The Reluctant Buffer and the Instructor's Farewell
That innocent buffer on the verge of losing his mind amid all sorts of items.
Kim Jun, who had just passed the awakening test this time, chose to become a tanker. As a result, Pink Team now had two tankers and two dealers.
Only one buffer.
What if that buffer suddenly got injured?
It didn't even have to be a serious wound. Even a minor injury with a long recovery time would keep him out of the next raid.
No, what am I even thinking? If we're competing, it'll be fair and square! Not some dirty trick! Jang Geon-ho, never think like this again.
Snapping out of it, Jang Geon-ho approached Yeom Sang-taek.
"Picked one yet?"
"Not sure."
"Among mediums, spiders are the most popular for dark-attribute users, from what I know. Tarantulas are especially famous. What do you think?"
"S-spiders?"
"See for yourself."
Jang Geon-ho led Yeom Sang-taek into the section for dark-attribute—or yin-attribute—raiders. Small metal cages held various types of spiders.
"How about that one?"
Jang Geon-ho pointed to a shaggy green tarantula.
"It's creepy."
"Spiders are a no-go, huh? Then what about a ladybug?"
The ladybug, grown large using cores, was nearly fist-sized. Its pretty red back and black spots, once fingernail-sized, had outgrown their cuteness.
"Looks like only bug-type mediums here."
Most mediums for dark-attribute users were insects.
Fire-attribute raiders favored reptiles like lizards or alligators, while water-attribute ones spotlighted fish that could be raised in aquariums. Unlike wood-attribute raiders, who used diverse plants like succulents, orchids, or coffee trees, metal-attribute raiders mainly went for hard-shelled turtles or clams.
Seeing the wavering in Yeom Sang-taek's eyes, Jang Geon-ho realized why he couldn't create a marble.
It wasn't a lack of skill.
He just hated dark-attribute mediums. He was so scared of spiders that he hadn't even attempted that crucial marble.
"You want to learn Fusion Magic, right?"
"Yes."
"Then you have to."
"...Okay."
For Yeom Sang-taek, Jang Geon-ho picked the most expensive medium: the Violet Tarantula! A ten-million-won spider. He placed it on his palm and showed it to Yeom Sang-taek.
A face full of doubt.
"Wrap this up."
Jang Geon-ho told the staff.
* * *
Packing up took fifteen minutes.
They weren't close enough to cry snot and tears, but these colleagues he'd spent quite some time with as fellow instructors wouldn't even meet his eyes.
He understood.
Being on the Dungeon Association's blacklist made acting normal impossible.
As long as they walked the talk—something he drilled into his martial arts school students with bulging veins, preaching that raiders, especially unaffiliated ones, must uphold loyalty and chivalry—he had no intention of criticizing anyone.
Stepping out of the staff room, he found a crowd of students in the hallway.
"Instructor."
A broad-shouldered guy stood at the front, eyes bloodshot red.
Jang Man-ho looked at him and the students behind. His time as an instructor here hadn't been wasted. But he hid that sentiment.
"Isn't it class time?"
A burst of bitter laughter rippled through the students.
Jang Man-ho just stared at them silently.
Most had been semi-forced into the school by family or guilds. Some had no money or connections, ending up here.
In the narrow world of raiders, these kids were far from mainstream—and unlikely to ever become so.
Maybe that's why he'd cared more.
"Do you really have to go?"
Jang Man-ho didn't answer.
They'd learn about internal Association conflicts and raider complications in time, but right now... here... he had no desire to explain to these kids.
"Let's grab a drink sometime."
"All this time..."
The leader spoke up.
"Thank you!"
The students shouted so loud the hallway rang, halting a class mid-lesson. A few instructors poked their heads out.
"You brats, get back to class!"
Jang Man-ho got caught up in the excitement despite himself. He flicked his fingers at them one last time, firing off faint, raindrop-like pulses of qi.
Qi orbs hit their foreheads almost simultaneously. The students startled, then burst into cheers.
Bathed in that warm send-off, Jang Man-ho crossed the grounds without looking back. He strained to hold back tears.
One person stood at the main gate.
Left arm in a cast, dark sunglasses on, leaning slightly against the gate, watching him.
Jang Man-ho recognized him instantly—not by face, but by build and posture.
"What?"
"Just came by."
Kim Jun said nonchalantly.
"There's a good seolleongtang place up ahead. Let's eat."
"Sure."
They crossed the crosswalk into the seolleongtang restaurant. Being before lunch rush, seats were plenty.
Seolleongtang arrived right away.
Kim Jun calmly mixed in rice and dug in. He ate so heartily that even Jang Man-ho, fresh from quitting the martial arts school, felt his appetite stir.
Finishing one bowl in a flash, he raised a hand for a second.
"Haven't run into Skyla, have you?"
"Skyla?"
Jang Man-ho belatedly recalled Kim Jun's words.
If you really feel sorry toward me, meet Skyla once.
That's exactly what he'd said.
His mind had been too preoccupied sorting thoughts, and ending his instructor life took time too.
"That's why I came myself."
Kim Jun started devouring again with gusto.
Jang Man-ho gazed at the guy who'd pulled off a miracle. The written and practical awakening tests were nothing compared to what followed. An enormous guild like Jushin had mobilized.
Medici Team, no less, in the operation.
Jang Man-ho, who'd left the Association just before lockdown, learned of it while drinking alone and watching TV. Back then, he didn't know details—just felt uneasy watching the coverage.
The next day, Jushin's official statement shocked him speechless.
In the end, Jushin had lost.
To a mere test-taker.
Despite all that effort to block his awakening certification, not only did they fail, but Jushin endorsed Raider Kim Jun, ending the controversy outright.
Jang Man-ho set down his spoon.
"What happened?"
"What do you mean?"
Kim Jun, munching kimchi, looked at him with innocent eyes.
"Jushin."
"Oh, that?"
"Saw their announcement. Rubbed my eyes a few times. Couldn't believe the Jushin I know would do that."
"Curious?"
A subtly teasing attitude.
"Medici Team disbanded too."
"If you want to know, join us. At Uramata Guild."
"What?"
So out of left field, emotions showed plainly on his face.
"Scouting you as martial arts instructor. Right now."
Kim Jun ate more seolleongtang.
Why make that offer? Didn't seem like a joke.
In that moment, Jang Man-ho thought he understood why Kim Jun had told him to meet Skyla. Before joining Uramata as a raider, Skyla had rocked the world as a journalist.
Her Daily Raider article and leaked raid footage.
It made Kim Jun famous, but nearly killed him too.
From Kim Jun and Uramata's perspective, Skyla was unforgivable. Normally, her name alone would spark rage, yet she'd somehow become a team member.
Did this guy bring Skyla into Uramata too?
"You know Mokhonbo well, right?"
"A bit."
"Heard it has hidden intricacies. Know about those?"
"Beyond the basics of Tan-Dang-Po-Chu, there's Jungchwi, Hwanshin, Eum-bo, Yeogeun, etc. But why ask?"
"Is there an intricacy where you gather qi in your body and explode forward?"
"That's Jungchwi."
"Explain Jungchwi."
Jang Man-ho crossed his arms, staring at Kim Jun. No explanation, no answer.
Kim Jun grinned.
"Actually, I saw the guild master's Mokhonbo intricacies recently. Wasn't the Tan-Dang-Po-Chu I knew. Asked out of curiosity, but got no answer. Can't help my curiosity."
"So you came to me?"
"Among other things. You're coming to Uramata as instructor anyway."
This guy was treating it as done deal.
Jang Man-ho oddly liked that confident attitude and sly expression.
He could see why Skyla ditched journalism to become a raider at Uramata.
"Jungchwi is..."
Jang Man-ho explained the hidden intricacies.
Kim Jun's eyes sparkled.
Even when unjustly accused of cheating on the written exam, he'd trained Mokhonbo alone in the panic room.
Students like this were every martial arts instructor's dream. They absorbed teachings and drilled them endlessly into their bodies. Teaching them was a joy.
"Not sure what 'accumulating power' means."
"Know how automatic watches work?"
"A little. Wind the crown to tension the spring, and it runs... Ah! So Jungchwi's prep is like winding a spring."
"Right. The core is building a large imaginary spring from soles to thighs, accumulating power there."
"How do you make the imaginary spring?"
"That's..."
Jang Man-ho explained leg meridians and acupoints, then shared methods. Kim Jun leaned forward, not missing a word, so Jang Man-ho added more.
Curiosity sated, Kim Jun ordered a third seolleongtang.
"No breakfast?"
"I burn a lot of energy."
Kim Jun chuckled.
The ajumma setting down the seolleongtang glanced at him curiously, tilting her head before leaving.
Starting fresh as if first bowl, Kim Jun looked at Jang Man-ho.
"Want to know about pointing blood too."
"Why?"
Students seeking specific arts directly always had a trigger making them crave it. Jang Man-ho knew from experience.
"To avoid pointing blood."
Like sudden storm clouds over clear skies, Kim Jun's face darkened.
The moment was brief, but Jang Man-ho caught it.
"Kim Se-wi?"
Kim Jun startled, eyes widening hugely.
"...How'd you know?"
"Among raiders in the West Building that day, Kim Se-wi was tops at pointing blood. Must've gotten hit good. So you want to learn it?"
"Yes."
"Learn release first. If pointing is attack, release is defense."
"Teach me."
"Got it. After talking with the guild master."
Kim Jun beamed at "got it," but darkened again at "talking with the guild master."
Wondering why the face, Jang Man-ho spotted the left-arm cast and realized.
Nine times out of ten, Uramata's guild master Go Cheolmin had banned training until Kim Jun fully healed. The kid had sneaked to him to learn anyway, dodging the master's eyes.
Damn.
He'd taught Jungchwi to a guy who should rest!
"Let's go."
"Not done eating."
"That's plenty. Where's the car?"
"That parking lot over there."