Our eyes met in disbelief. We knew Seola had magical abilities, but according to Eunhye, they were triggered by emotions. Seola had never used magic on purpose. But now she was claiming to sense mana.

“Seola, can you sense the mana?”

“Yes, it’s right here,” she replied, gingerly extending her hands.

Her palms were facing upward as if she was holding water. I examined her hands and was astounded. It was unmistakably mana—a translucent blue substance, densely compressed and visible to the naked eye. Seola could not only sense mana, but she could also gather and compress it. I was at a loss for words. My daughter... No wonder she was the final boss...

Eunhye saw what I saw but her eyes showed more concern than amazement. Even though it was just highly compressed mana and not converted into magic, she appeared uneasy.

I reassured her and gently stroked Seola’s head, saying, “Well done, Seola. That was amazing.”

“Hehehe. Really?”

“Of course! But let’s stop for now. It might be dangerous.”

“Okay, got it.” Seola released the gathered mana as if she were scattering sand, and it disappeared from view. In reality, it hadn’t vanished—it had merely decompressed and become invisible.

Eunhye sighed in relief and looked in my direction. “Was that...”

“Yes, it was the real deal.”

“I guess we need to be even more careful from now on.”

***

A week later, while I was preparing dinner in the kitchen, I heard the door unlocking. Seola, who had been quietly drawing, perked up and hurried to the front door.

“I’m back.”

“Welcome back!” Seola greeted.

“Oh, Seola! How was your day?”

Weary-eyed and dressed in activewear, Eunhye appeared fatigued. But as soon as she saw Seola, her exhaustion seemed to melt away. She embraced her daughter, though it was more like the other way around. Seola was patting her mother’s back with her tiny hands, showing how proud she was of her.

“Dinner is almost ready. Go wash up and join us.”

“Yes.”

“How was your progress today?”

Eunhye had been diligently working on her mana-sensing training all week. I taught her everything I could about it, but there hadn’t been any visible results so far. Today, however, her expression was slightly different. She tried to hide it, but her lips were twitching.

“I did it!”

“Really?”

“Yes!”

“Well done!”

“I knew I could do it!”

Seola and I were quick to succeed in sensing mana, and it seemed we had provoked her competitive spirit. Eunhye giggled proudly.

“Mommy, you’re the best!”

“Of course!”

Seola cheered and Eunhye beamed. Seola’s smile is just like her mother’s.

“I thought I was lagging behind.”

“It’s only been a week. You’ve made great progress.”

“But you succeed right away. Anyway, I’m going to take a shower.”

Eunhye shrugged it off casually, She must have thought they were just empty words. I couldn’t help but compare her to my former self. I had taken half a year or so to sense mana. Achieving it in just a week placed Eunhye in the top 1 percent. Seola, on the other hand, succeeded within seconds. A talent like that was on a whole other level.

“Mommy, you look happy.”

“She might even buy you ice cream if you ask nicely,” I whispered to her.

“Oh!” Seola’s eyes widened as if she had just had a profound realization.

But Eunhye was one step ahead, seeing through our plans.

“Having ice cream for dessert? Is it because I look happy?”

“Daddy, she figured it out.”

“Shh, Seola. It’s a secret between us.”

“If you have it too often, you might get a tummy ache,” Eunhye warned. Seola nodded in resignation. But she was so cute that Eunhye relented. “Fine. Just this once.”

***

We made our way back to Kang Chulyi’s workshop and he greeted us with enthusiasm, as if he had been waiting for us.

“Ah! Come on in.”

“How have you been, sir?”

“I’ve been great! Come this way!”

His usual cheerful disposition seemed to have an extra spark today. He looked quite excited as he greeted Eunhye and Seola warmly.

“It’s been a long time, young lady.”

“It has indeed.”

“Nice to meet you, sir!”

“Ahaha! Come in!” Chulyi enthusiastically ushered us into his workshop.

The workshop, which was usually well-organized, was in disarray. Sensing potential danger, Eunhye held Seola protectively. Kang Chulyi kicked aside some scattered debris on the floor and led us further inside.

“Now, let me show you the compound bow first.”

There was a mysterious object covered by a cloth, and Kang Chulyi’s excitement was evident as he unveiled it. Underneath was a complete compound bow.

“Wow.”

The bow was an elegant design, all in black. The pulley system, known as cams, had three strings attached to it. The compound bow’s distinctive feature was the ability to adjust the number of strings drawn based on the distance or the weight of the arrows.

With a gasp, Eunhye reached out to touch the bow without a second thought.

“You practiced with a recurve bow, right? It will feel slightly different.”

“Is it okay if I hold it?”

“Of course it is. It’s yours now. You don’t need my permission.”

Bowing politely, Eunhye grabbed the bow. She examined the weight, lifting it a few times, and then drew the string without an arrow.

Observing her posture, Kang Chulyi looked genuinely impressed. “Your wife mentioned last time that it was her first time holding a bow, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“She has talent.”

“I told you she’s a quick learner.”

Eunhye seemed genuinely excited and couldn’t contain her delight. She inspected the compound bow with great interest, her excitement apparent as she observed the details. “How does it fit so perfectly?”

“I custom-made the grip to fit your hands.”

“I see. I love it!”

“I’m glad you like it. It turned out quite well.”

The blacksmith was genuinely pleased with Eunhye’s positive reaction and even threw in some additional items including a quiver, extra arrows, and string wax for maintenance. His passion and love for his work were evident in his meticulous explanations.

While Eunhye was joyfully exploring the compound bow, the elderly man pulled me aside. “Now it’s time to introduce your weapon.”

“Please do.”

“Get ready. Yours is quite special,” the blacksmith chuckled and lifted a cloth covering another weapon nearby.

It was exactly what I had ordered—a two-meter-long spear. The blade was a clean silver color while the shaft was black, matching Eunhye’s bow. The blade was slightly longer than a standard spear, allowing for both thrusting and cutting.

“I made the blade from a blend of calimium and halion silver.”

“I see. The design is just as I imagined.”

“That’s because I met all your specifications. I reinforced the tip exactly as you wanted.”

“It’s perfect.”

Holding the spear, I couldn’t help but smile. It wasn’t the same as the one I had used, but the length and thickness were similar. It felt like it was made to fit my hand perfectly, and the craftsmanship was impeccable.

“I’m willing to pay extra.”

“Oh, What do you mean?”

“Didn’t you mention it’s made of calimium and halion silver?”

“What does that have to do with paying extra?”

“They are premium materials, and I’d like to cover the extra cost.”

Kang Chulyi looked at me with surprise. “How do you even know the value of those metals?”

“I may not know a lot, but I have some basic knowledge regarding weaponry.”

I had entrusted him with material selection, and Chulyi had chosen very high-quality options. Calimium and halion silver were both commonly used metals for crafting hunters’ weapons, but the price we paid definitely wasn’t enough to cover the cost of a blend between the two materials. Our weapons were ordered to provide good value for the price with the thought of replacing them when we earned enough money.

“Don’t worry about it. I also learned a lot in the process.”

“Well, I’m glad. But that’s your—”

“No, Your spear is a weapon that surpasses my previous abilities.”

I examined the spear in my hands. It was indeed a well-made weapon despite the somewhat inferior materials used. However, it was hard to think that it exceeded the capabilities of Master Kang Chulyi.

“I followed the specifications you provided, and felt a strange feeling in my gut.”

“A strange feeling?”

“How do I explain it... It brought me closer to the ideal form I’m pursuing.”

“Oh.”

The spear I had been using before my return was also crafted by him. While it wasn’t a custom order, it was a product of Kang Chulyi’s improved craftsmanship as a master blacksmith over the years. Although I had requested the same specifications, he seemed to have had an epiphany with this particular spear.

“At any rate, I gained something from this too. It’s my way of saying thank you.”

“You have my deepest gratitude, sir.”

“Now, now. There’s no need to be so formal. There’s something genuine about you.”

The workshop was too small to swing the spear. Deciding I should try it at home, I bid the weapon expert goodbye and walked out. But as I came out, I found Seola crouched down, scrutinizing something.

“Sir, what is this?”

“Hmm? Oh, that’s called a mimic.”

Mimics were monsters that occasionally appeared in dungeons. They transformed into objects such as closed chests or items to pique human curiosity and when someone approached, they would open their mouths and charge. They were considered dangerous for novice hunters. While they didn’t possess valuable materials, there were all sorts of things inside the mimics. Mostly, it was junk. But occasionally, rare metals or weapons could be found.

“Mimics seal their mouths shut when they die,” Chulyi explained.

“Forcing it open may damage the contents, so they’re often left for blacksmiths to deal with,” I added.

“That’s right. This isn’t something that’s been commissioned. It was passed on by someone a few days ago because they were short on cash.”

“Aha.”

I looked at the mimic carefully. Mimics were like unscratched lottery tickets, with a very high likelihood of shooting blanks. So the price wasn’t very high.

“Seola, do you want it?”

“Hmm... Not really. It’s just sparkly and pretty.”

“Sparkly? Are you sure?” The mimic in the workshop looked like an ordinary box with no sparkly elements or unique features to speak of, but I had a strange feeling. “Is this mimic for sale?”

“It sure is. It’s probably filled with random junk, so I figured if I left it in a corner of the display, it might sell one day.”

“Can I buy it then?”

“Are you sure you can afford it?” Kang Chulyi asked, worried I was in debt because of what Seola said last time. Many aspiring hunters took loans to venture into hunting. It was a reasonable concern.

“Yes, I can.”

“All right. Do you want me to open it for you?”

“Please.”

“Sure thing.”

While I finalized my impulse purchase, Eunhye, who had been engrossed in the compound bow, approached. Feeling slightly guilty, I looked sideways.

“What did you buy?”

“A mimic.”

“What’s that?”

I explained to her what a mimic was. Thankfully, mimics were quite reasonably priced.

“Still, you should have consulted with me before buying it!”

“Seola seemed to sense something.”

“She did?” Eunhye looked toward Seola, who quickly nodded her head, understanding that I was in a difficult position. You’re the best!

“So, I’m ready. Don’t be too disappointed.” Kang Chulyi had brought out a long metal plate. He fixed the mimic in place and forcefully pushed the plate into its mouth. “Come this way. Don’t stand there. Flying shrapnel could be dangerous.”

“Oh, yes.”

Eunhye and I took Seola and moved to a spot behind Chulyi. After a gentle tap, he stepped down on the metal plate with all his might.

Bang!

The mimic burst open. As Chulyi picked up the metal plate, Eunhye and I cautiously examined the contents.

Blinking, Eunhye mumbled under her breath, “What is this?”