Chapter 72
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 72
Chapter Title: Suspicion
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Two days later, on Monday.
My body hadn't fully recovered to 100% condition, but with the thought of at least loosening up, I headed to the Mana Training Room.
That's when I ran into a very unexpected person.
"…Huh? Kim Do-yoon? What are you doing here?"
Kim Do-yoon.
The protagonist of this world and the academy's greatest genius, excluding Wol Ha-yeon, who possesses the one-of-a-kind unique trait Versatile.
'Running into him here… that's a bit surprising.'
It had already been two months since I enrolled in the academy.
Meaning two months had passed since I started heading straight to the Mana Training Room every morning right after waking up.
Yet until now, I hadn't once encountered Kim Do-yoon in the training hall.
The reason was surprisingly simple.
Kim Do-yoon, whom the players don't directly control, seemed to have a somewhat lazy disposition? Or rather, after classes ended, he skipped hanging out with friends and devoted himself entirely to training.
The complete opposite of me.
Of course, I had my own reasons for training early in the morning and leaving my afternoons completely free.
I had extra magic training with Sophia in the afternoons, and sometimes I had to help with Amelia's tasting evaluations or whatever they were.
'But thinking about it, we were supposed to be complete opposites.'
It was kind of funny, but I, bound by the Vow of Purity and forced to avoid the opposite sex however possible, kept running into them constantly.
Meanwhile, Kim Do-yoon, who could topple any woman he wanted with a mere whim, inexplicably spent his entire afternoons alone on training and self-improvement.
Anyway… after I spoke first, Kim Do-yoon paused for a moment and looked my way.
His characteristic eyes, devoid of excessive emotion.
"…Ah. Was that a weird question? You here to train too?"
"Yeah, something like that. Figured I'd loosen up a bit."
Kim Do-yoon slowly nodded.
"By the way, I heard you were hospitalized. They say you cleared a Descent-type Gate? Impressive."
"Ah… yeah, word spreads fast. Ran into one by chance and cleared it. Didn't die, so whatever."
"Rumor has it you were dancing on death's doorstep."
"…That's true."
Do-yoon nodded just once, very slightly.
No further worry, no comfort, no emotional reaction.
This guy wasn't lacking empathy; he just didn't show more emotion than necessary.
I'd figured that out for sure over the past two months of observation.
No matter how much the player characters seemed possessed by sweet guys, always replying kindly and gently, Kim Do-yoon's true nature was similar to Yoon Seo-rin's.
Actually, even more blunt and mechanical? He was normal when dealing with people, but his default state was like this.
I awkwardly stared back at Kim Do-yoon, who was still blankly gazing at my face, then opened my mouth.
"…But it's rare to see you here this early in the morning? I don't remember ever seeing you in the training room."
"Yeah. I usually come after classes."
"So why so early today?"
"Just felt like training from early morning today."
His speech was so straightforward.
"Hmm… fair enough. Wanna go together then? The training room's big… Ah, but Yoon Seo-rin's there. That okay?"
"If you're fine with it."
"Okay, let's go."
And just like that, I ended up heading to the Mana Training Room with Kim Do-yoon.
Only our footsteps echoed; no further conversation followed.
This silence felt natural for him, not awkward.
As we opened the door and entered, Yoon Seo-rin, who had arrived first as always, spotted me and flashed a bright smile… or so it seemed.
Upon seeing Kim Do-yoon beside me, she quickly switched to a blank expression and asked,
"You're here… Who's that with you?"
"Oh, Do-yoon, you know him? Ran into him by chance, so I brought him along to train together. Cool with that?"
I said lightly with a smile.
Kim Do-yoon nodded similarly, without unnecessary emotion.
"Hey. First time seeing you outside class, right, Seo-rin?"
"…Yeah. Nice to see you."
Were their personalities just similar? The atmosphere didn't turn weird, but it felt like zero emotions meeting zero and resulting in zero.
I clapped my hands once to wrap it up.
"Anyway, we can each do our own training. Seo-rin and I'll practice Mana Bullets, so Kim Do-yoon, you just… uh, do your usual thing."
"Got it."
Kim Do-yoon gave a short reply and moved to a corner of the Mana Training Room, while Yoon Seo-rin nodded and came to my side, assuming her ready stance.
I did some light stretching to warm up, and she was already gripping her pistol, entering her unique breathing rhythm and mana circulation phase.
As usual.
Bang-!
After finishing light warm-ups, I formed and fired a Mana Bullet, operating only to the extent of Star Mana control.
About ten minutes passed, repeating the cycle of forming, firing, and reforming Mana Bullets to the point of boredom.
Kim Do-yoon, who had been half-heartedly swinging his sword in the distance, approached and spoke up.
"Watched you the whole time, but your Mana Bullet proficiency is insane. Seems even more precise than before."
"Thanks. You're no slouch yourself."
He held just a single sword, no notable gear.
A plain, basic straight sword without ornamentation.
Even with his half-hearted posture, the movements he showed were completely different.
Swoosh— not just a simple slash, but a flowing cut. Aura rode the blade, then swiftly flowed into the ground with magic.
The rhythm of sword and magic circuits activating simultaneously.
Magic Sword Style.
A unique skill that Kim Do-yoon, possessing the unique trait Versatile, would awaken on his own if he chose the Magic Swordsman class.
Normally, most swordsmen used mana only as aura.
And most mages didn't use swords at all.
But Magic Sword Style was the opposite. Sword and magic connected in a perfect 1:1 ratio naturally.
The question of whether body follows mana or mana follows body vanished.
That flow was something only Kim Do-yoon could produce.
'More than that… like during the sparring evaluation last time.'
I continued practicing Mana Bullets without pause, lost in thought.
'His proficiency speed is too fast.'
By game standards, at this point, Kim Do-yoon should have completed up to the 3rd form of Magic Sword Style.
Even that was only if a veteran like me chose Magic Swordsman; most players didn't even pick the class.
And even if they did, at this 1st-year 1st-semester point, completing 2 forms was the fastest normal pace.
Yet during the previous sparring evaluation—and even against Sophia—he had already handled up to the 2nd form perfectly.
I timed it and subtly approached.
"Do-yoon."
"Yeah."
"Mind if I ask one thing?"
"Sure."
"That… Magic Sword Style, that's your skill, right? How many forms have you mastered?"
"……."
To my question, he gave no verbal reply—just a single motion.
He lightly raised his sword and brought it down.
Swoosh— mana threads spread in five layers from the blade's tip.
And nonchalantly, he said,
"5th form."
"……."
His completely unexpected answer nearly made me spit out a curse.
5th form.
At this point? After just two months?
No matter how cheat-like Versatile was, this didn't make sense.
Even a veteran like me hadn't mastered beyond 3 forms for a simple reason.
From the 4th form, special hidden pieces, skills, and support items were required.
Those hidden pieces could be obtained, but at this point, they were overwhelmingly stronger than Kim Do-yoon's specs—even I couldn't challenge them easily.
That's why I always stopped at 3 forms… and now he'd already reached 5?
What did this mean?
Amid the confusion, one high-probability hypothesis surfaced.
My heart beat slowly.
'…This guy.'
I narrowed my eyes.
'Could he be… like me?'
A possessor. Or a regressor. Or a player. Someone who knows this world is a game.
In over ten years, I'd never encountered another veteran player who'd played longer than me, but that didn't mean they didn't exist.
Not everyone shared strategies or hung out in communities.
No, thinking about it, that actually made it more likely.
Kim Do-yoon might already be possessed by another player, explaining my possession into the extra character Kang Hyun-sol.
But several facts contradicted that.
First, the system, shop, main story, and quests UI appeared to me.
If Kim Do-yoon was already a possessed player, it shouldn't have appeared to me, or at least it should have for him too.
Yet he hadn't intervened in the main story even once.
He appeared during main story events, but unlike me, he never vied for 1st place or hunted demons.
Second, the heroine issue.
I'd been called a freak player, barely interested in 19+ stuff, always focusing on main story clears, so not approaching heroines actively wasn't weird.
But if Kim Do-yoon was a possessor, shouldn't he show at least some sign of approaching one? Ho favors weren't just for 19+ gods; building relationships yielded items and rewards.
Yet as far as I remembered, he'd shown no such signs.
Finally, third: my existence.
If he was a veteran possessor mastering 5 forms now, shouldn't he suspect or eliminate me, a character whose name didn't even appear in the game? Or at least approach?
Even if not, some awkward movements should have been visible.
Yet not only did he not try to kill or suspect me, he boldly showed me the 5th form.
"……."
I must have been lost in thought blankly for a while.
Kim Do-yoon, sheathing his sword, spoke first.
"You okay?"
"Huh? Ah… yeah. Got lost in thought for a sec."
"Spacing out during training is dangerous."
Just that one line. Pure fact, no scolding, no comfort.
"Uh… yeah, got it. I'll keep that in mind."
He nodded ever so slightly, then raised his sword again.
Slash up—down—flow shift. The five layers became familiar to the eye.
5th form. It was real.
"…That's enough for today."
A few minutes later, Do-yoon sheathed his sword first.
"Already done?"
"Plenty. I just came to loosen up and ran into you."
"…Yeah. Good work."
"You two too."
As he turned and gave a short farewell, my mind was still buzzing.
The possessor hypothesis arose, only for refutations to follow immediately.
The conclusion was simple.
I don't know right now.
And no need to figure it out now.
Just devising a way to safely handle the upcoming guild experience episode was headache enough.
This could wait.
"Hyun-sol."
Yoon Seo-rin quietly called from beside me.
"Your focus is off."
"…Sorry. Let's go again."
I raised my hand and steadied my breathing.
Star Mana resonated with my will, taking form as a Mana Bullet amid tiny starlight.
Bang—bang—bang—!
Thanks to the accumulated resilience from this time, the Mana Bullets flowed smoothly without overheating.
No crumbling even with recoil.
Seo-rin's gaze briefly brushed my profile.
"Better. Less shake than before. Did you drink something good from Student Council President Yoo Ji-an again?"
"Nah… just had some good luck."
Short praise, short reply.
Few words, but for some reason, our movements synced perfectly.
"Done."
Warmth faded from the barrel, sensation returning to my fingertips.
Seo-rin handed me a small towel.
"Water."
"Thanks."
Taking a sip, I nailed the conclusion into my mind once more.
Kim Do-yoon matter: on hold.
Observe until confirmed with my own eyes.
What I needed to do right now was one thing.
Prepare for the coming field-type gate, multi-gate, and worst-case scenarios.
I gripped Eun-wol's hilt again.
"Gotta go harder tomorrow."
As I spoke, Seo-rin nodded very slightly.
"Yeah."
And so, like nothing had happened, we turned off the training room lights and walked out.