No Talent for Multis: The Principal's Welcome

Guess I just don't have the knack for this stuff. 'Left...' A vicious whoosh cut through the air by my ear. I ducked instantly, reversing my grip on the sword with my left hand and slashing upward along the perfect trajectory to meet the incoming strike. A brief flash lit the scene as the silver knight before me split in half.

But there was no time to rest. Pivoting on my ankle, I spun swiftly. I spotted three more silver knights charging at my blind spots. The fastest one closed the distance, swinging a massive greatsword with monstrous strength that belied its small frame.

'Now...!' I tensed my wrist. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠With a grinding crunch, rocks sprouted along my right arm. Channeling mana into the stone coating amplified its power.

Boom! "Guh!" A heavy impact rattled through my body. Shattered stone fragments blurred my vision. Another silver knight followed up relentlessly—this time from behind. It spun its spear with brute force, the slashing wind heralding a flash-like thrust.

I focused my mind on my lower back. Something writhed to life. A flaming arm erupted, clamping down on the spearhead.

"...!" I caught the flicker of shock in the knight's eyes through its visor. 'Can't blame it for being surprised.' Who wouldn't freak out at an arm bursting from your back? Still, after dozens of tries, I was getting the hang of it. The first time, some random fire poker popped out and left me baffled.

'But that's about the limit.' Past two seconds, the arm visibly weakened and fizzled out—a clear sign of poor sustain. Stab! The spear tip grazed my side. Blood trickled from the chunk of flesh it tore away.

The three silver knights, sensing their advantage, charged in unison—like they shared a hive mind, no hesitation whatsoever. Greatsword aimed for my head, spear for my flank, axe for my legs. A flawless combo, leaving zero openings. True to their infamous reputation from the Silver Glory for their joint formations.

'Can't push further, huh.' Clicking my tongue, I readjusted my grip on the sword in my left hand.

-!!

A brief flash erupted as circular sword qi radiated from me. In an instant, all three knights cleaved in half, collapsing into smoke and dissipating.

'...Hmph.'

'No, it's all wrong.' This was a clear failure. The goal of this fight was practicing my new abilities and exploring combos.

'Tch...' Flexing my hand, I circulated mana. The two skills from before activated simultaneously. Flames roared over the stone-covered arm. To an outsider, it'd look like dual-element mastery, but I knew better.

'Inefficient. And unstable.' Cracks spiderwebbed through the rock, sapping its durability, while the fire flickered at suboptimal temps. I threw a punch into the air to test.

'Reflexes, precision, power—all worse than using them separately. And it doesn't even save mana. Bottom line: just swinging my sword hits harder and more efficiently.'

'Tch...' If it were that guy, he'd simulate it perfectly in his head. My brain just wasn't turning right; looks like I lack talent here too.

'Nah, that squinty bastard's a genius too, but not who I mean. Not even a real person.' Back in my old life before possession, I read this manga a lot. The protagonist absorbed all kinds of abilities and combined them creatively with his genius brain, putting on shows that blew minds. Wanted to emulate that, but no dice.

Figures—I'd always just swung swords. Never got to play with abilities freely. Doing it well now would be weirder. Anyway, mental training ends here. Closing my eyes and focusing pulled me back to reality. I checked the clock on the training room wall.

'...7 PM already...' My mind was calm, but my body burned from the grind. Heart pounding wildly, lungs heaving massive gulps of air nonstop.

'Squats, huh.' Came out sooner than expected. Thought it'd be done by now. I watched my body move blankly. Legs trembled like they'd collapse any second, muscles spasming. Yet it executed precise, perfect reps without falter. Always amazed me. Kinda like becoming the protagonist in an idle game.

Anyway, no point idling—time to settle up with 'Cheolwangguk' and 'Inabi' after 'Iron Kingdom'.

'Status first.'

Boring to repeat, but nothing beats real combat. Just weeks ago, these stats barely cracked 20; now they're breezing past 30.

'Vitality and Technique spiked especially.' Those brutal exchanges paid off big. But one stat lagged noticeably.

'Mana.' Compared to early parity, its growth was pitiful. Not surprised, though—I knew why.

'Bloodline.' Mana's the most blood-talent dependent stat. It governs total energy, efficiency, quality for abilities. Those 'royal blood' pricks aren't wrong; it's a massive innate wall.

'Least the elixir from Jeon Eunbyeol and Records Elixir bumped it that much.' Even in my past life, mana held me back. Why I stuck to swords despite magic aptitude. And why stolen Arhat's Contract Document combos sucked—mana's the culprit.

'Gotta snag something for it...' Not too worried. Scored tons of points this time; can just flex if needed. Or use regressor perks like 'future knowledge for lucky encounters'—now that's my play too. Bide time for opportunities.

'Next...' Thought about an unexpected haul.

"<<Summon>>"

-Boom!

Chanting the keyword summoned it. Amid soft light stood a cross radiating ominous power at a glance.

'Over 2 meters tall...' Skipped the message in the hospital out of annoyance, but first check was chaos. So heavy it smashed the floor and dropped to the floor below.

'Relic from the three main gods, Irelua...' Felt it instantly. Not some cheap holy trinket—this brimmed with immense sacred power. But why'd that pint-sized goddess give me this?

'If it were a sword, I'd build a shrine. Not meant to swing, right?' Can't even lift it. At full power, I could barely push. Summoning and storing via keyword works fine, but...

'Doubt I'll ever use it.' Whatever—moving on.

'Kay. Resume talent selection.'

'Both fine, right?'

The kid risked his life, so that growth made sense.

'Yeah, it was flashy as hell.'

'So... Junho's a talent monster, got an extra one?'

Tch, kinda pisses me off. 'Got it. Hold off on both.'

Already took one from Junho. Kid's growing; no need to strip more now. Save for better later. Ohana...

'What, steal from the little one? Pass.'

'Shut it.' Anyway, settlements done. Speaking of the contract...

'...What the hell was that.' That fragment fluttering before the messenger beast died. Thought hallucination, but Kay saw it too. Tried recreating in near-real sparring—no sign.

'Needs special conditions...' No status mention, so probably not awakened yet.

'How long's this guy out?' I glanced at the training hall corner. Song Junho sprawled like trash, eyes rolled back, out cold—not a twitch.

"Hey, wake up."

"......"

"Not getting up? Want more?"

"......"

Beat him a bit on return, and he's still like this.

'Anyway, rehab's done.' And so the first night back at the academy passed.

The next day.

"Welcome, Cadet Choi Siwoo."

"An honor to meet you, Principal."

"Haha! No need for formalities. Sit comfy, like chatting with the neighborhood grandpa."

"Sure thing?"

"Huh?"

Why refuse such hospitality? I plopped onto the sofa as suggested, crossing my legs and propping my chin, eyeing the old man.

'Figures the miser'd skimp on leather too. Cheap stuff.' The old-timer sipped tea, looking flustered. Prunel Academy's principal, the legendary Awakener called the Furious Young Dragon—Cheonwigwang himself.