Chapter 267
Chapter 267
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 267
Chapter Title: After the Strange Lucid Dream
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An unreal lucid dream that felt just like reality.
I had no idea why I’d had such a dream.
Why I had to witness that horrifying scene with so many monsters, why I had to watch people die.
I’d thought about it a lot, but there was no clear reason.
The only thing that came to mind was ‘the Opening.’
Right before the dream, I had been training on the Opening and was completely exhausted. I could only vaguely wonder if that had somehow affected me.
And after that.
Time had clearly passed quite quickly.
I steadily built relationships with various people and never forgot to train each day.
And what’s more.
I found myself living each day with even more tension.
Isn't there a saying?
That someone who narrowly escapes death lives their life more earnestly afterward, or at least undergoes some change, big or small, compared to before that experience.
Ironically, despite having faced multiple life-threatening crises, I’d never been aware of it enough for that saying to come to mind.
But that unreal lucid dream awakened that feeling in me.
The preciousness of this life.
...Even the immense happiness of being able to live these ordinary days.
So I wondered why.
I’d had my share of near-death experiences before, and they were certainly not things that left my heart unshaken or that I could dismiss lightly. So why did this lucid dream feel so different?
"...Is it because someone died right before my eyes?"
The thought slipped out as words without me realizing it.
"‘Because someone died?’ Han Cheon-seong, why are you suddenly saying something so morbid?"
As David, who was right in front of me, asked in surprise, an awkward laugh escaped my lips.
"No, I was just lost in thought."
"Lost in thought or not, don't just blurt things like that out. It makes me feel weird just hearing it."
"Alright. It just slipped out. It won't happen again."
It was now Wednesday of the tenth week at the academy. Five days had already passed since the lucid dream.
As I casually chatted with him, I lifted my spear.
"Alright, David. Go ahead."
I said, my gaze fixed on him.
David had reached Level 3 in his trait, and we were here in the training grounds to test the new power he had acquired.
—!
Soon, a shimmer, too faint to be called light, burst from David’s hand and enveloped the spearhead.
It then spread across the entire spear shaft, creating a strange ripple.
A peculiar change. Watching David's expression, he was gripping the spearhead with intense focus, and all sorts of thoughts came to my mind.
‘The power of a trait really is different for everyone.’
Traits were so varied that it was rare to find two people with the same one. And David’s trait, ‘Precision Enhancement,’ was known to be unique within the academy.
Having spent so much time with him as a friend, it was strange that he hadn't received more recognition for it.
‘Even if it is a rare-grade trait.’
The applications for a trait like Precision Enhancement were endless.
His attempt to enhance my weapon right now was just one of its many uses.
Although he had volunteered for a combat-related role, his trait had near-universal applications.
"Hah... I didn't realize enhancing was this draining."
He pulled his hand away, looking exhausted, and I saw the faint shimmer on the spearhead disappear.
"Is the enhancement finished?"
"Yeah, it's done. I enhanced the spearhead’s sharpness. It should cut more easily now. The enhancement will last for about half a day."
He calmly explained what he had done. As I took the spear back and ran my hand from the shaft to the tip, I could already feel a difference.
*Whoosh.*
I swung the spear through the air once to get a feel for it and blinked in surprise.
"...This is quite impressive."
"You can feel it already?"
"Yeah. It's definitely different."
The way the spearhead cut through the air felt lighter. To be more precise, it felt like there was less resistance... I could clearly feel that its destructive power had increased.
"Han Cheon-seong, I'm thinking of getting a weapon for myself, but I've been struggling with what to choose."
Pleased by my reaction, David grinned and suddenly shared his concern. I didn't have to think twice about my answer.
"Go with a sword."
"A sword? You use a spear, but you're recommending a sword?"
"Yeah."
I replied, certain it was the right answer.
I might use a spear, but I know that in this world, swords are far more widespread.
Unlike spears, which seemed to only have common-grade traits associated with them, swords had many more users with high-grade traits. As a result, there were also a lot more books and organized knowledge about swordsmanship.
This was important for people like David, who needed a weapon despite not having a sword-related trait.
"A sword... To be honest, I was thinking of following your lead and trying a spear."
David said with some hesitation, and I let out a small laugh.
"In my opinion, you should use a one-handed sword and a shield. With your Precision Enhancement trait, you could handle both weapons with good balance."
"Wouldn't I just end up being a jack of all trades, master of none?"
"That's one way to put it, but balance is important. And the spear, even though I use it, is a weapon heavily skewed toward offense. It's not great for blocking or defending."
"For a weapon that's not great for defending, you've done a pretty good job blocking during our spars."
"That's because it's me."
I replied bluntly, and it was the simple truth.
My growth was that much further ahead, and my understanding of the spear was far deeper than others' understanding of their own traits.
That's why I could defend with a spear.
Of course, I knew defensive techniques like blocking with the shaft, but those were mostly effective when the opponent was also using a polearm.
In a world where monsters were the primary enemy, it was no exaggeration to say that the spear was absolutely vulnerable on defense.
"Hmm..."
As I watched him sink into thought at my words, my gaze drifted to the other students in the training grounds.
All shapes and sizes. Even within the same class, the students had a variety of different traits.
The manifestation of their powers also varied.
Some used various melee weapons, while others focused solely on manifesting their traits without any weapon at all.
Among them, the elemental types—water, fire, wind, and earth—were relatively versatile and weren't restricted by weaponry.
Amidst these thoughts…
‘Just another ordinary day...’
The thought that another day had passed safely. A small sense of relief that despite the recent frequency of outdoor lectures, the day had gone by without incident.
And yet, my heart grew a little more tense.
‘There’s not much time left.’
Even though the exact date wasn't mentioned in the story, I couldn't relax, thinking that the third episode would happen soon.
In this episode, there were bound to be victims. I would have to face the reality of someone dying.
“……”
I swallowed lightly, my eyes fixed on the sharpened spearhead.
Lately, I'd been engrossed in my training for the Opening, and I frequently recalled the version of it I had deployed in the lucid dream.
'There’s a difference.'
...Just as a dream is only a dream, in reality, I couldn't seem to reach the Opening.
Kalli told me not to be impatient, that I was doing well enough, but I wasn't okay with it.
The feeling of being stuck, unable to grow further, held me captive.
I knew from my status window that my stats were changing and that I was growing, but I couldn't shake the feeling.
All I could think was... I had to get stronger.
"Alright, I've decided."
David's voice broke me out of my thoughts.
"What are you going with?"
"Gauntlets."
"...Gauntlets?"
"If I start learning the sword now, I feel like I'll just be mediocre. No matter how much I enhance a sword, I don't think it'll be easy to kill monsters with tough hides. Even those with sword-related traits have a hard time, so there's no way I could wield a sword as well as them at this point."
I blinked at his explanation.
Since I'd been using a spear all this time, I was able to pierce the tough hides of this world's monsters to some extent.
The spear's nature as a weapon allows it to concentrate great force on a single point, giving it a distinct advantage against tough hides, even compared to weapons of the same grade.
‘But.’
That’s why I still didn’t understand David’s reasoning.
"How are gauntlets any different?"
I wondered what difference it would make, even if he enhanced the gauntlets.
"They're still a striking weapon. Instead of learning the sword half-heartedly, I'd rather just keep training my body like I've been doing. I might not be able to finish off monsters, but with gauntlets, I can at least inflict some meaningful physical damage."
As David spoke resolutely, clenching his fist, I narrowed my eyes.
"......"
They definitely appeared in the story.
Beings with body-enhancement type traits.
Characters who fought monsters by strengthening their bodies rather than using melee weapons. Among them were some who had reached the pinnacle of power.
‘Even so, will he be okay?’
Still, David's trait bothered me for some reason.
Gauntlets weren't a bad choice. David was saying he intended to take on a supportive combat role.
So I could vaguely understand why he wanted to use them.
"...Then how about using one of the gauntlets for defense?"
"For defense?"
"Yeah. I get that you want to enhance your body and make good use of your Precision Enhancement trait. So, on one gauntlet, you know..."
As I spoke, I raised my left hand and drew a large circle over the back of it.
As if showing him something like a small shield attached to the gauntlet.
"I'm saying it might be a good idea to forge a small shield in that shape, one you can use to block."
"...Han Cheon-seong, you can even come up with ideas like that? It's interesting, and it actually sounds like it could be useful."
"If you commission it from a workshop, they'll make it for you. Just something to consider."
Even as I said it... there was something that had definitely been on my mind lately.
You could call it caution, but more than anything else, I found myself increasingly concerned for the safety of those around me.
More than them obtaining great power... I just wanted them not to die.
I wanted them to have something that could reliably protect them, more so than a power that could reliably kill monsters.
"That sounds good."
Seeing David reply with a light smile, I felt a little more at ease.
—Despair stained with blood.
I narrowed my eyes as I thought of the third episode.
Still, it would be different from the lucid dream.
A tragedy as horrifying as the one in my dream wouldn't happen...