Chapter 53
Chapter 53
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 53
Chapter Title: Rapport (1)
Time passed, and Tuesday arrived.
The cadets of Class A had overcome their Monday blues and were heading to their classroom, greeting Tuesday morning in fine form.
"Hey, you know."
They gathered in small groups, chatting away.
And lately, there was only one topic on their minds.
"Isn't today exactly one week?"
"The Top Student's been resting up nice and cozy? Is his internal injury really that bad?"
"I heard a rumor he fell into qi deviation and lost all his power..."
It was about Bi-hyeong, who had skipped classes for a whole week due to an internal injury.
"Well, we'll see when we see him."
The fixed period was up, so he either had to extend it or show up to class.
Either way, they'd be seeing his face.
The Class A cadets couldn't hide their own excitement.
Mi-na watched them from behind with cold eyes.
'They think since Bi-hyeong will step down from Top Student next semester, they might have a shot.'
What nonsense.
Bi-hyeong was far more fine than they imagined, and his internal injuries had healed cleanly.
Just over the weekend visit, she'd heard that 80% of the injuries had already recovered.
However,
She'd been a bit worried herself since he hadn't responded to messages for the past couple of days.
And so, as each cadet opened the classroom door with their own thoughts,
Rooooar—!
An overwhelming presence crushed down on them.
"Ugh!"
"What... what is this!?"
It felt like encountering a mighty monstrosity from legends.
Or perhaps like witnessing the overwhelming power of a high-ranking exorcist in battle up close.
This was no atmosphere that should emanate from a freshman classroom.
But in an instant, it was like a gust of wind that had blown through.
The crushing presence vanished like a mirage.
The stunned cadets took in the sole figure already inside the classroom.
"...Top Student?"
"Didn't he have internal injuries? Then what was that...?"
As their common sense shattered and confusion filled the air,
Step.
That one footfall turned into a bright patter of footsteps rushing forward!
"Bi-hyeong!"
Mi-na ignored the stares from everyone and ran straight to Bi-hyeong.
'Second Place over there saw that and can still smile like that?'
'...Whether Second or Top, they're both monsters.'
'Someone said they saw Second Place going into Top Student's dorm over the weekend... No way, for real?'
The Class A cadets whispered about the two,
but Mi-na and Bi-hyeong paid them no mind.
Mi-na's eyes sparkled at the sight of Bi-hyeong after two days.
"Are your injuries all healed?"
"Yeah."
"But... what was that just now?"
When Mi-na asked about the presence,
a wry smile tugged at Bi-hyeong's lips.
'As expected. Even while focusing on the club, it leaked out, huh?'
In truth, the presence that had crushed the classroom wasn't even intentional.
The pillar inside the club had suddenly thrashed about, and it was merely the residue from venting a bit of presence to contain it.
Yet that mere presence was enough for Bi-hyeong to make every cadet in Class A realize it fully.
I am the Top Student.
"I got something new this time, and to handle it, I have to vent it out. Otherwise, it's tough on me."
"Got it!"
Mi-na nodded without asking more.
It was touching to see,
but seeing the cadets still trembling made it bittersweet.
'How's he supposed to live normally like this...?'
Sigh.
A sigh escaped naturally.
'I need to find a way quick.'
He'd tried disassembling the spear from Eoduk-i's domain and merging it into the divine relic.
But the result was,
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Decomposition failed.] As you can see.
A clean failure.
'...Well, it's only natural. The spear turned into ore and merged, which was the miraculous part.'
In other words, that spear was part of a divine relic. Or a fragment, at least.
Far too ambitious to decompose and recombine with a mere S-rank club.
He'd probably need at least 'EX' rank for that.
'Otherwise, just burn through the spear's durability fast.'
But that was tough too.
'Even using it non-stop in the game, the durability only hit zero right at the ending.'
In the game, he never worried about durability and could play freely, but in reality, it became this penalty.
As Bi-hyeong scratched his head in frustration,
"Oh? What's this now?"
With his usual laid-back tone, the homeroom professor parted the crowd of cadets and entered the classroom.
His eyes met Bi-hyeong's.
"Our Top Cadet. Did you advertise that you're all better? Why are the kids so spooked?"
"No... Well, something like that."
"I see. You're just brimming with vitality, huh."
The chuckling professor beckoned to the cadets huddled at the entrance.
"If you're exorcists worth your salt, quit cowering and come in. What're you, scared puppies?"
Only then did the flushed cadets shuffle in and take their seats.
The professor confirmed everyone was present before continuing.
"This week's lessons are the same as yesterday... Some of you missed it, right? I'll explain again. This week, we'll be building rapport with the weapons you got from weapon selection."
Bi-hyeong's ears perked up.
'Building rapport with the weapon? Oh yeah, there was something like that.'
Weapons from selection were growth types.
They upgraded their functions bit by bit based on the exorcist's achievements.
That was why the academy gave time to familiarize themselves and probe the weapons' abilities carefully.
...He'd completely forgotten since he ditched academy weapons by mid-game.
'In the game, it was just meditation, but how do they do it here?'
Bi-hyeong took interest in this lesson.
That spear he saw as a hot potato.
It was a trophy from weapon selection too, after all.
...If he could get even a little familiar with it, maybe he'd find a solution.
Please, for real.
"Basically, you'll meditate while holding your weapon and build rapport. The process breaks down the wall between 'you' and the 'weapon,' with the ultimate goal of achieving man-weapon unity."
No sooner had the professor finished than cadets who'd attended yesterday raised hands with questions.
"Professor. Does that man-weapon unity really exist?"
"Why? Think it's impossible?"
"...Honestly, yes. I meditated all day yesterday, but I couldn't grasp the idea of becoming one with the weapon."
"Is that so? Well then... you lot should count yourselves lucky."
With a snicker, the professor leaped up onto the lectern.
"It's not something you see just anywhere."
As he said that and gripped his staff,
"......!!"
All the cadets froze solid.
The person who had been there moments ago was gone.
Suddenly, standing on the lectern was not a man, but a 'staff.'
'...It's huge.'
Bi-hyeong saw the staff's shadow too.
Unlike the other cadets seeing a normal staff,
what he saw was a staff of immeasurable, boundless size.
'Is that man-weapon unity?'
「With no distance between weapon and self, the gap between weapon and user shrinks endlessly.」
「Thus, the weapon is my hand, part of my body.」
Lines from those who wielded man-weapon unity in the game.
'Man-weapon unity boosted energy transfer efficiency, right?'
Further on, you could acquire the Telekinetic Sword skill.
Infuse energy into a sword floating in air with one hand, draw talisman spells with the other.
The ultimate multitasking, breaking free from human limits to become a monster.
Though game NPCs bragged their unity was on another level.
'I thought telekinetic sword was superior.'
At peak exorcist,
intercepting foes with five floating swords was an unforgettable thrill.
As Bi-hyeong reminisced briefly,
the professor withdrew his aura and grinned.
"Feel honored. In the whole academy, almost no one else can do this besides me. Not a single professor can."
His cackling somehow came off more heroic than sloppy.
Was this why ability mattered?
"Anyway. Man-weapon unity is real. But expecting it from greenhorns like you is like asking a newborn to slay a monstrosity... So just aim for it and think of it as building rapport."
There was an unbridgeable gap between a clear goal and a vague one.
"So quit grumbling and give it a try. Who knows? You might go beyond rapport into intimacy. Then you could even repair worn weapons through energy infusion?"
Bi-hyeong's eyes flashed as realization dawned.
'Man-weapon unity could repair lost durability?'
If so,
could the reverse work too?
Bi-hyeong nodded, sensing a lead, and followed the professor's guidance to the indoor training hall.
Opening the doors like an auditorium revealed a vast space.
"Alright, find spots anywhere... Huh?"
Before the professor could finish,
Bi-hyeong strode forward first and claimed a spot.
A spear appeared in his hand.
'Let's do this.'
He slung it casually over his shoulder, sat cross-legged, and sank into meditation.
Soon, his deep breaths evened out,
and the spear on his shoulder hummed—
The professor's eyes went wide watching him.
'Entered rapport realm in one go. Talent's top-notch... Huh?'
Then, as Bi-hyeong and the spear began to change, his eyes bulged.