Chapter 290

I opened the status window, almost in tears, and reluctantly allocated my precious points to Intelligence. As I did, my hand, gripping the pen, began to race across the A4 paper at lightning speed.

*Scratch, scratch, scratch!*

“Huh?” I was startled twice—first by the incredible speed at which I was writing, and second, by the fact that everything I was writing was in Chinese. Damn it, this is impossible!

I started fumbling around, trying to find the language settings.

*Click.*

I entered the hospital room where the Peace Guild members were gathered. They turned their heads to me as I walked in.

“Where were you? You’re so late… Wait, did you just come from the bathroom?”

Song-Yi, holding her nose, asked with a grim expression. I replied in a gloomy tone.

“How did you know?”

“Because it smells like someone just dragged a mountain of poop in here.”

“Is it that bad?”

“Yep. I thought a walking pile of crap was coming toward us.”

“Thanks for the compliment. It really lifts my spirits.”

After spending over an hour in that stinking bathroom stall, my nose had gone numb. Feeling drained, I handed over the stapled bundle of A4 papers.

“Here.”

“What’s this?”

“A love letter, written while I was on the toilet.”

“Ugh! Gross!”

“What a dramatic reaction.”

“Ugh! Ugh!”

Oh, she’s not just reacting—she’s genuinely disgusted. As much as I thought I was prepared for it, I couldn’t help but feel a sting of regret.

“I loved you…”

“Ugh!”

“Song-Yi, are you alright?” Butler Kim, who was closest to her, rushed over and patted her on the back as her retching grew worse.

Meanwhile, the stack of A4 papers she had been waving like a flag ended up in someone else’s hands.

Chief Choi looked at the title on the first page and gave me a small smile.

“Jinga Heart Technique? That’s a unique title for a love letter.”

“The contents are even more unique.”

“…Really?”

“Keep reading.” Chief Choi was quick on the uptake. He immediately straightened up and began flipping through the pages with a serious expression.

His eyes moved rapidly over the text, which was written in a mechanical, almost robotic script that I could hardly believe I had produced.

*Flip, flip, flip…*

The faster he read, the more heated his breathing became.

In a matter of moments, he had finished ten pages and snapped his head up to look at me. His eyes were wide as saucers.

“This is…?” His reaction took me by surprise.

‘Does he actually know what this is?’ Although I called it a martial arts manual, the Jinga Heart Technique manual was so detailed that anyone unfamiliar with it might mistake it for a traditional Chinese medical text. It included detailed diagrams of various acupoints and pathways for circulating energy throughout the body.

If Song-Yi had tried to read it, she would have given up after a few pages, but Chief Choi’s reaction was far beyond what I had expected.

“Do you recognize it?”

“Yes, absolutely.”

Then, for the first time, I heard him utter a term I had never encountered before.

“This is… a Mana Cultivation Technique.”

“Mana, what?”

“A Mana Cultivation Technique!”

Mana Cultivation Technique? Whoever named it sure had a way with words.

Hearing Chief Choi’s raised voice, Butler Kim hurried over.

“Did you say Mana Cultivation Technique?”

“Yes, here.” Chief Choi handed the manual to Butler Kim, who quickly flipped through the pages.

It didn’t take long for him to react in a similar way.

“My goodness.”

“What do you think, Butler Kim?”

“It’s unmistakable. This is indeed a Mana Cultivation Technique. But where in the world did you get this?”

I found it in the bathroom.

Chief Choi pointed a finger at me.

“Jin Tae-kyung…”

“Jin Tae-kyung, the hunter?”

*Crack!*

Before Chief Choi could finish speaking, Butler Kim’s head whipped toward me with a cracking sound that made my bones ache just hearing it.

“How on earth did you come by a Mana Cultivation Technique, Jin Tae-kyung?”

I replied calmly.

“First of all, I have no idea what a Mana Cultivation Technique is. I didn’t even know that’s what this was until now. By the way, is your neck okay? I think I heard something break just now…”

“Is that really important right now? My neck can break for all I care.”

“…It seems pretty important to me.”

What’s going on with this old man? He’s getting tougher by the day.

But, of course, this just goes to show how serious the situation is.

‘A Mana Cultivation Technique, huh? So, that’s what Lee Jung-ryong has been practicing.’ Initially, the term sounded strange, but after muttering it a few times, it rolled off the tongue nicely.

It wasn’t hard to deduce that this was a martial arts technique that hunters used to cultivate their mana.

And now I knew that Lee Jung-ryong and his subordinates had been practicing this Mana Cultivation Technique.

“Can you answer my question?”

“Mr. Tae-kyung, this is a very important matter.”

Butler Kim and Chief Choi’s eyes were more serious than ever.

I rolled my eyes, pretending to be flustered, and then gave them the answer I had prepared.

“Well, my father taught it to me when I was young…”

“Pardon me, but are you referring to your late father?”

“Yes.”

Chief Choi frowned.

“As I understand it, your father was an ordinary man.”

“That’s correct.”

“Then how did he come by a Mana Cultivation Technique…?”

“He probably didn’t know either. When he taught it to me, he only mentioned it as a traditional family health method passed down through generations.”

“What? A health method?”

“A Mana Cultivation Technique passed down as a family tradition…”

I pointed to the cover of the manual, directing their attention to the neat, office-style font that spelled out the title.

[Jinga Heart Technique] The name was perfect.

If Shanxi Province has the Taiyuan Jinga, Gyeonggi Province has the Goyang Jinga. That’s how it goes.

By claiming it’s a family heirloom, they wouldn’t have much to argue against.

Seeing that they were momentarily at a loss for words, I continued.

“It’s a kind of breathing technique that’s supposed to make you healthier. My father taught it to me from a young age, and I memorized all the mantras.”

“It’s similar to a Mana Cultivation Technique, but… Can I see the original document?”

“After my father passed away, I was in a bit of a mess… I tried to find it after moving, but it was lost.”

“Ah…”

“What a shame.”

“It is unfortunate, but at least I memorized it perfectly, word for word.”

It’s true that I lost something when we moved. I just added the missing Jinga Heart Technique manual to the story.

Perfect cover-up. The fact that the original was gone left them visibly deflated.

‘If they knew this was the original, their reactions would be priceless.’

People tend to have similar ideas about what a martial arts manual should look like.

A half-rotted bamboo scroll. A musty old book that reeks of rat urine.

Well, tell them to shove it. I’ve got nothing like that.

I neatly stacked the crisp A4 sheets and stapled them together. Martial artists might find it strange, but this is what a 21st-century martial arts manual should look like.

“Still, this is remarkable. A heart technique… I never imagined something like this could exist.”

“I’ve seen references to similar things in novels and movies. They called it martial arts, I think.”

“The young master is right. The Mana Cultivation Technique is, in a way, a form of martial arts. If you look here, it talks about circulating and accumulating energy through breathing. This is closely related to…”

Yes, that’s martial arts, alright.

As I restrained the urge to correct them, Chief Choi asked a question.

“So, Mr. Tae-kyung, have you been practicing the Mana Cultivation Technique—or rather, the Jinga Heart Technique—since you were a child?”

“Yes.”

“I’m sorry to say this, but the effects don’t seem to be…” If I translate that bluntly, it means, ‘Then why the hell were you an F-rank hunter for seven years?’

A sharp question, but one I had expected.

I replied calmly.

“As you know, I was pretty skilled for an F-rank hunter. I even graduated at the top of my class in training and received commendations.”

“Yes, I’m aware. I also know you held the position of deputy team leader in your previous guild.”

Sure, it was a small, insignificant guild, but F-rank hunters are usually treated like trash wherever they go. Unless you’re related to the higher-ups, it’s rare for an F-rank hunter to become a deputy team leader. The fact that I did so became a hot topic within the guild.

“There was a lot of talk about it. People complained about seniority and rank, saying I was promoted too quickly… but I proved myself with my skills. And I owe that to the Jinga Heart Technique.”

“I see.”

“Given all that, I guess it does have some effect.”

I knew that this wouldn’t fully convince them of my past or the effectiveness of the Jinga Heart Technique.

I looked around at the group, noticing that even Song-Yi, who had stopped retching, and Im Jeok-jung were watching me intently, curiosity written all over their faces.