Chapter 53
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 53
Chapter Title: Growth Acceleration (1)
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The weekend flew by,
and Monday was already here.
A lot had happened, but my daily routine hadn't changed one bit.
Instructor Pi Jinho's morning training was still hellish,
and my classes were the same as always.
The only things that had changed were my relationship with Jia,
and the fact that public attention had completely shifted from me to the Great Fissure and the advent of the celestial race.
Also, on a national level, a dedicated investigation team for angels and demons had been established. That was new, I guess.
Alright, one last announcement before we finish for the day.
The time was 6:20 PM.
The time when all regular classes ended.
I'm sure you all know this already, but there will be no classes for seven days, from this Thursday to next Friday.
Normally, the words "no classes" should have been a cause for celebration among students.
Ah~
I seriously hate this.
But not a single student was happy.
Thursday and Friday will be for the 13-subject written exams. From next Monday to Friday, you'll have various practical exams.
"No classes" didn't mean we got to rest.
It just meant the schedule was packed solid with exams instead.
Ugh. What am I gonna do about the written exams?
You confident about the practicals?
Of course not!
Damn, you say that with such confidence.
Two days of written exams, five days of practicals.
A long, grueling hell week of exams.
No cadet would welcome this.
Except for me, that is.
To others, it might be an annoying and nerve-wracking ordeal, but to me, it was just an opportunity to climb the rankings.
You think Kang Seoyul will take first place in the written exams again?
Probably. Have you ever seen him get a question wrong?
True, he answers anything you ask him without hesitation.
I saw him reading a graduate school thesis the other day.
Seriously, it makes sense his stats are low. He's got everything else.
I could pretty much guarantee first place in the written exams.
I don't know if the original protagonist's knowledge came with the package or what, but I never forgot anything I saw once, and most knowledge was already in my head.
I was like a vending machine that spat out answers the moment I saw a question.
But the written exams aren't direct competition, so who cares? The practicals are the real problem.
Ugh. I wonder what kind of crazy method they'll use for the exams this time.
I can't even imagine.
The problem was the practical exams.
The format changed every year, every quarter, making it an impossibly difficult test to prepare for.
You can look forward to this year's practicals. I guarantee they'll be more interesting than last year's.
Instructor Pi Jinho's lips twisted into a smirk. At the same time, anxious sighs erupted from all around.
Ah.
For real? Tougher than last year?
That Pi Jinho smile is a bad sign.
Last year's first-semester midterm practical was a five-day, four-night deserted island survival test. It was infamous for being five days of pure shock and horror, and this year was supposed to be even worse.
It was only natural for them to be trembling with anxiety.
Of course, I wasn't.
What was there to be anxious about?
I already knew what the exam was.
For me, it was just a cakewalk.
It's good to see all your excited faces.
Aw, come on, sir.
That's not it, Instructor.
The instructor's playful remark was met with a chorus of protests.
Just kidding. Anyway, make sure you prepare well for the exams.
Of course.
I'll be well prepared.
* * *
That night.
I was watching over Ha Siyeon's training.
You damn talent-freak.
I was literally just watching.
Drenched in a cold sweat, Ha Siyeon looked at me and tilted her head.
Yes? Me?
The corners of her mouth were twitching; she was pretending not to know what I meant.
Don't play dumb. You absorb things better than a sponge!
I walked up to her and poked her in the side.
Kyahak!
She shrieked, startled.
Th-That's a foul! The ribs are off-limits!
Your talent is the real foul play here, you know? Huh?
I seriously didn't expect it to be this much.
All I did was pass on what I vaguely remembered about the skill applications that the future Ha Siyeon had discovered through trial and error,
but her growth rate was insane.
It was so absurd I was speechless.
Feeling spiteful, I poked her other side too.
Kyah-aagh!
She yelped again with another strange sound.
Phew. I feel a little better now.
With tears welling in the corners of her eyes, Ha Siyeon pouted.
Ugh, I was just kidding.
That's not kidding, that's called being deceitful. Try that on someone else and see what they call you.
I was genuinely annoyed.
Anyway, it's a relief. At this rate of growth, I won't have to worry much in a year.
Aw, I'm still just a measly B-Ranker... Kyah-euk!
I poked her in the side again.
Is that something you should say in front of a measly E-Ranker who just ranked up?
Ha Siyeon glared at me with resentful eyes.
S-Seoyul, you...! Are you really going to keep cheap-shotting my ribs when I'm exhausted?
I scoffed.
If you don't like it, maybe you should've saved some energy instead of training so hard.
You're so mean.
The reason Ha Siyeon, a B-Ranker, couldn't dodge the poke of a measly E-Ranker like me was that she'd used up too much stamina and mana in today's training.
She had exhausted herself to the point where she could barely track my movements.
Says the guy who's only an E-Ranker because his power is sealed.
What was that?
I asked, feigning another poke.
I didn't say anything!
Ha Siyeon shouted, quickly taking three steps back.
Her reaction was so amusing and cute that I couldn't help but laugh.
Anyway, congratulations. You should be able to hold your own against Jia now.
Ah, yeah. I think I can win.
Oh? Confident.
Hehe.
She replied to my congratulations with a bright smile, as if she'd never been on guard.
Oh, right. Seoyul. Can you teach me that thing?
What thing?
I thought I'd already taught her everything I could.
The arrow of light that took care of the Great Fissure in one shot!
Huh?
Ha Siyeon approached me, her eyes sparkling.
I can't teach you that.
How can I teach something I don't know myself?
If anything, I'm the one who wants to know.
How do you even make that anti-vaccine?
Don't be like that. Please teach me. Huh? Pleeease?
Ha Siyeon's clingy mode: ON.
I'm screwed.
I told you, I can't.
I don't know how either!
* * *
That night.
I was on an international call with Eil Chris, a collector living across the sea in England.
So, it'll arrive on Friday at the earliest, and Saturday at the latest?
It was good news that the artifact was arriving sooner than expected.
That's right.
He had said that due to some complications, it wouldn't arrive until next Wednesday at the earliest.
Looks like things worked out well?
With everyone's attention on that Great Fissure thing, I just pushed right through.
His voice was triumphant.
Oh, as expected of Elder Eil. Your timing is impeccable.
Khaha! You don't have to tell me twice. Ever since I was young, I've been a master of the hit-and-run!
He seemed to be in high spirits, so he must have really liked the Mana-Engraved Fang.
It must be about time for you to sleep.
Yes. It's almost midnight.
Oops. I've been rambling on late at night. Anyway, I'll call you again when it arrives.
With that, the call ended.
I placed my smartphone on the desk and stretched.
Uwaah~
With this, I'd be able to gain two more traits before the practical exams. I didn't know what they would be, but something was better than nothing.
The practicals should be a little easier now.
I finished my light neck stretch and fixed my gaze on the notebook on my desk.
The notebook was filled with things I had to do in the future.
It was my so-called plan notebook, which I'd been organizing in my spare time since the Vaccine Program incident.
This should be about everything.
Everything was organized, from the upcoming exams to the major episodes that would occur before the national tournament.
A notebook that laid out a complete growth plan based on the pros and cons of my ability (Error) that I'd come to understand after the Vaccine Program incident.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a book of prophecies.
I scanned the notebook one last time from beginning to end.
It was perfect.
Hmm.
However, there was one small flaw.
[Future movements of the Saviors of Truth - Unknown.]
This was the problematic entry.
No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't find an answer.
From the very first episode, every incident involving the Saviors of Truth had been twisted.
The doppelganger, Pyo Ilchan, made an early exit. Hermit appeared ahead of schedule.
On top of that, I'd even neutralized the anti-terror weapon known as the Root of the World.
I really couldn't imagine what they would do next.
No, I could imagine it, but the possibilities were just too vast.
In any case, as long as Unknown's goal was to uncover the world's truth, the attack on the national tournament was bound to happen.
He would definitely need this year's tournament prize.
I guess I'll have to wait and see.
I wasn't worried.
I might not have any information right now, but a brilliant spy named Hermit was currently embedded within the Saviors of Truth.
Hermit, who harbored a deep hatred for Unknown, would surely find a loophole in the restrictions and bring me some new information.
I just had to wait for that.
There was still plenty of time before the national tournament anyway.
For now, I needed to focus on getting stronger.
Time to get some sleep.
With a light heart, I closed the notebook.
* * *
The next morning.
I was at the archery range, practicing with my bow.
The goal, of course, was to adapt my body to the elven racial trait.
Seeing as the pain from the tattoo had been fading lately,
I figured the first trait I acquired, [Guardian of the Bow], would soon be fully assimilated into my body.
*Swish! Thwack!*
The arrow that shot from my fingertips weaved through the pre-set obstacles and struck the target perfectly.
Every time I see it, I'm just amazed.
Did you see that? It curved three times.
It's like the arrow's alive.
I could hear the murmurs from the surrounding gallery.
Of the more than forty firing lanes, I was the only one shooting.
If they came here to train, they should be training. I don't know what was so fascinating that they were all gathered around chattering.
I drew the bowstring again.
*Swish! Thwack!*
Whoa. He hit an arrow with an arrow.
His proficiency is insane.
The quadruple synergy of [Guardian of the Bow], [Arrow of the Wind], [Master of Arms], and [Flame of Imprint] was truly immense.
[Guardian of the Bow] and [Master of Arms] applied a double correction to my archery proficiency itself.
The aura effect of [Master of Arms] and the fire-attribute synergy of [Flame of Imprint] boosted its destructive power.
On top of that, [Arrow of the Wind] added accuracy and velocity corrections, plus the special effect of making the arrow immune to wind.
*Swish! Thwack!*
Seriously? He split an arrow ten times in a row?
In short, I was basically cheating.
I heard his overall stats went up to E-Rank recently.
Wow. Damn. Gives me the chills.
I never thought I'd see the day where someone ranking up from F to E would give me the chills.
These guys.
They've got a good eye.
Being showered with praise naturally lifted my spirits.
Alright. I'm in the mood.
And there was a technique I wanted to test out.
I'll give you all a good show.
Set target. Durability: B-Rank. Remove obstacles.
[Lane 11 setting change approved.]
[Setting target durability to B.]
[Removing obstacles.]
Along with the archery range AI's message, the appearance of the lane began to change.
The numerous obstacles all disappeared, leaving only a single, doll-shaped target in the center.
Durability B?
I thought his average stats were around E-Rank?
He's going to break through a four-rank difference?
The murmuring grew louder.
I gripped the bow again.
Hoo.
With a deep breath, all surrounding sounds faded away.
All I could see was the target before me.
I drew the bowstring.
I focused my mind, feeling the bowstring expand like muscle fibers throughout my entire body.
*Whoosh*
My mana began to spin.
As if coating the tip of the arrow.
I pulled the bowstring even tighter.
As if in response,
the mana enveloping the arrow began to accelerate.
*Fwoosh*
The sound of rotating flames.
But it wasn't enough yet.
I pulled the bowstring a little tighter.
A little more.
And a little more.
Accordingly, the mana increased its rotations.
This sequence of actions was repeated for about 20 seconds.
*Piiiiing!*
Both the bowstring and my muscles reached their limit.
Very carefully, I released my hand.
*Fwoong*
A wind blew.
A wind like a storm, carrying intense heat.
*Shwaaaaaaak!*
That wind left behind a red afterimage.
*KABOOOM!*
And completely obliterated the target.
Hoo.
Success.
A new technique that applied the principle of Spiral Spearrotating the aura at the tip of the spearto an arrow.
Spiral Arrow.
It had the effect of increasing its destructive power in proportion to the charging time.
In theory, if I charged it for over a minute, I could pierce A-Rank durability.
Of course, my strength and mana were ridiculously low, so it was difficult to charge for more than 20 seconds.
It also had the drawback of being a one-shot technique since it required pouring in all my mana and strength.
And in a real fight, no opponent would just stand there and let me use a skill with such a long charge time.
It'll need some modifications to be useful in a real battle.
For now, it was just a flashy, ridiculously difficult-to-use skill.
Just as I was nodding to myself,
Puhak! Ah, I was holding my breath without realizing it.
*Cough! Cough!*
Whoa.
Amazing.
I heard gasps from all around. Ah, right. I wasn't alone. I'd forgotten because I was so focused.
Holy shit, he can even shape-shift the aura he imbues in his arrows?
I've never seen anyone other than the Heavenly Bow use that.
They were all going crazy.
Even the people who looked like upperclassmen had dazed expressions.
Did I overdo it?
Just as I was inwardly reflecting on my actions,
*Tingle*
I felt a strange sensation on my right shoulder blade.
Could it be!
I slightly lifted my tracksuit to check my right shoulder blade.
Wow.
I was right.
The elven tattoo had turned from black back to red.
It seemed that performing this high-difficulty archery technique had caused [Guardian of the Bow] to fully assimilate into my body.
Heh.
Screw reflecting.
If I hadn't tested Spiral Arrow today, I would have been kicking myself.
Ah. This isn't the time for this.
I left the archery range with a bright smile.
I needed to check the physical changes from the full assimilation of the elven trait.