I teleported inside my own home, just as planned. I placed the bag of mana stones on the ground and grabbed my phone since it had been a week since I'd had it.
There were messages, so many messages… and most of them were from one person.
Kim Ji-soo, my broker, seemed quite panicked based on what he sent through texts since I left right after my contact with the association. I wanted to call him and explain my disappearance, but I changed my mind and instead messaged him about a meeting point to resolve it through real-life conversation.
After that, I checked the time and date, which were exactly what they were supposed to be in the other world.
I grabbed the backpack and went outside my room. The sky was clear with dusk light touching my skin gently.
I took out my phone and called for a taxi to Sebastian's shop since he was the only way for me to sell the mana stones.
Sebastian's shop turned my happy feeling about selling the stones into discomfort as soon as I reached it. I pushed open the door, hoping for at least a little more money after selling the stones, and with that hope, I confronted Sebastian.
"Look who it is, Mr. Hoarder. You're getting a bit wilder than you promised," he said with a teasing grin.
"If there were another shop, I'd switch in a heartbeat," I said, exasperated.
I visited many other shops besides Sebastian's, due to my criminal hands being cleaner than their usual customers. Sebastian, on the other hand, did not care about my background, so even if it's discomforting, I comply with what it is.
"Don't be like that. What have you got for me?"
I placed the bag on the table and said, "Exactly twenty E-rank mana stones in this backpack. No more, no less. I expect a fair deal."
"Let me see."
Sebastian took out some of the stones and started examining them, but then he stopped his examination and said, "These stones are a bit strange. Where did you get them?"
"I got them from a friend," I replied shortly, eager to end the line of questioning.
He stood and went to the back of the shop and brought an appraisal device to appraise the stones. He placed one of the stones inside the device, then another, then another…
"There is a problem with these stones. They look like E-rank, but they don't have a normal amount of mana in them."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Well, whoever gave you the stones used them in a way, like in an experiment, so their mana isn't complete as per capacity."
I wanted to lash out in anger and call it a cap, as soon as I heard that, but Sebastian wasn't a liar… after all, I couldn't sell to any other shop, and he knew it as well.
"How much can you buy them from me?" I asked with displeasure.
"Given their condition, I can only offer you half of my usual price."
This wasn't very favorable considering that it was as much as an F-rank mana stone, and if so, it wasn't enough to pay both hospital and debt collectors… but I was desperate.
"Send me the money as soon as possible."
"Always happy for a transaction."
After my time with Sebastian, I went and started going towards the promised location that I told Mr. Kim Ji-soo about. Along the way, I was filling my mind with many thoughts and ideas about what I was experiencing and what I was going to do in the future.
I looked up and found myself in front of a normal restaurant with a pretty old outer design. Inside, people were eating their food and talking quietly to one another, which added to the calm feeling.
"Ethan?! Are you here to work today?" the restaurant owner greeted me warmly.
"No, Mr. Drov, I'm meeting someone here," I said respectfully.
"Ah, meeting someone special, are we?"
"It's work-related. Will it be okay with you?"
"Why wouldn't it be? You can take the furthest table."
I nodded and went to the table that the restaurant owner assigned. Just being close to the kitchen, my nose was disappointing me by being distracted with the heavy smells.
As I was waiting for Mr. Kim, to come, I checked the Internet for any important information that I needed to know. On the public awakeners' forum, people were talking about the problems caused by awakened criminals in the nearby section and the increasing number of newly discovered dungeons in the world, which was concerning.
I searched about the dungeon in Soiha district, the one I went to with Sean and his team. No information was published, other than its unavailability to the awakeners, which was strange. I had seen investigations before, but none were this closed and intense.
In between my search, a man with grayish hair and an old face resembling a kind grandfather approached my table. His clothing was ordinary but matched the restaurant attire… I knew that man.
"Ji-soo, thank you for coming," I said with a grateful smile.
Kim Ji-soo, my broker, and also a man with knowledge worthy of his age, sat at the table and said, "Everything for our Ethan… Though I didn't expect a text so early in the morning out of nowhere."
"Apologies, I was preoccupied and couldn't find a better time."
"What is the issue that you couldn't say over the phone?"
"As you likely know, the association is investigating a crime in the dungeon I was meant to be in. There are no records of my entry, but they've banned me until the investigation is complete."
The old man pondered for a moment, then asked gravely, "… Did you have any involvement in that crime?"
It was a reasonable question, after all, I wasn't so clean myself. People tend to do things beyond humanity if they were desperate, and I was one… but I wasn't like that.
"No, I didn't," I replied earnestly.
Ji-soo sighed relief after I declared my innocence. His stern expression softened back to his usual kind demeanor.
"Then where have you been all along?"
I had already thought of an answer for that question for a while, and despite knowing what I should say, I was worried that this might not be good enough… but there was nothing else to do.
"I fixed my [Status Window]."
"… Are you serious?! You can see your class and skills?" he asked with a smile on his face.
"Yes, I can. And it's a good one, too." I was genuine.
"I'm really happy for you… but what do you need from me?
"I want you to get me some students for dungeon cleaning. Since I'm banned, the only way that I could enter a dungeon is through mentoring others."
"A trainer's fee isn't that much."
"I know, but I don't want it for the money."
"I cannot understand. Then what do you want to do with your debt?"
He was right. With a trainer's salary, a person could at most rent a place and stay alive, but that wasn't what I wanted. [Advanced Learner] was a trait that allowed me to learn skills beyond my class, and I needed to find a way to use its utmost power… even if I have to run away from the debt collectors.
"I'm not going to pay for now. Things will change after I get a little stronger through my class."
"Are you certain? The debt could increase, or worse," he said with genuine concern, just like how he had always been looking out for me.
"I'm confident in my decision. Can you help me?"
"Alright… just don't forget me when you become famous," he said with a soft grin.
"How could I?"
After our conversation and eating something inside the restaurant, Kim Ji-soo went out to take care of my work. He also mentioned that he would finish the job by tomorrow, which was much faster than I had anticipated.
Since I was free for the day, I thought of doing something that I couldn't do when I was busier.
"We've reached the destination," said the taxi driver.
"Thank you," I said, then got out of the taxi.
In front of me was a building with all kinds of emotions inside it. People would go there to be healthy, and some to be reassured… a hospital, or more precisely the place where my mother was sleeping.
I went inside with neat clothing, holding a single rose in my hand. I went inside this hospital, straight to my mother's room, since I wanted to know her well-being.
She was sleeping as if she was taking a short nap, but it had been two years since she was in a coma. The reason? Doctors had no idea. They said, "It is because of the mana in the atmosphere," or "the awakeners' presence caused it," but they couldn't find any valid evidence for their speculation. Now she was on the bed, slowly getting withered and old, with no way of getting better.
"Hello, Mother. I hope you're doing well," I said, sitting beside her bed.
Though she was unresponsive, something inside me believed she could hear me… even though the doctors told otherwise.
I started telling her about my situation with affection. About the other world, my fixed status window, and even my newfound ability. All about how special I was that I could acquire skills by learning them.
This was everything that I could do since I was powerless… and as powerless, all I could do was to say, "I wish I could do something."
It was hurting me that I couldn't do anything besides paying the hospital bills, but I knew she was trying her hardest, too.
In the moment of silence, as I was getting drifted away by the emotions, something came to my mind, as if someone were knocking on the door. It was an idea with an unknowable outcome, but there was a slight possibility.
"Maybe I can do something," I said with fierce determination, my mind and heart racing with possibilities.
[ Dimensional Shift ⌜Max⌟
Rank: SS+
=—————=
Teleport the User to any desired Location.
• Cooldown: 24 Hours ]
A completely different reality, close to fantasy. A world that was born with magic, and not acquired it in 50 years like us… so I could find a cure for my mother's illness in that world.
"This is insane," I said, as my eyes were filled with glee.
It was slim and possibly false… but it was far better than the zeros that the doctors gave me.