I Became the Academy’s Heroine Stalker – Chapter 87

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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“Phew.”

The next morning, after a good night’s sleep, I stood in the training grounds, feeling a surge of nervous anticipation.

It was time to carry out Na-yeon’s instructions, now that she had switched back into Master mode.

I wasn’t nervous about succeeding.

Success was practically guaranteed.

The task Na-yeon had given me was simple:

“Hit that target with Heaven’s Edge.”

I was to draw the bowstring of the strongest bow, [Heaven’s Edge], and hit the target, something I had failed to do before.[1]

I was confident.

I had checked my status window before going to bed last night.

All my base stats, except for Luck, had increased by a whopping 200%.

My total stats, excluding Luck, now exceeded 3,000.

Sharing status window information was taboo in the Hunter world.

No business would reveal its trade secrets.

Only class and rank were officially registered and managed by the association, but as with all secrets, the approximate stat totals for each rank were widely known.

According to that information:

B-rank was around 800-1,000.

And S-rank was around 2,000-4,000.

The wide range for S-rank was due to the significant individual differences in ability at the highest level.

So, my stat total, approaching 3,000, was around the average for an S-rank Hunter.

But I wasn’t quite S-rank yet.

My skills and traits hadn’t caught up with my rapidly increasing stats.

Na-yeon, a high-ranking S-rank Hunter, had told me she possessed over 100 skills, including ultimate skills like Lightning Blade Arts.

Of course, that was possible because she was an all-rounder.

Many of her skills were probably only at a basic level.

So, I considered myself an “incomplete” S-rank.

Well, even incomplete, my status window was still pretty shabby for an S-rank.

Anyway,

I grasped the shimmering blue grip of Heaven’s Edge with my left hand and lightly stretched my shoulders.

Before, even when I braced the bow with my foot and pulled the string with both hands, I couldn’t fully draw it.

But now, it is different.

‘Light.’

Unlike before, my left hand, holding the bow, felt incredibly light.

Heaven’s Edge weighed only about 10 kg.

It was heavier than a regular bow, but not so heavy that an Awakened couldn’t lift it with one hand.

However, judging it by its mere physical weight would be an insult to both Heaven’s Edge and the master blacksmith who forged it.

The true weight of Heaven’s Edge depended on the user.

It judged the user’s ability, mindset, and potential, and adjusted its weight accordingly.

So, the lightness in my left hand meant that Heaven’s Edge had, to some extent, accepted me.

“Phew…”

I exhaled slowly and focused on the target about 50 meters away.

Na-yeon must have been confident I could draw the bowstring because she hadn’t told me to just draw it, but to hit the target.

I narrowed my eyes.

50 meters was no longer a challenge, even without using my [Detection] trait.

I gauged the distance, aimed for the center of the target,

And raised my left hand, extending it straight out.

At the same time,

“Magic Arrow.”

I cast the basic archery skill for the first time in a while.

A brilliant golden light materialized, forming an arrow that nocked itself onto the bowstring.

I gripped the fletching with my right hand.

It was a fundamental skill for all Archers, the foundation upon which all other skills were built, so it wasn’t particularly powerful.

But,

I hoped it would be enough to pierce the center of the target.

I held my breath, straightened my spine, and tightened my core muscles.

Then, I tensed my trapezius muscles and contracted the muscles in my right arm.

And,

Ziiiing!

I channeled the mana from my core and drew the bowstring.

As if waiting to be unleashed, the string stretched taut, making a sound like tearing fabric.

It felt like peeling off layers of grime, refreshing and invigorating.

Like the joyous sound of a festival.

It was a thrilling sound.

Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh.

A powerful gust of mana wind swirled around me, and the pulsing of my mana core intensified.

It was more intense than ever before.

As if Heaven’s Edge itself was fueling the pulsation.

I channeled the surging mana, hot like magma about to erupt, into every cell of my body and drew the string to its limit.

The string stretched back to my shoulder.

The bow, bending to its limit, granted me permission to fire.

I held the fletching tightly and closed one eye.

And,

“Phew…”

I exhaled slowly, aligned the arrowhead with the center of the target, and released the string.

Thwoom!

“Huh?”

The recoil, like a cannon firing, sent me stumbling back and my right leg buckled.

I had been caught off guard, but it was unlike any recoil I had ever experienced.

The magic arrow flew towards the target, trailing a brilliant golden light, accompanied by a heavy crackling sound.

If Heaven’s Edge and I were in sync, it would hit the bullseye.

Gulp.

A 0.1-second pause.

Then, the arrow pierced the center of the target, shattering it.

Boom!

No, it exploded.

The target couldn’t withstand the destructive power.

Why even ask?

‘Yes.’

Yes!

Ready for deployment.

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“As expected, you’re amazing. Even I haven’t destroyed that target yet.”

“Well… I’ve been practicing hard…?”

Na-yeon looked back and forth between the shattered target and me with a stunned expression on her face.

I scratched the back of my head in embarrassment.

It was truly unbelievable.

A trainee wielding Heaven’s Edge was like a toddler wielding a demonic sword while performing triple backflips.

But Na-yeon seemed to believe that this paradoxical power, like hers, stemmed from Pangaea.

Fortunately(?).

Anyway,

“But how do I… unbind this?”

The system message had only said that Heaven’s Edge was bound to me, not how to unbind it, so I asked Na-yeon.

“Unbind? Oh.”

“It didn’t tell me how.”

“You can’t unbind it until you find a new owner.”

“What? So, I can’t use any other weapons until I pass it on?”

“Exactly?”

Well, using any other weapon when you had Heaven’s Edge would be absurd.

But then, how did she manage to master so many different weapons as an all-rounder?

‘Wait, is it possible with Weapon Mastery?’

That seemed likely.

It was like the cornerstone trait for all-rounders.

So, did that mean Na-yeon had been the owner of Heaven’s Edge until now?

Feeling a pang of guilt for unintentionally stealing it from her, I asked,

“Then, can I hold off on paying the monthly rental fee we agreed on? As you know, I don’t have any income yet.”

The mysterious deposits in my bank account would probably stop now.

They must have been from Han Chang-ho.

So, paying the rental fee as promised was out of the question.

But,

“You don’t have to pay.”

Huh?

“Finding it a new owner is enough.”

What?

“Well, I would have charged you if you weren’t Elroden.”

Na-yeon chuckled.

“But to just receive Heaven’s Edge like this…”

I had a conscience.

I wasn’t shameless enough to just accept a weapon crafted by Korea’s greatest blacksmith without offering anything in return.

“It’s not something you can really put a price on anyway. So just take it.”

“But still…”

I wanted to offer some kind of compensation, but everything I owned wouldn’t even register as a speck of dust in Na-yeon’s eyes.

I couldn’t find the words.

“Well… If you insist.”

It seemed Na-yeon did have something she wanted from her insignificant disciple.

Alright.

Han Tae-jin, man of principle.

I might accept gifts, but not handouts.

There was even that ridiculous saying about how liking free stuff makes you go bald.

My condolences to all those who have suffered from that ridiculous saying.

“Name it. I’ll do anything. Within my abilities, of course.”

I couldn’t do the impossible, even if I wanted to.

So, I boasted confidently and waited.

“Then… Call me ‘Na-yeon’ from now on. Not ‘Master’ or ‘Professor.’”

Her unexpected request caught me off guard.

“What?”

“Or… you could call me ‘Noona’ if you prefer… Though I prefer Na-yeon…”

So, the price for Heaven’s Edge was…

“You want me to… call you ‘Na-yeon’?”

Na-yeon narrowed her eyes and glared at me.

Her look said, ‘You can’t even do that much for me after I gave you Heaven’s Edge for free?’

“What? You don’t want to? Give it back then.”

No way.

From today onwards, I’m Bald Tae-jin.

“Na-yeon…!”

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[1] ‘Heavenly Thunder Dragon Bow’ is changed to ‘Heaven’s Edge’.
[T/N:The previous name was too long and cumbersome.]

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