Chapter 19. Unrepairable

The Collapsed Temple truly was a ruin. Massive, crumbled walls surrounded a courtyard with a large, decaying structure overtaken by creeping vines at its center. Paths radiated out in eight directions, each lined with towering pillars and shattered statues.

Though ostensibly a temple-front, there were a number of structures whose purpose Kim Do-Joon couldn't quite pin down. He decided to refer to them as outposts.

Kim Do-Joon’s heart raced. Inside one of the many makeshift outposts scattered about, he had found an item.

[Corroded Staff of Faith]

The Elemental Island let me stack up on elemental resistances, but, unlike the Catacomb, items were few and far between.

Outside of the random box rewards dropped from clearing the labyrinth, the Elemental Island disappointingly yielded no complete items but only materials. On the other hand, the Catacomb had spared no expense, with items in each safe room.

The superfluous crafting materials provided by the Elemental Island could only get him so far. His copy-pasting ability demanded a steady supply of items.

With gleaming eyes, Kim Do-Joon picked up the staff and examined it.

[Corroded Staff of Faith]

Description

- This staff was once imbued with the powers of the god Raoh. However, it has since been corrupted by dark energy and stripped of its divine essence.

Rarity

- Common

Classification

- Weapon

Effect

- Unrepairable

- Attack Power + 1

- Mana Level - 1

- Perception Level - 3

"What the...?" Kim Do-Joon muttered.

The item did not have a single useful effect. Worse than being useless, it actively decreased his abilities! What was he to do with a single point added to his attack? Was he being pranked?

His shoulders slumped with disappointment. The excitement that had filled his chest faded.

Ah, well. An attack power of one is still... an effect, I suppose.

Kim Do-Joon sighed. He then held the staff against his body.

[One of the item effects of the Corroded Staff of Faith can be copy-pasted onto Kim Do-Joon.]

[Item effects available for copy-pasting:]

1. Unrepairable

2. Attack Power + 1

3. Mana Level - 1

4. Perception Level - 3

Huh?

Kim Do-Joon blinked, struggling to comprehend the first option.

'Unrepairable' counts as an item effect?

Unlike normal items, those that came with the “Unrepairable” effect could not be restored even by skilled craftsmen. Once it broke, that was it.

There was also the rarer "Unbreakable" effect, but that was a story for another day.

The fact that the item's unrepairability could be copy-pasted intrigued Kim Do-Joon.

His ability modified item effects based on the recipient's classification. For items, the unrepairable effect would remain unchanged, but what if the target was something else entirely?

What if I copied it onto myself instead?

His potions' effects, once copy-pasted, became skills. The Cold Heart of the Glass Snake's ice element turned into a Mana Core. What would the unrepairable effect become?

I'm curious, but I can't just use myself as a test subject.

The item effect was, after all, a penalty. There was no guarantee it would transform into anything otherwise on his person. If things went south, he had no way of removing it.

"

Graaaagh...

" a ghoul outside groaned.

As Kim Do-Joon turned toward it, a crazy idea formed. Gulping, he tucked the staff into his belt.

You'll never know if you don't try.

Grabbing his axe, Kim Do-Joon stepped out of the outpost. A horde of robed undead, each far more powerful than the Skeletons of the Catacomb, wandered aimlessly before him.

[Corrupted Disciple]

Compatibility

- 37%

Kim Do-Joon quietly assessed the situation. He had once charged into a horde of three hundred Skeletons, but that was only because he had no other options. Now that he had the ability to leave the labyrinth at will, he could pick and choose his fights.

The Corrupted Disciples had a much higher level than the Skeletons, but they didn’t have the same organized movements.

He waited until a straggler separated from the writhing mass. Kim Do-Joon picked up a stone and tossed it toward the ghoul's feet.

Clack—

"

Whoa?

"

Turning its head toward the thrown stone, the creature noticed Kim Do-Joon and began to sluggishly make its way toward him.

This thing seems to have the lowest intelligence among all the monsters I've encountered so far.

Maybe the spike in the monsters' Compatibility between the Tier 2 and Tier 3 labyrinths was to balance things out.

As the creature approached, Kim Do-Joon stepped back from the window. With a grunt, the monster followed, pushing its head through the window and filling the small outpost with its putrid breath.

"

Keauhhh! Kekkaaa!"

Frowning, Kim Do-Joon gripped his axe while the ghoul tried to pull itself through the window. Taking advantage of the monster’s struggles, he then chopped down.

"

Kekkkee...

"

His axe cleaved into the fleshy texture of the ghoul's face, partially severing the top half of its head. Kim Do-Joon pulled back and struck again.

Swoosh—!

The ghoul's face was completely severed above its jawline, abruptly silencing its screams. Still, it continued to thrash, one foot already inside the outpost.

Kim Do-Joon acted swiftly, severing the arms gripping the window frame before cutting off the wayward foot. With all its limbs eventually detached, he dragged the ghoul's torso inside.

"..."

The torso flopped around like a fish out of water. Disgusted, Kim Do-Joon grimaced as he retrieved the staff.

Thunk.

[One of the effects of the Corroded Staff of Faith can be copied and pasted onto Corrupted Disciple.]

[Item effects available for copy-pasting:]

1. Unrepairable

2. Attack Power + 1

3. Mana Level - 1

4. Perception Level - 3

It's working!

Kim Do-Joon felt giddy. His first attempt at copy-pasting an item effect onto a monster was a resounding success. As long as they were within his reach, there seemed to be no restrictions on the target.

No point in throwing away items with penalties, then.

Items with penalties, typically granting negative stats, had been of little use to him prior. Of the many he'd found, seldom had enough upsides to outweigh their adverse effects. The Cold Heart of the Glass Snake, increasing Cold Resistance but reducing Perception, was as good an example as any, as was his newfound staff.

With this discovery, he now had a use for items with penalties. They would prove useful for tackling bosses.

Before I get ahead of myself, let's see what the effect becomes.

Kim Do-Joon used his ability on the mangled but still-living ghoul. A soft glow enveloped it as the staff disintegrated.

[The item effect has been successfully copy-pasted.]

[The Corroded Staff of Faith has been destroyed.]

[The transferred ability will be adjusted according to the recipient's classification.]

Kim Do-Joon immediately used his Insight skill.

[Corrupted Disciple]

Compatibility

- 37%

[Additional Effect]

- Non-regenerating

As he had expected, the item effect was modified to fit its new home. Included with it was a detailed description.

[Non-regenerating]

- The bearer is unable to heal or regenerate body parts. Higher-ranking entities and those already capable of regeneration are immune to this effect.

Rank? Regeneration?

With no reference for those terms, Kim Do-Joon found himself at a loss. He understood their dictionary definitions, but he had yet to find items or skills using them.

By rank, is it referring to item rarities?

Item rarities could fit the bill, with their hierarchy ranging between common and legendary. However, he wasn't too confident in his guess since the system had used a separate term entirely.

Kim Do-Joon shook his head, deciding not to dwell on things he could not understand. That was not his style.

He set the information aside for later and embedded his axe in the ghoul's chest, killing it.

Swoosh!

Cold energies spread from the wound, freezing the ghoul's torso solid.

[You have defeated a monster. You have gained Experience Points(EXP).]

It's nice that I was able to see how it works, but...

Kim Do-Joon sighed, glancing at the familiar message. He needed to test his theory, but he could not help feeling regret for having wasted the "unrepairable" effect.

Dungeon monsters, especially bosses, often had potent regenerative abilities that were difficult to counter.

Keeping an item like that in my arsenal would have been pretty useful.

Engrossed in his thoughts, Kim Do-Joon stared out the window. The courtyard, sprawled like a small village, was dotted with numerous outposts.

What if there's more out there?

To find out, he spent the next three hours making his way toward the second outpost, steadily eliminating ghouls along his path.

[Corroded Staff of Faith]

[Corroded Robe of Faith]

A smile spread across his face.

***

Kim Do-Joon returned home exhausted. Reaching the second outpost had taken a lot out of him. Having drawn considerable attention from the ghouls, he was forced to use his teleportation skill to flee.

He had, of course, remembered to bring his new items along. He took them out of his inventory and laid them out on his desk.

Considering both outposts had items, it's not far-fetched to think the rest would, too.

Kim Do-Joon hadn't had the chance to count the outposts, but he was sure that there were more than ten. If each had even just one item, that would make for a significant haul.

The items themselves were extraordinary. Used properly, they could stop enemies from regenerating.

Single-use or not, ten is a great deal.

Kim Do-Joon retrieved two ordinary knives from his inventory.

"It'll be easier for me to use a knife than a robe in combat," he told himself. He copy-pasted the robe's effect onto one of the knives.

[Knife]

[Additional Effect]

- Unrepairable

He did the same with the staff and his second knife, leaving only the two blades with newly gained effects on the table.

As Kim Do-Joon swung them around, getting a feel for their balance, his mind wandered back to the description of the "non-regenerating" effect.

He pondered the possible meanings of the terms rank and regeneration, and the fact that stronger monsters could be immune to the effect.

I'll need to test it in a real fight.

The best way to determine its effectiveness was to test it on a monster notorious for its healing or regeneration. Using another item just for a test hurt, but he had no choice.

After all, he couldn't risk jeopardizing himself at a critical juncture. Finding out that his trump card was less effective than expected could be deadly.

Kim Do-Joon shot Lee Ji-Ah a message.

Kim Do-Joon: Could you find me a dungeon? Specifically with trolls.

He had thought she'd still be asleep, considering how early it was, but she replied almost immediately.

Lee Ji-Ah: Alright.

In the afternoon, the next day, Kim Do-Joon met his new party members at the entrance to a troll-filled dungeon in Guro-gu.