Chapter 88: Déjà Vu

The corpse of the lugworm mutant sprawled in front of the research lab.

A familiar voice rang out from atop its body.

“Heh heh heh—our fate truly runs deep!”

An old man wearing a Hahoe mask leaped lightly down from the mutant’s head.

Lee Geuk descended slowly, gliding like a noble crane landing on solid ground.

He removed the mask and spoke.

“To meet you again here. Are you unharmed?”

“I’m fine. And you, sir…?”

I looked Lee Geuk over.

The last time I saw him was right before entering Maslow’s Tower.

The flooded Haeundae subway tunnels crawling with barnacle zombies and mutants.

Even while traversing that hellscape, Lee Geuk had never once looked disheveled.

Spotless white traditional robes. 

Perfectly placed conical hat and Hahoe mask. 

Unwavering, upright posture.

It was the same now.

He looked less like someone exploring a dungeon and more like a scholar on a stroll.

So this is what an unofficial S-rank looks like.

Lee Geuk chuckled and continued.

“As one ages, one must at least be able to look after oneself. By the way…”

He produced something from his sleeve.

A black card key engraved with the letter B.

“You came all this way for this too, I take it?”

Seeing it suddenly reminded me of what the administrator had said.

[The lab access cards are inside the barnacle mutants.]

The red markers on the minimap weren’t the mutants themselves—they were the card keys.

They overlapped during combat, that’s all.

I just hadn’t expected any other survivors.

I glanced at the mutant’s corpse.

I had already experienced Lee Geuk’s strength firsthand in the Haeundae tunnels.

Every swing of his sword sent dozens of sword auras shooting out like parting arrows, shredding monsters into thousands of pieces as if through a meat grinder.

Compared to that…

He’s definitely weaker than before.

I examined the lugworm mutant closely.

Its body was covered wall-to-wall with thousands of sword marks, like a mural.

Cuts that sliced through thirty-centimeter-thick, rock-hard carapace as if it were clay.

At a glance it looked like wild slashing, but every single strike had precisely severed muscle, tendon, and blood vessel.

This is just absurd.

Even if he’s S-rank, he should be heavily weakened right now.

Lee Geuk looked straight at me.

“You’re wondering how I killed it—while dozens of times weaker than usual.”

It felt like he could read my mind.

He laughed softly.

“Have you ever heard of the Mana Circulation Technique?”

“…No.”

“As you know, Awakened draw mana from their mana cores and use it to manifest abilities. Some cast spells, some reinforce their bodies, others coat weapons with mana. In every case, the core principles are release and manifestation.”

He pointed to his lower abdomen as he continued.

“But mana isn’t a one-way flow—it’s a circulating energy. What do you think happens if you draw mana from the core… and then pull it back in?”

He closed his eyes and began regulating his breathing.

Inhale—exhale. 

Inhale—exhale.

When his breathing fell into perfect rhythm…

HUM— HUM— HUM— HUM—

Golden mana burst from his body.

It swirled around him like a storm.

His breathing shifted ever so slightly.

The raging mana was sucked back into his core—like a sponge absorbing water.

Gone in an instant.

But only for a moment.

HUM— HUM— HUM— HUM—

The mana storm erupted again, even stronger.

He was repeating the cycle: release → absorb → release → absorb.

Each cycle increased the volume and pressure exponentially.

Then.

FWOOM—!

His entire body was enveloped in blinding light.

Mana gathered above his head, forming three golden petals.

HUM— HUM-HUM— HUM—

A tingling sensation like static coursed through my body.

Each petal was pure condensed mana.

Lee Geuk spoke.

“Through the cycle of release and reabsorption, mana amplifies several to dozens of times over.  

This is the Mana Circulation Technique.”

A monster. 

Nothing else came to mind.

There are countless ways to use mana efficiently.

But amplifying the total amount itself? 

I’d never even heard of it.

Lee Geuk added with a chuckle.

“I almost forgot—this technique is known only to a tiny handful even within the Hunter Association.”

“So it’s classified.”

“Heh heh— They begged me to keep it secret. No need, really. Those without the aptitude can’t even imitate it. Among my disciples, only Junseong managed to awaken it—and that was just two years ago.”

Cheok Junkyeong had only recently begun shining.

Two years ago he was merely B-rank.

Then suddenly he blossomed and shot up to A+.

So that was the secret.

But one thing bothered me.

“Why are you telling me this, sir?”

Lee Geuk stared straight at me.

“Because I had a feeling you’d understand.”

“Me?”

How?

He smiled.

“Why not give it a try? I’ll teach you personally…”

At that moment.

KRRRRRRRROOOOOOOO—!

A violent gust of wind roared behind me.

Jeanne stood tall, radiating pitch-black mana.

HUM— HUM-HUM— HUM—

A single unstable black petal flickered above her head.

Lee Geuk’s eyes sparkled.

“To bloom even a single petal on the first try… I’ve never seen such talent in my life!”

Jeanne’s petal quickly dispersed.

Lee Geuk turned to her.

“What is your name, young lady?”

[…Ravianglily Musandark.]

“So you’re the rookie everyone’s been talking about! A pleasure.”

He continued with a strange smile.

“The key to the Circulation Technique is maintaining perfect balance between release and absorption. Try again—I’ll guide you.”

[…]

As Jeanne began circulating mana, Lee Geuk offered gentle instructions.

Then.

“Warehouse Keeper.”

The Pseudo-Dragon’s voice came from somewhere.

She poked her head out from distant bushes.

“Why are you hiding over there?”

“…Hmph. I’m simply not wasting time on useless chatter. As promised, I eliminated every threat in the area.”

“Threats?”

I walked past the bushes and looked at her.

She was covered in dark blood splatter.

Flesh was stuck between her claws and fangs.

While we were talking to Lee Geuk, she had apparently wiped out every barnacle zombie around the lab.

“Contract fulfilled, Warehouse Keeper. Nothing in this vicinity can threaten you now.”

“You… actually worked hard? I’m impressed.”

She flinched at my words.

Then bared her fangs and growled.

“Did you think I’d be happy from a human’s praise?! Shut your worthless mouth and honor the contract, lowly Warehouse Keeper!”

Her tail, however, was wagging happily side to side.

“Good work. I’ll deduct the sentence as promised.”

After that, I returned her to the warehouse.

Even in humanoid form, showing her to other hunters would be… awkward.

She still looked very much like a monster.

When I came back, Jeanne was handling mana far more smoothly.

HUM-HUM— HUM— HUM—

Her black petal now held its shape much longer.

Lee Geuk nodded with satisfaction.

“You learn quickly.”

[You are an excellent teacher. It helped greatly.]

Lee Geuk gazed at Jeanne, then spoke with a serious expression.

“Young lady, would you become my disciple?”

But.

[I refuse.]

Instant rejection.

She cut him down without hesitation.

[One cannot serve two masters under heaven. I already have a master.]

“Oh? Is that so?”

Lee Geuk turned his gaze to me.

An A+ rank hunter learning from an E-rank?

Even a passing goblin would laugh.

Yet Lee Geuk’s reaction was completely different from what I expected.

“If Cha Hasang is your master, then there’s no helping it. You have quite the outstanding disciple! Heh heh heh.”

Was it just my imagination?

It felt like his opinion of me had suddenly skyrocketed.

Soon, Lee Geuk walked toward the lab entrance.

“Now, shall we get moving? I saw the card reader here earlier.”

Next to the entrance was a high-tech-looking card reader with three slots.

Each had a red light above it.

My A-key.

Lee Geuk’s B-key.

And the C-key from the lugworm mutant.

We inserted the cards one by one.

BZZT—

All three lights turned green at once.

A mechanical voice followed.

Ding-dong!

<‘Open’ command received.>

<Opening Paracelsus’s Research Lab.>

“?”

That line sounded awfully familiar.

Sure enough.

Ding-dong!

<Paracelsus’s Research Lab is an infinite space that extends endlessly horizontally and has no floor vertically.>

<The great trophies of His Majesty the Great Sage King Maslow, who once ruled the continent of Lockpia, are stored here.>

“…Hey.

Sorcerer Emperor ‘T’, I think someone just plagiarized you.”