Chapter 202. FRESH

It's a clear morning. Just getting out of bed made the world seem brighter than usual, and the air felt refreshing. Moreover, this wasn't just a matter of mood.

Kim Giryeo's lungs had been severely damaged since the time I was reincarnated. As a result, every time I breathed, a dull pain would settle in my chest. It wasn't that it wasn't important, but I hadn't mentioned it until now—there were times when, during bad spells, I even coughed up blood.

"Hwaam."

Such minor discomforts are now a thing of the past! The Dragon's Lungs—more precisely, the biologically enhanced tissues strengthened by magical alveoli—no longer caused the previous issues. Now, my lung capacity has drastically increased, and my overall athletic performance has improved as well.

Good. Everything is good. Now that I've regained the health I longed for, should I start with the thing I've been wanting to do the most...

Whoosh.

This is a monumental first cast. I opened my palm and cast the magic I've always used since the past.

A sophisticated sequence of formulas, incomparable to the primitive magic used by Earthlings. In Alphauri, archmages were the ones who created new miracles. Moreover, they refined the formulas used by past magicians into a streamlined, efficient form, free of any excess.

This is a modified version of the freezing magic that I personally revamped through such a process. It freezes matter at t speeds faster than the blink of an eye, while consuming only half the mana compared to the original. Truly, there is no trace of wasteful extravagance in its execution. The spell, often praised for its beauty by those in the same field, is now complete. It was no more technique, but a culture of intelligent beings elevated to the level of art—just how much effort and dedication did it take to bring it to this point?

"It's done."

Ssssk.

Soon, a cold chill gathered on the apricot-colored palm of my hand. What I had created was none other than a circular ice sphere, about 10cm in diameter. A miracle in which a proper amount of water and frost were generated in an instant from the void of nothingness. And the cost for this act? Merely the amount of mana equivalent to a single fingernail's worth of energy.

"That's it. That's it!"

Now, I could casually cast even basic spells like it was nothing! After confirming that the cast was normal, I immediately took the next action.

Whoosh.

I picked up a bottle of water that had been rolling around in one corner of the room and activated the same spell on it. Adjusting the power roughly with my intuition, the lukewarm water instantly turned as cold as if it had been left in the fridge for six hours.

It's a convenient technique. Spells that alter temperature like this greatly impact the quality of life. During the hot summer, I can cool my body in an instant with a single breath, and I no longer need to fear the cold drafts that seep through the cracks of an old house during winter.

The magic I use is the latest civilization, honed by an entire planet to its peak, so in terms of bringing comfort, it far outpaces the technology of this world. Moreover, in this alternate world called Earth, this lifestyle brings additional benefits.

The energy cost is free! No matter how much external mana I draw, it costs nothing. Hahaha!

"Legal tax evasion... Just hearing that combination of words gets me excited."

I swallowed my laughter and rubbed my dry palms together. As I had figured out before, there were many environmental differences between Earth and Alphauri, so if I used the same formulas I had established in my previous life, the magic would most likely fail to activate.

However, whenever I felt inconvenienced in daily life, I promised myself that once I fixed my lungs, I would definitely use those spells. So, in the meantime, I recalculated the formulas. As a result, even basic spells that came to mind could now be cast instantly.

For example, something like 「Clean」. I wonder if Earthlings even know what this is? Ah— 「Clean」 is a complex spell that combines various attributes of magic at a low intensity to remove foreign substances from the body. In other words, it cleanses you... To be honest, I almost died from the annoyance of following the inferior cleaning methods here until now.

"Well, it's a relief that it's been solved now, though."

Whoo.

I took a deep breath, filling my lungs to their fullest.

As I pondered various thoughts, the clock had already ticked to 1 PM. That means I'm probably hungry by now. It's about time to get some nutrients.

Click.

The kitchen shelf suddenly opened to the outside. The small pot that had been there was swiftly pulled through the air by an invisible force, slicing through the space. Moments later, the pot was filled with clean water.

Bubbling.

Even though it hadn't been in contact with any heat source, the surface of the liquid began to boil on its own, as a bonus.

Low-level telekinesis, low-level water magic, low-level fire magic. One by one, the feasibility of the magic was being proven.

If it were like before, I would have run out of mana just by lifting the pot, but now that my lungs have been healed, I could easily endure a 3-minute cooking time. It felt like I had become a completely different person, as my body's office had changed drastically. So, with a heart full of joy, I sat down in front of the table, holding the freshly made ramen.

"_ _"

About 10 minutes later. After finishing my meal, I finally regained my composure. I had been excited for a moment due to the joy of acquiring the dragon's lungs, but now that I thought about it, all the magic I had cast earlier were nothing but trivial spells with no real power.

But this was actually a natural progression. Kim Giryeo is an F-class Hunter. In other words, his total mana capacity is minuscule, a pathetic awakened being. No matter how much a great wizard tries to conserve their resources, there are a clear limitations. I was still incredibly weak, more so than I could have ever imagined. There were more things I could n't do than things I could do.

"Hmm."

But there's no need to get lost in negative thoughts, especially on a day like today. Let's think positively.

Having passed the major hurdle of acquiring the [Dragon's Lung], all that's left is to obtain the body of another awakened one as the final ingredient. Of course, it wasn't necessary to aim for a high rank right away. Starting with something like a D-rank would be enough— with my skills, I could gradually raise the level step by step.

"Once the exchange is safely completed, I'll place this body in the tomb I saw before..."

Come to think of it, I have grown attached to this body without realizing it? When I think about discarding Kim Giryeo's identity, I can't help but feel a bit regretful. After all, how much effort and money have I put into keeping this trash of a body alive? Even now, I'm still providing nutrients at set times and making sure it shines. At this point, it's natural to feel some attachment to my possession. And when I think about the life the original owner lived, there's a personal sense of sorrow as well.

"Anyway, it's useless and weak. So why not just live a long life instead of becoming a corpse?"

I quietly muttered those words toward someone, then got up from my seat. Thinking about it, I realized that my food supply at home had run out. I needed to go out today.

***

Tak, tak, tak.

The sound of footsteps echoed down the quiet street. A silver sedan, left to rust between the buildings, showed signs of wear with the paint fading around the edges. Nearby, an SUV gleamed with the shine of a recent wash, its surface reflecting the sun's rays. A foreign car with a round emblem, easily recognizable, sat among them. This was the main street of a small neighborhood, where various cars were illegally parked.

Among the people walking down the street, the smaller and lighter one raised their head and began speaking.

"Dad."

At the sound of her voice, the man beside her responded. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he looked down at the person she was addressing.

"Dad, you know—"

"Yeah."

"Friends at school were saying that an S-rank Hunter lives around here. Is that true?"

For reference, the place the small Earthling just pointed to is a multi-housing area characterized by old red brick exteriors. It's a street lined with one-room apartments for rent, ranging from 5 to 10pyeong. Typically, even a D-rank Hunter wouldn't bother looking at this type of housing, but he does recall hearing stories about some top-tier Hunter living around here...

"Oh, oh, maybe that's right?"

When he answers, the child's eyes widen and he asks back.

"Why?"

"Hmm?"

"Hunters make a lot of money, so why does that person live here?"

"I don't know."

"Mom always says that if we hit it big in a dungeon, we'll move to a safer place first."

"It's all because she's thinking about our daughter. I heard that place has really good security, so it's nice."

"Then does that hunter live here because he doesn't have a daughter?"

"It seems like he's not married, though. Uh, anyway, Dad doesn't really know about that either."

Anyway, why do kids have such unique curiosities? As the question about the S-rank Hunter passed, the father on the street quickly grabbed his child's hand and said briefly.

"By the way, daughter. You shouldn't point fingers at other people's houses like that. How would you feel if someone talked bad about our house?"

"I didn't say anything bad."

"When Dad was young, I was poor and lived in an attic. Is that a bad thing? No, every house has its own circumstances."

"Mhm."

"So, just think that both places, here and there, are precious homes to someone. Okay? It's not strange that they live here."

In fact, even as he said this, he couldn't help but wonder why a hunter like Kim Giryeo would live in such a shabby one-room apartment. However, hearing this, absentmindedly looked up at the sky. Then, a large shadow of wings passed over to be out there, fighting off dangerous beasts. However, the truly powerful beings, usually the A-rank, were too busy dealing with monsters of their own caliber, so they rarely appeared before the vast majority of monsters that threatened urban areas. S-rank Hunters were distant figures, far removed from the everyday lives of the citizens.

Until now, that's what they had always thought.

Kiiik!

Somehow, the sound of a bird crying could be heard. It was too loud to be the call of a small bird like a bulbul or magpie. The father and daughter, hearing this, absentmindedly looked up at the sky. Then, a large shadow of wings passed swiftly over their heads.

A wide white eye with a tiny pupil, like a grain of rice. Red feathers fall, crumbling to the ground. And a sharp beak that could burst a person's soft skin like a balloon.

"Kyaaaah!"

"Heuk!"

It's a monster!

The child's father realized the presence of the monster and swallowed nervously. A giant bird flying around, shrinking like a human child. He couldn't even make out its name, but with such a size, it would pose a significant threat regardless of whether it possessed magic.

"D, Dad..."

"Shh!"

He pulled his child into his arms and held his breath. Despite reacting so quickly, the monster eventually noticed their presence, turned halfway in the air, and settled above the heads of the ordinary father and child.

Whoosh. Whoosh.

The suffocating moment of flight. The mysterious giant bird flapped its wings and, after assessing the position of its prey a few times, tilted its long head downward. This was a preparatory movement the monster always made when hunting for food.

"Heuk...!"

If they were to leap forward to match the monster's charge, there might at least be a chance of survival, but facing a gigantic beast several times larger than a human, their body froze in place in that instant.

Rustle.

But at that moment, a sound like plastic rubbing against itself echoed from the opposite side of the alley. Normally, it would have been drowned out by the usual city noise, barely noticeable. However, today, that sound struck their ears with an unusually sharp clarity.

"Huh, what is it?"

The ordinary father and daughter, their eyes consumed by fear, shifted their gaze toward the figure that appeared from the alley.

Blonde hair. Sleeves rolled up, wearing a white dress shirt. And in his hand, a white plastic bag from a nearby discount store.

"A beginner killer?"

The fourth S-rank in Korea, Kim Giryeo...

The young man who appeared across the street lightly raised the hand that wasn't holding the bag. Then, with a simple motion, he drew a short line, moving his index finger from below to above. That was all.

"Keeek!"

However, starting from the hunter's small gesture, a final scream was heard from the sky.

Wheeeee... Boom!

Soon after, the massive creature of a bird monster falls right in front of the father and daughter.

Crack, crack.

The creature, with its long neck twisted around twice, had met a tragic end. That's right, as soon as Kim Giryeo saw the monster, he had swiftly snapped its neck with telekinetic magic.

"Is this area a good place for beginner killers to nest?"

The situation clearly demonstrates the meaning of archmage who has repaired their lungs, Kim Giryeo casually rummaged through the fallen monster's corpse, confirming that there was no magic stone, before taking out his phone.

"Yes, yes. Hello. Is this the association's customer service? I'm calling to report a waste disposal. There's one in front of my house, not sure where it crawled out from..."

The conversation that followed was brief. And then, the blonde man continued on his way.

Tak, tak, tak.

A certain S-class hunter gave a slight nod to the father and daughter standing blankly on the street and left dryly. Righ t after his reincarnation, he had felt the threat of death from a Beginner Killer, but now, dealing with a monster like this was as easy as pressing the button of an elevator. It was truly remarkable progress.

"_ _"

When the sound of the other person's footsteps had gotten a little farther away, the child in her father's arms spoke.

"Dad. I want move here."

"Let's go home and tell Mom."

However, for the same reason, the rent for all apartments in the area, except for the house of a certain S-rank hunter, skyrocketed, and their dreams were soon shattered.

He just said that a house could never be the value of a person. But does that mean the opposite is possible...?