Why Doesn't This Work? (1)
Haa... haa.
Huu... huu.
Hana Rin and Ji Yu-chan lay on the floor of the vast training arena, staring up at the ceiling while wiping the sweat soaking their faces.
They had lost. Both of them, in a joint fight.
Yet beneath their expressions, something far deeper than defeat flickered in their eyes—profound enlightenment.
Do-hyeon had watched them think for a long time without saying a word, simply waiting patiently.
'Do-hyeon oppa just reads the flow of mana and guesses the direction and the nature of the attack.'
The sight was almost superhuman. At first it had been hard to grasp, but Hana Rin knew instantly—after all, she was one of the monsters called geniuses, and she saw exactly what Do-hyeon was doing.
He was reading the mana.
So he detected the coming magic before the magic circle even appeared and prepared accordingly.
Even more so.
'It's not just magic.'
Do-hyeon's insight worked on Ji Yu-chan's attacks too.
He understood the flow of mana, knew where it would go and how, read the future of the fight, and could see why this person was so strong.
Conversely.
'If I hide the mana perfectly?'
Would the opponent not notice?
Attacks become sharper when you can't predict how they'll come out. Hana Rin realized that and began searching for ways to hide mana. The answer was closer than she thought.
It was right in front of her—Do-hyeon himself was doing exactly that.
Do-hyeon's mana concealment wasn't using stealth techniques like shadow stepping; it was hiding with the speed of the Shadow King and various skills. But Hana Rin saw a different path.
Creating something new after watching Do-hyeon do it—that was monstrous too. Still, she thought she had spotted the correct method and simply copied it.
After all, once she grasped the trick of concealment, she summoned the mana again. The mana that flowed felt faint.
'Got it.'
While Hana Rin practiced her newly understood trick, Ji Yu-chan did the same. He reached the same conclusion but through an entirely different path than either Do-hyeon or Hana Rin.
'I don't have mana control strong enough to hide it completely.'
Ji Yu-chan knew his own limits better than anyone.
Although he had less mana control than Do-hyeon or Hana Rin, he could perfectly inflate the mana and use it exactly as he wished.
He could spread it across his entire body and adjust the distribution without issue.
So.
'I just need to make it hard to tell apart.'
Spread mana evenly across his whole body so it was impossible to see where it actually went.
Even though the visible mana looked uniform, he arranged some deeper within it in a different pattern and hid everything that way.
That was Ji Yu-chan's answer.
The moment he had the answer, he tried it immediately and confirmed it worked perfectly.
To everyone else, it looked like he had simply spread mana evenly across his entire body. Inside the visible layer, however, only a small portion was hidden.
If any D-rank hunter had been watching the Do-hyeon party, they would have dropped their jaw in disbelief.
Normally, D-ranks only enter the association or learn from seniors to reach D-rank. Without that training they might survive in D-rank, but anything higher meant death.
Yet here was a genuine advanced trick that could have been taught to D-ranks... and both Do-hyeon and the two who had copied him were monsters.
When the two of them finally grasped the enlightenment, Do-hyeon simply stared at them in amazement.
'I only analyzed, so maybe I got a scam skill because of luck. Still, these two...'
'They're the real geniuses.'
The kind who learns ten things when shown one. Do-hyeon muttered that to himself and addressed the pair after they finished organizing their thoughts.
'Now let's go interpret the textbooks.'
'Alright.'
'Good.'
After sweating a good amount, the nagging feelings eased a little.
Both of them admitted it: they had no choice but to accept Do-hyeon's help right now.
They would repay him once they were stronger.
Hana Rin and Ji Yu-chan answered with renewed energy, and Do-hyeon nodded before suggesting they borrow a meeting room at the association.
Of course.
'First, let's shower and meet again later.'
It was time to wash off the sweat from the intense training.* * *
The Seoul branch of the Hunter Association offered every facility a hunter could need, and the meeting room was one of them.
It existed so parties could hold meetings before entering the Black Gates together. Not many parties used it, since real-time briefings usually happened on the spot.
Even if they planned ahead, too many variables existed inside the gates. Maybe some things were simply unpredictable. A handful of hunters did use the room, but rarely.
The Do-hyeon party, however, fell into that rare category.
Since the room was spacious, borrowing it was no trouble at all.
The Do-hyeon party stepped into the meeting room. The moment they entered, Hana Rin and Ji Yu-chan pulled out their respective textbooks.
Both of these textbooks cost an absurd three million points to interpret.
Do-hyeon thought.
'Three million points... three hundred billion won?'
Insane.
He had only just received ten billion won into his account, but the scale felt completely different. Do-hyeon scratched his head.
Another way of looking at it: he had gained three million points through analysis, so he was effectively saving six million overall.
That thought made him feel even better. He walked to the electronic blackboard and spoke.
'So, who should I interpret first?'
'Me!'
'Me too!'
Hana Rin and Ji Yu-chan spoke at the same time and glared at each other.
Do-hyeon scratched his head helplessly at the two hands raised in protest, then thought for a moment and said.
'Let's spin a roulette.'
'Why a roulette?'
'The one who goes first has the advantage, oppa.'
'...'
Ji Yu-chan clicked his tongue at Hana Rin's point and had no choice but to agree.
The electronic blackboard was essentially a computer, so he could pull up the roulette feature. Once the wheel spun, Hana Rin couldn't help but smile brightly.
Ji Yu-chan's face turned sour, but he had no choice but to accept the result.
With Hana Rin's turn coming, Do-hyeon glanced at the textbook once before explaining.
'Incorporate will into the mana. Will is connected to the history recorded in your inner self. Dive deep into that history, concentrate, and infuse the will. End. Next, Yu-chan.'
'??????'
Hana Rin stared blankly at Do-hyeon after hearing what sounded like it had passed in an instant. Ji Yu-chan, also called, did the same. But Ji Yu-chan had the same reaction as everyone else.
'The Gold Sword purifies the mana inside your body, maximizes the life force, and moves according to the set framework of mana manipulation. Start from the navel, go through the heart, then through the head—filter the mana like a filter, return to the body with clean mana, then return the dirty mana to the navel and turn the filter again~ End.'
'??????'
'Do-hyeon... what does that even mean?'
Ji Yu-chan looked at Do-hyeon with the exact expression of someone asking what the heck he was talking about. Do-hyeon tilted his head at the two of them.
He had explained it perfectly in one glance, yet they were acting this way.
'This... is weird.'
'Huh?'
'You really mean we can just understand it like that?'
'Hmm... is that so?'
Hana Rin and Ji Yu-chan snapped at the cool tone from Do-hyeon.
'Where are people who can do it just by hearing it?!'
'There's a principle! These are textbooks over ten pages long—how can you understand them with just three lines of summary?!'
Do-hyeon blinked at their outburst, then looked at them.
'I'm done though?'
'...'
'...'
Hana Rin and Ji Yu-chan went silent, like they had been caught red-handed. Do-hyeon nodded as if he understood.
'Since I already agreed to explain it, I should give you some service.'
After all, these were only ten-page textbooks.
Do-hyeon nodded in confirmation and picked up his phone, rapidly typing away.
Hana Rin and Ji Yu-chan wondered what he was doing. A moment later, a long post appeared in their party chat.
Hana Rin looked at the message with a bewildered expression. Ji Yu-chan stared at Do-hyeon typing on his phone with a "no way" face. Shortly after, another post appeared in the chat.
Do-hyeon looked at the two of them as if waiting for their reaction. Their faces grew strangely complicated.
Honestly, couldn't they agree?
These were textbooks that cost three million points to interpret—three hundred billion won in value. Instead of discussing and interpreting them gradually, Do-hyeon had written them out like a simple recipe. Do-hyeon was capable, but they had never imagined he could do it to this extent.
Their eyes were hollow as they looked at him. Do-hyeon scratched his head and asked.
'Why?'
'...'
'No, it's nothing.'
'...'
'No, it's not.'
Just moments ago, both of them had felt their confidence return after each discovering their own way to hide mana. Seeing Do-hyeon now made that confidence feel pitiful, and their spirits dropped sharply.
In any case, the interpretations were done, so both of them opened their phones and read what Do-hyeon had written in full view.
The clear organization made the understanding much easier than expected, and strangely, they felt a bit angry.
Why?
He had been kind and apologetic about asking for their help, yet why did it feel so infuriating?
Both of them swallowed hard while closing their eyes and trembling slightly.
'How is it? Does this count as good enough?'
'...'
'Y-yes, thank you. It's really good.'
'...'
'Thank you. I understand it so well.'
Do-hyeon tilted his head at the two of them who spoke with weak, hollow voices, but let it go.
How could this be strange after just one or two days?
It would have been enough to make them explode if they had heard it themselves, but luckily Do-hyeon never said it out loud.