Chapter Title: Awakening Stone Gacha
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'Is this the Ability Awakening Stone?'
I examined the stone I'd received through the 1:1 trade from every angle.
It was a dark red stone that gave off an ominous vibe.
'A stone that grants an A- to B-grade ability when swallowed.'
The Ice Queen had handed over this awakening stone and told me to just pop it in my mouth.
There was no reason to hesitate just because it looked like a rock, so I swallowed the awakening stone right away.
'Huh?'
As soon as I swallowed it, the stone melted like smoke and slid naturally down my throat.
Thump thump―
With that, I felt an intangible energy spreading through my body, and my heart began pounding rapidly.
Assuming this was growing pains from acquiring the ability, I silently endured it, waiting for it to settle.
'A-grade for sure. Please come out as A-grade.'
Honestly, even a B-grade would probably be enough to protect myself against regular people.
But human greed wishes for the best possible outcome, so I hoped for an A-grade ability.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ A new superpower has been detected. You have acquired the A-grade ability, 'Telekinesis'.
'Did it always announce it like this?'
Anyway, I'd gotten the A-grade ability I wanted.
Though the sudden alarm sound had thrown off my timing to celebrate.
'Oh. And the Ice Queen asked me to tell her what ability I got.'
I decided to share the good news with the Ice Queen too.
💬 Private Chat — Castaway(2ch) Ice Queen! I got an A-grade ability! It's Telekinesis! Thank you! — Ice Queen*(3ch) Hold still and don't do anything for a moment.
"..."?
Don't do anything?
— Castaway(2ch) Why all of a sudden? — Ice Queen*(3ch) The first time with Telekinesis is the most important. What do you think Telekinesis is, Castaway? — Castaway(2ch) Just lifting objects without using your hands, right? — Ice Queen*(3ch) Correct. But if there's a cup right in front of you, how would you lift it?
'How?'
— Castaway(2ch) Just think "float," no? — Ice Queen*(3ch) Not bad, but inefficient. For reference, a little sister I know implements Telekinesis like thin wire. — Castaway(2ch) What's the difference if you implement Telekinesis like that? — Ice Queen*(3ch) You can use physical force in that form. Wrap wire around a neck and pull—snip snip, head comes off.
"..."
Hearing that, it was very different from the Telekinesis I'd imagined.
'To sum up, when it takes form, it gains the corresponding physical properties.'
— Castaway(2ch) What if I implement a sharp sword? — Ice Queen*(3ch) You could use it like a real sword. But I don't recommend it personally. — Castaway(2ch) Why not? — Ice Queen*(3ch) It limits you to "sword" tasks. My recommendation is "hand."
'Hand?'
A hand with fingers?
— Castaway(2ch) Any reason why? — Ice Queen*(3ch) Superior versatility. You mentioned a sword earlier—why make one with Telekinesis when you can just pick up a real one? — Castaway(2ch) Hmm.
That made sense when I thought about it.
— Ice Queen*(3ch) Plus, you can strike directly, grab things, lift multiple objects, and more.
In short, it could be used in many ways.
— Castaway(2ch) Does the wire you mentioned earlier have limitations? — Ice Queen*(3ch) Of course. Lifting objects requires wrapping wire dozens of times or thickening it, so it's mentally taxing and fatiguing.
With a hand form, you could just grab and lift.
I pondered various options, but nothing better came to mind, so I settled on hands.
— Castaway(2ch) Got it. So, think of hand form and use Telekinesis? — Ice Queen*(3ch) Think of two hands, like right and left.
Hearing that, I immediately visualized both hands and activated Telekinesis.
The moment I thought "use Telekinesis" in my mind, I instinctively knew how.
'Telekinesis. So this is Telekinesis.'
As I focused, I felt an invisible, transparent energy gathering in the air.
Visualizing hands made that energy take the form of two hands, just as I wanted.
'Amazing.'
Telekinesis wasn't visible, but I could sense it clearly.
It felt like moving my hands with my eyes closed.
'And no confusion either.'
This level of control meant I could move my body and Telekinesis simultaneously without issue.
'Do I have a hidden talent?'
— Castaway(2ch) Made it. And I can control Telekinesis freely. Do I have talent? — Ice Queen*(3ch) It's an A-grade ability, so it comes with some correction.
"..."
Not talent, then.
— Ice Queen*(3ch) Anyway, swallow the Bloodstone I gave you too, and it'll level up to 2. At level 2, you can handle regular people easily. — Castaway(2ch) Swallow the Bloodstone too? — Ice Queen*(3ch) It turns liquid the moment it touches your tongue, so no discomfort.
Having heard the explanation about the Bloodstone, I felt considerable gratitude toward the Ice Queen.
Not only had she given away a 200,000-point Awakening Stone for next to nothing, but she'd also shared tips on Telekinesis without holding back.
'How do I repay this?'
Besides, I'd need the Ice Queen's help to grow Telekinesis further.
'But I can't rely only on her.'
Maybe I should check the 3ch exchange occasionally.
So I could buy Bloodstones the moment they appeared.
— Castaway(2ch) Thank you so much. I feel a bit safer now. — Ice Queen*(3ch) Always be careful. Ask anytime if you have questions.
Questions?
'Oh.'
— Castaway(2ch) I heard adding friends reveals locations. Is that true? — Ice Queen*(3ch) True. But you and I are in different worlds, so no worries. Without friending, there's no way to contact each other.
'Fair enough.'
Just for Bloodstones, I'd need regular trades with the Ice Queen.
So staying friended like this was best.
— Ice Queen*(3ch) Anyway, trade's done. Looking forward to working with you. — Castaway(2ch) Yes. Looking forward to it. ◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"Phew."
Ice Queen—Han Soo-yeon—let out a long sigh like a breath of relief after ending the 1:1 chat with Castaway.
Thinking she'd gotten off to a good start, she pressed the call button on the radio nearby.
Beep―
A few seconds after pressing it, someone opened the front door and appeared.
Clank―
"Yes, sis. You called..."
The woman, who had a bright and lively vibe at first glance, was startled by the numerous boxes around Han Soo-yeon.
No, not just the boxes—the entire room was filled with the smell of chicken, and beer stacked like little towers looked almost illusory.
"S-Sis. What's all this? Chicken? It's chicken, right?"
"Yeah. Tell everyone to come get one each."
"Wait, more importantly, where did you even get this?"
"Contracted with a merchant using an Ability Awakening Stone. This is proof."
"An Ability Awakening Stone?"
The Superior Ability Awakening Stone was still a hot topic.
Many argued they needed to create as many Awakeners as possible.
"You didn't sell it for 200,000 points, did you?"
"Not sold—contracted. Now I can buy stuff like this anytime with points."
"...!?"
The woman's eyes widened again at Han Soo-yeon's response.
Points could be steadily earned by killing zombies everywhere, so it wasn't really an issue.
'Not perfectly issue-free, of course.'
At least they no longer had to cling to 4ch's jelly.
"Jeong Ye-rim. Write down anything you need on paper. Points required, of course."
"Really? But how many points?"
"Not sure exactly... but around 1,000 won per point."
"Then I'll need to hunt a ton of zombies."
Called Jeong Ye-rim, the woman nodded eagerly and moved to carry out Han Soo-yeon's orders.
"I'll go distribute to everyone!"
Jeong Ye-rim left through the front door, visibly excited about what was to come.
Han Soo-yeon watched her go, then looked back at the gallery window. Specifically, Castaway's name in her friends list.
'Good thing he's more naive than I thought.'
Naive here meaning he didn't start with suspicion like most others.
'Now I'm the only one who can trade with him on 3ch for a while.'
To gauge Castaway's ability limits, Han Soo-yeon had deliberately requested chicken and beer.
Castaway replied that he was short on points and needed time—open to multiple interpretations.
'Likely no restrictions on purchases themselves.'
Daily limits or item quantity caps seemed unlikely.
'And that means...'
In a pre-zombie world, maybe not. But now, it was the most powerful force imaginable.
Thus, Han Soo-yeon had lured him into auctions with points as bait. Thankfully, he followed without suspicion.
'Auctions have their own advantages.'
But Castaway's way to earn points quickly was selling food by the thousands or tens of thousands.
Becoming 3ch's sole food vendor. Han Soo-yeon hadn't mentioned that, pushing auctions only.
'Auctions will net more points anyway, so no loss.'
By directing him to auctions, she'd flooded him with chat requests, then blocked all of 3ch.
Channel block, not individual—so no one on 3ch could see Castaway's posts.
Exchange included.
'Ongoing auctions will proceed, though.'
No new ones after.
Now the only one able to trade with Castaway on 3ch, Han Soo-yeon planned ahead.
'After getting closer, ask him to hold off selling food for a while.'
She planned to use food herself.
In this era, food was a massive weapon for huge gains.
'Starting with points, maybe Bloodstones, even people.'
The biggest issue would be power to protect the food.
But Han Soo-yeon wasn't worried about that.
Ice Queen, Han Soo-yeon.
She was one of Korea's rare S-grade Awakeners.