Chapter 18
Chapter 18
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: One Step Further
-----------------------------------------------------------------
‘Staring again….’
Kang Geohan felt Helena’s piercing gaze.
It wasn’t just Helena, either. Gerot and Loen were staring right through him, and even Viscount Basio had been glaring at him intently before calling his name.
Then,
“Kang Geohan Yellow, forward!”
The moment Viscount Basio called him,
Whoosh!
Dozens of pairs of eyes flew toward Kang Geohan and pinned him in place all at once. The White Knights watching from the side started murmuring among themselves.
“That guy?”
“The one who took down Rafal….”
Even higher attention than Helena, who had taken first place.
‘Yeah, yeah. The trophy’s stepping up.’
Kang Geohan calmed his mind and stepped forward.
He recalled the tip Calts Black had given him yesterday.
‘First, check the armor plates, overall design, joints, and so on to narrow it down initially. Then do a test takeoff to see the output and how well it suits you.’
Originally, Kang Geohan had planned to follow that advice.
Of course, he was at a disadvantage compared to Helena.
Her eye for Giants, coming from what seemed like a wealthy freefolk background, would surely be sharper than his.
Plus, while she had test-flown ten units, his mana would only let him manage two—three at most.
‘Competing the same way, I can’t beat Helena. But there’s no other method.’
That’s what he’d thought.
But now, his thinking had changed.
‘Full-Body Mirror ability.’
At first, it had been a coincidence.
He’d been practicing the ability he’d just acquired yesterday, getting used to it alone. That’s when he noticed something odd.
‘When I approach a Giant, the mana strands extending from its head tremble faintly.’
Some Giants trembled more strongly, others more weakly.
It wasn’t a big shake. Like the subtle quiver of individual strands of hair that you can’t feel normally and can only see in a mirror.
Just that level. A faint tremor only noticeable thanks to the Full-Body Mirror ability.
But Kang Geohan had seen it.
‘The stronger the tremble, the louder the roar was when Helena took it off the ground.’
An intriguing discovery.
He could predict its output without even launching it!
But that wasn’t all.
What impressed Kang Geohan even more was the new insight into mana strands.
‘Only the strands at the head trembled. The ones elsewhere didn’t.’
The realization that mana strands could have different traits by location.
Muscles were the same way. Strong back muscles let your chest expand and reduced shoulder pain, clearing your head. A solid core kept your posture stable and eased lower back aches.
Why couldn’t mana strands vary by part?
‘I’ll think about that part later.’
He wanted to stay up all night training to verify it himself, but right now, he needed to focus on selecting his trainer unit.
Kang Geohan activated his Full-Body Mirror ability and walked into the forest of towering Giants, standing like skyscrapers.
The tall Giants cast deep shadows at his feet, like being deep in a woods. When the wind blew, the smell of iron and oil hit him hard.
Kang Geohan walked with his head slightly bowed, like a man lost in deep thought.
He passed one Giant, two, five, ten without a second glance.
Calts, watching this, scowled deeply.
‘What the hell is he doing?’
Kang Geohan’s movements were completely different from Helena’s.
Helena had inspected each Giant meticulously, sometimes tapping them, sometimes climbing on, advancing slowly.
In contrast, Kang Geohan strolled past them like a broke guy walking through a market, doing absolutely nothing.
“What’s this? Is he actually picking one?”
“Doesn’t know what to look for?”
“Well… he’s a serf. What would he know? But not even testing a launch?”
The trainees watching Kang Geohan and the White family knights serving as instructors began murmuring.
Calts’s brow furrowed even more.
‘No way… is it because of what I said yesterday?’
He’d prodded Kang Geohan with, ‘It’s obvious. Nothing surprising about it.’
So if he was ditching the obvious path just to surprise him with some stunt…
‘If that’s it, I’m really disappointed….’
Calts clenched his fist, feeling strangely anxious.
* * *
Drip.
Drip.
Sweat trailed down his jawline.
What had started as a headache was now chills creeping over his shoulders.
‘About… ten minutes?’
The longer he used the Full-Body Mirror ability continuously, the heavier the burden grew.
Like how jogging slowly at first feels easy but leaves you gasping for air up to your chin after a while. Or how punching the air for just ten minutes makes your arms shake.
But Kang Geohan stayed focused.
‘Not yet! Not yet!’
He still had far more Giants to check.
To others, it looked like he was just walking with his head down, but right now, he was pushing the Full-Body Mirror ability to its limit, observing the mana strands’ tremors.
He hadn’t found one that trembled more than the Giant Helena had picked.
Kang Geohan’s steps quickened, and soon he broke into a full sprint.
“What, what?”
“What’s he doing?”
“Is he crazy?”
The trainees followed behind Kang Geohan in a mob, the instructors trailed them, and even the instructors and Viscount Basio had to quicken their pace.
Harun Basio’s expression hardened.
“What the hell is this…? What’s that guy doing?”
Calts answered with shaking eyes.
“I… don’t know.”
At first, he’d thought it was youthful bravado. But now he was outright running, and Calts’s mind went blank. He couldn’t comprehend it.
‘Damn… why am I the one feeling anxious and embarrassed?’
Kang Geohan was the one pulling the stunt, yet Calts felt the pressure.
That fact irked him for some reason.
After chasing Kang Geohan in confused turmoil for about five minutes,
“Huh? He stopped?!”
Everyone saw it.
Kang Geohan standing stock-still before one Giant.
Calts Black muttered at the sight.
“Looks… ordinary?”
A bitter feeling washed over him at the same time.
‘Just childish antics after all?’
The machine Kang Geohan chose at the end of his stunt.
It didn’t look bad. But it didn’t look good, either. No signs of expert assembly—just your run-of-the-mill trainer unit.
“Ha… that’s what all the fuss led to?”
Viscount Basio muttered in a voice chilled with disappointment, sharing the sentiment.
But Kang Geohan was different.
A proud smile spread across his lips as he looked up at the Giant—like he’d just filled his mouth with something delicious.
* * *
Anyone who’s done military service knows.
Sometimes, there are items like that. Even mass-produced K2 rifles, or plain old parts, can become miraculous masterpieces when coincidences align perfectly in the assembly process, making every component fit like it was made for each other.
It shoots uncannily well, and field-strips like a dream.
Especially for a Giant assembled from assorted used parts.
When parts that happen to synergize perfectly gather by chance and get assembled just right, it becomes a masterpiece.
The assembler often overlooks these hidden gems and moves on.
Kang Geohan had found one.
‘This is it!’
Fireworks exploded in his heart.
‘This one! This is the best!’
He’d run around, checking nearly every Giant. And finally stood before this one.
Shiver—
The Full-Body Mirror ability showed it clearly.
The mana strands extending from the head shook like they’d met the wind. A violent motion unlike any other Giant. So vivid he could faintly feel it without looking.
Kang Geohan swallowed once and climbed onto the trainer unit.
He pressed both hands to the floor. Like drawing up stagnant water from below, he awakened his body’s mana strands, clenched his fists tight, and stood.
A dizzying thrill awakened every cell in his body.
Grind! Screech!
The armor plates meshed.
Below, the Giant’s heart—glowing brilliantly—began to pulse.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Roooar—
“Hup!”
“Urgh…!”
The roar was so overwhelming it felt like it took physical form and struck their chests—even the watching trainees clutched theirs instinctively. The afterecho spread like a bell toll.
Hiss! Shhh!
Steam jetted from the Giant’s body. It was restricted for test launches, but even standing still, it made the trainees shrink back in fear.
It was different.
Different from Helena’s.
With hers, they’d been purely impressed. Now, faces paled as if an ogre had appeared. White family instructors even gripped their sword hilts without thinking.
They’d never imagined a monster like this was here.
Kang Geohan’s Giant exuded that much overwhelming presence.
The ordinary-looking one revealed its true colors upon launch, crushing Helena’s supposed masterpiece.
Everyone realized.
‘That one’s the best.’
Kang Geohan’s choice was the finest among all here.
‘But how?’
‘Just one launch, and it’s the top Giant?’
It felt like magic.
Everyone was lost in confusion and shock, speechless.
Amid it all, Kang Geohan emerged from the hatch. Slightly flushed, he looked down at them all.
Helena biting her lip in frustration.
Gerot yelling something in anger.
Loen with his mouth hanging open.
Unlike before, Kang Geohan now welcomed those gazes with a thrill.
‘Feels good. Real good.’
Kang Geohan turned, searching for Calts.
He had his mouth wide open but snapped it shut when their eyes met.
‘Not yet?’
Kang Geohan smiled. Still, he felt like he’d taken one solid step closer.
And so, Kang Geohan’s trainer unit was decided.
* * *
Viscount Basio asked Calts with a dazed look.
“…What the hell was that? It looked totally ordinary… what kind of output…? How’d he find it? In one go? Skill? Luck? What the fuck!?”
Calts replied without taking his eyes off Kang Geohan.
“…Yeah. What is it with that guy….”
Even as he spoke, Calts quickly wiped his palm across his face to hide his grin.
He couldn’t stop smiling.
“Felt like magic… What the hell is that thing?”
Viscount Basio, rubbing his dry face in bewilderment, composed himself and turned.
“Rafal! Rafal White! You here?”
“Yes! Right here.”
“You’re his official training instructor, right?”
“Yes!”
“Beat him.”
“Pardon?”
“I’m dying of curiosity. Train him to near death. Figure it out. If it’s luck… or if we really got some unimaginable monster trainee.”
Rafal White smiled.
“I’ve been itching for it.”
“Good. Report Kang Geohan’s training directly to me.”
“Got it.”
Only then did Viscount Basio calm a bit and turn to Calts.
“There’s a saying, you know. True geniuses spot great Giants without riding them… They feel it like a sixth sense or something? Let’s see if a once-in-a-century genius really showed up in our training camp.”
Calts replied calmly.
“A once-in-a-century genius…? Too early to say.”
Viscount Basio glanced at him.
“Then wipe that grin off your face first.”
“Ah….”
As Calts hurriedly touched his face, Viscount Basio let out a hollow chuckle.
“If—and just if—that wasn’t luck… maybe… just maybe… we’ll see a serf become a pureblood noble.”
It was a distant dream.
Not rational judgment, but emotional from the shock.
The best Giant Rider wasn’t just about picking good machines, anyway.
Viscount Basio regretted it inwardly right after saying it. ‘Ah, too hasty….’
But….
Thump.
Hearing it, Calts’s heart began to race. Hard. Painfully so.