Chapter 89. An Old Friend (2)
“Me… an Awakened?”
To ordinary people, becoming an Awakened is akin to winning the lottery.
So, this situation should be nothing but joyous news.
“No way that’s true.”
Gu Seo-hyeong shook his head with a bewildered expression.
“When you awaken, you should have a fever and various symptoms. Ah, anyway, nobody can be unaware of it.”
“Who says that?”
“That’s just what they say online…”
As Gu Seo-hyeong explained, a man beyond his blurred vision slowly changed his posture. He rested his chin on the table.
“You’ve just been searching in vain.”
What?
She was momentarily flustered by the flowing voice, but soon enough, a phone screen was thrust into her view.
“Here, can you see these words?”
Squinting to look closely, the screen displayed an article related to some Awakened.
[“Could It Be Me? Seven Misunderstandings and Truths About Asymptomatic Awakening”]
Asymptomatic awakening.
They say there are indeed cases where one awakens quietly enough to be called that.
‘Am I really that asymptomatic?’
Trusting a mere 1 in 100 million probability sounded absurd.
So, Gu Seo-hyeong started to bring up another example.
“Isn’t it more plausible that I awakened after falling off the roof earlier?”
Awakening phenomena generally occur in life-threatening situations.
Normally, one would weigh awakening from a suicide attempt over that of a rare asymptomatic awakening.
“Nope.”
But then, who was considering normativity?
“You’re far too composed for someone who just awakened. The magic power.”
Gi-ryeo was bold enough to be sure. That was a body that had awoken at least a few months ago.
“Months? That’s impossible! I could never feel my awakening until now!”
“What does feeling have to do with it? You obviously have mana in your body.”
Bubble, bubble, bubble.
Gi-ryeo took a sip from his drink, blowing softly through the straw. He seemed deep in thought.
“Maybe it’s a problem with your innate skill?”
Finding an answer wasn’t that hard.
Even if he was trapped in an F-Class body, with all teeth pulled out, he was still the reincarnated Great Mage.
“Problem with my skill?”
“Yes. Images that easily come to mind, like fire, tend to have skills that manifest easily, but complex associations, like a circuit board…”
“Um, could you explain that a bit more simply?”
“Anyway, it’s because of the awakening type! You aren’t some dimwit like Jeong Ha-seong.”
How dare they call the number one ranked Hunter a dimwit?!
Gu Seo-hyeong was momentarily shocked, yet there was a more pressing question to ask.
“By the way, how do you know about my awakening type?”
To which the man replied, “You can tell just by looking.”
“Eh?”
“It’s kind of similar to physiognomy. You get it, right? Statistics and intuition.”
Physiognomy.
Hearing that word gave Gu Seo-hyeong a strange sense of déjà vu. Moreover, the ensuing conversation felt way off.
“Anyway, just stay still for a moment.”
A while later.
Gu Seo-hyeong felt a prickling gaze from beyond the faint scenery.
“Hmm.”
Gi-ryeo fixated on the woman sitting across from him, wondering why she was acting that way…
“Indeed, are you leaning towards manifestation or bestowal?”
“Eh?”
“Your awakening type.”
He said after a moment.
Material manifestation or granting magical effects.
It was presumed that they were born with such types of skills.
‘Hehe.’
Half of it was a lucky guess, but who would question the judgment of a Great Mage?
His reasoning had a remarkably high degree of accuracy.
He had indeed once identified the hidden awakening type of a B-Class Hunter.
‘At my level, I might as well have a machine for eyes.’
Kya.
Just as he was getting lost in admiration of his own abilities, Gu Seo-hyeong cautiously spoke up.
“Oh, so what you mean is… my magic power… energy? Just by looking… you can tell my awakening type?”
Gi-ryeo nodded with a bright smile.
“Yes!”
Let’s see.
Physiognomy. Energy.
And overly friendliness.
Gu Seo-hyeong closed his eyes and carefully reviewed the other’s behavior. But honestly, only one conclusion surfaced.
‘Ah… this guy is a fraud…’
It dawned on him.
From the very start, there was something fishy about how he was talking about awakening just by looking at a person’s face.
Now, on top of that, he was guessing another’s awakening ability without even looking at their skills. That was something only complete con artists would say.
‘100% fraud…’
His expression turned seriously grim in an instant.
Gu Seo-hyeong began to give icy glares, having mistakenly thought Gi-ryeo was a cultist.
“Ah, initially, I thought you were just a fan of my hidden talents for being this nice.”
“Eh?”
“Come on, tell me the truth. You’re from that Nachalsawon or whatever, right?”
Of course, this was something that would send anyone reeling.
“No, why are you bringing up Nachalsawon all of a sudden?”
Don’t lump me in with that weird group!
Gi-ryeo waved his hands in emphatic denial. But that alone wasn’t enough to shake off the other’s suspicion.
So, Gi-ryeo decided to prove his abilities.
“Hey, if you have time to babble nonsense, you should head to the Awakening Test Center.”
Once it’s revealed the other person is awakened, all the advice given in the meantime would naturally hold credibility.
“Seriously, I’m an Awakened…?”
“I’m certain.”
“But I haven’t gained any strength at all.”
“Maybe it’s not a combat type.”
“No skills have come out.”
“We’ll think about that later.”
Gu Seo-hyeong posed a few half-doubting questions, and each time, the young man readily provided answers.
“Anyway, isn’t it better than just dying like this?”
For some reason, his words lingered long in her ears.
Strange, right? That voice was clearly hard to attribute to someone so young due to smoking.
*
The next day.
Chwa-rururur!
I repeated my usual routine.
I withdrew cash from the bank in front of my house, bought a triangle kimbap I hadn’t tried before.
Finally, I arrived at that place where I always went.
‘The weather seems a bit cloudy today?’
Today, the park’s atmosphere was entirely different from yesterday.
It felt like it might rain any moment, so there were no pedestrians, and most importantly, that person wasn’t visible on the rooftop.
‘Nope.’
I wondered what that Earthling was up to right now.
He seemed to be receiving basic training at the Hunter Association, but honestly, I had no means to confirm the truth.
We parted ways without even exchanging contact information or a simple introduction.
‘We probably won’t meet again.’
It’d be a waste of energy to dwell unnecessarily on an already concluded incident.
I decided to gradually let this issue fade from my mind.
“AAAH!”
But wait, I didn’t exactly ask for a new incident to just drop in my lap…
‘What’s that?’
Just then, I heard a mysterious, loud scream.
I instinctively whipped my head around.
“F-found you! I found you! Thank you, God!”
But for some reason, the person entering my view looked awfully familiar…
‘White wool coat.’
Oh, it’s her.
That woman from the rooftop appeared before me again, accompanied by three burly guys.
‘Wait, what the heck is going on?’
I couldn’t grasp the situation and just blinked, and soon, the other party rushed toward me.
“You’re here! I knew I’d find you! Actually, I’ve seen you coming here from the rooftop every day!”
“Really?”
“Oh, I’m so relieved! Ahhhh, I was so anxious about not being able to meet like this…”
Did she chase me down on purpose?
Moreover, her tone had suddenly become strangely polite.
“Hmm.”
There were many questions I wanted to ask, but I decided to start with the one I was most curious about.
“Who are the people behind you?”
Her expression turned frantic as she hurried to explain.
“T-They are here to support me from the Association…!”
“Eh?”
It turned out her awakening test results…
Seemed like she hit the jackpot beyond imagination.
“For now, my awakening grade turned out to be D. But please listen to me! The grade isn’t the issue!”
“Then what is?”
“I-I, when I went into the test, I ended up awakening a skill for some reason! And then it turned out my type is…”
Hoo. Ahh.
The Earthling took a deep breath and spoke in a trembling voice.
“I’m an Enchanter.”
What’s that?
“An Enchanter. An Enchanter! Someone who adds new effects to items!”
Oh, the one who bestows attributes?
“Why act like you don’t know now? You’re the one who told me yesterday I might have awakened such skills!”
Even with Kim Gi-ryeo’s brain translating, it was hard to completely erase the subtle language barrier.
I concealed my awkwardness and tried to shift the topic.
“For now, please continue explaining.”
“Eh?”
“I get that you’re an Enchanter, but what does that have to do with them sending people for you?”
Then, the nameless woman raised her voice.
“No, of course, that’s…!”
But the real explanation came from the Awakener in a suit standing behind her.
“We are here to protect Gu Seo-hyeong’s safety.”
“Protect?”
“Enchanters are a rare type, with only ten existing worldwide.”
“Eh?”
“Particularly since she is the first Enchanter to appear in Asia, we are taking precautions for her safety at the Association.”
At this point, I finally began to grasp the significance of the situation.
It seemed that a woman named Gu Seo-hyeong had legitimately struck gold in the lottery of awakening.
“Oh, congratulations…”
“Everything is thanks to you.”
The moment I opened my mouth to offer congratulations, a delicate voice erupted from the opposite side.
“If it weren’t for you, I would have died yesterday.”
Her expression was a perplexing mix of joy and sorrow.
“I later heard that those like me, who undergo latent awakening, are physically weak until they notice their mana.”
“…”
“I’m so, so thankful. I honestly have no other words to express…”
Gu Seo-hyeong bowed her head and repeatedly expressed her gratitude.
If she’d been this appreciative from the get-go. It was indeed a heartwarming scene.
“Ah, so now we should probably get to the main topic.”
But…
About 30 seconds later, with tears wiped away, Gu Seo-hyeong suddenly said in a loud voice.
As if she had been waiting for this moment.
“Can you give me your phone number?”
I froze for a moment at the unexpected statement, but she continued undeterred.
“W-Why do you want my number…?”
“I want to repay you!”
“Eh?”
“Since you awakened a skill that saved me, you are also an Awakened, right?”
“Ah, yes.”
“And Enchanting is something that’s immensely helpful to fellow Awakened.”
She was blushing as she struggled to contain her excitement.
“How could I just let this slide since you’re my lifesaver? Right?”
“Um…”
“Please, give me your contact info. I’ll enhance whatever items you have! All of them!”
Item enhancement?
Oh, that sounds enticing.
“Is there a cost…?”
“Are you insane? Why would I ask for money in this situation? Of course, it’s free! You are now my VIP customer for life!”
And with the price being free, I had no reason to refuse.
“Alright. Hand me your phone. I’ll help you out.”
The moment the word “free” popped into play, I extended my hand with lightning speed.
Truly, I was acting rather mercenarily.
“Phone? Just a second… Ah!”
But at that moment.
Thud.
Gu Seo-hyeong started rummaging through her coat pocket and spilled a few items, including her phone, onto the ground.
Lipstick, receipts, phone.
There wasn’t an immediate issue with the items themselves.
“Eh? Where did the lipstick go…?”
The bizarre thing was her behavior.
Though the items were right in front of her, she was struggling to find them in a scattered manner.
“Here you go.”
“Th-Thank you!”
Swipe.
I picked up her lipstick and quickly asked a question.
“If your eyesight is that bad, shouldn’t you be getting glasses quickly?”
She smiled and replied, “Oh, well, I already stopped by an optician…”
“Stopped by?”
“Because of some adaptation to awakening or whatever, I can’t control my strength right now. And I ended up breaking 100,000 won worth of innocent glasses…”
Hehe.
As soon as a shy laughter flowed out, I started to tremble my hands with a pale face.
