The Only Enhancer - Chapter 97

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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 97
Chapter 97 – Trait Enhancement (2)
3.
“SCREEEEEEEEEEE!”
A Disaster Level 5 monster shrieked in agony, its corpse dissolving into nothingness.
Watching the Disaster Level 5 monster collapse, I rubbed my chin thoughtfully.
‘My damage output is sufficient.’
That was precisely why I hadn’t hunted one alone until now.
I’d worried that my damage would fall short if I faced one solo.
More accurately, I’d thought it might take too long—but that concern proved irrelevant.
I possessed nearly infinite mana, and by unleashing skills with reckless abandon, the monster simply collapsed.
I’d believed I could only shorten the hunt time by bringing Guild members for a raid, but witnessing Ma Hyun-seok’s power today shattered that assumption.
‘He’s stronger than I anticipated.’
I’d assumed I could defeat even Level 6 or higher powerhouses.
But soloing a Disaster Level 5 monster was an entirely different matter.
If someone of Ma Hyun-seok’s caliber could be defeated by this, then logically, I should have been capable of hunting Disaster Level 5 monsters since I was Level 5.
With that thought, I glanced at Gwen beside me.
She showed no particular surprise, which made me scratch my head.
Wait… could it be?
“Gwen, did you already know I could hunt this alone?”
“Huh? W-well, of course?”
Gwen answered as if I’d asked something obvious.
“Why?”
“W-well? Your mana was overwhelmingly greater than a Disaster Level 5 monster’s from the moment I first sensed it…?”
“Hmm, is that so?”
“Yes, yes.”
Gwen was actually more flustered by my question.
Unlike others, she could directly perceive my mana.
So her bewilderment was inevitable.
Could someone possessing such power truly be unaware of their own strength?
And yet he’d come to hunt it?
It was peculiar, but Gwen decided it was possible.
‘Come to think of it, I don’t fully understand my own skill utilization either.’
As a result, Gwen and I had been helping each other verify our skills.
Both of us were doing so.
Though we called it mutual support, Gwen benefited far more from my assistance.
The gap between an Enhancement Mage and an Alchemist was simply too vast.
It was unavoidable.
“Have you reached your limit on mana absorption?”
“Huh? Oh! Four times!”
Gwen answered while lost in thought, and Min-jun nodded approvingly.
Having caught the first monster after coming to the Alps Mountains like this.
“Let’s head to the next spot.”
“Yes!”
When Min-jun pulled out a blue orb the size of a fist from his inventory after hearing Gwen’s response, the orb spread out like a liquid before transforming into a disc shape.
Thanks to being flattened considerably thin, a disc approximately three meters in diameter had been completed.
It was the Azure Sky Orb, a Tier 6 item that Min-jun had recently crafted.
He had pre-attached various skills that were of high quality, and the exclusive option was the somewhat unusual ability to freely manipulate the orb itself.
Since it was originally a Tier 3 item by birth, it seemed such an unusual option had been attached.
So how was it being used?
“Wow. No matter how many times I ride it, it’s so cool!”
Gwen and Min-jun, standing on the disc, were flying through the sky and rapidly heading toward the next spot.
It was none other than the ability to fly like the magic carpet from Aladdin.
Of course, this consumed mana as well, but Min-jun’s mana recovery rate was faster than its consumption, so it didn’t matter.
Though the problem was that even flying like this, it still took quite a while to reach the next spot.
Min-jun didn’t think much of it, but even though it was three meters, the two of them were positioned quite close together, so Gwen’s face flushed slightly.
Then at that moment.
“Have you tested the skill you obtained when you reached Level 5?”
After hunting together with Min-jun and reaching Level 4, Gwen became able to craft potions.
After that, having hunted together and defeated a Tier 5 disaster, she was able to reach Level 5 rapidly thanks to hunting various other monsters.
Thanks to that, she had learned the conditions beforehand.
However, since he had never heard Gwen’s ultimate skill before, he was asking if she had tested it.
“Y-yes!? Oh, u-ultimate skill?”
“Yes.”
Min-jun suddenly started talking to her, which startled her considerably, but she quickly composed herself and answered.
“Oh, I haven’t tested it yet. It seems to be a dangerous skill.”
“I see. Is that so?”
“Ah! I didn’t tell you, did I!? It’s called Trait Conversion—a skill that allows me to convert the form or nature of anything I touch!”
“!?”
Upon hearing those words, Min-jun turned around in surprise and looked at Gwen.
It was surprising enough that she had revealed the contents of her newly acquired ultimate skill.
‘Trait Conversion?’
Converting form and nature—wasn’t that far too powerful?
That’s what he thought.
It was an ability that commonly came to mind from manga.
Like touching the ground and having it instantly transform into liquid to trap enemies, or manipulating such things to attack, or converting the form of a weapon to make it something different.
Wasn’t the Azure Sky Orb that Min-jun was currently using also a type of form conversion?
If that were an ultimate skill?
‘If used well…’
Wouldn’t it be possible to even fuse weapons together?
Could synthesis become possible too?
At that thought, Min-jun swallowed hard.
‘I really should sign a lifetime contract.’
Even if it’s impossible now, it might become possible later.
If that happens, I could combine enhanced magic stones with weapons to create gear that even Awakeners with weak mana could use to cast skills.
Realizing Gwen was truly an indispensable talent, Min-jun paused to consider.
If I tempt her with trait enhancement, Gwen won’t be able to escape a lifetime contract either.
It felt somewhat underhanded, but it would be a good offer for Gwen too.
But if I bring it up abruptly, it might catch her off guard.
Min-jun thought for a moment, then opened his mouth.
“…That’s quite an impressive skill.”
“Hehe, thank you so much.”
When Min-jun complimented her, Gwen laughed bashfully, and Min-jun observed her for a moment.
Then.
“Well, I feel bad that only I’ve heard about it.”
“Huh? Oh, no, that’s not it! I just….”
“Still, to make it fair, let me share the skills I obtained upon reaching Level 7.”
“Oh, oh my!?”
She wanted to refuse, but wasn’t this topic far too intriguing?
This was cheating.
Gwen reluctantly turned her attention to Min-jun’s words.
This was Min-jun’s strategy.
Build trust by revealing his abilities, then secure the contract.
It was already working somewhat—Gwen listened to Min-jun with noticeably flushed cheeks.
Now was the moment.
Min-jun thought so and spoke.
“I haven’t told anyone else this yet, but when I level up, I fundamentally obtain two skills.”
“Wh, what!?”
Gwen couldn’t help but be startled by the sudden revelation.
Two skills each time?
But more than that, she was amazed that he was sharing something he hadn’t told anyone else with her.
Could it be?
She’d always tried not to dwell on Min-jun’s strange behavior.
But the atmosphere now…
As Gwen became aware of it, she looked at Min-jun with trembling eyes, worried he might notice her racing heart.
Min-jun tilted his head slightly at her reaction, but seeing it was working, he continued.
“And the transcendence skill I obtained through this breakthrough is called trait enhancement.”
“…???”
Had she heard correctly?
What kind of enhancement?
I set aside the flutter of excitement I felt in the intimate atmosphere and turned to Min-jun with a question.
“W-what kind of enhancement?!”
“It’s a trait enhancement. Literally, it strengthens your traits to either amplify existing abilities or grant you new powers.”
“…S-so that’s how it works?”
“Yes, we can also enhance Gwen’s Alchemist trait.”
My eyes widened in surprise at those words.
This was something I couldn’t possibly tell anyone else!
Startled, I looked at Min-jun.
Min-jun regarded me calmly and spoke without concern.
“That’s precisely why I’m proposing that you sign a lifetime contract with me as a condition for the trait enhancement.”
“L-lifetime?!”
That meant I’d have to stay by Min-jun’s side forever!
Looking at it differently….
“You’re saying you want to be together for life?!”
It wasn’t entirely wrong, but the interpretation seemed slightly different.
However, Min-jun paused at my words before nodding.
“Yes, that’s right. Though I still need to secure more evolution orbs, and the minimum requirement is Level 6, so the enhancement can only be performed once Gwen reaches that level….”
“I-I’ll sign!”
I was somewhat taken aback seeing Gwen agree to sign without even hearing the full explanation, but I understood her reasoning.
It was a trait enhancement, after all.
Of course, Gwen was fixated on something else entirely.
But different dreams under the same roof weren’t necessarily a bad thing.
Min-jun nodded in satisfaction as Gwen became bound by the lifetime contract, and Gwen herself was thoroughly pleased with the word “lifetime.”
It was a good deal for both of them.
4.
Deep within the Alps Mountains.
A monster concealing its presence entirely moved through that place with extreme caution.
Its appearance was grotesque, as befitted a monster.
Standing rigidly on the front legs of a praying mantis and the two hind legs of a cheetah, its torso resembled that of a human female.
No other creature possessed such smooth, hairless skin—only humans did.
From the presence of breasts, one could discern it was female, but the head atop its shoulders was not human—it was the head of a lioness.
A grotesque visage as if crafted by malice itself in mockery.
Even its size was not particularly large.
Barely exceeding three meters.
The creature with such an appearance moved covertly, its mantis wings trembling and unfurling.
Fluttering rapidly!
The swiftly vibrating wings lifted it into the air and enabled swift maneuvering.
A secretive movement that produced no sound save for a faint tremor.
At the end of that movement lay a creature of massive proportions.
It was the Flame Lion Badger, a Disaster Level 4 monster.
A monster with a lion’s mane, wreathed in flames across its body.
Known for its ferocious temperament, it was considered one of the more formidable Disaster Level 4 monsters.
When the creature that had moved in stealth swung the mantis’s foreleg, the monster’s neck was severed without resistance.
Shhhhh—crack!
In that swift, silent strike, Flame Lion Badger didn’t even realize she was dying.
The creature opened its female lion’s jaws and devoured her, and she transformed into light, beginning to be absorbed into it.
As Flame Lion Badger was absorbed into the creature, it gained the ability to emit faint flames.
Seemingly quite satisfied, it opened its maw and laughed, its teeth clicking together.
“Kekekak-kak-kak!”
A grotesque laugh echoed through the air, and a tremendous aura leaked from the creature, however faintly.
It was as though it were roaring that it was the sovereign of this place—but it quickly concealed its presence.
Revealing its aura would make hunting difficult.
To consume more delicious nourishment, this approach was preferable.
As it was contemplating which creature to devour next.
A voice came from above.
“I almost missed that. Thank you, Gwen.”
“Oh, no! Hehehehe.”
Observing the humans conversing so casually, the creature tilted its head in confusion.
The humans who had seen it before had been torn to pieces in horror.
The human corpse in its torso was from that time, wasn’t it?
Then why weren’t these humans fleeing?
In that moment of incomprehension.
The man opened his mouth.
“Hand over the Evolution Sphere.”
At those words, a massive single horn erupted from the ground.
The hunt had begun.

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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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