The Only Enhancer - Chapter 62

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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 62
Episode 62 – Level Breakthrough (3)
[Currently, the conditions are not met for enhancement.]
“Huh?”
A message appeared the moment I merely considered whether enhancement was possible.
Not possible right now?
Right now?
‘That means it will be possible later, doesn’t it?’
This could actually work?
Caught off guard by my own surprise, I was still processing the revelation when Jung Ji-hwan tilted his head and asked.
“Is something the matter?”
Min-jun had suddenly looked startled and bewildered, which naturally made Jung Ji-hwan think something was wrong.
There was no way around it—something had to be amiss.
I waved my hand dismissively at Jung Ji-hwan.
“No, it’s nothing.”
“Do you have something troubling you?”
“Well, I do, but…”
It wasn’t something he could help resolve anyway.
I kept my response brief.
Jung Ji-hwan simply nodded without pressing further.
He trusted I would share when the time came.
Jung Ji-hwan returned to his position and resumed scanning the surroundings for threats.
Being on Taebaek Mountain, there was no telling when another monster might emerge.
I also turned my attention back to the system, stroking my chin thoughtfully.
For a moment, I had hoped the message might hint at Level 6’s conditions, but it seemed that wasn’t the case.
Still, a pattern was beginning to emerge.
‘Physical Enhancement appears to be the key.’
The hidden abilities that had been unlocked were Item Enhancement and Blessing of the Enhancement Master.
Those two.
The common thread was that both were starter skills.
Following this logic, the remaining hidden condition had to be the remaining starter skill: Physical Enhancement.
Item Enhancement’s condition was unlocked when I enhanced an innate item.
Blessing of the Enhancement Master’s condition was unlocked when I confirmed an innate +6 item.
Because of this, I had thought Level 6’s clue would also unlock if I enhanced an innate +5 item to reveal its exclusive option, but it hadn’t.
Which meant…
‘I should try using Physical Enhancement first.’
Now that I thought about it, I had never actually used the Physical Enhancement skill since reaching Level 5.
Because I had Crimson Lotus, there had been no need to apply buffs.
Since only one type of skill could be applied at a time, I couldn’t stack Crimson Lotus and Physical Enhancement, so I had only used Crimson Lotus.
The reason I specifically chose Crimson Lotus was that the ultimate skills attached to its gauntlets were enhancement-type ultimates that could stack with each other.
So, should I try using Body Enhancement?
Min-jun pondered who to give it to, then gazed at Jung Ji-hwan, whose body was wrapped in an aurora-like glow as he received the buff from Crimson Lotus.
He was a commander, but Min-jun had given him the buff just in case.
Since the raid had just ended and everyone was resting, giving it to Jung Ji-hwan would be perfect.
‘Body Enhancement.’
As Min-jun cast the buff on Jung Ji-hwan, who already had Crimson Lotus applied to him.
Jung Ji-hwan noticed and tilted his head in confusion.
He already had a buff active—another buff?
Bewildered, Jung Ji-hwan received Body Enhancement, and his characteristically expressionless face couldn’t help but crack, his eyes widening.
“Stacking?”
As Crimson Lotus’s flames blazed, a mystical light infused them, shining with a brilliant crimson radiance like the glow of a +5 enhancement.
The raging inferno buff combined with the crimson light created a mysterious atmosphere, but the effect was far more tremendous than that.
What on earth was happening?
“Min-jun, what exactly is this…??”
“?!?!?!?”
Min-jun, staring at Jung Ji-hwan, seemed even more shocked than Jung Ji-hwan himself.
His expression screamed: why is this stacking?
“W-why is this stacking?!”
Rather than reproaching Min-jun or overthinking it, Jung Ji-hwan quickly arrived at an answer.
“Min-jun, you’re not a healer but an enhancement specialist, so this isn’t a buff but rather an enhancement concept, isn’t it?”
“…Ah!”
Jung Ji-hwan calmly explained it to Min-jun instead.
Min-jun found himself nodding without realizing it.
It certainly made sense.
This was definitely surprising.
But it didn’t end there.
[You have enhanced a body that was buffed for the first time.]
[You have unlocked the hidden ability of the skill ‘Body Enhancement’.]
[You have unlocked the hidden abilities of all initial skills.]
[You glimpse the threshold of Level 6.]
[You acquire the condition for Level 6.]
“W-what is this?!”
“What’s the matter?”
“Ah, well, I’ve acquired the condition for Level 6?”
Normally, Jung Ji-hwan would have been bewildered, but he was far from ordinary.
“Congratulations. I knew you would achieve it.”
“…???”
Min-jun found Jung Ji-hwan’s words somewhat absurd—Jung Ji-hwan hadn’t even known that Level 6 had conditions until now.
How could he say he knew Min-jun would achieve it when he didn’t even know?
Though that’s what he thought, perhaps he should interpret it as Jung Ji-hwan believing Min-jun would reach Level 6?
Without overthinking it, Min-jun half-listened as he reviewed the conditions.
[Conditions for Level 6]
-Unlock hidden abilities of all initial skills (3/3) (Complete)
-Use Body Enhancement 100 times during Disaster Level 5 monster raids (0/100)
Now I could finally understand.
So that’s why it hadn’t appeared until now.
But I never expected I’d have to face an actual Disaster Level 5 monster.
Looking at the characteristic name alone, Enhancement Artisan isn’t really suited for combat, but then again, Awakeners are meant to oppose monsters.
It’s not something to be shocked about.
Min-jun confirmed the condition.
A smile crossed his face as he thought.
‘So all I need to do now is hunt Disaster Level 5 monsters.’
Using Body Enhancement 100 times wasn’t exactly a difficult condition.
The problem was that a Disaster Level 5 monster had to appear first.
That was what bothered me most.
‘Sigh.’
Min-jun exhaled and shook his head.
If a Disaster Level 5 appeared, it would cause massive damage to the nation.
It was awkward to even hope for it.
Then someone approached Min-jun.
It wasn’t Jung Ji-hwan.
A figure with long black hair and skin as pale as jade.
Isabella approached Min-jun after hastily washing off the blood clinging to her, her face quite exhausted.
“Is something the matter?”
“Ah. Rather than something being the matter, I came to ask if you might be considering your next hunting grounds.”
“Ah.”
“It’s just that after subjugating this Taebaek region, I thought you wouldn’t be satisfied with areas of this caliber in Korea.”
“Yes, quite so.”
Min-jun nodded in agreement.
There was nowhere as densely populated with monsters as this junction where the Sobaek Mountain Range and Taebaek Mountain Range met.
I also needed to search for the nest of a Disaster Level 5.
By the way, subjugation?
Min-jun tilted his head slightly at that word, finding it odd.
‘I never intended to subjugate it in the first place.’
In fact, only Min-jun thought that way.
All the guild members gathered here already thought otherwise.
They called it subjugation or something close to poaching raids.
Everyone except Min-jun thought that way.
Wasn’t subjugation the right term then?
Unaware of Min-jun’s confusion, Isabella continued speaking.
“Then, what if you were to visit the United States?”
“Hmm, the United States, you say.”
At Isabella’s suggestion, my thoughts immediately turned to the Saint Guild.
Could Isabella be trying to manipulate Min-jun into joining them?
After revealing myself as an Enhancement Master and receiving such an offer, it would be natural to suspect as much, but recalling my conversation with Jung Ji-hwan in the helicopter, it didn’t seem to be the case.
Even now, there were no signs of such ulterior motives.
Rather.
“If we leverage the Saint Guild, we could extract considerably more than expected.”
“Oho. Now that’s an intriguing proposition. The Saint Guild may control vast territories, but if we were to handle the problematic regions within their domain, Min-jun could actually demand substantial compensation.”
“Precisely.”
Jung Ji-hwan nodded in satisfaction at Isabella’s words.
Wait?
Didn’t Isabella still feel indebted to Franklin, the leader of the Saint Guild?
Could she really speak like that?
“Franklin will certainly be quite pleased as well, but it will ultimately benefit Min-jun far more. Above all, it will firmly establish that the Reinforce Guild is genuinely capable of hunting Level 5 Calamities.”
“An excellent plan indeed. Since there are currently no Level 5 Calamity territories within Korea, hunting in the United States for the time being doesn’t seem like a bad idea.”
“That does seem to be the case.”
I nodded in agreement.
Isabella’s face brightened noticeably as she bowed her head.
“I’m delighted to have been of service to you, Min-jun.”
Jung Ji-hwan nodded in satisfaction once more.
It was somewhat burdensome, but gaining loyal subordinates wasn’t a bad thing at all.
Probably.
As I was thinking this, the guild members began chattering excitedly upon hearing the news.
“We’re going to the United States?”
“Hey, that phrasing sounds a bit off, doesn’t it?”
“Oh, oh no! I’ll rephrase that.”
“Right, anyway, even if we go to the United States… we’ll just be raiding.”
“S-still, we should have time for sightseeing, right…? Ugh, never mind.”
Everyone’s shoulders drooped at the thought of raiding in the United States, but it would still be better than staying in Korea.
Expeditionary raids were preferable to stagnating domestically.
If we managed to carve out some time, couldn’t we do some sightseeing?
‘Though I suspect everyone will be too exhausted from raiding to leave the hotel.’
‘Sleeping might be better than sightseeing anyway.’
‘Well, we’re going, so we’re going, right!?’
Some of them harbored optimistic thoughts, their hearts brimming with anticipation.
But then.
“Everyone, prepare for combat.”
At Jung Ji-hwan’s cold voice, everyone snapped to attention.
Was this really the time to be hopeful?
I need to run the raid.
“How many are we facing this time?”
“Three, ah—Min-jun just took down one for us, so it’s two now!”
“Ah, I see.”
“I thought we’d be dealing with three, so it’s a relief it’s not.”
“Another one incoming!”
“Damn it! Who is that?!”
“Everyone, watch your language!!!”
6.
The Taiwan government was in chaos over the mana fluctuation detected near Yushan.
They attempted to send reconnaissance teams, but every drone they dispatched was destroyed before it could even approach the area.
“Objects constructed from mana stones couldn’t withstand the surrounding mana wavelengths and were destroyed…!”
“Even so, it’s far too dangerous to deploy helicopters.”
“Satellite imagery confirms it as a colossal-class monster!”
Several officials had already confirmed its existence, but its exact appearance remained unknown.
A colossal-class monster.
It was estimated that its body alone exceeded several hundred meters.
Yet if that were all, no one would have reason to be alarmed.
The real problem was singular.
It was classified as Disaster Level 5.
The mana fluctuation phenomenon and the fact that it hadn’t yet revealed itself—still in its gestation phase—made this clear.
The news reached the President of Taiwan and the Premier.
“…Is there currently no way to resolve this?”
“…Our nation’s strength alone is insufficient.”
At those words, the President and the ministers closed their eyes tightly.
If their own strength wasn’t enough, they would inevitably need help, but seeking aid from China would render all their efforts thus far meaningless.
It would be handing them justification.
Yet there were few nations capable of safely raiding a Disaster Level 5 monster without casualties, and would such nations even be willing to aid Taiwan?
They would have to concede quite a lot.
Then the President of the Legislative Yuan—equivalent to the Speaker of the National Assembly in Korea—stepped forward and posed a question.
“Korea successfully raided a Disaster Level 5 monster without casualties, and our relations with them aren’t particularly poor. Wouldn’t the Steel Hero Ma Hyun-seok be someone we could trust?”
Several officials nodded at the Legislative President’s words.
Indeed, the Steel Hero Ma Hyun-seok was trustworthy.
However, without offering compensation, it might be difficult to secure his cooperation.
Everyone deliberated, but the decision was essentially already made.
“We’ll make an inquiry to Korea first.”
As the President spoke, everyone nodded in agreement.
If they were refused, they could devise countermeasures afterward.
They couldn’t simply abandon the situation.
Japan and Russia were options as well, weren’t they?
If that doesn’t work, I’ll have no choice but to extend my reach into China.
7.
Ma Hyun-seok, the Hunter Association chairman, looked up in confusion when his secretary approached him while he was working.
Once I finished processing these matters, today’s assigned work would be complete.
Why did he come?
Had my retirement plans been discovered?
Ma Hyun-seok regarded his secretary with that thought in mind.
The secretary immediately stated his business.
“An emergency support request has arrived from Taiwan.”
“An emergency support request?”
There was only one reason for an emergency support request.
A Level 5 Disaster-class monster had appeared.
Ma Hyun-seok instantly forgot what he’d been thinking and quickly reviewed the documents his secretary provided.
They contained information about the monster that the Taiwan government had gathered.
It had been discovered at the peak of Yushan and was still in its nascent stage.
Seeing this, Ma Hyun-seok barely suppressed a smile.
‘What a remarkable coincidence.’
Just as Min-jun was searching for a Level 5 Disaster-class monster, one appeared right on cue.
They say great power comes with great responsibility, don’t they?
Perhaps Min-jun’s awakening as an Enhancement Master wasn’t for some other reason?
Such thoughts crossed my mind, but for now, they were nothing but idle speculation.
Ma Hyun-seok stroked his chin, thinking he’d need to visit Taiwan soon.
If Min-jun could only unlock the conditions and raise his level this time?
‘My retirement draws ever closer.’
At seventy years old, I still hadn’t enjoyed my golden years.
Now that would finally end.
If only Min-jun’s level rises!
Ma Hyun-seok nodded with satisfaction.
‘Then I should contact him right away.’
“How many days has Min-jun—or rather, Guild Master Min-jun—been at Taebaek Mountain?”
“It’s been about four days now.”
“Hmm, quite a while. Tell him it’s time to come out. Once he hears a Level 5 Disaster-class monster has appeared, he’ll come running.”
“Yes, understood.”
“Separately, look into what additional compensation we can extract from the Taiwan government.”
The secretary nodded and disappeared, and Ma Hyun-seok ran his hand over the +6 Enhanced item Min-jun had created for him not long ago.
‘I might actually get to use this.’
I was beginning to understand why Min-jun had wanted to test out a +6 Enhanced item.
Well, I wouldn’t have used it domestically, but abroad, the higher-ups wouldn’t know.
This was actually quite thrilling.
Why not test out the +6 Enhanced item and Min-jun’s guild’s power?
8.
Deep within Taebaek Mountain.
Normally, this was a place where human footsteps ceased and only monsters should roam, yet smoke rose into the air and many people were camping there.
It was an abnormal sight, but no one here would point that out.
“Wow, I never imagined we’d level up this fast!”
“Tell me about it. We’re almost there now, right?”
“Yeah, for this many people to level up in just four days—the experience boost effect is seriously incredible!”
“When do you think I’ll level up?”
….
….
….
No one could answer.
They simply tilted their heads back and gazed at the sky.
Yu Ji-min hadn’t expected an answer anyway.
She never thought everyone would refuse to leave until they all reached Level 4.
The timing was faster than expected, but even so, each day in this place was hell.
Still, moments like now, before sleep, weren’t they happiness itself?
Just as everyone was thinking that way.
The sound of a helicopter echoed from above.
Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump!
“H-hey, there are people here! Over here!”
“We’re down here!”
“Hey, everyone relax. Don’t get your hopes up. It’s probably just passing by. Just a random helicopter.”
“Huh? Sister, someone’s descending from the helicopter!”
“Wh-what?!”
Indeed, a person was descending from the helicopter.
A hunter-like figure falling with a small parachute, dropping down with a slight tumble.
What is this? Am I dreaming?
Several guild members stood frozen, unable to process the situation.
Someone shouted.
“It-it’s real! A rescue helicopter!”
“But we’re not in distress.”
“Ah, who cares! Just wave them down!”
“Over here! Over here!”
At the commotion, Min-jun and Jung Ji-hwan emerged.
Though they looked better than the other guild members, both showed signs of fatigue as well.
Being in this place was simply exhausting.
As the two watched the descending figure with confusion.
Several guild members spoke up.
“Did they come to arrest us?”
“What?”
“I mean, it doesn’t seem like they came to rescue us, right? Even though the radio doesn’t work, some of us have been going out to gather supplies and regularly reporting that we’re alive?”
“Did they arrest us for poaching?”
“Ah! That must be it!”
But could you really call it poaching when you’re hunting monsters?
Some of them had that thought, but honestly, it didn’t matter.
In my current state of mind, I could have laughed even if we were arrested.
But then.
A person descended from the helicopter urgently and shouted.
“A message from the Association President! Is Guild Master Kim Min-jun here?”
“Yes, that’s me, but…?”
As I answered and stepped outside, the Messenger quickly handed me a letter, and upon reading it, my eyes widened involuntarily.
“A Level 5 disaster in Taiwan?”
“Yes! The Association President requests that you assemble within two days.”
It wasn’t a request—it was something I had asked for.
The letter stated it clearly.
That I didn’t have to respond if I didn’t want to.
But how could that be?
I’d already confirmed the conditions—this was a golden opportunity to level up!
The guild members perked up their ears at the conversation between the Messenger and me.
Could it be…?
“We’re going back?”
“A crazy Level 5 disaster?!”
“Wow! Then we’ll rest for a few days and head into the raid, right?!”
“This is it! This is living!”
Everyone rejoiced in unison.
Normally, hearing the words “Level 5 disaster raid” would have startled them into tension, but no one did.
That was because they had witnessed my power and the +6 enhancement items.
If anyone were to fear or feel anxious despite that, they wouldn’t be a member of Reinforce Guild.
The Messenger was taken aback by the guild members’ cheers.
What is this about?
Seeing the confused Messenger, I spoke as if it were nothing.
“I’ve received it well. Then please tell the Association President that I’ll visit in two days.”
“Ah, understood.”
As the Messenger ran toward the helicopter ladder, which had lowered its altitude, I said something peculiar.
“Everyone heard that, right? We have two days, so let’s help Yu Ji-min level up.”
“Ah.”
“Ah…”
“This… this can’t be.”
My strange words and the voices of the guild members falling into despair.
But thinking I must have misheard, the Messenger simply boarded the helicopter and departed.

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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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