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Chapter 28
All Master.
The divine realm of mastering all talents. A perfect state that even Nicholas couldn’t achieve in his previous life.
I have experienced enough of relying on someone, depending on someone, and living through their support.
In this life, even if I become someone’s solid pillar, I don’t want to be a burden.
Right at that moment.
I recalled the content of a sign I had briefly passed by on the roadside.
[Red Zone]
It was already the Red Zone.
I immediately called out to Jeong-hoon.
“Please stop here.”
“Yes? We’re still 2km away from the destination.”
“It’s okay. I’m going to walk and get some fresh air.”
“In the middle of winter?”
“Haha, I have a lot of body heat.”
“Let’s keep going.”
“No, it’s fine.”
“Then I’ll wait. You should also consider returning to Seoul.”
“I have my own plans for that. Thank you for your hard work tonight.”
I politely declined Jeong-hoon’s kindness and got out of the car with a smile.
Of course, I didn’t leave without thinking.
I had already planned how to return home. I just sent Jeong-hoon away because I didn’t need him nearby.
“Visiting the Red Zone with almost no people around at midnight. Mr. Kang Shin-hwa is truly an unpredictable person.”
“I’d appreciate it if you’d think of me as someone with many secrets. Well, I’m off!”
With Jeong-hoon’s somewhat complimentary remark, I closed the car door.
He stared at me for a while, then turned back the way he came.
My enhanced eyes accurately captured the interior even after Jeong-hoon and his car had gone quite far.
He was making a phone call.
Perhaps he was contacting Jin Seong-tae, Jin Bo-mi, or guild Master Seo Ye-hee.
“An open road! This is perfect for testing the abilities of my transformed legs.”
I stood in the middle of the four-lane road where no one was around.
Since being designated as a Red Zone, the Sabuk-eup area of Jeongseon, Gangwon-do, had become a completely uninhabited area.
While traces of the past remained, there were no signs of living people anywhere.
Originally, there were no dungeons here, so Awakener individuals rarely came.
Sometimes internet broadcast BJs would come for a horror experience, but that was rare.
“Since leg transformation has a definitely low difficulty, it should be fine with my current condition.”
I immediately began to pour magic from within to my legs at full power.
The basis of transformation is magical power.
The more abundant it is, the lower the transformation difficulty, and the higher the stability of the transformation process.
Each time a physical change occurs, the magical power storage increases, so the difficulty will continue to decrease.
“Phew.”
In just one exhale, I felt a fullness in my thighs that seemed about to burst.
The start of transformation.
Maximizing muscle mass.
Even now, my body is sufficiently balanced and muscular, but when transformation is complete, it reaches an almost extreme state.
In my previous life, my colleague in Nine Lords, a Russian named Joseph Karachi, gave me this nickname,
‘Horse thighs? Honey thighs? I think this is more like iron thigh.’
Even someone whose entire body was a muscle mass would evaluate it this way. The leg transformation dramatically enhanced the muscles.
“I can feel it.”
A stiff feeling starting from the groin spread throughout my legs, and I could feel it becoming harder.
It was a change that felt as definite as someone who had been doing leg exercises non-stop for over a decade.
There was a tearing, burning-like pain, but it was bearable.
By my standards, this wasn’t even close to pain.
Considering my previous life where I enjoyed hand-to-hand combat and routinely received so-called ‘knife hits’, this was child’s play.
Sha-a-a.
Finally, the transformation ended.
As expected, I felt the physical fatigue from the transformation wash over me.
This wasn’t a simple desire to sleep or rest, but a signal of overload from my body.
If I force the physical transformation here, side effects will occur, so I must be careful.
“Good.”
I looked down at my thighs, vibrating with blue magical power, more energetic than ever.
This seems to have reached a strength where even a steel pipe struck against my thigh would bend instead.
“Whew. Whew.”
After taking deep breaths.
I stood in the middle of the road and captured the 2km point that would be my final destination in my line of sight.
I can see it.
Neither the pitch-black darkness of the night nor the physical long distance could obstruct my view.
“Let’s go!”
Paa-t!
I stomped on the asphalt ground.
This was the initial thrust for an extreme full-speed sprint.
Just then.
Ku-deuk-deuk!
The ground deeply caved in at the moment I pushed off with the leg behind me.
When I turned back just in case, a sinkhole about 1m deep had formed where I had been standing.
‘Iron thigh, indeed.’
I ran with a satisfied expression.
In an instant, my body, which had exceeded the limits of an ordinary human, had become as fast as a cheetah.
110 km/h!
The friction heat and pressure of the air pressed against my entire body, but this was a level I could easily endure.
Kung! Kung! Kung!
I could feel my transformed heart and lungs working hard.
If I could sprint like this forever, that would be great, but my limits are still clear.
Exactly 2km.
After passing this distance, I would need sufficient rest.
However, the more I use my lungs or heart, the more they are strengthened, so the maximum distance could potentially increase infinitely.
Before my regression, I had run at this maximum speed for over 100km.
The destination approached in an instant.
To test not just my running ability but also my jumping capability, I slightly bent my knees.
And
Paa-at!
I leaped high into the sky using the momentum.
“As expected!”
The ground quickly distanced itself, and everything on the ground began to shrink rapidly.
Reaching a height of about 50m, I could look down at everything as if observing.
“Hehe, now I can move even during rush hour without a problem.”
I’ve got a good transportation method.
No matter how good a car you have, traffic congestion has no solution.
But with these legs, I can now jump between buildings at will.
Like parkour, even if there are obstacles on the shortest route, I can easily overcome them.
Ta-at.
Landing on the ground, I lightly brushed off the dust on my hands.
There was no strain at all.
This was because the strengthened legs, muscles, and joints naturally absorbed the impact during landing.
“I’m here.”
Experimenting here and there, I’ve already reached my destination.
An abandoned mine with the unremarkable name ‘78’.
The Magic Ball is inside.
Hwi-i-i.
As the bleak midwinter cold wind blew, the unique damp and humid atmosphere of this place was also conveyed.
Step. Step. Step.
I quietly disappeared into the darkness of the abandoned mine, which no one cared about or was interested in.
* * *
“Hmm.”
I expected it, but the skeletons were the ones who greeted Kang Shin-hwa as he entered the abandoned mine.
Looking at the clothing and condition of the skeletons, they weren’t deaths from very long ago. In other words, they were likely killed in the Red or Black Zone and then dumped here.
“There must be quite a few criminal organizations.”
Our country was relatively better off. After the great transformation. Initially, KSA declared war on crime and massively cracked down on malicious organizations. Of course, they weren’t completely eradicated, which is why massive criminal organizations like the Black Cross still emerged.
In China, the situation was more serious, with three organizations – Black Society, Triads, and Five Stars – occupying nearly half of the Awakened world. Because of this, the Chinese Awakener Association (CSA) was so weak that they had to be cautious of these organizations in everything they did.
“In times like these, I’m truly glad I’m Korean. It makes me proud.”
Kang Shin-hwa nodded, moving deeper into the abandoned mine. Though there was no light inside, it was no problem for Kang Shin-hwa, who illuminated his vision with infrared.
After walking for about 10 minutes, a massive garbage pit emitting a strong stench came into view – whether someone had abandoned it or it had been neglected for a long time.
“Well found. The Magic Ball is here.”
In his previous life, before the Outbreak created dungeons and this area was developed, it had been completely abandoned for over 10 years. Later, a KSA agent who came for preliminary investigation discovered the Magic Ball. This would be 10 years from now. Kang Shin-hwa had effectively traveled far into the future to this very spot.
“Synchronization, synchronization…”
Releasing magic with his left hand, Kang Shin-hwa kept muttering the same words. The Magic Ball only responds to specific magic wavelengths. If the wavelength doesn’t match, it’s just an ordinary ball.
Kang Shin-hwa adjusted the magic wavelength in minute increments, quickly searching for the right frequency.
After about a minute,
Whoosh!
The Magic Ball, wrapped in a black plastic bag in the garbage pile, floated up into the air. About the size of a tennis ball, its appearance resembled a precisely crafted spherical iron ball.
“Nice to meet you. Were you lonely all this time?”
Swish! Clack!
An item he didn’t have in his previous life. Obtaining an object that had been in another owner’s hands his entire previous life felt peculiar.
[Magic Ball]
[Evaluation Rank: A]
[An artifact capable of throwing and retrieving using magic. Repairable using dimensional stones.
The Magic Ball contains a special individual consciousness, but they cannot communicate with each other.]
“…It has a consciousness?”
Ting! Ting!
Instead of answering, the ball seemed to respond by bouncing energetically on the ground.
If it could understand his words, its usefulness would increase significantly. In his previous life, the owner never stood out in battles or other fields with this Magic Ball. Then, they must have been incredibly ineffective with it.
Kang Shin-hwa grabbed the Magic Ball tightly in his left hand and threw it with all his might towards the mine’s entrance.
Boom!
The ball shot off, creating a sonic boom. For an instant, a red tail formed behind it, showing an explosive energy and incredible speed.
As it reached its peak speed and began to descend:
Tap!
Kang Shin-hwa snapped his fingers.
Like being drawn by a magnet, the flying Magic Ball quickly returned to Kang Shin-hwa’s left hand.
“You’re more charming than I thought.”
Ting! Ting!
Just as Kang Shin-hwa was rejoicing about acquiring this new artifact,
“Well, looks like a little rat has sneaked in here.”
A man’s cold, dagger-like voice filled with killing intent pierced the air.
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