NOVEL NEXT Chapter 16
[Kyle-Style Swordsmanship (Original) Lv. Max]
Come to think of it, the skill level is marked as “Max.”
“Wait, what? A skill? You’ve already unlocked a skill? How did you do that?”
“Already? What do you mean?”
“Skills are ridiculously hard to develop and even harder to level up!”
“How hard?”
“On average, it takes several months to unlock your first skill.”
“Hmm…”
“Wow… I guess if you’re just absurdly strong, skills just come to you quickly…”
This must be due to the
The level is peculiar, too. Most people start at Level 1 and gradually build up.
It’s unexpected, but it makes sense.
Kyle-Style Swordsmanship? Naturally, Kang Hyun is the founder and the most skilled practitioner.
If Kang Hyun is Level 1, who could possibly be Level 2?
No wonder it’s marked as Max.
‘But what happens when a skill reaches Max? What’s the difference with the “Original” tag?’
It’s doubtful the system would casually assign those labels. He’d need to test it soon.
“What’s so great about having a skill, anyway?”
“A skill enhances your knowledge and actions. Even without training, having a high skill level allows you to reach mastery.”
“What? Oh, come on.”
Kang Hyun frowned.
“That’s nonsense! Mastery without training?”
“Whoa! What’s with the yelling? This isn’t a martial arts novel!”
How absurd!
“If skills alone made masters, then why are there no lower-tier Perfect Clears? These so-called ‘masters’ can’t even handle goblins on their own!”
“Well, that’s because you’re an exception, Master…”
“Exception? When I was a rookie among seven heroes, we’d bet our dinner on who could achieve the most Perfect Clears!”
Aden squinted at him.
“…Didn’t you just recently praise easy leveling and call it a godsend?”
“Hey, did I skip training? I trained like crazy!”
“Really? I don’t recall ever seeing you train…”
“Search the whole world! Find someone who’s trained as much as I have!”
“Well… I suppose you did pull off a Perfect Clear without system help.”
Exactly!
“My easy leveling is justifiable!”
“Pardon?”
“I’ll exploit the system for all it’s worth! But you all still need to train!”
“…Yes, Master…”
Aden replied without much conviction, her expression suggesting she found the conversation exhausting.
“Do you understand or not?!”
“…Yes, Master…”
She answered absentmindedly, munching on snacks.
Crunch, crunch.
“That’s it. Bring me the Ignis Vorax output control formula from last time.”
“What? All of a sudden? But that’s not—”
“Put down the snacks and hurry up!”
“Why punish innocent snacks!”
She hastily shoved the entire bag into her mouth.
“I can’t stand my disciple having such a lazy mindset. Bring the formula!”
“Ahhh—!”
At this moment, Kang Hyun had no idea that he, too, would become a beneficiary of the skill system.
Thanks to the system created by one of his former disciples, he would break through the limits of his days as the hero Kyle.
###
This time, he decided to exchange the mana stones directly.
He was curious about the payout for the E-tier range.
“Oh, you’ll collect them in person?”
[Of course, it’s the least we can do.]
The nation’s treatment of awakened individuals was excellent.
The mana stones were collected, and the payment was deposited immediately.
‘Let’s see…’
He opened his bank account.
“Whoa!”
Even though he was alone, he couldn’t help but exclaim.
“Five hundred?!”
That was the payout for a single dungeon run?
He quickly searched online for the average income of E-tier awakened individuals.
It was 10 million won a month, based on a six-person team split.
But this?
500,000 won solo.
‘Wow…’
Previously, he had earned 12.8 million won from five dungeon runs, but it had quickly been spent on overdue bills, living expenses, and weapons.
Now, he was flush with cash again.
And it was from just one day’s work!
‘I should send some money to my parents.’
100,000 for Mom.
100,000 for Dad.
50,000 for my sibling.
“Giving kids too much money when they’re young can spoil them.”
“…Is this too sudden?”
I did mention the academy was doing well.
They’ll probably be a bit surprised.
Sure enough, my phone rings immediately.
“Hello, Mom.”
<“Hey! What’s the meaning of suddenly sending this much money?”>
Oh boy, here we go.
Last time, she was so warm and comforting.
Now she’s about to burst my eardrum.
“She must have been reassured, seeing the money and thinking, ‘Looks like he’s doing okay.'”
The last time we talked, her voice was soft and gentle.
Back then, she thought I was struggling.
Sending the money was definitely the right call.
“Mom, a hundred thousand won from your son isn’t some enormous sum.”
<“Even if you have extra, you should save it!”>
“You were the one who used to joke about secretly depositing money into your account without telling Dad.”
<“That—that was just a joke!”>
Meanwhile, I can hear Dad’s voice in the background.
“Son! Thanks! I’ll put it to good use!”
Then comes a loud smack.
Splat!
Rest in peace, Dad.
<“…Is it really okay for Mom to accept this?”>
“Seriously, Mom. I told you the academy is doing well. One of my students made it big.”
<“Your student? They’re probably just your age—how successful could they be?”>
She must feel guilty about taking money from me.
Especially since she’s probably still worried about the academy not doing well.
But she can’t say that outright, worried about hurting my feelings.
“Ugh, how should I explain this… Ah!”
Just then, a familiar name came from the TV: Aden.
[“And today, we’re thrilled to welcome the hot new A-rank star, Aden!”]
###
Aden’s earnings had been great lately.
Thanks to TV appearances.
She had been all over the screen for the past few days, thanks to Team Leader Yu Chaeyoung’s kindness.
Chaeyoung, who often spoke with Aden, knew her struggles:
Aden had tremendous power she couldn’t fully control, making her unfit for solo missions.
In essence, she was jobless.
Instead of giving up on scouting Aden, Chaeyoung went the extra mile.
She arranged TV gigs to ensure Aden had a source of income.
Aden, despite being overshadowed by the S-rank Word Mage and the Perfect Clearer Awakened, was still a hot topic.
She was, after all, a rookie A-rank Awakened.
“Must be because it’s a major corporation with a dedicated support team leader. Their backing is solid.”
Even though Aden wasn’t yet a member of the Seonghwa Guild, they still extended this level of support.
This brought Aden closer to Yoo Chae-young by the day.
When Chief Choi heard about it, he almost had a fit.
He must’ve been terrified of Aden getting too close to Seonghwa.
“Such greed.”
But he couldn’t tell her to stop.
First, it was Aden’s decision to make.
Second, this ultimately benefited the country.
The idolization of Awakeners was crucial for the nation’s survival.
The higher an Awakener’s status, the more dungeon raids were encouraged.
The more frequent the raids, the safer the country became.
Aden appeared on the screen, walking stiffly like a robot.
[We’re so lucky to have Aden here today! Could you please say hello to our viewers?]
[Ye-Yes, yes. I-I’ve been…invited. I’m Aden.]
[Haha! What a fun guest we have here!]
Ugh, this guy.
She’s so tense She’s a complete mess.
It’s embarrassing to let my parents see this.
“Son, shouldn’t you just put this money into savings or something…?”
Her concerned voice came through again.
I didn’t hesitate this time.
“Mom, turn on the TV right now.”
“Huh?”
“Just turn it on.”
I told her the channel.
“Do you know who’s on right now?”
“Of course. I’ve never seen her face before, but that’s the one everyone’s talking about—the A-rank who appeared out of nowhere.”
There weren’t many people in South Korea who didn’t know Aden.
She was that big of a sensation.
“I’ve been seeing her all over TV these past few days.”
“That’s her. The student I taught.”
“What!?”
Her surprise was short-lived.
“What nonsense are you spouting?”
“Mom, I’m serious!”
“How could someone like you teach an A-rank? You’re not even an Awakener! Be reasonable!”
Ugh, this obsession with abilities.
It seems she won’t believe it until I show her directly.
“I’ll bring her down to meet you soon. Don’t faint from the shock.”
“Take that money back and put it into savings!”
“If you send it back, I’ll just donate it somewhere random. Don’t even try.”
“Hey!”
In the background, my dad chimed in.
“Son! Donate it to me! I’m a charity case! Your mom takes all my living expenses…”
“Oh, be quiet for once!”
Smack!
“Ouch!”
I nearly spit out my drink.
“Ahem. Anyway, use it well. I’ll send more later.”
“…Thank you, son.”
“Thanks, son!”
“Ahem.”
Well, this is awkward.
“Your sister has been eyeing a new phone. I’ll use this to get it for her.”
“No, spend it on yourself. I’ll handle her separately.”
“Even her? Son, you must really be doing well these days.”
Her voice sounded much brighter now.
“Alright, I’ll use it well.”
I ended the call, feeling a deep sense of satisfaction.
“Good thing I have such a great student.”
I kept watching my student on TV.
###
The fifth-ranked guild in South Korea,
One of its senior executives, Oh Hyuk-jun, the strongest B-rank magician, sat in a dimly lit room, listening to a subordinate’s briefing.
“We may need to delay the progress of ‘Project Abnormality.’”
“And the reason?”
“We received a warning from the demons.”
Cooperation with demons.
This was something that absolutely could not be leaked to the outside world.
‘Project Abnormality.’
A plan orchestrated by the demons to tamper with dungeons in South Korea—and eventually, across the entire world.
Discussions for this plan were taking place within a Korean guild.
“They said anyone with experience fighting a legion commander might be able to detect the dungeon’s abnormalities.”
“What?”
“Furthermore, depending on their capabilities, they could even discern that it’s related to a legion commander—”
“Wait a second.”
Oh Hyuk-jun furrowed his brow, his expression filled with disbelief.
“Someone with experience fighting a legion commander? Does such a person even exist on Earth?”
“There aren’t many, but currently, they’re all operating in Thea—”
“Exactly! And you want to delay the plan for some nonsensical possibility?”
Oh Hyuk-jun grabbed an ashtray.
“You punk! The board is already scheming to oust me at the next general meeting. If we delay this—”
The subordinate flinched, but Hyuk-jun merely made a throwing motion and stopped short, placing the ashtray back on the table.
“Hoo…. Your head is just filled with fear, isn’t it?”
“…I’m sorry.”
“Even those demon bastards worry about useless things. They’re demons, for crying out loud.”
He lit a cigarette, exhaling a plume of smoke.
“Instead of wasting time on that, why don’t you figure out how to take down Seonghwa? Those guys have been acting suspicious lately.”
The rivalry between the two guilds,
But this year, Seonghwa, previously ranked fourth, had climbed to third place, overtaking its competition.
“And they even managed to snag Aden, damn it…. I should’ve gotten that one at least.”
“Guild Master will scold you if you keep biting your nails—”
“Shut up!”
“Apologies.”
He stopped biting his nails and instead began shaking his legs restlessly.
“Alright, forget about ‘Project Abnormality’ for now. What about the other matter?”
“The S-rank Word Mage and the Perfect-clear Awakener are still—”
This time, the ashtray flew across the room.
Thud!
“How many times have I told you not to bring me crap news?”
“My apologies.”
“If Seonghwa snags them, or if another team in our guild gets to them first—”
The former was unthinkable.
As for the latter?
Recruiting those two individuals would bring immense credit to whoever managed it, undoubtedly leading to Hyuk-jun’s ousting by that faction.
“You must be the one to secure them. If you can’t find them, create a way to make it happen!”
“…Understood.”
“Got nothing else to say? Then get out.”
The subordinate exited the room, leaving Oh Hyuk-jun alone to brood in the darkness.
He shook his legs and chewed his nails, lost deep in thought.