Chapter 144
Chapter 144
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 144
Chapter Title: Jihee's Progress
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"So, we're thinking of commissioning the HJH Gate Office for one as well."
"Yes?"
Jeong-hyeon tilted his head at Nam-sik's suggestion.
"Why me, specifically?"
He hadn't expected the association to hand a mission gate commission to him.
Sure, they might handle a gate on the verge of breaking, but why ask him when they had their own association personnel?
Yet Nam-sik nodded at the question laced with that implication.
"Yes. As I mentioned when we requested Choi Ji-hee, we essentially have no level 5 S-Rank hunters on the association's payroll. And truthfully, unless it's a break situation, the association often outsources to external offices."
"Well... I don't mind. Wait a second."
He could somewhat understand the shortage of hunters for the job.
They'd been doing it that way from the start, so there wasn't much to add.
But then a suspicion crossed Jeong-hyeon's mind.
Nam-sik hadn't called just him.
"But why did you call Ji-hee?"
"Hahaha."
Jeong-hyeon asked with a hunch, but Nam-sik just laughed it off.
In that moment, Jeong-hyeon was certain.
"You're not saying we have to go in together...?"
"Heh heh heh."
'This guy, seriously.'
It seemed the association factored in a sly personality during job interviews.
But it made no sense to Jeong-hyeon.
Ji-hee was S-Rank level 4.
It went without saying, but a level 5 mission gate?
She had the specs to clear it without issue.
No, if an S-Rank joined for a level 5 mission gate, he'd only be grateful.
The problem was that S-Rank being Ji-hee.
"No, Chief Choi, you know this too. Ji-hee still can't just dive into mission gates recklessly—"
Ji-hee's raw destructive power was flawless.
She'd taken down a level 6 gate monster with a single spell in the measurement room, after all.
But the issue was her lack of control.
Even in the recent 'Distorted Lake of Mid-to-Low Spirits,' she'd needed breaks after every fight.
Until that weakness was fixed, entering a mission gate where breaks might not be possible was suicidal.
But Nam-sik cut off Jeong-hyeon's objection midway.
"Do you still see Choi Ji-hee as the same old Choi Ji-hee?"
"......?"
What was that supposed to mean?
Jeong-hyeon, at a loss for words, glanced at Ji-hee beside him.
She shyly averted her gaze—quintessential Ji-hee.
No, forget that; wasn't this straight out of a classic horror flick cliché?
"Ah, of course, she is Choi Ji-hee right now."
"......Learned some humor, have we?"
Jeong-hyeon asked, incredulous.
Whatever the case, if Nam-sik was this insistent, one thing came to mind.
"Was the trait suppressant upgrade that effective?"
It temporarily paralyzed traits but had been revealed to stabilize Ji-hee's unstable mana.
It must have been refined beyond imagination.
Instead of answering, Nam-sik stood up.
"As the saying goes, seeing is believing. Take a look. Choi Ji-hee, do you have that with you?"
Ji-hee nodded at Nam-sik's question.
He nodded back, pleased.
"Perfect. Then let's all head to the measurement room."
***
They arrived at the measurement room.
'What could have changed so much...'
Jeong-hyeon was still dazed on the way there.
It was almost tiring to repeat, but each S-Rank was a massive asset even to a nation.
They wouldn't shove an S-Rank—especially a precious association-affiliated one—into a mission gate without certainty.
Consider that association S-Ranks' main duty was break response, not gate clears.
As long as they didn't enter gates, they could retreat and regroup if unexpected threats arose.
"Choi Ji-hee, could you show us the stabilizer now?"
Before Ji-hee entered the measurement booth, Nam-sik said to her.
She pulled a small pill case from her pocket.
It contained somewhat ordinary-looking pills.
The only link to the trait suppressant was their green color.
"Is this the upgraded trait suppressant?"
"Yes. Though to be precise, it's less an upgrade and more a complete remake."
Originally thrown like a grenade with bizarre green powder exploding out, it now looked tame.
Ji-hee popped one into her mouth.
"Just in case, it dissolves instantly in the mouth—no water needed."
"......Ah, okay."
That was fine enough.
It wasn't for commercial sale anyway; they'd figured it out.
Still, being a pill, it must have been bitter—Ji-hee's face twisted slightly.
After gulping a few times, she seemed to have swallowed it fully.
"Whew......"
She let out a big sigh.
'A sigh?'
That's where things got weird.
Jeong-hyeon had never seen Ji-hee make such a grand gesture.
He turned to Nam-sik with a blank look, and the man wore a confident grin, as if to say, "Now watch."
And true to his confidence, the surprises didn't end there.
"Can I start now?"
"!"
It was longer than every word Jeong-hyeon had ever heard her say combined.
Her voice was still soft, but she spoke clearly.
Any normal person could understand her perfectly.
"Please do. Will you step inside?"
"Yes."
"Good lord......"
'What am I seeing right now?'
Put simply, it felt like isekai Ji-hee.
The old Ji-hee would've just nodded faintly.
But she not only replied but looked perfectly at ease doing so.
Meaning she felt no discomfort in this situation.
As soon as Ji-hee entered the booth, Jeong-hyeon pressed Nam-sik.
"What the hell did you make? At this rate, you could resurrect the dead!"
"Hahaha, come on."
Nam-sik laughed off the absurd question and briefly explained what had happened.
The Chinese trait suppressant used narcotic anesthetics as a base, mixed with powerful trait power to paralyze traits.
But Korea lacked such potent trait hunters, and more importantly, the association didn't need that much power.
Their goal was a milder effect, achievable by B-Rank association researchers.
"So we used a mild nerve stabilizer with poison-attribute magic enchantment and healing traits."
"Huh."
He didn't know much about that world, but he could guess the effort involved.
That explained Nam-sik's earlier comment about it being a remake, not an upgrade.
"Still, everyone worked hard, so we finished quickly."
Pride filled Nam-sik's face as he said it.
Ji-hee, now seated in the booth, turned to them.
"I'm ready now."
Knowing it was the drug, it still amazed him every time.
'She's like a completely different person.'
On the flip side, maybe the drug brought back a bit of her original personality.
He couldn't be sure without knowing her pre-trauma self.
Nam-sik operated the console a few times, summoning the same hologram gargoyle and death knight.
"So her personality aside, the magic is truly stabilized too?"
Jeong-hyeon asked tensely, eyes on the room.
The personality change was shocking, but trait control was key.
"See for yourself. Apparently, Choi Ji-hee said you gave her a hint, Hunter Han Jeong-hyeon."
"Me? Really?"
"Yes. Something about now understanding what it feels like to control fire."
What was she talking about?
Jeong-hyeon racked his brain, but he hadn't seen her improve mid-hunt.
The closest was when the suppressant's effect lingered, and he'd had her test magic to verify his hunch.
- Ignore the formula and imagine launching a fireball this size.
She'd cast it flawlessly as instructed.
'I thought it was just the suppressant, but maybe not?'
He'd have to ask her later.
For now, focus on the booth.
The hologram monsters approached Ji-hee slowly but surely, just like before.
But Ji-hee now was markedly different.
No visible tremors; she faced them head-on confidently.
Then, explosive mana surged around her.
"Crazy......"
The spell wasn't cast yet, but Jeong-hyeon, sensing the mana, cursed involuntarily.
Even before, the sheer volume had been overwhelming.
Unmatched since gaining mana sensitivity.
But this was on another level.
The amount had visibly increased, the explosive momentum intact.
'And yet, no rampage.'
Previously, this much mana would've detonated into a raw fireball.
But now, things were different.
This vast mana swirled like flames around her, each strand moving precisely to its place in the greater flow.
Yes, it was like fiercely burning flames in perfect harmony.
The next instant, the coalescing and scattering mana manifested as magic.
Six fireballs appeared behind her like a halo, circling in formation.
'No, those aren't normal fireballs; they're more like...'
Unlike typical wobbly magic fireballs, these were densely packed red orbs, stable and spherical.
Closer to pure orbs of fire.
And then,
Whoosh—
The six fireballs shot toward each monster.
A mere instant, but enough.
They pierced the monsters' chests precisely, triggering instant death judgments.
'True S-Rank bullshit.'
Jeong-hyeon had thought her trait OP before, but this was OP on top of OP.
The world of cheats had no limits.
"This should be more than usable, right?"
"Usable?"
'Do you have no conscience?'
The retort rose to his throat, but he swallowed it.
Meanwhile, Ji-hee in the booth turned to Jeong-hyeon and Nam-sik.
No collapse after one spell like before.
"Test over?"
Ji-hee asked, eyes crinkling.
If only.
Instead of answering, Jeong-hyeon gave her a thumbs-up where she could see.
Her face lit up.
Clearly thrilled by his approval.
'Poor girl couldn't hunter properly before.'
Of course, if she could read his inner thoughts, that pure joy might fade.