“This is it.”

After seeing him once more at 3 P.M., Jae-seok handed me an apricot bead. It was soft to touch, and it felt like I was pressing down on fat, chubby cheeks. It felt alive.

“What is this, a lump of flesh?”

“It’s called a Life Bead.”

The smile never disappeared from Jae-seok’s face as he explained. I wasn’t sure why he was so happy, but he couldn’t stop smiling and his face was glowing with happiness. That wasn’t all.

Ilsung

Level 16

Ascetic Bae Jae-seok

‘Why did his level go up again? What the hell happened in the last few hours?’

Naturally, I had my guesses, but I didn’t want to ask. But it seemed as if he was eager to tell me, despite my lack of attention.

“Huhuhu. Dae-ha. I’m an adult now.”

“You’re not just an adult. You’re an old man. An old, 80-years old man. We should be lighting 80 candles for your birthday, so calling yourself an adult might be an understatement.”

“A man doesn’t become an adult just because he becomes older. Huhuhu. Hahahahaha!”

“You crazy bastard… Get it together and explain this Life Bead, or whatever you called it.”

Jae-seok only came to his senses after I frowned and asked for an explanation. He spoke.

“It was probably two. No, was it three years? Anyways, I almost died of hunger and started to work on it. I managed to complete it after seven years. There’s an organ in my body that can produce a Life Bead, and the finished product can be released through my navel.”

“Released… So you mean.”

“That’s right. It’s used for Meal of Madness.”

Along with a buzzing sound, the Life Bead split into halves,...