120. Faster Than Anyone Else, Different from Everyone Else -Commander-

The skill book beyond ranking dissipated as it was put on Jong Ho’s chest.

He nodded, then stared off into blank space for awhile.

It seemed that he was checking the skill’s information on his status window.

If my prediction was correct, Limiter Release should reduce the cooldown of skills.

I didn’t know by how much the reduction would be, but I was sure that I would soon see the answer in Jong Ho’s expression.

After staring at the status window that only was visible to him for a long time, his facial expression hardened.

Since I had spent a lot of time with him, I could narrow down the reasons why he was giving off that look.

I could find the answer in his words.

With a expressionless look, he murmured.

“Huh….. That’s weird.”

“Pfft.”

“Min-Cheol. It’s weird.”

“Yes, it must be odd. Since you’re giving a lukewarm response with that kind of expression, the answer has a high chance of being number two.”

“Hm? Number 2?”

“Don’t worry about it. So how is it? The Limiter Release skill?”

“That’s….. Just like you said, the cooldown decreased.”

“I got it right. But by how much? 10%? 20%? Maybe even 30%?”

“No.”

“What. It doesn’t even reduce it by 10%? I’m kind of disappointed. Well, I guess it’s better than nothing….”

“That’s not it. It’s 50%.”

“Huh?”

“The reduction is 50%.”

“…..”

“Is it okay for a such cheat like skill to exist?”

“Are you serious, hyung? The Otherworldly Skin skill. You said that it had a cooldown of 15 minutes. Are you sure that it was reduced by half?”

“Yeah….. It’s 450 seconds. 7 minutes and 30 seconds. It was exactly cut in half.”

“Wow. That’s crazy. I thought that it would reduce by 30% at the most…. I guess we got a skill far more amazing than we thought.”

“I’m kind of shocked.”

“This is a perfect chance for you. You already know that I can only store offensive spells in that ring. That means that you had to take care of the defensive measures for yourself. Now that you have your cooldowns reduced, you won’t have a window where you won’t have any defensive skills up due to the long cooldowns. Just like me.”

“That’s true, but….. That’s only possible if I have enough mana to do so. A warrior class like me lacks mana.”

“Hm…. That’s true. I guess I thought wrong.”

“……”

“Hyung-nim, the sword.”

“Yeah. What about the sword?”

“I realized that the owner of the sword that I gave you shouldn’t be you. Why did I think that you needed a weapon that raised your strength in the first place. You’re going to attack using the ring anyways.”

“……”

“Let’s raise your mana stat.”

“But my class is that of a warrior. Isn’t it weird for me to wield a staff and wand?”

“If the head of a conglomerate didn’t have any clothes to wear so he got some from the lost and found, it would become a fashion statement. No matter what they wear, they’re still the head of a conglomerate.”

“An odd example, but whatever. I guess I should raise my mana so I can use my defensive skills more often?”

“That’s right. Your attack skills eat up a certain percentage of your mana pool, but the defensive skills don’t.”

“I see. There’s a set amount of mana that’s expended for using the skill. And on top of that, defensive skills for the warrior class doesn’t use up that much mana.”

“Then that’s the end of that. Hyung-nim should focus on learning defensive skills. I’ll focus on learning offensive skills and raising their levels so that I can store them in the ring.”

“It’s like how a cow catches the mice accidentally while stepping backwards….. I’m ok with it for now. But it’ll be difficult to keep the spells on cooldown even with a lot of mana.”

I pulled out the Mana Drain skill book in front of him.

Both skill books had dropped from a single boss.

It must be a coincidence, but both skills synergized with one another very well.

Limiter Release made it possible for skill levels to be raised quickly, while Mana Drain covered the lack of mana that would result from the reduced cooldowns.

Compensating for what one lacks and the other overflows with, one could say that these two skills were the example of a perfect synergy.

“Oho….”

“If your max mana increases due to an increase in the mana stat, the recovery amount will also increase. But if you still lack mana? You could just take it.”

Receiving the skill book I handed over to him, he put it immediately on his chest.

Unlike the expression from before, he seemed quite elated.

In that moment, my mind was wandering elsewhere.

I was imagining us two arriving in the demonic realm.

A warrior with a staff in each hand and a magician that carried a sword.

If anyone else heard of such absurdity, they would laugh mockingly.

However, with the strength that each of us carried, no one would be laughing if they knew.

After all, neither nations nor Awakened from the international organization could stop us.

“You have the same expression from before?”

“Min-Cheol, I don’t think there will be a case where I’ll run out of mana.”

“What do you mean?”

“It says that I gain back mana worth the damage I deal to enemies?”

“Huh? What. You’ll be only using defensive skills, so what good is that! Ruined, ruined.”

“Let me finish. It says that I recover mana equal to the amount of damage I take when I use defensive skills.”

“Hm……. A way for someone to recover mana in the manner that the user would prefer…. To think that you’ll get mana back as you get hit.”

“That’s right… Huh? What? Hey take that back!”

“Pfft.”

“Guess this means that it won’t be long before you enter the level 38 dungeon by yourself. You just need to get any defensive skills you can grab as you go, and raise the level of those skills as you get hit. One thing I am disappointed in is that you won’t be able to learn shields from other classes though.”

“That’s right. I’ll need a weapon that increases mana and skill books.”

“Then we’ll have to go get them. Let’s go back for now, hyung-nim.”

“Younger brother first.”

“Hyung-nim first.”

****

The hidden boss Jewel Goat King that appeared on the first day appeared no longer.

The saying that a beginner’s luck doesn’t persist after the start was fitting here.

I knew that I couldn’t be satisfied from the first round of alcohol, but nevertheless, I couldn’t hide my disappointment.

After the hunting ended, it was decided that the two swords in Jong Ho’s hands were to be sent to the association.

After all, he would no longer need them.

It would be sent to the Awakened Association, finding its new fitting owner.

He didn’t seem disappointed that he had to part with Black Moon after 10 minutes, but he insisted with every fiber of his being that Banwol Jincheon would return home with him.

Since even I couldn’t change his stubborn mind, I decided to follow his decision this time.

He was going on about how it held the memories of the two of us or whatnot.

As per my request, Ho Yeong brought a high ranking healer from the association.

To avoid the toxins, Ho Yeong and other non-Awakened Association members waited from the hillside.

They could only meet us after all the poison on Jong Ho’s body was completely removed.

With a casual attire as usual, Ho Yeong walked over as I spoke to him.

“Sorry about that. It was because we received an attack that we didn’t expect.”

“No worries. I’m just glad that you are relying on us. Huh?”

Ho Yeong quickly inspected Jong Ho and me all over.

Looking at the new sword and another pair of Titan Boots, he spoke with a higher tone due to the excitement.

“A hidden boss must’ve appeared!”

“Yes. It appeared in the level 39 dungeon. Due to it appearing on our first visit, we haven’t even been to the level 40 dungeon yet.”

“That’s a good thing. Um……”

“Yes?”

“Sorry to ask you this, but if you have some spare time when you go out hunting again, could you clear the level 40 portal as well…?”

“Ah! Of course. I’ll be going there tomorrow.”

“Thank you very much. Part of my duty is to remove as much risk a possible, and that includes portals that could potentially explode.”

“Of course. I’ll do my part in preventing incidents from occurring.”

“Thank you so much for your understanding.”

“No need to thank me. Also, this.”

I handed over Jong Ho’s new sword to the Association member standing next to Ho Yeong.

If I gave it to Ho Yeong, it would immediately fall to the ground.

The actual weight of the sword wasn’t that much, but this was the difference between regular civilians and the Awakened.

It was an item that non-Awakened could not use, no matter what method they employed.

Looking at the sword, Ho Yeong spoke with a confused expression.

“What is this?”

“It’s an item that I’ll be giving to the Association.”

“Oh… Giving it to us? Thank you.”

“Not just giving.”

“Huh? What do you mean…?”

“Give and take. There’s something that we want as well.”

“Ahaha! Yes, please go ahead.”

“I want to rent a weapon with high mana stat. We won’t be using for long. A month at the most?”

“That won’t be difficult. If you asked the commander, he would even willingly give up his own weapon that he’s using, haha. It’s unexpected though. To think that Mr. Min-Cheol and Mr. Jong Ho will need something with a mana stat…. It doesn’t seem to match up with what I’ve heard from rumors?”

“Not me, but Jong Ho-hyung has had a class change.”

“A class change?”

Jong Ho, who was listening to the two of us talk, spoke with an embarrassed look.

“My pride is hurt, but it’s the truth.”

“Yes. It kind of ended up that way. There’s a reason for him to use mana, and a lot at that.”

“Well, I won’t ask for details. I shall prepare what you’ve requested for then. Once again, we’re very thankful for the sword you’ll be giving us.”

“Yes. We’ll be counting on you.”

“Yes!”

****

“Commander, I’ve returned.”

“Yes, so you have.”

“You’re back?”

Midnight had already passed.

However, the light in the top floor of the Association building where the commander’s office room was did not know how to turn off.

Ho Yeong had immediately returned to the association as soon as he had finished meeting with Min-Cheol and Jong Ho.

Ho Jin was also working late, not having clocked out from work still.

As Ho Yeong finished his report, the commander sat up immediately and spoke.

“A magician class weapon!”

“Yes, commander. I do not know of the exact reas-….”

The commander did not even ask why they were asking for a weapon that require mana stats.

Cutting off Ho Yeong’s response, he immediately called for Ho Jin.

“Hey, Ho Jin.”

“Yes.”

“Go down the the underground storage area right away and bring us the Lich King’s Staff.”

“Yes? Right… Right now?”

“That’s right.”

“Yes…..”

“Pfft. Vice president, looks like you’ll be working hard. Everyone else would have left work by this late hour. I would help but I just came back… Also I’m not an Awakened, so I can’t even lift it in the first place. It’s a shame.”

Making a motion as if to wipe his nonexistent sweat off his brow, he spoke smugly.

“Are you my sister-in-law trying to make fun of me or something? Whew. At least you have a silver tongue…..”

“What are you doing. Quickly!”

“Yes…”

Just like that, Ho Jin replied and headed for the underground storage area.

It was 30 minutes before he came back.

“Commander, I have brought it.”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“Just in case, I brought some wands with similar mana stats.”

“Very good. Then Ho Yeong, please deliver these items to them.”

“Yes, commander. I shall deliver it to them the moment that-”

“The Awakened that left with you hasn’t left work yet, right?”

“Yes? What do you mean…?”

“Pff! I’ll explain it for you. Listen well, department head An.”

“…..”

“Even though I, the commander, haven’t left work yet, where do you plan to go? Hurry up and take this to Mr. Min-Cheol and Jong Ho. That’s what he means. Do you understand? Okay?”

“How can this be. Sh….”

“Pfft!”

“Ho Yeong. What are you doing. Why aren’t you getting ready?”

“…”

“Pfft. Let us get going, vice president Kim!”

“Oh…”

And with the commander’s incredibly fast response to the request, Jong Ho was able to hold magician’s weapons in each hand.

The ideal hunting that Min-Cheol had planned was just beginning.