Chapter: 03
Can You See This Too? (2)
To the trainees, Hwang Hana was like a celebrity.
But the moment she unleashed her aura along with her words, the situation flipped 180 degrees.
When Hwang Hana said she would push them harshly for a month, the trainees who had thought she was exaggerating could do nothing but tremble at her presence.
It wasn’t just any aura.
It was the wavelength of mana emitted by a strong person.
Since the trainees had awakened their mana, they could clearly feel the difference.
B-rank hunter Hwang Hana, called the genius rookie of the A-rank guild Taebaek.
Some had argued, “How can a mere B-rank be a genius?” but that was the opinion of people who truly didn’t know.
Even the trainees who had just witnessed Hwang Hana’s aura had thought similarly a moment ago—but now, their thoughts had changed.
“W-what!?”
“I-I can’t breathe…!”
“Th-this is a B-rank hunter!?”
“Th-this can’t be real.”
Their breaths caught in their throats, as if standing before a predator.
Would a mouse feel like this in front of a snake?
While everyone was crushed under the weight of her presence, Do-hyeon was shocked in a different way.
[『Hwang Hana』’s skill 「Intimidation [B]」 has been 『Analyzed』.]
[100 AP acquired.]
[Successfully 『Analyzed』 a skill from a superior-level opponent.]
[An additional 100 AP acquired.]
“Huh.”
Do-hyeon could now read one of Hwang Hana’s previously unreadable status windows.
It seemed that if she used the skill herself, it could be analyzed.
From this, Do-hyeon realized something: he could gain AP by analyzing anything related to hunters outside of status windows. And after successfully analyzing Intimidation, he naturally discovered another insight.
“She’s holding back.”
Through analysis, Do-hyeon sensed it.
The skill Intimidation that Hwang Hana used just now was not at full power.
That’s why, even though her skill was far above Do-hyeon’s level, he could still successfully analyze it.
Just as Do-hyeon was realizing this, another message appeared.
[Successfully 『Analyzed』 a skill above the standard threshold.]
[Conditions met: Acquire skill 「Intimidation [B]」 at half AP cost.]
[Acquire skill 「Intimidation [B]」 for 『250 AP』 instead of 『500 AP』?]
“She’s giving a discount?”
Why would he refuse?
Do-hyeon immediately accepted, and he felt something settle into his body, imprinting the way to release mana even just slightly.
[Skill 「Intimidation [B]」 acquired.]
[Skill exceeds current ability.]
[Power is slightly lower than original.]
[Mana permanently +5 due to acquired skill.]
[Cannot activate skill at original full power.]
It was a warning message, but Do-hyeon already understood.
The moment the skill settled in his body, he knew how to use it.
Simultaneously, he felt some force in his body, like particles of light, being drawn in and swirling within him.
It was a faint sense of merging with the world itself.
Is this the true power of analysis?
“Incredible.”
While Do-hyeon felt this, Hwang Hana looked at him with a peculiar gaze.
Then, releasing her aura—more precisely, the Intimidation—she looked over the trainees and spoke.
“Training begins tomorrow. Today will conclude the intake for new trainees, so wait until then. There are information pamphlets inside the building, so refer to them when using the facilities. All facilities will be available from day one.”
After saying this, she turned away. Only then did the trainees finally gasp for air, their faces pale.
It was as if someone had strangled their necks. But more than that, they recalled Hwang Hana’s words.
She had said she would push them harshly.
“Ah… this is bad.”
Cough cough. “Ugh, this is going to be really tough…”
“I-I can’t quit, right…?”
“Attendance at the training facility is mandatory.”
While all the other trainees shivered at the thought of the upcoming training, Do-hyeon smiled with satisfaction.
New trainees.
He was naturally pleased at the thought of gaining new AP.
Even though he had only seen one instructor just now, Hwang Hana, there would surely be other instructors.
Considering that, this was undoubtedly a goldmine.
As the other trainees remained frozen, Do-hyeon cheerfully headed inside the training facility. The trainees, bewildered, asked:
“Um… where are you going?”
“Eh? Just checking out the building.”
“Huh?”
“All facilities are available starting today. I want to take a look in advance.”
Saying that, Do-hyeon swiftly entered the building, while the remaining four trainees stared in disbelief.
It was as if the person who had just been crushed under the same aura was completely different.
And someone murmured:
“C-can this person really become a hunter?”
At that, the remaining trainees couldn’t help but nod.
Do-hyeon truly looked like someone destined to become a hunter.
Inside the hunter training facility, there were several buildings. Most were for trainees, but one was for instructors.
Hwang Hana entered the building where the instructors’ quarters and amenities were located.
Just before she saw the trainees, she had felt pride as she returned to the place she had entered as a trainee only two years ago—now as the lead instructor.
But now, she had a serious expression as she quickly examined the documents that had just been delivered.
They contained the personal details of the newly enrolled trainees.
“Hmm, that’s strange.”
Records showing below-average stats.
One of them was Do-hyeon’s file.
Even without a system, modern measurements could quantify many attributes. They had even created machines to measure mana, so physical stats were well-documented.
Do-hyeon’s stats were definitely low.
Physically, he ranked last among five.
He was on par with female awakeners.
Even his mana was recorded as the lowest.
Based solely on the documents, he was a trainee who definitely required training.
However…
“He withstood my mana pressure.”
The skill often called mana pressure.
Analysis had revealed it as the skill Intimidation.
In a world without systems, they called it a technique rather than a skill. Mana pressure was one such technique.
Mana pressure was a basic skill for certain hunters.
It allowed them to suppress weaker opponents and slightly freeze their movements. It was also a technique to withstand the oppressive aura emitted by strong monsters, commonly called “pressure.”
And yet, a newly awakened trainee could endure it?
Even if Hwang Hana held back, this was unusual.
Furthermore…
“It seemed like the last action was using mana pressure…”
Reading mana was difficult, so Hwang Hana couldn’t be certain, but it appeared that Do-hyeon had used mana pressure.
Even she had to shake her head at how improbable it seemed.
“No way. I must have misseen.”
If what she had seen was true, Do-hyeon had endured mana pressure from the start, copied her, and used it to break free—something even less believable.
Better to assume she had misseen.
Still, just in case…
“Let’s mark him for observation.”
Marking him as a person of interest, Hwang Hana examined the other documents.
Among the new trainees, she glanced at one and smirked.
If half of what she saw was true…
“This year’s batch has two promising individuals.”
She murmured, looking at the file of another promising trainee, Ji Yoo-chan.
Even when she first discovered him, it had been quite a stir. If Do-hyeon’s abilities were also true, it would cause an even bigger commotion.
Just then, another instructor rushed into Hwang Hana’s room.
Had something happened already?
It was the first day of the training intake, not even ten minutes in.
Seeing the panicked instructor, Hwang Hana asked:
“Hwang Hana, lead instructor? What is it?”
“You need to go immediately.”
“Something happened?”
“Yes. Trainee Lee Do-hyeon is currently at the training ground…”
“I’ll go at once.”
Upon hearing the name Lee Do-hyeon, Hwang Hana immediately headed to the training ground.
And there, she witnessed something unbelievable.
“…What is this?”
A bit earlier, as Hwang Hana entered the instructors’ building, Do-hyeon entered the trainees’ building.
Opening a pamphlet at the entrance, he saw detailed descriptions of the building.
Feeling like a freshman at university, he flipped through it, and his analysis stirred.
He scanned the terrain and even provided navigation—king-level analysis.
“I can analyze anything I want.”
Praising his analysis, Do-hyeon headed to the library, officially called the “Basic Skill Record Room.”
Inside, he saw various books.
There weren’t many—maybe twenty at most.
But just from the titles, he could guess…
“All these are skill manuals?”
Curious, he picked a familiar title.
[Daggers]
It was a manual—a guide to mastering daggers.
At the beginning of the book, a phrase caught his eye:
[This manual is one of the basic manuals acquired using points.]
It was a skill manual for a skill he already possessed. He carefully examined it, flipping through casually.
After scanning to the end, his observation system responded.
[Skill 「Daggers [F]」 has been 『Analyzed』.]
[Skill is below standard.]
[Acquire skill without consuming AP.]
[Skill 「Daggers [F]」 acquired.]
[Already possessed skill.]
[No stat increase.]
[Skill proficiency increased.]
[「Daggers [F]」 – (2/3)]
[Analyze 「Daggers [F]」 again to increase its rank.]
“Wow, insane.”
Do-hyeon swallowed hard.
Even casually skimming the skillbook, he could instantly acquire the skill.
Seeing the mere twenty books available, he swallowed again in disbelief.
This was no library.
“This is a goldmine!”
Do-hyeon grinned.
Less than ten minutes later, he arrived at the training room to test various things.
Shortly after, Hwang Hana also arrived and saw something absurd.
Do-hyeon was creating flames in midair and firing them at a scarecrow.
“T-Trainee Lee Do-hyeon? H-how can you use that skill?”
“Uh… I read it in a book, so it worked.”
“W-what?!”
It wasn’t a lie.
