As soon as I left the Awakening Center, I stared at my hunter ID. I know it's just Rank C, but I was still happy. Even if my abilities didn't give me much firepower, I should be able to do something. I just need to figure out how…
While I was lost in thought, I felt someone place a hand on my shoulder, snapping me out of it.
"Excuse me, sir. Sorry to bother you. My name is Gi Hyun, and I'm a recruiter for the Hunters Guild, one of the largest guilds in Korea. I'd like to know if you're interested in taking an entrance test," said a man in a suit, wearing the kind of smile someone has when they earn a bonus for every new recruit. Probably.
"Uh, nice to meet you, Mr. Gi Hyun. It's an honor to have a chance to join a guild as powerful as yours, but I'm not sure I'm qualified. I'm just Rank C, after all, haha…"
"Hahaha, don't worry about that. A guild like ours has many roles for someone of your rank, Mr…?"
"Merlin. Merlin Hermes."
"So you're not from Korea? I noticed you had Western features, but that doesn't really matter."
"Here, take this card. Once you feel ready, contact me and I'll schedule your test. Have a good day, Mr. Hermes. Duty calls!"
I barely heard the rest as he ran off toward a newly awakened Rank B who was being chased by recruiters from every direction.
"Well… I'm just a Rank C in the end," I muttered while looking at the contact card.
"Before anything else, I need to figure out a way to make my power useful. I don't want to work in the administrative sector of a guild…" I said as I got into the taxi I had called.
——
"Have a gre—"
Before I could finish, the taxi driver had already sped off.
'Wow… how polite.'
I stopped complaining as I walked inside my house. It wasn't big, but it was comfortable. It belonged to my maternal grandparents, who passed it to my mother, and now it's mine.
"I'm home, Mom, Dad."
I said it while looking at their picture near the entrance.
"Your son awakened, and just like you wanted, Dad, I really am a mage, hahaha."
"Well, I'm not high-ranked, but I'm average. I know my abilities aren't the best, but like you said: 'Nothing is impossible as long as you don't limit yourself.'"
Even as I said that, my eyes filled with tears while I looked at their photo.
My mother was beautiful: long black hair, an angelic face, and eyes blue enough to put the ocean to shame. My father, on the other hand, was… eccentric. Silver-white hair, the kind of face that could charm even the most modest woman, black eyes, and a smile a con artist would give their next victim. But despite that, he was the one who taught me everything I know, and I'm determined to honor him by becoming a great man.
But enough sentimentality. Time to focus on what matters. While thinking about that, I climbed the stairs, entered my room, and sat on the rug on the floor.
'Mana control and mana perception… what can I actually do with that? Hunters don't usually have precise control over their own mana unless it's part of a specific ability set, and even then, it's very limited.'
'I heard mages have mana perception, but it's basic — mostly seeing auras and concentrated mana in the air. But I can see mana inside people's bodies, and if I focus on myself, I can feel every particle of mana inside me.'
Thinking about this, I jumped up, grabbed a notebook, and sat back down on the rug.
'Okay, let's recap what I've discovered so far. Every person has a unique mana signature, and I can easily see and distinguish it. And every person has something like mana pathways inside their body, formed during awakening — I think — and that's where mana flows. What's interesting is that depending on someone's rank, the shape and size of these pathways change.'
'A Rank E barely has any pathways, and the few they have are thin. Rank B—the highest I've ever seen—has much more complex pathways spreading through more of the body.'
'These pathways aren't physical… they're not physical…'
"Uh…"
"That's it!"
I shouted and stood up quickly, pacing back and forth. My mom always said I needed to stop doing that, but I can't help it — it helps me think.
"Okay, if these pathways aren't physical but metaphysical, and if the more complex and developed they are, the stronger the hunter becomes… then maybe I can use my mana control to develop and expand my own pathways. Maybe I can break the limit all hunters have and rank up! Hahahaha!"
Once that thought settled, I sat back down and focused inward. As I concentrated, my vision changed. Instead of darkness, I saw lines — no, pathways — of mana running through my body. As I focused harder, my vision expanded, letting me see my entire body — or rather, the pathways inside it.
They were more complex than those of low-ranked hunters, but not that complex. And they didn't spread evenly through my whole body. My hands, for example — the pathways that should lead into each finger were missing, stopping halfway into my palm.
So I started with that. I focused and imagined pulling a small piece of an existing pathway and gently guiding it toward my index finger.
And it WORKED.
HAHAHAHA!
IT WORKED, HOLY SHIT!
HAHA—
"AAHHHHHH!"
The moment I lost focus, it felt like someone shoved a burning nail into my hand. I instantly stopped using my ability, and the pain vanished as if it never existed.
"That was dangerous," I whispered, catching my breath.
When my thoughts cleared and the phantom pain faded, I continued thinking.
'Don't lose focus when messing with mana pathways — check. But shit, I only slightly altered the position of a pathway based on what I saw in Rank B hunters, and it made my hand feel like it was on fire.'
I looked at my index finger — it was slightly red.
'Dangerous.'
'I need to be more careful. If I had done this somewhere sensitive — like my heart or brain — I'd be dead by now.'
'And now that I think about it… how do I know I'm creating these pathways in the right places, instead of just messing everything up?'
Then it hit me. The safest way would be to observe the pathways of hunters stronger than me — not just one or two, but several, because there might be small inconsistencies between individuals. But where am I supposed to find high-rank hunters to analyze? I can't just stand in front of a dungeon gate staring at people like an idiot. I'd probably get arrested for hanging around private portals.
As I was thinking I'd have to risk entering dungeons just to observe others, I noticed something on the floor when I stood up — a card that must've fallen from my pocket.
"Hunters Guild — Senior Recruiter Gi Hyun. Contact number XXX XXXX XXX."
As soon as I finished reading it, a smile just like my father's formed on my face.
"What better place to analyze hunters than one of Korea's largest guilds? Forget Rank B or A — they even have S-Rank hunters."
"If I can develop S-Rank pathways… maybe I really can become powerful!"
With that decision made, I grabbed my phone and called the number.
——
— "Hello, how can I help you?"
— "Hello, Mr. Gi Hyun. This is Merlin — the Rank C guy. Remember me?"
— "Ah, Mr. Hermes! Of course I remember you. You have quite a memorable name and appearance, hahaha."
— "So, since you called… may I assume you've made your decision?"
— "Yes. I want to take the interview for your guild. I don't think any mage like me could resist the temptation of joining the guild led by the strongest mage in Korea."
— "That's great! I'll send you a message with the address and date of the interview. See you there!"
— "See you soon, Mr. Gi Hyun."
I ended the call with a smile splitting my face. In the end, my father was right — no ability is completely useless. And mine… might be far more powerful than I ever imagined.
And so, Merlim took his first step toward greatness...
...or so he believes.
—————
Hello, dear readers! Sorry if the pacing feels a bit slow, but these information dumps won't last long. Now our boy Merlim has taken his first steps toward real power… though things won't be as easy as he thinks. Or maybe they will. Only the future knows.
Also, please forgive any grammar or typing mistakes. I don't have much experience writing, so I'm learning as I go.
I'd really appreciate hearing your thoughts about the story and what I can improve on. I already have a rough outline of the plot, but the details are being improvised along the way.
If possible, leave a review — or read a few more chapters first to form a better opinion.
I've talked too much already. See you in the next chapter!
Bye-bye!