Chapter 10

Naturally, Enhancement didn’t come for free.

Activating Enhancement required mana.

This wasn’t a story limited to Enhancement, either.

It was a fact that commonly applied to all skills.

Along with the System, awakeners also awakened their mana.

They gained the instinctive ability to sense mana in the air and within their bodies.

I wasn’t sure if Enhancement consumed a lot of mana.

I didn’t have any other skills to directly compare it with.

However, I never felt the mana cost was excessive.

And for good reason.

+

【 Chocolate-flavored Energy Bar +1 】

Rank: Normal

▶Upon consumption, depleted stamina is recovered.

+

+

【 Over-the-counter Headache Medicine +1 】

Rank: Normal

▶Upon ingestion, headaches disappear and resistance to mental debuffs increases.

+

After all, it could bestow such overpowered effects on ordinary food.

This was something only Siyoon, the possessor of the ‘Enhancement’ skill, could do.

Energy drinks and various functional foods sold on the market.

Their prices varied wildly depending on the type and the efficacy of the ingredients.

But without a doubt, they were never more expensive than potions.

‘This is why the Enhancement skill is so overpowered.’

Siyoon’s ‘Enhancement’ could grant properties even to ordinary food like this.

‘I wonder how people would react if they knew an energy drink that costs about 1,500 won could have this level of effect.’

From stamina recovery to increased debuff resistance.

Improved concentration, increased vitality, and so on.

On top of that, the lowest-rank potions even had the insane option of instant effect activation.

It was an absurd level.

Of course, I had a lot of trial and error trying to find useful applications.

Enhancement wasn’t a panacea, after all.

For example, even if ‘cold medicine’ was enhanced, it only granted the effect of ‘curing a cold faster.’

Other things were similar.

“So if there’s no special efficacy, it only slightly enhances the existing characteristics.”

After using Enhancement several times, I got a rough feel for it.

It elevated the characteristics or efficacy of the target to a higher-rank.

In other words, it further enhanced the strengths.

The instant effect attached to the lowest-rank potion.

The various shooting-related characteristics that appeared on the pistol were the same principle.

This alone was overpowered enough.

No, it was beyond overpowered; it was revolutionary.

Siyoon’s ‘Enhancement’ was practically turning ordinary food into potions.

Acquiring something with this level of effect required a significant amount of money.

Especially for armor and weapons.

“I’m mostly done with these, so let’s take a look at the weapon now.”

After organizing the scattered items.

Siyoon set the pistol down on the floor.

It was the ‘RTB-002’ model that had shone in the last hunt.

I considered switching to a different gun, but it wasn’t time yet.

‘The next tier of guns is too expensive.’

Assault rifles, shotguns, sniper rifles, and so on.

There were many guns with vastly superior performance to the one Siyoon had purchased.

However, those came with a hefty price tag.

The ‘RTB-103’ assault rifle from the same series cost 200 million won.

It was a price he couldn’t afford even if he spent all the money he’d earned so far.

That was the price difference between a low-cost mass-produced model and a proper weapon for hunters.

Among them, models with a leading 0, like the ‘RTB-002’ pistol, were the mass-produced types.

They were entirely meant for novice hunters.

Of course, there were cheaper models too.

If he set his mind to it, it wasn’t like he couldn’t buy them.

‘My current specs are already overpowered by F-Rank standards. This is enough to deal with the lowest-rank magic beasts.’

Thinking about the boss, it was true that I needed to get stronger.

But to take the next step, I needed to save up money.

‘Even if I change my weapon, I’ll have to change it again later anyway. Since my attacks still work on magic beasts, it’s better to use this one as much as possible before replacing it.’

For that reason, Siyoon’s choice was ‘Enhancement’.

“Let’s begin.”

Siyoon took a deep breath and used Enhancement.

Tiring!

[ Using ‘Skill: Enhancement’ to enhance ‘RTB-002 +1’! ]

[ Attempting +2 Enhancement. ]

As soon as he used Enhancement, a message popped up.

Siyoon had already enhanced up to +4 before.

The +4 bullets that turned the elite and boss Krakto into a beehive were proof.

Incidentally, he had succeeded without failing even once.

‘The success rate was 100% up to +3, and it started dropping slightly from +4.’

The success rate for +4 was 80%.

In other words, getting to +3 was a smooth ride.

Ttiring!

[ Enhancement successful! ]

[ ‘RTB-002 +1’ is enhanced to ‘RTB-002 +2’. ]

“Alright.”

Naturally, the enhancement succeeded.

Siyoon examined the +2 pistol.

+

【 RTB-002 +2 】

Rank: Rare

▶Attack power increases and aiming is corrected during attacks.

▶Penetration power increases.

+

Just like with the bullets, one more characteristic appeared.

Seeing the added characteristic, a smile crept onto Siyoon’s lips.

“Penetration power increases, huh. That’s a good option.”

When facing the boss Krakto.

Siyoon’s bullets had embedded themselves in the body of the creature, which had defensive capabilities.

It dealt significant damage, so it wasn’t a problem, but.

If they had penetrated, things would have ended much faster.

‘Penetration power’ was quite important.

Siyoon instantly recognized the value of that characteristic.

But he wasn’t satisfied here.

[ Using ‘Skill: Enhancement’ to enhance ‘RTB-002 +2’! ]

[ Attempting +3 Enhancement. ]

Siyoon challenged the +3 enhancement without hesitation.

He had learned a bitter lesson from this dungeon run.

‘No matter what level the magic beasts are at, I need to be much stronger than them.’

The skill Siyoon possessed was ‘Enhancement’.

In exchange for granting extraordinary characteristics to any object.

His own fundamental prowess without equipment was lower than that of a hunter of the same rank.

Not that any hunter wasn’t like that.

But for Siyoon, that gap was much more severe.

‘To prevent the same kind of danger as back then, I have no choice but to enhance my weapon further.’

If the pistol’s destructive power had been stronger.

He wouldn’t have had to risk getting close to the boss Krakto.

Then he wouldn’t have needed to take a rest period like this.

Hwaak!

A pure white light burst from the pistol undergoing enhancement.

It was so bright that the pistol itself looked white.

Amidst that halo of light, a message rang out with a ‘Tiring’.

[ Enhancement successful! ]

[ ‘RTB-002 +2’ is enhanced to ‘RTB-002 +3’. ]

“Hell yes!”

The moment he saw the message, Siyoon cheered.

It was his first time enhancing a weapon class item to +3.

Moreover, the granted characteristic was absurd.

+

【 RTB-002 +3 】

Rank: Rare

▶Attack power increases and aiming is corrected during attacks.

▶Penetration power increases.

▶Accuracy increases.

+

An accuracy increase, no less.

This characteristic was exactly what Siyoon needed.

Even with aiming correction, not every shot hit its mark.

Especially in the case of rapid fire.

But if accuracy increased, it was a different story.

It meant the probability of a bullet hitting its target increased, ignoring all the variables that occurred during aiming, shooting, and pulling the trigger.

“Ugh.”

Siyoon felt a sudden wave of dizziness.

His mana had depleted after using Enhancement multiple times.

In particular, raising the enhancement stage required even more mana.

Consuming a large amount of mana made him feel like all the strength was draining from his body.

Siyoon took a moment to catch his breath.

“Phew, but it was worth the attempt.”

Despite the dizziness, the smile didn’t leave his face.

This would be more than enough to use until he could acquire a better weapon.

“Once I feel a bit better, I should try getting the other things to +2 as well.”

Siyoon wore a pleasant smile.

* * *

Two days later.

Having finished most of the enhancements, Siyoon nodded with satisfaction.

“Definitely, getting them to +2 makes a few changes really stand out.”

Siyoon looked at the enhanced items.

Just looking at them made him feel satisfied and pleased.

The existing Hot Seven had ‘Movement Speed Increase’.

In the case of the Special Vitamin, ‘Mental Fortitude Enhancement’ was attached as the +2 effect.

The Chocolate-flavored Energy Bar and the over-the-counter headache medicine were left at +1.

This was because the mana consumed for +2 was larger than expected.

“Now, let’s try using this.”

Siyoon took out the stored ‘Krakto’s Gemstone’.

He had sold all the eyeballs, but he hadn’t sold the gemstone.

‘It’s too good to sell something like this.’

Krakto’s Gemstone was an item containing wind-attribute mana.

Items with specific attributes were quite rare.

If he tried to procure something similar himself, it would cost at least hundreds of millions of won.

An ordinary person might think it was too expensive.

But this was an unavoidable step.

As a hunter’s rank increased, dungeons and magic beasts became more dangerous.

To survive in such an environment, it was an essential endeavor.

That was why he had decided to use it from the moment he first acquired it.

“The question is, where do I use this…”

Siyoon pondered for a long time.

There were many options.

Weapons, armor, bullets.

Among them, what Siyoon chose was ‘sneakers’.

“A shooter needs to be fast on their feet.”

The basic requirement of a shooter was to secure a vantage point for firing.

In that sense, mobility was crucial for hunting.

Especially for someone like Siyoon who moved alone.

When evading or creating distance.

Maintaining a consistent effective range while attacking.

All these actions required speed.

‘Krakto was a flying-type magic beast, but its intelligence was low, so it was easy to catch.’

Its inherent speed was fast, but its attack pattern was simple.

Only the boss Krakto was slightly different.

That was also a reason why it was easy to catch.

‘But there’s no guarantee it will be like that in the future.’

In any situation, things rarely go ideally.

And right now, it was right to prepare for the unexpected.

Siyoon made that judgment.

Tiring!

[ Using Krakto’s Gemstone on ‘Sneakers +3’. ]

[ Wind-attribute mana is infused into ‘Sneakers +3’. ]

As he used Krakto’s Gemstone, the stone turned into powder.

The powder, broken down into particles finer than dust, was absorbed into the sneakers.

It was a mystical sight.

The sparkling, absorbed powder remained on the surface, emitting a faint blue light for a moment.

It was the process of mana settling normally.

‘It’s my first time doing it myself, but it’s exactly the same as the video a hunter recorded.’

Siyoon waited until the light disappeared before bringing up the status window.

“Check item.”

+

【 Sneakers +3 】

Rank: Rare

◇Infused with wind-attribute mana.

― Movement speed increases, and actions become more agile.

▶Fatigue generated while walking is slightly reduced.

▶Running speed slightly increases.

▶Recoil upon landing is reduced.

+

Siyoon’s eyes widened as he checked the sneakers.

These sneakers were of ‘Normal’ rank.

They had been until just a moment ago.

But the moment he used Krakto’s Gemstone.

The rank was promoted from ‘Normal’ to ‘Rare’.

“Does using a material increase the rank?”

Enhancing alone did not increase the rank.

In other words, it could be said that Krakto’s Gemstone influenced the rank increase.

The reason wasn’t hard to figure out.

Enhancement was about enhancing the characteristics and traits of an item.

On the other hand, ‘Krakto’s Gemstone’ was an item that was ‘absorbed’ into the item.

In a way, it was similar to Enchant.

It attached a unique characteristic to an ordinary object.

Since ‘Rare’ rank items usually had one such characteristic.

It was only natural that the sneakers were promoted to Rare.

“Alright.”

Kkwak!

Siyoon tied the laces of his sneakers tightly.

Perhaps due to the various effects, his feet felt incredibly light.

With this, preparations were perfectly complete.

“Now, let’s go.”

Feeling light-hearted, Siyoon turned the doorknob.

* * *

There are certain days like that.

Days when the sunlight is clear, the wind is fresh, and the temperature is just right, making you feel good.

For Siyoon, today was one of those days.

“I have a feeling hunting will go well today.”

Was it because he had rested well for about a week?

Was it because he had opened a new horizon for Enhancement?

Or was it because his bank account balance had suddenly become plentiful?

It was probably a combination of all three.

‘I’m looking forward to seeing how much stronger I’ve become.’

The pistol tucked into his waistband in safety mode caught his attention.

It was an incredible weapon, enhanced to +3 with a whopping three lines of characteristics.

He wanted to shoot it as soon as possible.

He wanted to test the performance of the enhanced gun on magic beasts.

It was the first time since becoming a hunter that his hands were itching like this.

‘Let’s not rush. I’ll buy the lowest-rank potions from the weapon shop first, then head to the field.’

No matter how strong Siyoon had become, spare lives were always necessary.

Siyoon headed to the weapon shop according to his planned route.

Ttokak—

It was then that he heard the sound of heels.

The sound of heels striking the floor, echoing unusually loud.

When he reflexively turned his head, there was a woman.

“……?”

Dark brown bobbed hair neatly trimmed to her jawline.

An office look consisting of a white blouse and a form-fitting H-line skirt.

Was it an illusion to think their eyes had met?

But it was hard to dismiss it as such when their eyes locked perfectly.

“Hmm.”

She made eye contact with Siyoon precisely, then looked him up and down.

As if searching for something.

“Crude armor and a common mass-produced pistol you can get at any weapon shop…”

“……?”

Faced with the sudden harsh criticism, Siyoon furrowed his brow.

‘What’s her deal?’

Picking a fight with a stranger.

Was she trying to start a fight?

While he was having those thoughts, the woman slowly approached Siyoon.

“To solo conquer ‘Krakto’s Domain’ with such equipment… I suppose I should say it’s impressive.”

“…!”