Chapter 155: Nothing Comes from Nothing (4)
“Shall we start with the simplest thing first?”
A few minutes earlier.
Kim Gi-ryeo, who had officially started the class, demonstrated something along with a theoretical explanation of the blurring phenomenon.
He told Ha-seong to watch closely from now on and lightly cast a spell.
However, the ensuing scenery was just a new obstacle for Ha-seong.
“How about it? It’s not too hard, right?”
“…….”
“Just do what I just showed you. Let’s just keep it light on the first day.”
The alien guest instructor, Kim Gi-ryeo, was already showcasing unbelievable skills right from the start.
‘Huh? Why is Jeong Ha-seong reacting like that?’
After casting his spell, Gi-ryeo quickly examined his actions.
He had just activated the ability of the Pyromancer Necklace to teach Ha-seong. Of course, its power was hardly at the F-Class level.
The development of a fire skill through a magic tool. It shouldn’t be strange at all, but…
“Why do you look so tense?”
At this, Jeong Ha-seong replied.
“You just cast a spell on the back of your head with your eyes closed.”
“Yep.”
“And you hit the central tile exactly at the back of your head, just as you said.”
What’s the big deal about that?
First off, Ha-seong had a distinctively bad habit. He only executed his spells within his line of sight.
Of course, it wasn’t wrong to specify the area with naked eyes, but relying solely on that leads to several problems.
“I’m not saying you need to hit the tile exactly from the start. It’s fine if it’s off.”
Gi-ryeo intended to build the foundation step by step.
Yet already, the situation was screeching to a halt. An S-Class hunter, with his mouth slightly ajar since earlier, had no intention of following the demonstration.
“Anyway, imagine a small flame appearing at the back of your head with your eyes closed.”
He kindly urged the primitive man in front of him again.
Then Ha-seong closed his eyelids and fell silent; it took 30 seconds before he spoke with a trembling voice.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize, just use the skill.”
Silence fell again.
Seeing Ha-seong looking so restless and hesitant, Gi-ryeo finally understood the situation he was in.
‘Aha, so we’re stuck here?’
This is a mess.
I’m supposed to teach basic arithmetic, but the student is crawling around…
‘Turns out our Yoon-seung was a genius.’
Watching Ha-seong’s disastrous basic control ability made him miss his first student all of a sudden.
But he couldn’t give in like this. 3 billion. 3 billion. How could it be easy to eat someone else’s money?
‘I can do this… I can understand him…’
Gi-ryeo steadied his mind, recalling the price of the epic magic tool he needed to buy.
A short conversation followed.
“Jeong Ha-seong, by the way, I heard this gym has first aid supplies. Do you know where they are?”
“I do.”
“Is there disinfectant in those supplies?”
“There should be.”
“Then get it.”
Since it had come to this, he would have to try some intensive teaching on Ha-seong.
“And after you bring the supplies, disinfect your skin and prick your wrist by yourself.”
Just like the method he used on Seonwoo-yeon.
A little while later.
There was a small crisis, but thankfully, the first lesson ended safely.
The moment Ha-seong made a small cut on his wrist as instructed.
Gi-ryeo intervened with his magic power just like he did in Hadong, artificially awakening his senses.
“By the way, was what just happened… like Mr. Kim Hunter’s awakening skill?”
Shwoosh.
Gi-ryeo washed the Earthling’s blood away in the gym’s attached restroom. But even amidst this, his answers were earnest.
“It’s not a skill. You can do it too if you practice.”
Now it would be crucial whether efforts would bear fruit.
“Anyway, let’s go back and try to get a feel for it.”
Gi-ryeo forced Ha-seong’s internal magic power to conjure the “sensation produced when a spell is cast in a location not observed with the eyes.”
The energy within his body swirled toward a certain point outside.
That alien sensation was essential for spell coordinate designation.
“Good! You’re doing well!”
Soon, results emerged.
Fortunately, Ha-seong’s talent as a fire mage wasn’t at a low level.
No, it was actually not bad for taking him on as a disciple.
Even so, Ha-seong had lived as a model student for half his life. Therefore, his learning ability was above average.
“Is this how it’s done?”
“Exactly. You just used the skill with your eyes closed.”
Not bad absorption capacity.
Gi-ryeo nodded, disregarding the fatigue from manipulating someone else’s magic power.
The beginning had been slow, and he was a bit worried at first, but with that level of understanding and sincerity, there would be no issues in the future.
‘Smooth sailing!’
Unexpectedly, the problem was easily solved.
“…….”
At that moment, the black-haired hunter, who had inherited alien knowledge, wore a strange expression from one side of the gym.
*
Solving a given problem easily.
Could that itself have been a crisis?
Fwoosh.
When the first lesson was wrapping up,
A man, reviewing the skill operation methods he learned from Gi-ryeo, slowly lifted his previously closed eyelids.
‘Really… Now I can use a skill without looking at it.’
Honestly, it didn’t make sense.
‘How simple.’
Self-studying awakening abilities.
A certain hunter had not stuck to such an inefficient method for no reason at all.
Ha-seong had low expectations of his correction opportunities, but there were various reasons for that.
After all, mana was a new substance that had only been discovered for 7 years.
Actually, now that spring has come again, it’s been 8 years.
Regardless, there was unanimous agreement among all scholars that awakened ones in this world were just beginning to take their first steps.
Among them, there were those with innate talent, but even they were still far from being able to become teachers to others.
Therefore, no matter how much money he had, he had received no decent teachings in this capitalistic society.
‘Huh…’
This was on a whole different level from the cheap lectures given by scammers on the internet!
Kim Gi-ryeo had just conjured a magical act that could be called a miracle.
To forcibly inject sensations by grabbing onto another’s magic power like raising a flailing mass of flesh that couldn’t walk.
‘What is this……’
Having successfully unleashed a skill that had previously been elusive despite practicing,
Until now, he had been indignant at his own incompetence. He had even shed tears when nothing changed despite his efforts.
‘Was my problem so easily resolved?’
Ha-seong felt a light joy.
It was the unique positive sense of achievement that came from solving a difficult problem.
How could he not be happy?
The current situation was a realization of the dream that the reluctant fire mage had prayed for countless times. Hope began to shine.
‘I really can improve.’
Ha-seong reevaluated the worth of Kim Gi-ryeo.
He shouldn’t be treated merely as a candidate for a future team member. He was the guide through life he had been desperately searching for.
Gi-ryeo’s teaching was shockingly excellent.
At that moment, Jeong Ha-seong felt certain that if he just followed the words of that S-Class hunter, overcoming a colossal flame beast wouldn’t be impossible.
‘If I have this kind of proper help, I can improve…’
But the trouble was…
As you know, the fire mage here was not a person blessed with strong mental fortitude, having even needed to receive help from modern medicine.
‘Wait, I might end up switching roles. And come to think of it, this doesn’t end with simply hearing the secret.’
Whip.
‘That Hunter gave me the opportunity to work in a team with him!’
Next, Jeong Ha-seong’s gaze was directed in one direction.
A certain Great Mage was gently yawning at that moment, and in the midst of that peaceful scene, Ha-seong was deep in thought.
‘If this is how things are now, how much will I learn by working right next to that kind of person?’
Unaware that he had been deceived, he’d set a misguided goal.
Concrete steps to ensure the acquired know-how would yield fruitful results, all while yearning to be officially recognized by Korea’s Fourth S-Class.
In contrast to Ahn Yoon-seung, who was more mild-mannered in his reactions, Jeong Ha-seong’s attitude changed the moment he sensed Gi-ryeo’s skills.
He became fixated on the connection with his mentor.
Moreover, he felt an unprecedented pressure regarding the future.
‘If I can’t keep up with the class properly, the promise of collaboration might be canceled…’
If the proposal for a team ended up being a complete sham, a bad situation would undoubtedly arise.
However, the alien still hadn’t regained the magic to steal others’ thoughts.
‘What should we have for dinner after this?’
The Great Mage’s spirit worried over such trivial things until the lesson ended.
*
“Do you have any hobbies?”
“Hobbies?”
“Reading or gaming. Anyway, what do you generally do during your leisure time?”
That afternoon.
Two people were conversing in a quiet restaurant.
“Well, I really don’t have much leisure time…”
This was a meat restaurant located in Seoul.
To be honest, the top-ranking hunter wasn’t particularly gluttonous and found such outings bothersome.
“No way, you have no leisure time. You aren’t still overdoing it, are you?”
He accepted this schedule only because it was suggested by Kim Gi-ryeo.
Being in a private setting might provide a slightly better opportunity for conversation.
That aside, even though they were facing each other, he still couldn’t figure him out.
‘What kind of person has he been all this time?’
Where did Kim Gi-ryeo, this hunter, come from?
Jeong Ha-seong had always wondered about that.
Dungeon Shock.
The Kraken incident in Busan.
And various others.
This hunter had never shown up at any major events. He had appeared as if he just dropped from the sky.
Given his actions, no matter how he thought about it, he seemed like someone who had awakened quite some time ago.
‘According to the association’s announcements, he seems to be related to the government.’
…Could it be the National Intelligence Service?
If an awakened entity were born from such a place, would they really act so quietly?
‘That sounds plausible.’
But ultimately, all assumptions were just conjectures.
The only certain thing at this moment was that this hunter was quite friendly.
“Ha-seong, take it easy.”
Gi-ryeo said as he moved grilled meat onto Ha-seong’s plate.
“But with you eating like this, are you actually keeping up with your meals? You’re not just skimping on nutrients because you’re busy, right?”
At that, Ha-seong’s chopsticks paused.
He couldn’t deny that he had often subsisted on vacuum-packed chicken breasts.
At that moment, the man across from him displayed a rare reaction.
He squinted one eyebrow and frowned.
“I knew it.”
Unlike in the past, where he had kept a perfectly composed demeanor, now a more natural expression had emerged.
“Seriously, your living conditions are just like my past. It’s a bit pathetic.”
“Excuse me?”
“Just eat your meat.”
Seeing this, Ha-seong felt a new sentiment welling up.
“If you don’t want to die young, start eating properly from now on. And get enough sleep.”
“Yes.”
To an S-Class hunter, such nagging was unfamiliar.
Jeong Ha-seong suddenly recalled memories from the past—peaceful dinners with his only family.
Looking back, his mother had always nagged him to eat well.
Yet here he was, now an S-Class monster, hearing such trivial complaints again.
“……”
He had never had siblings, yet for some reason, he felt a strange longing at that moment.
Lost in thought, Ha-seong chewed over his feelings.
And when the additional order of soybean paste stew was placed on the table,
“Hey.”
The young hero hesitated before starting a sentence.
“Mr. Kim Gi-ryeo. But thinking about it, we’ll likely see each other quite often from now on…”
“Hmm.”
“But isn’t it a bit awkward to refer to each other as ‘Mr. Hunter’ every time? So…”
After rambling on and on, the summary of his request was trivial.
“If it’s not rude, could I call you ‘brother’ from now on?”
However, the man across the table flatly rejected the proposal.
“No. That’s not allowed.”
“Oh, okay.”
It’s a no-go.
Ha-seong felt awkward and fell silent. An awkward stillness enveloped the table, and soon, only the sound of grilling pork belly filled the air.
Chiiing.
How long had he been listening to the sound of fat sizzling?
The blond man, holding the tongs, cut the fully cooked meat and then continued speaking, clearly stating why calling him ‘brother’ wasn’t acceptable.
“You’re two years older than me.”
Chiiing.
In that flowing tone, Ha-seong quietly nodded. And after a while, Gi-ryeo placed the pig skin he received as a service onto the grill.
By this time, the dark-haired awakened one finally reacted.
“…Excuse me, but what did you just say?”
