The Main Characters That Only I Know

Chapter 47

The Teodolant Swamp was not a good place to wander around for a long time, because it was shrouded in thick fog. 

It was easy to lose one’s sense of direction and get lost if one was not careful.

However, that was only the case for those who did not know the details of this place.

Although the scenery seemed similar in all directions, there was a guide here.

It was the Swamp Root, the fantasy creature that I was looking for.

The boss-level fantasy creature of this place was called Lefra, a giant plant.

It was a carnivorous plant that had roots deeper than an elephant’s size in the center of the swamp.

Considering how wide its roots were, and how far its tendrils reached, its range covered the entire swamp.

And one thing that had to be noted here was the existence of the Swamp Root.

The Swamp Root, which was called a normal fantasy creature here, was actually a kind of mutant plant that grew from Lefra’s roots.

Of course, the Swamp Root and Lefra’s roots were connected to each other, albeit weakly.

‘If I find this Swamp Root guy well, I can find the way to the boss-level fantasy creature here in no time.’

We quickly found a Swamp Root and checked its roots.

We had no hesitation because we knew the way.

We crossed the boundary line and we arrived in front of the boss-level fantasy creature, Lefra, in an instant.

It shook its stem like tentacles when it saw us, its prey after a long time.

It was a creature that usually required at least five collectors to defeat, but we didn’t need that many.

“Miss Hye-rim. Let’s go.”

“Yes.”

One person was enough for us.

***

[You have cleared the Teodolant Swamp.]

[You have received 3,000TP as a clear reward.]

[You have received Skill Expansion as a reward.]

[Your existing Skill Expansion skill has been combined with it, and Skill Expansion has changed to Sense Expansion-Large.]

[You have acquired the Story of the Weed Killer.]

[You have acquired Swamp Root x9.]

[You have acquired Lefra Sap.]

…

As soon as we cleared the swamp, we moved outside of the fantasy world with a message window informing us of the rewards.

It didn’t take long to defeat it. 

But since it was a boss-level creature, it was quite annoying that it threw mud around while struggling. 

But that was just prolonging its life for a few more minutes.

“Phew. I almost ruined my clothes, but luckily they’re clean now.”

Kang Hye-rim sighed with relief as she looked at her clean outfit.

Her clothes, which were covered with mud and water from the swamp during the last fight, disappeared along with the letters as we cleared the fantasy world.

“As long as you don’t get hurt, everything else will disappear as soon as you clear this fantasy world.”

Of course, this did not apply to the material items that were given as rewards. 

These materials existed as individual stories themselves, so they were not bound by the fantasy world.

“Still, your sword…”

“Ah.”

What Kang Hye-rim was worried about was something else. 

She looked at the sword in my hand with a regretful expression.

My sword had chips all over it, and it looked like it would break if I swung it a little more.

It was originally a weapon that I picked up hastily during the Constantinople Siege. 

It had done well enough to last until here.

“Hmm. I should also get a good weapon like Miss Hye-rim soon.”

Kang Hye-rim received a weapon as a clear reward for the Constantinople Siege.

It was the royal sword of the Ottoman Empire’s king, Sultan. 

It was actually a rare-grade item reward, so it was one of the best weapons she could use right now.

“Do you want me to give you mine?”

“You shouldn’t say that even as a joke. Don’t you know how precious your weapon is to a collector?”

“It’s okay if it’s you.”

I appreciated her trust in me, but that sword was not mine in the first place.

Besides, I knew a way to get something better.

“Anyway, let’s go back. If we stay here any longer, we’ll hear more complaints from around us.”

The collectors who were waiting outside were staring at us with envy. 

They didn’t think we would really clear it.

Especially the party that had just entered here to farm, they had lost expressions on their faces as they opened their mouths wide.

I felt a little sorry for them.

[The spirits clap and enjoy the reactions of the other collectors.]

[Some spirits laugh at the reactions of the collectors.]

The spirits who were watching us didn’t care if the others fell into despair, they just enjoyed watching them.

Well, it was a kind of entertainment for the spirits to feed their competitors to the water. They only cared if their favorite collector did well.

“Let’s go quickly.”

We had already taken everything we needed. 

The clear rewards, plus the support of the spirits. And the number of viewers had risen to almost 2,500.

‘I’ve accumulated a lot of merit points.’

Usually, merit points would accumulate over time, but the speed was very slow. 

But in my case, I had already hit the jackpot several times, and my merit points had risen like crazy with just six broadcasts.

[Current merit points: 2,802]

[Long-term mission-Promotion to Assistant]

-Required merit points 2,802/3,000

-Required points (TP) 10,000 (Completed)

I only needed about 200 merit points to be promoted to assistant.

Considering that it usually took at least three years for a regular employee to become an assistant, it was an amazing growth rate. 

I wondered if it was too fast.

‘Well, the faster I go up, the better.’

I was close to being promoted, but what was important to me right now was not that.

‘The last book I saw of Han Yongwoon. 

It definitely changed color.’

The book represented the person.

The cover showed the person’s current state. 

The light that flowed from the book showed the potential that the person had.

In the end, no matter how hard one tried, one could not go beyond one’s potential. 

I thought that was something that could not be changed.

‘But, the light changed.’

Han Yongwoon’s book was bronze. 

The light that flowed from it was also bronze.

 But after hearing what I said, he changed his mind somehow, and the light that flowed from his book changed to silver, albeit faintly.

‘Can anyone change?’

To be honest, I thought I had changed because I had regressed.

I had changed, but I didn’t have a hopeful expectation that everyone else in the world could be like me.

But today, after seeing Han Yongwoon, I had to change my mind.

‘What is potential?’

It seemed contradictory to me to limit potential by the color of light. 

Human potential is infinite. 

If something triggers it, people can change in an instant.

Does that mean that the light that flows from the book takes into account the immediate environment or mental factors?

Probably, yes. 

If Han Yong-woon hadn’t met me and Kang Hye-rim today, he would have lived with his potential closed forever.

‘Prepared people can change. As much as they want.’

I realized that today.

Not everyone will change. 

But people like Han Yong-woon, who have a seed somewhere in their hearts, could definitely change.

***

Kang Hye-rim and I arrived safely at the office. 

As always, we sat on the sofa and rested, when Baek Seo-ryeon, who had been out, came back.

“Oh. You’re here? How was it today?”

“Today we went a bit lightly and finished smoothly.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“What about you, Seo-ryeon? You look very busy too.”

She had been away from the office a lot lately. 

Thanks to the contract with Kang Hye-rim, Baek Hwa Management had been steadily raising its stock price. 

She was busy because of that, but she always looked happier than when she did nothing in the past.

“I met with a magazine official recently. I think we’ll do an interview soon.”

“That’s good news.”

“Huh. Interview?”

“Yes. Sister. You might be on TV soon.”

I nodded too. 

The collectors in the upper ranks were not just hunting phantasms, but were close to famous celebrities. 

They appeared on TV, shot commercials, and traveled around the world doing performance tours.

And the best way for collectors to make their names known to the public was through these interviews.

“Um. I’m a bit uncomfortable with that.”

Kang Hye-rim seemed unprepared and hesitated a bit.

She had been eating cup noodles in a goshiwon until recently, so it was hard for her to accept the sudden change.

She changes into a different person when she holds a sword. 

Is my collector’s mental state okay? 

I feel a bit doubtful.

“Yoo-hyun. Do I have to do it? I’m most comfortable just hunting.”

“You’ll make a lot of money if you do it.”

“…How much?”

“Billion won is nothing, right?”

“Then I’ll do it!”

She switched her attitude in an instant at the word money.

Baek Seo-ryeon and I smirked at her.

Money is the best after all.

“By the way, what are you doing right now, Yoo-hyun?”

Kang Hye-rim sat next to me and watched the series of processes I was doing with curiosity. 

So did Baek Seo-ryeon and Baek Hyo, who sat on my shoulder.

Hoot

Well, that’s understandable, since I was holding an old sword and spraying a strange liquid on it.

There was nothing to hide, so I answered honestly.

“I’m working on a new weapon.”

“A new….”

“…weapon?”

The expressions of Baek Seo-ryeon and Kang Hye-rim became strange.

“Why are you both making those faces?”

“Well, it’s weird no matter how you look at it. The sword you have. It looks like a cheap iron sword from the dimensional shop, right? It’s very rusty and it doesn’t seem to work properly.”

It was as Kang Hye-rim pointed out.

The sword I had now was a cheap one that only cost 100TP at the dimensional shop.

The quality of the sword was not bad. 

To be precise, it was closer to an artifact that had lost its shape because it was too old. 

I was working on restoring it.

“This may look like this on the outside, but it’s actually very important.”

One of the reasons why I wanted to go to Teodolant Swamp was to get this reward from clearing the phantasmal world.

“Look at the information of this sword, Hye-rim. What does it say?”

“Hmm. It says Salio Ancient Artifact Longsword.”

“You got it right.”

“Is that so good?”

She seemed surprised that there was a name for such a cheap sword, but she didn’t even think that this sword could be improved by restoration.

“I can’t blame you for that reaction. You and Seo-ryeon may not know this, but Salio is the name of a dimension that was quite famous in the hybrid world. The Salio Empire. It was famous for its magic engineering that used both magic and machines more than any other dimension.”

Yeah. It used to be a place of great glory. Not anymore.

It had already perished thousands of years ago.

“This sword is an artifact of that Salio Empire. Not just an artifact. An ancient artifact.”

“But, ancient or artifact means old, right?”

That’s only true in games. In reality, ancient means old and useless.

But, this is because they don’t know much yet.

In the hybrid world, what works in games also works in reality.

It’s just that the process of Earth being incorporated into the hybrid world is not well known yet.

“You’ll see. Soon, in front of the spirits, I’ll show you too.”

Sario Ancient Artifact Longsword.

It was a worthless item in the hybrid world now, but I knew the true value of this weapon as someone who came from the future.

How to restore this rusty sword to its original state, how to awaken the weapon that contains all the essence of the once brilliant civilization.

Everything.

“Look forward to it.”

This was something that could never be obtained in the phantasmal world.

A real hidden piece that only existed in the [Dimensional Shop] and was forgotten by everyone.