Chương 96: THE HOUSE PARTY

Jimin began his day with his usual training routine. By the end of it, his efforts had bore fruit as his 'Overtime', 'Weight Distortion', and 'Accelerated Thinking' had all reached level 10. Along with them, his 'Hawkeye' skill had also reached level 3. But there would be no Rifts today. His party had decided to take it easy for the day to conserve their energy before the final evaluation. So, he had to skip raiding for today. So, his schedule was unusually light.

He decided to rest at home for a bit, before he went for his appraisal work later. After his shift, he also had to attend Hyun-woo's house party in the afternoon, making it a busy rest day. But at some point, a sudden thought came across his mind. He checked his inventory and realized he was actually short on potions. Though I rarely need it… I should be well prepared. So, he decided to take care of that errand before he went to work.

After a while, he arrived at the 'Golden Scale Hall of Commerce' to restock on potions. While browsing the shelves, another thought crossed his mind. My 'Telekinesis' has actually grown much stronger… I've been feeling that I'm not utilizing it to its full power. He let out a deep sigh. I've hit a plateau. Not enough power to increase the daggers' speed to the next level... but more than enough to use them to their current maximum potential. But right then, a sudden grin spread across his face.

It's time to add another dagger to my armory. After finishing his purchase of potions, he headed up to the second floor. And after much looking around, he finally shortlisted a suitable candidate to become his fourth dagger.

Name: Frostfang Dagger Category: Weapon Type: Dagger Rank: D Description: A cold blade crafted from the piercing fang of a frost beast. The metal radiates a cold energy. Turns the wounds ice-crusted. Stats: AGI +5, STR +2 Damage: 39 - 46 Effects: Each stack reduces the target's movement speed by 4% and Healing speed by 5% (Up to 5 stacks). Durability: 100/100 Jimin quietly stared at the item description. I don't know what kind of monsters I'll face.

But this should be a good counter against bosses with high regeneration. He took a deep breath. Yeah… This will be my fourth dagger. It was worth 8. 2 million won. But Jimin had long stopped worrying about that. Without any further hesitation, Jimin completed the purchase, stored the Frostfang Dagger inside his Inventory, and left for the Appraisal Center.

After finishing his work, Jimin left for Hyun-woo's home. On the way, he bought some sweets, putting them in his inventory. Then, he boarded a bus. And soon, he reached his destination. It was a duplex house located in Oksu-dong. It wasn't anything extravagant, but it still left a good impression. Hyun-woo's family was actually quite well-off, since both of his parents were Manaborns working in the medical field. A typical upper middle-class family.

Jimin entered through the open gate, summoning the boxes of sweets. As he approached the front door, a faint sound of music could be heard from inside, along with the muffled chatter of people. He took a deep breath. It's been quite a few years since I last came here. Then- He knocked on the door. And a few moments later, it swung open, as Hyun-woo greeted him with a slight smile, "Right on time. Come in." Jimin smiled back, "Thanks." The moment he stepped inside, aromas of delicious food greeted him. Not bad...

As he placed the sweets on a nearby table, his eyes wandered around the living room. Quite a few people had already gathered. Some were chatting, others were helping prepare food, while a few younger kids ran around the house laughing. However, most of the faces were unfamiliar to him. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Suddenly- A heavy hand grabbed his shoulder. Jimin immediately turned around to look, but was shocked.

Because, it was a face he absolutely hadn't expected to be here. Old geezer! It was none other than Ryu Seong-ho.

"Jimin, my boy!" Seong-ho laughed.

"How have you been?" Jimin's mind went blank for a split second. What is he doing here? Still, he quickly forced out a polite smile.

"Sir, what a pleasant surprise! I didn't expect to see you here."

"But I did," Seong-ho replied confidently.

"You're Hyun-woo's best friend after all." Jimin's eyebrows curled. He felt as if something was off about Seong-ho. What's up with him? Then, his gaze suddenly fell upon the half-empty glass of soju the old man was swaying in his other hand. He squinted slightly, noticing the slight flush on the veteran's cheeks. Oh! Everything suddenly made sense. Then suddenly, Seong-ho leaned in, his expression turning deadpan.

"But you can cut the crap. I know how 'pleasant' of a surprise it was for you," he said with a serious tone. Jimin's heart skipped a beat. He let out a nervous awkward chuckle, trying desperately to deny it.

"N-No, sir-" Before he could finish, Seong-ho burst into loud laughter, slapping Jimin's shoulder and cutting him off entirely.

"I was just messing with you!" Jimin's left eye twitched. This old geezer... Right then-"Don't mind him," Hyun-woo said, suddenly invading their conversation while balancing a piece of cake on a small paper plate.

"He doesn't handle liquor very well," he whispered into Jimin's ear, as he handed him the plate.

"It reveals his true personality."

"Hey… I can hear you," Seong-ho said.

"I'm just a little bit drunk, not deaf." Hyun-woo didn't even bother responding.

"Anyways. There's no need to be so surprised. We're actually quite close. So, I had to invite him," Hyun-woo said to Jimin, gesturing toward the old man.

"Yeah. Hyun-woo's one of my favorite students," Seong-ho chimed in.

"And also one of the most talented ones I've ever trained." But then, his lively expression shifted for a moment as if a sudden thought had just crossed his mind.

"While we are at it, there's something I want to tell you, Jimin my boy," Seong-ho said. His voice dropped into a heavy and serious tone. Seeing the sudden shift, Jimin adjusted his posture and reciprocated with equally serious attention.

"I know that you might still have some hard feelings toward me, because I pitted you against that Kang Dae-ho boy," Seong-ho began. Jimin was about to say something, but Seong-ho stopped him right there, gesturing that he should let him finish. Seong-ho continued, "But I do this to almost every batch. I did it to Hyun-woo as well." Beside them, Hyun-woo gave a quiet, knowing nod.

"But I don't do this out of any prejudice, malice, or anything like that. And I definitely don't have some magical skill to analyze a student's talent," Seong-ho added.

"Let's just say that I have a sort of gut feeling… For sensing talent. And not to brag, I really do have a knack for it. Not once have I been wrong. Not with Hyun-woo. Not you. Nobody." He stared intently at Jimin.

"Yeah, it's a different case that Hyun-woo was considered a prodigy, who awakened at level-4. While you were just a level-1 kid with no skills, which I did not know at the time… But I got the exact same feeling when I looked at you. So, I just acted on that gut feeling that had never been proven wrong. And it wasn't wrong on that day either. You won… Now, I didn't know how you managed to do it… But you won,"Seong-ho said, taking a deep breath right after.

"My gut feeling is still the same as ever. Which means, it's just you… Who's the anomaly." Seong-ho's face softened.

"So, you are also one of my favorite students." There was an awkward silence for a moment. Jimin and Hyun-woo stood frozen, as they hadn't expected such a deep and heartfelt confession from Seong-ho. Even Seong-ho himself seemed to be taken aback by his own emotional outburst. It naturally became an incredibly awkward moment for the three of them. As realization hit him, Seong-ho's ears turned slightly red and he immediately became flustered.

"Don't mind me. It's just the soju talking!" he said, letting out a loud, goofy laugh to break the tension.

"Oh, yes," Hyun-woo smoothly said to Seong-ho.

"Your glass has become empty. Let's get you a refill." Without waiting for an answer, Hyun-woo took the glass away and firmly grabbed the old man's arm, escorting the stumbling instructor away from Jimin.

"Best of luck for your final evaluation!" Seong-ho shouted back over his shoulder, as he was being dragged off toward the kitchen. A smile unknowingly formed on Jimin's face. The incident from the first day had indeed created a wall between them. And even though they had grown a bit closer over the course of the last three months, the wall was still there. But today's conversation… may have melted away some of that wall. Jimin recalled the moments of guidance he had received from Seong-ho over the time.

In fact, back when Jimin and Hyun-woo were not in much contact with each other, it was through Seong-ho that they got bits of information about each other. Which suddenly got Jimin's attention. He remembered that he still had some questions he wanted to ask Hyun-woo. But looking around the crowded room, it wasn't the proper moment for that conversation. So, he moved around the house instead, eventually crossing paths with Hyun-woo's parents.

They greeted him cordially, genuinely happy to meet him after such a long time. During the chatter, the mom leaned in.

"I heard a girl was also coming. Did Hyun-woo finally get himself a girlfriend? She asked. Jimin awkwardly denied it, his polite smile straining.

"N-no, Ma'am." She laughed it off, "Oh my… I was just joking." Jimin just smiled awkwardly. Then, they both got busy greeting other guests. Jimin let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Soon after, Yuna arrived at the party. She was all dressed up, clearly coming straight from a salon. Jimin instantly got the reason why she was late, but he still couldn't resist asking her why she took so long.

"Why are you so late? I honestly thought you would be here earlier than me." She whimpered defensively, crossing her arms.

"I just couldn't find the house, okay?" Suddenly, Hyun-woo's mom spotted Yuna from across the room. Her eyes sparkled instantly, a massive grin spreading across her face. At some point, Yuna noticed the intense gaze as well. She secretly pointed a trembling finger and whispered to Jimin, "Why is that woman looking at me like that?"

"Oh! That's Hyun-woo's mom," Jimin replied nonchalantly. Yuna froze for a second.

"Try to make a good impression. Good luck," Jimin added smoothly. Right then, his eyes locked onto Hyun-woo, who was heading upstairs. Now's the chance.

Meanwhile, Yuna was in full panicking mode.

"I'm not prepared," she murmured to herself. She turned around instantly, applying the ostrich strategy- If she couldn't see Hyun-woo's mom, the mom wouldn't see her either. But a much bigger surprise waited for her on the other side. A thoroughly drunk Seong-ho was waving at her, sporting a massive, goofy smile. Yuna was instantly dumbfounded, turning to stone. What is he doing here! Desperate for answers, she snapped her head around to look for Jimin. But he was already gone.

Instead, it was Hyun-woo's mom standing right there in his place, greeting her with a bright smile." Hi." It was simply too overwhelming for Yuna. So, she just quietly crumbled into dust.