[Lee Shin-Woo]

[Elemental Skeleton Joker]

[He who Conquers the Impossible; 2 other titles]

[Lv - 5 (Stats effectiveness 170%)]

[Strength - 397 Agility - 376 Endurance - 372 Magic - 577]

[Passive skills - Acting Lv11, Invisible Heart Lv3, Low Rank Avenger Lv2, Intermediate Bursting Thunder Lv1, Intermediate Mana Bone Lv1, Intermediate Shadow Sprint Lv1, Low Rank Command Lv8, Intermediate Assimilation Lv1, Intermediate Combat Sense Lv4]

[Active skills - Disguise Lv1, Bone Reinforcement Lv6, Rule of Bone Lv4, Bone Armory Lv2, Low Rank Shriek of the Dead Lv8, Low Rank Regeneration Lv7, Sacrifice Lv1]

[Elements - Low Rank Fire Lv4, Intermediate Acid Lv4, Intermediate Lightning Lv1]

[Resistances - Holy: MAX, Curses: MAX, Acid: Low Rank Lv9, Ice: Intermediate Lv2]

Lee Shin-Woo stared at his dazzling status blankly and asked Jin in a dumbfounded tone, "Jin, is your stats effectiveness also 170%?"

"Yeah. It seems like that's the same for everyone. And when you reach level 6, it becomes 200%."

"Huh, it increases even further."

Now Lee Shin-Woo could say outright that it was nigh impossible for a lower leveled individual to beat a higher leveled individual in this world. The fact that I defeated the level 5 Treasure Eater, Lee Shin-Woo suddenly realized, is nothing short of a miracle.

Is it even possible for me to beat a level 6 opponent? One must accumulate 3,200 stat points in total to reach level 6, and stats effectiveness would further increase by another 30%... There’s too large a gap.

That was still the case even if he factored in Jin, who at least doubled his fighting strength. He wasn't confident that he could defeat Kratia if they were far from each other, especially when he considered the power of the catalyzed magic she'd cast recently.

Is Bursting Thunder and the reinforced elements my only shot? Those would increase the 'level' of my magic, and if I were to add Rule of Bone to the equation, the 'level' of my physical abilities would increase as well; I would then be able to land a blow at the very least. The reason I was able to take down an Iron Golem in one shot was because of those two abilities.

Those were the powers that had enabled him to overcome the limit of levels, united as one to create something greater than the sum of the parts. In fact, these handful of skills had reached such a height that they could be considered 'authorities'. Lee Shin-Woo could safely say that he was ahead of all the other heroes in this regard. He suddenly realized how lucky he was to have acquired Bursting Thunder from defeating the Undead Hero.

Lee Shin-Woo wanted to assess his strength as objectively as possible, and while he mulled over it, Kratia, who had been staring straight at him bemusedly, said with absolute certainty, "Shin-Woo, you should be able to reach level 7."

"Stop complimenting me. Stop. It's frightening just thinking about it."

No matter how hard he struggled, would he even be able to leave a scratch on Guillotine Steelworker? If he rode atop Jin's back and charged at full speed with the Drake Horn Lance, he might be able to land an effective blow, but there was no guarantee that Guillotine Steelworker would just sit there and take it; plus, it would be the Golem’s turn to attack after.

"No, you can do it because you realized what's important early on and kept improving yourself. I've never seen anyone who could harmonize their body and mana so perfectly... Perhaps it might've been easier because your body's made of nothing but bones."

"You looking for a fight?"

"I'm just happy that there's more for me to study since you leveled up."

There was absolutely no lies in what she said. She was genuinely happy that Lee Shin-Woo had leveled up. It seemed she just wanted to stay with them and study his magic.

"There's something I need to do before that,” Lee Shin-Woo said carefully to interrupt her. “So just stay put and study this."

"Hmm? Oh."

Lee Shin-Woo had thrown her the Limited Order Bone Core. Many of its functions had been unlocked and changed due to Lee Shin-Woo, and there was a lock set up that allowed those he'd approved of to control the Golems. Realizing this, Kratia's eyes opened wide.

"...Are you a genius?"

"You'll probably get something out of studying that. I'll get going."

"Where are you going anyway?"

Kratia wasn't the only one curious; Jin also looked curious and asked the same question. Lee Shin-Woo briefly explained what the Goddess’s Garden was to them. Kratia seemed disgusted, and Jin sported an odd expression.

"Don't you want to meet her too?" Lee Shin-Woo asked.

"I do, and I don't… What happened recently got me thinking. Have I been too greedy?"

He had gotten to know how karma worked. As he adapted and developed in this world, he became acutely aware of how childish he had been. Lee Shin-Woo could definitely agree with that sentiment.

But since Lee Shin-Woo still wanted to give her an earful for not telling him what was going to happen to him, he didn't voice his thoughts.

[Would you like to swap out 10 permits to Goddess’s Secret Shop for 1 permit to Goddess's Garden?]

Lee Shin-Woo had 11 permits right now. In other words, even if he didn't acquire what he wanted from the Goddess, he could always go to the Secret Shop later.

Lee Shin-Woo nodded without hesitation. Soon, a blinding light burst in the air, and a faint light descended upon his head.

[You have acquired a permit to Goddess’s Garden. Would you like to enter now? You may bring the contracted Jin Taylor with you.]

He didn't think the 'one plus one' rule would apply here as well. In any case, Lee Shin-Woo thought it wouldn't be a bad thing to take Jin along, so he looked back at Jin; Jin seemed to have understood what Lee Shin-Woo was asking without him saying it out loud and nodded with a conflicted expression. Kratia was examining the Limited Order Bone Core with great interest, and simply waved goodbye at them.

"Yeah, we're entering together."

[You have used a permit and are entering Goddess's Garden.]

Like what happened when he entered Goddess's Secret Shop, the surrounding landscape softly melted away. Lee Shin-Woo knew it was a teleportation spell at a level that he couldn't yet reach, which would transport one's consciousness to somewhere that was neither the underground nor the surface.

"Ugh..."

All around him was white. Then he saw flowers he didn’t even know the names of blooming all over the ground; their refreshing fragrance enveloped him. He felt a gust of wind and the warmth of sunlight.

A silver table emerged, and chairs rose up from the ground. Finally, a beauty with red hair appeared in front of him. She resembled Pleine, but she also looked extremely different with her countless appearances.

"Why don't you sit down?" she said like she had been waiting for him.

"...Alright," Lee Shin-Woo replied easily and took a seat.

He noticed belatedly that he had been turned back into his human form. He had anticipated it somewhat since this was the realm of the mind; it made sense that he would manifest as the physical form he perceived himself to be.

Being human again had an effect on him, but he wasn't too shaken since he was well aware that this appearance existed only in his consciousness. Instead, he asked, "Where did Jin go?"

"Did you really think I wouldn't be able to talk to you both at the same time?"

Lee Shin-Woo thought they would be meeting the goddess together like they had when they visited the Secret Shop, but it seemed they were getting a one-on-one conversation. He was worried about Jin facing the goddess on his own. However, the goddess seemed to have read his mind, and she laughed softly.

"I didn't call you here to punish you, so don't worry. Your delicate and innocent partner would get a blessing easily. You see, there's a suitable skill that'll strengthen him."

"...It sounds like that's not the same for me."

"Exactly. You're neither delicate nor innocent, are you?"

The goddess tilted her head, resting her chin on her palm; her eyes seemed amused as they focused on him.

"There's nothing more I can do for you. I assure you, your talent in handling mana is greater than any hero before you. If I knew that before, I wouldn't have gone through the trouble of turning you into a mere skeleton."

"..."

It would be a lie to say he wasn't pissed. She was the one who should ascertain his talent and act accordingly before sending him to the Underground Empire! Noticing the dissatisfaction in his eyes, she waved her hand at him and explained herself.

"Even I don't have a way to measure how talented someone is before they manifest mana. The only thing I could do was to listen to your wish and answer it as best I could."

"Well, it is true that my request was excessive. At the time, I was so scared of the Empire that I wanted to find a way to stay safe no matter what. ...But you should've told me. You should've explained karma in more detail."

"I definitely told you that you'd have to pay the price back then."

"..."

Hearing that, Lee Shin-Woo stared at the goddess hard for a moment. Her attitude pissed him off, but he couldn't shake off the thought that she had deliberately responded so absentmindedly to rile him up. She seemed to be doing this to distract him from thinking deeply about the subject.

Therefore, he opened his mind to other possibilities. Perhaps she hadn’t turned him into a skeleton simply due to her ill nature. There might be some other reason... However, the stubborn goddess didn't give him the chance to ask.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but we can't talk for very long. There's nothing I can do for you in terms of skills or karma, so I'll give you an item in exchange. If you have any other questions, ask me next time."

"...Then I'll ask a quick question. Is it fine to leave Ethan Cruz as is?"

Lee Shin-Woo had asked under the assumption that his senior hero, Ethan Cruz, was an s.o.b., causing the goddess to momentarily pause; however, it wasn't something that she could just easily dismiss.

"It's really hard for me to control those who I've bestowed my power to. I can't take back what I've given, and I cannot personally exercise my power..."

"Enough with the pretense. What do you really think?"

"Honestly, I don't really care what happens so long as the Empire is purified. Ethan Cruz is, at the very least, a truly devoted hero in that aspect."

That was bullshit; so much so that it was unbelievable that the goddess had said it herself. She must have realized how harsh she sounded as well, and she quickly added, "But don't worry. He can't do anything to you. Ah, same for your partner."

"If there was one thing we share, it's our maxed out curse resistance... It seems like that asshole's power is connected to the curse. Well, the Empire is filled to the brim with the curse, so if you want to get stronger, someone who can handle the curse would have an advantage… Wait a sec, did you plan for that from the start by giving us these resistances?"

"Hm, I wonder. I simply gave you what you wished for."

The goddess played innocent until the very end, but one part of her face was stiff. Lee Shin-Woo couldn't help but think that he'd been robbed[1] by this short talk. The goddess’s eyebrows quivered.

"...Did you gain a lot in the Empire?" she asked.

"There was a lot I could recover from countless peoples' memories. It's thanks to you."

"You desperately wished for immortality above all else, yet it seems like you're actually ignoring that ability right now and are trying to get stronger; that's quite funny."

"It's exactly because of my immortality that I can move so proactively… So I don't regret it. I'm satisfied with myself right now."

The moment he finished speaking, Lee Shin-Woo was engulfed by blazing black flames. The flames that only burned what its owner wished for it to burn! His skin, hair, muscles, and flesh were all burned away; all that remained was a level 5 Elemental Skeleton Joker.

He had completely discarded the part that was still attached to his human self and fully accepted himself as what he was.

"...Ha."

The goddess laughed in disbelief. And to the goddess, Lee Shin-Woo firmly said, "Now I'll tell you what I want."

"A level 6 item would do, wouldn’t it?"

"Please give me a quest."

"Hmm...?"

Neither a skill nor an item, but a quest? The goddess tilted her head, wondering what he was plotting, and then she heard a response she couldn’t believe.

"I would like to give the heroes who have died and become undead peace. Please give me their locations, as well as a quest to eliminate them."

1. T/N: Talking about how he didn't get a lot of answers despite paying such a high price.