I Am The Anti-Mage

Chapter 105: Determine

“No need to get sulky.”

“Anyway, I’m better than her at controlling Mana!”

“Sure. I can feel your Mana flow really getting messed up every time you try to rush it.”

“Ouch!!”

“Be patient. Nothing is instant. Yu-jin being able to do that doesn’t mean she is even doing what I meant earlier. You two are still far from what I thought.”

Dong-hyun lowered his head while touching it. He felt accustomed to the pain from Ji-woo hitting him. Although he expressed displeasure with Yu-jin’s results, deep down, he thought it was normal. It was because Yu-jin was a D-rank hunter, one level above him.

“It feels weird. But at the same time, it’s something new for me.”

Yu-jin got taken aback when she saw flames gushing out of her hands. It also made her realize that doing magic spells without getting chanted was possible for her, a low-rank hunter.

Ji-woo narrowed his eyes. “Alright, keep practicing like that. However, you two have to remember not to rely on that method. You should actually be able to use magic spells without chanting them. So, interspersed with without using magic spells from the Skill Page.”

Dong-hyun replied in low spirits, while Yu-jin just nodded vigorously. Ji-woo then told them to practice on their own because he had some business to do.

“Ah, right. Yesterday, why did you want to withdraw from the training and the hunt at the tier-4 Portal Gate, Hyung?” Dong-hyun asked.

Yu-jin heard the question that caught her interest by bringing her ear closer.

Ji-woo shook his head. “There’s no specific reason for that. I’m just busy. That’s all.”

“But, this is the tier-4 Portal Gate we were talking about! Do you know how big our chances are to get the finest quality weapons or items? Moreover, the payoff would, without a doubt, get doubled. And I’m sure you need it.” Yu-jin chimed in. She thought of Ji-woo in a situation where he needed to earn some money for his family.

Dong-hyun understood why Ji-woo wasn’t getting the hype with the tier-4 Portal Gate. They had gone to one before, though the experience had been a bit extreme for him since Ji-woo went into a killer mode last time. A joyful occasion turned into a nightmare. He was initially happy that his friend was taking him hunting. Moreover, the place was a tier-4 Portal Gate.

However, he didn’t resent and blame Ji-woo for what was happening there. He was sure Ji-woo did everything for a reason. Anyhow, he also wanted to know why Ji-woo didn’t want to go to the Portal Gate and leave the training. Moreover, it would be a test to join the new team for the tier-5 Portal Gate.

Meanwhile, Ji-woo chuckled at Yu-jin’s words. Yes, if he was in the past. He would love to join them, especially for the high pay. That would pique his interest. But now? The amount of millions or tens of millions won was not a big thing for him. He hunted at the Portal Gate himself without having to share the loot with anyone. His current scale was in the hundreds of millions and would hit the billion won mark in the near future.

As for the team that entered the tier-5 Portal Gate, he preferred to use his time to hunt another Portal Gate himself. Even if it was below that Portal Gate tier, at least the profits didn’t need to get shared anywhere.

He currently wanted to revive the Nullifier’s True Strength, so he was not curious about the tier-5 Portal Gate. Even though he looked down on all the hunters in South Korea, it didn’t mean he dared to stand out too much.

He still didn’t know the strength of the hunters from other countries, let alone the Apex-ranked and ArchMage that he had never met. Another thing that worried him was the person he had met at his father’s cemetery long before. Even though it could not get confirmed whether the man was a foe or just a casual visitor, the current him couldn’t fight that person.

“Just. Not interested.” Ji-woo replied with a subtle smile and left the duo behind to continue their training.

Yu-jin and Dong-hyun were surprised and astonished by the answer. They both have the same perception of Ji-woo, who was a person who needed money. On the other hand, if Ji-woo passed the test, he would easily blend in with other high-rank hunters in the new team, and getting to know them would open the door to becoming stronger. Also, what that tier-5 Portal Gate had to offer might just surprise him.

Elsewhere, at the Demigod guild headquarters, Dal-soo just daydreams in his chair, seemingly lost in thought.

That Dal-soo’s blank look expression caught In-ah’s attention. She came to him and asked.

“What’s wrong with you? I saw that you were only daydreaming. Is there a problem with Choi Min-ho’s recovery?”

However, there was no answer from Dal-soo. In-ah frowned seeing that. She then got closer and hit his shoulder.

“Ah. Oh. Yes? I agree with it.” Dal-soo woke up, uttering some gibberish. He then looked at In-ah on his side and realized his mistake.

“Ah, I’m sorry for that. What did you say In-ah~nim? I seemed to be spacing out before.”

In-ah glared at Dal-soo like she was checking him out.

“What are you thinking? It makes you engrossed with something all day. Is it because of Min-ho?”

“Well, Min-ho’s recovery is going pretty well. Tomorrow he will be able to do everything as usual.”

“So, what’s weighing on your mind? Is it a guild matter?”

“Ah, it’s nothing. No big deal.” Dal-soo answered with an awkward laugh.

In-ah was silent for a moment then turned away, leaving Dal-soo in his seat. “Okay. It’s up to you, Sunbae. I’m off to attend to other matters.”

“Junior Seol, What do you think of Kim Ji-woo~si?”

Dal-soo suddenly asked something that made In-ah stop in her tracks. She turned back and looked at Dal-soo.

“Nothing, just a new lad. Why? Did you get anything about him? Care to share with me?”

Dal-soo shook his head. “Nothing. I’m just curious what you think of him.”

“Well, there was an impression from him that I couldn’t forget after our first meeting at the guild members’ funeral. Through his eyes, I feel he’s a dangerous person, but at the same time, I don’t feel any Mana at all to support my opinion that he’s our equal.

“Even when he took the guild test, I still couldn’t sense his Mana. But in fact, he’s an official hunter. That means he has Mana that was probably get hidden due to some magic item.”

Dal-soo pondered about the possibility that Ji-woo didn’t have any Mana at all. Of course, the plausibility of a magic item hiding Mana still existed. But, after hearing In-ah, he was almost 100% sure that Ji-woo didn’t have Mana. The question was, where did Ji-woo’s power come from without Mana?

Did it have something to do with Ji-woo being able to freely enter the Portal Gate? Despite being on par with or above S-rank hunters who could only enter the tier-5 Portal Gate?

Out of nowhere, Ji-woo’s existence suddenly became mysterious. Something beyond Dal-soo’s logic.

“You know something about him. Don’t you, Sunbae!?”

Dal-soo lowered his head to look at the floor and put on a solemn face. He considered sharing his experience yesterday with the others. But, as In-ah said earlier, Ji-woo might be dangerous. That meant he wouldn’t hesitate to kill people who peeked out of curiosity, especially those who wanted to find out openly.

Dal-soo was probably someone who got used to life and death. But, he didn’t want any sacrifices to be in vain. Ji-woo’s previous words also had some truth in them. It was this country still not strong enough to do anything against him.

Dal-soo finally decided to keep his mouth shut and try talking to Ji-woo first. He didn’t want to act hastily and rashly. One misstep, hundreds of hunters’ lives might get wasted. He needed to confirm a few things with Ji-woo.

First, Dal-soo wanted to know if Ji-woo was an enemy or an ally in the fight against the Portal Gate creatures.

The second and third were, what was Ji-woo’s purpose in joining the Demigod guild and his overall plan here.

Depending on the answer later, it will determine the fate of the hunters in South Korea. Dal-soo also thought of insurance, knowing what he was about to do might get him killed later.

He needed to tell one hunter about this. Someone who could be trusted and knew how to handle situations like this. The head of the Hunter Association, Yu Dong-chul.

At least if he died, Chairman Yu would know that the person he was investigating was dangerous to the safety of the hunters.

“Nothing. You don’t have to worry. I’m just asking. There’s no particular reason for that.” Dal-soo answered In-ah with a smile.

In-ah knew Dal-soo was hiding something within that smile. But she couldn’t force him to spill it. The only way she could find out was by secretly investigating behind his back.