Into the Creations 574

## Chapter 574 – 574. Ancient Mystery

574. Ancient Mystery

[The game is terminated.]

[Experience calculation begins.]

[Sung Ha-ri’s affinity level is 6.]

[Lee Si-eun’s affinity level is 5.]

[Lamia Crozulli’s level is 2.]

[…….]

[Level increases.]

[Level increases.]

I returned to reality. I paused the time of [Academy Savior] and checked my stats.

[Sung Yu-jin

Level: 67

Strength: 65 Stamina: 65 Agility: 64 Intelligence: 51 Vitality: 68 Mana: 64]

[Available Points: 1,950]

‘I’ve already decided how to use the points.’

[Do you want to use 300 points to increase the level of Shooting Lv.4?]

‘Increase it.’

I raised my Shooting trait level to 7 non-stop.

The points consumed were 300, 500, and 800 respectively, totaling 1600 points.

[Available Points: 350]

‘350 points left. That’s perfect.’

[Sung Yu-jin

Level: 67

Strength: 65 Stamina: 65 Agility: 64 Intelligence: 51 Vitality: 69 Mana: 70]

[Available Points: 0]

I increased Vitality by 1 and Mana by 6.

‘Lightning is great, but it consumes a lot of mana.’

I operated the game app and went to the quest menu.

[You can only select 1 out of 3 current quests.]

[36 days remaining until refresh activation.]

[Ancient Mystery – The Elixir of Youth

There is an ancient mystery in this world. Among them, youth is something everyone has, but everyone loses. However, among the ancient mysteries, there exists a potion with the mysterious power to restore youth.

A nefarious organization is after the elixir of youth. They have plans to dominate the world using the elixir. The world they dominate will be more terrible than hell.

You are a retired mercenary. Someone comes to you. Help him and act for the sake of the world.

Quest Reward: 3,000 points, Elixir of Youth.

※Multiple penalties exist.

※You can use points to mitigate or eliminate some penalties.]

[Penalty List

1. Unable to use the Spirit Stream and Lightning traits.

2. Unable to use skills: Complete Recovery, Hacking, Blessing of Water, Random Summon.

3. Unable to use inventory.

4. Unable to link stats.

5. Left shoulder aftereffects.]

[At least 500 points are required to mitigate penalties.]

‘The reason I raised Shooting was to prepare for this quest.’

The only abilities I can use in this quest are Absolute Spirit, Shooting, Heightened Senses, and Acceleration. Among these, the ones that directly affect combat are Shooting and Acceleration.

‘Ancient Mystery was an adventure movie I watched a long time ago.’

It goes without saying, but the weapons that appear in the work are firearms. Raising Shooting will increase my combat power vertically.

‘There was also a way to mitigate penalties by spending points… but thinking about the future, this is more beneficial.’

There were two other quests besides this. However, compared to this quest, the content was uninteresting, and the rewards were lackluster, so I didn’t feel like doing them.

I got up from my seat. I was planning to play some games today and start the quest around tomorrow.

•••

[You have accepted the ‘Ancient Mystery – The Elixir of Youth’ quest. Entering the ‘Ancient Mystery – The Elixir of Youth’ game world.]

Eugene Cohen.

That was my name in this world. By setting, I was a half-Korean, half-American.

Age 29.

I was a successful mercenary, but I was injured in battle and retired, returning to my hometown to work as a cleaner for a small company.

Of course, I quit the cleaning job as soon as I started. I had quite a bit of savings, so I immediately went to find entertainment establishments. After about a week, almost all the money was gone. I had spent it too lavishly.

‘Buying five strippers at once yesterday was a big hit. I have living expenses left, but… isn’t it about time they came?’

After spending a hot night with the strippers, I returned home.

There was a car parked in front of my old house that I hadn’t seen before.

‘They’re here.’

Someone got out of the car.

He was a handsome man with brown hair and blue eyes. He looked to be in his mid-30s. He had a masculine vibe, even to another man. Well, he was a legendary Hollywood movie star in reality, so it was natural that he was handsome.

“Eugene Cohen. Is that right?”

“Yes, it is. What business do you have at my house? Are you a robber?”

“I took out a suit from my closet after a long time, and you think I’m a robber? I’m Bruno Taylor. An explorer.”

Bruno Taylor. He was the protagonist of the original movie.

“An explorer? Does such an old-fashioned job still exist?”

“There are mysteries and wonders in this world that ordinary people don’t know about. It’s my job to uncover them and get my hands on them.”

“You do great things. But it seems like you made a mistake this time. There’s no mystery, wonder, treasure, or women in my house.”

“You’re prickly. Aren’t you going to offer me a cup of coffee?”

“Come in. The house is a bit dirty, but it’s better than some jungle somewhere. Probably.”

I took him inside and offered him coffee. It was instant coffee. There was nothing else to offer.

“Don’t you drink coffee?”

“I’m not a big fan of coffee. What’s the reason you came to see me?”

“I came to commission a job.”

“I quit the cleaning job a week ago.”

“Not that job. There’s a job you did a few months ago.”

“Ah, you want me to shoot guns? Who do I need to kill? If you tell me, I’ll report it right away.”

“Wasn’t your former job more about protecting than killing?”

I was acting. In the end, I had to accept Bruno’s request to proceed with the quest. But if I accept the request right away here? Bruno isn’t stupid, so he’ll suspect me.

“You know I was a mercenary, but you don’t know why I retired so early at this age. My left arm doesn’t go above my shoulder. I have no problem with ordinary life, but I’m not in a condition to do mercenary work again. You’ve got the wrong person, explorer. Go find another active mercenary instead of me.”

“No. It seems like I came to the right person. More than anyone else. I should thank Captain Cain for recommending you.”

“Ah. Was it Captain Cain? Is he doing well?”

“He’s always complaining about his superiors, as usual. And he also complained about you. Said that a crazy monster who could have become a legend in the mercenary world retired too early.”

“Calling a person a crazy monster. That guy is too much.”

“I think it’s a good nickname. Do you know why I haven’t been able to pick up my coffee cup since earlier?”

Of course, I knew.

But I pretended not to know and said,

“Because you don’t want to drink coffee from a crazy monster?”

“Because the crazy monster won’t allow it.”

Bruno raised his right fist. And slowly unfurled his fist. His right hand was soaked with sweat.

“Do you have hyperhidrosis? Would you like some tissues?”

“…I’m an explorer. I’ve explored uncharted territories and faced numerous crises. There were times when I faced wild beasts with my bare hands. But even then, I never felt as threatened as I do now.”

“Stop calling people monsters.”

“Then don’t act like a monster.”

I released my pressure. Even if I couldn’t use mana, I could still intimidate ordinary people by showing my killing intent.

Bruno took a small breath and sipped the cold coffee.

“I want to hire you. The aftereffects of your left shoulder. It’s not a problem for you now. Is it?”

“Tell me more about the request. I need to know the details to give you a quote.”

“You’re interested? That’s a relief.”

“Since it’s your job, it can’t be something trivial.”

The conversation was over.

The commission fee was a total of $4 million. $1 million was paid in advance, and $3 million was to be paid after the job was completed.

“Then I’ll see you at the airport in a month.”

“A month… You’re giving me that much time?”

“This is not an ordinary job. I’d like to have more than half a year to prepare, but unfortunately, there isn’t much time.”

“……I’ll see you in a month.”

Bruno left.

There was a bag containing $1 million where he had been.

‘A month. More time than I thought. There’s not much to prepare… I should work on my body.’

My current physical specs were only slightly better than an average person. Compared to active soldiers, I would be far behind.

‘Let’s work out hard.’

Of course, I only worked out hard for one day. The rest was all done automatically.

I was able to build my body to a decent level.

•••

I arrived at the airport that Bruno and I had agreed on.

It was a small airport in a secluded area. I hadn’t seen a single customer on the way here, and only a few employees were working at the airport. I was guided by an employee to the runway.

There was a private jet waiting on the runway.

“You’re here.”

Three people were already on board the plane.

Bruno, who was organizing his luggage, waved at me.

Another person was sitting in the cockpit.

He was a skinny, blond man.

“Mac Keeper. You can call me Mac. Nice to meet you.”

Mac Keeper.

He was a man with the skill to pilot almost anything that moves, including cars, planes, helicopters, and trains.

“I’m Eugene.”

My eyes turned to the remaining person.

She was a beautiful woman with a blonde short cut, black eyes, and fair skin. She had C-cup breasts and a muscular body, which was nice to look at. Her sharp eyes and slightly rough atmosphere gave off a warrior vibe.

“I’m Amy Wilkinson. I have high expectations for you.”

She was the female lead.

She kisses Bruno in the latter half of the movie, but I will take that role no matter what.

“She’s my father’s friend’s disciple and our employer. If things go wrong, protect her first. Understand?”

Bruno interjected.

“…Mr. Bruno. Don’t underestimate me too much.”

“Amy. I’m not underestimating you. This job was made possible by your money. And if you die, Wilkinson Corporation will falter. For the sake of many people, you must be safe.”

“I will definitely protect the client, or rather, the employer. Ah, you can speak comfortably. Amy. I’ll be comfortable too.”

“……”

Amy frowned as if she didn’t like it and turned her head.

Amy was the granddaughter of the chairman of the global company, Wilkinson. Her father was dead, and she was likely to take over the company in a few years.

The private jet they were currently on also belonged to Amy.

“Eugene. Didn’t you bring any preparations?”

“If you mean preparations, I did. See this pistol here?”

“A Beretta. Is that all you have?”

“That’s all. And that’s enough.”

“…I’m going crazy. I didn’t think a former mercenary’s preparations would be this terrible! It’s a good thing I’m overly thorough with my preparations. If it weren’t for that.”

“Yes. Yes. I’m sorry, Mr. Bruno.”

I looked around. Everyone, including me, was wearing clothes that were comfortable for activity. Light brown clothes with many pockets and vests. They were wearing clothes that made you think of the word ‘explorer.’

“Are we all here?”

“That’s all. Having a lot of people isn’t always a good thing.”

Bruno, who mainly explored alone, said.

But that wasn’t what I wanted to say.

‘……Locke isn’t here.’

A supporting character from the original movie, a soldier. The reason he wasn’t here was probably because of me. Bruno came to me instead of Locke, and I had taken his place.

‘Ah, I can see a future where I’m suffering alone.’

Especially since Locke dies in the latter half of the original work. I didn’t have Complete Recovery, and my physical abilities were at the level of an ordinary person, so there was a possibility that I would die too.

I sighed and sat down a little away from Amy. She and I were not on any terms yet. If I sat next to her, my favorability would only drop.

The plane took off and rose above the clouds.

I stared out the window, but also glanced at Amy. Amy took out a map from her pocket and stared intently at it. It was a treasure map. However, it wasn’t a complete map.

Four hours passed.

Looking out the window, I could see the vast Amazon jungle.

And then I got up from my seat and smacked Bruno on the head, who was snoring loudly.

“Cough! Wh, what are you doing?!”

“I woke you up because there were some gnats gathering.”

“Gnats?”

I pointed to the window with my thumb. Three red light aircraft were flying towards us menacingly.