Chapter 26: weapon Breaker

The food prepared at Jin Baek-ryong’s house was on a different level.

Even the high-end Korean restaurant from yesterday paled in comparison.

A message appeared, confirming my assessment.

[You have consumed a Mana-infused Tomahawk Steak.]
[Strength temporarily increased.]

A cooking buff.

A mark of a dish created by a cooking-type Awakened.

Weaker than potions or priestly buffs, they were still popular, granting buffs simply by eating delicious food, and stacking with other buffs.

Such dishes were usually exorbitantly expensive.

The Jin family’s wealth was truly astounding.

“This is delicious. I feel energized and invigorated.”

‘You are energized…’

Unlike potions and buffs, cooking buffs affected non-Awakened individuals as well.

Ha-yeon enjoyed her meal without a care in the world.

I wanted to indulge as well, but the presence of the young woman sitting at the head of the table made me slightly uncomfortable.

Jin Se-ryung, Jin Baek-ryong’s older sister.

She was joining us for lunch.

“Um… am I making you uncomfortable? Should I eat elsewhere?”

I’d expected a stern, traditional image, like a martial arts master from a strict sect, but she seemed like a friendly neighborhood older sister.

‘How can siblings be so different?’

Having never had parents or siblings in any of my five lives, this was beyond my comprehension.

“No, I was just lost in thought. I’m not uncomfortable.”

Come to think of it, the principal, also from this family, was known for being exceptionally kind.

Perhaps I’d been prejudiced against the top 10 families.

‘Jin Baek-ryong is a bit eccentric, but not a bad person.’

I’d heard the heir to one of China’s top 10 families was a spoiled brat and assumed the others were similar.

Perhaps even that guy was a decent person underneath it all.

“Phew… This is the first time Baek-ryong has brought friends home.

I wanted to see who they were. He’s never even mentioned having friends in 17 years.”

‘We’re not exactly friends…’

We were master and disciple, and Ha-yeon was the woman he’d confessed to and been rejected by.

We weren’t friends.

Which meant Jin Baek-ryong still had zero friends.

‘I feel bad for him.’

Even I, in my first life before awakening, had made four friends.

How could someone like him, with his background, not have a single friend?

I wondered what my friends from my first life were doing now.

This life was set five years after my first, and 17 years had passed since then, so they’d be at least 50 years old.

Having lost the emotions associated with my first life, I hadn’t bothered looking for them.

But visiting them when I had time seemed like a good idea.

“You’re Jin Baek-ryong’s sister, right? Don’t worry, he has four more friends besides us.”

She’d included Estelle, Liera, Seung-ah, and Shin-woo as Jin Baek-ryong’s friends.

“Really? That’s a relief… I was worried he’d never make any friends.”

After I’d revealed we were from another world, she seemed unfazed by Ha-yeon, technically 17, speaking casually to her.

“Yes, he’s doing fine, so stop nagging.”

Jin Baek-ryong, used to his sister’s nagging, offered a mild protest.

“Oh, is that so? Our Baek-ryong is doing just fine, is he?”

She still treated him like a child.

“Oh, right! Father wants to see you after lunch. Is that okay?”

‘Why are you mentioning something this important now?’

The fact that she’d forgotten to relay her father’s message and focused on Jin Baek-ryong’s social life reminded me of the time I’d disobeyed Ha-yeon’s orders and rescued her in the Demonic Heavenly Sect.

‘People are all the same.’

Following one’s heart took precedence over orders.

“Meeting him briefly shouldn’t be a problem.”

Earth wasn’t like a martial arts world or a fantasy world, where invitations were often traps.

And even if they tried to kill me, S-rank Hunters wouldn’t be enough.

I was immune to most mental attacks, impervious to physical restraints, practically immune to poison thanks to Poison Immunity, and possessed abnormal Strength and the Frost skill.

I could defeat any low-level S-rank and escape from stronger ones.

If they’d intended to harm me, Jin Baek-ryong wouldn’t have given me the Divine-grade elixir in the first place.

The possibility of fighting his father, Jin Su-hyeon, was remote.

“You’re even more impressive in person… How about a spar?”

 

***

 

The first words out of Jin Su-hyeon’s mouth upon meeting me.

Thankfully, he didn’t want to kill me, but a fight it was. Who asks their son’s friend for a spar upon first meeting them?

“I’m not really in the mood for…”

I was about to decline, since it was just a suggestion, but Jin Su-hyeon continued.

“I watched the recording of your fight with my son. Your combat was incredibly clean and efficient, despite your relatively weaker physique. But within a day, you’ve transformed completely… as if you’ve consumed a Divine-grade elixir.”

“Haha…”

It was more surprising that an expert like him hadn’t noticed.

Jin Su-hyeon seemed like an established S-rank, not a newly ascended one like his son.

Based on my experience, I estimated his level to be around 260.

Considering he was in his mid-40s, he was also considered a genius.

Still not as prodigious as his son, who reached the Transformation Realm at 17.

“I don’t mean to pressure you. I’m just lamenting the fact that my son gave away a Divine-grade elixir I acquired in exchange for prime real estate in Gangnam and two businesses to his friend.”

That’s what people called “pressure.”

“Ever since he was young, that boy…”

If this continued, I’d be listening to complaints about Jin Baek-ryong all day.

I agreed to the spar.

A 10-minute fight was better than this.

“Let’s spar.”

“Really?”

Jin Su-hyeon’s face lit up.

“But I’m just a student, and you’re an established S-rank Hunter. Give me a handicap.”

I requested a handicap based on age, experience, and status.

I could fight him without one, but this made me seem more like an ordinary kid facing the head of a top 10 family.

“Hmm… I’ll refrain from using Aura. How about that?”

Aura, the domain of Sword Masters, was similar to the Internal Energy of martial artists.

He wouldn’t use it.

“That’s sufficient.”

More than sufficient; it guaranteed my victory.

He’d fight using only his physical abilities and raw skill, and I was stronger in both aspects.

But I didn’t want the title of “the one who defeated the head of the Jin family,” so I planned to put up a good fight and then lose.

“Follow me.”

He led me to the virtual reality devices used in the second practical exam.

We entered the capsules, put on the goggles, pressed the buttons, and found ourselves standing in a vast plain.

“Jin Su-hyeon, head of the Jin family, requests a match.”

“Kim Yu-won accepts your challenge.”

The “orphan Kim Yu-won” tactic wouldn’t work on him, so I responded normally.

We faced each other, then charged simultaneously.

I used a fist enhanced with lightning energy; he wielded a mana-infused sword. Our fist and sword collided.

Clang!

The sound, far louder than expected from a clash between fist and sword, reverberated across the plain.

And… Jin Su-hyeon’s sword shattered.

“Huh…?”

Genuine surprise filled his face.

I was equally surprised.

‘Why did his sword break?’

Was it the combination of my 103 Strength, the enhanced speed and power from my increased Magic Power, amplified by Divine Strength, the upgraded version of Herculean Strength?

Even so, shattering a sword with a single exchange was problematic.

“Forgive my impudence, but could we try that again…?”

“…Sure.”

Jin Su-hyeon summoned another sword in the virtual reality and we clashed again.

The same deafening clang, and his sword shattered once more.

I’d glanced over the Divine Strength skill earlier, but a closer look revealed an additional effect compared to Herculean Strength.

[When unarmed, damage dealt to enemy weapons with physical attacks is tripled.]

An effect that amplified damage to weapons when fighting unarmed.

‘A triple damage multiplier on attacks with 103 Strength… of course his sword would break…’

Since I always fought unarmed, it was a permanent buff for me.

I wanted to control my strength, but having gained 44 Strength in less than two hours, I could only use full power or no power.

Using no power would defeat the purpose of the spar.

Seeing the futility of continuing, he conceded.

“I lost…”

I’d become an accidental weapon breaker.