Winds of Awakening
The sudden request caught the guild master off guard.
“An artifact?”
“Yes. I need a wind-type artifact.”
When Kang Yujun abruptly asked for a wind artifact, the guild master looked visibly flustered.
“Didn’t the training just finish?”
“No. It’s not over yet.”
“Just wait a moment.”
The guild master had become certain after Yujun’s last statement.
Right now, Kang Yujun was clearly training Yu Jena. And from the fact that he said the training wasn’t finished yet, it seemed he intended to draw out even more of her power here.
“I’ll go get it!”
Lee Suyeon, who had caught on, hurried toward the guild warehouse. The guild master followed right behind her.
The remaining team leader approached Yujun.
“Trainer Kang Yujun.”
He bowed deeply.
“I underestimated your potential.”
“That’s understandable. I’m still just a rookie who recently entered the industry.”
Actually, that works in my favor.
When people looked down on him, the performances Yujun displayed afterward inevitably came across as even more impressive.
Because there were no expectations, the impact hits that much harder.
That was why Yujun appreciated reactions like the one the team leader was showing now.
Guuuung—.
Yu Jena removed the VR machine and stood before Yujun, bowing at a perfect ninety degrees.
“Thank you. Thanks to you… I was finally able to clearly understand the parts I had been missing all this time. If it weren’t for you, Trainer, I truly wouldn’t have realized it.”
“Nothing’s finished yet.”
It was still too early to accept gratitude.
Now the real training begins.
“It’s… not over yet?”
“Correct. This is only the beginning.”
He had identified the problem and given her the key to solving it.
He had just awakened her to the sensation of how she needed to control her mana in order to move that heavy mana.
My part ends here.
“The part I just taught you is now up to you, Awakened Yu Jena. You can practice it. Do exactly as I showed you. From now on, we will begin proper Ability Reinforcement training.”
“…!”
“Reinforcement… training?”
“Yes.”
Stopping here couldn’t be considered a training session meant solely for her.
I need to further strengthen her incarnation ability.
The volcano ability she used had not yet reached its peak.
She can produce even more explosive power.
Because she had been using it in an overloaded state, she hadn’t been able to draw out the true strength of her volcano properly.
She had been using that power just to circulate the heavy mana.
She hadn’t been able to elevate the ability itself.
Yujun intended to reinforce that.
This is like a chronic condition.
Most flame-type abilities were the same. In the process of drawing out that explosive power, they fell into overload.
Kim Minseok had been the same.
But the volcano ability is beyond what I can reinforce at my current level.
Yujun’s current level was only Awakened Training Lv.2. He hadn’t even unlocked the Lv.3 skill yet.
If I tried to train an S-class Awakened in this state inside the Infinite Tower, I’d just get flamed for being a troll.
But Yujun smiled inwardly.
Because I’ve succeeded before.
Of course, it had only been once. In most cases, he hadn’t been able to teach S-class Awakened.
There’s no reason not to try.
The method Yujun was about to attempt was simple.
Leave the main skill as it is.
Since he couldn’t strengthen the volcano itself, he would leave it alone.
And awaken a supporting skill.
All he had to do was awaken a supporting skill that could assist the volcano ability.
But skill awakening was no easy task. It was common for people to train their entire lives without awakening even a single skill.
However, Yujun possessed the power to awaken skills.
Of course, since I can’t scan her as an Awakened, I can’t properly check Yu Jena’s hidden traits.
In that case, he could simply use an artifact.
“I will use a wind-type artifact to support her volcano ability.”
“…A wind type?”
At that moment, Lee Suyeon and the guild master came running back, shouting.
“I brought it!”
“We have this necklace, but it’s an old one. And it’s not a particularly strong artifact. Will this be okay?”
“I’ll check it first.”
Yujun took the artifact and examined it.
Artifact Scanned!
Analyzing artifact.
It wasn’t only Awakened that the Awakened Scan could analyze.
I thought this would cost points too.
Fortunately, it didn’t.
Wind Necklace [C]
Just as the guild master had said, it wasn’t a powerful artifact.
But C-rank is more than enough.
Yujun handed the necklace to Yu Jena.
“Please put this on.”
“…This?”
Using a wind artifact to strengthen flame power.
Some flame-type Awakened used wind to amplify their flame abilities.
However, an artifact was literally only a supporting force. Unless it was a high-grade artifact, it was difficult to combine with a skill.
“The wind attribute contained in this seems quite weak…”
Yu Jena said cautiously.
“It’s fine.”
What mattered right now was the attribute itself.
“From now on, I will use the power of this wind to determine your aptitude for the wind attribute.”
If he couldn’t see her hidden traits through Awakened Scan,
I can just find out through a workaround.
* * *
Yu Jena was momentarily bewildered.
This small artifact certainly contained the power of wind. But it was only C-rank. There was no way this level of wind could upgrade her firepower.
“…Is this really a valid training method?”
Yu Jena was confused. It felt somewhat different from the training she had experienced so far.
“Yes.”
Yujun placed the wind necklace around her neck.
“Activate the artifact.”
He then guided her into the proper stance.
“And keep circulating the power of the artifact.”
Neither Awakened Scan nor the Focus skill worked on her.
So I’m using an attribute artifact to check whether she has the aptitude or not.
Shaaaaaaa—.
A powerful wind suddenly blew. It meant she had activated the wind artifact.
Yujun gripped his staff.
The wind traveled along her mana roads, mixing slightly with the mana inside her body.
Thwack—.
At that moment, he struck, momentarily separating the wind attribute power from her mana roads.
It was only for an instant. In truth, it wasn’t even a true separation.
It’s more like derailing it.
It wouldn’t last long. This fragment of power would vanish in the blink of an eye.
But that single instant was what mattered.
Shaaaaaaa—.
If she has no aptitude, it will simply disappear.
If she did have aptitude, a slight change would occur in her mana roads.
With Focus at Lv.3, I should be able to see it.
And with Yujun’s senses, he was confident he could make the judgment.
That’s why this is a workaround.
Swish—.
The instant Yujun had been waiting for arrived and then vanished.
“…Should I keep going?”
“No. That’s enough.”
Yujun smiled.
“Confirmation complete.”
Her mana roads had changed.
There’s no way she wouldn’t have it.
Yu Jena possessed an aptitude for wind magic. This meant he could awaken a wind skill.
It doesn’t seem to be a hidden trait, though.
If he spent points, even if he couldn’t fully awaken wind magic, he could at least draw out a fragment of it.
By consuming points, you can awaken a latent skill!
“Awaken.”
Consuming 10P!
Because it was only a partial awakening rather than a full one, the points consumed were low.
Shaaaaaaa—.
Hwaruruk—.
Wind magic had been added to the volcano.
It’s awakened.
“Awakened Yu Jena, grip the artifact strongly and release the wind from within your body. The wind will take root inside you.”
Yujun thrust his staff once more.
Kwaak—! Kwaak—!
Shaaaaaaa—.
“Strongly desire that mana is taking root inside your body.”
“……”
Yu Jena harbored doubts about Yujun’s method. There was no way the artifact’s wind would grow stronger just because she wished for it. In the end, the power the artifact possessed…
“…Huh?”
She was suddenly startled.
She could feel wind inside her body. It wasn’t the wind from the artifact.
“There’s wind inside my body…”
Yujun nodded.
As expected, it’s different.
Even though he had only partially awakened it, the power of the wind was rising like a gale. It meant Yu Jena’s latent potential was remarkably high.
“The skill hasn’t fully settled yet, but if you continue proper training from here, that wind will soon become a storm.”
“Did Trainer Kang personally awaken this for me…?”
“Yes.”
Yu Jena was stunned.
Shaaaaaaa—.
It was faint and blurry, but she could definitely feel the wind.
“This easily…”
No, it wasn’t easy. This was Kang Yujun’s power itself.
It was true personal training—the ability to understand an Awakened and create training tailored specifically for them.
The way Yu Jena looked at Kang Yujun had completely changed.
“Basic training is now complete.”
Just as Kang Yujun had said, this had been training meant solely for Yu Jena.
He had fixed her existing problems and even awakened the power to strengthen her existing abilities.
“What is this… this doesn’t make sense…”
Contrary to her abilities, she was usually cold and composed. But at this moment, she couldn’t stay calm.
She lowered her head deeply.
“Thank you… truly.”
“All I did was give a little guidance to Awakened Yu Jena, who trusted me. Everything was done by you.”
At those words, Yu Jena grabbed Yujun’s hand and shook it repeatedly.
“I will never forget this grace. I absolutely will not forget.”
Yujun felt a powerful sense of accomplishment at Yu Jena’s words.
“Wow, just where… where did you learn all of this?”
The team leader, who had been watching Yujun’s training, couldn’t hold back and asked. Kim Shinjun, the guild master, and Lee Suyeon felt the same.
“I learned from the many trainers who taught me.”
Yujun smiled and answered humbly.
“I simply combined what I learned from them in my own way.”
Awakened Yu Jena has been trained!
Incomplete training!
Training Score 3 / 10
Points acquired!
You have succeeded in near-impossible training!
Numerous alerts appeared before his eyes.
And then.
Points received.
130P acquired!