Chapter 44
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: New Trait (1)
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A lavish room, adorned in spotless gold.
Grand classical music filled the space, timed to the glittering chandeliers.
Hermit.
said the man at its center, listening intently to the musicMaestro.
In that instant, a black haze shimmered behind him, and Hermit appeared.
The mission?
Completed.
Hermit replied, lifting a briefcase slightly.
Good. Just what Id expect from Allen Velvet. Your work is always clean.
Without even looking at Hermit, Maestro extended a hand.
Hermit handed the briefcase to Maestro without hesitation.
Excellent. Its definitely the Root of the World.
Maestro smiled faintly, inspecting the briefcase with practiced hands.
Youve worked hard. Ill make sure the boss gets this.
Understood.
With those words, Hermit vanished like mist.
Even the trace of his presence, detectable by Maestros senses, disappeared in an instant.
The more I see of him, the more I like the guy.
A personality that says only whats necessary.
Clean, detached execution.
When given a role, he moves like a machine. Isnt it just like a note on a sheet of music?
*No. Perhaps he truly is one of the bosss notes.*
Maestro casually set the briefcase on the floor,
and stretched out on the long chair once more.
Halfway there.
A fierce arc formed on Maestros lips.
* * *
The cadets watching the group mock battle on the field all stood with their jaws agape, laughing in disbelief.
All you bastards who said Kang Seoyul was nothing special with a bow, get on the ground and bow your heads.
one of the cadets said jokingly.
Number one! Park. Sang. Jin! Head on the ground, sir!
Number two! Ji. Seok. Hyeon! Same here!
His two friends followed suit, bowing their heads in turn.
Laughter erupted around them at the ridiculous prank.
Is it just me, or is Kang Seoyul scarier with a bow than a spear?
What is he, really?
Did he awaken some kind of Ganggi specialization Trait?
No way, is there really a broken, versatile Trait that lets you imbue a bow with Ganggi?
Hes using it, so it must exist. What else could it be?
Well...
Well what?
I dont know either.
...Agh, I oughta!
Beyond the hologram, Kang Seoyuls movements were incredibly slow.
He ran with the movements of an F-rank,
and shot his arrows with the sluggishness of an F-rank.
But the arrows themselves were anything but slow.
No, they were fierce, like a falcon focused on the hunt.
Damn. Are those guided missiles?
And that fire arrows piercing power, for real? It just went straight through a tree.
An arrow imbued with Ganggi gains two characteristics.
First, because its infused with mana, it flies on a different trajectory than a normal arrow.
Second, its destructive power is on another level.
Havent you heard? They say top-tier archers dont use physical strength.
Ah, I think Ive heard that.
An arrow carrying mana is in a league of its own compared to a normal one.
Whoa. Add the fire attribute on top of that, and hes just insane.
Kang Seoyul is crossing the line.
Moreover, the Ganggi in Kang Seoyuls arrows wasnt just ordinary Ganggi.
Fire-attribute Ganggi.
On top of that was the Trait possessed by elven archers, [Arrow of the Wind (?)].
The destructive power of Kang Seoyuls arrows was by no means that of an F-rank superhuman.
If it hit a bare body, it had enough power to ignore a C-ranks durability, surpassing a four-rank difference.
Hes shooting again!
*Swoosh!*
Just then, an arrow shot by Kang Seoyul flew toward the superhuman providing rear support for Team B.
Oh!
Its speed was ordinary, but its trajectory was anything but.
*Whoosh!*
The arrow loosed from Kang Seoyuls hand curved wide around the forest terrain, rushing toward the blind spot of Team Bs members.
*Thwack!*
It struck the target squarely in the temple.
The superhuman hit by the arrow flew through the air and collapsed on the ground.
[Team Bs Jin Haneul, retired!]
If not for the training bow and arrow, and the battle fields safety settings, it would have been an instant kill.
Awesome! Thats two kills for Kang Seoyul!
With that, two members of Team B were eliminated.
How does an arrow bend like a snake?
Its certain now. Kang Seoyul awakened a Ganggi specialization Trait.
What about the fire-attribute mana?
They say attribute mana is largely innate, so he probably had it all along but didnt realize it because he had no mana until now.
Ooh? That sounds plausible.
At those words, all the surrounding cadets nodded.
Shin Jia alone, however, was thinking something different.
*So hes decided to just go all out now.*
Attribute Ganggi, shape transformation, and now long-range Ganggi manipulation on top of it all.
Hes using all these skills that others are desperate to master even one of.
He has absolutely no intention of holding back.
*Then again, since its come to this, its better to let them think he gained a Ganggi specialization Trait than to reveal his true stats.*
Besides, the whole world is already watching him. Revealing anything more at this point wont change much.
...No, it will get a bit more annoying. Now, guilds lacking ranged superhumans will start making their moves in earnest.
Sigh.
Shin Jias heartfelt sigh was completely drowned out by the cadets murmuring.
*In any case, his ranking is sure to go up.*
Shin Jia smiled bitterly.
* * *
Time flew by, and it was now Saturday morning.
For the past three days, Id had a tough time because Id revealed the elven Trait Id recently learned, Arrow of the Wind (?).
I was flustered by how many more people flocked to me than I had imagined.
Well, at least I gained a long-range attack method.
Used with the Elysium Bow in a real fight, it could become my trump card.
Three more.
Right now, I was in the middle of intense training.
I... I cant!
You can. Your muscles are still insisting they can do it.
Normally, I train alone on Saturdays, but today, Instructor Pi Jinho was on duty, so he was overseeing my training while he was at the academy.
Thanks to him, I felt like I was dying.
Last one!
*Guuuh!*
I put every ounce of strength into my lower body and stood up.
Now its really over
Just one more!
or not.
Im about to die, what do you mean one more!
Agh! Damn this Eye That Sees the Arcane! Hes telling me to do it because he knows I can!
*Gaaaaah!*
I squatted down and stood back up. Now, really...
The real last one!
Last one, my ass!
Last is last!
Does saying it in English make a difference?
*Ugh.*
My whole body was trembling.
Hes a true demon!
Whatever, Ill do one more!
*Gyaaaah!*
I screamed as I squatted down and stood up again.
Okay, rest!
The moment Instructor Pi Jinho pressed the button, the pressure on my entire body vanished.
*Haaah...* *Cough, hack hack.*
I gasped for air so hard I choked.
Take a deep breath.
I... cant... control... *cough*... it.
This state-of-the-art exercise equipment is really specialized for pushing a person to their absolute limit.
Incredible technology.
Thanks to it, I feel like Im dying.
Hmm. By the way, your muscle growth is too slow for the amount of training youre doing.
Pi Jinho stroked his chin, looking puzzled. Was it just my imagination? His eyes seemed full of suspicion.
Dont tell me he found out.
Seems youre a different type from Minji. Is your growth concentrated in your Traits?
Thankfully, it seemed he wasnt suspicious of my true identity.
Well, thats fine. Youre still improving steadily. At this rate, you might reach E-rank in just two weeks.
R-Really?
E-rank!
A rank Ive only ever dreamed of!
Why so surprised? Werent you expecting it, given your increasing stats?
Oops. I showed too much excitement.
Ah, I just thought my growth would gradually slow down. I heard thats often the case.
Thats true for ordinary training. The body gets used to it. Its like how you dont get infinite experience from killing the same monster over and over.
I see.
My desperate excuse worked.
But who am I? Dont worry. I can guarantee that your body will never get used to my training.
...Wow. Im so happy.
Soulless.
There was no soul in my voice.
Not happy? Then maybe I should increase the intensity...
Im ecstatic! Im so happy that Instructor Pi Jinho is my trainer!
It was an automatic reflex.
A desperate struggle for survival.
If I train any more than this, I might actually die.
Im kidding. Any more training would just be overtraining. It would actually lead to muscle loss.
...Phew.
I let out a sigh of relief.
Well, good work today. I dont need to tell you, but...
Yes. Stretch for at least 30 minutes, and rest from training tomorrow, right? I know.
Pi Jinho chuckled.
You know it well. Ah, and one more thing.
Instructor Pi Jinho held out his phone to me.
Congratulations.
Huh?
I tilted my head and looked at the instructors phone.
[Kang Seoyul Ranking Change: 123rd.]
It wont be long before youre in the double digits.
Normally, ranking changes are announced every Monday.
Today is Saturday.
This ranking list must be an advance notice that only instructors receive.
He must be showing it to me early out of consideration.
...Ive climbed a lot.
Yes. Its the fastest rise in history.
The best in history, huh.
That does make me a little proud.
Ah. And about your Ganggi.
Ah, yes.
Ive watched it several times, and theres really nothing I can teach you. In fact, youre more skilled than I am; I should be learning from you. My apologies.
Not at all. Just having you oversee my physical training is more than enough.
I answered, clutching the [Mastery of Arms] on my chest.
This Trait-restricting item really is the most broken thing. To think I can use the Owner of Arms Trait without any penalties.
Lastly, be careful when youre walking around, on or off campus. Its a pain if you get surrounded by scouts.
...Yes. I know.
As a matter of fact, I went out for a bit the day before yesterday and was nearly annoyed to death by a crowd of scouts.
You shouldve held back a little.
The instructor is saying the same thing as Jia.
Its unfair.
I mean, this was the only way to raise my ranking, so what was I supposed to do?
Well, considering how meticulous you are, I assume you acted after careful consideration.
Instructor Pi Jinho turned and walked out of the private training room.
See you on Monday.
Yes. You have a good weekend too, Instructor.
After the instructor left,
I finished stretching and headed straight for the showers.
I took off my sweat-drenched clothes and stood in front of the shower, my reflection in the full-length mirror just as soaked.
Ive definitely put on some muscle.
They say the most exciting time for a guy after a workout is looking at his pumped muscles in the mirror. I get it.
Ooh. Nice, nice.
Because Im excited right now.
I struck various poses, admiring my muscles.
Its a bit much for me to say, but with a handsome face to boot, I could probably put most statues to shame.
Just as I was about to change classes to Narcissist,
...Ah.
I suddenly caught sight of the dragon clan tattoo etched across my entire back.
Hah. What am I supposed to do about this?
Its already been four days since I got it, but I still have no clue about the Trait I acquired. I cant even get a feel for it.
I had a feeling something like this might happen eventually.
I just didnt think it would be so soon.
I let out a sigh deep enough to make the ground sink.
* * *
That afternoon.
Wearing sunglasses and a mask,
I hurried my steps, moving stealthily through the most deserted areas I could find.
My destination was the Golden Sanctuary, where Geumho was waiting.
Id been so exhausted all week that I planned to have some healing time.
A trip that would normally take ten minutes took me thirty, as I took the long way around as cautiously as possible.
*Phew.*
As a result, I managed to arrive at the Golden Sanctuary without being seen by anyone.
*Thump, thump, thump!*
The moment I set foot in the Golden Sanctuary,
I heard the sound of powerful footsteps in the distance.
Geumhooo~
I could see Geumho scrambling toward me from afar. The muscles in my face relaxed naturally.
Ah. Just seeing his face from a distance is already healing.
*Kyaoooong~*
Geumho, who had reached me in no time, rapidly slowed and came to a perfect stop right in front of me.
*Grrrr~*
Then he rubbed his head against my face.
Sorry, Hyeong was a little late, wasnt I?
He whimpered as if something had made him sad, acting cute.
I stroked Geumhos brilliantly shining fur.
Fur as soft as silk. If I could replicate this texture and sell it, Id become a billionaire in an instant.
Thats a good boy. Did you eat lots of carnivorous deer? You did? Good boy.
It really feels like all my worries and concerns are being washed away.
The unidentified dragon clan Trait? Who cares~ Ill figure it out eventually~
Ah, Im so happy.
I really want to take Geumho out of here.
I want to keep him in my room and sleep while petting him all day.
Cuteness, combat power, and my mental well-beingthe all-purpose Geumho can do all three at once.
*Kyuuu.*
As I continued to nuzzle with Geumho, I began to seriously wonder.
Isnt there some way to take him with me?
I just need to do something about him being bound to this ruin.
Geumho. You want to go outside with Hyeong too, right?
*Grrr.*
Yeah. Lets get out of here quickly and live together. Hyeong will find a way...
I spoke with all my heart.
And in that moment, a stabbing pain erupted from my back.
?
Yes. The dragon clan Trait that hadnt reacted no matter what I did!
While I stood there dumbfounded, a faint magical light shone from both my hands.
Pure mana, not discolored red by the flames of the stigma.
It began to flow from my hands and be absorbed into Geumho.