Chapter 33

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 33

Chapter Title: Return to Martial Arts

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Before spending karma, he needed to properly figure out what he truly required.

"My weakness... is mana?"

Having awakened not long ago, his realm had risen sharply, leaving him short on mana. After pondering for a moment, Si-woo rose from his seat.

He would know exactly what he needed once he fought in a rift.

C-Grade Rift.

A dark forest whipped by fierce winds.

A red dot clung to the tip of his sword.

The mysterious flame he'd gained from clashing with Choi Jun-pil. It normally drifted within his Mixed Origin Qi, forming a small flicker when he focused.

He shook the sword, and the red dot swayed with it. A crimson trail streaked through the air like a fire performer, drawing an involuntary gasp of admiration.

"What matters is the power."

Si-woo thrust the sword into a tree.

The blade sank in without resistance, unleashing a burst of heat from the tip. A flame the size of a fingernail sparked to life on the bark.

It started as a tiny candle flame, unquenched even by the surrounding gusts.

-Whoosh!

The flames gradually grew, soon reducing the tree to ash.

"Incredible. Ten seconds?"

After five seconds, the firepower surged dramatically. It took five seconds to spread to fist-size, but in the remaining five, the tree—larger than Si-woo—turned to ash in an instant.

The fire that had devoured the tree gathered from the ground and returned to Si-woo.

With a small exclamation of wonder, Si-woo searched for a monster. He wondered if it would work on them too.

He gave the flame a name.

Will Flame.

The fire that burned murderous thoughts. The name had come to him as he killed a moth-like monster.

The monster predictably unleashed hostility and killing intent toward Si-woo, and the Will Flame reacted.

Fueled by the intense emotions, the flames swelled, incinerating the moth to ash in an instant. Unlike the tree, it took less than five seconds.

"A flame that reacts to emotions..."

Its raw power was unmatched. But it wasn't without flaws. The mana consumption was heavy.

By the time the C-Grade Rift was nearly cleared, Si-woo's mana was almost depleted.

Emerging from the rift, Si-woo made up his mind.

"Mana is the most urgent."

If he'd had more mana, he wouldn't have struggled against Choi Jun-pil. He'd gained the Will Flame thanks to that fight, but his current weakness was a mana shortage.

Nine more purchases would evolve it to [Mid-Grade Mana Core]. No reason to hesitate.

His internal energy, which had barely exceeded a year, exploded in volume. A thrilling rush coursed through him as mana boiled throughout his body.

"Ten years? No, it's something else."

With the Mid-Grade Mana Core, the quality of his mana had changed. He could now draw greater power from the same amount of internal energy.

"Will Flame."

A fireball bloomed in his palm.

The candle-sized Will Flame had grown to fist-size. Focusing his mind condensed it into a small point. Unlike before, a vivid glow flickered.

And it no longer strained his mana.

His vastly increased internal energy made power surge through his entire body.

"This puts me at first-rate, right?"

Si-woo drew his sword and focused. The Will Flame gathered at the tip but couldn't form sword qi.

After mulling it over, he set it aside and turned to the shop.

Searching for useful items at 1,000 karma, he narrowed it down to two candidates.

Both cost exactly 1,000 karma.

"Hmm... both are tempting."

[Low-Grade Body Reinforcement] alone was impressive. It was a big reason Si-woo could solo C-Grade Rifts.

A staple skill that boosted all physical abilities. Less fatigue. Greater strength. Even enhanced stamina—it was phenomenal.

But the quest tempted him too. He recalled his first quest. Just accepting it had granted [Inventory], an enormous reward. And Park Jin-su's memories had been a huge help to a newbie hunter.

Si-woo's inclination tipped toward the quest.

"A quest should give something better than a 1,000-karma skill."

Purchasing the quest scroll added a rectangular paper to his inventory. It looked just like a train ticket.

"No."

If it worked this way, there was no need to do it in the real world.

He decided to sort out the clan before heading to another world.

Si-woo called the sisters and explained his investigation.

"Turns out, that Choi Jun-pil guy was pulling strings behind the scenes, making things especially tough for you lately."

Da-som scowled and asked,

"The one who burned to death?"

"Yeah."

"Why, though?"

Si-woo hesitated on how to explain.

"The psycho had a thing for you, Da-som."

Absurdity washed over Da-som's face. She furrowed her brow.

"He liked me...? Then why...?"

It was incomprehensible with normal reasoning.

"I don't know the exact reason, but he was into you—that much is clear. The problem was, this lunatic had zero confidence you'd like him back. So he cooked up this idiotic plan: push you into despair, then play the savior."

He'd dragged their gambling-addict father deeper into debt, turning him into human trash.

Then swoop in to 'rescue' the sisters with nowhere else to turn.

Lee Da-hye nodded at Si-woo's explanation.

"That actually makes sense."

Da-som shot her sister an incredulous look, while Da-hye seemed almost impressed.

"Sis, that makes sense to you?"

"Huh? Well..."

Da-hye glanced at Si-woo, blushed, and bowed her head sharply.

Da-som frowned in disapproval. Seeing it, Si-woo spoke up.

"Anyway, that's how it went down. What about the remaining thugs? Like I said, if you want revenge, I can handle it."

"No thanks."

Da-som shook her head, and Da-hye agreed.

Si-woo nodded.

"Alright... if you're fine with it."

He might've donned a mask and beaten them himself. Soft-hearted girls.

"Maybe I'll drop by when I'm bored sometime..."

As Si-woo pondered clan operations, Da-som approached.

She must've come straight from school—sweat beaded lightly on her nape.

Standing primly in her uniform to report, the odd harmony made Si-woo's lips twitch.

"There's that empty storefront on the first floor, right?"

"Oh, there?"

Si-woo could make 5 to 10 million won daily from just C-Grade Rifts, so he hadn't bothered renting it out.

"How about opening a cafe there? Or renting it out."

"Not a bad idea, but too much hassle."

Da-som pouted regretfully.

"Seems like a waste... I'll handle the leasing. Okay?"

Si-woo tilted his head. A high schooler handling it felt off.

"You sure you can?"

"I can ask the real estate guy."

After a moment's thought, Si-woo nodded. Free money—who'd stop that?

A cafe would benefit clan members too.

"Go for it."

She seemed surprised by his ready approval, then continued.

"...Got it. Also, hiring a firm to manage the whole building would be cheaper than outsourcing piecemeal."

She cut miscellaneous clan expenses without being asked. Smart hire.

Her initiative was top-notch. He'd half-jokingly made her his secretary, but she excelled.

He'd planned to keep her on only until awakening, but she could stay longer.

"Do it."

"...For real?"

"Why not? Handle whatever."

"You're full of surprises. Trusting a kid like me..."

Si-woo shrugged. No reason to discourage eagerness. Low risk if it flopped.

"You're clan too, Da-som. Of course I trust you."

"...Thank you. I'll head to the realtor now."

She bowed expressionlessly, but her nape flushed pink.

The clan began running in earnest.

Han So-young and Da-hye diligently cleared rifts. So-young even handled clan duties after.

Less than a month since formation, and it was humming along—satisfying.

"Now, just need more members..."

Other clans scrambled for high-rank hunters, but Si-woo didn't need to.

Even normals would do. Adding members would naturally make it powerful.

With Si-woo's strength alone, growth was inevitable.

He told Han So-young,

"We posted for recruits, but any better ideas?"

She thought briefly.

"How about hiring an info broker?"

"Huh?"

"Like in movies—ex-cops at detective agencies. Better than ad-hoc requests, right?"

"Oh... good idea."

Info needs arose often. Building an intel network would pay off later.

Si-woo nodded, and So-young thumped her chest confidently.

"I'll handle it."

Watching her leave with determination, Si-woo sank into thought.

He'd tidied the clan these past days. He'd pondered sword qi in spare moments, but no progress.

Fortunately, someone to ask.

"Alright. Time to visit Hwa-rin and knock out that quest."