Chapter 14

Awakening (3)

[Mana Drain (Rank: SSS, Semi-active)]

Skill Effect: Can absorb stored active mana and potential mana by coming into contact with the mana core.

Restrictions:

1) Active mana can absorb up to 100% of the amount stored in the attached core and can absorb more than the user's original active mana limit. On the other hand, active mana absorbed above the limit isn't recovered after being consumed.

2) Potential mana can only be absorbed up to 10% of the amount stored in the attached core, and the rest is evaporated during absorption. The absorbed potential mana is added to the user's original potential mana.

Thump, thump.

My heart was beating like crazy. Was this the unique skill of Seo Jin-wook that was unknown in the future? Mana Core, which changed the entire Earth industry, could only be used by going through a delicate process. The applications were nearly endless, from potions that filled up depleted active mana to energy sources that replaced traditional fuels.

However, I had never heard of a hunter that absorbed them to make it their own. Indeed, the Celestial Dragon Guild must have been sure to keep its secret tightly. It was a skill that could be used as much as possible without being noticed, and if rumors had spread, they would've received worldwide attention.

Gulp.

I swallowed dryly upon the realization. Once again, I checked the system message, and I wasn't mistaken. What was commonly referred to as the hunter's mana capacity was the active mana — the amount of mana that the hunter could control according to their will. And as the hunter made desperate efforts, the potential mana changed to active mana, and the absolute amount of mana the hunter could use expanded. It was the proper growth of a hunter.

However, it was known that effort alone couldn't increase its limited amount. That was the potential mana. Originally, the limit of the potential Mana capacity given to Seo Jin-wook was 72,000 when assuming that all potential mana had been activated through the process of his growth. Rare items must be used to increase it more than that, but it was almost impossible to secure it with the knowledge of the present era.

However, Seo Jin-wook in his lifetime wouldn't have been constrained by such limitations. It would have been possible to increase by simply absorbing the mana cores that could be obtained from the dungeon.

I mumbled to myself.

'If Seo Jin-wook didn't die young!'

Instead of dying after a year of Awakening, if he survived to absorb mana cores and continued to expand his potential mana, and if he kept activating them...indeed, history may have been completely different from what I remembered.

"Theoretically, the growth would be limitless!"

A hunter without limits; it was like a dream.

"Well...well, the Awakening is definitely complete."

After breaking the silence in the reception room, the official spoke to me. The Awakening stone on the table turned gray and then vanished without a trace, clear evidence of Awakening.

"Hunter registration must be done by visiting the management department. For a detailed explanation of the future procedures..."

He looked at Seo Gyu-cheol and spoke.

"Well, you will find it unnecessary."

The face of the government official, which had been heavily stiff, was now relaxed. I could almost feel a little relief. He approached Seo Gyu-Cheol. I began to find the Constitutional Officer's attitude peculiar, almost even suspicious, considering he was here to observe an Awakening.

"Guild Master, I'm sorry, but we need to speak to you for a moment..."

"Hmm?"

Seo Gyu-cheol seemed desperate to talk to me, but he followed the two out of the room. And after a while, Seo Gyu-cheol's face, as he returned with the officials, seemed very discouraged, unlike a moment ago. Ragged breathing, anger flashing around his eyes. What the hell was that about?

He contorted his face, but upon feeling our gaze, he calmed his emotions.

"Secretary Kim, you've done well. Leave us for a while."

"Yes, sir."

Then, only Seo Gyu-cheol, Han-seol, and I remained in the room. Seo Gyu-cheol looked at me with eyes full of anticipation. Next to him, Han-Seol was smiling but still seemed a bit conflicted. The two people gave their congratulations one after another.

"Congratulations on your Awakening."

"Congratulations, Jin-wook."

"Thank you."

Seo Gyu-cheol leaned forward as if he couldn't wait any longer.

"How much was the potential Mana measured?"

Direct to the point. I was reluctant to have Han-seol together with us in this place. Seo Jin-wook, in his previous life, would've opened up about everything here. As I know what he didn't know, I hesitated. However, considering their relationship before, suddenly asking Han-seol to leave would cause suspicion. After a short moment of thought, I decided to answer honestly about the potential mana. Anyway, it would expand more than the current level.

"It's a little over 70,000."

A moment of silence wrapped around the room. I once again told exactly what it was to its last digit. Then, Seo Gyu-cheol's face, which was shocked and lost for words, soon turned into joy.

"Hahaha, hahahahaha! Good. Very good!"

His laughter filled the entire room.

"Oh, my days... I've guessed that it could be over 30,000 basing on the tumult you've been making, but I didn't expect you to go beyond that!"

The minimum qualification for a hunter to be promoted to the SS class was 30,000 active mana. Should I have lowered it a bit? Seo Gyu-cheol asked another question as he could not hold back his laughter.

"What is your unique skill?"

I glanced at Han-seol, sitting next to him. At this point, she was the number one suspect who was trying to hurt me. Should I reveal my power as it was in front of such a person? In particular, a unique skill whose strategy completely changed depending on whether the information was disclosed?

My head processed the situation quickly. Seo Jin-wook must have revealed his unique skills to both of them. Because of the skill's nature, it would've been the same as having wings when receiving the guild's aid. However, I didn't need the guild's help to get my hands on mana cores. It was much more effective, and some means were harder to reveal to them.

Eventually, I settled my mind and gave them an answer. As soon as they heard me, Seo Gyu-cheol and Han-seol each made a different facial expression. Among the two, I kept a close eye on the expression Han-seol made.

*

Before leaving, Seo Gyu-cheol instructed me to train for the time being to get used to controlling my mana. If I did mana control training for about a month, they would choose a skill card that fit my aptitude. After training for another month with the given skill, they would select an appropriate dungeon and arrange an expedition team, so I could gain experience. But of course, I had no intention of waiting for a month to enter my first dungeon.

Being alone in the room, I checked the time. It was 11 pm. It had only been over 8 hours since I awakened, but I already had adjusted enough by playing around with the mana in my core. Even in the process, the activation of mana had progressed to some extent. As I focused inside, I checked again.

-Active Mana: 510/510

-Potential Mana: 71,490

It hadn't even been half a day, but 110 mana had already crossed from potential to active. In other words, the amount of mana available immediately increased by 110. It was a speed that couldn't naturally exist. The results showed a degree that I could only hope to one day achieve by training vigorously with a mana core comparable to a saucer in the past life.

Activation speed was quickened as you dealt with the mana simply releasing and pouring it out, I could promise that nobody would be better than me from the point of view of being in control of precise movements.

"Now, then..."

Among the numerous skills I remembered and witnessed in my previous life, I thinned out the kind I needed now. Among them, I chose one that could be used with active mana of 510.

[Stealth (Rank: E)]

As I rolled a unique mana pattern in my body, my skill was activated naturally even though all four of my skill slots were still empty.

Vwoom!

I could feel the mana covering the entire body in a constant flow. I looked in the mirror, but I couldn't see it for myself.

"Good."

I muttered on purpose like I was talking to myself, but nobody could hear it. There was no noise even as I stomped around while walking. The Stealth Skill was completed perfectly.

This was why I didn't need a skill card. I had already seen numerous hunters cast countless skills in my previous life. I perfectly memorized the Mana pattern of each skill without error, and with my sophisticated mana control, I could accurately mimic it. Therefore, any skill could be reproduced as long as my mana permitted me to use it.

And now that I had a Mana box with no limit for its growth, everything was just a matter of time. I tried to walk around in that state, but I couldn't help the light footprints left on the carpet. For now, the skill that could be activated with 510 mana was only this much, but more and more skills would soon be available. As my breathing disappeared and the room went silent, Iponia let out a mewl from under the bed. With shining eyes, it scanned the room, but it didn't come out. It must have found it weird that my scent remained even though I wasn't there.

"I'll be back soon."

I left the room with words of farewell that couldn't be heard.

*

After going out of the office without any interference, I took a taxi after putting on a Mask Slime. The destination was a mountain in Gyeonggi-do that nobody went to. After getting out of the taxi, I ascended the mountain again with stealth. When my active mana was about to be depleted, I ingested the potion I had previously received for training.

Just like that, I finally got to my destination.

"It's here!"

It was the center of a dense forest even hikers wouldn't accidentally enter due to its steep slope. There, a faint light undulated and swayed in strange shades. It was a door that led to a middle dimension called a dungeon. This was what people call a 'gate.'

I approached and put my hand on it.

Vwoom! Vwoooom!

When I injected mana, the gate reacted to it and expanded around me. Any Awakened hunter would experience this phenomenon. The system message reacted to the gate, spilling information into my mind.

"I came to the right place."

What I read in the papers in my previous life seemed to have been accurate.

-Dungeon Information

Level: F

Maximum number of people able to enter: 5 (currently no people are present)

Clear condition: Unknown

Time remaining until evolution: 45 days 8 hours 41 minutes

Status: very unstable

I paid attention to the information given by the last bits. After about 45 days, this dungeon would evolve to a higher level than level F. Since the condition was 'very unstable,' the exact timing was unknown, but there was a risk of the gate collapsing soon. If so, there were probably two possible scenarios. It collapsed as an F-class state in less than 45 days, or it collapsed after it had evolved into a higher-class dungeon.

In the future I knew, the worst had already happened. This dungeon, which was left alone beyond the state's control because it occurred in a remote location, eventually collapsed without preparation. The problem was unfortunate events overlapped each other, and it collapsed not as an E-grade, which was the predicted category, but a break occurred after it evolved beyond several steps to B-grade.

Therefore, countless human casualties occurred in adjacent cities. What made the accident even more tragic was that some discovered the dungeon in advance and didn't notify the government or even bother to close the gate. It was an event brought about by those who showed off presumptuous greed, and the results were disastrous.

However, the history from now on would be different. I took a few steps forward.

-You have entered the dungeon!