Tactical Gifts and Steady Progress

It was all over in a splatter. The barg's guts sprayed across the floor.

"Uh... huh?" Edmon blinked in confusion.

He'd lost sight of me for just a moment as I suddenly lunged forward. In that split second, the three bargs that had tried to block my path were torn to shreds.

"What the hell did I just see?" It was borderline miraculous for such a short knife.

"The bargs... they're running away." Bina scanned our surroundings. All those presences were starting to flee.

The intimidation tactic had worked brilliantly, but neither Bina nor Edmon had imagined I'd pull it off single-handedly.

Thud.

I collapsed right there. "Ahaha..." I laughed awkwardly, pointing at my legs with trembling hands that shook like leaves. "Anyone wanna give me a piggyback?"

My legs wouldn't move an inch from the sudden mana drain and the extreme tension.

"Uh... yeah, hop on my back." I ended up riding on Bina's back.

On the way back to the training camp, a slightly awkward vibe hung in the air.

The next day.

"Today it's Imperial swordsmanship. Those who lack the basics, drill them relentlessly. Those who've already forged their own forms, deepen them further."

We swung our wooden swords at the human-shaped dummies in time with Instructor Blackrose's voice.

"You'll be operating in enemy territory at all times, so you must become all-rounders. For agents, this isn't a nice-to-have—it's a must."

Thwack!

We all swung our wooden swords. Even among the trainees, the skilled swordsmen stood out with their solid stances. Airi and Elvin were prime examples—they drew the eye like magnets.

The more they swung, the more their aura poured out.

Me too—I wanna be like that!

"Hiyah!"

Clink.

Of course, I was hopelessly clumsy. First off, it was too heavy. I could swing a knife no problem, but a wooden sword? I felt like it was swinging me.

"Ei!"

Yeah, even I could tell it looked like a kid flailing a toy.

Sometimes, a prickling gaze stabbed the side of my head. The culprit? Bina.

"Hmm~"

She eyed me suspiciously.

And it wasn't just Bina—even Edmon from the scouting mission kept shooting me similar glances. He'd push up his glasses and sneak peeks at my form.

Like there's anything worth learning from me.

It's not like I want to suck...

I wished it was all an act. I wanted to be cool like Airi or Elvin, unleashing flashy techniques with overwhelming presence up front. Maybe then I'd feel a little less scared.

Without my knife, I felt pathetically small.

If only I could spot the difference between my swings and theirs...

It wasn't obvious on the surface. Raise the arm, bring it down. What more was there to see?

Then a brilliant idea flashed through my mind.

Right—Transvision!

During the scouting mission, I'd unlocked it after taking down those three barg ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wolf-monsters at once. If I couldn't see it on the outside, maybe peering inside would work? It was simplistic, but worth a shot. I fixed my gaze on Airi.

Shhh.

The world turned grayscale, everything slowing to a crawl. My focus sharpened on her, revealing exactly what I wanted to see, crystal clear.

Not red lines this time. I wanted her movement. How her arms positioned, her legs braced. Every tiny muscle twitch.

Airi's training uniform turned transparent. I ignored the glimpse of her pure white underwear and concentrated. Then, beneath her flawless skin, her muscles came into view.

Gripping the wooden sword, raising it overhead—her entire body tensed like stretched rubber bands.

Whoa...

Such a simple motion, but her muscles moved in perfect unison, like a symphony. Not just her arms. Her core abs and back were sleek steel, flexible yet unyielding, while her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠thighs and legs perfectly supported the power surging from her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠upper body.

Bam!

Airi brought the sword down. I'd captured the whole sequence.

So that's how human muscles work.

Zing!

"Eek?!"

My head throbbed like it might split. Transvision released, colors flooded back.

"Hoo... hoo..."

Exhaustion hit hard. I'd burned through a ton of mana just now.

"Whoa... gotta use this carefully."

I nearly blacked out. Entering the grayscale world spiked my focus, and layering Transvision on top maxed out visual input—mana drain plus massive brain fatigue.

"Ppikak, you barely moved and you're already like this?"

Instructor Blackrose stopped in front of me as she passed.

"S-Sorry!"

I jolted upright, snapping into position.

She crossed her arms, looming. Looked like she planned to watch and judge before moving on.

Ugh... can't you just keep walking...?

I hated showing my newbie side. She'd surely yell if I looked this sloppy.

"Suuup, whoo..."

Steadying my breath, I mimicked what I'd just seen. Airi's form burned into my memory—I could replay it like video with my eyes closed.

Stance width like this.

Grip the sword lightly.

Back straight.

Arms up slow.

I opened my eyes slowly, locked on the dummy.

Diagonal, collarbone.

Stepping forward, I swung down.

Tuck the elbow!

Crack!

A clear strike echoed through the training grounds.

"Oh... oho...?"

That was different. Even I could tell. The sword hadn't controlled me. I'd stared down the exact impact point, every joint and muscle moving as one.

I glanced at the instructor.

"Hmph."

Blackrose shrugged and walked off without a word.

Feeling smug, I reset before the sensation faded. I repeated the form nonstop until class ended.

The more I adapted to camp life, the faster time flew. Stamina drills were still a bust most days, but I started closing the gap on my peers' times.

Maybe because of that, the distrustful looks from the others softened a bit.

And instead of blindly grinding my body, I began leveraging my Heavenly Killing Star gifts.

First: Transvision. In the grayscale world, I absorbed surroundings like a sponge. Dumping it all into visuals made copying others' moves a breeze.

Second: Death's Scent. Realizing scents had colors led to some deep pondering. Turns out, it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠signaled hostility and killing intent.

That blond punk I'd bumped into? Blue scent every time—hostility. The red from the monsters during scouting? Probably killing intent.

The stronger the scent, the more it clung to attack spots—perfect for prediction.

I worked hard to build at least basic combat chops this way.

"Bina! Teach me some hand-to-hand!"

Bonus: Bugging my friends during free time.

"Airi, can I watch your swordplay?! Pretty please!"

They were all nice enough to oblige.

"Elvin, you too... ah, he's running."

Elvin bolted the second our eyes met lately—no chance to chat.

"Edmon, I don't get this."

For theory, I hit up Edmon. Model student lived up to the hype.

And just like that, weeks 4 and 5 blurred by in a frenzy. Evaluation day loomed.

"Ppikak."

Instructor Blackrose showed up at our barracks.

"Y-Yes?"

I bit my tongue at the sudden call.

"Someone's here to see you."

"...Pardon?"

Only one person knew I was here. I'd hidden it from family, no other contacts.

Revenge time at last!

Oh, how I'd stewed. Following Blackrose, I plotted my opener.

Yeah, that might land a solid hit.

"Go on in."

At the visitation room, I strode in confidently. There sat Team Leader Edwin, casually smoking.

"Oh. Yufir, long time no see?"

"Raaagh!"

Bam! I kicked off the table in my ultimate strike.

Thud.

"Haha, if you missed me that much, just say so."

My perfect kick? Blocked effortlessly. He gently lowered my leg with a hearty laugh.

"Looks like you're settling in fine. Nice kick."

Twinge.

"Ow...!"

My foot throbbed for nothing. He'd just used his arm like a wall—the shock shot straight up.

"Got a lot to relay, so sit."

"Y-Yes..."

Plan failed; I obeyed meekly.

"What brings you here?"

"Figured you'd be curious about outside news by now."

"Outside news?"

Edwin exhaled smoke and slid over a document.

"Mom's surgery, hospital bills—all covered by Central Intelligence."

"R-Really?!"

"Yup. Told your dad it's from the administrative bureau, so no worries."

Aftercare on point. If massive state aid hit right after I left for the capital, Dad would've fretted over me.

"Phew, what a relief."

"And one of your siblings... ah, right. Seira's getting a scholarship and transferring to the capital academy."

"Wha?! Even that?!"

I gaped at the unexpected boon.

"Ahaha, knew you'd react like that. Turns out her grades are top-notch. Held her own against nobles at a decent southern academy. Big pond, big fish."

He'd pulled strings personally for the academy transfer. Above and beyond our deal.

"Waaah!"

Tears burst out unbidden.

"K-Kicked you and now I'm crying..."

"There there, glad you appreciate the effort."

Edwin nodded, grinning smugly.

"Last thing—for you."

"M-Me...?"

"Seeing you stick with that folding knife tugs at the heartstrings. Prison junk to begin with."

His tone casual, eyes flicking to the door.

"So I brought a gift weapon..."

Pausing, he lowered his voice.

"You still fixated on knives, huh? Gift restriction?"

My shoulders twitched. I nodded instead of answering.

Whatever my Gift was, maybe the form wasn't so different from others.

"Hmm, got it."

Otherwise, how'd he grasp my abilities so well?

"Prepared two options just in case. This one's perfect."

He set a black rectangular box on the table, tied with an oddly mismatched ribbon—his attempt at wrapping, probably.

"Wanna open it?"

I swallowed hard and lifted the lid. Inside: a bladeless dagger hilt.

[ATMT]

Engraved on the handle. It fit my palm perfectly.

"Oh..."

Worlds apart from my old knife. Every curve screamed user-focused design.

And a button near the top.

"N-No way!"

I pressed it.

Shink!

A silver blade shot out—mirror-clear.

Press again.

Snick!

It retracted smoothly.

"T-Tactical...!!"

This romance-packed knife had me shivering in awe.

"Amazing! Totally amazing!"

"Heh heh!"

Edwin rubbed his nose proudly.

"Begged... er, worked hard for it. Use it well."

"Yes sir!"

"Whew, think that's everything."

"Leaving already?"

"Yup."

As Edwin shuffled out, I shot up and bowed deeply.

"Th-Thank you. For all this... really, thank you."

He turned, waved casually.

"Yeah. Next time, as a full agent."