hold back and dumped the points into strength during the 2x stat event.
According to the Swordmaster’s memories, there are hundreds or thousands of demons out there.
The Swordmaster, who was only level 87 as a specter after losing levels upon death, was a fearsome level 870 warrior in life, a terror to demons.
Of course, demons in the thousands live privileged lives in that world, with no reason to come here, according to the Swordmaster’s lingering memories.
“You can get stronger through training too.”
Defeating enemies in combat raises levels directly, but intense training can also increase levels.
Due to level inflation, demons with mana in the hundreds, thousands, or even billions of levels have banned level-stealing among mana-wielding beings.
Most demons follow this rule. Thus, newly created demons, who train rigorously in a world dominated by high-level veterans, take on the role of pioneers in a humanless world.
“Hmm!”
The Swordmaster’s memories revealed a lot. The knowledge of that world’s history and circumstances, along with the emotions they experienced, lingered.
Just before their world’s collapse, the Swordmaster realized two things:
‘Even in that chaos, humans were divided. We needed an overwhelmingly powerful figure to establish authority and prevent division.’
“Mana was necessary. A species without mana will ultimately perish. No matter how prosperous humans were, they were destroyed by mana. A large population was just a feast for leveling up.”
As one of the few hundred-level swordsmen capable of facing demons in the human world, the Swordmaster sought to unify humanity by gaining more levels but couldn’t achieve it despite relentless efforts.
They also concluded that accessing and using mana was essential. Though there were wizards in the human world, only those with gifts left by fairies could wield magic.
And even a hero like the Swordmaster, in their final moments, dreamed of:
‘Just surviving with my family and living out my days in peace.’ And further: ‘If only I could have shed even a single tear.’
Pursuing strength, when everything seemed impossible, they turned to personal safety. In the end, lamenting the inability to express their emotions, they took their own life.
Another lingering thought remained: “It’d be nice to have a daughter. Hmm.”
***
[“Queen of Nightmares.”]
“Yes, my lord. Did you call for me? Eek!?”
The Queen of Nightmares bowed low at the resounding voice, only to be enveloped by a sudden darkness, her neck and body constricted as she floated in the air.
[“Must I kill and absorb you? The only reason I haven’t touched your kind is because my pride doesn’t allow me to gain your parasitic skills.”]
“P-please, tell me what I did wrong.”
As the Queen of Nightmares, squeezed by the darkness and writhing in pain, asked with teary eyes, the dark thought slightly eased its grip and answered.
[“You must know that spirits have crossed over.”]
“I’ve heard.”
[“One fairy princess has crossed to that side.”]
“What? But the scout specter I sent didn’t mention—”
[“Specters are rooted in human grudges. You entrusted the task to such beings?”]
It must mean to send someone above officer rank. When humanity went extinct, the privileged demons who hunted humans to level up didn’t bother hunting anymore.
The demons born afterward, in a world dominated by high-level veterans, trained and struggled to gain dozens of levels to earn their place.
Killing or absorbing them secretly was enough to maintain their own privileges.
“They don’t have much drive to pioneer, do they? And…”
Those above level 1000, the original privileged class, held power with the support of the many level-hundred demons. Moving them was no easy task.
[“Are you defying me?”]
“N-no, not at all.”
The Queen of Nightmares, born with over 40,000 levels, was a powerhouse, but against the immeasurable-level demon god floating in the darkness, ???, she was powerless.
[“Send corpses through necromancers.”]
“Corpses, my lord?”]
[“Change your grand strategy. It’s not something that can be subdued with just one or two. It was the same with the war against humans. Use methods to dismantle their groups.”]
“I will obey.”
[“Good. I’ll trust you.”]
“Ugh.”
The Queen of Nightmares was finally released.
“Damn it… ugh.”
She cursed under her breath, trailing off. The being was too powerful, too omnipotent to defy.
***
“Yeah, Mom, I’m not possessed! I’m wearing rosaries! Is a ghost like a cold? Does it just show up when I’m bored? I can’t see it.
Uh, the guy next door? Why? Just… he’s a bit weird. He was talking to himself and crying. I’m serious! In the middle of the night, he was going on about sikhye and crying!”
Geez, Room 202, is my story the only thing you’ve got to talk about? Doesn’t she realize that if I can hear her, she can probably hear me too…? Or is it just my voice that carries?
But now that I think about it, Room 202 has a similar lifestyle to mine. She doesn’t go out much, just watches TV (an apartment option) and giggles, and the only person she seems to call is her mom.
After her call with her mom ended, I heard the sound of a toilet lid being lowered, followed by a heavy sigh.
“Haaaa, I miss Mom.”
What kind of sigh carries into someone else’s apartment? I can’t exactly knock and say I overheard her.
“Hmm.”
She gave me some hot sauce earlier. I don’t think pizza is so greasy that it needs hot sauce to be palatable. Anyway, since I got a few slices of pizza, I feel like I should return the favor.
“Oh, it’d be a waste to let this go bad.”
I’ve got sikhye, but… It’s summer. Even refrigerated, it could go bad quickly. Since it was my first time making sikhye, I messed up the portions and filled two plastic bottles.
I’m not selling it or sampling it, but I heard it’s not impossible to turn it into makgeolli, so I’ve been keeping it in the fridge. It’s an item that temporarily boosts intelligence by +40.
Should I let Room 202 try some? Since she’s prone to possession, intelligence might help ward it off.
Chirp chirp chirp.
“Who’s there?”
“Uh, it’s Room 203.”
“Huh? Oh, uh, what’s up? Let’s talk outside… no, never mind.”
I bet Room 202 and I could have a conversation through the wall. This has to be a construction flaw. My work wasn’t shoddy, and drywall blocks sound.
It’s definitely not because I punched a hole in the wall. Anyway, that’s that.
“What’s up? Uh…”
She told me to talk outside but opened the door anyway. She’s wearing a cap pulled low, covering her face with one hand.
“Want some sikhye?”
“Huh?”
“I made some sikhye.”
“Uh, well…”
“You gave me food last time, so I thought I should return the favor.”
“Yeah, okay.”
She accepted it readily. When she took it, she lowered her hand from her face—she looked fine.
Well, even schoolgirls in uniforms wear makeup these days, so it makes sense.
“It’s homemade.”
“Really? That’s surprising. Thanks.”
She thanked me, so I thanked her back and returned to my place. Should I have returned the kitchen knife?
She seems to have forgotten about it, looks a bit depressed, and since she came barging in with it, I’m hesitant to give it back rashly.
“Sikhye, huh? She eats all sorts of stuff. Did her family send it?”
I just said I made it myself. Why doesn’t she believe me…?
Room 202 immediately shared her thoughts on the sikhye. I don’t talk much except in emergencies or with RiceCookerMan, worried it’ll carry through the walls. Living alone, she must talk to herself a lot.
***
“Uh…”
Room 202 suddenly showed up. She was twisting her body, looking awkward, her face red, and striking odd poses.
Could it be that the lingering thoughts of the LV44 specter sparked an uncontrollable desire to have a baby? No, probably not.
“Is your toilet clogged? That’s a bit tough to handle.”
“No, it’s not!”
What? It totally sounded like she had to go.
“I don’t catch cockroaches. I can’t handle them either.”
“No, it’s not that… uh…”
Even if asking for help is hard, why is she this flustered? Is it really a confession?
“Uh, do you have any sikhye left? Could I, uh, buy some?”
“Huh?”
This girl’s proving my byproduct has market value? It must’ve been tasty. Well, it’s good enough to ascend a ghost.
“If it’s something your mom made and sent, would that be a problem?”
She really believes what she sees. Doesn’t even consider I might’ve made it.
“No, how much are you willing to pay?”
“Uh, 10,000 won?”
It’s worth 10,000 won?
“I was thinking more like a million won.”
“What?! A million won?”
It’s sikhye that can kill a ghost twice over. It’s pricey. It’s practically a talisman. Of course, she doesn’t seem willing to pay a million won. The price is somewhere between 10,000 and a million.
“Well, it’s worth a million, but I’ll give it to you for free. Take it.”
“Huh? No, I should pay something…”
“It’s fine. I want to be the kind of neighbor who generously gives million-won sikhye to others.”
I handed her the sikhye before she could argue.
“Oh, uh, thank you!”
“Worth a million?”
“Yes!”
She sounds thrilled, her voice lively and laughing. Now, if the wall hole gets exposed, I can charge her a million won, right?
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.