IGOS 04

Chapter: 04

 Can You See This Too? (3)

Being a Hunter in a world without a system was quite grueling.

It was especially true for Earth Hunters, who had to compete against various other-dimensional races entering the Black Gate.

Nothing came easily.

Other races, thanks to their history and tradition, already knew basic techniques without needing to buy manuals with points. Earth Hunters, however, had to spend points to purchase them one by one.

Even then, just buying a manual didn’t guarantee immediate mastery.

One had to read the manual, interpret it, and put in effort to actually learn it. The result was the product of hard work.

At least, that was how it was.

Until Hwang Hana saw Do Hyun in front of her.

Whoosh—

“…What is this?”

“…….”

Hwang Hana stared blankly at the flames blazing in Do Hyun’s hands.

She wasn’t just surprised. She was observing the fire carefully, examining it in detail.

And then, she realized:

“It’s… real.”

The basic magic Fire, a fundamental spell for controlling flames. Its name was straightforward, and so was its effect: summon fire to attack.

Magic was generally more difficult than basic techniques. That’s why people made a distinction between Hunters and Mages.

But even someone naturally adept at magic would usually take several days to master a basic spell. And Do Hyun had succeeded on his very first day? Just by looking at a book?

“That can’t be….”

Hwang Hana’s mind rejected the idea, yet there was no other explanation. He had come with the documents stating his abilities were minimal. That could only mean he truly learned basic magic by reading the book.

How should one even describe this?

Hwang Hana herself had always been considered a genius, yet what she was witnessing now surpassed even that.

Unable to believe her eyes, she watched Do Hyun scratch his head and blink.

“Ah. Was I not supposed to use it freely? I thought I could use anything…”

Seeing Do Hyun worry about being scolded, Hwang Hana quickly shook her head.

“No, you can use it… But did you really learn that just from the book?”

Yes, one could learn from a book. That’s the purpose of the manual.

But the time it took was the problem.

Hwang Hana had been away for barely ten minutes, and he had read a basic magic manual and actually used it? If true…

“I need to contact Taebaek.”

It was frowned upon for instructors to secretly recruit promising trainees for their guild. Some had even been disciplined for it. But if this was true, Do Hyun was someone worth bringing, no matter the risk. That’s why instructors applied to guilds in the first place.

At that moment:

“Ah, then can I try the others too?”

“…The others?”

“Yes. I read about three of them.”

“…?”

Hwang Hana couldn’t comprehend it. Do Hyun, thinking he had permission, extinguished the fire hovering above his hand and picked up a dagger from the weapons on the wall.

Even then, she couldn’t understand.

Why was someone who had just used magic now holding a dagger? In Korea, at least, there were no Hunters skilled in both magic and techniques. That was common sense in Hwang Hana’s mind—until Do Hyun shattered it.

The moment he grasped the dagger, the atmosphere shifted.

Ssssh—

Mana subtly infused the dagger.

Hwang Hana’s eyes widened.

This was dagger technique, one of the basic skills. And judging by the mana circulating in Do Hyun’s body, that was basic mana control.

She watched as Do Hyun nimbly darted toward a scarecrow, holding the dagger in reverse grip, slashing with a fleeting, precise strike.

A swift, stealthy attack. His movements surpassed those of ordinary people.

Hwang Hana couldn’t help but exclaim:

“R-Really dagger technique?! And mana control too?!”

She had assumed he was purely magic-oriented, but now he had learned a dagger skill and mana control as well. The sight was so unbelievable she trembled as if struck by lightning.

People had called Hwang Hana a genius for mastering a basic manual in just two days.

Then what could one say about Do Hyun, who had mastered two basic skills and one basic magic in under ten minutes?

“Mon…ster.”

He had endured the initial mana pressure and succeeded—it wasn’t a coincidence or luck. He had done it all himself.

For Hwang Hana, without a system or analytical tools, that was the absolute truth.

Even if Do Hyun had a skill window in his view, newly awakened individuals usually needed time to internalize them. But for Do Hyun, who could absorb the information instantly, this was irrelevant.

Hence, Do Hyun couldn’t fully understand Hwang Hana’s astonishment. He had simply observed and executed, so he couldn’t feel the frustration others might.

In fact, he felt a bit disappointed.

He had learned basic dagger technique, mana control, and Fire, gaining a permanent +2 Mana, yet he had another reason to feel a bit unfulfilled:

[You have learned more than three F-rank skills today.]
[You have reached the limit of your current stats.]
[You cannot learn more F-rank skills today.]

“There’s a limit? How disappointing…”

If Hwang Hana had heard that, she might have gone berserk—but at least it was only in his thoughts.

Hwang Hana, still dazed, swallowed and said:

“R-Rest for now. Other trainees will be arriving soon.”

“Yes, understood.”

Do Hyun had already completed his trial, so there was no need for more. He gave a casual reply while Hwang Hana hurried toward the instructor building, determined to inform the Taebaek Guild as soon as possible. Thoughts of Ji Yuchan, who had caused a stir in the Hunter Association, had already vanished from her mind.

Seeing Hwang Hana say that, Do Hyun quietly returned to his dorm. He didn’t fully understand her reaction but had a rough idea.

“Analysis must be fast after all.”

Smiling slightly, feeling good about being treated as a promising talent, he rested in his assigned dorm. He had no idea that normally, it took days to learn even one skill.

How long had he rested when there was a knock on his door?

Knock, knock—

“Do Hyun, new trainees have arrived.”

New APs—or rather, trainees—he couldn’t miss this.

“I’ll be right out!”

Excited, Do Hyun stepped outside, eager to see what kind of new recruits awaited him.

Awakening was extremely rare.

Even in Seoul, the most populous city, fewer than five people awakened in a month. Nationwide, the number barely reached fifty per year. Summed across all awakened individuals in the country, fewer than 100 per year.

Seoul Hunter Training Center didn’t have many new recruits normally, but this month was different: ten new trainees.

The training center opened every month-end, and on the 30th, five people awakened—a rare occasion. Including Do Hyun, that made ten trainees this month.

Unlike the five newly awakened recruits arriving today, the five arriving later in the evening were calmer. They had prepared mentally, knowing they would be entering the training center. Complaints were minimal.

Perhaps that was why, on the shuttle bus, they chatted comfortably with each other:

“Phew. One month is long, but let’s do our best together.”
“Agreed.”
“Apparently, peers sometimes form parties. Let’s do well.”
“Hoho, Dong Wook wants to form a party with us, I see?”

A cheerful atmosphere.

Among them, one quiet and tall, handsome young man drew attention.

He simply gazed out the window, looking bored, attracting the attention of two women on the bus.

One asked him:

“Yuchan, aren’t you nervous?”
“No, not really.”

He was Ji Yuchan, the very one who had caused a stir in the Hunter Association.

Dong Wook, aware of the story, nodded and muttered:

“True, Yuchan caused a commotion when registering.”
“Really?”
“Yes, I heard there was excitement because a new prodigy appeared.”
“Oh my! Really?”
“Hahaha! I heard five people awakened today. Usually, Hunters form parties of five. If we team up with them, we’ll win for sure—especially with Yuchan here!”
“Oh my, indeed.”
“I also heard this generation has many members. It’ll be fun to compete.”

Dong Wook’s laughter was contagious, and the others followed suit—except Ji Yuchan, who remained calm.

Upon arriving at the training center, the bus passengers disembarked, laughing and collecting their belongings.

Reaching the entrance, they saw the five existing trainees and instructor Hwang Hana, reacting similarly.

Seeing Hwang Hana for the first time elicited natural reactions.

Hwang Hana addressed them as she had the existing trainees:

“Nice to see you, trainees. I’ll put you through a grueling month.”

The mana pressure from Hwang Hana pressed down on them like a trial by fire, leaving most trainees gasping and struggling:

“Gah!”
“Ugh!”
“Ack!”
“Eek!”
“…Huh.”

Even Ji Yuchan felt the pressure, frowning, though he was less affected than the others.

But at that moment, Ji Yuchan noticed something odd in Hwang Hana’s indifferent gaze.

“What is that?”

Though he was told he was talented enough to cause a stir in the Hunter Association, he couldn’t help but feel puzzled.

Then he noticed someone showing interest in him. And here, the only instructor was Hwang Hana. In other words:

“A trainee?”

The trainee looked at Ji Yuchan and seemed to say:

‘S… what?’

He didn’t understand, but one of them was definitely watching him intently, saying something like ‘S…’.

Ji Yuchan may or may not have caught that, but Do Hyun was excited thinking:

“S-rank!”