Chapter 26
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Principal's Inquiry
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“But tell me, Abel. What is your true identity?”
For a moment.
Abel felt cold sweat trickling down his back.
‘True identity?’
The pressure closing in on him moment by moment disrupted his thoughts.
He couldn’t even guess at Magnus’s intentions behind the question.
But Abel refused to let go of his mental grip and opened his mouth.
“I’m an orphan who wandered the streets.”
Once he started speaking, the rest came easily.
“By sheer luck, I got the chance to study at the academy. Is my lowly status a problem?”
“What? Of course not!”
As Magnus hurriedly denied it, the pressure vanished like it had been washed away.
“Del Modor Academy selects talented individuals based on merit alone—status means nothing! That wasn’t my intention in asking, either!”
Even as Abel heard the flustered tone in Magnus’s voice, he didn’t relax.
He had experienced it once before.
The way he’d approached with jovial words, only to suddenly unleash intimidation and pose a difficult question.
This demeanor was likely deliberate as well.
So Abel responded with an exaggerated expression of gratitude.
“I see! Thank you!”
“Ahem, yes. Our conversation seems to have veered off track, but what I really wanted to ask was this.”
Magnus turned back to Abel with a serious expression.
“Have you received any separate training in Gigant operation or other exercises before now?”
“Training... Well, while wandering the streets, I did get a few pointers a handful of times.”
“Oh? From whom?”
“Usually mercenaries or retired soldiers. They were regulars at the tavern where I worked.”
“...I see.”
Magnus nodded with a subtle expression at the answer.
“It was just a formality, really. The investigation was already complete before your admission was approved.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. You’re already under a lot of scrutiny... and with your exceptional talent and notable achievements, even more so.”
“You flatter me.”
“No flattery. The point is, you’ll receive even greater support proportional to your accomplishments going forward.”
Magnus continued.
“That’s why I’m making this crystal clear. Do you understand?”
“Yes. I understand.”
The meaning was straightforward.
Magnus was alluding to the possibility that Abel might be a spy or hiding something.
‘The Empire may be a superpower, but it’s not without rivals.’
The Great War had reshaped the continent’s balance of power.
The Empire remained the mightiest nation, but it no longer held the untouchable supremacy it once did.
Especially now, in these sensitive times, they’d be extra vigilant about talent drain or spies.
‘Though that’s probably not the whole story.’
Of course, Abel wasn’t foolish enough to voice such suspicions.
Magnus brushed it off as mere formality and moved on without dwelling.
“Good. Now, onto the main matter. Since we’re in the middle of the semester, there won’t be a formal commendation ceremony.”
“Understood.”
It was expected.
The imperial family had no intention of escalating the incident further.
“Instead, two rewards await you. The first is activity funds.”
“Activity funds?”
“Indeed. The academy provides them to cadets who show outstanding results, as encouragement to strive harder. Cases like yours, decided so early, are rare.”
Magnus explained that the funds would be disbursed monthly and could be used freely for any purpose.
“And the second is this.”
What Magnus handed over next was a silver badge.
Abel recognized it instantly and his eyes lit up.
“This is...?”
“Permission to use the personal training grounds.”
Magnus gave a brief explanation.
“Normally, first-years don’t get access to the personal training grounds. But someone with your talent and achievements is another story.”
The personal training grounds Magnus referred to weren’t for swinging a sword barehanded.
They were facilities equipped for Gigant operation.
As he’d said, it was a privilege first-years could never normally enjoy.
Magnus added one more thing.
“Of course, if you prefer, you could take materials or equipment instead. Or, if you push a bit, even private instruction in a secret art.”
“No, thank you. I’ll gladly accept this.”
“Is that so?”
At Abel’s firm response, Magnus smirked as if he’d expected it and slid the training ground pass toward him.
If not for the setting, Abel might have whooped in joy.
The ‘training grounds’ were that valuable—far more than middling materials, gear, or even secret arts.
“Alright. That concludes our talk for today.”
“Understood.”
Magnus rose from his seat, and Abel followed suit.
“I’ll be expecting great things.”
“Thank you.”
Abel bowed to Magnus and exited the principal’s office.
“You’re out. I’ll escort you to the first floor.”
Byron, who had guided him there earlier, was waiting outside.
Abel followed behind, fiddling with the pass in his pocket.
His body heated up at the thought of using it soon, but the excitement was short-lived.
As they descended the stairs, Abel reflected.
‘I need to be careful for a while.’
Magnus had called it a formality, but that couldn’t be true.
‘That was the real point from the start.’
If it were just about praise and rewards, Magnus wouldn’t have come out personally.
The principal’s position at the academy was no light matter.
In other words, he’d summoned Abel for an interrogation from the outset.
The silver lining was that it didn’t seem like deep suspicion.
If there were concrete doubts, he’d have been dragged to an interrogation room, not the principal’s office.
He had no plans to stop standing out because of this, but he should avoid actions that might invite unnecessary suspicion.
‘Well, nothing major for the time being anyway.’
Abel shook off the heavy thoughts and kept walking.
* * *
After the week-long break ended.
Classes resumed as scheduled.
“Don’t stop running, all of you! One week off and you’re a total mess!”
Instructor Boyle, in charge of physical training, twisted his face and bellowed.
“Everyone except the top three—ten more laps!”
At his words, the cadets squeezed out every last ounce of strength to run.
But no matter what, the top three were already set.
“Huff, huff.”
“Good! Daniel! Head over there and rest!”
Daniel crossed the finish line first.
He didn’t even seem winded, breathing steadily as he gave a slight nod.
Then Abel came in second.
In that short time, Abel’s stamina had improved dramatically.
He hadn’t slacked on training before enrollment, but the academy was the perfect place for it.
Outside of class time, he could train nonstop.
That’s why he’d taken second.
“Huff, huff. Instructor.”
“Hm?”
Catching his breath, Abel spoke to Boyle.
“May I run some more? I still feel like I’m lacking.”
“Run more?”
Boyle’s eyes widened, and he raised his hand.
“You truly are an exemplary cadet! Excellent! Run as much as you want.”
“Ah, thank you.”
Abel felt Boyle’s thick hand thumping his shoulder and bowed slightly before starting to run again.
“Instructor! I’ll run more too!”
“Alright!”
Daniel’s eager shout came from behind.
The cadet who had just arrived third stared at them like they were lunatics.
Abel had a good reason for pushing himself despite his stamina nearly being spent.
He knew the game’s system inside and out, having possessed this body.
In this game, stats leveled up best when pushed to the limit.
Plus, his stamina stat was on the verge of rising.
‘Just a bit more... just a little...’
Abel kept running and running.
Even as cadets dropped out one by one from the top three, he didn’t stop.
In the end, only Abel and Daniel remained lapping the field.
“Are those guys actually insane?”
“It’s tough even to lift a finger, let alone that...”
The other cadets clicked their tongues watching them.
Unlike Daniel, the real monster, Abel was nearing his limit.
No matter how strong his will, there were boundaries.
Just as he considered giving up.
[Stamina stat has increased by one grade.]
A message appeared before his eyes. Confirming it, Abel mustered his final strength and ran.
He stopped dead at the finish line.
“Hah, heok, heok.”
“Abel! Well done!”
Boyle praised him loudly. Then, as if for the other cadets to hear, he shouted.
“What matters in stamina training is will! Will! Just like Abel here...”
Abel half-listened to Boyle as he quietly pulled up his status window.
[Abel]
[Race: Human]
[Physical Grade: C]
[Sync Rate: S]
[Mana: C]
[Owned Gigant: Lupus]
[Skills: Thunderbolt Spear, Overflow, Shadow Step, Double Attack, Beginner Gigant...]
The status window looked much the same at a glance.
But as Abel stared at the ‘Physical Grade’ entry for a few seconds, a new window popped up.
[Physical Grade: C]
-Stamina: C
-Strength: C
-Agility: B
-Flexibility: C
-...
Details of the stats.
Each grade represented the average of these sub-stats.
And just now, stamina had risen from D to C.
‘If I play it right, I could hit B by the end of the semester.’
Abel gave a faint smile and straightened his bent posture.
“Alright, everyone applaud Abel!”
Meanwhile, Boyle was having the cadets clap, who knows what he’d been saying.
“Woooh...”
Of course, the exhausted cadets weren’t exactly enthusiastic about his tedious speech.
In any case, buoyed by Abel’s grit, Boyle ended the lecture early.
Seizing the moment when attention drifted from him, Abel pulled out a stamina recovery potion he’d prepared and downed it.
“Fuuu.”
His body, heavy as waterlogged cotton, lightened quickly.
Not fully recovered, but enough to move without issue.
Then, Daniel—the one who’d run with him to the end—approached.
“Abel!”
“Yeah?”
“Lecture ended early. Wanna hit the training grounds?”
Abel gave Daniel an incredulous look.
‘Is this guy for real?’
He’d used a recovery potion, but Daniel surely didn’t have one.
Meaning he genuinely had stamina left.
Abnormal, really.
Abel shook his head.
“Nah, I’ve got somewhere to be.”
“Somewhere? Where?”
“Somewhere. See you at dinner.”
Abel gave a vague reply and walked off first. His destination: the personal training grounds.
It was his first time going, delayed by the class schedule.
And not just to look around.
He quickened his pace and slipped a hand into his pocket. Something heavy met his touch.
The box containing the Gigadeus heart.
Today, he planned to implant it into Lupus.