Chapter 100
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 100
Chapter Title: Return (2)
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The weekend flew by in a flash.
Today was Monday.
The day classes were scheduled to resume as normal.
Thanks to my boiling pure blood, I had no lingering side effects, but nearly every other cadet was still suffering from the aftermath.
...Im exhausted.
I did nothing but sleep all weekend.
Half of them were complaining of physical aftereffects from the nervous strain, physical exertion, and excessive mana use during the Australia incident.
I went out yesterday and got mobbed by reporters. It was a real nightmare.
You too? Man, me too...
Im still in a daze. Like, what did we even do?
The other half was expressing their mental exhaustion.
Still, we did pretty well, didn't we?
The instructors praised us, so I guess we did a good job?
During the incident.
The 496 first-year cadets, excluding Ha Siyeon and me, had split up to manage civilian evacuations and eliminate the monsters that had trickled into the city.
I saw the online reactions yesterday, and they were really positive.
They said we got high marks for not acting recklessly.
The key was that the cadets had stayed within their limits and hadn't overreached.
I agreed.
It would have been a much bigger headache if they had tried to meddle in the handling of the Four Divine Beasts.
By the way, who do you think that mysterious superhuman who took down the Vermilion Bird and the Black Tortoise was?
Ah. Thats been bugging me too.
If those two had been left unchecked, they say the casualties would have been in the millions, right?
I saw that broadcast yesterday, too.
It was some scholar calculating the potential damage based on the combat power of the Azure Dragon and the White Dragon to estimate the strength of the remaining two.
His calculation method was quite logical, so I watched with interest.
Siyeon, did you happen to see anything?
Huh? Me?
Siyeons eyes widened in sudden panic.
Yeah. The place where you and Seoyul went to deal with that mini White Tiger was right at the center of where the Black Tortoise and Vermilion Bird appeared.
We were wondering if you saw anyone there.
Uh... well, thats.
Huh? Siyeons flustered.
Did you really see something?
Anyone could tell she was panicking. I pressed my forehead.
I knew she was a terrible liar, but I never imagined it was this bad.
I had no choice.
We saw Ms. Meiden Keuritineseu and Guild Master Yuhwa.
I cut in.
Ah. Those two?
But I heard the Black Tortoise and Vermilion Bird were already down by the time they arrived.
Thats right.
Then why was Siyeon so flustered?
I glanced at Ha Siyeon, who was staring at me with wide, innocent eyes, and gave a faint smile.
She seemed to be debating whether it was okay to mention seeing them. I figured it wouldnt matter, so I just said it.
Aha.
Most of them seemed to buy it.
Besides, if they were willing to show themselves to us, dont you think the worlds most renowned superhumans would have found out long ago?
...Thats true. Fair point.
Aww. So were back to square one.
Good. Damage control complete.
Anyway, the instructor is late.
Now, to completely change the subject and prevent any more slip-ups from Ha Siyeon.
Huh? Youre right. Its past time.
Did something happen?
The instructors are probably being questioned about various things right now.
It was then that Jia, who had been listening quietly, spoke up.
Questioned?
Not in a bad way. As witnesses for reference. To write the incident report, theyll need testimony from the instructors who directly confronted the White Tiger.
They had let the instructors rest over the weekend out of consideration, and the questioning had only begun today, Monday.
So what happens to our class?
Hmm. I think an announcement should be coming soon.
As if on cue, a voice echoed from the classroom speakers.
This is an announcement from the instructors office. All first-year classes for today will be replaced with self-study. I repeat. All first-year classes for today...
It was Instructor Pi Jinhos voice.
See? Self-study.
Ooh.
The classroom instantly erupted in chatter.
Whos going to the training grounds?
Im in. Im beating you today.
Self-study at the academy was basically free time.
You could study, train, or rest.
No cadet disliked self-study.
Hey! Anyone want to do a 5v5 against the kids from Class 2?
Oh, Jihoon and I are in.
Kim Cheoljin. I was going to train with Siyeon...
Oh, if Cheoljin and Jihoon are helping, its like having a whole army! Thanks!
...I suppose I have no choice. Ill lend you my strength.
A smile graced Choi Jihoons face. He was surprisingly susceptible to praise.
Seoyul. What are you going to do?
Me?
Jia approached me.
Siyeon was visible behind her.
Both were brimming with fighting spirit.
You two having a match?
Yep. Im going to show our temporary number one whats what.
I feel the need to teach our former number one a lesson about reality.
Both of them were smiling.
Siyeons was genuinely playful. Jia, however, was only smiling on the surface.
I could see her boiling inside. Just like Jia, the incarnation of competitiveness.
Seoyul, want to come with us?
Ha Siyeon seemed completely oblivious to Jia's inner turmoil.
No. You two go ahead.
It was best to stay out of this kind of atmosphere.
And besides.
I have something else to do.
I had something more important.
* * *
After quietly slipping out of the classroom, I made my way to the grand library on campus.
When it came to books related to superhumans in the country, this place was top-tier.
Excuse me. What floor are the magic-related books on?
Magic-related books are on the fifth floor.
Thank you.
I gave the librarian a small nod and headed to the fifth floor.
Oh.
The magic section on the fifth floor was decorated with a rather mystical interior. It had the kind of atmosphere where youd expect Gandalf to pop out.
While the other floors were quite crowded, this one was nearly empty.
Including me and the librarian, there were only three people.
Fewer people was better for me.
My purpose for coming here today was to find a clue on how to use magic.
It was great that the full materialization of the Dragonic race had awakened my talent for magic, but I had no way of actually using it.
I didn't know anyone who could use magic.
I had searched online, but I couldn't find any suitable information.
This was my last hope.
I quickly scanned the shelved books.
I looked through everything, from a very basic text called The Fundamentals of Magic to a more serious-looking tome titled The Pinnacle of Magic.
Some books were quite interesting, while others were just useless junk filled with the authors boasting.
But the book I was looking for was nowhere to be found.
About seven hours passed like that.
...Hmph.
I closed a book and clicked my tongue.
Id skipped lunch and done nothing but read, yet I had nothing to show for it.
I couldnt find a way to use magic.
The reason was simple.
The magic of modern humanity, which utilizes Traits and Skills, and the magic of the ancient Dragonic race, which was a method of controlling mana itself, were as different as heaven and earth.
To use a gaming analogy for modern versus ancient magic:
Modern magic is like learning Fireball from a skill window and then clicking that skill to use it.
Ancient magic, on the other hand, requires you to memorize the path of mana flow to learn Fireball, understand its principles, and then, after dozens, even hundreds of trials and errors, finally form the shape of a Fireball for the first time.
It wasn't just a different school of thought; the very concept was different.
...This is a problem.
Modern magic was a realm I couldn't even attempt to enter without the Systems support.
What was I supposed to do?
I let out a small sigh.
* * *
That night.
I was in my dorm, talking on the phone with Elder Jeong Ilyong.
Hows the Cheonbyeon treating you?
Whats there to say? Its the best.
Jia and Siyeon were wiped out from their continuous duels, so I ended up doing the afternoon training alone.
I went to a private training room, turned on the Monster Infinite Annihilation Mode, and tested the performance of Cheonbyeon. I was genuinely shocked.
I feel like Ive gotten twice as strong.
The Monster Infinite Annihilation Mode was a mode that measured how long you could last against waves of attacking monsters.
I had tried it a few times in the past, and my personal best was 11 minutes and 21 seconds.
Blocking the increasingly powerful monsters was no easy feat.
But using Cheonbyeon, I easily surpassed 30 minutes.
With a little exaggeration, my body had become one that couldn't live without Cheonbyeon.
Im glad to hear you like it.
Elder Jeong Ilyong let out a hearty laugh.
We talked for a long time after that. Elder Jeong Ilyongs words of wisdom had a strange way of resonating in my heart.
Its gotten so late already.
Before I knew it, it was 10 PM.
Ill hang up now. You went through a lot in Australia, so get some good rest.
Yes. Thank you.
Ah. And one more thing. Come visit with Jinho next time. I want to see you using Cheonbyeon in person.
Of course. Well all come visit you next time.
Good. Ill look forward to it. Get some rest.
The call ended with those words.
I casually tossed my phone onto the bed and stretched.
My body felt strangely stiff.
Was it because I used Cheonbyeons physical acceleration ability, Boost, too much?
As I stretched out my body, a thought suddenly occurred to me.
...I miss Geumho.
Geumho was with Yuhwa right now.
It was because of Baekho.
I couldn't bring Baekho, who wasn't even registered as a guardian beast, into the dorm room, so I decided to entrust her to Yuhwa.
That part was fine, but Baekho absolutely refused to be separated from Geumho.
So, I had no choice but to leave Geumho at Yuhwas house as well.
...Honestly, I was also a bit scared of what Baekho might do if left alone.
Considering everything, I judged it was better to keep Geumho with her.
Hmm.
Should I give her a call?
She probably wasn't asleep yet at this hour, right?
Just as I was about to video call Yuhwa to see Geumhos face before bed.
*Vrrr-*
My phone vibrated.
It was Yuhwa.
A video call, no less. We were on the same wavelength.
Whats up at this hour?
I sat down on the edge of my bed and answered the call.
Sorry to call so late. Geumho was whining that he wanted to see you.
Meow!
Geumho appeared next to Yuhwa, who was lying on her stomach on the bed.
His face took up half the screen. He was too close to the camera.
Yuhwa pulled Geumho into her arms.
Did my Geumho miss his big brother?
Meeeoow~
Geumho let out a sweet cry.
Hes been getting more and more affectionate lately.
Just like me, huh? I missed you too, Geumho.
Geumho beamed.
Youve only been apart for a day, but you two are being so lovey-dovey.
Yuhwa watched us with a rather dry expression. Her eyes held a subtle hint of jealousy.
Hows Baekho?
Shes sleeping. She was running wild just a little while ago.
Yuhwa got up and showed me Baekho, curled up and sleeping at the corner of the bed.
She looked like an angel.
She really does look like an angel when shes sleeping...
Yuhwa said with a sigh.
Shell probably sleep about 16 hours a day.
That much?
Yes. I told you before, right? I have a taming-related trait. Its an effect of that trait. Accelerated growth and mental stabilization based on sleep time. Geumho slept a ton at the beginning too, remember?
Ah. Now that you mention it, thats right.
Yuhwa nodded in understanding.
Anyway, please take good care of them for a week.
A week? Oh. The house your sister found for you. You can move in a week from now?
Yes. Thats what she said. She told me she already signed the papers.
I tried to refuse because it felt like too much, but she insisted I just take it.
So, does this mean your personal sponsorship contract is officially signed?
I guess so.
A personal sponsorship.
It was a system where corporations or superhumans provided support to promising cadets. Ostensibly, it existed for a good cause, but in reality, it was used as a way to stake a claim on up-and-coming talent.
I had signed that sponsorship contract with Meiden Keuritineseu.
Its going to be chaos when its made public. The Dungeon Creator. Her first ever sponsorship! And the recipient is Koreas Kang Seoyul! I can 100% see headlines like that.
Yuhwa and I shared a bitter smile.
Still, given everything youve shown so far, I dont think any strange rumors will spread. Its a relief.
...Therell be some.
There would 100% be articles suggesting some kind of special relationship between Meiden and me.
Let them write their own scenarios if they want. If you pay attention to every little thing, youll just spoil them.
I know.
I was taught that paying attention to haters and tabloid reporters was one of the stupidest things you could do.
Anyway, now that its come to this, you should demand everything you can from my sister, with the intention of squeezing her for all shes worth. Got it?
...Haha. Yes. Ill do my best.
We laughed playfully.
Oh, right. Elder Aile asked me to pass on a message. I almost forgot.
Aile Chris. Also known as the Collector.
He was an elder who was fanatically obsessed with collecting artifacts of the Dragonic race.
I still had a few Ancient Relics I was supposed to receive, and it seemed an opportunity to hand them over had come up.
That must be why he reached out.
What did he say?
Selling Ancient Relics. U buy? First come. @@@...
...Excuse me?
Yuhwa cleared her throat, her cheeks slightly flushed.
H-He really asked me to relay it just like that.
...Ah, I see.
I could picture Aile Chriss cackling face. He wasn't actually selling them; it was just a joke. Hed been obsessed with some game lately, so it was probably because of that.
W-Well, please tell him I got the message.
Okay. I will.
I had been feeling anxious without any Ancient Relics for insurance.
Perfect timing.
< Chapter 100: Return (2) > End