Damned Transmigration - Chapter 15

WeTried Translations

Translator: Joy

Editor: Joy

◈ Damned Transmigration ◈

Chapter 15: The 3 Billion Sel Man (1)

──────

Yuri had a dream.

He was back in his small studio apartment after finishing his part-time job. He had thrown together some ramen and eaten it, taken a shower, and sat down before his computer.

He launched Seronis first, then opened the overseas community forum.

Hardly anyone posted there these days. A few new players trickled in now and then, but the site was practically waiting to die, so they soon left. Or deleted the game.

Still, Lee Su-hyeok logged into the community every day.

He barely wrote posts anymore, but Lee Su-hyeok’s UrMumSpammer was a veteran of both the community and Seronis. Even on an overseas site, he stubbornly kept his Korean username.

The reason he no longer wrote posts was simple. Most of the players he had met through the community and exchanged information with had moved on. Naturally, Lee Su-hyeok had become a lurker too, leaving more comments than posts.

Whenever a promising new player wrote a question, UrMumSpammer’s role in the current community was to answer it earnestly.

After looking through the community’s new posts, Lee Su-hyeok checked Seronis’s only competitive content, the Hall of Fame.

‘This bastard will hit first place soon.’

The guy had stayed in fifth place for over half a year, but today, he had finally crawled his way up to second.

Something must have clicked. Maybe he had improved his build, or maybe he had given up and switched to an entirely different one.

‘Hmm.’

Things had worked out well.

‘I should put up my record before this bastard takes first place.’

The guy trying to claw his way to first place and Lee Su-hyeok were alike in that regard, but Lee Su-hyeok could take first whenever he wanted.

His build was already complete. He could take first place in the Hall of Fame at any time. He was squeezing out every possible improvement to lower his clear time, but by now, luck was the only thing that could still make a meaningful difference.

He had completed his character’s build at dawn yesterday and opened the path to the hidden boss. He was certain he could clear it even with his feet.

Of course, if critical hits kept triggering in succession and luck turned against him, he could still die instantly. But he had prepared as much protection against such variables as possible.

“Yeah, you’re not getting first place.”

Wouldn’t that guy post a raging thread in the community when first place was updated with an untouchable record? Lee Su-hyeok grinned foolishly as he imagined it.

“Ah, fuck...”

He woke up.

Yuri recalled the dream he had just had and covered his eyes with both hands.

‘I shouldn’t have done it. I should’ve just let him take first place...!’

Regret for the past came flooding in.

‘That bastard probably doesn’t even know I’m his benefactor.’

Yuri repeatedly let out deep sighs as he got out of bed.

The bed Elena had bought a few days ago was large enough for two people to roll around on, and unlike the one he had used in Oldor, it did not creak.

It was not just the bed.

The room that had once been bleak and empty was now filled with various pieces of furniture. Elena had bought all of it. Even the pajamas Yuri was wearing had come from her.

Yuri got out of bed and sat on the floor, which was covered with a soft carpet.

Even after a dream that could have been called a nightmare, he woke up as usual at five in the morning.

Yuri checked the still-dark view beyond the window and drew the curtains closed.

It had already been five days since he came here. At first, Yuri had felt uncomfortable about living in the same house as Elena, but once he actually did, it was not inconvenient at all. It was much more comfortable than living alone in Oldor.

The main reason was simple: Elena was hardly ever home.

She woke at the same time every day, eight in the morning, ate breakfast, got ready, and left for the Dersia Mage Tower before ten. She returned home around seven.

While Elena was away, Yuri handled the housework. Though calling it housework was a stretch. Cleaning and laundry were done with magic, so all Yuri really did was cook the ingredients in the food storage.

‘For breakfast, I’ll heat up yesterday’s stew, then bacon...’

With that thought, he closed his eyes.

Once in the morning, once at lunch, and once before bed. Three times a day, Yuri felt pleased by the internal energy that had increased through circulation and breath control. He could not brag about it to anyone, but this was Yuri’s wealth.

And today, that wealth would grow even more.

“I’m staying home today.”

Elena, seated at the dining table, looked far too neat for someone who had just woken up. She spoke as she dipped bread into her stew.

“Namgung Jin is supposed to come, remember? If I leave you alone, something like last time might happen again.”

“After going through that, would he really pull that shit again?”

“You never know. Oh, and you don’t need to prepare lunch or dinner.”

A happy smile spread across Elena’s face as she put the stew-soaked bread into her mouth.

Before Yuri came, Elena had occasionally tried cooking in order to improve her skills. Since Yuri came to live here, though, she had completely stopped cooking.

“Why?”

“Because we’re going out.”

“Me too?”

“We’re going to buy things for you, so of course you have to come too.”

“We already bought everything I need. What else are we buying?”

“Martial arts.”

Elena answered with a calm expression.

“The Le Seyun auction house is open today, so we’re using that apology money to buy you martial arts.”

Yuri stopped eating and blinked. Elena tilted her head when she saw his expression.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“You’re buying martial arts for me with the apology money?”

“Yeah. I don’t know how much Namgung Jin will give, but it won’t be a small amount. If we spend it all, won’t we be able to buy all the martial arts you need? And if it isn’t enough, I’ll add some of my savings.”

“No...”

Yuri could not continue.

Of course it would be nice if she did that, but was this not treating him too well?

“Even so, spending all of it is a bit much.”

“What do you mean, a bit much? It’s compensation for what happened to you, so it should be used for you. Did you think I was going to swallow it all?”

“I didn’t go that far.”

“I already borrowed a Le Seyun entry ticket from the Tower Master. I told Haryeong that we’re going to Le Seyun too. So even if you say you don’t want to, we’re definitely going to Le Seyun today.”

The matter was already decided, and she had no intention of hearing Yuri’s opinion. Yuri blinked, then quietly set down his spoon.

“Can I call you big sis? Or Elena-nim? Young Lady Elena?”

“W-What are you trying to do, acting so creepy?”

Her words and expression did not match. Elena held down the corners of her mouth, which were trying to rise, and put on a solemn expression.

“And the Azure Heaven Pill... You and I will each take one, and the remaining one... Hmm, what should we do with it?”

“You should take two, Young Lady.”

“Ahem... Let’s keep one. Whoever needs it later, you or me, can take it. Is that alright?”

“But of course.”

“Stop talking like that. It’s creepy.”

When Yuri openly flattered her, Elena recoiled.

After the meal, Yuri brought a book from the study.

It was a book he had read in the carriage, but he pored over it several more times.

Unlike martial artists, mages did not learn mana cultivation methods or heart techniques. They understood and borrowed the mana that existed in the world, then invoked magic through formulas. As they repeated this, their affinity for mana increased, and their souls naturally became vessels that filled with mana.

From that point on, they could call themselves second-tier mages. Mana affinity was the most important talent for a mage.

“Arsen Lucionell. Have you ever met him?”

Yuri asked as he crammed the formulas from the common magic book into his head.

“Once, when I was young.”

It had been an offhand question, but the answer was unexpected.

“I think I was thirteen? When I was clinging to common magic in hopes of reaching the third tier, Arsen-nim visited the Dersia Mage Tower. I received a lot of advice then.”

Elena, who had been reading on another sofa, turned her gaze toward Yuri.

“Why? Do you want to meet Arsen too?”

“He’s not someone you can meet just because you want to, is he?”

“That’s right. As far as I know, Arsen isn’t even at the Lucionell Mage Tower.”

Haryeong arrived while they were talking. She looked back and forth between Yuri and Elena, each reading on their own sofa, then let out a deep sigh.

“You two certainly live comfortable lives.”

“Why are you picking a fight the moment you arrive?”

“I’m not picking a fight. I merely stated what I felt. So, does Yuri-nim not need unarmed combat training today?”

Thanks to the revised contract, Yuri was receiving unarmed combat training from Haryeong. At first, Haryeong had grumbled about why a bodyguard had to teach unarmed combat too, but after checking the amount of the advance payment, she changed her attitude.

“He doesn’t need to.”

Elena answered.

“We’re leaving soon.”

“Yuri-nim is a student I find rewarding to teach, but I won’t get to enjoy that today. What a shame.”

She did not look disappointed.

“Is he learning well?”

“Just as Orca-nim said, Yuri-nim seems to have talent for martial arts. He learns much better than I expected.”

Elena pouted at that answer. Deep down, she wanted Yuri to aspire to become a mage rather than a martial artist, so she was not particularly pleased that he had talent for martial arts.

“Do you hate that I want to learn martial arts instead of magic?”

“Who said I hate it?”

“Looking at your face, it seems like you do.”

“What is wrong with my face?”

Elena quickly stopped pouting.

Namgung Jin, who arrived around noon, was not even allowed inside the mansion. He handed Elena a large bag in the garden, where he had repeatedly pressed his forehead to the ground.

“I’m sorry about what happened last time...”

Only five days had passed, but Namgung Jin looked several years older. Perhaps he had not slept properly. There were dark circles beneath his eyes, and his face had grown gaunt.

Elena briefly glanced at Namgung Jin’s face, let out a deep sigh, then accepted the bag.

“Rest assured. We will not make an issue of Young Master Namgung Jin’s mistake.”

“Did the Tower Master not say anything else...?”

“No.”

Only after hearing that answer did Namgung Jin’s expression brighten slightly. He hesitated for a moment, unable to take his eyes off Elena’s face.

“Do you have other business?”

Elena’s voice grew cold at that gaze.

“No.”

Namgung Jin shook his head, swallowing a sorrowful sigh.

* * *

“One billion sel, my goodness, my goodness!”

Haryeong, seated across from Yuri in the carriage, was still making a fuss as though she could not believe it. Surely it had not been taken from the Namgung Family treasury, so this one billion sel must have been Namgung Jin’s personal funds.

“As expected of the fourth young master of the great Namgung Family. How generous. And three Azure Heaven Pills as well? Converted into value, that would be at least three billion sel.”

Haryeong muttered, then turned toward Yuri and clapped twice.

“Amazing. Yuri-nim, the three-billion-sel man. Countless country youths come to Rutlan dreaming of fame and fortune, but Yuri-nim must be the only one to earn three billion sel within one day of arriving in Rutlan.”

“Please stop teasing me.”

“Teasing? What do you mean? I am genuinely impressed.”

Even Elena had not expected to receive as much as one billion sel in apology money.

‘I thought it would be a hundred million sel at most...’

Seeing that Namgung Jin had brought one billion sel, the incident five days ago must have left him intensely anxious.

“Originally, I was thinking of first-rate martial arts, but if the budget is one billion sel, I will have to redo the list.”

Haryeong crossed her arms and fell into thought for a moment.

“A heart technique is essential, as is footwork... A lightness skill isn’t immediately necessary, so postponing that is also an option. What about a weapon? If you plan to use a sword, you will need a sword art. If you plan to use a saber, you will need a saber art.”

“I don’t plan to use a weapon.”

Yuri was just as surprised and flustered by the amount, but he did not show it.

“I’m more comfortable fighting bare-handed than using a weapon. Buying a weapon feels wasteful too.”

“Hmm. To be honest, I would like to recommend a sword or spear.”

“Is there a reason?”

“The debate over whether the sword is the king of weapons or the spear is the king of weapons has existed for a long time. Those two weapons have clear strengths and few weaknesses, enough to be discussed that way.”

Haryeong shrugged.

“Also, there are many martial arts related to those two weapons. In other words, there are many manuals on the market.”

“What do you think about fist arts?”

“The path to reaching a high realm is arduous. No matter how much you train your fists, it is difficult to face bladed weapons. A weapon is finished if it breaks, but if your fist breaks, the consequences do not end there. The severity of the injuries is different.”

What Haryeong said was perfectly reasonable.

“That is why unarmed fighters learn fist arts and external arts together, and fist arts that incorporate external training are common as well. Iron Sand Palm is a common martial art of that kind. By repeatedly thrusting their hands into heated sand, practitioners thicken the skin and temper their hands into weapons capable of clashing with bladed weapons.”

Elena, who had been listening quietly, looked down at her own hands without realizing it. Then she glanced at Yuri’s hands too.

“Listening to that, it doesn’t sound like it has any advantages. Why not just use a sword or spear? Later, you could use weapons enchanted with magic too.”

“It is not without advantages.”

Haryeong shook her head.

“Unarmed fighters who have reached a high realm are terrifyingly strong. Speaking from an assassin’s perspective... Assuming the same tier, killing an unarmed fighter is much more difficult than killing a swordsman.”

Haryeong’s eyes grew dark.

“A swordsman trains the body as well, but they cannot help being less trained than an unarmed fighter who walks in and out of life-or-death situations relying on nothing but their bare body. Once they reach the fourth tier and can imbue their internal energy with an attribute, an unarmed fighter’s very body becomes a weapon. Swinging their fists creates slashing attacks, and they cannot be cut even when struck by a blade.”

The fourth tier.

It was not a realm one could reach easily. Elena, whose talent Heavenly Thunder Orca had acknowledged, had taken ten years to become a fourth-tier mage.

‘How many years will it take me?’

Yuri was certain he would be faster than Elena, but it was difficult to judge exactly how long it would take.

The carriage stopped.

After getting out of the carriage, Yuri was briefly overwhelmed by the imposing casino-like building. This was a business directly managed by the Ascard Family, the true rulers of Rutlan.

All kinds of medicinal elixirs and artifacts were traded here, along with martial arts and magic books. In auctions attended only by VIPs, even advanced martial arts and magic tomes appeared for sale.

Underworld auctions traded secret teachings from mage towers, prestigious families, and sects, but such things came with both high prices and high risks. What Yuri and Elena would buy today were martial arts obtained through legitimate channels, ones they could purchase and learn without repercussions.

“The three-billion-sel man is entering.”

Haryeong muttered toward Le Seyun’s dazzling entrance as she got out of the carriage.

“Would you just shut up?”

Yuri’s face twisted as he stood beside Elena, who stifled her laughter.

Footnotes:

Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried