The Creator’s Gift, Spying Power (2)

Watching these two pathetic and irritating trash in front of me, the good mood I had from the gift box had soured again.

As was usually the case, the more I thought about my annoyance, the more annoyed I became.

With my mood worsening, the two scoundrels flinched at the occasional murderous intent and hostility that leaked out, watching me tearfully and cautiously for about an hour.

Arun was the first to knock on the inn room door and enter.

“Here are the communication crystal and divine power binding shackles you asked for.”

“Yeah, good job.”

“Um…”

Perhaps because he was a mage, the quality of the communication crystal and divine power binding shackles Arun brought looked good.

As I offered a simple compliment and rose from my seat to put the divine power binding shackles on the two scoundrels and inspect them, Arun’s cautious voice reached my back.

“This… it’s something my patron God, Ister, asked me to give you.”

The item Arun handed me was a brilliantly shining blue crystal.

It was about the size of a walnut, and when held to the light, the way it refracted like waves made it believable as a jewel.

However, I had a rough idea of what it was.

“Isn’t this a divine power core?”

“Yes, you know it well! Haha.”

“Is this really meant for me?”

“Yes? Of course!”

No way. Just looking at it, it’s clearly meant for magic users.

Moreover, even I, who am not a mage, can guess that a tremendous synergy would occur if this were to meet that guy’s talent, especially ‘Torrent’.

Furthermore, look at him acting all flustered and confused.

“Come here.”

“What? Oh, yes!”

Smack!

There was a cracking sound as Arun’s head met my palm.

I handed the core to Arun, who was holding his head and sitting down.

“Stop fooling around and take it back. Just the aura coming off it seems like it’s for a mage’s mana. Besides, if you give it to me, the other gifts your patron God has planned might get messed up. So stop talking and consume it. In front of me now!”

“What? How did you…? No, that’s not it…”

“Do you want to be forced to consume it?”

“What? Oh, no. Not at all.”

Of course, consuming it wouldn’t harm me.

If I did, it would certainly enhance my abilities. In martial arts novels, it’s like an inner core or spiritual pills, so that’s expected.

However, my divine power circuit is already optimized for the operation of the four major divine powers, with no impurities.

So, one of the effects described in that core is meaningless.

And I don’t know how much my mana would increase, but this isn’t Earth; it’s the ‘Battlefield of the Gods.’

Blessed land. Abundant divine power. With basic training, reaching divine power ‘100’ is quick. That’s why I set up various arrays all over the house.

Of course, there are tempting parts. Increased affinity with water and earth.

But this won’t be urgent until four years later, when I can leave the beginner’s village. Besides, I have skills for that.

So this idiot eating this and getting even a little stronger to do his part means less stress for me.

With a stern face, I yelled at Arun as if I were angry, and he hastily shoved the core into his mouth.

Amidst the fierce torrent swirling inside, he kept exclaiming, ‘Uh-oh?’ and quickly threw himself flat on the floor.

“Ah… he’s surprisingly clumsy.”

I took out a dark blue potion called a top-grade mana potion from the inventory.

Originally, its effect is mana recovery. However, when used like this during a forced awakening, it can have additional effects as the mana circuit and mana core expand.

Come to think of it, this dumb and slightly clueless guy reminds me of my past self.

I don’t know why, but his tendency to give everything to me unconditionally reminds me of my previous life when I was an infinite pushover, especially for Lee Hyo-ju.

And so, I don’t dislike it. A pushover is a bit frustrating, but since it’s limited to me, it means I have less to worry about.

Of course, I need to watch him more closely, but that’s how it seems from what I’ve seen so far.

I poured the dark blue liquid from the thick bottle onto Arun’s body, lying down. One, two, three… before I knew it, nine bottles.

When Arun’s body no longer absorbed the mana potion, I stopped pouring and observed the changes occurring in his body.

The mana storm that had been raging in the inn room gradually subsided, and a gentle blue light rippled around Arun lying on the floor.

‘Verify.’

‘What’s this?’

The effect of the ‘Superior Mana Potion’ couldn’t be ignored, but Arun’s changed status suggested that the core he intended to give me was not ordinary.

Setting aside the slight increase in strength and stamina, both agility and intellect had surpassed 100. If the stats were below 100, it meant an increase of about 10.

The most astonishing thing was that mana had reached 101. No wonder it absorbed nine bottles of mana potions.

It’s not that I regret using the mana potions. I’ve already created more than a thousand mana potions through Assimilation.

What’s important is that the mana, which was 91, surpassed 100 and increased by 2 more points.

This means the total mana increased by about 30 points, indicating that the magic core has certainly expanded.

In other words, this guy’s talent is not something to be underestimated.

If he continues training for more than four years in the house I’ve contracted, he could become a top-tier representative as a mage.

Of course, he still wouldn’t match up to that ‘crazy martial arts maniac’ Violentia.

‘They’re of a different species from the start…’

“Ugh… Hm? Uh? Oh! Oh?!”

Arun, waking up with a slight groan, was bewildered by his changed body, startled by the broken bottle pieces scattered around, and seemed to be looking at some message in the air, unable to gather his wits.

After amusing himself alone, Arun turned towards me and suddenly knelt.

“Again, you’ve done me a favor… ack!”

“Ah, seriously. Stop saying things that make me cringe! Just say thank you, and leave it at that. If you think you owe me a favor, you might get the urge to stab me in the back later, so think it over one more time. Got it?”

“Ha, haha. Yes, thank you. I appreciate it.”

“Ugh! Just once, please!”

For a moment, I almost hit him in earnest, but in the end, I managed to restrain myself with superhuman patience, and it ended with him rolling a few times, which was a relief(?).

Seeing Arun rolling around and grinning even after being thrown into the corner of the room, he seemed genuinely pleased.

“So, how is it? Is life good?”

“Huh? Ah, yes! Very, very much so. Haha.”

“Really? Then get to work. Keep an eye on those things. I’ll be out. I’ll be back in about two days, three at the latest.”

“Where are you going…?”

“Well? Should I call it training? Anyway, try not to fight too much with Lee Hyo-ju. Since she’s been through something bad, she’s probably deeply hurt, so try to understand her.”

Arun, who was surprised by my unexpectedly warm words, looked at me with wide eyes, then smiled with a crescent-shaped grin and nodded vigorously.

This guy, not answering and just nodding!

Just then, the door swung open, and Lee Hyo-ju hesitantly entered the room.

Her face was flushed as she stepped inside. When our eyes met, she quickly lowered her head.

“I’m back.”

“So, did you meet Aetas?”

“Uh? Yes, um… this…”

What she handed me was a transparent orb.

She shyly extended it to me with both hands, just like the core Arun had given me earlier.

Watching this, Arun wore a meaningful smile.

It seemed to mean something like, ‘You think the same way I do.’

“Did Aetas ask you to pass this on?”

“Uh? Yes. She specifically asked me to convey her thanks. Also, she asked for your continued support. And she hopes your planned endeavor will succeed.”

“Alright. When you meet Aetas again next year, please pass on my thanks to her.”

“Yes…”

Imagining Aetas grumbling like a tsundere as she relayed the message, I found myself unknowingly patting Lee Hyo-ju’s head.

Then, realizing what I was doing, I awkwardly withdrew my hand.

Arun, who was watching our exchange, made a sound of confusion and looked at us alternately with an expression that seemed to say, “This isn’t right, is it?”

Seeing Arun’s meaningful smile, I felt uneasy and kicked them back into the corner.

“What?”

Aetas, you rascal! Is this some kind of aged liquor you’re giving me?

The act of giving an item to a representative consumes the divine power of a god, but creating it uses the god’s inherent authority, requiring little effort.

But giving me something over 7,500 years old clearly shows she intends to subtly irritate me.

And not even an exact date—just around 7,500 years ago? On a rainy day, no less? You rascal!!

Of course, aside from that, gaining one more talent is certainly a good thing.

It’s a wonderful gift, and she must have paid a considerable price to send it to me.

‘But so what?! That woman… Next time I see her, I’ll just…’

“Hey, Kim Han! Why did you reject mine but accept that Ice Witch’s?!”

“What? What did you say?”

“What about the ice?!”

While I was determined to get revenge on Aetas, Arun suddenly interrupted, shouting suspicious words loudly.

However, this clueless Arun was still digging his own grave.

“Th-that. Whatever it is, wouldn’t it be better to know what you’re eating?”

“I know what this is. But are you okay? The girl you called Ice something is right next to you. Look at her expression.”

“What? Oh no!”

Lee Hyo-ju was glaring at Arun with a blank expression.

Fortunately, she wasn’t holding anything in her hands. If she was, she would have surely thrown it.

Lee Hyo-ju was certainly capable of that.

“Lee Hyo-ju.”

“…Yes.”

“It’s okay to be angry, but don’t throw sharp objects. You could accidentally kill him. Arun, no magic either when you’re fighting.”

“Yes…”

“Yes.”

“Just simple bickering is fine. After all, it’s Exorsus. The reason I told you not to use sharp objects or magic is that even if you try, you can’t do anything to the opponent, and the ‘setting’ power intervenes, causing both the attacker and the attacked to get hurt. If you’re a representative.”

“Ah!”

“As expected…”

The words omitted after Arun’s “as expected” seemed like something I shouldn’t hear, so I quickly changed the subject.

“I told Arun earlier, but I’ll be away for about three days for training purposes. So, don’t fight, and if you do, make sure it’s only enough that you can compensate with the money you have. Got it? Just so you know, this inn costs 5 gold per night.”

“Yes.”

“Yes.”