Chapter 36
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: The Second Path
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After the two rounds of tail tag ended and he dismounted from the Gigant, Abel was quite exhausted.
He had to face off against multiple opponents while maintaining maximum sync rate and deploying various armaments and skills, followed by battling a far superior powerhouse.
No matter how capable Abel was, he couldn't avoid tiring out.
‘If someone doesn't get tired after all this, they're just a monster...’
Lost in such thoughts, Abel suddenly recalled something and turned his head to the side.
"Huh? Why?"
Daniel asked with a bright, innocent face.
"Monster."
"Huh? What did you say?"
"It's a monster."
"Suddenly?"
"No."
Abel shifted his gaze from Daniel's bewildered face and looked toward the Gigant Claire had piloted.
She had dismounted and was conversing with the engineer.
He thought about at least exchanging a simple greeting, but Claire soon walked straight toward the building.
And at that moment.
"Come on, come on! Class isn't over yet! Everyone, focus!"
Kaul boomed, drawing all eyes to him.
As he said, the class was still in session.
Everyone except Daniel looked utterly drained in body and spirit, but Kaul pressed on undeterred.
"Everyone except these three isn't tired, right? You got plenty of rest while waiting."
The three in question were surely Abel, Daniel, and May.
The other cadets hesitated, unable to respond right away.
Kaul tilted his head and spoke again.
"It was just a throwaway line, but you're really not tired? Then hop on your Gigants and go for a run..."
"We're tired-!!"
The response came back so thunderously it startled even Kaul.
Kaul's eyes widened before he chuckled and continued.
"Yeah, you must be. It's only natural. This isn't the kind of fatigue that vanishes after ten minutes of rest. Some in this class have probably already been through real combat or something close."
As he spoke, Kaul's gaze swept over Abel, Daniel, and the others.
"But most of you haven't experienced it yet."
Not expecting an answer, Kaul continued without pause.
"Real combat demands tremendous stamina. Anyone comes out of their first one completely drained. Why is that? Abel?"
"It's not just physical movement—it consumes mental strength too."
"Correct. In real combat, you tense up intensely. Almost no exceptions. Even for veterans who've roamed battlefields for over ten years."
Kaul spoke with a serious expression, all traces of playfulness gone.
"It was the same for me. Nerves always on edge, food catching in my throat when I swallowed. I'd wake up multiple times drenched in sweat during sleep."
The cadets, who had been listening half-heartedly in their exhaustion, suddenly hung on Kaul's every word.
Stories from someone who had lived for over a decade on the knife's edge of the battlefield held immense pull.
"Pressure. It can destroy a person."
Kaul paused there before speaking again.
"That's why the academy teaches more than mere technique—and why cadets want to learn it."
If the goal were simply to produce riders who handled Gigants exceptionally well, the curriculum had far too many extras.
But viewed as forging outstanding 'Gigant Riders,' nothing was superfluous.
"Gigant Riders need superior stamina, excellent piloting skills, mana and control above a certain level. Of course, they have to fight well too. But the most important thing is separate."
Kaul wrapped up the lengthy tale succinctly.
"You have to know how to overcome pressure. Understand?"
"Yes!"
Unlike before, this was no coerced shout but one surging from true conviction, ringing out powerfully.
Only then did Kaul relax his stern face into a smile.
"Today's tail tag fits that context too. I named winners and losers earlier, but what matters is what you learned from it. And don't get hung up on the now."
Kaul continued right away.
"Win and loss always shift. Even without tail tag, you'll have plenty of chances to gauge each other's strength. Alright, boring lecture over."
After checking the time, Kaul delivered words sure to delight the cadets.
"You're all beat, so we'll end class early today. Tomorrow, back to the regular schedule starting with runs—brace yourselves."
"Yes!"
Everyone responded loudly, thrilled by the unexpected early dismissal.
As the cadets rose, Kaul belatedly called out to Abel.
"Ah, and Abel—hang back a moment."
Abel stood as he replied.
"Understood."
* * *
The place Kaul led him to was his office.
Unexpectedly, a visitor was already there.
None other than Claire.
Noticing Abel's gaze, Kaul spoke first.
"She said she wanted a word."
"Ah, I see."
Nothing odd about it, so Abel looked to Claire.
Claire stared straight at Abel before speaking.
"You exceeded expectations."
"Pardon?"
"I thought you were impressive last time, but this was beyond that. You're progressing at an astonishing rate."
Claire revealed her honest feelings without a care that Kaul was right there.
"Honestly, it made me a little jealous. And regretful."
"You?"
Abel asked again in surprise.
Claire paused a moment before speaking.
"If we'd been in the same year, I'd have watched you closely, learned more, pushed harder, and tried to surpass you."
Her words were so candid he didn't know how to reply.
Fortunately, she wasn't seeking a response or reaction—she smiled faintly and continued.
"So I'll look forward to it. If you have questions or need help, say the word anytime."
"...Understood."
Claire nodded, gave Kaul a polite bow, and left the office.
Kaul waited until the door shut and footsteps faded before speaking.
"Ahem. Claire's always been straightforward, charging headfirst into everything. No need to read hidden motives into it."
"Yes. Understood."
"Tea?"
"Ah, cool water's enough."
Even without Kaul's words, Abel had no intention of twisting Claire's meaning.
If anyone else had said the same, he'd have questioned their intent.
Overly sweet words usually hid something.
But oddly, Claire gave no such vibe.
The system's affinity gauge messages certainly played a part, of course.
‘And even if she has ulterior motives, so what.’
Goodwill without reason doesn't exist.
And that reason could be positive or negative.
As long as Claire made no outrageous demands or harbored ill intent, getting close to her was nothing but profit for Abel.
She was promising, with a solid background to boot.
‘Makes me sound so mercenary.’
Though when had he ever not been...
"Here. Cool water."
Mid-thought, Kaul set a glass of water before Abel and took his seat.
Kaul held a cup steaming with heat.
For all his intense presence, Kaul had a surprising depth of knowledge about tea—specifically, he lost his mind over good leaves.
‘Should gift him some tea sometime.’
After a sip, Kaul got down to business.
"I called you aside about this reward."
"Reward?"
"Yeah. Any body technique you want to learn?"
Abel paused at the question.
Seeing it, Kaul added a few words.
"No need to overthink. Hmm... Just say if it's defensive or offensive type. You must have some basics already."
"May I ask the reverse?"
"Of course."
"Then... what do you see as my weaknesses?"
Kaul stroked his chin at Abel's question.
"A lot."
Short and firm, he elaborated.
"Limited to body techniques, some of your secret arts are impressively advanced. But there's no unifying framework. Right?"
"Yes. It's all eye-balling or snippets of secret arts passed down briefly."
"Hmm. Got it."
Kaul nodded in quick understanding.
Likely due to knowing Abel's background.
An orphan who'd wandered the streets, lucky enough to enter on the Klein Count's sponsorship.
A life worlds away from structured body techniques.
Instead of dwelling on that, Kaul returned to the topic.
"You asked because you're not fully convinced yet. Fair enough—you're just starting out."
"Yes."
Abel nodded readily.
As Kaul said, he wasn't entirely without conviction, but he'd decided on this approach from the start.
The reason was simple.
Kaul was the expert on body techniques.
Sure, he could pinpoint exactly what he wanted to learn.
Which skill to acquire, which armament, upgrading the Gigant...
Such grand plans already filled his mind.
But they were based solely on game knowledge.
This was no game but a living, breathing world. If expert help was available—especially from another person—taking it was the right call.
‘That's the path to climbing higher, faster.’
Abel waited with a serious expression for Kaul's next words.
Kaul pondered in silence for a long stretch before speaking.
"There are easy and hard paths."
He held up two fingers.
"The easy path is simple. You fight very aggressively. Defense is your weak spot. A defensive body technique would help there."
Folding one finger, Kaul continued steadily.
"The second path is tougher. It sharpens that aggression even further. Higher risk, all sorts of difficulties until mastery. And regardless, it's hard to learn in the first place."
Folding both fingers, Kaul smirked jokingly.
"Pick the second, and it'll make stamina training look like a joke. You'll regret it. Think it over..."
"The second."
Abel replied the instant Kaul finished.
Kaul nearly chided the haste but met Abel's eyes and held his tongue.
Those pupils blazed with fierce conviction and passion.
No way eyes of someone deciding rashly.
Meeting that gaze, Kaul said.
"It'll be brutal. Other cadets won't call it favoritism—they'll pity you."
"I'm prepared."
Kaul, baffled by the calm reply, asked.
"Why the second? It suits your style more?"
"You said the second is far harder..."
Abel answered.
"But if it was just harder with less payoff, you wouldn't have offered two paths from the start."
He pierced Kaul's true intent.
"You think the second suits me far better, don't you?"
Kaul stared blankly at the logical response before chuckling.
"Yeah."
He nodded.
"Put like that, can't talk you out of it. I'll expect your best."
Abel's eyes gleamed as he replied.
"Yes. I'll give it everything."