Chapter 43
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: Protagonist (3)
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"Are you messing with me right now?"
I squeezed my eyes shut at Professor Ardin's shout. It was because the nurse freaked out and called him the moment I dragged Lee Han to the infirmary.
"I clearly told you that sparring is prohibited starting a week before the ranking matches begin."
"......"
Did he? Honestly, I hadn't been paying proper attention in class, so I had no idea.
Professor Ardin's glare was piercing as he stared me down.
"The ranking matches are right around the corner. What am I supposed to do if you've gone and wrecked your arm like this?"
"......He was so relentless I didn't even have a chance to stop him."
"Sigh..."
Damn it. I didn't expect it to end up like that either. No matter how you slice it, who swings a sword with a nearly broken arm?
And without even showing a hint of pain.
If he hadn't let out that crunching sound, the spar would honestly have dragged on even longer.
I'd been planning to push Lee Han's Formless Sword even further.
He's the protagonist, after all. Even if it's just in the original story.
Just like how I have my status window and the Genius trait.
Lee Han must have countless invisible traits supporting him too.
You don't need talent. Sheer effort alone can place you at the top.
'Anyway, he's the protagonist.'
The protagonist is an unreasonable existence. They grow at any moment. Even in the middle of sparring with me.
"Sigh... For now, Lee Han is out of the ranking matches."
Professor Ardin pressed his temple, as if his head was throbbing. And who could blame him? One of his students had suddenly dropped out.
Then he stared straight at me.
"Deron."
"Yes."
"Do you think you can participate in the ranking matches?"
"Pardon?"
What the hell kind of nonsense is this?
I tilted my head.
"There are no byes in the ranking matches. Giving special treatment to anyone would be unacceptable at the academy."
"Isn't a bye just a matter of luck?"
"Even that luck is a form of talent. And a bye means one person loses their chance to fight."
"Is that how it works...?"
He makes it sound like a character who's dumped all their stats into combat prowess for real battles. Professor Ardin said to me,
"Deron. You're the one who needs to sit out the ranking matches. In exchange, I'll grant you one favor—whatever you want."
"Sounds good."
I didn't fully understand what Professor Ardin was saying. Honestly, I didn't particularly care to.
But I had no desire to participate in the ranking matches either.
My only reason for entering was because of the ducal family anyway.
"Can I substitute a question for that favor?"
If I could ask Professor Ardin anything.
There was one thing I absolutely wanted to know.
Professor Ardin nodded, and I opened my mouth.
**
"What the hell does that mean?"
Professor Ardin gave a curt reply to my question and left the infirmary.
But I couldn't make heads or tails of it.
"How did you reach Advanced Mana User?"
I'm currently at Intermediate. And I need to hit Advanced to clear the quest.
I bulldozed through to Intermediate with the Genius trait by gathering mana, but Advanced was different.
It felt like slamming into a massive cliff.
Is this the wall you always hear about?
The first wall I've felt since possessing this body.
To overcome it, I'd asked someone who'd already scaled it.
"Advanced? Oh, right—you're at Intermediate, aren't you."
"Yes, I'm stuck on the path to Advanced."
"Hmm."
Professor Ardin stroked his beard. The slightly grown stubble settled softly.
"What was it like going from Beginner to Intermediate?"
"Uh... no particular sensation."
"...?"
Professor Ardin looked at me like he couldn't comprehend.
What? What do you want me to say? I just breezed through it, that's all.
"You must hear people calling you annoyingly lucky quite often, don't you?"
"A bit... yeah."
From the black lizard lady chattering nonstop in my head.
As if he'd expected that, Professor Ardin nodded.
"Normally, you hit a wall when aiming for the next realm. Beginner to Intermediate, Intermediate to Advanced, Advanced to Peak."
I'd hit one too, he muttered. Professor Ardin continued,
"When advancing from Beginner to Intermediate, a mana user adds their own color. In your case, it was purple, right?"
I nodded. Professor Ardin drew his sword.
The grassland swayed in the wind, its turquoise waves manifesting on the blade.
For Intermediate aura, it was impossibly vivid and solid.
That was Advanced.
I'd seen it during the Morax subjugation too, but Advanced mana held beauty in itself.
"Once you've added a color, next you infuse an attribute. Whether it's fire, waves, or a grassland like mine—it doesn't matter."
The key is finding and adding your own attribute. Even if it's a hammer. Mana follows the user's will.
A realm barely described properly in the original work.
'Advanced is just described as a stepping stone to Peak.'
The aura emanating from Advanced mana. It truly felt like standing in a grassland—cool and refreshing.
Then.
"What about Peak?"
A realm arrogant enough to dismiss even this as a mere stepping stone.
I couldn't even fathom it.
I'd never seen it in the original either.
The protagonist himself stalled at Advanced.
Or rather, was stalled.
Professor Ardin pondered for a moment before replying,
"That's still too early for you to know. Reach Advanced first, then come ask. I'll tell you then."
He sheathed his sword and left the infirmary.
I stared after the professor's retreating figure.
Advanced.
My own attribute.
I had no clue.
Could I even find it?
It felt like more burdens piling on. I let out a deep sigh and left the infirmary myself.
**
"Ugh."
No matter how I try, it's not working.
I retracted the aura I'd gathered.
I just couldn't get a feel for it. No sense of growth at all.
Plenty of people must have the same goal, yet there's no set path.
'By the way...'
I recalled the message that popped up when Lee Han's ranking matches were canceled.
[Your actions have altered the future.]
[An unknown god chuckles.]
I'd thought I'd changed plenty of futures already, so why this message now?
I must have changed the future. No doubt about it.
With Absolute Shadow, the spring festival—I'd twisted them all.
So this must mean.
'I've twisted it enough for a message.'
The future had changed far more than before. More than how I'd handled the spring festival or the Morax subjugation.
......That said, who the hell is this unknown god?
Thud.
I set aside my staff and stood on my own two feet. I walked like that. No strain on my body. Maybe natural since I'd sparred.
I clenched and unclenched my hand. Climbing stairs like before wouldn't make me cough up blood. Headaches and weakness had mostly faded too.
That's what made it weirder.
My lifespan was roughly eight months now. Not even a full year.
Yet it felt no different from when I'd passed a year.
"What the fuck is up with this damn terminal illness?"
I scratched my head. It wasn't even in the original. No way to diagnose it either.
Hell, unclear if it's even a disease.
Even Arxius and Dean Krepon couldn't figure it out.
[I told you. Your body is special.]
Arxius's illusion tapped my shoulder.
Since when could she do this?
[Always could. Just too lazy before.]
"Is this from the Dragon Word too?"
She nodded.
[Well, whatever. You're starkly different from others. It looks like some higher being—god or not—messed with your body.]
"Higher beings than dragons?"
[There are. Gods, demons. Or maybe an Outer God.]
Outer God? I tilted my head, but Arxius waved it off like I shouldn't worry.
[Anyway. Hurry and reach Advanced. Mastering Dragon Word might change something.]
With that, Arxius vanished.
Beyond the dissipating illusion stood a person.
"Deron?"
"Senior?"
Not Creena, but Bell Cardia.
The culprit who'd cleaned out my wallet was standing right there.
She approached, hiding something behind her back, and asked,
"What are you doing just standing around here?"
"Nothing at all."
Our conversation wouldn't be audible to her anyway.
She must've just seen me spacing out.
"Hmm... Are you dealing with 'that' too, Deron?"
"'That' being...?"
"You know, 'that.' The thing 15-year-old boys always get."
Ah.
I waved my hands emphatically that no, absolutely not.
That phase was long past.
"Whatever, as long as it's not."
"What brings you here, Senior?"
"Me?"
Bell seemed to hesitate for a moment.
Her lips twitched, and finally, she couldn't hold back and spoke.
"You said you were just standing here, right, Deron?"
"Yes."
"So you're free, then?"
"I... guess?"
She grinned and pulled out a liquor bottle from behind her back.
The half-empty bottle sloshed with what looked like strong booze.
"Wanna have a drink, then?"
What the fuck.
Wait a sec.
"You can drink without any issues?"
"As if. Alcohol's banned on academy grounds. Especially for minors like us."
"Then how do you have it?"
Bell grinned evasively at my question.
Something smelled fishy.
Regardless.
"Hey, so? You drinking or not! If not, I'm out."
I grabbed Bell's wrist as she turned to leave, bottle in hand.
"It's bad manners to refuse a drink from your senior."
I couldn't possibly turn down that sloshing liquid.