There were two things that Kang Jinhyuk couldnât understand at the moment.
The first one was why the S-rank hunter Seo Sangho keeps pursuing a mere C-rank hunter like himself.
Perhaps hitting Ahn Doyoon in one strike could be a factor.
Although itâs a positive thing that heâs getting such recognition, itâs not very pleasant for Seo Sangho to personally recruit him to the guild.
And he canât take no for an answer.
Jinhyuk never thought about joining the Titans, but if the guild leader comes to him again, it would certainly be too burdensome.
âShould I just stay quiet for a while?â
Jinhyuk shook his head as he was thinking to himself.
At this point, thereâs no way to shake off Seo Sanghoâs attention.
In the end, the D-rank hunter was finally seeing some spotlight.
He doesnât want to live his life away from the main scene again just because he feels burdensome.
âIâve got no choice but to ignore him for now.â
Seo Sangho seemed like someone who doesnât settle when things donât go his way.
For now, Jihyuk has no intention of being involved with the Titans.
Jinhyuk made up his mind on that first matter. But thereâs still a different one that he couldnât understand.
âShe really ate all those by herself.â
Lucia lumped the sugary treat in her mouth as soon as she could.
The numerous desserts he brought from the outside world all disappeared in an instant like a magic trick.
âWhatchu loomkin at?â
â⊠Donât talk while youâre eating.â
She seemed like a ghost that craved for sugar.
Lucia was busily moving her hands and mouth.
Seeing her eat with her whole heart and soul makes it more believable that she offered to teach him aura in exchange for all the food.
âIâve never seen someone eat this much.â
Luciaâs eyes grow wide open with each chocolate bar that Jinhyuk gave her.
People generally like sweets, so itâs not like thatâs an odd thing.
What was strange was the amount of sugar she was consuming.
âWooooh~â
Lucia exhaled loudly after her lengthy meal.
She consumed at least a few kilograms of food, but her belly didnât stick out at all.
The mysterious sight made Jinhyuk realize the greatness of the elven genes.
âI thought youâd only bring the choco bar or something. There are so many strange foods from your world.â
âAre there no desserts from where youâre from?â
âThere are some, but itâs nothing compared to the things I ate just now.â
In the world where Lucia lives, sugar was not a primary ingredient for their foods.
It was surprising that people with such natural love for sugars havenât discovered sweet desserts.
âWhy did you have to eat those here in the basement? We already caught the boss monster.â
Jinhyuk didnât understand why she chose to eat in such a dark and unpleasant place.
Lucia pointed her finger toward the wall in response.
âDo you see those sentences written on the wall?â
âI do. What about them?â
âThose are magic spells. You canât tell?â
Jinhyuk nodded his head.
The magic spells he was familiar with were usually in the form of a star drawn inside a circle.
It never crossed his mind that the scribbles written on the wall were magic spells.
âThen you should know that thatâs what made connected this dungeon to your world.â
âThose words did?â
Luciaâs explanation was short, but it was enough to make Jinhyuk flustered.
âSo, if you write those again in a different way, things would go back to the way it was?â
âNo, thatâs not it.â
Jinhyuk secretly felt relieved.
The dungeon has benefitted him greatly, but his level hasnât been raised enough for him to allow the dungeon to disappear from his grasp.
In order to be successful in the outside world, he needs to at least be an A-rank hunter.
Jinhyuk canât afford to lose the dungeon before that happens.
âThereâs still no way to get back?â
âYeah. But itâs worth studying the words written there.â
Magic spells usually disappear after they are used.
However, the one under this temple didnât disappear.
Lucia probably guessed that itâs one of the reasons why the magic failed.
âI think we should stay here for a while to investigate it.â
âOnce youâre done investigating, would you be able to solve it?â
âMaybe I could at least understand why the things happened the way it did. Itâs impossible to go back yet though.â
Special substances were used by magicians to do such large-scale magic.
Unlike the disappointed Lucia, Jinhyuk looked bright as if his worries were gone.
Knowing that mere investigation wouldnât change anything made him feel at ease.
âShe wonât be able to get back even if she investigates. I should take this opportunity.â
Jinhyuk thought that if he continued to cooperate with Lucia, he would gain more useful knowledge other than how to use aura.
âTell me if you need anything. Iâll do my best to help.â
ââŠWhy are you being like that all of a sudden?â
âJ-just because⊠Weâre in this together in this dungeon, so letâs help each other out.â
âIs that all?â
Lucia looked at Jinhyuk with suspicious eyes.
Even though they defeated a boss monster together, itâs only been a day since they first met.
She wondered why Jinhyuk suddenly showed loyalty.
Jinhyuk noticed Luciaâs gaze so he hurriedly tried to make an excuse.
âYou told me youâd teach me all about aura. If youâre too focused on investigating this alone, you might neglect your promise to me.â
âHmmmâŠâ
What Jinhyuk said actually made some sense.
Thinking that it was obviously an excuse, Lucia decided to let it pass for now.
Unlike the people sheâs met so far, Jinhyuk doesnât seem to be someone with ill intentions.
Jinhyuk looked relieved as if a thorn had been removed from his throat.
âThereâs no way that a person who has something to gain from me would come back here to help me.â
Lucia thought so, so she stood up as she shook the fabric of her clothes.
âSpeaking of which, let me tell you the basics of using aura.â
âRight now? Werenât you going to investigate those written magic spells first?â
âTeaching you the basics shouldnât be that difficult.â
Lucia approached Jinhyuk and reached out her right hand.
Jinhyuk didnât know whether she was asking for a handshake or something else, so he just stared at her hand.
The frustrated Lucia then grabbed his hand.
âIâm asking for your hand, what the heck are you staring at?â
âYou shouldâve told me then.â
When their hands connected, Jinhyuk felt a strange feeling as if an energy was transmitted to him.
He instinctively tried to retract his hand when he felt like being shocked by a static electricity.
But Lucia held on to his hand tightly.
âDonât be scared. Remember this feeling.â
Jinhyuk listened to Lucia and tried to accept the unfamiliar feeling.
âHow am I supposed to remember this? Iâm no martial arts master.â
As he endured the uncomfortable feeling and focused on doing what he was told, Jinhyuk realized that the sensation transmitted from Luciaâs hand was being passed on to his body.
When he turned his attention to her hand, he saw the blue energy blooming like a haze.
He knew what it was immediately.
âOh, heâs more talented than what I expected.â
Lucia was amused by the state of Jinhyukâs body.
âIf he does well, heâll get down the basics within the day.â
Lucia recognized Jinhyukâs innate talent because the mana was moving well throughout his body.
The reason why she transmitted mana to Jinhyuk was for him to get a sense of it. Another purpose was to penetrate the blocked blood paths within his veins.
However, seeing the situation now, it seems like Jinhyukâs blood path wasnât blocked at all.
The mana flowing throughout his body was circulating rapidly, without any signs of being intercepted.
After some time, Lucia pulled back her hand.
Right at that moment, the movement stopped from Jinhyukâs body.
âRight, now do you know how it feels? Try it.â
âTry that? Right now?â
âIt usually takes decades just to build the necessary mana, but you can just compensate with your divine power from being a cleric. It wonât be too difficult for you.â
âDivine power? What is that?â
âThe one you used to defend against the boss monsterâs attack. That skill requires divine power to utilize it.â
Although that skill uses MP as well, that skill which was unique in clerics has a different root in itself.
Jinhyuk realized this after understanding what Lucia said.
However, knowing the theory wasnât enough to actually apply it to practice.
âI kinda get what you mean but⊠How can I transform that into aura?â
âYou have to figure that out from here on. With your own body.â
âOf course, itâs easier said than doneâŠ.â
The skill works on its own when he says the name of the skill. He has no idea how to transform it with his own body.
When he uses the skill, he reaches out his hand just because he feels like he should.
He doesnât think that the action meant much.
âHow on earth am I supposed to do this?â
With an awkward feeling, Jinhyuk stared at the void.
He tried to use his skill, thinking that it was worth a shot.
âHoly Shield!â
The shield appeared before his eyes just like usual.
Jinhyuk focused on finding out what he felt in his body the moment the shield appears.
âHoly shield! Holy shield! Holy shield!â
As he repeatedly used the skill, Jinhyuk realized that every time he used it, a force permeated from the outside was released through his palm.
The feeling was very faint that he couldnât notice it before.
âIs this the thing youâre telling me to change to my own?â
Once he says the name of the skill, the skill automatically works on its own.
Changing that was like changing the laws of physics.
No one had tried that kind of thing before, so Jinhyuk didnât think it would be possible.
âIs this really the only way?â
Lucia answered immediately.
âYes. If you donât like it, then be prepared to train for the rest of your life just to learn how to use it.â
Jinhyuk sighed quietly.
Lucia spoke so firmly that he really had no choice.
With very little hope, Jinhyuk went at it again.
He reached out his hand and used the skill once more.
âHoly shield!â
After using it 10 consecutive times, his MP ran out. He took the potion that he brought to bring back his MP.
He then tried the skill again without rest.
Perhaps thanks to the repeated movement, the sense felt clearer little by little.
However, just feeling the sensation wasnât enough.
He has to somehow change that feeling to the one that he felt when Lucia touched his hand.
It was like an act in vain as he reached out his hand to the air.
Despite that, Jinhyuk didnât give up.
If he succeeds in doing the impossibleâŠ
If heâs the first person to make it possible, heâd feel a great sense of accomplishment.
Leaning on that very little hope, Jinhyuk drank five more potions.
âHmm?â
As he repeated the skill over and over again until he ran out of potions, the shield that he summoned did not take on a proper form and began to crush.
It seemed like a simple skill failure.
However, there is very little probability that a skill would fail if he has enough MP.
It was evident that the divine power used in his skill was being directed in a different direction.
âIs this really possibleâŠ?â
His expectations brew little by little.
And then, a notification appeared before his eyes.