Chapter 89: Little by Little (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 89: Little by Little (5)
Standing at 180cm, she was quite tall for a woman.
Beneath long eyelashes, her bright blue eyes sparkled.
A large, high-bridged nose and full… no, thick lips.
Her eyes, nose, and lips were all strikingly pretty and large, yet her face was incredibly small.
So much so that I wondered how they all managed to fit.
“Did you understand me?”
I could see the force in her large eyes. It seemed she was deliberately widening them to intimidate me.
Otherwise, she wouldn't be biting her lip slightly, nor would her pupils be trembling.
The strong expression she was forcing felt pathetic to me.
A foreigner who had come to this distant, foreign land to earn money, to succeed.
How much ridicule must have been heaped upon her? And how many dark hands must have reached for her pretty face?
That expression was more of a defense mechanism.
A way to protect herself from all the threats that sought to control her.
Like a pufferfish inflating its body to intimidate an opponent, she was forcing an imposing aura so others wouldn't look down on her.
“Did you leave your manners in America? When someone speaks, you answer.”
“……”
Before anything else, I needed to diffuse this tense atmosphere.
A clumsy apology would only be poison to someone so wary.
In situations like this, offering a sincere, even if slightly over-the-top, apology would be the best way to salvage our tangled first meeting.
“I’m sorry. You were just so good at your workout that I was watching. I had no ulterior motives.”
At my polite apology, delivered with a bow of my head, her imposing air softened considerably.
“Hmph…! I’ll let it slide, just this once.”
No, it was more than just softened. A pleased snort escaped her, and the corners of her mouth crept upward.
It seemed the compliment I’d offered along with the apology had pleased her.
Since I’d managed to steer the conversation away from hostility, I figured I might as well introduce myself.
“Since we’re here, shall we introduce ourselves?”
“In… troduce?”
Elena frowned.
Was the phrase ‘introduce ourselves’ too difficult for her?
“Uh… self-introduction.”
“Ah! My name is Elena Mikhailova Dobreva. Please, feel free to call me Elena.”
It was a stiff, polite self-introduction, as if memorized straight from a conversation textbook.
The stark contrast with her earlier intimidating attitude almost made me laugh.
“I’m Kim Do-jin.”
Hearing my name, a strange light entered her eyes.
“Do-jin Kim…? You, I know.”
Her wording was a bit strange.
Was she saying I knew her, or that she knew me?
Judging by her pleased expression, it seemed to be the latter.
“You, many rumors. A great wizard.”
“Haha, is that so?”
I was vaguely aware. It wasn't just one or two people who would whisper when they saw me passing by.
“Mm…! I felt it. This meeting is destiny!”
“Huh…?”
While I was flustered by her sudden outburst, she reached out and grabbed my hand.
“Do-jin, I know. Your party, still needs people.”
How did she know that?
Perhaps she’d been diligently gathering information on her own.
After all, she had a desperate need to earn money.
And more important than earning money right now was graduating from Korea University with high marks.
That was the only way she’d get scouting offers from good guilds.
I wouldn't be surprised if her head was filled with information about parties formed by skilled students.
“Do-jin’s party, Offence Power is excellent. But loose, the front.”
“Oh…”
By ‘the front,’ she must mean the front line…?
She even knows our party’s strengths and weaknesses. She’s more impressive than I thought.
Having shown off with her accurate analysis, she placed a hand on her chest and declared confidently.
“I can be. The Core Piece of Do-jin’s party!”
So… in other words, she was saying she could compensate for our party’s weak front line.
A burning desire shone in her eyes.
As if determined not to let me go, the grip on my hand tightened.
It just showed how desperate her situation was.
“Hmm.”
I knew her grades.
Bottom-tier among the tankers.
Not just bottom-tier, but scraping the very bottom, fiercely competing for last place.
This was due to two fatal flaws.
One was the language barrier.
From what I’d seen, she could handle everyday conversation, but she couldn’t understand difficult words.
Naturally, all classes at Korea University were in Korean.
In other words, she was bombing every written exam.
No matter how famous Korea University was for its practical curriculum, theory wasn't considered unimportant.
In terms of grade weighting, practical skills were 70 percent, and theory was about 30.
But that wasn't the only problem.
If that were all, her grades wouldn't be hitting rock bottom like they were now.
The second reason was… well, as everyone knew, it was because of her Trait.
Just by looking at her physique, you could tell her fundamentals were solid and her base stats were excellent.
However, a Trait was an unfair ability that defied common sense.
This meant that even tankers less skilled than her could perform better by making full use of their Traits.
Worse, wasn't her Trait a minus rather than a plus for her?
She was failing her written exams and struggling to stand out in practicals.
It created a situation where her grades couldn't help but plummet.
“Like you said, Elena, our party is thinking of recruiting another tanker. That much is true, but…”
What should I do?
Looking at her hardware alone, she’s definitely prime material…
First, there was one thing I needed to find out.
“Elena, could you tell me what you think your strengths and weaknesses are?”
“Strengths and weaknesses…”
Elena’s expression clouded over.
I had already figured out her strengths and weaknesses.
The reason I was asking her directly was to see how honest she was.
There are two types of people you should never have in your party.
Selfish people, and people who lie as easily as they breathe.
I wanted to know if she was one of them.
After a moment of thought, she finally spoke.
“My strengths: I am strong and sturdy. I am also fast! And Elena is a brave warrior. I never retreat.”
Truly, born to be a tanker.
“And your weaknesses?”
“Weaknesses, uh…”
Elena bit her lower lip and squeezed her eyes shut.
“Korean, I am clumsy. Difficult words, I do not understand well.”
She’d revealed the relatively minor one first.
“And one more thing… my Trait is a little strange.”
“Strange?”
She nodded heavily.
“I flow damage into the ground. Then it makes a Slow Zone. The enemy becomes slow. But allies also, become slow…”
Well, she’d passed the first personality test.
I wanted to recruit her, but… her Trait still bothered me.
“Elena.”
“Speak.”
“Can you show me that Trait?”
After a moment’s hesitation, Elena nodded and said, “Mm… I will show you. But I need damage.”
Ah, right. She said it was created by channeling the impact she receives.
A few light magic spells should be enough…
“It’s not a good idea to do it here… Let’s go to a training room.”
“Okay.”
We left the physical training room immediately.
“My shield, I will bring. We will see in the training room.”
“Alright.”
Elena left to get her gear, and I went straight to the next section where the training rooms were.
Luckily, a private training room was available, so I rented it right away.
Around then, Elena returned.
On her back was a massive shield that could almost cover her entire body, and sweat was trickling down her forehead.
It looked like she’d run all the way here with it on her back.
“You didn’t have to run.”
In response, she gave me a refreshing smile and a thumbs-up.
“It is okay. I have very strong stamina.”
Even if she had strong stamina, it couldn't have been easy.
I really liked her patient personality.
“Let’s go in, then.”
I stepped into the private training room I’d rented before she arrived.
A facility of about a thousand square feet.
Elena’s eyes widened as she stepped inside.
“A personal training room… this is my first time.”
Private training rooms were only available to top-ranking students and special admission students.
For Elena, who was stuck in the bottom ranks, this would naturally be her first time.
And it was my first time, too.
As I’ve said, I’d lived a very lazy life until now, so while I knew they existed, I’d never actually been in one.
The size wasn't bad, and the walls looked sturdy enough to handle any amount of noise we made.
“Shall we get started?”
“Mm, okay.”
Elena took the shield from her back and planted it in front of her.
“I am ready. You may come anytime.”
Standing with most of her upper and lower body covered by the tower shield, she looked like a wall.
Alright, I’ll just shoot a few light spells.
I manipulated the mana flowing clearly around me, immediately giving it form.
「Fire Ball.」
A ball of fire the size of two adult male fists put together.
“Here I come, then?”
“Come.”
I hurled the fireball toward her as she stared it down with fierce eyes.
The fireball flew at high speed and struck the shield she had planted.
Flames scattered brilliantly.
She blocked the spell without difficulty, not taking a single step back.
“Trait, is coming out.”
With those words, the ground around Elena began to change.
A dark, murky mana flowed at her feet.
It seeped into the ground, staining the floor a dark brown in a one-meter radius.
“With this much damage, this is the limit.”
“Hmm.”
I walked over to her and stepped into the brown-stained slow zone.
My steps immediately slowed.
Each step felt incredibly heavy, as if I were wearing massive shackles.
“This ability is pretty significant…”
The deceleration effect is quite potent.
At this rate, I’d say my speed has been reduced by at least 20 to 30 percent.
Lifting and lowering my heavy feet, I looked at Elena.
“What about you, Elena? Do you slow down in here?”
She shook her head at my question.
“No. I do not slow down.”
“Oh.”
So everyone else slows down, but she doesn't…
I think I understand the problem with this Trait.
“This is good.”
“Eh? Ah… what did you just say?”
I smiled and said to her, “Elena, join my party.”