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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: Growth (2)
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"Monster Uncle, your mana flow around the shoulders feels unnatural."
Kim Gunja's shoulders twitched at the voice coming from behind him.
He lowered the sword he was holding and glared at the one who had called him 'Monster Uncle' with half-lidded eyes.
The owner of the Demon Eye, Sin Yeji.
"Hey. Didn't I tell you not to call me that?"
"But that's all you look like to my eyes?"
"When an A-rank says that to a D-rank, it just sounds like sarcasm."
"Don't misunderstand. I'm calling you a monster not because you're strong, but because I can't comprehend you."
Kim Gunja's shoulders twitched again at the words 'incomprehensible monster.'
From the perspective of someone who had recently customized various parts of his body, there couldn't have been a more on-point remark.
This is all because of that damn eye of hers.
I don't have the power to do anything about it, so I'll just grumble inside.
"Can't you just call me Uncle normally?"
He tried bargaining.
"Sure. No can do, Monster Uncle. If you really want, I might consider Monster Uncle."
It didn't land at all.
Monster Uncle or Monster Uncle, same difference.
"Fine... Do whatever you want. So, how exactly is my shoulder movement unnatural?"
"The flow keeps breaking off. Didn't I tell you before? When handling mana, it's not about pumping it like a heartbeat—it's more important to let it flow continuously, like water from a faucet."
Two months.
Kim Gunja and Sin Yeji had grown close quickly.
Kim Gunja's personality, which didn't hold grudges over small things, played a part, but it was hard not to grow fond of her when she followed him around relentlessly, offering advice on mana without holding back.
"For example..."
Shwaaaaa—.
Blue, tangible mana erupted around Yeji.
Memyunbujeol.
Just like the incantation in the Heaven-Shattering Divine Art, threads of mana wove together endlessly without breaking, flowing out in countless strands.
...She's handling mana like it's taffy.
While someone else dealt with it like slime mixed with sand, breaking off in clumps.
"Like this. That's how you properly infuse power. How can you not do something this simple?"
"...You seem to forget sometimes that my magic power level is 2."
Sin Yeji's magic power level was a whopping 6.
On top of that, she had the Demon Eye trait specialized in mana manipulation.
The gap in their mana-handling ability was like heaven and earth.
But thanks to that...
Yeji's offhand advice was incredibly useful.
Even if it felt more like nagging half the time.
— That's not how you do it! If you just blast it out like that, all your mana drains away. Are you an idiot?
— Ugh, so frustrating! Seriously! You use your right arm perfectly fine, but why do your head, body, and legs all move separately? Anyone would think you're a bunch of mannequins each doing their own show!
— Then your lower body collapses! Even when swinging a sword, you need at least minimal mana in your legs! That's how you get real power... What, what was that? How did you just do that? How does that stance produce this much power?!
— No... Wow, I really can't understand it. You turn into a veteran the moment you pick up a sword, but the overall disharmony gets worse? And yet you're not bad with the sword or lacking power. What the heck is this? Can't you just pick one—genius or idiot?
The reason Sin Yeji constantly hovered around Kim Gunja wasn't anything else.
It was curiosity about an incomprehensible existence.
With her Demon Eye, Yeji had exceptional insight into mana, and her judgments about Awakeners were always spot-on.
But with Kim Gunja, her assessments kept missing the mark.
Damn her...
It was perhaps a natural outcome.
She didn't know the secret in his right arm or that he frequently utilized Customizing.
So her eyes kept drifting to him, and once they did, she spotted things that frustrated her into chattering away.
Unintentionally, she'd become Kim Gunja's dedicated mana trainer.
After hours of sword training under Yeji's 'care'(?),
"Ugh, I'm dying."
Kim Gunja collapsed to the floor like a melted ice cream.
The intense mental and physical training sessions were relentless; no matter how trained he was, exhaustion was inevitable.
Suddenly remembering something, Kim Gunja spoke up.
"By the way, don't you need to practice? The Hunter exam's only a month away."
It was a question wondering if she could just follow him around like this.
Well, she's an A-rank genius, so she'll handle it fine.
"Why wouldn't I practice? I'm doing it constantly."
...Huh?
As Kim Gunja made a puzzled face, Yeji shook her head.
Then,
A variety of geometric shapes materialized around her.
Intricate patterns woven tightly from thin mana threads constantly shifted forms as they orbited her.
Not just one, but dozens of mana constructs.
From emission and control to compression, followed by transformation and complex movements.
She was maintaining them all continuously.
While nagging nonstop.
"..."
Nothing to say. Absolutely nothing.
While someone struggled just to handle a single sword properly.
Magic power level 6.
Kim Gunja was struck anew by how impressive that was.
"Don't get too down. Monster Uncle's more specialized in one-strike kills than multitasking, right?"
It wasn't wrong.
The Heaven-Shattering Sword was definitely geared toward crushing enemies in one strike.
But that wasn't all.
The more he trained, the more he felt something more was embedded within it.
I can't quite express it yet since my level's still low.
And there was no reason to feel down anyway.
He had fully experienced the infinite possibilities of Customizing over the past two months.
Lying spread-eagled on the floor, he checked his progress.
⚔ STATUS ⚔
One new fact he'd learned during Customizing was that Sync Rate didn't apply to just any material.
Low-grade materials took effect immediately and were listed separately under 'Fused Tissues.'
What is this, some kind of biomechanical weapon with 'fused tissues'...
That was why.
He was especially sensitive to being called a monster.
Still, if he ignored the creepy connotation, the Customizing effects were solid, so he resigned himself to it.
No one else would see it anyway.
Every time he trained his swordsmanship and mental arts, his right arm's Sync Rate EXP kept rising, and two days ago, he'd finally leveled it up.
Thanks to that, he could now use the first three forms of the Heaven-Shattering Sword's ten-form sequence, albeit limitedly.
And then this morning's first special quest.
📜 NEW QUEST 📜
[Become the Awl in Your Pocket!]
📍 Difficulty: C
📍 Content: Show your presence against new powerhouses! (0/3)
⏰ Time Limit: Within Hunter License Exam day
🎁 Success: 1000 Points
⚠️ Failure: Master's squishy tongue
He'd been thrilled at the massively increased reward, but his spine chilled at the penalty.
Tongue?
It was insane.
He couldn't afford to become mute, so this quest had to succeed no matter what.
As he pondered how exactly to 'show his presence,'
Thud—.
Something caught, and
"Uh, ah, ack...?"
Sin Yeji let out a deflating groan.
Normally, she maintained around ten shapes for training, but in a moment of greed to show off to Kim Gunja, she'd pushed to over twenty at her limit.
Her focus had poured into that, so she hadn't noticed the training sword Kim Gunja had tossed aside and tripped over it, losing balance.
"Ah, no...!"
As her concentration shattered, the bomb-like shapes distorted everywhere.
If this continued, they'd explode all over, turning the place into chaos—it was obvious.
She had to recover them somehow.
Thanks to desperately controlling her mana even as she fell, she managed to retrieve them, but she couldn't avoid tumbling down.
Pooft—.
She landed squarely on top of Kim Gunja, who was lying spread-eagled.
Blink blink.
Her rabbit-like eyes fluttered.
As he stared at her with a 'what are you doing?' expression, Yeji's face flushed red in an instant.
She sprang up,
"Sorry!"
and scurried away frantically.
Seeing that, Kim Gunja couldn't help but chuckle despite himself.
She's got this subtle klutz side to her.
Despite her immense power, Yeji still hadn't shed her childish innocence.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
A Friday, one month before the exam.
Kim Gunja took a deep breath and sent a message in the group chat.
Katok!
— Shooting it off. Everyone come out.
The three-month silence in the group chat with his friends shattered as the alarm rang.
Katok katok!
Replies came fast.
As if they'd been watching the chat constantly.
— Giyun: Seafood or possible
— Hangil: Possible after 6
— Jintae: Possible if no afterparty
— Byunghoon: Possible if wife okays
No greetings.
Just the essentials.
Business as usual.
— 7pm. Northern Station intersection, Charcoal Meat. Till we burst.
He fired off the brief notice.
— Giyun: Skipping lunch
— Hangil: Cool
— Jintae: Afterparty ruined lol
— Byunghoon: Backside on fire but attending anyway
Responses were concise too.
That was the limit of the pretense they could muster.
No more messages followed.
No light questions like 'Did you win the lottery?'
No jokes like 'Whose turn for the hidden cam?'
Three months.
A bit short to fully forget the nightmare.
A little later, Kim Gunja met his friends at their usual barbecue spot.
The mood was the same as always.
Or rather, they tried to make it so.
As if by silent agreement.
"Whoa, a creepy audience like that actually existed? Demanding a one-night stand at the afterparty? Totally nuts."
"Right? So what did I say...?"
As always, Byunghoon led the drinking session.
With his actor's booming voice and coherent storytelling, he was always the mood-maker.
His gift of gab held up even after so long.
If only not for the unnatural facial features no plastic surgery could hide.
But no one mentioned it.
Nor Hangil's awkward chopstick handling, Giyun's slurred speech, or Jintae limping to the bathroom.
As the alcohol hit just right, Kim Gunja quietly spoke up.
"I awakened."
Like it was the most unbelievable lie.
The laughter and chatter from his joking friends died down.
He'd agonized over it constantly.
But he thought he should tell them.
"At least so you know what I'm planning."
That way, they wouldn't get unfairly dragged in.
Slowly, without rushing.
He laid out everything.
About seeking out Park Chunduk and training to become a Hunter.
Along with the warning that he might be too busy to contact much.
"I'm focusing on landing one on that bastard. I'll move so it doesn't affect you guys, so don't worry too much."
No congratulations on the awakening. No pleas to quit.
Just trembling hands tilting their glasses slightly.
He'd thought it'd be fine.
But it was still a bit early.
"Sorry. Heading out first. I'll cover the bill, so eat slow and go home."
He paid and left the restaurant ahead.
Walking the sidewalk, Kim Gunja's insides burned black.
Because he was scared.
Of the possibility he'd never return to the old days with his friends.
Grind.
Thinking of Kang Inhyeok made his teeth clench automatically.
Bzzz— bzzz—
His phone vibrated repeatedly; he checked it.
— [ButWhyOneShot] sent you 100,000 won. — [WhereOurShare] sent you 100,000 won. — [IfDoingThenFive] sent you 100,000 won. — [CheeringYouBastard] sent you 100,000 won.
Deposit notifications.
From his friends.
"...Ha..."
Kim Gunja stopped walking, tilted his head back, and pressed his eyes with his hand.
Next time, for sure...
He vowed to bring news that would erase his friends' trauma.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
One month later.
Hunter License Exam day.
At the pier entrance, Park Chunduk asked Kim Gunja,
"Nervous?"
"Nah?"
"Then what's that in your hand?"
Kim Gunja played dumb and popped a Uhwang Cheongsimhwan pill.
"Why eat it now? Should've done it earlier."
"Embarrassing with Yeji watching."
This was the chance while she was excitedly boarding first.
"Jeez..."
"Chunduk hyung."
"Yeah?"
"You haven't made the banner yet, right?"
"Oh, Yeji's? Planning to order on the way back. Why?"
Kim Gunja grinned at Park Chunduk.
"Since you're doing it, order one for me too."
"...What?"
Park Chunduk stared at him incredulously.
"Marketing. Two people are better than one, right?"
Advertising.
He was confident he could pull it off.
Considering his recent achievements.
Park Chunduk eyed the confident Kim Gunja and nodded as if getting it.
"Well, two is definitely better... Yeah, 'Even late bloomers can do it' has a nice ring."
...Should I not?