Chapter 11
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: True Power (2)
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The sudden shift in my vision left me dumbfounded.
Why was the tattoo glowing red, and what was this wind enveloping me?
I couldn't make sense of it at all.
And more than anything
I was stunned by the landscape, which had completely changed.
"What is this?"
I could see something.
Something spinning around me.
Something filling the entire Mana Field.
These unidentifiable energies were swirling chaotically.
Because of them, I couldn't see a thing.
Both Choi Jihoon and Pi Jinho had vanished from my sight.
All I could see were these foreign energies filling the space around me.
"Are you in a daze? How boring."
"Cadet Kang Seoyul. Are you giving up?"
What was even more baffling was that I seemed to be the only one seeing this.
"Cadet Kang Seoyul. If you do not answer within five seconds, you will be considered to have forfeited."
What in the world is this?
It felt foreign, yet familiar.
I raised my hand and tried to touch it.
I couldn't.
"Five, four"
No matter how I tried, I couldn't grasp it.
It existed, yet it had no substance.
Like the wind.
It danced freely, weaving between my fingers.
"Three. Two. One. The duel is over! This match goes to Choi Jihoon"
"I can't let it end so blandly."
"Choi Jihoon! Stop! The duel is!"
The scenery changed again.
The wind, which had been swirling freely, began to part to either side as if influenced by something.
*Fwoosh*
Something was coming.
I didn't know what it was.
I only knew that it was approaching me,
and that it bore ill will.
"Hmph!"
I have to block it.
The thought had barely crossed my mind.
*Fwoooosh! Ziiing!*
A distortion appeared in my vision.
Starting from the tip of my dagger.
A long, red line appeared, stretching diagonally upwards to the right.
It was like an instruction, telling me to swing the dagger along that line.
As if possessed, I swung the dagger.
*Kagagagagak! Chiiing!*
"What!"
A fierce scraping sound was followed by the clash of metal.
My muscles ached, and my grip throbbed.
"He deflected it!"
"Whoa!"
"Incredible!"
My vision grew even more bizarre.
The single red line had multiplied into three,
"You son of a bitch!"
and the density of the strange energies intensified.
I swung my sword unconsciously.
Diagonally.
*Ching!*
Vertically.
*Chaaang!*
At a slant.
*Kagagagak!*
I swung my blade in the order the lines indicated.
*Thump, thump.*
My heart pounded like a drum.
My whole body ached.
I felt moisture in the hand gripping the dagger.
A metallic scent.
Blood.
Did it tear?
Fortunately, it was bearable.
"How dare a piece of trash like you!"
Choi Jihoon's furious voice rang out clearly.
"Ah."
Only then did I realize what I had been doing.
I had blocked Choi Jihoon's sword.
Probably four times.
As many times as I had swung my own.
My body ached, my palm was torn to shreds, but
it must have been a perfect defense.
"To think you would dare! Arghhh!"
That must be why he was so enraged.
Serves him right.
The corners of my mouth curled up naturally.
My vision was once again dyed red.
*Fwoooosh!*
The three red lines now became four.
Then split again, multiplying into six.
"Ah."
I was starting to get it.
This was the path of the sword that could block Choi Jihoon's attacks.
A sword path.
Or perhaps, the path of the wind.
But with my current skill, blocking all of these attacks was impossible.
For some reason, I was sure of it.
"Get lost! Trash!"
At that moment, a new path of the wind opened.
This time, it wasn't a thin line starting from my dagger,
but a thick line originating from my own body.
I took a step in the direction the line indicated.
*Fwoosh*
I heard something graze my hair.
"You bastard!"
A furious shout erupted right next to me.
So Choi Jihoon is here.
The moment I realized that, another red line appeared.
A short line, starting from the tip of my dagger.
The line spoke to me.
*Stab here.*
*The enemy is here.*
*This is a vital point.*
It seemed to insist.
"Alright."
My whole body ached.
A sharp pain shot through the hand holding the dagger.
My mind started to grow hazy, as if I were short on oxygen.
But my lips were smiling.
With a trembling hand, I gently gripped the dagger.
Then, like a child running to its mother, slowly
but surely.
*Plunge*
I thrust the dagger in.
"That's enough! The duel is over!"
***
After all the duels had concluded.
The indoor auditorium was filled with silence.
"Wow."
"That was insane. For real."
Everyone had goosebumps.
"No, really. Wow. I'm speechless."
Objectively speaking, it hadn't been that incredible of a duel.
How spectacular could a match between a C-rank and an F-rank superhuman possibly be?
"How is that even possible?"
For the cadets, who had watched countless videos of official superhumans, the duel should have been nothing special.
And yet, the auditorium was buzzing with fervor and excitement.
Everyone was in awe of Kang Seoyul's movements.
His actions had been that refined, elegant, and deadly.
"Cadet Kang Seoyul. He's not just good with a bow. His dagger skills were wow."
The assistant instructor murmured to Pi Jinho.
"Indeed."
"At that level, he might really be hiding his stats, don't you think?"
"That's not it. His muscle movements were clearly those of an F-rank. His agility, his strength, even his eyesight. Kang Seoyul probably couldn't even see Choi Jihoon's movements."
"He couldn't even see them? Then how on earth did he move like that?"
"An innate sense."
Pi Jinho was trembling with excitement.
"He just knows. Where the sword will come from. How to dodge it. How to deflect it so he can block it even with his own strength. Where the opponent's defense is weakest."
Like everyone else, he was stunned by Kang Seoyul's movements, but there was another, bigger reason.
"Could he perhaps possess the 'Genius' trait?"
"No. That's not it. That trait also applies to stat growth. What he has is more like"
Pi Jinho smiled to himself.
Mugi-ui Ju-in.
The non-standard trait that allows one to use any weapon freely, [Mugi-ui Ju-in].
Pi Jinho was certain that Kang Seoyul possessed that trait.
That was why he was trembling.
"Why'd you stop mid-sentence? You're making me curious. What is it?"
"It's nothing. I just couldn't think of the right word."
"Aww."
The assistant instructor pouted, looking disappointed.
"But it's such a shame."
"What is?"
The assistant instructor pointed with his chin at the collapsed and unconscious Kang Seoyul.
"He lost in the end."
"That he did."
Pi Jinho smiled bitterly.
At the end of the duel.
Kang Seoyul had shown movements that completely neutralized Choi Jihoon's barrage of attacks and launched a fatal counter.
He had seized an opening and aimed his dagger precisely at the heart.
"Seriously. If his strength had just been D-rank, he would've won."
But Kang Seoyul's dagger couldn't pierce Choi Jihoon's skin.
His durability.
The dagger broke through the armor but only managed to slightly graze Choi Jihoon's skin.
"If this had been a real battle, and Kang Seoyul's dagger wasn't a training one but something better, he would have been the winner."
"Come on. Then Choi Jihoon would have been wearing tougher armor. He's a chaebol, you know."
In the end, Kang Seoyul couldn't overcome the absolute wall of 'stats'.
"Anyway, the more I think about it, the more of a shame it is. If only Kang Seoyul had been blessed with slightly better stats"
Ultimately, Choi Jihoon was the victor.
And Kang Seoyul, the loser.
"Still, aren't you excited?"
"About what?"
"Kang Seoyul's future. I mean, he's an F-rank at 20, so his growth potential is probably rock bottom, but still."
The assistant instructor's eyes were full of anticipation.
"If Kang Seoyul's stats could just grow to at least B-rank no, even C or B Oof."
The assistant instructor rubbed his arms vigorously.
"I think he could even aim for the top 100 in the world rankings."
Pi Jinho smiled.
"Top 100? Don't be ridiculous."
"Ah, is that so? I guess I got carried away. Haha."
The assistant instructor scratched the back of his head, looking embarrassed.
Watching him, Pi Jinho chuckled inwardly.
Top 100? Don't be ridiculous. If [Mugi-ui Ju-in] fully blossoms, he could easily break into the world's top 10.
***
I was dreaming.
A dream of my original world, before I entered the novel.
As I watched the scene, tears unknowingly streamed down my face.
Seoyul. Getting rid of just the main character's Sangtae-chang. The more I think about it, the better it sounds.
But these were not tears of longing.
Quite the opposite.
They were tears of rage.
A bloody tear of frustration, born from the desire to overturn the scene before me and the inability to do so.
Alright. I'm feeling it. A remake. Why not give it a shot?
It was a dream of that day.
A dream of the drinking session where I got blackout drunk.
A dream of the day that caused my current predicament.
Hyeong. But if you do that, it'll just become a frustrating story.
The memories I hadn't been able to recall until now.
Huh? It would?
In the dream, I was a third-party observer, watching the conversation between a drunk me and Shin-i hyeong.
No. If you're going to remove the protagonist's Sangtae-chang, you have to give him a corresponding advantage.
I thought I had just passed out after that, but it seems I was still awake.
My memory of it was just completely wiped.
An advantage, huh? You're right, he'll need one. Ah! How about this? My novel has an equipment restriction setting, right? What if the protagonist is the only one who can ignore that restriction? Since he doesn't have a Sangtae-chang. What do you think? Not bad, right?
Yes. I think that's a fantastic idea.
Please, please go with that setting.
It's weak! The concept is too simple!
But my past self had a different opinion than my present self.
It's an improvement, but it's too broken. You need to add some limitations. Let's add something like a time limit. While we're at it, let's limit it to one use per item! Oh. That feels right.
You have.
Got to be kidding me.
An urge to beat my past self to death surged within me.
Wouldn't that be the very definition of frustrating?
Hmm. That's true.
That's right!
You tell him, Shin-i hyeong!
Don't lose to that idiot version of me!
Ah. But it would be interesting. Ignoring restrictions is a kind of bug. So it feels like the system is trying to put on the brakes. Not bad.
Right?
The two of them were a match made in hell.
So the result of that conversation is the flawed ability I have now.
I suddenly felt a wave of depression.
But, no matter how I think about it, it's too frustrating. Hmm Ah! Then how about this?
I wanted to see the protagonist reborn as an overpowered character, even if only in a dream. But I guess it ends like this.
The protagonist's ability is a kind of bug, right? So because of that, the system that caused the Unknown Error accidentally sends the traits of the corresponding race flowing back to the protagonist.
I wanted to see an overpowered Kang Seoyul, even if just in a dream.
In the end, a dream is just a dream because it can't come true
Huh?
Wait a minute. What did he just say?
Oh! Like the system misidentifies him as that race? So while it's fixing the bug, one of that race's traits randomly flows back to the protagonist? Wow. Hyeong, are you a genius?
For a moment, I was at a loss for words.
Ah! Then how about this? As proof that the trait has flowed back, a tattoo gets engraved on the protagonist's body.
What am I hearing right now?
That's a great idea. Without a Sangtae-chang, he'll need some other visible symbol.
A hollow laugh escaped me.
Then the remake concept is set! No Sangtae-chang, but the protagonist gets stronger by collecting Ancient Relics and the unique racial traits of each race! His bonus ability is a one-minute free pass for any item!
Everything was finally starting to click into place in my mind.
The reason I could use the bow so freely was thanks to the elf's racial trait, 'Guardian of the Bow'.
The bizarre scene from a moment ago was likewise the elf's racial trait, 'Path of the Wind'.
They must have been the traits I gained from [Blessing of the Segyesu] and [Tranquility of the Forest], respectively.
My chest swelled with emotion.
It felt as if a heavy blockage in my heart had been completely cleared.
Hyeong! This has a really good feel to it! If you need any help, just say the word.
With that shout from my past self as the final image, my surroundings began to blur.
Like color fading from a page, like words slowly erasing from an old book.
Soon, my vision turned to complete blackness.
The next moment.
"Seonjonim?"
My vision was filled with Shin Jia's face.
I must have woken from the dream.
"Are you okay?"
"Ah."
The corners of my mouth stretched towards the heavens.
"Yeeeeeaaaaah!"
I let out a cheer.
My ability isn't trash!
My ability is totally overpowered!
*Grab!*
"Kyaa!"
I hugged Shin Jia on the spot. I was so happy, I did it without thinking.
"Hahahaha!"
"S-Seonjonim?"
I could hear Shin Jia's utterly flustered voice.
I paid it no mind and, still holding her, asked casually.
"Jia."
"Y-Yes?"
"Have you ever heard of the 'Master of Mana'?"
"O-Of course, I have. It's the dragon's racial trait, isn't it? The ability to control mana at will. But why are you suddenly asking about that."
I smiled brightly.
"Just because!"
With the happiest smile in the world.
"I was just wondering!"