Chapter 30

Za-ack! The sword swung through the air.

“Ack!”

“Kuaaaak!!”

As the goblins gathering around me were cut to pieces and scattered, the bustling creatures stumbled back in surprise.

“Ack! Don’t push! Don’t push!”

“Ack! An arm flew and hit my head! My head!”

In an instant, the dense circle surrounding me loosened, creating some space. I advanced into the gap, continuing to swing my sword. This time, I exerted less force, cleanly severing the goblins’ necks. It was to conserve stamina allocation.

“Monster! Monster! His recovery is too fast!”

“He recovered after gulping down that potion!”

“Do we fight or run away? Let’s run!”

“But there’s only one of him! We have many!”

I relentlessly slashed at the disoriented goblins.

Five, 10, 20, 40! 100, 150, 200, 300…!

I swung my sword until I was exhausted and drank potions. Then…

“Log out.”

I arrived at Woongnyeo Steelworks. Putting my clothes in the washing machine located in the workshop, I changed into work clothes.

“Oh. Han-ssi, have you been training your biological strength? Your muscles are amazing.”

“Haha, something like that.”

“It’s good to train your special ability but don’t overdo it since we still need to work. You look very tired.”

I carried steel plates or assisted the enchanters’ work. It was no different from usual, but my efficiency inevitably decreased due to constant fatigue.

“Han-ssi, you don’t seem to be in good condition today.”

“Haha, yes indeed. I might need to visit the hospital.”

It was unusual for me to receive reprimands during work, but it was worth it.

[Level up!]

I reached level 37. This was the result of killing thousands of goblins.

“In terms of hunting time, it is much faster than game characters.”

In many ways, this was obvious. There was a huge difference between my character in Ardenia and those with ordinary classes, gatekeepers, pets, and high-level equipment equipped while hunting. The characters in Revenge received rewards from daily quests and main quests, but their hunting speed couldn’t compare, so eventually, they would fall behind.

“Good job!”

“Well done everyone!”

After finishing all my work, I changed into dried civilian clothes and headed towards Star Gate. Kill goblins in Ardenia. After prayer, go to the convenience store. Return to Ardenia and kill more goblins. Go to Woongnyeo Steel. Head to Ardenia. Proceed through the Star Gate. Back to Ardenia. Visit the convenience store. Return once again to Ardenia…

“Hey! Mr. Han. What’s going on lately? You look really tired.” A woman approached me as I was changing out of my uniform after completing prayers. It was Scarlet, the most popular DJ at Star Gate and also an internet broadcaster.

“I’m not sick. Just…a bit tired,” I replied casually, feeling puzzled.

I gave her an appropriate response, but at the same time, I wondered:

Why is she acting so friendly?

A club guide and a DJ—maybe we could be considered colleagues, but Scarlet and I had never even introduced ourselves to each other before. We usually exchanged glances when passing by during our commutes, yet here she was approaching me first.

“You don’t just seem tired—you look like you might collapse any minute.” She approached with concern etched on her face. In that instant, I felt all eyes converging on us, pretending not to notice.

Standing tall at 170 centimeters, she boasted a lean, well-toned physique. Her jet-black hair complemented her perfectly, as did her outfits chosen by a professional stylist.

I heard she used to be an idol.

She was a rare beauty. Unfortunately, her team disbanded due to insufficient popularity, and now she ended up working as a club DJ. However, it wasn’t because of her lack of attractiveness. The entertainment industry was truly a cutthroat world, like the ‘red ocean’ among red oceans.

“It’s okay. I have other schedules these days.”

I gave a brief reply since I had to go to my next part-time job. Then Scarlet took one step closer towards me and whispered softly, “I thought you were learning martial arts. But your skills seemed only suitable for beginners.”

”…”

As I turned away, my steps halted momentarily. Scarlet smiled at my reaction.

“However, looking at you now, there seems to be a difference. Have you also learned biological strength?”

”…What do you want?”

I faced Scarlet again. Finally, my weary mind snapped to attention, and I assessed her using Perception.

Wow, she’s quite impressive. Seems like a high-level adept… But not martial arts. Biological strength? No. Not magic either… And it’s not Oohra.

The answer soon became clear:

A chakra practitioner.

I didn’t expect such a capable individual at this club.

“Don’t look so alarmed. It’s not some urgent matter; just curiosity got the better of me. Oh! Could it be related to visions or something? They say training both biological strength and Inner Force simultaneously is insane. Is that what they call External Force?”

On Earth, most humans possess supernatural abilities due to mandatory awakenings conducted at local broadcasting stations once they reach ten years old. Talent or lack thereof doesn’t matter.

Even I, with my ‘Severe Mana Disability’, was able to awaken Inner Force.

‘I also wanted to awaken biological strength.’

In fact, my physical body was already halfway towards being a biological strength practitioner. How could someone be considered ordinary when they can control involuntary muscles at will and even regulate hormones within their brain?

That’s why, when applying for forced awakening, I chose biological strength without any insurance or support. Believing that since my body was already akin to a biological strength practitioner, it would evolve further upon receiving bio-enhancement.

‘However…it failed.’

I encountered a roadblock right from the start, unable to undergo the essential process of ‘Biological Evolution’ required to enter the realm of biological strength. Instead of evolving with over two million won worth of bio-enhancers, my severely mana-deficient body merely digested them and expelled them as waste.

“Do I have to answer?” My low voice made Scarlet flinch and she waved her hand.

“Eh? Ah, no why are you so serious? Hahaha! Sorry. I just…” As she spoke, Scarlet tightly grasped my hand with an apologetic attitude. Then at that moment…

Fwip!

Scarlet disappeared.

“Huh?”

“Uh?”

The waiters who were watching our conversation groaned. Slightly surprised, I turned around. And then I discovered it—the sight of Scarlet clinging to the corner of the hallway.

‘I missed her. How can she be this fast?’

As I internally groaned, others also spotted Scarlet belatedly and started murmuring in surprise.

“Oh, there she is!”

“She moved over there instantly? Wow, incredible!”

Regardless of what people said, Scarlet looked at me like a spider between the ceiling and wall. Her well-maintained hair was disheveled, her body bristling with fear like a startled cat, conveying the impression of someone who had just witnessed a disaster.

“This…this is…unbelievable. How can such chakra exist…?”

“What’s wrong?” I asked calmly.

Scarlett’s pupils dilated as she stared at me before quietly descending to the ground. She immediately prostrated herself on the floor.

“I’m sorry!”

“So, what are you doing now?”

“Ah, this might be uncomfortable for you. My apologies.”

Scarlet swiftly stood up and bowed her head. Although puzzled by her sudden change in demeanor, it was almost time for my next part-time job shift.

“It’s okay. Go home now.” I waved my hand and turned around. Her attitude aroused my curiosity but I didn’t think to ask ‘why were you so surprised?’ here. It was because it would convey information that I wasn’t exactly sure about my own condition.

‘What did she sense? Surely not the Revenge System?’

However, it felt different.

‘She said how could this chakra…’

It made no sense. I had never trained in chakra before. I tried forced awakening but failed. Ultimately, the options given to me were the most common powers—Inner Force and Magic Power.

‘I have to find out more… Hah, I’m already tired.’

I grumbled as I headed towards the convenience store. It had been 50 hours since I started moving around Earth while killing goblins indiscriminately. However, this was only Earth time; in Ardenia, it amounted to just four hours. My stamina was so poor that I needed much longer rest periods after fighting for even a little bit. Even worse, my ‘resting’ time counted towards my duty hours on Earth, leaving me perpetually exhausted.

On the bright side, there were ample rewards:

[For unknown reasons, your Stamina has increased by 1 point!]

‘My stamina keeps rising. This is truly amazing.’

Leveling up and increasing stats are rewards that would make any man ecstatic. Just like how even the most disinterested student would become obsessed with studying if their level and intelligence stat increased each time they hit the books.

‘In just 50 hours, my stamina increased by 5!’

The effect of Stamina was so strong that I had to return to Earth every time after swinging my sword to its limit. However, this was now reaching its limits. Gradually, I started falling asleep while working, and I needed another solution.

‘Haha, should I cancel one of my part-time jobs?’

I briefly thought about it but shook my head. There were still many things I wanted to buy, so I couldn’t reduce my work. Moreover…

‘I don’t age in Ardenia.’

I entered Ardenia at the age of 20 and lived there for 20 years. It meant I should be in my 40s now, yet nobody would think that. My appearance remained exactly the same as when I first arrived in Ardenia.

That wasn’t all? My beard didn’t grow properly and my nails didn’t lengthen either. Only ‘external factors’ such as getting cut by a knife or having my nails torn out during torture could change my physical body. Once they were pulled out, the nails grew back to their original length but no further!

However, it was different on Earth. After sleeping just one night, I woke up with stubble on my face.

‘I forgot about it for 20 years… But this is how fast my beard used to grow.’

Unlike Ardenia, time flowed normally for my physical body on Earth. In other words,

‘I only age on Earth.’

Knowing this, I felt reluctant to sleep on Earth. If my time on Earth was limited while my time in Ardenia was infinite, it would be more advantageous to sleep in Ardenia whenever possible.

“In the end, there is only one answer. Log in.”

I entered Ardenia.

“Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!”

“You kill him, you!”

“Monster! Human monster!!”

From afar, I could see goblins shouting curses. They were completely terrified and couldn’t even attack me. Instead of rushing towards them as before, I changed my job this time.

★ ☆ Job Change Complete ☆ ★

[Variant Ranger (Hero)]

Strength +80, Agility +160, Stamina +80, Health +40, Mana +40

[Range increased by 50%]

[Dark Observer]

As soon as the class change occurred, I kicked off from the ground.

“Huh?! Huh?! The human monster is running away!”

“Catch him! Catch! Surround him!”

“Block him up front! Up front!!”

There were shouts coming from all directions, but after fighting so many goblins, I had come to understand their habits.

‘They are just loudmouths.’

They shouted their lungs out, but it was all incitement; they had no intention of moving themselves. Goblins were crazy bastards who didn’t care about their own lives when blinded by rage, yet they were also monsters that could strategize better than any if given the chance to catch their breath.

[Mid-level Stealth (Passive) has been activated.]

As I broke away from the goblin group and ran through the forest, I realized at one point that my body had become translucent. This was due to the effect of ‘Dark Observer’, a characteristic belonging to the Variant Ranger job.

“Human! Where is the human?!”

“Find him! Find him! He must be tired now!”

“He might’ve been tired earlier too!!”

The goblins passed by me as I stood next to a tree. I cautiously extended my hand, waving it in front of them. Still, they remained oblivious.

‘Look at this? It is more effective than I thought?’

I started to move and escaped from the goblins searching for me. Then after walking for about an hour, I was completely free of their encirclement.

“Hah…” I moved to a hill where I could see my surroundings and wedged myself between some rocks. Stealth was still maintained. There was no consumption of mana or anything like that.

‘Well, it was written in the attribute description: [Intermediate Stealth without cost if not observed for over one minute].’

As soon as I finished thinking, sleepiness suddenly overwhelmed me.

“Ah… This really… I bought so much suffering…”

In a certain part of the dragon vein filled with monsters, wearing uncomfortable clothing in an uncomfortable position, I fell asleep.