Awakened as a Money-Spending Genius Enhancer - Chapter 4

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 4

Chapter 4. Just Go Up and See

It had been a magical day.

He still felt dazed.

The publishing company had even deposited the freelance fee immediately.

Usually they pay everything at once according to the company’s settlement date, so this was exceptional.

‘Huh? Wait.’

Suddenly, another thought came to Kang Hoon.

“Rather than selling drawings made with this enhanced LCD Tablet… wouldn’t selling the enhanced LCD Tablet itself make more money?”

Earning three times as much was certainly amazing, but freelance fees are ultimately limited.

He felt that the potential of ‘Enhancement Skill’ didn’t end there.

If he used the freelance fee he just earned to buy LCD tablets or Apple Tabs, enhance them, and sell them…?

He wouldn’t even need Enhancement Materials.

Just saying the word ‘Enhancement’ would be enough.

‘Then how much could I earn?’

Just look at [Park Kang-hoon’s LCD Tablet +2] right now.

It’s a magic item with not only ‘Work Speed Increase’ but also ‘Quality Increase’ options.

Plus it even reduces eye fatigue!

‘Could there be any other item that artists would want this much?’

Of course,

That didn’t mean he was thinking of just selling [Park Kang-hoon’s LCD Tablet +2].

“This is my precious equipment…”

Even with all the stickers and tape marks stuck all over it.

It was a precious comrade that had kept Kang Hoon fed all this time.

He couldn’t sell a comrade.

“Hmm. Then should I buy a new one and enhance it?”

But then his train of thought changed direction again.

LCD tablets are products that cost hundreds of thousands of won.

“Do I really need to spend expensive money to enhance expensive items?”

Frankly, if crappy options get attached, it would just be wasting money, right?

“…Conversely, what if I enhance a thousand-won item?”

What matters anyway is the enhancement ‘option.’

If it’s the same option.

Whether it’s an LCD tablet or a single pencil, the value is the same.

“If I could sell a thousand-won pencil for ten million won…?”

Soon Kang Hoon realized.

How to fully utilize his abilities as an awakened person, as an Enhancer.

“Maybe this… could be an opportunity to make tremendous money.”

Come to think of it, customers don’t necessarily have to be ordinary artists.

What if he could enhance items for extraordinary awakened people, especially ‘Hunters’?

“…”

‘Then I might really make a fortune.’

From what he’d heard in passing, Hunters never spare money on equipment.

Naturally, since their lives depend on it.

Even the Hunter called ‘Captain America’ in the United States – just his shield alone was worth the price of a building.

‘And that’s by New York standards, not Seoul standards.’

Gulp.

Kang Hoon swallowed his dry saliva and,

Nod, nod.

He nodded his head alone as if he had decided something.

Soon he took off his grimy pajamas.

And opened his closet door for the first time in nearly a week.

Park Kang-hoon.

There’s a reason he continues to stick with this profession despite being an unsuccessful illustrator.

‘Why do people say they get lonely when they just stay home?’

It’s a bit different from the Japanese-style hikikomori often seen in today’s young generation.

It’s not that he’s afraid of the outside world or has difficulty interacting with ordinary people.

He just likes home.

He got along fine even when alone!

Exercise?

He does it at home.

Food?

He cooks at home or buys from the convenience store when in a hurry.

However,

When you need to go out, you need to go out.

‘First, I need to register as an awakened person to properly make money.’

He put on his only shirt and found clean pants to wear.

Then he grabbed his ID and stepped outside the front door for the first time in a while.

His destination was the Hunter Center.

His purpose for visiting was to do ‘Hunter Registration’!

“I thought I’d never have reason to go there in my lifetime…”

In the old days, if you were awakened, you unconditionally registered as a Hunter.

But nowadays it’s different.

Since the Constitutional Court ruled it unconstitutional, Hunter registration is no longer mandatory.

‘Was it violation of personal rights? Something about violation.’

Ordinary person Park Kang-hoon doesn’t know anything about such difficult matters.

What he knows is─

Whether you register at the center to become a Hunter or not. It’s entirely up to you.

Of course, regardless, most people choose to register.

Why?

‘Because the benefits you can only receive as a Hunter are amazing.’

The most basic is tax reduction.

Since this applies even when buying and selling real estate, it’s truly an amazing benefit.

Plus there are various Hunter-exclusive savings and deposit products with 20% fixed interest rates.

And there are countless other useful preferential policies.

As great as the benefits are, the conditions must be important too.

There’s exactly one condition for Hunter benefits.

‘Participate in Gate missions at least once per year.’

If you don’t keep that condition, there are no preferential policies either.

But today, Kang Hoon has no intention whatsoever of receiving such benefits.

There’s exactly one thing Kang Hoon wants.

“I just need my enhancement ability officially recognized. Then I can make money among Hunters with that!”

Thus, Kang Hoon confidently started walking.

* * *

“‘Necromancy’?”

Beyond the specially made glass wall.

The bespectacled employee frowned and asked.

“No, Enhancement.”

The 1st floor of the Hunter Center, which handles administrative welfare.

Just 5 seconds after taking a number and having his turn called, Kang Hoon hit a wall.

I don’t mean the glass wall installed to prevent Hunter riots.

…Somehow, the center employee just couldn’t understand what he was saying.

“Huh? ‘Intensification’?”

“No no, Enhancement.”

“Ah. You said ‘Soul Strengthening’?”

“No. Enhancement. Enhancement!”

Thumping his chest in frustration, Kang Hoon spoke as clearly as possible.

“An Enhancer who enhances items! That ‘Enhancement.’ That’s my ability!”

Then the employee’s expression became subtle.

He tilted his head to the right, then to the left.

“Hmmmm.”

He tapped the keyboard to search for something.

Then tilted his head to the right again.

Soon he picked up the phone and called another department.

“…right? Yes, as far as I know too… …Yes, right?”

Kang Hoon perked up his ears but could barely hear anything.

…Damn glass wall. It’s quite effective too.

Soon the employee opened a locked drawer.

Then he took out a small badge and pushed it through the hole at the bottom of the glass wall.

“Pin this to your chest and go up to the Ability Sensing Department on the 3rd floor.”

“Huh?”

Kang Hoon was flustered.

‘I searched on the way here, and Hunter registration was supposed to be simple?’

Just answer a few questions on the 1st floor and show your ability a bit, and it would be quick.

Go up to the 3rd floor?

Besides, this ‘Ability Sensing Department’ sounds unfamiliar.

Somehow it feels like I’ve been caught doing something wrong or I’m about to be arrested.

“What’s the Ability Sensing Department?”

“Don’t be nervous. It’s just the ability assessment department. There’s no ability category called ‘Enhancement.'”

“What?”

No ‘Enhancement’ category.

This was unexpected.

“Why isn’t there one? You just mentioned Intensification, Necr-, Necromancy, and Soul Strengthening.”

“Intensification, Necromancy, and Soul Strengthening are naturally in the manual, so I mentioned them.”

“But Hunters do use enhanced items, don’t they? Like Yi Sun-sin Swords with several enhancement levels. I’ve seen that kind of news.”

Kang Hoon asked.

When scrolling through shorts, Hunter news often comes up.

Some Hunter got an amazing gun, some Hunter’s shoes cost hundreds of millions.

Like equipment in games, making a big fuss about ‘amazing weapons with several enhancement levels!’

‘Don’t tell me all those weren’t enhanced by ability users using skills?’

The employee shrugged and said.

“Everyone uses Enhancement Scrolls. You know ‘Scrolls,’ right? They’re byproducts often found in Gates. There are no other enhancement methods.”

“Ah… I see.”

“So we don’t know what to do about Enhancement either. Just go up for now.”

Lower-level civil servant specialty! The art of passing the buck!

That reaction meant.

‘So far, no one in South Korea has had this ability. Am I really the first?’

As Kang Hoon frowned while looking down at the access badge, someone approached from behind.

It was a tall man neatly dressed in a gray suit.

He asked the employee.

“Is this the person?”

Then the employee brightened and guided Kang Hoon.

“Mr. Park Kang-hoon, perfect timing. A superior has come down personally, so just follow him.”

‘Superior?’

Kang Hoon looked up to observe him.

Indeed, compared to the tired-looking 1st floor employee, the ‘superior’ looked relaxed.

He gestured for Kang Hoon to follow.

And said with a smile.

“So, Mr. Park Kang-hoon. You’re a unique ability manifester?”

Unique ability manifester.

“Me? ‘Unique ability’—what does that mean?”

“An awakening skill that’s the only one of its kind in the world. We call such abilities ‘unique abilities.'”

They arrived at the 3rd floor.

Contrary to Kang Hoon’s imagination, the ‘Ability Sensing Department’ was an ordinary office.

Like a normal company where employees were busily working at their desks.

If there was anything special,

‘There are like over ten rooms that look like small conference rooms.’

All had glass walls so you could see inside clearly, but they weren’t ordinary glass—they had an unusual luster.

The superior led Kang Hoon into one of those rooms.

And handed him a box, saying.

“Could you try enhancing this item for ability verification? Since Enhancers are non-standard ability users, we need to test properly.”

A large, heavy box.

It had an expensive-looking, serious locking mechanism.

‘In gangster movies, they put weapons from illegal deals in things like this…’

After swallowing nervously.

Kang Hoon very carefully opened the box lid.

But what was inside the box was unexpected.

‘…A moktak?’

A common, ordinary wooden moktak.

However, the moment he reached out to touch the moktak.

The ‘information value’ that appeared before his eyes was anything but ordinary.

[Magic Moktak with Special Abilities +■]: A monster that devoured a monk in Gujarat, India. A moktak taken from that creature’s belly after killing it. A rare item belonging to both ‘this world’ and ‘another world,’ it’s a magic moktak with healing abilities. * [■■ ■■■ ■■■■ increase]% * [However, ■■■ ■■■■■ ■■■]%

“?”

…What are these square boxes?

Even after rubbing his eyes and looking again, the moktak’s information value remained obscured.

Not only could he not tell how many enhancement levels it had.

He couldn’t even see what options it possessed.

‘Is it bugged?’

…That can’t be.

He glanced at his superior’s expression.

He still wore that inscrutable, seemingly gentle smile.

His eyes behind the glasses remained fixed on Kang Hoon.

Ah, whatever!

“Huu…. Enhancement!”

Placing both hands on the moktak, Kang Hoon cast his skill without hesitation.

And he expected to hear the clear, resonant sound of ‘clang, clang, clang!’

At the same time, he prayed.

‘This looks like an incredibly expensive item, please don’t let it fail and break!’

However.

【 You cannot enhance items of higher grade than yourself. 】

The Enhancement wouldn’t even activate.

“…?”

Blinking his eyes, Kang Hoon checked the Status Window message.

And looked down at the moktak beneath his hands.

He could feel it through his fingertips,

That this item was rejecting Kang Hoon.

“Um… it’s not working.”

Raising his head, Kang Hoon spoke honestly.

Mixing in a few jokes out of embarrassment.

“Maybe the soul of an Indian monk is rejecting me or something… haha. I’m not exactly a Buddhist.”

Then his superior made a ‘hmm’ sound, clearing his throat.

Without any particular change in expression, he just nodded, then said.

“It seems magical items cannot be enhanced.”

While saying this, he glanced around.

Then swiftly pulled out a Monami ballpoint pen that had been tucked in his shirt pocket.

“Can you enhance this?”

The weight of the situation had completely changed.

“Yes.”

Closing the box of the unbearably burdensome magical moktak.

Kang Hoon received the Monami ballpoint pen with both hands.

The ‘information value’ was immediately visible.

[Ability Assessment Department Office’s Monami Ballpoint Pen]: A Monami ballpoint pen rolling around the Hunter Center’s Ability Assessment Department office. Center superior Choi Ik-hyeon thinks this pen’s writing pressure is particularly smooth, but in reality it’s no different from other items. The internal spring is worn out.

Okay!

This time it’s an ordinary item!

Relieved, he immediately cast his skill without delay.

“Enhancement, Enhancement!”

As he called out twice, this time for real—.

Clang! Clang!

Clang! Clang!

Clang! Claaang!!

The crystal-clear sound of Blacksmith Shop metalwork rang in his mind!

A chance to make up for his failure and have his ability recognized.

‘Please!’

Kang Hoon quickly examined the Monami ballpoint pen’s options.

“…!”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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