TL/ED: Hamstermina⁠⁠⁠‌‍⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌‍⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠‌⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌‌tor

Build.

It is an essential term in RPGs.

Items, skills, stats, combinations, various growth elements.

And the complex calculations derived from them, whether additive or multiplicative.

For modern people, whose time i⁠⁠⁠‌‍⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌‍⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠‌⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌‌s as precious as gold, learning a game by trial and error is not an efficient option.

Thus.

Searching for guides on how to develop a specific character or job class in a⁠⁠⁠‌‍⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌‍⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠‌⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌‌dvance is as natural for gamers as preparing a cool drink before eating spicy tteokbokki.

Of course, since no two people have exactly the same preferences,

Some may only want a rough guideline,

While others may rely entirely on pre-existing decisions from start to finish. Adjusting this balance is entirely up to the player.

In that regard, Jin leaned toward the latter.

He actively embraced builds packed with the accumulated knowledge of his predecessors.

Enjoying the game smoothly and without stress was the best choice for him, a man mentally and physically exhausted from work life.

In fact, he had been like that since his school days.

So, what about Project Neo?

Of course, he had read strategy guides.

That was how he had chosen the so-called Zombie Build, which combined Vagabond, Irregular, and Fast Recovery.

The problem was that he didn’t know the detailed growth method beyond that.

Naturally, such things were meant to be learned sequentially as the game progressed. It was not something to study in advance like homework.

Why bother memorizing something that could be solved with a simple Alt + Tab?

Now, that was his excuse as a gamer.

And at this moment.

There was a man facing the greatest dilemma of his life.

“...What should I choose?”

Jin clutched his hair.

This was a greater headache than when, during his time as a private in the military, his corporal asked him, in a threatening tone, who was better-looking between him and a senior he was close to (for the record, both were lunatics). It was also worse than when he had debated whether to ask his cheating girlfriend to return the AirPods he had gifted her two days before (he never got them back since she ghosted him).

This was a rare opportunity to illuminate a new constellation.

Even now, when he closed his eyes, he could see the various constellations and the unlit stars that served as their starting points. Jin swept his gaze over them and let out a deep sigh.

“They all seem fine.”

Of course, there was one perk in particular that caught his attention.

[Psyche], which seemed to grant psychic abilities, was the one.

Radiating outward from its branches were tantalizing stars, each waiting for their turn to be unlocked, telepathy, pyrokinesis, and more.

Considering that the globally beloved superheroes from M Corporation all had similar abilities, it was impossible not to be interested in this perk.

However, there was one reason Jin hesitated to unlock psychic abilities. He had never experienced such power before.

By his standards, whe⁠⁠⁠‌‍⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌‍⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠‌⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌‌re experience was more trustworthy than any textbook, this choice was beyond his acceptable range.

What if he picked it and the performance turned out to be trash?

“That’s absolutely not happening.”

Even as he said that, his gaze kept drifting in that direction.

Ah. He really wanted to be Human Torch.

The Flame Man. He had liked him the most in Fantastic Four.

But he had no choice. In the end, adhering to his rigid values, there was only one option left.

A power he had experienced firsthand, one that was clearly highly valued in society under the name of a family.

Mana.

Jin finally made up his mind.

“Ah, screw it.”

Before his resolve could waver, he quickly closed his eyes, found the staff-shaped constellation, and poured all his accumulated experience points into its first star.

At that moment, a thunderous sensation struck Jin’s mind.

“Urgh!”

Foreign knowledge, realizations that should have required years of training, began to surge through his body with overwhelming force.

The refreshing sensation of barriers breaking effortlessly clashed with the excruciating pain of his skull feeling like it was being shattered. His body endured extreme stress.

Uncontrollably, his body trembled, and drool dripped from his mouth.

And when he finally opened his eyes again,

Jin, now enveloped in a blue light, was writhing on the floor, completely unaware of his condition.

Amidst the severe aftereffects and his fading consciousness, a new star warmly introduced itself.

[Mana Circuit]

Before he could even respond,

The last remnants of his awareness sank into darkness.

As a result, Jin had grasped the flow of mana.

It was like a fetus emerging from amniotic fluid and breathing through its nose for the first time. He did not cry out, but adjusting to it was not easy.

Still, humans are creatures of adaptation, and over time, Jin gradually became accustomed to the unfamiliar sensation.

In the process, he realized a few things.

First, when activating his Mana Circuit, a faint blue glow surrounded his body. It was surprisingly beautiful.

Second, while the Mana Circuit was active, his body felt noticeably lighter. At first, he thought it was just a placebo effect, but after attempting a light vertical jump, only to slam his head against the ceiling, past even his crown and striking his cheekbone, he was convinced it was no illusion.

Since he could physically perceive the change, he was satisfied for now.

From here on, he would learn magic one by one whenever he had enough experience points.

Hadn’t Khalifa said that as long as one possessed a Mana Circuit, learning and utilizing any magic was purely a matter of personal aptitude?

Honestly, he had initially worried about lacking talent, but after experiencing it firsthand, that concern was baseless. He had never expected knowledge to be forcefully crammed into his mind.

Thanks to that, Jin had no trouble activating his Mana Circuit despite never being taught. His level was on an entirely different tier from those of illegal practitioners.

If the deceased Nilsson had seen this, he would have kicked open his coffin lid and thrown a fit on the spot.

Of course, that was none of Jin’s concern.

He had more pressing matters to think about, he was starving.

“Damn, I’m dying here.”

Only then did Jin realize that he had gone an entire day without food since losing consciousness. He immediately left the motel.

As he walked through the alley, homeless people huddled around a drum barrel lifted their heads at the sound of his footsteps, then quickly lowered their gazes.

They were remembering the time they had once tried to pickpocket Jin, only to end up getting beaten to a pulp instead.

“Good morning.”

Even while hungry, Jin waved casually as he exited the alley.

Afterward, he stepped into a burger joint on a whim and set a personal record by devouring nine Whoppers. Riding the momentum, he stopped by a nearby clothing store and purchased a full set of new attire, an aviation jumper, a short-sleeved shirt, and pants.

By the time he had changed into his fresh outfit and stepped outside, it was just around lunchtime.

Jin pulled a device from his pocket and checked the address on the text message.

Good Neighbor.

It was a gun shop Khalifa had recommended.

To be honest, Jin had never taken much interest in firearms.

Drifting around without a home made maintenance a hassle, and more importantly, he did not have the funds to regularly buy bullets.

Not to mention, once his fists and kicks had become strong enough to break human skulls, his interest in guns had disappeared entirely.

Even when he did get his hands on one, it was usually something he had picked up mid-fight, only to fire a bullet into its original owner’s forehead before discarding it.

But recently, his thoughts had changed.

Wasn’t that guy called Fenrir?

That wolf-headed bastard had carried an enormous sword even in his human form.

A blade over a meter long, wielded by someone standing close to 2.1 meters tall? In such a scenario, technique hardly mattered, close combat itself became nearly impossible.

If the reach difference was that overwhelming, there was no real way to close the distance unless he was willing to sacrifice an arm.

That was when he had first started considering the need for ranged weapons.

And in his very first job, his worst fears had come true.

While Nilsson had been recklessly firing off magic and bullets as he ran away, all Jin had done was chase him down.

Of course, his sheer physical stats had carried him through, he had tanked all the hits and still managed to catch up in the end, but if he had just one handgun, the whole situation would have been much easier.

Scratching at the peeling skin on his body, Jin stepped into Junk Plaza.

As always, the overwhelming clutter made his head spin.

But this time, he did not get lost.

He had finally downloaded a navigation app on his device.

Why had he never used this before?

Whoever invented GPS deserved a medal.

Ahh, the savior of fifty million lost souls.

Jin continued walking, clutching his device like a Dragon Ball radar.

At some point, the navigation alerted him that his destination was just 100 meters ahead in a straight line.

So, he lifted his gaze from the screen and looked straight ahead.

A narrow alley formed by two buildings standing uncomfortably close together.

A collaboration of extreme floor area ratio and building coverage ratio, creating a path where sunlight never reached. At the very end of this shadowed road stood a two-story building.

There, a flashing red LED sign.

Good Neighbor.

It was indeed the gun shop Khalifa had mentioned.

Clicking his tongue, Jin tucked the device into his pocket.

Seeing how buried it was in this back alley, it would have been near impossible to find just by wandering around. So this was why people always talked about the importance of connections.

“Anyone here?”

As he pushed open the frosted glass door and stepped inside, the cold scent of metal filled his nose.

The first thing that caught his eye was the walls densely packed with various firearms. And against that wall, an old man sat hunched over, staring intently at a small screen.

“Oh! Wow…! Whoa! This, this…”

Muttering exclamations of excitement, the old man was completely engrossed in whatever he was watching. So much so that he did not even notice Jin approaching right in front of him.

Eventually, tired of waiting, Jin cleared his throat.

“Ahem-”

“Uwaah!”

The old man reacted as if he had just been caught during his ‘happy time’ and hurriedly flipped the display over.

“Who the hell are you?!”

“A customer.”

“H-How long have you been standing there?”

“Since the moment you started moaning, sir.”

Jin gestured toward the flipped display with his chin. And sure enough, a rather suggestive voice leaked from the speaker.

“Huh?! W-Why is this-”

The old man’s face instantly turned beet red. In a frantic mess, he fumbled to lower the volume, then tried to hide the screen, failed at that, and in his desperation, just threw the whole thing over his shoulder.

“You were in the zone.”

“The hell are you talking about?! I wasn’t watching anything!”

“They say the stronger the denial, the more suspicious it is…”

“Enough! What do you want?”

The old man cut him off with a sharp glare.

So, Jin answered.

“I came to a gun shop to buy a gun. What else would I be here for?”

For a moment, the shopkeeper blinked in silence at his nonchalant tone- then, his face twisted into a frown.

“Hmph! Don’t try to pull that bullshit. I already told you guys, I’m not selling to your kind.”

“The hell are you on about? Are you just trying to kick me out because you’re embarrassed?”

“Stop spewing nonsense and get lost!”

“Well, this is annoying.”

Jin scowled.

If this was not an act, then there was clearly some kind of misunderstanding here.

And if he thought about it carefully, this was a scenario he had seen plenty of times before.

Yeah.

A stubborn old shopkeeper glaring with a face full of rage, shouting, "I’d rather die before selling to your kind!",

Wasn’t this almost always tied to some gang of lowlife thugs causing trouble?

This was not just some baseless assumption.

Novels, comics, movies, dramas,

It had always been like this.

And history repeats itself, doesn’t it?

A sinking feeling in his gut. A sense of impending trouble.

Jin quickly decided to back off.

“Alright, calm down. I’ll just-”

But before he could finish his sentence,

A sharp tingling sensation spread across the back of his head.

A biological warning signal detecting imminent danger.

His head snapped around on reflex,

Roll, roll, roll.

Through the open doorway, a grenade came tumbli⁠⁠⁠‌‍⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌⁠‌‌⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌⁠⁠‌‌‌⁠⁠‌‍⁠‌‌⁠‌⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠‌⁠‌‌‌⁠‌⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠⁠‌‌‌ng in.

And then, as if things were not bad enough, a goddamn quest window popped up to block his view.

「(Sudden Quest!) Good Neighbor」───

Protect Good Neighbor.

Reward: Perk XP 1,500

────────────────

“Ah, fuck.”