“Of course, Fireball is an elemental skill. The bombs I’ve used before are a bit ambiguous, but they definitely lean towards the fire attribute.
Besides elemental types, there are various kinds like holy, nature, death, illusion, and mystique. There are also schools that specialize in adding attributes to weapons, and Il-wol clearly seems to have a natural talent for fire among the elemental types.
However, if the abilities Il-wol uses are similar to [Memory Bookmark], we need to reconsider. That ability probably doesn’t include the skills of the opponent being taken away.
“Ah… does that mean Il-wol might not actually have talent in the elemental fire attribute?!”
“That’s right. It’s just one of the many possibilities, though.”
‘I… have no talent in the fire attribute?! How can that be!’
“Il-wol is a summoned creature, so I’m not sure if that matters, but generally, those who awaken as sorcerers tend to do something first.”
“Ah… you mean to try using [Examine]?”
“Yes. It might be a good idea to check that out.”
Yeon-hee thought she’d have to go right after finishing and clenched her fist tightly.
[Examine] was a skill I knew about. To be precise, it means going to a hunter who possesses the [Examine] skill and having them assess my traits. If I’m lucky, I might receive information I didn’t even know about.
Anyway, I think this phenomenon occurs because I’m using a skill that doesn’t suit me, but Joo-ah immediately mentioned another possibility.
“But I feel like there’s something I don’t understand.”
“Yes? What do you mean…?”
“Il-wol’s bomb ability. It doesn’t make sense to me that they can use such a high-level unique ability freely while being far from the fire attribute.”
“Uh… Are bombs a high-level ability…?”
“Of course! It’s totally nonsense otherwise.”
Joo-ah’s excited face lit up as she began to spill her thoughts rapidly.
“Using mana to implement a function similar to the objects in our world is hard enough, and restructuring the bomb to create an explosion using a monster’s bones, one by one, is crazy. It’s remarkable to think someone can handle all that like a toy. If I wrote a thesis on this topic and presented it, everyone would point and say I’m crazy!”
“Is it really that impressive…?”
“Absolutely!!”
Yeon-hee was overwhelmed by Joo-ah’s enthusiasm and could only nod her head. Even so, she still tried to speak, thinking this time to learn about Il-wol was invaluable.
She mustered up the courage and asked an additional question.
“Um, but aren’t bombs and Fireballs similar? They both explode… I can’t really say one is better than the other… And I’ve heard elemental magic is the strongest.”
“The two skills are indeed similar, and it’s true that elemental magic is usually the most powerful. But because it’s too powerful, it also has the drawback of being too standardized. For example, can we bury a Fireball underground and make it explode an hour later?”
“…… I don’t think that would work.”
“Why not?”
“Hmm… because it’s fire? I feel like it would burst as soon as it hits the ground…”
“Exactly! What can we add or take away from a primal fireball? A Fireball is a perfect ability in itself. But if you want to add conditions like ‘explode after a certain amount of time,’ it demands a lot of effort and harsh costs.
But how about Il-wol’s bomb ability? Is it impossible to bury it underground?”
“Ah……!”
“Right? I can’t be sure, but based on what I’ve seen so far, Il-wol’s bomb might not just explode but could develop additional functions at some point. Just like the timer setting I mentioned earlier.”
‘Oh… Bae Joo-ah… seems different somehow?’
From the job change options, Joo-ah found a possibility in her mind regarding the skeletal bomb’s derivative ability.
“And the reason that’s possible is that the magic is structured around the concept of a bomb in the first place. If the initial personality is linked, it can change in any way. Thinking even further, it might spread other toxic substances like radiation when the bomb explodes, just like a nuclear bomb. Of course, Il-wol would have to work hard to develop it in that direction.”
‘…I’m keeping all explosive abilities in mind, but hearing it like this makes the skeletal bomb feel like something exceptionally great.’
“Ahem- I got a bit excited, but I don’t think their talent is incompatible. So why is the hit rate so low then? There’s a slim chance of a different possibility.”
“W-what’s that?”
Yeon-hee didn’t even look ahead, walking while gazing up at Joo-ah, who was being carried by the orc.
“There are many sorcerers with fire manipulation abilities. One could say it’s because fire, along with water, is the most familiar element to us. But if you dig deeper, sorcerers who manipulate fire are classified further.
Gulp-Gulp-
Bae Joo-ah took out a tumbler from her inventory and quenched her thirst before continuing her explanation.
“Fire manipulation sorcerers convert mana into magic power and then project fire using that magic power. However, this fire isn’t produced solely from their magic. Strictly speaking, it’s more like pulling fire from other places using their magic.”
“So, the classification is based on where you get the fire, right?”
“Exactly. But could you keep your mouth shut for a second, Rabbit?”
Ah-rin beamed with pride as if she had answered the question correctly, while Joo-ah completely ignored her.
“More specifically, it’s about who you borrow the fire from. For example, sorcerers connected to fire spirits like Ruina and Pyrolis have unbelievably weak firepower for fire attribute sorcerers.
As far as I know, there hasn’t been an A-rank or higher hunter connected to those spirits yet. But since they are relatively docile beings, they don’t exhibit behaviors contrary to the awakener’s control, so it’s easy for the caster to manage them, and they also consume less magic power.”
“Aha-”
“Conversely, hunters connected to powerful beings like Rivisenax or Voldoro, Blaze, display formidable firepower as soon as they awaken. But it’s difficult for the caster to manage them, and they consume a lot of magic power.
So that’s its own hassle too, which is why some argue that it’s more ideal to be connected to milder beings rather than clumsily linking with higher beings.”
“So… what about Il-wol?”
“Yes. If we think in that direction, it means that the being connected to Il-wol is something powerful. But as far as I know, even a higher being like Rivisenax doesn’t significantly drop something like Il-wol’s magic hit rate.
After all, being connected to an awakened one means that the being has permitted the use of their power, but they wouldn’t give so much power that it becomes mind-bogglingly challenging to control.”
“So what’s the conclusion?”
Ah-rin asked while pressing her palm against her forehead as if she had a headache.
“Well… it’s hard to reach a concrete conclusion. But if Il-wol doesn’t lack talent in the fire attribute…”
When they used Fireball, if it went in the completely opposite direction or shot up into the sky and exploded, it makes sense that the connected being could be remarkably powerful.
Think about it. It doesn’t make sense, does it? I aimed forward and it goes backward? That’s a force contradicting the existence of this system that devours this planet, right?”
“That’s true, it’s a skill inscribed in the status window, yet to be uncontrollable is a bit… especially for a beginner’s magic?”
“Exactly.”
“…how powerful would that being need to be to bend a power allowed by the system in the opposite direction?”
“It’s questionable whether such a being exists at all. If it were ‘Hwa-cheon’ or ‘Agni,’ the top beings in the fire attribute, I could see it, but otherwise, it just doesn’t add up. And if one were to connect with such a being, well, your body couldn’t handle it. Some of the early awakened ones have shown that firsthand.”
…
With that, Joo-ah fell silent, and Yeon-hee and Ah-rin seemed lost in thought, only the sound of their footsteps echoing for a while.
Step-step-
Especially Bae Joo-ah pondered over the words she had just said, suddenly recalling Noh Ha-yoon murmuring while looking at Il-wol.
“Existence of a question mark… must be together no matter what…”
‘Did Noh Ha-yoon already know something since then…? No wonder they were causing a fuss about entering an E-rank dungeon while preparing to rank up to C-rank. There must be some benefit in that, right?’
Bae Joo-ah nodded quietly as she thought back to Il-wol. Not just a simple summoned creature but an existence with a question mark. When she heard Noh Ha-yoon’s words, she thought to herself what nonsense he was saying, but now, there simply weren’t enough words to accurately describe that existence called Il-wol.
However, it didn’t matter to Bae Joo-ah whether Il-wol was just a simple summoned creature or a miraculous being born from the mysteries of mana. Just finding a mine today was sufficient reason to move forward together.
Bae Joo-ah had no intention of working as a hunter for long. Isn’t that obvious? The dirtier the bottom, the worse it is the longer you stay. It’s a place where you can swiftly determine whether you’ll reach a higher level or not. Depending on your position, you could either get everything you want or lose everything.
500 billion.
She decided to enjoy a retirement life doing magical research leisurely after earning 500 billion.
There wasn’t a clear reason why she set the goal at 500 billion, but she decided that the day she accumulated that money would mark her retirement.
For a woman in her early twenties, it seemed a bit early to have such a dream, but she believed it wasn’t an impossible goal, especially compared to her peers who earned much less.
And with that golden egg called Il-wol, it seemed she might be able to expedite that timeline significantly.
‘For some reason, I felt strange since the first day we met… I hope you can stick around until my retirement, Skeleton.’
As Bae Joo-ah was lost in those thoughts while looking at Il-wol, Il-wol was mulling over her opinion.
‘Either I have no talent in the fire attribute, or the connected being has an absurd amount of power… both options are extreme, right? If it’s the latter, isn’t there nothing I can do?’
Trying to solve one dilemma only added another, but just being able to view the problem from a different angle was enough help.
Step-step-
Thus, for about 30 minutes, they walked in silence.
“So, have you decided where to go for the next dungeon?”
About 30 minutes before reaching the exit, Joo-ah asked. Although her question seemed a bit late because she had been lost in thought, it was an important piece.
‘Harpies’ nesting grounds’ and ‘Abandoned School No. 1’ were the two dungeons just above the ‘Wolf Den.’
