The Sky Guild Leader's Welcome
“Hmm.”
Before returning to Sky Guild, Yujun intended to spend his points.
“I should unlock the Lv.3 skills first.”
One hundred thirty points plus twenty-five more. Training the S-class awakened Yu Jena had netted him a full 155 points.
Yujun planned to invest 100 points into raising the Awakened Training System to Lv.3.
‘And the rest will go into Physical Enhancement.’
Training the S-class awakened Yu Jena had been grueling.
‘I almost failed.’
Even with his wealth of experience, training an S-class awakened was an entirely different level of difficulty.
‘Especially Yu Jena. She was incredibly tough.’
Despite being a ranged awakened, her body had been remarkably resilient. Even when he pushed himself to the limit, simply moving certain parts of his own body had felt impossible.
S-class awakened truly existed on another plane.
Even when he struck with perfect accuracy, the visible external damage remained minimal.
‘Still, I’m glad I managed to affect her internally.’
Yet he hadn’t accomplished as much as he had hoped.
‘That’s why I only scored three points.’
It was fortunate he had resolved her core issue; otherwise, even those three points would have been out of reach. In truth, what Yujun had done was relatively minor. That alone spoke volumes about how challenging it was to train an S-class awakened.
‘Still…’
Training an S-class had been an invaluable experience. Thanks to it, he had gathered a significant number of points.
‘On top of that, I unintentionally unlocked a new power.’
“Training in a game and training in reality are worlds apart.”
He had gained a clear understanding of his own shortcomings.
‘I need to raise the level of Awakened Scan higher than it is now.’
Awakened Scan proficiency is insufficient.
Checking required points to unlock Awakened Scan Lv.3!
Required Points: 200P
At the moment, however, he couldn’t raise the level of Awakened Scan.
‘My proficiency is too low. And the points are an issue as well.’
The next best option was to raise the level of Focus, but that skill was also currently locked.
‘I only raised it to Lv.3 recently.’
Focus proficiency is insufficient.
Focus skill level cannot be raised.
‘In that case…’
He would simply pivot in another direction.
‘I managed to train an S-class awakened with those two half-baked skills, after all.’
He had never planned on continuously training S-class awakened to begin with. He had only agreed to the initial training for the achievement and the power of Incubation.
“Then.”
The best choice was to invest his points into the Physical Enhancement skill.
“I need to match the levels.”
Crack.
Yujun gripped his staff tightly. This was the first time he had held it since his stats had been enhanced through the Incubation skill. He swung the staff to test his newfound strength.
Whoosh!
The staff moved far faster than before.
“At this level, I should be able to train A-class awakened without issue.”
Even so, A-class awakened possessed a wide variety of abilities.
‘The awakened I’ve trained so far weren’t the physically tough type.’
Aside from Yoo Se from the youth program, Kim Gyojun, Lim Seokjae, and Lee Suyeon had all possessed relatively soft physiques. However, many first-string awakened had spent years in the field, causing their bodies to grow rigid.
‘There will also be awakened who struggle to break old habits.’
Training them would require more than the strength he had gained from Incubation.
“I need to become stronger.”
‘The Incubation skill alone isn’t enough.’
Although he had gained stats from training Yu Jena through Incubation, he still couldn’t teach another S-class in his current state.
‘Besides, my next goal is to train a demonic beast.’
Raising the level of the Physical Enhancement skill was essential.
Would you like to raise the Physical Enhancement skill level?
Points required to unlock Physical Enhancement Lv.3: 40 points.
The cost was identical to raising the Focus skill.
“Level up.”
Whoosh!
Physical Enhancement has reached Lv.3!
No visible muscles formed, nor did his mana noticeably increase.
‘I didn’t realize that “getting stronger” could feel like this.’
Yujun repeatedly clenched and opened his fist before raising the staff once more and thrusting it into the air.
Whoosh!
Until now, no matter how hard he tried, he had been unable to translate the knowledge in his mind into physical action.
‘I thought it was because I was lacking.’
But that wasn’t it.
What had been missing wasn’t him—it was the power itself. Raw strength. The force that should have been released from his toes to his hands simply hadn’t existed.
‘So this is what it feels like.’
Striking with precision felt exactly like this. His body wasn’t being dragged along. He was moving it exactly as he wished.
Slide.
Crack!
Accuracy. Power. The knowledge in Yujun’s mind was now perfectly reproduced by his body.
He pictured Yu Jena in his mind.
‘Her unique habits, her unique movements, her unique mana circulation.’
Now he felt he truly understood. Whether those movements were suitable or not.
‘Yu Jena definitely had many misaligned parts.’
If he trained her now, could he do better?
Yujun created a virtual image of Yu Jena and swung his staff.
“Still not quite there.”
Yet he could see the possibility.
“Interesting. Very interesting.”
His mind continued to race.
‘Even if not right now…’
She had a high chance of breaking through to a higher rank.
‘If I train her properly, that is.’
“Hoo.”
The stats gained through Incubation had been refined by Physical Enhancement.
‘The synergy between the two skills is excellent.’
He wanted to test them immediately.
“First, let’s head back.”
On the way back to Sky Guild, Yujun considered what to do with the 500 million won contract fee he had received.
‘A one-room apartment is still enough for now.’
Five hundred million was a large sum, yet also a small one.
‘I’ll invest it first.’
Yujun intended to use the money on his own team.
‘A trainer doesn’t operate alone.’
Trainers typically built teams. Just as the head trainer under Neverland Guild’s total team leader had rehabilitation and training specialists, Yujun needed experts in various fields to assist him.
‘The same applies inside the Infinite Tower.’
Personnel who could make training smoother were essential. The most urgent need was a blacksmith.
‘An Artifact Maker.’
Artifacts weren’t limited to equipment effective against tower monsters.
‘Every awakened has their own traits, so equipment tailored to them is necessary.’
Some awakened might not suit existing gear, while others required custom equipment.
‘Or I might need to create suitable gear to help them awaken hidden traits.’
However, Yujun was merely a trainer.
‘I can’t just procure artifacts on demand.’
That was where a blacksmith came in.
‘I’ll have to find one.’
The 500 million won could be used to recruit the first member of his team—a blacksmith.
Beep.
At that moment, a message arrived from the Neverland Guild leader.
“You’ll need a license, Trainer Kang. B-class or higher. It’s quite difficult. Most trainers start at D-class… or spend a long time unable to obtain one. I heard it used to be easier, but recently the issuance standards have become much stricter.”
“It’s about time I got that license.”
The trainer license was an official national qualification issued by the government. As the guild leader had said, it had once been possible to train without one. However, after an incident in which an unlicensed trainer caused the death of a young trainee through excessive training, unlicensed individuals were barred from participating in any government-sanctioned projects.
Guilds that signed formal contracts with unlicensed trainers faced fines and a five-year ban from tower raids. Being unable to raid towers effectively meant the end of a guild’s lifespan.
Of course, Yujun’s contract had been irregular and short-term, so some leniency had been granted.
‘If I want to participate in demonic beast training, it’s essential. I’ll get the license first.’
“And you don’t need to feel burdened about the outside director position.”
“And somehow I ended up with an outside director seat as well.”
Five million won per month. No other conditions attached.
‘It feels like sponsorship.’
The Neverland Guild leader wanted to maintain a good relationship with Yujun and was offering support.
‘Not bad.’
Yujun also wanted to stay on good terms with Neverland, where Yu Jena and Lee Suyeon were based. In particular, he planned to continue training Lee Suyeon long-term.
‘She has the potential to become an S-class awakened.’
Training an S-class awakened and raising an A-class to S-class were completely different matters.
‘Through Lee Suyeon, I can achieve additional S-class awakened accomplishments.’
Since it would also earn him more points, there was no reason to refuse.
‘On top of that, demonic beast training and license sponsorship.’
Yujun immediately sent a reply.
“I’ll obtain it right away.”
‘I’m gaining far too much.’
After leaving the grateful Neverland Guild, Yujun arrived at Sky Guild.
Just one day. He had only visited Neverland Guild, yet his status had changed dramatically.
At the entrance to Sky Guild.
‘Why is he out here?’
“Trainer Kang!”
Lee Hyeokjun, the Guild Leader of Sky Guild, was waiting outside. He smiled brightly and rushed toward Yujun.
Lee Hyeokjun was a skilled awakened, so the speed at which he approached was considerable.
‘Huh?’
Yujun was taken aback.
‘Normally, I wouldn’t have been able to react in time.’
Judging by the way he spread his arms, he seemed about to hug him.
‘I can see it.’
Clearly now.
“Guild Leader.”
The Sky Guild Leader greeted Yujun as if he were about to lift him off the ground. Yujun naturally dodged the hug. Lee Hyeokjun, looking slightly embarrassed, ran a hand through his own hair instead.
“What on earth did you do at Neverland? The Neverland Guild Leader called personally and thanked me endlessly! He even said our Suyeon is about to become an A-class awakened!”
He grinned from ear to ear, showering Yujun with praise.
“That’s truly remarkable! Absolutely remarkable! Here, drink this. Guild Leader Kim Shinjun sent it over via quick delivery.”
What the guild leader produced was a high-grade potion set. He explained that it had arrived via quick delivery and urged Yujun to drink it immediately.
“This isn’t an ordinary potion. It’s one that accumulates mana over the course of a month. You said you haven’t awakened yet, but from what I can see, awakening is only a matter of time.”
Yujun examined the label on the high-grade potion.
— Evolution —
It was a company famous for its potions.
‘I heard it’s hard to buy even with money.’
The Neverland Guild Leader had sent something so precious.
“Thank you.”
“He also sent a fruit set.”
Lee Hyeokjun handed Yujun a premium strawberry known as Snowflower.
Crunch.
When Yujun popped the strawberry into his mouth, a burst of sweetness filled it.
“Guild Leader Kim Shinjun used to be quite the cheerful fellow. But running Neverland made him rather sensitive. Still, it’s been a while since I heard his voice sound so good.”
It felt as though he had returned to his former self.
“I resolved a problem that had been bothering him.”
“In just one day?”
“I was lucky.”
“……Luck alone couldn’t accomplish that!”
“No, I really was lucky.”
Meeting the kind-hearted Sky Guild Leader and Lee Suyeon, and even being able to visit Neverland in the first place, had all been fortunate.
Beep.
The phone rang again.
“……What is this?”