In the end, what I did all day was not about the Aura Techniques, but about learning how to move and shape Aura in daily life.
"Sir, wouldn't it be better to teach me the incantations of the Aura Techniques first rather than this?"
"If you learn that now, your body will burst and die. Do you still want to learn it?"
"…If I move like this here, is it correct?"
"Yes, that's right. You have to move like that there."
When I asked for the reason, it turned out that my Aura was still violent and had a tendency to spread on its own, so if I moved it according to the flow of the Aura Techniques, my body would burst.
In the end, it meant I had to do hard labor, but I couldn't fly to Gangwon Province every day because of this.
Then… I had to use a trick.
"Sir, if you could come out of Silver Town a bit faster, would you?"
"Huh? What's that all of a sudden?"
A brief break.
Guak Chun-sik looked puzzled at my sudden question.
"I was just thinking that it might be time for you to come out of Silver Town."
"Hah, do you think that's so easy?"
Guak Chun-sik waved his hand, as if it was an absurd idea.
"At first, the Association turned a blind eye to me killing villains. After all, I had done a lot of good work. But then, the government started to pressure me, saying that villains have the right to a trial. Of course, they didn't send me here just for that reason."
As he guessed, the government sent him to Hero Silver Town to check the Association's growing power.
The Association was, after all, a military organization that surpassed the government's own forces.
The presidential assassination mission linked to this was quite interesting.
"The Association's kids submitted a petition, and that's how I ended up here. But do you think I can leave this place?"
It was a reasonable answer.
But the world doesn't always progress so straightforwardly.
I smiled at him.
"It's not impossible, is it?"
"…What?"
"Have you forgotten who I am?"
What makes Callione more active than other organizations in Korea is that it has a very good relationship with the government and businesses.
Indeed, when we dealt with the Blunt Family or caused an incident at the Gunsan abandoned factory, we fired guns wildly, but there was no news or anyone who made a fuss about it.
"No matter what, how can I accept your help? I'll just grow old and die here."
"Huh, you say that, but your granddaughter's photos are everywhere in your study."
"Then, where do you want me to go after I leave here? The government sent me here to check the Association. Do you think they'll let me go back to the Association?"
Well, if that's your concern, it's not a problem.
"There's another place that can take you besides the Association."
"…What?"
I smiled and said what I had prepared.
"Come to the Academy. A retired hero teaching young heroes for the future of Korea. Doesn't that sound good and have a noble cause?"
This was my strategy.
The Academy is an organization that doesn't belong to either the Association or the government.
If Guak Chun-sik leaves Silver Town and decides to teach at the Academy, they won't have a reason to oppose it.
Why? Because they can't stop a legendary hero from the past taking up a teaching position.
It would contradict their claim of respecting the free will of Awakened individuals and actively supporting the cultivation and protection of superhumans.
Moreover, it wouldn't be bad for them either.
They fear Guak Chun-sik because he has enough power and prestige to take control of the Association and wage war against them. But if he doesn't go to the Association and instead takes a teaching position at the Academy?
They can keep an eye on him through the Academy's staff, instructors, and students.
I saw a moment of hesitation on Guak Chun-sik's face.
"The most important thing is that you can see your granddaughter every day, right?"
"…Granddaughter? Ji-yu?"
His granddaughter's name was Guak Ji-yu.
Anyway.
"Yes. I heard that the Seoul Hero Academy is opening an elementary and kindergarten department. It's still just a rumor among the upper staff, but it's certain. And… your granddaughter has also Awakened, hasn't she?"
The opportunity to see his beloved granddaughter regularly at the Academy.
Would he, who would do anything for his granddaughter, let such an opportunity slip away?
"If you come to the Academy as an instructor, you can see your granddaughter whenever you want. Plus…"
I smiled and prepared to deliver the final blow.
"Isn't it a great opportunity to show your granddaughter the cool image of a teacher of superhumans? Imagine her boasting to her friends, 'Our grandfather is a teacher here! Aren't you jealous?'"
I saw the corners of Guak Chun-sik's mouth slowly turn up.
It meant he was almost convinced.
"Wait, I need to think about it."
Was it because he had been in Silver Town for years? He seemed to need some time to think.
But I already knew the conclusion of this story.
In the end, he had no choice.
"Is that so?"
"Yes, I need to think it over. By the way, you can go home now if you want."
"Really? Now?"
So far, all I had learned was the technique of shaping mana.
If I went home now, I would definitely have some free time.
"Yes, just practice shaping simple models without the bracelet. When you can do that, we'll move on to the next step."
With that, Guak Chun-sik waved his hand and slowly disappeared from my sight without looking back.
It was good that he was convinced by my proposal, but… I had some free time now.
What should I do with the remaining time?
"Ah."
My smartphone, which I had left on GPS before coming here, caught my eye, and a good idea came to mind.
"Isn't there a ginseng field around here?"
In the game, there was an event where you could find a ginseng field with a certain probability while wandering around the Inje region of Gangwon Province.
Most importantly, the ginseng that had changed due to the mana waves from the dungeon had become a special type called mana ginseng, which had the same effects as a medicinal herb.
Great, given Guak Chun-sik's personality, he wouldn't go around collecting such things, so it would definitely still be there.
"Well, it's fine if I get home a little late."
I had been thinking about how to repay the gifts I received from the bosses of other families, and this was a good opportunity.
Mana ginseng is good as a medicinal herb, but it's also great for stamina food.
I immediately summoned the item I had obtained last time, the [2D Storage], changed my clothes, and headed to the location where the dungeon had formed.
According to the game's setting, there should be a ginseng field around here.
"Let's start looking, then."
In the game, dungeons occur randomly except for essential events, so the location of the mana ginseng, which is affected by them, is not fixed in each playthrough.
This usually means it's hard to find.
But.
[「Skill: Aura Sonar」 activated.]
I had a skill that could make this easy.
It was a bit difficult to spread Aura over a wide area because of the bracelet, but as I slowly spread it through the ground like roots, I gradually got used to it.
"Ah."
Eventually, I could feel the Aura I spread in front of me being affected by mana.
It was a different sensation from what I had felt before.
While I could only grasp the shape before I put on the bracelet, now I could feel the flow of mana.