Liberation (1)

Ding.

"Hah?"

Yeong-sik stared at the window floating before his eyes and let out a sigh of relief. Even after using Structure Analysis on this massive amount of machinery, if his skill level hadn't gone up, things would have looked bleak. Fortunately, it had leveled up dramatically at the very end.

Good.

Confirming that Structure Analysis had indeed risen in level, Yeong-sik flashed a grin. To him, a level-up in this skill wasn't just a simple increase—it held immeasurable value. New abilities would unlock, the maximum level would rise, his physical stats would all improve, and above all, it provided clues about his own identity. For someone adrift alone in an endless ocean, it was a single ray of light.

Should I use it right now?

Yeong-sik glanced down at his body, lost in thought. Liberating a security level felt like unwrapping a surprise gift, filled with anticipation. What ability would he gain this time? What could he do with it? And would it reveal more about his origins? The excitement was overwhelming; he could barely hold back from activating it immediately.

But...

"Nngh..."

Yeong-sik recalled the time he'd acquired Boost. He hadn't been able to control its power and had punched straight through the wall into A-ra's room.

Thank goodness it had been A-ra's room, since she knew his secret. If he'd crashed into another guild member's room by mistake, his identity could have been exposed.

Without knowing what ability he'd get this time or what changes it might cause to his body, using Structure Analysis right now could be dangerous.

I plan to tell them soon anyway.

He'd gained so much from the Salvatore Guild. In fact, their support for him, Gil-su, and A-ra was almost burdensome. Considering they were currently wanted criminals in the kingdom, their unwavering backing was no small risk.

It would be ridiculous to accept all this and still claim he couldn't trust them. Living together, his secret would come out eventually anyway, so he planned to reveal it himself.

But not right now.

With that thought, Yeong-sik held off on using Structure Analysis on his body. He turned toward the other guild members to suggest heading out of the dungeon.

At that moment, a clear bell-like chime rang in his ears once more.

Ding.

"Huh?"

Yeong-sik's eyes sparkled as he gazed at the sudden blue window. A new skill had appeared in his Machine Engineer class.

Finally!

Yeong-sik shouted inwardly while reading the description of his new skill. Every time Gil-su and A-ra leveled up and gained new skills, he'd wondered when his turn would come. And now it had.

"Let's see..."

The moment he read about Enhancement, an idea popped into his head, and he decided to test it immediately.

"Blade."

Clank.

With his low murmur, a panel on the back of his left hand flipped open, and a sharp blade sprang out.

Until now, Yeong-sik had struggled with the blade's low attack power. Even with Boost or levels to push through, without combat skills like smash for amplifying damage, its weakness had been a constant headache.

But if he could enhance the blade itself with Enhancement, that changed everything. For some reason, he already had exceptional skill in wielding it—nothing more to ask for.

"Good."

Grinning, Yeong-sik activated Enhancement on his blade.

As soon as he used the skill, a blue message appeared. Without hesitation, Yeong-sik confirmed.

A blue light seeped into his blade.

Ding.

"Oh..."

A short exclamation escaped Yeong-sik's lips as he read the window. He swung his left arm and activated Quick Draw at the same time.

Clack!

The blade, previously just 30 cm, extended nearly a meter in an instant before retracting.

Yeong-sik thrust it toward the abandoned mine's wall.

Slash!

The tough stone wall sliced clean like tofu under the blade. A thick smile spread across Yeong-sik's face.

"Let's see..."

He tried Enhancement on the blade again.

Ding.

"As expected."

Confirming it wouldn't enhance more, Yeong-sik turned his gaze to his right arm.

Will this work too?

Recalling the Rocket Punch he hadn't used in a while, he activated Enhancement on it.

It works.

Yeong-sik felt a strange mix of emotions at his body being called an "item," but he confirmed.

Ding.

Satisfied with the Rocket Punch upgrade, Yeong-sik turned around with ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a pleased expression. He couldn't use it while hiding his identity, but once he revealed himself, he'd make good use of his right arm too.

In less than three hours since discovering the Iron Golem corpses, he'd raised Extraction to level 2, Manufacture to level 2, Structure Analysis by a full level, and even learned a new skill called Enhancement. Plus, it opened a path to fix his blade's chronic low attack power.

If this isn't a jackpot, what is?

Yeong-sik grinned to himself. "Jackpot" didn't even cover it. And he hadn't even liberated a security level yet—that was the real payoff.

"All done?"

Yuna, who had been sitting clustered with the guild members waiting for Yeong-sik, asked him.

Yeong-sik nodded in response.

"Yes, all finished."

"Heh heh. How was it? Decent gains?"

"Yes. Very satisfying."

"Ooh, what'd you make?"

With a curious look, she peered into the walled-off area where Yeong-sik had emerged. It was piled with random items: a recorder, microwave, stun gun, coffee pot, and more.

"Whoa... You really made everything under the sun."

Yuna let out a short gasp of admiration as she surveyed his creations. A-ra followed behind, equally curious. Spotting the coffee pot, her eyes lit up; she picked it up along with a massager and stashed them in her inventory.

Watching her, Yuna tilted her head.

"These things don't have power sources anyway, right? Can't use 'em. Why bother taking them?"

"Um... It, uh, just feels nostalgic, you know."

A-ra averted her gaze, answering awkwardly. She knew Yeong-sik's right arm had a power outlet to run machines, so she planned to sneak him aside later to use them.

It might be a bit much... The thought that making him power a coffee pot or massager was unfair flitted through her mind, but A-ra shook her head.

Better to repurpose them this way than toss them as useless. She decided to be shameless about it.

And... then it'd just be the two of us...

Startled by her own thought, A-ra flinched. Face flushing red, she strode quickly outside.

"We should head out now."

Yeong-sik grabbed a small recorder and stun gun from the floor and spoke to Bae Han-seong.

Han-seong nodded and turned.

"Cleared our first dungeon without a single injury—satisfying. Got a nice chunk of gold from the first-clear bonus too. When we get back to the guild house, you owe us a feast, right?"

Han-seong teased with a playful tone. Yeong-sik chuckled softly and nodded.

"Yes. I'll treat everyone when we return."

"Haha. Not much time left for me playing support anyway, so it's fine."

"Hm... Do you have other duties?"

Yeong-sik eyed Han-seong's implication of quitting support.

Han-seong shook his head.

"I've got guild finances to manage, and I can't keep getting carried to max level forever. Most summoners who do... well, they end up dead."

He gave a bitter smile. Yeong-sik nodded in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠understanding.

Having a safety net made people complacent. When it vanished, that complacency would cut like a knife—it wasn't hard to predict.

"And our guild... it's time to prepare a counterattack."

Han-seong's eyes gleamed sharply, cold fury burning within. Yeong-sik's expression hardened at the chill in his words.

"Counterattack...?"

"Haha. I'll explain to you later, Yeong-sik. Just keep powering up until then."

With that, Han-seong headed out of the mine. Yeong-sik wanted to press about the "counterattack," but let it go for now and followed.

"Haa! Can't wait to get back and take a bath."

"Hehehe, mind if I join you, Yuna-unnie?"

"Eek, what's with the creepy clinging?"

Yuna pinched Chae-rin's cheek as she latched on. Laughter rippled through the guild members at the harmonious sight.

Someday...

Yeong-sik watched them, lost in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠thought. Right now, aside from A-ra, relations were still formal and awkward, but he felt a warm anticipation at joining their family-like vibe someday.

A faint smile on his lips, Yeong-sik stepped out of the dungeon.

"Ah, there they are."

Outside, dozens of fully armed people had them surrounded. A rough-faced man eyeing Yeong-sik's group grinned and raised one hand.

"Littering trash like that? Tsk."

In his hand was the empty juice cup they'd discarded before entering the dungeon.