Chapter 30
Chapter 30
The Protagonist Hides His Power - 2
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《Thank you… Now I can finally rest in peace.》
[Hidden Piece Quest: A Dead Man’s Request complete.]
[You have acquired the ‘Ring of the Deceased’.]
‘Yes!’
After classes ended, I sent Bersha on an errand with a plausible excuse.
I completed the Hidden Piece quest, A Dead Man’s Request, and received my reward.
The quest involved a ghost haunting the Academy basement, whose request was to check if his research had been published in the academic journal.
The ghost was a former associate professor of the magic department who died 30 years ago from cardiac arrest due to overworking himself on a research project.
I used his ID and password on his phone to access the journal website.
After confirming that his paper had been published, he passed on peacefully, leaving behind a Hidden Piece.
The reward was…
[Ring of the Deceased]
[Grade: A]
[Effect: Induces a state of confusion in humans or humanoid monsters, creating an illusory clone of the user to disorient them.]
[Duration: 30 seconds]
[Cooldown: 4 days]
An A-rank item.
Although the cooldown was ridiculously long compared to the duration, the effect was quite useful.
It would be helpful not only in duels but also against humanoid monsters, which often appeared as bosses in high-rank dungeons.
After easily obtaining the Hidden Piece, I double-checked if there were any followers and then headed to Professor Park Na-yeon’s house with Bersha.
“Wow.”
“Ooh, this is an S-rank Hunter’s house? Master has made it big.”
“…Made it big, huh?”
Professor Park Na-yeon’s house was so vast and grand that it felt more like a palace.
No, it was more of a mansion than a house.
Guards in black suits stood at the gate, and countless CCTV cameras monitored every angle.
The tight security was intimidating.
S-rank Hunters were often targeted by Illusion, so the heavy security was understandable.
And as one of only 30 S-rank Hunters in Korea, a Hunter powerhouse, this level of grandeur was to be expected.
“This way, please.”
As I marveled at the display of S-rank prestige, the gate opened, and we followed the guards into the garden.
A mansion with a ‘garden.’
It was as large as the Academy’s training grounds, covered in lush green grass, with ponds and fountains scattered throughout.
A gardener on a short ladder was diligently trimming the sparsely planted trees.
It felt like visiting a medieval duke’s mansion.
I almost expected to hear orchestral music playing somewhere.
And I wouldn’t have been surprised if a maid in uniform greeted us at the entrance.
“Welcome. We’ve been expecting you, Cadet Han Tae-jin. My name is Kim I-na.”
…A maid in uniform actually greeted us.
She looked around my age, maybe a little older, wearing a white frilly blouse and a lace-trimmed skirt.
It was a typical maid uniform, neat and tidy, like something out of a medieval fantasy.
‘Is this Professor Park’s taste?’
Perhaps she was secretly a hero summoned to a medieval world, saved it, and then returned?
'She might have a backstory like that. The story didn’t reveal much about her past until the middle part.'
Come to think of it… both the mansion and the garden had a distinct medieval vibe.
Slightly flustered, I returned I-na’s greeting.
“…Hello.”
“This way, please. Hunter Park Na-yeon is waiting for you at the training grounds.”
“Okay.”
I followed her down a long marble hallway and out through a door on the left. We entered a spacious open area, almost like a plaza.
Professor Park Na-yeon was there, dressed in casual clothes, meditating.
“I’m here, Professor.”
“Shh. You’re not supposed to talk during meditation.”
I bowed, but I-na immediately stopped me.
After standing there awkwardly for a moment, Professor Park opened her eyes.
“You’re late.”
“I had something urgent to attend to. I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. Where are the training daggers?”
I took out the daggers I brought from the Academy.
Plain, basic training daggers.
They weren’t sharpened, so they couldn’t inflict serious injury.
“Good. Let’s start right away. Come on.”
…She wasn’t giving me any time to breathe.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
“You’ve completed basic close-combat training, right?”
“Yes.”
In specialized training, each class had a designated professor who provided advanced instruction.
They taught practical skills and combat techniques specific to each class.
In Diversification Basic Training, melee classes learned throwing techniques for ranged combat, and ranged classes learned dagger techniques for close combat.
But since it was just ‘basic’ training, it wasn’t very practical in real combat.
It was just scratching the surface. Practical close-combat skills were usually learned from guild training instructors or senior colleagues.
‘I thought she’d teach me archery, but dagger techniques?’
That’s why I was puzzled when she asked me to bring daggers.
I had assumed she would teach me dueling archery techniques.
The combat techniques taught at the Academy were mostly for fighting monsters.
Park Na-yeon stood before me, hands clasped behind her back.
“Attack me. With all your strength.”
“…”
I looked at her, dumbfounded.
There was no way a cadet trainee’s attack could land on an S-rank Hunter. But I realized she was trying to assess my abilities, so I slung my bow onto my back and started swinging the daggers.
Of course, I didn’t use my full strength.
- *Whoosh!*
- *Swish!*
- *Whirr!*
The daggers cut through the air.
Since I didn’t have any dagger skills, my attacks were just wild swings, like a first-year freshman.
A simple pattern of slashes and stabs.
Na-yeon effortlessly dodged, hands still behind her back, then struck my wrist, making me drop the dagger. She caught it in midair.
“As I expected, you’re pathetic. Are you really the one who’s going to duel a close-combat supporter?”
“I… suppose?”
“I didn’t realize you only knew the basics.”
“Mastering the basics is the foundation for achieving…”
“Tsk.”
“Yes.”
I quickly changed my attitude and took a step back.
Na-yeon assumed a stance, ready to demonstrate something.
“Watch closely. Archers don’t imbue their bows or arrows with magic power, but with dagger techniques, you infuse magic power into the entire weapon, from the hilt to the blade. The dagger is just a conduit.”
“A conduit?”
“Yes. It’s difficult to inflict critical damage with just a dagger alone.”
Na-yeon took a deep breath, lowered her stance, and lightly thrust the dagger forward.
Simultaneously…
- *Kaboom!*
- *Whoosh!*
A powerful magical explosion erupted from the tip of the dagger, like a bomb detonating.
A massive gust of wind swept away the dust in front of her, and the nearby trees swayed violently as if caught in a typhoon.
The destructive power was truly terrifying.
A single hit would obliterate my internal organs.
“…”
I stared, speechless.
It was just a simple thrust.
But infused with magic power, that single thrust possessed the destructive force of a fatal blow.
And she did it…
…with an ordinary, unranked training dagger.
“Did you see that?”
“…I-I saw it. What skill was that?”
“Sting Dagger. Along with Cross Cutting, it’s the most basic attack skill.”
“…That’s… basic? Are you sure?”
In the graduating class’s Diversification training, dagger techniques were taught as a last resort.
A way to create distance from an enemy in close combat before finishing them off with archery.
That skill seemed more like a finishing move than a basic skill.
Na-yeon chuckled and tossed the dagger back to me.
“Archers are the only ones who don’t imbue their weapons with magic power. So, it’ll take some time to learn.”
“…I suppose so.”
“How many days until the duel?”
“Four days.”
“That’s not enough time to even mimic the basic attack.”
Even she, a prodigy, had taken two weeks to fully master Sting Dagger and Cross Cutting.
Although she had been learning six skills simultaneously at the time, which slowed her down, it was still absurd to expect to master it in four days.
But back then, she didn’t have a professor providing one-on-one coaching. She had to learn through trial and error after a brief introduction.
Her training efficiency was abysmal.
Some cadets hadn't even properly mastered the basic skills by graduation.
Na-yeon looked me over.
I reminded her of her younger self.
She saw in me the same explosive growth she experienced in her graduating year.
For some reason, she had a feeling I could do it.
Above all, she couldn't bear to see her first personal disciple suffer their first defeat in their first duel.
It was a matter of her reputation as well.
Even though our master-disciple relationship was only a few days old.
Slightly intimidated by her overwhelming S-rank prowess, I asked, “…Wouldn’t it be better to focus on honing my archery skills?”
“No, it seems you’re already utilizing your archery skills to their fullest potential.”
*Utilizing my skills to their fullest potential.*
Her words felt limiting, and I almost blurted out the truth, but I stopped myself.
Even she, who had experienced a similar growth spurt in her graduating year, wouldn't believe that my stats had doubled in a few days.
It was physically impossible.
I nodded in agreement.
“Well… I guess so.”
“Choi Do-han’s main weapon is a club. Close combat is inevitable, so mastering dagger techniques in four days is the key to victory. So, let’s start a four-day training camp, starting today.”
“…A training camp?”
A brief silence followed.
Na-yeon felt a surge of ambition.
She had a feeling that Han Tae-jin could embody the saying, “The student surpasses the master.”
And as the principal had mentioned, a ‘training camp’ was the best way to closely analyze his rapid growth.
Victory in the duel.
Growth analysis.
Two birds with one stone.
To Park Na-yeon, Han Tae-jin was both a personal disciple and a fascinating subject of analysis.
“Why? Do you object?”
“No, of course not. I was just surprised.”
“You don’t have any pets at home, do you? I’d like to start right away.”
[Pets]
For some reason, the word made me think of Bersha. I glanced at her standing outside the training grounds.
Renia, looking surprised, pointed at herself.
As if asking, “Are you talking about me?”
‘…Well, she isn’t exactly a pet.’
I chuckled and looked back at Na-yeon.
“I don’t have any pets.”
“Good. Then let’s start today. Is that alright?”
Why would I refuse?
When the captain offered me a spot on her ship, bringing her own strong backing, I had to accept with open arms.
I clasped my left fist with my right hand, a gesture seen in martial arts movies, and bowed my head.
“I’ll be in your care, Master.”
“…Cut the crap and go change into your training clothes with I-na.”
“But… shouldn’t we eat first? It’s dinner time. Even dogs get fed…”
“Want me to feed you ‘knife-rice’?”
Na-yeon drew a real combat dagger from her waist, her eyes glinting.
“I’ll be right back.”
I quickly followed I-na into the mansion.
A short while later, I returned in training clothes and began learning dagger techniques under Na-yeon’s tutelage.
And so, the training camp began.
The results began to show on the second day and became evident on the third.
I managed to mimic Na-yeon’s [Sting Dagger] skill.
- *Whoosh!*
- *Pop!*
Although the sound was more like a balloon popping than Na-yeon’s explosive boom.
And I only managed to do it after using 60% of my hidden power.
It was also the result of intense training, sleeping only four hours in two days.
[Main Skill: Sting Dagger (Lv1) acquired.]
[A skill that maximizes damage by creating a magical explosion at the tip of the dagger after thrusting it.]
“Haa… haa… can we rest…?”
“That’s enough to use in the cadet duel. Now it’s time for Cross Cutting. Pick up your dagger.”
I suddenly wondered where Na-yeon’s passion for teaching ended.
“Wait a minute, Professor.”
“What.”
“May I ask how many skills you have?”
As an All-Rounder, I expected her to have a large number of skills.
It was said that A-rank Hunters usually had about 15 skills learned from actual raid experience.
But…
“Hmm… I think it’s around 113.”
I realized…
…I had greatly underestimated her, a top-ranked S-rank Hunter.
And I had to ask…
“How many dagger-related skills do you have?”
“Hmm, 15.”
“…I see.”
I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
A short while later, a strange sound, somewhere between a scream and a battle cry, filled the training grounds.
'Kyaa! Haak!'
'’Lower your stance! Smaller arc!'’
[Frail trait level decreased.]
[Limit Break trait level increased.]
Of course, the effects of the intense training weren't limited to dagger techniques.
My physical attributes and stats were also increasing.
However, on the morning of the third day…
‘’Um, Master?'’ [T/N: this is Bersha]
‘'What?'’
'’Why are you holding the spoon in your left hand? Wait, its color is turning black...'’
'’Ugh...!'’
I collapsed from the excruciating pain in my left arm.
The blackened left arm I saw during the group project… it wasn’t my imagination after all.