-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: No Limits to Customization (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Iron Armor.
A ability that hardened the body like steel by manipulating mana, Park Chunduk's unique trait which temporarily raised his physical level by one stage.
It was also the reason he'd operated as a close-range striker during his hunter days in the past.
But,
Clang-.
The arm wrapped in Iron Armor,
Clang-clang-.
swung limply without strength.
Like the pendulum of a clock about to snap.
That was the price for crossing both arms to block Kim Gunja's strike.
"..."
Thanks to the effect of his unique trait, there was no pain.
Even so, Park Chunduk's face was heavily distorted.
He simply couldn't comprehend it.
That sword strike just now.
And the fact that its perpetrator—the one who'd unleashed such a monstrous attack—was now sprawled on the floor like a slime, wriggling feebly.
"Huh? Wh-what's going on here...?"
Park Chunduk rationally knew why this had happened to Kim Gunja, but emotionally, he couldn't bring himself to accept it.
It was just that absurd.
"Ha... Mana Exhaustion... phenomenon...?"
Mana Exhaustion.
It referred to the state of sudden lethargy that occurred when an awakener squeezed out every last drop of their mana.
"But that's... "
Those whose average of physical and magic power levels exceeded 5.
Yeah. A phenomenon that only appeared in A-rank awakeners and above!
An awakener who hadn't even reached that level trying to wring out their mana like that?
Ha! If they had that precise mana control, their magic power level would've been high too!
It was a phenomenon called Mana Exhaustion that even he, a C-rank, had never experienced.
And yet, a guy who'd just picked up a sword for the first time,
who'd swung it for the first time,
had depleted all his mana in that single strike...?
No way a monster like that could exist...!
And right in front of his eyes, no less!
Damn it all!
"M-Master Park!"
A few staff members came rushing over with emergency kits in hand.
One of the staff applying a splint to Park Chunduk's dazed, unmoving arm cautiously spoke up.
"Master, is that guy... experiencing Mana Exhaustion?"
The staff member next to him eyed the scene with wonder.
"I thought the same. Right, Master? Mana Exhaustion. Whoa... I've only heard about it, never seen it for real."
"Me too, me too."
Park Chunduk panicked at the staff's fussing. Rumors like this wouldn't do anyone any favors.
Not for Kim Gunja, nor for himself.
"Keep your mouths shut, all of you. Don't go blabbing anywhere. Got it?"
"Of course."
"What do you take us for, kids? Running around gossiping about this."
The staff were old acquaintances who'd received help from Park Chunduk back in his hunter days; they knew how to keep quiet.
"But man, I'm really looking forward to him."
"Yeah. He looked so clumsy when he first picked up the sword, then bam, he totally transformed... That must be what they call pure talent, huh?"
"I'm jealous, Master. Is his unique trait related to the sword or something?"
As the chatter showed no signs of stopping, Park Chunduk furrowed his brow.
"You gonna keep yapping? Hurry up and help him to the recovery room, idiots. Don't you know leaving him like that too long will hurt his body?"
"Oops! Hey, you okay?"
A staff member rushed over to support Kim Gunja.
"Ughhh, my whole body's all tingly like I got zapped—feels like a drowned Pikachu."
"Pfft! Pikachu?"
"That's the only way I can describe it. What the heck is this?"
"Haha, you're a funny one. That's called Mana Exhaustion..."
Park Chunduk watched with a complicated expression as Kim Gunja was helped toward the recovery room.
Mana Exhaustion was one thing, but...
"What the hell was that?"
Overlaid on the image of Kim Gunja thrusting with his sword had been a phantom vision.
It was unmistakably a hunched, one-armed old man.
"Seemed like only I could see it..."
His appearance was utterly shabby.
But the moment he'd faced that old man, Park Chunduk couldn't help recalling the Chinese S-rank hunter he'd seen at Incheon Airport in the past.
World ranking number 3.
The Sword Saint, Jin Wei.
It had that immense a presence. No, thinking back, it might've even surpassed that...
"...Must've been my imagination."
Park Chunduk stared down at his splinted arm, let out a deep sigh, and started walking.
There was a lot he needed to teach Kim Gunja, a lot to say.
And a lot to ask.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"Ow, my poor aching body."
Kim Gunja groaned.
He'd gone hoping to awaken, succeeded, visited the Customizing Room to get Ma Ilcheon's arm, and even ended up in an unplanned spar.
And topped it off with Mana Exhaustion...
It had been a nonstop whirlwind.
He'd gotten an IV in the recovery room and rested until evening, but fatigue still lingered heavily.
Rest.
Rest like crazy once I get home.
That desperate thought filled Kim Gunja's mind as he trudged along.
That's when he spotted an elderly woman pulling a handcart piled high with boxes.
Right ahead loomed the infamous uphill slope.
Without hesitation, Kim Gunja ran over.
"Grandma."
"...Eh?"
The sweat-drenched grandma looked up.
"If it's okay, can I pull the cart up the hill for you?"
"No, no, I got it, young man. Just go on. No need to sweat for my sake."
The grandma waved him off, but Kim Gunja didn't back down.
Having lived with his own grandfather, he knew elders politely refused once out of courtesy.
"It's fine. I was heading to the gym anyway—you know the one up there? Perfect chance to work up a sweat."
"...Eh? Really...?"
The grandma's resistance softened.
Kim Gunja subtly gripped the handle and pressed his advantage.
"Yeah. Just till the top of the slope. Consider it my warm-up."
"Well, if that's the case... Thanks a ton, young man."
As he took the handle, Kim Gunja instinctively gave it his all—then nearly toppled over, losing balance.
"Ack...?"
"Oh dear... You okay, young man? Should I take it back?"
"N-no! It's lighter than I thought, that's all. Don't worry. Haha!"
"Eh?"
Doubt flickered in the grandma's eyes as she glanced at the mountain of boxes. Lighter? No way...
But Kim Gunja meant it.
It really wasn't as heavy as expected. Unbelievably so.
Right... Awakening.
He hadn't felt it much around Brother Chunduk, but clashing with reality made it hit home.
On a whim, he eased off his left hand, shifted weight to his right, and pushed.
Rumble.
It worked, it worked!
Something impossible before awakening.
Realizing his newfound strength revitalized his weary body.
Rumble—rumble-rumble!
The cart's speed up the hill steadily increased.
The following grandma gradually fell behind.
"Y-young man?"
The flustered grandma called out, but ecstatic Kim Gunja's ears were deaf to it.
Rumble-rumble-rumble!
Horrified, the grandma gaped at the cart accelerating like mad.
"Young man! Sl-slow down...! Th-thief! Oh no! That guy's stealing my cart! Thief!"
Only after her shrill cry did Kim Gunja snap to and slow down.
Fortunately, the misunderstanding cleared up quickly.
"Whew... Sorry about that, young man."
"No worries. My bad too. Stay healthy!"
Sipping the soda she'd given him as thanks, he headed home.
"Got too carried away without realizing. Not a kid anymore..."
—Gunja. Becoming intoxicated by your own power is no different from abandoning your humanity to become a beast.
Recalling his awakener grandfather's words, he steeled his resolve.
That's when—
"Kyaaah! What do we do!"
"He's totally a total hottie!"
Hm?
College girls around that age were making a fuss in front of a convenience store, cans of beer in hand, huddled around a large tablet.
On the screen: a handsome young man battling a monster.
A face he could never forget.
Kang Inhyeok.
—Kang Inhyeok Hunter, en route to America, has updated his ranking yesterday.
—Yes! He's at 98th place! That makes exactly ten Korean nationals in the top 100! Ah, it makes me so proud!
A close-up showed blood-soaked Kang Inhyeok slicking back his hair.
"Argh, I'm going crazy! Oppa Inhyeok is too cool, isn't he?"
"Pfft, you're hilarious. He's younger than you, and 'oppa' just rolls off your tongue?"
"What does age matter? If he's hot, he's oppa! Personality's top-tier too!"
"True. He rescued civilians from a car crash recently, right? Face, skills, personality—all perfect."
"Totally crushing!"
Crunch!
The soda can in Kim Gunja's hand crumpled like paper.
The girls turned at the noise, but Kim Gunja ignored them, tossed the crushed can in the recycling bin, and went home.
True to Park Chunduk's advice, he focused on rest. While brooding over that night's humiliation.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The next morning.
Kim Gunja headed straight to the academy.
—For now, let's build up your basic stamina and learn mana control. Oh, and there's one thing I'm a bit worried about...
As Park Chunduk had said, after yesterday's test, Kim Gunja tried moving the mana he'd begun to sense more clearly.
And,
"As expected..."
In stark contrast to his right arm, where mana flowed smoothly through its circuits, the rest of his body was completely blocked, refusing to budge as he wished.
It was only natural, really.
Unlike Ma Ilcheon's right arm, his other body parts had mana sensitivity on the level of a newborn infant.
And yet he'd so casually spouted that nonsense yesterday.
—Bro, I wanna join Pentagram Guild.
Pentagram.
Unlike other guilds influenced by nationality, it was a global guild of elite few, holding the world number one spot.
Kim Gunja figured he'd need at least that much to fight Kang Inhyeok of Hero Guild.
Of course,
—Learn to walk first, you lunatic!
He'd gotten an earful of curses first.
"Long road ahead."
But that was fine.
Seeing a path he could run toward, even if distant, was a massive change.
He was thrilled just to have a chance to challenge something with his own power.
From here on, it was up to him.
"Hello!"
Kim Gunja entered the academy with an energetic greeting, but it was eerily quiet inside.
Too early?
Brother Chunduk must not be here yet.
As he moved to do some light jump rope,
"You're Kim Gunja, right, mister?"
A pleasant yet still youthful voice.
He turned to see a beauty with a perfectly balanced figure, wearing a dissatisfied expression.
Kim Gunja tilted his head.
A face he didn't recognize.
Did I do something wrong?
Her gaze scanned him up and down.
Like appraising an object.
What the heck.
His words didn't come out nicely either.
"Do I know you?"
"Yeah. The mister who showed up out of nowhere yesterday and cried his eyes out."
"Cough... "
A critical hit out of nowhere.
Couldn't even deny it, so it hurt more.
Face burning.
"Uncle told me. Said a late-bloomer awakener who'd eaten 29 years was starting training today. Told me to take good care of you."
"Uncle?"
"The master."
Ah, Brother Chunduk's niece, huh.
But if she heard that, why the attitude?
"So you're Brother Chunduk's niece. Nice to—"
Before he could finish, she let out a big sigh.
This girl...
"Uncle's soft-hearted despite his looks; he can't say harsh things. So I'll say it for him. Don't take it personally—I'm saying this 'cause I'm worried about you."
Suddenly?
"You know your body's mana balance is a total mess, right? Not something training can fix. Trying to be a hunter with that body...? And D-rank? You wouldn't have ten lives for it. So..."
She continued with serious eyes.
"Give up. Being a hunter."