Chapter 86
Chapter 86
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 89
Chapter Title: The Difference in Power (4)
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Destroying monsters by matching their vibration frequency. Cha Su-ho's eyes gleamed.
"So that's why you had me bring the glass."
"Exactly. It's best to start simple and get a feel for it."
Cha Su-ho stared at the glass sitting on the floor.
"Ah, but how do I match the vibration frequency?"
"You've seen Clark make threads with telekinesis, right? And you made threads with electricity too."
"Yes."
"Then you're halfway there."
Making threads counts as half the success?
"Bind the target with a thread, sense the vibration it transmits, and send it right back."
"So... feel the vibration through the thread?"
"Right. In my case, I send out a force wave and calculate the returning one to burst it, but that takes too long. Since you can draw out threads anyway, this seems the best way."
Jin Seong-hyeok continued thoughtfully.
"The problem is your electric waves might be too strong to properly sense the frequency."
"Then there's no other way."
"What?"
"We'll have to do it by the book."
By the book meant...
"You mean you'll send out force waves yourself?"
"Yes. It feels like your method would be the most precise."
"It'll take a long time. Turning force into waves in the first place... no."
Jin Seong-hyeok let out a short chuckle.
"You might actually pull it off."
"I'll give it a try."
"Then first, learn to generate waves with force. Start by channeling force into your fingers and snapping to make a sound."
Cha Su-ho pressed his thumb and middle finger together and snapped. Snap.
"Like this?"
"Yes. That's the medium. It transmits the force wave to the target."
He still couldn't get a feel for it. As Cha Su-ho kept snapping, Jin Seong-hyeok added,
"Then quickly gauge the returning wave's value and send it back with force."
Cha Su-ho understood the explanation in his head, but he had no clue what it actually felt like.
"Lend me your body for a sec."
Min Gi-uk, who had been watching Cha Su-ho the whole time, tilted his head in confusion. Something felt off about the way Cha Su-ho slowly closed and opened his eyes.
Cha Su-ho, staring intently at the glass, slowly raised his hand and snapped his fingers. Snap. With the sharp sound, the glass shattered in an instant, as if struck by a bullet. Min Gi-uk jumped to his feet in shock at the sight of the fragments scattering across the floor, but Cha Su-ho remained perfectly calm.
"Got it now?"
"Uh..."
Cha Su-ho couldn't find the words. Transmit a force wave, sense the return value, and send it back.
All in the instant of a finger snap.
"That's incredible."
"You won't get it right away. Only practice will do it."
"Understood."
After that, Jin Seong-hyeok demonstrated several more times, making sure Cha Su-ho could grasp it.
The quick-witted Min Gi-uk stood a few paces away, holding a glass ready. Whenever one shattered, he'd replace it, repeating the process.
By the time the arena floor was littered with shards, Cha Su-ho was starting to get the hang of it.
"Got it."
"Then you try."
Back in control of his body, Cha Su-ho took a deep breath. Recalling how Jin Seong-hyeok had snapped and sent out waves, he focused intensely.
All techniques required mental strength and intense concentration. Layer training upon training, and the skill would emerge naturally.
He remembered the wave sensation in Jin Seong-hyeok's body. Remembering that subtle rippling feel, Cha Su-ho snapped his fingers.
Snap.
He could see it. No one else would, but something rippling forward faintly was clear in Cha Su-ho's eyes.
He snapped repeatedly—snap, snap—confirming the ripples. Longer this time, shorter next. He gauged the distance to the glass and adjusted.
Just moments ago, Cha Su-ho had been shattering glasses with ferocious intensity, but now he was merely snapping his fingers. Min Gi-uk tilted his head again and sat back down. Was it not working suddenly, or was he trying something new? Either way, Min Gi-uk decided to watch quietly.
Then Cha Su-ho snapped again.
Zing.
"Ah."
A short exclamation escaped Cha Su-ho's lips. Finally, the glass responded with a vibrating zing. Confirming the wave hit, wobble back toward him, he snapped again.
How much time passed? The clear blue sky visible through the arena windows had darkened to dusk.
After hours of snapping, his fingers wouldn't even snap properly anymore. His trembling thumb and middle finger couldn't muster strength.
All he'd managed was sending a proper wave toward the glass.
This won't do.
Tick, tick.
His weakened fingers barely made a sound. Cha Su-ho gritted his teeth. As he forced another snap, Min Gi-uk spoke up from nearby.
"Hunter Cha Su-ho."
"Ah... yes."
"It's been five hours of training. Dinner time's soon, and..."
Min Gi-uk eyed the trembling fingers and continued.
"How about a short break? I'll fetch some tape for your fingers."
Only then did Cha Su-ho look at his shaking fingers. He'd snapped so much that the tips of his thumb and middle finger were red, swollen, and blistered.
"...Understood."
"Rest in your room for a bit. I'll prepare and bring it over."
"Yes."
Reluctantly, Cha Su-ho's feet lingered, unwilling to leave the arena.
Rest is important too. Fatigue dulls the mind.
Even Jin Seong-hyeok chimed in, and only then did Cha Su-ho move. On the way to his room, he stared at his blistered fingers.
If not for Min Gi-uk, he'd have kept snapping until his skin shredded. In a way, it was a blessing. Having someone stop him and check his condition.
Back in his room, Cha Su-ho sighed heavily.
It's tough.
Everything is at first. You'll be fine. You've got grit.
A few hours later, Cha Su-ho returned to the arena, fingers heavily taped. He'd popped the blisters and healed them, so they were fine now.
But to avoid hindrance, he'd taped his thumb and middle finger as Min Gi-uk instructed. The snaps weren't as crisp, but he could train longer.
Hunters and Helpers recovering from the Catcher-induced hallucinations emerged one by one from their rest. They eyed Cha Su-ho snapping away endlessly with puzzlement.
"Whoa, what's Cha doing? Something weird."
"Man, what's with the glass?!"
Even as curious Hunters and Helpers asked, Cha Su-ho was too absorbed to reply. Min Gi-uk answered for him that it was training.
"Huh? Training? What kind of training is that?"
Stephanie muttered oddly as she passed by. But Scarlett and Clark beside her stopped, silently watching Cha Su-ho.
"Scarlett."
"Yeah."
Even answering Clark, Scarlett kept her eyes fixed on Cha Su-ho.
"What Cha Su-ho's doing is finger-snapping, right?"
"Yeah, seems like it."
"Feels like I've seen it somewhere before."
Scarlett replied seriously.
"It's the technique Jin Seong-hyeok uses."
They remembered. Monsters exploding from just a single snap of Jin Seong-hyeok's fingers.
"No way... Cha Su-ho's trying to do that?"
Scarlett nodded at skeptical Clark.
"Yeah, looks like he's trying."
Clark muttered a low curse and turned away sharply. He couldn't fathom why Cha Su-ho always copied Jin Seong-hyeok's techniques.
"Guess SSS-grades have their own wavelength."
Scarlett smiled faintly as she watched Cha Su-ho before turning away.
Many Hunters and Helpers passed by, seeing Cha Su-ho's training. Takahiro even sat beside Min Gi-uk for a long watch.
Cha Su-ho paid them no mind. His only thought was mastering this technique quickly.
Snap.
The returning wave was off again. He'd sent it, but the return was the issue. It veered or faded midway.
Faster.
Faster?
Too slow. Think about throwing a ball at a wall. The harder you throw, the faster it hits and bounces back.
"Ah."
As Cha Su-ho exclaimed in realization, Jin Seong-hyeok continued.
The rebound speed increases too, obviously.
Cha Su-ho's gaze sharpened ahead. Stronger, faster. Staring at the glass, he snapped.
Snap.
The wave shot out, curving to hit the glass and rush back. Instinctive. He instinctively matched the returning wave's force.
Ching-.
A clear, crisp sound rang out as the glass shattered. Cha Su-ho stared in a daze.
Yes, that's it.
Jin Seong-hyeok chuckled.
Do it again. Faster this time.
"...I just broke the glass, right?"
Yeah.
Joy lit Cha Su-ho's face. He'd finally shattered it. He thought he'd grasped it.
Until the next glass failed.
"Why..."
Just luck.
He'd succeeded in calculating the unique frequency from the return wave. But unlike the instinctive force before, consciously trying failed. It was mere coincidence, leaving him dejected.
No time for despair. Keep going until it works.
Until it works. Cha Su-ho gritted his teeth. Textbook advice, but true. Despairing over a fluke success? He scolded himself and refocused.
"Hoo."
Calming his breath, he fixed his gaze forward.
Snap. Snap. Snap.
The sounds echoed through the arena nonstop. Onlookers clicked their tongues at his tenacity.
No other thoughts. Only the glass and vibrations.
Snap. Snap. Snap.
Two days later, Cha Su-ho finally heard the shattering sound again.