Chapter 3
1 hour later.
“Because it’s fast food I haven’t eaten in a long time, it’s delicious.”
Munch munch. Smack smack.
I was eating a hamburger in the late evening in a bustling area, having arrived early at Sindorim Station, which is tomorrow’s meeting point.
In my previous life, I thought it was trashy after turning forty and never even put it near my mouth.
Chewing it carefully this time, the stimulating taste was truly excellent.
[Daehان Bank: Account Holder Kang Shin-hwa]
[Current Balance: 4,305,252 won]
Excluding the 300,000 won deposited as a daily wage, there were 4 million won more in the account.
It was money I took from Park Do-won’s wallet after taking him down in one blow. Anyway, that was all my money.
Why carry so much cash in a wallet! The wallet couldn’t even close properly.
In addition, I had also collected accessories that would probably be worth several million won, but I didn’t sell those.
In any case, I barely kept Park Do-won’s lifeline. Of course, he’ll be hospitalized for quite a long time.
Violence in the Red Zone is somewhat overlooked, but murder is treated as a serious crime that the ‘Awakened Association’ will immediately act upon.
That’s why I held back my strength.
Anyway, the money and accessories I extorted from him are nothing compared to what was taken from me before.
It was still an amount that only made me feel regretful.
‘Well, I’ll recover it gradually.’
I thought easily.
I wasn’t afraid of revenge.
Because someone like him who relies only on his body is one of the types I can handle best.
I’m confident.
‘Let’s see.’
I fell into thought again.
In my previous life, my biggest goal was always living a leisurely life.
Even when I was strengthening my power and preparing for the great disaster, it wasn’t for the grand purpose of saving humanity.
Since I had been stabbed by Nicholas, I was preparing for the great disaster together, and after finishing it well, I planned to live a lazy life in my remaining years!
I even had a retirement celebration party after achieving my goal… But then I did this damn regression.
‘Anyway, I can pursue a wellness life again from the starting point! Retiring at twenty is much better than retiring at fifty-six!’
Although my life has been reset.
It’s definitely a pleasant reset.
Even if I generously estimate the next five years, I’m just twenty-nine.
Isn’t this the prime of life?
It’s the perfect age to enjoy youth and happiness simultaneously.
‘But to secure some initial capital, my rank must definitely increase. That way, I can attack higher-level dungeons and sell loot to earn more money.’
As an F-rank Awakener, it’s even difficult to escape the hell life of moving around the Red Zone, let alone a wellness life.
Strength comes first.
Currently, the Awakener ranks are divided into stages: F, E, D, C, B, A, S, SS, SSS, EX.
However, there’s no level concept. It’s not a structure like a game where everyone grows from 1.
Awakener individuals naturally have their ranks distinguished according to their talents at the moment of awakening.
‘God’s Choice.’
This was a phrase many Awakener used when referring to the rank determination that comes with awakening.
Because extreme inequality occurs from the beginning of awakening.
There are Awakener like me who start from the bottom F-rank, while some start at rank A.
A typical example is Nicholas Hagan.
Regardless of regression, he was a damn golden spoon from the starting rank.
‘I wonder what he’s doing and where he is now.’
In any case, to grow from one rank to the next, one needs to be dedicated to dungeon attacks.
This is because monsters provide invisible experience points for growth.
But there was one problem.
The number of monster individuals needed to rise in rank varies drastically between Awakener.
For example, an Awakener with innate talent might rise in rank by killing just 10,000 goblins.
But for someone with no talent?
Even after killing 1 million, or more, they might not progress at all.
Awakener would complain about this unfairness, saying , ‘Those who are meant to succeed will succeed, those who aren’t won’t’
But since there was no entity to gather opinions, it was just an empty cry.
‘The only sure thing is that when the power of magic that manifests talent increases, the rank naturally rises.’
There was one proven premise.
It was that as the total amount of magical power used by an Awakener increases, the rank rises.
‘First, I’ll increase my magical power by any means necessary. Then the rank will naturally rise.’
My first plan was set.
My talent is the ability to strengthen, control, and transform my body at will.
In my previous life, for six years after awakening, until I met Nicholas, I had no idea how to handle my talent.
Despite having a talent called ‘Transformation’ in the good change category.
I was just a laborer who simply strengthened my body.
But through Nicholas, I precisely understood my talent.
The new world he opened completely changed everything about me, and that knowledge is entirely preserved in my head right now.
For now, I must focus solely on increasing my magical power to be able to do more in the future.
‘First, I’ll immediately modify the lungs and liver that can induce transformation.’
I immediately concentrated mentally while sitting in the chair.
Since no significant changes would be noticeable to others, I could attempt this right here.
“…”
First target of physical transformation: liver.
I guided magical power to the liver.
I, who had dedicated nearly 30 years in my previous life to finding methods for physical transformation.
Liver, lungs?
Modifying such organs to my will is nothing.
I can even induce changes in a small hair on the back of my hand. If preparation is sufficient.
‘It’s clean, so clean. This is a pristine liver untouched by magical impurities.’
The liver’s condition remained exactly the same.
‘I’ll create a magic storage that’s incomparable to before, surpassing even the heart.’
I slowly adjusted the magical power rotating around the liver’s periphery to direct it inward.
Next,
‘Beginning physical transformation. Adjust affinity to absorb maximum natural magical power.’
Grooowl. Grooo!
“Ugh.”
As soon as I attempted transformation, the liver began repeating intense contractions and expansions. Subsequently, the aftermath spread to surrounding internal organs, delivering pain to me.
This is a growing pain for transformation.
In my previous life, it took exactly 5 years to convert an ordinary liver into a magical liver.
I was afraid the liver might burst during transformation attempts, and most importantly, I lacked confidence in myself.
But now it’s different!
Until the day I prevented the great disaster.
I was an Awakener who perfectly controlled my body from head to toe.
Causing change in a mere ‘liver’ was as ordinary as shaving in the morning, nothing extraordinary.
Except for the pain.
Though I can’t see directly.
I somehow felt like the previously reddish liver was rapidly changing into a blue-colored liver symbolizing magical power.
Just as expected.
‘It’s coming in!’
The magical power, which had been absorbed in small quantities limited to the heart, began flooding in explosively.
Like opening a firmly closed watergate, magical power poured into the liver without restraint!
‘Yes, that’s it. Good!’
Even by simple perception, I could feel magical power surging more than four times compared to before.
An involuntary satisfied smile spread across my face.
‘A magical liver is worth an A-rank magical artifact! Is an A-rank artifact something even an A-rank Awakener might barely obtain after hundreds of dungeon runs?’
My fist clenched with strength.
The transformation process itself doesn’t require any additional cost. One only needs the know-how.
With just that know-how, I immediately achieved dramatic change.
A magical power increase that some Awakened might never obtain even after investing their entire lives.
A maximum change that only I can create. Simultaneously, an overwhelmingly accelerated process.
If I can create a change this easily, why did it take years in my previous life?
While feeling regretful, I was also incredibly happy that I could now definitively reap the benefits of that experience.
‘Okay, I’ll carry this momentum to the lungs!’
Instantaneously, body fatigue significantly increased, but it was still tolerable.
A bull’s horn should be pulled out in one go.
Physical transformation, second target: lungs.
Lungs are a massive storage, capable of receiving much more magical power than the heart or liver.
Being a respiratory organ existing in two, the amount of magical power they can absorb is substantial.
Moreover, transformed lungs have the advantage of quickly recovering natural magical power just by breathing.
