Chapter 30

As soon as Lucia emerged from the attic through the return stone, she cast a spell.

“Was this the feeling?”

Recalling the sensations from the mask she had worn before, Lucia enveloped her mouth with wind manipulation magic.

The wind barrier she created effectively prevented unpleasant dust and bad air from entering her throat.

“I’m really glad I learned at least some magic, even if it was just a little.”

Though she could only handle the basics without a proper teacher, Lucia was satisfied with her current level.

It was impossible to excel in every area unless one was exceptionally talented.

Lucia thought that if she had focused solely on magic, she probably wouldn’t have been able to acquire the archery skills she possessed now.

About to get lost in unnecessary reflections, Lucia lightly tapped her cheeks with both hands and sought out Kang Jin-hyuk.

Turning her head, she looked at Kang Jin-hyuk, who stood just a step away.

She noticed a shocked expression on his face, as if he had seen something he shouldn’t have.

“Why are you standing like that?”

It was only after hearing Lucia’s voice that Kang Jin-hyuk snapped back to reality, straightening his hunched posture.

“Is there something wrong?”

“Ah…”

Kang Jin-hyuk hesitated momentarily before replying to her question.

Feeling frustrated, Lucia approached him impatiently.

“What is it now? Are you regretting coming this far?”

“No, that’s not it. I just received a message saying that my karma value has increased.”

“A message? Are you talking about that text that occasionally appears in front of your eyes?”

“Yeah, it showed up right as we used the return stone.”

At that moment, the only conclusion Kang Jin-hyuk could draw was one.

“Did you trick the dwarf and raise your value?”

“Trick? That’s a bit harsh. Strictly speaking, it was just postponed for a moment.”

“But right now, apart from that, I have no idea why my value increased.”

“How much did it increase?”

Hearing Lucia’s question, Kang Jin-hyuk headed towards a mirror in the house.

In the reflection, the number ’65’ was visible above his head.

“It went up by 1.”

“Just 1?”

“Regardless of the amount, the important thing is that it has risen.”

“Hmm… that’s a fair point.”

Without knowing the exact reason for the increase in karma value, there was no way to dismiss even a single point.

Kang Jin-hyuk, who had briefly fallen into thought, suddenly came up with a suggestion.

“Can I hit you once?”

“Sure.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Lucia complied with Kang Jin-hyuk’s request.

Before she could even blink, Lucia’s fist accurately struck Kang Jin-hyuk’s abdomen.

“Ugh!”

The impact was so sudden that he didn’t even have time to react, causing him to stumble backward.

As he rolled on the living room floor, Lucia tilted her head in confusion.

“But why did you want me to hit you?”

“Ugh… couldn’t you have asked me before doing it?”

Kang Jin-hyuk had expected Lucia to at least ask why she should hit him first.

He never imagined she would swing her fist immediately.

As the pain faded a bit, he slowly pushed himself off the floor, using the wall for support.

“I was just trying to see if being violent would raise my karma value, considering if the dwarf was tricked.”

“What connection do those two have?”

“Both involve harming others.”

“So? What was the result?”

Kang Jin-hyuk looked at Lucia’s karma value, but it had not changed at all.

Getting hit lightly wouldn’t have changed that value in the least.

As someone who had experienced being struck directly, he was absolutely certain of that.

“It didn’t change at all. It’s still the same.”

“Then that was a failure.”

Lucia shrugged, sounding disheartened.

Kang Jin-hyuk, who had thought there was definitely some connection, was now confused as the situation took an unexpected turn.

Why was there such a difference between deception and violence?

‘Then, wasn’t it that my karma value hadn’t increased due to tricking the dwarf originally?’

Lost in thought about the reasons for the rise in karma value, Kang Jin-hyuk suddenly noticed stars dazzling in front of his eyes.

It wasn’t due to a sudden realization.

Rather, it was a punch from Lucia that struck him at an inopportune time.

“Ugh!”

With a scream that could have come from an extra, Kang Jin-hyuk fell flat on the floor again.

Once he became aware of what had happened, the feelings of pain were quickly overshadowed by anger.

Reacting quickly, Kang Jin-hyuk rose abruptly, glaring at Lucia with fiery eyes.

“What on earth was that for out of nowhere?!”

“Before you get mad, check my karma value first.”

“Who cares about your value?! Freeze to death!”

“Calm down and check it first?”

Kang Jin-hyuk could not accept the nonchalant demeanor of someone who inflicted violence without reason.

When he assumed a position of checking Lucia’s karma value, his anger dissipated in an instant.

“Your value increased? Why?”

He vividly remembered Lucia’s karma value being ’82’.

Yet, now it stood at ’83’, having increased by 1.

This was without a doubt a clear rise.

“What changed between now and then…?”

“I think it’s simply the difference between consenting and non-consenting.”

Lucia’s speculation was enough to satisfy Kang Jin-hyuk’s curiosity.

As she explained, the first punch thrown was something he had invited through mutual consent.

On the other hand, the second punch was an unsolicited attack with no prior notice.

If that was indeed the cause affecting the value’s rise, it made sense.

“Then, this karma value isn’t solely modified by actions…”

“It seems it also considers the situation.”

“That gives the impression of being quite a flexible value.”

Perhaps it’s hidden skill obtained through defense should have that characteristic.

Kang Jin-hyuk felt as if he had just taken the first step toward understanding these conditions.

“Alright, then let’s move on to the next experiment.”

Lucia appeared full of enthusiasm, mirroring his sentiment.

The issue was that her enthusiasm did not align with what Kang Jin-hyuk desired.

“Why are you suddenly pulling out a dagger in the name of an experiment?”

“We need to check whether punching or stabbing produces different values.”

“…Are you in your right mind?”

Kang Jin-hyuk sensed that Lucia was half-serious about her proposal and quickly turned to flee.

* * *

After desperately avoiding a stab, Kang Jin-hyuk exhaled a shaky breath.

His pale complexion proved he had run for his life.

In contrast, Lucia was the exact opposite, seemingly untouched by the tension of the chase.

Unphased, she returned the dagger into the leather sheath as if expressing disappointment.

“I was trying to end it in one blow without hurting, yet you resist so much.”

“Would you accept it if I were in your shoes?”

“This is an opportunity to learn about your skill. You need to take some risks.”

“You make it sound so easy when it’s someone else’s situation.”

Kang Jin-hyuk would have preferred to sit down immediately, but this wasn’t home; they were outside.

Though the street was quiet, sitting right in the middle would inevitably draw attention.

“Wait a minute…”

Realizing they were indeed outside, Kang Jin-hyuk turned to Lucia.

Sure enough, her elven ears were prominently visible above her head.

“You can’t just come outside without hiding your ears! Didn’t you say you wanted to keep it a secret that you’re an elf?”

“I covered it up with magic, so it’s fine.”

“But I can see them clearly!”

“That’s because you are not the target of the spell.”

Lucia explained that it was a waste of mana to apply an illusion on someone already familiar with her identity.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Feeling somewhat embarrassed for her, Kang Jin-hyuk sighed.

“Magic seems quite convenient.”

“From my perspective, the skills you humans have look even better. You just have to yell out the name of the skill for it to activate.”

“Isn’t magic also that way?”

Lucia let out a chuckle as she shook her head.

“Magic is not that simple. You have to precisely calculate the amount of mana used, and you also need to formulate the incantation in your head…”

To use magic properly, one needed a high level of mathematical calculations, making it impossible for anyone with a lack of intelligence to use it.

Although talent was needed for swordsmanship, Lucia felt that magic truly belonged in the realm of innate talent.

“Well, you can’t just use it whenever you want either.”

Lucia believed extending the topic of magic discussion would be meaningless.

In a different world, speaking to someone who didn’t share the same familiarity with magic only served to waste breath.

It would hardly have any impact on someone without magical talents like Kang Jin-hyuk.

“I can’t sense the flow of mana, so there’s no chance I could learn magic.”

While Lucia constructed her internal thoughts, Kang Jin-hyuk started formulating a plan to study his skills.

Fearing a stop in their conversation would mean she would start chasing him again with that dagger, he hurriedly devised a strategy.

“It seems I need to analyze various cases to understand my skills properly.”

“That sounds like a grand discovery.”

Kang Jin-hyuk asserted that it would be more efficient to observe how individuals with low and high karma values behaved.

Analyzing traits stemming from those different sets of actions would surely yield some insights into the skills.

“Hmm…”

Lucia’s reaction was rather vague as she pondered Kang Jin-hyuk’s proclamation.

While the method appeared sound, she sensed something was lacking.

“What criteria will you use to distinguish karma levels?”

Without gaining clarification regarding hidden skills, establishing an objective measurement would be futile.

Fortunately, Kang Jin-hyuk had obtained another hint regarding a skill he acquired.

“It seems that a karma value above 200 classifies as high.”

“Why?”

“Individuals exceeding that number are not penalized for murder.”

“What do you mean by ‘penalty’?”

When Lucia asked for clarification, Kang Jin-hyuk took a moment to explain the penalties associated with murder that hunters faced.

After his concise explanation, Lucia’s expression morphed into one of disbelief.

“They label someone for a single act of murder? What a brutal neighborhood.”

“Not brutal, but quite a safe area. If it weren’t for those penalties, people would have been dying left and right.”

Most hunters would do anything for personal gain, and without checks on their actions, chaos would surely ensue.

“Anyway, so the 200 mark serves as the threshold?”

Lucia, having steered the topic back on course, had her mind set on uncovering more about Kang Jin-hyuk’s hidden skill, not investigating hunters’ affairs.

“Considering that you, me, and that short dwarf combined don’t even exceed a hundred, it seems there won’t be many people above 200.”

“That’s why I was planning to visit crowded places as everyone returns from work.”

“A train station? Where’s that?”

Rather than explaining about the station, Kang Jin-hyuk decided it would be better to take Lucia along.

“Just follow me.”

Although surprised by the sudden grasp of her arm, Lucia nevertheless followed closely behind Kang Jin-hyuk.

‘How cocky.’

Lucia felt discomfort seeing someone much weaker than herself leading the way.

While not entirely displeased with him, an inexplicable feeling gnawed at her.