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Chapter 560

Compatibility: 23%.

This was the current compatibility level of Kim Jihun’s Blue Sword.

‘They said the top rank is at 25%.’

With only a 2% difference from the top spot, Kim Jihun’s Blue Sword was inching closer to it.

‘I should aim for 30%, increasing it by 1% each day.’

With humanity’s lifespan shortened to just one year, it was time to accelerate his efforts.

Seong Jihan set today’s growth target at 1%.

‘And raising it is quite simple.’

Raising compatibility by 1% was actually easier said than done for Seong Jihan’s standards.

Controlling his power as much as possible, he began to infuse the Stat Blue into Kim Jihun’s sword.

Buzz…

The sword emitted a blue glow as it quickly increased its compatibility.

‘I tried to regulate the speed, but the stats have increased so it upgrades faster than expected.’

After the Blue Vessel improved through Gilgamesh’s fragment, imbuing the sword with Stat Blue became much more straightforward.

“Hey, this Blue Sword… it glowed again!”

“Has it grown already?”

“At this rate, it will soon receive the name ‘Seong Jihan’…”

The high elves who were about to work on today’s task with the Blue Sword were startled by this sight.

“Look. This sword too… While less pronounced, it glows slightly.”

Another high elf handling a different Blue Sword showed his own sword.

‘Really now?’

The growth was not limited to Kim Jihun’s Blue Sword alone.

Curious, Seong Jihan carefully observed from within the Blue Sword.

Indeed, other swords had begun to emit traces of Blue and show potential for growth, although not as visibly as Kim Jihun’s.

“Is this also a result of Yggdrasil’s blessing?”

“Yes, all high-grade Blue Swords are showing signs of growth.”

“Could this be related to the Cross-Species Affinity Gift upgrade?”

“This is… an encouraging development.”

Thanks to Yggdrasil’s blessing,

Male half-elves who had previously only benefited from upgraded Cross-Species Affinity Gifts now showed an unexpected effect.

Originally, Cross-Species Affinity was only supposed to increase the chances of becoming a half-elf, not directly enhance compatibility levels.

Inspecting all the Blue Swords around Kim Jihun, Seong Jihan observed that these other swords also showed potential for growth,

Although significantly more gradual compared to Kim Jihun’s sword.

Most of the other swords capped around 0.3 or 0.4%, with none seeming able to grow beyond 1%.

‘It looks like I’ll have to assist a bit.’

Given that the goal of growing Blue Swords aligned with Yggdrasil’s interests, Seong Jihan decided he could help out a little while sparing his own resources.

Slithering…

He subtly manipulated his Blue energy to support the growth of the surrounding Blue Swords.

Flash. Flash…!

As a result, the surrounding Blue Swords began to flash blue light, and their compatibility levels started to rise collectively.

“Indeed, the blessing of the Cosmic Tree…”

“Yggdrasil is truly magnificent.”

“Could these swords, too, continue to grow like Kim Jihun’s?”

“That would be ideal.”

Seeing the Blue Swords grow, the high elves praised Yggdrasil, anticipating that these swords might grow like Kim Jihun’s.

‘That’s not going to happen.’

In reality, Seong Jihan had no intention of enabling other swords to grow to that extent.

Despite the current abundance of Stat Blue, it wasn’t as though it was being supplied infinitely like it was from the World Tree.

This ability had its limits if used excessively.

Seong Jihan provided some stimulation using Blue energy only because the swords showed signs of self-growth.

There weren’t enough spare resources to grow other swords while conserving Stat Blue for himself.

‘Anyway, absorbing humanity’s Blue energy will rapidly accelerate with the influx of new allies. I’ll reserve my Blue for occasions when swords naturally upgrade without much effort.’

Seong Jihan came to this conclusion and reinstated his Blue energy.

“This is the limit for now…”

“Still, this is impressive.”

“The absorption of Blue will undoubtedly speed up.”

“This year might be the last visit to this planet.”

High elves lamented seeing the Blue Sword’s flash diminish but consoled themselves, hoping the faster absorption rate would mean a quicker end to their mission on Earth.

‘As you wish, we’ll wrap this up before the year is out.’

That way, humanity wouldn’t have their life force reclaimed.

Thinking this, Seong Jihan resolved to maintain his role as the sword for now.

Sssss…

The Blue Sword, located in a pattern, started absorbing humanity’s Blue energy.

With enhanced overall performance, he felt the speed had accelerated.

‘At this rate… with more Blue Swords added, the outcome might arrive sooner than expected.’

Determined to expedite Kim Jihun’s growth even more swiftly, Seong Jihan continued his task as the Blue Sword.

* * *

[Green Administrator, bestows ‘Cross-Species Affinity’ on humanity]

[Cosmic Constellation’s grand decision, humanity should reciprocate]

[Existing Gift holders must choose by the 1st of next month]

[National representatives have already chosen Cross-Species Affinity]

[Golden age for male half-elves to end? Advertisers hesitant to proceed with contracts]

As Yggdrasil became humanity’s sponsoring Constellation, the Cross-Species Affinity Gift she provided began to transform society.

- Kyaa, am I becoming a male half-elf now?

- Ha, I envied those enjoying the perks, glad it’s happening!

- Even with Cross-Species Affinity, the probability for men is still low. Women will become half-elves more frequently, right?

- For real, soon we’ll only see half-elves on streets.

- But what if I fail the aptitude test even with Cross-Species Affinity…

-Then your life just ends here lol

The Gift Cross-Species Affinity, once held by only a few, was now available to everyone.

People began to dream of becoming half-elves in the following month’s aptitude tests.

Given that women had a higher success rate than men, predictions suggested that a swarm of female half-elves would soon populate the streets.

And.

- Male half-elves suddenly started live streaming on BattleTube, lol, clumsily doing personal broadcasts and gaming.

- Why are those lazy guys suddenly doing that?

- With a bunch of competitors appearing next month, they felt the urgency.

- So those like Kim Jihun who prepared in advance will be the winner then. lol

- Well, Kim Jihun’s level isn’t affected, right? The Colonial Government manages him directly…

Male half-elves, whose market value had skyrocketed, felt threatened by the social shift.

With the influx of competitors next month, they began preparing for this by engaging more in public activities like live streaming on BattleTube.

Although people thought someone at Kim Jihun’s level of direct management faced no such threat, the impact did reach him.

“Ah… What to do? I’m really sorry. The advertisers have suddenly put the contract on hold.”

In the office of the Daegi Guild Master,

Lee Hayeon apologized to Kim Jihun with a regretful expression.

“What for? Are they waiting until next month?”

“They cited reasons like the ad being canceled previously and currently too many external variables to proceed. Essentially, they’re hedging their bets until next month to see how many male half-elves emerge.”

“Corporations behaving predictably.”

“Yes… exactly.”

Lee Hayeon nodded with a wry smile.

‘Come to think of it, what did Lee Hayeon choose?’

Seong Jihan recalled that she, too, had received Cross-Species Affinity and decided to ask:

“What will you be doing with your Gift?”

“Me? I’m sticking to my existing strength. It’s the identity of our guild after all.”

Lowering her voice slightly, she added,

“And frankly, becoming a female half-elf doesn’t offer much benefit.”

Glancing behind Kim Jihun at the elf guard, who remained impassive, she continued,

“Of course, for beginners, it’s advantageous, but high-level players don’t need to change.”

“Ah, I see.”

“Yes. There’s a reason people say being a female half-elf is like winning the lottery in Korea, while for men it’s like winning the jackpot in the US. Gayeong isn’t considering becoming one, either, right?”

“Yes. If I were male, I’d consider it. But as a female, no thanks.”

That was a notable difference in the value of male versus female half-elves.

‘The reason for making half-elves in the first place was to mass-produce Blue Swords. The Colonial Government only values male half-elves who resemble me.’

Regardless of who receives favor in a year when everyone might die anyway,

Existing experienced female players had no incentive to become half-elves.

This meant…

“Many male players will want to change, then.”

“That’s a bit of a problem… Since the Colonial Government treats male half-elves better, many current rankers are also considering it.”

Lee Hayeon sighed deeply.

“Especially… Sword King is contemplating it. He didn’t outright reject it.”

“Sword King? Isn’t he already beyond comparison?”

“Exactly. I thought he’d definitely turn it down, but he’s considering it.”

Why was that old man doing this again?

Seong Jihan frowned without realizing it.

SSS-level Gift, the pinnacle of dual swordsmanship—abandoning this to choose Cross-Species Affinity?

Preposterous.

“He risks having neither if he doesn’t become a male half-elf.”

“Exactly. We’re trying to persuade him to reconsider.”

“Hopefully, he’ll make a wise choice.”

“Ugh… What is he thinking?”

“Well then, I’m off to play today’s games.”

“Oh, right. I’ll talk to the advertisers again.”

Kim Jihun nodded and left the Guild Master’s office.

As he was about to enter the Connector Room,

‘What’s that guy doing here?’

Standing near the Connector Room entrance, arms crossed, was Sword King Yoon Sejin—a figure too imposing to ignore.

“Hello, Sword King.”

Kim Jihun gave a slight nod and tried to enter the Connector Room.

At that moment,

“Mr. Kim Jihun. Do you think… I’m foolish?”

The Sword King slowly began to speak.

He understood that even contemplating changing gifts was foolish.

Still, Kim Jihun pretended not to know and asked,

“What do you mean?”

“I heard the conversation in the Guild Master’s office.”

So, he eavesdropped on that too.

While thinking how sad it was for someone of his caliber to be spying, Kim Jihun replied,

“Uh… yes. It’s hard for me to understand why you’d consider retaking the aptitude test, especially with an SSS-level Gift. Cross-Species Affinity doesn’t guarantee becoming a male half-elf.”

“I see…”

Nodding to Kim Jihun’s logical answer, the Sword King suddenly altered his gaze, scrutinizing Kim Jihun’s every move.

“Then, may I ask one more question?”

“Sure, go ahead.”

“Have you ever been to the penthouse at Sword Palace?”

What on earth was he talking about?

Was this because of that single strand of hair?

‘Should I just beat him up and bring back his memories?’

Although reluctant to be harsh with a former benefactor, this ridiculous obsession was getting to Seong Jihan.

As he was contemplating how to handle this,

“Dad… what are you doing?”

“…Oh? Se-Se-ah?”

Step. Step.

From the corridor of the guild,

came a stern-faced Yoon Seah.