The Only Enhancer - Chapter 157

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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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Chapter 157
157 – The Spare (3)
2.
After capturing Morgana from the Deep Sea Faction, Min-jun began his interrogation.
Though calling it an interrogation felt generous.
She answered every question I posed without hesitation—could that really be called an interrogation? It was more like a simple Q&A session.
In any case, through those questions, I managed to uncover everything.
What the Deep Sea Faction’s mages were plotting.
Honestly, it was unexpected.
Who would have thought they’d use various rituals and curses to temporarily hack the system and extract the Monster King’s genetic factor?
Moreover, they’d identified the person whose resonance matched that factor best and intended to inject it into them.
In other words.
‘They were trying to create a new Monster King—that’s genuinely surprising.’
I fell into contemplation.
The Monster King clearly wouldn’t be able to resurrect completely. Just as I hadn’t become the Fairy Elder.
But with the system’s assistance?
Even if they couldn’t create a Monster King, they could certainly produce a descendant of the Monster King, much like myself.
That was the gravest problem.
Of course, compared to myself who had already grown substantially, it would be absurd—yet wasn’t it still handing the monster faction a chance to fully revive their forces?
I wanted to stop it quickly somehow, but that too was complicated.
When I investigated bringing that person into the Reinforce Guild, it turned out they hadn’t even awakened yet.
And it would be ridiculous to have the Reinforce Guild protect them after explaining the situation vaguely.
One might suggest I simply attack the Deep Sea Faction first, but that was impossible too.
Ursula had apparently relocated the Deep Sea Faction’s sorcerers and mages’ hideouts in advance, prepared for the possibility that they might all fail.
Since even Morgana didn’t know that location, finding them would certainly be quite troublesome.
‘Remarkably thorough.’
Though I had achieved victory, Ursula was no lightweight either.
Should I say she possessed considerable cunning, befitting a witch?
She’d even made preparations in advance, anticipating failure.
That spoke to how highly she regarded me.
Yet even so, hadn’t she ultimately failed?
She’d failed to kidnap the person whose resonance matched the Monster King’s factor.
I hadn’t obtained the essence of Ursula who self-destructed, and with her headquarters relocated, there was little left for me to do.
Secure victory.
“I’ll need to have a conversation with that person.”
Though before that, I should do some background research to guide the conversation favorably.
3.
“Damn it.”
Hong Myeong, who had just turned twenty and been thrust into society, felt nothing but despair ahead.
As an orphan who had never seen his parents’ faces, he had no relatives whatsoever.
Hong Myeong was someone with nowhere to rely on, utterly destitute and helpless.
He could have taken any job that required manual labor, but he simply didn’t.
Why? Because it was tiring and exhausting.
He had no desire to live that way.
He was more like a lazy idler, standing beneath an apple tree with his mouth agape, waiting for apples to fall into his lap.
Yet without money, survival was impossible, so he scraped by with part-time work here and there, but for someone as indolent and negligent as Hong Myeong, options were scarce.
Where could one find comfortable, easy work?
Even the meager jobs he took didn’t pay well.
Ever since leaving the Orphanage, it had always been like this.
Simply scraping by day after day, barely eating.
Living in the cheapest studio apartment in Busan, he harbored nothing but complaints every single day.
‘If only I’d been born to normal parents, I wouldn’t be in this mess! No, wait—shouldn’t the government be giving orphans at least 200 a month as welfare?’
Muttering such absurd thoughts while scowling deeply, he was now eating discarded food he’d secretly set aside from the Convenience Store until it was scheduled for disposal.
How much longer would he have to live like this?
He bought lottery tickets every week, but they never won—sometimes not a single number matched.
Even by his own reckoning, he was reaching the depths of wretchedness, yet he made no effort whatsoever to change.
‘Where can I find money without working?’
Normally, people in such circumstances might hope to become a Hunter, but Hong Myeong did not.
Being a Hunter is still manual labor after all—better to win the lottery once and live lavishly.
It wasn’t wrong per se, but his complete self-centeredness was astounding.
He embodied the very pinnacle of selfishness.
While everyone harbored such desires to some degree, Hong Myeong genuinely lounged about idly while hoping for it, which was utterly pathetic.
He needed to make even the smallest effort, yet he lacked even the will to do so.
In fact, he didn’t even understand the meaning of it.
It was at such a moment, as Hong Myeong hoped that fortune would somehow smile upon him with abundant money, that he was about to microwave the discarded food.
Ding-dong~!
The doorbell rang.
‘…Who could that be?’
After all, Hong Myeong had neither friends nor family—who would possibly visit?
This was the sound he only heard when he was behind on rent, but he wasn’t behind this month.
Since it was a studio apartment complex, the residents showed no interest in one another.
So Hong Myeong tilted his head in confusion, unable to fathom who it could be.
Thinking he’d find out if he went to check, Hong Myeong rose from his seat.
Since he was just about to eat, getting up felt tedious, but he instinctively stood and opened the door.
“Yes, who is it~”
As he spoke and opened the door, a young man dressed in refined clothes stood before him, looking down at him.
Tall and well-proportioned, with sharp, distinct features and handsome looks.
Though he appeared to be around Hong Myeong’s age, the charisma emanating from him was utterly beyond approach.
Though Hong Myeong was the resident of this room, he couldn’t help but flinch in surprise and stumble backward upon opening the door.
The overwhelming pressure had caused him to retreat without even realizing it.
Even at a glance, Hong Myeong could tell.
From the man’s head to his feet, there wasn’t a single item that wasn’t of the highest quality.
Though the suit appeared simple, its classical elegance was on an entirely different level.
It wasn’t the kind of business attire you’d see in corporate districts—this was a truly magnificent suit, and I found myself swallowing hard without realizing it.
And the moment I saw him, I thought:
‘W-where have I s-seen him before?’
When would I ever have the chance to see someone so handsome in my entire life?
Yet the feeling that I’d seen him somewhere before was unmistakable.
Then.
“Are you Hong Myeong?”
“Y-yes? Oh! Yes!”
“I’m Kim Min-jun, and I operate the Reinforce Guild.”
“Ah…?”
In that moment, I could finally place where I’d seen this person.
And my thought was simple.
An ordinary person would have harbored hopes—perhaps I possessed some special power? Or was I about to awaken? Or had I come to be recruited for my recognized abilities? But I wasn’t like that.
After all, I knew myself better than anyone else.
An orphan abandoned to fate, with no awakening and no abilities to speak of—just a convenience store part-timer.
That was me, Hong Myeong.
Utterly worthless, and even if I were drowning in money, I wouldn’t hire myself. So what on earth was Min-jun doing here?
“Um, would you have time for a brief conversation?”
“Pardon?”
I glanced into my room.
Discarded food warming in the microwave, steam rising from it.
Contrasting sharply with Min-jun’s refined attire, I smiled broadly and replied.
“O-of course!”
I said it calculating that he might buy me a meal if we went out together, and sure enough, Min-jun immediately asked me.
“Have you eaten?”
“Oh, n-no, not yet!”
“I’m not familiar with decent restaurants nearby, so if you know of any good places….”
“Ah! O-of course!”
I spoke quickly.
Recalling a very expensive and supposedly delicious Busan restaurant I’d recently seen on Instagram, I rapidly guided Min-jun there.
4.
A restaurant adorned with elaborate decorations that exuded an air of refined elegance.
It was an excellent example of how fine dining transcends mere food quality.
Upon entering the rather classical establishment, I felt myself instinctively shrink.
I wondered if it was acceptable to come to a place like this wearing worn-out training clothes like mine, but fortunately, no one seemed to notice.
‘Wow! Money really is wonderful!’
“Wow! Money really is great!”
Hong Myeong marveled inwardly as he glanced around—the only people present were staff, himself, and Min-jun. They had reserved the entire place for this occasion.
And they hadn’t even made a reservation beforehand.
To compensate all the previously booked guests and still secure the venue required more than mere wealth.
Only Min-jun could accomplish such a thing.
As the Reinforce Guild Master, he had become someone to whom everyone would gladly extend such courtesies.
Those whose reservations were cancelled would surely understand, knowing it was Min-jun.
After all, he was the one safeguarding the peace of Korea—indeed, the entire world.
And since he was arguably the strongest, no one dared voice a complaint.
“Hmm, I only asked if there were any available seats…”
“Pardon?”
“Ah, never mind.”
Yet Min-jun seemed somewhat uncomfortable with the arrangement.
In truth, it wasn’t Min-jun’s directive at all—Jung Ji-hwan had insisted on reserving the entire venue just to be safe, and that’s how it came to be.
Not that it was unreasonable.
After all, Hong Myeong was here alongside Min-jun.
The Deep Sea sorcerers and mages were actively hunting for Hong Myeong, were they not?
While being beside Min-jun would be safer than anywhere else in the world, they had closed the venue to prevent any unexpected assaults.
A sudden attack would be catastrophic.
Min-jun understood this was the right call, even if it made him uncomfortable, so he didn’t protest.
Hong Myeong, for his part, simply marveled at the sight.
Though from a different perspective entirely.
‘So with money and power, you can do anything!’
He gazed covetously at that authority and strength—the ability to displace previously booked guests and claim their seats—his desire kindling without restraint.
He yearned to possess such wealth and influence himself, and when Min-jun caught sight of that yearning, he tilted his head with a puzzled expression.
His face grew slightly uncomfortable, as if he’d perceived the greed, though that hardly mattered now.
Min-jun took his seat at the table he was shown to, and Hong Myeong settled across from him.
The moment they sat, appetizers arrived, and since Min-jun was hungry, he encouraged Hong Myeong to eat and savored the meal himself.
The restaurant was clearly expensive and excellent; Min-jun’s eyes widened as he relished each bite, while Hong Myeong lost all composure after the first taste and ate ravenously.
Hong Myeong ate voraciously, savoring the food with abandon, while Min-jun moved his utensils with refined grace.
Though they were the same age, their demeanor couldn’t have been more different.
Of course, Min-jun hadn’t always been this way.
In fact, he’d once been rather crude, yet he had grown into this refined version of himself.
‘It’s like watching my old self.’
Min-jun observed Hong Myeong with that thought in mind.
It was clear he harbored considerable victim mentality and self-pity.
Min-jun’s improved eye for people made such things glaringly apparent.
And beneath it all lay a vicious inferiority complex.
When he’d first heard that Hong Myeong’s wavelength aligned well with the Monster King’s nature, he’d tried not to judge.
And that remained true even now.
But why then?
‘If I had never become an Enhancement Master….’
Perhaps I too would be living a life unlike Hong Myeong’s?
Such a thought suddenly crossed my mind.

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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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