My Talent Is Insane
After Kim Ilshin left the training room, Baek Ha-yeon sat on a bench, lost in thought about the image of him she had just witnessed. "His aura has changed."
From a very young age, Baek Ha-yeon had been mentored by her grandfather, a great hero, and had absorbed his immense energy into her own body. Thanks to that, her ability to sense the aura of others was superior to anyone around her. There was no way she could have misread Kim Ilshin’s aura.
The energy she had felt from him before was less than that of a pebble on the roadside. There had been no power or potential to speak of, and his skill was even more pathetic. That was why she had suggested he drop out of the academy and take a position as a sword researcher for the Baek family. Given his advice, she had judged that his understanding of swordsmanship and his eye for talent were at a high level, so she thought it would be better for him than being expelled later. From Baek Ha-yeon’s perspective, it was a gesture of consideration she had made with great effort, a repayment for his advice.
But today, Kim Ilshin’s aura was different. It was a change so drastic it could be called a metamorphosis. It was like a dark, deep lake with no visible bottom. It was calm, without a single ripple, yet it harbored a latent danger, as if it could rise at any moment to swallow everything in existence. Aside from a select few, she had never felt such a deep and concrete aura in this academy. If his appearance had been even slightly different, she wouldn't have believed it was Kim Ilshin.
Come to think of it, his movements and speed during training had also been different from usual. The movements that had remained at a beginner’s level for two years had suddenly become precise.
‘...He is not a person worth worrying about.’
The moment he rejected her offer to drop out and become a sword researcher, her assessment of Kim Ilshin had plummeted to the point where it couldn't go any lower. He was merely a foolish man who couldn't even grasp his own limitations and was chasing after vain dreams. Baek Ha-yeon shook off her thoughts about Kim Ilshin and focused on her training again. However, she couldn't help but keep thinking about his aura.
The training hall consisted of one large open area and several private training rooms. The large hall was used for classes or group training, while the private rooms were for those who didn't want to be disturbed. Kim Ilshin entered the nearest private training room.
Inside the surprisingly spacious room, various weapons were laid out on one side. He selected an iron sword that best fit his physique and picked it up. As soon as he gripped the hilt, a tingling sensation like an electric shock surged up his arm. Even though it was practically his first time holding one, his grip was as natural as if he had been wielding a sword for a long time.
He walked to the center of the room and took his stance. He assumed the Chudan-se, the most fundamental posture in swordsmanship. Through deep breathing, he spread mana throughout his entire body, erasing the thoughts in his head one by one. Soon, all that remained in his mind was the sword.
Whoosh.
The sword began to move. He knew nothing about swordsmanship, nor had he ever been taught. That was why he was free. Kim Ilshin moved the sword instinctively, without any form. Swish. The sword moved smoothly, as if he were performing a sword dance. He poured everything that came to mind into the movement. There was no waste in his actions. His miraculous talent did not tolerate any flaws.
The corners of his mouth slowly curled upward as he swung the sword. He felt an indescribable sense of liberation, even greater than when his restrictions were lifted. Kim Ilshin continued to swing the sword as he thought.
‘What kind of sword suits me right now?’
There are many types of swords, but the most common are the heavy sword, the fast sword, and the phantom sword. Kim Ilshin was confident he could use those three, as well as other types. However, there is a big difference between knowing how to use a sword and being proficient with it. Proficiency takes time, and trying to master everything at once is worse than doing nothing at all. In short, it required choice and concentration.
‘I am weak.’
Having great talent did not mean he was strong. Although his body was sufficiently prepared, it hadn't even been a day since he had awakened his mana. It was a tall order to catch up to the total amount of strength others had accumulated over decades in such a short time. Especially now, with the expulsion exam only a month away.
But that didn't mean he had no chance of winning. Because the outcome of a fight is not determined solely by strength. There were still many factors that could decide a battle, such as carelessness, mistakes, and agitation. And the thing that could trigger those the most was speed. A speed so fast it couldn't even be perceived—the fast sword. That was the sword Kim Ilshin chose.
‘What must I do to make the sword move at high speed?’
He realized it simultaneously. He answered the question in his mind with the movement of his body. The mana surging within him compressed the muscles throughout his entire body to their limit. The essence of "fast" melted into the movement of the sword, and it darted forward, following an instinctive path.
Screeeech!
A sound he had never heard before allowed him to feel the speed of the sword. The trajectory of the fast sword he had just unleashed lingered in his mind.
"Hoo..."
He lowered the sword and wiped the sweat from his forehead. The corners of his mouth, which had turned up, showed no signs of coming down. Part of it was the joy of growth, and part of it was because he had truly realized his own talent.
‘My talent is insane.’
In COSMO, to learn swordsmanship, one had to find a master or study from a manual. He had never heard of anyone learning the sword by realizing it on their own like this. It was natural, as no one in the system could possess talent equal to Kim Ilshin’s current state.
‘Still have some time left.’
He checked the time and saw he still had some leeway. Kim Ilshin practiced with the sword a bit more before heading out right on time. The first class for the third-year students was about to begin.
Classes at Cosmo Academy were divided into morning and afternoon sessions. In the morning, students took common subjects like mathematics, history, and chemistry, and in the afternoon, they took elective subjects they needed. Common subject classes were taken with the students assigned to one's class, and once set, they didn't change until graduation. For the old Kim Ilshin, this had been a misfortune.
‘It doesn't matter now, though.’
Today’s first class was Tactical Theory. Kim Ilshin went to the lecture hall just in time for the class to start. He had learned long ago that going early only invited trouble.
Creak.
As he opened the door and entered, the gazes of the students in the class focused on Kim Ilshin. Almost all of them were filled with negative emotions. Since he had received these looks countless times over the past two years, he didn't pay them much mind. However, it was surprising that Baek Ha-yeon’s gaze was among them. She hadn't looked at him even once since he had rejected her offer. The emotion in her gaze wasn't negative, either. If he had to guess, it was closer to curiosity.
The gaze didn't last long. Baek Ha-yeon soon turned her head away, and Kim Ilshin took his seat. Because he had arrived right on time, Instructor Park Do-hoon, who taught Tactical Theory, entered the lecture hall as soon as he sat down. The class began.
"Before we begin in earnest, I will explain why Tactical Theory is necessary. To do that, I must mention the Taebaeksan incident of 2011, and..."
Kim Ilshin put his pen down and stared blankly into the air. The class wasn't sinking in. The sensation of swinging the sword was still vivid in his mind. He wanted to finish the class quickly and go practice his swordsmanship.
‘I want to experience real combat, too.’
Theory and real combat are different. That was true for swordsmanship as well. No matter how strong a technique he learned, it would be useless if he couldn't use it properly in a real fight. It was then that Instructor Park Do-hoon’s voice reached his ears.
"...However, even with a perfect tactic, the one executing it is ultimately a human! Individual ability is also important to successfully achieve tactical goals. In that sense, how about a quick sparring match? It’ll be a nice break from the lecture. Any volunteers?"
"I'll do it!"
As soon as Instructor Park Do-hoon finished speaking, a student volunteered. Kim Ilshin knew who it was without even turning his head. It was Park Jun-hyeok, the one who bullied him the most among Jeon Tae-yoon’s lackeys. His defining feature was muscles that rivaled a bodybuilder’s.
"Good. Who should your opponent be?"
Park Jun-hyeok, who had turned his head to meet Kim Ilshin’s eyes, wore a vile smile. Then, he answered in a low voice.
"I would like student Kim Ilshin."
Small laughs erupted from around the room. They were imagining the scene where Kim Ilshin would be helplessly beaten by Park Jun-hyeok.
"Alright, both of you come to the front. By the way, refusal is impossible. You won't always face only the battles you can avoid."
Instructor Park Do-hoon was a typical meritocrat, and he also had a nasty personality that enjoyed tormenting the weak. He had started the sparring match in the first place expecting this exact situation. After all, he had always disliked Kim Ilshin, who lived as a parasite in the academy without any ability.
‘This is perfect.’
Kim Ilshin had to suppress the laughter that was about to leak out. He had needed real combat, and to have it provided like this—he felt like he wanted to offer his thanks. He walked slowly, entered the demonstration space provided on the left side of the lecture hall, and stood face-to-face with Park Jun-hyeok. It was a space provided in every lecture hall in case a demonstration was needed.
"Don't worry too much. I'll finish this quickly."
Park Jun-hyeok laughed crudely and took his stance. He didn't even draw his sword, as if to say it wasn't necessary. Kim Ilshin pointed at his sword and said.
"If you're not going to use that, lend it to me."
Come to think of it, he didn't have a sword. He couldn't bring the training sword out. He would have to buy one as soon as class ended today.
Park Jun-hyeok, having heard something he didn't expect, was stunned for a moment before bursting into laughter.
"Pfft...! You crazy bastard. Do you think that'll work? Hey, fine, I'll lend it to you. Try coming at me with all your might."
Park Jun-hyeok’s sword was tossed in front of Kim Ilshin’s feet, and Kim Ilshin picked it up. It was a bit big, but it wasn't bad.
"Well, you're ready, right? Then, start!"
Park Do-hoon signaled the start of the sparring match, looking at Kim Ilshin and Park Jun-hyeok with anticipation for the scene that was about to unfold. But immediately after, what appeared in his eyes was Kim Ilshin’s sword, already extended, and the sight of Park Jun-hyeok collapsing beside it.