Ch.2020. Why Are You Here?

# Enhancement Suits

Enhancement suits were initially a means to protect the bodies of early aptitude holders.

In terms of offensive and defensive capabilities, early low-level aptitude holders had sufficient attack power but were relatively vulnerable in defense.

Due to this defensive weakness, they often fought cautiously or missed opportunities even when they could finish a fight in one blow. This led a company to develop the first enhancement suit.

While it seemed like they would sell explosively given their purpose, they eventually hit a limit.

That limit came when aptitude holders began contracting with summoning spirits and growing stronger, surpassing the defensive capabilities of enhancement suits.

The threshold was approximately D-rank.

Enhancement suits became merely cumbersome attire for the strong.

Once it was confirmed that bodies wrapped in magical power were superior to the defensive capabilities of enhancement suits, they became what would be considered low-level equipment in gaming terms.

As a result, the company that had expanded its facilities was driven to the brink of bankruptcy.

However, there was still a definite demand, allowing them to recover by selling off a few factories, and that became the history of enhancement suits as we know them today.

An enhancement suit with enough defensive power to withstand up to D-rank. With this, I could face low-level aptitude holders who had contracted with summoning spirits.

“Plus, I have memories from before the regression.”

Yes, the chances of winning with just an enhancement suit are low. But I possess knowledge of Min Kangsu’s abilities, characteristics, and weaknesses.

Applying that knowledge, I was confident I could win even now.

The power given to me after the regression wasn’t everything.

Not only was the monster summoning spirit a new power, but I also had knowledge from those three years, or even more.

I didn’t remember everything, but I had a good grasp of the major developments.

The Min Kangsu incident hadn’t happened before the regression, but given Geum Dohyeon’s nature of rarely visiting the lower class, it was obvious he had ordered it.

From the beginning, bullying issues from the powerful upper class had precedents, so frequent visits themselves were subject to restraint by instructors.

That’s why Aerial left quickly. I moved to the simulation room.

The enhancement suit would arrive tomorrow. It wasn’t a custom piece, just mass-produced.

Before that, collecting cards with M points was important.

I needed to continue my efforts as a new card user.

As I entered the simulation practice room, I ran into Min Kangsu.

For a moment, neither of us said anything. We’d be facing each other next week anyway. No need to start trouble here and get scolded by the instructor.

But the problem arose elsewhere.

The Geum Dohyeon family was there. Geum Dohyeon smoothed his styled hair.

“I heard you’re going to fight Kangsu without even having a summoning spirit? That’s incredible.”

“It’s none of your business.”

“I’m making it my business.”

Geum Dohyeon grabbed my collar.

“Feeling good hanging out with Aerial and Seol Yuhwa these days? Getting cocky, aren’t you?”

As Geum Dohyeon glared at me with killing intent, I wasn’t really scared.

Was it because I’d fought monsters directly? The pressure from Geum Dohyeon, which would have made me tremble with fear before, wasn’t affecting me.

Like a midfielder breaking free from pressure.

“I’ve never been cocky. Min Kangsu keeps picking fights with me. Funny how you two agree. Did you put him up to it?”

“What are you saying, you little shit?”

Geum Dohyeon, still gripping my collar, pushed me against the wall.

As the atmosphere darkened again, a large hand appeared before me.

“Stop it.”

I saw a tall figure looking down at us.

Han Minwoo was holding Geum Dohyeon’s hand. At that moment, I could see the power struggle between Geum Dohyeon and Han Minwoo.

Geum Dohyeon’s hand trembled like a trapped insect trying to move.

But it wouldn’t budge. Han Minwoo’s hand remained firm like a boulder.

“Let go, Han Minwoo. I was just scaring him.”

“Stop bullying kids. I’ve been hearing that you’ve been messing with the intermediate class lately.”

“What’s it to you?”

“Are you proud of it?”

Sparks flew between Han Minwoo and Geum Dohyeon. Other people around seemed to sense it too, as they began avoiding the area.

The one who ended this standoff was Gu Sangheon.

Gu Sangheon, who had appeared out of nowhere, stood between the two.

“Hey, friends. How about getting along? Besides, the instructor is coming. Do you want to keep this up?”

At Gu Sangheon’s words, they both backed down.

True, the instructor is the scariest of all.

Han Minwoo disappeared, talking with Gu Sangheon. Come to think of it, did those two become friends in the future too?

When Han Minwoo couldn’t gain much external fame due to the power of the Geum Dohyeon family, he gradually expanded his position by teaming up with Gu Sangheon. That was the story until their third year.

Those two becoming friends was inevitable, since Geum Dohyeon focused on building his own faction.

Anyway, back in the simulation practice room, I challenged E-rank for the first time.

It wasn’t recklessness.

I’m the one who subdued the Puss in Boots. With consistent training, raising to E-rank shouldn’t be a problem.

Above all, my eyes are not ordinary right now.

“I can see everything.”

An E-rank monster skeleton was charging at me. The skeleton, which I couldn’t have even imagined facing before, was slowly swinging its sword.

For my former self, this would have been an impossible opponent. But now I could see it. That’s what matters.

[A skeleton’s weaknesses are identical to a human’s. Striking the joints causes severe damage, and targeting the ‘core’ will shatter it in one blow.]

Before the magic-infused sword could reach me, I struck its wrist.

The skeleton’s arm detached.

[The tricky part about skeletons is that unless you target the core, you need to damage the joints multiple times to push it to its limit.]

The skeleton’s core is its brain.

To reach it, I target the two arms that can defend.

I can see all of the creature’s movements. Why?

My magical power is only slightly higher than before due to my efforts.

But even without a summoning spirit, I can properly see the monster’s movements and target its weaknesses.

I don’t know if it’s an aftereffect of being connected to a summoning spirit. I just wanted to use this ability effectively.

My magic-infused fist quickly detached the other arm and targeted the head.

The first hit only slightly cracked the head.

It’s not like my magical power had increased. Yes, others might take it down in one blow, but I need to put in effort.

In the brief window when both arms were detached, I launched a series of attacks on the head.

Just as its arms were flying back to reattach, I finally managed to shatter the skeleton’s skull.

[You have acquired M points.]

-300 points

-Current M points: 2,100 points

Even though it was a simulation, I had won. I had defeated this creature before graduation.

And now I’d done it in my first year.

The top F-rank monsters and the lowest E-rank monsters are quite similar.

E-rank just has slightly better specs. That’s why I could win, and targeting weaknesses was the main strategy.

To survive here with a human body without getting expelled, this was the step I needed to take.

I had faithfully accomplished it.

After that, I fought the skeleton four more times.

And earned a whopping 900 points.

With this, I successfully accumulated a total of 3,000 M points. Honestly, the exchange rate to DNA points isn’t great, as it would only convert to about 300 points.

“Sub-card. Gacha is the best after all.”

Like a gambling addict, I invested 1,000 M points in the sub-card gacha.

Ten cards were spinning like a temporal storm before my eyes.

Eventually, the cards began flipping over one by one.

-Smoke Screen

“Oh, come on!”

Seeing the Smoke Screen card that I’d seen so tiresomely often, my head started to hurt.

But the rest of the cards weren’t anything special either. Speed Enhancement again, Detection Ability… that’s a basic trait for insects.

Just a parade of mediocre cards that weren’t particularly desirable. I didn’t have high hopes for the last card either.

But then, a light flashed on the card in front of me.

Suddenly, the ordinary colorless card changed to a blue card.

Blue? Not even yellow?

A blue card was presented to me as I stood there surprised.

[Field]

-Grants field characteristics to the desired caster for 5 minutes.

“Field?”

The word “field” reminded me of terrain cards in a certain TCG.

If that’s the case…

It’s good for monsters affected by characteristics, especially insect types.

“I got something good.”

Finally, among the meaningless cards, I obtained a truly decent one.

Then I should go out again. The order is reversed from usual, but I need to try out the card I just got.

***

[Monster Daily]

“So this beach is the last to be processed?”

Waves rippled in the wind before my eyes.

Like a mountain at night, the pre-opening beach is one of the places with the lowest priority for monster processing.

A place where guilds are least likely to come. I was waiting here now.

-DNA Points: 2,300

That was the total of points I currently possessed.

I originally had some from the mountains too, but to check the new card, I needed to go somewhere else.

Insects with adaptive abilities become significantly weaker when not in favorable fields.

The beach has no relation to the forest, making it a very suitable place to experiment with the card.

“I won’t get back to the dorm until dawn.”

The time was 11 PM. Late, perhaps, but this was the perfect place to come without anyone knowing.

I’d come farther than usual. Well, who would suspect someone as low-ranked as me anyway? I could just say I was out having fun.

Just then, a Monster Break began to occur right before my eyes.

B-rank monsters began pouring out from all directions.

A total of five monsters appeared before me.

Two mechanical types, two beast types, and one insect type.

“Let’s begin.”

It was time to transform. The moment I swiped my main card in the light, my entire body began to change into a half-dragon.

Now I selected the evolution card from the sub-card list.

As I transformed in an instant, my senses changed throughout my body like a heightened perception.

[Half-Insect Asura]

Strength: D

Agility: B

Resistance: D

Magic Resistance: C

Energy: C

Magic Power: C

Skills: Needle Attack, Wing Wave

Evolution: Insect, Humanoid

Having become an insect with a completely different field of vision, I flapped my wings.

“Wow, it’s so much lower compared to the dinosaur asura.”

Look at these low stats. They’re hardly worthy of A-rank.

It’s definitely too low outside of a forest.

That’s why this field card is useful.

As I quickly selected the terrain card from the status window, light began to swirl around my entire body.

[Field Card]

-Mountain, Sea, Desert, Sky, Underground

Five fields were scrolling through my status window in order.

I knew instinctively what to do.

I had to choose. I selected Mountain from the passing fields and equipped it in the sub-card slot.

[Field Card Activated]

-You will receive the Field Card effect for 5 minutes.

The time limit is 5 minutes. I need to finish within that time.

I could feel the card’s effect throughout my body.

Strength: B

Agility: S

Resistance: B

Magic Resistance: A

Energy: A

Magic Power: A

Skills: Needle Attack, Wing Wave, Wind Slicing

Evolution: Insect, Humanoid

These were flawless stats. With these numbers, I could easily handle the enemies.

Of the four sub-cards I currently had equipped, besides the evolution card, the other three were Field, Smoke Screen, and Hardening.

“Let’s go!”

With that, I soared into the sky.

In an instant, I could see the sky and moved toward the monsters that were still watching me.

They were clearly B-rank monsters, so they wouldn’t be easy opponents.

But for some reason, I was overflowing with confidence.

I can win. My enhanced strength and speed were tracking their movements.

I passed between them like teleporting, already activating Wing Wave.

I faced the monsters while emitting waves.

Naturally, they didn’t regard me with suspicion since I was also a monster.

Yes, that first moment is crucial.

I elegantly passed by the monsters’ sides with Wing Wave and looked back.

The monsters that had been where I passed were now coughing up blood from the wave.

Still, being B-ranks, they didn’t burst in one hit.

But they were suffering, nearly incapacitated, though not dead.

[Needle Attack]

Against such creatures, I was testing this insect’s new weapon.

I raised both hands forward. On my thick arms, contrary to the thin legs of normal insects, vicious spikes were visible.

I fired these spikes. That’s the true essence of Needle Attack.

“Kreeeek!”

As the monsters howled and tried to recover, the spikes from Needle Attack were fired.

With a slight pain in my hands, the spikes bombarded them.

“The destructive power is good.”

Before my eyes, each spike felt like a bomb.

Shock waves emanated from each falling spike in all directions.

I could see the monsters being literally swept away by the shock waves.

“Nice.”

Soon, I felt pain again as new spikes grew.

“So I can use it continuously as long as I have time.”

The utility of the terrain card and the results of using another technique were becoming apparent. It might be essential when using insect-type cards in the future.

[DNA Acquired]

-Beast

-Insect: Total DNA Points: 3,950

I had now gathered enough to exchange for monster points in one go. With this, I could exchange for 3 monster points. All that remained was to collect 10 component cards.

-Current Component Cards: 7.

The obvious conclusion was that my next target should be a place where mechanical-type monsters appear.

It meant that a new evolution route would be added soon.

“Phew. It’s over.”

Just as I thought I could take a breather and move quickly, I noticed something strange within the wide field of view provided by my compound eyes.

“A person?”

There was a figure that looked about the size of an elementary school student.

During a Break that was happening all around?

To my surprise, the child started running. Toward the monster corpses.

“What are you doing!”

I urgently changed direction.

Monster corpses can sometimes cause great harm to the human body, requiring professional handlers.

But a child was running toward them?

I turned around and sprinted inward.

The child and I faced each other over the monster corpse.

“A monster…”

But to my surprise, the child started crying. I didn’t know what to do.

“Junhu!”

I heard an anxious voice calling. Where had I heard that voice before?

With my compound eyes, I saw a woman appearing from the outer part of the beach.

It was a familiar figure.

“Seol Yuhwa?”

The woman calling for her brother was none other than Seol Yuhwa.

Why are you here?

A moment of silence passed, and my head began to spin.