“Wouldn’t it have been better if you pushed a little more to convince him to join?” This question dominated Chan-Yeol’s mind since Ji-Hu gave up on recruiting Do-Yun.
But Ji-Hu raised an eyebrow to his weird question.
“He has already joined us… albeit temporarily.”
“What… does that mean?” Chan-Yeol couldn’t remember where they decided to work together.
‘Wasn’t it limited to just information?’ He didn’t want to doubt Ji-Hu, but being in the dark was more dangerous.
“Chan-Yeol what is the Objective of the ROK’s Awakened Squads?” He asked.
“To investigate the Gates and defend the citizens from its dangers using the Abilities we have.” The objective was set by Ji-Hu went he became the first awakened in South Korea to join the special squad.
However, most people knew that the South Korean Government was trying to assimilate the Awakened into the army like other countries. It was the source of new power that could flip the power balance. Even then, this Objective wasn’t for show. Ji-Hu and every single Awakened who trained with him believed in it.
But, the problem came after. No, in a way it became a problem even before Ji-Hu started.
“Who has authority over the Gates right now?” Chan-Yeol faltered a little at that question. But, he had to answer.
“The Army…”
“Yes, we have been able to limit the Gates from falling out of our hands so far. But, things will change after the Break incident.” Chan-Yeol gritted his teeth. He could already see it happening.
Like them, many other groups formed under wealthy families with political reach. That reach gave them power and now they had the ammunition.
“They’ll use this incident to push their agenda with the agitated citizens and try to take the right for Gate Management. The best way to deal with these accusations would be to deal with the remaining Gates with no mishaps.”
“Wait then does that mean…” Ji-Hu nodded at his words.
“Lee Do-Yun wants to clear the Gates, he had shown no other demands aside from information but it makes his intentions clear. We get a reliable partner, but the public will also see us more favorably than other groups.”
“The whole hero thing, huh? But what does he gain from this?” Chan-Yeol wished there was something.
“Nothing,” Ji-Hu smiled at the dumbfounded expression on Chan-Yeol’s face.
If this was true then this partnership wouldn’t last very long. They were the ones who got all of the benefits, and sooner or later Do-Yun might change his mind. And it would be foolish to think he wouldn’t.
“Don’t worry. All we have to do is provide benefits that keep him attached to us.” Ji-Hu already had a plan for this from the get-go.
“We really have to go that far,” Chan-Yeol muttered.
It would be so much better if the Awakened worked together, but then again that type of ideal situation wouldn’t even work in fiction much less in reality.
“I wouldn’t mind if they genuinely want to help, but at the end of the day, Gates have unknown resources along with the dangers. However, the dangers far outweigh the rewards for now.” Ji-Hu sighed.
“Are you talking about the Nuclear explosion in Nevada?” Chan-Yeol’s eyes widened when he nodded.
“It is good that you are aware of it. Although that is how the US Government is trying to cover the situation up.” Ji-Hu smiled. Not even the American Citizens believed those statements let alone outsiders.
However, they weren’t impossible.
“What if it was? It can happen right?” Anything can happen with enough bad luck and carelessness.
“We’ve got a report. They were trying to conduct experiments with Essence Stones found in gates and it resulted in that. They've lost forty extraordinary researchers and only scraps remained of the facility. The data went up in smoke too.” Ji-Hu still had to transfer the essence stone they had to a remote storage facility because of this mess up.
“How can we be so sure? Do we have a super spy there?” Chan-Yeol asked.
“All I can say is that those exaggerated movies don’t seem so unrealistic nowadays.” Ji-Hu laughed.
“Oh, so we have our own James bond now?”
He received no answers. However, it was already a great day because Ji-Hu talked this much.
‘He must be in a good mood.’ Chan-Yeol peeked as Ji-Hu typed the location of a donut place after they crossed the Han River.
“Don’t misunderstand this is for Na-Young.” He said.
‘He is in a good mood.’ Chan-Yeol laughed.
.
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A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
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Two days have passed since the meeting with Ryu Ji-Hu. And today someone came to the Gym again.
“These are all of the necessary documents that Sir Do-Yun asked for.” Chang-Yeol handed the folder over.
‘To have his ID and bank card delivered this way, I have no words.’ A wry smile appeared on the lips of the leader of the Second Awakened Squad.
“Sorry for the trouble, mails on this side of the river are getting delayed more because of the new Gates near the bridges.” Byung-Ho showed a good-natured smile before adding, “Also Hyung is on the second floor.”
“Alright, I’ll go up and deliver some words from Colonel Ryu.” Chan-Yeol reeled in his searching eye.
“Well… even if you go up I don’t think Hyung will be able to receive any other news,” Byung-ho said with a wry smile.
“Why is that?” The answer became clear when they walked up the stairs.
Do-Yun sat cross-legged in the middle of the second floor. His eyes closed shut as white breath left his lips. They could hear his sharp exhale near the stairs.
“Meditation?” Chan-Yeol whispered.
‘It looks similar to what Chung-Ae does…’
“Hyung started this morning and hasn’t moved,” They glanced at the clock and it was almost evening.
“With no breaks?” Chan-Yeol's astonishment went through the roof as Byung-Ho nodded.
“Amazing…” It became more amazing with them whispering so near him at this moment.
‘Chung-Ae uses a soundproof room to concentrate. Even then he can’t keep this up for more than an hour because of the noise that seeps in.’ Chang-Yeol had seen him complain about the mental pressure numerous times.
Chung-Ae used meditation to refine his control over Mana in his body and increase the quantity.
‘It helps in furthering his detection ability and the way he can control the unrefined Magic Energy.’ Chan-Yeol’s eyes turned green, ‘There are no fluctuations in the surrounding energy… could it be that it is just normal meditation?’
However, his guess turned out wrong. Do-Yun used Magic energy when he answered the question, but now he didn’t. Yesterday he reached the base level he needed. His body now filled with power that surpassed human limits was ready to take in the new energy.
Do-Yun started refining his Magic Energy in Aura.
‘On a base level, the other four energies are derived from the same Magic Energy.’ Do-Yun took in a deep and slow breath through his nostrils, ‘But, each operates differently.’
Unlike the Magic energy that bounced around in his body, a white ring of smoke orbited his heart in an anticlockwise direction.
‘Unlike Mana that is refined and utilized outside of the body from the start. Aura refined and kept inside the body for the most part.’ He let out the air in his lungs through his mouth.
Excellent magic sensitivity, elemental knowledge, expensive resources, high computing capability, and a plethora of Magic books. If even one of these conditions didn’t align, one would be nothing more than a second-rate mage.
However, to acquire Aura one needed but two things.
‘An Aura training method and Will power to go through the risky process,’ Do-Yun’s body twitched as the ring squeezed his heart.
His face paled as he felt the contraction, sweat dripped from his brow yet his breathing didn’t falter. After a few more breaths he expanded the ring back to its original size.
He took a wisp of Magic energy from within his body and focused on it. It looked like he had taken a piece out of the rainbow, within the darkness several elements within that wisp shined.
He slowly guided it to the ring around his heart. The white ring took in the colorful wisp in the middle and the white particles ground against the colorful ones. It was slow but soon that wisp lost its colour and assimilated with the ring.
‘I have to do this till there is no Magical Energy left in my body.’ Do-Yun took in a long breath, ‘If I fail I’ll have to do this all over again, that is if I am in any condition to move.’
However, years of handling Aura had taught him many things along with the knowledge he was given at the start. He took out another wisp from his replenished reserves.
Instead of pushing in the existing ring, Do-Yun narrowed down on the wisp. He searched for the white particles similar to the ring around his chest among the sea of thousands.
‘Let’s start for real.’
After setting aside the tens of particles he found over the next 20 minutes, Do-Yun discarded the rest and combed through the rest of his reserves. With that, he formed the second—much thinner—ring around his heart. Along with the first ring, it now formed an X around his heart.
‘It should take about an hour for the Magic energy to recover with my current sensitivity, but with breathing exercises from the Aura method and meditation I can cut that time to 10 minutes.’ After this it was rinse and repeat, he had to go through the process till he formed two complete rings that spun independently of each other.
Dual Aura Rings. The requirement to practice Argon’s Aura Method further than the first chapter, and he now had it. The two rings spun around his heart and glowed bright upon completion.
[The Stat Magic Energy is turned into Aura. Extra Skill Aura Manipulation (D)]
[A vigorous burst of energy seeped into your body, increased stats Vitality +5, Strength +5, Agility +5, Intelligence +5, and Aura +10.]
[You have learned the Main Skill Argon’s Aura Heart Method(SS)]
‘The aura technique one starts with is always important. In the other world, I wasn’t lucky enough to have a strong start.’ With a slow exhale Do-Yun stared at the system notifications.
“But with a body that has rid of everything, I can now start anew with the best method that I know.” Standing up he stretched his body. The new wave of power washed over him as the blue screen appeared in his vision.
Name:- Lee Do-Yun
Age:- 28
Gender:- Male
Profession:- None(6 Choices Available)
Main Skills:- Adaptation (EX), Regression (SSS), Argon’s Aura Heart Method (SS).
Extra Skills:- Instinct (C-), Magic Sensitivity (C+), Aura Manipulation (D).
Stats:
Strength:- 31
Agility:- 27
Vitality:- 30
Intelligence:- 30
Aura:- 29
“Finally I can use the technique we made to its full extent.” Do-Yun closed the status screen with a smirk.
“Hyung…?” Stirred awake by his words Chan-Yeol looked over.
“Got a little excited, you can go to sleep.” Do-Yun smiled. This habit would take time to correct.
“Um, it is almost time for me to wake up so it is fine.” Byung-Ho folded the bedding and stashed it in the cupboard on the far left. He turned off the alarm on the phone and went to the bathroom.
‘It's 5 in the morning huh…’ Do-Yun pocketed his phone again.
“Did that kid drop by?” He asked when Byung-ho came back.
“Hyung, you noticed him?”
“Yes, I didn’t know what you were talking about though.” Because of how distracting the senses could be during the start, he had to shut them down. But the active Magic sensitivity allows him to be aware of the presence around him.
“Chan-Yeol-ssi delivered the folder with a message.” Byung-ho wrote it down on his phone’s notepad so he wouldn’t forget, “Come to the Blue Gate in Amsa at your convenience.”
“Took him long enough,” Do-Yun flipped through the folder and smiled. That gate appeared on the day Ryu Ji-Hu came by and it was within walking distance from here.
“Hyung, would like something for breakfast?” To Byung-Ho’s question, he shook his head.
“We’ll have some after we finish this.” Do-Yun closed the folder and placed it on the counter.
“We?” Byung-Ho looked up in the middle of placing the folder in the drawer below.
“Didn’t you want to fight monsters beside me?”
“Y-You mean…”
“Buckle up Byung-Ho, it is time for your First Gate.” A smirk appeared on Do-Yun’s lips as Byung-Ho stood in silence.
The day came faster than he expected.