#6 The Arrogant Artifact (4)
Originally, I had no intention of lingering long in such a harsh environment, but I decided to set up camp in the maze and stay for a few days.
With all the traps disarmed, this place was the perfect training ground—free from any interruptions, ideal for honing my skills.
It was just right for testing out my new abilities.
I plopped down on the floor and stretched out my arms in front of me. Like some knockoff Iron Man, I tried releasing mana from my palms.
But all that came out was a pathetic puff of smoke—not even Iron Man level, barely variety-show fodder for the evening slot.
Remember the path I guide you along.
Ray's nagging came right on cue, as always. The guy couldn't keep his mouth shut if his life depended on it.
"I'm trying, but it's not exactly easy."
I got the idea in my head, but my body just wouldn't cooperate. It was like spending a lifetime walking on two legs, then suddenly sprouting a third and being told to play a one-man three-legged race.
Without Ray's help, not a drop of mana stirred in my body.
But relying solely on Ray wouldn't improve my skills a bit. So after he guided my mana, I'd try moving it on my own, over and over, without his assistance.
It felt like sailing the open ocean without a compass.
The countless mana circuits only added to the confusion.
But after repeating the process endlessly, I started finding the right paths more reliably.
Maybe because I'd already exhausted myself smashing the walls earlier, the mana from my palms was still pretty weak.
Still, I could definitely feel it.
What?
Coldness.
Focus on one at a time.
"You never know when you might need a certain attribute, so I should prepare as many as possible."
With circuits covering my body like an infinite network, it'd be a waste not to use them all, right?
I memorized five of the paths Ray had guided me through.
The fire, ice, and lightning attributes felt pretty solid.
Earth and wood, though? Not so much.
Well, even in my head, I struggled to picture what those were supposed to feel like.
Even accounting for my depleted mana, my body's output wasn't great.
No wonder smashing a stone wall had taken everything I had.
"Hmm. Hunting monsters with this would be a stretch."
The mana power inside you—your mana capacity—is downright abysmal.
Ray sounded pissed, his tone so arrogant it was hard to believe he was talking to his own host.
"Well, it should be plenty effective against people."
Ray shouted at my words.
What? Against people?
"I mean, for the foreseeable future, I'll be dealing with people more than gates."
At that, Ray cut off all the mana flowing through my circuits. Whoa—my whole body went limp in an instant. This guy could do that?
Didn't you say you'd use your power to save this world?
"W-wait, hear me out."
No need! I never trusted a liar like you anyway! Already scheming to harm people!
"Hey, don't get all hurt just 'cause I'm a convincing liar."
I spat on the ground. My crude reaction finally shut Ray up.
"Didn't I tell you a few days ago? I'm planning to take down the bastards rotting this country from the inside."
Like it or not, those were Korea's biggest problem right now.
My goals had gotten grander, sure, but to protect this world from those invaders, saving every valuable awakener I could was key.
And to do that, I had to crush the bad guys first.
The bastards rotting the country, huh.
"Plenty of those types. Guys who eliminate anyone in their way to climb the ladder. Those villains will wipe out the heroes who could save the world, just because they're obstacles."
I'd heard Ray's take, but I still had no clear idea how to save the world. One thing I knew for sure: if we didn't save those people, this world was doomed.
That's exactly how the previous destruction played out.
"I can't save the world alone. Not because I'm weak—it's just not built that way."
Fair point.
I flashed a smug grin, like see?
You do have a knack for twisting words too smoothly.
"Haha, old habits from my past life."
Ray had a point, though. The stronger I got, the better I'd handle the apocalypse.
"Can't I get strong enough to fight monsters with this?"
The circuits you're using are one-stroke ones.
"One-stroke?"
Yes. Mana circuits have grades, from beginner to ones you can't touch without serious training. Of the circuits in your body, you can only access a tiny fraction.
If there were one-strokes, that meant two-strokes, three-strokes, and beyond.
Right now, two-stroke is your limit.
"How do I level up?"
Hmm, there was some special training method... but I can't recall.
I clicked my tongue. Not that I'd expected miracles. If life were that easy, it wouldn't be mine.
Still, good to know I could access stronger techniques for now. No clue how powerful two-strokes were, though.
I stood up.
With Ray's help, I could now handle one-stroke versions of five attributes easily.
Enough to not conquer a gate, but plenty to clean up that place I had in mind.
My cracked ribs and bruises had healed up nicely too, thanks in part to Ray boosting my regeneration (he'd run one-stroke recovery circuits while I slept).
Where to now?
"Injuries are mostly better, so time to head out. I think I've got the hang of using my abilities."
To the place crawling with the utterly rotten scum who kicked off this world's downfall.
With that little power?
"This is more than enough."
The trash there were bottom-tier anyway. Ignoring Ray's fretting, I escaped the damn cave at last.
"A guy who clinched the raid with that final blow, and your face is still like that?"
Kim Myeong-cheol, guild master of the Red Dog Guild, slapped Jeong Hosan on the back. His hand stung. Hosan hadn't felt a thing, but Kim's palm throbbed.
"Man, your muscles are rock-solid."
Kim chuckled as he said it. Jeong Hosan scratched his nape, looking sheepish.
"Sorry."
"Aigoo, what're you sorry for? I hit you!"
It had been three months since Kim brought the A-grade hunter Jeong Hosan into the guild—a sight that instantly put everyone at ease.
In just three months, Hosan had risen to 5-star, more than earning his title as the guild's rising star.
Not quite 6-star yet due to limited achievements, but that was coming soon.
Skill, character, and that chiseled, muscle-bound physique that made any gym bro jealous. Handsome too, in a rugged way. If Kim had a daughter, he'd snag this guy as a son-in-law in a heartbeat.
Even in this raid, the newbie had shown killer decisiveness, landing the finishing blow on the boss.
Kim had even promised to make him armor from the boss's hide—and yet Hosan's expression remained gloomy.
"Something wrong?"
"Can't reach my friend."
"No contact?"
Kim's face fell too. Pre-gates, people might brush it off, but now "missing" hit hard.
Had something happened to the guy?
"When was the last contact?"
"Over ten days ago. Right after the last raid. Still no reply."
"Damn."
Kim sighed, stroking his chin.
"Home?"
"Checked—empty."
"Anyone else to call?"
"Nah. He's not big on people."
The story just kept getting grimmer. Kim rolled his eyes.
"No recent gate incidents."
Kim started every day checking gate-related news. As an awakener of talent in Korea, raiding gates and protecting citizens was his sacred duty.
So he was sure: Hosan's friend wasn't gate-related.
"That friend of yours—is it that guy? You know, the uh, the..."
Kim groped for the name, but all that came were insults like Babel reject or halfwit.
Hosan supplied it.
"Kang Ishin. You've seen him a few times."
"R-right. Kang Ishin."
Unlike the upright Hosan—who'd joined on merit—Ishin was scrawny, with slit eyes that screamed untrustworthy. His talent was so poor, no guild would touch him.
'Offered him a spot at the bottom rung, but the punk's pride was too big.'
Not Kim's favorite, but he was the orphan Hosan's only family.
No wonder the guy was moping. Tsk. But then, a brilliant idea struck.
The perfect way to win over Hosan, who still kept his distance despite all the favors: find his precious friend. Guys like him melted for that debt.
Kim, ever the opportunist, asked:
"What'd he do again?"
"Gate mining."
"Hm."
Kim nodded. Plenty of miners fell into shady stuff. Maybe that?
"I'll look into it."
"Really?"
Hosan's hopeful face made Kim pat his chest.
"Hosan, didn't I say it? This big bro really likes you. Of course I'd check on your stuff."
"But Master..."
"Hey! Call me bro."
Kim clapped Hosan's shoulder.
"Chin up and wait. Bro here's got connections. We'll find him soon."
"Thank you!"
Hosan bowed deeply.
'What a pure kid.'
Indifferent to huge contracts or fancy apartments, but one promise to find his friend, and he was all in.
'Gotta find Kang Ishin to make Hosan truly mine.'
And so, things began moving in a direction Kang Ishin wouldn't want.