Chapter 65
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 65
Chapter Title: Connections are Power (3)
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My talk with Meiden ended well.
With this, my plan has become much more solid.
Things went so much smoother than expected, I'm a bit stunned.
I had made countless preparations to persuade her, but I never imagined she'd agree in one go.
"Did Yuhwa say something to her beforehand?"
Maybe they talked before our meeting, after Yuhwa heard I wanted to see Meiden.
"...No."
Considering she seemed to be hearing about the doppelgnger, Kim Shinwoo, and Vagabond for the first time, that can't be it.
In other words, they hadn't discussed anything specific beforehand.
"Then what is it?"
I rested my chin on my hand, lost in thought.
Meiden Keuritineseu.
In the original novel, she was a supporting character with a decent role, a transcendent with the unique ability to create dungeons.
I think she even holed up in a shelter-type dungeon she made with this ability at one point.
The only other peculiar thing about her was her affection for the protagonist.
Not the 'love' between a man and a woman, but the affection between a parent and child. Something like 'maternal love'.
"It was certainly strange."
The process of Meiden becoming the protagonist's ally lacked what you would call 'plausibility'.
She just showed up one day and, at some point, started favoring the protagonist. There was no particular reason for it.
At the time, I just thought of it as a plot device to give the protagonist an ally.
I didn't think much more of it.
But now that the novel has become reality, such an artificial change of heart shouldn't exist.
"That means there must have been a reason she started favoring the protagonist."
A reason not described in the novel.
Some story that unfolded from Meiden's perspective.
The probability of that was high.
"Nyaa."
"Oh. You're awake?"
Was it because I kept muttering to myself?
Geumho, who had been sleeping in my arms, woke up. He stared at me with drowsy eyes.
"Sorry. Go back to sleep."
I gently stroked Geumho's head. He quickly started nodding off and soon fell back asleep.
Today is Thursday.
I hadn't seen him since Monday morning, four days ago, so I missed him a lot.
Geumho must have felt the same; he went wild the moment he saw me.
Thanks to that, I played with him for over an hour, and now we're both collapsed on the bed.
I stroked Geumho's fur, continuing to organize my thoughts.
...Anyway, things with Meiden worked out, so let's move on.
Questions remain, but right now, the result is more important than the cause.
The fact that Meiden agreed to help with my plan is what matters.
I also gained Yuhwa's assistance as a bonus.
All in all, it was resolved well.
So, what do I need to do next?
I decided to organize the things I need to prepare for.
First, since Meiden and Yuhwa have agreed to handle the preparations for the national tournament terror incident, there's nothing I need to do immediately.
Second, the practical exam.
The exam itself was suspended and postponed due to the Poseidon rampage incident, so there will naturally be a retest.
I need to prepare for that.
...Well, I'm supposed to get bonus points for resolving this incident, so reaching my target rank shouldn't be a big problem.
Besides, I can't really prepare when I don't even know what kind of retest it will be.
So, I'll pass on this for now.
Then, third.
Preparing for the villains from the Seekers of Truth who will come to Korea to investigate the Vagabond incident.
Seeing as there's been no significant movement so far, it seems the executives haven't made a move.
It's highly likely that regular members are the ones on the move.
Of course, I don't need to worry too much about this either. As long as information about me hasn't reached the enemy's ears, they can't harm me directly.
The only real concern is the safety of the Shinhwa Group and the Bihon Guild, who dealt with Vagabond directly.
But this also isn't a concern unless an executive gets involved.
So, pass on this too.
The next episodes will take place within the academy, so I can just act as they come.
"...Hmm."
I've come to the conclusion that I can leave all my short-term tasks as they are for now.
Did I miss anything?
I organized my thoughts once more.
And I reached the same conclusion.
"This is good."
This is a golden opportunity for growth.
If no unexpected variables arise, I have about a month.
That one month is the gap between episodes.
I'll focus all my efforts on getting stronger during this period.
My course of action is set.
"Ah."
That's right.
A course of action is one thing.
But there was something I needed to organize.
I gently placed Geumho beside the bed and got up.
I sat at my desk and opened a new notebook.
What should I name this notebook?
Right. This will do.
[Perceptions of Me by Those Around Me.]
A notebook to organize how the people around me perceive me.
I felt the need to start sorting this out. Things are getting too complicated, and since the people around me have started interacting with each other, there's a chance my true identity could be exposed.
This is a preparation for that moment.
[Shin Jia: Half-elf (Celestial + Elf), Savior of the World.]
First, I don't need to worry about Jia.
She's the type to believe anything I say, so as long as she doesn't find out I'm not an elf, our relationship will remain unchanged.
[Yuhwa: A cadet hiding her power. Well-versed in information about the Seekers of Truth. Harbors a desire for revenge against the Seekers of Truth.]
Yuhwa is a bit complicated.
But then again, in a way, it's all true.
Even the part about hiding the fact that I 'have no' power is perfect.
[Ha Siyeon: Celestial. Master. Savior of the World.]
Ha Siyeon's perception is somewhat similar to Jia's. The only difference is whether she thinks I'm a Celestial or a Celestial-Elf hybrid.
[Pi Jinho: The second Weapon Master, possessor of the Master of Weapons.]
This one shouldn't be a big problem.
As long as I possess the Pinnacle of Weaponry, it's a fact that I possess the Master of Weapons.
[Choi Jihoon: Sunlight Orphanage test subject. Survivor of the System Transcendence Project.]
This is the same.
It's not a misunderstanding, it's a fact.
It actually happened.
[Hermit: Great Spirit, enemy of Unknown.]
Hermit is bound by the 'Pact of the Great Spirit'. He's under a restriction not to reveal my information, so there's no need to worry at all.
[Meiden: Probably a similar perception to Yuhwa's.]
I can just assume Meiden shares Yuhwa's thoughts.
[Aile Kris: An interesting and peculiar kid.]
The Collector.
To be honest, I have no idea about this guy.
He's the type who thinks as long as it's fun, it's fine, and anyone who gives him draconic relics is on his side! He seems to think along those lines.
[Unknown: Unaware.]
It's completely irrelevant for now, but I decided to write down Unknown as well.
"...Wow."
Writing it all down, it's a real chaotic mess.
It was all just to hide the fact that I don't have a system.
How did things get to this point?
"Sigh."
It's not like there's any way to sort this out.
I can't just come out now and say, 'Actually, I'm nothing special, just a kid with a system error!'
"...Would it have been better if I had just been honest from the start and said I didn't have a system?"
When Jia first came to find me.
If I had confessed everything honestly back then...
"No."
That's not it.
In this world, having a system is a given.
Not 99.99%, but 100%.
There are no exceptions.
Only monsters and beasts don't have systems.
In other words, saying 'I don't have a system' is synonymous with 'I am not human' or 'I am a beast or a monster.'
That's why I couldn't tell the truth.
...There was also the fact that if those bastards from the Seekers of Truth found out I don't have a system, it would truly be 'The End' for my life.
"Sigh."
It can't be helped.
I've already crossed a river I can't return from.
"I have no choice but to push forward like this."
* * *
Friday morning.
I headed to the personal training room as usual.
"Good morning."
Pi Jinho, who was working out, put down his equipment and stood up.
"Good morning."
He approached me with a light greeting. Then he began to meticulously examine my body.
"I don't see any signs of the lightning attribute on your body."
I thought he was checking my physical condition, but he was checking for the lightning attribute?
"Your physical condition is good. You're in shape to train without any issues."
Ah. So you were checking my physical condition too.
"Alright. Let's hear about this lightning energy."
Instructor Pi Jinho smiled, looking as pleased as could be.
"It's a new skill I acquired. It's called 'Lightning Strike'. It's a skill that doesn't change the nature of the magic power inside my body, but rather converts magic power condensed in the air into lightning energy."
Heavenly Punishment is different from the Imprinted Flame.
'Imprinted Flame' literally changes my body's attribute,
but Heavenly Punishment is just a type of skill that uses magic power to call down a lightning strike.
"So it's a special skill that doesn't affect your magic veins."
"Yes."
Since there was no change to my body, Instructor Pi Jinho's Mystic Eyes wouldn't have been able to detect it.
"It's a cheap trick, hardly worthy of being called a dual attribute."
The overpowered nature of elemental magic lies in its versatility.
Just like Ha Siyeon's Frost Empress, most elemental magic boasts insane performance.
But my 'Heavenly Punishment' is just about dropping a lightning strike. That's it.
Its versatility is so poor it's embarrassing to even call it elemental magic.
...Of course, depending on the amount of magic power, it's also a broken skill that can deal enough damage to put other elemental spells to shame.
"No. That is most certainly a dual attribute."
Instructor Pi Jinho gave a faint smile.
"The versatility of elemental magic is certainly important. But what's more important is the 'damage amplification from elemental advantages'."
Elemental advantages.
Just like how Poseidon, the Guardian of Water, took massive damage from lightning, this world's elements have clear 'advantages' against one another.
In short, it's like Pokmon.
"So what if its versatility is low? You already have fire-attribute magic with the best versatility. You just need to save the lightning strike as a trump card."
The corners of Instructor Pi Jinho's mouth lifted.
"It seems Korea will have you to thank when underwater monsters go on a rampage in the future."
"...Haha. I'll need to increase my magic power a lot for that."
Even when I wear the [Grace of Mana] and activate Magic Sensitivity, two shots of Heavenly Punishment is my limit.
And even then, I'll definitely collapse afterward, just like this time.
"Right. There's still plenty of time. Don't be too hasty."
"Yes, sir."
Pi Jinho patted my back lightly.
"We're a little late. Let's get right into the morning training. I can't do anything about your magic power, but leave your body to me. I'll make sure you reach A-Rank."
"Yes, sir."
I happily began the workout.
A short while later.
"...Ghhk. Hah..."
"Three more to go. Don't let your arms give out!"
If it isn't hard, it isn't training.
That's Instructor Pi Jinho's motto.
"Two more!"
"Nngghhh!"
I'm pretty sure I heard my overall physical stats had risen to E-Rank (70/99).
But this is even harder than when I was F-Rank.
"Last one!"
The magic word, 'last'.
I squeezed out my remaining strength.
"Rest!"
"Gahhh."
I immediately collapsed onto the floor with a thud. Then I flopped onto my back.
"Hah... Haaah."
I was expecting to hear the Arabic, Morse code, or C++ version of 'last'.
Thankfully, it seems that was really the last one.
"That's all for today's training. Good work."
"G-Good work, sir..."
I didn't even have the strength to speak.
The instructor was staring intently at me.
"W-What is it, sir?"
I asked, worried he might make me do more exercises.
"I was just thinking your physical recovery rate is still phenomenal. It's gotten even faster since your skeletal structure changed."
He was talking about how my body's structure changed thanks to the complete assimilation with the elf race.
"It's even more surprising that it's natural healing."
The instructor nodded repeatedly with a proud smile.
"At this rate, it wouldn't be unreasonable to think you could reach the vicinity of D-Rank before the tournament starts next week."
"...A tournament?"
A tournament, all of a sudden?
"Ah. That was supposed to be announced this morning, wasn't it? I was too hasty."
Instructor Pi Jinho cleared his throat.
"Well, you'd find out in an hour anyway. I suppose it doesn't matter if I tell you now."
Ah. Could it be that?
"The retest is scheduled to start next Wednesday."
As I thought.
I was right.
"The exam format will be a tournament. A three-day individual tournament."
"They've adopted a very basic format."
A tournament.
A traditional and very basic exam format.
"Yes. Until 13 years ago, the practical exam was always a tournament. You're well-informed."
I know a bit about it from my research during the exam preparation phase.
"Then has the winner's benefit been revived as well?"
"You knew about that too?"
The winner's benefit.
If that benefit has been revived, then this exam is a huge opportunity for me.
"Yes. The benefit has been revived along with it."
The instructor smiled.
"The tournament winner will be given the right to participate in the national tournament."
A glint appeared in my eyes.
"Excellent."
I now have a reason I must win.
"Your eyes are full of determination."
"Of course."
"In that case, time for part two of the workout."