Among a few other changes I've made up to this point, there's one more, a kind of important, though insignificantly-seeming, change when it came to Cerberus's Fang.
You'll see what I mean.
~NRK~
The sole rule of this whole mess?
Do not tell Jin-Ah. It was one thing to have those with combat potential know.
It'd be another for her to feel helpless the entire time as someone without power to do anything.
So, they focused on trying to find advantages that he could wield.
Even now, as he was going through the C-Rank Raids with Jin-Woo and this young man, Yoo Jin-Ho, Obito was considering the materials he'd need for this weapon of his.
'The question remains, what do I need?' Obito wondered with narrowed eyes. 'Should I just find something sturdy? Or should I focus only on effects?' If he did, he might be able to mix together some crazy creation but it'd then be too feeble, possibly. "What I need," he said as he and Jin-Woo stood in front of the Gate. "Is a material that's sturdy but aids my magic somehow."
Wearing their same get-up from their excursion into the Demon Castle Gate, they looked at the Gate with considerate frowns.
"Alright, sirs!" An energetic voice from their side said, the duo sweatdropping at the bright-eyed young man. "It's time to get this show on the road!"
He was a decent bit shorter than both men with fair skin, gray eyes, and custard-colored frizzy hair that was shaved around the sides of his head. Wearing an elaborately designed set of armor that was clearly not meant for his build, he grinned excitedly.
"Yes!" He said before Jin-Woo tapped his noggin. "H-Huh-Whoa, wait?!" Jin-Ho whined as he hit his back and struggled to try and get up. "Sirs?! Please, help?!"
Obito chuckled weakly as stepped over and pulled the young man up. "Jin-Ho, please, you need to cut back on the armor. You don't have the build for it yet," he told the starry-eyed young man.
"Y-Yes, sir! One day, I hope to garner the experience, respect, and knowledge that you have!"
Jin-Woo's brow twitched at the fact that Jin-Ho kept his helmet, leaving himself in a white shirt, brown pants, and some sneakers. "God above, we'll need some help," he said, turning to the last person coming up to them with a nod. "Joo-Hee."
"H-Hey!" The B-Rank Healer greeted with a joyful smile he quickly looked away from, cheeks a bit red. "Are you sure, um, this is legitimate?" She asked him, red-cheeked and a bit cautious.
"It is!" Jin-Ho said to her with an awed look at the duo of blushing adults, startling the woman. 'Hyung must be so popular! This is the man who will lead me to greatness!' And with his well-known uncle and a Healer to boot!
They couldn't fail!
~NRK~
Going through a Gate had never been so boring for Obito.
Even as he slammed his black-covered fist through a yeti monster's chest, destroying its heart, he was focusing on its possible materials.
'It's fur and ice-based,' he thought, leaning back from another monster's swinging claw before his leg shot up & back with a sharp blade of thread.
The leg sliced off the limb with ease as Obito brought it down, cutting through the monster's side with a glare not meant for it.
'I need something else!'
~NRK~
Outside of the Gate, the group gawked as the quartet returned in a mere twenty minutes.
With them, they carried a large amount of magic crystals and materials that they laid out for the others.
"Alright, for everyone who's got any idea about this stuff, you can have your share of it," Jin-Ho said to the shocked group. "But, please, hurry up! We've got two more Gates to do today!"
As the fillers looked on in disbelief, Obito took off a yeti's skin while dicing up the remains for the sake of everyone's stomachs.
"I can make something out of this, I suppose," he said, Jin-Woo tilting his head at the other things they'd brought. "Unfortunately, even the boss was just a bigger yeti."
"M-Maybe the bones?" Joo-Hee offered nervously at the dismembered parts before finding her nerves. "I-If you can do that, maybe that would be good."
Obito and Jin-Woo realized they'd made a horrible error.
'WE SHOULD HAVE TAKEN SOME OF CERBERUS'S BODY PARTS!' They wailed in unison at their own idiocy.
That monster was prime pickings and they'd just ignored it?!
'Still,' Jin-Woo realized he might be able to make use of the [Demon Castle]. 'If I got a demon's bones, that might work,' he was level 28 now, was he strong enough? '... I don't think so, not yet,' and he needed to spend those Daily Points.
"Well… We'll have to keep focusing. I'll make an ice-resistant cloak out of this sometime this weekend," Obito sighed as he sent it into his spatial pocket.
~NRK~
The next Gate had been filled with more earth spirits this time.
The glowing golems had been destroyed with his and Jin-Woo's fists and legs, the duo of uncle & nephew breaking them down and destroying them with ease.
"These just have magical cores," Obito muttered as he held one of them before sending it away into his spatial pocket. 'Maybe I can do something with it,' Jin-Woo's [System] gave them useful info.
Half the cores they'd found were non-element-aligned compared to the earth-aligned half, a good find if Obito could figure out what to do with that.
As they found the boss, though, they'd found it to be nothing more than a bigger golem.
The dispatching hadn't taken long but it'd sported some better loot.
{Item: Mid-Level Spirit Core}
{Item Class: B}
{Type: MATERIAL}
{Description: THE CORE OF A STRONG ELEMENTAL OR SPIRIT, IT HAS MANY USES. OBTAINED BY KILLING A MID-TIER ELEMENTAL OR SPIRIT (UNLIKELY DROP)}
"Hmm, it's hopefully good," Obito said with a frown. 'I need to know how to use these kinds of materials,' and that might be hard due to their nature and how such blacksmiths might have amazingly-guarded secrets. 'I'll find out something.'
~NRK~
Leaving that Gate had been met with similar shock at their speed.
"Alright, onto the next!" Jin-Ho declared, offering the magic crystals with a nod to the trio of 'higher-rankers'. "We're making great time! We'll have time to ourselves after this!" He grinned as Obito nodded to him. "A-Any more bits of wisdom, sir?!" He asked, a notepad out and prepared to be filled.
"Nothing this time but I do want to say, Jin-Ho, don't you want to get better at being a Tank?" Obito asked him. "You can't just sit back, you should also focus on your swordwork and shieldplay."
"I-I know, sir, it's just… You three are so amazing and swift. It's hard to keep up."
Joo-Hee blinked, pointing at herself and getting a nod from the D-Rank Tank.
"You may not notice it but you all leave me in the dust sometimes, it's crazy how big that divide is."
"Huh?!" The Healer looked alarmed as Jin-Woo chuckled a bit, much to her pout.
Word to the wise? It only made her look more cute.
~NRK~
Obito looked at their spoils from the last Gate.
Scales from a series of spiny lizard monsters, some large bunches of manes from odd floating horses, and then the boss's egg shell.
Ignoring the others splitting their magic crystals, Obito looked at the mane and scales. "Those horse monsters, those 'Drepees' I think they were called, they were fast. Their fur and mane didn't even move at their level. Curious…"
"Hmm," picking one up and examining it, Jin-Woo grinned. "The [System] says that they're good for wind-resistance," he added as Joo-Hee tilted her head.
"Will that help?" She asked.
"Hopefully, it can help lower the draw on my weapons," Obito explained to her. "Now," he began, pulling out his phone and seeing the last of 3 million Won deposited. "We really just made 9 million Won in under two hours. That's rather incredible."
"I-It's crazy that he's a rich man's son," Joo-Hee pouted, considering her finances. 'W-What should I even do with this?' She'd never considered it before. "I-I might get my apartment painted then," she muttered, Jin-Woo leaning over her shoulder with a raised brow.
"It needs painting?" He asked as she nodded, unaware.
"I-It does, actually, I think the walls just need a fresher color."
Watching the clueless duo's conversation from afar, Obito chuckled as Jin-Ho stared in awe.
~NRK~
Getting home Friday afternoon, Obito was researching things on his laptop on the couch as the others were up and about the apartment.
Gina finished making some coffee for them before coming over and giving him a cup. "You alright, hon?" She asked, her engagement ring on display on her pointer finger.
"Well, the more I look at people's articles, the more curious I get," Obito said, giving her a thumbs-up for the coffee before drinking it without warning. "Mmm… Good coffee," she chuckled before floating around the back of the couch and coming down to sit next to him. "Anything new for you as of late?"
"Mmm, well, I was just observing a lot of monsters this week like you and didn't find much. We informed Hae-In, by the way," she told him as Obito considered it before nodding. "She's been going into B-Rank Gates at an alarming speed, no pun intended, to help find you something."
Obito let out a breath at that, eyes closed as he considered it all. "... I know what I'll do," he said with a hum, coffee in his left hand and his right arm looping around his fiance's waist. "I'm going to cook for the entire guild, Gina. Not a single one of us will be left hungry a couple days after the fight," he declared as his woman laughed into his neck.
"Is that how it works?"
"Oh, definitely."
"Then I'll help out, telekinesis and all that."
"Love you."
"Love you, too."
~NRK~
Saturday was spent making equipment at a rather impressive speed.
With Jin-Woo going with Jin-Ho and Joo-Hee on their Raid Excursions, Obito was left to his devices with a little extra helper in Jin-Ah.
"Whew! Uncle, how do you do it?" She asked, putting down that finished bit of leather padding they'd made. "T-This is killer!" Jin-Ah said in disbelief.
"You're doing well enough," Obito smiled at her as they sat down at a workbench a good bit away from the smithy area. "You're good at understanding the clothing concepts, you know? I'm surprised."
"You always make us clothes and I watch you do it. I don't know, maybe I'd make my own fashion line while being a doctor."
He chuckled as she grinned cheekily.
"I think you'll find an interesting future ahead of you," he explained as they looked at the things they'd made.
The White Cloak Mantle, made from the yetis' fur.
A spiky shield, Stopper-Spike, made from the scales of those spiny lizards.
And a quartet of earthen rings, good for enhancing earth-based magic.
"Hmm," Jin-Ah tried on the rings as Obito felt the leather shoulder pads for the White Cloak Mantle. "We'll have to get bro to 'look into it', huh?"
"Yes, his power gives us a good idea of where these things' power lies," Obito said, looking to the side, at a cage.
One filled to the brim with those low-quality spirit cores.
Obito pulled out a leather-bound book with a frown, looking through it with a thoughtful expression. 'I need to be able to use them,' something within him told him that he was sitting on a gold mine with those things.
He just needed the knowledge to make use of it.
"Hmm, those things are mid on the market, shuushuu," Jin-Ah said, gaining a nod from Obito. "Are you sure you can't just watch someone make something?"
"Sadly, that's not possible. The best blacksmiths' secrets are well-guarded. It's said that they all were Mages or Healers who could feel the flow of magic and use it to make it in the famous names."
"Well, why not just do that?"
"It's kind of a hard task to just assume, Jin-Ah."
"Yeah, like, I get that," she said, putting on all four rings they'd made with a giggle as he chuckled in amusement. "But, well, uncle you're a pretty powerful 'Mage' by definition, aren't you? You have eyes that see spatial power and stuff, your thread's imbued with that same power, and you can cover yourself, and others, in it to good effect, right?"
Obito blinked at her words, considering them intensely. "You do have a point… But the question remains, 'How do I apply that to smithing?'," he told her.
"All high-ranking Mages must have a wicked SENSE stat if we put it into 'bro terms'. If that's going to be the key, won't it?"
He stared at her for a moment before his eyes went to the orbs. 'Is it so simple?' Was he really just thinking too much about a 'method' instead of just using his own skills? "... I'll try it, Jin-Ah, thank you."
She grinned.
Obito retrieved the bigger, about three feet in diameter, spirit core he'd gained.
"... Magical materials are things with different values based on their rarity, the monster they came from, and the potential they have," Obito considered with a hum. "Hunters use these to gain powerful effects and weapons from equipment. Effects are powerful attachments made from concentrating magical energy in a specific pattern," he said out loud, mental vocabulary and known-methods spewing from his lips. "Using magical smiths who have a good sensory ability… Wait, no, something's not right about the first one," Obito's eyes widened.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Jin-Ah said, confused. "I mean, duh, if the item isn't worth it, why would anyone spend time on it, right?"
'No, something about that isn't right,' Obito considered with a curious idea. "No, Jin-Ah, that's not correct," he realized, befuddling her even further. "Did you know that mana crystals didn't have the same value they did now? They used to all be the same to people, of course, we didn't know what they were nor how to harness them," the Mage declared as she gasped. "The thing is, mana crystals had qualities that people didn't recognize until the right skill came along but that's not the only thing. Some people could see or feel different aspects of it."
The orb in his hand began to thrum softly, covered by a powerful blue as Obito's Sharingan burned.
"What aspect does this spiritual core have? What is its attribute? From what we know, these can be aligned to different elements. They're from the base of spirits that live in their surroundings, they're basically the power of the world."
The power of the 'world'.
"[Wrath]?" Obito asked as he and the others worked out. "That's a Skill it used?" He asked, intrigued. 'I'd watched it the whole way.'
Cerberus's doubling aura, its muscles changes, and even the way its magical power had circulated.
He'd tried copying that flow but it sadly didn't work.
He didn't have the odd network of energy that some monsters had and it showed.
"Yeah, it doubled all its stats," Jin-Woo said as they finished their run. "And I never got a Skill Stone for it," he grumbled as Obito ruffled his hair with a smirk.
"Maybe, one day, you'll find one if we keep going up the tower."
"I hope so, it's such an amazing Skill."
The pathways.
The Skills.
Remembering the area's flow and powerful effects.
Obito's energy enveloped the core in its entirety as his Sharingan spun, their iris glowing a powerful hue.
'Imbue every part of it.'
How Cerberus had used it, how the beast's muscles had been lined, Obito's own attempts to do it to his body.
He needed to imprint it all on this magically-adept MONSTER'S CORE.
Jin-Ah's eyes widened as she watched the orb begin to shrink as blue lines curled around its form in a raging flame-like pattern, one that enticed a feeling of powerful rage that all cinched together into a three-bladed pinwheel-like mark on the front.
"S-Shuushuu?" She whispered as Obito's bodily glow intensified and grew into a sphere around him, the feeling flowing around and past her body. 'Is he doing it?' Her eyes widened as that glow began to double up.
It was ridiculous and power-
And then it stopped, leaving the area somehow feeling colder despite its powerful heat from the forge.
And in its wake? Her grinning uncle, the man's hands holding onto a glowing white sphere the size of a softball.
Obito let out a long breath as his body swam in its own sweat, veins popping up around his eyes as they returned to normal and he groaned.
"... Jin-Ah," she jumped at his call, the man's smile relaxing her somewhat. "Thank you, I mean it, you gave me the right idea to reach the next path of my skill set. Seriously, I mean it-I'm buying you that moped you wanted."
"YESSSSSS!"
"Whoa?!" Gina, Jong-In, and Hae-In arrived in the forge, eyes wide and looking around in concern. "H-Hon?! What happene… No fucking way," the American's jaw dropped as she saw the orb in Obito's hands.
And the man's look of accomplishment.
"It seems," he began with a chuckle as Jong-In grinned widely and Hae-In choked. "I've found the road ahead. Welcome to the Wrath Orb, you all," Obito smirked. "It holds a special Skill I observed called [Wrath] that, with my skill level, increases your abilities by 50% for half a minute's time."
~NRK~
Looking at this magnificent bastard in his office was taking away Jong-In's ability to not grin like he'd won the lottery.
Because he'd tried it.
AND IT WORKED!
Gina was just left dumbfounded as Hae-In swallowed, looking excited and yet oh so confused.
"W-What?" She wheezed at Obito's chuckling, the man in a clean set of his workout wear. "H-Hyung, this is amazing!"
"It is but the materials needed aren't exactly easy to come by," Obito said as he released a breath, Jin-Ah smiling on the couch beside Gina and Hae-In. "Mmm," he rolled his shoulder. "And the effort it takes to do it isn't exactly great. I wonder if it's because of the type of Skill or just how I saw it?"
"However it is, you've officially put yourself up into the ranks with the best smiths, you just need to expand your craft, hyung," Jong-In said with a smile as he cupped his chin. "The issue, now, is that you're not sure how this works with other materials, right?"
"That's the experimental part of all of this but I might be able to do those things with more finesse. The spirit cores, the 'blank' ones if you will, hold no abilities like other monster parts. They're 'untouched' and I can change that by imbuing a Skill onto them. With other materials, maybe I can try to change the 'base' effects by remembering the monsters' other abilities," Obito grinned. "Even without it, I might be able to pull out more of the effects, or even just get better at melding different parts together. I've got something and I intend to abuse it."
"I-If that's true, hon," Gina's eyes were calculating ideas. "Then, you might be able to add your own effects, maybe?"
"I… I think I know what you mean but we're not sure. I've just struck gold but I don't know what's a fool's own or real. It'll take time," Obito groaned. "I might need to just run through dungeons and observe the monsters. This now added a whole new responsibility to my life," he sweatdropped.
"It's bound to be good for everyone, hyung," Hae-In grinned as Obito nodded.
"For now, I'm going to keep those orbs in the forge and get some rest for today. God, I think I might need to go and see a magical chiropractor."
~NRK~
Getting home that day had come with two different revelations.
One, Jin-Woo had, apparently, reached a pinnacle in his level and got a [Job Change Quest].
~NRK~
"A 'Job Change'? I'm not fully aware of that mechanic," Obito said as they ate at the dinner table, the man confused.
Jin-Woo smiled as Joo-Hee cupped her chin. "It's like this, imagine an E-Rank Mage going to an A-Rank Mage through a series of quests or hints. It's like that but that 'E-Rank' gets to choose how he becomes that 'A-Rank'. Maybe he'd be a fire-user, water-user, creator of barriers, and so on."
"Ah," that was quite amazing but then… "Wait, what job are you progressing from?"
"That's the weird part. I don't really… Know? It calls me a [Player], right? Maybe it's related?"
"So, pfft," Jin-Ah began to laugh. "You'd become a [PC Player]?" She joked as he wheezed, the others laughing at his 'misfortunate'.
"D-Don't joke about that," he said worriedly. "The point is, this quest, I think I have to do it alone, uncle," Jin-Woo told him. "I'm going to come back and I've got two whole Returning Crystals so I'm pretty good with that."
"Hmm… Then, you should know what I will be doing in the meantime," Obito smiled as Jin-Ah grinned and Gina chuckled knowingly. "Here," he offered Jin-Woo the Wrath Orb, confusing the man for all of two seconds.
His eyes bugged out at the notification in front of him.
"WHAT DID YOU BECOME?!"
That got a round of laughter that usurped the first.
By the end of it, Jin-Woo's utterly dropped jaw was all that remained. "U-Uncle?!"
{Item: Wrath Orb}
{Item Class: A}
{Type: Usable Item}
{+5 INTELLIGENCE}
{A POWERFUL ORB MADE FROM THE REMNANTS OF A SPIRIT BY A POWERFUL MAGICIAN, IT GRANTS THE SKILL OF [WRATH]
-'WRATH': INCREASES STATS BY 50% FOR 30 SECONDS}
This was HUGE.
'That means, with each Skill he records,' each boss monster they'd fight. 'U-Uncle isn't just ridiculous, he's amazing,' beyond any other person.
He was something else and that filled Jin-Woo with pride and excitement.
The three in-the-know explained the situation in its entirety, Joo-Hee's gawking adding on to their amusement.
"S-So, I guess we've got methods to use," Jin-Woo grinned. "And who knows what I'll come back as? I might be able to add more to our side. We can do this-Huh?!" He choked as Obito offered him the object.
"Anything to keep you alive and give you a leg up as well. I won't need this, not now, so I want you to have it," Obito smiled as the other man was touched, taking the valuable item.
"I'm going to do my best."
"I only hope for your success."
~NRK~
The following day, Obito went through his stack of low-level spirit cores.
'I'm assuming the material I use, as well, affects the abilities,' and hopefully the stress. "Alright," Obito said as Jin-Ah grinned beside him. "Let's test out some more."
Using the smaller cores, and knowing the method now, he'd found another discovery.
Looking at the Lite Wrath Orb in his hands, Obito noted the strain's near negligible pull on his body.
"Nice!" Jin-Ah said with a smile as he nodded.
"I know for a fact that this one isn't even close to as powerful as the normal Wrath Orb. I'm assuming that it does depend on material, Jin-Ah."
"Well, ya just gotta get familiar with it, uncle."
And he did. In over an hour, Obito had 'marked' all the low-level cores with his signature before sitting down with a sigh of effort, Jin-Ah playing with one of the items.
"Haa, well, that's all of them," Obito said. "We'll hand these out eventually. For now, let's go and get something to eat," he told his niece who grinned.
"I'm starving! Let's get fried chicken!" Jin-Ah said with a hungry look he laughed at, ruffling her hair as they walked through the doors of the forge with the girl still holding onto her orb. "Hehehe~ Do you think you can do anything else with these orbs, uncle? I mean, they were spirit cores, after all," she said nonchalantly.
And found a frozen Obito as her result, the man's jaws dropping before he wore a look of great realization.
"Jin-Ah, I'm going to get you the best moped on the market," she looked excited but confused. "You just made me realize that, yes, they are spirits. They occupy the elements around them but they can also do so to physical objects," Obito chuckled as she gasped. "Let's hurry and find Gina, I hope this works."
They'd hurried through the Hunters' many buildings to find the telekinetic woman currently prepping to go into a Gate in the field area with many others.
"What's up, hon?" Gina greeted as the two came close. "What's going on?"
"One moment, honey," Obito said, gently taking his Wrath Orb from Jin-Ah and coming in close. "Just an idea."
He held her sash and the orb close together as Gina blushed while looking curious as their foreheads pressed together.
"What's hyung doing?" Ki-Hoon whispered to Cheung and Cheol. "Is this some high-ranked courting ritual?"
Cheung began to giggle like a damn loon and Cheol let out a bark of laughter as Dae blushed in wonder at the idea.
"Hyung? What's going on?" Hae-In asked as she cupped her chin. "Oh, you're attaching that to her sash-"
And, much to Obito's grin, the Wrath Orb began to meld into the American woman's sash, the sight confusing everyone else.
Gina and Hae-In's eyes widened at this discovery, a black embroidery forming along the woman's sash before the orb was completely absorbed, the familiar pinwheel filling up half the sash's length.
"Hahahah," Obito laughed a bit at this one, this idea was magnificent. "It's less effective, you two, but now I know more I can do with these enchanted items."
"W-Whoa?! What'd ya do?!" Cheung asked with a shiny-eyed look.
Gina smirked at the idea. "Hopefully, we'll see if it stays, Obi… But if it does," she grinned as Hae-In grew intrigued beyond reason.
"T-This would be so good!" She said, excited, confusing all their fellow members. "Ah, well, you all probably didn't know yet but Obito's been working on creating magical equipment."
Jaws dropped as others looked suddenly giddy at the idea.
"I recently made two huge breakthroughs, one of which you all just saw," Obito smirked. "With this, I'm getting a real hang of making enchanted things. Likely, my next goal is to have Gina see how this fares while I try to enchant a weapon next."
"HYUNG!" The whole group cheered.
Jin-Ah laughed.
~NRK~
He slammed his fist into that red knight's, Igris's, own.
The attacks ruptured the ground between them before Jin-Woo recovered with a flip, landing before he vanished from his spot to dodge a kick.
Skirting around the destruction that tall, thin, yet powerful knight had wrought, he released a breath before wiping his chin.
'I've got my High Knight's Gauntlets to protect my hands but I'm not winning these exchanges, Igris recovers faster than me,' even if Jin-Woo felt like he wasn't that far behind the red knight. 'The longer this goes on, though, I'm going to lose…' His eyes narrowed.
He reached into his [Inventory] and brought out the Wrath Orb.
"Thanks, shuushuu," Jin-Woo glared as the orbs glowed a powerful blue. "[Wrath]."
The change was instantaneous, the Reawakened man's eyes widening as his [Status] popped up.
Jin-Woo grinned a wicked grin at his stats being in the hundreds. 'It only affects my base stats without additions' but dammit if this wasn't amazing!
And then he vanished from Igris's sight, the red knight's eyes narrowing before he reached out for his greatsword, the weapon plunged into the ground by an empty throne beginning to shift towards him-
And was tossed aside by the powerful fists of the Hunter, the young man's body vanishing from sight again before the monster was attacked from all sides by blunt blows that crumpled his armor and sent him into craters over and over again.
By the end of thirty seconds, the knight's body quaked on its feet as Jin-Woo looked at his MP.
"It takes a third?" To be fair, for the kind of power he'd just been given?
Damn the consequences.
"But it's also got a cooldown," which was fair and was only five minutes. "Now," he glared at Igris as his body glowed a wicked blue hue. "You're a tough bastard to still be standing even now… But NOW we're on an even playing field, IGRIS."
~NRK~
Eating at a local chicken place outside of the Hunters Guild, Obito raised a brow at the man who'd sat in front of him with a tray stacked high with chicken sandwiches.
"Jin-Chul?" Obito asked as the Monitoring Division inspector nodded, his stack of food not bothering Obito in the least. "... Let me guess, something happened but it's not with Jin-Woo, I'd know."
'You would, wouldn't you?' That odd sixth sense this man had for his family members, and now-fiance, was utterly baffling but the man couldn't say it was a problem.
No… It might very well be what kept things to a minimum.
"I don't know if Jin-Woo told you about… About what happened a bit ago."
Obito was thankful Jin-Ah had seen a friend, a girl he remembered from Jin-Ho's raids, and went to talk to her.
"You mean about Huang Dong-Su's eventual arrival, yes?"
Jin-Chul wasn't surprised, just tired as Obito shot the man a look of sympathy.
"I can't imagine what it's like for you to know he's coming here in some time-" Obito began.
"A week," Jin-Chul said, getting wide eyes from the Mage. "Huang Dong-Su will arrive in a week's time on the next Monday," he revealed. "This is not an offense to you, Obito Uchiha, but surely you will take Sung Jin-Woo and your loved ones elsewhere-"
"Jin-Chul, I'm glad for your concern," Obito said, interrupting the surprised man this time. "But I've long since finalized what I will do when that muscle head comes stalking around for my precious ones," he declared softly as his eyes burned a powerful red.
Jin-Chul felt it and felt his eyes narrow. 'His aura is rising,' so, was he above C-Rank in Magic Power and skill? "You can't be serious, are you that confident in Hunter Sung Jin-Woo?"
"You're not right about one thing… I'm fighting Huang Dong-Su."
The air between them was quiet as the other man grimaced with a pained expression. "Are you serious? You will die."
"Do you honestly believe that Dong-Su would stop if it was to avenge his brother? If he misses us once, Jin-Chul, he will come again, and again, and again. I'm not uplifting my family's livelihood for one dumb bastard's sense of revenge. Either he dies or we both will. I'll guarantee you that much."
Jin-Chul shot him a pitying look before letting out a damning sigh and beginning to eat his burgers as Jin-Ah came back.
"Hehe~ She says you guys went raiding," Jin-Ah giggled as Obito smiled at her.
"I did, she's been making a decent living for herself despite being so young though, in truth, I don't believe that's as hard as it is," Obito admitted as his niece nodded rapidly. "Alright, have you had enough chicken carnage or can we leave-?"
"L-Let me get a sandwich and I'll be right back!" She ran to the line and Obito's mouth dropped a bit as Jin-Chul let out a sardonic snort.
"She's growing well," he said.
"Bite me."
~NRK~
A week? So, he had that much time to prepare for a fight that'd be the hardest he'd ever had in this second life.
Informing Jong-In, Hae-In, and Gina of the situation after they came back, he threw himself back into his efforts as the day came to an end and turned to Monday.
~NRK~
Dropping Jin-Ah at school had come with a small surprise.
"Right, the teacher conference," Obito noted with a nod to his niece. "I promise I'll come, heh, maybe I'll bring your brother to embarrass you," he smirked in amusement at her pale-faced horror. "We'll see what happens later today, Jin-Ah."
"Please be a joke!" She yelped as she ran into school.
He shrugged in his workout clothes before running back home.
Arriving in five minutes, he blinked at the tired-looking Jin-Woo by the door, the man shooting him a funny grin before falling asleep on his feet.
Obito rolled his eyes with a chuckle.
~NRK~
"UWAH?!" Jin-Woo stuttered awake with messy hair, crumpled clothes, and a groan, the young man sitting up from the couch. "M-Mmm?! W-Where am I?"
"Home," Obito chuckled as he finished making some rice porridge. "You hungry?"
The roar of his stomach couldn't be underestimated.
Rightfully so for, in a mere ten minutes, Jin-Woo sheepishly grinned after emptying over 90% of the pot.
Obito was just amused. "I'm guessing things went well?" He asked with a close-eyed chuckle as the younger man nodded and pulled up his screen. "I wonder wha-" Obito began to say, eyes cracking open to look his embarrassed nephew in the eyes.
And blinked at a hazy-looking screen in front of him.
Obito's jaw dropped as Jin-Woo grinned and made to reveal his Class.
"Um, Woo, hold on?" He said, confusing the [Player].
"Yeah, shuushuu?"
"Um… Your Class wouldn't happen to be 'Shadow Lord', right?" Obito asked nervously, eyes looking directly at the transparent power, the other man choking on his breath as he looked back at his screen and then Obito.
"Y-You can see it?!" He asked, utterly floored. "Uncle?!"
"I don't know? This has never been a thing over the past month or so, it's always been invisible to me…" Obito blinked thrice as something hit him. "Before I figured out how to apply [Skills] to… Oh," he realized, getting a surprised Jin-Woo for his troubles.
"Did you delve into the system accidentally? Is that it?" Jin-Woo wondered, leaning back in his seat in thought. "I mean, I did think it was weird, ya know? No person has ever used [Wrath] before, it's not something that's happened. There are other Skills for Classes, sure, but no Hunter has that one Skill. That one's more aligned with my power's creation abilities… So you copying it must mean that it might 'accept' you as part of the whole thing?" He said unsurely.
"Hmm… All we know, for now, is that it's not fully-clear to me, Woo, that's all I can say," Obito looked at the clock. "And I should hurry, we've got an hour before Jin-Ah's conference."
"Oh, crap, that's today?!" Jin-Woo stumbled out of his seat before grunting. "Crap!" He ran into the home with a curse.
Obito just smiled.
~NRK~
He tugged on his long-sleeved dark blue dress shirt's cuffs, wearing his black slacks, red tie, black vest, and brown dress shoes, Obito slicked back his hair a bit as he and Jin-Woo moved into the school yard with the eyes of the leaving students stuck on them.
"Maybe we did too much," Obito considered as Jin-Woo shrugged.
"We have to look good for the conference," he said, adjusting his watch.
Wearing a dark gray dress shirt with rolled-up sleeves, black slacks, brown loafers, and now-neatly combed black hair, Jin-Woo looked around with a nostalgic smile.
"This all feels like it's been way too long ago," he chuckled as Obito smiled.
The female student body swooned as they walked.
"Professors?! Are we receiving those?"
"I-I think remember someone like that going here? I-I don't know!"
"A-Are they members of BTS?"
More of such things passed by their ears, confusing the two.
'Those are some weird words,' they thought in unison before finding a familiar young woman rushing up to meet them.
"Uncle? Bro?" Jin-Ah blinked, confused, hair up in a ponytail as she wore her school uniform. "... Wow, I didn't think that Jin-Woo could change this much," she smirked knowingly as her brother rolled his eyes and pinched her nose. "Rruuude!"
He chuckled as he released her, Obito smiling as they continued on. "I see, going to stay this time?"
Jin-Ah covered her nose with a grin. "I've grown wiser, and smarter, to these things. I'm basically a shoe-in for good grades," she declared as Jin-Woo's eyes settled on her covered nose. "Y-You wouldn'!"
He grinned as she paled.
~NRK~
Reaching the teacher's office, the three sat down in front of the smiling mature woman who'd nodded to them.
"Mr. Uchiha, Ms. Sung, and… I don't remember you, sir? Are you their relative?" She asked Jin-Woo who smiled nervously.
"I used to go here but we never met," he told her, surprising the teacher before she nodded with another smile.
"Hmm, well, I'm glad Jin-Ah has such supportive family members," the teacher smiled. "Well, to begin, you'll be happy to know that Jin-Ah has been nothing but a model student," she praised the grinning young woman. "Good grades, a helpful nature, and a humorous wit make her well-liked and known."
Obito smiled at that as Jin-Woo sweatdropped as he remembered his own school life.
'Why is she so much better than I was?' It wasn't fair! He'd already been scrawny and weak-looking, dammit!
Don't take his intelligence from him!
"Yes, it's been a while since we've had such a well-read, and focused, student. To the point that, well," the woman smiled brightly as the three blinked. "She's already gotten a scholarship from a well-known medical school."
"I did?!" Jin-Ah grinned. "YES!"
"Damn, good work," her brother said in awe with a smile, chuckling as Obito nodded to them both.
"Yes, she's clearly focused on her future and doesn't seem to be bothered by anything else," the woman smiled as the group nodded. "... Mr. Uchiha, Mr. Sung, it's been some time but people have heard good things about you two and your Hunter life. You're both well-known in some circles and promote the top of your Ranks."
"... Yes?" Obito said, confused as Jin-Woo tilted his head. "I'm confused, ma'am, what about that gained your attention?"
"Well, if Jin-Ah were to Awaken, would you think of Hunter life as an option for her?"
The three were floored by that question, the three looking between one another and then back to the teacher.
"I…" Jin-Woo didn't like the idea.
He knew how dangerous these Gates were, how life-threatening the world of Hunters was.
Hell, his uncle was destined to fight one eventually! The STRONGEST from Korea!
So, he could be forgiven for not being all about it… But… But on the other hand…
'I grew up a lot from this life,' not just the danger, not just his uncle's lessons.
But from his own understanding of the world shifting as he reached newer heights and knowledge. He found different aspects of his life…
Was it wrong to say he didn't feel embarrassed by crying and hugging his uncle?
So many parts.
"I will never cast judgment upon you for that, I've done the same thing and killed more people than I hope you ever have to. I believe in you and your sister's choices no matter what even if I'm confused sometimes. So, I understand and I trust you. Just don't let killing rule your life, I had to spend a long time figuring that out, myself."
And some parts… S-Some parts he wasn't sure about… yet.
"Hmph, I should put my points into AGILITY this time," Jin-Woo muttered even as he looked to the side at the bright-red Joo-Hee. 'Dammit, she touched me a-and I'm freaking out!' He thought, 'Mental Jin-Woo' losing his freaking mind right now. "H-Hey, it was an accident, don't worry about it."
"R-Right!" She squeaked and he found it cute but also found that it clashed with his own embarrassment.
Obito considered it. "... I wouldn't ever want to push her into this life, that's not fair to her nor is it right," he said. "I'd aid her for her entire tenure if that day came but, at the same time, I'm going to support her either way. It's her future to make, not mine, I'm just there to hopefully guide them well."
The woman smiled softly at that as Jin-Ah looked at her with a determined expression.
"I wanna help people, maybe even solve the Eternal Slumber, ma'am," Jin-Ah said as her brother and uncle smiled. "If the day came where I Awakened, I'd hope it's something towards that goal and help me above all else!"
And so it was written.
Jin-Ah's eyes widened as she glowed an unnatural pale-green hue.
So it shall be.
The glow died down but the room got quiet.
Jin-Woo's jaw dropped.
Obito let out a weak breath.
And her teacher gasped.
"... Oh… No…." Jin-Ah said weakly as she mechanically turned to her family. "Um… Guys? Help?"
"FUCK," both men groaned as one, sliding in their seats in unison. "We… Didn't see THAT coming," Obito & Jin-Woo said in unison with another groan.
"Um, well… I-I think I'm a Healer," Jin-Ah said, surprising the room. "... I-I guess this is perfect!" She said, seeing the silver lining. "What if I have a super-strong healing skill?!"
"Oh, dear," her teacher said before considering everything. "Well… You all seem like you understand your situation. So, I know this is rather awkward, but could you help out her friend?"
"Huh? Who? Song-Yi?" Obito asked, shocking Jin-Woo.
"Wait, she's friends with that girl?" He asked, surprised as Obito nodded.
"We met her recently. From Jin-Ah's words, she's like you," Jin-Woo's eyes widened. "An E-Rank Hunter, Woo."
Jin-Woo felt that sink in for a moment before he corrected his posture and wore a focused look.
"What does she need help with?" He asked as Jin-Ah nodded.
"Is she alright?" The girl asked, worried.
"The reason I brought it up is because she's been skipping school, ever since it'd been declared she'd Awakened," the woman sighed sadly. "It's been going on for quite some time and, soon enough… The school will have to expel her if nothing is done. Could you two, please, try and convince her?"
"We will!" Jin-Ah declared with fire in her eyes, both her male family members sweatdropping at her intensity. "Yi's my best friend, she might just need a talking to."
"Well, I suppose it'd be a good time to impress upon the youth," Obito said with a nod, sitting up before noticing Jin-Woo's shake of the head. "... Ah, you want to do it?" He smiled knowingly.
"Uncle, you've got skills to work on, please, I know where this girl is coming from," Jin-Woo said, surprising Obito a good bit before the man chuckled proudly. "?" He raised a brow before shrugging. "Ma'am, I'm an E-Rank Hunter, you know, I can see where this might be going… What that girl needs, Jin-Ah, is a wake-up call."
"What kind?" His sister asked as he cupped his chin.
"Shuushuu, do you know if any of the major guilds are doing any excursions that'd include people who are trying out?"
"Let's see," Obito considered the idea. "I know the Hunters aren't, we did just receive a bunch of people but from some talk with Jong-In, the White Tigers are going to have an excursion in a couple of days. You might be able to get an 'in' if we talk to Yoon-Ho."
Jin-Woo hummed before smirking. "No… In fact, I have just the lead I need for that," he chuckled ominously, getting a nervous grin out of his sister. "Jin-Ah, I guess you'll also get the kind of shock I needed when I was around your level."
"Y-Yay?" She said nervously. "Oh man, this is gonna be cool and it's gonna suck, isn't it?"
"Oh, definitely."
~NRK~
In a far off land's airport, a large hulking man of tall stature frowned as he waited for his plane, a pair of papers in his hands.
'He's that little bastard's uncle,' that odd Mage from two years ago. 'I need to find these two… Or, maybe,' his eyes narrowed behind his shades as he locked onto Obito's profile. "I'll squeeze the answers out of you, trash, and then I'll get my real prize."
~NRK~
After leaving Jin-Ah's school, Obito took the two to a small park where they could sit and chat.
Speak, at length, about important matters.
"I don't think it's a good idea to have Jin-Ah's Rank checked until a week from now," Obito said to the two, confusing the siblings. "... Jin-Ah, I've tried to keep this event away from you, for the sake of you not worrying about it," she immediately looked worried. "... On Monday next week, I'm most likely going to be doing combat with the S-Rank, Huang Dong-Su."
"A-A-An S-Rank!?"
"Next WEEK?!"
Jin-Ah and Jin-Woo looked at him in alarm, horrified by both the situation and timeframe.
Obito nodded to the two, sitting between them. "The thing is, I spoke with Jin-Chul recently," Jin-Ah paled. "Yes, Ahn, it was that same day we made those discoveries. He came by to eat and I guess found me by luck," he explained as Jin-Woo's eyes narrowed. "He told me about this situation, apparently, a trap his older brother got involved with left him not for this world and Jin-Woo was there, at the time, with Joo-Hee and escaped by the skin of his teeth."
"H-He thinks bro…" Jin-Ah looked pale as Jin-Woo grimaced.
'I'm causing trouble for them,' he thought before Obito's arms brought both siblings in for a hug.
"No matter what, none of you are causing trouble, I will never think so," he said as Jin-Woo flinched before looking down as Jin-Ah gripped his top for dear life. "I'm not going to back down from some thug of a man who thinks he can barge in wherever he wants because of his Rank. No, I've been studying him, his equipment, ridiculous strength, and his tendencies/battle style. You know about the new creations we've made, Jin-Ah, that's not just for show. It's to prepare for that fight."
She swallowed, still looking worried.
"... I'm not sure if you noticed or not," he continued, smiling for the confused girl. "Did you notice that gold ring on Gina's finger?"
"Y-Yeah? I thought it was some kinda accessory… WAIT," her jaw dropped as Obito grinned.
"I'm sure she's going to want you, Joo-Hee, and Hae-In as her bridesmaids," he chuckled before nodding to Jin-Woo. "Woo and Jong-In are going to be my best men and ring-bearers."
"NO WAY!"
"Yes, so, I have more reasons than ever to push through, conquer this trial, and then try for a baby."
Jaws had officially hit the dirt as Obito chuckled embarrassedly.
"We'll be attempting in a month."
They immediately looked disgusted.
~NRK~
The next day actually found all the usual individuals in a distant park from their home, wearing matching black muscle shirts, dark blue shorts, and running shoes.
With a new addition being their 'to-help' E-Rank.
Han Song-Yi.
She was around Jin-Ah's height, so maybe a foot shorter than the men, while sport fair skin, black eyes, and black hair in a ponytail held in place by her baseball cap.
Wearing a big light blue hoodie, a long black shirt that came down to her thighs, gray tights, and black sneakers, she shot the group a confused look as they all stretched.
'What's this all about?' She wondered, watching them all stretch with ease while she struggled a good bit. "D-Dammit, you guys must have done this for… A-A bit!" Song-Yi wheezed as she felt something twinge in her lower back. "O-Ohhhh…"
"Easy there," Jin-Ah said, able to fully bring her torso down against the ground while keeping her legs spread. "It's all about practice and, honestly, I think stretches suck," she admitted as they finished by coming back up.
"Alright," Obito said as they all got up, Song-Yi with some difficulty. "Now, usually, we're doing runs, push-ups, and squats but for our newest addition, let's focus on something more practical. Ms. Han?"
"Y-Yeah?" The girl asked, looking up at these well-muscled MEN. 'I-I'm not checking them out!' Song-Yi burned as Jin-Woo wiped his chin as Obito stretched his powerful biceps behind his head.
Good God, these two could kill her with looks alone!
"I'd ask, what exactly do you specialize in?"
"Huh?"
"Weapons, spells, long-range," Gina listed off, the generously-figured woman gaining Yi's silent jealousy. "You're E-Rank, sure, but even Woo had some idea about what kind of style he'd run with. What about you?"
"O-Oh, um…" Song-Yi considered her answer before nodding. "Since we're doing something tomorrow, I had enough time to grab a shortsword from the Hunter Auctions for cheap. I got one for 1,000,000 Won. I can keep fighting with it until-"
"It wears down and you're either going to try and buy another one or fight with your bare hands," Jin-Woo said, getting a soft frown out of her. "Look, I'm not going to lie to you, alright? You're in for some shit if you can't focus on more frugal means or actually pick up a sturdier weapon," it'd been something he'd been thinking about since accepting this responsibility.
What could actually help Song-Yi outside of a scare? Well, first things first?
Frugality/Dedication to preservation.
"Right now, let me ask you," he continued. "Have you ever used a sword before? Song-Yi?"
"F-For a little bit," she admitted bashfully. "I was copying this one-armed guy I raided with, once."
"Mr. Song?" He said, surprising her.
"Y-You know him?! I heard he trains people and I wanted to ask him but I haven't seen him in a while."
Okay, he now had some options.
"If you're looking for Mr. Song," Joo-Hee hummed. "I have to ask, do you live near here?" She asked.
"I-I'm closer to my school but, maybe?"
"Then, you might need to make a big walk to get to Mr. Song."
Song-Yi looked nervous before swallowing it down and looking resolute. "I-I can buy an apartment near him and just keep going for training."
"Stop wasting your money," Jin-Woo said as she grimaced. "You're not thinking straight, you need to conserve your funds and try to make a living if you're trying to live this life," he explained. "... Look, Song Chi-Yul is an honorable man and he thinks he owes me something," he rubbed the back of his head as Joo-Hee wore a soft look he looked away from. "I'll ask him if he's fine with training you for free but you have to do so within your means. You're E-Rank, you can't just power-through everything and need to get better in body, mind, and will."
"Will?" Song-Yi frowned. "What does that mean?"
"Your grit, kid," Gina explained.
"You've never faced a serious threat before," Obito said as she hissed.
"I-I've fought those giant wolves, alright?! I've fought some scary shit!" She growled.
"No, you haven't," he shot back as she kissed her teeth. "... Let's put it this way," Obito tried again as she crossed her arms. "What is your goal as a Hunter, Ms. Han?"
"... I wanna make a living off it and live my life."
"So, how will you do that?"
"Duh? Go raiding?"
"What Rank?" Obito asked her, startling her. "What exactly do you think will allow this comfy life you want to live? Do you understand that you're Rank will deter others from working with you, you'll be viewed as weak, you'll have to show you're reliable to even get close to confidently be doing even D-Rank raids."
"And unless you're literally, basically, leading the party? You're not going to get the amount of money for that kind of lifestyle," Jin-Woo finished. "Listen, when we say you haven't faced anything yet, we're not taking you lightly, it's the other way around," Song-Yi's eyes widened. "Did you know? You can enter a D-Rank Gate all on your own if you're sneaky enough. Anyone who can do crazy crap like that can make more than enough money… If they could clear it by themselves."
"..." She grit her teeth.
"Mmm… Alright," he pulled something out of his [Inventory] before throwing it at her, the girl stumbling as she caught the sheathed weapon. "That should be far better than whatever you can barely come up with," Jin-Woo said as he crossed his arms.
Looking down at the ornate, if not dull gray, longsword she'd gotten from him, Song-Yi swallowed as she tried to unsheathe it.
It took a small bit, what with the weapon being longer than she was used to but she got it out and quickly held it in both hands with only a small grunt.
'She wasn't lying,' Gina, Obito, and Jin-Woo thought.
She'd clearly wielded a sword before, at least for a bit to know how to adjust to its weight.
"Hmm… Jin-Ah," Jin-Woo said as he pulled out a greatsword and shield before handing them to her, the young woman's eyes widening as she held them before noting their combined weight with a bit more surprise.
"Huh," she hefted it, moving it around in her hands with ease. "D-Dude, these aren't so bad!"
"Of course, with your change, your body grew stronger, too," Obito said as Gina and Joo-Hee looked confused. "You three didn't know it but Jin-Ah, as of yesterday, Awakened."
"HUH?!" Song-Yi, Gina, and Joo-Hee yelled.
Gina was startled, looking at the blushing schoolgirl before wearing a knowing smile. "I'm sure they spoke to you about it, I don't doubt that, so… I guess you've made your decision?"
"I want to be both," Jin-Ah said, surprising her and Joo-Hee who understood what she meant. "A-Actually, Joo-Hee-noona… I'm Healer," she admitted with an embarrassed grin that got a small jump from the carrot top.
"S-Seriously?!" The B-Rank Healer didn't expect that but, really, that's what Jin-Ah had wished for if this had ever happened. "Actually, well, do you have anything besides the regular healing spell?"
"Actually, yeah! I got another spell besides the healing one. It's some kinda weird thing, I've got a spell that allows me to boost someone's magical awareness, their SENSE if ya get my drift," she explained.
"That's actually pretty unusual," Gina cupped her chin as Obito nodded. "Hmm… You might actually be pretty unique, Ahn, I've never heard of such a skill before."
"It's true," Joo-Hee said, surprised. "That's incredible, Ahn," she smiled at the bashful younger woman.
Song-Yi found the many words of encouragement surprising if not a bit annoying. "Tsk," she kissed her teeth before finding Jin-Woo in front of her.
"Stop worrying about that kind of stuff," he told her, alarming the girl before she looked away from him. 'God, it is like looking at my past self,' Jin-Woo thought.
Song-Yi found a hand patting her head, eyes looking up involuntarily at the nostalgic eyes of the Reawakened man.
"Stop worrying about the progress of others so much you forget what you can do. It's important to understand that."
She blinked at that before watching as the man walked back over to his sister. Jin-Ah looked at her with an encouraging smile as she adjusted her grip.
"Your goal is to try and defeat these two guys," Jin-Woo said as he jumped back before raising his arms at his sides with a single command.
"Arise."
The command was both soft and yet intense, the shadow at his feet expanding out at his sides before a pair of beings formed.
Shadowy knights that stood at a tall eight feet.
Gina's eyes blinked thrice before her mouth opened to say anything only for her to decide against it.
"You know what? I don't care, keep it going, Shadow Lord," she said.
"Oh, uncle told you?"
"Told me what?"
Jin-Woo was officially amused by her confusion as Obito chuckled.
"That title is a bit more literal than you think," he said as everyone else gawked at the 'E-Rank' Hunter. "So, this is how it works, nephew?"
"I have stronger Shadows," Jin-Woo said as Jin-Ah swallowed before growing determined. "Don't worry, you won't be fighting Igris, no, he'd utterly wreck you and not even look excited about it," he smirked as she grew nervous. "... Ya know what? IGRIS!"
The call caused a larger shadow to appear in front of the young man, one that held a greater power than, seemingly, even Jin-Woo himself.
The ten-foot-tall thin knight that came out was more stylized and unique compared to his fellow knight brethren. Bearing sleeker-looking platemail armor, a cape of black energy, a long helmet with even longer thin plumage atop it, the cross-shaped seeing hole in it allowed a pair of purple eyes to peek through.
Igris stood at his full height before observing those around with interest before landing on Obito's form.
And noted the man with narrowed eyes of challenge, a spectral greatsword forming in his right hand as Jin-Woo raised a brow at him.
"Easy, Igris, that's literally my uncle," he said, surprising the Shadow who rubbed the back of his head. "Crazy as it sounds, I'm pretty sure they all have some kind of personalities," he told the others as Gina observed the Shadow with interest.
"How strong is this one? I can feel the energy of those Shadows of yours and this guy seems like he's an utter monster even compared to you," she said in surprise as Jin-Woo nodded.
"I needed uncle's Wrath Orb to win that fight, trust me, Igris is easily an elite A-Rank Hunter's paygrade."
That explained it. "Interesting… I wonder if I could take a shot at this guy," she said as Igris perked up, getting an amused grin out of the military woman. "I mean, I don't have my usual equipment, shadow man, but I've got a decent defense without them."
Her body glowed a soft red hue as Igris crouched in interest, blade plunged into the ground as he cracked his shadowy knuckles.
"If you're sure, noona," Jin-Woo said.
"Yeah… Actually," Gina turned to Jin-Ah. "Ahn, hit me with your weird buff, alright?"
"Oh, right!" The youngest Sung realized as she hurried over, arms glowing green. "Like… This!"
She spun her blade and it formed a circle of energy that soon sprouted an emblem.
It covered Gina in its effects even as the A-Rank Mage raised a brow at the grinning girl.
"Wait, Ahn, how did you just use your weapon to do that?" Joo-Hee asked, utterly confused.
"... Um," Jin-Ah looked sheepish. "I just felt like it was right. I've seen you use your healing spells before and they're always sprouting some weird emblem, right? So, I figured, that's how it works and my arms just went with the flow!"
"Hmm," Obito was curious. "... I'm going to make you a blade, if you stick with your greatsword," he elaborated. "That can be used as a better casting tool. Actually, maybe I should just make it your shield… Ah, of course," he walked over while he pulled a Lite Wrath Orb out of his personal spatial pocket. "One moment."
"This is so cool!" Jin-Ah grinned as Song-Yi gawked at Obito enhancing the other girl's shield, the outer-rim of the defensive equipment turning black. "YES!"
"So, that's how it works," Jin-Woo said with interest. "Or is it due to the material?"
"That latter. Remember, they're spirit cores," Obito explained and the younger man looked suddenly pensive. "That's why Jong-In recently made a bulk order for those lower-level ones while I'm looking through the auctions for a higher-quality core. Crazily enough, people see those ones' value but not the smaller ones."
"Hopefully I can find something soon," Jin-Woo had come to a decision. 'I have two Hearthstones now, I can be a bit lenient with entering the [Demon Castle].'
He had the chance to help and level-up, he had to take it.
"Alright, Igris, buddy," Gina slapped her fist into her palm. "Let's have a friendly spar."
"Igris, a spar's not a crazy life-or-death fight, just so you're aware," Jin-Woo said with a flat expression at his Shadow's eager body language. 'Do I need to give them lessons?' He was worried about that.
He could hold onto 40 Shadows, already, at the moment. He was bound to gain more as he leveled INTELLIGENCE but now he worried about an international incident.
"It's interesting," Gina said as Obito walked with her to a far-away spot, Igris following along as Jin-Woo took Jin-Ah and Song-Yi through their spar with Joo-Hee at his side. "Jin-Ah's spell gives me a sort of enhanced sixth sense, hon. It's like I can just switch vision to a world of magic and see how it flows from everything around me."
"Really?" Obito was intrigued by that. "I think you'll find something interesting if she keeps working on it and gets better levels to the spell," he smiled as she nodded before the three came to a stop. "Alright, you're going to use your highest-level of reinforcement, right?"
"Yep."
The woman's red glow began to shimmer off her form as she took a military-standard karate stance.
"I'm ready."
"Then, I'll be the referee," Obito said, moving between the two. "The spar will start at my call," he said, Igris nodding as Gina widened her stance. "Ready… Set…" He continued. "... START!"
The two sides lunged at one another before Gina was bending out of the way of Igris's fist, the punch cratering the ground behind her.
'It's got speed and power!' She thought, already flipping back over the Shadow's backhand swing. 'And if that's armor for real,' Gina thought as she landed before lunging in and swerving out of the returning fist. "It's tough!"
Her fist found its side, body turning into the blow as Igris was taken off his feet and blown away before he recovered meters away and ran at Gina with a fist aimed towards her head.
Her body moved back at unnatural speeds, dodging the attack with an ephemeral glow in her eyes as she danced back while Igris gave chase.
Telekinesis-based reinforcement, a skill she'd made by copying Obito's own skill set.
Her mind moved far faster than her body, most minds did, but hers was well-suited for a sedentary mage who used their magic more than their body.
Which meant she had a reaction speed that could be applied.
She cartwheeled to the side as Igris's next uppercut missed, the air dragging behind the blow.
Landing, her hands' glow thickened before he jumped back from a series of projectile rocks from below, the Shadow's form moving like a, no pun intended, phantom.
As he circled her, though, the woman's senses followed him acutely, actually rather easily, too.
'Jin-Ah's buff,' was it so powerful? Or did her affinity for sensing make it more potent? 'I don't know but right now I feel like-!'
She leaned back from Igris's accelerating punch before swinging her legs up to lock around his neck, grinning expression coming into view as she held out her hands towards his face.
'I can see you just fine!'
Compact and release!
The telekinetic blow sent the tall knight flying back out of her leg lock, the woman landing on her feet as Igris was sent tumbling and throwing up dust clouds before he recovered with a running start.
Gina stepped in as he appeared in front of her, arms looping around his offending arm before twisting and bringing the Shadow down into the ground with another burst of telekinetic power.
The ground cratered beneath him before the knight was swung back around into the ground once more from her bursts of enhanced strength.
Gina disengaged not a moment later, the knight's slicing foot barely missing her side as she did.
She let out a breath as Igris kipped up onto his feet.
They locked gazes.
And then they fought.
"Noona really is what an Elite A-Rank looks like," Jin-Woo said to Joo-Hee as she nodded, looking awed as the woman moved in and out of Igris's blows with nearly hair-breadth timing, the Mage countering with empowered blows that stunned or even knocked the Shadow back before they were fighting again. "Igris is not only fast and strong but his armor's no joke, he's more than capable of taking powerful blows and shrugging them off."
Was her telekinesis so strong?
"Actually, noona had told me she had several ideas from Obito-oppa," Joo-Hee said, surprising him.
"Really? Which… Oh, she's cloaking herself in her telekinetic power, right?"
"Yep! She can enhance her speed, power, and durability by doing that through focused reinforcement. By using her body as a medium, kind of, she can channel her powers for more physical things. And with her spells, she's actually gotten a better idea of how to apply them."
And as if to prove that point, Jin-Woo blinked as she put a spasming purple aura over Igris that didn't seem to bother the knight… Until he stumbled at the oddest moments, giving the Mage woman the chance to push-kick him in the face.
"An entangling spell?" He asked.
"A binding spell," Joo-Hee corrected, getting a cupped chin out of the [Player]. "She used to use it more like actual bindings and that helps in certain situations but she made it more broad to give her more physical superiority."
Watching the 'two elites' go at it almost made him forget their 'lower-rankers', Jin-Woo turning around to see Jin-Ah batting aside a punch of the unarmed knight before raising her shield.
"[WRATH]!" She called out and her body thrummed with the increase. 'T-That's crazy!' Or was it just that she couldn't tell the difference before?
She pushed forward with her defense before knocking her opponent down.
'Oh?' Well, well, well, years of training were settling in.
More surprising still, had she gained some kind of ridiculous strength buff even as a Healer? Jin-Woo was sure those High Knight's Greatswords weren't light.
"... Wait," his eyes squinted at something… Curious. "There's no way."
"What?" Joo-Hee asked, looking at the battling girls as well. "Is something wrong?"
"I… Joo-Hee, remind me, Healers don't have passive healing on their bodies, right?"
"What?"
It was true. Likely, at this very moment, each muscle tear Jin-Ah had was being healed by her own magic.
As she kept going, the girl huffed a bit before attacking again as Jin-Woo remembered what he and Joo-Hee had just talked about Gina doing.
"Wait, Joo-Hee, was Jin-Ah there for your conversation with Gina-noona?"
"Oh, yeah, she had so many questions about it because she was also giving her some tips on the body."
There you go, Jin-Woo realized that his sister might have been a genius because this was outstanding.
His family was FULL of amazing people.
He grinned at the thought as Joo-Hee blushed but smiled for him regardless, getting a blush and turn of the head from the man.
'Nope, still not strong enough against that,' he thought weakly.
Their spars, fights, and exercise came to an end five minutes later.
Gina's back flat against the ground with Igris in a similar position.
Song-Yi face down against the ground with twitching fingers.
And Jin-Ah standing triumphantly over her on-his-rear Shadow opponent while looking tired as all hell.
"You both did amazingly well," Jin-Woo said with a chuckle to the girls as Obito helped Gina and Igris up in the background. "Jin-Ah, we're definitely going to have words," he smirked as his sister giggled embarrassedly. "Song-Yi, you showed that you must have been watching Mr. Song for a while."
The other girl blushed at that looking off to the side with an innocent whistle. "See? I'm strong," she muttered.
"With a borrowed weapon of higher quality, a good partner with healing magic," Jin-Woo ticked his fingers off slowly as her brow ticked. "Enemies who aren't armed, out to kill, or even that high of a danger level. These guys are D-Rank at best, you've got a long way to go, kid, but you're still impressive. That said, you need to make sure to think of a back-up plan."
"I'm not going back to school."
"W-Why not?" Jin-Ah wiped her chin of sweat, Song-Yi shooting her a look of envy. "I-I mean, it'll be tough, but I'm going to be a Hunter and a doctor, Yi!" She told her.
And utterly shattered the other girl's worldview. "W-Wait, what?! What do you mean you're going to do both?"
"Well, I've wanted to be a doctor for a long time," her friend said, holding out her hand to the still shocked Song-Yi.
Allowing her to help her up, the cap-wearer was just confused before a feeling welled in her stomach.
"Y-You've got amazing powers, family, and equipment, why would you… Y-You can make way more money by just being a Hunter!"
"So?" Song-Yi wheezed. "I want to help people, me getting Healer powers really only allows me to work alongside my family and help my goal. I still wanna do more stuff outside of being a Hunter, duh!" She grinned as her friend stared in disbelief.
"... I-I'm not like you," Song-Yi looked down. "I'm normal, normal grades, no special skills, and I'm an E-Rank. T-This is the only way to make my life exciting and worth a damn."
"Isn't that a bit unfair?" Jin-Woo asked with a raised brow. "No offense, Song-Yi, but you seem to misunderstand something about yourself. You're clearly attentive enough to have picked up enough of Mr. Song's techniques," she blushed and looked down. "You've got enough stamina to last til the end of the fight and you're even able to fend off a D-Rank Shadow, for a bit. Your issue is that you're thinking too laxly. You've got so many things you should take care of before focusing on being just a Hunter."
"You should just finish your education while training," Obito said. "Once you graduate, your parents won't worry, you'll have a back-up plan, and you might even learn some things during your education that'll help you. Jin-Ah has by learning medical terminology and concepts to the point of empowering herself with constant healing magic."
"W-Wait, she what?!" Song-Yi gawked as Jin-Ah blushed with a grin.
"I was talking with Gina-noona about some stuff and I figured, since I know the concept, I can try it. I'm glad it worked out!" She smiled brightly.
Song-Yi's brow twitched. "Please take me home."
"Don't forget tomorrow, both of you," Jin-Woo said, the girls perking up at his grin. "It's time for you to experience a C-Rank Gate's true horrors. Be prepared tomorrow, I'll supply you both some simple armor. You can keep the weapons."
~NRK~
That night, Obito thought about the outfit ahead of him.
'I should plan ahead,' the former shinobi thought as he looked outside the balcony outside the Sung home. "From here on out, I've got seven days to make everything I'll need."
He still needed to make his weapon which he only had one part to, the Dreepee manes.
"... The cores can be imprinted on," Obito said to himself, looking out into the skyline where planes came and went. "I want to use a good one for my weapon but the issue remains that I still don't have the material I need."
The door opened and closed, a familiar young man leaning on the railings beside him. "Shuushuu, are you thinking about your weapon?" Jin-Woo asked.
"Yes, Woo, I'm considering all the parts I need. Right now, I have those draw-resistance manes for the bristles on the back or base of the guard. I know I want one of the spirit cores at the center, that I want amongst all else and we're closing in on one. Another Mid-Level Spirit Core, a 'blank' one, and I know where to put that but we need the 'frame'. The weapon's base."
"Did you choose what you'd make?"
"Sickles, yes," Obito answered. "I don't need two cores of a middling-level, just one, I'll use the left sickle for something else. For now, the biggest challenge is materials-" Jin-Woo held his shoulder, gaining his attention. "?"
"Uncle, there was something we'd forgotten," Jin-Woo whispered as Obito's eyebrows furrowed in interest. "Do you remember how we sulked over not getting a part of Cerberus?" He grinned as Obito's eyes widened. "The fang, one of their big ones, uncle, I still have it. You remember how big that bastard was? I checked and it's to-scale. You can make your weapon out of that."
Obito chuckled at that, patting Jin-Woo's shoulder. "Thank you, nephew, I'll make sure to get you that bike you wanted," Jin-Woo stuttered as Obito smirked. "Haha! Come on, I should get a look at it before I go into the forge tomorrow while you guys are gone."
Going inside and into the living room, Jin-Woo nodded to Obito as he took out the 'Material'.
The fang was easily half the size of one of his regular knight Shadows, the tooth being maybe a foot thick and a smooth-looking white.
Touching it, feeling it, Obito's eyes closed as he took a deep breath.
He expanded his senses over the material.
'The feeling's different compared to the core,' it was like feeling something 'real' compared to the spirit core's 'loose' feeling. "Hmm…" Obito's eyes cracked open as he looked at the smooth texture. "Sharingan."
His doujutsu activated, the powerful eye powers spinning into existence as he observed the odd aura around the fang.
"It's got an aura similar to the [Demon Tower's] world," Obito explained as Jin-Woo hummed. "Now, is there anything about this fang I can find? A possible attribute?"
As Obito spread out his senses, the man's eyes pulsed. The wave of red spreading out and 'observing' the material in a different manner.
'The origin, the properties, its uses,' all of it, he 'dove' in and tried to ascertain it. 'Is this only a hard bit of material?' Obito wondered.
And then, as he looked around, he noticed the sudden departure from common sense.
"Where… Am I?" The man wondered, eyes narrowed as he looked around this odd white space where only he and the fang existed. "What is this?"
A mindscape? Was that it?
But he'd never done this before with any other material. Had he gotten enough skill to 'SENSE' a world like this?
Just then, there was a buzz of static that gained his attention. The Mage's head turned on a swivel to see the fang's form covered in buzzing static that confused him to no end.
"... Wait, it's like it's corrupted," Obito realized as he looked at the red static. "Why though? Is it because it's from a [System-based] dungeon?" When he thought about it?
Obito hadn't ever taken anything from one of Jin-Woo's Instant Dungeons. In fact, he'd never even held anything outside of Rasaka's Fang that Jin-Woo purposefully brought out for observation.
He cupped his chin as he observed the fang before noting something surprising.
The blue aura from his body springing to life around him and slowly reaching out towards that object.
And hit an invisible wall between them, his magical power gently splashing against it like moving dust.
"It can't reach it," why? He'd held this material before, even felt it all over. "... Wait."
He saw the 'barrier' his aura splashed against and noted something that flickered into existence each time it did.
A portal?
"..." Obito's eyes narrowed as he floated over to that odd mental barrier, he supposed, and reached out towards it. "If I'm right, it's like this. I have to open it like I do with the Instant Dungeons… But what will happen when I do?" He feared for his own safety.
He didn't know what this barrier even meant, metaphorically. Was this a natural barrier between the normalcy of the Hunter world and the [System]?
Was it a mental one? A protective safeguard meant to keep his mind from trying to reach the other side due to possible contamination?
He didn't know.
And wouldn't just take a risk like a fool and possibly do something permanent.
Obito moved away from that barrier and turned around, his body beginning to fade away.
"I suppose these are my limits," he said to himself, and this odd mental world, as his legs vanished. "... Still, I'll make something out of you," Obito told the fang. "Maybe your true skills will emerge when I do," he smirked as his eyes burned, his head the last thing left. "We'll see…"
He vanished, leaving that white realm in the time it took a single floating being.
A six-winged figure who scoffed at the human's departure in distaste.
[Why couldn't he have taken that one?] The being considered with a growl. [He holds all the potential and more so! Yet he chose that middling human BOY.] He wasn't like that odd-eyed man.
The one he'd brought here in an attempt to secure the literally greatest compatibility with Him. So, why had he ignored him and chosen another?
[Humans are too cautious.] The being said as he raised his hand to that portal-barrier and it lit-up, now more obvious and seemingly never-ending into the distance. [Break it, Obito Uchiha, shinobi, and you'll truly break your 'container' and become a worthy vessel of a Lord…] He seemed amused despite his lacking features. [Perhaps a Monarch of great strength would choose a Vessel who has gained previous Monarch effects. Baran is dead but his corpse& essence might be useful.]
Obito opened his eyes, gaze going to the slowly-returning-to-normal-speed blinking Jin-Woo.
"...cle," he called out, Obito nodding to him. "Anything?"
"... There was an odd situation there I need to tell you about."
Letting go of the tooth, Obito blinked at the red static leaving his hands as they did, the electricity falling away into the ether.
And confusing the hell out of the men. "What?" Jin-Woo frowned, standing up in worry.
Obito looked down at his hands, unsure. "I… I don't know…" He clenched them and frowned at his normal blue glow. "... But maybe you'll have an idea after I tell you what happened here," he said, pointing at his noggin.
~NRK Out~