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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: There Are No Limits to Customizing (1)
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"…Ha, ha?"
"You don't know? 'Ha' means laugh. You don't even know that? Bro, you're such an old man now."
Watching Kim Gunja smirk like that, veins bulged on Park Chunduk's forehead.
He'd vanished out of nowhere, making everyone worry.
And now that he finally showed up again, this was what he had to say? Old man? Ha ha?
"You're 29 years old, for fuck's sake—ha ha my ass!"
In a fit of rage, he swung his arm wide to give the guy a knuckle rap on the head.
Whoosh—!
But the sound cutting through the air was anything but a light tap.
Park Chunduk realized his mistake mid-swing.
His complicated emotions and boiling anger had thrown off his strength control.
His own Body level was 3.
Kim Gunja's was 1.
One wrong move, and it could cause serious injury.
"Kuh!"
He twisted his arm as much as he could—aiming from the crown of the head to the shoulder. That was the best he could do.
Damn it all!
"Ugh, uwaaak!"
Kim Gunja startled at the menacing whoosh and instinctively raised his right arm. And then,
Bam!
A thunderous boom echoed through the office, like a hammer slamming concrete.
"Kwaaak! I'm gonna di—…?"
"...Huh…?"
"What… I'm fine?"
Kim Gunja swung his right arm around.
It stung a little, but compared to the noise, it was practically unscathed.
Park Chunduk was dumbfounded for a moment before realizing the cast on Kim Gunja's right arm had vanished.
"You... what the hell…."
"Whoa, bro, you're weaker than I thought…."
Smack!
"Kek!"
"Just take your one hit! You little shit!"
Kim Gunja was asking for it.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Kim Gunja sat ramrod straight like a new recruit.
"So, you can do customizing?"
"Yes, sir."
"That's the thing you did most when we played games, right?"
"Yes, sir."
"Ha… what an unheard-of ability…. So you customized your arm, and it boosted your Body level and Magic Power level? …Just from disappearing and reappearing in about a minute?"
"But it's the undeniable truth, sir."
Crack. Veins popped on Park Chunduk's forehead.
"You're really gonna die…. You gonna get serious or not?"
Kim Gunja smacked his lips and relaxed his posture at Park Chunduk's words.
"It's real. Why would I lie to you? Besides."
Kim Gunja opened his status window to check the new entry.
⚔ STATUS ⚔
"Considering this new 'Sync Rate' thing…."
"You're saying… you can get even stronger? Just from getting one arm?"
"Yeah. Probably. Not bad, right?"
"...Not bad?"
Park Chunduk's expression turned strange.
This guy had no clue just how insane this was.
How many Awakeners slaved away just to raise their Body level by 1?
A quick look at training grounds and academies nationwide told the story.
And here was Kim Gunja grinning like an idiot, oblivious.
Petty emotions bubbled up inside Park Chunduk.
Jealousy.
And envy.
"Haa…."
Park Chunduk rubbed his face with his palm, dry-washing it.
To rein in his feelings.
He knew.
How dirty and ugly those emotions were.
But as a human.
Especially as an Awakener sensitive to power.
They were inevitable.
Park Chunduk licked his lips and asked in a subdued voice.
"What the hell are you trusting to spill all this to me?"
"Huh?"
"What if I get greedy and try to use you?"
Park Chunduk's eyes were dead serious.
Kim Gunja smirked like it was the silliest worry.
"But you won't, right?"
"...Still thinking about it?"
"Then nothing I can do."
"You…!"
"Chunduk hyung."
The playfulness vanished from Kim Gunja's face too.
"It's been a whole month. Locked in my room, drowning in despair. What do you think that felt like?"
No way to know.
But… thinking back to how he'd burst into tears the moment they met, he could roughly imagine the agony.
That desperate, earnest state of mind.
"That's why I came to you. To ask for your help."
Kim Gunja's eyes locked onto Park Chunduk's. Not a trace of pretense.
"And you think I'd hide my hand from the guy helping me? Tell him to just take the loot? Nah, I can't do that. Won't. Especially not with my own people. What's the point of living that selfish? Does that even mean anything? Right?"
"Haa…."
Park Chunduk sighed again.
Yeah.
This was Kim Gunja.
He didn't flaunt himself, but his principles and convictions were rock-solid. The kind of guy you had to respect for his stubbornness.
The corner of Park Chunduk's mouth twitched up.
'That's why he's lovable and trustworthy.'
The petty feelings sorted themselves out easier than expected.
It was never a real issue to begin with.
He wasn't trash enough to betray that trust—not as an Awakener, and not before.
He hadn't lived that way, and he had no intention of starting.
"Do whatever you want, you reckless bastard."
Kim Gunja grinned at Park Chunduk's words.
"You're not gonna blab all this to other Awakeners you meet, right?"
In other words, don't show your full hand.
"Obviously. Think I'm an idiot?"
"Good. There are plenty of crazies among Awakeners, so stay sharp. Especially Hunters. You see it with that bastard Kang Inhyeok."
Kim Gunja's face hardened at the name.
"I wasn't in that scene long, but there are guys there who'd destroy anything they can't have. Watch yourself."
Kim Gunja had high potential but was still weak. Caution was key.
"Don't spill your full Unique Trait when registering as an Awakener either."
"I can do that?"
"They just do a basic check based on circumstances. Unlike Body or Magic Power levels, they can't properly verify Unique Traits."
"Got it. So say 'right arm enhancement' or 'Right Arm Swordsman' for now?"
"That sounds safe enough… Here, give me your left arm."
Kim Gunja extended his left arm, and Park Chunduk gripped it hard.
"Ugh…."
Kim Gunja winced in pain. A stark contrast to his unscathed right arm under the same blow.
"See?"
Park Chunduk nodded.
"There's a reason your Body level's at 2."
"Huh?"
"Means you're still a weakling everywhere except that right arm."
"Oh yeah, you said Body level's an overall stat, right?"
"Yeah. But that's still impressive, so don't get down. And what, you picked up sword skills too?"
"Yeah. Swordsmanship and mental arts."
"Mental arts? Sounds like some wuxia novel shit. Like mana circulation?"
Kim Gunja explained the meridians, true qi paths, and such in his head. Park Chunduk shook his head.
"True qi is mana? Meridians like mana circuits? Ugh… no clue. Mental arts are beyond my ability, so nothing I can say. I'll teach you mana basics during training—practice in parallel. As for swordsmanship…."
Park Chunduk looked ambiguous.
Swords were sidearms for low-level Hunters.
"Swords suck?"
"For now, yeah. But you're a special case…. Anyway, you're aiming for Hunter, right?"
"Yep."
Hunter was the best path for Awakeners to make money and grow strong—perfect for Kim Gunja's goals.
"Hunters use tons of weapons beyond their main. No need to let what you got go to waste. Train guns and swordsmanship. Beggars can't be choosers, right? Use whatever works. And landing a hit on your target, Kang Inhyeok…."
He'd thought it impossible, but knowing the Unique Trait changed his mind a bit.
"You'll need to be a Ranker at least."
Top 1000. That was the bare minimum for a shot.
"Kang Inhyeok's a Ranker too?"
"Yeah, though not Single Number like his guild master Baek Jincheon."
Single Number.
Those in the single-digit rankings.
Humans who were natural disasters and monsters just by existing.
"What's Kang Inhyeok's rank?"
Concrete goals made great motivation.
"Heard he hit 98th recently. Impressive for his age. His Unique Trait's busted…."
Blood Lord. Kang Inhyeok.
He literally wielded blood.
Known to craft weapons with it or absorb to heal wounds and restore stamina.
Peerless on blood-soaked battlefields.
Park Chunduk paused and stared at Kim Gunja.
"Anyway, your trait's no slouch either. Hell, thinking about future potential… whew."
Park Chunduk eyed Kim Gunja's right arm with naked envy.
Some grind for five years, others hit jackpot in a flash… Damn, jealous.
Oblivious, Kim Gunja waggled his arm with a grin.
"This thing's really that great? Still doesn't feel real… Huh? Why stare like that? You look like you're dying of envy."
Crack. Kim Gunja's cheeky grin snapped Park Chunduk's last thread of restraint.
"Yeah, you little shit! I'm fucking jealous as hell! Envious to death, damn it… Shit!"
Kim Gunja blinked at the sudden roar.
"Whoa, why explode like…."
"Outside, now!"
"Huh?"
"What huh! You got power, time to test it!"
"…Right now?"
"Yes, now! Weren't you gonna grind to death?!"
"I said that, but…."
This a real test?
Or just venting?
"Whatever! Outside!"
Park Chunduk bellowed as he yanked the door open.
"Hey! Sparring test incoming—grab a training sword!"
Kim Gunja shrugged at the fuming Park Chunduk.
His temper was as hot as ever.
Though he'd never admit it, he was curious too. How much had he changed?
What, was he gonna kill me or something?
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
That's what he thought.
Until they faced off in the sparring room.
"…Hyung?"
"What."
He'd never seen it before.
A person breathing visible puffs from their nose without it being cold.
"This is really a test?"
"Relax. You won't die."
Gulp.
Facing a raging bull, he swallowed dryly.
The staffer handed over the training sword with a pitying look.
"No weapon for you, hyung?"
"Mind your business. Against a newbie who can't even handle mana properly? And bare hands are more my style… ahem!"
…Style what?
Test, my ass!
"Begin!"
The moment the staffer shouted,
Thud!
The hulking mass charged like a dump truck.
He's really trying to kill me!
As Kim Gunja raised his sword in desperation,
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Your understanding of swordsmanship is high!]
As if by magic.
Just gripping the sword brought calm.
His stiff body loosened, and the opponent's brutish charge felt… familiar.
Familiar…?
A deja vu sensation.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Sync Rate increases!]
Exposed to a similar situation, the Sword Demon's lingering experiences finally melded into Kim Gunja.
Opponent: Fist fighter.
His stride, shoulders, fist trajectory—all readable.
…I get it.
What to do.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Sync Rate increases!]
His right arm moved on instinct.
A foreign energy surged into it, heating the mana circuits red-hot.
He didn't fight the flow.
He trusted it.
Sword Demon Ma Ilcheon.
His experience. His swordsmanship.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Sync Rate greatly increases!]
Following the most efficient sword path flashing in his mind.
Reproducing it perfectly.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Sync Rate surges!] ⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡ Heaven-Shattering Sword, First Form: Single Flash
A single blade flash shot out like lightning.
Park Chunduk's pupils dilated in disbelief.
"Wha…!"
Kwaaaang!