Chapter 127: Something New
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 127: Something New
"...I don't just blurt out my feelings like you do. I wait for the peak, the most romantic moment possible to say those words... I'm the type who places a lot of importance on the weight of words, so I just haven't had the right chance yet. If the situation had been right, I could have said it whenever—"
"Ugh, shut up. I get it, so get away from me."
After the examination, Min-su and I were walking down the hallway side by side.
Even when he firmly believed Ryu Hye-mi wasn't there, Kim Min-su had failed to confess until the very end. And apparently, that was weighing on his conscience so much that he was desperately making excuses to me.
You picked the wrong person to make excuses to.
Actually, he shouldn't have let it get to the point where he needed excuses in the first place. Min-su was a guy who was fundamentally screwed up from the premise. Instead of wasting time giving me this long-winded explanation, he should have been running to Ryu Hye-mi to confess right now. It was pathetic watching him try to rationalize his actions with such lame excuses.
"...Do you even know what true love is? True love isn't something you can just chatter about in front of anyone... Besides, telling a rival your feelings instead of the girl is a classic flag for becoming a losing heroine in a rom-com... It’s a universal rule that the one who says 'Huh...? What? What are you talking about?' later on is the true end-girl... So, in a way, I was actually waiting for the moment closest to the right answer—"
"Hey, I said stop."
"...Fine... Hmph... I was planning to head to training after saying that anyway. Later."
Adios.
At my final warning, Min-su immediately tucked his tail and hurried away as if afraid I’d chase him.
Lately, the guy hadn't shown a single shred of protagonist-like behavior. The most he’d done was refuse to join forces with Noble, but honestly, that was a given. On the other hand, I had won the Gladire tournament and even won Ryu Hye-mi’s heart. We were living through the same time, but the density of our experiences was worlds apart.
The funny thing was that despite all this, my Protagonist Share was stuck at 20.1% without budging an inch.
Do I have to steal his girl for it to go up?
I wondered if Baek Tae-yang could only become the protagonist in his own specific way. In any other novel, I felt like I’d achieved enough to have taken the lead role long ago.
Ring, ring— Ring, ring—
As I walked down the hall lost in thought, my phone rang.
Jang Du-cheol?
I was already on my way to class; there was no need for him to call. Unless it was something that could only be said over the phone.
Click.
"Hello?"
—Do you remember the place where I gave you the control bracelet?
"Yes, I do."
I had been trying hard not to think about the fact that I had a condom wrapped around my arm. But with the direct mention, my gaze naturally drifted to my wrist. It was an unpleasant sensation, feeling that elastic rubber ring hugging my arm. I even hated the tiny gear on it used to adjust my ability levels.
—Come there. I have something to give you.
"Understood."
Was he giving me a new condom?
Even the part where you swap it out after use is the same.
Why did it have to share such unpleasant traits?
*
When I arrived at the place where I’d first received the Ability Control Bracelet, there was someone else there besides Jang Du-cheol.
It’s Cheon Hae-il.
He had many titles, but as time passed, everyone simply called Cheon Hae-il a "Superhuman."
A Superhuman.
The meaning of transcending humanity was on a different level than simply being strong. Once you Awakened, you easily surpassed the level of an ordinary person. However, no matter how strong one became, they usually couldn't escape the category of "human." Eventually, a limit would be reached, but Cheon Hae-il defied that common sense. He was a man who shattered all expectations, possessing a martial prowess that couldn't be contained within the human realm.
That was Cheon Hae-il.
On the outside, he looked like a refined scholar in a traditional Hanbok, but immense power was hidden within.
This is going to be tough.
When I faced Yu Min-hyuk’s wrath head-on and gauged his full power, I’d estimated that it would be "difficult, but doable." That was even before I gained Demonization, and now that I had the Corrupt Official attribute, I’d upgraded that thought to "completely doable."
But with Cheon Hae-il, that thought didn't even cross my mind the moment I saw him.
"I believe this is our first time meeting like this. I am Cheon Hae-il."
I look forward to working with you.
As Cheon Hae-il finished speaking and reached out his hand—
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
The surroundings began to shake.
"Let us shake hands."
In an instant, Cheon Hae-il unleashed his momentum, completely dominating the surrounding space. It was a pressure far too powerful to be a mere test of a cadet's strength, weighing down heavily on my body.
It’s similar to my Coercion.
Since I couldn't properly control Coercion yet, it was safe to say he was far above me. I wasn't flustered by this sudden display of power, though.
I guess we’re going with the cliché.
It was one of those things that naturally happened when you met a principal, a chairman, or some other great and powerful figure. In fact, I would have been disappointed if he hadn't done this. The Chairman testing the talent of a rising star.
[Single-Point Concentration activated! Strength dwells within your entire body!]
No matter how strong the pressure was, as long as I didn't waver from within, there was always a way to respond. Since this was a test of skill, Cheon Hae-il wouldn't be using his full power anyway. I just needed to exert enough force to make him think, 'An ordinary cadet is resisting my power to this extent?'
"Ho-oh?"
As I took step after step toward him, I saw Cheon Hae-il’s expression fill with genuine interest.
"Du-cheol, did you see that? He’s looking at us like we’re pushovers."
"Haha... It seems so. He’s holding back his strength."
"It seems the future of our Victory Academy is very bright indeed."
"I agree."
The flow of the conversation was strange.
This isn't good...
An ominous feeling crept up the back of my neck. A sensation that this wouldn't end here. Why did Cheon Hae-il’s face overlap with that of a cat that had found a fun toy?
"In the Gladire, you pressured Max Beramichi without even using your Main Skill... Steal skills don't work on you... and you probably haven't even shown your true power in an S-Class Gate..."
Creeeeak, crunch.
All the objects around Cheon Hae-il began to scream as they were crushed. To think he could produce this much power just by releasing his momentum without using any skills. I could understand, if only a little, why he was called a Superhuman.
"That’s quite dangerous. Not showing your full power means you don't know your own limits... What if a life-threatening crisis arrives and you have to take off the bracelet? What if you unleash a power even you don't understand?"
Cheon Hae-il continued to speak, increasing the intensity of his power. It felt like a provocation, as if he were telling me to show more, asking if this was all I had.
[Coercion activated! Designating living beings. Targets: Cheon Hae-il, Jang Du-cheol!]
I hadn't intended to include Jang Du-cheol in the target of my Coercion. However, seeing him just stand there watching his own student get pressured was infuriating.
If I look like I'm struggling, the least you could do is help...
I didn't know Jang Du-cheol navigated his social life like that.
Crack, cr-crack.
Fine cracks appeared beneath the feet of Jang Du-cheol and Cheon Hae-il. It was the result of them remaining standing while being crushed by the effect of Coercion.
"What is the current output?"
"It’s at 1%."
"Hmm... As expected, the bracelet isn't functioning properly."
If one only heard the conversation, it might have seemed like a Chairman and a cadet discussing abilities.
Three more steps.
In reality, it was a cadet’s desperate struggle, walking forward to shake hands while enduring pressure that felt like it would slam him into the floor.
One step, two steps, three steps.
When I finally reached Cheon Hae-il and took his hand, all the pressure vanished as if it had been a lie.
"Can you guess why I called you here so suddenly to do this?"
"Is it because of the bracelet's function you mentioned earlier?"
"Correct. Do you really think you only produced 1% output just now?"
Of course I do, what else would I think?
When I looked at him with an incredulous expression, Cheon Hae-il opened his mouth with a warm smile.
"Recently, we began to wonder: can this thing that looks like a condom really perfectly control the output of an always-active Main Skill?"
This was something I had been suspicious of to some extent as well. But did he just say condom? I guess everyone thinks alike.
"Always-active Main Skills vary from person to person, so we thought it was too dangerous to have only this one type of bracelet. It doesn't matter for children who can't use their abilities properly yet, but for students like you and Kim Min-su who handle your Main Skills well... when you enter a Gate or Dungeon wearing this, can it really control your Main Skill? I didn't think so."
"So, we’ve prepared something that can control it more perfectly this time. We’ve even changed the design."
As he spoke, Cheon Hae-il turned around and pushed a box toward me.
"This was custom-made specifically for you."
"I’m certain you’ll like it."
When he finished speaking and opened the box—
What the hell is this?
A single gold bracelet revealed its presence, shining brilliantly.