Former Ranker's Newbie Life

Chapter 130

The engraving didn’t show on his skin. It was carved straight into his blood vessels and bones, hidden where no one could see it. Do-Jin waited for the pounding ache to calm down, then decided to give it a try.

He didn’t even need to use Psychokinesis. The moment he fed mana into the engraving, power surged up his arm, wrapping his right hand in invisible force. A faint tremor ran through his fingers, and his skin tingled as if something alive were crawling beneath it.

Let’s see how strong this thing really is.

He looked around for something to test it on and spotted a silver ingot on the workbench. Since he had taken off his gauntlets to work on the engravings, he was completely barehanded. No matter how hard he squeezed, it seemed impossible that he could dent this thick metal.

But still, I might as well find out.

He released the enhancement and gripped the ingot as hard as he could. As expected, nothing happened. The metal didn’t budge, and the ache started to flare up again, sharper this time.

“Tch.”

He reactivated the engraving, and mana flared through his arm once more. As his hand hummed with the same deep vibration, the sound of grinding metal filled the air. The silver block didn’t explode or crumble, but when he opened his hand, a clear handprint was pressed into its surface.

So that’s the limit with just the right hand.

He could push it harder, but with the engraving that small, the stability would go straight to hell. Cranking the output too much would just end with his bones shattering to pieces.

The last thing I need is to break my goddamn hand before I even finish the job. He let out a quiet sigh and dropped the ingot onto the table.

“Was that a body-enhancement engraving?” Sisala had been standing there the whole time, staring at the warped ingot. Her eyes flicked to his hand with a mix of curiosity and worry. “If you raise your body’s enhancement output that high, aren’t the side effects pretty nasty?”

“It’s fine,” Do-Jin said flatly. “This one’s built to suppress most of it.”

Sisala nodded slowly, though the crease in her brow didn’t fade. Body-enhancement types always came with some kind of backlash.

I thought it was weird how many mana stones it burned through. For something that small, barely the size of his hand, the circuit density is ridiculous. He’s probably diverting the excess output to keep it stable.

Even so, Sisala felt it was excessive. Did he really have to push himself like that? Regenians and their damn obsession with power, man. I swear they’d tear their bodies apart before admitting their limits.

Meanwhile, Do-Jin wasn’t paying her the slightest attention. He was already working on the next engraving, prepping it for activation. All that ran through his head was how fast he could finish engraving his whole body and see just how far this new power could go.

Stability’s fine. Now I just need to get the rest done.

***

Do-Jin’s work dragged on for what felt like forever. Every movement had to be exact because the Silvermoon engraving was split into twenty-four different parts, each one demanding ridiculous precision.

He worked nonstop for fourteen straight hours, carving every single piece. Each engraving had its own function. Some were for power, some for control, and others for stabilization. When he finally finished the last one on his head, the entire circuit came to life, and twenty-four engravings linked together in perfect sync.

Up until then, he had to activate each engraving one at a time. But the final piece on his head acted as both the command center and stabilizer, completing the Psychokinetic Enhancement Formula at last. The whole system now worked as a unified structure.

Now, all that’s left is learning the skill itself.

Do-Jin wiped the sweat from his chin and reached for the next part of Silvermoon’s legacy, Unique Magic System: Psychokinetic Artistry Chapter. He opened it, and a glowing message appeared before his eyes.

[New Magic System, Psychokinetic Artistry, has been recorded.]

When it was finally over, Do-Jin let out a long exhale. The exhaustion that hit him was heavy but strangely satisfying. His muscles ached and his mind was dull, yet he felt relieved. He leaned back in his chair, letting his body sink into the seat. When he turned his head, Sisala was fast asleep beside him.

At some point, she had completely passed out. Earlier, she had told him to stay put, saying she had a bit of work left before her day off. Apparently, one of Viego’s assistants had taken her shift, and she had shown up not long after, looking half-awake. Before she knew it, she had nodded off beside him, breathing quietly.

I guess she hasn’t had a proper night’s sleep in days, he thought.

Watching her made him feel a little guilty. Sisala was the one handling his request, and she looked like someone who had been pushing herself to the edge for weeks.

Well... she’s a mage. Crafting magic tools is how they grow faster, Do-Jin rationalized. She probably hasn’t had much choice.

Even if Sisala had stocked up on equipment and resources from The Magic Workshop Consumed by Evil, the constant material drain must have been brutal. She had likely been cutting sleep just to keep up.

Still, Do-Jin couldn’t deny how much she’d grown. Being able to refine Blue Stargrass that cleanly isn’t something just anyone can do. That’s high-level craftsmanship.

The flawless success of all twenty-four engravings was partly thanks to the quality of her materials. The enchanted dye she had made was still more than half full, even after all the work he had done.

At this point in the game, most players were breaking past Level 100 and diving headfirst into engraving, the real gold-guzzling grind. Even a single engraving was enough to burn through over 50,000 Gold worth of materials.

Sure, rare materials always cost a fortune, but getting higher yield and cleaner quality from the same stuff takes pure skill. She’s damn good at what she does.

Do-Jin drummed his fingers against the wooden table, watching her sleeping face for a moment before deciding what to do.

“Alright.” He had made up his mind. He was going to help her. He would make sure she had the means to open her own workshop.

He thought about letting her sleep a bit longer but decided against it. The way she was slumped over looked uncomfortable, and she would wake up sore if he left her that way. He reached over and gave her shoulder a gentle shake.

Sisala stirred, blinking herself awake. “Ah—”

When she realized she had fallen asleep, she jumped upright like she’d been caught doing something wrong.

“I-I’m so sorry!”

“What are you sorry for?” Do-Jin said calmly. “You finally got a chance to rest. Take it easy. Anyway, I’ve got something to talk to you about.”

Sisala tensed up a little. Do-Jin’s tone was different from usual. He sounded calmer, but more serious somehow. Before she could ask why, he went straight for it.

“Have you ever thought about starting your own magic workshop?”

Sisala blinked again, caught completely off guard.

“Don’t look so surprised,” Do-Jin said. “I’m saying this because I’ve seen the quality of the dye you made. Most people can’t even handle Blue Stargrass properly, but you did it cleanly. If you opened a workshop, you wouldn’t be running at a loss.”

A faint, crooked smile tugged at her lips. “I was wondering where you were going with this. I understand having your own workshop is every mage’s dream once they get into crafting. But that’s only possible for people who actually have the means to do it.”

She had imagined her own space, her own equipment, her own magic workshop before. But that was all it ever was, a mere dream. Something only talented, well-funded mages could pull off.

Do-Jin’s voice broke through to Sisala, who was quietly chewing over the bitter reality. “You’ve got everything you need. You’ve got the talent, you’re putting in the work, and your skills are growing fast. It’s only a matter of time.”

“I’m not sure any of that’s really true,” she said quietly. “Even if it is, that alone isn’t enough.”

“Then I’ll handle the rest,” Do-Jin said. “10,000 Gold should be enough to get you started, right?”

Sisala’s eyes went wide. “You’re joking... right?”

“I’m not joking. And of course, it won’t be for free. We’ll split the ownership fifty-fifty.”

“That’s insane! What if I screw everything up? You’d be throwing away that kind of money for nothing!”

10,000 Gold was over 100 million won in the real world. It wasn’t exactly pocket money that anybody would just throw away. But when viewed as the price for half the shares of the future Omen Magic Workshop, it was practically a steal.

“Don’t worry about losing it. If you blow it all, I’ll just invest more. Though my share would get bigger next time,” he said.

Sisala felt something twist in her chest. It wasn’t anger or embarrassment but a strange, heavy emotion she couldn’t name. She didn’t understand why he was doing this for her.

Do-Jin, of course, had his own reasons. He knew what kind of mage Sisala would become in the future. To him, this was a safe investment. But to her, it felt like an overwhelming act of kindness that came with a lot of risk on his part.

“Sisala,” he said, looking her straight in the eye. “Your talent is the real deal. I just want to see it bloom a little sooner. That’s all this is. A small investment to help that happen.”

“I don’t even trust myself,” she murmured. “How can you trust me?”

“I just do. We’ll figure out the contract details later. For now, take this.”

He handed her a pouch containing 1,000 Gold and the remaining Blue Stargrass dye.

“I haven’t even said yes yet...”

“I don’t like wasting time,” Do-Jin replied. “If you decide not to do it, just consider it a gift. It’s your choice.”

Sisala froze, realizing she couldn’t say no. Her heart was pounding, and she could almost feel her affection toward him skyrocketing. Money didn’t always buy trust, but most of the time, it sure as hell helped. Add a silver tongue and a bit of genuine emotion on top of that, and it was game over.

“I’ll send the rest through the Adventurers’ Guild,” he said as he stood up. “Go pick it up when it arrives.”

“This isn’t how people usually do things!” she snapped.

“Sure it is,” he said, smirking.

Before she could stop him, Do-Jin was already on his feet, turning toward the door. “Well, that wraps up everything I came here for. I’ll get going.”

“You’re leaving? Just like that?”

“Of course. You need rest. It’s your day off today, remember? You can thank that nice Mr. Viego for covering you.”

Sisala glared at him sharply. “You’re impossible.”

Her eyes flashed with irritation, but the “hostility” didn’t bother him in the slightest. The Affection meter was already past 60, so no amount of glaring was going to scare him now.

He flashed her a clear, teasing grin, then gently ushered her back toward her room before leaving Elthomagia. The job was done, the investment for the future was secured, and now it was time for the fun part: testing out his brand-new engravings.

***

For his test run, Do-Jin headed to the Level 80 instance dungeon, Capone’s Corpse Disposal Site. It had once been an underground dumping ground used by a serial killer to get rid of bodies, and now it was crawling with zombies and skeletons.

Do-Jin had already passed Level 100 and was closing in on 110, so he picked this mid-to-high Level 80 dungeon to find out whether his new ability alone could get the job done.

The moment he stepped inside, a clattering sound echoed through the dark corridors. Four skeletons rushed toward him, bones rattling as they charged. Do-Jin activated the engraving, Psychokinetic Enhancement Formula. All the engravings responded at once, synchronizing with his movements. Every muscle and joint received exactly the reinforcement it needed, no more, no less.

As the first skeleton lunged, Do-Jin’s right arm snapped upward with a small uppercut.

Thunk!

The skeleton’s jaw shattered instantly and the lower half of its skull snapped off. Even with the level difference, a mage’s bare fist wasn’t supposed to hit that hard. But Do-Jin felt the impact vibrate through his knuckles, sharp and satisfying, and that was all the proof he needed.

So it really does scale with Magic Attack. The psychokinetic enhancement boosts physical strikes using magic coefficients. He grinned, flexing his fingers back and forth.

It was, in every sense of the word, a true magic punch.