Chapter 6
Chapter 6
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: An Extraordinary Man with a Common Trait
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***
In this world, one never knows their 'true talent' until they undergo a trait evaluation.
One might show promise in a certain field from childhood, but quite often, that promise has nothing to do with their actual talent.
That's why even high-ranking noble families don't push their children to specialize too deeply in any one area.
They accumulate mana, maintain basic physical training, and acquire a wide range of knowledge.
They learn the 'fundamental skills' across numerous fields.
This meant that, until they came of age, the vast majority remained unspecialized.
Thus, the 'Grand Royal Academy,' which one could enter only after having their trait identified, was special in and of itself.
...Because there is a massive difference between starting to learn after knowing your trait and learning before.
In short, life truly began only after one's trait was confirmed.
And for that reason.
Until they came of age and underwent their trait evaluation, everyone was bound to feel a sense of 'anxiety.'
—They cannot know their own future.
The path forward.
Everything about what they must do is uncertain.
To be an adult, with a fully formed sense of self, yet to not know your own future.
It was something that would make anyone feel great anxiety and worry.
…
"…Confidence."
As Han Cheon-seong stared blankly, repeating her word, Glacia met his gaze calmly.
The reason he wanted to attend the academy with such a trivial, incomprehensible trait. She had gotten an answer to that, which resolved some of her questions.
Then, the next one.
With nothing more than a Common trait like Spearmanship, how could this man work so hard with such 'confidence'?
How could he strive to move forward?
That question still remained.
"I happened to overhear you in front of the training hall. You said you would 'go with confidence.'"
"...You heard that?"
"It just happened. I heard it."
Glacia felt a little embarrassed as she answered.
She had eavesdropped on someone else's conversation, after all. Still, she didn't avert her gaze, conscious of the man looking at her as if she were being ridiculous.
She had to know.
Why this man could move forward with such confidence.
He conversed casually with someone who possessed a higher-ranking trait than his own, maintaining a composed demeanor.
'This attitude' itself was special.
And I felt it was something I needed as well.
I already know that 'monsters' with traits far beyond my own will be enrolling in the academy.
Most notably, Leonhardt, who was rumored to possess a Legendary-grade trait.
Besides him, there were several other current students with high-ranking traits.
Before them, even my Unique trait would lose its luster.
I believed there was something to learn from this man.
"But... that's a very abstract question."
"I just want you to tell me how you can be so confident."
At my repeated question, the man named Cheon-seong let out a short, incredulous laugh.
"That's what I mean. The question itself is too abstract. Besides, confidence isn't something you get just because someone teaches it to you, is it?"
"...That's true, but."
"It's not 'but'; that's how I see it. If you have high self-esteem, confidence follows naturally."
The man's following words were entirely correct.
"Glacia, let me ask you directly. Do I look nervous talking to you right now?"
At his confident tone, I blankly shook my head.
This was the man, Han Cheon-seong, who had boldly presented himself before the various examiners in the testing hall.
Even now, facing me, there wasn't the slightest hint of nervousness or hesitation, no sign of him watching my reactions.
"...You don't seem that way."
"Right? It's not like I find you intimidating. We're just here to have a conversation. Regardless of the traits we possess, that's all I'm thinking."
He spoke while looking me straight in the eye, and my mind grew complicated.
'Regardless of traits?'
How was that even possible?
With a Common trait like Spearmanship, this man appeared perfectly calm.
In this world, one's trait was tantamount to their entire being.
Through their trait, they sought a path forward, a way to live.
Therefore, the grade of one's trait was equivalent to 'a person's value.'
The man named Han Cheon-seong definitely possessed a Common trait.
The lowest grade of trait, at that.
"..."
Lost in my questions, I found myself observing the man carefully.
His strangely styled black hair and black eyes. Even his name, Han Cheon-seong. Every single thing about him was foreign.
And yet, even while meeting the gaze of me, a possessor of a Unique trait, this man was at ease.
"Judging by your expression, you don't understand a word I'm saying."
"Honestly, I don't get it. How you, Han Cheon-seong, can be so composed while dealing with me. Or how you can work so hard with a trait like Spearmanship…"
"The first part might be debatable, but the second part is different in my view. Effort is a 'given'."
The words that followed made me blink vacantly.
"Effort is a given?"
"You have a Unique trait, so it must be hard to understand. A Common trait user can put in all the effort they want, but the efficiency is low, and their level rises slowly. So even if I say effort is a given, it probably sounds strange to you."
At his subsequent words, I dazedly nodded my head.
This man was speaking as if he had read my mind.
'Because for a Common, effort is meaningless.'
Generally, the higher the trait grade, the faster one's level increases.
High-grade traits provide a more detailed and intricate understanding of concepts. Conversely, low-grade traits offer a shallower, thinner understanding. This meant their growth rate was also much slower.
It was surprising that a man with a Common trait was at 'Level 3' in his trait, the same as me, but the gap between us would only widen significantly from now on.
"Glacia. That's why I said it. To me, effort is a given."
As the man answered calmly, I let out a small breath.
Now, I understood this man even less than before.
"But even if you try, it's only going to get harder for you. The effort I put in and the effort you put in are 'completely' different."
This man just said that effort was a given, but he and I were on different starting lines from the very beginning.
My starting line was several times further ahead than his.
And the speed at which we ran from there would also be completely different.
Even if I were to walk, the gap would widen so much that for this Common-grade man, it would seem as if I were sprinting, a gap he could never close.
"...Right. You're right, it will certainly be different."
The man, who smiled and nodded at my words, seemed calm despite understanding what I was saying.
"Still, that's not everything, is it?"
"Not... everything?"
"Of course, I'll be slower than you. I'll have to put in several times more effort. Considering the difference in grades, it'll probably take at least four or five times the work. But it's still possible if I try."
Even while acknowledging the huge difference, this man was telling me.
—It's possible.
That with enough effort, it was possible to close that absurd gap…
Gulp.
...I unknowingly swallowed and looked at this man again.
'He's different.'
He was certainly different from anyone else I had ever seen.
Anyone else would have despaired over having a Common trait, realized the difference, and given up on entering the academy early on.
Because it's unbearable to watch those with higher traits and more brilliant talents right beside you.
That's why everyone knew.
The difference between themselves and those they would face.
And the wall of reality.
Yet this man was confident, even while saying he knew all of it.
That if there was a difference, he would close it with even greater effort.
That it was possible, even with a low-grade trait…
Inadvertently, I found myself anticipating the answer this man would give me next.
"……."
As I watched the man, who had fallen into thought after his last words, I didn't say a thing.
How long did I wait for his answer?
The man opened his mouth once more.
"Of course, I also wanted a higher-grade trait. I can't say that I don't still wish for it now. But this is my reality, isn't it?"
"Reality…"
"I can't change the Spearmanship trait I received, nor can I get something else just by wanting it. 'Reality' doesn't change. So, I've simply accepted it. All I'm doing is my best in the current situation."
The man, continuing his words so nonchalantly, seemed even more extraordinary to me now than when he had been demonstrating his skills in the testing hall.
He had been granted a low-grade trait called Common.
But his thoughts and mindset were those of someone who had long transcended that Common status.
It felt as if he understood so much.
And suddenly, my sister's image seemed to overlap with the man's.
—Glacia, you'll come to understand it too, in time. Why you must choose, and why you must understand. Because 'reality' is something you can't always reject, even when you know it.
The days I spent with my sister.
My sister, who would sometimes say things I couldn't understand.
My sister, who must now be on the front lines, suddenly flickered before my eyes.
My sister had definitely spoken of 'reality.'
'He... this man?'
The thought only made me more confused.
That a man with a worthless trait could evoke the words my sister had said to me.
"Well, that was a bit long-winded, but anyway, the conclusion is that I don't deny reality. I just accept myself as I am and put in the effort. It's natural that you find it hard to understand me right now. We're different from each other."
"...That's true. You and I are very different."
As I replied, I thought it again.
Because there was no way I could be the same as someone with a Common trait.
Even as I thought this to myself, I couldn't tear my eyes away from the man named Han Cheon-seong.
This man seemed to hold a secret I didn't know.
His appearance and personality. And his actions, even his name—none of it was ordinary.
A man whose only low attribute was his trait.
Because everything except his trait was extraordinary, I could feel something that clearly set him apart from others.
—Specialness.
"And yet, you want to understand me now, right? That's why you wanted to talk to me."
At his slightly lighter tone, I simply nodded.
"That's right. I wanted to understand you. That's why I wanted to talk."
"Well, what should we do then... It seems hard to explain with just words. Though there is a way for you to understand me."
At his unexpected words, I blinked.
"There's a way to understand?"
"There is."
My heart pounded at the sight of the man answering so confidently.
Thump.
'There's a way.'
And it seemed to have a strong connection to my sister.
A key to getting closer to my sister, whom I couldn't see now. It was as if he was telling me that this man held it.
"Glacia. Are you curious about the method?"
Despite the man's peculiar way of asking, I found myself answering.
"...I'm curious. Tell me."
So, unlike before, I had no choice but to change my attitude toward him.
Setting aside his Spearmanship trait, this man had something I lacked.
Therefore, 'that' was something I had to know.
"The method is simple."
But... at the man's immediate reply, I couldn't help but tilt my head.
"Simple?"
It didn't seem simple at all.
But this man was saying it as if it were incredibly easy.