I Was a Porter, but My Mana Is Infinite? Episode 2
Seong-u roughly filled in the deeply sunken hollow in case anyone saw, then headed toward the gosiwon.
The moment he entered the gosiwon, he washed his body, covered in sweat and dust.
And lying on the bed, he exhaled deeply.
His heart pounded as if it would burst, as if he had sprinted with all his might.
[Mana: ∞]
It was the infinity symbol he had grown sick of seeing during math class.
'So I didn't get tired because my mana was infinite.'
Even S-rank Hunters on TV had limits to their mana, and after using large skills a few times, they would fall into a state of exhaustion and gasp for breath.
No matter how much mana they had, there was a limit.
'Even if it's an F-rank skill, if I can cast it without limit, I might be able to clear an F-rank dungeon alone.'
For dungeons higher than that, considering the level of the monsters, it was impossible to clear them with just Fireball.
Higher-rank skills were needed.
'What I need most right now is, as expected, money?'
The more he learned higher-rank skills with money, the stronger he would grow exponentially.
Seong-u took out his phone and checked his bank account.
[9,052,000 won]
It was the money he had saved while working as a porter for the past year.
But it was far from enough to buy an F-rank skill book.
When he closed the banking app, the wallpaper showing a middle-aged couple came into view.
It was a family photo taken before they had passed away due to a Monster Break.
'.......'
His parents had fought to protect Seong-u and were killed by monsters.
After sufficient research on Gates was conducted, Hunters now cleared them periodically, but it hadn't been like that back then.
Seong-u had entered such dungeons only as a porter until now, but not anymore.
'Since I've Awakened too, I can get a Hunter's license.'
Since Hunters had always been in short supply, obtaining a Hunter's license was simple.
You just needed to undergo an Awakening test at the Hunter Management Bureau and cast your skill in front of an examiner.
Then, brief information would be measured like what was shown on a Scouter, and it would be marked on the Hunter's license.
"Shall I go right away?"
Seong-u shouldered the bag he had worn while working as a porter and headed to the Hunter Management Bureau.
* * *
The Bureau was enclosed in a massive dome of nearly 100,000 pyeong and protected on a large scale by magic.
It was one of the few places in the world safe from monsters.
The dome was divided into dozens of districts.
"Selling F-rank magic stones! Cheaper than officially registered vendors!"
"Selling skill books. We'll trade too, so feel free to come and inquire."
Seong-u blankly stared at the skill books stacked high on the sales counter.
"Oh my. Welcome, customer. Are you here to buy a skill book?"
"Yes. What is the cheapest skill book you have?"
The merchant's brightly smiling face stiffened.
He tapped the outermost one with his finger.
[Air Boom]
[Rank: F-Rank]
"12 million won."
"An F-rank magic book?"
"You don't know how prices are rising these days? It might be even more expensive if you come tomorrow. Hurry up and secure it while you have the money!"
It wasn't just skill books that had gone up in price.
Magic stones of each rank and items crafted from them were the same.
A staff embedded with a C-rank magic stone was currently being traded for 3 billion won.
Seong-u clicked his tongue and shook his head.
'I can't even dream of that right now.'
Seong-u went to the Awakened examination station and registered his information.
People who had arrived earlier were sitting on benches waiting for their turn.
Most returned shuffling their feet, having failed to obtain satisfactory results.
"Mr. Bae Seong-u. Please come in."
Upon entering through the thick glass door, three examiners were seated inside.
They looked extremely tired, having conducted examinations continuously.
"Please stand in front of us and wait a moment."
Right in front of the glass door, a measuring device similar to a Scouter was installed.
The difference was that it could analyze more precisely and in greater detail.
Seong-u hid his tension and waited for the results.
On a screen invisible to his eyes, the results appeared.
"Hmm. F-rank, but it's a hidden ability. How unusual."
"Indeed."
"Mr. Bae Seong-u. Your skill is magic, correct?"
"Yes. It's Fireball."
"Would you please cast it toward us?"
One of the examiners spoke, pointing at the wall.
The moment he heard those words, Seong-u cast Fireball.
The examiner on the far left observed Seong-u carefully.
Fwoosh—
As expected, the glass door didn't budge.
"Please continue casting."
Seong-u deliberately cast Fireball with brief intervals in between.
After about five, he stopped, gasping for breath.
"That's enough. Thank you for your hard work."
"Your mana control is extremely stable."
Putting the examiners' astonishment behind him, Seong-u successfully received his license.
It was a card with his photo, age, and rank written on it, just like the existing resident registration card.
It gleamed on the surface because it contained mana.
Linked to his account, it could also be used as a credit card.
The rank was F-rank, as he had expected.
[Bae Seong-u]
[Rank: F-Rank]
[Stamina: 12 (F)]
[Strength: 10 (F)]
[Agility: 13 (F)]
[Endurance: 14 (F)]
[Mana: 15 (F)]
Skills
[Fireball (F)]
[Proficiency: 4/100]
"Hmm?"
A few items different from when he had seen the Scouter appeared.
Instead of the infinity symbol, a number was displayed for Mana.
But on the status window he checked personally, the ∞ mark was still there.
"Does it display differently on the measuring device......?"
That was actually better for Seong-u.
Also, proficiency was newly displayed.
Usually, the rate of increase was extremely slow, but he was different.
Since his mana was infinite, he could raise it as much as he wanted.
'This will become an enormous advantage too.'
The next place Seong-u headed was the Dungeon Management Division.
Here, Hunters selected and were assigned dungeons to clear.
The large screen was filled with a list of dungeons currently available for clearing.
[D-Rank]
[E-Rank]
[F-Rank]
…….
There were no high-rank dungeons of C-rank or higher among them.
Because Dungeon Breaks caused extreme damage, the Hunter Management Bureau distributed them only to those qualified.
'The easiest one is the Slime Mine.'
As the name suggested, it was literally a dungeon in the form of a mine.
If you passed through each tunnel, the boss monster, the King Slime, existed in the final chamber.
'Slimes are not only slow in movement but also weak to magic.'
He knew it well because it was one of the dungeons he had regularly participated in as a porter.
If he hunted using Fireball from a distance, he alone would be sufficient.
'To hide that my mana is infinite, I have to clear it alone.'
Seong-u clicked on the [Slime Mine] dungeon and applied to clear it.
The name Bae Seong-u flickered in the applicant field and soon turned a deep black.
'Done.'
His heart began pounding again.
Since he had worked as a porter, he knew well about the rewards obtainable in an F-rank dungeon.
The profit was incomparably good compared to that of a mere porter.
'If I'm lucky, I might get magic stones or skill books. Or I could sell monster byproducts.'
The money he earned as a porter was barely 200,000 won per day.
But now he could monopolize all of it alone.
'I know better than anyone what to bring.'
He fastened his bag tightly and headed to where the Gate was located.
From the entrance, a massive wall like a fortress blocked the way.
'Here.'
[Gate Relay Station]
Inside, a device was installed that connected to the Gates outside the Hunter Management Bureau.
Therefore, Hunters didn't need to search for Gates all over the world one by one.
Hunters from the Dungeon Management Division approached Seong-u.
"Please present your Hunter's license."
When Seong-u handed over his Hunter's license, the man examined it and pointed inside.
"F-rank Slime Mine, correct?"
"Yes. That's correct."
Even if it was an F-rank dungeon, the value of byproducts and magic stones coming out of it every day was steady.
It was easier to clear than higher-rank dungeons, but their numbers were just as great.
"Please go to Section 3."
Hunters who had already gathered were waiting in front of the relay station.
They were people who had come after forming teams in advance.
There were almost no people clearing dungeons alone like Seong-u.
"Is that person going in alone?"
"Who knows. He might be a Hunter who can clear F-ranks without breaking a sweat. Don't pay him any mind."
"Wow. I'm jealous."
Once the Gate connected, the Hunters who had been looking at Seong-u entered inside.
The blue membrane that swallowed the Hunters swirled and subsided.
"Next, Mr. Bae Seong-u, please prepare."
"Yes."
The Dungeon Management Division employee looked at him listlessly.
Cases of entering alone weren't common, but they weren't nonexistent.
Vreeeee—
The dungeon's color had an orange hue, different from the one just before.
The closer to a Dungeon Break, the closer the color approached red.
'The monsters become more ferocious too.'
Usually, one would prefer deep blue, but he couldn't choose.
Seong-u stood in front of the Gate, looked at it for a moment, then walked inside.
The surface shook violently before subsiding.
The employee was about to call for the next person when he suddenly discovered something and flinched in surprise.
"......Hurk!"
"What is it?"
"I mixed up the Gate relay."
"What? Give me that."
At the clearing station up front, he had mistakenly relayed [Goblin Mine] to Seong-u instead of [Slime Mine].
It was the same F-rank, but the difficulty was clearly different.
The man furrowed his brow and looked at the Gate.
* * *
His body shook back and forth as if it had been put inside a washing machine.
Then, as if someone had yanked him, he landed on a hard floor.
The first few times, he hadn't been able to get used to the sensation and had vomited several times.
"Phew."
Sighing, he opened his eyes.
It was a dark cave with a musty smell.
"......Huh?"
But not far away, an ugly green monster stood there.
Coming up to Seong-u's waist, with long ears and long claws......
"......Goblin?"
—Keeeeerk!
The two Goblins bared their sharp teeth and rushed at Seong-u the moment they spotted him.
Seong-u reflexively raised his palm and cast Fireball.
[Fireball]
[Fireball]
[Fireball]
Fireballs shot out without rest, and one of them struck a Goblin square in the chest.
Its body was charred black by the small explosion and collapsed to the ground.
—Keeeeerk!
Seong-u only stopped after casting Fireball dozens of times.
What remained in that spot were Goblin corpses turned to ash,
and sparkling magic stones.