Chapter 186
Chapter 186
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 186
Chapter Title: Unlocking [Awakening]
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***
Kalli’s energy seized control of the space in an instant.
In a flash, Cheon-seong was so overwhelmed by her aura that he couldn't speak or move.
‘This is…’
What he was seeing was clearly mana, but he could feel that it was fundamentally different.
The difference was stark. While every individual’s mana had slightly different properties, the blue mana now filling his vision dominated the atmosphere, surging as if it were alive.
...It was impossible, yet he could truly feel a sense of vitality from her energy.
*Swish.*
Then, feeling a touch caressing his hand, he stared blankly at Kalli.
“This might be the first time you’ve seen it, Cadet Han Cheon-seong. It’s called ‘Unlocking’.”
“Unlocking... you say.”
He managed to answer, his lips moving as if they were rusty, but for a moment, his thoughts seemed to have stopped completely.
“Yes, Unlocking. It's a technique that dramatically draws out one's power and completely reinforces the body. You could say it's a power of a completely different nature from the trait one is granted.”
As she calmly explained, all he could do was swallow hard, still overwhelmed.
‘…This is insane.’
In an instant, all his previous thoughts vanished.
The disappointment he’d felt when Kalli refused to train him in skills, along with other complicated emotions, all dissipated with the single word: Unlocking.
“I want you to focus not on skills, Cadet Han Cheon-seong, but on this Unlocking. To be honest, I think it’s far too early to teach you, but it shouldn't place too much strain on your body.”
Kalli explained gently. Seeing how deeply she cared for him made his heart swell, yet he was utterly astonished.
“...Are you saying you’ll teach me Unlocking?”
He assumed that was her intention, but he wanted to hear her confirm it.
Immediately after, Kalli nodded willingly, just as he had expected.
“That’s right. For the time being, I’m going to have you master ‘Unlocking’ during our training sessions. It’s nearly impossible to acquire or achieve Unlocking in a short period. Still, considering your endless drive for improvement... I believe pouring your efforts into Unlocking will be far more stable than focusing on skills.”
*Grip!*
As she said this, she suddenly squeezed his hand tightly, and it felt as though his overwhelmed body was reawakening.
As his body regained its freedom, even his unconsciously ragged breathing began to steady.
Then, his vision grew clearer.
The deluge of blue light originating from Kalli was merely a ‘phenomenon’ created by her energy; the core of it was the transparent aura enveloping her body.
“……”
It was a mystical sight, a colorless, shimmering haze wrapping around Kalli’s entire form. Yet, just by looking at her, he could feel that she was immensely stronger than before.
‘I never even considered asking for Unlocking.’
He thought blankly, unable to form words.
Of course, he knew about the Unlocking that appeared in the story.
To put it simply, Unlocking was a kind of ‘release of power.’ In other words, it was a form of ‘Awakening,’ and it was by no means a power that could be easily mastered.
The power granted by this world was called a trait. And Unlocking was a formidable power that could be obtained separately from the rank of one's trait.
Despite this, the story never explained Unlocking in detail. The number of beings who could awaken Unlocking was extremely limited, and those who could teach it were even rarer.
“You probably don’t understand it well right now, Cadet Han Cheon-seong. But I’ll teach you everything... step by step. I just want you to trust me and follow my lead. Will that be okay...?”
And yet, right now.
Kalli was telling him in her gentle voice that she would teach him Unlocking.
The very same ‘Unlocking’ that even Leonhardt only managed to awaken after reaching Trait Level 6, amidst a great crisis, by meeting a figure who could be called a fated encounter…
He nodded without a moment's hesitation, finding the Kalli before him to be dazzlingly brilliant.
“I... have always trusted you, Instructor Kalli.”
As he spoke, he had to steady his heart to keep his voice from trembling.
‘Still, to think it’s Unlocking.’
He had never imagined a day would come when he could even speak of it. Even Leonhardt had to struggle just to be acknowledged and receive teachings on Unlocking.
It was a rare opportunity, a major turning point that could be considered a gift bestowed upon the novel’s protagonist.
But now, such a ‘gift’ had come to him.
And it had come so unexpectedly, an opportunity to learn from someone he was already very close to.
“Hearing you say that gives me confidence too. To be honest, I wasn't planning on bringing up Unlocking so rashly. But I felt like you would just keep pushing yourself too hard... so I thought it would be better to just tell you about it.”
Seemingly pleased with his answer, Kalli smiled faintly, and he couldn't tear his eyes away from her.
The disappointment he had felt toward her now seemed laughable; Kalli looked so incredibly beautiful to him.
It was as if his emotions had reached a peak amid the unexpected situation, to the point where she seemed more lovely than anyone else in the world.
A drastic shift in feelings, where disappointment turned to affection, and that affection grew into something greater than anything else.
Then, he paused.
‘Wait, was Kalli someone who could teach Unlocking?’
In the story, Kalli had mentioned Unlocking to Leonhardt.
But she didn't teach it to him. According to a brief explanation, Kalli had mentioned that there was a clear distinction between a being who could ‘use’ Unlocking and one who could ‘teach’ it to others.
Kalli had said she belonged to the former group.
She could be called an Awakened who could use Unlocking herself, but she was the type of person who couldn't teach it to someone else.
Yet she was telling him something completely different.
‘She can teach Unlocking.’
It had to be the unequivocal truth since she was telling him so herself, but it felt utterly unreal.
This could be seen as one of the differences between the story and reality. To think such a stroke of heavenly luck would fall upon him.
“Cadet Han Cheon-seong, you seem very surprised after experiencing Unlocking. Take a moment to catch your breath. We’ll rest a little longer and then continue our spar.”
Misinterpreting his deep contemplation, Kalli showed him consideration.
“Yes... thank you, Instructor Kalli.”
He nodded awkwardly, feeling as if goosebumps were breaking out all over his skin.
No, perhaps it was a thrill—a feeling he couldn't even begin to describe.
“I only said it because if it’s you, Cadet Han Cheon-seong, I truly want to teach you... I know it’s very early, but I believe you can do it."
She spoke gently the entire time, and he couldn't take his eyes off her for a single moment.
‘Could this be love…?’
For a moment, his heart was so light and fluttery that he felt a great misconception toward Kalli.
Unlocking was, simply put, one of the most overwhelming powers.
It was the power Leonhardt would come to realize in order to overcome numerous crises, and one he would use indispensably in the future.
Because situations would arise so dire that he couldn't possibly overcome the unreasonable crises without Unlocking…
*Swish.*
Even as Kalli gently let go of the hand she was holding, his mind was a whirlwind of thoughts.
“……”
Until now, he had always believed that he could only gain strength by striving on his own, by pushing himself forward.
And even then... he was aware deep down that his own efforts would inevitably hit a limit someday.
The trait ‘Spearmanship’ itself wasn't weak.
But he could never escape the ‘Common’ rank, no matter what he did. That meant the limits of his power were clearly defined.
And he had no intention of ignoring that reality.
Through his many spars, he had been forced to learn this with his own body.
On the very first day of the entrance ceremony.
When he reached Spearmanship Level 4, Leonhardt had displayed equal or greater combat prowess by evolving his Legendary trait, ‘Sword of the Azure Sky,’ to Level 3.
And just yesterday, when he reached Spearmanship Level 5.
...Glacia had fought a fierce battle against him with immense power by reaching Level 4 with her Unique trait.
Looking only at the results of the spars, he had achieved a draw and a victory, respectively.
However, he was fully aware that ‘all of those spars’ were only possible because he was one level ahead of them.
It was a result made possible because his growth was faster than theirs.
And he knew it wouldn't be long before those geniuses caught up to his growth.
He never thought his growth would always be faster. That would be nothing but arrogance, a delusion.
Most of the upper-class cadets had already reached Trait Level 3. A few of the A-Class cadets would probably even reach Level 4 within the next month.
As for Level 5, while it was a growth rate that an ordinary cadet probably couldn't achieve this year…
‘Leonhardt will definitely reach it before the year is out.’
And he wasn't confident that his own trait would reach Level 6 before the year ended.
There were only about four months left until the new year.
‘Level 6 is a wall.’
It was a stage where not just him, but even Leonhardt’s growth would stagnate significantly.
But if he could take the time to learn Unlocking now, everything would change. The limits of his Common trait would become meaningless. He would be able to obtain another formidable power.
‘All thanks to Kalli…’
The moment he realized it, he felt a refreshing sense of clarity, as if his heart had been unburdened.
It wasn't a fleeting joy... It was the feeling of his worries about his future progress and whether he could maintain his rapid growth completely vanishing.
"Instructor Kalli……."
He found himself calling out to Kalli, who seemed to be waiting for him patiently.
"Yes?"
Watching her respond in her soft voice, he spoke without thinking.
"More than anyone, I... lo— No, I mean, I like you. I truly do."
He had almost said he loved her, but he barely managed to change it to ‘like’ instead.
The great emotion, like euphoria, welling up in his chest right now—he wanted to express it somehow. He wanted to properly convey the joy he felt to her as well.
“……!”
Seeing her wide, startled eyes, he couldn't suppress a smile from leaking out.
His heart felt light, and he felt as if he had received too great a gift. It was an indescribably wonderful feeling.
‘If I went with how I feel right now…’
He felt like he could pull the defenseless Kalli standing before him into a tight embrace.