The Perfect Proposal
In the end, all we'd done the entire day was less about Aura Style techniques and more about shaping and moving aura in everyday life.
"Elder, wouldn't it be better to teach me the Aura Style incantations first?"
"If you learned them now, your body would explode. Still want to try?"
"......Like this here?"
"That's right. And over there, you'd move it like that."
From what he explained, my aura was still too wild and prone to spreading on its own, so trying to channel it along Aura Style paths would make my body burst.
Basically, I had to grind it out. But I couldn't fly up to Gangwon Province every day for this.
So... time to pull some strings.
"Elder. If you could leave Silver Town a bit sooner, would you?"
"Huh? What's that out of the blue?"
During a short break, Gwak Chunsik gave me a puzzled look at my sudden question.
"I just figured it's about time you could get out of Silver Town."
"Ha, you think it's that easy?"
He waved it off like it was nonsense.
"At first, the Association turned a blind eye even when I killed villains. I'd earned that much credit over the years. But then the government started pressuring me. They said villains have a right to a trial too. Of course, that's not the only reason they sent me here."
As he suspected, the government had exiled him to Hero Silver Town to check the Association's growing power. To them, the Association was a paramilitary force beyond even the army.
That tied right into the fun presidential assassination mission.
"I nearly ended up in Niflheim, but the Association kids submitted petitions, and I barely got sent here instead. You think a guy like me can just walk out now?"
It was the textbook answer. But the world doesn't always follow the script.
I smirked at him.
"What's stopping you?"
"......What?"
"Forgot who I am?"
The Calione family could strut around more than any other organization in Korea because our political ties ran deep.
When we cleaned up the Blunti family or caused that mess at the Gunsan abandoned factory complex, we fired away without a care—and not a single news outlet or critic batted an eye.
"Even so, how could I accept your help? I'll just grow old and die here."
"Sure, says the guy whose study is plastered with granddaughter photos."
"Then where do you expect me to go after I leave? The government's already exiled me to keep the Association in check. You think they'll let me waltz back?"
Well, if that was the worry, it wasn't an issue.
"There's another place besides the Association that'd take you in."
"......What?"
I grinned and laid out my prepared pitch.
"Come to the academy. A retired hero teaching the next generation of Korea's future. Perfect image, solid justification."
That was my angle.
The academy answered to neither the Association nor the government. The moment Gwak Chunsik left Silver Town and announced he'd teach at the academy, they'd have no grounds to object.
Why? They couldn't block a legendary hero from past glory taking up teaching. It would violate their core principles: respecting awakeners' free will and actively supporting superhuman training and protection.
Plus, it benefited them too. They feared him grabbing real power in the Association and starting a war. But if he went to the academy instead? They could monitor him through staff, instructors, and students.
Hesitation flickered across Gwak Chunsik's face.
"Most importantly, you'd get to see your granddaughter every day."
"......Granddaughter? You mean Jiyu?"
Her name was Kwak Jiyu, right? Whatever.
"Yes. I heard Seoul Hero Academy's opening an elementary and preschool division. It's still just internal talk among the top staff, but it's a done deal. And... your granddaughter awakened too."
A chance to see the granddaughter he longed for, right there at the academy.
Would a grandfather who melted for her pass that up?
"If you join as an academy instructor, you could see her whenever you want. And besides..."
I grinned, ready for the knockout blow.
"It's a chance to show her you're the teacher of heroes. Picture it: 'My grandpa's a teacher here! Jealous?'—her bragging to everyone."
Gwak Chunsik's lips twitched upward. He was all but hooked.
"Hold on, I need to think it over."
Maybe leaving Silver Town after years gave him pause. He'd need time.
But I already knew how this ended. He had no choice.
"As expected?"
"Yeah, let me sort my thoughts. Oh, you can head back now."
"Pardon? Right now?"
All I'd learned was basic mana shaping. Going home like this would leave me with time to kill.
"Yes. For now, practice shaping simple forms without the bracelet. Once that's solid, we'll move to the next step."
With that, he waved without looking back and faded from view.
Great that he'd bitten, but... now I had time on my hands.
As I pondered how to use it—
"Ah."
My eyes caught the smartphone screen, still open to the GPS from before coming here. A good idea hit.
"There's a mana ginseng patch around here, right?"
In the game, wandering Inje in Gangwon Province had a chance to trigger a wild ginseng patch event.
Even better: ginseng mutated by dungeon mana waves became mana ginseng, an elixir-like wonder.
Perfect. Gwak Chunsik wouldn't bother harvesting it, so it should still be there.
"Home can wait a bit."
I'd been wondering how to repay those other family bosses' gifts. This was ideal.
Mana ginseng made great elixirs—or stamina dishes.
I summoned the item I'd gotten last time, [Subspace Warehouse], changed clothes, and headed to where a dungeon had once formed.
If the game lore held, a patch should be nearby.
"Alright, time to hunt."
Dungeons spawned randomly outside key events, so mana ginseng spots shifted per playthrough. Hard to find, usually.
But...
Aura Sonar
The bracelet made spreading aura wide tricky, but channeling it slowly into the ground like roots helped me get the hang of it.
"Oh."
Soon, the aura I'd spread forward picked up mana influence. A new sensation—before the bracelet, I could only sense shapes; now, I felt mana flows.
Pretty fascinating.
I reeled in the aura and hiked onward, breathing in the fresh dirt and phytoncide air.
Then, a subtle mana scent wafted in.
Looking around, I spotted clusters of grass with red berries.
"......Jackpot."
A total jackpot!
I grinned, stepping into the patch's center.
Prime specimens everywhere, red berries gleaming. Maybe 30 roots? Enough for me and gifts.
Age didn't matter—I'd check later.
"Time to prep."
I stretched and scanned around.
Now for the buy-one-get-one-free part. Elixirs like these meant locals guarding the turf.
It knew I'd invaded. It'd come soon.
"......There you are."
The ground rumbled from afar. Crashing trees, flocks of birds fleeing skyward.
──────!!
Smashing through trees toward me was a massive bear, blue mana puffing from its nostrils.
"How much mana ginseng did it eat to breathe mana?"
A crescent bear fattened on mana ginseng. Its bile would be a potent elixir too.
"This bracelet's got me feeling sluggish anyway. Let's play."
* * *
Back home, consuming the mana ginseng exceeded expectations.
First, aura control felt smoother despite the bracelet.
I took it off to test—my aura surged fiercer than usual.
Probably from the body heat after eating it.
One more root? Just boosted my condition, no big change.
Duplicates yielding less was standard here—no big loss.
But the highlight: bile from the mana ginseng-fed crescent bear.
◈ Bile from a crescent bear transformed into a spirit beast by consuming the oldest mana ginseng.
◈ Cannot be consumed raw; must be processed for effects.
A raw material needing processing for an elixir. Rare grade already—post-processing would be incredible. Heart racing.
Who to entrust for refining? As I recalled famous alchemists from the game to make a list—
~♬
My smartphone buzzed on the bed. 9 PM.
Family business? They'd come in person. Who calls this late?
I checked: incoming call from [Sea-a].
"Sea-a?"
Why would she call now? Puzzled, I answered.
"......Hello?"
[Uh, uh? Y-you picked up. E-Eugene?]
Her voice trembled, terrified—nothing like her usual cheer.
Something felt off.
"......What's wrong?"
[Y-yeah...... I...... um...... S-something's wrong...... Hic! It feels...... off......]
"Wrong? What do you mean?"
[They say they have all the evidence...... witnesses too...... I don't get it......]
Evidence? Witnesses? What the hell?
"Where are you right now?"
[M-me...... Hic! At the police station. Police station......]
Trouble, big time.