Chapter 18 - Not A Glow-Up But A Patch
"I’ve been scammed."
I stared at the crystal in my hand.
No, the corrected thing would be.
"My alternate self got scammed."
The novel had been crystal clear.
The hidden treasure beneath Emberwood Forest was supposed to be a black High-Grade Monster Crystal engraved with a unique ability of devouring.
That was the entire reason I came here.
I looked down at the crystal again.
It wasn’t black.
It was a warm amber-orange, almost as if liquid sunlight had been trapped inside.
"What the hell is this?"
Had the game changed the novel’s development?
Did I remember it wrong?
Or, had that damned author decided to do a reboot?
I let out a long sigh.
"It doesn’t look cursed though."
More importantly, unlike the crystal which was mentioned, this one emitted no malice whatsoever.
Instead, it radiated a strangely gentle warmth.
Anyone else discovering a naturally engraved High-Grade Monster Crystal would probably faint from excitement.
Meanwhile.
I was standing here disappointed because it wasn’t the correct treasure.
"I am becoming strange."
There was no point complaining.
I came here to grow stronger.
Whatever this crystal contained, it was still an ability.
That alone was priceless.
Without wasting any more time, I sat beneath the strange tree and held the crystal between both hands.
"Let’s see what you are."
The moment I began absorbing its energy, heat exploded throughout my body.
"!!!"
Every muscle in my body suddenly tensed.
The crystal pulsed as orange light surged into my body like molten metal flowing through my veins.
Bright orange patterns spread beneath my skin, like glowing circuits.
"Tch!"
I clenched my teeth resisting my urge to scream.
Making noise in the middle of a monster forest sounded like an excellent way to become dinner.
Time passed as sweat soaked my clothes.
My breathing became heavier.
Crack.
The crystal in my hands shattered into countless tiny fragments.
Silence returned.
"Ha... Hahaha..."
A laugh escaped before I could stop it as knowledge appeared inside my mind.
I now understood what ability I gained.
I looked toward the darkening sky.
A grin slowly spread across my face.
It wasn’t the Devouring ability.
But honestly, this might have been even better.
Rejuvenation.
A passive ability that constantly restored physical vitality, accelerated recovery, slowed fatigue, and dramatically increased stamina.
It wouldn’t let me regenerate severed limbs or become immortal.
But as long as my injuries weren’t fatal, I would recover within minutes.
And in prolonged battles, that advantage bordered on unfairness.
"This is absurd."
Then another thought crossed my mind.
"Also, this is probably every teenage boy’s dream."
I raised my smartwatch starting the camera as a holographic mirror projected above the screen.
"What?"
I blinked.
"No way."
I considered myself fairly handsome.
But the young man staring back at me right now, was on an entirely different level.
My facial features had subtly sharpened into near-perfect proportions.
My skin looked flawless.
Even my gray eyes had gained an unusual depth, making them seem almost luminous.
"I just got hit with an S-Class face card."
I turned my head towards sky looking for heavenly guidance.
"Seriously...?"
This was less of a glow-up and more of a balance patch.
Then, as if reminding me, I remembered the setting of my Earth.
Cold reality splashed over my excitement and my smile froze.
"This is bad."
I had no influential family.
No powerful organization backing me and no strength worth mentioning.
I was just an eighteen-year-old with decent swordsmanship and an extremely suspicious face (?).
"Good things definitely attract attention."
I consider myself good, and now I have become best.
"..."
A shiver ran down my spine.
My imagination immediately began producing increasingly horrifying scenarios.
"Noble families, cults, human traffickers, rich weirdos..."
My expression became paler with each possibility.
Slap!
I smacked both cheeks.
The sun had already begun disappearing behind the trees, painting Emberwood Forest in shades of crimson and gold.
The checkpoint Hero’s warning resurfaced in my mind.
I quickly stood up, dusted off my clothes, and started walking back toward the checkpoint.
Despite everything, I couldn’t stop smiling.
"I really like this ability."
I was just thinking about the face, Mira would make when she saw me.
***
By the time I returned to the checkpoint, the sun had almost disappeared beyond the horizon.
The Hero guarding the entrance looked up from his terminal.
His eyes widened seeing me.
He stared at me for several seconds before finally asking,
"Did something happen in there?"
I scratched my cheek feeling embarrassed.
"I used a face wash."
He looked at my face several times.
Someone entered the forest looking perfectly ordinary and came back looking like a celebrity.
I would question reality too.
Fortunately, it happened to me, so there was no point overthinking it.
"I was an expensive one."
The guard gave me the kind of look usually reserved for crazy weirdoes.
"Sure."
Thankfully, he didn’t ask any more questions.
After returning the rented motorcycle, which hurt my wallet almost as much as paying for it.
I caught the night train back toward the city.
By the time I reached the subway station, my stomach had begun protesting.
I bought a box of fried chicken from a nearby stall and sat on a bench while waiting for the next train.
"Life really is better with fried chicken and coke."
The first bite almost made me forget the exhausting day.
Another thing I noticed was that people kept looking at me.
A college student walked past as she glanced once.
A middle-aged woman looked up to me.
Two office workers whispered to each other before subtly looking in my direction.
I wasn’t used to attracting this much attention.
It took less than a minute before I stood up and bought a black face mask from a convenience store.
Another unnecessary expense.
But at least people finally stopped staring.
I leaned back in my seat as the train arrived.
A month and a half.
That was all the time I had before the entrance examination for Nexus Academy.
It sounded like a long time but it wasn’t.
In that period, I needed to seize every opportunity I could remember.
At the same time, I had to continue training my understanding of my Aspect.
Ideally, by the time the entrance examination began, I would have reached the peak of the Bronze Rank.
That wasn’t enough to stand at the top or even qualify for the academy where monsters from all over the world arrive.
"Let’s take one step at a time."
I rested my head against the window.
Yesterday, I had nearly died.
Today, I unintentionally saved some people by taking the treasure the villain was supposed to take.
Tomorrow... who knows?
I slowly closed my eyes.
There will be plenty of sleepless nights from now on.
But a small smile crept onto my face.
"With this face, I guess the future doesn’t look too bad."
The train continued through the night.