Chapter 46: Wukong

"Heh. That man truly must be someone sent from the heavens."

Meanwhile, a monk watching the scene from a distance marveled quietly.

He had wondered what was happening when the man asked to borrow a weapon, but he never expected such extraordinary skill.

"That movement is not quite staff techniques... it is as if he has practiced spear techniques for a long time."

The monk did not think this problem would be solved in such a short time. His disciple’s temperament was incredibly foul, and controlling the boy's strength was an arduous task.

A colt let off the leash. That was the best way to describe his disciple at the moment.

Yet, this man, wearing bizarre clothes he had never seen before in his life, had solved the difficult problem in an instant. As if it were no big deal.

To think he hadn't recognized such a skilled individual. He was still lacking in his own spiritual discipline.

"...Thank you."

The monk looked toward the sky and quietly pressed his palms together in prayer.

***

"Hey! Aren't you going to take this off right now?"

Sun Wukong threw a fit not long after the Golden Fillet was placed on his head. His face was flushed bright red with rage.

"I don't know how to take that off."

Whether he raged or not, Kim Hyun-joon's gaze was fixed on the sky.

**[Quest: Put a Hat on the Stone Monkey Completed]**

**[Time remaining until return: 10 hours]**

"Hey! Can't you hear me? I said take this off right now! You want to go a round with me?"

Sun Wukong raised his voice, but his rampage did not last long.

*Aargh!*

As soon as the monk recited a mantra, the Golden Fillet began to tighten painfully around his head. Sun Wukong grabbed his head in extreme agony and rolled around on the ground.

"Heh. Even after becoming my disciple, how can he be such a troublemaker?"

The monk approached Kim Hyun-joon after confirming that Sun Wukong was merely groaning. He bowed his head in gratitude.

"The boy must have been violent. You have worked hard. I am truly grateful that you accepted the request of this unknown monk without hesitation."

The monk added that he was sorry he had nothing to give at the moment.

"It's all right."

Hyun-joon was fine because the system would provide his reward.

More importantly...

Kim Hyun-joon turned his head and glanced at the struggling Sun Wukong.

"Would it be all right if I practiced with your disciple?"

"Practiced... you say?"

"Your disciple seems to be very good at using that wooden staff."

The monk looked troubled, saying he felt even more apologetic since he had nothing to offer in return.

'Hardly. If anything, I’m the one who should be honored. I don't know if an opportunity like this will come once in a lifetime.'

Hyun-joon hadn't expected that he wouldn't be returned immediately after clearing the quest. This was a reward in itself for him. He would be able to use the remaining time effectively.

"To think there is such a miraculous connection. I am truly grateful."

The monk looked as if he were about to bow to the ground. Hyun-joon stopped him. He was the one gaining from this.

Having received the monk's permission, he immediately approached Sun Wukong, who was still clutching his head.

"If you listen to me, I'll help you take that off."

"What? Are you serious?"

Sun Wukong asked back, his eyes sparkling. The Golden Fillet seemed to be quite uncomfortable.

'No. I’m lying.'

Kim Hyun-joon smiled brightly instead of answering. For the remaining 10 hours, he clashed his wooden staff fiercely against Sun Wukong.

***

Once the time limit of the quest request ended, Kim Hyun-joon returned to his original location. This time, it happened in the blink of an eye.

"Phew. I made good use of that."

His body was currently drenched in sweat. It was the result of squeezing out every drop of stamina while practicing staff techniques relentlessly with Sun Wukong.

— Can't you do it like me? You just have to move like this. Why are you doing it that way?

— What? You can't even follow this? How on earth did you defeat me?

The remaining 10 hours were useful, but... they were also a bit awkward. Sun Wukong had absolutely no talent for teaching others. He would simply show a move and then scold Hyun-joon for not being able to copy it.

It seemed there were some things even Sun Wukong couldn't do.

"I’ll just consider it a good experience."

Staff techniques would surely help with his spear techniques as well.

In any case, time had flown by. He had used the item during the day, but now it was the middle of the night. He had experienced spatial teleportation, but the passage of time remained the same.

"It'll be a problem if I go back like this."

If he returned home in this state, his parents would be shocked. They would surely ask why he was soaked in sweat while on leave. He decided to stop by a coin laundry before heading home.

His depleted stamina was cleanly recovered using the Spearman's Willpower. Just as he was packing his military backpack, wondering when the reward would be given...

*Ring!*

**[A Soft Heavenly Peach has been granted.]**

**[A Ruyi Jingu Bang Fragment has been granted.]**

Holograms floated before his eyes. At the same time, a fruit and a small red fragment appeared out of thin air and fell. He focused all his attention on catching them so they wouldn't drop.

The item effects he confirmed were...

"This is amazing."

Literally. It was incredible.

**[Soft Heavenly Peach]**
A fruit Sun Wukong secretly stole from the Heavenly Peach Garden. A portion of it has softened, so it cannot provide its full effect. Consumption permanently increases the Mana stat. It will disappear in 24 hours due to poor storage conditions.
Grade: Rare

"This basically means I received an elixir as a reward."

An elixir that increases the Mana stat. Furthermore, it had no restrictions. He couldn't help but salivate.

"Something this good for the body must be eaten by me."

Since it would disappear in 24 hours anyway, there was no other choice.

He took a bite without even peeling it. He felt as if the sweet juice was spreading through his entire body after passing down his esophagus. It was good for him and tasted great too. It was the best peach of his life.

*Ssssss.*

Moreover, the change was rapid. The Magic Lancer’s mana hole began to grow slightly. Additionally, he felt a cooling sensation in his stomach. It was like pouring cold water into a dried-up spring.

**[Mana stat has increased by 3.]**

The hologram that appeared next was surprising. His Mana stat had gone up by 3 all at once.

"...It went up by that much?"

Not just mana, but increasing any Hunter stat is not easy. The higher the stat value, the harder it becomes to raise. Once it enters the double digits, the growth rate starts to slow down. After exceeding 15, it becomes incredibly slow, as if a brake has been applied.

"To raise it this much from my current mana level..."

No matter how hard he trained, it would probably take about 6 months. By consuming this elixir, he had essentially earned that much time.

The adjustment of skill duration and output would become much easier due to the lack of mana, and their power would also increase. The higher the Mana stat, the more the skills were influenced.

*Flash!*

He tried coating his hand with mana as a test, and it was certainly different. Everything from the clarity of the mana to its duration, power, and size had changed. He could even feel that his ability to weaken monsters infused with mana had improved.

"The amazing thing is there's one more reward."

The reward he just obtained was Rare. However, the small fragment in his palm was actually Unique grade. However, it was impossible to use it right now.

**[Ruyi Jingu Bang Fragment]**
A fragment that fell off the Ruyi Jingu Bang. Its combat capabilities have been lost, but its transformation ability to grow or shrink in size remains. It can be attached to something for use. It has excellent durability.
Additional Ability: ??? [Unlocked upon binding]
Grade: Unique
Usage Requirement: Level 5 or higher. Permanently bound upon use.

It had a level restriction.

"Looking at the description, it doesn't seem like it's for combat..."

Still, the grade was Unique. There would be a way to use it for other purposes. He put the item in his pocket, looking forward to reaching Level 5. Perhaps because of its small size, the energy it gave off was also faint.

"I've eaten well."

Kim Hyun-joon expressed his gratitude to the American Hunter who must be out there somewhere. He didn't know who it was, but he felt like buying them a meal if he could. He hadn't expected to profit this much from one Rare item and one Unique item.

***

"I'm already heading back."

He had come out on a three-day reward leave, but time always seemed to move faster during leave. It felt like he had only just arrived home, and now he was already returning to base.

"He said I shouldn't mention the Battalion Commander's proposal yet."

How happy would his parents be if they heard he was jumping from Sergeant straight to Second Lieutenant? His mouth itched with the desire to tell them, but he held back. The Battalion Commander had asked him to keep it a secret for the time being.

"Loyalty! Corporal Kim Hyun-joon. Returning from leave."

He returned to the living quarters and saluted his seniors, but the reactions of the two magic soldiers were unusual.

"...What is this?"

"Hyun-joon. Did something happen to you?"

Sergeant Yoon Sung-jin and Corporal Han Ji-han were especially reactive. As magic soldiers, they quickly noticed the changes that had occurred in his body. Corporal Kang Chul-soo, who didn't know what was going on, just had a blank look on his face.

"Did you eat some expensive elixir while on leave?"

"Your mana hole suddenly got bigger. It feels like your mana capacity has increased significantly too."

Kim Hyun-joon replied to the two surprised men that it just happened at some point. It was best to be vague about such things.

"I suppose so. Even if you take an illegal mana amplification elixir, it only increases a little bit. And you're not the type to use something like that anyway."

"I'm seriously getting scared of Hyun-joon lately. I think he has more mana than me now. How am I supposed to make a living at this rate?"

Corporal Han Ji-han lamented playfully. Kim Hyun-joon just gave a small smirk.

"By the way, Corporal Kang Chul-soo, since you don't have mana, you don't know what it feels like, do you? I'll kindly explain it to you."

"Why are you dragging me into this? Dammit. I'm fine, so get lost."

Kim Hyun-joon didn't miss Corporal Kang Chul-soo's pouting face. It seemed like he was upset about being left out, so Hyun-joon kindly explained about mana. Seeing him annoyed made Hyun-joon feel refreshed.

***

That night.
The Battalion Commander’s office.

The commander of the Third Battalion, Colonel Woo Hyun-suk, was on the phone with someone from Hunter Headquarters. Looking at his troubled expression, it didn't seem like good news.

— You punk! No matter how much you want it, you should have some common sense!

"Senior. I've already organized and submitted the report to HQ. Isn't this much acceptable?"

— I even pushed through the special promotion because you insisted. But you want to give this kind of special treatment to a single soldier?

"It's much cheaper than losing Corporal Kim Hyun-joon to a civilian guild. Shouldn't we make sure to keep such talent in the military?"

— Are you sure you're confident about this?

"I even got permission from our Division Commander. Why are you getting so worked up?"

— Hey! Are you talking back to me right now?

Colonel Woo Hyun-suk couldn't take it anymore and raised his voice.

"Brother! Are you upset with me for some reason lately? Corporal Kim Hyun-joon has long since surpassed the level of an ordinary soldier! I guarantee it!"

— Enough! Since you say you're confident, let's see how well he does in the Hunter ATT training.

"Why bring that up all of a sudden? That training is still a long way off..."

*Click!*

The call was harshly disconnected. Colonel Woo Hyun-suk let out a deep sigh.

"Seriously, that temper of his."

It hadn't been long since he submitted the report regarding Kim Hyun-joon's special treatment, but the Chief of Personnel at Hunter Headquarters had pushed back strongly. They questioned why such benefits were being given to a soldier with a short service period.

Honestly, compared to the benefits civilian guilds showered people with, this couldn't even be considered large. Seeing them oppose even this made him realize the military was still the military. It hadn't changed much even after all these years.

"The fact that he brought up the training means he's going to move it forward..."

The Hunter ATT was a major training exercise scheduled for 4 months later. If it was moved up, it could be conducted as early as a month from now. Colonel Kim Young-gil, the Chief of Personnel, was close with the Chief of Operations.

"Even so, it's a training that requires at least a minimum preparation period."

Colonel Woo Hyun-suk fell into thought. He considered whether he should reduce Kim Hyun-joon's benefits for now, but...

'No. It's better to show them clearly here.'

He soon shook his head. If he backed down now, these kinds of challenges would continue in the future. Had he not promised? That he would push for him with everything he had.

Now that it had come to this, he just had to prove it.

"This Battalion Commander believes you will do well again."

Just as he had until now, he had no doubt that Hyun-joon would show them what he was capable of. It wasn't just a hunch; it was backed by data. Compared to the other soldiers in the unit, Corporal Kim Hyun-joon was overwhelmingly superior in every way.

"And even if the training is moved up, the conditions are the same for the Fourth Battalion Commander."

This meant that the fire was under the Fourth Battalion Commander's feet as well.

"Actually, it's better. That guy will be flustered too."

The Third and Fourth Battalion Commanders did not get along well. Therefore, Colonel Woo Hyun-suk decided to think of it as a good thing. The Fourth Battalion didn't have any soldier as excellent as Corporal Kim Hyun-joon.