Chapter 94
Chapter 94
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 94
Chapter Title: A Will Beyond Limits
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The hand holding the spear felt unusually heavy.
“……”
Holding my breath to deploy the incomplete skill, I let my mind grow colder, like a sharply honed blade.
—Thrust at a single point, then twist.
At first glance, it was an incredibly simple principle and concept.
How many times had I swung my spear until now? Even a rough guess told me it was a countless number.
The number of thrusts I'd made during training easily surpassed the thousands. When I focused, I would thrust hundreds of times a day, so it was only natural.
“Cadet Han Cheon-seong, focus.”
“Yes.”
Ahead, I saw Kalli watching me from a distance.
Standing proudly as always, her gaze fixed on the tip of my spear was different from how she looked in the lecture hall.
No thoughts, no emotions—meeting that cold gaze, which seemed to see only reality, I etched it into my mind once more.
‘I will use Kalli’s very existence as the driving force of my will.’
To complete this concept, that is how I must see her.
A being who has reached the ultimate power I must strive for, one who can make my will burn even brighter.
And yet, I had to believe that my spear could reach her.
Various thoughts drifted through my cold, settled mind.
‘How many times have I been broken in my spars with Kalli?’
It must have been dozens of times.
Despite that, my spear continued to aim for her.
No matter how many times I fell, I was never broken. I continued to temper my spirit, as if hammering it into shape.
—!
And then, I began to see it.
Another image of Kalli began to superimpose itself over her proud figure.
With a sound that vibrated intensely and echoed through the space, she was suddenly holding a sword.
It was as if I could even hear the intense ringing in my ears, a characteristic of the Vibration trait from the paranormal category.
Just as I had envisioned Leonhardt when aiming my spear before, this time I could picture Kalli’s strength, setting her as my counterpoint.
The hand holding the spear became incomparably heavier than before.
The tip of the spear naturally pointed downward.
The pressure crushing my entire body was… completely different from when I had pictured Leonhardt.
I had been able to face the immense energy of the Sword of the Azure Sky with my spear.
But with Kalli as the counterpoint, even bringing my spear to face her required immense resolve.
When I pictured Kalli holding her vibration-infused sword, I couldn't even fathom confronting her with my spear.
The outcome was too vividly clear.
—Certain defeat.
My absolute defeat flashed through my mind.
That no matter if I challenged her hundreds, or thousands of times, my spear would never reach her.
Countless images appeared in my mind: the moment my spear met Kalli’s sword, its tip shattering pathetically, the fragments scattering through the air.
And it felt like the truth.
That no matter how much time passed, no matter how much energy I poured into my spear, the moment I designated Kalli as my counterpoint, the result would not change in the slightest…
Grit.
Biting my lip, I forced myself to muster my will, trying to raise the lowered spear shaft.
But… the spear tip wouldn't budge.
Once lowered, the shaft showed no sign of rising again.
The image of Kalli shimmering before my eyes was like a colossal wall.
And it existed so naturally, as if to make me recognize just how solid and sturdy it was.
‘…Lift the spear.’
I forced myself to regain my composure, steeling my faltering spirit.
I had already decided to face the wall that was her with my spear.
And I had already been broken dozens of times.
So now, too, I had to face her, no matter what.
Even knowing my spear would break,
Even knowing I would be broken again,
And even if my spirit were to be crushed so futilely.
I had to face her.
Only then could I move forward.
If I never expected my path to be easy, then I had to face this now.
I know my body will be bloodied on this difficult path of thorns. But I must endure it to move forward.
After continually steeling my faltering will, the lowered spear tip finally began to rise.
It rose far more slowly than it had fallen, but it was gradually returning to its original trajectory.
‘And just because I’m broken… doesn’t mean I’ll stay down.’
Hadn’t I experienced this countless times already?
How many times had I been broken and defeated by her during training.
Despite it all, I kept getting back up to face the reality of my defeat.
The gap between her and me. I faced it again and again, engraving it into my eyes, into my body.
By constantly facing that absolute wall I could never reach, I built up my spirit to be even more solid.
In a reality where my spear couldn't reach, I had continuously forged my will with intensity, as if to fill that gap with my spirit.
The slowly rising spear soon returned to its original trajectory.
Though the ringing from Kalli’s sword grew more realistic, striking my ears relentlessly, my mind was now serene.
I could face the wall that was her without wavering.
The prerequisite for unleashing my spear was finally complete.
And as I thrust my spear, I will strike a single point and twist with intensity.
And I will, without fail, erase that power.
I will tear down that colossal wall and face it with my spear.
As my resolve solidified completely, mana slowly began to gather in the spear.
—!
A blue light, more brilliant than the mana I had gathered in the park, enveloped the entire spear shaft, captivating my gaze.
Soon, that blue light began to rotate slowly, as if it had a will of its own, naturally enveloping the spear.
A spiral of blue light, originating from the spear's tip.
The blue spiral slowly sliced through the air, and as its end gently enveloped my body, my entire being felt lighter.
A more concrete concept illuminated my mind, conveying its principles as if to refresh it.
How the spiraling spear tears through the atmosphere as it advances, and how it can erase any power it encounters, no matter how immense.
Like black ink carving characters onto white paper, new principles continuously pierced through my mind.
“……”
The corners of my mouth lifted on their own; I felt strangely refreshed.
Even now, I could see Kalli standing proudly in my line of sight.
The intense ringing of her vibrating sword hadn't weakened in the slightest; its fierce effects still reached me.
The wall was still solid and high.
But I no longer hesitated at the sight of her.
Lifting and aiming the spear was no longer difficult, and the pressure no longer crushed my body.
‘I can reach it.’
I had to believe I could definitely reach it.
Whatever lies at the end of my spear's path, I can reach it.
Only then can I complete this.
So that in the many dangers I'll face ahead, I can break through situations with my own strength, rather than relying on someone else.
The moment I thought that, I was already taking a step.
Shhh.
It was like a silent step.
As if the spiral itself was showing me the way forward.
How my spear must reach that colossal wall.
***
A brilliantly shining spear, wreathed in a spiral of blue light.
The moment it tore through the air and surged forward, Han Cheon-seong also advanced like a beam of light, as if he and the blue-spiraled spear had become one.
After that.
What happened next occurred in a single instant.
***
A spiral of blue light.
It embroidered the space with a beauty that would enrapture anyone.
But Kalli, who watched it with an indifferent gaze, took a step at almost the exact same moment she felt Han Cheon-seong move.
Clack.
Unlike Han Cheon-seong’s silent step, an intense energy wrapped in red light swirled around her body, as if carving a massive footprint.
—!
In a single moment, it was all over.
The instant the spear tore through the air, Kalli had already closed the distance.
Before the spear, swift as light, could even reach her, Kalli had rushed to Han Cheon-seong.
And facing the spearhead, Kalli grabbed the shaft with divine speed and slammed it violently into the floor.
KRAAANG!!
Amidst an unprecedented explosion and a vast shockwave, Kalli was already out of the spear’s range in an instant.
Not alone, but with Han Cheon-seong.
Thud.
As she landed, a small bead of sweat had formed on Kalli’s forehead.
With a tense expression and a chillingly indifferent gaze, she stared blankly at Han Cheon-seong, who was now held in her arms.
Han Cheon-seong had already lost consciousness.
“……”
Biting her lip, Kalli looked at him, momentarily speechless.
Then she took in the strange sight unfolding in a corner of the training room.
Srrk…
A mysterious, spiraling blue light lingered faintly, as if swirling around Han Cheon-seong’s body, illuminating him brilliantly.
Letting out a deep sigh, Kalli carefully opened her mouth.
“What… am I to do with you?”
Even as she spoke, a chill ran down her spine.
After having an in-depth discussion about skills with Cadet Han Cheon-seong just a moment ago, the practical application had yielded a completely unexpected result.
Contrary to my hope that he would follow the proper steps and naturally arrive at the skill,
Cadet Han Cheon-seong’s talent had already far surpassed my expectations.
On a dangerous staircase that should be ascended one careful step at a time, he had, without even realizing it, leaped over four or five steps to gaze at what lay beyond.
I had hoped he would gradually materialize and accept the concept of the skill, but his talent wouldn't allow it.
“…”
She blankly turned her head to look at the part of the training room where the spear was embedded.
The training room, equipped with self-repair capabilities, was built to withstand any impact. It was specially designed to endure even my own powerful Vibration ability, so most attacks wouldn't even leave a trace of destruction.
And yet, centered on the spear embedded in the floor, a clear spiral mark remained, showcasing its destructive power.
At the same time, fragments of the pathetically broken spearhead were also visibly embedded deep in the floor.
‘If I hadn’t properly deflected that power.’
Just thinking about what the result might have been was horrifying.
I can protect myself from those fragments.
But the reality of Cadet Han Cheon-seong dying by his own spear flashed before my eyes.
And it wasn't just about deflecting the aftermath.
Looking at the unconscious Cadet Han Cheon-seong, a sigh escaped her.
“Because Cadet Han Cheon-seong’s body can’t handle it.”
The very concept of the skill he was pursuing was far too dangerous.
I don't know what kind of ideal he was envisioning, but he tries to see beyond his limits. A colossal power that his own body cannot withstand.
And yet, Cadet Han Cheon-seong continues to try and look beyond.
No matter how strong his will, there must have been moments when it should have broken, when his body should have stopped him. But he overcame even that, forcing himself past his own limits.
As she thought, a faint breath escaped her.
“This can’t go on.”
As she carefully took a step… she knew this training could not continue any further.
She needed to devise a countermeasure.