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Chapter 50
At the same time.
Lee Ha-seong’s eyes sparkled while watching the sparring scene. Na Mi-na hadn’t yet grasped what kind of attack Hwang Jun-hyung had suffered, but Lee Ha-seong saw through it precisely.
“Director, did Agent Hwang just suffer internal injuries from the previous attack?”
“No. He used that steel-like ball to strike the outer edge of the protective equipment. The problem is…”
“The problem?”
“The inner side of the dented protective equipment precisely hit the ‘magic line’. The magical power circulation has been cut off. A reversal is occurring.”
“It must be a coincidence, right?”
“No, it was intentional. If he wanted to make it more certain and effective, he would have targeted areas without equipment.”
Magic line.
It refers to the path through which magical power circulates, like blood vessels in the body.
Also known by aliases such as magic road and heart line.
Lee Ha-seong had an intuition from the moment Kang Shin-hwa threw the magic ball that he was targeting the magic line.
The starting point of the magic line, located just above the heart, about the length of a thumb.
That was precisely the target.
When the magic line is blocked, magical power circulation is instantly cut off.
Like a car’s fuel supply route being blocked. It loses its function.
“It’ll end here.”
Lee Ha-seong stood up.
Considering the strategy Kang Shin-hwa had shown from the beginning, he wouldn’t miss this opportunity.
Just as expected.
-Euk! Eogeuk! Euk! Euk!
In the training room where sounds were transmitted without filter, only Hwang Jun-hyung’s one-sided screams echoed.
Hwang Jun-hyung, unable to display any talent, was nothing more than an ordinary person wearing protective gear.
Kang Shin-hwa was showing no mercy, concentrating all his firepower.
Lee Ha-seong captured every movement with his eyes.
Peoeuk! Peoeuk!
The heated right fist fiercely struck Hwang Jun-hyung’s chest.
Ppang! Ppang!
The high-density magical power released from his left hand created a thunderous sound like a cannon ball firing, striking the abdomen.
That wasn’t all.
Kang Shin-hwa’s grand offensive was not limited to his hands; he spun his body dramatically and launched a kick.
All attacks were concentrated where protective gear was worn, but nonetheless, Hwang Jun-hyung was increasingly staggering.
‘It’s not simply about the number of talents. What’s more surprising is how skillfully he applies martial arts and techniques.’
Na Mi-na and Yun Byeol-i had only focused on the fact that Kang Shin-hwa was an Awakener with multiple talents.
But his thoughts were different.
The attack Kang Shin-hwa launched against Hwang Jun-hyung was not just a brute-force crushing attack.
It was stylish and precise.
Flashy yet substantial. Every consecutive attack was effective.
Perhaps from Hwang Jun-hyung’s perspective, each of Kang Shin-hwa’s attacks would have felt like a tremendous shock that shook his body.
If not for the protective gear, it would not have been surprising if all his ribs were to break.
‘Considering his magical power release ability and how he uses that ball, he’s definitely not just a simple close-range Awakener.’
This was the astonishment Lee Ha-seong felt towards Kang Shin-hwa.
Even for an Awakener, handling multiple talents at a high proficiency is extremely difficult.
Even Lee Ha-seong, after awakening, had spent nearly five years in hellish intense training to barely raise his talents.
He still invests more than five hours a day solely in training.
Yet, everything Kang Shin-hwa showed in combat demonstrated very high proficiency.
This meant either he, like Lee Ha-seong, invested significant time after awakening to train and improve his skills,
Or he had such explosive innate talent and sense that he was growing rapidly from the beginning.
Either way, he was remarkable.
‘And yet, his rank is still D+, huh?’
At the entrance of the training room, Kang Shin-hwa’s rank measured before the sparring was precisely displayed. D+.
‘Even if it said A, it wouldn’t be strange. The measurement device’s display is meaningless.’
Lee Ha-seong thought this way.
Now he understood Na Mi-na’s fuss.
An irregular that was hard to find had appeared. And not in another country, but right here in South Korea!
‘Is he a disciple of an unknown master? Or a born genius? Or perhaps someone who acquired memories and experiences through special methods?’
Although Lee Ha-seong could usually see through an Awakener’s talents and development process, this time was an exception.
He couldn’t pin it down.
Deep wrinkles formed between his eyebrows, but paradoxically, a smile played at the corner of his mouth.
He had developed interest in a young Awakener for the first time in a long while.
* * *
Beep- Beep- Beep-.
The alarm sounded.
It took time purely to wear down the durability because the protective gear was so high-quality.
“Ugh…”
Hwang Jun-hyung had already lost his fighting spirit, hanging limply like wet cotton.
“The reversal will soon be resolved. It’s just a temporary suppression, so don’t worry at all.”
I carefully shook Hwang Jun-hyung’s shoulder, whose eyes had lost focus, and then stood up, brushing myself off.
The battle had gone exactly as planned.
It went so smoothly without variables that I didn’t even feel particularly excited.
‘An Awakener who neglects understanding their strengths and weaknesses and relies solely on talent has no meaning in their rank.’
This was an immutable truth for me.
Constantly researching oneself, enhancing strengths, compensating for weaknesses, and allowing no gaps.
That was my life as an Awakener who reached the extreme of talent in my previous life.
I always thought and pondered.
I rationally examined myself and sometimes sought extreme ways to break through.
Thanks to that, I received praise from my Nine Lords colleagues about being a veteran or maxed-out player.
The golden tower I had carefully built disappeared with regression, but it was continuing again in this life.
Yun Byeol-i said, “Good work.”
“Is it over? What about the license?”
“…It will be processed.”
Looking at the pathetically collapsed Hwang Jun-hyung, Yun Byeol-i’s face darkened significantly.
‘Yun Byeol-i also reached SSS rank in her previous life, but it was too late. A case where KSA held back talent growth.’
Her memories were vivid.
She who was sacrificed in the last battle preparing for a great disaster. Perhaps if she had been EX rank then, she wouldn’t have died.
‘She’s someone who handles tasks skillfully and excellently.’
Upon careful consideration, her talent also had high developmental potential depending on how it was awakened, just like the priest.
The Shadow Witch, the Queen of Assassination.
Thinking about the descriptors that symbolized Yun Byeol-i, she was an Awakener of rare value, almost as much as the priest.
However, now she was likely stagnating in her talent development, being pushed around in KSA’s practical work.
‘I got too heated.’
Due to the interest in growing teams starting with the priest, my thoughts seemed to have deepened unnecessarily about her.
I quickly shook off those thoughts.
A quick retirement is good, and rapid growth using colleagues is good, but connections aren’t created just by forcing them.
“Jun-hyung, are you okay?”
“I’m, I’m okay. Just… Let me lie down for a moment.”
“Kang Shin-hwa, please follow me. I’ll proceed with the license issuance right away.”
“Sure. Oh, by the way, Agent Hwang Jun-hyung, thank you for the wonderful sparring.”
“Kuuk…”
I gave one more confirmation kill to the fallen Hwang Jun-hyung and then followed Yun Byeol-i out of the training room.
* * *
The greeting between Kang Shin-hwa, Lee Ha-seong and Na Mi-na after leaving the training room ended shorter than expected.
Lee Ha-seong left a brief overall comment, saying he saw a wonderful match, and when Na Mi-na tried to start with ‘Scouting…’, she was stopped by Lee Ha-seong, cutting off her subsequent words.
Lee Ha-seong had already definitively judged Kang Shin-hwa after today’s sparring.
Since Na Mi-na had strongly pushed for scouting earlier, they now needed a conversation between just the two of them.
Eventually, Kang Shin-hwa received a license for the K-9183 dungeon in Cheorwon, guided by Yun Byeol-i.
‘Black-hooked wild boar, now I’m going to meet you! Let’s completely crush this D- rank and climb up!’
Kang Shin-hwa wore a satisfied expression.
The conquest permit date was February 13th, at dawn.
Not far off.
A good day had been scheduled.
Yun Byeol-i guided Kang Shin-hwa outside the Seoul branch, maintaining silence for a while before carefully speaking.
“Kang Shin-hwa.”
“Yes?”
“I’ve seen countless sparring matches, but no one has ever beaten Agent Hwang so one-sidedly.”
“I just effectively targeted his weaknesses.”
“From the beginning it was a continuous surprise, but now I really have to acknowledge it. You are an irregular.”
“The term ‘irregular’ feels nice. It means I’m different from others.”
“That’s right. It’s not for nothing that the branch director is interested in you. The director seems interested as well.”
“I’ll gratefully accept the interest.”
“Do you still have no plans to join KSA? We could provide you with so many experiences and know-how.”
“No, I do not.”
Kang Shin-hwa flatly rejected her suggestion.
He couldn’t understand why everyone placed such significance on organizational affiliation.
Just because one isn’t affiliated with an organization doesn’t mean one can’t cooperate.
However, Yangwha Guild, KSA, and Hongryeon Guild all seemed eager to embrace him.
This felt unfamiliar to Kang Shin-hwa, who had lived freely without affiliation under the Nine Lords banner in his previous life.
“Byeol-i.”
“Yes?”
Kang Shin-hwa took the initiative to speak this time.
Surprised by Kang Shin-hwa suddenly speaking after passively listening, Yun Byeol-i’s eyes sparkled.
“Isn’t this different from what KSA imagined?”
“What do you mean?”
“How should I put it. Your eyes are full of mission and belonging, but as an Awakener, you seem to lack enjoyment.”
“…”
“In my personal opinion, KSA is narrower than you might think for fulfilling your dreams.”
It was sincere.
Yun Byeol-i’s talent needed to constantly clear dungeons and steadily raise proficiency to truly bloom.
Continuing like now, moving primarily through practical work and occasionally clearing dungeons, she would only maintain a ‘potential’ title for decades.
“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.”
“Alright. It was nice meeting you.”
The conversation ended awkwardly.
Kang Shin-hwa casually concluded their conversation and exited the Seoul branch.
“…”
Yun Byeol-i stared blankly at Kang Shin-hwa’s back for a long time, feeling a complex mix of emotions.
His casual words had sharply pierced something deep in her heart.
Quiet waves were now stirring on the lakeside.
That evening.
Immediately after returning home, Kang Shin-hwa rented a basement warehouse in a building near his Junghwa station residence.
This was to begin producing ‘stimulators’, also known as enhancement potions.
He needed a wide space since extracting and removing baby Madillo’s fluid and organs was necessary.
“Let me make these and sweep up a ton of money again!”
Kang Shin-hwa’s determined eyes gleamed.
Ironically, he must live hard in this moment toward a luxurious retirement of eternal leisure.
The time had come to pull out his second hidden card.
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