Mastery (2)
"You're the caveman."
"What?"
Pyo Ji-won corrected her slip. "No, you're not a caveman—you're a bandit. That fits your looks better."
"What the hell are you on about all of a sudden, zombie bitch?"
As Pyo Hang-woo fumed, Pyo Ji-won cleared her throat. Come to think of it, now was the time to erase the deep-seated disgust etched into her genes. She couldn't afford to provoke him until she got what she wanted.
"Ahem. I was just wondering if you had her number or something. You hang out with all the guy cadets, right? So with Imir too..."
"Oh, shit. No way."
Pyo Hang-woo suddenly looked uneasy. "Why?"
Seeing her flushed face confirmed it. His unease became reality.
"No, fuck. Seriously? You're insane, right?"
"Why?"
"That caveman prick... he's got no manly face or anything... it's all bullshit anyway. Didn't you hear the guys? He only got into the academy through connections."
"What connections? They say he took down a monster-grade beast all by himself during training."
"Ugh, you believe that crap? The instructors covered for him and rumors spread."
"No, whatever. Even without that, I'm just... interested, okay?"
"Ah, fuck."
Pyo Hang-woo's anger boiled over. His tall, lanky sister showing interest in a guy? And that guy was a cadet with a ton of rumors swirling around him—not to mention in the same class. The catastrophe that could unleash was horrifying to even imagine.
"Ah, fuck off, zombie bitch."
"Hey, if you don't know, just say so. Why get so pissed?"
"Argh. Fuck. She's supposed to be my sister? Get lost!"
"You get lost, bandit fuck. With that retard-looking face."
Pyo Ji-won slammed the dorm door shut and vanished.
Pyo Hang-woo's rage exploded. "What the hell did that caveman do?"
Was he seducing women now too? He'd heard somewhere that Imir was hitting on Go Su-young and Mo Ye-ji. That alone pissed him off, but now targeting his own sister?
Before he could even verify if it was true, his pride was already bruised and his face saved no dignity.
"...Should I hold back? Or..."
Pyo Hang-woo clenched his fist tight.
Saturday, just before dawn. Thirsty, I cracked my eyes open, but stood up and immediately jolted in shock. Dizziness hit hard.
"What the... why am I so... woozy..."
The engraving came to mind late. Stumbling, I barely made it to the mini-fridge, grabbed a bottle of water, and chugged it down. Catching my breath, I checked the info—and sure enough, the engraving details surfaced.
1. Engraving
2. Special
3. Usable Type
Enables quick understanding and grasp of the target's essence and principles.
• Usable at will.
• Temporarily consumes user's durability and vitality based on usage extent.
• Limits expand with proficiency.
"This is why, huh."
Like monster drops' 'essences,' engravings burden the body upon acquisition. That's why they often drain vitality until completion. This fatigue and dizziness were probably from that.
"Tch. Slept with a pair of bracelets on purpose."
Checking them, both bracelets' crystals glowed gray. Gray light—meaning all stored mana was depleted.
...Fuck, how much vitality did it suck? Only one implication: this Mastery engraving was high-tier, beyond what my body could normally handle.
As it completed, the burden intensified, so the bracelets must've run nonstop during sleep—reducing physical fatigue and restoring vitality.
"...Did I gamble with my life?"
Without them, I'd have suffered massively upon completion. Could've even died in the worst case. Chills ran down my spine thinking about it.
Never imagined the library hid an engraving this dangerous—life-threatening to the user. First time an engraving left such severe aftereffects, but dizzying excitement mixed with the thrill. The gamble paid off, after all.
"...Let's test it first."
To try Mastery, I scanned my surroundings. Perfect timing—the smartwatch I'd set to sleep mode glowed faintly on the table.
Using usable engravings is simple: focus mentally and will it. Staring at the watch, I concentrated and activated Mastery.
My vision flashed, and info projected into my mind.
[Hanseong Group manufactured engraving, EAN Code 348923..., ultrasonic fingerprint touch screen glass, Snap Wyvern 32gen 6, 140GB LPDDR9X SSDRAM..., stainless steel material 14g, Micron color 0.8g, Micron rose gold color 0.1g, silicon 2g, reinforced Ti-glass 11g...]
General specs and inferred materials appeared. Felt like an entire encyclopedia jammed into my head—dizzying. Interlocking functions made incomprehensible data feel graspable, somehow.
I pushed deeper into Mastery.
[Ln 0.03g, O 0.01g, AI 1g, Sn 0.4g, Y 0.1g, La 0.04g, Tb 0.5g, Dy 0.6g, Eu 0.9g, Pr 1.0g, Gd 0.03g, Li 0.5g, Co 1g, O 2g, C 4g, Al 0.01g, Cu 0.2g, Ag 0.5g, Mg 0.6g, Ni 0.7g, Br 0.9g...]
Suddenly, elements and formulas stormed my brain like a tempest—it boiled over. Dangerous. Instinct screamed warning.
Dizziness hit; I collapsed instantly.
......
How much time passed? [RRRRrrrr...]
The smartwatch alarm woke me. Wiping my nose unconsciously, dried blood crusted like plaster under it.
"...Fuck."
Insane engraving. Performance shattering limits of support types. Grasping and understanding a target's info? But risks match the power.
> Please check your messages.
Forgetting my throbbing head, I checked the watch—it had switched from sleep to alert mode.
Hunting Circle had a schedule starting tomorrow, as expected.
"...Ignore the rest, but gotta hit the Hunting Circle."
First hunt with the Hunting Circle—that's when Ha Yeon-si gets in danger. Ties to main story, good rewards.
...But stepping in might stunt their growth. The thought flickered.
"Hm."
Short deliberation, then scratched my head. "...Fuck it. Grab rewards first, think later."
Better than doing nothing. Sniffing, I rose for morning training—watch buzzed again.
> New message received.
Mo Ye-ji.
.
"What the hell is this?"
Same team, so numbers exchanged ages ago. Just a period? Typo? Brushed it off, headed to shower.
"...Ugh, fucked up."
Mo Ye-ji set down her smartwatch, burying her face in her hands. Debated sending, deleted—but hit send by mistake. Just a lone period.
"Argh, he's definitely gonna think it's weird... damn it."
She'd joined the same Hunting Circle as Imir. Benefits like portal discounts, various perks—mostly tied to hunting for cash.
No family support meant she had to hunt to stay a cadet. Needed money.
Tried asking if he'd go together tomorrow... ended with a pointless dot.
"......"
Checked her sent message: read receipt.
What would he say? 30 seconds... 1 minute... 5... 10...
Mood soured as time dragged. No reply after waiting...
"...Hah?"
No way. After everything... read and ghosted? Bullshit.
Indescribable irritation surged from chest to scalp.
"...Tsk."