NOVEL NEXT [Translator – Asura]
[Proofreader – Gun]
Chapter 522
‘Perhaps it’s because this is a colony, but the status window is green this time.’
Using Sacred Flame to craft a new identity, Seong Jihan focused intently on the shape of the status window.
The window was predominantly tinted green, with a tree emblem in the lower left corner.
‘Let’s start by changing the name.’
Ssssss…
Red letters appeared over the green status window, beginning to fill in the blank fields.
Name: Kim Jihun
Level: 2
Affiliation: Bronze League – Gangnam Area 1
He chose to reuse the alias ‘Seong Jihun,’ which he’d briefly used when facing Gilgamesh.
However, this time he changed the last name to the most common one, Kim.
‘I should also alter my appearance…’
Although he would eventually revert to a form resembling his true self once he became a Half-Elf, there was no need to draw attention prematurely.
Crack. Snap…
As his facial bones shifted, transforming his appearance,
Yoon Seah and Seong Jiah noticed the change.
“Uh… Uncle, did you change your face?”
“You look pretty ordinary now.”
“No point in standing out, right?”
“That’s true… but it’s hard to get used to the new look.”
As Yoon Seah observed his transformed face with curiosity,
Seong Jihan continued with his adjustments.
‘So, humanity’s minimum stats are now 15, it seems.’
When Seong Jihan first took the tutorial, the baseline was 5.
But with humanity’s evolution to mid-tier, starting stats had jumped significantly.
“Level 2s today can start with stats up to 30?”
“Yes, it’s all thanks to your efforts evolving humanity to mid-tier.”
“Well… having all 30s would be too conspicuous, right?”
“When the initial cap was 10, having all 10s happened occasionally. But since it became 30, it’s almost unheard of.”
“Hmm… so I should moderate it.”
Locking his initial stats at 15 would waste the 300 Red stats invested in this.
Seong Jihan compromised, setting all initial stats to 25.
Strength – 25
Agility – 25
Stamina – 25
Magic – 25
Thus, raising the four basic stats to 25.
In his previous tutorial, he had combined strength, agility, and stamina into a single combat stat.
‘That would be like advertising I’m Seong Jihan.’
This new profile was merely a means to infiltrate as a male Half-Elf.
Seong Jihan stopped adjusting the stats there.
“Now for the gift.”
“Wait… you can choose any gift?”
“Yes. But it has to be something inconspicuous.”
“Wow, Uncle, you really are an administrator…”
“Jihan, since you can pick any gift, how about this one?”
Listening to the conversation, Seong Jiah searched and recommended a gift.
“Cross-Species Affinity?”
“Yes, people with this gift are highly sought after these days. They have a high probability of becoming Half-Elves.”
“Really?”
Seong Jihan glanced at the phone screen.
Gift – Cross-Species Affinity (Grade B)
Players become more attuned to other species.
Gains the favor of other species.
Back in his day, Cross-Species Affinity would have been laughed off as useless.
But the world had changed, and now it was the hottest gift.
‘All because it increases the chances of becoming a Half-Elf.’
Everyone was desperate to become a Half-Elf.
Seong Jihan chuckled and registered this gift.
[Gift – Cross-Species Affinity applied.]
“All done. Now, sis, can you arrange a place for me to stay?”
“Seriously, just stay here… we haven’t reunited for long.”
“Then what’s the point of making a new profile? I’ll eliminate it as soon as I identify the enemy, so you can relax for now.”
“Jihan, don’t you need to handle residency registration and other formalities?”
“It’s all done.”
“…What? How?”
“If I can hack the BattleNet system, that’s nothing.”
It wasn’t for nothing that 300 Red stats were used.
The new profile, ‘Kim Jihun,’ was already set up with a perfect new identity.
“Alright. I’ll find you a place by tomorrow morning. Coincidentally, the house Sophia was using is vacant now.”
“Sophia’s old house? Oh… she must have left for the U.S. after my records were erased.”
“Yes, I kept the place empty in case she returned, but she’s settled well there.”
Sophia had come to Korea because of Seong Jihan.
With no memory of him, she had no reason to stay in Seoul.
“There are five rooms. If it’s too small, let me know. I’ll compensate the other tenants and find something bigger.”
“It’s fine, five rooms are more than enough.”
In fact, it might be too large for one person.
So, Seong Jihan decided his new identity would live in Sophia’s old house.
* * *
[Translator – Asura]
[Proofreader – Gun]
The next day, at Sophia’s house.
Seong Jihan looked around, noting the brand-new furniture and appliances.
“Did you buy all new furnishings, sis?”
“Yes. For my brother’s independence, I had to prepare this much.”
“How did you manage all this so quickly?”
“Most things in life can be solved by spending more money.”
True enough.
Nodding, Seong Jihan entered the house.
The space was clean and showed no signs of previous occupancy.
“Uncle, is it too small?”
“It’s perfect.”
It was actually quite large for just one person.
As Seong Jihan surveyed the house,
“Oh, and this… I wasn’t sure whether to throw it away.”
Seong Jiah hesitated momentarily before bringing a pink box from the dining area.
“So I brought it along.”
“What is it?”
“It’s something Sophia left behind.”
Swoosh.
Opening the box revealed dozens of photos.
On the topmost photo,
There was Sophia, smiling brightly.
“…And me?”
Seong Jihan sat beside her, looking nonchalant.
“This is our home… When did Sophia take these pictures?”
“Not sure? She pointed the camera at us a few times.”
“This one’s from our trip to North Korea? She took selfies whenever possible.”
The photos Sophia had taken included numerous selfies with them and solo shots of Seong Jihan.
“Uncle, this one’s quite stylish.”
“It seems Sophia liked you a lot.” “…She did.”
She had followed him to Korea, leaving behind her family in the U.S.
Gazing at the picture, Seong Jihan murmured,
“But if records are erased, isn’t my face gone from these pictures?”
“Yes. Although they call it record erasure, not everything tied to Seong Jihan vanished. Many statues of Seong Jihan still exist.”
“…Statues?”
“At one point, you were practically a religion.”
Searching [Gwanghwamun Big Rock] on her phone,
She pulled up an image of a colossal statue of Seong Jihan in Gwanghwamun Square.
[TL/N: its a real place in south korea]
“When you search ‘Gwanghwamun Big Rock,’ my statue appears?”
“Yes. Record erasure makes people forget you and prevents them from recognizing your presence. So even though your statue’s image is clear, they call it ‘Gwanghwamun Big Rock.’ To them, it just looks like a big rock.”
Next to Admiral Yi Sun-sin’s statue, Seong Jihan’s statue was indistinguishable to the public.
Many were puzzled by its presence,
-Why is there a big rock next to Admiral Yi’s statue? It wasn’t there in the old photos.
-It’s not just there, big rocks appear abruptly all over the world, lol.
-They say it appeared after BattleNet’s initiation…
-The governments tried to remove them, but the governors issued a stay order.
Information related to Seong Jihan was rendered imperceptible to people.
Seeing these reactions, Seong Jihan took another look at Sophia’s pictures.
“So to Sophia, my image in these photos would be invisible?”
“Yes, she would wonder why she kept these pictures.”
“Record erasure works that way…”
“Uncle, what should we do with these photos?”
“Put them in a drawer. It’s not my stuff to discard.”
“Okay.”
Yoon Seah neatly reorganized the photos back into the box and placed it inside a drawer.
She lingered, looking at it somewhat wistfully, then deliberately brightened her tone.
“Then… let’s set this aside. Uncle! How about a housewarming party to celebrate your return?”
A welcome-back party as suggested by Yoon Seah.
However,
Sssss…
A black bowler hat floated above her head,
And from it, Void’s energy emanated.
[Urgent message from Space Arena. Yoon Seah, you must take the test now…!]
A desperate voice called out.
“Do I really have to go now? On a day like today?”
[On a day like today? What day is it today?]
“Ugh.”
Unable to mention her uncle’s return, she chewed her lower lip.
The voice from the hat continued,
[You’ve postponed the test ten times. You must take it now or face forced summoning.]
“Fine, I’ll take it.”
[Truly?]
“Yes. I’ll open a portal and come in five minutes.”
[That’s a relief…]
Sssss…
With her resolute answer, the bowler hat slowly disappeared.
Yoon Seah sighed deeply.
“Uncle… I must take this test.”
“What test?”
“A test to confirm my position as the Arena’s owner. Your welcome-back party has to wait…”
“You can celebrate later. Take the test first. Being forcibly summoned is worse.”
“Okay…”
She glanced around the house with regret,
Then looked at Seong Jiah.
“Let’s head home, Mom.”
“Okay, but first, let me give Jihan some things.”
“Things?”
“Yes, a newly activated phone. Along with a card and cash.”
Thud.
A wallet filled with cash landed on the table.
Seong Jihan chuckled.
“Reminds me of the old days when I freeloaded at your place.”
“I thought the same. Anyway, if you need more, just let me know.”
“Sure. I’ll use it well.”
“Uncle. I’ll take the test and come back soon~”
Snap.
With a snap of her fingers, a violet mist arose, and the two women vanished.
‘Is that test the final confirmation for Arena ownership?’
A few years ago, she couldn’t even get a gift, and now, she had climbed to the upper ranks of the Void.
Although not as fast as Seong Jihan, her rise was still remarkable.
‘Can’t fully trust the Void, but it’s safer for them to be aligned with it for now…’
Once the situation was sorted out, he could deal with the hat later.
Thinking this, Seong Jihan opened his new phone and checked the date.
‘The next tutorial is March 1st. So, there are three days.’
He should gather more intel during this time.
Looking toward the computer and TV, he thought,
‘I might as well buy some groceries.’
As a transcendent being, he didn’t need to eat,
But being trapped in HeavenNet without eating made him crave human food.
‘There should be a convenience store on the first floor.’
Grabbing his wallet and phone, he left the room.
As ‘Kim Jihun,’ he walked to the elevator, fiddling with the phone his sister gave him.
‘Smartphones five years later… not much different, just better performance.’
While waiting for the elevator, he fumbled with the new device.
Ding.
As the door opened, he waited for someone inside to step out while operating his phone.
At that moment,
“Excuse me.”
“Yes?”
“I’m sorry, but you can’t take pictures here.”
Busy adapting to the new phone, he looked up, puzzled.
‘…This person, isn’t she Lim Gayeong?’
Recognizing her, his eyes widened.
The woman who warned him was none other than Lim Gayeong, the bodyguard of Daegi guild master, Lee Hayeon.
And on her back,
“Gayeong… it’s okay. Let’s just go to the room…”
Sleepily clinging to her was Lee Hayeon.
[Translator – Asura]
[Proofreader – Gun]