Chapter 22: The Power of Happy Points (1)
Click!
[You have selected the Happy Points Usage Menu.]
[In this window, you can use your accumulated Happy Points to purchase various stats.]
A delightful message popped up before his eyes.
Beneath it, he saw his current Happy Points.
[Currently held Happy Points: 302]
He had accumulated quite a number of points before he knew it. It wasn’t even that hard—he had deliberately saved them. For this day, this moment, to use them just like this, he had steadily set them aside.
“……”
Feeling a sense of satisfaction erupt like lava from a spring deep in the mountains, Kim Jangcheol lifted his gaze. Beyond the system window floating before his eyes, he saw the First Star Lord, Sartul, with the exact same appearance as him.
‘Enjoy yourself while you can.’
He was probably thinking he had already won.
He had easily succeeded in using his trump card, the duplication skill. And now, he surely believed he could just as easily defeat Kim Jangcheol.
He must have been certain—and elated.
‘Well.’
It was understandable.
Suddenly, he recalled Sartul’s in-game trait.
The guy could copy his opponent’s stats and equipment exactly. Like that character from Pokmon, Dtt, once the conditions were met, he mirrored the enemy’s abilities and engaged in a mirror battle.
On top of that, Sartul had an even more twisted feature.
That was…
‘He uses AI to replicate the opponent’s optimal movements and responses at all times.’
A mirror, but a perfect one.
A fight against himself, always in peak condition.
It was the kind of despair one would feel looking at a perfectly Photoshopped, well-lit selfie side-by-side with their real face.
Back when they first met, it had been truly shocking. It had felt like hitting an insurmountable wall. It had even brought him to the verge of quitting the game.
‘But…’
In the end, he had found a way to break through.
At first, it was a trick.
He’d go in completely unequipped, get copied, then equip himself afterward to mess with Sartul.
Later, he beat him through sheer skill.
No matter how optimal the movements were, he analyzed Sartul’s reactions down to the pixel and crushed him with raw precision.
And now?
‘With even greater strength.’
He was going to destroy him.
…Fwoosh!
Through the dense system text floating before his eyes, he saw the First Star Lord charging forward.
“Credos—!”
“……!”
Before he realized it, the First Star Lord had rushed right up to his face.
With Credos’ face, Sartul shouted and swung his index finger.
Tssshk!
His claw extended, slicing through the air horizontally. A blood-red line drew itself through the void. Then, along that line, crimson lightning erupted in a swirling storm.
…Pzzzt!
‘Hup!’
Kim Jangcheol reacted instantly, retreating out of range of the lightning strike. It was a close call. He could smell singed hair at the tips. But the First Star Lord didn’t give him a moment to breathe.
Whoosh!
“……!”
Before he knew it, Sartul had lowered his body and slipped in under his waistline.
He was already poised to raise both arms.
Just one look, and Kim Jangcheol knew.
‘It’s Credos’ pattern exactly.’
There really was a reason Sartul was so confident. Credos was the strongest among the Demons, the Demon Lord. Sartul had copied that form perfectly, so of course he believed he’d win.
‘But…’
There was something Sartul had overlooked.
And that was the fact that Kim Jangcheol was the person who knew best in the world how to beat Credos to a pulp.
Shaaak!
The First Star Lord surged up with both arms raised in an alternating rhythm.
At first glance, it looked like a vertical sweep attack.
But dodging sideways meant death.
Dodging backward meant even more certain death.
His countless memories and experiences told him so.
Which meant…
Thwack!
Kim Jangcheol made a split-second decision and lunged forward. He slammed his shoulder straight into Sartul’s face.
“...Tuh-uhp!”
Maybe he hadn’t expected that move. Sartul staggered back, the attack interrupted.
In that opening, Kim Jangcheol swiftly moved his gaze.
And with a blink, he clicked!
Ding-dong!
[You have selected the Agility stat.]
[50 Happy Points have been deducted.]
[Your usable Agility limit has increased by 10%.]
[Agility: 20% -> 30%]
[If you reach 100% in any stat, you will be able to fully draw out Demon Lord Credos’ corresponding ability and use it without restrictions.]
[Currently held Happy Points: 252]
He had carved out a brief moment of breathing room with that counter.
And in that moment, he quickly raised one stat.
The effect was immediate.
…Hooosh!
His body felt as light as a feather.
Thanks to that, he could react far more swiftly to the onslaught pouring in from the First Star Lord.
“...Kraaah!”
Sartul charged, zigzagging rapidly, his arms slashing in a fixed pattern. But there were wounds on the backs of his hands. Blood sprayed from them, tracing destructive red lines around Kim Jangcheol as the center.
And then...
“Bloody Lightning!”
Bzzzt!
At that moment, Kim Jangcheol swung his own bloodstained hand in the same motion.
He had just purchased 10% each of Mind and Magic Power stats.
“Bloody Lightning!”
He shouted in return.
…Pzzzt-ka-gak—!
Kim Jangcheol and the First Star Lord.
Two beings bearing the exact form of Credos.
Their twin streams of Bloody Lightning clashed head-on. And Kim Jangcheol’s surge of electricity overwhelmed Sartul’s.
Pzzzt-zzzzzt!
“...Kraaaaaaagh!”
The First Star Lord screamed, his entire body convulsing from the powerful current.
‘How…?’
I lost?
We used the same technique with the same magic power—how?
He couldn’t believe it.
He couldn’t understand it.
Of course, he hadn’t even imagined it—not even in his dreams.
That the body of Credos he had copied could only demonstrate up to 20% of its original abilities—a mere half-finished imitation. Nor did he realize that Kim Jangcheol, his opponent, was steadily purchasing stat upgrades in real-time, raising those ability limits one after another.
“Gugh... huff!”
The First Star Lord barely managed to stay conscious as he staggered upright. But Kim Jangcheol had no intention of letting him off that easily.
Grab!
Kim Jangcheol’s hand clamped down on the First Star Lord’s neck. At the same time, with a flick of his gaze, he bought another stat upgrade.
This time, it was Strength.
…Crunch!
His Strength surged to 1.5 times greater than the First Star Lord’s.
“Gurk…!”
The First Star Lord writhed in pain, choking and thrashing.
Just then, a new message appeared.
Ding-dong!
[You have successfully used Happy Points to evenly enhance all five stats and apply them in real-time combat. This will serve as the foundation for your limitless growth from here onward.]
[Your achievement has unlocked the possibility of a new realm.]
[Growth Quest: Stat Up-Up! Reward Complete]
[Skill: “Farming Tool Set Summon” has been added to your Bloomable Skill List. (Bloom Cost: 100 Happy Points)]
[Currently held Happy Points: 102]
“Huh?”
Farming Tool Set Summon?
That was unexpected.
It felt like a skill someone had intentionally tossed his way—someone who knew exactly what he was up to.
“……”
Was some omnipotent being watching over him? Or was it a skill tailored to the purpose he pursued?
He couldn’t tell.
But now wasn’t the time to get lost in thought.
‘Save it for later.’
He could inspect it in detail afterward.
For now…
‘This guy—the First Star Lord—comes first.’
It was time to end this.
Kim Jangcheol pressed his right fist against his armor. He rubbed it hard against the spiked decorations.
His knuckles tore. Blood welled up.
The sting burned.
And with it, his fury surged.
He channeled it all into one final blow, aimed straight at the First Star Lord’s face.
“Thunder Punch—!”
Smack! Crackle!
Total domination in every aspect.
An overwhelming impact delivered in a flash.
The First Star Lord’s eyes finally lost focus.
‘...Guh… How… come?’
How could Credos be this much stronger?
It made no sense.
He himself was operating at what should’ve been 100% of Credos’ condition. And yet—Credos, who couldn’t always maintain that state, was overpowering him like this?
‘I had to win… Only then…’
Only then could everyone in the Abandoned Land starve to death. Only then could all those who died turn into ghosts and become part of his legion. With time, his army would grow stronger. He would finally become the true tyrant and Demon Lord of the Abandoned Land.
He felt wronged.
He felt wretched.
“But why the hell! Why me!”
The First Star Lord shouted in desperation.
He swung a feeble punch at Kim Jangcheol’s face.
Smack.
It was the first strike that actually landed.
Kim Jangcheol’s head turned slightly from the impact.
But that was all.
Zzzzzzzzz…
Kim Jangcheol slowly turned his head back, his chilling, sunken eyes locking onto the First Star Lord’s face.
“You’re thinking you’re pitiful right now, aren’t you?”
“…What?”
“I mean, yeah. You thought you were one step away from realizing your ambition. But now it’s crumbling. You think you’re pitiful. Am I wrong?”
“……”
“So I’m right. But you know… do you know who’s really pitiful right now?”
“What…?”
The First Star Lord faltered.
What was Credos trying to say?
Was he about to bring up those 300 members of the Agricultural Corps who’d risked their lives to follow him into this hellhole?
‘……’
Maybe so.
After all, they were living beings too.
Born in this damned Abandoned Land, burdened with misfortune, struggling desperately to survive in spite of it all.
Perhaps Credos was going to say that people like them didn’t have the luxury of feeling sorry for themselves. That this was the Demon Lord’s true message.
‘I…’
The First Star Lord sank into regret.
He just wanted to rule this land.
He wanted to rise to the throne of the Demon Lord, too.
But he never had the chance.
Copying Credos?
Even attempting it wasn’t easy.
No—it was almost impossible.
Today’s success had been a miracle, only possible because Credos had let his guard down.
So, deep down, he had been giving up on his ambition.
He had resolved to live however he was told.
But then, an opportunity appeared.
He thought maybe—just maybe—he could do it.
He allowed himself a flicker of hope.
And in that fleeting moment, he had abandoned his given role and done this.
‘Then all this time…’
What exactly had he done?
What had he been about to do?
A quiet pang of regret settled in the First Star Lord’s chest.
And at that moment—
A completely unexpected roar pierced his eardrums.
“Who else, you idiot! I’M the most pitiful one here, getting dogpiled from every direction just for trying to survive! Me! Thunder—!”
BOOM!
“…!”
That was the end of it.
The back of the First Star Lord’s head slammed into the ground.
The duplication broke, and he returned to his original form.
Even that wasn’t enough—he instantly fell into critical condition.
“Guh-huugh…!”
The possession process accelerated rapidly.
At that moment, Kim Jangcheol triumphantly grabbed a large, hearty potato.