An icy cold shower. Water that clearly ran red from the caked blood and sweat over Lee's body.
Seeing it swirl down the drain, he let out a wry smile and said, "Okay. Maybe I DON'T keep doing that in the future..."
It was tempting. He clearly improved.
...But he had also seen the gossip on Cube's community forums.
And he also got a bundle of scolding texts from Rachel, Nayun, AND Yeonha.
Though he managed to placate them by promising he definitely wouldn't do that next time unless he was with Nayun who could supervise him...
"I should think of other ways to improve."
Lee didn't mind the attention. But he also knew that attention wasn't necessarily a good thing for him.
It wasn't like he had a cheat system that let him grow from standing out.
That was Hajin.
...And speaking of which, that guy was probably reaping all sorts of benefits right now.
Lee didn't know for sure, but considering how they were all on a team together... and by 'they' he meant himself, Rachel, Nayun, Yeonha, and Hajin.
Since they were all on the same team, Hajin was definitely getting attention.
"That guy should be able to do something useful with it, right?"
It wasn't that Lee really cared about it. But it would be good if that guy got stronger. After all, they WERE on the same team for school.
Even if he didn't though...
"Mm. Well, this much help is plenty, right?"
This life that Lee lived was for himself, not for Hajin.
That guy had a goal too, but it wasn't something that Lee was actively going to help him with.
After all, while they were friendly, they weren't necessarily friends.
"Mm... maybe I'm just prejudiced." Lee murmured as he shampooed his hair.
There were lots of points to Hajin's actions that he would nitpick.
The fact that he lazed around the first two weeks when he got here. The fact that he went with a LUCK build of all the damned things. And the fact that he wasn't actively improving himself until later in the story.
...Though, to be fair, he WAS an author who was so crippled by self-doubt and fear that he put his story on indefinite hiatus...
"...Yeah. Let's just treat him like a kid."
Lee decided to cut Hajin some slack.
...Although it rubbed him the wrong way that Hajin was STILL like that despite apparently having mandatory training, he was mature enough to recognize that people walked different lives.
Like how he was absolutely doing his best to enjoy his time here in Cube.
Speaking of which...
Lee reached past the shower curtain to grab the can of fatigue reducing soda that Cube supplied its cadets. Cracking it open, he let out a soft sigh, enjoying the cold water around him and the chilled beverage. "Mm... not a beer, but it'll do."
While he let his body unwind from the freezing water and the recovery beverage, Lee mulled over what to do next.
"Let's see... priority one is definitely getting stronger and climbing the ranks..." Lee murmured as he sipped his drink. "Can't cause too much trouble to Rachel. And if I DO want to seriously date her, I need to be competent enough to stand beside her."
His memories of the story were DEFINITELY a lost cause.
But Lee vaguely remembered that Rachel was involved in a few incidents...
Was there something about a disgruntled knight aiming for her life? To make her feel despair?
He vaguely remembered something like that. So...
"Definitely need some trump cards..."
Did bags of holding or stuff like that exist? They probably had to, right?
Lee would need to do a deep dive on magical artifacts like that-
Wait.
Lee paused, a thought crossing his mind. "...Hold on."
He quickly opened his status screen again and then carefully read the description of <Mana Manipulation>.
===
Mana Manipulation (Proficiency 25% | Low rank) - An ability gained at the brink of death. You have forcibly awakened a physical sense for mana, as well as a method to control it utilizing biological processes.
- Can completely control one droplet of mana
- Mana under your control will not dissolve, but instead return to the body after eliciting the magical effect
- If proficiency is improved, can dominate and assimilate other sources of mana into your body.
===
Lee stared at the second clause. Then he rubbed his chin, thinking.
The Status Screen a.k.a. Enlightnment. It was something precise in its wording.
But at the same time, it was somewhat up for interpretation. Although it set outer boundaries with what it dictated, it could also evolve as you improved... that was the purpose of it in the first place, after all.
So Lee wondered about that second clause.
"...Can I stack buffs?"
Lee paused and checked the description of his physique again.
===
[Physique]
Disruptive Mana Physique
- The nature of mana within your body trends towards chaos.
- You are unable to use magic.
- You ignore the magical aspect of magical attacks.
===
"The nature of mana within my body trends towards chaos... which means that it doesn't MATTER what I throw inside my body, right? And that's why I can't use magic. And also why the magical aspect of magical attacks fail."
It was like a bottle of pitch black ink. No matter what else you added inside as color, it would still be black.
That was the nature of Lee's physique. Whatever mana stored inside him would end up becoming part of a mishmash of the other things it accumulated along the way.
Then, if he took it all together with his <Mana Manipulation>...
"...I don't see anything that says it's not possible."
He carefully read both again.
<Mana Manipulation> would allow him to utilize 'magical effects' without depleting the source.
<Disruptive Mana Physique> would allow him to utilize conflicting mana sources without exploding since its very nature is 'chaos...'
Some people had elemental aligned mana, like how some people had Ice element or Metal element.
To those, trying to add another element into their body was asking for internal injuries as the different mana sources clashed.
But Lee's physique bypassed that.
While he probably couldn't STORE all that mana...
'I can definitely channel it.'
Lee finished his recovery drink and tossed the can in the nearby bin. As the icy water splashed over his head and body, he closed his eyes to think.
Obviously, even if he was correct about his hypothesis that he could stack tons of clashing magical effects on his body without consequence, he couldn't use that in Cube.
But he COULD use that in the Field at Wonju.
And considering Wonju was an international hotspot for Heroes where magical items, money, and monster drops flowed like water...
Lee laughed. "Well. I guess I don't get to invest in stocks like Hajin does since I don't know the story... but it's never wrong to invest in yourself, right?"
Hajin... that guy relied on external power. He used the system to gain advantages and trump cards... but they weren't really 'his' power.
Although Lee didn't read to the ending, considering how the story was unfolding, he had a vague sense that Hajin probably fought someone or fought something later on that stripped him of every advantage he built except what he personally had.
...And that probably wasn't anything, right? Because as much as that guy 'understood' the setting and moved within it, he didn't really make it his.
"Hm."
Lee paused and reflected on that thought.
"...I should make sure I avoid that trap."
There was still time left in the day.
Tomorrow was just a lecture.
Rachel and the others were busy today anyway.
So...
"I might as well start properly sorting through what I can do."
Lee turned the faucet to stop the cold water and then toweled himself off. Staring at his reflection in the mirror, he smiled and said, "Don't worry, Lee Shin. You wanted the same thing I did, so I'll inherit your will properly." He fistbumped the mirror and said, "Let's take this world by storm and show everyone the dangers of underestimating us."
Now, to properly take notes on the mechanisms of how his Gift worked, hypothesize the various mechanisms on how his <Mana Manipulation> was working, and make countermeasures for a possible scenario where the world tried to strip his powers away because he had that <Maverick> Gift...
===
Friday. The fifth day since Cube's classes started, as well as the end of the first week. Also, a purely academic lecture day.
As usual, Lee spent the morning lectures seated beside Rachel, taking notes on things that weren't in the textbook to supplement what he had already learned.
But by lunch time, classes were done for the day.
Which meant it was time to head off to Gangwondo Wonju.
Lee walked out of the auditorium, standing on Rachel's right side. As he did, he said in English, "So... I guess you're definitely coming to Wonju with me, huh?"
Rachel raised an eyebrow and said, "Did you think you could go without me? Considering the gravitation training room incident, I do believe you cannot be trusted moving alone."
Nayun walked up beside Lee and spoke up in Korean. "Oi! No running off without me! We're still going to Wonju today, right?"
Lee felt a pointed hostile gaze from the corner of the room. Shin Jonghak.
...Huh. Did that guy have a crush on Nayun or something?
How immature-
Oh, right. Teenagers.
...Well. It wasn't a problem for Lee unless that guy made it a problem.
So Lee ignored it and looked at Nayun, speaking in Korean. "That's right. You're still coming along, huh?"
"Duh." Nayun laughed. "I'm itching to try out my new archery skills on live targets. And since combat training isn't until Monday... Argh, I can't wait."
Rachel smiled, amusement clear on her face. She shifted to speaking in Korean as well and said, "Even if you train more, you still can't beat me."
Nayun huffed. "You keep saying that. When the exams come around, we'll see who gets the first score in combat."
Rachel's smile grew wider. "We will indeed. Arrows may be powerful, but wind can still disrupt them, you know?"
Nayun's eyes flashed with a competitive light and she said, "Well, I'll just learn to make my arrows ride the wind then."
Lee chuckled. "You girls can compete AFTER we get to Wonju and start hunting monsters." He paused. "Speaking of that, have we sorted out the monster drop situation? Or am I going to have to drag the corpses of things we kill back to town from the Field? I mean, I don't mind, but..."
Nayun laughed. "As funny as that would be, I think we'll be hunting a lot of monsters with us as a group, right? I'll just have my dad send out some helicopters to pick things up."
Rachel puffed her cheeks. "...I could do that too..."
Lee smiled and wrapped an arm over Rachel's shoulder, patting it. "I appreciate it, Rachel. But let's have Nayun show off a bit. Looks like she's itching to flex, isn't she?"
Rachel blushed as Lee pulled her close. But then she relaxed and nodded. "That's true... And it IS a waste of money for me."
"Excuse me?" Nayun laughed. "What am I, just a bag of money for you two lovebirds?"
Rachel let out a teasing smile to Nayun. "You said it, not me."
Nayun rolled her eyes.
At that time, Yeonha walked over, having wrapped up asking the professor some questions after class. Then she said, "You three look like you're having fun as always." She looked at Lee and teased, "A flower on each arm... should I praise you? Or write your eulogy?" She gave a pointed look to the harsh glares from the male Cadets standing around.
Lee chuckled and pulled his arm back. "It's not like I'm actively flirting or trying to start a relationship with Rachel or Nayun. We're just friends... for now."
Nayun nodded. "Yeah, just friends- What?!"
Rachel immediately grabbed Lee's arm and said, "No." Then she realized what she did and blushed, letting go.
Yeonha laughed. "My. Americans ARE different, hm? How fearless."
Lee laughed. "I'm just joking with you, Nayun. You're not really my type."
Nayun let out a sigh of relief. "Good- Wait. What do you mean I'm not your type, huh?!"
Rachel jumped in and said, "Lee prefers intelligent girls. Clearly."
"Excuse you?!"
Rachel stuck out her tongue. Then, realizing what she did, she turned a bright red and averted her gaze, pretending nothing happened.
Yeonha chuckled. "...I am clearly going to miss an amusing show. But alas, duty calls." She sighed and said, "The Academic Club's orientation is today, so I couldn't come along with you three to Wonju even if I wanted to..."
Nayun adjusted her bag, walking beside Lee and Rachel along the hallway back towards the dorms. "Oh, right. Clubs are starting up, right? Ugh, I think I have to head to the Traveling Club Orientation on Saturday..."
Yeonha paused. "...Ah. Right. I have to as well..."
Lee looked amused and said, "Well then. I guess it'll just be me and Rachel in Wonju for the entire weekend."
Rachel blushed. "Th-The entire weekend?"
"Hm?" Lee nodded. "Of course. Did you think I was only going to go there for Friday? It's a waste of a trip. I already booked the hotel. I got us one of those suites with multiple bedrooms."
It was pricey, but Lee had tapped into the student loans that Cube could take for extra money.
At the moment, he had 50 million won to work with.
And although it was DEFINITELY a lot to pay back...
It was also interest free and due after graduation.
In other words, PLENTY of time to pay back.
Even if it wasn't, Lee was pretty sure he could defer it by red tape bureaucracy due to the fact that he was an American citizen technically. Not to mention the Korean government was still actively giving him a stipend of about 1 million won a month due to the foster care mix-up after his parents died here from a djinn attack...
And even if that wasn't true, with how Lee was going to climb the ranks, whatever guild tried to win him over would be throwing money at him anyway, so...
In short, money was not a problem in the future.
Yeonha laughed, hiding her mouth with her hand. "My. Americans really ARE different, huh? Reserving a hotel room already for a weekend tryst with two women..."
Rachel turned an even darker shade of red. "Th-That is...!"
Nayun burst out laughing as well and swatted Lee's arm. "You rascal! Are you trying to lean into the rumors, or what?"
Lee shrugged. "At this point, I think it's more suspicious if I DON'T lean into the rumors, right? Besides, it's not that big of a deal. We're just friends, and it's different rooms. Not to mention, if rumors unfold, we get free money from suing the news sources that are spreading defamation. Well, you two do. I just get the reputation hit, but it's not like I care about that anyway, right? For someone like me, infamy and fame are the same thing."
Yeonha nodded. "Truly, the American way. Just like that orange man who was president in the past..."
Lee blinked. "Orange man? You mean- Actually, it doesn't matter."
Though that had interesting implications, it wasn't important.
As they entered the campus courtyard, Lee looked at Yeonha and said, "So you're heading off to the Academic Club orientation then?"
Yeonha nodded. "Hajin says he is joining it as well, so I will meet with him and we will go together. There are a few business matters to settle, so it saves time."
Nayun raised an eyebrow. "...You were serious about that business thing?"
Yeonha rolled her eyes. "Yes. The relationship with Hajin that I have is strictly transactional. In addition, he isn't my type. Men with a trained body like that but still lack stamina-" Yeonha froze, realizing how her words came out.
"Oho~?" Nayun leaned in. "What was that about stamina?"
"You... Forget it!" Yeonha immediately turned and stomped off, her heels clattering with each step.
Lee chuckled. "I've read enough romance novels to know where this goes..."
Nayun's eyes lit up. "Right?! It's definitely the chaebol heiress who falls for the average guy drama scene!"
Rachel smiled and said, "Before she knows it, Yeonha will be writing a contract to live together 'purely to save costs...'"
Nayun nodded. "And then she'll draft a pretend marriage contract to avoid suitors because they're a hassle! Only she'll mess up because it's Yeonha and then they'll be married for real!"
Rachel laughed.
Lee raised his eyebrow, amused. "You two DEFINITELY watch too much K-Drama."
Nayun rolled her eyes. "Please. As if you aren't literally the lead of one yourself, Mister American. The dashing overseas student who steals the heart of the foreign princess? Isn't that every classic Western Romance ever?"
Rachel blushed, averting her gaze.
Lee shrugged. "I'm not denying it."
"PFT!"
Rachel huffed and lightly kicked Lee's shin. "...Bully."
"Come on." Lee smiled. "Let's head to the dorms to pack. Meet you at the Portal in... thirty?"
Nayun nodded. "Sounds good to me. Come on Rachel. Let's walk together before anyone else gets any bright ideas."
Rachel laughed. She waved at Lee and said, "See you soon."
Lee nodded and headed off towards the male dorms.
But as he did, someone cut him off.
"Oi."
Shin Jonghak stared at Lee with sharp golden eyes. "You. Rank 999. Let's talk."