Kim Manor – Mana Training Building.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
Three streaks of azure light tore through the air, obliterating the holographic discs instantly.
Woojin lowered the Star Piercer, his chest heaving. Sweat dripped from his chin, but his eyes were burning with a focus that hadn't been there an hour ago.
"Ten out of ten," Han-wool said, checking the monitor. "Your accuracy is stabilizing. The Elixir of the Deep Blue did its job."
Woojin slumped against the table, grinning like a fool. "I feel... powerful. I never knew mana could feel like this."
He looked at Han-wool. "Young Master, you said the world is going to end. Is that why you gave me this power? Is this 'Amartya' monster coming next week? Or next month?"
Han-wool walked over to a bench and sat down, crossing his legs. He looked like a child, but his eyes held the weariness of a veteran.
"No," Han-wool corrected. "The Day of Beginning—the true apocalypse—is 12 years in the future."
Woojin blinked, visibly relaxing. "Twelve years? Oh... that's a long time. I thought we were in a rush."
"Don't be an idiot," Han-wool snapped. The sharp tone made Woojin flinch. "Twelve years is nothing. Do you think a Legend is made overnight? In my previous—in my simulations—even if it took humanity decades to prepare, and we will still lost."
Han-wool pulled up a holographic image of a grotesque, skeletal creature wearing tattered robes.
"This is Amartya," Han-wool explained. "Right now, he is sleeping in a dungeon deep within Mount Chiri. Currently, he is classified as a C+ Rank Boss Monster."
"C+ Rank?" Woojin scratched his head.
"That's strong, but... top Guilds raid B-Rank dungeons all the time. Can't we just call the Association?"
"If we wake him up now without killing him instantly, he evolves," Han-wool said darkly.
"Amartya is intelligent. He learns. And he is just one of the many calamities that will wake up in 12 years. If we don't kill him while he is still a 'C+ Rank baby,' he will become a Lich King capable of turning South Korea into a graveyard."
Han-wool stood up.
"The Cult of the Black Sun plans to sacrifice my brother, Hajin, in two months to feed Amartya. If they succeed, the timeline accelerates. We have to stop them now to buy us the 12 years we need to prepare for the real war."
Han-wool walked to the center of the room.
"To do that, I need to be stronger, too. Watch closely, Woojin. This is the power of a Thief."
Han-wool took a deep breath. He activated his class skill.
"Shadow Step."
Whoosh.
[Step 1: Shadow Concealment]
Han-wool didn't move, but his presence vanished. To Woojin's naked eye, Han-wool was standing right there, but his brain refused to acknowledge him. It was as if Han-wool had become part of the background scenery.
[Step 2: Shadow Merge]
Han-wool's body turned liquid. He sank into the floor, becoming a two-dimensional shadow that raced across the tiles.
"W-Where did he go?" Woojin panicked, looking around.
[Step 3: Shadow Decoy]
Suddenly, Han-wool rose from the floor in front of Woojin. Woojin yelped and raised his gun—but the Han-wool in front of him flickered. It was a perfect afterimage, moving and breathing as if it were real, distracting the eye.
[Step 4: Shadow Jump]
While Woojin stared at the decoy, the real Han-wool appeared instantly behind him, teleporting within a 3-meter radius.
"Boo."
"Gaaah!" Woojin jumped, nearly dropping the S-Rank gun.
Han-wool stepped back, dusting off his suit. "That is the limit of my current mobility. But there is more."
He extended his hand toward a holographic dummy.
[Step 5: Shadow Sense]
"I can extend my senses through the darkness," Han-wool explained. "I can hear through shadows, feel vibrations. No one can hide from me in the dark."
Then, he clenched his fist. The shadow beneath the dummy surged upward like black spikes.
[Step 6: Shadow Anchor]
The shadows wrapped around the dummy's legs, locking it in place.
"And finally, I can bind them," Han-wool said. "It's not strong enough to kill, but it holds them long enough for you to take the shot."
> [System Note]
> [Steps 1-6 Unlocked.]
> [Steps 7-12 Locked (Insufficient Proficiency).]
> [Skill Cooldown: 59 minutes remaining.]
>
Han-wool grimaced slightly. "The downside is the cooldown. Once I use the sequence, I have to wait an hour. It's a trump card, not a spam skill."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, glowing green stone—a Poisonous Centipede Core he had saved. He tossed it into his mouth and crunched it.
Crunch.
[System: You have consumed a Poison Core.]
[Mana Recovered.]
[Stats slightly increased.]
Woojin watched, horrified. "Young Master... did you just eat a monster core? That's pure poison! You'll die!"
"For anyone else, it's suicide," Han-wool wiped his mouth. "For me, it's lunch."
He looked at Woojin, his eyes serious.
"My Unique Class Skill is «Steal». It has three rules."
Han-wool held up three fingers.
"One: If I eat a core that is poisonous to others, I gain stats. It heals me. Rarely, very rarely, I steal a skill."
"Two: If the target is dead, I can consume a part of their body to steal their power."
"Three:" Han-wool's eyes narrowed. "If the target is alive... I have to satisfy specific conditions. Like shaking hands with my brother to steal his 'Mana Stability,' or instilling 'Fear' in a cultist to steal his memories."
Woojin swallowed hard. He realized the terrifying nature of the boy standing in front of him. He wasn't just a rich kid with artifacts. He was a monster who grew stronger by eating other monsters.
"So," Han-wool clapped his hands, breaking the tension. "You have your gun. You have your mana. We have two months before the Cult makes their move on Hajin."
Han-wool walked to the exit.
"Training is over for today. Go back to the hospital, stay with your mother. Tomorrow, we start real field work."
"Field work?" Woojin asked, holstering the gun.
"Yes," Han-wool grinned, the red light in his eyes flaring. "We're going to hunt down every C-Rank dungeon in Seoul. I have a lot of cores to eat, and you have a lot of bullets to fire."
"12 years might seem like a long time, Woojin. But for what I'm planning? We're already late."