I Entered an Academy in a Ruined Game

Chapter 255 : Awakening (2)

'Dragon Spear' Ju Taeyang.

He was chosen from birth.

The innate characteristic 'Dragon Transformation' worthy of his epithet Dragon Spear.

A dragon's body.

A dragon's intelligence.

A dragon's mana affinity.

Born with so many gifts, yet possessing the right personality to accept his talents as a duty and strive forward—that was Ju Taeyang.

He neither privately coveted money and material things, fame came to him naturally, and far from scandal, he was also the protagonist of a romance who spent his lifetime with his first love, his wife.

That wasn't all.

The invasion of demonic beasts, a moment of peace, the resurgence of Ma-in.

Even in these chaotic times, Ju Taeyang was born into a good family that could protect him and raise him without lack.

He inherited a healthy body and righteous character from his parents.

In an era when there weren't even proper academies, he had been gathering experience by killing demonic beasts with his own strength since childhood.

He didn't even need to worry about demonic nature infiltration without a mask.

His innate dragon body and mana affinity did not tolerate the crude impurity called magical energy.

Yet in his boyhood, he was fortunate enough to not only meet a good mentor to guide him but also grow vigorously through appropriate trials and experiences.

'Luck was on my side too.'

In life, luck was a more important factor than one might think.

'Without luck, even the most outstanding talent can be broken in vain.'

Just like his only son.

Ju Eun-seong.

A clear, pure, and righteous child.

A child who tried harder than himself so as not to be overshadowed by his too-great father's name.

'Your face, your name, your voice. Your smile only becomes clearer no matter how much time passes.'

If there was a single regret in his otherwise flawless and impeccable life.

It was that he lost his only son to Ma-in.

'It was an unfortunate accident.'

Outstanding talent, courage, noble spirit.

The virtues of Ju Eun-seong, whom everyone loved, allowed him to sacrifice himself to save his comrades.

'If he were alive, he would have been about Sujin's senior.'

Considering his qualities and attitude.

If his son had been alive, he would probably have easily occupied one of the Captain positions in the Execution Force.

'He was the same age as Ho-seung.'

Lee Cheong-myeong, Lee Ho-seung.

And his deceased son, Ju Eun-seong.

The three who were the same age were respectful of each other, conscious of one another, and competitive.

'How tragic.'

Ju Taeyang couldn't help but feel grief when thinking about the fate of the two boys whom he had hoped would spread their wings, including for his son who died early.

One steadfastly walked the path of the sword and earned the name 'Sword Warrior'.

One withdrew from active duty due to injury but chose the rewarding path of nurturing future generations.

And now.

One ultimately fell from grace as a Ma-in, dragging all his achievements into the mud with his own hands and committing unforgivable sins.

One met his death at the hands of that senior and the disciple who corrupted him.

'Ho-seung. Your end was extremely like you and unlike you at the same time.'

A disciple he had only recently gained.

He threw away his life to save that disciple.

The one he saved was none other than Jeong Su-hyeon.

A boy with shining talent and indomitable will the likes of which even he had never seen before.

'This incident confirmed it for me. That Jeong Su-hyeon is truly the darling of the age who will shoulder our next generation.'

He was like seeing himself in his youth.

'Pigs born with excessive characteristics, those whose characteristics don't match their talent, those who have both skill and characteristics but had bad luck, or those who never met their limits due to lack of character.'

He had seen so many different types.

'There are also guys like I-an who turn a characteristic like the Sixth Sense into a strength through their overwhelming martial talent and effort.'

On the other hand, there were those like Seo Jun-seong, the son of his comrade, the hero Seo Dong-jin, who honed their innate characteristics with ceaseless effort and genius sensibility.

'I once thought that perhaps that child might become my successor someday far in the future.'

Of course, Seo Jun-seong wasn't the only one who caught his attention.

Min Hae-na.

And though he thought they were about half a step behind, there were also children like Hwang Ji-su and Lee Yu-jin whose qualities and characteristics were beyond reproach.

But they were all somewhat lacking.

'Looking at any of them, I never thought they would surpass me someday in the distant future.'

But now he had encountered the massive gem that was Jeong Su-hyeon.

'To truly reach the top, to become a superhuman who can overcome enormous crises, one must not lack anything.'

The perfectionism that he couldn't help but have, being that type of human himself.

The miraculous man who satisfied that perfectionism one hundred percent was right here.

'Ho-seung. Your sacrifice was never in vain. No, rather, your sacrifice was the most noble and valuable. I will prove that.'

For the first time, he had met a man to whom he could entrust his legacy without a single worry.

'I will fill in what you lack.'

"...Do you have something to say?"

Feeling awkward under Ju Taeyang's intense, silent gaze that had been fixed on him for a while, Su-hyeon asked.

"It's nothing."

Ju Taeyang smiled softly.

He no longer doubted that this boy was the future he had been waiting for, cherishing and saving the moment of his dying flame's last flicker.

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"You can use any empty room comfortably."

Leaving Lee Yu-jin behind, who still needed recovery.

Su-hyeon decided to stay at Ju Taeyang's house for a few days.

"Is your physical condition better now?"

"Yes. Thanks to the potion you gave me, Commander, I think I've recovered more than 90%."

"That's due to your recovery ability."

Ju Taeyang chuckled.

Su-hyeon's characteristic, [Unlimited].

'No limits. How wonderful.'

A boy who already has this level of skill at this age.

Just how strong could he become?

'I can't contain myself.'

But for now.

It should be a priority to comfort this boy who is grieving over his master's death and keenly feeling his own powerlessness.

"Rest well and see me in the evening."

"Understood."

Clatter, clatter.

Simple yet nutritionally mindful Korean dishes were served on the dinner table.

"How's the taste?"

"It's really delicious, ma'am."

"Of course. My wife's cooking skills are the best in the world."

"Dear, saying that won't exempt you from doing the dishes."

"Hehe, was it that obvious?"

A wife who had aged gracefully, and a husband who looked no older than his 40s.

Su-hyeon smiled softly at their comfortable appearance, with decades of time melted into it.

'It reminds me of Mom.'

It was a sight that made him recall memories of his parents, which he had deliberately pushed aside in his mind.

"You look good together."

Ju Taeyang laughed heartily at Su-hyeon's words.

"Because we're family."

"...I see."

"Why would you say such a thing?"

The wife, knowing Su-hyeon's circumstances as an orphan without relatives, scolded Ju Taeyang.

"It's fine. Not all precious relationships are those connected by blood."

Su-hyeon shook his head.

"...How mature you are."

She took Su-hyeon's hand.

"I can see why Ho-seung cared for you so much. Our Eun-seong would have really liked you if he had seen you."

"That's what I'm saying. It's like seeing our Eun-seong."

"You think so too, don't you?"

"......"

Su-hyeon hunched his shoulders at the sight of the two bringing up such a careful topic directly.

"My husband has been talking a lot about you lately. Saying something about how he's found a real gem."

"...Thank you."

"I know it's hard. I was struggling for a long time after losing my son."

"But to take revenge, you need to be healthy above all else. Don't get consumed by anger, and don't break down."

Su-hyeon closed his eyes at Ju Taeyang's words.

"Thank you for your concern. I will keep that in mind."

"Yes. I think long words aren't necessary."

Ju Taeyang, knowing Su-hyeon's intelligence, smiled subtly.

"Let's continue eating."

Clatter, clatter.

Su-hyeon continued eating slowly, chewing each bite thoroughly before swallowing.

Though occasionally shining beads fell from his eyes.

The three just silently continued their meal.

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"So you were going to take a gamble in the last moment?"

"Yes."

Ju Taeyang, who was taking a night walk under the moonlight after finishing dinner, turned his head at Su-hyeon's words.

"What is it?"

"A technique called [Overclock]."

"Even the name reeks strongly of danger."

"That's right."

"I heard there's also a technique called Liberation, but how are the two different?"

"If Liberation is using all potential abilities, ignoring the body's self-protection to use 100% of one's power."

Su-hyeon answered.

"Overclock works on the principle of drawing out all the mana dissolved in the body at once, raising the body's mana circulation to dangerous levels to create stronger motor abilities and power."

"Literally over-clocking. Like a racing car that sacrifices durability and pours everything into momentary performance."

"That's a good analogy."

Su-hyeon expressed agreement.

"Probably, if used normally, just using it once would cause the body to succumb to the recoil. Blood vessels would be destroyed, and muscles and bones would suffer severe damage."

"Yet you deliberately learned this technique for a reason?"

"As you know, my characteristic Unlimited gives me superhuman recovery and durability. Therefore..."

"Don't tell me."

Ju Taeyang cut off Su-hyeon's words and asked.

"Are you saying you've already adapted to the recoil of Liberation?"

"...That's right."

"Amazing."

Ju Taeyang marveled.

"Such doping techniques always give the user a great recoil."

"I should be thankful for my characteristic."

"Indeed."

Ju Taeyang nodded.

"Then I can guess why you learned this new technique called Overclock?"

Ju Taeyang said.

"You knew that the skill Liberation is now just a stable buff, no longer a game-changer for you."

"You see right through me."

"But that technique is too dangerous in its very principle."

"Yes. It's dangerous."

Su-hyeon readily admitted.

"If I had recklessly used Overclock despite my physical condition at that time, it would probably have left permanent damage to my body."

"I'm sure. It couldn't be otherwise."

Ju Taeyang placed his hand on Su-hyeon's shoulder.

"I understand why you learned that technique. But don't rely on it."

"Understood."

"Do you know why?"

"...Because it's a technique with no future?"

"Half right."

Ju Taeyang chuckled.

"Because you are not someone whose life should be thrown away so easily to such enemies."

"......"

"Rusty Sword Ha Jin-su? He's nothing but trash. Lee Cheong-myeong? He's a strong opponent, but that's all he is."

After brutally belittling the two Ma-in, Ju Taeyang declared, looking into Su-hyeon's eyes.

"Cherish yourself. The future of this world hangs on your shoulders."

"......"

That was a point Su-hyeon had not considered.

"You still have infinite potential to become stronger. I've called you here to bring out that potential."

Ju Taeyang, with his hands behind his back, leisurely circled around Su-hyeon.

"Su-hyeon, you are strong and experienced beyond your age. But there's still plenty of room in your vessel."

"Yes."

"Your strength is still not balanced. What you lack most is the realm of martial arts."

"I think so too."

"Techniques that have been thoroughly honed are remembered in your body, and finally combine in the realm of instinct."

Ju Taeyang recited in a low voice, as if chanting a formula.

"The scenery of battle visible from that realm will be quite different from what you've experienced so far."

"......"

Ju Taeyang smiled softly.

"And you've already stepped into that scenery once."

Ju Taeyang's hand, full of calluses, patted Su-hyeon's trained shoulder.

"The realm of Non-Self you reached in your fight with Lee Cheong-myeong. Just by reaching a fragment of that realm, you were able to match Lee Cheong-myeong."

"...I still can't remember well how I did it."

"Of course."

Ju Taeyang nodded.

"Because it's something hard to reach even with decades of training."

"......"

"Su-hyeon, do you know what you absolutely lack?"

Su-hyeon answered immediately.

"Time?"

"Yes. Time. Because time is fair to everyone."

But, Ju Taeyang took out a bead from his breast pocket.

"With this bead, it's a different story."

'Could that be?'

Su-hyeon knew the identity of the bead.

"In the space created by this bead, time is distorted. It's an item that allows long training in a very short time."

Ju Taeyang smiled proudly, saying it was the only one left in the whole world.

"It's something I've been saving for a talent just like you."

"You're giving such a thing to me?"

"If not you, then who?"

Ju Taeyang declared.

"Su-hyeon, I will give you the gift of time, which you absolutely lacked."

Enjoying Su-hyeon's surprise and emotion, Ju Taeyang smiled.

"Take enough time to train and train again. And if you draw up the well of your talent to the end."

"......"

Su-hyeon's body trembled at the unexpected fortuitous encounter.

"How much your power will rise when your training is complete, even I can't guess."