Second Life Ranker Vol 2 Chapter 15

(Volume 2, Chapter 15)

Chapter 40 . Akasha’s Snake (8)

The boy was sitting cross-legged lost in meditation . He gave off a cute impression befitting of a fairy tale .  

One could wonder why he was in a cave like this .  

But the reason why Yeon-woo was surprised was quite different .

‘Isn’t that a Snow Ginseng?'

In fact, what looked like a boy was not a real person . It was an elixir that took the shape of a human being .

[Humanoid Snow Ginseng]

Classification: Elixir or Mystical Creature

Rating:

Description: A ginseng that only grows on icy plains while being exposed to the energy of the moon for hundreds of years . Because of its child-like shape, many people mistake it for a human .

It will increase mana upon consumption . However, the increased amount depends on the ability of the consumer . Its ingestion method is also very tricky .

A ginseng that looks like a human child and that only grows in snowy environments . Only a handful of such rare elixir exists in The Tower .

‘I've only heard about it being one of the five best elixirs . I didn’t expect this coming . ’

Yeon-woo's eyes sank deeply .

'Now I see why Akasha's Snake settled down here . '

Akasha's Snake was probably growing the Snow Ginseng . Judging by its size, it looked like it was about 300 years old .

According to his knowledge, its effects would reach their peak at around 500 years of age . He presumed Akasha's Snake was also waiting until then .

'Too bad, it’s going to my stomach now . ’

Yeon-woo slowly pulled out three daggers from his waist .

Added to the rarity of the Snow Ginseng was, catching it was also a very difficult task . The moment Yeon-woo started approaching it, it opened its eyes .

*Pat*

Yeon-woo immediately threw the daggers he had in his hand .

Kyaak!

The snow ginseng let out an eerie shriek as it jumped in the air and reached the ceiling .

Some elixirs had appearances that make them indistinguishable from mystical creatures . And because of their sentiency, some even say they tend to choose their owners . . .

At first, I didn’t think much of it . But when I got a chance to have one for myself, every second that I looked at it, it felt like my heart was breaking apart .

Gosh, it was leaking its precious energy with every step it took!

His brother once got a hold of an elixir similar to the Snow Ginseng . However, little did he know that it could move on its own, and by the time he caught it, it had already lost some of its energy .

But thanks to the diary, Yeon-woo was well aware of that fact .

His strengthened senses quickly located the Snow Ginseng despite its nimble movements .

'Run all you like, you’re still trapped in this cave . ’

Yeon-woo drew another three daggers and threw them to his right .

*Swish*

But the ginseng dodged the daggers as if it was just too easy .

Then, the three thrown daggers struck the ceiling .

*Rumble*

The icicles hanging on the ceiling shook slightly .

The snow ginseng landed on the ground and gave a horrible shriek . A behavior unbecoming of its cute face .

"I'm sorry,"

…?

"But I eat monsters like you for breakfast . "

The ginseng tilted its head as it couldn’t understand what Yeon-woo was saying but,

*Crack*

With the sound of ice breaking, the ceiling suddenly collapsed . Pieces of ice poured onto the Snow Ginseng .

Startled by the sudden collapse, the ginseng jumped away from the spot in an effort to escape through the collapsing ceiling . However, the moment it broke through the ice pieces,

"I got you . "

…!

Yeon-woo stood right in front of it . With a cold smile, he reached out and grabbed onto the neck of the Snow Ginseng .

The ginseng squirmed in his grab . Cold aura emanated from it, freezing Yeon-woo's hand . But Yeon-woo didn't let go of it .

Yeon-woo soon brought his mouth over to its head and took a big bite out of it .

*Chomp*

The ginseng looked horrifying with its head and eye ripped off, but Yeon-woo kept on eating without a sound .

His head was aching as if he had chewed on hard ice . His teeth were freezing . He already had frostbite on his hands . His muscles were swelling, and bones were ringing .

The moment he finished eating and licked his own fingers .

*Whoosh*

He felt something exploding in his lower abdomen . It was a feeling akin to the one he felt when he first activated the pocket watch . A feeling of mana taking place in his body, or that of Reinforced Physique settling down . But the amount of mana he felt this time was incomparably larger than those previous ones .

[You have obtained the hidden piece 'Humanoid Snow Ginseng’ . . ]

[The spirit energy is exploding in your body . It will be converted into Magic Power . ]

The mana floating in the air or the spirit energy stored inside mystical creatures did not suddenly become one’s own when ingested . It had to be absorbed, processed and settled . And only then could it be transformed into Magic Power .

Of course, a considerable amount of mana would be lost while processing the Snow Ginseng’s spiritual energy .

‘But I can't lose that either . ’

Yeon-woo withdrew the senses he had expanded towards the outside and concentrated them inside his body .

Mana was circulating at high speeds .

[Your status ‘Immature Dragon Body’ is influencing the absorption process . ]

[92% of the spirit energy held in the Humanoid Snow Ginseng has been converted to Magic Power . Your body will begin to absorb the Magic Power . ]

[Your Magic Power has increased by 5 points . ]

[Your Magic Power has increased by 7 points . ]

···

[Body improvement has been confirmed . The vessel is strong enough . The halted succession process will resume . 22% . . . 24% . . . 27% . . . . ]

[Current progress: 42 . 9%]

[Your current status will be changed from 'Immature Dragon Body' to 'Half Dragon Body']

The attribute point Yeon-woo lacked the most was now increasing, and the succession process was now halfway through completion . And as a result,

[You have achieved the half point of the succession process . You have gained an ability to control mana . ]

[Mana has begun to circulate in your body . ]

[You can now cast magical skills while consuming less mana . ]

[The skill 'Magic Circuit' has been created . ]

Yeon-woo felt mana ‘wandering around his body’ .

He had yet to control it at his will . Still, controlling mana used to be as hard as moving a fingernail or toenail for him, but now it felt much easier, like moving a finger or a toe .

In addition, unlike the time when mana disappeared right after it finished its job, it was now continuously flowing through his body like blood .

[Magic Circuit]

Rating: C

Proficiency: 0 . 0%

Description: Dragons are known as a race blessed by mMana since time immemorial . And those who are blessed by such dragons are given the ability to control mana .

The control range and the amount of controllable mana increases with proficiency . Sometimes, it is possible to handle Mana Streams .

'Great!'

Yeon-woo was elated after reading the description of Mana Circuit .

Mana was the power he had been longing to control since the beginning of the tutorial . He even tried studying the basics of mana, but his effort was of little avail .

But at last, he was starting to have to see some results .

‘The secret was to build up Magic Power and speed up the succession process . ’

Yeon-woo’s eyes glinted at the thought of finally being able to use mana .  

His usage of mana was currently limited to the casting of skills, but many more things would be possible in the future . He could infuse mana into a weapon for increased attack power, or wind mana around his feet to gain speed . He thought of all sorts of uses it could have, but they weren’t available with his current level of proficiency . However, Yeon-woo thought he would be able to raise the proficiency with the help of his Sense Strengthening skill .

'Controlling mana, it’s still within the boundary of ‘sense’ . ’

Yeon-woo gave his inner body a quick scan before opening his eyes .

*Flash*

A radiant glow flashed in Yeon-woo's eyes, just like when the Snow Ginseng had first opened its eyes .

There was a big smile on Yeon-woo’s face . His vessel was finally being filled and he was quite content with the result .

'But it's still not enough . ’

However, because of this experience, Yeon-woo was now certain of a fact . A fact that his vessel was yet far from full .

The vessel he had was big enough to hold much more than it what it was holding now .

Yeon-woo licked his lips in anticipation .

He felt a strong desire welling up in his heart . A desire to take the essence of Akasha’s Snake .

*    *    *

Right before leaving the snake tunnel, Yeon-woo looked around, checking if he missed anything . Then, he found something on the spot where the ginseng was sitting .

‘What is this?’

It was a small pendant . A rusty, badly thumbed pendant .

It was not classified as an artifact .

[A necklace full of memories]

Classification: Pendant

Rating: F-

Description: A necklace full of someone's precious memories . It would be nice to return it to the owner .

"The owner?"

Yeon-woo was thunderstruck at the description of the pendant .

He examined the pendant meticulously . There was a seam on the side hidden under the rust .

Yeon-woo wiped off the rust and opened it . Inside, he found a picture of parents and their daughter with happy smiles on their faces . The face of the father was especially familiar . It was Galliard .

"This is what he has been looking for . "

Yeon-woo let out a small groan .

No one could understand why Galliard always chased after Akasha's Snake . He never hunted it down for himself, he only gave out trials to test players wanting to hunt the snake, and passed down one of his skills as a reward .

But if it was all to find his belonging which contained his cherished memories, it all made sense now .

‘That wasn’t… in the diary either . ’

Yeon-woo rolled up the pendant and put it in his pocket . He was going to give it back to Gillard as he was on his way anyway .

Then, he turned towards the exit of the snake's den .

Mana was briskly traveling along his Mana Circuit, and his body was brimming with vitality .

He was feeling better than ever .

"Now, shall we go hunting?"

Yeon-woo fixed his white mask and,

*Pat*

He flung himself towards the exit .

Chapter end