The Hidden Talent
Yeom Sang-taek slowly cast his magic, scrutinizing every detail—where things went wrong, how to make it work.
He checked the clock. Already two hours had slipped away.
It was gratifying, yet bittersweet. No matter how hard he tried, the results wouldn't change.
As he wrapped up his training, the menu notified him that Simulator 4 was active.
"What the hell is a carrier doing training in there?"
Unable to curb his curiosity, Yeom Sang-taek pulled up the feed from Simulator 4. Simulator 3's higher privileges made it possible.
Soon, an astonishing sight filled his view.
The Goldisaurus charged.
Kim Jun stood tall, storeback slung over his shoulder, digger in hand.
He dodged the Goldisaurus's rush by a hair's breadth, then hooked its ankle with the digger.
Kim Jun rushed the beast as it tumbled, unable to arrest its momentum, and drove the digger into its chest.
The Goldisaurus flailed and slashed with its claws but soon went still. Kim Jun scanned his surroundings, extracted the gleaming golden core, and stowed it in his storeback.
'What the fuck is this guy's deal?'
Yeom Sang-taek rubbed his eyes in disbelief.
Simulation or not—even for a relatively small monster—a carrier solo-killing a Goldisaurus? Unheard of!
He watched, hand pressed to his pounding chest.
In silence, he observed. Kim Jun took down the Goldisaurus once every five tries. The rest were crushing defeats.
Roughly a 20% success rate.
'This guy's something else.'
Screen reset.
Kim Jun set down his digger and storeback, locking eyes with the Goldisaurus. It charged, and he spun around, breaking into a full sprint.
'He's lost it. Goldisauruses are fast...'
Then the impossible happened.
The Goldisaurus was leagues ahead in raw speed. Yet Kim Jun evaded at the last second with unpredictable left-right swerves, just as its jaws snapped. The beast staggered, even tumbled in confusion.
Kim Jun kept it at bay for nearly ten minutes.
"Holy shit."
Yeom Sang-taek blurted it out without thinking.
Kim Jun froze at the thunderous voice from above.
Yeom Sang-taek disabled the monster in the training menu. The charging Goldisaurus vanished in a flash.
"Ah, sorry. Personal training here, saw Simulator 4 light up, had to check."
"Beer?"
Kim Jun called up to the ceiling.
"Y-Yeah."
Yeom Sang-taek replied.
Stepping out, he found Kim Jun holding chilled cans.
They sat shoulder to shoulder on the bench.
The cool brew sliding down their throats killed conversation for a good while.
Yeom Sang-taek drained his can first.
"...Sorry about yesterday."
"Patrol car rolled up. Sirens scared 'em off. Dumb luck."
Kim Jun took a swig.
A heavy silence settled.
Yeom Sang-taek broke it.
"You train this late every day?"
"Nah, not every day."
"That was impressive. Real dungeons are a whole other beast, though..."
He regretted the afterthought but let it stand. Simulators and actual dungeons were worlds apart.
"Yeah, I know. It's just training. Another?"
"Sure."
Yeom Sang-taek's legs wouldn't cooperate.
They trembled from the training hangover.
Kim Jun fetched two cans, passed one over. Yeom Sang-taek chugged half in one go. The buzz hit hard.
Alcohol eroded his pride.
"I... look pretty pathetic, huh?"
"Not even close."
"No need to sugarcoat. Everyone sees how stupid I am. A buffer under 40% success rate has no business in a dungeon. Shouldn't even try."
"I doubt that."
"Huh?"
"Your success rate's 42%."
"What're you...?"
"Seemed off, so I watched. Your form's solid. No wobble. Lower body's especially steady."
"Form?"
Yeom Sang-taek cocked his head.
"Sounds weird, maybe, but your fundamentals are rock-solid. Among level 8 buffers, hardly anyone's better."
"..."
Yeom Sang-taek's lips quivered. Tears welled. His cheek twitched.
First time hearing this.
Not vague future potential—just straight-up praise for now.
Form's good!
Fundamentals solid!
He nearly burst out laughing. Craved validation, but from a carrier?
"Never set foot in a real dungeon, have you?"
"How'd you know?"
"You'd be a different beast if you had."
Kim Jun flashed a grin. Yeom Sang-taek's eyes widened.
"What do you mean?"
"Mind if I hop on Simulator 3?"
"Mine? Why?"
"Just wanna try."
"...Pardon?"
Yeom Sang-taek stared, baffled.
A carrier on a buffer sim? Absurd.
Punishments varied, but it'd get you booted from the guild. Word spreads—no other guild touches you.
Kim Jun waited, no explanations.
Yeom Sang-taek nodded. After that pep talk, what was this small favor?
They were alone.
"Fine. Keep it short."
"Ten minutes."
Kim Jun smiled and boarded Simulator 3.
Five minutes, not ten, and he was out.
"One more thing."
"...Shoot."
"Hop in, cast some buffs. I know you're beat, but just once?"
"Gotcha."
A hassle, but yesterday's debt weighed heavy. Yeom Sang-taek complied.
Light banished the dark. Speed Up followed—his body felt featherlight.
"Huh?"
Strong next. Power flooded his limbs.
Anti-Fire and Anti-Ice nailed on the first go. Cure and Cure Poison too.
"...What the?"
The buzz vanished.
Three casts each in a row. Twenty-one successes. Zero fails.
He rubbed his eyes.
First miracle since awakening as a Raider.
Logged out, stumbled into the open, demanded, "H-How?"
"Tweaked the settings."
"Settings? That's engineer territory."
Simulators were finicky beasts—touch at your peril.
"Curiosity's my curse. Tinkered plenty before. Know the ins and outs. You're a rare bird. The sim can't read your unique mana flow right. Wavelength mismatch? That's your fail rate. Never would've spotted it without precedent."
"Others like me?"
"Yep."
"Who?"
"Moon Buffer."
"No way."
"Moon Hyo-rin was exactly that."
Moon Hyo-rin—the "Moon Buffer" or "Moom Buffer"—Cheonhondan's star. If Choi Min-su was their sun, she was the moon.
"Can't... believe it. Thank you. You saved me. For real. I was dead serious about quitting the Raider life."
"Master's got eagle eyes. He knew. Yoo Min-jeong's from Ju Shin—spotted your worth fast. Choi Muhyun's got good instincts too. I just got luckier."
Yeom Sang-taek slowly shook his head.
Years of post-awakening sim grinds, and not one soul mentioned settings. No one knew a tweak fixed it.
Awakeneds barely glanced at others.
They'd praise his "talent" or "effort" instead.
Every "no talent" or "not enough grind" gutted him.
Without Uramata, without this weirdo carrier, he'd carry regret forever. The thought chilled him.
Yeom Sang-taek extended his hand slowly.
"I'm Yeom Sang-taek."
Kim Jun eyed the hand.
"Fresh start. Pretend it's our first meet. Forget everything before."
"Can't do that."
"..."
"Not unless you grab me a cola."
Yeom Sang-taek's face lit up.
Kim Jun clasped the hand.
"Kim Jun. Nice to meet you."
They grinned at each other.