Arena

Chapter 48 Special Skill (Part 2)

-Spirit summons (main skill): summon a spirit and use the power of mother nature.

*Possible summons spirits: Sylph, Kasa

*Entry level 1: summons time 2 hours

Reading the description on the board, I can see that I have made the contract with Kasa. I decide to summon it.

“Kasa.”

Hwaluluk-

A flame suddenly bobs up and down in front my eyes and the flame balls up and appears into one shape. The completed appearance is...

-Hek hek hek...!

A small animal pants with its tongue out. And a tail ferociously wagged left and right.

It’s a puppy.

Appearing from the body that was ablaze, a puppy that looks like a Yorkshire terrier looks at me and greets me with its wagging tail.

“Ha...”

I sigh.

A dog after a cat. I was hoping it would be a spirit I could talk with.

-Bark bark!

The dog looks at me and barks. With shiny wide eyes he looks at me and I laugh.

“Alright, alright, come here.”

-Bark!

Kasa jumps into my lap.

‘Hold up.’

The summons time is still 2 hours.

If I have Kasa summoned with Sylph, does the time run out twice as fast?

I should test this out.

“Sylph!”

-Meow!

This time, a slender kitty appears and delicately sits on top of my head.

-Meow?

-Ruff?

Sylph and Kasa look at each other suspiciously. They exchanged looks like who are you...

Sylph taps Kasa on the head with her front paw.

Kasa is momentarily alarmed and growls and bares his teeth. Sylph too lowers her body and assumed a fighting position.

-Bark, bark, bark!

-Meow!

Kasa jumped up from my lap and gets entangled with Sylph. I see the two spirits tossing and turning above my head and sigh once more.

What a mess.

At least them quarreling doesn’t use more summons time.

While the cat and dog argue, I look at my board.

*Entry level 1: summons time 2 hours. (1 hour 58 minutes 23 seconds)

As expected, the summons time goes by twice as fast.

Summoning both spirits is a waste. They don’t look to be on good terms anyway, so unless it is an emergency situation, I should only summon one.

Since Sylph always does the scouting and sniping, I’ll use her more.

“Kasa, return.”

-Ggung (whimper).

In the midst of fighting, Kasa makes a sorrowful sound. I scratch his head and persuade him.

“I’ll summon you again and next time we can play.”

-Bark!

As if in understanding, he barks one more time and disappears.

“Sylph, please gather all the dust in the house and put it in the trash.”

Sylph turns into one stream of wind and flies by every nook and cranny.

One disgusting clump of half dust and half hair gets thrown in the trash. A house with three women, there is no end to the hair.

I return Sylph too and keep staring at my board.

I still have something left to do.

“Skill synthesis.”

The words on the board change.

-Please select the skill or item you wish to synthesize.

- Possible skills for synthesis: spirit summons (Sylph), spirit summons (Kasa), physical buffer, direction GPS

- Possible items for synthesis: Mosin-Nagant, item bag

*An item that is used for synthesis is consumed.

A skill option for possible synthesis has increased by one.

“Synthesize spirit summons Kasa with physical buffer.”

-Spirit summons (Kasa) and physical buffer are being synthesized.

Pat!

And a light twinkled from the board.

-Synthesis successful. You have acquired the divine protection of flame (synthesis skill).

-Divine protection of flame (synthesis skill): stir up flame with your body. It is influenced by the user’s concentration and skill level plus the spirit’s skill level.

*Entry level 1: time duration 15 minutes. Cooldown time 1 hour.

A success. In addition to wind, I have gotten the skill for flame. For free.

‘It’s a big dangerous inside the house so I’ll test it out later at the mountain.’

I decide to test out the divine protection of wind and divine protection of flame on Taejo mountain at dawn.

Now, I have 300 karma left. How to use it?

Cha Ji-hye recommended getting a martial arts related assist skill and learning to fight.

But because I have the athleticism from the synthesis skill, I think that will be sufficient.

Martial arts is, in the end, moving the body with precision, so there shouldn’t be a need to acquire an additional martial arts skill in addition to the athleticism, right?

After thinking it through carefully, I postpone my decision.

‘I’ll think it through a bit more before deciding.’

I still have 20 days before the next exam. For today, I’ll test out the new skills one by one and think some more.

***

The time is just past 5 pm and Hyun-ji is getting in from school.

But she’s not alone.

“Oppa!”

A girl with long straight hair and double eyelids waves a cheerful hand and runs at me. It’s Yoo Min-jeong.

“Aw, oppa! Didn’t you miss me?”

Without any hesitation, Min-jeong hugs me.

“I missed you. Of course I wanted to see you.”

I hug Min-jeong back and with reply with my greasiest voice possible,

“Hey, you guys! Getting along real well!”

Seeing this, Hyun-ji yells in anger and Min-jeong and I giggle.

“Separate, you two!”

“I want to separate too but...”

Min-jeong’s eyes twinkle as she talks.

“His strong chest won’t let me go. I can’t separate myself.”

I burst into laughter.

It’s a parody of the situation with Hyun-ji at the club.

Eventually, Min-jeong gets dragged off by the ear from Hyun-ji.

“Anyway, what are you doing at our house?”

“We have a group project. And I wanted to see you.”

Min-jeong hits on me again and gets a low kick from Hyun-ji.

“Give me food.”

Says Min-jeong to Hyun-ji.

Hyun-ji looks surprised.

“What do you mean food? Just finish the project and go.”

“Aw, but its dinner time. I can’t think right when I’m hungry.”

“Are you hungry 24 hours a day, 365 days a year?”

“Aww, come on.”

“Who are trying to act cute with?”

Min-jeong continues to nag to be fed and eventually Hyun-ji stares at me.

“Oppa, food.”

“...”

“Make some food while we work on our project. You can do that much for your baby sis that’s getting ready for employment, right? Haha, thanks a bunch.”

Hyun-ji goes into her room with Min-jeong. Min-jeong blew a kiss as she went in.

“Food that you personally prepare, I look forward to it.”

“...”

Soon after, I can hear the two girls chatting away from their room. Their voices are cheerful and animated, and it doesn’t seem like they’re talking about school.

‘I guess I’ll cook.’

I sigh and head into the kitchen.

Since there is a guest, I guess I can’t just take out whatever?

I search the fridge for something tasty and discover a tenderloin steak.

I put three pieces of meat on the frying pan and grill them when I suddenly think of Kasa.

‘Should I ask the fire spirit to cook it?’

“Kasa.”

-Hek hek hek! (panting sound)

Kasa appears, excited to see me. I put my finger to my mouth and tell him to quiet down. Kasa nods his head.

“Can you cook this meat for me? Not all the way, just barely raw.”

Kasa nods his head and makes three tiny balls of flame and shoot them at the frying pan. The balls of flame absorb into the meat.

Hwa lu luk!

I turn the fire off the gas range and slightly cut the meat with scissors to see how done it is.

‘Huk!’

It’s surprising how well cooked it is.

The inside of the meat is cooked softly, the juices held in just as is. More than anything, this took an instant. This will be really beneficial when hunting and cooking.

I set the table and call Hyun-ji and Min-jeong.

“It’s so tasty, oppa. I think I’m falling for you.”

“Stop hitting on him.”

It was a pleasant meal, with Min-jeong’s joking and Hyun-ji’s bickering. Min-jeong and I repeatedly exchanged expressions of affection, but we just kid and she doesn’t seem to sincerely like me either.

By the time Min-jeong heads home it’s nearly 10 pm.

“I’m going. You’ll do the presenting?”

“Alright, bitch. I’m not seeing you out, yeah?”

“Aw no, won’t you escort me to the bus stop? It’s gotten so dark and Min-jeong is scared.”

“What did I say about the acting cutesy? It’s annoying, get on home.”

Hyun-ji shoos her away as if shooing away a fly. Min-jeong pouts her lips and then looks at me.

“Oppaaaaa~.”

“Huh?”

“Min-jeong is so scared. I wish a strong man with abs would escort me...”

“Poor you. I guess I have to take you. Let’s go.”

“Gyak, oppa, you’re the coolest!”

Hyun-ji looks at us chatting and giggling and her eyes raise up and go cold.

“Oh? I said don’t make a something-something between you!”

“Oppa, let’s hurry!”

Min-jeong blatantly hooks her arm into mine. I become her escort and head out of the house. We leave Hyun-ji in a wild rage and get onto the elevator together.

We’re in the elevator and going down and our arms are still linked.

Min-jeong suddenly asks me.

“Oppa, what are you thinking about?”

“Timing when to unlink our arms.”

Min-jeong giggles.

“Oppa, I think you’re hella funny.”

“I’ve heard that a lot. I’ve never meant to be funny but people keep saying I am.”

Every time I talk, Min-jeong laughs out loud. Just seeing her react so well to me, a man can easily be swayed.

The way she acts with guys, I can see how she is friends with Hyun-ji.

“Oppa, lower your speech.”

(TN: speak to her with informal language.)

“Okay. You want to too?”

“I don’t want to.”

“Why?”

“Cause then I’ll just be like a close younger sister.”

Yoo Min-jeong says that and makes a captivating smile.

For a moment, I think my heart will stop. I had to try my hardest not to show it. Whether she knows this or not, she just continues to be happy go lucky.

‘I can’t fall for it.’

Min-jeong is just half-jokingly hitting on me.

If I fall for it, I’ll just be a fool.

Thank goodness the elevator doors open up and I smoothly take out my arm.

“Shall we go?”

“Okay.”

We come out the apartment and head towards the bus stop.

Suddenly, at the apartment’s front parking lot, some men in black suits appear.

‘What is this?’

They kind of look like the gangsters from a third rate movie.

Anyway, I don’t feel good about it and walk faster. Min-jeong must feel uneasy about it too because she walks faster too.

But the men come towards us.

They clearly have some business with us.

‘No, maybe they have something to do with me.’

It’s not some cheap gangster movie, there’s no way they suddenly appear in groups and just harass a passing man and woman.

To do such a thing, the suits and shoes of the men look too fancy.

‘Are they from the Korean Arena research center?’

From their attire and disciplined walking, they look like they are with some formal organization.

They keep coming towards us but they don’t call to us or say anything.

They are sending me some kind of message. To send the girl off and meet in private.

I talk to Min-jeong.

“Min-jeong, you can go on your own now, right?”

“Op, oppa.”

“Go on.”

“No, I can’t. Oppa, let’s go together”

Min-jeong looks frightened. I think she thinks I’m going to fight them.

“It’s okay. Don’t worry about me.”

“Should I call the cops?”

“No, there won’t be a need for that.”

Min-jeong hesitates and I gently push on her back.

“Okay, go home. There’s no need to worry.”

“I’ll call you. Be careful.”

“I will. Get home safe.”

Min-jeong looked back a couple times and then dashed off.

Then I turned around and looked to the men.