Chapter 19
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: Wall of Glory
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The moment Abel struck Kaul's Gigant.
Everyone except a few cadets had seen it, and no one was left unsurprised.
They exchanged awkward smiles among themselves, trying to accept the impossible sight.
"He must've taken it on purpose, right?"
"Yeah, probably to give the newbie some credit. You know?"
"That makes sense. Maybe?"
No one gave a definitive answer.
It was that astonishing a scene.
But the most shocked of all was someone else.
'I couldn't dodge it?'
The very person who got hit in the jaw by Abel.
Kaul.
He had been a bit careless at first, that much was true, but this time he hadn't let his guard down at all.
He had acknowledged that his opponent far surpassed a typical newbie and approached him with caution.
Unlike the first exchange where he had at least deflected the attack, this time he took a solid hit to the jaw.
Of course, the conditions were severely unfavorable for Kaul.
The Gigant he was riding wasn't even properly tuned, it was a training model with degraded specs, and a Miles-grade one that couldn't fully handle his capabilities to boot.
On top of that, he had promised not to move from his spot, making a full dodge impossible.
But what did that matter?
'I got hit.'
The gap in skill between Kaul and Abel was vast.
In a proper fight, he'd win all ten times out of ten. The difference in experience was on another level.
In other words, no matter what harsh conditions were imposed, getting hit by a newbie's attack was simply inconceivable.
Kaul slowly parted his tightly shut lips.
-Abel.
-Yes.
-Your talent is the real deal.
Since they were both in their Gigants, only his voice came through, but it carried infinite gravity.
-I'll teach you much from now on. Enough to let that talent of yours bloom brilliantly.
He had seen plenty of so-called geniuses while working as an instructor at the academy.
But this was the first time he had said something like this.
Kaul was certain.
This young boy would become one of the pillars supporting the Empire in the future.
Abel replied to him in a serious voice.
-So, does that mean any wish is really possible? Even stuff like items?
Kaul paused at the question.
Abel eyed him suspiciously.
-...You're not trying to weasel out of it, are you?
-As if.
Kaul hurriedly answered Abel's question, then muttered in a voice so small it was barely audible.
-Just... you know... as long as it's not too expensive.
It was a statement full of sincerity.
* * *
Kaul wasn't the type of man to get upset over taking one hit.
Quite the opposite, in fact.
He was impressed by the outstanding talent and acknowledged Abel.
On top of that, Abel had said he'd do the waived physical training anyway.
It would be tough, but Abel himself felt his stamina sorely lacking.
Kaul, who had been a bit deflated, was now brimming with excitement and spent the rest of the class teaching him one-on-one, almost like private tutoring.
It was a highly informative time.
"You're picking it up better than I thought. Good work."
After the hellish physical training ended, Kaul patted Abel's shoulder with a grin.
Kaul's white teeth gleamed.
"Thought about your wish yet?"
"Rin..."
Exhausted, Abel muttered unconsciously before clamping his mouth shut.
He had nearly let his true desire slip.
"Rin? Rin what?"
"Oh, I was going to say good work, sir. I'll think about the wish slowly."
"Alright. Go rest over there for now. We'll end class as soon as we wrap up."
Fortunately, Kaul didn't press further and ambled off to one side.
Abel watched his back.
Through the tight-fitting clothes, he could see the angry bulges of his back muscles flexing.
'If I call him a gorilla, I'll get in trouble, huh.'
It was one of the challenge tasks, but it seemed like it would have serious repercussions.
'I need to think about it more.'
Pondering what to wish for, Abel turned his head to one side.
Rumble-.
What entered his view was the Gigants being moved one by one to storage.
Gigants were kept stored away and only brought out for class, so his own Lupus was being transported too.
Couldn't exactly park that next to the dorms.
Abel smacked his lips in regret.
He wanted to ride it more, but with his stamina nearly depleted, he couldn't do much anyway.
"Good work, everyone. Next time, I expect you all to at least manage basic steps, so think about how to move well. Attend your other classes diligently too."
With that, Kaul signaled the end of class.
Abel bowed with the other cadets and started walking away.
"Abel! Heading to the dorm?"
"Yeah, I'm beat. Gonna lie down a bit."
Fortunately, there was time before the next class, so he could get some rest.
Daniel chattered nonstop beside him, seemingly tireless, but Abel cleanly ignored him and continued his own thoughts.
'I need to train my stamina harder.'
It was above average, but piloting a Miles-grade Gigant had revealed no end of shortcomings.
Especially when he considered his goals.
To claim top spot for all four years, ordinary effort wouldn't cut it.
There were no talentless people here.
And it wasn't just for the symbolic prestige.
'The real draw is the rewards.'
Del Modor Academy invested generously in its standouts.
Armaments, Gigant upgrades, secret techniques.
All essential for building powerful specs; he couldn't afford to miss any.
Considering the future ahead, he needed to pull out all the stops to grow stronger.
Hadn't Lupus itself come from claiming top spot?
As his thoughts chained together endlessly, a forgotten memory suddenly surfaced.
'Come to think of it, that happens tomorrow... right?'
He had grinded the game like mad, but he didn't remember everything.
Usually, only major details stuck, with others popping up randomly—and this was one such case.
The day after the protagonist got his first Gigant, an incident occurred, and a special class was scheduled.
Thinking further, the timing matched.
"Ah, tomorrow's all theory classes. My head hurts already."
Daniel kept yapping despite Abel's half-hearted replies. Abel glanced at him and said,
"Tomorrow won't hurt your head at all."
"Huh? What're you talking about?"
"You'll see."
Daniel pestered him relentlessly, but Abel ignored him just as thoroughly.
Soon, they reached the dorm, and Abel hurried to his room. But in the hall was an unexpected figure.
Iolin again.
She spotted Abel and approached immediately.
"By any chance, can we talk now? Class ended earlier than I thought."
He was a bit tired, but a short chat was no issue, so Abel nodded.
"Sure."
"Then... let's find somewhere quiet."
Daniel's eyes widened right beside them.
Anyone would think she was talking to him.
"Yeah. See you later, Daniel."
Abel said to Daniel and followed Iolin.
She stopped in a secluded spot and turned to face him.
Abel stared back at her, inwardly tense.
'Why does she want to talk alone?'
He had already felt her gaze on him several times, so it had been nagging at him.
Had she sensed something, like May?
"Um..."
Iolin, uncharacteristically tense, hesitated before finally speaking.
"By any chance, could you teach me how to handle a Gigant well?"
Her words were stiff, but laced with earnest desperation.
Abel was inwardly startled by the totally unexpected request.
'Iolin, to me?'
They had never spoken directly before, but he knew she wasn't one to easily ask for help from others.
Especially from a classmate she'd never even talked to—it was all the more surprising.
"Gigant handling?"
"Yeah."
"Why me?"
At Abel's question, she answered calmly.
"The entrance exam, the mock battle. And what I've heard, even if I didn't see it myself. I think your talent is on a whole different level from the others."
"...Wouldn't the instructors be better, considering skill levels?"
Abel thought his talent was great, but this was Del Modor Academy.
Its instructors included top-tier Gigant riders galore; right now, he fell far short of them.
And they didn't mind cadets asking for guidance.
Kaul would probably love it.
Iolin didn't answer right away.
"That's..."
She bit her lip, debating whether to speak, then continued.
"If you give me advice on Gigant operation, I'll help you with mana operation techniques."
Instead of questioning further, Abel looked at her.
Only an idiot wouldn't realize she had some unspoken reason for asking him specifically.
He didn't have to grant her request...
"Got it."
But if it tempted him, there was no reason to refuse.
Anything else aside, Iolin's talent in mana operation was definitely above his.
Plus, she was one of the people Abel had wanted to befriend anyway—a win-win.
'I'll figure out why she asked later.'
Iolin's face lit up at his acceptance.
She rarely showed expressions, so her smile made her look completely different.
"Thanks. Then, tomorrow evening work?"
"Tomorrow? Nah, tomorrow won't do. Day after."
If his memory was right, tomorrow left no time for personal training, lucky or not.
Iolin nodded at his words, thanked him again, and left first.
Abel stood there a moment before heading to his room.
* * *
Knock knock-.
The knock jolted Abel awake.
He blinked a few times at the ceiling, and as if urging him, another knock echoed.
"Yes."
"Assemble in the main hall in 20 minutes."
It was the dorm supervisor's voice.
"Understood."
No reply came.
Abel got out of bed and headed straight to the shower.
After a quick wash and change, exactly 10 minutes had passed.
He roughly dried his hair with a towel, opened the door, and stepped out.
Through the hallway window, he saw the dimly lit dorm garden.
Abel walked quietly down the hall and descended the stairs at the end to the first floor.
"Cadet Abel Klein."
Tania, waiting below, called his name.
"Yes."
"You arrived first, so 3 store points."
"Thank you."
Abel bowed and stood before Tania.
She checked something on her paper, then looked up at him.
"Aren't you curious what's going on?"
No prior notice the night before, yet he prepared quickly without a single question—odd, apparently.
Abel replied nonchalantly.
"Figured something came up."
"...I see. We'll explain once everyone's assembled."
"Yes."
He already had a good guess anyway, so Abel waited quietly.
After about a minute, Daniel came rushing down the stairs.
Daniel started to greet loudly as usual but realized it was dawn and bowed meekly instead.
"Come stand over here."
"Yep."
One by one, the cadets appeared.
Iolin. Hena. Jun. Rian. All Special Class cadets.
Last came Charlotte and May—technically, Charlotte carrying May on her back.
"...May wouldn't wake up."
Charlotte murmured softly amid the stares.
May only stirred awake upon reaching the first floor, standing on her own two feet.
Tania confirmed everyone and spoke.
"You all will not attend regular classes today."
Curiosity lit up their eyes. Tania continued calmly.
"Transportation is prepared in front of the dorm. You'll ride that and return around 10 PM."
"Where are we going?"
Rian asked cautiously, and Tania looked at him.
"Special permission granted this dawn."
Her tone was calm to the point of being dry.
"Entry to the Wall of Glory."
Wall of Glory.
The Empire's great shield, and the starting point of the main scenario.
The offensive had begun—a signal that the scenario was truly in motion.
"You will learn exactly what a Gigadeus is there, and how the front lines operate."
Tension rose on everyone's faces at Tania's flat voice.
Why Abel had forsaken comfort and pushed himself to death; what had made him uneasy.
All the answers lay at the Wall of Glory.
And one more thing.
There, the player faced their first bad ending crisis.
If nothing changed, the same fate awaited Abel.
But the future wasn't set in stone.
Crisis or opportunity.
Abel saw two paths ahead.