RE: Player again

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[Chapter 095] [A Heart That Must Not Change (6)]

Objects touched by human hands tend to have residual mana.

Among them, mana containing will or emotion doesn't dissolve into the atmosphere but accumulates over time, transforming into artifacts.

That's why objects with long histories sometimes have miraculous powers imbued in them.

The Seokgayeorae seated statue buried in the wall made of blue rock was such a case.

"It's clearly no ordinary Buddha statue."

Eun-ha flowed mana into the surface of the Buddha statue sitting in lotus position.

Though it was only a tiny amount.

The Seokgayeorae seated statue reacted to the mana and emitted a dazzling blue light.

The mana flowing on the gold-painted surface of the Buddha statue writhed violently to absorb his mana.

He could have his internal mana stolen if he wasn't careful.

He immediately removed his hand from the statue.

This is what I was looking for.

And it's the artifact people have been searching for.

The Player Academy was a building constructed in the Jogyesa Temple area that transformed into a red dungeon.

That's why objects and buildings from the Jogyesa Temple area could be found while wandering the dungeon.

However, the Seokgayeorae seated statue hadn't been excavated until now.

It wasn't that strange.

Because the area that transformed into a dungeon greatly twisted and diverged from the principles of the existing world.

There were cases where the area that became the origin of the dungeon remained intact, and conversely cases where it didn't remain.

So it wasn't strange that the Seokgayeorae seated statue, one of the three Buddha statues originally enshrined in the Daeungjeon Hall, hadn't been discovered.

"But how should I take this? Should I try digging the wall a bit to fully reveal the statue?"

However, the Players who first conquered this dungeon only obtained the Yaksa Buddha seated statue and Amitabha Buddha seated statue that transformed into artifacts in the deepest part of the red dungeon.

Then wouldn't the remaining Seokgayeorae seated statue of the three Buddha statues have transformed into an artifact too?

Perhaps the undiscovered Seokgayeorae seated statue was somewhere in this dungeon?

It was understandable for people to think that.

Two of the three Buddha statues revealed to the world had transformed into artifacts of considerable value.

As a result, stories about the Seokgayeorae seated statue constantly circulated like legends in the Player industry.

"...On Tae-yang was really amazing. He wouldn't have had proper tools, how could he dig the wall? It's so hard even though I brought tools..."

The person who uncovered the legend of that Seokgayeorae seated statue was On Tae-yang.

He who fell from the deepest part of the dungeon to the cliff due to academy students' crime luckily fell to the place where the Seokgayeorae seated statue was hidden.

Who in the world would have thought the space believed to be the boundary world was actually a hidden piece?

If On Tae-yang hadn't fallen, the Seokgayeorae seated statue wouldn't have come out to the world.

Really... he was such a lucky bastard.

No matter how much others plotted, he luckily avoided it, or overcame it.

While some had no luck at all...

Anyway, the artifact Seokgayeorae seated statue revealed to this world.

On Tae-yang asked one of the top three Maestros in the country to make a device with the materials he had gathered over the years, several years later.

The seated statue imbued with plenty of mana was among the materials for making the sword.

"Whew... I dug it all out."

Eun-ha looked at the Seokgayeorae seated statue sitting on the altar while roughly wiping the dirt on his face with the back of his hand.

His heart swelled at the fact that the material for On Tae-yang's holy sword was right in front of him.

Because the mana alloy created by melting down the Seokgayeorae seated statue became a device incomparable to No One Cry he used in his previous life.

On Tae-yang's holy sword.

Its official name was the Sword of National Salvation.

His sword had performance worthy of being called that grandly.

'If only I had used better iron... if only I could have made a better mana alloy...!'

'...I'm sorry. For not being able to make it with better materials...'

Before the regression, No One Cry and the Sword of National Salvation were made around the same time.

The sword made with better materials was born as just a famous sword, while the holy sword made with the best materials was born as a sword praised by many.

And the sword later called Byeokhaesoo's masterpiece was endlessly compared since it was made at the same time, and the owners of the two swords were classmates.

At that time, No One Cry often received laments from people.

Because the materials composing the sword didn't match up to the Sword of National Salvation.

Because No One Cry didn't have any inscriptions engraved on it.

That was something Byeokhaesoo harbored like a grudge until just before his death.

That's why Eun-ha wanted to make sure Byeokhaesoo wouldn't regret it this time.

Though it was regrettable for On Tae-yang...

The Sword of National Salvation was amazing.

Even comparing himself, it had superior performance to No One Cry.

If Byeokhaesoo's ability and the materials composing the Sword of National Salvation were combined, how amazing of a sword would have been made?

Eun-ha was also thinking inwardly what other people said at the time.

That's why Eun-ha planned to gather the materials said to be used in making the holy sword in this life, and hand them over to Byeokhaesoo someday.

While asking him to make the best sword he could make.

If I get the chance later... I can make another sword for On Tae-yang.

In just a few more years, Byeokhaesoo will surely have the skills to make No One Cry.

Eun-ha resolved to tell him to craft a sword with the materials he gathered when that time came.

Because No One Cry alone wouldn't be enough to overcome the crises to come.

Though he felt sorry for On Tae-yang, he needed a sword with performance like the Sword of National Salvation to achieve his goals.

"Ah, I must make sure to bring the Star of Purification when asking him to make it."

He wanted to use mana alloy imbued with Mediterranean mana for the mana alloy if possible, but that would be greedy.

With no exchanges with Italy currently, he could only obtain what was imported domestically a few years ago.

Even that was very expensive, and there was no stock left.

He would have no choice but to use mana alloy obtainable from Jeju Island or the Kagoshima area.

"But how should I take this..."

Eun-ha who was lost in thought soon examined the Seokgayeorae seated statue this way and that.

It wasn't a size that could be wrapped around his back with a rope and carried.

So he decided to shatter the Buddha statue so it could fit in his bag.

Only the pieces still functioning as artifacts even while shattered into pieces would be the real deal.

Mana Crusher

He brutally shattered the statue with Black Thorn.

Soon he picked out only the pieces imbued with mana among the shattered pieces and put them in his bag.

Nevertheless, the bag swelled up.

"Now the problem is getting back to where I was..."

Eun-ha furrowed his brows.

It was a dead end.

Just how did On Tae-yang escape from here?

He only knew the fact that On Tae-yang discovered a hidden piece in the academy dungeon, he hadn't heard any other stories.

Because he wasn't that interested.

There must be an exit somewhere.

As long as this isn't the boundary world, there must be an exit somewhere.

Eun-ha looked around.

He also carefully recalled the place where he woke up earlier.

But that place was a dead end too.

The ceiling he fell through seemed to have been blocked from the start.

[─Eun-ha!]

"...Huh?"

That's when it happened.

A voice was heard from somewhere.

Before he knew it, particles reflecting light were falling from above.

He raised his hand and caught the particles.

They were snow crystals.

The snow crystals melted from the warmth of his palm and flowed down to the floor.

[─Eun-ha! Are you there!?]

"What is this... It's noona's voice. How on earth... could it be sound transmission?"

Snow crystals falling from above.

Eun-a's voice was coming from there.

Eun-ha opened his eyes wide in surprise.

Sound transmission, magic that sends voices through a medium, was difficult magic to control.

Moreover, unlike telepathy, sound transmission could be eavesdropped on and couldn't specify a particular target, so it lacked practicality.

But Eun-a was using sound transmission.

So cleanly at that.

There was no noise mixed in the voice heard through the snow crystals.

"Wow, if only she wasn't our noona... Her skills are worthy of recruiting to the party..."

Eun-ha who admired her skills soon decided to climb the wall.

If the snow crystals fell there, surely this place was connected to the exit above.

Though the cliff was high and steep, he climbed while stabbing Black Thorn into the wall.

He had no choice because the cliff was too high for wall walking.

It was really regrettable he had little internal mana.

[─Answer if you can hear me!]

Sound transmission crossing world lines.

Even if this space was somewhat connected to the dungeon, only a minority of skilled people could send such sound transmission.

Eun-ha moved his hands while constantly marveling at the voice growing louder.

Soon his vision brightened and─

"─Eun-ha!"

When his vision returned to normal, Eun-a was reaching out her hand from above.

Eun-ha grasped her hand.

☆

"Are you trying to make me worry on purpose? If you hate me that much, I'll just die right here! Happy!?"

"...Noona, I'm sorry. I was wrong."

"You knew you were wrong and still did this? Or are you looking down on me?"

"No, that's not it..."

There was no room for excuses.

Even if he couldn't tell the reason, Eun-ha ultimately jumped off the cliff without saying anything to Eun-a.

He should have considered her feelings.

Eun-ha reflected on not being considerate of Eun-a while focusing only on what he had to do.

"Eun-a... Eun-ha seems to be reflecting now so that's enough..."

"Chang-jin you stay quiet!"

"...Okay, sorry."

She must have been crying until just now.

Eun-a's eyes were red.

Her makeup was a bit smudged too.

As a result, Eun-ha knelt down and begged for forgiveness.

He didn't want to see Eun-a cry.

Especially if it was because of him.

"I'm sorry, I won't do it again next time." "Do you know how many times you've said that? What's the point of just saying it if you don't act that way..." "...I mean it this time."

"Ha, don't lie."

Eun-a openly sighed.

She seemed to be really angry.

And she wasn't the only one angry.

Not only Chang-jin who scolded him quietly, but even Yeon-hwa scolded him in a stern voice.

"...I'm disappointed."

A voice like cold wind blowing fiercely.

Eun-ha glimpsed Ryu Yeon-hwa's appearance in Yeon-hwa scolding him in a chilly tone.

Eun-ha had to beg over and over until his hands became feet.

"If you do this again, I won't bring you next time."

"I'm really sorry, noona."

Does that mean she'll bring me next time?

Ryu Yeon-hwa turned her body sharply.

Now only Eun-a was left scolding him.

She was still glaring at him with strength in her eyes.

"I'm going to tell mom and dad everything. If you won't listen to me Eun-ha, I have no choice but to tell mom and dad."

"...I'm sorry."

Eun-ha bowed his head deeply.

If Eun-a was speaking this stubbornly, it meant she was that angry.

Though he had seen her get angry before, he had never seen her this angry.

"...Can't you make some excuses? Are you just going to apologize saying sorry?" "...Sorry."

"Again."

"......"

"Aren't you being too much?"

Eun-a pressing him.

Eun-ha had nothing to say.

He could make all sorts of excuses.

But what she wanted was surely not excuses glossed over with lies, but real excuses.

He couldn't say that.

He had no intention of telling anyone about the fact that he regressed.

"...I'm sorry."

"Ha..."

Eun-a sniffled.

He was afraid of her being this angry.

And what he was more afraid of than that was revealing that he had regressed.

So he would endure this fear.

But he wouldn't speak of that fear.

Eun-ha firmly closed his mouth.

"Please... I'm begging you. Stop making me worry."

"...Okay."

Eun-a hugged him tightly.

Eun-ha slowly put his hands on her faintly trembling back while being hugged without doing anything.

He patted her back with almost no strength.

"...I'm sorry."

Eun-ha knew.

If he didn't speak of his fear, she wouldn't pry into that fear.

He took advantage of her heart.

If it was mean, it was mean.

If it was cruel, it was cruel.

Nevertheless, he couldn't say it.

"Really... please... Stop trying to do everything alone..."

"...I won't do it next time."

A lie he repeated countless times to her.

His mouth was heavy, but his words were light.

He surely wouldn't tell her even if something like this happened again.

It was a heart that must not change.

It was a heart that must not change.

All fears were things he should shoulder.

All hardships were things he should tread through.

All moments were things he should make decisions on.

"─Noona, I love you."

─Noona, I'm sorry.

He hoped she would become happy.

Even if he hurt her.

He resolved and confirmed over and over again.

A heart hardened like that wouldn't change for a lifetime.

Surely

─.