Chapter 5: Going for a Rank Evaluation
Woooosh—
After regaining his training and strength, Son Yuhan closed his eyes tightly from the intensity of the pleasure that ran through his veins like electricity.
Ah, it was impossible to keep a clear mind in front of this flood of energy.
At that moment.
"Wh-what was that!"
"I-I can't... breathe...!"
Panicked voices echoed from nearby. Son Yuhan came to his senses and reined in his spiritual energy.
Ah, I forgot.
He had been feeling so good that he had lost his composure for a moment.
"What was that just now...?"
"I felt like I was drowning in a swimming pool..."
Son Yuhan felt a pang of guilt.
It was a good thing he was in a wing with no critical patients; otherwise, it would have been a real disaster.
I must be more careful.
Anyway.
Son Yuhan stared at his phone.
There were still many pilgrimage items left to choose from.
He didn't have to choose one now.
As long as he paid the Karma, he could bring a pilgrimage item at any time.
Hmm?
At that moment, a line of text caught his eye.
[3. Incomplete Absolute Four Arts Technique] Can be restored using Karma.
Son Yuhan's expression stiffened.
Incomplete Four Arts Technique?
This was the first time he had heard of this. It made sense, as he hadn't noticed anything like this when he examined the jade tablet in the other world.
The Four Arts technique was a technique that could take one all the way to the Foundation Building stage.
And most techniques were limited to the Foundation Building stage.
Techniques for the Core Formation stage and above were not easy to obtain.
He had naturally assumed that the Four Arts technique was just one of those ordinary techniques...
Wait, not just the Four Arts technique, right?
Son Yuhan scrolled down the screen a little.
[7. Incomplete Deep Path Technique] Can be restored using Karma.
Son Yuhan stroked his chin. Then, as if he had realized something, his eyes widened.
"Don't tell me... using Karma reveals the missing latter half of the technique."
The history of the World of Immortals is unfathomably deep. Every technique has an original creator.
He deduced that Karma was a means to observe that original source.
Hah, this app is more amazing than I thought.
Son Yuhan instinctively moved to press number 3, but he stopped.
"Wait a minute."
Thinking about it, he was still only in the Qi Refining stage.
It might be a different story once he reached the Foundation Building stage, but for now, even mastering the incomplete Four Arts technique was a challenge.
The same applied to the Deep Path technique.
Haste is poison. Son Yuhan forced himself to stay calm and pulled his hand back.
Furthermore, he already had a plan for how to use his Karma.
Son Yuhan started the app.
[You can currently journey to one world.]
[1. Hyundo Continent]
Karma is required to open the next slot!
Son Yuhan focused his mind.
Then he instinctively understood the amount of Karma required to open a new world.
It's not enough.
Even if he hadn't chosen to restore his training earlier, the result would have been the same.
If the amount of Karma he had collected over 25 years was 10, he was missing about 5.
To earn Karma...
Son Yuhan searched his memory.
I just have to influence the world.
It was a vague statement, but he roughly understood what it meant.
Son Yuhan looked around.
He saw the white, sterile hospital room. It had already been three years since he came here.
Son Yuhan smiled.
"Yeah, it's time to get out of here."
Son Yuhan started the app. A list of pilgrimage items appeared.
[9. White Flower Divine Nerve Pill.]
It was a pill with a superb effect in restoring human nerves.
It wasn't a particularly rare pill. He could even make it himself with some simple ingredients.
Suddenly, Son Yuhan massaged his leg. There was still no feeling.
It hadn't improved at all since the car accident.
It seems the recovery ability of a Qi Refining cultivator is not enough.
Well, he had expected that.
However, with the help of the White Flower pill, a full recovery was almost certain.
As he was about to press number 9, Son Yuhan stopped.
There's no need to get it at this very moment.
He changed the direction of his finger and pressed the call bell attached to the bed.
Beeeeeeep—
It was the nurse's call bell. A moment later, a voice came from the speaker.
—Sir? Is something wrong?
"Thank you for your hard work. I would like to begin the discharge procedure."
—Discharge procedure? One moment...
This was a common cliché in Korean novels.
The patient who suddenly recovers.
I'll skip boring clichés like this.
He never thought his experience of reading a lot of web novels in his hospital room would be useful.
The discharge procedure went smoothly.
Vrrrrm—
Son Yuhan left the hospital in an electric wheelchair.
Of course, it wasn't free.
"They said I'll have to start paying the rental fee after three months."
Not that it mattered to him. He would be proudly walking on his own two feet soon enough.
No.
"I should just take it now."
Son Yuhan entered a random nearby coffee shop.
After ordering an Americano, he headed to the restroom.
"Hup."
Son Yuhan struggled to sit on the toilet. It was very difficult because his lower half wouldn't move.
Anyway, Son Yuhan's fingers tapped on his phone.
"Oh."
A pure white pill materialized in his palm.
Son Yuhan swallowed it. The pill dissolved, releasing a spiritual energy.
"Ooooh!"
Immediately after, his legs began to move uncontrollably. With a bright expression, Son Yuhan jumped in place.
Craaaash!
"...Huh?"
The restroom ceiling shattered. It couldn't withstand the strength of a Qi Refining cultivator's body.
Staring at the mess with a dumbfounded expression, Son Yuhan waved his hand.
The ceiling rippled and quickly returned to its original state.
It was just a simple earth manipulation technique.
Good as new.
Son Yuhan picked up his coffee and the wheelchair and left the coffee shop.
He checked his phone; it was 4 PM. He searched for the nearest Association branch.
"Closing time is 18:00..."
It seemed possible. Son Yuhan hailed a taxi.
He bowed his head slightly as he got into the car.
"To the Seoul Hunter Association, please."
Vooom—!
The taxi took off on the road without hesitation.
Watching the city scenery pass by the window, Son Yuhan thought.
The spiritual energy here is faint.
It was a little uncomfortable, but not impossible to live with.
Soon, the taxi stopped.
"We've arrived~"
"Thank you."
Son Yuhan approached the Association building with a relaxed gait.
The iced coffee was in his hand.
Whoosh, he passed through the revolving door into a spacious interior.
There.
There was a particularly crowded area. Son Yuhan headed in that direction.
"Hey, wait a minute! Isn't this machine broken?! I'm telling you, I definitely made the spoon float!!"
A middle-aged man was shouting at the top of his lungs.
It was a familiar scene at the Hunter Association.
The employee, with a formal expression, tried to calm the man down as if this situation was familiar to him.
"Sir. Please calm down for a moment..."
"Calm down? What do you mean calm down! Do it again! I said, do it again!!"
The man pointed his finger repeatedly, his voice rising.
The eyes of the people around them were fixed on the man and the employee.
Son Yuhan was also watching the scene as he sipped his coffee.
Interesting.
After all, being an awakened was a very attractive profession.
There were many ways to make money without having to enter "rifts" and hunt monsters.
Even an F-rank awakened earned a higher salary than a regular office worker.
Perhaps for that reason, most people understood what the man was feeling.
Was that the reason?
A very clever way to attract attention. If I were still in the early stages of Qi Refining, I wouldn't have noticed it.
A man wearing a black mask. He was stealthily sneaking away from the scene.
The man was carrying a bag the size of a watermelon.
Based on the flow of spiritual energy, it was clearly an item similar to a storage bag.
Son Yuhan let out a short laugh.
"Thieves are getting creative these days."
"...?"
Upon hearing that, the man froze. He turned his head to look at Son Yuhan.
Son Yuhan was looking at the loud middle-aged man, not at him.
The masked man tilted his head in confusion.
What? Was he just talking to himself?
The ability the man had awakened...
[Presence Erasure] was a stealth skill so effective that even A-rank awakened had difficulty detecting it.
Right, there's no way a normal guy like him can see me.
As the man was about to start walking again.
"I'm about to catch a thief trying to rob the Association, of all places. There should be a reward for that, right?"
Gurgle, fwoosh—!
Suddenly, the coffee he was holding seemed to writhe before scattering into the air.
Son Yuhan's left hand moved quickly, leaving an afterimage behind.
It was a hand seal that amplified spiritual arts.
At the same time, Son Yuhan drew a "minuscule amount" of spiritual energy.
"Water Stream Technique."
Thousand-Pound Water Prison.
The spiritual energy that erupted from his dantian came into contact with the coffee.
Immediately after, the coffee swelled in size and enveloped the man.
"Kugh!"
The man did not stand idly by. He quickly assessed the situation and kicked the ground.
Kwang!
His body stretched. The man struggled to escape from the water prison that was still forming.
Soaked to the bone, he looked like a drowned rat. The man gritted his teeth and rushed towards Son Yuhan.
"You'll lose your life for sticking your nose where it doesn't belong!"
Shing, he pulled out a dagger radiating a sharp aura from his coat.
The man approached in a zigzag pattern and stabbed the dagger towards Son Yuhan's neck.
It was very fast. So fast that...
I was about this fast when I first entered the Qi Refining stage.
That was over 15 years ago. Son Yuhan lightly twisted his body.
Whoosh, the dagger cut through the air, missing him.
The man's eyes widened in astonishment. Son Yuhan pushed his fist towards him.
Craaaaaack!
"Gyuk...!"
The man's face caved in grotesquely. It was clearly visible even through his mask.
The body of a spiritual cultivator is a weapon in itself.
Furthermore, Son Yuhan had also been training in body strengthening arts.
Physical ability was also important for performing the Four Arts of Cultivation.
This was especially true when learning refining techniques.
Thud—
The man collapsed limply. Seeing that, Son Yuhan's eyes widened.
"Hmm? What, is it over already?"
For all his stealth and speed, he didn't have much toughness.
Son Yuhan felt a strange sense of disappointment and smacked his lips.
I even deliberately controlled the amount of spiritual energy. Tsk tsk, to be this weak.
Perhaps because he was often bullied by Beom Jin-woo under the guise of training, Son Yuhan's standards were very high.
A fragile awakened like this was not enough to satisfy him.
Beom Jin-woo might have been a brute, but he was perfect for improving my skills.
Someone once said that memories tend to become romanticized.
It felt absolutely disgusting when he was being beaten, but looking back, it was all experience and memories.
However.
That bastard Beom Jin-woo still deserves a beating.
Son Yuhan thought to himself as he turned his head.
"Ah, ah..."
"What, what was that just now? What in the..."
"...At least a C-rank awakened. I've never seen his face before. Which guild is he from?"
The last comment came from an Association employee.
Son Yuhan was a little surprised.
I'm at least C-rank?
He had deliberately lowered his spiritual energy concentration just now; if he had really tried, he could have performed much stronger spiritual arts.
In other words, according to that employee, he was a strength comparable to B-rank.
I thought I was C-rank.
It made sense, since he had seen videos of B-rank awakened's attacks on the internet before.
Their spiritual arts were clearly stronger than his current ones with their reduced concentration.
Well, I'll know once I get tested.
Son Yuhan didn't get ahead of himself.
He approached the Association employee.
"This is the awakened evaluation meter, right?"
"...Y-yes? Th-that's right."
Son Yuhan glanced behind him.
The Association staff were dragging the masked man and the loud man away.
Turning back, Son Yuhan pointed behind him with his finger and said:
"I think my awakened status has been confirmed... can I request a rank measurement?"
The employee could only nod his head.
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