Chapter 11 — Mana Cube (1)

<The next day>

JaeHyun followed Park SungJae into the Yeonhwa Guild’s gymnasium.

Upon entering, one could see the Yeonhwa Guild’s symbol on the wall. The huge lotus flower and oak tree engraved into the wall were eye-catching.

They reached a secret training hall located below the public gymnasium.

According to Park SungJae, this was a special state-of-the-art area built for Yoo Sung-Eun and the other high-level raiders.

In other words, this place was a very covert area where very few people had entered.

JaeHyun had an idea why Yoo Sung-Eun would call him to a place like this.

‘She probably wants to drag me into the guild in whatever way possible after seeing my Awakened profile. A magical aptitude of 97 was an unprecedented number no matter how you think about it. It will be difficult to find such talent even if you consider everyone on the planet.’

Truthfully, before his return, JaeHyun had received a lot of love calls from several raider academies due to his high magical aptitude.

But the reason JaeHyun chose to become a combat raider even if he wasn’t suited for it was simple. It was his past indecisive attitude.

‘NBC…… go bankrupt.’

Editor note: The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network that has stations all over the world.

And so his life started to become a mess as he chose to be a Warrior instead of a Magician with which his talents would have shined.

He threw away the bright road of being a Magician and tossed about at the bottom of the barrel as a D-ranked combat raider.

‘Just thinking about the past is really……’

Remembering his experiences made indignation surge up within him.

As he watched Warrior raiders fall and Magician raiders rise up, it would be strange if he said he hadn’t regretted his choice.

As JaeHyun went down the middle of the stairs in the training hall and organized his thoughts,

a familiar voice suddenly rang out.

“You’re here.”

JaeHyun bowed in the direction the voice was coming from.

“Hello, Guildmaster. We meet again.”

On the other side of the stair landing, he could see a familiar face.

Yoo Sung-Eun. The guildmaster of Yeonhwa Guild greeted JaeHyun.

“What do you think of the contract conditions? I think they suggest a positive outlook when you go over them.”

“Yes. They were certainly great conditions.”

JaeHyun could only nod at Yoo Sung-Eun’s words.

The contents of the contract he had received from Yeonhwa Guild were honestly unbelievably good.

A monthly living allowance of 5-10 million and an endless supply of guild equipment up to B-rank without having to pay should the equipment be broken.

Editor note: 5-10 million won ≅ 5,000-10,000 dollars

Once clearing dungeons, profits were to be distributed with a ratio of 8:2 with the guild depending on the contributions, etc.

It was a contract that gathered everything that would normally be favorable to JaeHyun.

‘The distribution ratio of dungeon profits for other normal raiders is around 6:4. This kind of contract is not easy to get. A contract offered to only raiders of at least A-rank.’

It was a suggestion that would not bring any harm to JaeHyun.

It was none other than an exclusive contract with Yeonhwa Guild.

Agreeing to the contract would surely be helpful to his growth. Moreover, for a raider to get permission for personal use of a dungeon was as difficult as picking a star from the sky.

‘I have to enter a guild no matter which one.’

In addition, Yeonhwa Guild had a monopoly over about 50% of the high-ranking dungeons in the country. So this meant that for JaeHyun to grow stronger, Yeonhwa Guild was the best place.

‘No matter how high my aptitude is, if there is no right map, my growth will be stalled. From that perspective, Yeonhwa’s conditions are indeed the best. I must not let this chance slip from my fingers…… However.’

A smile started to spread across JaeHyun’s lips.

Noticing the change in expression, Yoo Sung-Eun focused on JaeHyun’s next words.

“I’ve already told Manager Park SungJae, but I have a condition before agreeing to the contract.”

“Yes. Of course, there must be one. Since you are a clever kid.”

“I’m speaking under the assumption you have already seen my profile.”

Originally, the perusal of a raider-hopeful, in other words accessing a cadet’s information, was not possible without personal approval if one discluded the training period.

However, the person in front of JaeHyun was Yoo Sung-Eun. The guildmaster of the Yeonhwa Guild. It was JaeHyun’s opinion that checking the background of a mere Awakened cadet would not be difficult for her.

Probably because his guess was correct, a smile spread on Yoo Sung-Eun’s face.

“As you must have read, it hasn’t been even a month since I changed my career path from Warrior to Magician. So I am still unfamiliar with how to deal with magic. So my condition……”

Standing at the back, Park SungJae gulped as he looked at JaeHyun.

‘He is truly unique. He’s not shaking at all in front of Guildmaster Yoo Sung-Eun. It’s really surprising.’

Yoo Sung-Eun and Park SungJae. The two people’s gazes met for a moment.

What on earth did JaeHyun plan to ask of Yoo Sung-Eun?

The two of them looked closely at his expression as they concentrated on his next words.

JaeHyun’s lips bent up, and soon, words that the two had not expected came from his lips.

“…is for Guildmaster Yoo Sung-Eun to teach me about magic herself.”

JaeHyun said with a sly expression on his face.

In his mind, there was already a plan for what he would do next.

Park SungJae’s bewildered expression and Yoo Sung-Eun’s face showing interest were clearly seen by JaeHyun.

‘The best card must be used when its effect will be maximized.’

That was what allowed JaeHyun to survive as a raider for the past 7 years.

Park SungJae looked at JaeHyun in surprise and disbelief.

‘To think he would request for the guildmaster of Yeonhwa Guild herself to teach him magic…… Where on earth did he get the guts to do so?’

1st in the country, she was one of the few guildmasters revered around the world —
Yoo Sung-Eun.

It wasn’t like she who hadn’t yet retired would need to raise a student on purpose.

Even so, certainty still filled JaeHyun’s eyes,

with an expression saying that they could not reject this condition.

JaeHyun spoke as if he was driving in a wedge.

“If you agree with this condition, I will sign a priority negotiation contract with the Yeonhwa Guild.”

JaeHyun’s daring words echoed. Yoo Sung-Eun rebutted with a short laugh.

“That’s a fun condition.”

The two people’s gazes met for a moment.

A negotiation that was already concluded before it really began.

There was no room for any other compromise.

Soon, Yoon Sung-Eun showed her agreement by nodding.

“Ok. I’ll agree to your condition. To start, I want to see your skills myself.”

“I still have a lot to learn. I believe that the guildmaster will be of great help.”

“Yeah. Of course. But before that,”

Curiosity filled Yoo Sung-Eun’s face. She spoke as she crossed her arms.

“I want to check your talent. That should be fine, right?”

JaeHyun closed his mouth for a moment.

‘I expected this. On Yeonhwa’s side, they would like to check my skills accurately as well.’

Of course, just seeing the skill 《 Sacrifice 》 which he had copied was more than enough to show JaeHyun’s worth.

But the magical aptitude on his profile said 97%.

This was very different from the standard no matter how you looked at it.

‘Wanting to confirm it was a matter of course.’

Yoo Sung-Eun bit her lips slightly. Her two eyes were filled with greed.

Park SungJae couldn’t help the cold sweat flowing down his back at her expression.

‘That expression of the guildmaster’s…… I have to prepare myself very well this time too.’

Even in a pressing situation as this, JaeHyun moved slowly.

As if everything that was currently happening was as he expected and he had all the time in the world.

JaeHyun slowly started to talk.

“That’s fine. You mean you want to test my abilities, right?”

“That’s right.”

“What should I do? Should I take the aptitude test for the Awakened here?”

Yoo Sung-Eun disagreed with his words with a light laugh.

“No, all of that is just tricks with a machine. What I want to see is not just your natural aptitude, but the skills you currently have.”

Yoo Sung-Eun lightly clapped her hands as if, just like JaeHyun, she had also foreseen everything.

Ddddrrrrrrrrr……

At the same time, a huge cube started to rise up from the floor of the training hall.

The rectangular room was filled with the blue light of mana.

Looking at it, Yoo Sung-Eun laughed slightly.

“Mana cube. From now on, you have to break this.”

JaeHyun furrowed his brow.

‘……break a mana cube?’

JaeHyun pursed his lips in a tight line. A habit of his that appeared whenever he faced a bewildering/unexpected situation.

Cold sweat started to fill his tightly clenched fists.

“To think it’s a mana cube…… are you serious?”

“Why? I think it’s just right. To be talented enough to sign a priority negotiation contract with Yeonhwa, shouldn’t you be able to do at least this much?”

There was a smile on Yoo Sung-Eun’s face, but her inner thoughts were scary.

‘……she means to dampen my spirits a bit before we begin.’

JaeHyun’s face, which had consistently shown a relaxed expression, frowned for the first time.

Normally, a mana cube was used by Magician raiders of at least B-rank who wanted to understand their mana sensitivity.

For JaeHyun, who was still lacking as a Magician, this couldn’t help but be a demanding test.

‘The total number of raiders who can destroy a mana cube is about 7% of all Awakened Magicians. Would I be able to do it now?’

JaeHyun spoke while laughing awkwardly.

“It sounds like you are trying to lower my spirits, though?”

Yoo Sung-Eun shrugged with a sly expression.

“Why would I do that? Even if you fail, there won’t be a problem with the priority negotiation contract. There won’t be a change in the conditions either. I, the guildmaster of Yeonhwa Guild, assure you of that.”

Lines of shade cast on JaeHyun’s face.

No matter how great his talent as a Magician was, destroying the cube was a whole other curveball. There were plenty of people who had worked as a Magician for more than 10 years who couldn’t do it.

It was natural for JaeHyun to worry about whether he would be able to do it.

Although JaeHyun thought about it for a while, he made a decision in the end.

‘It’s unavoidable. It’s not good to back off now.’

JaeHyun nodded with a resolute face. If he showed a lack of confidence in his abilities here, he wouldn’t be able to stand on higher ground when negotiating with Yeonhwa Guild.

Even if he failed, he had to keep going forward.

With a satisfied expression, Yoo Sung-Eun quickly turned her head.

“Then, SungJae-oppa. Please make the preparations.”

“……really? Guildmaster, a mana cube is a device that is difficult even for active magic raiders to destroy. To make Min JaeHyun, who is still a child…”

“Do you think the kid in front of us is a normal person? He has the right to try.”

Yoo Sung-Eun’s expression filled with seriousness.

At her decisive words, Park SungJae couldn’t do anything but approach the mana cube and turn on the switch.

Whiiiirrrrll……

The mana cube cried out angrily. The blue mana made dangerous sounds as it clashed within. Looking at the cube, JaeHyun gulped.

‘Mana cube…… I’d seen it on TV before I regressed but…… It’s more powerful than I thought, now that I see it for real. To think that such a condensed whirlpool of mana is put in.’

“Then, shall we start? I expect good results. Do your best.”

“I don’t know. We’ll know once we see the results.”

Zzzap……!

The sound came from the cube.

JaeHyun stood in front of it with his fists clenched. He took in a deep breath and then let it out. Looking at Yoo Sung-Eun’s face reflected on the cube, JaeHyun pushed his body inside.

The blue artifact drew an arc as it wrapped around his body, then it quickly swallowed JaeHyun.

Seeing his body sucked into the cube, Park SungJae let out a small sigh.

“Ha… will it really be alright? I honestly can’t help but worry. I fully understand why you have shown an interest in him, but…… he’s still just a young kid.”

“That kid will be able to do it.”

“What? How do you know that……”

At Park SungJae’s worried question, Yoo Sung-Eun answered innocently with a bright expression.

“A feeling.”

“What?!”

Looking at Park SungJae’s blank expression, Yoo Sung-Eun chuckled as if she found it funny.

She mumbled softly while looking at the vibrating mana cube.

“Now. How long will it take you to break the mana cube and come out?”