21 – Captured All by Himself – 2

Gi-jun did not hold any prejudice against classes.

There were differences in income for every class, and of course, differences in qualifications, but there could be no noble or humble rank for those who engaged in their livelihood and lived doing their best.

However, if he had to state his preference…

He preferred a guardian over a dancer.

Because it was cool.

“There’s no need to even think about it, it’s the dancer.”

“Damn it!”

And as always, whenever preferences were clearly split, fate had a way of pushing the opposite choice onto him.

The Demon King giggled and replied, finding it cute that Gi-jun was looking at her with such a desperate expression.

“It can’t be helped. You’ve gone through all that trouble to learn offensive techniques, so if you end up choosing the guardian, it’ll all be for nothing. I told you before, didn’t I? Classes grow too. That’s why the first choice is extremely important, and honestly—a Dancer of Light is so excellent as a starting class that you couldn’t possibly ask for anything better.”

Listening to the Demon King’s irrefutable words, Gi-jun once again read the class change messages floating before his eyes.

[Guardian of Light (R): The effects of all defensive and recovery abilities utilizing Light Spirit Arts are increased by 30%.]

[Dancer of Light (R): The effects of all offensive and defensive abilities utilizing Light Spirit Arts are increased by 30%.]

[Guardian of Light (R): The effects of all defensive and recovery abilities utilizing Light Spirit Arts are increased by 30%.]

[Dancer of Light (R): The effects of all offensive and defensive abilities utilizing Light Spirit Arts are increased by 30%.]

Even in Gi-jun’s eyes, the Dancer of Light class was a perfect fit for him, since he used his shields to attack and defend simultaneously.

But how should he put it? The moment he saw the Guardian of Light class, it felt as if it proved his identity from his fifteen years in the tutorial, making it hard to let go.

Conversely, the moment he chose the Dancer of Light, it would mean completely parting ways with his past…

“I don’t think you need to worry so much. Honestly, your own recovery ability is already at a significant level. Unless they are a race that specializes in recovery, they won’t even be able to keep up.”

“Just for reference, what kind of races specialize in recovery?”

“Things like Swamp Trolls have a Rare race grade, yet they basically come with Unique-grade regeneration.”

“Those cheating bastards.”

“But looking at it another way, it means you’ve surpassed those natural-born cheaters…”

Would he discard the offensive techniques he had worked so hard to develop and become a steel zombie by combining his own regeneration with Lucy’s recovery, or would he become an all-weather tank that added powerful offensive and defensive capabilities to his already excellent recovery even without the class bonus?

He knew which was better without even having to ask.

It was simply a matter of accepting the answer that had been set from the beginning.

Gi-jun finally shook off his past completely and chose the Dancer of Light.

At that moment, he felt strength fill his entire body and his mind clear.

―You have become a Dancer of Light (R). All stats increase by 10, but Unique-grade stats increase by half of that, which is 5.

―The level of the Light Spirit Arts (U) skill has increased by 5.

―You have become a Dancer of Light (R). All stats increase by 10, but Unique-grade stats increase by half of that, which is 5.

―The level of the Light Spirit Arts (U) skill has increased by 5.

No wonder his entire body felt so full of strength!

Opening his status window at the unexpected bonus, Gi-jun was deeply moved to see those notoriously difficult-to-raise stats shoot up.

It was not a temporary bonus with a ‘+’ sign like when equipping items; the stats themselves had permanently increased.

Strength, Dexterity, Endurance.

It was the moment a beacon of hope was lit for the growth of these three stats, which had once seemed so far from reaching the Unique grade!

“Even though the bonuses for Unique-grade stats were cut in half.”

“That’s just how it is. Since the class you transitioned to is a Rare-grade class, it cannot fully boost stats of a higher grade. The same goes for titles and items.”

The Demon King kindly explained, pointing to the shield slung on his back.

“When stats are attached to an item or a title, they will fully boost your stats up to that item or title’s grade. However, if your stats surpass that grade by a tier… yes, in the case of the [King of the Well], if your Strength and Light Mana reach Legendary-grade, it will only provide a boost of about 2, which is less than half. And if they grow even a tier above that, they won’t give you any boost at all.”

“So needlessly picky…”

Even though they don’t give any extra bonuses when your stats are lower than the grades of your items or titles!

As Gi-jun grumbled, which was a rare sight, he soon felt the sunlight shining down on them.

Since they had been talking about class selection and stats all the way back from clearing the ruins, they had returned to the surface in no time.

“Wait… was the path always this short?”

It had taken a whopping four years to conquer the ruins, yet the return journey did not even take four hours.

As he fell into a strange sentimentality, the Demon King quickly shattered it.

“I used magic to shorten the distance.”

“Of course you did.”

―Wow, a party!

Lucy hopped around, cheering with excitement.

The Demon King had probably shortened the distance because she was looking forward to the party too.

Gi-jun spoke, throwing cold water on their excitement.

“If possible, how about we do it after all the work is finished?”

“Work?”

“My grade advancement, I mean.”

“Ah.”

That was right.

The reason he had grown anxious as the clearance of the ruins neared, and why he had drawn the monsters’ attention even by developing the bizarre skill Luminescent Provocation, was all to evolve his race grade to Rare, was it not?

However, upon hearing his words, the Demon King made a somewhat conflicted expression and shook her head.

“Do you remember what I said last time? That Light Mana is normally a Unique-grade stat.”

“I remember.”

“So, how about we perform your race grade evolution after you raise that stat to the Unique grade?”

Good grief.

Her words were so reasonable that there was no room for refutation.

Right now, his Light Mana was 85, having received a bonus from the class change.

Wielding his shield brought it to 90, but since that was a mere modifier rather than his pure ability, it had to be excluded.

‘Raising it this far would have been difficult if not for the stats gained from leveling up. But now, in a situation where I can’t even level up anymore…’

It was clear that it would take years, at the very least.

Nevertheless, the moment Gi-jun heard the Demon King’s words, he found them reasonable, so he ended up nodding in agreement.

“Alright, let’s do it.”

“Excellent.”

The Demon King grinned, nodded, and shouted.

“Then now, it’s a real party!”

―Party!

…Did she put off the troublesome work simply because she wanted to party?

Gi-jun narrowed his eyes with rising suspicion, but in the end, as he always did, he pulled a well-polished cooking shield out of his inventory.

* * *

At some point, while sinking endlessly with Lucy and focusing on the light within himself, Gi-jun felt that light burn away all other impurities and expand continuously.

Eventually, it filled his mindscape, and went on to dye his entire body and brain with pure white light, extending his moment into eternity.

The moment he shed tears, lost in that eerie yet moving realization, a system message appeared before his eyes and instantly dragged him back to reality.

―By not stopping at uniting with a spirit but dedicating yourself to constantly purifying and nurturing the light within your body, you have finally become the master of pure light mana. The Light Mana (R) stat has transcended its limit and evolved to Unique grade! Light Mana (U) has become 1!

―By not stopping at uniting with a spirit but dedicating yourself to constantly purifying and nurturing the light within your body, you have finally become the master of pure light mana. The Light Mana (R) stat has transcended its limit and evolved to Unique grade! Light Mana (U) has become 1!

“Ah.”

―Contractor, congratulations!

Finally.

Two years since leaving the ruins and holding the celebratory party, and over six years since the end of the first-round tutorial, it had finally happened.

Gi-jun had succeeded in raising his Light Mana to the Unique grade.

“Wow, it was a long journey…”

―It was short! The Contractor is a genius!

At Lucy’s fussing, Gi-jun also chuckled and nodded.

If he had not obtained Light Mana and had simply continued to manipulate regular mana, he probably wouldn’t have even dreamed of reaching the Unique grade.

It was only because he contracted with Lucy based on his overflowing Spiritual Power to come into deep contact with light, and thanks to the realizations gained from it, that he was able to develop his light mana to this point.

‘Still, it was long.’

During those two years, he had deeply realized one obvious fact.

That the scale of blood and sweat required to raise Uncommon-grade stats and Rare-grade stats was on a completely different level.

He even wondered if he could have reached the Rare grade in any stat on his own if he had not had the Demon King as the best instructor.

[Gi-jun]

[Title — Conqueror of the Hidden Dungeon (Legendary) and 7 others]

[Degraded Light Human (Uc) Dancer of Light (R) Lv99]

[Strength (R) — 87]

[Dexterity (R) — 92]

[Endurance (R) — 88]

[Light Mana (U) — 1]

[Charm (U) — 64]

[Spiritual Power (U) — 70]

[Gi-jun]

[Title — Conqueror of the Hidden Dungeon (Legendary) and 7 others]

[Degraded Light Human (Uc) Dancer of Light (R) Lv99]

[Strength (R) — 87]

[Dexterity (R) — 92]

[Endurance (R) — 88]

[Light Mana (U) — 1]

[Charm (U) — 64]

[Spiritual Power (U) — 70]

Opening his status window, Gi-jun proudly gazed at his Light Mana, which had successfully climbed to the Unique grade, but then made an indescribable expression as he looked at the two stats beneath it.

“While other stats are so hard to grow, I really wonder what’s with Charm, which just keeps shooting up on its own.”

Unlike Charm, which remained completely incomprehensible, his Spiritual Power had been high from the start, and perhaps because he had talent, it was stimulated and grew rapidly as he communed with the spirit.

He was talking with the Demon King about how, if things went well—very well, in fact—he might even be able to challenge the Legendary grade before the tutorial ended.

He thought that at this rate, his Strength, Dexterity, and Endurance would also easily reach the Unique grade.

‘Since I’ll get bonuses once my race grade rises.’

Thinking positive thoughts gave him energy.

Finished with his thoughts, Gi-jun sprang up from his seat.

Perhaps because he had developed his Light Mana, the flow of mana circulating rapidly through his body seemed to make his every action lighter and more powerful.

According to the Demon King, mana was the greatest power that allowed humans to transcend.

Now that it had reached the Unique grade, Gi-jun felt as though he could understand her words.

“Then now, to the Demon King…”

“It’s done!”

Even before Gi-jun could call out to her, the Demon King threw open the tent flap, poked her head inside, and shouted.

She was unchanged from two years ago… though her appearance was delicate enough to make him wonder if she had grown a bit gaunt, her face was filled with joy as she looked at him.

“You were faster than I expected! Your talent for mana might be mediocre, but it seems your talent for light is outstanding!”

“Just stick to either insults or compliments.”

“You worked hard, our genius hero.”

Still, when she actually complimented him like that…

It was rather embarrassing, honestly.

When Gi-jun remained silent, the Demon King stuck her tongue out and smiled as if she saw right through him.

“I was already preparing because I figured you would evolve soon. We can start right away.”

―Our Contractor has already developed his Light Mana. With the supporting tools, it will be over in an instant!

Saying so, Lucy seemed to think of something, flew off Gi-jun’s head, and fluttered out of the tent.

―I’ll go check it! There might be something else we can do!

Both the Demon King and Lucy were incredibly energetic.

Were they really that pleased by his growth?

As Gi-jun let out a chuckle, the Demon King gave him a mischievous look and spoke.

“You’ll get stronger once your grade rises. Perhaps you might even be able to defeat me now—?”

“That would still be difficult.”

Even as he spoke, Gi-jun secretly wondered if he might be able to win at least once out of ten fights against the Demon King if he grew just a little more.

Considering that the Demon King’s power limits were now unlocked, unlike during the tutorial, that would be a truly incredible feat.

…Only, lately, there were times when he wondered if the Demon King had grown a bit weaker.

“Demon King, you aren’t sick, are you?”

“What are you talking about?”

The Demon King tilted her head as if genuinely puzzled.

Gi-jun silently reached out and took the Demon King’s hand.

Surprised by his unprecedented action, the Demon King widened her eyes, but soon narrowed them and smiled.

“What’s this? Are you nervous? Should I comfort you?”

“A little. If it fails, all those ores will go to waste, won’t they?”

Gi-jun replied with a bit of exaggeration to hide his true feelings.

But inwardly, he was thinking of something else.

The Demon King’s hand was trembling slightly.

Perhaps she was lying.

For some reason, that fact made his heart ache a little.

“Don’t worry. Even if it fails, I can just order more from the moth. Get in there quickly.”

His poker face was quite excellent.

The only problem was that the Demon King’s words had actually made Gi-jun a bit nervous.

So they really would go to waste if he failed.

Bracing himself even more without the Demon King’s knowledge, Gi-jun stood up and went outside with her.

“Ah.”

Seeing the glass box he had seen a few years ago sitting right there, a chuckle escaped him for no reason.

Lucy had been flying busily around the box since earlier to take some measures. She seemed to be scattering and adjusting the power of light, performing some sort of magical task she had known about before but had been unable to execute.

―Contractor!

Spotting him, Lucy flew over and landed gently on his head.

―It will definitely succeed! I poured a massive amount of my spirit power into it!

“Thank you.”

Although he felt nervous, if he were to be honest, a sense of lingering attachment was much greater.

It was a feeling similar to when he evolved Twin Tortoise Fangs two years ago to obtain the Unique-grade Moonlight Fangs.

It was an inexplicable loneliness that came from the tasks he had to perform in this closed world coming to an end one by one.

Had he really grown attached to this ridiculously narrow and inflexible world without even realizing it?

Struggling to shake off his bitterness, he turned to look at the Demon King, who was watching him while feigning a relaxed smile.

Huu.

Blowing away all lingering emotions with a final sigh, he stepped inside the box with Lucy, visualizing only becoming one with the light.

“Let’s begin.”

All the ores luminesced, emitting light all at once.

As Lucy responded to it by releasing her spirit power,

Gi-jun used his Spiritual Power to follow and assimilate with her light, while simultaneously releasing the Light Mana within his body to draw all that light toward himself.

Ah, he realized it naturally.

The condition for his race grade evolution was for his Light Mana to reach the Unique grade.

That now that he had achieved it, a device to guide external light was actually not even necessary.

‘But that’s not what matters.’

The devotion contained in the tools the Demon King had prepared, wishing for his growth.

The feelings Lucy had added, scattering her spirit power to reassure him.

Drawing in the light, Gi-jun felt as if he was accepting their feelings along with it.

The moment he chuckled, finding it amusing that he was having such cheesy thoughts,

By the light filling his inside, everything about him was reconstructed.

―You have transcended the limits of your race and become a Rare-grade [Light Human]! You can finally pursue pure light, but its end is still far, far away.

―You have become Level 1. All stats increase by 5, and Light Mana (U), Charm (U), and Spiritual Power (U) increase by an additional 5!

―The level of the Light Spirit Arts (U) skill has increased by 10, reaching level 95!

―You have transcended the limits of your race and become a Rare-grade [Light Human]! You can finally pursue pure light, but its end is still far, far away.

―You have become Level 1. All stats increase by 5, and Light Mana (U), Charm (U), and Spiritual Power (U) increase by an additional 5!

―The level of the Light Spirit Arts (U) skill has increased by 10, reaching level 95!

He became a human composed of light mana, finally stepping completely out of the human realm.