NOVEL NEXT Chapter 10
Chapter 10
“Hic, the food was so delicious today.”
This was not a joke; I genuinely meant it. The first-class meals were on a whole different level, like three dimensions away. Even the normal class food was as tasty as Claire’s cooking!
What shocked me the most was that I could see the glow of mana in the food. If I ate like this every meal, it would be like taking a potion……!! Just how good must the ingredients be for it to turn out like this?
[Is it really that exciting?]
“Well, maybe dragons wouldn’t understand…”
Living beings that naturally accumulate mana just by breathing wouldn’t grasp this. After all, people risk their lives just to get their hands on potions in this world.
[You do realize you’re currently lying down and spitting, right?]
Oh no, I’m half a dragon too……!!
[Let’s stop with the boring jokes. So, what are you going to do now, Dad?]
“What can I say…”
Ultimately, there is only one thing that is certain. I must get strong enough within ten years to find a way to bring Alkeinea from that world.
However, ten years might not feel that long.
Because starting this year, events and incidents in the world haven’t ceased.
If you ask when incidents stopped, I have no answer, but the ten years since I remember have indeed been dire. Especially in the Hunter industry.
In such circumstances, it’s unreasonable to be leisurely searching for artifacts alone. Finding gates where artifacts might be located ultimately requires information, and with the Hunter industry in shambles, that’s clearly impossible.
Saying that saving the Hunters is the world’s only hope! might sound comical indeed.
For now, I should prioritize preventing the downfall of the Hunter industry, including the death of Baek In-hwa.
“Goodness… just how amazing am I? Are dragons not the only ones who need to save the world?”
[Wouldn’t Mom be pleased if Dad saved the world!?]
I sure hope so. She might tell me not to do anything dangerous for no reason. Nea is somewhat similar to Claire in that regard.
“But it’s also true that there’s nothing I can do right now.”
Currently, the only thing I could do was to consistently manage my mana and clean and expand my mana pathways.
Thinking about the muscle soreness that would hit tomorrow, it felt great that it was the weekend, yet I also felt it was a waste of time. Training alone wouldn’t be bad either…
[How about asking Namgung Seong for help?]
Shar’s naive question prompted Yeon-woo to respond. Namgung Seong… that could work, sure…
“If he recommends me, maybe. But then again, ordinary people can’t just enter.”
Of course, it’s not that there aren’t cases where external disciples are invited, but honestly, it’s not a sword style I’d want to practice to that extent. With merit comes demerit.
[Why not? He’s super strong.]
“That’s because he’s a direct disciple. A normal human wouldn’t be able to utilize even a fraction of it properly.”
I had seen it a few times before my regression. The fierce aerial strikes from Namgung’s external disciple.
It was weaker than what Namgung was using just now. The kid had been learning the spear of the empty sky for nearly ten years.
[Is it because he doesn’t have wings? You can fly with wings later, so wouldn’t that be alright?]
“What? So cool!”
Really? When? You know about dragon wings, right? It’s super cool!
But if I think about it carefully, the story is a bit different.
“In the end, it’s still a human body, you see.”
To sum it up, since Namgung’s sword style is modeled after the divine eagle, at least a joining would be needed to meet the conditions.
It must be lighter than its sturdy frame, and it has all these complex conditions… Namgung’s sword style reveals its worth only after meeting all those conditions, including having wings.
Yeon-woo shrugged.
Since Shar was only getting rebuttals every time he spoke, he huffed a little, then hopped from Yeon-woo’s palm to grab the remote from afar.
[Dad’s story is boring. I’m going to watch TV.]
“Are you going to watch Pu-Ru-Ru?”
[Don’t treat me like a child.]
What’s wrong with Pu-Ru-Ru! He was my childhood idol, the baby polar bear Captain Pu-Ru-Ru! And you are a kid, aren’t you!
I wanted to argue, but that wouldn’t be very mature of me.
As I watched Shar expertly operate the remote regardless, I made my way to the shower. The last time I saw him, Shar was intently watching the news.
Is he even a kid?
Today, I gathered mana until late as well. Dragon Heart, which can collect mana even in areas with thin mana, is truly the best.
In a sense, true meditation might mean the Dragon Heart. If I learned the proper mana accumulation technique here, would it improve efficiency? I thought for a moment but couldn’t come to a conclusion.
Shortly after I finished washing up, a sharp noise rang out, accompanied by a deep voice.
– “Microphone test. Microphone test. Uh, I’m Park Giant, in charge of the normal class in the boys’ dorm of Harmony Academy. Some of you might be trying to sleep, and some might not, but for the next ten minutes or so, I’d like to announce a few things regarding the dorm. Please gather in the first-floor lobby if possible.”
Another sharp noise cut through, and after a brief silence, Shar burst into laughter.
[Haha, how can a person’s name be Park Giant? It’s Park Giant!]
“Don’t make fun of people’s names, Shar.”
[But it’s funny!]
Well, he’s still young, so I guess I can educate him gradually. Honestly, the name is amusing. Yeon-woo pulled out the tracksuit he brought from the orphanage and changed into it.
Yeon-woo’s room was 303. Through the terrace, he could see the Hunter Department building far below the mountain.
While it’s just two floors down for Yeon-woo, reaching the top floor of the fifth floor might make him want to take the elevator. At such times, a little exercise was his preference. It would help relieve muscle soreness too.
As Yeon-woo opened the emergency exit door and trudged down the stairs—
“What the? Someone else is using the stairs besides me?”
No wonder I hadn’t heard the door closing. I heard a friendly-sounding voice behind me, and when I turned around, I felt a bit guilty wondering if it was wrong to have such an impression on a first meeting since the boy seemed somewhat frivolous.
He was like a typical classmate from a game, approaching Yeon-woo casually while wearing a hooded sweatshirt. Life triumphs over the first strike. As this kid grabbed the handrail of the stairs, Yeon-woo spoke.
“Life is always a continuous training, you know. Are you living on the third floor too?”
“Oh, you too? We’re fated to be in the third-floor crowd. I’m Jung Yu-jin.”
“Yeah, I’m Choi Yeon-woo from room 303. Should we start diving into deep conversations about snacks and drinks according to our preferences discussed with the dorm manager?”
“Whoa, this guy knows how to have fun?”
Successfully adding a friend to his list, Yeon-woo chatted lightly with Jung Yu-jin as they headed to the first floor. This kid’s mana… let’s see, it’s bright yellow? Kind of a little painful to the eyes.
As Yeon-woo frowned and rubbed his nose, Jung Yu-jin asked with a puzzled look. Naturally, it was because the dormitory stairwell was dark, not bright in Yeon-woo’s eyes.
“What’s up? Were you staring at your phone or something?”
“No, your mana color is just too eye-burning…”
“……?”
With a raised eyebrow, Jung Yu-jin reacted as if questioning Yeon-woo’s sanity. After all, the color of mana is dazzling…?
“What’s mana color? …Whoa, wait. Are you a synesthete regarding mana?”
“……Huh?”
‘Wait a second, Shar, what the heck is going on? Normally, people can’t visually see the movement of mana! Why didn’t you tell me! I just became a very special person!!’
[Dad, calm down. Think about it the other way. How could I know how mana looks in a human’s vision!]
Oh, good point!
As I panic with this shocking realization, Jung Yu-jin either noticed what was happening or was simply comfortable, slinging an arm over Yeon-woo’s shoulder.
“What’s up, you didn’t know? You seem to want to hide it for some reason, so if I keep my mouth shut, would you do me a favor?”
“Favor?”
“It’s not a big deal. It’s just that sometimes I want a little something to eat. Synesthetes are supposedly high-rank, so maybe some crumbs will fall my way?”
He was perceptive enough that it was hard to believe he was just a new student at the academy. It could be seen as him having dirt on Yeon-woo, but there was nothing particularly negative about it. A guy knowing how to make deals is often good for making friends.
“Don’t you fit better as a merchant than a hunter? But don’t expect too much, just wait.”
“Haha, then we can just share some food!”
I’m sorry for calling him frivolous at first….
He was a really nice guy.
*
Park Giant was as tall as his name suggested, standing at around 2 meters, with muscles that seemed like they might burst out of his tight t-shirt. With a cool sports haircut and impressive stature, his face was also appealing, embodying the beneficial traits of mana.
Thinking about the deep voice coming through the speaker, this man would surely be quite popular.
“Looks like everyone’s gathered. Well then, we have 52 members in the normal class of the boys’ dorm. Holding on to you would be boring, so let’s wrap up the briefing and head back to the rooms.”
Park Giant’s casual words elicited cheers from the students. A manager who doesn’t hover and lets them be? How delightful.
Perhaps the upper classes tend to be stricter, making this a unique perk of the normal class.
Holding a board that looked small against his palm, he began outlining the rules.
“First, if you’re going out after 11 PM, you must inform the duty room accurately. If anything is found inconsistent later, there will be penalties, so be careful. Don’t go to the girls’ dorm late at night. They’ve set traps there using magic. I’ve tested it myself, so trust me. Our side has only measures against theft, but that place is genuinely dangerous.”
Inserting occasional amusing anecdotes, Park Giant began explaining the rules one by one. Most were reasonable, so the explanations proceeded smooth without much objection.
“Oh, and… Choi Yeon-woo. Quite attentive. Most of you probably know, but just to clarify, you guys, you owe your lives to Yeon-woo. If it wasn’t for him, you’d have been called a second time.”
Park Giant said this while holding up a brown parcel that was next to him. Yeon-woo thought about what might be in the delivery meant for him. Ah, he requested a student ID yesterday.
As he caught the thrown brown parcel and opened it, a luxurious-looking black box emerged.
“It contains your student ID and an information ring, a magical tool. Your student ID acts as a debit card, ID, and Hunter qualification certificate, making it super convenient, so be sure to apply for it. You’d incur a monthly maintenance fee of 100,000 won, but be careful since it can only be used around the academy.”
Oh, so they give me pocket money? Thinking of it as a refund for the tuition fees I paid didn’t feel bad at all.
“And the important part is that ‘Information Ring’ thing, Yeon-woo, try wearing it once.”
True to his words, a red ring was included along with the student ID. Unsure where to wear it, Yeon-woo randomly put it on his left ring finger, and it shrank to fit perfectly.
“That thing, uh… it’s pretty easy to explain…”
Rubbing the back of his head, Park Giant spoke with a slightly embarrassed expression.
“It’s similar to a status screen you sometimes see in games or novels. Since you all are still young and don’t know where you’re weak or strong, it basically shows your stats on a scale of 1 to 10.”
Upon being told to infuse mana into it, Yeon-woo released a bit of mana. A familiar augmented reality blue window appeared, revealing simplified information about Yeon-woo.
“By the way, don’t worry; other people can’t see it. Right now, I’m just using mana to roughly form an outline of what’s appearing. Each of your personal information is stored here, so be cautious since losing it would mean you’d have to pay to reissue it.”
Looking around, Yeon-woo could see a gentle violet mana being visualized. It was surprisingly high for a mere dorm manager. Had there been someone capable of this?
Yeon-woo’s stats were roughly as follows:
Name: Choi Yeon-woo
Grade: 1st Year
–
Strength: 1
Agility: 1
Stamina: 2
Mana Amount: Below standard
Mana Quality: 5
Swordsmanship: 1
Status Screen!!
I wanted to shout that word. It’s the name I always reminisce about…
But there’s really nothing to see besides mana quality. The amount being below standard said it all. I practice mana gathering for several hours a day, so it felt a bit unfair.
But, well, it’s unreasonable to expect to catch up with those who’ve been consuming potions since childhood. No matter how much I possess the Dragon Heart, I can’t win against time.
In fact, even if the amount is small, the quality is likely better than that of the elites and renowned talents with major corporations.
The more mana accumulates, the harder it is to increase its purity, and eventually, it’ll even shorten the required time.
‘Not bad.’
Having a low quantity of mana means I can conserve it. Squeezing my own resources to their limit is just my specialty.
“There might not be much to see for now, but it’ll increase over time. Most of what you can showcase as a hunter will be indicated. Among my fellow teachers, there’s one who boasts a cooking skill of 7 and is going crazy trying to raise it to 10.”
Haha, a light laughter filled the lobby. After a slight pause, with a clap!! Park Giant brought attention back to himself.
“Well then, that’ll be all for the explanation. Was it a bit long? If you have any questions, feel free to come ask at the first-floor dorm manager’s office anytime. Sleep well!”
This pretty much meant that chaos and noise would resume as everyone dispersed as they pleased. And that meant Yeon-woo and Jung Yu-jin entered a convenience store together.
Indeed, the night of madness had just begun…!!
*
“Yes, yes, I’ve done a thorough investigation on snack preferences and drink tastes, yes.”
[Alright, well done. Ah, my lovely info….]
In room 307 of the normal class, Jung Yu-jin looked at the crystal ball in front of her with a disgusted expression.
While it was fine to follow the divine command to investigate her classmate, she was somewhat annoyed with the nature of the divine being that authored it after finding that this guy was rather pleasant.
She had been born to parents who were devotees of the omniscient deity, Girminir, and she found it surprising that anyone would take an interest in a newly admitted academy freshman.
“So, I just need to get closer to Choi Yeon-woo moving forward?”
[Uh, please do. I have no one else to ask within the academy.]
“Yes, leave it to me.”
Well, after all is said and done, being a born believer makes it hard to resist her nauseating statements, but she would probably remain true to her goddess’s command.
*
“Gah…”
My body refused to cooperate. I was already anticipating the whole-body soreness. It was just that the shock was greater than expected.
After waiting in a corpse-like state, when I finally felt I could move again, it was already past midnight. Might it also be the hangover from the snacks and drinks I inhaled with Jung Yu-jin yesterday?
By the way, Shar’s favorite flavor was cheddar cheese popcorn. Though we share taste buds, the nutritional value is extracted solely by Shar, making my diet feel a bit dual-backed.
Even if my body was shot, I could still gather mana, so I was alright.
However, lying around and just collecting mana was tiresome, so I decided to get up and handle some tasks.
The first was to take on my initial mission. All academies proclaim to be gateways for hunters, but graduating from an academy isn’t a prerequisite to becoming a hunter.
A prime example would be my past life. I wasn’t even a high school graduate but I was still nominally active as a hunter.
To be active as a hunter requires minimum practical skills and a resolve to engage, which is often sufficient. Many try it once or twice and quit.
As a result, ten years later, while they’re only good enough to rank the top 10%, the scale could extend into tens of thousands of participants.
As the number of registrants increases, a minimum safety net is also required for the hunters. That is their initial mission.
It doesn’t guarantee any special tasks. The deal is that the initial missions must be conducted with senior hunters picked by the guild or those you’ve brought along.
Shar was still in a dozing state. He had said he needed plenty of rest to hatch soon, so he probably wouldn’t wake up for a while. He’d told me that his existence was primarily through my body, so he only needed to worry about himself.
*
Baek In-hwa felt somewhat uneasy.
A stir within her heart. When others mentioned it, she had often wondered what it truly meant, but now that she was experiencing it herself, it was clear that her feelings were indeed wavering.
What on earth was it? That boy introduced as Choi Yeon-woo kept coming to her mind. Was it his handsome looks? Or that he initiated a conversation with her? Somehow, it was none of that.
‘…He’s a good conversationalist.’
How rude. He was annoyingly rude to the degree that it made her question if he could act that way. Though she was thankful he wasn’t afraid and approached her first, he really didn’t need to say what he did.
In an effort to shake off the discomfort, Baek In-hwa headed towards the Body Training Room, but soon her gaze wandered elsewhere. It was a familiar back. She had thought during her introduction that it stuck to her eyes and wouldn’t go away, but now she realized it was more of a feeling of regret.
‘…He made me feel like this and now he’s off gallivanting somewhere?’
Sure, students of the academy are allowed to go out on weekends.
But somehow, looking at that figure leaving the gate stirred annoyance within her. If you asked why she was annoyed, it would be difficult for her to plainly respond, but it was just how she felt.
‘The one who made me angry is to blame.’
So I’ll just have to keep an eye on him.
Might as well, since he could be up to no good right from the first weekend. If he slips up even a little…
…With that kind of mentality, a girl’s curiosity based on a slightly mischievous notion began to tail Choi Yeon-woo.
*
What exactly is the Hunter Guild, also referred to as the Hunter Association?
Fundamentally, it’s established to respond to gates, creating tight cooperation between hunters for that purpose… and, in simplified modern terms, it’s a nationwide service center. The Hunter Association dispatches part-time workers, namely hunters, to the sites addressing gates.
Recently, applications available for hunters have made it less necessary to visit the guild, but Yeon-woo had a compelling reason to go.
The commissions received via the application have slightly higher fees than those secured in person.
Successfully enrolling was no small feat, but the tuition at the academy was definitely not light.
Far from it; it’s more akin to a respectable private university than a mediocre secondary education institution.
While Claire somehow gathered funds for a year’s tuition, I couldn’t look lightly to the future expenses.
In consideration of an orphan who would only have two more years at the orphanage, I had to repay Claire’s investment by being prepared to earn a scholarship or at least take on the upcoming tuition myself.
Hence, the most manageable option was to operate as a hunter. Despite being a newly active hunter, their earnings are by no means trivial.
If I stayed steady and worked actively every weekend, I could barely cover my tuition by the semester’s end.
Of course, tuition isn’t the end of the journey, so I also needed to buckle down and cut costs significantly…
But whether for the sake of preventing the Hunter industry’s decline or clearing out valuable gates, activity in the Hunter Guild would be essential…
In any case, it should be said that engaging in hunter activities during my time as a student is something I cannot discard.
In the middle of a city resembling those seen in fantasy, there stood a magnificent, ancient-looking building.
Was it the association president’s hobby? All the scattered hunter guilds bore this sort of appearance. Though after around seven years, they have been remodeled into citadels on the front lines, the appearance was indeed familiar.
Looking at the workplace I would be working at in both my past life and moving forward, I could feel that my heart was racing.
I well understood how a hunter guild feels for someone without mana.
Then what would it be like for someone with mana? Especially an exceptional mana awakener?
Encountering an unfamiliar scenery sends my heart into a frenzy, and I boldly pushed open the door.
(To be continued…)