Chapter 20
Chapter 20
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: King of All Weapons (6)
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***
“...You’re kidding, right?”
“This isn't a joke. How could both of them…”
“Didn’t they say his trait was level 3 during introductions? Does that mean… he’s level 4 now?”
“His spirit didn’t break even after seeing Leonhardt…”
“A student reaching level 4 on the day of the entrance ceremony… is that even possible?”
“Even for a Common trait… no, isn’t it harder to raise a Common trait’s level?”
“Unbelievable.”
Voices filled with even more astonishment than when Leonhardt’s trait had evolved echoed from all around.
The scene unfolding before their eyes was just that alien, a reality hard to believe.
A brilliant blue light enveloped Han Cheon-seong’s entire body.
It shone vividly, forming an ethereal blue wave as if it were tending to his very being.
It was the light of blessing, a sight only seen when a trait reached 'Level 4,' and it was in the process of healing Han Cheon-seong’s body.
While most of them understood what was happening, they couldn't bring themselves to believe it.
—Unprecedented.
None of them had ever heard of a student reaching Level 4 on the day of the entrance ceremony.
Among them, Glacia watched with a dazed expression.
“……”
As she gazed at Han Cheon-seong, who was wreathed in blue light, she felt a complex shift in her heart.
Ever since the duel began.
Just how violently Glacia’s heart had been shaken…
No one else here knew.
Not even Glacia.
Not even herself…
…
—Han Cheon-seong.
A man from C-Class with the Common trait, Spearmanship.
Yet, he was a man I couldn't understand in the slightest, which was why I took an interest.
I sensed an extraordinariness that didn't match his trait's grade.
That was why, when he suggested we spend time together, I readily accepted his proposal.
I was curious about him.
And even when I brought up the duel with Leonhardt, I hadn’t said it with any great intention.
I had planned to take it in stride even if Han Cheon-seong refused the duel. I knew full well what an unreasonable thing I was asking.
Still, I watched him with a sliver of hope.
I held onto the absurd hope that perhaps this man could show me something different from the others.
Then, unbelievably, Han Cheon-seong responded to my hope with an answer that exceeded all expectations.
—Fine. Leonhardt, let’s spar.
He answered in a calm yet confident voice.
Not during the entrance exam, not even before Leonhardt and his Legendary trait, had that confident tone wavered.
And so, standing in the dueling arena, Han Cheon-seong showed everyone gathered there.
That with a Common trait, he would not shy away from a duel with the Legendary Leonhardt, that he would face it head-on and demonstrate his abilities.
He showed them more than they ever expected, far surpassing everyone's predictions.
At that point, I could still watch the duel with a sense of anticipation.
*So this is the strength one can show with a Common trait.* I was even filled with pure admiration.
But as the duel progressed, my thoughts gradually began to change.
About Han Cheon-seong,
and about Leonhardt.
First, Leonhardt. The reason for his confidence had been so obvious that I’d never found him interesting.
I thought it was only natural.
But Leonhardt's conduct in the duel was anything but. Despite the overwhelming difference in their traits, he approached the duel with a calm and serious demeanor.
He didn't look down on Han Cheon-seong for his Common trait, nor did he treat the duel lightly.
Seeing the complete change in Leonhardt's eyes, I naturally realized how mistaken I had been.
Leonhardt, calmly unleashing his abilities.
He and Han Cheon-seong were so very different.
I realized even more keenly that I didn't understand him at all.
Then I began to feel that while the two seemed similar at a glance, they possessed natures that were polar opposites.
Han Cheon-seong, launching an endless assault despite his exhaustion.
Leonhardt, calm and restrained, dedicating himself to defense.
And the admiration I felt while watching the duel was soon shattered to pieces.
“...!”
The moment Leonhardt’s trait evolved without any warning, unleashing a powerful blue light.
Amidst the students voicing their various exclamations of awe, I couldn't say a word.
My heart sank, heavy as lead.
Leonhardt, shining with a brilliant light, had shown it himself.
The vast chasm that existed between himself and Han Cheon-seong.
A Legendary trait versus a Common one.
The difference in innate talent.
He seared into the minds of everyone present just how severe that difference could be.
I felt a chill at the sight.
“……”
It was then. I realized it.
Only in that moment did I finally understand what an absurd thing I had done.
Perhaps I had created this situation under the pretext of curiosity.
Han Cheon-seong had fought valiantly, showcasing his abilities to everyone here.
A C-Class student, he had put on a performance so incredible that he drew admiration from everyone in the dueling arena, a place only A-Class students were permitted to enter.
But that very man…
had come face to face with it.
—An overwhelming trait.
—A colossal talent.
Just how great a difference could be shown by someone who possessed everything.
And it wasn't just one wall he was made to feel.
Didn't Han Cheon-seong see far too many walls before him?
Anyone else in Leonhardt's path would have had their spirit broken then and there.
The academy was a place only for those blessed with both traits and talent. Yet, immediately upon entering, he had been forced to confront an insurmountable wall.
And for Han Cheon-seong, with his Common trait, it must have hit him even harder.
When the pushed-back Han Cheon-seong lowered his head, breathing heavily, my heart felt as if it had frozen solid.
“……”
My heart was so heavy that my thoughts seemed to grind to a halt.
I had no idea how I should act.
Like a fool, I just stood there and watched the duel.
Shamelessly, I remained in my spot, watching him, without the slightest understanding of the sense of loss he must be feeling.
And then I anticipated it.
The sight of Han Cheon-seong, utterly broken…
Countless thoughts flooded my mind.
Perhaps this moment would stay with Han Cheon-seong for the rest of his life, blocking off all the infinite possibilities that lay before him.
Only negative thoughts filled my head.
Then, suddenly, when Han Cheon-seong raised his head again.
“Ah…”
I felt the greatest sense of relief I had in years.
I was just thankful that Han Cheon-seong’s expression wasn’t stained with despair, that he hadn’t given up.
I keenly felt what consequences a single word from me could bring.
At the same time, the thought of apologizing to Han Cheon-seong immediately came to mind.
Severely berating myself for standing there like a fool, for shamelessly just watching him, I intended to approach Han Cheon-seong the moment this duel ended.
—Leonhardt.
But the firm voice I heard at that moment.
It stopped me from doing anything.
—Raise your sword.
He said something no one had expected.
At that moment, when no one understood his words, I didn't understand them either.
Nevertheless, I thought this duel had to end now.
The duel was over. Anything more would be nothing but recklessness and stubbornness.
So I immediately turned my head.
To Instructor Avalanche, whom I had asked to observe the duel. I believed he could bring it to a close.
But I realized it too late.
—!
The intense, sacred blue flame enveloping the instructor's left hand. It meant he had been prepared for a contingency all along.
‘Then why…’
Why wasn't the instructor intervening? The duel needed to end, but he showed no sign of stepping in.
—...Han Cheon-seong. You know it too. This duel is already over.
Then, I heard Leonhardt's quiet voice.
A perfectly calm voice. I was relieved that Leonhardt wasn't swayed by emotion.
If he had swung that sword imbued with immense blue light, it would have been the end for Han Cheon-seong.
So if he had been seriously injured, I wouldn't have known how to face him afterward.
I felt as if I had committed a great wrong.
—I told you to raise your sword. Because I haven't given up yet.
Despite it all, Han Cheon-seong continued in a resolute voice.
He spoke as if he were the only one who didn't know the outcome of this duel, an outcome everyone else already knew.
That made him even harder to understand.
‘Why…’
How could his spirit not be broken? How could he still face Leonhardt?
The blue light coalescing on Leonhardt's sword was so vivid that it was impossible to even guess at its destructive power.
Han Cheon-seong, too, was looking directly at it.
And yet, he spoke without hesitation.
Telling him to raise his sword, to aim that sword at him.
It was in that moment that I finally realized.
Han Cheon-seong already knew.
He knew the end of this duel. He wasn't speaking out of ignorance.
‘He knows he will lose this duel.’
He was speaking with that clear knowledge.
And he was facing that reality, not trying to avoid it.
Even if it meant realizing the gap in their levels with his own body, he was prepared to accept it.
—Raise your sword. I won't say it again.
As his words trailed off.
—!
A massive torrent of blue light suddenly enveloped him.
The light of blessing I thought had vanished now wrapped around him so magnificently it was hard to believe my own eyes.
‘A miracle…?’
I shook my head violently at the fleeting thought.
This couldn't be called a miracle.
This was purely Han Cheon-seong's doing.
A reality he had forged himself. A reality that only he could have achieved, one that no one else ever could.
Therefore, I had no right to diminish or devalue this reality by calling it a miracle.
“...Han Cheon-seong.”
I muttered his name blankly, taking in the sight of him wreathed in blue light.
As his exhausted body regained its vitality, returning to a perfect state, his expression was filled with surprise.
The look on his face, as if he himself were shocked by his own achievement, strangely made me want to smile.
A thought suddenly occurred to me.
‘Will I ever be able to understand that man?’
He had said that if I spent time with him, I would be able to understand.
But I couldn't even begin to guess.
Just how much time would I have to spend by that man's side…
before I... could understand him?