novelraw Chapter 46 : Chapter 46
Chapter 46 : Chapter 46
Chapter 46: Special Reward
The first-floor lounge of the dormitory.
In the evening after all the training was over, four cadets, half-buried in the sofa, were lounging around holding canned drinks.
The soft ceiling lighting draped down, fitting the languid atmosphere.
“Ugh, they said we have supplementary training on the weekend. I'm seriously going crazy. I was 11th. If only I had surpassed one more guy......”
One cadet grumbled.
As initially announced, cadets who failed to place within the top 10 in the specialty training were scheduled to gather for hellish training on the weekend.
Since it was well known how harsh Kang Mooseong's training was, he mumbled with a miserable expression.
“Yeah, you should have just taken it easy and ranked around 30th like me. Why bother struggling just to get supplementary training?”
“You didn't take it easy, that’s just your level.”
The first cadet and the second cadet bickered.
“Anyway, Seoungbeom is the only one here exempt from supplementary training, huh. I'm so jealous.”
The third cadet, wearing glasses, said, looking at the cadet sitting on the single-seater sofa.
“I know. He was 4th, right? As expected of our ace.”
Although he heard words of praise, Seo Seungbeom didn't seem particularly pleased.
“Why the face? Even though you did well.”
“The top ranks must have their own unique difficulties.”
The unique difficulties of the top ranks.
That was exactly right.
Seo Seungbeom wasn't interested in what he had done well.
He didn't feel like he had done well in the first place.
Even while drinking the cool sports drink in his hand, the thirst felt unresolved.
Listlessly shaking the drink bottle, he looked back at the others and opened his mouth.
“Hey, wasn't that funny? Ryu Jinwoo, I mean. The way he collapsed at the end. I seriously thought he was going to die.”
What Seo Seungbeom chose to relieve his stifling feelings was gossiping behind someone's back.
At Seo Seungbeom's words, laughter started to erupt one by one among the gang.
“Right, he couldn't even answer properly at the end. Huh? Did you hear him going ‘Euyeh?’?”
“He was absolutely desperate to get first place. Hey, who couldn't do that if they tried that way?”
Frivolous, thoughtless words burst forth.
Whether they truly thought that way wasn't important.
It was more important to soothe their feelings by tearing someone else down.
“Exactly. Damn it. If it was like that, I could get first place too.”
Seo Seungbeom replied with a satisfied snort.
Just as their mood was about to be lifted.
“I don't think that's something you should be saying.”
Someone’s voice was heard.
Seo Seungbeom and his gang's gazes simultaneously turned toward one direction.
“......Lee Junhyeok.”
Seo Seungbeom frowned and called out the name.
Near the lounge entrance, beneath the soft lighting, dark red hair was seen first.
Golden eyes sparkled between the sweaty, haphazardly sticking out strands of hair.
Although a subtle scent of heat and sweat from the training ground just moments ago wafted, his steps were still neat.
His mere presence seemed to cool the air that had been spread out across the sofas.
“Why are you suddenly butting in?”
As Seo Seungbeom bristled, Lee Junhyeok approached right in front of them and opened his mouth.
“Only the sword prepared for the end reaches its target.”
“What?”
“It’s what my father always says. It means you cannot reach enlightenment if you don't do your absolute best.”
Seo Seungbeom exchanged glances with his gang.
What is this damn serious buzzkill suddenly talking about?
However, the ‘words of his father’ that Lee Junhyeok spoke were by no means light.
Because his father meant the words of the Sword Emperor.
“Ryu Jinwoo did his best until he collapsed. Not everyone can do that. That itself is a talent.”
At those words, Seo Seungbeom shot up.
As if he felt deep humiliation.
“So, are you saying that I don't even have the talent to do that?”
In response to Seo Seungbeom's retort, Lee Junhyeok approached the vending machine next to the sofa.
The moment he inserted a banknote into the vending machine, the noise in the lounge momentarily subsided.
The sound of a 2-liter large-capacity bottle dropping echoed surprisingly heavily with a thud-.
Lee Junhyeok opened the cap of the retrieved drink and immediately began chugging it down.
The sound of gulping filled the lounge for a long time.
The gang members were busy observing the tension between Lee Junhyeok and Seo Seungbeom.
“Hoo— Now I feel alive. I sweat too much today.”
Crushing the empty drink bottle flat, Lee Junhyeok looked at Seo Seungbeom.
“I felt ashamed today.”
“What?”
“I wondered, did I truly do my best? That thought occurred to me.”
Lee Junhyeok raised his eyes as if recalling the previous scene.
“Looking at Ryu Jinwoo collapsing while dropping his sword, I was actually ashamed that I hadn't put all my effort into it until I collapsed myself.”
Seo Seungbeom realized that Lee Junhyeok's words were directly opposing him.
Because Lee Junhyeok was praising the very appearance of Ryu Jinwoo that he had ridiculed.
“From now on, I intend to do my best as well. I plan to compete against Ryu Jinwoo with my whole heart and soul.”
Always being in the top position, he had captured one more opportunity for growth.
That was Lee Junhyeok as seen through Seo Seungbeom’s eyes.
It felt as if something deep inside his chest was fiercely scratched.
The guy he hadn't even given a second thought to was now being treated as an immediate rival by Lee Junhyeok.
‘If you say that, what does that make me?’
Seo Seungbeom did not utter the words that had surged up to his chin.
Instead, he could only stare blankly at the retreating figure of Lee Junhyeok as he leisurely walked away.
“......Damn it.”
Only after Lee Junhyeok disappeared did Seo Seungbeom swear.
The gang members merely cleared their throats, pretended to look elsewhere, and drank their beverages.
Just then, a video projection device placed in a corner of the lounge caught his eye.
The video of the recent commendation ceremony was playing on it.
-New Cadets’ Achievements. Cadets Seol Hayun and Ryu Jinwoo. Receiving a Citation of Appreciation.
Her brilliant silver hair flowed like waves under the lighting.
Her red eyes held a cold, yet dreamy light, making her silhouette in the neat uniform even more perfect.
And standing next to her was ‘that guy’ with black hair and blue eyes.
Seol Hayun, and Ryu Jinwoo.
Seeing those names and appearances, a certain fiery emotion began to surge in Seo Seungbeom's chest.
***
[Tactical Manual]
[You have completed ‘Special Task: Devotion’.]
[You have acquired 5,000SP as a reward for fulfilling the objective.]
[You fulfilled the objective 100% excellently.]
[A perfect additional reward will be provided.]
[You acquire 15,000SP as an additional reward.]
[You acquire stats. (Stamina +2, Dexterity +2)]
‘This is the first time I've gained 4 stats from a single training session.’
Satisfied with the considerable reward, I moved my steps.
After the training ended, I was following Kang Mooseong somewhere.
“How was today’s training?”
When we stepped into the elevator in the faculty building, Kang Mooseong opened his mouth.
“Yes? Ah, it felt fresh.”
“Fresh? That's not what I asked. I'm asking what you felt at the moment you were swinging your sword earlier.”
At my lukewarm response, Kang Mooseong turned his head, looked down at me, and asked.
It felt strange again, but he was a massive man.
He looked like he was about to fill the entire elevator with muscle.
“You're asking what kind of feeling I had?”
“Just say what comes to mind.”
“Well...... I'm not sure. Should I say it felt a little unreal, or like I was dreaming.”
“As expected, you did it properly.”
He smiled with satisfaction.
“They say extreme situations draw out latent power. You’ve probably heard of it too.”
The elevator ascended smoothly with a buzzing- vibration.
“The story of a mother who hasn't awakened, let alone having magic power or combat experience, lifting a car weighing several hundred kilograms to save her child.”
I seemed to have heard something like that.
Was that something that happened in the real world, not just the game world?
“It’s the so-called Hysterical Strength! Simply put, it's a phenomenon where the limiters placed on the body and brain are released by hormones secreted in extreme situations. It allows you to exert the maximum strength you are capable of at that moment.”
Kang Mooseong paused briefly before adding.
“Of course, power that didn’t actually exist doesn’t suddenly pop into existence. That would be absurd.”
I felt slightly stung by Kang Mooseong’s additional comment.
‘Mine seems to be something different.’
No matter how I looked at it, I felt power welling up that I hadn't originally possessed.
The stats immediately appeared as a plus and then vanished in an instant.
The source would naturally be the Mimic flying next to me.
But I decided not to mention that aloud.
“I always push the cadets into extreme situations. I put maximum effort into the main training and the supplementary training.”
Kang Mooseong pointed to himself with his thumb and said.
‘......It's a relief I got first place.’
I almost underwent extreme supplementary training and, if I slipped up, I could have lost my right arm.
“That is the core of my teaching. You followed that process perfectly today. You managed it excellently, at a level I have never seen before.”
The elevator door opened with a pleasant ding- sound.
Kang Mooseong stepped out first and looked back at me.
“......Therefore, I intend to give you a special reward.”
A reward?
And it came from Kang Mooseong’s mouth.
How incredible of a thing is he planning to give me?
I was excited. But at the same time, I was also a little worried.
Because a ‘reward’ from Kang Mooseong’s perspective might be slightly different from the general meaning of a ‘reward.’
It would probably be ‘incredible,’ that much was true.
The problem was 'in which direction' it would be incredible.
After vaguely following behind him for a moment, he stopped in front of a certain door.
A security door with a modern design.
An iris scanner and a palm recognition device were situated side-by-side on the right side of the rectangular metal panel.
As Kang Mooseong approached, a cold mechanical voice said ‘Verifying identity,’ and the scan took place.
Soon, the tightly closed door opened.
Beyond the door, another similar door awaited.
Each door had a different security procedure.
It seemed to check fingerprints, voice, blood, and even body temperature.
It was a breathtaking level of procedure, giving me the feeling that I was entering a place I shouldn't be.
We repeated the process of passing through each one.
Finally, when the last door opened, an android dressed in a suit stood there.
Just how incredible was this place that it required such perfect security and even a guiding Android?
With my growing feeling of half excitement and half worry, the red glowing eyes of the Android, smoothly fitted in a stiff suit, slowly scanned Kang Mooseong and me.
“Welcome, Instructor Kang Mooseong. The accompaniment of Cadet Ryu Jinwoo has been confirmed.”
The Android finished the scan, stepped aside, and spoke.
Then the final door opened, revealing the space inside.
It was an entirely white place, reminiscent of a laboratory.
The walls and ceiling were covered in flawless, smooth white, and the floor was so reflective it was blindingly bright.
A gigantic, hemispherical device was situated in the center.
A hemispherical base device, looking like an altar, and a small sphere quietly floating above it.
Reminiscent of a globe, it emitted a soft light and slowly rotated.
In front of it, a keypad for entering numbers and a recognition scanner were lined up side by side.
Kang Mooseong walked up to the device, placed his palm on it, and injected blue magic power.
[Checking access authorization.]
[Kang Mooseong. Authority Grade A1.]
[Approval complete. Please enter the code number of the desired armament.]
With the mechanical guidance sound, the sphere began to shake heavily.
Soon, complex mechanical sounds continuously echoed from somewhere inside.
The sound of metal scraping and rotational vibrations intertwined confusingly, and the entire device subtly shook.
Suddenly, a blue light wave extended from the sphere.
The air rippled violently, and over a dozen armaments rose around the hemisphere.
Inside transparent, soap-bubble-like magic spheres, the armaments floated quietly in the air and began to rotate.
Kang Mooseong, observing the sight, crossed his arms and opened his mouth.
“Originally, only students with excellent academic records are given the special opportunity to select an armament around the end of the first-year course.”
Kang Mooseong continued his low explanation.
“But by the privilege of the instructor, I can give a single opportunity to a cadet who has shown impressive performance. I will give that chance to you today.”
Kang Mooseong raised the corner of his mouth with a sneer-.
“......Is that really okay?”
“Of course. In your case, you already received a citation. Your qualifications are sufficient. Just remember one thing. I am not giving you this selection right because of your grades or achievements. It is a decision I made after seeing your attitude of upright Devotion. It is separate from the citation.”
He nodded lightly and continued speaking.
It was definitely meant as a compliment, but for some reason, a shiver ran down my spine.
In other words, didn't that mean Instructor Kang Mooseong had properly taken an interest in me?
I suddenly felt like I had been targeted as a graduate student by a professor.
A chilling sensation ran down my spine.
Despite that, this was clearly still a good opportunity.
I scanned the swords floating above the center of the altar.
Daggers, curved swords, two-handed swords, and longswords.
Various types of armaments spun in the air, and among them, some were quite excellent for a new cadet to wield.
And among them, there was one that particularly drew my gaze strongly.
A clear, pure white blade. A longsword that flowed with a faint light, as if its edge had been forged by sculpting moonlight, exuding a sense of mystery.
‘......Famous Sword Eclipse.’
That was here too?
My mouth felt parched.
It was a high-tier weapon that was consistently used once acquired, optimized for the swordsmanship category due to its high attack power, as well as Agility and Dexterity modifiers.
And while it was merely a 'high-tier weapon' in the game, in this current reality, it was an armament so rare and powerful that one could only dream of encountering it.
I subtly glanced at Kang Mooseong.
He told me to take my time and choose the weapon I wanted.
But my decision was already made.
Even if all the remaining armaments here were combined, they wouldn't compare to that Eclipse.
I reached out my hand toward the Eclipse without hesitation.
“Oh ho, as expected—.”
A reaction close to admiration flowed from Kang Mooseong's side.
Thwump-
A heavy grip soon registered in my hand.
A chilling sensation flowed up my arm.
“Huh?”
“Hmm?”
And I, along with Kang Mooseong, simultaneously widened our eyes with an emotion close to astonishment.