Skills That Defy Belief
The battle team members and support staff who arrived at the scene all spoke up almost simultaneously.
"What happened? That explosion just now—"
"How did you do that? What was that just—"
The words sounded similar, but there was a subtle difference. The support team had seen Taemin vanish, so they were asking about Invisible. The battle team, on the other hand, was inquiring about the explosion.
"Hm. Just a skill."
His explanation was spot-on. It was simply one of the skills possessed by the Il-sala-ja.
At his response, Ha Jung-woo and the rest of the battle team nodded with expressions that said, As expected. They accepted it easily since he had a completely different class from theirs.
But the support team felt differently. Shattering an Ice Golem into pieces with a single explosion was impressive enough, but his body vanishing right before their eyes was too absurd to dismiss as mere surprise.
Yoon Ji-young stepped forward as their representative to satisfy her curiosity.
"How did you make yourself disappear just now? Hana, you saw it too, right? Taemin's body just vanished."
Kim Hana nodded at her question.
"I saw it too. He suddenly disappeared, so I was like... wha—"
At their words, Ha Jung-woo opened his mouth curiously.
"Disappeared? What do you mean?"
"Before the explosion, Taemin's figure vanished. Like magic."
"Magic? Could you explain in more detail? We didn't see it."
"So, right in front of our eyes, his body... Taemin, could you show it one more time?"
Yoon Ji-young, sensing the limits of her explanation, turned to Taemin for help.
"Uh... hm. Like this."
Taemin downed a potion and then activated Invisible. In an instant, his body vanished from the group's sight.
"Wh-what the...?"
The people looked around frantically to find him, who had disappeared from his spot. But nowhere could they spot Taemin.
Then Ha Jung-woo swung his hand through the empty air.
Thud.
"Gasp!"
Ha Jung-woo jumped back in shock. Something had collided with his hand in the empty air.
"Th-this is..."
Moments later, Taemin's form gradually reappeared, returning to normal right in the same spot where he'd vanished.
He gave an awkward smile under the barrage of stares and explained the situation.
"This is one of my skills too. It makes the body transparent, something like that."
His explanation left the group speechless for a while. They knew of invisible monsters in upper dungeons, but a person turning invisible? That was unheard of.
Such an unbelievable skill exists?
Everyone shared Ha Jung-woo's thoughts.
After a long silence, he finally spoke again.
"This is so amazing, I don't even know what to say... But why didn't you mention you had a skill like this?"
"You didn't ask... Plus, I didn't feel the need to use it much on the way here."
"I see. Whew, you really have some incredible skills. Makes me jealous for no reason. I was pretty proud of my own class too. Haha, this is just... completely..."
Ha Jung-woo shook his head in a mix of defeat and admiration, and Taemin added more explanation.
"The duration is short, so it's not that amazing. It's just for dodging or brief use in unexpected danger. If I could use it indefinitely, it'd be straight-up cheating."
He meant it considerately for them, but the envy already planted in their minds didn't fade.
"Still, it's undeniably an amazing skill. Any others besides that? Your style is so different, I can't even guess anymore."
At Ha Jung-woo's question, Taemin paused briefly before answering.
"You've seen the others, so no need to explain those. But there's a support skill called Smoke Screen."
"Smoke Screen? Something to do with the eyes?"
"Yeah. Just think of it as literal smoke. I'll show you directly. Don't panic. Your vision will go dark for a bit."
After getting their consent, Taemin immediately activated Smoke Screen.
Smoke Screen skill activated.
‘...??’
The skill activated, but the telltale black smoke didn't rise. The people's expressions showed no fear either.
What the?
Normally, smoke should billow from their bodies. It had worked at the convenience store, so it should affect people too. He'd assumed it would work this time as well, but his puzzled expression showed as he tilted his head.
Ha Jung-woo asked him with eager anticipation.
"You haven't done it yet, right?"
"Pardon? Oh, yeah. That's weird. I activated it, but it doesn't work on hunters...? Ah! Hold on."
As he spoke, a thought struck him, and Taemin opened his status window to disband the party. He tried activating Smoke Screen again.
Only then did black smoke rise from the people's bodies.
Just as I suspected. Doesn't work while in a party.
As Taemin nodded in satisfaction, chaos erupted around him.
"Whoa, what is this?"
"I can't see a thing!"
"Is it just me? No, right?"
Even with the warning, losing their vision sent them into a panic, milling about in confusion. Taemin reassured them.
"Just wait a bit, and you'll see again."
Soon, the black smoke dissipated from them, restoring their sight. Even then, many hunters rubbed their eyes with dazed expressions, still reeling from the effect.
Ha Jung-woo, recovering first, asked Taemin.
"How often can you use this?"
"As long as I have potions, I can keep using it. The cooldown is shorter than the duration."
"Range?"
"Haven't measured precisely, but roughly 25 meters front, back, left, right from where I'm standing."
At Taemin's explanation, Ha Jung-woo let out another deflated laugh.
"Haha... Another skill beyond common sense. Overwhelming speed, perfect vanishing act, a one-shot that pulverizes Ice Golems. And now depriving enemies of vision. You're a one-man DPS, tank, and support."
"Well, everything has pros and cons. I have no defense, my basic attacks are weak compared to you dealers, and no ranged attacks like mages, so it's not that great..."
Taemin downplayed himself, trailing off. He wasn't used to this atmosphere, and there was no need to create awkwardness in front of everyone.
"Anyway, shouldn't we get going? We're falling behind on time."
As Taemin changed the subject, Ha Jung-woo finally dropped it.
"Right. We should. Everyone, snap out of it. No injuries? Alright, let's move."
They resumed marching. Having taken down five Golems—when it was rare to see even three per hunt—their steps were much lighter. Those were the only threats worth worrying about here.
Formation loosened naturally, tension easing from its initial peak. Conversation, absent earlier, now buzzed lively.
Taemin walked on the outermost edge of the group. Someone called out from behind.
"Hey..."
Turning at the voice, he saw a handsome young man.
"Me?"
"Yeah. Mind if I ask your age?"
"Why age...?"
"No reason. Just curious. I'm twenty-five, Seo Ji-hoon."
"Twenty-nine."
"Oh, so you're older? Can I call you hyung then?"
It came out of nowhere.
"What's this suddenly...?"
"I'm here alone, don't know anyone. Your team seems tight-knit, can't butt in... You looked solo too. Speak casually."
"Sure, why not."
Already bored, Taemin nodded readily. Seo Ji-hoon's face lit up, and words poured out.
"But hyung, you were amazing earlier. Watched from the field outside. Thought you were some wuxia master. Your movements were art-level. For real."
"Hah. Art? People would laugh."
Taemin waved it off modestly, but he felt good inside. Praise could make even a whale dance, right? He suppressed a smile, staring ahead silently.
Seo Ji-hoon kept prodding.
"No need to be humble. Everyone thinks so—your team’s buzzing about you. I wanna be like that too."
Seo Ji-hoon gazed dreamily with an innocent smile. He truly wanted to be like Taemin—a strong hunter, invaluable to his team.
Taemin chuckled and patted his shoulder.
"Like I said, every class has pros and cons. Who knows? Another might suit you better later. The hunters who came for me before were seriously strong."
"Came for you? Who?"
"Long story... Anyway, gear up, level up steadily. Effort pays off eventually. It never betrays you."
Taemin passed on the advice he'd heard before awakening. Realizing he was now the one advising felt surreal.
Me, giving advice like this...
Lost in old memories with a smile, Seo Ji-hoon asked curiously.
"Hyung, one thing I'm wondering."
"What?"
"That transparency skill. Making your body vanish. Seems super useful."
"Oh, that? Freaked me out at first, used it a ton. But as I grew, I stopped. Guess I got hooked on close-quarters brawling without realizing. Haven't faced enemies strong enough to need it often."
"No, that's not what I meant."
"Then what?"
"Well..."
"Well?"
"Have you... ever used it for the women's bathhouse?"
"What?"
An awkward silence fell.
"Yeah, bad question. Haha..."
Seo Ji-hoon scratched his head late, laughing. Taemin gave an awkward smile too.
"I'm not that guy."
"Yeah."
"Seriously."
"I believe you, hyung."
"Ahem. We're lagging. Pick up the pace."
"Got it."
Their steps quickened in the even more awkward air.