10 - Mana Stone? More like Poison [2]

A/N: Today is a very special day for a man and we've been together for a long time in my life. To celebrate this occasion, I have decided to upload two chapters.

A/N: Btw, that man is my younger brother and today is his 9-year-old birthday. For those who thought it was my boyfriend, you have sick minds.

E/N: SWEET HOME ALABAMA

A/N: That's why I said sick minds

— — — — — — — — — —

My whole body felt numb and heavy. When I tried to move my arm, pain shot through my body. I opened my eyes, but everything was blurry. My head was dizzy with a headache. Every breath I took felt like a knife stabbing my chest.

A few seconds later, my eyes adapted to the light in the familiar hospital ward.

What happened?

[Ding! The Host fainted because of the incompatibility between the mana stone and the Host's body.]

What do you mean by incompatibility? Didn't you say the success rate was 5%?

[Ding! The success rate of obtaining Shadow Inventory is 5%, obtaining Shadow Step is 35%, and the chance of the Host dying was 60%. Since the Host had already received Shadow Step, the chance of death was increased to 95%.]

Couldn't you tell me that earlier!?

[Ding! The Host didn't ask.]

Unable to hold in my discomfort, I coughed loudly.

"Ah! He's awake!" I heard a voice. The door swung open, it was Hu Jung-Lee.

"Student A Chul! Are you alright?" She asked with concern and guilt. Why guilt?

[Ding! Hu Jung-Lee felt liable for the Host's injury.]

"You've been unconscious for five days!" Her voice was loud enough to make me go deaf.

"What!" My voice was followed by another fit of agonized coughing.

"Calm down! You consumed an unknown poison from Demon Worshippers. It's a miracle that you're still alive!" She exclaimed, not calming down at all.

Why am I in so much pain? Wasn't the pain reduction only 10%?

[Ding! The Host is adapting to the new mana stone and the feeling of pain increased by 3%.]

13%? How did it get there?

[Ding! The Host died three times. Each time the Host dies, 1% of the pain is added.]

That's bad news. With 13% of the pain, I'm already suffering. Who knows how bad 100% would feel.

"Student A Chul." Hu Jung-Lee gazed at me with emotional eyes.

What's going on?

Then she bowed her head. "I want to thank you for eliminating a Demon Worshipper."

Eliminate a Demon Worshipper? When did I do that-

Oh right. The Shadow Raven and the hole in the stomach. I got the urge to throw up again.

Can't they read a dead man's memory with a memory reading skill?

[Ding! Wokes have rotten bodies. To read the memory of a corpse, the brain must be perfectly intact.]

"I sincerely apologize for my agent's mistake and for suspecting you of being a Demon Worshipper." Hu Jung-Lee bowed, her head lowering to just centimeters from the ground.

"Please lift your head!" I shouted without thinking. I didn't want the atmosphere to be awkward. Afterall, I lost the OPPAI agent on my own.

I also ate a mana stone, which is the equivalent of suicide. It's not like there was much I could tell her without incriminating myself.

Hu Jung-Lee grasped my hands, and a giant colorful rainbow sprouted outside the window. "As I expected, student A Chul is a good kid! I will tell every news platform of your accomplishment!"

That's a bad idea! Every cult member of Woke is going to come for my neck! I don't want to increase the amount of pain I will feel!

"Please don't tell anyone!" I wailed, "I don't want to trouble you." Mostly don't trouble me. Also, I don't need to die anymore.

Hu Jung-Lee was on the brink of tears. I had no idea what was going on inside of her head, but she left as soon as she told me to rest for two days without any worry. At least the weather is nicer now.

Well, it seems like suicide is no longer an option to try to get back home. It's not like I can really die, and all it does is increase my pain anyways. That left only one other way to get back home. Dying is banned until the Demon King is dead!

I sighed. The pain subsided a fair amount, so I could finally rest comfortably.

Five days? I was unconscious for five whole days. I should check my status.

| - Status -

| Name: A Chul (Alex Stanley)

| Age: 16 (23)

| Species: 99.8% Human

| Titles: Transmigrator, Entertainer, Undying

| Strength: 1.45 (up 0.12)

| Stamina: 1.52 (up 0.22)

| Mana: 0.36 (up 0.35)

| Dexterity: 2.35 (up 0.23)

| Agility: 2.35 (up 0.25)

| Luck: 1.12

| Fortune: 0.55

| Skills: Appraisal II [D], Rosetta's Gift [S], Fortuna's Contract [U], Immortality [U]

| Arts: Shadow Step [Dark], Shadow Inventory [Dark] (Tap for more details)

Why did most of my stats go up? 99.8% Human? That was not supposed to go down!

[Ding! The Host's status increased and human DNA decreased due to consuming the mana stone.]

To distract myself from that disturbing information, I decided to check on my new Art.

| Shadow Inventory (Dark-type Art) - the Host can store items in his shadow up to a total of 5.343 cubic meters (a hundred times the Host's volume). 0.01 mana is needed to withdraw or deposit items.

I have 0.36 mana. Using a bit of mana should be safe.

I thought about the Record, and a familiar leather book appeared out of the shadow cast by my arm. I grabbed the book and checked my status. My mana says 0.35 out of 0.36. I've already used the Record; I wonder if someone can still learn Shadow Step.

[Appraisal: Leather book: made out of paper and leather.]

What's wrong with it? I could've sold this to someone!

[Ding! The mana in the Record has exhausted and turned into an ordinary book.]

This sucks, but it's understandable. If mana wasn't exhausted, then everyone could use Art as long as they had mana. Now that I think about it, no one has ever mentioned Arts to me, and even in A Chul's memory there's no information about the Arts.

[Ding! Arts are assumed to originate from the Cult of Wokes, commonly known as Demon Worshippers.]

Wait! Should I ever use Arts?

[Ding! Reply to the Host, the Host should not reveal any Skills or Arts that aren't on the government's records of the Host, or the Host could either be expected or locked up.]

I can only tell people I have Appraisal then.

I tossed the book in the trashcan nearby. It's useless now anyways. Then I took the dagger out.

I probably shouldn't use this either. The poison dagger is illegal and highly suspicious.

I tried to sort my thoughts.

I can't go back to Earth by dying anymore, so now I have to help the Hero to defeat the Demon King? What if the Hero fails? Will I get stuck in this world forever?

My thoughts are jumping all over the place and I have no distraction: no anime, no manga, no TV drama, no movies, not even a fictional novel.

I'm depressed. E/N: Me too kid

I just want to go back.