‘Yeah, that’s right. That always held me back.’
The shackles of his past life. The limitations of a psychokinetic. Bae Dohyun, or whatever name he went by, could never fully unleash his potential in true battles against strong opponents in his past life.
His combat style, wielding multiple weapons with psychokinesis to overwhelm numerous enemies, inversely made him vulnerable against a single powerful foe.
Among the other players, there were hardly any strong enough to challenge him, and being a solo player, he always had to face multiple adversaries, which naturally shaped his growth.
‘And after falling behind in the rankings, it became a poison.’
He was overtaken one by one by rankers who grew with guild support and exclusive quest rewards. Unable to hunt effectively, Bae Dohyun was relegated to oblivion.
As a means to turn the tables, he had attempted to steal the mythical item sought by the guild alliance. But in this life, that desperate choice wasn’t necessary.
He had the support of the First Knight Order, the Skill Codex, and Regnator, as well as the solid backing of Count Ashton’s household.
It meant he didn’t need to undertake a reckless challenge against a faction on his own like in his past life.
“I fully understand what you mean, Master.”
Raul respectfully clasped his hands and bowed to the Swordmaster Caldenas.
“Good. If you’ve realized something, that’s enough. The Infinity Sword, by its name ‘infinite’, holds many possibilities in swordsmanship. While I sought balance, the path you choose will be different. Reflect deeply and find your way. I will assist you.”
Master Caldenas never specifically dictated what Raul should choose. Raul appreciated his consideration and reviewed the holographic interface before him once again.
And then he decided.
“3) Growth in the Destructive Power of the Infinity Sword.”
He wasn’t completely sure this was the right choice. But compensating for the lack of decisive power he couldn’t find in psychokinesis through swordsmanship didn’t seem like a wrong choice.
Someday he would need to find a new path in psychokinesis as well, but the world wouldn’t wait for him to be complete. If he were an ordinary player like in his past life, he could have slowly grown by following the scenarios…
‘But reality isn’t like that.’
While players grew safely behind the walls of scenarios, the Connect world outside those walls continued to flow. And how that flow affected Raul, now a resident of Connect, was anyone’s guess.
There was no guarantee that the empire wouldn’t send a Sword Master to kill him tomorrow or that demons wouldn’t pop out unexpectedly from a dungeon. In such situations, Raul hoped the Infinity Sword would serve as his ultimate insurance.
“Now, there’s just one thing left.”
Raul said, prompting Rabel to unfold the compendium with a flourish.
“As much as the protagonist appears last, it’s been too long a wait!”
Her face was flush with excitement. Since the Tower of Graduation appeared, Rabel had been hinting at Raul incessantly for this moment.
To confirm what she anticipated, Raul opened the system message.
1) Growth in Magic 『Casting Speed』 – The time required to cast magic is reduced by 20%.
2) Growth in Magic 『Efficiency』 – Mana consumption for magic is reduced by 20%.
3) Growth in Magic 『Destructive Power』 – The destructive power of magic spells is increased by 10%.
4) Growth in Magic 『Range』 – The effective range of magic spells is increased by 15%.
5) Growth in Servant Efficiency – The abilities of a servant controlled by a mage are enhanced by 5%.
6) Unseal Magic Tool Skill Codex – Partially unseals the Skill Codex bound to player Bae Dohyun.
“Yes!”
Raul and Rabel high-fived. They had anticipated it, but seeing it confirmed with their own eyes made it real.
“See? I told you it would come as an option.”
Rabel tilted her chin up slightly, showing off.
“Yeah. One should trust the expert’s words.”
Raul replied, smiling and complimenting her. There was no need to ponder over which magic growth option to select. Raul made the decision immediately.
“6) Unseal the Skill Codex!”
And then, at that moment.
“Aah!”
Rabel, who was sitting on the compendium, shuddered as if she had been struck by electricity. Semi-transparent red runes appeared around the compendium, encircling and rotating it.
Crack.
One of the long bands of red runes, resembling a magic circle, cracked slightly and then shattered like glass.
“Aah!”
With Rabel’s voice filled with delight, her wings, which had sprung from her back, became even more distinct.
As the waves of mana subsided and Rabel sat quietly on the compendium with her eyes closed, relishing the afterglow, she quietly activated the analysis function to review the Skill Codex.
『Skill Codex』
Grade: Epic
Status: Sealed (3/5), bound, Librarian Rabel Residing.
Effect: The efficiency of the recorded skills is enhanced based on the type and number of skills recorded. (Current total skills recorded: 1573)
Additional Functions:
1) Provides 4 dedicated skill slots for the compendium – 3 selection slots, 1 random slot
2) Fast Proficiency Assistant – Using skills recorded in the compendium increases proficiency rapidly. (Base Proficiency – Currently Beginner 7LV)
3) Librarian – The abilities of the compendium can be used according to the characteristics of the residing librarian.
4) Skillbook Creation (New!) – It allows the creation of skillbooks from skills recorded in the compendium. Also, skills learned by the user can be recorded into the compendium. (Special materials are required for the creation of skillbooks, and cooldown time increases with the skill grade.)
‘My god!’
Raul’s eyes widened. It was because of the newly added function.
‘Creating skillbooks directly?’
The fundamental basis for player growth in Connect is skills. It’s no exaggeration to say that what grade and proficiency of skills one has mastered determine a player’s strength.
And now, the compendium could turn its recorded skills into skillbooks.
‘This is totally OP!’
Moreover, it meant that Raul’s own skills like psychokinesis or the Infinity Sword could also be turned into skillbooks.
Of course, the materials required to create skillbooks of S-Grade or higher would be extraordinarily rare, but just the possibility alone was significant.
Numerous ways to utilize this feature flooded Raul’s mind.
“Creating skillbooks from existing skills? Pure genius!”
“However, thanks to your confidence in me, we reached this far.”
Rabel’s face beamed brighter than usual in a professional outfit standing before Raul, wings more distinct than ever.
Raul discerned the change immediately.
“Indeed, the form of your body and wings seems more vivid. A promising transformation,” Raul appreciated Rabel’s thorough expertise.
“Thanks, with this milestone, maybe I’ll eventually be freed from the haunt of the compendium.”
Rabel ponders with a hopeful sigh.
“Oh, congratulations! I hope that glorious day arrives soon.”
Raul enthusiastically responded.
That day might mean Rabel regaining her tangible form, no longer bound to the compendium.
‘Though it feels bittersweet, it’s a necessary transition,’ Raul thought, shaking off his momentary contemplation.
“There’s still a long way to go, and Rabel has a purpose to fulfill too.”
As if sensing Raul’s inner thoughts, Rabel refocused the conversation.
“Raul, I’m regaining my former strength. Now, casting 7-circle magic seems easily achievable.”
“Really?”
Raul’s surprise was palpable.
A 7-circle mage’s equivalent power to a Master Knight is an admirable rank, indeed. It’s difficult to draw a definitive distinction, but it could be said that he had leaped to a new level.
“Wow, now I can just leave the magic to Rabel, right?”
“Sure, leave it to me. But don’t forget, you still shouldn’t neglect your magic!”
“Haha, of course. I’ll be more attentive from now on.”
As Raul spoke, a sense of urgency arose in his mind.
A master weaker than the supporter?
This was no time to hesitate.
‘Now that I have some leeway, I need to focus more on training.’
With this, he had organized all the rewards obtained from the Tower of Graduation. He had gained more than anticipated and could reconsider the direction of his growth.
For the players, it was a milestone to formally join the Connect world, but for Raul, it felt like a starting point to break free from the shackles of his past life.
‘This is a new beginning. From now on, relying solely on the information from my past life won’t be enough.’
Even if the major events hadn’t changed, Raul had altered many things through his interventions. He might need to act more cautiously.
‘But I won’t hesitate.’
He was no longer a weakling. Just as he had done so far, he would paint the picture he desired.
‘Alright then…’
Raul’s eyes shone sharply, like a predator seeking new prey.
*
“…The five guilds have settled in the free city of Mariacne in the Leslie Kingdom.”
As Kane reported, Raul calmly read the report in front of him. He had constantly trained new informants and absorbed local organizations, so now even foreign information gathering had hit its stride.
Among all this, what Raul was most concerned about was the movements of large guilds that could potentially become his enemies.
It was obvious, but not even Raul could oppose all the guilds representing various corporations and nations.
‘Those who can be suitably persuaded should be swayed to our side.’
Even within the large guild alliances, not everyone moved with a unified purpose. The ones that particularly restricted and caused chaos for Bae Dohyun were the radical factions within the alliances.
Many others, even if they were dissatisfied, followed the alliances’ guidelines because they were outnumbered in their factions.
“They’re already standing out, just as expected.”
“As Master mentioned, they’re rapidly expanding their influence, focusing on a few early players. They’re also securing funding through the Connect system.”
“Well, that’s to be expected.”
Connect Corp. didn’t add the ‘Connect Bank System’ for no reason. Guilds supported by corporations were likely mobilizing all available gold to hoard players’ gold.
‘Though, it’s still just penny change for now.’
Player economies within Connect were not yet very robust. It was early in the game, so there weren’t many players with surplus gold, and most were quickly spending what they earned to procure equipment.
As a result, there weren’t many gold sales posts on trading sites. Therefore, the value of gold was still several times higher than the stable exchange rates established in his past life.
Moreover, Raul controlled over 95% of the current gold market.
‘Hmm, it seems they lack gold due to guild rank upgrades and guild house purchases. Should I release a bit more?’
Obviously, Raul manipulated the gold market prices and volume as he wished.
As a result, while large guilds—which would normally expand more quickly—hesitated, pure player guilds were catching up well.
‘It might be time to involve the merchant guilds as well.’
In addition to controlling the gold market, Raul had already prepared the loan services within Connect. Honestly, few places other than Raul’s First Knight Order could give large loans to player guilds in Connect.
In the first place, free city merchants were busy reinvesting their earnings into city facilities, and while a few merchant groups sold items to players, they didn’t lend money.
Honestly, who would trust these outsiders enough to lend money?
These were not even residents, so there were no established ways to retrieve the loans when problems arose. However, Raul didn’t worry at all.
Having grasped the Connect system, he had already imprinted in his mind all the methods to recover both principal and interest from the guilds.
‘Soon I’ll need to reduce the gold circulation and push loans instead.’
When funds ran dry midway through construction or business, what other options were there?
Even if the interest was high, they would have to take the loans.
‘That’s how you make them slaves to gold, one by one.’
Of course, this tactic wouldn’t work forever. But as long as it could restrain them for now, what did it matter?
Raul had plenty of ways to keep them in check and disrupt them. Standing up for the next step, Raul asked, “Did you schedule a meeting with the merchants?”
“Indeed. The schedule has been arranged to avoid conflicts.”
Bernad answered after checking the schedule.
“Then let’s go take a look.”
After all, pressuring tenants in person was the most effective method for a landlord.
(To be continued…)