LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 11 - Growth Potential (1)
Chapter 11 Growth Potential (1)
Yeong-sik’s expression twisted harshly as he confirmed that the card handed over by Kim Gil-soo contained a faint trace of magical energy.
“What’s wrong?” Gil-soo asked, looking at Yeong-sik with a puzzled expression.
Yeong-sik opened his mouth and spoke in a low voice.
“…No. I just confirmed my concern was correct.”
Saying this, Yeong-sik threw the white card he had received from Jeong Chan-hyeok onto the ground.
Seeing this, Ara asked him with a worried expression.
“What’s the matter? You said it looked suspicious, but isn’t this a bit much?”
“There’s magic detected in the pattern on that card.”
At his words, both Gil-soo and Ara’s expressions hardened.
In a low voice, Yeong-sik continued.
“I’m not sure what kind of magic it is exactly… but it’s likely a type that can track our location.”
“…It could be a spell to prevent forgery since it was said to function like a business card, couldn’t it?” Ara suggested.
“Even if that’s the case, we can’t carry a card that poses any risk,” Yeong-sik said firmly.
At his words, Gil-soo grumbled and nodded, swallowing hard. While he wasn’t someone who easily doubted others, he also wasn’t naive enough to trust something so blatantly suspicious.
“…So what was the purpose then?” Ara furrowed her brows, unable to understand. If the aim wasn’t to recruit them into the guild, there seemed no reason to go through such trouble.
To be honest, the information Yeong-sik and his group had received from the conversation with Jeong Chan-hyeok was incredibly valuable, the kind that they couldn’t have obtained even if they spent all their gold. Ara couldn’t comprehend why someone would go to such lengths to deceive novice summoners while providing such precious information.
Yeong-sik and Gil-soo looked at Ara with expressions of resignation. They fully understood why Jeong Chan-hyeok would go to such trouble to deceive them.
“Why? Because he’s targeting you, Ara.”
“Me?”
Yeong-sik nodded and continued.
“Because you’re incredibly beautiful.”
Yeong-sik stated this matter-of-factly, without any personal motives, simply stating an objective fact. Yet, the impact of his words was significant.
Ara’s cheeks reddened.
She had heard countless times that she was beautiful, but this was the first time she felt embarrassed and oddly warm all over.
“For now, let’s get out of here. If they realize we discarded the card, they might follow us.”
Gil-soo and Ara nodded in agreement.
Yeong-sik found an inn in a relatively remote area from where they had initially been summoned.
A single room cost 4 silver, and a double room cost 6 silver. Given that 1 gold was equivalent to 1 million won, the prices were neither too low nor too high.
‘Fortunately, they’re not overcharging the summoners.’
Yeong-sik thought this as he stared at the innkeeper, who was gawking at Ara. The innkeeper wasn’t from Earth but an indigenous resident of this world. Given that this city was the first place where summoners appeared, he had worried that they might take advantage of the clueless newcomers, but that didn’t seem to be the case.
‘Well, that makes sense.’
After pondering for a moment, Yeong-sik nodded in understanding. According to Jeong Chan-hyeok, summoners from Earth generally had much higher average levels than the indigenous people. Exploiting them prematurely could lead to complications if the summoners, after leveling up, sought revenge.
‘It’s not like the security in this world is as good as in Korea.’
In Korea, wielding a knife in revenge would lead to immediate arrest, but the law enforcement in this world wasn’t nearly as efficient. One could disappear without a trace if things went wrong.
“What do you plan to do next?”
Once everyone gathered in the double room used by Gil-soo and Yeong-sik, Gil-soo turned to Yeong-sik and asked. It was evident that he now saw Yeong-sik as their leader.
“First… I think we need to strengthen our forces through leveling up.”
At his words, Gil-soo swallowed hard. He still had no clear sense of what leveling up entailed, as he hadn’t experienced it yet.
“Isn’t it risky for us to hunt monsters on our own?”
“It’s less risky than getting involved with malicious people.”
Yeong-sik squinted his eyes, thinking of Jeong Chan-hyeok.
“Think about it. A thousand clueless rookies have suddenly appeared in this world. There’s bound to be someone with bad intentions.”
“…That’s true,” Ara agreed, nodding. In her line of work, or any line of work for that matter, there were always plenty of people looking to take advantage of newcomers who lacked information and strength.
“For that reason, I believe we need to develop some strength ourselves. We can consider joining a guild when the opportunity arises.”
“Ho. I thought you weren’t very interested in guilds,” Gil-soo remarked.
Yeong-sik slowly shook his head.
“Regardless of my personal interest, the benefits of a good guild will be necessary moving forward.”
The power of an organized group couldn’t be ignored. Joining a well-structured guild would significantly increase their chances of adapting well to this world.
“The problem is finding a good guild… but let’s think about that later,” Yeong-sik said with a bitter smile.
In reality, Ara wouldn’t have any problem finding a good guild. Leaving aside her looks and physique, she had a hidden class and an impressive level cap of 91.
Although he couldn’t be certain, Yeong-sik thought even the three most powerful guilds would welcome Ara with open arms.
But compared to her, Yeong-sik and Gil-soo weren’t particularly noteworthy talents. Although Gil-soo’s level was above average, it wasn’t by a significant margin, and Yeong-sik’s level was actually below average. Despite having a hidden class, it was a production class, so it was doubtful how much it would be valued.
‘A mechanical engineer…’
Yeong-sik sighed deeply, showing his dissatisfaction with his class. It seemed he received this class because his body had turned into an unknown machine.
‘Well, I still have my own unique abilities.’
Yeong-sik possessed a unique strength that had nothing to do with his level or class. It was a formidable power that might even overshadow those elements. Currently, the only ability he could handle properly was Rocket Punch, but if he could find a way to unlock higher security levels, he would become even stronger.
And if he kept advancing…
‘I’ll be able to recover my memories.’
Yeong-sik thought about himself, who still couldn’t remember anything except for a brief memory that had surfaced before, and he smiled bitterly.
“Are we going to start hunting monsters right away from tomorrow?” Gil-soo asked.
Yeong-sik shook his head.
“No. First, we should spend a few days gathering information about the monsters around here and getting accustomed to the weapons and skills we need for hunting.”
“Good idea. There aren’t just orcs, as that Jeong Chan-hyeok mentioned, are there?” Gil-soo asked with a worried expression.
Yeong-sik nodded solemnly.
“Yes. If the monsters invading from the north were only orcs, it would be laughable that the summoners hadn’t conquered the north in ten years.”
“Ha. I’m a bit worried about how strong the other monsters will be.”
“We should start by hunting orcs, which we have some experience with.”
Even though they couldn’t gain experience points from killing monsters lower than their level, Yeong-sik and his group were all at level 1. They didn’t need to worry about experience points just yet.
“Hoo… Then, we’re still doing that pig thing after?”
Ara asked with a fed-up expression.
Despite the penalty, the tutorial still required them to fight monsters.
Yeong-sik chuckled at her words.
“It’s different from before, though.”
“Oh… that’s right.”
Ara finally realized that she had gained the Frost Mage class and that the concept of levels now existed.
“Want to try using a skill?” Yeong-sik suggested.
“Alright.”
Nodding, she raised one hand.
“Ice Arrow.”
With a short incantation, ice crystals formed in the air, coalescing into the shape of an arrow.
“Wow…”
She gazed at the floating ice arrow above her hand, barely believing she had created it. The arrow emitted a chilling cold. Normally, an Ice Arrow, one of the most basic skills, wouldn’t produce such intense cold.
However, due to the effects of her hidden class, Frost Mage, Ara’s cold magic had additional damage. The Frost Mage class not only provided additional damage but also reduced the mana cost for ice spells and allowed her to learn high-level ice spells faster than a regular mage.
If she raised her level and skill proficiency, few summoners could rival her in ice magic.
“Phew. Looks like I can finally stop being the bait,” Ara said, her expression showing a mix of excitement and relief.
Yeong-sik smiled and nodded.
“Now that we all have skills, hunting orcs will be easier than before.”
“Hmm. I should try mine too,” Gil-soo said, looking at his status window.
Most of the warrior skills required weapons, so there was only one he could use in the room.
“Bulk Up.”
As he spoke the name of the warrior buff skill, his body swelled slightly. He felt an immense strength surging through his body, a sensation he had never experienced before.
“Oh… this is amazing.”
“How are your skills, Yeong-sik?” Ara asked, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
Yeong-sik gave a wry smile.
“Most of my skills seem to be focused on manufacturing and gathering materials.”
“Oh… right, you mentioned your class wasn’t combat-oriented,” she said, nodding.
“But if you can make machines, wouldn’t that be really useful? It doesn’t look like there are any machines in this world…” she said, glancing around.
Yeong-sik sighed.
“The lack of machines is the problem. I have a skill called Structural Analysis, but it can only be used on machines. There are no machines here, so I can’t use it at all.”
Structural Analysis was a skill that could only be used on machines, but there were no machines in this world. To increase his skill proficiency, he needed to use Structural Analysis on items he manufactured, which was a frustrating situation.
An awkward silence filled the room at his words. Ara and Gil-soo exchanged hesitant glances, unsure whether to speak.
“What’s wrong?” Yeong-sik asked, puzzled by their strange behavior.
“Well, it’s just…
“Don’t misunderstand us.”
Gil-soo and Ara both cleared their throats, looking embarrassed. Yeong-sik’s curiosity grew.
Ara swallowed and spoke in a cautious voice.
“Since it’s a machine… couldn’t you test it on your own body?”
“Ah.”
A short gasp escaped Yeong-sik’s lips. In the chaos of being summoned to this world, he had completely forgotten that his body was made of machinery, not flesh.