Chapter 59: A New Ability
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 59: A New Ability
9
Before I knew it, several days had passed since I started attending the Hunter Training Academy.
Time kept flowing, and today was already the fifth day. The theory lessons were almost over, and now the practical training was about to begin in earnest.
And so, today's lesson was none other than weapons training.
“Depending on their abilities, many hunters don't require any equipment.”
Han Gang-seop, the head instructor for weapons training, said as he looked at the hunter trainees gathered before him.
As he said, there were many hunters who didn't need equipment.
This was because ranged-types who wielded fire or ice had no need for weapons.
“However, I believe that when it comes to protecting yourself, nothing is as important as equipment. Knowing how to handle even a single dagger can be very useful in an emergency.”
As he spoke, he deftly produced a dagger, holding it in his hand.
The dagger, dancing freely in his hand, mesmerized the trainees.
“Therefore, today, you will have time to find a weapon that suits you with the help of the instructors here and learn the corresponding skills.”
He was saying that while advanced techniques were out of the question, he would teach them the basics.
Since hunters were inherently physically superior to ordinary people, even just learning the basics was highly effective.
“So I should go with a sword, right?”
“Yes. Take this opportunity to get used to it. I'll watch over you too.”
Following Baeksan's advice, I decided to choose a sword.
The instructors' teachings were important, but I had a regressor with me, of all people.
And a self-proclaimed strongest in his world, at that.
I had been focusing solely on aura lessons from Baeksan, as he judged I was still too inexperienced to handle a sword, but I figured it wouldn't be a bad idea to try one out during a session like this.
“A longsword, Ha-chan?”
“Yeah, I think so.”
“Okay.”
Eunnamu was holding a dagger of a similar length to the one the instructor had used earlier.
Was it just my imagination, or did she give off the vibe of an assassin for some reason?
Meanwhile, I picked up one of the swords the instructors had laid out.
It was lighter than I expected; the material itself seemed to be something special.
‘So it's made from dimensional entity material.’
Part of a manager's job is to provide good equipment to hunters.
I hadn't taken every equipment-related course back in university, but thanks to my recent studies, I could at least tell this much.
I swung the sword—which had a black base with several blue streaks—and felt it cut through the air.
Why is it that holding a weapon makes you feel inexplicably excited?
“What good is swinging it like that?”
Baeksan chided me.
It must have looked incredibly clumsy to a regressor's eyes.
“Items made from dimensional entity material can be fundamentally enhanced with aura. Since all dimensional entities possess aura, it's conductive.”
“Which means…”
“Right. It's only meaningful if you swing it while using your aura. Try again.”
I nodded and began to focus on the aura within my body.
I can still only use 0.1% of my aura.
But if I gradually increase it, someday I'll be able to fight like Baeksan—with Thunderbolt at long range and a sword at close range.
‘Channel aura into the sword.’
Perhaps thanks to my recent intense aura practice, I was now able to draw it out more quickly.
Crackle—
Then, my aura—proof of that 0.1%—manifested on the sword with a red spark.
So this is what it feels like.
This feeling, a humming resonance traveling up from my fingertips.
It was a sensation as if I had become one with the sword.
“The sword itself is definitely… vibrating a lot.”
“What? Vibrating?”
“Huh?”
The moment Baeksan asked what I meant…
Crack! Sssshatter!
Suddenly, the sword cracked and split apart. As I watched in horror, it shattered with a clang.
“Uh, huh?”
As I stood there bewildered, holding only the hilt with wide, shaking eyes, Baeksan stared at me with a blank expression.
“…You.”
“Trainee Kang Ha-chan, what happened?”
While I was stunned by the sword's sudden shattering, Seo-ho sensed something was wrong and hurried over.
Seo-ho glanced between the broken sword and me, then had me drop the hilt before speaking.
“This sword must have been quite old. It happens sometimes. Are you hurt?”
“Ah, no.”
Since Seo-ho and I were pretending not to know each other, I answered formally, and he gave me a subtle glance.
It was a look that said he'd take care of the mess, so I should just go.
Seeing that, I thanked Seo-ho and left the spot.
“Baeksan.”
When I called for Baeksan, he was stroking his chin as if lost in thought, but soon looked up.
“Kang Ha-chan.”
“There's something more to what I just did, isn't there?”
“You know that all hunters have different abilities, right?”
Of course, I knew that much.
Ji-eun is a mental-type esper. Si-ho is a spatial-type. Seo-ho is a cryomancer. They're all different.
“The moment hunters sense aura, the Tower of Revelation intervenes and forcibly awakens their innate talent. That's why they often specialize in their innate ability rather than the properties of the aura itself.”
“I feel like I just heard something incredible.”
It felt like I'd just peeked at one of the world's secrets.
“Just keep listening. Anyway, the basic condition for a hunter's awakening is sensing aura, which triggers the Tower of Revelation to intervene and make their innate talent blossom.”
Baeksan then added.
“You could even consider this a benefit unique to Earth. In other dimensions, it can take an eternity to discover your own talent even after sensing aura.”
So that was the condition for a hunter's awakening.
Everyone vaguely knew the Tower of Revelation had some influence, but I never imagined it was like this.
“And you, though it was because of me, also came to sense aura.”
“Does that mean the Tower of Revelation intervened with me too?”
“No. Your case was different because you didn't sense your aura on your own; I forcibly drew it out. So the Tower of Revelation couldn't fully intervene. However, it was probably partially affected.”
In other words, the sword I just broke was related to my innate ability.
“You should assume that, due to that partial influence, your ability awakened without you realizing it.”
“Then why were you so surprised?”
Okay, so my ability awakened. Fine.
It's a world where all hunters awaken and use their abilities anyway.
But I was curious about why Baeksan was so shocked.
Seeing my question, Baeksan fell silent, crossing his arms as if reluctant to speak, before finally letting out a sigh.
“…Because your ability seemed similar to one of Kang Ma-ri's.”
“My sister's?”
I stared at Baeksan with wide eyes.
I knew she was a returnee, but I had no other information about her.
“What kind of ability is it?”
“I don't know how similar it is, but… you can think of it as an ability specialized in destroying things related to dimensional entities. It's the power to destroy something from the inside by making it resonate, as long as you can touch it.”
“So that means…”
“It means that until you can control it, every one of those swords over there will shatter the moment you touch it.”
The opposite of the Midas touch… the Minus touch?
“Baeksan, will this ability ever be useful?”
“Isn't it obvious? You'd be shocked if you knew how relentlessly Kang Ma-ri used it. That woman would go to places teeming with dimensional entities and blow them all up just by waving her hand.”
That's a pretty amazing story.
So, it's a killer move against dimensional entities, but it doesn't affect things related to Earth. Is that it?
‘Right. If it did, everything I touched would have shattered.’
It means I could have shattered a person by mistake. What a relief.
I might have died without ever being able to hold someone's hand.
“And you can probably do what Kang Ma-ri did, even now.”
“Huh? Me?”
“I told you not to think of abilities and aura as separate things.”
According to Baeksan, a hunter's ability awakening is the forced surfacing of a potential that was already dormant within them.
“The output of your ability and the output of your aura are no different. Right now, your hand is a literal disaster for anything related to dimensional entities.”
“Should I switch my career to hunter right now?”
“Go ahead, if you want to kill one and then pass out.”
Ah, right.
If the output of my aura and my ability are the same, then my ability is a glass cannon.
“Why do I feel so pathetic?”
“Stop talking nonsense. You should be grateful. Anyway, Kang Ma-ri once said that to break something, you have to pour in an output equal to the target's capacity, so keep that in mind.”
My body has enough output to blow away Mount Baekdu.
Even if I can't control it, I should be able to blow away most dimensional entities.
‘I wonder if I can control this at an F-rank hunter's level.’
Then, another thought occurred to me.
“But Thunderbolt was fine.”
“Thunderbolt… Dammit, I told you not to shorten it! Thunderbolt Flash isn't made from dimensional entity material. It's made from a special kind of wood found on Earth.”
Even as he said that, Baeksan's expression remained grim.
Isn't it a good thing to have an ability that's useful against dimensional entities?
I don't get why he's acting like that.
“So, what should I do now?”
“Ask for a wooden sword, a bamboo sword, or even an iron one. It'll be much harder to coat it with aura, though.”
Dammit, the difficulty just shot up.
I walked away with a gloomy expression, thinking I'd have to secretly ask Seo-ho for a favor.
I really wanted to try using a sword made from dimensional entity material.
10
Watching Ha-chan's retreating back as he trudged away, Baeksan was lost in thought.
He knew all too well what Kang Ma-ri had done with that ability.
‘I said it was for dimensional entities, but…’
Kang Ma-ri's ability wasn't limited to just dimensional entities.
Dimensional invaders.
Against those who crossed dimensions to invade, Kang Ma-ri's ability was nigh unbeatable.
But there was something even more important than that.
Baeksan's gaze shifted beyond the academy walls.
Toward the Tower of Revelation, still standing at the edge of the sky.
He recalled the memory of her voice, crying out as she pressed her hand against the Tower of Revelation, trying to shatter it.
That was the day the Tower of Revelation, which had always seemed so indestructible, cracked for the very first time.
‘In the end, she couldn't break it, and even the crack repaired itself, but…’
Perhaps, in this world with Kang Ha-chan, who has the same ability…
Baeksan clicked his tongue and turned his head.
Forget it.
More important than that is making that reckless brat stronger.
He hadn't come here to entrust Ha-chan with the role of destroying the Tower, but to repay the debt he owed for his life.
As long as Kang Ha-chan didn't die, it would be fine.
‘Where are you, and what are you doing, Kang Ma-ri?’
Thinking of her, Baeksan began to walk back toward Ha-chan.
