WeTried Translations

Translator: Joy

Editor & TLC: ZEROSUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Damned Transmigration ◈

Chapter 5: Yuri (4)

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As a former pickpocket, Yuri had been cautious about the possibility of his room being robbed at any time, so he had hidden money all over the place.

Once Yuri gathered it all together, there was enough that he wondered whether buying a safe would have been better.

He found Yuri’s diary in the corner of the bed.

He needed to understand Yuri’s personality and emotions, which were separate from the memories. The diary was important for that reason.

It was not something Yuri had written every day.

Only very occasionally, when Yuri could not sleep. When lying blankly on the bed made Yuri hate both himself and his circumstances, and he wanted to write something. When something filling his chest or head needed to be poured out.

Those were the times Yuri had written in it, and it could hardly be called a diary.

Like that sort of diary usually was, it contained almost nothing about the day. Most of it was clinging, suffocating emotion. Naturally, most of those emotions were negative and hateful.

The Yuri who wrote the diary knew he was trash. He also knew that if he kept living this way, he would become garbage that could not be burned. The Black Snake Gang was not a proper organisation. It would not be strange if it disappeared at any time, and no one would care if it did. To live properly, he needed to cut ties with the Black Snake Gang...

But he needed money.

Enough to leave this rural place behind. Enough to settle down wherever he went.

Yuri had been saving money to leave the city. He wanted to leave and live a somewhat better life. If possible, he wanted to properly learn magic or martial arts... and if that did not work out, he could start another job...

Yuri caught a glimpse of twenty-year-old Yuri’s insight in the long, rambling entries.

In the end, the Black Snake Gang had been wiped out with ease, just as Yuri had expected. Yuri himself had also been stabbed to death in the process.

Thankfully, the money remained.

At first, Yuri used the savings bit by bit to familiarise himself with the world. He bought things he thought he needed right away and bought meals as well.

Four days later, he began lingering around the shared kitchen on the first floor. He bought ingredients at the nearby market and relied on Yuri’s memories to cook for himself.

It was only bread as hard as stone that he had bought outside, with some unidentifiable cuts of mixed meat stir-fried alongside it. Yet for some reason, tears streamed down his face as he ate that tasteless food.

He missed white rice and kimchi. Noodle dishes, especially ramyeon. Spicy stir-fried pork. Fried chicken. Braised pig’s feet and boiled pork wraps.

He also grew accustomed to the pit toilet on the first floor of the shared housing.

It was not because he wanted to get used to it. He had to.

No matter how filthy the toilet was. No matter how it teemed with finger-sized bugs and reeked of stench, if he ate, he had to shit. If he could not, that was a problem in itself.

Fortunately, Yuri’s body did not have that kind of problem. If anything, it was exceptionally healthy.

‘Fuck.’

He got used to pouring cold well water over his head.

And he got used to meditating every day.

Regulating Qi and cultivating mana.

The names differed by culture, but the contents were the same. Sit still and meditate, gathering mana and Qi within the body.

‘You must maintain the correct posture even if it is uncomfortable and painful! Lee Su-hyeok-nim, remember this! The advice of Lorelia is worth its weight in gold!’

There was no need to follow the obviously scammy <Wind Origin Heart Technique> and <Basic Introduction to Mana>. In this hopeless situation, Lorelia’s advice truly was worth its weight in gold.

Yuri did not know how remarkable the Heavenly Art of Annihilating Evil, which Lorelia had taught him directly, was as a heart technique. Still, judging by its grand name, it seemed to be of an incredibly high grade.

‘There was no martial art with a name like that in the game.’

If it had existed in the game, he could have immediately judged its value. Since he had never heard of it, though, he had no way to tell.

Whether it was because the Heavenly Art of Annihilating Evil was an exceptional heart technique, or because of a transmigrator’s mana affinity and comprehension, he did not know. But every time he regulated his Qi, the mana within him increased at an alarming rate.

Any transmigrator who simply survived possessed the potential to become a monster. Yuri could understand why the natives of this world killed transmigrators early on, and why transmigrators slaughtered one another.

‘This is...’

Dangerous.

Ten days later, Yuri felt an intense sense of danger. Continuing to meditate and accumulate internal energy simply because it felt beneficial was not always a good thing. If the body was weak, it would struggle to withstand its own internal energy.

Even when he had punched Oh Bong-chun in the jaw, he had sprained his wrist and torn his skin. No matter how much internal energy could strengthen his body, he felt the need for basic external training.

He added bodyweight exercises to his daily routine and began punching the wall by the window.

‘I need martial arts.’

He had the Heavenly Art of Annihilating Evil as a heart technique. He also had one skill called Sacred Flame Release, but it did not feel like enough. If possible, he wanted to learn another fist technique.

What about using a weapon instead?

‘No!’

If Lorelia heard that, she would probably shout in disapproval.

“A fist technique is not going to fall from the sky.”

Just in case, Yuri visited the bookshops in Oldor, but there was no way a proper fist technique manual would be sold in a rural city’s bookshop.

‘You can create skills yourself!’

He recalled Lorelia’s golden advice once more.

The strong transmigrators who had been exposed and survived in this world had recreated the skills they had used in the game. Even if they could not make them completely identical, they had combined magic and martial arts according to builds that had already been proven in the game.

But that would be difficult for Yuri.

His character, UrMumSpammer, did not use weapons.

He did not wear armour either.

That was because his build centred on a skill that granted additional stats based on his total stats for every sealed equipment slot. The seals gradually increased as the game progressed, and by the end, UrMumSpammer had become an underwear-clad character who wore no equipment at all.

Stacking bonus stats. Blessings granted according to the flow of battle.

An evasion rate that had broken through even the system’s limits.

High-powered skills used by consuming health.

As his health decreased, his stats were pumped up further. The bonus stats based on his total stats were recalculated. When he was near death, berserk would activate and amplify his stats again, and he would endure through life steal...

UrMumSpammer’s concept was to make up for the defence lost from equipment with an inflated health pool, carefully maintain a health threshold through control alone, and fight using the enormous bonus stats gained in the process.

But it would be impossible to realise the concept of wandering around in underwear without a single weapon or piece of armour in reality rather than a game. In reality, not holding a weapon or wearing armour would not increase his stats.

Still, he thought he could create a roughly similar build.

For one thing, Sacred Flame Release, which Lorelia had taught him, was used with bare fists. The build Yuri knew best was also specialised for a martial artist. There was no avoiding the condition that forced him to wear only underwear, but he might be able to acquire other skills in the future.

In the end, Yuri had no choice but to give up on weapon-based martial arts such as swordsmanship and spearmanship. Humans were strong because they used weapons. Was insisting on bare-handed combat after giving up weapons not the same as voluntarily becoming a chimpanzee?

‘No, do chimpanzees use weapons too...?’

In an old film he had watched, chimpanzees had fired guns. Still, if his attainment in the heart technique grew high enough, he might be able to fire internal energy from his bare hands like a gun.

Training his body through external training. The need for martial arts he could use in battle.

There was another reason he felt a sense of danger.

The original Yuri had been hopeless with mana.

He had diligently read <Basic Introduction to Mana> and <Wind Origin Heart Technique>, but he had achieved nothing. What if he suddenly started walking around with internal energy filling his dantian? Someone who did not know Yuri might not notice, but anyone who knew Yuri would naturally become suspicious.

It was not only acquaintances Yuri needed to be wary of. To avoid suspicion that he was a transmigrator, he needed to know how to hide himself.

He recalled Lorelia’s golden advice again.

The affinity possessed by transmigrators. It meant they could handle mana freely. Depending on the direction of their efforts, they could even create new magic or martial arts...

In truth, that advice had been Lorelia demanding that Yuri embrace the underwear play befitting UrMumSpammer. But no matter how he thought about it, that concept could not be realised in reality. Wearing only underwear would not make him stronger here.

What mattered was that he could create something.

Wondering whether there might be something he could use as a reference, Yuri returned to places like the library. Once again, he found nothing.

“Have you been eating something good lately?”

Yuri truly felt the danger when he met Gordon at the general store.

“Y-yes? Why?”

“No, it’s just that you seem to be looking much better lately. Your skin is smooth, and your dark circles are gone.”

He had not been eating anything good. He had merely been practising the Heavenly Art of Annihilating Evil every day. After a few hours, his mind felt clear and his body refreshed.

Sometimes his sweat was black or yellow and foul-smelling... How should he put it? On those days, he felt especially well, as though toxins had been leaving his body.

“Ah, no. It’s not like I’ve been eating anything good. Maybe it’s because I’ve been resting well at home lately?”

After making that excuse, Yuri hurried home.

‘Fuck, I’m screwed.’

The moment he stripped and stood naked before the mirror, the difference was obvious. His once-rough skin had become smooth. His dark circles had vanished, and his previously hollow eyes now shone brightly.

He needed some sort of countermeasure.

There was nothing he could do about his body brimming with vitality, but he needed to hide his internal energy.

In the end, he began trying from scratch.

He examined the flow of internal energy through the meridians in his body and his dantian. What if he blocked the meridians? Or twisted them to cut off the dantian? Would that make people think he had no internal energy when they looked at him?

There was no way it would work. He had nearly died for real. He had only slightly twisted the internal energy flowing smoothly as he wished, yet it felt as though his insides had been completely turned over. It hurt so much that he could not even scream.

He convulsed on the floor for three days. On the fourth day, he could finally begin restoring his body.

Even then, without a transmigrator’s mana affinity and the Heavenly Art of Annihilating Evil, he would not have been able to properly restore his twisted meridians.

‘This won’t work.’

He might be able to do it later, but not at his current level. Yuri emerged from his room after five days, intending to throw away the clothes dirtied with sweat and other embarrassing things and wash himself.

Thud.

Something wedged in the gap beneath the door fell to the floor.

“What is this?”

It was a letter with neither a sender nor a recipient written on it. Who had left it? When? He had not heard anyone knock while he was sprawled on the floor.

Due to a small mistake, I was unable to convey something I needed to tell you.

Are you alive?

I believe you are. I believe you are not someone who would die over such a trivial matter.

In fact, I know. If you had died, I would have known somehow.

If you are worried about me, you need not be.

As I said when we parted, I do not fear disciplinary action. The punishment I received was not as severe as I expected, either.

I mention this because yours is a special case in many respects.

My family was dissatisfied with me going this far, but I always keep my promises.

No matter what, it is true that my family benefited because of you. I thought a reward of this extent was necessary, and my family eventually acknowledged it.

My family has decided to accept my unilateral action somehow.

This is the gift I promised you.

Its name is the Veil of Deception. You will know what it is.

This is a gift I am sending you personally, unrelated to my family.

Since I have treated you this specially, if something goes wrong, I will have to take responsibility myself.

Of course, I am prepared for that.

I am the only one who knows you, so it is only right that I take responsibility.

I hope you remain well.

P.S.

Only you can open this letter, and it will explode one minute after it is opened.

You need not worry about being traced. Conversely, do not attempt to trace it.

Lorelia’s usual noisy manner was nowhere to be found in the letter.

Lorelia had euphemistically called them her “family.” But Yuri immediately knew who had sent the letter and who the family referred to.

Yuri let out a sigh of relief without realising it when he learned that Lorelia had not received a major punishment.

The record might one day be broken, but considering the different flow of time, no other transmigrators would cross over into this world for decades.

The Sect of Order, whose purpose was to correct disorder, could only welcome the fact that no more transmigrators would cross over. That seemed to be why Lorelia’s punishment had been light.

“Right...!”

Yuri had been so busy during the weeks since becoming Yuri that he had forgotten.

The gift Lorelia had promised.

“The Veil of Deception...?”

Yuri tilted his head and turned the envelope over.

Clink.

A thin necklace fell out. He did not know the material, and it had no special decoration.

‘No, wait. Explode?’

Putting aside his thoughts about the necklace, he first set the letter down.

Had a minute not already passed? The instant he thought that, whoosh! The letter caught fire. Despite claiming it would explode, it simply burned into black ash.

‘Then why call it an explosion?’

It was absurd, but there was no one he could question about it.

The Veil of Deception.

Yuri remembered what kind of item it was.

One inconvenience of having too great a level difference in the game was that weak monsters would not approach. In fact, they would run away instead.

Normally, it was convenient because he could avoid bothersome battles. But when he needed to grind something specific, it became extremely annoying because he had to chase the monsters instead.

The Veil of Deception was an item needed in such situations. Once worn, monsters would attack as usual regardless of the level difference.

It was an item UrMumSpammer, who had to keep his HP moderately low, often used.

Yuri examined the Veil of Deception from every angle. He did not understand why he needed it right now, but he put it around his neck for the moment.

Crack.

“W-what?”

He tried to grab the necklace in surprise, but he could not. The necklace adhered to his skin and burrowed straight inside.

It did not hurt, but even if it was thin, it was a metal necklace. Of course he would be startled when it burrowed into his skin and disappeared.

Yuri rubbed the smooth skin around his neck, where there was no protrusion, then realised something and sat down.

There was a strange sensation in his dantian and meridians. After closing his eyes, concentrating, and observing, Yuri realised the necklace’s role and how the Veil of Deception from the game was applied in this world.

To outward appearances, Yuri now seemed to have not a scrap of internal energy or mana.

An item that deceived others, just as its name implied.

As written in the letter, it was an item Yuri desperately needed right now. Yuri let out a hollow laugh as he rubbed his neck.

“Couldn’t you have given this to me a week earlier...”

If Lorelia had, he would not have needed to spend two days contemplating the issue, three days convulsing on the floor, and one day groaning as he recovered.

After making his brief complaint, Yuri knelt down.

He offered prayers of gratitude toward the Sect of Order, wherever it might be, and to the Goddess of Order, said to have fallen into a long sleep, as well as Lorelia.

He had lived his entire life as an atheist. But after receiving a gift directly like this, he could naturally believe in the existence of a god and offer a prayer of thanks.

When he finished praying on his knees, the floor of the room felt different.

It took Yuri an entire day to clean up the various secretions he had left behind while lying on the floor for five days and the ash that had just burned away, vigorously wash the clothes that were too wasteful to throw out, and wash himself.

Twenty-seven-year-old Lee Su-hyeok had lived as twenty-year-old Yuri for exactly one month.

* * *

Over the past few days, Yuri had begun a new challenge.

Changing his face.

There had been martial arts of that sort in martial arts novels and comics.

He could not remember the name, but it was a kind of martial arts plastic surgery that used internal energy to twist the muscles and bones of the face and create a different face.

‘I think it might be possible to change the whole body too... but just changing my face would already be something.’

After living as Yuri for a month, he had realised something.

If possible, he needed to abandon the name Yuri quickly.

He did not meet Gordon often, but he was deliberately keeping even more distance. If they met too often and talked for too long, Gordon might notice something was wrong.

Gordon, who had lived on the same street and seen Yuri’s face, was more troubling than a childhood friend who had been separated from Yuri for ten years and only exchanged letters. Even with the Veil of Deception, living as Yuri still carried risks.

If he succeeded in changing his face, he would have that much more freedom to act. He could leave Gordon a letter saying he had left the city, then buy a forged identity card...

Knock, knock.

The problem was that changing his face was not as easy as he had thought. His muscles moved well, but he had no idea how to twist his bones. He had nearly died after touching his meridians a few weeks ago, so he hesitated to act recklessly.

Knock, knock, knock.

‘Who is it?’

Yuri stopped moving his facial muscles while glaring at the mirror. The knocking continued. He had ignored it, thinking Gordon might have come to ask him to eat together, but it was too persistent for that.

For the moment, he kept his mouth shut without making a sound. Whoever it was, if Yuri pretended not to be in, they would leave on their own. For a moment, he wondered whether it might be Lorelia, but she did not seem like someone who would come in person.

He looked back in the mirror, moved the muscles around his eyes to make double eyelids, and was about to adjust the size of his eyes.

Crack!

The door broke.

“...?”

Yuri hurriedly stopped what he was doing and stood up.

The person who had broken the door strode into the room, then met Yuri’s eyes.

“Why are you pretending not to be here?”

A blonde woman glared at Yuri.

Footnotes:

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