Chapter 18
For several days, I woke up at dawn and did some clumsy exercises in the Hall of Endurance.
When the sun rose, I attended lectures, and after that, I was cooped up in the library until I went to bed.
And so, a week passed.
The bid for the MA6 I posted on Mammoth Market easily exceeded 500 million, and after passing through one of Lee Eunho’s turbulent sub-episodes, it was now Thursday evening.
Today, the last day of my access period, I went into the library and lit the wick that was now only a few millimeters long.
FLICKER-.
During that time, my strength and stamina had each increased by 0.1 from the dawn exercises I did while wearing the suspenders, and in front of the candlestick, my intellect had increased by 0.5 and my mana power by 1.6.
It was a remarkable growth, in its own way.
Especially the fact that my intellect, which was already over 10, had increased by 0.5 was equivalent to months of effort for others.
But this was not the end.
The true effect of the ‘Candlestick Imbued with the Dazed Dead's Desire’ appeared when the wick was completely burned.
Meaning, now that only the blackened wick remained, without even a faint flame…….
[The dazed dead is impressed by your persistence.]
[Your status will increase by the amount your status has increased so far.]
[Intellect has increased by 0.5.]
[Mana Power has increased by 1.6.]
Just like this.
With this, my intellect was 11.
Mana power was 7.3.
It was now an achievement that the word ‘remarkable’ was insufficient to describe.
The only thing that concerned me was that I had taken the serendipitous encounter that Lee Eunho was supposed to get.
Of course, I had not taken it without thinking.
The basis for my actions was that it was obvious the episodes would fall apart soon enough due to the existence of the intervention rate.
No matter how much I refrained from using coins, there would come a time when I had to use them, and because of that, the episodes would change greatly.
I would try to stick to the original story as much as possible, but considering what happened at the tactical training ground last time, I could not be entirely optimistic about the future.
Therefore, whether it was Lee Eunho’s or not, I planned to preemptively seize future serendipitous encounters and make a desperate struggle.
I felt sorry for him, but…….
“It’s also a way to protect the episodes, after all.”
I neatly organized the books I had read during that time and left the library.
Should I call this time late evening, or just night?
One thing was clear: I felt the sentiment I used to often encounter while returning home during my exam-taking days.
Led by a sudden sentimentality, I looked up at the sky, but there were no stars, and not even their light seeped through.
But in the strange charm of the season that early spring brings, I unknowingly took a deep breath.
“……The air is nice.”
For Seoul, the air was nice.
That would be one of the things that was distinctly different from the Seoul I used to live in.
After being transmigrated, I had been struggling to survive, but I was still in denial about the reality that I had to live in this world.
The funny thing was, while making excuses like ‘I’m not ready to accept reality yet,’ it had been a long time since I had forgotten the password to my front door lock.
That was not an exaggeration.
Because I had been pressing the password by feel all this time, when I actually tried to recall the number, my fingers would stutter as if they were lagging.
“I’m an awakener, so I shouldn’t have memory loss……”
I diligently wallowed in my sentimentality and headed for the dormitory.
As I was walking through a gloomy alleyway to take a shortcut…….
I came across an unsavory scene of several people surrounding a single cadet.
After a quick check with my Demonic Eye, the surrounded cadet was the leader of the Social Care Beneficiaries in the Investigation Division, Choi Jaejin.
And the cadets surrounding him were…….
“This is unusual.”
It was the group of Kim Muung, one of the main figures in the Investigation Division.
Meaning, the ones who had failed to get into the Combat and Support Divisions.
“Kim Muung wouldn’t have given a Social Care Beneficiary a second glance.”
The group was not large.
Just enough to easily handle one cadet.
Looking around, there were conveniently no CCTVs, or it was a blind spot.
Drones periodically flew overhead, but they mostly monitored the borders of the school and major facilities.
“Should I consider this a coincidence?”
Since I had my smartphone, I used Stealth and started recording in night mode.
Soon, violent scenes were captured on camera.
A blatant group assault, difficult to even describe.
They should have known full well what it meant to directly assault a cadet on campus…….
At that point, I began to suspect that Kim Muung was up to some kind of scheme.
Beating up Choi Jaejin of the social care beneficiary admission.
“…….”
Could it be that his arrow was pointing at me?
It was too early to draw a conclusion.
More importantly, at the point where I had filmed such valuable footage, I could not be bothered to care about such trivial matters anymore.
As an accomplice to the assault, I watched until Choi Jaejin was rolling on the ground like a fallen leaf before I stopped recording.
“Fucking ridiculous……”
***
A few days later, Monday afternoon.
The 3rd Outdoor Training Ground, where Martial Arts Instructor An Hwigom’s class was in full swing.
Today, again, I was struck by Gong Minwu and sent flying.
“The bell.”
“…….”
In the first week’s class, I had skillfully succeeded in a counterattack, but from then until today, the third week, I had not succeeded in a counterattack even once.
The reason was simple.
It was because Gong Minwu was moving with follow-up attacks in mind.
His weaknesses were still there, but the openings in his movements were no longer visible.
“I knew it. That time was just a fluke.”
“Hey, just give up. Even during our combat training, no one fights Minwu except Lee Eunho.”
“Why don’t you just go take the marksmanship class now?”
As if they wouldn’t get knocked out just the same if they fought Gong Minwu…….
I got up and took the bell out of my pocket.
If I were greedy, I would want to continue the duel, but the absolute difference in skill between me and Gong Minwu could not be closed just by recklessly charging in.
Of course, being able to see his excellent movements up close and experience his offensive power was an advantage.
But that was all.
My deformed status was too unsuitable for dueling.
“You won. Here’s the bell.”
Gong Minwu paused for a moment as he was about to take the bell from me.
Was he feeling a bit disappointed?
He looked at me intently for a few seconds and then…….
“Your breathing is too fast.”
With those words, he took the bell.
“Still, well……. it wasn’t a bad duel.”
“……Yeah, me too.”
Is this what they call the friendship of men?
No, let’s cut the nonsense.
Gong Minwu immediately continued with a duel against another cadet.
Next week would be the fourth week of the martial arts class.
In other words, the last week of March, when the duel with Instructor An Hwigom was scheduled.
Without a doubt, Gong Minwu would be the one to go up to that large rock’s training ground.
“Well, the result is obvious, though.”
I got down from the training ground and watched the cadets’ duels for a long time.
There were about a dozen cadets who still had their bells.
The other half were following Gong Minwu’s training ground, and another half were continuing their duels without bells.
Do Minyeong, holding a sword at the far end of the training ground, had her bell taken in the first week.
But she was not discouraged and continued to duel with any cadet she saw.
Even though she had never won once.
“She’s a really persistent one……”
To work hard to be acknowledged by others.
To constantly flap her wings to escape the huge nest called the Sword Saint.
While I was watching the duel, she lost again.
But she did not dispute the result.
She just immediately found another opponent and dusted off her knees.
Do Minyeong, who was looking around for a moment, made eye contact with me.
But unlike usual, she quickly turned her head as if avoiding my gaze.
Could it be that she had been talking behind my back too…….
While I was lost in useless thoughts, an old man’s voice struck my ear.
“Pathetic boy, have you finally given up?”
It was Martial Arts Instructor An Hwigom.
I turned to look at him and answered.
“It’s more of an acceptance than giving up.”
“Acceptance……?”
“Yes, I’ve realized that there’s no point in clinging on any longer.”
“Hmm……. Indeed, excessive persistence can also trap oneself in a well.”
His voice was layered with age, but his pronunciation and resonance had a clear sharpness.
In the first place, awakeners aged slowly and had long lifespans, so it was hard to see him as an old man on his deathbed.
His age, since I had not set it precisely, was about 90.
He would probably live for at least another 20 or 30 years.
For reference, the longest lifespan of an awakener was 141 years.
An example of someone who faced the Great Rift and awakened after turning sixty.
“By the way, Ji Seokhyeon, that’s a rare surname in this world.”
“Ah, I’m a social care beneficiary admission.”
“From the outskirts……. Good. Knowing hunger is a great help in training.”
Hunger…….
I had a rough idea of what he was trying to say, but since I had never experienced life in the outskirts of Seoul, I felt a pang of guilt.
If my conversation partner had been Yun Jeongseop, I would have killed class time with silly jokes, but unfortunately, I did not know much about the character An Hwigom.
Because he was an extra.
It was not like Lee Eunho had taken his martial arts class, nor did he have a clear narrative role, so I had not fleshed him out separately.
Naturally, I did not know his attribute or his origin.
Just that he used a sword, was a first-generation awakener who had lived in the same era as Sword Saint Kim Yuseong, and was a hidden master who shouldered the karma of being an instructor at the Hero Preparatory School.
Putting other things aside, I did not know why he was coming to me, who had no connection to him, and showing friendliness.
Shouldn’t he go to the top student, Gong Minwu, and nod his head benevolently?
With An Hwigom’s keen eye, he should have noticed that Gong Minwu possessed extraordinary potential…….
I looked around to get out of this rather uncomfortable spot.
Just as I was about to walk towards a seemingly easy opponent…….
“You, stay after class ends.”
His voice reached my ears again.
***
After class ended, all the cadets left the training ground.
Except for me, of course.
An Hwigom said he had something to get and left me alone in this spacious training ground, disappearing somewhere.
And it had already been 20 minutes.
“It would be so much better if he would just explain things properly.”
If he was going to keep me behind to give me a warning, he might as well have me clean the training ground.
If he thought I had no talent for martial arts, he could have just let me change my course registration to marksmanship or magic class.
They say consideration starts with respecting others’ time, but this old man’s intentions were hard to read.
Today’s classes ended with martial arts, so I was planning to leisurely exercise in the Hall of Endurance…….
“Well, I guess I can wait a little longer.”
And so, I waited for about five more minutes.
Suddenly, goosebumps broke out all over my body, and I began to feel a pressure accompanied by extreme tension.
“…….”
Cold sweat formed along my spine.
My vision narrowed as if constricted by fear.
And my Adam’s apple made a sound louder than my heartbeat.
……It was killing intent.
In narrative terms, it was ‘scattering mana towards an adversary.’
That sharp, arrow-like mana pressed down on me, making me unable to move a single finger.
Who was it.
On campus, and targeting me, who was left alone in the training ground, with killing intent…….
Even when I twisted my whole body to look around, I could not see a single human figure.
My lower body swayed as if it would collapse at any moment.
At the same time, a chunk of killing intent began to rush towards me at a fierce speed.
Not from the front or the side, but from all directions.
“……!”
In an instant, I instinctively twisted my posture.
SHING─.
Then, a sword blade imbued with killing intent revealed itself, brushing past the tip of my nose.
“…….”
“…….”
A sword blade as black as jet-black.
I followed the sword blade with my eyes.
“Excellent. Actually, just now……”
A sharp voice.
“I was genuinely trying to kill you.”
……It was An Hwigom.