Process of Growth

As I plunged my hand into the gaping maw of the Chaos Mimic, a strange sensation crept over my skin. The creature, exuding a thick, smoky mist, quickly engulfed my entire right arm in the blink of an eye.

“Oppa!”

“Hyung!”

The panicked screams of my companions echoed from behind. Given the creature’s size, it should have stopped at my elbow, but it swallowed up to my shoulder, leaving them in shock.

Instead of panicking, I used my left hand to firmly grip the box, ensuring it wouldn’t fall. I then carefully unleashed the power of Fire Justice. If it had tried to flee, it might have survived, but its decision to attack made me almost grateful.

Boom!

A thunderous noise erupted from within, and the creature’s body shook violently. Black smoke bubbled from its mouth as it deflated like a punctured balloon. One down.

I set the now limp Chaos Mimic aside and looked down at the two remaining ones under my feet. Naturally, I had encased my feet in Fire Justice as a precaution.

After warning my companions not to touch the subdued Chaos Mimic, I picked up the one under my left foot. It was as sturdy as the first, and despite its spatial magic, it felt slightly heavy, indicating it was full. With a sense of satisfaction, I forced its mouth open and inserted my hand, just as before.

Chaos Mimics typically avoid combat, preferring to flee unless absolutely necessary. Successful captures are rare. Yet, neither the first nor this one attempted to escape. Instead, they resisted fiercely, spewing chaos. I was curious but not displeased, as it made subduing them easier.

After dealing with another, I turned to the last one.

“Eeeeeee….”

This one was smaller than the others and let out a mournful cry as I lifted it. Its attempts to reach the deflated ones suggested it was their offspring. Perhaps they stayed to protect it. Touching, but I wasn’t moved enough to spare it. I quickly destroyed its insides, hoping it wasn’t too painful, and tossed it aside, feeling a sense of accomplishment. The three lay together, intermittently emitting black smoke.

“Oh my, oh my, what do we do?”

Go Yeonju’s voice was unusually excited. The appearance and capture of Chaos Mimics were enough to astonish even a seasoned user. She rushed over, reaching out to touch them, but recoiled when she saw the ground blacken from the smoke.

“Don’t touch them yet. It’s dangerous.”

“Phew, that was close. But really, Chaos Mimics….”

I was relieved she didn’t press me on how I caught them, as I’d shown reluctance to answer before.

“Hyung! What exactly are these things?”

Ahn Hyun, sensing the situation was under control, quickly asked. The others watched me with curiosity. I met their gazes with a calm smile.

“As you heard, they’re Chaos Mimics. Think of them as magical backpacks with high-level spatial magic, the ultimate treasure chests of the Hall Plain. You’ll understand more later. User Shin Sangyong? Empty your backpack and give it to me. We need to store these.”

“What? Aren’t you going to open them now?”

“I’ve damaged the insides, but the smoke’s still coming out. It’ll take time to clear.”

“But….”

“We’re not in a city, and we’re in the middle of an expedition. We’ll set aside a day for this later, so don’t expect anything now.”

My firm response left them visibly disappointed, but I had no intention of opening them here. I approached the Mimics with the backpack Shin Sangyong handed me. I removed the largest gem embedded in each, knowing they were crucial for future binding spells.

After carefully sealing the chests and stowing them in the backpack, I felt no rush to inspect them. My companions, realizing this, slumped in disappointment. They seemed to think of the Chaos Mimics as mere treasure chests. The purification was just an excuse; I didn’t want to open them here because…

“We’ve rested enough in the clearing, so we won’t rest here. We’ve had a good haul, but there might be more. I’ll keep watch while you thoroughly search this room.”

“Yes, sir.”

They responded weakly and dispersed. Even Go Yeonju, usually composed, was visibly eager, knowing the value of Chaos Mimics. I sighed, understanding their restlessness. Achieving results was the best way to boost morale during an expedition.

I could open one now, but it would require speeding up the purification process, which meant using Fire Justice. I was reluctant to use it so freely, and I wanted to avoid the hassle of dealing with the contents.

”…….”

But as the leader, I had to address my team’s dissatisfaction. Reluctantly, I reached into the backpack again.

I chose the smallest Chaos Mimic, the “baby.” It was half the size of the others, so purification would be quicker.

As I opened the chest, black smoke billowed out. After clearing it, I reached inside, intending to burn away the chaos with Fire Justice.

Flames engulfed the chest, drawing my companions’ attention. I muttered to myself, “The sooner it’s done, the sooner we can see….”

Though just a mutter, it had the desired effect. Go Yeonju eagerly searched the room, and Vivian quickly scanned books from a drawer. The others moved with renewed energy, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Everyone, step back.”

“Oppa, hurry up.”

“I’m really curious. Is it that amazing?”

“You’ll see. And you won’t regret it.”

As Yoo Jung’s impatient voice reached me, I responded to Vivian’s question. She looked puzzled but urged me to open it.

I pried open the smallest Chaos Mimic. No more black smoke was seeping out. I had thoroughly cleaned it with fire magic and removed the jewel that controlled its core, so there was no significant danger. Still, to be sure, I checked once more with my third eye before flipping it upside down. Then, I lightly tapped the bottom part that came into view. And at that moment—

Whoosh!

A golden wave began to pour out of the opened hole.

“Whoa.”

“Wow~!”

“Wow. Wow.”

The golden wave flowed continuously like a massive stream. Occasionally, there were flashes of silver and glistening jewels of iridescent colors. However, there were hardly any large items—just a flood of coins and jewels.

It seemed this young creature had a penchant for small, shiny things. In terms of sheer profit, this was undoubtedly one of the best hauls compared to anything we’d found before, but considering the source was a Chaos Mimic, it felt a bit underwhelming.

After several minutes of this endless cascade, the flow began to dwindle, nearing its end. Finally, the creature spat out a small, white, glowing orb, coughed out a few tiny fragments, and then, with a couple of shakes, only dust came out.

Our group stood speechless, staring around the room. In the center of our circle, a mountain of reddish-gold coins was piled high, so tall it seemed impossible to count.

“This would take all day to count,” Shin Sang-yong said in a dazed voice, and the others nodded in agreement, their faces showing the same overwhelmed expression. I clicked my tongue and spoke quietly.

“This is why I didn’t want to open it. Anyway, let’s put the coins and jewels back for now. If we try to count all this, we might not even be able to tackle the cave tomorrow.”

I placed my bag in the center and began to gather the coins again. The others followed my lead, helping to scoop up the gold. As I worked, I secretly estimated the value. More than half were gold coins, but there were quite a few platinum ones too, likely totaling over 60,000 gold. But that wasn’t all. The hundreds of jewels were worth several times more than the platinum coins.

After some time, we managed to transfer all the coins and jewels back into the chest. When we gathered the remaining items, there were only three left. Being a young creature, it had clearly favored shiny things. I muttered a curse under my breath and began to examine the items one by one. Though it stung a bit, the thought that we wouldn’t have to worry about money for a while was a small comfort.

But it wasn’t time to give up hope yet. I carefully examined the items I had set aside. Quality mattered more than quantity. Soon, my eyes fell on a pair of small, pretty earrings tinged with a light blue hue, a diamond-shaped amethyst I had set aside, and a fist-sized orb that had rolled out last.

While Ha-yeon attempted a restoration spell, I quickly activated my third eye. I was a bit disappointed that there weren’t many pieces of equipment, but there were still two more sturdy creatures left, and I was curious about the quality of these three items.

Following the letters that floated in the air, my eyes moved quickly.

『Earring Of Wind』

<A pair of earrings where a high-level wind spirit once resided. Though the spirit’s power is gone, traces of its strength remain. When worn as a pair, they grant the wearer the power of the wind, enhancing agility and broadening vision. However, if even one is missing or lost, the effect is reduced to less than half.>

『Jewel Of Amplification』

<A magical jewel for external engraving, once essential for wizards in ancient Hall Plain. It amplifies positive factors related to the user’s mana attributes. As a high-grade jewel, it increases the speed of mana flow within circuits, enhances mana purity, and reduces the mana cost of using magic.>

『Improved Model Shield Of Defend』

<Warning (Priest-exclusive, bound equipment)! This is an Improved Model Shield Of Defend. Designed in ancient Hall Plain for priests vulnerable to close combat or ambushes, this item was created by the temple. The orb possesses its own consciousness and assesses and protects the bound owner’s safety. If it senses danger to the owner, it automatically activates the defensive spell .>

“Ah, I can’t quite grasp it. The earrings seem to have a wind attribute, but I’m not sure about the other two. Even with the restoration spell, the information is…”

”…”

“Soo-hyun?”

”…Yes?”

I snapped out of my daze at Ha-yeon’s voice, having been lost in thought over the ancient equipment. Not just one, but two had appeared. Seeing Ha-yeon tilt her head at me, I swallowed hard. I took a deep breath and spoke calmly.

The owners of these items were already decided.

---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=

Hello, this is Ro Yujin.

Wow, I almost fell asleep today. My eyelids felt so heavy. After a dinner appointment, I got home past 8 PM. I started writing immediately and managed to post on time. I almost dozed off in the middle. If I had lain down, I would have definitely fallen asleep. But I have a quiz tomorrow, so I need to prepare for that now. Hahaha. Enjoy reading. ㅜ.ㅠ

PS. Thank you sincerely to everyone who recommended, commented, and gave coupons. (__)

『 Reader Comments (Episode 157) 』

1. Kuroshion: Thank you for the coupon. (__) Congratulations on being first! You seem to be the most frequent first commenter lately. Do you have a secret? ?ㅇ?

2. [DeepBLue]: Hehe. Let’s save the opening of the remaining two boxes for another time. :)

3. Hyun-oh: Hyun-oh, how do you write so entertainingly? Hahaha. Anti-fans of An-sol will probably agree strongly. :D

4. gkgngh: I originally wanted to title it “Memories,” but there was already a title like that… If you break down the meaning of “memorize,” it means to remember and not forget. It actually aligns with Soo-hyun’s actions now.

5. WolfGentleman12: College! You’re preparing for the entrance exam. It’s a long race, so it must be tough at times, but hang in there and I hope you achieve great results. :)

『 Reader Comments (Episode 158) 』

1. Kuroshion: I appoint Kuroshion as the top commenter of late. Clap clap clap! It’s been a while since I’ve seen someone be first twice in a row. ;ㅇ;

2. Demodex: Long time no see. I missed your consistent <Enjoyed it. It’s fun.> comments and typo corrections. It’s really nice to see you again. ㅜ.ㅠ

3. DevilShrine: Whoa. No, no, that’s not it. Why did you see it that way…! ㅜ.ㅠ

4. LikeTheWind: I completely agree. The best thing about the military is getting discharged in good health.

5. BrokenFan: Right? I’m surprised Jung Ha-yeon isn’t more popular. She’s actually a really charming character. ㅜ.ㅠ

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