Level Up Machine

Chapter 27 Unexpected Jackpot (4)

The guild was shaken by an unexpected commotion, like a storm.

Starting with Gil-soo, then Yu-na, Chae-rin, Tiria, and Bae Han-seong, even Yoo Jin, who rarely spoke to others, came running after hearing the tremendous noise.

Upon entering the room, they saw Yeong-sik collapsed, clutching his solar plexus, and Ara huddled under a blanket, panting heavily, all while wearing very complicated expressions.

Yeong-sik tried to calm the situation with an absurd excuse, claiming he had been thrown back by an explosion while using a manufacturing skill and failing. However, he couldn’t avoid the suspicious glances from Yu-na and Ara.

The next morning.

Yeong-sik’s group, with Bae Han-seong still serving as their supporter, headed to the Lizardmen’s habitat.

Yeong-sik, rubbing his solar plexus with one hand, mumbled, “Don’t people usually slap faces…?”

“Shut up.”

Ara glared at him with wide eyes after hearing his mumbling. Yeong-sik, knowing he was guilty regardless of the reason, kept his mouth shut like a mouse.

Lost in thought, Yeong-sik recalled the events of the previous night.

‘The power is too strong.’

The new ability he had acquired, called “Boost,” was excessively powerful and dazzling. With jets spewing from his shoulder blades, it was tricky for Yeong-sik, who was hiding his identity from the Salvator Guild members, to use it.

‘I think it’ll be okay with a bit of power control.’

Thinking about the information about Boost that had entered his mind, Yeong-sik realized that, unlike his blade-like weapon, the power of Boost could be controlled.

However, for Yeong-sik, who had only used Boost once, controlling it wasn’t an easy task.

‘I need time to practice.’

He needed time to control the power of Boost.

The ability was too useful to not use at all, like his right arm.

Yeong-sik decided to set aside some time for practice later and focused on heading to the Lizardmen’s habitat for now.

Just like the previous day, Yeong-sik’s group concentrated on hunting Lizardmen.

Moving close to the Lizardmen’s village, which he had scouted before, Yeong-sik and his group began to hunt the surrounding Lizardmen.

It was an incredibly risky endeavor, as they might end up fighting over a hundred Lizardmen at once, but the speed at which they could hunt the Lizardmen was worth the risk.

Despite the near-massacre around the village, the Lizardmen’s intelligence seemed low, as they did not gather together and come out at once.

After a day of hunting, having killed two elite Lizardmen and about sixty regular Lizardmen, Yeong-sik’s group returned with a decent profit of 5 gold and had reached level 10. The rapid hunting was entirely thanks to Bae Han-seong.

Normally, Yeong-sik’s group would have been exhausted and unable to continue after hunting around thirty Lizardmen. However, with Bae Han-seong’s timely support and generous aid, they could keep hunting.

Especially because he provided Ara with a mana potion when her mana ran out midway, Yeong-sik’s group was able to finish the hunt with satisfying results.

“Hmm. There’s no doubt about your skills, everyone. Especially Ara. I have a feeling that Ara could become a ranker someday.”

“……That’s an excessive compliment.”

Seo Ara shook her head, recalling Kang Ha-rin she had seen before.

The thought of becoming as overwhelmingly strong as her was hard to imagine.

Yeong-sik handed 1 gold, which was 20% of today’s earnings of 5 gold, to Bae Han-seong and asked.

“But didn’t we spend more than 1 gold just today?”

“Haha. The cost of mana potions isn’t exactly cheap. But if you think of it as an investment, it’s not too wasteful. Plus, when the members return from the expedition, we won’t be short on funds for a while.”

Bae Han-seong answered Yeong-sik’s question honestly.

“How many members are left?”

Yeong-sik asked, looking intrigued.

“There are four. All of them are strong enough not to lose to Yoo-na. This is our guild’s elite party.”

He spoke with a proud expression, thinking of the members on the expedition.

“When will they return?”

“I heard through the communication crystal ball that they ventured slightly beyond the northern border this time. Even at the fastest, it will take about a month.”

“A month…”

Yeong-sik made a weary expression, comparing the time with the single-day Lizardmen hunts.

Bae Han-seong smiled lightly and continued.

“Still, the profits from such expeditions are no joke. The guild’s finances will be much more comfortable. When that time comes, we can provide you all with rare items.”

“Thank you.”

Yeong-sik smiled and nodded.

Bae Han-seong gave a warm smile and adjusted his round glasses.

“I’m sorry I can’t support you like a giant guild.”

“No, it’s fine. I’m very satisfied being in the Salvator Guild.”

Yeong-sik said this and entered the guild.

As they returned, Tiria, as usual, ran up to check on Yeong-sik and the others. Her demeanor was far from that of a dignified guild master.

“Now, now, Guild Master. Worrying should be enough for now. Let us rest.”

“B-but…”

“Come on.”

Bae Han-seong, familiar with this, led her inside.

Yeong-sik did not enter and turned to Ara.

“I’ll take a walk outside for a bit. You go in first.”

“A walk? At this hour?”

Ara looked at Yeong-sik as if he were saying something crazy. Yeong-sik shrugged, avoiding a direct answer.

Ara squinted at him.

She muttered in a small voice.

“Did you get a new ability?”

Knowing Yeong-sik’s true nature, she asked cautiously.

Yeong-sik gave a slight laugh and nodded.

“Yeah. The reason I broke the wall yesterday was because of that.”

“Ugh…! You!”

Ara glared at Yeong-sik, who had brought up something she was trying to forget.

A light chuckle escaped Yeong-sik’s lips.

With her cheeks turning red, she continued.

“Can’t I come with you?”

“Hmm… If the two of us go out together, there will be quite the misunderstanding, but if you’re okay with that. Oh, for the record, I don’t mind.”

Yeong-sik said this with a playful smile.

Ara’s already flushed cheeks turned crimson. She quickly turned away from Yeong-sik and spoke in a curt voice.

“Of course, it’s not okay! Go by yourself.”

“And… let me know what ability you got later.”

Yeong-sik nodded at her words and headed outside. He walked to a secluded clearing outside the city.

The clearing, devoid of monsters and people, was enveloped in stifling silence.

“Alright.”

After confirming no one was around, Yeong-sik slightly bent his body, preparing for a burst of speed.

“Boost.”

Shoo!

Intense jets burst from his shoulder blades.

Yeong-sik’s body shot forward like a missile.

Thud!

“Ugh!”

Unable to control his speed, Yeong-sik rolled on the ground. Spitting out the dirt that got into his mouth, he stood up.

“Just a bit weaker.”

Yeong-sik consciously tried to reduce the boost’s power and used it again.

This time, instead of a jet burst, his body moved forward with a slight push.

“This is too weak…”

Struggling with the difficult power control, Yeong-sik continued his training.

Two hours passed in the blink of an eye.

“Boost.”

Shoo!

A faint flame burst from Yeong-sik’s shoulder blades. It was such a subtle light that it was hard to tell if it was even a flame.

Yeong-sik’s body shot forward at high speed.

“Blade.”

A blade of energy extended from his hand as he practiced controlling his new abilities.

As Yeong-sik soared forward, he used the blade, swinging his arm. His body spun half a turn in mid-air, delivering a sharp strike into the void.

Yeong-sik, who had been floating in the air, fell back to the ground.

“Boost.”

This time, a faint light emanated from his feet. Yeong-sik’s falling body surged upward again.

However, unable to stabilize himself mid-air, Yeong-sik spun elegantly before crashing to the ground.

“Ugh!”

Yeong-sik suppressed a groan and got to his feet.

Despite everything, a broad smile spread across his face.

“This is beyond my expectations.”

Yeong-sik mumbled, contemplating the immense utility of the boost.

The boost wasn’t limited to just his back. He could use it on any part of his body. By applying it, he could enhance his arm swings with the blade for more aggressive attacks.

Although he wasn’t yet used to using it on parts other than his back, making it difficult to maintain his posture, with steady practice, it seemed he could master it.

‘If used properly.’

Yeong-sik’s eyes sparkled as he thought about the potential uses of the boost. With proper use, he could move freely in the air and fight.

Typically, human combat was based on fighting with feet on the ground. There were no beings capable of flying.

But if Yeong-sik could use the boost freely, he could move in three dimensions, fighting in mid-air.

This meant he could perform almost impossible maneuvers as a human.

“I guess I’ll have to come out every night to practice.”

Yeong-sik muttered as he looked down at himself.

His clothes were tattered from rolling around. Even though he bought cheap clothes, they weren’t inexpensive, so it felt a bit wasteful.

‘But I can’t do this naked.’

He couldn’t possibly fly around naked in a secluded clearing in the middle of the night.

Yeong-sik decided to buy some spare clothes and continued thinking about the boost.

‘Saying the words every time is too inefficient.’

For the blade or Rocket Punch, it didn’t matter much if he said the words aloud, but for the boost, it was too cumbersome.

The reason he had been saying the words so far was that it made it easier to visualize the actions.

This time, Yeong-sik decided to use the boost without saying the word aloud and prepared himself.

‘Boost.’

Pong.

Sss.

[All energy required for the boost has been exhausted. Recharging will take three hours.]

“…So, I can’t use it freely.”

This was the first time Yeong-sik encountered such a limitation with his ability, and he looked disappointed.

“I’ll have to come out again at night.”

Yeong-sik decided to return to the guild for now, planning to come back out at night. He walked back into Ruberin.

Unlike others, he only needed two hours of sleep each day to function normally.

The excitement of researching his new abilities made his heart race.

Thus, three weeks passed as he alternated between hunting and researching his skills.