Luck or Talent

Day 4. The first weekend at the academy. Since it was the only time one could leave the grounds, the place was so empty you couldn't even spot an ant. Even Lumi, who usually stuck to me like glue, had gone out to Briel.

"This is why I like humans. You always keep time so well."

"You said you'd teach me the method."

The reason I sought out Leo was simple: to resolve my extremely low mana capacity. I had firmly believed that mana was the most important power in this world, so I needed a way to compensate for this fatal flaw.

"Follow me."

We left Leo's lab and headed toward the basement of the building. And what unfolded before my eyes was...

"A tower?"

The darkness was so thick I could barely see an inch in front of me. It looked just like a tower with a shattered Core.

"It's an old training ground. We moved to a different location due to safety concerns, but..."

After walking for ten minutes just following Leo's back, we were deep underground. Leo pointed at something.

"Pick one you're familiar with."

At the end of his finger, various tools were lined up. Weapons, presumably. Among the weapons crafted for each race, I chose a sword that looked modest.

The weight and length were no different from what I had been using. With my practical experience, I was confident in my swordsmanship. I didn't know what that had to do with fixing my low mana, though.

"If you insist on using magic, what you need to learn isn't Combat Magic, but Reinforcement Magic."

Combat and Reinforcement. I recalled something I'd briefly seen in a book. Simply put, Combat Magic was magic that dealt direct damage, while Reinforcement Magic was magic that drastically enhanced the caster's physical abilities.

"Take this, too."

Leo handed me a Mana Stone. It was a consideration for a student below standard, whose own mana was near zero.

"Spread the mana throughout your entire body. Even if you're in the Lowest Class, you can manage that much, right?"

I was used to manipulating mana. I had already practiced with Ariel's and Lumi's mana.

Crunch—

As I gripped the Mana Stone, the mana within the stone flowed into my body. It was a calm, steady stream. Just as Leo said, I channeled the mana throughout my whole body. Soon, a foreign sensation covered me from head to toe.

"Now, move while in that state."

Perhaps it was because my body wasn't naturally built to support mana, but it felt as if I were moving while wearing sandbags. My body felt sluggish. I had only taken a few steps, yet my breath was already hitching and sweat began to pour.

Did the other participants—no, did the inhabitants of this world—endure this kind of pressure?

"Pfft."

Leo burst into laughter at my clumsy movements. I knew why. I was walking around waddling like a baby who had just taken its first steps. I could imagine how ridiculous I must have looked in his eyes.

"Grr!"

Annoyance surged within me. The fact that I couldn't move my body as I wanted. And Leo, who was mocking me for it. It provoked me.

"Hoo..."

First, focus on breathing. Moving comes after. I mustn't be impatient.

Thud—

One step at a time. I forced my heavy feet to move. The most important thing was my expression. I must never show that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I was struggling.

"Is this enough?"

Even if I lacked talent in my original life, I had worked hundreds of times harder than anyone else. I could overcome this much with sheer willpower.

"Good. Now, the next step."

Snap!

Leo flicked his fingers.

"Argh!"

The mana that had been weighing down my body vanished. At the same time, a pain as if my muscles were being torn apart washed over ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠me.

"Reinforcement Magic is one of the most neglected types of magic. Setting aside the mana consumption, it ravages the physical body."

The indescribable pain vanished as a wave of heat rose throughout my body. My blood began to boil. What on earth did Leo do?

"Try swinging it once."

In a dazed state, I gripped the wooden sword.

"The target is..."

Leo pointed at himself with that arrogant expression typical of an Elf. It was a legal opportunity to attack an Elf.

Clench—

Even if it had no lethality, I wanted to land a hit on that mocking face. So, just like when I faced the Troll King, I focused all my nerves into the hand holding the wooden sword.

"Here I go."

I closed my eyes and imagined the clone from the tutorial. The most powerful technique he had shown me. Without a single tremor, I had to replicate it exactly. I raised the wooden sword high into the sky and brought it straight down.

Whoosh—

A satisfying sound of air being sliced. And for a moment, my vision distorted.

Boom—!

I heard a sound like something collapsing behind Leo, but something else had stolen my attention.

I had experienced the unlocking of a talent before. What caught my eyes was the notification below it. An increase in mana. I didn't know exactly what that meant, but a smile spread across my face on its own.

"You... you're alright, aren't you?"

Unlike me, Leo's complexion had darkened rapidly. The place his gaze was fixed on was none ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠other than my arm.

"What is this?"

The state of the arm I had used to swing the wooden sword was strange. It didn't matter that the tendons were bulging as if they were about to burst. The problem was that it had turned black, beyond a mere purple hue.

Drip—

I felt a warm liquid at my nose. It was a distress signal from my body. It was strange. My mind was clear, yet...

Thump—

My breathing slowed and my eyes closed. For a sign of death, it felt surprisingly comfortable.

Choi Suhyun collapsing so suddenly was unexpected. Even if a human body were weak, to lose consciousness just from using Reinforcement Magic? While Leo treated the collapsed Choi Suhyun, he took off his clothes, feeling an inexplicable, unpleasant sensation.

"..."

His skin, which had been pale white, was stained red. From his shoulder to his flank, blood was flowing exactly along the trajectory where Choi Suhyun had swung his sword.

"Interesting."

Leo was confused. What he had used on Choi Suhyun was low-level magic. It was meant to teach him, a student in the Lowest Class, about Reinforcement Magic—magic that only slightly boosted physical ability. Yet, it had inflicted a wound. And with nothing but a wooden sword that was merely hard.

He had felt a momentary killing intent and, just in case, had wrapped his body in mana for protection, but as you could see, it was useless.

Leo formed two hypotheses. First, the hypothesis that Choi Suhyun had hidden mana. The reason was simple: it had pierced the protective barrier he had wrapped himself in with mana. It was an impossible feat. In his long life of 400 years, there had been few instances where a barrier made of layered mana had been pierced. And never by a human.

"Perhaps it's impossible for a human body."

There were two main ways to pierce a barrier: pressuring it with a higher amount of mana, or destroying it with pure physical force. But unless Leo's eyes had gone bad, there was no way Choi Suhyun could have hidden mana.

"I don't want to imagine it, but..."

The second hypothesis was that Choi Suhyun had pierced the barrier with the wooden sword. He didn't even want to imagine it. An academy student, Lowest Class, and with a wooden sword at that?

"He's no ordinary talent, is he?"

The scene of Choi Suhyun swinging the sword was vivid in his mind. It had been brief, but his vision had blurred. That was why he had felt the killing intent and tried to protect his body with a barrier.

"A genius?"

He had heard stories that monsters occasionally emerged among humans. Possessing the talent to overwhelm all races while bearing the disadvantage of a human body. But that was the case for Awakeners. Choi Suhyun, a mere ordinary human, showed no such talent. At least, that was what he wanted to believe.

Was it simple luck, or was it innate talent? Leo stared blankly at the hideous wound Choi Suhyun had carved for a long time, without healing it.

When I opened my eyes, I was in my dormitory bed. A quiet room where no sound could be heard.

"My arm!"

Contrary to my worries, the bizarre state of my arm had returned to normal. Every time I swung the sword, I felt it painfully: the fact that my body couldn't support my talent.

A challenge appeared as if it had read my thoughts. And...

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Notification windows filled my vision. I was used to challenges, but unusually, this one had a penalty. Mana reduction. Considering my current mana was 1, it meant the mana I had barely obtained would disappear. I had to safeguard my mana no matter what.

I shifted my eyes to scan the other windows. The unlocking of a talent, and the Tower of Awakening. It was a new form of notification window I had never seen before. It seemed to be telling me to go to the Tower of Awakening and hone my swordsmanship, but...

I was rejected right at the entrance. While my stats had risen slightly while doing chores at the academy, it was a figure that fell far short. My goal was set. The first thing I had to solve was the challenge. I had to succeed, if only to prevent the mana reduction. The Talent Points were just a bonus.

I already knew how to raise my stats. I knew, but... my body wouldn't move.

"Human, you're pretty good for a beginner!"

The voice of the Dwarf instructor rang in my ears. For such a small stature, his stamina was incredible. He followed me around until training was over, tormenting me.

Cold sweat ran down my back. I wanted to avoid meeting the Dwarf instructor again at all costs, but I couldn't think of any other way. Besides, since it was high-intensity training, the results were certain.