Chapter 10
Chapter 10
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 010
Chapter Title: Bet
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With no chair in sight, Park Jin-ho plopped down roughly on the floor.
Han Jeong-woo stared at him silently, lost in thought.
'If the system message is any indication, does that mean my Gravity Training Method works not just on me, but on others too?'
Of course, it was still just a hypothesis.
But it wasn't an entirely ridiculous idea.
Gravity affected everyone equally, after all.
'...Still, that feels like too big a leap.'
Han Jeong-woo shook his head as if to dispel the wild notion. For now, he needed to focus on completing the daily quest right in front of him.
'The problem is how to apply 10x gravity out of nowhere.'
Should he just close his eyes, secretly activate the skill, and play it off somehow?
No, that didn't seem like a great plan either.
If Park Jin-ho caught on or something went wrong, cleaning up the mess would be far more complicated.
'Guess I'll chat with him a bit and gauge the situation first.'
Decision made, Han Jeong-woo smoothly perched on the edge of the bed.
"By the way, we haven't even introduced ourselves properly yet! What's your name? I'm Park Jin-ho."
Park Jin-ho broke the ice first.
He flashed his trademark friendly grin as he introduced himself.
"Han Jeong-woo."
"Ah, Han Jeong-woo! Nice to meet you! Sorry for showing up unannounced like this."
Still sitting on the floor, he bowed his head apologetically.
"No, it's fine. Really."
Han Jeong-woo waved it off awkwardly.
'He's got great people skills. Seems like a decent guy overall.'
He was the complete opposite of Han Jeong-woo in every way.
Han Jeong-woo had been working since he was seventeen and had developed a decent level of social savvy, but even so, he wasn't the type to approach a total stranger so casually and strike up a conversation with a smile.
"So, what brings you all the way here...?"
"Well, it's not anything major—"
Park Jin-ho started to speak but hesitated, glancing around the rundown, cramped studio apartment.
'...Is it okay to say this? He doesn't look like he's flush with cash.'
No matter that it was money owed, he felt bad putting someone in a tough spot like this.
'Maybe I should just cover it myself.'
Thirty million won for gate repair fees.
It was a hefty sum, but not one that burdened him personally.
After a brief internal debate, he revealed the real reason he'd come.
"Truth is, I came because I was curious about you, Jeong-woo. That strength you showed yesterday has been stuck in my head."
Han Jeong-woo's expression turned flustered.
'He tracked me down for something that trivial?'
It was behavior he couldn't comprehend.
"Oh, don't get the wrong idea. It's just pure curiosity. You look about my age, but you're insanely strong."
"Ahaha... Yeah..."
Han Jeong-woo let out an awkward laugh.
Park Jin-ho, clearly excited, kept the conversation rolling.
"How are you that strong? Taking down a Magma Golem like it was nothing..."
As Han Jeong-woo listened quietly, a perfect way to complete the quest suddenly popped into his head.
"Curious about the secret to my strength?"
Park Jin-ho sensed a shift in Han Jeong-woo's suddenly amiable tone but answered without suspicion.
"...Yeah? Of course."
"Great. Then let's spar."
Even as he said it, Han Jeong-woo felt strange suggesting a spar to someone he barely knew.
But for the quest, he had no choice.
"...Huh? Spar?"
Park Jin-ho blinked in bewilderment.
"A spar out of the blue?"
The guy in front of him had obliterated a Magma Golem—the same one Park Jin-ho couldn't even scratch—in a single blow.
'Sparring only makes sense against someone you can actually beat.'
A match against a monster like that would just turn him into a punching bag.
So Park Jin-ho tried to decline politely.
"I don't even have my weapon, and this is a studio apartment anyway."
Meanwhile, Han Jeong-woo had anticipated the refusal.
He'd turn it down too if their positions were reversed.
'Gonna have to poke him a little.'
With a nonchalant expression, he continued.
"Don't worry about that. You won't lay a finger on me anyway."
In that instant, the smile vanished from Park Jin-ho's face.
"That's a bit much, don't you think?"
A faint smile tugged at Han Jeong-woo's lips.
'Perfect. He's hooked.'
No matter how good-natured and thick-skinned Park Jin-ho was, few could stomach such blatant condescension to their face.
Han Jeong-woo drove the nail home, not missing Park Jin-ho's hardened expression.
"If you're scared, we don't have to."
"It's not about being scared—"
"Fine, let's change the rules. Not a spar—a bet. If you so much as graze me, you win."
Park Jin-ho gritted his teeth.
He'd seemed normal just moments ago, but this guy was a lunatic.
"Fine. You're on. I don't know how confident you are in your skills, but I've been called a genius myself."
Yeah, just graze him? He'd charge right now and—
The moment Park Jin-ho lunged at Han Jeong-woo in fury...
An inexplicable force crushed down on his entire body.
The next instant, he plummeted to the floor without resistance.
'Starting with 7x for now.'
Han Jeong-woo looked down at Park Jin-ho sprawled on the ground.
His goal was quest completion, but slamming 10x gravity on him right away risked injury.
"...Urgh!"
Park Jin-ho's body, face-down on the floor, felt as heavy as lead.
He braced his palms against the ground, teeth clenched, and slowly pushed his upper body up.
Veins bulged on his forearms, his whole frame trembling, but he was enduring the 7x gravity.
"...What is this? This power."
'Oh. He's holding up well.'
Han Jeong-woo's eyes widened slightly.
He was nothing like those thugs who'd passed out with broken arms under nearly 6x gravity.
'Wasn't he a spear user?'
Park Jin-ho panted heavily, confusion plain on his face.
A mysterious force had pinned him without warning or prelude. No chance to resist.
Frustrating as it was, he dimly understood why Han Jeong-woo claimed he couldn't be touched.
"Still manageable?"
"Hah... hah... What are you...?"
Han Jeong-woo gradually ramped up the output.
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡ Gravity Control Target's gravity enhanced to 8x.
"Kuh...!"
Park Jin-ho, who'd just managed to lift his torso, crashed back down with a thud.
A short groan escaped him, but he was still conscious, holding on.
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡ Gravity Control Target's gravity enhanced to 10x.
"Graaaah!"
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡ Gravity Control Target's gravity restored to normal.
Han Jeong-woo quickly reverted the gravity.
"You okay?!"
He rushed over to check on the fallen Park Jin-ho.
Fortunately, no blackout. No visible injuries either.
'Phew, good...'
Han Jeong-woo sighed in relief. He had no idea why the system issued such a quest, but hurting an innocent person sat heavier on his conscience than expected.
As he exhaled in relief, a message appeared before his eyes.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Daily Quest Complete!] [Acquired 1 Skill Enhancement Ticket as reward.] Han Jeong-woo swiftly tucked the small ticket that materialized in his palm into his inventory.
'Sorry about this, Park Jin-ho... but thanks to you, I got the Skill Enhancement Ticket—'
He was thinking of giving Park Jin-ho some kind of gift for his trouble when...
Park Jin-ho, who had been lying spread-eagled on the floor, suddenly shouted in disbelief through ragged breaths.
"C-Cough! St... Stats! My stats went up?! What the hell is going on here?!"
Han Jeong-woo whipped around, face paling in shock.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Strategic Talent Management Team Leader Choi Jin-il pressed the elevator button with a tense expression.
In his hand was the contract personally signed by the "Mutant," Han Jeong-woo.
Ding.
The elevator arrived at the top floor of the Korea Awakener Management Agency building—floor 6.
His destination: the Director's office.
Knock knock. He rapped on the door with trembling fingers.
"Come in."
Inside sat a man in his sixties with flecks of white hair.
"You found the Mutant?"
Director Jang Dong-seok.
He'd just received the report about finally locating the "Mutant" he'd been waiting for.
Choi Jin-il bowed deeply before cautiously taking a seat at the table in the corner of the office.
"So, what was he like in person?"
Excitement and anxiety laced Jang Dong-seok's voice.
Choi Jin-il pondered how to describe the "Mutant" he'd met.
"...In a word, unique."
"Unique...?"
"As you know, Director, Awakeners with that level of power are usually arrogant. Drunk on their own strength, they look down on the world. But I didn't sense any of that from the Mutant. If anything... he seemed ordinary."
Jang Dong-seok nodded in satisfaction as he listened quietly.
"Hm. That's excellent news."
He'd soon have to meet the Mutant himself.
His lack of arrogance was a relief for Jang Dong-seok too.
"He also seemed highly confident in his abilities and fully aware of their value."
"Oh? So he's no pushover."
"Exactly. I got that impression from how he tried to hide his powers from others."
The Director stroked his chin thoughtfully, his gaze growing heavy.
"...As you know, Team Leader, Korea's climb has stalled completely at floor 55. It's been almost a month now."
Korea's tower progress had been dismal lately.
Before Han Jeong-woo's emergence, there were three S-rank Awakeners, but one had renounced his Korean citizenship and defected to the US.
The remaining two were giving their all to break through, but floor 55 was a formidable wall.
"I'm sorry, Director. I've fallen short."
Choi Jin-il bowed his head.
"No, I'm not blaming you. It's just... the situation is dire."
"We're still scouring for items to boost Kim Hoon's growth. But stat-boosting items are notoriously hard to come by..."
"In the end, an Awakener's core is their stats, and that's what's holding us back."
Deep wrinkles furrowed the Director's brow.
The two-month grace period that began the moment the highest floor update halted.
'If we can't conquer floor 55 in that time...'
Korea’s strongest Awakener, Kim Hoon, was fighting valiantly at the front lines, but pinning everything on him alone left the nation's fate far too precarious.
They desperately needed insurance—for him and for Korea.
"The tower in Sierra Leone, Africa collapsed recently. The borders are sealed, and it's become a land of death."
"...Is that so?"
Choi Jin-il's eyes shook like there was an earthquake.
"But no media reports domestically or abroad mentioned—!"
Even he, in a key position at the Agency, was hearing this for the first time.
"Of course. This is top-level national secret. Only a handful in the Agency know."
Choi Jin-il asked with a bewildered expression.
"Director, doesn't a tower collapse just mean massive danger to the surrounding area?"
That alone was horrific, but national extinction? He couldn't easily buy the Director's words.
"...Massive danger. That's a simplistic way to put it, yes. But the damage from a tower's collapse is beyond your wildest imagination."
Cold sweat poured down Choi Jin-il's back like a waterfall.
The Director's chillingly resolute tone made it clear he didn't know the full story.
"...That's why our hopes for the 'Mutant' are so high."
Jang Dong-seok rose and gazed out the window.
"Of course, Kim Hoon breaking through floor 55 is the ideal. But what if he fails?"
He turned slowly, locking eyes with Choi Jin-il.
"We must get the Mutant—whatever it takes—to conquer floor 55."