Chapter 9: Seong Si-woo (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 9: Seong Si-woo (2)
It was a good morning.
So good, in fact, I was at a loss for words.
I’d spent the night thinking it over.
And I’d come to a conclusion: this felt right.
[AM 07:40]
There would be no morning training today. I felt bad for Yu Hana, but I had a very good reason.
Well, it’s not like she came out just to see me. And telling her I wasn’t going felt a little…
I got out of the shower, opened my laptop, and sat down at my desk.
====
[Talent: Renaissance Man]
① Whole Person (全人)
—You possess outstanding talent in ‘all’ fields.
====
When you first encounter the Renaissance Man talent, the vague description is bound to be confusing.
Outstanding talent? What exactly is talent?
To prove it, I began an experiment.
In this world, you can start trading stocks at the age of eighteen.
And I am now nineteen.
[100,000,000 KRW]
This was the prize money the Hero Association had awarded me a year ago for defeating a Monster Wave.
I invested all of it.
Over the past year, I bought and sold repeatedly. Not obsessively, just once in a while, whenever I was bored.
And through that process, I came to realize just how brutal a word ‘talent’ is in this world.
Talent isn’t obvious at first glance.
[91,533,264 KRW]
You might even be slower than others in the beginning.
But slowly…
[142,566,214 KRW]
Slowly…
[295,330,111 KRW]
It begins to reveal its presence.
[356,241,450 KRW]
And then, finally.
[Jung Hae-in’s Current Balance]
[1,245,242,186 KRW]
It inevitably distinguishes itself from the rest, revealing the difference between you and everyone else.
Did I make this money simply because I knew the future?
The main story only began two days ago.
I had no way of knowing what the stock market was like before then, nor did I have any interest.
[Glory Corporation’s stock hits its lower limit day after day amid distrust in its in-house guild, ‘Maengju’….]
Aside from the risk of Kang Yu-sung later being exposed as a pawn of the Mines, Glory is a company that trends perfectly upward until the end of the story.
People use their heads to reduce risk.
So, what happens when you know there is no risk at all?
‘It’s about time I quit.’
I was tired of being glued to a monitor, wrestling with numbers.
[AM 08:00]
The moment the market opened, the stock price plummeted to its lower limit.
Unfazed, I pressed the buy button.
[Order for 8,300 shares of ‘Glory’]
[Y]
My future self would tell me if I made the right choice.
I once said something along these lines:
‘If you don’t have the talent, you should never pick up a sword.’
Last night, even after listening to the Old Man’s recording, I rewatched the video several times myself.
The Old Man was right.
In fact, he was being generous. The kid’s talent for the sword wasn’t just lacking. It was nonexistent.
But his pathetic talent wasn’t the only problem.
‘His personality is utter trash, too.’
Throughout our trek through the forest, he was the source and cause of every single conflict within the team.
So, Seong Si-woo, there’s something I want to say to you.
“Give up the sword.”
He probably won’t listen to me.
He won’t let it go.
“First time with a Great Sword.”
I turned my laptop back on and placed my hands over the search bar.
When I typed in the keyword ‘Great Sword,’ countless videos flooded the results.
I picked a few and played them.
On the screen, the movements of the sword-wielders were both brilliant and precise.
It doesn’t matter if he won’t let go.
I’m not the type to solve things with words, anyway.
So I’ll make him feel it in his bones.
Even if I have to break his wrist to do it.
*
Yu Hana was not in a good mood.
‘He didn’t come….’
It was because Jung Hae-in hadn’t shown up for his morning workout.
But her mood hadn’t soured simply because he wasn’t there.
—Do you come out like this every day?
—As long as my legs are fine.
She remembered what he’d said. He’d definitely said he would come as long as his legs were fine….
‘He’s not hurt, is he?’
If she saw him injured and vulnerable… she might not be able to restrain herself.
In all sorts of ways.
“!”
As she was lost in thought, she heard footsteps in the distance.
Jung Hae-in’s footsteps.
In truth, she could recognize his approach by the sound of his steps alone.
‘Three… two… one….’
Just as she finished her countdown, he appeared.
Yu Hana shot up from her seat and rushed toward him.
“Hae-in!”
He looked slightly surprised by her sudden action.
Yu Hana took a step back and asked cautiously.
“By any chance… today….”
“Ah.”
He grimaced slightly, a look of apology on his face.
“Were you waiting? I’m sorry. I had something I had to do today. I should have told you.”
A smile spread across Yu Hana’s face at his words.
Such kindness, apologizing before she even had a chance to ask. She was overjoyed.
He didn’t seem to be hurt, which was unfortunate… no, fortunate.
“No, it’s okay. I didn’t go today either.”
“Really? That’s a relief.”
Yu Hana fell into step beside him, naturally heading toward his designated seat.
But someone was already there.
“Hello?”
It was Cheon Yeo-wool.
She had taken up a wide space centered around Jung Hae-in’s seat.
Then she subtly guided him to the inner seat, claiming the spot next to him.
‘Look at this bitch….’
Yu Hana clenched her fists, momentarily suppressing her anger.
She had monopolized him for the past few days, and they had a sort of agreement.
“See you later.”
Yu Hana waved a little, bidding him farewell.
Knowing when to back down was also a woman’s virtue.
“Yeah, hurry up and go,” Cheon Yeo-wool replied spitefully.
‘…….’
With superhuman patience, Yu Hana endured the moment.
*
Where are you going, Ms. Yu Hana?
Cheon Yeo-wool was watching me, her chin resting on her hand.
I was definitely more comfortable with Yu Hana than with Cheon Yeo-wool. There was a simple reason for that.
It was because of that bastard glaring at me from the front of the room.
Now that I thought about it, there was something strange about this class.
‘Yu Hana… Cheon Yeo-wool… Yohan… Kang A-rin… Seong Si-woo… no, let’s leave you out of it.’
There were quite a few students ranked in the top ten.
Class assignments were determined by a random lottery system.
You know the kind—the system used in the military to assign positions or units after basic training.
The instructor would demonstrate the process in front of the trainees to prove there was no manipulation or interference.
Naturally, since class assignments used the same system, there was no room for any outside intervention or foul play.
So, this lineup was purely the result of luck.
As I was lost in thought, the classroom door opened.
“Hello, good morning. I am Instructor Do Han-seong.”
It was the instructor who had introduced himself as our homeroom teacher on the first day.
He walked into the classroom, still looking sleepy.
“While I am your homeroom instructor, I have a separate specialty.”
“Spears… swords… let’s call it armed combat training.”
He tapped the blackboard a couple of times, and the auditorium from before materialized once again.
“Today, we will be sparring with weapons of your choice.”
At the entrance of the auditorium were the weapons we had seen before, and beyond them lay a wide, open space.
The murmuring among the students grew louder.
“As for your opponents… yes, for now, please pair up with whomever you’d like. I will randomly match anyone who is left over.”
“You can start right now.”
Today’s class was weapon sparring.
I had already chosen my opponent.
“Hae-in, want to partner up?” Cheon Yeo-wool asked from beside me.
But she wasn’t the opponent I had in mind.
“Sorry, there’s someone else I was planning to fight.”
“…Who?”
I turned my gaze to find my target.
Or rather, I tried to.
Yohan, who had suddenly appeared before me, completely blocked my view.
“Jung Hae-in, was it?” he said, holding out his hand.
“Spar with me.”
It seemed his personal vendetta had already begun.
His flowing energy, his stance—not bad.
As expected of a Hero candidate, he was decent enough. It might be fun…
But unfortunately for you, today’s not your day either.
“I already have someone in mind.”
Yohan didn’t budge at my reply.
His hand remained outstretched before me.
“Hey, he told you to get lost.”
That startled me.
Cheon Yeo-wool was growling beside me.
“I told you, if you pull this shit one more time, I’m filing a restraining order with The Cult.”
Yohan glanced at Cheon Yeo-wool, hesitated for a moment, and then backed away.
But his eyes remained fixed on me until the very end.
‘Okay.’
Looks like I’ll have to deal with him soon, too.
“…So who is it? Yu Hana? Or Kang A-rin?”
“Neither of them.”
I answered after a slight pause.
“Seong Si-woo.”
“Ah….”
A meaningful smile played on her lips at my words.
“Alright, I get it.”
*
Seong Si-woo accepted the sparring match with surprising ease.
In truth, his personality was so infamous that no one else had even tried to ask him.
‘Sigh….’
Si-woo, what are you going to do with your life?
“You think you’ve got a chance?”
He had been trying to pick a fight with me ever since he accepted the match.
I didn’t bother responding, but he didn’t seem to get tired of it.
“Instructor.”
“Yes.”
“Jung Hae-in and Seong Si-woo will be sparring.”
“Yes, yes. Grab your weapons from the back here and wait in Area C.”
He gestured toward the weapons behind him while scribbling on his clipboard.
Walking over to the weapons, I asked Seong Si-woo.
“What do you use?”
I already knew, but I asked again just in case.
“Ha.”
He scoffed and picked up a Great Sword.
Just as I thought.
“What about you?” he asked, thrusting the Great Sword at me.
“Whoa, you can’t do that. This area hasn’t been treated with mana yet, so you could really get hurt.”
Do Han-seong panicked and stopped Seong Si-woo.
“Hmm… I think I’ll use that too.”
I picked up a Great Sword from the opposite rack.
Instructor Do Han-seong tilted his head, looking confused, and asked me, “Student Hae-in, my notes say you use a spear. Did I write that down incorrectly?”
“No, you’re right, I do use a spear. I just wanted to try this out. Will that be a problem, Instructor?”
“Ah, I see. No, it won’t be a problem. The student is responsible for their own choices, after all.”
After replying, he turned his head to record the names of the next students.
Seong Si-woo’s expression, however, was completely twisted.
His pride seemed to be wounded.
I paid him no mind and headed for Area C of the auditorium.
As I entered the area, a glass wall rose up automatically, forming a spacious arena.
“Have you ever used a sword?” Seong Si-woo asked from the other side.
His gaze was locked onto me.
“No.”
My short reply made his stare even more intense.
“Then have you ever been taught?”
“Uh… probably.”
His brow furrowed even more.
He looked at me with an expression of disbelief.
“Who was your master?”
Master… that has a nice ring to it.
Of course, I only had one master.
“YouTube.”
At my answer, his angry expression went slack with disbelief.
“YouTube videos.”
YouTube is pretty great these days.