'About thirty cans, give or take.'
When stacked, the effects add up. The duration doesn't extend, but the effectiveness increases proportionally with the number of paint applications.
In Polaris, slow is a high-value status effect. It impacts movement speed, attack speed, and the cooldown times of skills.
In other words, applying it ten times is practically a guaranteed stun.
'It's almost like an exploit…'
Most special weapons released later that apply status effects have different mechanics. The developers acknowledged their mistake.
'The problem was whether I could do this alone.'
The [Sticky Brush] is a set with a brush and a paint can. If it disappeared as soon as it left his hand like other equipment, this strategy wouldn't work.
But fortunately, only the brush and the paint 'can' disappeared. The paint already applied remained.
To use an analogy, it's like the gun disappears but the bullets remain. He confirmed a couple of days ago that the paint lasted at least eight hours.
To reiterate, the minimum conditions to clear stage 0-5 are as follows:
A well-developed 4-star or higher damage dealer.
Ten [Sticky Brush] special weapons.
Ten characters to serve as platforms for the equipment.
Once you apply a 100% slow effect, you melt them down with a burst-damage magic dealer.
'But things seem a bit different in reality.'
Handling spells requires concentration. For Kim Ihyeon, the cooldown time translated to a headache as a side effect.
Given that…
Can an ability user maintain their spells properly under a status effect?
'I couldn't, no matter how hard I tried.'
Stepping on the sticky paint himself was a terrible experience. His cognitive abilities diminished, and it felt like his entire body was heavy and soaked.
His spell easily dispelled.
Not just the brush, even the paint he had already applied disappeared, forcing him to reapply it.
Isn't there a recoil from continuously creating the same item? That's why the pancakes he made at dawn are spread out over there.
So, to summarize:
At this moment, the Shadower is reduced to a shadow of its former self.
Sssss!
The shadows began to dissipate. The overwhelming range of the 'Flare' spell was torn apart.
Soon, only a human figure remained. As even that faded, Karib's bare form was revealed.
This meant the Shadower's spell had ceased to function. Its extremely high physical resistance was gone.
The remaining duration was about six seconds.
More than enough time to kill a defenseless human. And here was a 'well-developed damage dealer.'
Thud!
The [Glitch Knife] embedded itself in Karib's throat. Ghost twisted the handle, tearing through the neck, and drew a dagger with his left hand.
Four seconds.
He stabbed the dagger into Karib's heart. This time, he didn't pull it out and instead drew a knife from his belt.
The knife repeatedly stabbed Karib's side. Vital organs, including the lungs, were damaged.
One second left.
Crunch!
He gripped the [Glitch Knife] and pushed it sideways. Karib's spine shattered, muscles tore, and the skin was split from the inside.
Sssssss!
Blood poured out.
The emaciated body staggered. As Ghost stepped back half a step, Karib fell forward. His vacant eyes reflected Kim Ihyeon's face.
There wasn't even time for a final word.
From the start of the stage, the Shadower hadn't spoken a single word before dying like that.
"Huff, huff."
The shock was there.
A person had just killed another person right before his eyes. For a modern person born and raised in a lawful society, it wasn't something he could just brush off.
No matter how much of an enemy they were, it wasn't something to laugh about.
Sympathy? Maybe. More than that, it was disgusting and brutal.
But where there's death, there's also life. The ghost that should have died survived.
And besides that…
Even though Kim Ihyeon's eyes were fixed on the Shadower's corpse, he was seeing something else.
[ERROR!]
[An unexpected error has occurred.]
[Confirming the death of the character 'Shadower'.]
[Calculating scenario damage rate.]
[Now Loading....]
…What is this?
Well, he had a rough idea. Something similar to the 'Agent Records' he had seen the day he fell into the world of Polaris, when he first saw the player character, the professor.
[Loading Completed!]
[Damage rate of Main Episode 0 'Reunion': Moderate]
[Damage rate of Main Episode 1 'Adaptation': Moderate]
[Damage rate of Main Episode 2 'Stirring': Low]
.
.
.
[Damage rate of Main Episode 6 'Farewell': Very High]
His spine chilled as if doused in ice water. It felt like being caught committing a secret crime.
But soon his head cooled too.
This wasn't a crime. There was no reason to fear. He had acted knowing all this.
'It means I did well.'
Almost every episode was tinged with tragedy. If things had turned more tragic than before, the future would be bleak…
'That's nonsense. They wouldn't do that, would they?'
If the distortions led to a slightly more hopeful direction, that was desirable. It was worth all the hard work.
This might prevent many agents from dying.
'That's enough.'
He was about to sigh in relief when it happened.
[The existence of Agent 'Kim Ihyeon' is becoming distinct.]
A mechanical voice flowed.
[The rank of Agent 'Kim Ihyeon' is rising.]
[The skill 'Special Equipment Creation' is being enhanced.]
[The attribute limits are expanding.]
[Updating Agent Records.]
[Agent Name: Kim Ihyeon]
[Rank: ★★]
[Specialty: Unknown]
"…What?"
Kim Ihyeon had become a 2-star agent.
* * *
All the commotion subsided in less than a minute.
The silence was heavy as a stone. For a while, only the breathing of the three people filled the room.
While Kim Ihyeon's attention was caught by his suddenly updated agent record, Layla and Ghost were each lost in their own thoughts.
After a moment.
"..."
The sound of footsteps. Layla approached the Shadower. She bit her lip when she saw the brutally mutilated corpse.
Even if it was an enemy, Layla felt pity. But she didn't utter any words of mourning. That might sound like she was blaming Ghost.
She merely observed the minimum decency. She closed the eyes and covered the body with her jacket.
Next, she examined the garage.
The state of the front was terrible. Not just the shutter but the walls on both sides had melted.
But there were parts untouched by the shadow. Even there, traces of green paint could be seen.
"So that's it."
She half-understood, her tone a mix of various complex emotions.
"The professor told me. He said you might seem lighthearted at first, but you're a cautious person. Come to think of it, you were the one who warned us about the spell-wielding enemy."
Relief. Complication. Helplessness. These sorts of feelings.
"Considering you recognized the danger, when you insisted on going out recklessly… maybe I should have realized."
The still-wet paint was sticky due to the heat. Layla brushed her finger against the wall.
"…Maybe because it's only a small amount. I don't feel any significant changes. But surely, this paint was why the Shadower suddenly withdrew his spell."
She looked at the paint on her finger, then turned her gaze.
Eyes. Kim Ihyeon's dark brown eyes and Layla's light brown eyes reflected each other.
"It's a strange feeling. It's supposed to be the same color family, but it feels so different from what I see in the mirror."
"Well, isn't that how it is for everyone?"
Kim Ihyeon didn't think it was a random statement. It was clearly about a sense of distance.
Layla didn't understand Kim Ihyeon as a person.
A vagrant, a resident of Tullabia. Strange paint and the words he had spoken to the Shadower.
They didn't fit together.
"Could you explain… what you said? If I heard correctly, you called that man 'Karib.' And 'EDA-031'—"
"Hard to say."
Kim Ihyeon shrugged. Naturally, he had no intention of telling Layla everything. Having come this far, he had to push forward.
He had an escape plan in mind.
"I'm not sure how much I can tell you. Remember it well and ask your lab director when we get to the lab."
"…What?"
Layla widened her eyes. Meanwhile, Ghost, who had been quietly observing the situation, spoke up.
"Do you have connections with Calliope?"
"Hmm?"
Calliope?
The unfamiliar name made Kim Ihyeon tilt his head. But only for a moment, before he burst into a chuckle.
What a sneaky move.
"I know the person uses various names, but Calliope is a first. The name I heard was 'Kushan.'"
The head of Selbro Logistics Lab operates under many names. And Kim Ihyeon remembered all of them.
Morea, Nazar, Glaucus…
Calliope wasn't one of them. It was even a female name, wasn't it?
Kushan is a male. This was a trap set by Ghost to verify the truth.
'Is this actually good?'
The verification added a bit of credibility. As expected, Layla and Ghost exchanged glances and nodded.
"It would have been nice if you had mentioned it earlier."
"Same goes
for you. Think about it. To someone who knows nothing, how suspicious does the professor look?"
"That's…"
"See, it's hard to explain."
Someone asleep in a glass tube in a place no one visits. It would be strange to accept it without any suspicion.
"And all I knew was the name 'Karib.' And that he wanted something from the professor."
Kim Ihyeon grimaced. His back still hurt. He wanted to check his condition.
"EDA, whatever it was called? I made that up, so it didn't stick. Anyway, I don't have such a thing."
That was true.
Even in the game, the Shadower never obtained the cure. The professor had lost his memory anyway.
Even if the exact name had been listed, there's no way he could remember it. Polaris has more people like the Shadower.
'How could anyone remember the exact name of a cure for each one? Even some developers might not know.'
It wasn't that important. The result was perfect. Drawing aggro well allowed them to deal with the Shadower as planned.
'And I became a 2-star agent.'
Only the star count still seemed insignificant. A 1-star agent that didn't exist in the game, barely upgraded to the lowest tier of 2-stars.
But.
'It means I can go even higher?'
Except for a few rare exceptions, all agents in Polaris have a 'cap.' No matter how much you train them, their rank doesn't increase.
But Kim Ihyeon was different.
He realized this now. It was an unexpected gain and the biggest achievement.
'It also said the attribute limits expanded.'
Attributes. Even if not displayed in the agent record, they were being adjusted.
It made sense that his body moved well.
'Each rank has a set maximum for attributes. And ranking up removes those limits.'
In gaming terms, it's an 'expanded max level.' Even if there's no immediate change, attributes will improve with experience.
Kim Ihyeon felt like he was floating again.
Actually, he felt this way earlier. Ever since being chased by the Shadower, reality felt distant.
He had to adapt. This was the reality he faced.
* * *
After a while.
They reunited with Pavel and the professor safely. After Layla gave Pavel a brief explanation, they took time to regroup.
Layla and Ghost handled first aid. Fortunately, there were no serious injuries.
Everyone wasn't entirely unscathed, but it wasn't severe. Kim Ihyeon only suffered mild first-degree burns.
Ghost had a few scratches from fending off the shadows, and the professor's back was slightly more burnt than the others…
'They'll get treated at the lab.'
It wasn't possible to avoid damage entirely. Clearing the stage didn't heal injuries like in the game. There are healing spells, but they aren't perfect.
'Seriously, if he had just used the Flare a bit later, it would have been much easier.'
What was he planning to do if the professor actually died? It's beyond understanding. He didn't even want to figure it out later.
The Shadower, Karib.
'He might be a pitiful guy, but who isn't? In my eyes, I'm the most pitiful.'
Living diligently with no family, barely getting by like everyone else. Suddenly thrown into a world of filth.
The recent events had solidified his resolve.
'I won't die. I'll survive no matter what.'
Barely scraping by wasn't enough. Even if some episodes were damaged, that's just the start.
The Shadower belonged to an organization called 'Legion.'
Even if this was half his solo action, they would become active from the next episode.
War and all kinds of disasters. There's still a lot of prepared tragedies.
The professor alone won't be enough. Left unchecked, destruction will come closer every moment.
'More variables are needed.'
Even if it means collapsing all episodes, it must be stopped. For survival.
'It seems related to rank-ups too.'
It happened as soon as the predetermined scenario twisted.
It might be an overreach, but… if I keep stopping tragedies, maybe. I might find out why I ended up here.
Finally, the path was clear.
After resting and a quick meal, they resumed their journey. Conversations noticeably decreased. The bleakness was different from before.
The journey continued until they left Tullabia. With the mention of 'Kushan,' joining Selbro Logistics Lab was no longer an option.
'What was near Tullabia again?'
Main episodes, various side stories, and events filled his mind, making his head ache.
As he walked, deep in thought, he felt a tug on his sleeve from behind.
"Hey, Hyun."
"What?"
"I'm sorry about earlier. I spoke harshly without thinking. We both had our secrets, as you said."
"That's a sudden change."
The reply came not from Kim Ihyeon but from Pavel. When he heard the full story, Pavel didn't seem particularly surprised.
"I never believed you were a vagrant. Even if things are chaotic now, back then you looked too well-off to be a vagrant. Your way of speaking, your eyes, everything looked fine."
He snorted.
"Vagrants aren't like that. If you ever have to act like one again, pay attention to the details."
"Thanks for the advice. I thought you considered me a thorn in your side."
"I did. Because it was obvious you were lying. I still don't fully trust you…"
Pavel glanced at Ghost and Layla. Ghost's masked face aside, Layla looked quite haggard.
Everyone was alive. Even the professor.
"Anyway, we owe you our lives, right? Unless you were the one who brought the Shadower, it seemed like the professor was the target. And it looked like you were trying to help us."
Pavel grinned. It was the first time seeing such an expression on him.
"So I should say thanks. Ghost and Layla seemed to like you from the start, so they might have mixed feelings."
Kim Ihyeon exhaled. He briefly considered sparing Pavel from the mines. Maybe he'd even arrange a rotation for him.
"So, I'll ask again, what's your name?"
"Kim Ihyeon. It's my real name."
"Really? I thought for sure it was a fake."
Pavel seemed surprised and continued,
"My name's real too. Some in the lab use codenames like Ghost, but not me. Remember it. I'd like to repay the favor someday."
"In what way?"
"Hmm. Do you like drinking?"
Kim Ihyeon chuckled.
"Ah, I love drinking."