Chapter 7
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: Sichuan Tang Clan (3)
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After finishing our meal, we headed straight for the 4th Training Ground.
"No one's here."
As expected, the 4th Training Ground was empty, with only the morning dew to greet us.
After my usual stretching, I was about to go for a light run when a short blade stuck in the weapons rack suddenly caught my eye.
"Let's see..."
I gripped the short blade with a hint of anticipation. The Sichuan Tang Clan was a school that used various hidden weapons; I thought there might be some kind of change.
"Hmm. Nothing special, I guess."
Just as I was about to throw the blade at a tree at the far end of the training ground like I always did, something strange appeared before my eyes.
"What... what is this?"
In FPS (First Person Shooter) gamessimply put, first-person shooting gamesthere's a cross-shaped or dot-shaped mark in the center of the screen. Right now, that crosshair was visible in my line of sight.
"Have I finally lost my mind?"
I aimed the crosshair at the tree I had been targeting and prepared to throw the blade. After controlling my breath in a way any military veteran would know, I threw the dagger at the tree.
Whoosh
Thwack!
The short blade flew, spinning fiercely, and embedded itself halfway into the thick tree.
"Gasp!"
"Gasp!"
It wasn't just me; even Arin seemed surprised, letting out a gasp from behind me. When I glanced back at her, she had failed to compose her expression and was staring at the tree where the blade was stuck.
"Gr-Grand Prince, how did you just do that?"
I thought it was the first time I had ever seen such a shocked expression on Arin's face.
She had watched me throw daggers and short blades every day, but she had never once seen one stick. So for her to see one not just stick, but drive halfway in, it was only natural for her to be surprised.
"I don't know, I just threw it. I guess my month of training is finally paying off."
I couldn't tell her about my Traits, so I just fudged an answer.
I hadn't learned anything from the Sichuan Tang Clan - Hidden Weapons category; the clan trait had simply appeared, and yet it made this much of a difference. As expected, in my novel, Traits were king.
The moment I threw the blade, a surge of hot internal energy welled up from my lower abdomen and flowed into my arm and the blade. It seemed the Sichuan Tang Clan Trait had allowed me to use internal energy naturally.
This time, I picked up a dagger. Just like before, there was no difference when I held it, but as soon as I thought about throwing it, a small crosshair appeared in the center of my vision.
Whoosh!
Thwack!
The dagger, like the short blade, embedded itself in the tree.
"Gasp!"
A second time in a row. I heard Arin's groan, now certain it wasn't a coincidence. She had become more expressive lately, but hearing her make a sound of such astonishment was quite refreshing.
Truthfully, showing me a crosshair from a shooting game was no different from giving me a cheat code.
It's embarrassing to say myself, but in the past, I was the runner-up in a Yeongdeungpo-gu PC bang tournament for a shooting game called Power Attack.
There were over 40 participating teams, but I proudly took second place and got to use the PC bang for free for a while.
"What on earth happened?"
"Arin."
"Yes..."
"Do you feel anything from me?"
"Feel anything?"
She approached me and looked me up and down. But, unable to find anything, she just tilted her head.
"Other than the fact that you've lost a lot of weight since yesterday, I'm not sure."
"I've lost a lot of weight?"
"Yes. You've always been losing weight every day since you train so excessively and only eat Chirein soup, but today you look quite different."
"Is that so."
Arin's reaction confirmed it. I hadn't created a setting for internal energy in my novel. Because the concept itself didn't exist, even someone as perceptive as Arin couldn't detect it.
In other words, in this world, internal energy was a secret weapon that only I possessed. I could exploit the fact that others couldn't sense my internal energy in countless ways.
"I've really obtained something incredible."
I continued to stick daggers and short blades into the tree. Befitting the runner-up of a gaming cafe tournament, every hidden weapon landed exactly where I wanted it.
On top of that, as I got a better feel for handling my internal energy, the weapons that had initially only gone in halfway were now embedding themselves all the way to the hilt.
"What in the world!"
Arin was now past the point of surprise and was getting angry at the incomprehensible phenomenon. She tried throwing a dagger herself, but it either hit the wrong spot or failed to stick at all.
"So there is something you can't do."
"Ugh!"
I wasn't sure if it was because we'd spent so much time together or because of her favorability, but the recently more expressive Arin was fun to watch.
Thud!
Just as I was about to feel a sense of pride at the sight of the dagger I threw embedding itself up to the hilt, a new message appeared before my eyes.
Sichuan Tang Clan - Hidden Weapons () category unlocked.
Direct Shot has been unlocked.
Direct Shot: Allows you to throw hidden weapons faster and stronger. This applies not only to hidden weapons but to all objects, including stones, wood fragments, and iron swords, which can be thrown like hidden weapons.
"Wow!"
Direct Shot, the skill at the very top of the Hidden Weapons category, had been unlocked. It was a technique that allowed me to throw hidden weapons faster and with more power.
Since there were no more sharp daggers or short blades here, I grabbed a broken wooden sword that was lying in a corner.
"It said anything would work, so this should too, right?"
I threw the wooden sword while thinking of using Direct Shot. At the same time, I felt a much larger amount of internal energy than before drain from my dantian.
Whoooosh
CRACK!
The wooden sword I threw flew in a straight line and embedded itself in a tree so thick I could barely wrap my arms around it. Even if it had an iron core, it was absurd for a wooden sword to get stuck in a tree.
"So this is Direct Shot."
Hm?
Feeling an intense gaze from behind, I turned around. Arin was staring at me, her face flushed. Her burning eyes demanded an explanation.
"Grand Prince! What in the world is going on? That power is..."
"I-I'm not sure... the power of practice, maybe..?"
"Don't be ridiculous!"
How was I supposed to explain the Sichuan Tang Clan to her? I had no choice but to feign ignorance.
Perhaps later, when we truly trusted each other, but for now, all I could do was deflect.
"Arin."
"Yes..."
"I know you report my activities to my father. But please, don't tell him about this."
I looked Arin straight in the eyes and spoke in a serious tone.
"What? But..."
"I'm in the middle of testing various things right now. I'll go see my father myself and explain everything properly later, so please wait."
"Ah..."
Arin looked at me with confusion in her eyes. I met her gaze with an unwavering one of my own.
"I understand."
After a moment of collecting her thoughts, Arin gave me a firm answer. It seemed she agreed to my request thanks to the favorability I had built up over the past month.
"Thank you."
My reason for asking this of her was simple. This was a place where they poisoned you just for exercising a little. If they found out I had some mysterious power, assassins might come for me.
The attainment rate of the Myriad Poisons Magnetic Divine Qi was rising quickly, so I should be able to enter this castle soon.
By then, it wouldn't matter if my abilities were revealed. I'd be able to handle most things that came my way.
"Now, shall we start again?"
I continued to practice using Direct Shot to raise its proficiency.
Thwack!
Thwack!
"Hah, hah."
Having used up all my internal energy, the hidden weapons wouldn't even fly straight anymore. As my dantian emptied, my head grew increasingly numb.
Using too much internal energy causes a severe headache. It seemed I would need to manage my internal energy unless it was a dangerous situation.
"Grand Prince. The sun has completely set. Let's stop for today and head back."
"Alright."
I didn't even have the strength to speak.
I had been so focused on training that I'd lost track of time. The sun had long since disappeared, and a half-moon now hung at the center of the world.
"Let's go back."
"Yes."
I felt like I would throw up if I moved too quickly, so I asked Arin to walk slowly as we returned to the mansion.
"Hm?"
"What is it?"
I had just felt a tingling sensation on my neck.
Poison and now surveillance. Did it start yesterday? I don't have much time.
When I arrived in my room, the food I ate was, again, Chirein soup with Hanyangcho in it.
You have consumed poison (Hanyangcho).
Myriad Poisons Magnetic Divine Qi is absorbing the poison (Hanyangcho).
The attainment rate of Myriad Poisons Magnetic Divine Qi has increased.
Proficiency in Weak Paralysis Poison has increased.
Every time I ate the poison, the attainment of the Myriad Poisons Magnetic Divine Qi increased, so this anonymous poison was a great help to me.
It can't be easy to acquire poison, and they even cook it deliciously for me. I don't know who it is, but I'm truly grateful. I'll be sure to repay you.
"I will take my leave now."
"Alright. Get some rest."
After sending Arin away, I opened the door, stepped outside, and looked down at the floor below. Even at this late hour, the servants were bustling about, finishing up their day.
"Well then, shall we have a look?"
Creator's Eye is activating.
I activated Creator's Eye and examined the servants one by one. I wasn't looking at their favorability, but their Traits.
"Most of them don't have any special Traits."
Since these were servants whose names didn't even appear in the novel, I didn't see anyone with particularly special Traits. Occasionally, I saw a few who were wasted as servants, but the person I was looking for didn't appear.
I saw Traits that would have led to success if they had learned magic, and Traits that would have made a name for them as scholars, but their job was to be a servant.
Just like in the real world, this world within a novel was filled with people who lived their lives without even knowing what their talents were. A treasure they could grasp if they just looked a little differently was right there, but due to their own will or the will of others, most never reached for it. What a waste.
Though I'm not one to talk.
As I continued to search for the servants with these bitter thoughts, the one I was looking for didn't show up.
From my current position, I could see the rear entrance of the mansion. Servants weren't allowed to use the main entrance alone, so they had to go through the back to get to the servants' quarters.
One thing I noticed while watching the servants was that their favorability towards me had changed quite a bit.
The favorability that used to be filled with nothing but disgust had risen considerably. They were all still in the negatives, but it was a significant change.
Seeing their favorability rise even though I hadn't done anything for them besides leaving them alone made me realize just how wicked the previous Yuren must have been.
"Hmm..."
As I propped my chin on the railing, searching for the servants, one I hadn't seen before caught my eye.
I used Creator's Eye on the new, dazed-looking servant.
I had been leaning on the railing, using Creator's Eye for an hour, and just as a frown started to form between my brows, I finally found him.
"Finally found you."