Chapter 33

Of course, I couldn’t use it immediately.

‘I don’t have the luxury for that.’

I worked 365 days a year, 22 hours and 30 minutes per day. There was no time to run training software or even go home. In fact, hadn’t I not visited Room Tower once since starting my part-time jobs?

‘It isn’t something you can do while working. It is possible to play mobile games at the counter but diving into a virtual world requires more than just common sense—it’s crazy.’

In the end, I had to adjust my work schedule.

“You want one day off? Well, working every day of the week is indeed too much.”

“Your salary will decrease somewhat.”

“Ha-ha-ha! Yeah, man. Working here for a month showed you this isn’t a job for humans, right? Don’t worry; we have enough staff to cover your shifts.”

The schedule was adjusted so all three part-timers had Wednesdays off, leaving me with exactly twenty-four hours from Wednesday at 3 A.M. until Thursday at 3 A.M.

“Well, I guess it can’t be helped. Thinking about it now, having one day off per week isn’t bad. After all, there’s always a risk of getting injured during battles.”

However, my first scheduled day off arrived sooner than expected.

“Oh! That reminds me, tomorrow is our day off.” The surprised response came from Joonhwan, the thirty-eight-year-old unmarried enchantment specialist who usually interacted amicably with everyone and served as the team leader.

“What? Why suddenly… Oh! It’s Chuseok!” Clubs and convenience stores don’t close for Chuseok because they aren’t typically affected by such holidays.

However, Wongnyeo Steelworks was different. Most of its employees were regular workers rather than part-timers. It made sense for the factory to close during Chuseok.

“Ah! The schedule is adjusted for no reason. Our wages will decrease?”

As I grumbled while finishing my work, the foreman approached me.

“Oh~ Jae-yeon. This is your first Chuseok since joining the company. Use this to eat something delicious with your family.”

He handed me an envelope labeled ‘Bonus’.

“This…?”

“It’s a Chuseok bonus. Normally, you need to work for three months to receive it, but we gave it due to your good evaluation. From what I’ve seen, you don’t seem like someone who would quit soon.”

“Thank you!”

After confirming that the foreman had left, I opened the envelope and found a whopping 2,500,000 won inside.

“Wow!”

With this amount, I could make more than 200 elite soldiers as Players. My heart swelled with affection. In Star Gate, I also received a bonus payment.

“Please work hard during Chuseok too! Ah, Scarlet seems to be watching you closely. She wants you to treat her well. Hahaha! Youth is good. If only I were ten years younger, I might’ve tried my luck. Should I hit the gym more?”

The big man (a Korean), who was a 49-year-old Aura ability user, handed me the envelope. He owned six clubs in Gangnam and seemed to be distributing bonuses while visiting each club.

Swipe.

When I opened the envelope, it contained three million won. The feeling was exhilarating.

‘Should I upgrade one more equipment item to +9?’

There were no bonuses at the convenience store. Initially disappointed, I shook my head to regain focus.

‘I shouldn’t expect much from a convenience store.’

Still, I took comfort in the fact that there was no better job for playing games than working at a convenience store as I finished my work for the day.

Before I knew it, Chuseok arrived. After returning to my studio apartment after a long time, I turned on the computer and set up automatic hunting. Then, as Cheddar followed me into the room, I gave him an order:

“Cheddar, summon the access device.”

“Wooeong~!”

As Cheddar’s eyes shone golden from atop the bed, static electricity filled the air, creating a round hologram in the space I had previously cleared. This was the activation of ‘Simple Teleport’, one of the features available with smart pets.

[Thank you for always supporting our New World Corporation. The capsule-type access device C-1173 is loading.]

Click! Grrr…

[Loading is complete!]

I connected the access device to my one-room energy network and turned it on. The software I previously purchased was already installed.

There was no need to waste time.

Click!

I entered the access device. Putting on the gloves and helmet, I started the simulation.

[Checking your account.]

[Acquiring physical data.]

[Acquiring psychic energy data.]

[Simulation software: Chakra opening and training is activated.]

My consciousness sank for a moment before the background changed to simple images of buildings. Suddenly, a calm black-haired woman appeared in front of me.

“Huh?”

It was a familiar face.

“A new student? Nice to meet you. I am Kim Sohyang.”

She was a figure seen only in textbooks—the senior among seniors who started by bashing heads and cleared stages herself, known as an ‘attack party’ member.

The owner of the War Constellation and the strongest Gigant Master (Gigant Master).

“Lion Queen…!”

Sohyang laughed at my surprised appearance. “Don’t be alarmed—it’s just a duplicate personality. Although it is unlikely, there will be big trouble if you pretend to know me in reality after becoming friendly here.”

“Ah, yes.”

As I calmed down from being overly shocked, she smiled and said:

“Before we begin, please give your consent as a user. Can I utilize your physical data and psychic energy for chakra training?”

“Certainly. However, I would prefer not to have it uploaded.”

“Aha, sensitive about personal information? No problem.”

“Thank you, then.”

“All right, let’s see…”

Sohyang closed her eyes. When they opened again, they were shining with a golden light.

“Your physical abilities are outstanding? Both strength and agility far exceed ordinary people. Wow. Especially your stamina is almost superhuman level? You have this much stamina without training biological energy, being a Player or a Believer.”

”…,” I narrowed my eyes at her words.

‘She recognizes Stamina as the highest ability?’

Despite using all my power, swinging a sword once exhausted most of my stamina, making it absurdly difficult for me. Yet, she perceived Stamina as my strongest attribute. It was immediately clear to me:

‘She can’t recognize the abilities added through bonus stats.’

This was puzzling. The reason was that my body had undergone physical changes due to enhancing my strength. Despite actually becoming larger and stronger, the latest access device couldn’t detect these alterations.

“The mana quantity and mana power…no way it can be this low? Surely he hasn’t awakened psychic energy yet…wait, isn’t there Inner Force present? Why is his mana like this if psychic energy has already awakened?”

Sohyang was confused but didn’t show disappointment since she had seen many similar reactions from viewers or eavesdroppers before. Instead, she asked:

“More importantly, please check your chakra state.”

“What are you talking about? With such weak mana perception, how could you open your chakras?” Her response sounded incredulous.

Regardless of her skepticism, I persisted. “Please take a look.”

“Oh, for goodness’ sake! Fine, let’s humor ourselves.” Sohyang rolled her eyes, then suddenly froze with surprise.

“Huh?”

She groaned, closed her eyes again briefly, and reopened them, looking utterly bewildered.

“Eh?”

“Well?”

Prompted by my urgency, Sohyang spoke, her expression stiffened.

“What the heck.”

Her expression conveyed disbelief at what she was witnessing.

“What…is this?”

My forces, the Bronze Sword Baron’s Army, marched toward Red X territory. The total number of soldiers was 1,700—my entire military might mobilized for this campaign.

Can I even call them an army anymore?

Everyone addressed me as Lordship, but it was laughable. My territory had fallen to orcs long ago. Similarly, my title as the Bronze Sword Baron held no weight now.

The Kingdom of Chrom is likely extinct. Seriously… After ten years trying to become a noble, it all went down the drain with one blow.

Clop-clop. Clackety-clack.

The carriage moved along. It wasn’t the largest, but it was the most luxurious, designed specifically for comfortable travel, allowing its occupant to sleep soundly on the move. Soft layers of wild boar hide and cotton quilts provided warmth and comfort.

“Lordship. We’ve encountered a new group of goblins,” reported Hundred, approaching the carriage.

As Hundred approached with his report, jae-yeon asked, “Anything unusual?”

“The group is relatively small at around nine hundred, but it includes several goblin shamans and rangers.”

“Eliminate them along with Stonestone. Be prepared for potential casualties.”

“Yes, sir!” With that, Hundred saluted and rode off. After some time, the sounds of battle echoed through the air.

Despite the commotion, jae-yeon wasn’t worried. His soldiers had leveled up and gained plenty of combat experience, making them more than capable of handling mere goblins. The elite soldiers now numbered five hundred after receiving new classes, and they were bursting with enthusiasm from leveling up.

“Whew.” Clearing his mind, he focused inwardly until consciousness sank deep inside him.

Chakra was the ability to immerse oneself within a specific concept and become one with it.

Chakra practitioners access inner dimensions by constantly comprehending various concepts, and there is no limit to these types of concepts. They can be elemental attributes such as fire, water, or wind, or philosophical ideas. Once a chakra practitioner deeply understands a concept, they can open their own smaller universe using the power of this knowledge. Furthermore, if their enlightenment reaches its peak and successfully penetrates the deepest levels, their smaller universe becomes distinct enough to exert influence on reality, granting them extraordinary abilities.

Those who practice chakra divide this process into eight stages known as the Eight Gates, with each stage representing a different level of mastery. These stages are categorized under Hyungkepalmon (Eight Gates of Wisdom) and Muljangguseong (Nine Layers of Immeasurable Mastery).

Boom!

I realized that I was in a one-room apartment devoid of any furniture.

‘First floor.’

By the way, there is no second floor. As a practitioner of chakra, my ability doesn’t go beyond being a beginner.

The floors ultimately represented levels and capabilities. My chakra ability could only create up to the first floor, making me equivalent to a class-1 apprentice mage.

‘It’s clear what should be filled first.’

I implemented the concept that I understood best, felt most deeply, and found most useful. With full awareness from head to toe, I formed the hand seal as taught:

“Body (身體). Receiving Gate (接門). Open (開放).”

Creak!

I sensed the Opening Gate (開門). However, I didn’t classify specific details yet. First, it was crucial to fully recognize my own body.

Crack! Crackle!

I felt my body activating. It meant that my mind recognized the concept of ‘body’. I had reached the realm of the First Gate, Receiving Gate.

Flash!

In the first floor where only my consciousness existed before, an anatomical diagram of my physical body appeared.

“Small.”

I saw my physical body on the first floor. In the small studio apartment, my body was almost finger-sized. It was as insignificant as martial arts that couldn’t escape the level of beginner forever.

However, there was a unique feature in this world.

Druruk.

[Ignition] created the window of the studio apartment, and I opened it. Originally, all that should be seen through the window was pitch-black darkness. This place wasn’t actually existing space but my inner world, and the concept of ‘outside’ didn’t exist within the inner world.

However, upon opening it…

I saw something extraordinary.

Gwooooooo!

A colossal chessboard—a fully realized smaller universe. No, beyond that, it was akin to an expansive and distinct realm, almost like its own world.

“Ardenia…”

Snap!

Exiting my inner world, I opened my eyes within the carriage.

“Log out.”

I returned to my studio apartment. Sitting on the soft bed, I activated my chakra. Normally, I would need hand gestures, but for this ‘Essence,’ even those were unnecessary.

“Ardenia. Receiving Gate. Open.”

Focusing my mind, I opened the gate, sensing the vast world unfolding inside me. Then, I singled out one small and insignificant presence within.

“Summon Bone Longsword.”