Harmonic Ratio.
In simple terms, it was a device that adjusted users’ perception of pain.
The higher the harmonic ratio, the more immersive the experience for the users.
As it increases, they can truly feel “another reality,” just as the game company claimed.
Beyond sight, smell, and hearing, even taste and touch become nearly indistinguishable from reality.
Users might even start to think they’re in a real different world.
However, it was also the most dangerous setting to tamper with. After all, this insane game company managed to vividly recreate pain.
By now, the horror stories about the consequences of a 90% harmonic ratio were floating around the community like urban legends.
There was someone who maxed out the ratio and ended up in a mental hospital, another who adjusted it to about 80% and started having nightmares from that point on, and so on.
When you think about it, you can’t help but wonder how such a dangerous game made its way into society.
Anyway, that’s how risky the harmonic ratio was.
Yet, right now, Yor was insisting that it be increased.
He even claimed it was what was holding back growth.
“You’re telling me to raise this… when it already hurts…?”
Of course, Chaerin reacted negatively.
No matter what, she didn’t want to feel more pain here.
Yor was aware of her hesitation, so he gently persuaded her.
“Don’t worry. I’ll end the sparring here once you raise it.”
“Really? You’re not suddenly going to start hitting me or anything?”
“Do I look like that kind of psycho? Just raise it. I’ll protect you if monsters come.”
“……”
At his words, Chaerin shot him a suspicious look but ultimately raised the harmonic ratio.
Honestly, she didn’t want to continue sparring here.
She realized she had underestimated the educational broadcast… It was exhausting both mentally and physically.
Once the harmonic ratio was increased, he casually commanded her.
“Sit down.”
Chaerin obeyed and sat on the ground.
All her senses became vividly alive.
She felt the faint throbs from her body, the grass brushing against her fingers, the sensation of the wind grazing her skin.
Up until now, 90% felt like just experiencing delicious food…
Indeed, when she focused on feeling, it was nearly indistinguishable from reality.
“Now close your eyes and focus on your body. Try to find the strange energy you feel in your body.”
Chaerin followed his instructions.
As she closed her eyes, darkness enveloped her.
The sound of her heartbeat, the tightness of her armor… Her heightened senses became even more sensitive.
But she didn’t feel the “strange energy” like Yor mentioned.
She understood what he meant—he was telling her to find mana.
She knew what it was and how it worked.
Even using skills like ‘Stealth’ consumed mana. Even with vigorous movement or combat, mana depleted, resulting in a peculiar feeling of weakness.
Nonetheless, Chaerin had unwittingly used mana.
But she had only ever used it; she had never recognized or manipulated it directly.
That was only natural. The game system had always assisted her, so why would she bother with such a cumbersome task?
It was uncertain if she could even recognize and manipulate it in the first place.
“Can’t feel it?”
“Um… No.”
“Really? Hold on a second…”
Naturally, Yor wasn’t going to just sit back and watch.
As a mentor, it was his duty to help his disciple through the confusion.
Tap.
“Whoa!”
He placed his hands on her shoulders.
She flinched at the sudden contact, and he could feel her surprise.
Unfortunately, he hadn’t learned how to guide mana by pressing acupuncture points or anything.
However, there were certainly other methods, albeit a bit forceful.
Essentially, he was going to bang a lot of his mana into her body.
No matter how much she couldn’t sense it, if he pumped a significant amount of someone else’s energy into her, she’d inevitably recognize it.
Thus, Yor forcefully infused a large amount of his mana into her body.
“Huh?!”
Chaerin reacted immediately, beginning to tremble as if a strange sound escaped her lips.
Well, of course, she’d reject such energy since it wasn’t her own, just like the immune system would respond to an invading pathogen.
Yor briefly glanced at the chatroom.
[What the hell]
[Did I just hear some disgusting noise?]
[Chaerin, a warrior shouldn’t make noises like that!]
The chatroom was slightly on fire.
But Chaerin had no time to check that. The torrent of mana flowing into her was overwhelming. Her body felt like it was on fire.
Yor watched her struggling and asked, “How’s it feel?”
“Uh, yes! I can feel it…!”
“What kind of feeling?”
“It feels so hot and intense!”
[This is insane]
[Are they having sex or something?]
[You have been kicked out by the manager.]
[Yor is forcing her to climax, wow!]
[You have been kicked out by the manager.]
[But isn’t it kind of hot? Haha]
[Is it hot? Are you a lesbian?]
Ahem, Yor cleared his throat for a moment.
The sound she made was a bit… questionable, as the chat said. However, it seemed Chaerin wasn’t in a position to care about that.
Yor quickly continued the lesson to free her from this overwhelming sensation.
“Alright, now think of gathering it into one arm.”
“H-how…?!”
“Just think. Only think.”
Luckily, she obediently followed Yor’s instructions, focusing hard to gather the strange energy in her body into one arm. And just like that, mana began to congregate in her arm.
It wasn’t purely due to her own strength. After all, it was someone else’s mana previously.
But right now, Yor had allowed her to move and was guiding her as well.
“Now, think of releasing it and throw the dagger.”
At Yor’s words, Chaerin threw the dagger.
Fortunately, there was a nice target right in front of her—a ridiculously solid rock.
With her current strength, it was an obstacle she couldn’t pierce through even if she tried.
However, this time was different. The moment she released the dagger, the intense heat she had felt drained away.
And that heat acted like a propellant, drastically increasing the dagger’s speed.
Bang!
The dagger collided with the rock, creating a gigantic crack.
The dagger she casually threw had lodged itself right in the center of the rock as if it were Excalibur.
“Huh?”
[?]
[???]
[What just happened?]
[What flew just now?]
Amidst everyone’s bewildered shock, Yor casually remarked, “Well, that seems to have worked.”
*
Fortunately, Chaerin returned after smoothly feeling the mana.
Though, as a side effect, her arm and body felt a bit worn out.
Still, she had felt the sensation.
“In battles from now on, or when training alone, increase the harmonic ratio. That way, you’ll be able to use it more effectively.”
Hearing that final solution, Chaerin headed back towards the city.
And that day, the community stirred for a while.
Though she had streamed, the information Yor provided was quite useful to the users.
Thanks to that, related analysis posts were gradually appearing in the community.
+
[Seems like what Yor said is worth a shot?]
There must be many people feeling like their growth has plateaued lately.
Their levels aren’t going up, but the monsters are getting increasingly tougher to fight.
There are even some A-ranks slowly falling off, while others weirdly find themselves losing to B-rank NPCs.
Well, it might not matter for talent-prodigies like Shin Hanbyeol, but for common folks like us, shouldn’t we at least give this a try?
+
[Harmonic ratio 90%? What’s the worst that could happen?]
[Seriously, do we really have to risk our lives for a game?]
[That’s why he said to do it only during training, not combat.]
+
[But can you really feel what mana is just from practice?]
Honestly, no idea.
Fuck if I know.
+
[Didn’t Yoo Chaerin use it? Didn’t you see?]
[I jumped in for a second, but the noise was too weird, so I left.]
[It seems like she felt something for sure though, haha.]
+
[But wasn’t that whole thing kinda some cheating? That NPC was doing all the heavy lifting for her.]
[Still, she must have grasped something.]
It was truly a refreshing scene after a long time.
Especially considering the usual weird posts that filled the space.
That was likely because, as users’ levels were rising, many found themselves hitting walls. For such users, solutions like that were welcomed.
Regardless of whether that method was effective or not, it was worth a shot.
Thus, discussions on the method continued for a while.
…For exactly one week.
It wasn’t that the utility was discovered after a week or their source was exposed. Research into such matters typically takes time to unfold.
However, similar to before, another juicy topic overshadowed that one.
Indeed, this time, it was also news related to demons.
Not the demon’s descent; at least, it was less serious than that.
+
[I just got a foreign mission, what’s this?]
It looks like a place of worship or something.
+
Suddenly, an altar of demons erupted in a remote village.
It was the altar of Kimaris, ranked 66.
