Chapter 62
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 62
Chapter Title: Guardian's Shield Upgrade
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The plan to upgrade the Guardian's Shield was something I'd been thinking about for a very long time.
‘Guardian's Shield gives the best upgrade efficiency.’
The other auxiliary armaments had complicated upgrade methods, and I hadn't gathered all the materials yet.
In contrast, the Guardian's Shield had a relatively simple upgrade process, and I'd collected all the materials from the Blade Tail mock battle and the recent practical training.
“I've put together a simple blueprint. If you look here…….”
Abel used the spare time to show Temarin the blueprint he'd prepared in advance and explained it.
“If you look at this part, you can see the basic operating principle of the Guardian's Shield, and this won't affect the core drive system much…….”
“Reinforcing this area with Tartarium might throw off the overall balance. Why not use steel alloyed with a tiny amount of Telesium instead…….”
Temarin, who was usually the epitome of timidity, began pouring out opinions at a rapid pace once the discussion started.
The two of them stood there debating the blueprint for over an hour.
There were many changes along the way, but in the end, they arrived at a design that perfectly suited Abel's tastes.
“Wow. Temarin, you really are a genius.”
Abel murmured unconsciously as he looked at the revised blueprint.
Temarin, who had been excitedly chattering away alongside him, suddenly snapped to attention at Abel's words, her cheeks flushing red.
“H-Huh? No, that's not true. The original basic design was already so solid…….”
“Come on. This is way better than my initial draft. I can't wait to see the finished product.”
At Abel's frank praise, Temarin bowed her head deeply and averted her gaze.
“Th-Then we'll start work as soon as the materials and manpower are ready.”
“Ah, sure. I'll send the money and materials straight to the workshop.”
“Yes! Well then…….”
“You need to take the blueprint!”
Temarin snatched the blueprint from Abel and hurried off.
Abel watched her retreating figure, then turned with sparkling eyes to gaze at Lupus.
‘This is going to be great.’
Lupus was currently like a blank white canvas.
Someday, a picture would be painted on that canvas. The picture of his dreams.
Harboring that anticipation, Abel set off.
* * *
Academy lectures resumed.
However, they weren't conducted entirely normally.
Some instructors were absent for investigations, and there was work to do before resuming the regular curriculum.
Namely, filling the gap left by the interrupted practical training.
The academy replaced the halted training with a few simple tests.
“Ugh. I'm dying here.”
“Yeah…… The world's spinning.”
That was why cadets were groaning here and there.
Today's test had been operating a Gigant under extreme conditions.
Each cadet faced slightly different environments, and for Abel's group, it was ‘heat’.
They tested how long you could keep a Gigant running normally in a training ground with the temperature cranked up to the brink.
It hadn't been easy for Abel either, leaving his entire body soaked in sweat.
‘Can't they install some air conditioning or something…….’
Abel leaned against the wall, lost in a daze.
Gigants had various convenience spells for the rider, but nothing like modern air conditioning.
‘Well, it was beyond what even AC could handle anyway.’
It was just a complaint.
“Haah, feels refreshing.”
Daniel walked up and said.
He wasn't just saying it—his face looked utterly refreshed as he wiped sweat with a towel.
He looked like he'd just come from a solo sauna session.
Abel gave him a dumbfounded look.
“You're not hot?”
“It was hot while it lasted. But after sweating it all out, my body's feeling lighter.”
“You…… Never mind.”
Abel gave up trying to understand Daniel.
No normal human could ever comprehend him anyway.
“Ugh, uuurgh…….”
Just then, May staggered in after finishing her test last.
Compared to Daniel, she looked like a corpse.
Abel shook his head and handed her a water bottle.
“Here.”
“Th…… Thanks.”
May chugged it refreshingly and flopped down beside him.
She looked like she wouldn't respond even if spoken to, so Abel ignored her.
“No normal people around here.”
“To others, you don't look normal either.”
“What?”
Daniel nodded toward the surroundings.
“See for yourself.”
Looking around, Abel saw cadets who'd finished earlier sprawled like dried squid everywhere.
They were staring at him like he was some monster.
Daniel chimed in from the side.
“You know you lasted twice the average record, right? I thought you'd died standing up.”
“Just grit through it mentally.”
“If it was just a mental thing, I'd have outlasted you.”
As he'd said, Abel's record was unmatched.
He'd held out for 21 minutes, a full 3 minutes longer than Daniel, who came in second.
The others' average was barely 9 minutes.
“How the hell did you last that long?”
“Mental fortitude…… But technique matters just as much.”
“Technique?”
“Yeah.”
Abel explained simply.
“If it was a heated battle, you'd have lasted longer than me. But this test was just sitting still, right?”
“Yeah.”
“So the key is not thinking, ‘I have to endure this environment. Somehow hold on.’”
Daniel still looked puzzled after the explanation, so Abel continued.
“When you run, you don't think, ‘Just a bit more! Push a little harder!’ do you?”
“Nah.”
“It's like that. Just think, ‘This'll pass eventually,’ or empty your mind completely. Not enduring it, but letting it flow by.”
Daniel finally got it and nodded.
“Hmm. I think I get the gist.”
“Good. I'm gonna rest now. Don't bother me.”
With that, Abel draped a towel over his face.
He still had plans for the day, so he needed to recover stamina as much as possible.
* * *
Tests continued after that.
Fortunately, there weren't many that demanded physical endurance like the first one, but a full day of tests still left everyone wiped out by the end.
“You're training tonight, right?”
Everyone except Daniel, of course.
Abel replied with an expression like it was obvious.
“Of course. Can't skip just because it's tough.”
“To me, you two are exactly the same.”
Hena, who'd been listening to their conversation, chimed in.
Abel looked indignant.
“I'm not as bad as this guy.”
“Nope. That's just you thinking that.”
Hena responded firmly. Abel felt wronged but couldn't deny it fully.
He had thought he might seem a bit odd to others.
Most cadets had probably gone straight home and crashed after dinner.
‘But no choice.’
Of course, Abel wanted to rest like the others too.
But the first time is the hardest; the second isn't.
Start slacking because it's tough, and there's no end to it.
“So Hena, train with us.”
“No. I'm resting.”
“Come on. Last time, your close combat still had a lot of gaps.”
“What? I'm pretty decent, you know?”
“Gotta see it for myself.”
Hena flushed and yelled at Abel's words.
“Fine! Let's do it!”
Abel grinned at her reaction.
It wasn't just to tease her, obviously.
‘Time to keep her close and observe.’
The incident that would cause Hena's rampage wasn't far off.
Which meant signs would start showing soon.
To get through her rampage without issues, he needed to observe her.
The nature of the rampage varied based on her initial reactions.
‘Wish it was something obvious, easier to deal with.’
Abel inwardly cursed the game he'd played so much.
‘Why not just have a fixed scenario?’
A recurring thought.
It was great for multiple playthroughs thanks to the randomness in the game, but in reality, it was a pain.
Still, he couldn't just complain.
‘Knowing what's coming is a huge advantage.’
No matter what, foreknowledge of the future was immense.
Shaking off the negativity, Abel hurried along.
After dinner in the cafeteria, they headed straight to the training hall.
Training details varied daily, but the overall structure was the same.
First, light physical warm-ups, then alternating sparring.
Daniel was the main opponent, but Hena or Iolin sometimes stepped in.
Today's opponent was Hena.
“Even you can see how full of openings that is, right?”
Abel said to Hena, sword in hand.
Hena, who'd just taken a hit from him, clutched her side and replied.
“You're just too fast without any tells. And what's with that ridiculously huge sword?”
“Custom ordered it. This is what I'll use from now on.”
The wooden sword Abel held resembled the relic sword or Gigant blades he'd acquired—meaning ridiculously huge.
“That's not a wooden sword; it's a weapon in itself.”
Hena grumbled, frowning.
She was right, really.
It was called a wooden sword, but it was basically a massive club.
“Talking a lot means you've still got some leeway.”
Out of retorts, Abel charged forward before Hena could respond.
“Keuk!”
Seeing it, Hena hurriedly dodged to the side.
Her main weapon was a mana cannon.
But since they were practicing close combat, she was using her sub-weapon sword.
Whoosh!
Hena's sword flew at Abel's opening.
It was a sharp strike, but Abel casually leaned forward to counter.
Clang!
Swords clashed, and Hena's hand flew upward, unable to overcome the force.
“Don't try power against me.”
Abel advised as he lightly kicked her shin.
Thwack!
Hena's mouth gaped open.
Pain made her forget to defend.
Abel pointed his sword at her throat.
“H-Ha, I surrender.”
Even then, Hena didn't forget to yield.
Abel nodded lightly and stepped back; Hena finally collapsed to the floor.
“Shin okay?”
“You kick without mercy and then ask…….”
Abel gave a wry smile at Hena's grumbling.
If he'd held back, she'd have gotten even madder.
‘She's got a strong competitive streak.’
As Abel approached her.
Lifting her pant leg slightly to check her shin, a strange pattern peeked from under the hem.
“Abel……?”
Abel's face hardened.
A swirling pattern.
It was the precursor to the rampage he'd been wary of—and its color was far darker than expected.