Chapter 30: This Utility Is Insane
“Damn it! How the hell are we supposed to attack something that high up and massive!?”
Choi Jaewon’s frustrated scream echoed through the ice canyon. The B-rank flame mage from the Hyeonmu Guild was running low on mana, his attacks growing sporadic, and the tank line holding shields was crumbling under the Ice Arachne’s barrage of ice spears.
Part of me wanted to charge forward right then, skewer that bitch’s upper body like I’d just done to the Ice Panther’s head. But reason clamped down hard on my ankles.
No way. I’m not playing superhero here, but the timing’s all wrong.
Think about it. Just a few days ago, the Hunter Association’s measurement device glitched out on me, so officially, I’m still just an F-rank scrap repairman on paper. And now, in front of hundreds of witnesses, this F-rank nobody one-shots an A-rank boss monster—the elite variant Arachne no less? That wouldn’t end with hero worship. Tomorrow’s morning news would splash it everywhere, and every major guild worldwide would start a blood war to recruit me.
And that’s not all. The government and Association might decide my off-the-charts mana needs “a few tests.” Fine, whatever. But if they figure out I’ve got a Dragon Heart in the process...? The measurement device already flagged me as non-human. A dragon? The same humans fawning over me now would flip in an instant. Humans are ruthless to non-human races—history proves it.
That can’t happen.
It might not go down that way, but both possibilities were too real. So, how do I wriggle out of this mess?
I narrowed my eyes at the Ice Arachne hovering in midair. Grotesque mashup of a woman’s torso and spider’s lower body. But flip that: smash the upper half—brain and heart—and the whole body loses control. Easy takedown.
One spear throw from me could vaporize that torso. Problem is, no one can see me throwing it…
How to launch invisibly? Mages have their Invisibility spells—I don’t. Just the Dragon Heart’s vast mana and Jermad’s two Dragon Words: Cheok (repel) and Suh (attract).
Jermad said to get creative. After a moment’s thought, inspiration hit.
Hold up. Can’t Suh and Cheok push and pull light too, not just physical stuff?
Suh pulls. Cheok pushes. Why not apply that to light rays, like a mirror?
Suck in background visible light from behind the spear with Suh, then push it straight through the front with Cheok to refract it…?
Theory checked out—like that optical camouflage from some TV doc. I swallowed hard, subtly drew my black iron spear, hid it behind my back, and layered the two words onto its surface with precise mental formulas.
“Suh… and Cheok.”
Vmmm—
The spear blade in my grip shimmered like a heat haze. Refracted light blended its black form into the snow-covered ground, then melted seamlessly transparent, like ink in water.
“……Holy shit.”
I couldn’t believe my eyes. The spear was gone. Not perfectly—close inspection might catch the faint ripple—but in this chaos? No one would notice.
It works? Wow, this utility is insane.
I knew Dragon Words were cheat-tier, but this versatility? Never dreamed. Now I could snipe the Arachne’s forehead undetected.
I shifted the invisible spear’s balance, readying my throw. But then—
Wait… If I kill it, who gets credit for this A-rank boss clear?
My gaze drifted to Choi Jaewon, the parasitic pretty boy yelling up front. I’d decided to fanboy him a bit, but that was separate. Sure, I might be the real shit-stirrer here, but handing this massive achievement to that smug prick on a silver platter? My stomach churned at the waste.
So, who should snag the kill title for the prettiest picture? Let’s wait. They’re holding for now.
I licked my lips, scanning the front line with my invisible spear in hand. That’s when it happened.
“Shields breaking!! Fall back!!”
One of Hyeonmu’s tanks crumpled under the Arachne’s spider leg barrage, screaming as he hit the dirt. The right flank gaped open, and the Arachne’s jagged foreleg speared toward his heart.
“No!!”
“Dodge!!”
Everyone squeezed their eyes shut—
Kaaaaang—!!!
A deafening clang ripped the air, sparks flying. The tank was fine. Someone had parried the massive ice leg perfectly.
“……Huh? Taesoo hyung?”
I blinked in disbelief. What the hell is that guy doing up there!?
There stood Kim Taesoo, D-rank hunter, blocking the fallen tank’s path. Gripping the sword I’d fixed days ago, veins bulging across his battered armor as he held firm.
“Haaaaap!!”
A beastly roar exploded from Taesoo hyung. Mana blazed fiercely along his custom blade—stronger than ever before.
What’s going on? Why’s it glowing like that?
Taesoo hyung was D-rank, sure, but a decade-plus vet who’d crawled gate floors through hell and back. Drunk, he’d brag about his “promising” days, ruined by marriage. He’d even fought low-rank Arachnes before—I’d humored those tales. This was an A-rank boss, leagues above, but somehow he’d blocked it.
“I won’t run again. But I won’t die either!! For my wife and bunny-like daughter, I’m going home alive, no matter what!!”
His shout was paradoxically corny, but the raw sincerity hit everyone. A man’s vow never to quit. A father’s ironclad duty. And then, something weird unfolded before my eyes.
“Whoa!? What’s that!?”
His name was Kim Taesoo.
‘I want to be a hero who protects people.’
That’s what drove him into hunting. But unlike his grand name, the last decade had been unglamorous. Sword snapped, everything lost. Yeah, but marriage, family… He rationalized, stagnating for ten years.
Body alive, but heart hollow. Days blurred meaningless; survival, not living, crushed him. Alone, he might’ve gone berserk, charging gates to vent. But he wasn’t alone.
Responsibility chained him to reality. Then, that young junkyard repair kid. Listened to Taesoo’s rants despite the age gap, always chasing his own dreams. Not the sharpest, but that pure drive? Enviable. Sometimes frustrating. But the kid stuck to it—fix, fix, fix. Seemed foolish at times. Wrong.
Opportunity hit Daesung. He grinned, shared it with me. Opportunity knocked again. A reborn broken sword. No more running. No dying. He’d be a proud dad, guarding his daughter forever.
Kim Taesoo resolved it. Change sparks from tiny steps. Ten years’ suppressed will and grit reignited. Reckless? Maybe. But the system responded to his resolve.
A radiant message popped before his eyes.
Confirmed indomitable spirit that refuses to yield even in extreme situations.
Your hidden potential unlocks its true power.
2nd Awakening conditions met!
Ding—!
“Wh-what!?”
Kim Taesoo gaped. In this do-or-die pinch, breaching his limits triggered the miraculous 2nd awakening event—right here, right now.