Job Change 1
I'd planned to set the hammer aside for a while, but there was no helping it—I took it up again at Kailut's request, crafted her some armor, engraved the shoulder pauldrons with a magic pattern, and handed it over.
Kailut was utterly fascinated, transforming the armor back and forth like an excited child.
Leaving her to it, I turned to Kim Seokjung with a question.
"Master, why on earth didn't you tell me?"
"Tell you what?"
"What do you mean? Your wife's identity, of course. Why keep it hidden? And what the hell was that rum—"
"Shh!"
Kim Seokjung pressed a finger to his lips, signaling me to be quiet, and I clamped my mouth shut.
"Don't trust a woman's outward appearance. And after you've lived with someone for forty years, you'll understand."
I had no clue what he meant, but for the sake of household peace, I kept my mouth shut.
More importantly, I asked about the real reason he'd come. No matter how I thought about it, it didn't seem like it was just for Kailut.
"So, did you really come just for your wife?"
"Well, among other things."
As expected, Kim Seokjung's demeanor suggested he had something to say.
"You... by any chance..."
Kim Seokjung appeared like the wind, left his proposal, and vanished like the wind again.
I'd suspected he hadn't come solely for Kailut, but I never imagined he'd make this kind of offer.
'He isn't asking if I want to succeed him, is he?'
It wasn't about the chairman position, of course. He was talking about taking over the work Kim Seokjung was currently doing—refining the mana engine.
The mana engine had undergone continuous improvements from its initial development right up to the present, all to boost energy efficiency. The mana stone's mana detection ability was crucial in that process, and until now, Kim Seokjung had handled it personally.
But with my overwhelming mana detection skills now in the picture, he'd agonized over it and made the proposal.
That said, he wasn't asking me to take over immediately.
"Of course, I'm not saying do it right now. You'll be busy with the SSS-rank dungeon raid for a while. What I mean is after the SSS-rank dungeon is cleared. You'll have some breathing room then, won't you?"
Kim Seokjung had a point. Once the SSS-rank dungeon was conquered, I'd probably have some actual free time. At least, I wouldn't be running nonstop from one crisis to the next like now. That was the feeling, anyway—though I'd only know for sure when the time came.
Plus, I was curious about the mana engine. Pure, innocent curiosity about how my NPC abilities might interact with it.
It had been over a decade since the mana engine debuted, but Mana Machine was still the only company producing them. Naturally, others hadn't just sat idly by—they'd poured massive investments into developing their own versions.
But no hunter, corporation, or nation had succeeded.
As a result, Mana Machine's prestige had only grown.
'Yeah, it really piques my interest.'
I had no desire to start a mana engine company like Mana Machine, but I was curious. And who knew what the future held? Even if I didn't launch one now, learning how to make them wouldn't hurt if it was possible.
"Yes. When the time comes, I'll give it a shot."
Only after hearing my answer did Kim Seokjung flash a bright smile and head back to America.
The moment he was gone, the raid team returned from the dungeon right on cue, as if by appointment.
"Oh! It's finally done."
"Is that the famous transforming plate armor I've only heard about?"
"Dude, that's no joke. I saw Jeonghun wearing it last time—it's killer."
Gathering the raid team fresh from the dungeon, I pulled out the pauldrons-transformed plate armor on the podium, and they reacted immediately.
The rumors had already spread via Jeonghun, so the excitement was electric—hotter even than when I'd freshly engraved magic patterns on their weapons and leather armor.
Hell, the heat radiating from the team was enough to melt the conference room.
"Since everyone seems to know about the armor already, I'll distribute them right away. Starting with Thunder Emperor."
I called out names one by one, starting with Choi Taesu, handing each their personalized armor. The engraved magic patterns varied, after all.
There still weren't any SS-rank hunters who could equip SS-grade gear, so everyone was in S-rank plate armor. Even Choi Taesu, the closest to SS-rank, would need time before he could wear SS-grade.
The raiders receiving their armor mimicked Kailut exactly—repeatedly switching between pauldrons and full plate, grinning like kids in bliss.
Once the excitement died down, I got a light briefing on the raid team's current status.
"Got it. Understood. Next up, the DPS squad. Squad Leader Park Chan-yeol."
Park Chan-yeol gave his concise report at my call. Once he finished, I asked what was on my mind.
"How's the arrow usage coming along?"
Not just Park Chan-yeol—all four archers in the DPS squad darkened at my question. Their faces said it all without words.
"We'll need a bit more time."
"Yes, understood. We still have plenty of leeway, so no need to rush."
The arrows I'd made had an unexpected issue. I'd only worried about their archery skills, but that turned out to be no problem at all.
Archery mattered for pinpoint shots, sure, but elsewhere? Not so much. Targets were the size of three- or four-story buildings—who misses that, even with big arrows and mediocre aim?
A little practice, and they could hit monsters no problem, even if precision shots were out.
I thought that hurdle was cleared easily, but the real problem was elsewhere: mana amplification.
Mana amplified by the bow alone was controllable. But when bow and arrow amplified it together, it amplified again, rendering control impossible.
Hunters fired one shot and collapsed from exhaustion. Useless in real combat.
The destructive power was insane, though—Park Chan-yeol's arrow one-shot an SS-rank monster.
Perfect for a boss finisher? Nope. The control process wrecked their aim; even hitting the monster was a crapshoot.
Arrow use was halted entirely, and the archers kept practicing. That's what I'd asked about, and as you heard, things weren't great.
But the surprise was Ha Yeji adapting to the mana control.
She used to pass out after one shot, like the rest. Now, with practice, she could handle one and keep fighting, up to three in a row.
One shot: still combat-ready. Two: retreat for five minutes' rest. Three: lights out for hours.
The guild's archers were stunned, rushing to watch her demo. They'd respected her archery, but not her mana control at this level.
Going from one to three shots crushed their pride; they dove into practice. But time passed, and they still couldn't handle even one properly, while Yeji improved daily—now precise enough for pinpoint shots on all three.
She still blacked out after three due to mana depletion—unsolvable for now.
Seeing this, Park Chan-yeol and the others hung their heads like criminals. I offered them warm encouragement.
'Is it because of me?'
I wanted Yeji to succeed too, but something felt off. Did she have superior mana control? No, not confidently.
Pure control? Park Chan-yeol outclassed her.
Yet he couldn't manage one, while she handled three flawlessly. Naturally, questions arose, leading back to me.
I didn't know the exact cause, but maybe prolonged time with me had influenced her mana somehow.
The others said amplified mana through bow and arrow felt like someone else's, hard to control.
Yeji said it felt like her mana mixed with new mana—also tough, but different.
Same situation, polar opposite sensations. Had to be me.
'What's different about Yeji versus the others? The quest? Or time spent with me?'
I didn't know, but if it was me, then something tied to me created the gap—likely the quest or time together.
Time would sort itself eventually, but a quest meant they couldn't use arrows without my intervention.
'Wait and see. If no change, then issue quests.'
If we could hunt SSS-rank without them, no quests needed. But if arrow attacks like Yeji's were required for the clear, I'd assign them.
With that settled, the raid meeting wrapped up.
A day later, Jeonghun and Kang Tae-hoon emerged from the dungeon, and I met them.
Jeonghun had just a month left. His expression was tense.
I praised his hard work, told him to rest, then talked with Kang Tae-hoon.
"One month left now. Two weeks until the final push—do you think Jeonghun can do it?"
I waited nervously for Kang Tae-hoon's response. Final call after talking to Jeonghun, but this would decide whether to greenlight the challenge.
Aware of that, he pondered carefully before speaking.
"Fifty-fifty."
"Fifty-fifty. Lower than I expected."
I showed my disappointment. With Jeonghun's talent and my gear support, I believed we had a shot.
More magic patterns on the armor, upgraded weapon and plate—real power boost.
Yet fifty-fifty? Of course I was bummed.
"Don't be too disappointed. From under 5% at the start, that's huge progress. Even failure means his gains from raid prep let him pull his weight here."
Kang Tae-hoon, unaware of the job change quest, misunderstood. Jeonghun had explained skipping raids for this, probably sparking the mix-up.
But quest or not, Jeonghun clearing it was key.
"So, would you say I should permit the challenge?"
I'd planned success odds as the benchmark, but fifty-fifty shifted it. Waiting for his answer, it came quick.
"Yes. I'd give him the chance."
To be continued in the next chapter... The Hunter Who Awakened as an NPC