Chapter 72
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 72
Chapter Title: Azelkior's Core
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Abel immediately entered the room and locked the door.
He carefully broke the seal on the box and opened the lid while trying to calm his racing heart.
As soon as the contents came into view, Abel's eyes widened even more.
“Haa.”
The sigh that escaped his lips stemmed not from disappointment, but from relief.
Inside the box was a red orb the size of a walnut.
-What’s that?
Lupus, who had woken up at some point, asked Abel.
Abel slowly picked up the orb and answered.
“It’s a heart. Azelkior’s heart.”
-Azelkior? Oh, you mean a Gigadeus Fragment.
“Yeah. More precisely, its core.”
It wasn’t as massive as a Gigadeus core, but its appearance was just as mysterious.
-From the reaction, it doesn’t seem like just some ordinary material.
Abel nodded at Lupus’s sharp guess.
“Yeah. It’s not just some material.”
Abel continued as he held the core up to the light.
“This is one of the keys to resolving this incident.”
-Hmm. It doesn’t look all that special.
“It doesn’t seem that way on the outside. That’s how it’s known, too. That’s why it was so hard to get.”
Azelkior’s core was classified as a common “mana crystal.”
It had no particular features, so it was just consumed as artifact material.
That’s why even those who hunted Gigadeus Fragments didn’t bother seeking out Azelkiors specifically or selling them separately.
‘It’s like junk loot in a game.’
But this core held a secret.
-What makes it special?
Lupus asked in a curious tone, and Abel answered without hiding anything.
“It has to be processed in a specific way to unleash its power.”
-Hoo. There are definitely cores like that. So, what’s its ability?
“Simple. It interferes with other abilities.”
-Interferes with other abilities?
Abel explained in more detail.
“The moment this core activates, it makes it hard to wield not only the power infused in artifacts, but also individuals’ special abilities.”
-That sounds like quite an impressive ability.
“It is, in fact.”
In the original game, its hidden power was revealed around mid-game, making it famous.
‘That’s why I couldn’t use it even when I wanted to in the game.’
The system didn’t even allow it to be used. There was no way to obtain it separately.
Naturally, it couldn’t be used in Hena’s rampage event either.
But this was reality, not a game.
There were no system restrictions.
That’s why Abel had been searching so persistently for it.
But reality hadn’t been as easy as he’d hoped.
‘I was half ready to give up.’
He’d obtained it through this commission, but he’d been looking for it for quite a while.
Until then, he’d had no luck, and he’d only taken this commission on a whim.
In that sense, it was fortunate that it had arrived right on time.
Abel examined the box closely for any notes and soon found a piece of paper at the bottom.
[It wasn’t easy to find since it’s not commonly circulated, but the item itself was acquired at a very cheap price. I’ll add it to the commission fee later.]
Abel nodded upon reading it.
The price didn’t matter anyway.
He knew full well that their commissions weren’t cheap.
“Good.”
Abel closed the box with a snap and took the orb straight to the table.
Lupus asked him another question.
-Didn’t you say it needs special processing?
“Yeah.”
Abel pulled another box from under the desk and placed it on top.
“But I don’t have time. This time, I’ll do it myself.”
The box was filled with various materials and artifact crafting tools.
Abel had worked under Vulcanus for quite a long time.
And Vulcanus’s workshop was quite famous for artifact crafting as well.
-Hoo, this should be interesting.
Abel smiled at Lupus’s words and picked up a tool.
The discomfort that had felt like a stone weighing on his chest had already vanished without a trace.
* * *
The morning of the exam day dawned.
The cadets leaving the dormitory after breakfast all had similar expressions.
Dark shadows under their eyes, exhaustion etched on their faces.
“Abel…….”
Daniel was among them.
Abel was startled by Daniel’s weary appearance and spoke up.
“Why do you look half-dead?”
“Ugh…… I’d rather run a hundred laps around the first training field.”
“You say the most terrifying thing so casually.”
The first training field Daniel mentioned was used for Gigant training and was enormously vast.
Running a hundred laps there would be impossible even for Abel.
“That’s how tough it was. Why does studying feel endless no matter how much I do?”
“That’s because you cram it all at once. If you just review and preview consistently every day, it’s not that hard.”
Daniel looked at Abel like he was a monster.
It was the same gaze Abel usually gave Daniel.
“You make it sound so easy…… Wait, didn’t you spend almost every day in the training hall too?”
“Training is training. Of course I made separate time for studying.”
“You really are a monster.”
Abel shrugged lightly at the words.
In truth, from his perspective, the academy’s studies weren’t that difficult.
‘Honestly, first-semester theory is just a giveaway.’
And it wasn’t just talk—newly enrolled cadets were already overwhelmed just getting used to Gigants.
The physical training was intense too.
Meanwhile, the theory classes were quite easy, considering the other lectures.
‘If they’re struggling already, how will they handle second semester?’
Abel lamented the other cadets’ fragility as he quickened his pace alongside Daniel.
The exams were held in the same building where theory lectures took place.
“See you in a bit.”
“Yeah.”
After entering the building, Abel parted ways with Daniel and headed to his exam room.
To prevent cheating, exams weren’t held by class but with students randomly mixed.
The overall exam schedule spanned five days, with two exams per day.
‘Today’s mana studies intro and Gigant structure theory.’
Abel reviewed the schedule in his head as he walked.
Entering the exam room, he saw it was already fairly full of students.
He found his seat and sat down. About thirty minutes later, the exam began.
Two hours later.
As soon as the exam ended and the instructor left, groans erupted from all around.
“Haa. Were those even from the study material?”
“I didn’t know half of it. Isn’t it too hard?”
Abel thought to himself as he heard the reactions.
‘No need to worry about grades.’
Mana studies intro wasn’t a subject he was particularly confident in, but surprisingly, the exam wasn’t too tough.
Gaining confidence, Abel headed to the next exam room.
Gigant structure theory was a strong subject for him from the start, so he wasn’t worried, and as expected, the exam was very easy.
Thus, the day’s exams concluded.
As Abel exited the building, he spotted Daniel and Hena.
“Abel!”
Hena spotted him and approached with a bright smile, waving her hand.
“Hena. How’d the exam go?”
“Pretty good! A ton came from what you taught me!”
“Oh? Glad to hear it. Daniel, you…….”
Abel started to ask Daniel the same question but closed his mouth.
An aura screaming “don’t talk to me” was radiating strongly from him.
Hena waved subtly at Abel from the side, visible only to him.
“Let’s go eat.”
“Yeah, let’s. Daniel! Hurry up!”
“We should…… Oh, May’s coming too.”
Turning at Daniel’s words, Abel saw May just exiting the building.
“May! Let’s go!”
Abel didn’t bother asking May how her exam went.
He could already guess the result.
‘She’s surprisingly strong in theory.’
May had unusually good exam scores. Even though she dozed off in almost every lecture.
‘That’s probably what they mean by true genius.’
Abel thought to himself as he walked with the others.
They arrived at the dormitory building together and were just entering the cafeteria when.
“Everyone, attention! Important announcement!”
He heard a familiar assistant instructor’s loud voice.
The assistant stood in the center of the cafeteria, speaking so all could hear.
“As announced beforehand, there are no morning exams tomorrow. Instead, you’ll observe the fourth-years’ practical exam!”
Practical exam observation.
Abel’s expression hardened slightly at the words.
‘Tomorrow, huh.’
Tomorrow was the practical exam observation day—and the day Hena’s rampage incident would occur.
Abel listened to the assistant’s continuing words while fiddling with the item tucked in his pocket.
His unease subsided a bit.
‘I’ve done all the preparation I can.’
It was natural to feel anxious, but there was no need to rush.
He’d obtained the most crucial piece at the very last moment.
At the very least, he wouldn’t be left watching helplessly as the catastrophe unfolded.
“Abel?”
Abel snapped out of his thoughts at May’s voice.
Coming to his senses, he realized the assistant had already finished the announcement and left.
“What’re you thinking about?”
Abel shook his head slightly at May’s question.
“Nothing. Let’s go.”
“Got it.”
She didn’t press further, and Abel relaxed his stiff expression as he resumed walking.
After finishing his meal, Abel returned to his room as usual, trained, reviewed tomorrow’s plans, and went to bed early.
Thus, the first day of exams ended.
* * *
The massive circular arena was surrounded by tiered spectator seats.
This was the primary venue for upperclassmen training and today’s exam site.
“Not as many people as I thought.”
Daniel said, craning his neck from his seat to look around.
Indeed, many seats in the stands were empty.
But Abel shook his head.
“Looks fewer, but it’s not. At least three hundred, probably.”
“That many? Doesn’t seem like it.”
“It normally holds over a thousand. Most official events are held here.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah.”
Abel nodded.
Currently, first-, second-, and third-year cadets were present, along with instructors and staff.
The fourth-years’ practical exam wasn’t just a test—it was more like an event.
‘Fourth-years are basically full-fledged Riders already.’
That’s why even those unrelated to the exam had come to watch.
Realizing that, Abel felt sweat beading on his palms.
He tried to calm his tension and looked around.
‘Hena’s…….’
Hena’s seat wasn’t far away.
Abel noted her position and turned his gaze forward again.
Boom-!
Just then, with a loud noise, one wall opened.
People looked expecting a Gigant, but what emerged was something entirely different.
“Waa…….”
He heard Daniel’s admiring voice.
If Abel knew nothing, he would have been purely awestruck too.
Gigadeus Fragments, trapped in cages, were being led in one after another from the opened wall.
Their number was at least dozens.
Perhaps over a hundred.
Abel swallowed hard as he watched.
If things went wrong today.
He knew those beasts would break free from their cages and charge into the stands.