Chapter 3
Chapter 3
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Relentless Effort (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
About a week had passed.
“…”
I couldn’t become a man of nature.
My essence was, through and through, that of a civilized man…
How could I possibly handle the harsh world of the wild?
It was only life in a forest, but it was surprisingly tricky in many ways.
First, hunting.
Hunting was no easy feat.
Even a small, cute rabbit would sense my presence as if by magic.
Right, those long ears weren’t just for show.
My lack of hunting experience was also a problem.
But the decisive factor was not having the right equipment.
The only gear I had was a longsword.
It was hardly suitable as a hunting tool.
A dagger, a bow, a trap…
I desperately needed tools specialized for hunting.
But as of now, I had no way of getting them.
That left me with no choice but to become a vegetarian.
Wild berries, unfamiliar fruits, and mushrooms…
“…”
I quickly realized the gravity of the situation.
Because I was doing high-intensity workouts every day, I needed meat.
Protein.
My body was screaming for protein.
“Damn it! I want to eat it too…”
After completing my workout quota and swinging my sword.
Even this body, with its good foundational stamina, would become exhausted.
It was a vicious cycle.
Whenever I tried to do something, I’d fail due to lack of strength.
“…”
Well, whatever.
The hardship ends today.
[Achievement Points: 10,000]
I had finally reached my goal.
I had acquired the ability to sense mana much sooner than expected.
It was the result of indiscriminately completing sub-quests.
It took a lot of effort, but things would get easier from now on.
If I could use mana to strengthen my body.
Not only would I no longer fail at hunting, but I’d also be able to handle the hard training with ease.
‘This will save a lot of time…’
I would invest the remaining time in meditation.
If I wanted to manifest Sword Ki within a month, I had no time to rest.
The next morning.
After sating my hunger with water drawn from the lake.
I settled into a comfortable position and immediately began to meditate.
“…”
Sensing mana wasn’t difficult.
It was as if my body remembered, so I just had to trust my instincts.
Right on cue, the Crodain family’s secret Heart Arts came to mind.
It was a feeling I had never experienced before.
It was as if I were observing myself from the outside.
Had my broken dantian been restored?
Or had a new one been created?
I couldn’t be sure about that.
But I could feel that a vessel to hold mana had been formed.
It was faint.
Even to my untrained eye, the amount of mana was pathetic.
“…”
Well, what could I do?
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
It would be fine even if I couldn’t manifest Sword Ki within a month.
If I trained diligently in the Heart Arts, I would eventually reach that state.
I wasn’t asking for much.
The strength to protect myself.
The strength to defeat those who get in my way.
The strength to protect the precious people I might have in the future.
It didn’t sound grandiose, but it would be difficult in practice.
Well, it’s fine. I have an ace up my sleeve.
Jace is a genius with an S-rank aptitude.
Unlocking even half of that potential would be enough.
Factoring in the rewards from achievements and quests, I expected to grow stronger faster than I thought.
[Achievement Unlocked: Mana Sense Acquired]
[Reward: +1,000 Achievement Points]
[Achievement Unlocked: Heart Arts Circulated]
[Reward: +2,000 Achievement Points]
Hmm, I know I’m not one to talk, but…
Is it really okay to be this generous?
I’d gratefully accept what was given, but I was meditating and needed to focus.
“…”
Actually, since I was just letting my body go with the flow.
A few stray thoughts didn’t pose much of a problem.
My primary goal was to return to the academy.
If I failed, that was a problem to think about then.
For now, I would assume I succeeded.
The Hero Academy is a type of military academy.
It specializes in nurturing talent to fight against the Demon King’s army.
While the rules aren’t as strict as in the military.
It’s characterized by its constant encouragement of competition among students.
Upon enrollment, students are assigned a rank, which determines their future path.
The monthly ranking battles.
The quarterly martial tournaments.
In effect, these events replace traditional exams.
“…”
That fierce competition…
I wouldn’t know, since I’ve never experienced it.
How could I judge it with only shallow knowledge?
They were still just teenagers.
It seemed a bit harsh, but since none of them were ordinary, it didn’t appear to be a major issue.
The very fact of being admitted to the academy.
Meant that one could pull their own weight.
Anyway.
I was in a position where I had to dive into that endless competition.
“…”
Will I be able to survive?
I couldn’t underestimate them just because they were kids.
The fact that they were kids might make them even scarier…
It wasn’t that I was getting intimidated for no reason; it was a reality I couldn’t help but worry about.
I was essentially starting from scratch.
While the other kids were already running and flying.
Our starting points were completely different.
Could I really overcome that gap with effort?
“…”
A sigh, and another.
Getting beaten up by kids at my age would be quite sad.
There was nothing to be done.
Jace’s potential, my effort, and the rewards.
I’d have to try and make all of those things blend together perfectly.
But the speed at which mana was gathering far exceeded my expectations.
As if it were going against the natural order…
The situation was so unconventional that it made me anxious.
‘It doesn’t seem like anything’s wrong…’
I soon figured out the cause.
Though his dantian was broken, Jace’s mana was scattered throughout his body.
By mastering mana sense, that mana was slowly gathering in his dantian…
A smile spread across my face.
Yes. With this, there was hope.
It would take some time, but I could worry less about being the only one left behind.
With this, the focus of my meditation changed.
Instead of slowly accumulating mana from nature.
I would draw out the mana that Jace had already gathered.
It was quite clumped together, so I couldn’t pull it out in large amounts, but this method was still several times faster.
I had about three weeks left.
Instead of feeling rushed, I felt a sense of ease.
“…”
I calmly settled my excited heart.
This was just the beginning; nothing had been resolved yet.
‘If I want to forge my own destiny…’
I have no choice but to keep getting stronger.
Originally, Jace’s future led to corruption.
By possessing this body.
The fate of becoming a traitor to humanity was gone.
But greater hardships and trials might await.
***
The summary trial. A one-month grace period.
It was a hot topic at the time, but fundamentally, Jace’s current situation was of little importance.
The marathon of competition continued.
The academy did not tolerate falling behind.
To survive, one had to train their mind and body without rest.
“I haven’t seen that troublemaker around lately, have you?”
“You still don’t know? He had a trial and got expelled.”
“I heard it wasn’t expulsion, but a suspension.”
“Same difference.”
“Anyway, I guess we won’t be seeing him again.”
“Actually, I feel a little sorry for him. If nothing had happened, maybe…”
“Come on, let’s just eat instead of chatting.”
He was only mentioned briefly like this during lunch.
Of course, not everyone was like that.
For those directly involved, it was impossible not to care.
“…”
Ceria, in particular, was deeply affected.
She wanted to go find Jace and talk to him, but she couldn’t muster the courage.
That he was trying to sacrifice himself for her.
The possibility that he had deliberately committed misdeeds.
It was a plausible assumption, but she couldn’t ignore the chance that it was wrong.
‘Even if that assumption is true…’
What would change?
Relationships are built on mutual agreement.
What if she held onto Jace, but he firmly refused?
‘Appealing to his emotions won’t solve anything…’
He was a man who was not easily swayed.
Jace would never abandon his convictions.
If he had resolved to sacrifice himself.
He was more than capable of hiding that fact until the very end.
Her mind was a mess.
If she knew nothing, she could have confronted him head-on.
But because she understood his character, the girl’s anguish only deepened.
“What are you thinking so hard about?”
“…”
Ceria narrowed her eyes.
She had been interrupted by an unwelcome presence.
Chloe Venice.
The young lady of the Venice family, which boasted of its wealth.
She projected an air of girlishness, but her true nature was as sly as a fox.
When she wanted something.
She would stop at nothing to get it.
Everyone who knew her knew this.
One should always be on guard, but Chloe’s social skills were nothing short of divine.
Nine times out of ten, people fell for her tricks even when they knew better.
Even when she caused trouble, she never left a trail.
On the contrary, her victims would willingly offer themselves up as sacrifices.
There was suspicion, but no proof.
She managed her image meticulously and was quite popular.
Anyway.
Ceria did not like her.
If they weren’t both on the Student Council, they would never have had to interact like this.
“Ah, you must be worried about your fiancé.”
“That’s not really…”
“When is the engagement being broken off?”
“…”
Ceria hesitated for a moment.
Whether or not to give her a taste of her own medicine.
What was this rudeness?
Given the circumstances, it was clearly intentional.
She must have approached her with some purpose in mind.
Normally, she would have calmly tried to figure out her opponent’s intentions, but right now, Ceria was not in the right state of mind.
“Nothing has been decided yet. Therefore, I would appreciate it if you refrained from mentioning it.”
“Nothing has been decided, you say… Yes, I understand. If you’re having a hard time, you can always talk to me. I can at least offer you some comfort.”
As if she had said all she needed to.
She turned and walked away with light steps.
Ceria silently glared at her retreating back.
A woman’s intuition…
She didn’t even need to rely on that.
It was clear she was plotting something.
However, this time, she had picked the wrong opponent.
If you mess with me…
I will not hesitate to use force.
After making that vow, the girl once again fell into an endless reverie.
***
Chloe hummed a tune.
Her target this time wasn’t Ceria, but Jace.
To be honest, she hadn’t been interested in him until now.
He was so perfect that he showed no weaknesses.
After his accident, she had treated him as if he didn’t exist.
He had lost any value she could exploit.
Why should she care about a loser who would be kicked out of his family?
But the situation had changed.
With her unique senses, Chloe detected a strange sense of unease.
The summary trial. In a moment of dire crisis.
Jace had attempted to negotiate logically.
As if to claim he had changed…
No, it was more accurate to say he had returned to his true self.
Why, for what reason?
Even if he had come to his senses this late, it was meaningless now.
After much thought, one hypothesis emerged.
Could it be that he had found a way to fix his broken dantian?
If so, that changed everything.
The delay in breaking off the engagement and his expulsion from the family was also suspicious.
“Hmm, I feel like something is connecting…”
But she couldn’t be certain.
There had been no real action, so to speak.
The Crodain family was quiet, and his fiancée was just standing by and watching.
A discarded card that was no longer needed.
They still maintained that attitude.
But…
What if that discarded card made a spectacular comeback?
She couldn’t help but covet it.
He was attractive enough to make her want him.
Jace had broken down because he had lost his power.
If he could wield mana once more, he would display the dignity of a nobleman, just as he had before.
If she was going to do something, now was the time.
When everyone else was keeping their distance, if she were to approach him…
“I could achieve the best results with minimal investment.”
Currently, Jace was in a difficult position.
Even a little help would have a great effect.
She felt reassured by his character of always repaying favors.
And as the heir to a great family, he was more than capable of repaying her ten, even a hundred times over.
Since it had come to this, Chloe looked far into the future.
The chances were slim, but.
If Jace fully regained his power.
No, if she saw the potential for him to become even stronger.
“I’m willing to invest more boldly.”
The closest relationship.
That position just happened to be vacant.
“The mistress of the Crodain family…”
She murmured it once, and the sound was more thrilling than she had expected.
It felt like a breach of professional ethics, but as a girl who believed the world revolved around her, Chloe didn’t care at all.
“Jace. I’ll be watching you.”
As if imagining a delectable prey.
Chloe raised a hand to her mouth and lightly licked her red lips.