Chapter 20
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: How to Get Stronger (3)
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We decided to move somewhere quiet first.
"Where are we going?"
"You'll see when we get there."
I was now in Instructor Pi Jinho's car, cruising through the night streets of Seoul.
The World Tree, emitting a faint glow, was truly beautiful against the backdrop of Seoul's nightscape.
I thought to myself as I gazed at the scenery.
What the instructor had said a moment ago.
What did he mean, that he knew the secret to my abilities?
He couldn't have realized I don't have a Status Window.
In this world, a Status Window was something every human was supposed to have.
It was like seeing someone act strangely and not immediately assuming they weren't human.
Common sense in this world wouldn't allow for the hypothesis that someone else lacked a Status Window.
And it wasn't like I had done anything *that* out of the ordinary.
So, what did he mean by that?
"This ranking match."
"Yes?"
Instructor Pi Jinho's words snapped me out of my thoughts.
"Where did you learn to use that killing intent?"
Killing intent.
It seemed Instructor Pi Jinho was interpreting 'Predator's Malice' as simple killing intent.
I'd only used it for a moment, and its presence was still faint, so I thought it wouldn't leak outside the mana field.
"Killing intent strong enough to make an opponent's body convulse. That's not something an ordinary 20-year-old cadet should be able to master."
Ah.
It must be because of Instructor Pi Jinho's trait, 'Eye for the Arcane'.
"Let's just say... it's a hidden card."
"I see."
With that, the conversation ended. The car continued on in silence.
After about twenty minutes of driving.
"We're here."
We had arrived at our destination.
It was a beautiful house.
A country house that made you think, *I'd be so happy if I could get married and live in a place like this someday*.
"...Where is this?"
"It's the house I used to live in."
Instructor Pi Jinho replied and walked inside.
For a fleeting moment, I saw a flicker of longing in his eyes.
I understood.
This was the home where Instructor Pi Jinho had lived with his wife.
He was probably thinking of his late wife.
"Come in."
"Ah, yes."
I hurried after the instructor.
The inside of the house was very neat.
"Sit."
The instructor sat down on the sofa first after we reached the living room.
"Yes."
I sat on the one opposite him.
"My apologies. No one lives here anymore, so I have nothing to offer you."
"It's fine."
Silence fell once again.
"You seem to be wondering why I brought you all the way out here."
"...Yes."
"As I said before, I know the secret of your abilities."
"What does that have to do with coming to your house...?"
"Everything."
Pi Jinho said, cutting me off.
"Because you possess the same ability as my wife."
"...Excuse me?"
What ability?
* * *
This is insane.
I have no idea how to handle this situation.
"That concludes my explanation."
Instructor Pi Jinho was mistaken. Gravely mistaken.
"Based on these deductions, I have concluded that you possess the trait 'Master of Arms'."
The great misunderstanding that I, like his wife Kang Minji, harbored the seed of a Weapon Master.
Master of Arms.
It was a trait mentioned a few times in the original work.
But it only ever appeared in flashbacks.
Its detailed effects were never described.
All I knew was that someone with Master of Arms could ignore weapon equip restrictions.
Of course, I didn't know the detailed lore, like how those with Master of Arms have low stat potential or possess a natural talent for handling weapons.
"I know it's rude to ask about someone's traits. But please, trust me and tell me the truth. I'm begging you."
Instructor Pi Jinho's earnest gaze pierced through me.
Things just got really complicated.
Instructor Pi Jinho's reasoning was certainly logical.
According to him, everything I had shown so far was remarkably similar to the path taken by Kang Minji, the possessor of 'Master of Arms'.
F-rank stats.
High proficiency with the bow and dagger.
Ignoring weapon equip restrictions.
With these abnormal factors overlapping.
It was only natural for Instructor Pi Jinho to misunderstand.
Now that things had come to this, I had to choose between two options.
Either lie and say I have 'Master of Arms'.
Or tell the truth and say I don't.
"...I..."
In reality, there was only one answer.
"I don't have anything like Master of Arms."
Tell the truth and clear up the misunderstanding.
"..."
What was Instructor Pi Jinho's intention in bringing this up?
He probably wanted to take me as his disciple.
To honor his wife, he likely wanted to raise me as the second Weapon Master.
The offer wasn't bad for me at all.
The disciple of the transcendent Pi Jinho.
There was a lot I could gain from acquiring that title.
It would probably be a great help in the story's progression later on.
But it was a poisoned chalice.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
Pi Jinho knew everything about Master of Arms.
I might be able to fool him for now.
But someday, he would inevitably find out that I don't have 'Master of Arms'.
Needless to say what would happen after that.
Thus, a poisoned chalice.
This offer was a sweet poison.
"...I see. It seems my thoughts of my wife narrowed my vision. I'm sorry."
Instructor Pi Jinho bowed his head slightly. He backed down more easily than I expected.
I thought he would be a little more suspicious.
"Not at all. Your reasoning was very logical, Instructor. I would have thought the same."
"...Thank you for saying so."
Instructor Pi Jinho gave a bitter smile.
An awkward atmosphere settled between us.
Feeling awkward looking at Pi Jinho, I let my gaze wander.
"...Huh?"
Then, a necklace lying on the floor by my feet caught my eye.
The steel necklace Instructor Pi Jinho usually wore.
Isn't this important?
I picked up the necklace.
"Uh, Instructor. You dropped this."
Instructor Pi Jinho looked at me with a meaningful gaze.
A faint smile played on his lips.
"...Right. I left it on the table; it must have fallen. Just put it back on the table."
"Ah, yes."
I placed the necklace neatly on the table.
"Well, we should head back before it gets too late. I'll give you a ride."
The instructor said, getting up from his seat.
"Let's go."
"Ah, yes."
As he turned and strode away, the instructor's back...
...looked relieved for some reason.
I breathed a sigh of relief.
I was glad things seemed to have worked out somehow.
* * *
After dropping Kang Seoyul off.
Pi Jinho returned home and sat on his living room sofa, smiling.
"Such a thorough bastard."
A laugh escaped him as he thought of Kang Seoyul.
"Doesn't have anything like Master of Arms, he says?"
It was a laugh of disbelief.
He couldn't believe the kid would play dumb even after he, an instructor, had laid it all out.
Well, to be honest, he had expected Kang Seoyul to react that way.
Given his personality, he was likely to deny it whether he truly had Master of Arms or not.
"But he's still clumsy."
Pi Jinho lowered his gaze to the steel necklace on the table.
The necklace Pi Jinho had deliberately dropped on the floor a moment ago.
It looked exactly like the one Pi Jinho usually wore, but it was an entirely different item.
The necklace's name was [Essence of Arms].
It was a necklace that had belonged to Kim Minji, a special item that could only be worn by someone who possessed [Master of Arms].
The necklace Pi Jinho wore was a matching couple's necklace, a mere copy of Kim Minji's.
Pi Jinho reached for the [Essence of Arms].
*Crackle-!*
The moment he did, a strong spark flew.
It was a rejection response.
A natural phenomenon, since Pi Jinho did not possess Master of Arms.
But Kang Seoyul had picked up this necklace without any issue.
That could only mean one thing.
"...Minji. I think I've finally found the child who will follow in your footsteps."
Kang Seoyul was indeed the seed of a Weapon Master.
Pi Jinho smiled like the happiest child in the world.
* * *
Thursday, 11 AM.
Today was the day of Jia's ranking match.
"...Whoa. Look at all these people."
Rank 1, Shin Jia.
Rank 2, Eun Hyukjin.
The duel between the two most coveted prospects drew all sorts of attention. It looked like people from every guild in Korea were here.
"There really isn't a single guild that didn't show up."
Someone approached and spoke to me. It was Yuhwa.
"Are you really that busy?"
"Extremely."
"Then what's someone like that doing here?"
"What do you mean? I'm performing the very important task of scouting future prospects."
She smiled gently, slightly lowering her sunglasses.
"Well, even a guild master needs a break sometimes."
"Hey, now. I'm not taking a break, I'm here to work."
"Right. Let's go with that."
I turned my gaze back to the field.
"Who do you think will win, Seoyul?"
Yuhwa, who had moved next to me at some point, asked casually.
"Jia will win, obviously."
"You sound so sure."
"I am."
Yuhwa clicked her tongue, looking displeased.
"Well, there's a 99.9% chance Shin Jia will win."
"She's the strongest first-year, after all."
I bet Jia could even beat the top-ranked second-year.
"I wish she'd just lose already."
Just as Yuhwa muttered the curse while glaring at Jia.
[Rank 1, Shin Jia. Rank 2, Eun Hyukjin. The ranking match will now begin.]
"Looks like it's starting."
The ranking match began.
[Start!!]
With the message signaling the start, both fighters disappeared simultaneously.
The battle was one-sided.
Eun Hyukjin couldn't even get close to Shin Jia and was pushed back helplessly.
"...Tsk. That's what he gets for using a greatsword."
Yuhwa seemed very displeased by it.
"Just as expected, Jia is dominating."
"Agh. How boring."
Yuhwa, seemingly having lost all interest in the match, turned to me and spoke.
"Anyway, what rank are you planning to reach?"
Her wording was strange.
"You make it sound like I can climb the ranks whenever I feel like it."
"Isn't that true?"
Yuhwa stated it as a fact.
"No, it's not."
"Really? Well, let's just say it is."
"It's not something you can just 'say'..."
"So. What's your target rank?"
Yuhwa changed her phrasing slightly.
Well, I did have a goal.
"To enter the top 10 within six months."
"...The top 10 within six months?"
Yuhwa's eyes widened.
"Don't tell me you want to participate in the National War?"
Wow.
She's sharp.
"Correct."
The National War.
It's literally like an Olympic Games for transcendents, where countries compete against each other.
"...Why the National War all of a sudden?"
"Hm. Because I need to."
The main scenario of this novel begins on the stage of the National War.
If I'm not selected as a representative, things will get complicated in many ways.
"Is it because of the Saviors of Truth?"
"..."
For a moment, I was flustered.
She was right.
The episode that takes place during this year's regional tournament is a massive attack by the Saviors of Truth.
"Well, I wouldn't know about that."
But I couldn't just say that out loud.
I kept my expression as neutral as possible and changed the subject.
"...Is that so."
Yuhwa nodded with a meaningful look in her eyes.