episode_0041

It’s been a long time since I last laid eyes on the Milky Way’s shimmering expanse.

As always, the stars fade one by one, until only a single one remains, its radiant light drawing closer to me.

And then, a deep, resonant voice echoes alongside a luminous yellow glow.

“Though I left the secular world in pursuit of enlightenment, I could not turn a deaf ear to the cries of those suffering in agony. Thus, I willingly became a sinner to embrace them.”

A gleaming, bald head.

Eyes brimming with unwavering resolve.

A monk’s robe draped over a sturdy frame.

And a broken prayer beads hanging from his waist.

Scars litter his skin, visible here and there.

His name is—

“The Fallen Monk Who Abandoned Enlightenment, Park Jeong-hyun.”

My first 3-star persona has been decided: a fallen monk.

As my vision returns to normal, I can’t suppress my excitement.

“Finally.”

When you think of a fallen monk, the image that comes to mind is usually one skilled in physical combat, right?

This is, without a doubt, a combat-oriented persona.

Not some non-combat role like an artist, fisherman, or actor—this is the real deal.

The baldness is a bit of a downer, but I’m in no position to complain about something so trivial right now.

Without bothering to calm my racing heart, I immediately borrowed the Fallen Monk persona.

[Persona Borrowed: The Fallen Monk Who Abandoned Enlightenment, Park Jeong-hyun]

[The persona’s level overwhelms the host’s body.]

[All stats of ‘The Fallen Monk Who Abandoned Enlightenment, Park Jeong-hyun’ are reduced by 40% until Limit Break is completed.]

My body begins to reconfigure itself, morphing into the form of the Fallen Monk.

The sheer difference in specs is staggering compared to before.

Even a simple comparison with the Artist persona shows that my physical strength and mana are at least 1.5 times greater now.

But wait—this is with a 40% stat reduction?!

Reading the delayed message, I couldn’t help but be stunned.

So this is the might of a 3-star combat persona.

“Once I complete the Limit Break, I might even be able to go toe-to-toe with Karen.”

That’s just how powerful this Fallen Monk persona is.

And its true worth isn’t just in raw physical prowess.

“Truly… an intriguing power.”

The knowledge and techniques of the Fallen Monk now embedded in my mind whisper to me.

This trial is absolutely clearable.

“No need to hesitate.”

[Will you challenge the 1st Trial?]

[YES/NO]

Rising from my bed, I immediately accepted the trial.

My vision warped once more, and the barren wasteland I’d seen before—devoid of even a single blade of grass—reappeared.

Then, as I slowly raised my head, I saw it: the colossal giant.

No matter how many times I see it, the sheer sense of helplessness it inspires is overwhelming—but there’s no need to worry.

After today, I won’t have to look at its ugly face ever again.

[1st Trial]

– Eliminate 1 Corrupted Giant. – Time Limit: 30 minutes.

“Here I go!”

This time, instead of the giant, I was the one charging first.

A moment later, the creature turned its hollow eyes toward me and swung its massive body into motion.

It raised a fist carrying the weight of a mountain—

—BOOM!

But there was no way I’d fail to dodge an attack I’d avoided even with the Artist persona, now that I was stronger.

Taking a large step back, I evaded the blow—

“Huuup!”

—and, following the Fallen Monk’s expertise, I channeled mana into my fist and struck the giant’s forearm.

The spot I hit looked completely unharmed.

In fact, it almost felt like stabbing it with the Artist’s carving knife would’ve been more effective.

At least, that’s how it seemed on the surface.

—THUMP!

A ripple spread from the point of impact, coursing through the giant’s entire body.

Like a stone dropped into still water, sending waves across the surface.

—THUMP!

Another punch, another ripple.

And as the new ripple collided with the first, yet another was born.

A cycle of ripples begetting ripples—an endless loop.

If I could detonate all those accumulated ripples in an instant, the resulting shockwave would deliver unimaginable damage.

Build up enough pressure, then unleash it all in a single strike.

This was the Fallen Monk’s unique ability: Ripple Detonation.

I dodged as the giant tried to stomp on me.

“You’re too slow.”

But no matter how clear the water, if no fresh flow enters, it will eventually stagnate.

Similarly, unless I periodically infused new ripples myself, the existing ones would eventually dissipate.

In short, if I just planted two ripples and waited for them to multiply on their own, they’d vanish like a midsummer night’s dream.

So I had to keep up a relentless assault.

—THUMP!

I drove my fist into the giant’s Achilles tendon.

—THUMP!

Dodging its grasping fingers, I retaliated by punching its fingernail.

Each strike consumed a chunk of my mana.

At this rate, I’d run dry in about five more minutes.

‘Not great sustainability.’

Then again, expecting both power and endurance at this level would be greedy.

Better to end this quickly.

Clearing my mind of distractions, I focused entirely on the fight.

Dodging a kick.

Striking the shin.

Slamming into the thigh.

Evading a punch.

Pummeling the knee.

Driving my fist in.

Hitting.

Hitting.

Hitting!

The more mana I burned, the more the ripples inside the giant multiplied exponentially.

—THUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMP!

By now, the storm of ripples was so overwhelming it was almost deafening.

Instinctively, I knew—

Now was the time.

—!!!

The giant roared and swung its massive fist down at me again.

Like a falling meteor, calamity descended—but I didn’t even try to dodge.

—VOOOOOM!

I gathered every last drop of mana circulating in my body and poured it into my fist.

This wasn’t just another ripple—it was the detonator for everything I’d built up until now.

“Endure this!”

I swung my fist with all my might toward the giant’s incoming strike.

Fist met fist—

And the countless ripples swimming through the giant’s body erupted in a chain reaction.

—……..!!!!

In the next instant, the giant’s body exploded.

Its remains scattered in every direction like fireworks.

This was the pinnacle of the Fallen Monk’s potential.

The overuse of mana left me dizzy, but the spectacle before me was so beautiful I couldn’t help but smile.

Not just because I was satisfied with the Fallen Monk’s performance.

But because the helplessness that had gnawed at me for so long had just been shattered in an instant.

Because I’d been reminded, once again, that my potential was limitless.

All of it intertwined, giving rise to the smile on my face now.

Feels damn good.

[You have successfully cleared the 1st Trial!]

[Limit Break has been achieved!]

At the same time, a message appeared before my eyes—

—CLINK!

—accompanied by the sound of chains breaking, as if some weight had been lifted from my body.

Like I’d finally cast off something that had been binding me all this time.

[From now on, 3-star personas can be obtained through the gacha.]

[Shop LV has been upgraded to ‘Novel.’]

The wasteland littered with the giant’s remains gradually faded, and when I regained my senses, I was back in my cozy bedroom.

“Haaah~ That was great!”

Releasing the borrowed persona, I flopped onto my bed, calming my pounding heart as I organized my thoughts.

The trial was cleared.

From now on, 3-star personas would appear in the gacha, and as a bonus, the shop had leveled up too.

As the saying goes, strike while the iron is hot—so I immediately checked the new rates.

————

Persona Appearance Rates

– 1★: 79.9% – 2★: 20% – 3★: 0.1%

————

“…0.1%?”

For a second, I doubted my eyes.

A decimal?

Are you kidding me?

Even if my original body is practically trash, this is just cruel.

‘Does this mean I cleared the trial way too early?’

Persona appearance rates adjust dynamically based on the user’s capabilities.

In other words, at my current level, a 3-star persona is practically a pipe dream.

So that’s how it is, huh?

“Let’s see who wins this game.”

Using Forced Promotion on the shop had been prohibited by the World.

But it never said anything about not using it on the Persona Borrowing skill, did it?

I immediately selected the Persona Borrowing skill and activated Forced Promotion.

And then—

————

Persona Appearance Rates

– 1★: 75% – 2★: 20% – 3★: 5%

————

—it normalized.

I waited silently for a moment, but unlike with the shop, there was no text corruption or glitches.

So the shop was off-limits, but this was fine?

I could guess the reason.

With the shop, I’d tried to forcibly obtain a 3-star persona before Limit Break was achieved—making it impossible under normal circumstances.

But with Persona Borrowing, even if I used Forced Promotion, it wouldn’t grant me access to personas above 3-star.

Meaning, while obtaining higher-tier personas is restricted, mere probability adjustments are tolerated.

This was a boon for me.

I could boost the rates of higher-grade personas without any penalties.

‘From now on, I’ll use Forced Promotion to inflate the rates every time I pull.’

[4 minutes remaining until Forced Promotion’s duration ends.]

Which raised a question:

Should I pull now?

My answer: Yes.

In theory, the rates for higher-tier personas would improve over time, so the most efficient approach would be to delay pulling as much as possible.

But that wasn’t safe.

The future is unpredictable, and danger could strike at any moment.

‘That ‘World’ bastard might try to screw me over in some way.’

And now that I knew there were divine beings capable of harming me—directly or indirectly—I couldn’t afford to complacently hoard my fate.

Who knows?

That World thing might alter the future.

Or make the story even more batshit insane.

Or, like this time, interfere with my actions and put me in danger.

So I needed power.

The strength to adapt to whatever comes my way.

Meaning, blindly stockpiling fate wasn’t the right move.

‘Right now, I have 1,350 Fate.’

Enough for 13 pulls.

If I blew it all now, I might not have enough left to buy something crucial from the shop later, so it’d be wise to save a bit.

“Let’s do exactly 10 pulls.”

Having decided, I immediately went for a 10-roll.