The Only Enhancer - Chapter 129

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 129
129 – Characteristic Mana (1)
The conference hall overflowed with people brimming with anticipation about which company would secure the partnership.
Everyone understood the magnitude of profits that would flow from developing North Korea.
Vast sums of money would exchange hands, and stock prices would fluctuate dramatically once the announcement dropped.
Naturally, the crowds had no choice but to gather.
I had expected Jung Ji-hwan to take the podium as Min-jun’s substitute due to scheduling conflicts, but Min-jun stepped up to the platform once again to make the announcement.
This time, rather than a question-and-answer format, it was solely a venue for Reinforce Guild to present its position. Min-jun lifted the prepared statement from the podium.
-They’re about to announce it!
-Which company is it?
-I’m buying stocks the moment the announcement drops!
-Obviously!
-Please, hurry up with the announcement! I’m getting dizzy!
Everyone typed frantically in the chat, and the live-streamed internet feed began to heat up.
The stock price’s rise depended entirely on this single announcement.
However, contrary to expectations, Min-jun’s announcement deviated drastically from what everyone anticipated.
“I thank everyone present here today, and I will present my position as quickly and concisely as possible. To state the conclusion first: we have not selected a partner company.”
“Wh-what?”
“Y-you didn’t select a partner?”
“What do you mean by that?”
Everyone was equally shocked.
The conference hall erupted into murmurs and chaos.
It was certainly a statement worthy of astonishment, regardless of who was speaking.
But Min-jun remained unfazed.
This level of commotion was precisely what I had anticipated.
And I continued.
“Reinforce Guild intends to develop North Korea independently. Since we are still in the planning stages, we have not yet decided whether to establish a new company. At this stage, we anticipate developing only North Korea.”
“They’re developing it themselves!?”
“That vast territory?”
“Is that even possible?”
“Well, Awakened would make it possible, but… surely we’d need specialists…!?”
“Ah! Are they recruiting personnel!?”
“That must be it!”
Everyone speculated and chattered among themselves, but I made no corrections.
Some hoped we would recruit new staff, while others worried that if Reinforce Guild established a company, existing construction firms’ stock prices might plummet.
Their common thread was simple.
-What exactly are they trying to do????
-Seriously, I’m dying to know?
What Min-jun intended to do in North Korea was the burning question on everyone’s mind.
Of course, Min-jun had no intention of revealing that yet.
0.
After Reinforce Guild’s official statement was released, construction company stocks experienced a noticeable decline, but beyond that, no major incidents occurred.
Not that it mattered to Min-jun anyway.
Everyone was simply waiting for Reinforce Guild’s recruitment announcement, but it never came.
Why?
Because we already had everything we needed. Why hire more?
Baya, Gwen, and Andrew were more than capable of handling it all.
Baya had already mastered architectural design, while Gwen and Andrew were learning various techniques under her guidance.
Andrew’s magitech and Baya’s craftsmanship complemented each other perfectly, and he was steadily absorbing her techniques.
Unlike enhancement mages, alchemists and blacksmiths possessed abilities with considerable degrees of freedom.
Gwen was absorbing all of Lava Hunchback’s research records, while Andrew was doing the same with Baya’s work.
The only minor drawback was that Lava Hunchback’s research involved human transmutation, so there were many sections that needed to be filtered out.
Andrew didn’t have that problem, giving him a slight advantage, but in my assessment, Gwen held the upper hand.
Of course, this didn’t mean they could create golems immediately.
‘It’ll take a bit longer, I think.’
There was still too much to learn.
The technique of freely manipulating mana, imbuing it with attributes, and moving it at will.
Apparently, monsters could use it the way I did.
And Baya had told me that Andrew and Gwen could do it too.
She called it characteristic mana, if I recall correctly?
In any case, Baya said it was essential for controlling their own abilities and characteristics.
Gwen needed to apply the nature transformation skill to her mana so she could perform transmutation, while Andrew needed to apply the essence of magitech to his mana.
When I enhanced Andrew’s characteristics, he was able to embed the essence of magitech into his mana.
I did it naturally after obtaining the enhancement, but Andrew couldn’t.
The problem was that I lacked other magitech skills, making it difficult to do alone, whereas Andrew didn’t have that limitation.
So I left Baya to her work and gave Andrew and Gwen time to research together.
Until they mastered characteristic mana.
Now here’s the question.
What should I do next?
Simple.
‘I should check if Mary can do the same.’
Mary Weston, whom I hadn’t enhanced yet.
Could she channel electricity as well?
That’s what I wanted to know.
The essences needed to enhance the guild members were steadily accumulating anyway.
It was time to run some experiments.
Meanwhile, Andrew, Gwen, and Baya were deep in their research.
They were determined to meet my expectations.
Baya and Gwen in particular were working with almost desperate intensity.
Homunculus Bella was also assisting Gwen.
Baya’s soul was connected to Min-jun’s, and since he promised to create her a body if she performed well, she was diligently teaching Andrew the techniques. Gwen, alongside Homunculus Bella, was learning various methods of body transmutation while handling attribute-specific mana.
Magitech engineering was certainly difficult, but alchemy’s transmutation itself was far more complex, which made it harder.
Both involved creating something with mana, but magitech engineering was a thoroughly technical discipline, while alchemy carried strong mystical elements, making it somewhat more challenging.
In any case, Baya was teaching diligently, but her frustration was considerable.
-You’re not concentrating!?
“Ugh! I-I’m sorry!”
Andrew continued to lack focus.
Baya found this deeply displeasing.
They were both human, yet Gwen worked with such dedication—what was wrong with this man?
If she performed well, she would obtain a body and serve her master more devotedly!
Yet he was being so uncooperative!
-Focus quickly before I tell the master!
“Ahhh! I’m sorry!”
From Andrew’s perspective, it was unavoidable hardship.
Honestly, when was the last time he’d been driven this hard?
He couldn’t even remember.
In fact, Andrew’s entire life had been somewhat distant from the concept of effort.
Born and raised in England’s upper class, Andrew had consistently achieved top grades with minimal exertion.
Moreover, when he awakened, hadn’t he awakened with a unique trait?
It was an environment where effort itself was more difficult.
An environment perfectly suited to falling into the chains of arrogance and sloth.
In such circumstances, working hard was simply more difficult.
‘Ugh.’
It felt as though his brain was melting away.
Not a single thing Baya taught was easy.
Yet still, he tried.
It wasn’t so much that Baya frightened him—it was Min-jun who terrified him.
Even now, the mere thought made his legs tremble.
‘I… I have to manage somehow.’
Of course, it wasn’t purely fear that drove his obedience.
Hadn’t Min-jun been trying to make him useful?
His desire to repay the debt of gratitude to Min-jun was equally strong.
But effort was never easy.
Especially for Andrew, who had never tried before.
-Argh! Why can’t you even do this!? This is frustrating! So frustrating!
“I-I’m sorry!”
-Sigh, let’s try again step by step!
“Y-yes!”
Responding thus, Andrew held back tears and attempted to focus once more.
But then, at that moment.
-Wow! That human woman is quite impressive!
“Huh? Me?”
Gwen, with her striking red hair and remarkably beautiful features, tilted her head with a lazy drawl and smiled bashfully as she asked.
-Yeah! Your progress is incredibly fast!
“Hehe, I’ve been working hard. I should do more, though.”
Despite her leisurely tone, her hands moved with surprising dexterity as she manipulated mana far more actively than her words suggested.
Though it was clear she was struggling somewhat at the moment, the speed of her growth was remarkable.
Even Baya, who set high standards, couldn’t help but marvel at her progress.
Andrew was going mad.
If they were both a bit slower or less capable, it might have been bearable, but this constant comparison was unbearable.
He couldn’t help but sigh, though he glanced sideways at Gwen.
Honestly, he’d never seen anyone so beautiful before.
Even Andrew, who came from the upper echelons of society, had never encountered such breathtaking beauty.
So why was it?
‘Maybe if I get better, I’ll look better too?’
With that thought, motivation suddenly surged back through him.
-Oh! That human male? It’s good that you’re showing enthusiasm, but that’s not it, dammit!
“Ugh! I’m sorry!”
-Try again, dammit!
“Y-yes, sir!”
-Don’t copy my speech pattern, okay!
So Andrew was working hard to impress Gwen, but Gwen had no interest in Andrew whatsoever.
Of course not.
‘Hehe, I need to get better quickly so Min-jun will notice me!’
He had no way of knowing what Gwen was truly thinking.
Homunculus Bella, who objectively understood the situation and pitied Andrew, simply chose not to tell him.
‘There’s no way Andrew will ever impress Master anyway.’
With that thought, Bella continued to help Gwen.
1.
Mary Weston wasn’t startled by the sudden summons.
Min-jun had already told her he might call her suddenly at any time.
She had been on standby just in case.
And since he’d specifically instructed her to come in combat gear, she swallowed nervously.
Mary arrived at a place slightly beyond Paju—North Korean territory, which was one of Min-jun’s lands.
Though it was quite far from Seoul, the Reinforce Guild’s private helicopter got her there without taking too long.
As Mary arrived, she swallowed hard.
She could sense where Min-jun was even from the sky.
His massive presence was so overwhelming that even if he tried to hide it, she could feel it through the faint electrical stimulation.
Thanks to that, she didn’t get lost and arrived at Min-jun’s location immediately.
“Oh! You arrived quickly.”
“Thank you. I came as quickly as I could.”
She didn’t even ask what this was about.
She simply waited, trusting that I would explain everything in due time.
Min-jun nodded approvingly as he observed Mary, thinking she was truly excellent.
He had always known she was a loyal subordinate.
Without needing to wait any longer, Min-jun continued.
“I called you here today because I have some things to teach you about combat.”
“About combat, sir?”
Though she tried not to show it, Mary’s eyes couldn’t help but brighten.
Comparing herself to Min-jun was naturally impossible, but even when compared to the other executives, she could see the gaps in her abilities.
Jung Ji-hwan, Ma Hyun-seok, and even Gwen were all formidable fighters, as she well knew.
Especially that Homunculus Bella—she was absolutely extraordinary.
She had been feeling her own inadequacies, and now, before she could even ask for guidance, he was coming to her first!
There was no way she could be anything but delighted.
“Well then, shall we begin?”

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