Chapter 7
Chapter 7
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: A Way to Understand
-----------------------------------------------------------------
***
“Simple?”
Watching Glacia repeat my word, I took a moment to catch my breath.
‘This is my chance.’
A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, at that.
Right now, I had nothing.
A low-grade trait, a family to rely on, or even connections and funds...
I truly had nothing at all.
And as Glacia said, even if someone like me, a mere Common, were to enroll in the academy, there was no rosy future or bright path awaiting me.
No matter how hard I tried, it was as clear as day that I would languish in the lower ranks.
‘But what if.’
What if I could become friends with Glacia, who possessed a Unique trait?
What if we could become close enough for me to rely on her?
Then my life at the academy would be completely different.
I clearly remembered that one of the Grand Royal Academy’s teaching methods was ‘joint classes.’
The A and B classes were considered the upper tier within the academy.
And there were mandatory exams where they had to form teams with the C and D classes, the lower tier.
The episode where the protagonist, Leonhardt, experienced his first awakening was during a joint class, so I could recall even the detailed contents of the exam.
The official justification for these joint classes was harmony, unity, and equality.
It was a test designed to cultivate a kind of social grace, to prevent the students in the upper classes from becoming arrogant and haughty.
If I could team up with Glacia, who was now a shoo-in for Class A, and achieve a good score…
It would be like securing a high score that surpassed other exams.
Because I had nearly all the knowledge about the tests.
My mind was practically an academy cheat sheet.
The only problem was that while I knew all the answers, I lacked the power to execute them myself.
And… Glacia could fill that gap perfectly.
*Gulp.*
This felt like an immense opportunity, another crossroads in my life.
I had to do this right.
Organizing my thoughts, I met Glacia’s eyes as she waited for my answer.
“Glacia, first, let me tell you that trying to understand me in a short amount of time is next to impossible.”
“Impossible to understand in a short time…”
“That’s right. But the method is simple. You just have to spend time with me. Whether you like it or not, if you increase the time you spend with me, you’ll naturally come to understand me."
...My heart pounded even as I spoke.
Would my words work?
Or would they fall flat?
Continuing the conversation with Glacia, who I thought had been looking down on me just moments ago, I realized her thoughts were different from what I’d expected.
She certainly had an air of disdain, there was no denying that.
But more than that, Glacia held a great deal of ‘curiosity’ toward me.
I didn’t know why she was so curious about my confidence and wanted to understand me, but she was clearly expressing an abnormal level of interest, a desire to figure me out.
A level of interest so great that she, with her Unique trait, approached me first to talk.
“……”
Glacia stared at me blankly at my words.
The part about having to be together—that was me laying the groundwork, since we couldn’t become friends right away.
It was a statement meant to increase our time together in the future.
Therefore, if she wanted to understand me, she had to hang out with me.
If we spent more time together, opportunities to get closer would naturally arise.
“You’re saying… I have to be with you?”
But when Glacia gave a peculiar response, I managed a strained smile.
“I understand that you might not be too pleased, given my Common grade. But if you still want to understand me, spending time with me is the closest thing to an answer."
It felt like I was making a gamble with every word.
The odds were so low.
But there was a possibility that the cards might fall in my favor.
I was banking on that incredibly slim chance.
All to somehow connect myself with a girl who possessed a Unique trait and forge a bond.
At the same time, I couldn't appear pathetic.
Even if my trait was only Common grade, everything would be over if I acted servile.
Right now, it was my ‘attitude’ that had captured Glacia’s interest.
“Then how long do I have to be with you?”
The reply that came back from Glacia was close to a green light.
“I can’t be the one to decide how long it will take. That’s not for me to say. Glacia, how long it takes for you to understand me while we’re together is entirely up to you. And if you’re willing to spend time with me, well, I’ll try to make some time.”
As I spoke, I composed my voice to ensure no hint of desperation crept in.
I had to emphasize that it wasn't me wanting Glacia, but Glacia wanting to be with me.
“……”
Glacia didn’t say anything in response.
A strange look. She gazed at me intently with eyes that betrayed none of her inner thoughts.
*Thump.*
My heart continued to pound under her gaze.
‘Accept it!’
Please.
Outwardly, I acted as if nothing was wrong, maintaining my composure under her stare, but inside, I felt like I was burning up.
A desperation similar to what I’d felt during the trait inspection two months ago was welling up inside me.
And soon, I received my answer.
Not in words, but in action.
Slowly, Glacia’s head moved up and down.
It was an affirmation.
I barely managed to stop myself from speaking first.
Glacia had accepted that she needed to spend time with me.
Now, the time I would spend with her in the future was even more critical.
If I acted all excited about her answer now, the attitude I had maintained until this point would lose all its meaning.
“Fine. Han Cheon-seong. Your point that I need to spend time with you to understand you… I get it. I’ll do that.”
“Glacia, if you put it that way, it sounds like I’m the one asking you for a favor. That’s not it, is it?"
I continued, feeling like I was gambling once more.
I wasn’t asking for permission to be with Glacia.
This was a situation where I, as if doing her a favor, was granting permission to the Glacia who, for some reason, wanted to understand me.
And I had to emphasize that and make her clearly recognize it.
And so, in the moment of my second gamble…
Glacia looked at me with a remarkably calm expression.
“You’re… a little arrogant.”
Then she chuckled, but despite her words, I could tell she wasn’t in a bad mood.
Relieved that my gamble had paid off, I smiled back and replied.
“Me, arrogant? That’s a strange thing to say. It’s not like I gain anything from hanging out with you, right? Isn’t that so?"
In truth, there was a great deal to gain.
But as I answered without a change in my expression, Glacia nodded as if she understood.
“Well, that’s true. Right now, I’m the one who wants to know you… so, alright. From now on, I’ll cover all the expenses when we spend time together. That should be enough, right?”
...I couldn’t help but be surprised by Glacia’s following words.
“Are you… serious about that?”
“Yes.”
Looking at Glacia’s immediate reply, I wondered what kind of luck this was.
‘She’s probably saying that because she doesn’t know how much things cost at the academy.’
...It was a truly exceptional offer.
I didn’t know how often Glacia and I would meet in the future, but living at the academy cost a lot of money.
Aside from dormitory life, the academy only provided for the most basic living expenses.
Everything else was performance-based pay, given out according to grades.
The Grand Royal Academy was a place that practiced thorough meritocracy and talentism, discriminating down to the bone.
So whether I was buying equipment or just paying for basic meals, everything cost an exorbitant amount of money.
And Glacia was now offering to pay for everything whenever we met.
*Gulp.*
I swallowed unconsciously, struggling to keep the corners of my mouth from turning up as I maintained my composure.
‘...This is insane.’
I thought to myself, and suddenly Glacia looked much prettier.
I thought she was a girl with a real piece-of-work personality.
But now that she was making such a great offer on her own, I found myself looking at her again, wondering if she had always been this beautiful.
And I thought.
‘I must hold onto Glacia.’
At the same time, I had to make sure she never understood me.
I made a resolution in that moment.
***
“Well then, Glacia. I’ll see you at the examination hall tomorrow.”
“Alright.”
With Glacia’s short reply, the two parted ways at the cafe.
*Step.*
*Step…*
Glacia watched Cheon-seong disappear down the opposite path, her brow furrowing slightly.
‘Why is that man a Common?’
She couldn’t even understand that.
*Rustle.*
As she turned and headed toward the inn where she was staying, she felt a strange sensation.
She had solved the biggest mystery.
But now, her mind felt filled with a myriad of things she understood even less.
A person who completely contradicted her own values.
That was the man named Han Cheon-seong.
In this world, a trait’s grade usually represented ‘a person’s worth.’
That’s what I had always thought.
My own sister was a perfect example, most of the people I’d seen were like that, and I myself possessed a Unique grade trait.
Furthermore, it was true that high-ranking nobles, or even the rarely seen members of the imperial family, often possessed high-grade traits.
Conversely, it was common for commoners to be born with Common traits.
Of course, even commoners could be bestowed with high-grade traits.
They were the ones who would later rise to high positions. They could be seen as the chosen ones.
But the man I had just parted with…
The man named Han Cheon-seong was just so bizarre.
The way he spoke, his demeanor—even though we’d only been together for a short while, he felt completely different from a typical Common grade person.
Even the depth of his thoughts was different.
And yet, the trait bestowed upon him set his value far too low.
—Common.
The lowest grade among all traits.
“...”
...If you dug deeper, the trait of Spearmanship didn't even have high potential.
There were a very ‘small number of individuals’ who had gained fame with a low grade like Common, but the fact that not a single one of them possessed Spearmanship was proof of this.
“...I understand even less now.”
Why did that man possess a Common grade trait?
Could it be that my long-held belief that a trait’s grade defined a person’s worth was flawed?
As she pondered, she found herself looking forward to meeting him again tomorrow.
The day the results would be out, showing which class each of them would be assigned to.
‘I wonder what class that man will be assigned to.’