After the cross-dressing contest ended, the Jack of All Trades roamed the streets without breaking disguise for an experiment on growth.
Though the festival stretched over three days, the crowds were still packed.
There were many outsiders and quite a few cadets who had just finished their entrance exam and were out enjoying themselves.
With all those gazes upon them, wandering around in disguise was quite the challenge…
Had it been just yesterday, I wouldn’t have dared to do this, but since my unique ability might be involved, I had no choice but to step out myself.
‘This definitely seems like an external influence…’
As a result of enduring the embarrassment, I could truly feel the Jack of All Trades growing due to external factors.
It was both a revelation and a disappointment.
Figuring out the direction for growth was good news, but the method was rather complicated…
I was tangled in thoughts about how to utilize it moving forward.
“…Yeon-hwa, when will you take yours off?”
The reason my head was spinning wasn’t just that.
I glanced at Yeon-hwa. Like me, she was still in disguise.
This meant her chest was tightly wrapped with bandages…
“Why? Since Ha-yul is in disguise, I’m wearing mine too.”
“I have my reasons, but you don’t have any…”
“Well, who needs a reason when I’m here to have fun?”
Yeon-hwa shrugged nonchalantly. On the outside, she seemed casual. However, I could see the mischievous smirk at the corner of her mouth clearly teasing me.
That made my cheeks puff up involuntarily.
“…Aren’t you uncomfortable?”
“I used to walk around like this all the time, you know?”
“?”
“Oh, you didn’t know, Ha-yul?”
With a giggle, Yeon-hwa extended her finger toward me, poking at my puffed-up cheeks as the air whooshed out.
“I don’t do it these days, but back then, during fights, I wrapped my chest with magical items because it was uncomfortable. Right, Ahrin?”
“Yeah, yeah, I did the same! It was annoying while moving and cumbersome during armor wear. They sell magical items specialized for that too, or you can have them custom-made.”
Baek Ahrin, who was strolling down the road with us, chimed in.
It definitely made sense that having a bigger chest would be inconvenient while moving.
Ahrin was also still in disguise. She glanced at me for a moment before her eyes crinkled playfully.
“Hmm… these days, I don’t just not wear one… should I start wearing one regularly?”
[No thanks…]
“Hehe, why not?”
Even though it was almost a whisper, I couldn’t help but retort. Then Ahrin grinned mischievously and pinched my cheek.
“Oh dear, do you prefer not wearing one, Ha-yul?”
[Please don’t tease me…]
“I’m not teasing, just asking.”
I was being playfully harassed from both sides. One side warm and the other cool.
I had exposed a bit of a weakness and got hit back joyfully. It didn’t feel bad, but it was hard to respond, leading to a sulky expression forming on my face.
[Huh?]
That’s when it happened.
Among the crowd a little distance away, a child who seemed to be with their parents suddenly approached me.
The child had made up their mind and cautiously came over, their eyes fixed on me, clutching a letter in their tiny hands.
Surprisingly, it wasn’t the first time this had happened.
Though I was in disguise, wandering around without an invisibility spell drew people toward me.
“That…”
The child was hesitating, the corners of their mouth moving anxiously. I paused for a moment, waiting patiently for them to gather their words.
Finally steadying themselves, the child bowed slightly and extended the letter with both hands.
“Hero Lee Ha-yul… thank you for saving us back in Shipnaha…”
Shipnaha. Hearing that name sent chills down my spine, reminding me of a life-and-death crisis, but this kind of gratitude brought a warm feeling instead of fear.
‘But I’m not a hero yet… am I? Did I get awarded the honorary hero title at the guild later?’
Regardless, I couldn’t hold back my smile as I bent down to meet the child at eye level.
[Thank you!]
“Ah…!”
Words failed me for a moment, so I just expressed my gratitude as I received the letter in both hands, which brightened the child’s expression.
Seeing that made my smile grow even wider.
[Would you like to see something?]
It felt a bit bland to just receive the letter and send the child off. I wiggled my right hand, capturing the attention of their gaze.
[Ta-da!]
“Wow!”
A flower suddenly bloomed between my wiggling fingers. It was a bright red rose that even someone ignorant of flowers would recognize, pulled straight from the void.
The child’s eyes widened in awe at the unbelievable sight, full of wonder. I smiled broadly as I handed them the flower.
[It’s a gift!]
“Thank you!”
The child replied brightly, carefully receiving the flower. In response, the warm gazes of the surrounding people began to gather.
‘So this is why they wanted me to wander around without an invisibility spell.’
They seemed to have predicted this outcome, knowing I would receive thanks directly.
Indeed, receiving gratitude in person felt good.
“Thank you!”
The child expressed their thanks again, and I nodded back…
“Sister!”
[I’m not a girl!]
“…?”
The child’s joyful expression turned into confusion, tilting their head. Their innocent response made my swelling pride deflate a bit…
[…We should head back now.]
With the giggles coming from behind, my face flushed with embarrassment. Now that the experiment was over, I wanted to take off the disguise and head back…
.
.
.
Even if the birth festival was ongoing, I didn’t skip out on training.
In fact, thanks to the time I had lost, I was putting in a short but intense focus.
– Kra-ka-zhak!
In the underground training hall of the mansion, I stood in the middle, calming my breaths.
I reflected on my memories and senses. The moment was from yesterday — the battle at the Tower of Growth.
I had learned a lot, but most importantly, I focused on the memories of fighting the Fifth Phase.
Swoosh! Books filled with memories opened one after another.
The collected observations and documented knowledge were as vivid as if I were experiencing them again.
Recalling that moment, I churned my mind. I identified the areas where I was lacking and worked on improving them.
I analyzed the skills displayed by the Fifth Phase and applied them in a way that suited me.
That brief recollection concluded.
I exhaled deeply and manipulated my mana.
Splat! Sparks of mana burst from my right arm. The circuits twisted and reassembled. In cases where I lacked strength, I forged new paths. My arm jolted with the internal changes.
Mana flowed into my right arm. Ka-ka-zhak! A flurry of spells crashed against the wall in a moment.
Various elemental spells. The protective barrier on the wall shattered, drenched, frozen, and electric currents flowed as it was destroyed.
‘Whoa…’
The sudden surge of attack had me internally gasping with awe as I returned the circuits in my right arm to their original position.
‘Incredible, I’ve really grown!’
There was no denying it. I ran my left hand over my right arm.
The surface skin? Intact. The inner muscles? All good. The bones remained unbroken, and the veins, nerves, and circuits remained undamaged.
There were no wounds. The outer circuits were exposed like a tattoo; however, that was only temporary and would fade with time.
Compared to the time when using a single type of magic would see my arm ripped in half, this was unprecedented growth.
‘How long would it have taken to become this comfortable on my own?’
Of course, I possessed enough talent, so it wouldn’t have been impossible.
But achieving this level must have required a lot of time and injuries.
Going the wrong way, hitting dead ends, tripping over obstacles…
That’s the nature of a trailblazer. Those who pioneer the uncharted territories without the records of their predecessors face struggles.
‘Thanks to the Fifth Phase, I made it here quickly. The same goes for what remains.’
Right now, I wasn’t in as much pain.
I had richly gained from the teachings of the trailblazer, the Fifth Phase, who had repeatedly smacked their heads against the walls while exploring the unknown.
Pioneering a path versus walking along a path already cleared: the gap in difficulty could exhaust anyone trying to explain it.
– What you just did… circuit protocolization. Do you really need to learn that to use it?
…The inventor of the technique talks down on it, yet I’m confident I can use it well.
Chuckling softly, I finally sat down in my spot.
I calmed my mana for a moment before extending my right arm again.
I drew up the core’s mana. I avoided particularly touching the circuits. Instead, I stirred the essence within me significantly.
‘Manifest, Homogenization… Create Sea.’
My body and mana transformed under the influence of the swelling essence.
– Chilling… chilling…
Frost began to form on the surface of my extended arm. A cold and liquid energy swirled around, and a new essence settled in.
Create Sea. A unique essence that particularly mimicked Baek Ahrin’s.
‘It’d be nice if I could incorporate Create Sea as a unique ability…’
Although the Gop-hwa that I mimicked with Homogenization wasn’t originally my unique ability, it had naturally found its place within me at some point.
On top of that, it had sprouted unique characteristics different from standard Gop-hwa.
Homogenizing my unique ability had yet to yield other results apart from Gop-hwa, but ideally, I wished the same for Create Sea.
The benefits and advantages of Create Sea becoming a unique ability are needless to mention.
Moreover, I needed a deep understanding of Create Sea to help Baek Ahrin with her current issues.
‘… But what happens if Create Sea and Taesan are integrated together?’
Caught in a daydream of delight, I suddenly felt uneasy as I traced my cold right arm.
The mana of the Gop-hwa bearer is fiery. Therefore, if a chilling essence entered my body, it would generally be met with fierce resistance.
I, however, did not follow that rule. My mana remained pure and white, and only the mana of the Gop-hwa borne section temporarily grew fiery.
Thus, I could utilize Gop-hwa as a unique ability while mimicking Create Sea.
The issue arose when the unique abilities from the Three Great Houses clashed within my body.
‘If all three are integrated, will I have to live my life cautiously?’
Surely, my overall strength would elevate, but it could also bring heightened risks.
Melting the frost on my right arm with Gop-hwa, I sighed heavily as I stood up.
Checking the time, I noticed I still had a bit of leeway.
‘…Should I take a quick trip outside?’
*
“…What is this?”
Hong Yeon-hwa blinked in surprise. Upon opening the door to the underground training room, she immediately spotted the opposite door.
The door was ajar.
Among the sights visible between the door, one place drew her gaze intensely.
“A potion?”
A neatly placed test tube stood upright. Inside it swished a mesmerizing pink liquid.
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