All beings were born with mana, and their mana changed over time as they accumulated karma and grew. For example, if one was to train in ice magic, their mana would become colder; if one reinforced their sword or body with magic, their mana would become heavier.

However, Lee Shin-Woo's mana was a bit different. Since he had such a variety of abilities, and had used these abilities so diligently, his magic didn't have a chance to develop in a specific direction. Or that was what he had thought in the beginning, but turned out not to be the case. His magic was...

"That means your mana can change according to your needs!?" Kratia asked.

"Yeah sure, why not?"

Kratia raked her fingers through her hair and messed it up, frustrated that she couldn’t understand how Lee Shin-Woo was able to change his mana so freely. Lee Shin-Woo simply shrugged.

In the process of recreating a Golem's mana, Lee Shin-Woo had come to a realization: his mana had become a part of him, and was something he could fabricate like his speech, his expression, or his clothes. He would even go so far to say that his mana had become an extension of his Acting and Disguise.

"If I attempted to do it consciously, the magic loss would be too severe,” Kratia said. “But you... You can control your mana freely. Yeah, that's the characteristic of your mana. The quality of having an indeterminate form that can change into anything!"

"In other words, my magic is like Xitto… [1]"

Considering how Lee Shin-Woo was able to control three elements, his mana already possessed limitless potential.

Kratia had long realized that she couldn’t do what Lee Shin-Woo could do. Even so, she felt compelled to dig deeper. Her observation ended up being helpful to Lee Shin-Woo as well.

"My Catalyst Magic is an attempt to replicate your ability to transform mana. Since it's hard for me to change my own mana, I decided to change the mana in the environment instead."

"That sounds even harder!"

"No, it's not. There are already many existing techniques that trigger a change in the naturally occurring mana, I simply found a way to create a new mana pattern with better cohesion and efficiency."

"Mm, now I understand. Please keep going."

Lee Shin-Woo decided to memorize everything Kratia was saying and insisted that she continue. She sighed and resumed her explanation.

"The main focus of your ability lies in changing your mana, while mine lies in changing mana in the outside world. I managed to do that with a catalyst, but only barely. What I’m saying is…"

She paused and held up a small orb. It was the growing artifact she got from the goddess, the Orb of Eternal Ice. As expected, that everlasting ice crystal was the catalyst of her magic.

"I’ve induced the change with difficulty. It hasn't been long since this child was born, so the course of its growth hasn't been completely set yet... In a lot of ways, I got lucky. I managed to put my will into this item before it became too difficult for me to do so."

"Are you bragging about your artifact to me or what?"

"That’s not what I intended. Don't you feel something when you look at this orb...?"

"It's big and beautiful."

"Liar."

Lee Shin-Woo gazed at the orb piercingly, which appeared daintier than Kratia's fair hand. Kratia pushed the orb forward like she was telling him it was okay to hold it and check, but Lee Shin-Woo shook his head.

"If I touch it, it might change into bone," Lee Shin-Woo explained.

"What a terrifying ability."

Lee Shin-Woo examined the orb more carefully than before. He felt a vortex of ice cold mana within that was expanding even now.

He'd used some ice mana before through the elemental reversal ability of the Bifurcated Snake Spine. He believed he could master the element as well if he practiced a little more with the staff.

But that's not the issue right now.

The pattern that kept mana inside the orb was extremely unique. That was probably why Kratia had told him to take a look.

One glance wasn’t enough for Lee Shin-Woo to memorize the pattern, which proved to be a lot more complicated. It was a magic circle! If the difficulty of creating a Golem’s seal was one, this would be a hundred.

"Ultimately, this technique only allows me, who’s proficient in ice magic, to transform the surrounding mana into ice with the artifact Eternal Ice, but you... You should be able to learn something from this."

"Yeah... Alright. I understand."

Lee Shin-Woo had maintained his poker face and calm voice as usual, but Kratia knew he actually had no idea how it worked.

"...Should we increase the duration of the contract?" Kratia suggested.

"No. If all I need to do is memorize it, I can do it within a day."

"Tch."

Her plan of sticking to Lee Shin-Woo and getting some more magic inspiration from him failed... This was the last day of their contract. Starting tomorrow, they had to go their separate ways.

Silently, Kratia was cursing Lee Shin-Woo for failing to acknowledge her passion for magic, but on the outside, she simply pouted slightly and sucked it up. Being angry would be a waste of precious time.

"In any case, I'll go on with my explanation. I was barely able to manifest the magic through a catalyst, but you're capable of transforming your mana into anything. Right?"

"I can't transform it into anything. Only what I know."

"In other words, if you figure out how this catalyst works, you should be able to turn your body itself into a huge catalyst. That's what I've been thinking anyway."

Time crawled to a sudden stop for Lee Shin-Woo at the revelation. As expected of a master ice mage, her understanding of magic was peerless.

"You know, you're saying something really frightening right now," Lee Shin-Woo said.

"It's not that frightening compared to your latent potential."

Lee Shin-Woo considered what Kratia had said nonchalantly, but his body was actually trembling slightly. I can become a catalyst... If that happened, he'd be able to control the mana in the entire area however he pleased.

Lee Shin-Woo was already able to freely transform his mana. If he could turn himself into a catalyst, the possibilities would be endless.

"I can't even imagine it."

"It'll be possible for you someday,” Kratia said. “As long as you have my help."

"Why are you going so far to help me?"

"Because I want to see it happen."

Kratia didn’t hesitate at all, and her eyes were blazing with enthusiasm. Some might consider it unbecoming of an ice mage, but Lee Shin-Woo thought that this pure passion of hers may have been the driving force behind her growth to level 6.

"Even so, I'm not extending the contract."

"Why not!?" Kratia yelled, genuinely frustrated.

Lee Shin-Woo grinned. "What's wrong? It's not like we're never going to see each other again. We can always team up the next time we cross paths. I'll probably be stronger than you by then."

"You seem plenty strong now..."

"I'm not interested in strength that can only be used in a self-contained situation."

If he didn't have the strength to overcome an enemy head-on, he would ultimately have to rely on unconventional tactics each and every time. Lee Shin-Woo was confident in his tactics, but he also believed that he couldn't rely on such shallow methods forever.

Rule of Bone, Bursting Thunder, Mana Bone... I can get stronger as long as I strive for it.

Lee Shin-Woo forcefully balled his hands into fists and resolved himself. He didn't show what he was feeling very often, but before he knew it, he'd begun to trust Kratia more and allowed her to see his feelings so unconsciously.

We’re not so different after all, Kratia thought with relief. Meanwhile, Jin had been ignoring everything else and was training Steel Heart.

[Intermediate Mana Bone is now Lv4. Magic has increased by 10. Any action concerning the use of mana is buffed.]

Before it got dark, Lee Shin-Woo successfully memorized the structure of the Eternal Ice, which was enough to cause his Mana Bone to level up. That meant the knowledge she'd passed on to him was something extraordinary.

Kratia also gained something from this. Lee Shin-Woo had lent her the Bifurcated Snake Spine and demonstrated how he inverted elements, which deepened her understanding in her own element and further developed her Catalyst Magic.

If she were still on her home planet, the two of them would become inseparable with all the information and experience they had shared with each other. They would be together until death.

"It's unfortunate that we can't stay together forever," Kratia said.

"Haha, you're funny, Mr. Feynman[2], but that’s not how things work here."

"I'll contact you when I can via private chat."

"Alright. You can do what I asked you to do, right?"

"Of course."

Kratia firmly nodded, holding the Limited Order Bone Core that Lee Shin-Woo had remodeled.

She wasn't finished with the core. Nevertheless, it was still Lee Shin-Woo's, so she was about to tearfully return it to him. Lee Shin-Woo said she could keep it if she did something for him, though.

Don’t destroy the Golems you run into. Order them to go to this place instead.

Originally, anyone other than Lee Shin-Woo should only be able to issue temporary commands with the core. However, Lee Shin-Woo had successfully injected it with Steelworker’s authority by greatly reducing its functions.

His goal was to raise an army of Golems! They would make for a reliable fighting force later on if he could gather enough of them. And Lee Shin-Woo planned to give all the Golems he ran into the same command.

"Ah, thanks for the grapes,” Kratia added. “I feel like they’re enough to sustain me until I die."

"Make sure you get enough nutrients."

The two heroes shook hands. Lee Shin-Woo could sense warmth spread to his skeletal hand, and seemingly to his empty heart as well.

It felt qualitatively different from when he had shook hands with Erian; for a moment, Lee Shin-Woo felt a bit regretful. He could’ve established a friendly relationship with Erian as well, but… Lee Shin-Woo shook away the thoughts.

I chose this.

In addition to Kratia, Lee Shin-Woo was also going to part ways with the forty-three Pauls, who had been reborn as level 4 elites.

[We are truly...in your debt, Captain. I'd like to always serve by your side, but...]

"It's not yet the time. I told you I still have a lot to do."

[Captain...]

"However, I promise you. There will be a time when we fight together. There will be a day when the curse is lifted from the Underground Empire."

[We'll do our utmost to prepare for that day! We won't trouble you further, Captain!]

The Pauls had obeyed and trusted Lee Shin-Woo because of his connection to both Anti-Skull and General Seagald.

However, they no longer even thought about General Seagald once they became his subordinates. The general was just someone they once pledged their loyalty to; their lives now belonged to Lee Shin-Woo!

"I'll let you have the Golems. I'll save those who are wandering through the darkness like you and send them to you."

[Understand, Captain!]

If his goodbye with Kratia felt like a coming-of-age story, then his goodbye with the Pauls felt like a war epic. Kratia, who hadn't left yet, was deeply touched by the unfolding scene, which made it all the better.

[We'll return no matter what, Captain! No matter what!]

"See you later,” Kratia said. “Don't die."

"Yeah, don't die."

The Pauls left in the company of three shrunk-down Iron Golems, while Kratia went in another direction with the orb and the core in each of her hands. Lee Shin-Woo sent them off with a smile.

"They're gone now, aren’t they?"

"Yeah."

Lee Shin-Woo lowered his head when he couldn’t see them anymore. He wasn’t even doing something that should make him feel small, but for some reason, he couldn’t keep his chin up.

"...Good. Shall we go?"

"Go by yourself," Jin said firmly.

"You have nothing to be afraid of..."

Lee Shin-Woo smiled ruefully. He now had four permits to Goddess’s Secret Shop thanks to the earlier battle; he used one of them to enter the shop alone.

1. T/N: Pokemon reference.

2. T/N: May be referring to Richard Feynman, but I’m not really sure.