Chapter 25
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: Lupus
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The moment he heard the voice, Abel reflexively scanned his surroundings.
Of course, no one else had heard it.
There was no one else in the carriage with him, and besides, this voice was something only Abel could hear.
Abel whispered softly so the coachman up front wouldn't catch it.
"It's me."
-Who are you?
"Abel. That's my name."
-….
No reply came for a long while. But Abel didn't press the mysterious voice.
He could clearly sense the other's emotions through the core in his hand.
Confusion. Bewilderment. Doubt.
A veritable whirlwind of feelings was churning inside.
Fortunately, the other soon spoke up again.
-Abel. Then, who am I?
It was an odd question.
Asking for its name right after their first exchange.
But Abel answered without a moment's hesitation, as if he'd anticipated it.
"Your name is Lupus. I am your master."
-Lupus…. Lupus.
The other repeated the word several times. Only after a long pause did it speak again.
-You are my master, and I am Lupus. Is that right?
"Yes. Anything else you're curious about?"
-No. I'm feeling tired now. I need to rest a bit.
"Understood. Then we'll talk again next time."
-….
No reply came.
It wasn't ignoring him. The moment the conversation ended, its consciousness slipped into dormancy.
"Hoo."
Feeling that, Abel let out a sigh of relief.
It had been an extremely brief exchange, but his hands were slick with sweat.
Abel wiped them with a cloth from his pocket, then carefully placed the core back in its box.
'Somehow, I made it through the first meeting.'
With that thought, Abel leaned back against the rear of the carriage.
The reason for his tension was simple.
The entity he'd just spoken to—and the core in his hand—were no ordinary things.
It had even been written in the message window.
‘Gigadeus's Heart.’
That was the core's precise name, and what dwelled within it was a Gigadeus, or something closely related.
'Even in the game, its exact nature was never fully revealed.'
This core had only come to light a mere week before he entered the game world.
Abel had been thrilled at the discovery of new content after so long and delved into its secrets, but he'd possessed this body without ever uncovering them.
'It can't possibly be anything ordinary.'
It couldn't be.
In the game, the item known as Gigadeus's Heart was a death flag in its purest form.
One slip-up in the first encounter, and you'd die or get swallowed whole, consciousness and all.
Show even a hint of weakness, and you'd be devoured with 100% certainty. Fall short on skill, and it'd ignore you outright.
That was why he'd been so on edge during their exchange—he knew it better than anyone.
A truly ruinous object.
Of course, there was a reason he'd kept his eyes on such a thing.
'But with this, my combat strength has jumped several levels.'
It was as dangerous as it was immensely valuable.
It could elevate a Gigant's power by several tiers, and in itself, it was like a living 'Gigadeus encyclopedia.'
'The imprinting seems to have gone smoothly too.'
With the tension fully eased, Abel stroked the box where Lupus slumbered and closed his eyes.
* * *
The lecture break had stretched longer than scheduled, granting them a full week off.
At first, the cadets had been thrilled at the extra free time, but now signs of boredom were creeping in.
And understandably so—the academy didn't offer much in the way of entertainment.
As a result, the training grounds were packed every day.
Nothing burned off excess youthful energy like getting physical.
And Abel was no exception.
Thwack!
Abel launched himself forward and swung his sword.
A razor-sharp strike.
Clang!
But his blade glanced harmlessly off his opponent's tilted sword.
Seeing his attack fail, Abel tried to hurriedly retreat.
Whoosh!
His opponent didn't miss the opening, thrusting her sword at his shoulder.
Not enough time to block with his own blade, and too precise to dodge with a mere shift.
‘Shadow Step.’
With no choice, Abel activated the skill and pulled back.
Normally, that would have bought him plenty of time.
"Too predictable."
But not this time.
Abel saw silver hair fluttering in the air.
Then something surged up before his eyes. As if reading his movements, she stuck right to him and swung.
Abel desperately raised his sword.
Clack!
But the uplifted blade was knocked aside by her overhead strike.
Right after, Abel felt something cold against his throat.
A wooden sword was now aimed at his neck.
"Hoo. Lost again."
Abel let out a deep sigh and conceded defeat.
Only then did his opponent, Iolin, lower her wooden sword.
"Not bad, though."
"You mean that?"
At Abel's question, Iolin averted her gaze slightly.
"…I'll point out a few things to fix. First off, ease up on relying so much on Vision. Your timing's too straightforward right now."
"Straightforward?"
Iolin nodded at Abel's question.
"Whenever you're really cornered, you pull it out without fail. It'll catch a new opponent off guard, but once they get used to it a few times, it becomes a weakness instead."
Abel listened intently, instantly absorbed in her words.
Iolin went on to mention a few more pointers before wrapping up.
"Alright, good work today."
"Yeah, thanks. Your lesson still on for tonight as planned?"
"Yep. See you after dinner."
"Got it."
With that, Iolin waved and slipped out the training room door.
Only then did Abel turn, heading outside to stow his wooden sword at the training ground's edge.
It hadn't been long since he'd started these sparring sessions with Iolin under the guise of swordsmanship lessons.
It had all started, naturally, after their conversation.
Originally, Iolin was to teach him mana control, and he was to teach her Gigant operation in return.
But on their first 'lesson,' Iolin had made the proposal herself.
'She said mana control and weapon techniques are inseparable.'
For a mage, maybe not—but for a Gigant rider, it was better to learn mana control by swinging a weapon firsthand.
So mornings were for sparring with Iolin, and evenings for Abel teaching her Gigant piloting.
'Not that I'm complaining.'
Abel had been interested in systematic weapon techniques anyway.
It was a win-win.
After stowing the wooden sword, Abel left the training ground and headed to the cafeteria.
Perhaps the timing was off today—no one called out to him.
He finished his meal quickly and was on his way back to his room when someone approached.
"Abel."
Turning at the unfamiliar voice, Abel spotted a stern-looking middle-aged man.
He easily recognized the man and greeted him.
"Good day, sir."
"…You know me?"
"Yes. You're Professor Bern, in charge of advanced swordsmanship, aren't you?"
"How did you know that?"
"Your reputation precedes you, Professor Bern."
In truth, he'd memorized the names of all the key academy professors.
'Especially Bern—you can't miss him. That stuffy look isn't common.'
The others were somewhat distinctive too, but Bern looked straight out of his game illustration.
Bern seemed about to say something but closed his mouth.
"…I have business with you about the recent incident. Will you come with me?"
"Of course."
Abel answered without hesitation.
He'd expected to be summoned soon anyway. If anything, it was later than anticipated.
Bern gave a slight nod at Abel's crisp reply and started walking ahead.
Abel followed right behind, thinking.
'Calling me aside like this… doesn't seem much different from what I remember.'
He already had some ideas, but Abel calmly organized his thoughts.
This was a big deal, after all.
* * *
It wasn't long before they arrived, following Bern, at the academy's central building.
The towering structure in the middle seemed to overlook the entire academy.
'No—it was literally designed that way.'
Given its purpose, it had to be.
As he was about to step inside with that thought—
"Abel."
Bern spoke up.
Abel snapped out of his reverie.
"Yes."
"From here, you'll have a meeting with the principal."
"With the principal?"
Abel put on a surprised expression as he asked back. It was the most natural reaction.
"Yes. It's not bad news, so no need to tense up."
Not many would relax after hearing that.
Magnus was the principal of Del Modor Academy, but above all, he was the empire's living legend.
"Ah, understood."
So Abel feigned appropriate tension.
Of course, he wasn't entirely free of it himself—just not enough to stiffen up like an ordinary cadet.
Still, he made sure to show plenty on the surface.
No point drawing extra attention.
Seeing Abel's reaction, Bern said no more.
It was consideration, giving him time to mentally prepare.
Thanks to that, Abel could climb the stairs while sorting his thoughts in peace.
The staircase was quite tall.
Most places this high would have mana-engine elevators, but this was an exception.
All because of the founding principal's will.
'A healthy body houses a healthy spirit,' or something like that.
In short: don't rely on devices—climb with your own two feet.
The reason those who frequented the principal's office had unusually thick thighs was no coincidence.
How long did they climb?
"We're here."
Bern stopped before an especially large door.
"Just go inside."
"By myself?"
"Yes."
Abel acknowledged and approached the door cautiously.
He wondered if he should knock, but there was no need.
"Come in."
Magnus's gruff, unforgettable voice came from within.
Abel carefully opened the door.
The spacious principal's office came into view at a glance.
Resisting the urge to look around, Abel bowed his head first.
"You summoned me."
"Yes. Come over here and sit."
At that, Abel straightened and walked inside.
Magnus sat behind a massive desk.
His tone was casual, but an oppressive aura emanated from him, enough to steal one's breath.
In a different place and situation from their encounter on the platform, the pressure felt all too real.
Only after Abel sat did Magnus speak.
"Do you know why I called you here today?"
"The incident at the Wall of Glory?"
"Correct."
Magnus nodded briskly at Abel's answer.
"We're about to issue your reward for that. Everyone saw your exploits clearly, Abel."
"I just did my best."
"Haha. Even so, you earned your merit fair and square."
Magnus said that, then suddenly wiped the smile from his face.
The briefly faded pressure surged back, bearing down on Abel.
Staring him straight in the eye, he asked.
"But Abel. What is your true identity?"