Both Yun and I have been training with Hyung for weeks now. I've been pushing myself to keep up, but no matter how hard I try, I'm slower, weaker—always one step behind.
At this rate… will I ever catch up?
"Let's take a break," Hyung Park calls, pinning Yun to the ground with effortless strength. He dusts off his hands and turns to me. "Will. We need to talk."
I wipe the sweat from my brow. "Yeah, I figured. I'm trying to keep up, but even when you're not serious you're still far stronger than me."
Hyung studies me for a moment, then says, "You've been trying to hard to imitate Yun's fighting style. It's time you learned your role on the battlefield."
"My… role?" The word tastes strange.
"Every fighter learns it eventually," Hyung explains. "It's the form of combat your mana is best suited for. Honestly, I thought you'd have figured it out by now."
"You overestimate me. And my luck," I mutter.
Hyung just stares—patient, but unyielding.
"Fine," I sigh. "What exactly do you mean?"
"Take Yun, for example." He gestures toward him. "His magic allows him to shrug off anything that doesn't kill him outright. That makes him perfect for the frontline. I'd call his type a berserker."
Yun's chest swells with pride. "Berserker, huh? I like the sound of that!"
Hyung shakes his head, half-smiling.
"What about you, Hyung?" I ask.
"You haven't even made me use magic once," he says flatly. "No point discussing mine yet."
Wait—he hasn't used magic? Not even once? My stomach twists. I guess it makes sense since he leads an entire guild, but still…
"Besides," he continues, "stop calling me 'Mister.' I'm twenty-eight, I'm no grandpa. Just call me Hyung, like you do Heinrich."
"Fine," I grin. "Hyung-nim, then. If you're this strong without magic, how does Hein compare to you?"
Yun bursts into laughter. Hyung smacks him on the head.
"Enough chatter." He turns back to me. "Heinrich said you're a shaper like Yun, but I haven't really seen you use your magic yet. Tell me more about it."
I draw in a slow breath. "Since the lake… I've been trying to understand it."
Yun leans forward eagerly. Hyung just waits, silent.
"I think…" I pick up a pebble, rolling it between my fingers. "…I can change the energy within matter. The motion of atoms. I can slow them, make things brittle like glass—or accelerate them, raise their temperature until they burn."
Hyung's eyes narrow. "Manipulating atomic motion, not creating energy itself… interesting. You're a shaper through and through."
He stands straighter, arms folded. "Let's test your dominion and output. See how far you can extend your control, then focus all your mana on one target. Choose something with low resistance."
I take a breath, steadying my core. "I think I've got a target."
Yun grins. "Well then, don't just stand there!"
Hyung steps back, calm but watchful. "Remember—control first, power second."
Mana flows outward from my chest, spreading like mist through the air. I can feel everything—the ground, the wind, the heat of Yun's body beside me. Five meters. Ten. The edges tremble but hold.
"Good," Hyung says. "Now, apply heat."
I know exactly what he means. Increase kinetic energy—force the atoms to collide vibrate faster, until they eventually collide with one another. The artifact's knowledge echoes in my head like an instinct.
I channel mana into the air.
At first, it's subtle. The space around me ripples like sunlight on water. Then it grows—faster, hotter—vibrations building until pressure gathers.
"Good," says Hyung.
But I can feel it racing beyond my control. The air is dense, trembling on the edge of collapse. I know what comes next.
I stop channeling mana, but it's too late.
The air ignites with invisible light. Vibrations spike, then—
The world erupts.
A shockwave tears through the clearing, sound folding into silence. For an instant, everything burns—the air, the stone, the air itself. Hyung moves in faster than the eye can see, yanking Yun and me clear as the explosion rolls outward.
The last thing I see before darkness takes me is Hyung's grim face through the haze—eyes sharp, calculating.
***
When I wake, the sterile scent of herbs tells me I'm in the infirmary. My body feels like lead, my mana core aching as if fire had been poured through it.
"You're awake."
Yun's grin is the first thing I see when I manage to turn my head. He's leaning against the bedpost, arms crossed, eyes sparkling with that irritating mix of pride and envy.
"Do you have any idea what you just did?" he bursts out before I can even reply. "You turned the air into a furnace. Boom! The whole damn room went up. I've never seen anything like it!"
He looks like he's about to explode from excitement himself.
"And here I thought you'd be stuck behind me forever—but no, you were hiding that monster's talent all along."
I blink, still dazed. "Sure, the output was higher than I expected, but I almost incinerated myself in the process."
"Details," Yun waves me off. "The point is—it was amazing."
Before I can answer, Hyung steps into view, arms crossed, expression unreadable as always.
"Yun's right about one thing," he says. "That was impressive. Dangerous, but impressive." His eyes narrow. "Your dominion reached farther than most mages your age could dream of. The blast radius and power… I think I finally understand your role on the battlefield."
I sit up, head throbbing. "Care to explain?"
Hyung starts pacing slowly around the bed. "You're not built to duel one man at a time, not yet. You're meant to reshape the battlefield. Wide-area magic, heavy pressure, sweeping force. In a dungeon raid, you'll be the one who clears the swarm and keeps the team alive. That's your role as a shaper."
His words sink deep, heavier than any blow I've taken in training.
Yun slaps me on the back, nearly knocking the air from my lungs. "See? I told you. You're the ace—the one who makes the rest of us look good."
Hyung smirks faintly. "If he doesn't learn control, he'll roast his allies before the monsters."
"That's why we'll keep training," Yun cuts in, his tone surprisingly firm. "He'll get it. I know he will."
For once, I don't argue.
Hyung lets the silence linger before saying, "Good. Hold onto that fire. You'll need it. Because I won't be here for a while—I've been called to an exploration job east of the city."
"What?!" Yun nearly leaps from his chair. "A Mystery Dungeon? Bring us along! It's not our first dungeon anyway!"
Hyung's smirk fades. His gaze hardens. "You think the lake counts? You survived because it was empty—no hellwalkers, no boss. The next one won't be that kind. You wouldn't make it ten steps inside a real dungeon with your current strength."
Yun's mouth snaps shut. I can't even muster a rebuttal.
"Just keep training," Hyung says. "Grow stronger. Strong enough to join the Academy one day. Strong enough to earn your place in the Explorer's Guild." He turns toward the door, raising a hand. "And if you're bored, take a job at the guild. Just… wait a few days first."
I blink. Wait—the Academy? What the hell is that?