Disciple Baek Jaesung 10
Mana is an unknown power that exists in nature. Even in our modern world of advanced science, its true essence remains a mystery. The world's top scholars are burning the midnight oil to study it, but humanity is still groping around in the dark. In their words, mana is like God's prank. It twists the precise physical laws we've so carefully built up. And the crystallization of that is the ability.
This enigmatic force mocks the countless theories and hypotheses of the scientific community, holding infinite possibilities. Though we've failed to uncover mana’s fundamental nature, we've discovered countless ways to harness it. It's like how humanity gained the brilliant byproduct of chemistry despite the alchemists' dismal failures. Everyone understands their own mana differently. Just as every person has their own personality, individuality, and fingerprints, so too does mana. That's why passing down a specific sequence for manipulating mana is incredibly difficult. How quickly you master it is the standard line between genius and mediocrity.
In that sense, I was no genius. I pictured the image that Director Kim Minyoung had explained, but I was totally lost on how to apply it. Would Han Seungjin have gotten it? Start from the heart and charge mana all the way to the tip of my right arm? How the hell is that possible? The way I understood mana flow in the body was like a river current. Can a human speed up the flow of a river? Her understanding of mana differed from mine. Looking at the same thing from different perspectives meant our concepts wouldn't align.
Classes fundamentally require the teacher and student to share the same concepts. Without that foundation, the student gains nothing useful. "I'm still not getting it from the explanation alone. Could you maybe demonstrate the motion once?" I politely asked Director Kim Minyoung. Seeing it with my own eyes might click for me.
Director Kim nodded and assumed her stance. It was the basic straight punch position. She spread her feet slightly wider than shoulder-width. Her dominant right foot went back, left foot forward. She clenched her right fist—thumb folded first, covered by the four fingers. She raised the fist with the thumb facing up and tucked it tight against her right side. Her left arm came up just below chest level, crossing her torso horizontally. It looked like a mid-guard.
"Remember the position of my feet well. When you draw an imaginary line from the forward left foot to the rear right foot, both should align on that line." She lowered her body into the stance. Her coiled right arm looked ready to spring like a loaded spring. Even unextended, it radiated power and presence. I could easily imagine Director Kim Minyoung thrusting her fist. She'd rotate her hips and shoot it straight out. The compressed force would gather in her right arm, smashing mercilessly through anything in front.
The image was crystal clear. "From this position, boil up your mana." She said it and drew up her mana. It almost looked like activating an ability, but slightly different. A faint vibration hummed from Director Kim's body. I burned the scene into my eyes slowly.
Woooong...! It was an incredibly stable sound. When I manipulated mana, mine sounded like a gasoline engine's roar, but hers was like an electric motor's hum. From that alone, I could gauge her skill and experience. This woman was a distant master I couldn't even aspire to. She was gazing at the heavens in 3D space while I was trapped in a 1D line.
The sound's origin was Director Kim's heart. I noticed her deep, pure mana flowing to the fist tucked against her side. If she hadn't explained it first, I wouldn't have caught it. She loaded mana into her fist like injecting fuel. It was no longer just flesh and bone—it was a full-fledged weapon.
Still hazy even watching up close. She'd shown me mana manipulation right before my eyes, but I still couldn't grasp it. She relaxed her stance and told me to imitate her. I took the exact same position she'd shown.
Is this right? "Spread your feet a bit more. Tuck the fist right against your side. Yes, like that."
Director Kim corrected my form. I tried manipulating mana just like she had. Of course, it was just mimicry. Connect the mana flow from my heart to my right fist. Sending mana to my body's extremities was easy enough, but mine didn't move as fast as hers. She'd packed her fist with mana at breakneck speed, like rapid fueling, but mine was nowhere close.
"That's not it. Your mana flow is too slow. What I did was concentrate mana into one point at high speed." Even hearing that, I had no clue how. If your head's no good, your body suffers. I tried over and over. But I failed to replicate Director Kim each time. With every failure, she eyed me with a subtle gaze. Had my lack of talent been exposed? That would be bad. I still wanted her interested in me.
Damn... this is fucking nerve-wracking. Then... I thought of a way to turn this around. Pump stats with bonus points? Intelligence might clear my head.
No. Not many points to spend. It won't change much that fast. And fully assimilating stats takes time. Better than that... I eyed my nearly 100,000 credits. Credit.com had been a hit, stacking up a decent pile.
Alright. Time to spend like a king what I earned like a dog!
[Pay 10,000 credits to acquire a skill?]
Yes! I learned a skill.
[Congratulations! You've acquired D-rank root skill Self-Defense Technique.]
[Congratulations! You've acquired D-rank branch skill Toughen Up.]
←Skills→
◆ Root Skill
[Self-Defense Technique 1Lv] (D-rank)
↳Acquire the most basic method of protecting your body.
◇ Branch Skill
[Toughen Up 1Lv] (D-rank)
↳Your body becomes slightly tougher.
←Skills→
Damn! Garbage came out. Shouldn't an SSS-rank martial skill pop perfectly here? I spun the roulette again.
[Congratulations! You've acquired F-rank root skill Thrashing.]
[Congratulations! You've acquired F-rank branch skill True Dogeza.]
←Skills→
◆ Root Skill
[Thrashing 1Lv] (F-rank)
↳Awaken a method to preserve your life against overwhelmingly powerful foes you can't possibly fight.
◇ Branch Skill
[True Dogeza 1Lv] (F-rank)
↳Instantly strip naked and perform dogeza. All equipped gear and active skills are released. Low chance to beg for mercy from the opponent. Doesn't work on low-intelligence foes. If mercy fails, high chance of being subdued.
←Skills→
Damn! Two in a row of utter shit skills. Burning 20,000 credits on this crap. My golden hand that pulled SSS abilities turned to a shit hand.
Damn... can't afford more... Please... Eat two sacrifices and pull something good! Thinking it was the last, I drew one more.
[Congratulations! You've acquired F-rank root skill Clowning.]
[Congratulations! You've acquired D-rank branch skill Wit.]
←Skills→
◆ Root Skill
[Clowning 1Lv] (F-rank)
↳Spread laughter to the world.
◇ Branch Skill
[Wit 1Lv] (D-rank)
↳Consume mental strength to create a humorous atmosphere. Effective regardless of opponent's mental strength.
←Skills→
Fuck my mom! Nothing but shit to the end. I blew 30,000 credits into the void. The gambler's curse.
Damn. Just True Dogeza on Director Kim and beg to be her formal disciple? As I seriously pondered that, a new alert appeared.
[Congratulations! You've acquired S-rank root skill KHC.]
[Congratulations! You've acquired C-rank branch skill KHC - Straight Punch.]
[Acquired S-rank root skill through self-study. Reward: 5x Random Item Coupon (A-rank), 5x Random Item Coupon (B-rank).]
←Skills→
◆ Root Skill
[KHC 1Lv] (S-rank)
↳Use KHC, the official close-combat technique of the Korea Hunter Association.
◇ Branch Skill
[KHC - Straight Punch 1Lv] (C-rank)
↳Consume mana to launch a fist loaded with compressed mana.
←Skills→
I'd mastered KHC as a skill. Mimicking the motions clumsily had triggered acquisition. Totally unintended. If I'd planned it, I wouldn't have wasted 30,000 credits.
Should've thought more carefully! Credits hurt, but acquiring the skill was huge. KHC was S-rank. Before Director Kim lost interest, I activated it. Just strong intent—no mana worry—and the technique fired automatically.
Woooong!
"Hm?" Director Kim, about to withdraw her interest, gasped at my straight punch. Vivid blue light wrapped my fist. I thrust the mana-charged fist forward. Air split like the Red Sea with a sharp shrieeek!
The powerful mana shot across the training hall, slamming into the far wall with a thud before vanishing. The wall held—monster byproduct reinforced—but it'd have shattered otherwise.
"I did it!"
"Hm. Indeed. Well done." I raised both arms in joy. Director Kim praised me with a subtle expression. Sizing up my talent? After trial and error, this was pretty good, right?
Director Kim called a short break. I headed to the bathroom—not for piss. Inside, I checked my rewards: 5 B-rank and 5 A-rank random item coupons. One item I wanted.
Growth Elixir. Definitely S-rank. Low chance from A-rank coupon. It jumps a root skill's level straight to 5. I wanted to draw it now and max KHC. She'd see me differently. Her gaze now was ambiguous—like jade or stone?
Capture her interest here. Play it right, and maybe taste her pussy at this workshop. Wishful thinking, no kimchi soup yet. I focused and used an A-rank random item coupon.
←Items→
●Darling's Choice (A-rank)
↳A small flashlight. Select a fetish on the handle panel; shine on a human for 1+ hour to change their fetish to the selected one. Strong-willed humans can resist.
※The sinner forced sexual orientation resisted oppression in the purest way.
●Artificial Body (A-rank)
↳Artificial body to replace lost parts. Holds strong potential. Gains functions based on user capability.
※Losing one thing means gaining another.
●Growth Booster Potion (B-rank)
↳Potion accelerating plant/animal growth. Ineffective on some.
●Inventory Expansion Coupon (A-rank)
↳Expands inventory by 5 slots.
●Growth Elixir (S-rank)
↳Pill with unknown power. Raises root skill level ≤5 to 5.
←Items→
"Nice! That's the one!" I got the Growth Elixir. Over 100 luck finally paid off. Does investing in luck boost pulls? Past experience said no—I'd pulled SSS with low luck. If lucky, no double F-rank disasters. Just got lucky this round. I used the Inventory Expansion Coupon and Growth Elixir right away. Bumped KHC to level 5. Gained two new branch skills.
←Skills→
◆ Root Skill
[KHC 5Lv] (S-rank)
↳Use KHC, the official close-combat technique of the Korea Hunter Association.
◇ Branch Skills
[KHC - Straight Punch 1Lv] (C-rank)
↳Consume mana to launch a fist loaded with compressed qi.
[KHC - Hammer Kick 1Lv] (C-rank)
↳Consume mana to launch a kick loaded with compressed mana.
[KHC - Spinning Kick 1Lv] (C-rank)
↳Consume mana to launch a kick loaded with rotating mana.
[KHC - Switch 1Lv] (B-rank)
↳Consume mana to leave an afterimage while evading enemy attacks.
[KHC - Counter Strike 1Lv] (C-rank)
↳Consume mana to transition defense to offense. Gain attack power equal to defense.
←Skills→
Straight Punch for clean jabs, Hammer Kick as standard kick, Spinning Kick with rotating mana, Switch leaving afterimages to dodge, and Counter Strike flipping defense to attack. Every branch skill was useful. This was KHC?
Come to think of it, what's the max level for skills? My skills show realm in two ways: levels like '1Lv' or stars like '1성'. Star ones are from martial arts like Yin-Yang Harmony Technique. Highest human realm in Extreme Sword Heaven World is 12 stars, so probably max 12-13. Level skills? Unknown max, maybe infinite.
Level 5 KHC isn't that high. Shame. Greedy after this, but I'd skipped years of training with one pill—already a thief.
Before leaving the bathroom, I used the B-rank coupons too.
←Items→
●Inventory Expansion Coupon (A-rank)
↳Expands inventory by 5 slots.
●Happy Candy (C-rank)
↳Orange-tinged candy the size of a finger joint. Mildly sweet; eating induces powerful narcotic-level pleasure. Chocolate-level addiction.
※Addiction varies slightly by age/gender.
●Mark of Submission (C-rank)
↳Ink and needle set for tattoos. Over 1,000 colors.
※Love carved in stone fades; love carved in memory lasts forever.
●Mark of Obedience (C-rank)
↳Case with various beautiful piercings. 20+ types, dozens of enchantments. See manual.
※Love takes many forms.
←Items→
Two A-rank inventory expansions, three C-ranks. No pure B-ranks.