"Ken-ssi."
Ken stopped writing and turned around.
"Ah… what can I do for you, seniors?"
Even Gina was here too.
'What do they want from me?'
The mining team was still doing their work, though it might take longer than expected. So there shouldn't have been any reason for them to be here.
"Can we talk somewhere more private?"
This time, it was Gina. Once again, Ken couldn't tell what lay behind her emotionless face.
"Sure. This way."
He led them to the front door that sealed the dungeon boss.
"Then…"
Both Bora and Gina wanted to sigh.
"Both of us want to apologize for what happened that day," Bora said, looking remorseful.
"Yes. I felt we were too harsh, and we were simply refuting you due to our lack of knowledge. From any perspective, it wasn't a good argument, we were just being loud. Therefore, I'm sorry."
Gina said this while bowing her head, and Bora followed suit.
Ken was left speechless. These two had been stubborn and prideful at first, but they really changed this fast.
"Please raise your heads, seniors. I don't feel it was disrespectful or anything toward me."
Soon, they looked at each other and then laughed.
"Kuhum! Ken, can I call you that?" Gina asked.
"Yeah. Please."
"Then, can I take a look at your writing?"
"Eh?"
Bora looked at Gina as if to say you're way too shameless for asking that right away. Even so, Gina's calm expression didn't change at all.
"Sure. I just finished documenting its anatomy, and it's quite interesting."
"I see. Thank you."
"H-hey, you seem to be forgetting about me here."
Ken grinned lightly.
"How about this? I'll teach you something even more interesting."
'Let's see if this method would work on them.'
He then explained how to suppress their mana and the benefits of doing so.
"It could increase my mana?"
Gina and Bora asked the same question at the same time.
"Hypothetically. I've been doing this for a while, but I'm not sure if others could achieve the same results."
There had been improvements, but once again, he had a system, so he didn't want to draw conclusions yet.
"How can you say that? Doesn't it only make things more difficult, since we have to use magic as well?" Bora asked, and Ken simply nodded.
"You must learn how to walk before you can run. The exercise can be flexible, but I recommend maintaining it as much as you can. As for the reason, let me ask you first: how do you distinguish an S-rank from lower ranks?"
"It's simple," Gina said flatly. "We can tell just by their magical emission or, more simply put, their aura."
Ken nodded. "Correct. But that also means mana is being used unconsciously. It's like a car stuck in traffic, you're not moving, but it still consumes gas. My assumption is that the body keeps supplying mana to compensate for that loss. Mana suppression keeps some of your mana inside, allowing the body to increase it naturally. Since you're both A-rank, I think suppressing just 10% of your mana is sufficient."
Gina and Bora listened carefully. The method was really simple, and it didn't carry any dangerous risks. They would only need to practice it during their free time outside dungeon raids.
"Okay, but how long exactly do we need to do this?"
Ken smiled at Gina's question. "If there aren't any alternatives method… then for the rest of your life."
"Huh?"
"For real?"
"I'm afraid so."
---
Two weeks had passed since then. Ken had postponed his S-rank announcement again because he needed to teach Bora and Gina.
It was 8 in the morning in B-squad's common room. No one had arrived except them.
"How does it feel?"
"I felt good."
"Okay? But that's a weird answer…"
"Sorry, I mean there's been a lot of improvement."
Ken glanced at Bora. "What number does the device show?"
"Ah, yes. Gina's mana has increased by 369 points since two weeks ago." She gulped as she glanced at Ken. "I have to say, the method is working well."
There was no question that Bora had improved as well. But it only meant they were witnessing history. No this man would become history itself, the one who brought humanity to fully control magical energy.
'Is it okay to give this knowledge to us? No, he must have something greater than this.'
If he could casually give them a way to become stronger, then he must have many more things up his sleeve!
'Wait! This guy is really an A-rank?'
He could be suppressing his own mana right now, and they had already witnessed his abilities during three weeks of working together. That's a lie. Him being an A-rank? No way.
---
"It seems we don't have a porter today. I think it's because the guild has been really busy this week. So, what should we do, Captain?"
B-squad happened to have an A-rank gate raid scheduled today, but the porter didn't show up.
Ken raised his hand. "Should we just find someone from the mining team?"
Kihoon smiled. "That's a great idea. Then come with me, Ken."
They both walked to where the mining team was stationed. Ken met his old mining teammates—and also encountered a surprising face among them.
"Jin-woo. You're mining now? You son of a bitch."
Seeing Ken approach, Jin-woo smiled lightly and clapped his hands together.
"Yeah. So you joined the Hunters now, huh? Jin-ah's boyfriend?"
"My name is Ken, you dipshit, and I'm not anyone's boyfriend—"
"What did you say?"
"Anyway, our porter didn't show up today. Wanna help us?"
"Okay, I'm in."
"Great. Cap, we got one."
Kihoon looked like his presence there wasn't really needed.
"A-ah… just as I expected from you, Ken-ssi. Right, I'm Son Kihoon. I'll be the captain of this squad."
"Sung Jin-woo."
"Nice to meet you, Sung-ssi. But I think we still need one more porter. Do you think anyone else from the mining team would take this vacant spot?"
Ken thought it was obvious they wouldn't take the job. But he knew the perfect person to fill in.
"Can I make a phone call for a bit?"
Ken went off somewhere and soon returned with someone in tow, a blonde girl who looked like a foreigner. Moreover, she was really pretty.
"Hello, I'm Jeanne. Mast—I mean, Ken asked me to come because he needed a porter. Please take care of me." she said with smiled.
"OHHH!"
"Shit. He got a girlfriend."
"He asked his girlfriend to work as a porter? You guys are crazy."
After Jeanne introduced herself, the male hunters began to cheer.
'Another bitch.' Jiwoo, Bora, and Gina all thought the same thing. They could tell with a single glance that the two weren't just friends.
"I'm really disappointed in you, Ken."
"For what?"
Jeanne frowned at the person speaking to Ken. She could feel something unholy radiating from him.
'Master, get behind me! He's a necromancer and a powerful one! With your command, I shall behead this heretic.'
Even without using telepathy, he could feel it. Jeanne was about to call her weapon, but then.
'No, don't attack him. He's my friend.'
'Re-really? Bu-but...'
Ken sighed inwardly.
---
They began to enter the gate, and soon a pack of dungeon dogs attacked them.
Fwish!
B-squad formed up instantly without anyone needing to give orders, which surprised Jin-woo. It didn't take long for them to kill the beasts, but it raised questions.
"What in the world are dungeon dogs doing here?"
"Yeah, they're supposed to be C-rank magic beasts."
Ken looked at the dead monsters and sighed. "This is bad. These dogs were already tamed, which means the beast inside has a smarter brain than usual."
Everyone became vigilant. They always took his words seriously—especially when he mentioned a smart magic beast.
From deeper within the dungeon, countless footsteps echoed. Worse, a chilling presence washed over them.
"Oh my god! It's High Orcs!"
At the vanguard, Kihoon shouted, unable to hide his shock as humanoid beasts with red skin emerged from the shadows.
FWOSH!
A spear flew toward the hunters. Kihoon raised his shield just in time and deflected it into the cave ceiling.
"ROOOAR!"
The High Orcs roared and charged. When several of them leapt forward with raised axes, the hunters immediately realized their target.
"They're aiming for the mages!"
Tae-joon raised his lantern-shaped artifact and deployed a wide protective barrier, but it began to crack under the orcs' assault.
"Shit!" he screamed, his face turning pale.
'Master, let me handle them.'
'No. Just stand by.'
Jeanne used telepathy once again, but Ken didn't want her to reveal her power.
Then, multiple tentacle-like stranglers erupted from the ground, wrapping around the orcs and slamming them down. Ken smirked at Bora's summoning magic, it was perfectly suited to restraining enemies. Judging by how well she was holding them, her mana had increased significantly, and Ken couldn't help but feel proud of her improvement.
FWOSH!
Dozens of fireballs flew toward the restrained orcs, weakening them further. However, it still wasn't enough to defeat them.
"Damn it!"
Kihoon cursed his luck. At this rate, his squad would be wiped out if things continued like this. They weren't outnumbered, but the beasts were simply too strong.
It can't be helped, Ken thought as he focused his magic.
He was done faking his abilities. If things continued, everyone would die, and this time, Jin-woo wouldn't step in like in the original plot.
Four different magic circles hovered in the air as powerful energy began to converge.
[Zoltraak]
FWOSH!
Four mana beams fired simultaneously, piercing the orcs' chests, heads, and limbs. One by one, the High Orcs fell each killed by a single strike, the mana beams dancing through the air.
"What just…" Kihoon muttered, shocked and awestruck.
They had never seen magic like that before.
As the four magic circles above Ken slowly vanished, Kihoon and the others stared at him.
"Ken-ssi… just what are you?" Kihoon asked, disbelief clear in his voice.
Bora and Gina weren't as shocked as the others, but the rest shared the same stunned expressions as Jihoon.
"So this is his magic." Jin-woo smiled.
'I was right that he's special. But I'm going to ask him again about Jin-ah.'
Putting aside his role as a protective brother, Ken looked at his team and spoke.
"It's hard to explain my magic, but I decided to end the fight quickly. Otherwise, this squad would be wiped out."
Kihoon gulped. "I won't ask further why you hid your ability, but do you think we should advance or retreat?"
Kihoon was supposed to be the squad's captain, but now, with the difference in power, it was wiser to leave the decision to Ken.
"We should retreat for—"
Suddenly, Ken's senses screamed danger.
FWOSSH!
From a distance, a red light quickly approached them.
"A fire spell that huge?!"
A torrent of fire blazed through the cave, filling every inch of the dungeon.
'If I counter it with water magic…' He would need a massive amount of water, but doing that here would only drag everyone into the same danger as the flames.
Ken quickly recalled the spell activation for Phalanx. A massive dome-shaped barrier was created, protecting everyone around him.
"Whoa…"
Fear and awe filled their hearts as the fire failed to budge against the barrier's superiority. In fact, the inside of the barrier was strangely beautiful. Fire crashing against it was like watching an aurora. One thing was certain this guy was not a fucking A-rank! They even worried for Bora and Gina, knowing how poorly they had treated him.
Soon, the fire's piercing attack stopped.
However, when the barrier slowly disappeared, they saw a horde of high orcs marching toward them.
They watched as Ken flew forward. The leader of the horde approached him.
"Gur! Gah! Khraak! Tuh! Sheen!"
Ken raised an eyebrow. "Speak human language, please."
"Did he just speak magic beast language?!"
'Oops…' He had forgotten that he could speak any language now.
"Human mage. You are impressive for a human. I, the great sorcerer Kargalgan, wish to meet you. Follow my men or die by my men."
The orc's sudden change in demeanor was surely the influence of magic.
"Ken-ssi! What should we do?"
Behind him, everyone was anxious, overwhelmed by the powerful presence of the orc horde.
"Leave the gate. I'll handle this alone."
"What?! Are you crazy? No—we're going with you."
---
Soon, they arrived at a huge chamber where twice the number of orcs they had already met were hammering their weapons in symphony, as if welcoming their food. In front of them sat an orc wearing a long robe and a skull mask the apparent leader of the horde. He sat upon a special throne guarded by four powerful high orcs.
"Welcome, human mage. I am the great sorcerer, Kargalgan," he said while adjusting his mask.
"Cut the crap, orc."
"What an amusing human you are. You managed to stop my spell. I'd like to reward you, O human mage."
Ken raised an eyebrow. "Reward?"
Kargalgan then pointed at the team behind him. "I'll spare your life as the reward. Kill the other humans, and I shall spare your soul."
Ken sighed. "…I refuse."
"Fear me. Human."
SWOSH!
Suddenly, a massive surge of mana radiated from Kargalgan. Behind him, B-Squad nearly collapsed to their knees, their complexions as pale as corpses.
"Kargalgan!" Ken stepped closer. "I challenge you to a sacred duel between us mages!"
The declaration left everyone shocked.
---
-Author Note-
My mood for writing is basically like the stock market