Can You See This Too? (Part 3)
In a world without the system, becoming a hunter was quite grueling.
Especially for Earth hunters who had to compete with various other races from other dimensions that entered the Black Gates.
Nothing came easily.
Other races had history and tradition, so they already knew basic skills without needing point books. Earth hunters had to purchase everything one by one using points.
Even after buying, it wasn’t immediate.
They had to read the book, interpret it, and laboriously acquire it. Only then did they obtain it.
It was truly like that.
Until Hwang Ha-na saw Lee Do-hyun in front of her.
Whoosh—
“…Why are you doing this?”
“….”
While watching the fire made of mana burn vigorously on Do-hyun’s palm, Hwang Ha-na stared blankly for a moment.
It wasn’t mere surprise.
She had carefully observed the fire currently blazing on Do-hyun’s hand.
As a result.
‘T-true?’
The basic magic Fire.
As intuitive a name as the effect—summoning flames to attack.
Magic had a higher difficulty than basic techniques.
It was no wonder people argued about separating hunters from mages.
But even if one had aptitude for magic, mastering basic magic took days. And he had succeeded on the very first day of enrollment?
Just by reading a book?
‘It can’t be….’
Hwang Ha-na tried to deny it in her mind, but what else could she do if she didn’t believe it?
She hadn’t come all this way after seeing the record of minor abilities, had she? That meant he had truly learned basic magic from the book.
What should she call this?
Hwang Ha-na had lived her whole life hearing people call her a genius. Yet the scene before her surpassed even that.
As if unable to believe his words, she looked at Do-hyun, who scratched his head and blinked.
“Ah. Should I not be allowed to use it? I used it because I could….”
Seeing Do-hyun speak that way, perhaps to avoid any rebuke, Hwang Ha-na quickly regained her composure and shook her head.
“Ah, no. You may use it. …But really, you learned it just by reading the book?”
The book existed so you could learn from it.
But the time was the issue.
Hwang Ha-na had only been gone for ten minutes at most. And he had read and handled the basic magic book? If that was true…
‘I need to contact Taebaek.’
The instructor contacting his guild in advance to poach a promising candidate was a behavior worthy of severe criticism.
Even though the instructor himself had received a significant punishment for it, if this were true, Do-hyun was a talent she had to bring no matter the cost.
Guilds usually supported instructors for exactly this reason.
But at that moment.
“Ah, then, can I try the others as well?”
“…Others?”
“Yes. I’ve read about three.”
“…?”
What was this now?
Seeing Do-hyun puzzled, as if unable to understand, he thought the permission had been given. He extinguished the floating flames on his hand and pulled a dagger from the weapons hanging on the side.
Even up to this point, it was incomprehensible.
Why was the person who had just been using magic pulling out a dagger?
Hunters proficient in both magic and techniques were rare, at least in Korea.
That common sense had been etched into Hwang Ha-na’s mind. Yet Do-hyun shattered it into pieces.
The moment Do-hyun gripped the dagger, the atmosphere changed.
Whoosh—
The dagger in his hand even carried a faint mana.
And the instant he saw it, Hwang Ha-na’s eyes widened as if they would tear open.
It was dagger art, one of the basic techniques.
Moreover, the mana circulating subtly around Do-hyun’s body indicated it was mana manipulation, also a basic technique.
Just to be sure, she watched as Do-hyun moved swiftly like lightning, dashed toward the dummy, extended the dagger held in reverse, and swung it in a blur.
Stealthy. Swift. Deadly.
And his movement itself surpassed that of an ordinary person.
Hwang Ha-na could only shout.
“R-real dagger art?! And mana manipulation too?!”
She had thought he was using magic moments ago, but he had mastered dagger art and mana manipulation as well. Overwhelmed by disbelief, she trembled as if struck by lightning.
How was this possible?
While everyone called her a genius for having learned basic magic in just two days, what should they call the person who had acquired two basic techniques and one basic magic in under ten minutes?
“Ugh….”
It wasn’t a coincidence or accident that he had endured her mana pressure and followed it.
It was all done by Do-hyun himself.
From Hwang Ha-na’s position without Analysis or the System, that was the correct answer.
Even if other newly awakened hunters saw the skills on Do-hyun’s status window, they would still need time to internalize them. But for Do-hyun, who gained the information instantly the moment he analyzed, that wasn’t an issue.
That was why he couldn’t understand Hwang Ha-na’s feelings.
Truly, he had simply done what he could see. He couldn’t feel the sense of deprivation that others experienced.
Moreover, Do-hyun was somewhat disappointed.
He had permanently gained Mana +2 by acquiring dagger art, mana manipulation, and Fire. But his disappointment was for another reason.
[System: You have acquired three F-rank skills today.]
[System: You have reached the limit of your current stats.]
[System: You can no longer acquire F-rank skills today.]
‘I knew there would be a limit. It’s a shame. Shame.’
If Hwang Ha-na had heard that, she would have been utterly stunned. But since it was only in thought, it was fortunate.
Anyway, having come to her senses, Hwang Ha-na looked at Do-hyun with a dazed expression. She swallowed hard and said,
“F-for now, rest. The other trainees will be arriving soon.”
“Yes, understood.”
They had already tested, so there was no need for more.
He had answered appropriately, and seeing that, Hwang Ha-na hurried toward the instructor building.
She was determined to inform the Taebaek Guild as quickly as possible. In her mind as she returned, the memory of Ji Yu-chan, who had once caused a stir at the Hunter Association, had already faded as if washed away.
Since Hwang Ha-na had said so, Do-hyun quietly returned to his dormitory.
He hadn’t fully understood her reaction, but he could guess roughly.
‘Truly fast with Analysis.’
Smiling faintly, he wondered if he was being treated as a promising candidate. In any case, he felt strangely good as he rested in the assigned dormitory.
He had no idea how long it usually took to master even one thing.
How long had he been resting?
A knock sounded at his door.
Knock knock—
“Mr. Do-hyun, the new trainees have arrived.”
New applicants. No, trainees. It couldn’t be helped.
“I’m coming out now!”
Excited, Do-hyun stepped outside.
With an expectant expression, wondering what kind of trainees would be waiting.
***
Awakening occurred in an extremely small number.
Considering that in the most populous Seoul, no more than five awakened in a month, the ratio was truly low.
It was confirmed as less than fifty per year across the country.
Even nationwide, the total number of awakened did not reach one hundred in a year.
The Seoul Hunter Training Center didn’t have many applicants, but this month was different.
A staggering ten people.
The training center opened at the end of every month. Five awakened in a single day was a rare event.
Adding the five who had awakened today to the five who had awakened within the month equaled ten.
Unlike the five who had awakened today and entered late in the evening, the five who entered at a slightly slower evening already knew about the training center from the moment they awakened.
Their minds were prepared, so they had fewer complaints or complaints.
Perhaps because of that, they chatted animatedly inside the shuttle bus without much tension.
“Ugh. A month is a bit long, but let’s all work hard together.”
“Understood.”
“Normally, people form parties with their classmates often. Let’s do well from now on.”
“Ho-ho, Dong-wook, do you want to party with just us?”
A cheerful atmosphere.
But among them, one was quiet. A very handsome young man.
The young man, who drew the attention of the two women in the shuttle bus, was simply staring out the window with a bored expression.
Seeing him, one woman pointed and asked,
“Yu-chan, aren’t you nervous?”
“Yes, well.”
He was Ji Yu-chan, the main instigator of the commotion at the Hunter Association.
The man called Dong-wook, who knew that, nodded and muttered,
“True. Yu-chan caused a stir at the Association just from registering.”
“Really? Why?”
“Apparently, they said a new prodigy had appeared.”
“Really?”
“Ehehe! It seems only five awakened today. Normally five hunters form a party, but if we team with the others, we’d definitely win! Thanks to Yu-chan!”
“Really?”
“Yes, that’s what I heard.”
“I heard the batch has many people. Competing will be fun.”
Dong-wook, who looked a bit older, laughed ha-ha, and everyone followed.
Except Ji Yu-chan.
Having stayed quiet and seeming a bit bored, when they arrived at the training center, everyone’s faces lit up with smiles as they gathered their belongings and got off the bus.
When they reached the entrance of the Hunter Training Center building, they saw the five existing trainees and instructor Hwang Ha-na, reacting similarly.
Looking at Hwang Ha-na was natural.
And Hwang Ha-na said the same to them as to the existing trainees.
“It’s nice to see you all. I will train you harshly for a month.”
At the same time, the mana pressure rising from Hwang Ha-na pressed down on everyone like a rite of passage. Most trainees showed the same reaction.
Their breath caught as if someone was strangling their throat!
“Cough!”
“Ugh!”
“Gulp!”
“Kyaa!”
“…Hah.”
Even Ji Yu-chan couldn’t escape the pressure and furrowed his brows.
Of course, his condition was the best compared to the other trainees.
He only furrowed his brows; it wasn’t that painful.
But in that moment, Ji Yu-chan saw something.
In Hwang Ha-na’s eyes, a fleeting indifference. Something felt off.
‘What?’
He was supposed to have talent that caused a stir at the Hunter Association. He couldn’t help but be bewildered by the sight.
But at that moment, he could see someone who was paying attention to him.
However, the only instructor here was Hwang Ha-na.
In other words.
‘A trainee?’
That trainee was clearly saying to him,
‘S… What?’
He couldn’t understand, but surely one of them was looking at him with sparkling eyes.
S something.
Whether Ji Yu-chan read it or not, Do-hyun thought excitedly.
‘S-rank!’