An Unpolished Gem

While one cluster of cadets chattered away like Na Eun-sol's little clique, others threw themselves into training with single-minded focus.

And then there was the cadet who belonged to neither side.

"I wanna go home…"

Shin Na-yul.

Looking thoroughly dejected, she sat far apart from the rest of the cadets — as if she occupied an entirely different space. Hunched in a corner, she pressed her lips shut and buried her face against her knees. The only thought looping through her head was how desperately she wanted to escape this place.

I should've just gone to a regular high school…

Right after middle school graduation, when she'd awakened as an F-Class, she'd gotten way too carried away. What if I get into a hero academy? she'd thought. And she had gotten in — barely. Her practical scores had fallen short; only her theory grades had scraped her over the line.

And at the academy, the label of "failed practicals" was a brand that never washed off.

"Why did I even come here…"

She missed her middle school friends. If she'd followed them to a normal high school, she never would have ended up this miserable. Shin Na-yul sank into bitter memories, drowning in self-pity.

"Number Four, Shin Na-yul."

"……"

"Number Four, Shin Na-yul!"

"Y-Yes?"

"Why so startled? It's your turn."

"Ah. Okay…"

At Cheon Hae-beom's call, Shin Na-yul scrambled up, dusted the dirt from her clothes, and scurried over. The moment she stood before him, her mind went blank.

"Whoa……. He's so handsome…"

That morning she'd been too frazzled to notice. Up close, though, his looks were devastating. What a waste, letting a face like that go unused. If he'd so much as appeared on television, he'd have been booked for commercial after commercial and skyrocketed to fame.

"Shin Na-yul."

Cheon Hae-beom glanced between the record book and the girl in front of him.

"What is your primary weapon?"

"A claymore."

A cadet's primary weapon determined which stats were measured — swordsmanship for swordsmen, defense for tanks, marksmanship for gunners, spellcasting for mages. Stats that resisted precise quantification, like swordsmanship, were tested separately during practical exams.

"Since this isn't live combat, we'll measure Strength, Agility, and finally Mana. These won't count toward your evaluation, so relax and take your time."

When Cheon Hae-beom finished explaining, Shin Na-yul fidgeted and opened her mouth.

"Um, Instructor?"

"What is it?"

"H-How are the other kids' scores? Are they really high?"

Ever since enrolling at the academy, Shin Na-yul had developed a habit: comparing her own grades against everyone else's. That habit sent her self-esteem plummeting like a magpie with clipped wings.

Cheon Hae-beom answered casually, though his true feelings ran otherwise.

"Yes. Extremely high."

"Ah…"

Head bowed, Shin Na-yul shuffled awkwardly onto the measuring platform. After surveying the various testing machines and facilities, she threw herself into the assessments with everything she had.

The mechanical voice that issued from the device, however, seemed to mock her effort.

"…What did that tin can just say."

She wanted to punch it, but she couldn't afford the damages. Crestfallen, Shin Na-yul trudged on. When she'd finally finished every test, she stood before Cheon Hae-beom, breathing hard. He scribbled in the record book as he recited the results.

"Number Four, Shin Na-yul. Strength: F. Agility: E. Mana: C."

High for an F-Class Awakened — but relatively speaking, unremarkable. The kind of scores other cadets would dismiss without a second thought.

And yet.

"Remarkable."

"……Excuse me?"

Shin Na-yul doubted her eyes and ears. She blinked up at Cheon Hae-beom.

"What did you just say?"

For some reason, the instructor's expression was thoroughly pleased — as if he were looking at someone truly impressive. Then Cheon Hae-beom spoke again.

"Number One, Im Na-eun."

"Number Two, Kwon Min-soo."

I called the cadets in order and began the measurements. Up to this point, they were nameless extras — not worth my attention.

The next cadet, however, was different.

"Number Four, Shin Na-yul."

Shin Na-yul, who'd left a spectacular first impression. One of the main heroines — though right now, she was nothing more than a mediocre cadet.

She starts growing rapidly from the second semester, doesn't she?

No connections. Negligible ability. But the talent buried inside her was anything but negligible. She simply didn't know it was there, and so she couldn't draw it out — yet the fact remained that she ranked among the strong. In short, an unmined gemstone. And someday, the protagonist Cha Hyun-woo would be the one to unearth it.

"Number Four, Shin Na-yul."

Why wasn't she answering? I scanned the area, searching for her, and eventually spotted Shin Na-yul with her head down, poking at the ground with her finger.

"Number Four, Shin Na-yul!"

This time I raised my voice so she'd hear me clearly. She startled like a puppy whose chew toy had just been snatched away.

"Y-Yes?"

Apparently convinced I was angry, she flinched and shrank into herself. I spoke without ceremony.

"Why so startled? It's your turn."

Shin Na-yul hurried over. Then her mouth fell open.

"Whoa….. He's so handsome…"

She marveled with pure, unfiltered honesty. The admiration was so intense it made me uncomfortable, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠so I cut her off.

"Shin Na-yul."

"Yes!"

"What is your primary weapon?"

"A claymore."

"Since this isn't live combat, today we'll measure Strength and…"

A few more exchanges, and the stat measurements began. First up: Strength.

"…What did that tin can just say."

Shin Na-yul glared at the machine with pure resentment. I swallowed a laugh and politely turned my head. Once Strength was done, she moved on to the next stage. The remaining results came quickly.

"Number Four, Shin Na-yul. Strength: F. Agility: E. Mana: C."

Numbers that looked rather disappointing next to the other cadets'. Shin Na-yul hung her head, clearly deflated.

My assessment, however, was different.

"Remarkable."

"……Excuse me?"

Not empty flattery — I meant every word. As expected of an uncut gem: her growth potential was boundless.

"As a swordsman, the balance of your stats is exceptionally well-tuned. Your mana utilization and control are so refined I can scarcely believe you're an F-Class Awakened — they would not look out of place on a professional hero."

"Uh…"

Shin Na-yul just kept blinking, as if the whole situation were too absurd to process. I pressed on.

"And your mana is already C-Class even without an attribute manifestation… If it does awaken, you could well push into B-Class territory."

High stats meant nothing if they were poorly balanced — they'd only eat away at you. In that regard, Shin Na-yul's stats were flawless. Agility supported Strength; Mana supported Agility. And of all stats, Mana was by far the most critical.

"I… don't really understand what you're saying…"

Ordinarily, without an attribute manifestation, mana hovered between D and F-Class. Shin Na-yul was sitting at C-Class. Even with her other stats lagging, that mana more than compensated — and this was before her attribute had even awakened. In pure potential, she outstripped even Na Eun-sol. Numerically low-ranked, yes — but dig deeper, and her stats averaged out to a solid C-Class.

"Even within the same rank, there are tiers. Yours, Shin Na-yul, stand at the absolute peak of them."

"F-For real?"

"Would this instructor invent empty words? These are not hollow reassurances — they are inferences grounded in fact. Cadet Shin Na-yul. You possess extraordinary potential."

"But I'm dead last in practicals…. If I'm that good, then what about everyone else…"

At this stage of the story, Shin Na-yul was drowning in defeatism. She would never trust my words — not even on her deathbed. But I was her instructor now. Whether she found the confidence to grow rested entirely in my hands.

"Do not ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠doubt."

"Pardon?"

"If you cannot believe in yourself, then believe in this instructor's judgment."

"U-Uh…"

Judging by stats alone, she was every bit the promising prospect I'd described. Of course, my evaluation hadn't come from any deep expertise — I'd simply pulled the novel's descriptions straight from memory.

"That said, do not grow complacent. These are the most basic of stats — a mere fraction of the whole. And if any single stat becomes too lopsided, that too becomes a problem."

She wasn't perfect. Her mana — the hardest stat to train — was already high, true. But the others, Agility and Strength, sat far too low. Fortunately, those were the opposite of mana: easy to train, quick to grow.

"Fit physical conditioning into your routine, and keep your mana clear through disciplined breathing techniques. Understood?"

I offered the advice and looked at her — only to find her staring back with eyes swimming in emotion.

"Answer me."

When I simply held her gaze, Shin Na-yul finally realized her lapse. Voice thick, she bowed deeply at the waist.

"I-I'll keep it in mind!"

The endearing display drew a smile from me unbidden.

"Good."

Shin Na-yul's expression brightened visibly. Watching that face, I felt a quiet warmth settle in my chest. After a brief pause, I continued.

"You are already doing well enough. Have confidence. If you continue to strive as you are, you will become a fine hero."

"……!"

She reacted as if she'd never been praised in her life. Overwhelmed, Shin Na-yul cried out at the top of her lungs.

"Yes! Thank you!"

"You may go."

My gentle smile was met with a beaming grin of her own. Then she trotted back to her place with quick little steps. Even alone, she looked happier than anyone else in the gymnasium.

"Number Five, Kim Myeong-seong."

The measurements rolled on without pause. Number Eleven… Thirteen… Fifteen. One by one they finished, and at last the moment everyone had been waiting for arrived.

"Number Sixteen, Na Eun-sol."

Cadets mid-conversation and cadets mid-training alike stopped what they were doing. Every pair of eyes in the room locked onto Na Eun-sol.

"Oh. It's Na Eun-sol."

"She's been on a tear lately — think she might actually surpass Cha Hyun-woo?"

"Obviously. Eun-sol's got this in the bag."

"This is why I can't stand talent monsters."

Envy. Admiration. Jealousy. A tangle of emotions filled the air. Na Eun-sol walked forward with perfect composure, unfazed by the weight of so many stares. That stride carried her trademark self-assurance.

It didn't last long.

Ugh…

The closer she drew to me, the more her shoulders sagged. By the time she stood face-to-face with me, an unmistakable tension ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠clung to her.

I ignored it and delivered the standard line.

"This is practice. Relax."

"I-I'm not nervous."

Not nervous, my foot. She'd stammered on the very first word — a lie so transparent it barely deserved the name.

"Very well. Settle your mind and body."

"I said I'm not!"

Yikes. She snapped that last one with real heat. Leave things like this and she'd start grumbling again. Dreading both her scolding and the hassle, I quickly changed the subject.

"What is your primary weapon?"

"A magic wand."

"What?"

Had I heard that right? A magic wand was a mage's weapon, no question — so why was Na Eun-sol using one?