The Only Enhancer - Chapter 51

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

Episode 51
Episode 51 – The Enchanter’s Ultimate Skill (2)
3.
I collapsed in place, trembling with an exhausted face.
I had no idea how many days I’d been awake.
After roughly two weeks of obsessive enhancement work, I felt like I was dying.
“Ugh.”
But the results were satisfying.
Starting from base level 4, I’d achieved two critical successes alone.
In other words, I had two level 6 enhanced items.
Beyond that, I’d created two more level 6 items, and when combined with the Blazing Crimson Gauntlets, I had five level 6 pieces in total.
Now the world’s total count of level 6 enhanced items was fifteen.
And Min-jun possessed one-third of them.
I wanted to be greedy and create more, but I lacked enough level 5 essences to do so.
It was disappointing, but at least I’d managed to extract quite useful options on the level 5 items as well.
‘I nailed the curse set, matched all the dealer configurations by weapon type, and the tank setup too….’
I’d essentially completed equipment befitting a one-man army.
And I’d also extracted many useful exclusive options on top of that.
The only problem was how exhausting it was.
If not for the mana that had filled me as my level rose, I would have collapsed without question.
But still, I had to verify what needed verifying!
I’d reached level 5.
Level 5—the level where I could finally obtain an ultimate skill.
I’d finally achieved it.
Honestly, it hadn’t been easy.
Look at my haggard appearance despite the level increase.
Running toward an endless finish line consumed far more mental strength than I’d anticipated.
For two weeks, all I’d done besides enhancement work and eating delivery food at home was nothing.
‘It would have been difficult without the Association Director.’
It would have been impossible without Ma Hyun-seok.
I should enhance some of his equipment later as thanks.
He’d probably love that.
Min-jun thought about how Ma Hyun-seok would be shocked if he heard that.
Anyway, whenever my level rose, I always checked the enhancement probability first before attempting the next enhancement, but this time I shook my head.
I wanted to create level 7 items, but with a shortage of level 6 items, where would I find the capacity to create level 6 essences?
It was too early.
Above all.
‘Let me take a break from enhancement today.’
After two weeks of nothing but enhancement work, my energy was completely drained.
So this time, let me check my ultimate skill first!
Wasn’t I already curious about this?
What could be the ultimate skill of an Enhancer?
The ultimate skills of other classes were nothing short of spectacular.
Myung Ha-jin’s ultimate skill was a wide-area protective barrier, and the Chinese villain I’d recently encountered—wasn’t their ultimate skill summoning a water spout to attack?
So what on earth could an Enhancer’s ultimate skill be!
Min-jun opened his newly acquired skill window, brimming with anticipation.
Three windows appeared.
‘Huh? Three?’
Why three?
As that question bloomed in my mind, two skills came into view first.
They were ordinary skills, not an ultimate skill.
“What?”
Why would regular skills appear?
Other hunters obtain one regular skill each up to level 4, then gain ultimate skills starting from level 5.
A level 6 hunter possesses 4 regular skills and 2 ultimate skills.
Yet at level 5, I had acquired three skills.
‘So at level 5, I get two regular skills and one ultimate skill?’
Though at this point, there was little reason to be surprised anymore.
Other classes received three initial skills when they first gained one, then obtained two more with each subsequent level increase.
One ultimate skill and two regular skills weren’t really cause for alarm.
Let me check the regular skills first.
So I examined the two skills.
[Skill Extraction]
-You can extract skills embedded in items and place them into empty slots.
*When you use Skill Extraction to remove a skill from an item, that item’s skill slot becomes empty.
*Once a skill has been extracted, it cannot be extracted again.
[Mana Stone Enhancement]
-You can enhance mana stones.
“…What!?”
Skill Extraction and Mana Stone Enhancement.
From the descriptions alone, I wasn’t sure what to make of them, but I found myself staring intently at the window.
Especially at Skill Extraction.
‘Isn’t this item customization!?’
It meant I could remove skills attached to items, leave those slots empty, and fill other empty slots with them.
In other words, I could now extract desired options and consolidate them into other items.
I could customize items.
My jaw dropped at the sheer power of this skill.
With this, there was so much I could do.
I could match poorly synergized skills together for excellent synergy.
It didn’t matter for me since I carried everything thanks to my inventory, but other hunters would benefit immensely.
It would even increase efficiency for Min-jun.
‘Enhancing magic stones is absolutely incredible.’
A skill that strengthened the mana contained within magic stones by enhancing them.
So far it seemed like this was the only place with it, but I had a feeling there was something more.
Anyway, these two skills were just ordinary skills after all.
The main one was separate.
The ultimate skill!
What kind of skill would it be?
It wasn’t the flashy skill Min-jun had anticipated.
『Interference』
-Can interfere with items worn or possessed by others.
*Available skills: Item Enhancement, Essence of Enhancement, Enhancer’s Eye, Skill Extraction, Magic Stone Enhancement.
*When using Interference on another person’s item, it consumes more mana than usual.
“What… is this…?”
As Min-jun understood it, all ultimate skills were not passive.
They were active skills, yet my ultimate skill was passive.
But that wasn’t the important part.
“I can interfere with other people’s items?”
I muttered in disbelief.
Originally, it was common sense that you couldn’t even see information about items possessed by others.
Therefore, the only way to know information about an opponent’s item was the glow of enhancement visible on the surface.
But I could interfere with that?
‘I can check equipment someone else is wearing, extract essences from it, remove skills, or enhance it?’
This truly deserved to be called an ultimate skill.
It wasn’t the flashy ultimate skill I had anticipated, but this was actually better.
Truly an extraordinary ultimate skill.
With just this, the possibilities expanded.
‘I could even chase down people trying to flee with items and recover them, right?’
It was one of the biggest concerns when I created the guild.
A skill to prevent this had appeared in the exclusive options, but Interference was far more effective.
It wasn’t just the guild.
I could now convert the items of villains attacking me into essence or extract their main skills.
I didn’t know how much mana it would consume, but if I could use it even once, it would be incredible.
‘This is amazing, really.’
While I was marveling alone and thinking about wanting to try it soon.
Outside became noisy.
It sounded like fighting.
It was a sound I wouldn’t have heard originally, but after leveling up, all my senses became sharp enough to perceive it.
Had another villain come looking for me?
Rather, this worked out well.
I might be able to use my ultimate skill right away.
With anticipation swelling in my heart, I opened the front door.
A white woman with black hair and Jung Ji-hwan stepped back, both looking at Min-jun.
“…!”
The moment our eyes met, the white woman trembled with sudden fear and instinctively hid her weapon behind her back.
Good instincts. Is she a villain after all?
As Min-jun thought this and was about to quietly examine the white woman’s items, Jung Ji-hwan spoke.
“She’s not a villain. She’s Isabella, the secretary of Richard Franklin, the guild master of the Saint Guild.”
“….”
The white woman glared at Jung Ji-hwan as if exasperated.
As if asking why they fought when she was known to them.
I don’t know what the situation is, but it’s disappointing that she’s not a villain.
4.
Isabella, the bodyguard and secretary of Richard Franklin, the leader of the Saint Guild, was quite a capable talent.
Both as an Awakened and as a secretary.
Competent level 5 Hunters were not easy to find.
She had succeeded at nearly everything he assigned her.
So Franklin entrusted her with this task as well.
“…I’m sorry, but I’d appreciate it if you could visit Kim.”
It had already been two weeks since coming to Korea.
I tried to make contact by any means, but whether through messages or calls, there was no response.
If Min-jun had any point of contact with others, I would have withdrawn and hoped for next time.
But that wasn’t the case.
During these two weeks in Korea, there was no record of any contact with Min-jun whatsoever.
In other words, he wasn’t meeting anyone.
Because of this, it was awkward to leave hastily, so I continued to wait.
While handling as much work as possible here, tasks that couldn’t be resolved while away continued to pile up.
I couldn’t stay here indefinitely.
That’s why I asked Isabella to arrange a meeting with him.
There was only one purpose.
“Please ask him to meet with me.”
“Understood.”
At this point, there was no choice but to visit him directly.
I already knew his home address.
No matter how much the Hunter Association tried to block it, there were ways to obtain information.
The reason I hadn’t visited until now was to avoid being rude and putting myself in a disadvantageous position for negotiations.
But at this point, it was unavoidable.
Franklin wanted to visit directly, but there was an order to these things.
It was proper to arrange an appointment through Isabella and meet that way.
‘I just need to secure an appointment.’
Isabella didn’t think it would be particularly difficult either.
She’d already heard how temperamental Jung Ji-hwan was, always hovering around Min-jun, but what was there to worry about if she approached him amicably?
However, Isabella didn’t know that Jung Ji-hwan wasn’t in his right mind.
The moment they met, he began hurling curses at her before lunging forward, leaving her bewildered.
Could he possibly be mistaking her for a villain?
She’d come through the entrance openly, after all.
‘I need to clear up this misunderstanding….’
But resolving it through conversation proved difficult.
With her body weakened by the barrage of curses, facing Jung Ji-hwan was no simple matter.
How could she possibly talk when he was relentlessly pummeling her with attacks?
Using skills was out of the question inside the building.
Just as she was wondering what to do, the door opened, and Min-jun emerged.
Perfect timing.
Now she could clear up the misunderstanding….
In that moment, their eyes met.
Whoooosh——
Eyes brimming with curiosity.
In the gaze of the youthful young man lay nothing but that pure curiosity.
Yet why was it?
This sensation—as if an extreme chill had swept through her.
It felt like being prey standing before a predator.
An indescribable feeling washed over Isabella’s entire body.
Her Crisis Detection skill—one of the abilities she possessed as a level 5 tank—was screaming frantically.
All because her eyes had met Min-jun’s.
“!!!”
She’d never felt this way, not even facing death itself.
Even as Isabella trembled with fear, she instinctively hid her weapon behind her back.
For some reason, it felt like the right thing to do.
As she continued trembling.
Jung Ji-hwan stopped and spoke.
“She’s not a villain—she’s Isabella, secretary to Richard Franklin, the guild master of Saint Guild.”
‘And you knew that the whole time…!’
She wanted to protest, but couldn’t bring herself to do so.
She was the one who’d shown up unannounced, and she had no idea what would happen if she revealed any weakness to Min-jun now.
This is only level 3?
‘…I can’t believe it.’
Either his level was falsified, or there was definitely something more to him.
As Isabella was thinking this, Min-jun, who looked somewhat dejected, asked her a question.
“Did Saint Guild send you to find me?”
“…Yes. I apologize for the rudeness of arriving so suddenly.”
At those words, Min-jun recalled that he hadn’t checked his phone and nodded, thinking it was plausible.
“No, that’s not it. So what brings you here…?”
“Our Guild Master wishes to meet you. Would you perhaps be able to spare some time?”
“Ah, scheduling isn’t difficult. Do you have my contact information?”
“Yes. Then I’ll reach out to you again soon.”
Isabella bowed politely and left.
Min-jun and Jung Ji-hwan remained in the hallway.
Then Min-jun suddenly asked.
“If they weren’t villains, why did you attack them?”
“I didn’t want you to be disturbed while resting, so I tried to chase them away appropriately.”
I wondered if it was necessary to go that far, but then again, he was a bodyguard.
“Ah, thank you.”
“Not at all. It’s my job, so it was only natural.”
As Jung Ji-hwan answered, Min-jun chuckled and was about to head inside when—
his phone rang.
‘What? They just left, and they’re already calling?’
I checked my phone just in case.
It wasn’t from Saint Guild, who had just left.
A number I already knew.
When Min-jun answered, a familiar woman’s voice came through.
-We’re calling because Changgong Guild wants to use the remaining mercenary requests.
It was Cha Hae-yeon, level 5 of Changgong Guild.
Unlike anyone else, her timing was impeccable.
5.
Cha Hae-yeon knocked on the Guild Master’s office door at Changgong Guild and entered.
Ever since Min-jun appeared, a cold atmosphere had permeated the space, and Cha Hae-yeon trembled slightly for a moment before lowering her head.
Han Mu-gyeol, the room’s owner, looked up.
She spoke.
“I’ve scheduled the meeting for tomorrow.”
“Finally, some welcome news.”
“Thank you.”
As Cha Hae-yeon bowed.
Han Mu-gyeol spoke as if satisfied.
“Tell Tae-jun to back off now.”
“…Then?”
“I’ll participate in the raid as well.”
Watching Han Mu-gyeol show no mercy even to his own nephew, she said nothing more.
She simply bowed as she watched Han Mu-gyeol lower his head again and left.
As Cha Hae-yeon exited the room.
Han Mu-gyeol murmured with a rare smile on his face.
“At last, the time has come.”
Ordinarily, I would have let this go.
Min-jun had already slipped from my grasp and become a big player, hadn’t he?
Normally, there would have been nothing I could do.
But I had waited in silence all this time, ready to strike the moment an opportunity presented itself.
And doesn’t heaven help those who help themselves?
By sheer chance, I managed to obtain an item.
[Lantern Reaper’s Flame]+5
A +5 enhanced item, no less.
But the enhancement level wasn’t what mattered.
It was the skill attached to the item that was crucial.
-If you possess no buff-type skills, you can use the ultimate ability, ‘Lantern’s Seal’.
Lantern’s Seal.
It was a useless ultimate skill by most standards, yet I had gone through considerable trouble acquiring it from the Japanese black market.
Because it was an item prohibited by international law, obtaining it discreetly had been even more difficult.
If discovered, it would put the Changgong Guild in serious danger, but that was acceptable.
‘After all, no one would recognize its effects while I’m wearing it.’
Even Jung Ji-hwan couldn’t possibly memorize every single prohibited item in existence.
With just this Lantern’s Seal, I could make Min-jun mine.
‘Lantern’s Seal allows me to place a single suggestion on the target.’
I could implant only one suggestion per target, and complex suggestions were impossible to impose.
Moreover, suggestions that caused direct harm were also forbidden.
At first glance, one might dismiss it as a worthless ultimate ability.
But suggestions like joining the guild or viewing me as a true father were entirely feasible.
With this alone, Changgong would soar to even greater heights.
“Kekeke.”
The giant’s arm was extending toward Min-jun.
Unaware of the ultimate skill Min-jun had obtained.

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