Chapter 36: The Mimic Crystal (1)

I had just returned to my room at the Cheongyeon Guild when Manager Mi, who was waiting by my bedside, hurriedly opened the chat window.

“Hm?”

“That’s right.”

I chuckled. “It’s always better to make the most of a good excuse, especially when the other person hands it to you.”

“It’s the cleanest way to reject someone, without leaving any lingering resentment or future complications.”

“He must have admired my concern for Hwarang.”

True.

I simply didn’t need to learn the Soaring Dragon Divine Fist.

Activating the [ Item Analyzer ].

I removed the crystal hanging from my neck and held it up to the Status Window.

The stat bonuses and Mana Recovery Aura remained unchanged.

But the crucial addition was the newly acquired function at the end.

This unique ability awakened thanks to a successful +10 enhancement:

When activated, you can designate a target, scan their movements, and store them.

If you possess a Status Window version 2.0 or higher, the stored movements can be converted into Skills.

This ability can be used in conjunction with the Status Window.

According to the description, this single ability alone makes the item invaluable beyond measure.

Scanning new movements requires 10g of “Remnants of a Corrupted Soul.”

Between the long cooldown and the need for a rare material not even sold on the market for reactivation, it’s hard to say when I’ll be able to use it again. But for now, the advantages far outweigh these drawbacks.

Of course, I still needed to verify whether the system would function as smoothly as I understood it.

“Manager Mi, let’s go.”

“A day of rest is enough.”

Manager Mi was right.

My current Synchronization Rate was 27%. It had increased by 2% since defeating the Cursed Spirit and obtaining Technique Nullification, thanks to the stat bonuses and Mana Aura provided by the Perfect Mimic’s Crystal.

But still…

“There’s still 3% left to go.”

Besides, I was itching to test the crystal’s abilities right away.

Unable to shake off her lingering doubts, Manager Mi asked again,

I slipped the crystal back around my neck and replied, “You saw it in action. Why are you still asking?”

This was the ultra-high-performance Mana Recovery Aura, which restored an additional 20% of my maximum Mana per hour. Thanks to this, combined with my natural recovery rate, it would take at most four hours to fully replenish my Mana from zero to 500.

No wonder people were so obsessed with fully enhancing their items.

Finally, Manager Mi’s true intentions slipped out.

“Tsk, what’s the point of having such a lazy Status Manager?”

Manager Mi’s chat window shook with indignation.

I shrugged. “If you hate it so much, quit your job.”

“Anyway, let’s get going.”

I shook my head. I had no intention of rushing into combat just because I’d acquired a new ability.

Besides, it’s still too dangerous for me to explore dungeons alone.

I’d confirmed this with Seo Yeon-hwa yesterday.

The mastermind behind the exam manipulation remained elusive.

Knowing someone might be targeting me, there was no need to recklessly invite danger just to test my abilities. Seo Yeon-hwa would provide guards, but I didn’t want to drag them into the dungeon.

Of course, I didn’t intend to stay cooped up forever.

Right now, I needed to focus on rapidly improving my Synchronization Rate. I couldn’t afford to wait idly for the culprit to be caught. If they continued to evade capture, I’d have to take matters into my own hands and hunt them down myself.

Suddenly, Manager Mi’s chat window broke through my thoughts.

Where else indeed? Somewhere safe enough, yet offering the perfect environment to test my skills.

An hour later.

“You’re really something else,” Lee Seonah said with a soft sigh, standing in front of the S-2 Training Room at Shinwa Guild Headquarters.

I paused mid-chew on my convenience store kimbap and glanced at her. “What’s up? Oh, this? I’ll finish it before we go in.”

After a moment’s hesitation, I casually offered her the end piece of the kimbap. “Hey, I don’t usually share this with just anyone. I’m only giving it to you because it’s you.”

“No thanks. I just had lunch.”

“Then why are you making such a fuss?”

I popped the remaining piece into my mouth.

Lee Seonah stared at me with wide, rabbit-like eyes. “You’re staying at Cheongyeon’s headquarters, yet you still come all the way here to train?”

“Guess that’s just how it worked out.”

“I heard you even visited the Hwarang Guild’s Gwanak branch yesterday.”

I frowned. I had told her about staying at Cheongyeon’s headquarters, but…

“Who told you that, Judy?”

“Our CEO and the Hwarang Guild Leader are close. Apparently, the Leader called him yesterday and bragged for an hour straight.”

The CEO Lee Seonah was referring to was likely Che Soohyun, not Che Yerim.

Che Soohyun and Matthew, huh?

It was widely known that the two had been childhood best friends for twenty years.

“And your CEO told you about it too?”

Aren’t Matthew and Che Soohyun being a little too loose-lipped?

Well, at least they weren’t the type to blab to the media, so I didn’t need to worry too much.

“Yeah. He probably assumed you would have told me.”

Lee Seonah’s lips puckered into a pout.

“Yet you didn’t even tell me about your special promotion.”

“Hey, I just didn’t want to worry you unnecessarily.”

”…Oh, really?”

No.

I simply hadn’t felt the need to mention it.

But I answered with a serious expression, “Of course.”

Lee Seonah’s eyes widened as she looked at me.

Then, sounding subtly pleased, she muttered, “Still, tell me next time. It’s not like I’m as nosy as Choi Jinho. All I’ll do is cheer you on.”

“Okay.”

I opened the door to the Training Room and asked, “By the way, the CCTV here is definitely deactivated, right?”

“Yep. I told the management team in advance that I wanted to practice the Shadowless Divine Sword’s Secret Art. It won’t be reactivated until I say so.”

As expected of Lee Seonah.

She was incredibly reliable.

Satisfied, I opened the door and stepped into the Training Room.

“I’ll let you know if I need anything.”

“How long will you be here?”

I stroked my chin thoughtfully.

Then I held up two fingers.

“Two hours?”

“No.”

He grinned.

“About twenty hours, to start.”

The announcement echoed through the S-2 Training Room, and I immediately grabbed the pitch-black crystal. It was time to properly investigate the Mimic Fighter.

A Status Window instantly appeared.

Click.

The moment I unsealed the crystal’s tip, an eerie, pitch-black aura began to flow out. That ominous energy…

Swish.

…soon coalesced into a human-like figure, resembling a wooden puppet carved from pitch-black mist.

Whoosh…

The figure dubbed “Mimic” began to glide into motion. Its body swayed lithely like a willow branch as it traced a figure-eight pattern in the air. This was the first movement Matthew had demonstrated to me: the Illusory Serpent Step, the foundational footwork of the Soaring Dragon Divine Fist.

Of course, the Mimic was merely replaying the recorded movements exactly. Thus, immediately after demonstrating the Illusory Serpent Step that Matthew had shown me, the mist-formed puppet prepared to transition to the next technique.

After tapping the crystal twice, I spoke. “Now, how do I register this as a Skill?”

As if in response to my question, a message appeared on the Status Window:

I immediately tapped the crystal three times.

The message updated:

The Mimic’s demonstrations flowed smoothly, showcasing the scanned movements like water. I needed to dissect those demonstrations into individual techniques, cutting them apart with surgical precision and saving them as separate Skills. It was like editing a video shot in a single take.

“This won’t be easy,” I muttered.

Though I had no intention of becoming Matthew’s disciple…

I etched every detail of the Mimic’s demonstration into my mind, not letting a single movement escape my notice.

Even amidst the Mimic’s fluid, seamless performance, I could distinguish the individual stances and techniques.

First, I focused on the initial movement the Mimic had demonstrated.

I saved the skill as “Phantom Flash Step, Copy.”

With “Perfect Mimic’s Crystal” activated, I could cast the skill at any time.

(Note: Casting requires Status Window version 2.00 or higher.)

I had simply saved it as “Phantom Flash Step,” but the “Copy” suffix was automatically added.

“Perhaps directly using the original name was a bit much,” I muttered.

Honestly, the skill name didn’t matter much to me.

I continued watching the Mimic’s demonstration.

Matthew had demonstrated the Soaring Dragon Single Horn Flash, a basic technique he showcased after his footwork.

After converting its advanced form, the Soaring Dragon Ten Horn Flash, into a Skill and verifying that it synced with my Status Window, I closed the crystal’s lid.

Alright, then.

Time to test the power of these copied martial arts techniques.

Following Che Soohyun’s instructions from before, I closed my eyes, focused my mind, and visualized a monster.

Following the system notification, a loud, pig-like grunt echoed through the forest.

I opened my eyes.

I was in the heart of a dense, overgrown forest, surrounded by lush vegetation.

A humanoid monster stood a few steps away, glaring at me.

A C+ Grade monster: the Orc Warrior.

With a savage roar, the Orc Warrior charged forward, raising its axe high.

The axe plunged down diagonally from above, aimed at my head.

I tracked its descent with my eyes until the very last moment.

I activated the skill.

Instantly…

My left leg moved on its own, tracing a perfect semicircle as my body twisted into an impossible angle.