Chapter 14
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Killing Two Birds with One Stone (3)
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Yuhwa left as soon as she handed me the item.
Something about another interview at nine.
Sounds like a huge pain.
It seems being a guild master isn't a job for just anyone.
With that thought, I opened the case Yuhwa had given me.
"Whoa... Look at that shine."
The Gauntlets of the Fierce Tiger, with their exquisite blend of yellow and black reminiscent of a literal fierce tiger, captivated my eyes.
As befitting an Ancient Relic named after the Tiger Tribeknown for their superior destructive power and agility among the Beastkinthe Gauntlets of the Fierce Tiger boasted a perfect balance of offense and defense.
Naturally, only Beastkin could equip them, and they were a [Ancient Relic/B+ Rank] item, placing them in the upper-mid tier of Ancient Relics.
Wasn't the Blessing of the World Tree this exact rank?
The physical ability boost is also about the same as the Blessing of the World Tree.
Its special options are [Beast's Roar] and [Wildness].
I don't remember the exact stats of its other options.
Since a [Ancient Relic/B Rank] is considered comparable in performance to a [Normal/S Rank] item, this means it's superior to the sword Pi Jinho showed me as an example, the [Key of Six Worlds/S Rank].
Anyway, it's just a freaking awesome item.
...Even if I can only use it for one minute.
"Sh Ahem."
I almost swore without realizing it.
Still, I can gain one of the Beastkin's traits.
Let's think positively.
In the future, I'll be the winner.
No, I might not even have to wait for the future.
Who knows, maybe I'll get lucky.
Maybe I'll get [Blessing of the Beast King], a trait common among elite Beastkin warriors,
or an outstanding racial trait like [Bloodline] from the Cat Tribe technicians.
"...Should I just equip it now?"
If I get a good one, it would be a complete life-changer.
I could shout, "To hell with the status window!"
"No, that's not right. Get a grip."
I somehow managed to overcome the temptation.
There are over ten Beastkin traits that I can remember.
Among them are strange ones like [Sensitive Smell].
If I were to equip the Gauntlets of the Fierce Tiger right here and now, and ended up with a useless trait like [Sensitive Smell], I might actually be overcome with the urge to kill myself.
But it's not like I can carry these huge gauntlets around all the time as an insurance policy.
It'd be a different story if this world had an inventory or a subspace, but it doesn't.
And I can't lug this massive case around everywhere.
It's unsuitable as a backup plan in many ways.
So, what should I do with these Gauntlets of the Fierce Tiger?
"The answer is a creative economy."
I'll use one Ancient Relic to get another.
I have knowledge from the novel.
Naturally, I also know the locations of ruins where Ancient Relics lie dormant.
The problem was that I had no way to conquer these ruins.
How could a mere F-Rank like me clear a dungeon designed for a munchkin protagonist?
But things are different now.
I have the Gauntlets of the Fierce Tiger.
Gauntlets that can grant me power comparable to a B-Rank superhuman for one minute.
Using the power of these gauntlets, I can conquer the 'Golden Sanctuary,' a ruin located near Seoul. I can do it.
Then, I'll use the Ancient Relic obtained from that ruin to conquer another.
I'll repeat this process indefinitely.
Before I know it, my traits will be sprouting like mushrooms.
"Perfect."
It's a truly perfect plan.
* * *
For now, I decided to postpone conquering the ruins. No, I had to postpone it.
Conquering a ruin requires at least a full day.
It's impossible on weekdays because of classes.
I had no choice but to schedule the attempt for the weekend.
Therefore, I set the date for Saturday, three days from now.
"I have a brief announcement before we begin class."
Before Wednesday's class began, Pi Jinho spoke up, saying he had an announcement to make.
"As you all know, the ranking battles will begin next Monday."
It seems the ranking battles are finally starting.
"The initial rankings were calculated using a simulator. It used data from the ability tests and an analysis of the previous sparring matches."
The instructor's words were met with a burst of complaints from the cadets.
"What?"
"I wasn't even trying back then!"
"That's not fair!"
Hearing their complaints, Pi Jinho let out a smirk.
"This is merely the result of a simulation. Everyone will eventually find their proper place, so don't complain too much."
Every word he said was true.
Those who climb by a fluke are bound to fall back to where they belong.
"Now, I will announce the ranking results."
As Pi Jinho spoke, the rankings appeared on each of our tablet PCs.
"Ooh!"
"Wow!"
At that moment, gasps of admiration erupted from all around.
"The number one rank for the entire first year is Cadet Shin Jia. She achieved an overwhelming victory in sparring simulations against every other student."
[1st Place: Shin Jia]
Shin Jia's name was at the very top.
"Ah, and there's one more number one in our class."
A familiar name could be seen at the very bottom.
"Kang Seoyul. Congratulations. You're number one from the bottom."
[498th Place: Kang Seoyul]
My name.
"...Am I supposed to be happy about this?"
I made a wry face.
"Cadet Kang Seoyul's archery and dagger skills are exceptional. However, his absurdly low stats ultimately held him back."
It was just as I expected.
"I analyzed the data from your match with Cadet Choi Jihoon, and the results showed that with your current strength, you can barely inflict any damage on cadets with Endurance C or higher. Thanks to that, you lost every simulation. Your F-Rank stamina also played a part."
Every single word was a blow to my ego.
"Heh heh."
"With my endurance, I could fight that guy with my eyes closed."
Oh yeah?
You'd better keep them closed.
I'll be aiming for your crotch.
"How can the two top students be such polar opposites?"
"Hey, they're both number one, aren't they?"
The pitying gazes of the surrounding cadets fell upon me.
"..."
Just then, Shin Jia's murderous glare swept over the surrounding cadets.
"Ahem."
Faced with that icy stare, everyone quietly turned their heads away.
Once the gazes on me had vanished, Shin Jia beamed and looked at me.
Her expression was like a puppy begging for praise'I did good, right? Tell me I did good!'and I couldn't help but chuckle.
'Thanks.'
When I mouthed my thanks, Shin Jia's smile grew even wider.
To be honest, the other students' gazes didn't really bother me.
I would have acted the same way in their shoes.
They were all good-natured kids aspiring to be superhumans, so there were no direct insults.
If anything, it fueled my determination.
Once they get their asses kicked in the ranking battles by an all-F-Rank, they'll think, 'Ah, I shouldn't have run my mouth back then.'
You're all dead meat.
"That's a good look in your eyes."
Instructor Pi Jinho looked at me and smiled, amused.
?
Why is he looking at me like that?
"Now, for the last announcement, I'll post the schedule for the ranking battles."
The screen of the tablet PC changed.
I scanned through the ranking battle schedule, which was packed starting from next Monday.
I wonder where I am.
I found my name right away.
Of course I did. My name was...
[April 27, 2021, Monday, 12:30 PM]
[498th Place Kang Seoyul VS 497th Place Kim Minhyuk]
...at the very top of the list.
...I'm the first one up?
* * *
After Wednesday's classes ended.
I was training in a private training room.
Or rather, it would be more accurate to call it an experiment.
Swoosh!
With the sound of an arrow cutting through the air, it struck the mannequin right between the eyes.
[Training has concluded.]
Along with the conclusion, the voice of the training room's AI rang out.
[Maximum range: 2,472m. Accuracy: 100%. Overall evaluation score: 10/10]
It seems the Elf Tribe's racial trait, 'Guardian of the Bow,' is functioning normally.
"Next up is..."
Time to test 'Path of the Wind.'
I drew the dagger from my waist. The moment I did, the World Tree tattoo turned red.
"Just as I thought."
As expected, it seems 'Path of the Wind' is a trait that only activates when holding a dagger.
The elves with this trait in the novel all used daggers, so I had anticipated this.
Now that I know the activation condition, it's time to check its power.
"Change training mode."
[Please select a training mode.]
"Monster Annihilation Mode."
[Changing to Monster Annihilation Mode.]
With those words, the appearance of the training room began to change.
[Please set the monster type and number.]
"One Blood Wolf."
A blue light gradually condensed, taking the form of a one-meter-tall wolf.
"Its teeth are like knives."
The Blood Wolf.
They are the most common monsters in Seoul, canine creatures that travel in packs of at least five to ten. They aren't that strong.
[Commence training?]
"Ah, before that, can you lower its endurance to about E-Rank?"
[Endurance Rank E. Applied.]
"Okay. Let's start."
At that moment, life returned to the Blood Wolf's vacant eyes.
"Grrrrrr!"
It was even drooling.
That thing's fake?
It's so realistic.
It won't kill me if it bites me, right?
With such silly thoughts, I gripped the dagger, but not too tightly.
Zzzing
At that moment, my vision distorted once again.
It was the same sight I had seen when sparring with Choi Jihoon.
Back then, I was too flustered to understand what it was, but now I knew.
I was now reading the 'Path of the Wind.'
"Grrrrrr!"
With the beast's roar, the wind split to the left and right.
The Blood Wolf's charge must have changed the wind's direction.
Judging by the movement of the wind, it wasn't very fast.
Fwoosh
In that instant, a gust of wind blew.
An unnatural wind, different from a natural breeze.
It was showing me the path I should take in a trail of red.
This is the Path of the Wind.
It reads the wind to determine the optimal movement, instantly presenting a countermeasure.
I followed the path indicated by the red, moving my body and dagger in sequence.
Shunk!
It was a movement of only three steps.
And it was just a single thrust.
[Critical hit. Target's death confirmed.]
[Training has concluded.]
That simple motion had led to the Blood Wolf's death in a single blow.
"...Seriously?"
Of course, I had set its endurance to E.
With my strength, I wouldn't have been able to pierce the Blood Wolf's hide, so it was an unavoidable choice.
Anyway, the important thing was that I'd finished off a Blood Wolfwhose stats were otherwise normalin a single strike.
Path of the Wind is totally broken.
Even with the penalty of it only activating while holding a dagger,
this level of performance is more than worth it.
[Continue training?]
"No. Taking a break."
[Entering standby mode.]
I collapsed onto the floor.
"Ah, I'm out of breath."
Is there any way to fix this pathetic stamina?
Catching my breath, I reviewed the results of today's experiment.
The trait 'Guardian of the Bow,' obtained from [Blessing of the World Tree], is a racial trait that dramatically increases archery proficiency and provides a bonus to movement when holding a bow.
The trait 'Path of the Wind,' obtained from [Tranquility of the Forest], is a type of dagger skill that allows one to read the Path of the Wind when holding a dagger.
And there was one more thing I learned.
'When the second trait activates, the color of the tattoo changes.'
From green to red.
That's not all.
If you look closely, the shape of the tattoo has changed slightly.
If the previous tattoo looked like a withered tree, the current one has slightly fuller leaves and a healthier sheen.
I guess it changes a little each time I acquire a trait from the same race.
For now, I've figured out the traits.
Next, it's time to experiment with my ability.
I opened the box I received from Shin Jia.
What would happen if I held onto a normal item without a race restriction for a long time?
This was an experiment to find that out.
Thinking about it rationally, it seemed likely that nothing would happen.
It would probably just throw an error after one minute and that'd be the end of it.
After all, there's nothing to gain from a normal item.
Just because an item has a high strength requirement doesn't mean my strength will increase.
Of course, that would be awesome if it did, but...
"There's no way."
I set aside my expectations and took a random item from the box.
An ornately decorated necklace.
"Can you start a timer?"
[Activating timer.]
[00:01]
Now, I just have to wait one minute.
And be ready to throw it away the instant an error pops up.
[00:53]
I braced myself for the pain and waited.
[00:59]
And now, I prepared to toss the item
[01:10]
Huh?
"...?"
But contrary to my expectations, surprisingly, nothing happened.
[02:11]
Still, just in case, I decided to keep holding it.
The time limit might be different.
[10:38]
And so, ten minutes passed.
[20:21]
Even after twenty minutes, the item remained quiescent.
A thought suddenly occurred to me.
'Could it be that normal items don't have an equip time limit?'
I stared intently at the necklace in my hand.
...For real?