Pitch Shock! Summer Has Only Just Begun
It was a shock. Summer was only just beginning.
What I had felt before was apparently just early summer, and now the real deal was starting. Come to think of it... looking back at my past life, it did feel a bit strange. The monsoon season had also just begun.
"Sigh, rain..."
Outside, a dreary drizzle was falling. I would have preferred a downpour; this misty, persistent drizzle was the worst. To make matters worse, it kept stopping and starting, only serving to spike the humidity. Even with all the windows tightly shut, the dampness clung to everything, leaving a thoroughly unpleasant sensation.
It wasn't quite hot enough to turn on the air conditioner, but...
"Ugh, so sticky."
My sister seemed to feel the same way. She wandered over, grabbed the remote, and switched on the air conditioner.
"It's not even that hot. Why are you turning that on?"
"Because it's humid, obviously."
Wait, what...?
"What does that have to do with anything?"
My sister paused and tilted her head, looking at me.
"Because turning on the air conditioner gets rid of the humidity."
Huh? Really?
"Seriously?"
"Yeah. Didn't you know?"
Well, of course I didn't...
Back when I was around, we couldn't even dream of using an air conditioner...
During those sweltering summers, even when we were dripping with sweat working on-site, they barely let us use a fan, let alone an air conditioner. That was the kind of era I grew up in...
"I had no idea air conditioners had a dehumidifying effect..."
As the cool air began to circulate, the sticky discomfort vanished almost instantly.
"You don't even get hot easily, so why are you struggling so much?"
"I thought I was immune to the heat too... but now that summer is actually here, it's quite tough."
It was definitely the humidity. The heat in the other world was dry, so as long as you stayed hydrated, it was perfectly bearable. But the heat on Earth—no, specifically in South Korea—was a suffocating, humid heat...
"Well, you don't seem to sweat much, at least."
"Anyway, air conditioners are truly the greatest invention."
To think it could banish humidity like this...
Once the rain stopped, I headed back to the guild.
I occasionally participated in Gate raids, but most of my time was spent just idling around. They said it was because I was the strongest trump card to be deployed only in emergencies.
Because of that, either Namgung Min or I always had to remain on standby at the guild.
In any case, today Jegal Cheon had called for me.
"What did you call me in for?"
"The schedule for your first pitch has been finalized."
Since the baseball club had proposed it first, I thought it would be decided immediately once we agreed... but it had taken longer than expected.
"Is that so? When is it?"
"It will be the first home game after the All-Star break."
All-Star? What was that...?
"Let's see... in ten days."
Ten days?
"That's not far off."
"Yes. They mentioned they didn't want to inconvenience the incredibly busy Miss Nix."
I wasn't sure if that was entirely true, but...
"I see."
"Do you plan on taking lessons on how to throw the ball?"
"Not really. I'll just wing it on the day of."
"Understood. The team will prepare your uniform."
My sister knew my measurements perfectly, so she would handle it.
"Alright."
A ceremonial first pitch... it sounded like it could be fun.
Since the date was set, I figured I should look into baseball a bit beforehand. I knew the basics and had watched a game once, but actually doing it myself would be a different story.
I searched around for something suitable to practice with, found a tennis ball, and headed to the training room.
For some reason, the training room was bustling with people today, with not a single spot to spare.
"Why are there so many people here?"
Every single training bay was packed, and there was a long line of people waiting. I was looking around to see if a spot might open up when...
"Ah-young? Gyuri?"
I hadn't been able to pay much attention to them lately. Were they doing well?
I opened the door to the training bay and stepped inside. Ah-young's eyes immediately locked onto me.
"Ah! Miss Nix! Welcome!"
She greeted me with a bright, joyful smile.
"How have you been?"
"Great!"
Seeing her answer so readily, it seemed I didn't need to worry.
"I feel like I haven't been looking after you two enough lately."
"No, not at all! We've been doing really well."
Since it was Gyuri, not Ah-young, who said this, it was hard to doubt.
"Is that so?"
"Yes! Look at this!"
Ah-young suddenly rushed over to her bag, pulled something out, and proudly showed it to me.
"C-class?!"
I was genuinely shocked. Not D-class, but C-class...
D-class was a rank they practically handed to you after a bit of active duty, but from C-class onward, actual ability was what mattered.
"Hehe."
Ah-young gave a bashful laugh.
C-class... This meant that along with her track record, her abilities were officially recognized.
"I heard you obtained a new skill. It seems you've grown much stronger."
I was curious about what kind of skill it was, but I held back and didn't ask.
However, the expression on Gyuri's face behind her was quite dark.
"Ah..."
Noticing this, Ah-young quietly slipped her Hunter license back into her bag.
"I always knew my ability didn't have much room for growth, but... sigh."
"Gy-Gyuri..."
Ah-young looked at her friend with concern.
"Gyuri, did you not get a skill?"
"I did... get one..."
But the problem, apparently, was that she had no idea how to utilize it.
"It doesn't help that there are so few mages in our guild."
Unlike typical guilds, the Moorim Alliance had an overwhelmingly high proportion of melee combatants.
How high? Melee classes made up 75% of the guild, and tanks made up 15%. The remaining 10% was split between mages and healers—a completely broken ratio.
Because of this, there wasn't much diversity among their mages, making it incredibly difficult to get advice even if they wanted to.
"I-I see."
Just what kind of skill had she obtained to make her react like this?
Actually, I had been curious for a while now about how magic was structured on Earth. They hadn't taught it properly at the Academy...
"Come to think of it, I've been curious about this for a while. How exactly was magic created here? Do you happen to know?"
"Oh, you don't know?"
Ah-young looked slightly taken aback.
"Yes. Did they analyze individual skills?"
Ah-young didn't seem to know the exact details either, so she turned to Gyuri.
"Well, I don't know the whole story perfectly, but..."
The origin of magic on Earth began with individual skills.
In the early days, when people had no idea how to manipulate the force known as mana, affinity-type skills were actually treated as duds. Instead, simple, easy-to-use single-spell skills were highly favored.
"But then, a person with an incredibly special skill appeared in Great Britain."
The skill was called Master of Magic.
It was a god-level skill that transcended the highest tier of affinity skills. It allowed the user to cast any magic, but it didn't just grant the talent to use spells—it intuitively bestowed absolute knowledge of the magical arts.
"Apparently, the mage who obtained that skill spent all his time locked away in a room, doing nothing but research."
He figured out how to manipulate mana, and guided by his skill, he elevated magic from mere fantasy into a practical reality.
And then...
"He shared all of his magical knowledge with the world, completely free of charge."
To protect the world, he bestowed the power of magic upon everyone.
Because of this, he was dubbed the "Father of Magic" and "The Prophet"...
"After that, people with affinity skills finally became able to cast magic."
Those with affinity skills who possessed talent began to develop and share new spells based on his magical theories.
"Even now, an organization of mages called the Magic Tower continues to share magic."
Of course, some still hid their techniques like secret family heritages, but...
"I see..."
He truly was a heroic figure.
If he hadn't established the foundation and framework of magic, the proportion of mages among hunters would have been drastically lower.
Granted, as time passed, some individuals with affinity skills might have figured it out on their own, but establishing a proper foundation early on made a massive difference. Because that man had shared his magic with everyone, other mages were inspired to join the cause.
"He was an incredible man..."
"Yes. To mages, he is revered as the Great Teacher."
Though they had never met him in person, all mages learned the spells he created to become what they were, so he naturally occupied the position of everyone's mentor.
"So, what is your skill that has you worrying so much?"
If mages shared their spells, she should have been able to find something that suited her skill. But she couldn't? That was strange.
"It's... a skill I've truly never seen before. I think it might be related to religion."
Religion... If that was true, this was going to be incredibly annoying.
"It's a skill called... Divine Arts..."
I froze instantly, completely stunned.
Divine Arts?
But that was... the technique used by those who worshipped the gods of the other world, wasn't it?
"C-Can I hold your wrist for a moment?"
I had already grabbed her wrist before she could even answer.
Gyuri nodded with a dazed expression.
"This is..."
Inside Gyuri's body, there was a power that wasn't mana—the seed of Holy Power.
It was so faint that using it properly seemed nearly impossible, but that didn't matter. As long as the seed of Holy Power existed, Divine Arts could be cast using mana as a substitute.
But why on earth did Gyuri awaken this skill?
This was a power that only manifested in those who believed in the Goddess Hemera. Why her?
I knew about the healing skills of this world. To put it simply, there were no affinity-type skills for healing. They were all basic, single-spell skills. Depending on the rank of the skill, there were slight variations like Heal or High Heal, as well as continuous healing, area-of-effect healing, and regenerative healing.
In other words, the various techniques of Divine Arts had been fragmented and scattered.
Yet here she was with Divine Arts itself...?
Did Gyuri somehow know about the Goddess Hemera?
I suspected it for a brief second, but looking at Gyuri's blank, innocent face as she stared back at me... I realized there was no way.
"This is something to celebrate."
"Huh?"
"The skill Divine Arts is the affinity skill that serves as the very foundation of my power."
The moment those words left my mouth, both Gyuri and Ah-young gasped in shock.
"N-No way...!"
"If you learn my techniques, you will be able to do similar things..."
However...
"It will be impossible for you to wield the exact same level of power as me."
"W-Why is that...?"
"Because the amount of mana you possess is far too small."
If Gyuri's mana was a 1, my divinity was probably around 100,000. That was the sheer scale of the difference.
What this meant was that even if she learned my most powerful Divine Arts, she wouldn't be able to cast them.
Well, she might be able to use buffs if she reduced the number of targets and shortened the duration. Basic healing would also be well within her reach...
I began to ponder just how much I should teach Gyuri.
"I... I actually obtained a skill like that?"
"Yes."
It made sense why the mages had no data on it.
Heh, a disciple...
To think I'd suddenly get the chance to raise a disciple. This was entirely unexpected.