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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: bchen3
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That night.
‘······This won’t do.’
Unable to fall asleep, Yoon Seolha immediately left the dormitory.
And then she began walking aimlessly.
It was because she couldn’t bear the complexity inside her head.
What was tangling up her mind so much was none other than this.
‘Unimplemented characteristic.’
Ordinarily, this should have had nothing to do with her, who possessed normal characteristics.
But for some reason, the unimplemented characteristic remained as a kind of trauma for Yoon Seolha.
An unimplemented characteristic whose conditions and timing for implementation were unknown.
There was a person who had clung to it, like a knot that could never be untied.
They had clung to it for decades, and in the end, having failed to untie it, fell into the abyss.
Yoon Seolha had grown up watching such a person right beside her.
‘I thought I wouldn’t have to see it again······.’
But she encountered it again.
What’s more, in a friend she had only recently made.
‘I didn’t want to see someone close to me suffering from that again.’
When she recalled up to that point.
Yoon Seolha finally noticed.
That her footsteps had already reached the stat training room.
“······Why am I here.”
Though she felt perplexed, her footsteps headed deeper into the training room.
There was another friend, Lim Gangcheol.
Lim Gangcheol seemed to have spotted her too, as he immediately approached and greeted her.
“Oh, Yoon Seolha! Are you here for early morning training too?”
Perhaps thanks to Lim Gangcheol’s energy, no different from usual.
She felt the confusion gradually subsiding.
She took a deep breath and slowly opened her mouth.
“No, rather.”
“Hmm?”
“······Um, where’s An Ilhan?”
When she asked cautiously, Lim Gangcheol pointed to a spot.
None other than the mana training room.
“He’s in the mana training room today too, he’s really into it these days!”
Yoon Seolha stared blankly at the mana training room.
At the same time, she unconsciously opened her mouth.
“······It will surely be different. He works harder than me. Yes, it will definitely be so.”
Like chanting a spell, Yoon Seolha kept repeating to herself.
Lim Gangcheol tilted his head at her quiet voice.
“Hmm? Did you say something?”
“······No, nothing.”
“Then how about training together?”
“I’m a bit tired today. Good luck.”
“Alright, rest well!”
Leaving Lim Gangcheol behind as he lightly waved, she left the training room.
Even after returning to the dormitory, she endlessly repeated.
“······It will be alright.”
Only after repeating it like self-hypnosis could she finally fall asleep.
*
The next day.
‘Well, let’s check today as well.’
Checking the smart watch’s recorded video, checking stats, and so on.
The inspection during morning classes had become no different from a daily routine.
One thing had been added to that as of yesterday.
[Characteristic]
-Shadow of ????
Synchronization rate 9%
None other than checking the [Synchronization rate] figure of the unimplemented characteristic.
This was decided after the dinner party ended last night.
After returning to the dormitory.
‘There’s no change in the synchronization rate. Is that why the shadow headed to the mana training room as usual?’
Moreover, I even decided on a name for the abnormal phenomenon, ‘another me’.
Since it was [Shadow of ????], I would refer to it as ‘shadow’.
After checking one by one along with the naming issue, there was no visible change.
‘I can measure the mana stat in the training room during the 7th period. But the problem is this synchronization rate.’
When and how the synchronization rate increased.
I hadn’t figured out the conditions yet.
But since it had risen on its own so far, I didn’t pay much attention.
After all, what I had to do was simple.
‘Identify new effects, and utilize them appropriately.’
I spent time while making this resolution anew.
Thinking about the new practical class in the afternoon, ‘Weapon Art’.
···
···
···
7th period.
As the instructor had forewarned, it proceeded with interviews for the remaining cadets and self-training.
I made relatively good use of my time.
First of all.
[An Ilhan]
-1st semester midterm Stat Circuit Training performance evaluation 90 points
I checked the performance evaluation score, which was the sum of team and individual scores.
’90 points, nice.’
Next was the update of the mana stat raised by the ‘shadow’.
-Mana stat 4
And I devoted the remaining time to training my physical stat, which I had neglected lately.
Of course, since I was training it myself, there was no change in the stat.
‘Tch, if only I had half the talent of the shadow.’
I clicked my tongue but was able to shake it off quickly.
The reason was none other than this.
“With this, we’ll end the 7th period. Cadets should assemble at the ‘Weapon Training Room’ located right next to the training room in 10 minutes, over.”
Finally, a new class.
Because the time for the 8th period ‘Weapon Art’ was approaching.
The moment the instructor left the training room, Lim Gangcheol grabbed my forearm.
“Ilhan, let’s go ahead!”
He looked more excited than usual.
Just for today, I went along with it.
“Alright, let’s go.”
I was also curious about both the Weapon Art class and the Weapon Training Room.
Since it was right next to the Stat Training Room, we could find it immediately.
The moment we entered, an exclamation naturally escaped.
“Whoa.”
From the scale comparable to the Stat Training Room, to the armory visible on the right side of the entrance.
The highlight was none other than the inside of the armory.
“Ilhan! There are so many types of weapons?!”
“······This is quite surprising.”
Lim Gangcheol’s shouting was no exaggeration.
From various types of swords to spears, bows, gauntlets, firearms, orbs, etc.
From those I encountered for the first time to familiar ones, literally all kinds of weapons were stored there.
While we were busy looking around.
“Everyone gather around.”
The 10-minute break passed in the blink of an eye.
At the instructor’s call, I left the armory along with Lim Gangcheol.
Just then, the explanation about the ‘Weapon Art’ class began.
“Today and tomorrow, we will conduct the class with weapon experience for two days. Feel free to experience any weapons you want, but cadets who have already decided on their weapons can train autonomously.”
Two days of weapon experience classes.
It seemed like time for inexperienced people like me.
‘Two days is short, but I should be able to try each one.’
While thinking about the weapons, the instructor continued the explanation.
“Weapon changes are possible anytime. However, we won’t adjust the progress separately for cadets who change weapons. So please try them sufficiently during these two days and choose carefully.”
In addition, the instructor added necessary explanations such as the scope of the 1st semester midterm exam for Weapon Art being ‘a separate test’ rather than ‘actual combat training’.
And that from the 1st semester final exam, classes would be conducted as mobile classes through dedicated instructors for each weapon.
Only after adding these necessary explanations did he give time for experience.
“Now, each of you can pick and experience the weapons you want from the armory until the 9th period.”
The moment the instructor finished speaking, the cadets gathered in teams that had been previously formed.
It must have been because they had become close while working together on the first performance evaluation and team project.
I too naturally gathered with my team members, including Lim Gangcheol.
“Has everyone decided on a weapon?!”
I lightly responded to the topic Lim Gangcheol threw out.
“Have you decided?”
“Of course I’m going with gauntlets!”
Lim Gangcheol chose gauntlets.
‘······It suits him well.’
Without any particular doubt, I moved on to the next person.
Cha Eunwol, who noticed my gaze, cautiously opened her mouth.
“I think Orb might be better for me.”
“Oho, Orb.”
Orb.
The Orb was a weapon originating from the [Magical Dimension] that was said to exist beyond the [Rift].
It was also a weapon that could most powerfully implement [Magic] based on the mana stat.
From that perspective, Cha Eunwol’s choice, who was born with a blessed talent for mana, seemed reasonable.
‘Next.’
The moment I turned my head toward Yoon Seolha.
‘······Hmm?’
Somehow, her absent-minded appearance caught my eye.
‘But why is she in this state?’
With a light question, I spoke to her, and her response was also slightly different from usual.
“······Huh? Sorry, what were we talking about?”
“Weapon, wondering if you had something in mind.”
“Ah, I’m going with a sword······.”
“Not bad.”
I answered just that much and moved on.
Because she didn’t look like she was in the mood to talk.
As I turned my head, Lim Gangcheol asked me.
“Ilhan, what about you?!”
“Me, well.”
Actually, I had two weapons in mind.
‘Sword, or firearms.’
The sword, which was used by most superhumans and at the same time was perceived as a universal weapon due to its good handling.
The reason for considering the sword was simple.
‘The magical dimension and martial dimension beyond the rift. They say swords are the most commonly found relics from both places?’
In the superhuman era, [Relics] were treasures among treasures to an extent incomparable even with other top-grade artifacts.
The origin of [Skills] all stemmed from relics.
The abundance of relics meant that among weapons, there were the most skills related to swords.
As long as skills were the measure of a superhuman’s combat power, swords couldn’t help but be an attractive option.
On the other hand, firearms had no relics.
That is, they had the fatal disadvantage of having no related skills.
This was because they were industrial products born by adding gate resources to modern artifacts with the advent of the superhuman era.
Add to that the difficulties when facing high-grade monsters, cost and efficiency issues, etc.
There were various problems, but based on the current point, there was one outstanding advantage.
‘It has the fastest acquisition among all weapons.’
None other than the fast acquisition speed.
In situations like the academy where assessments and exams continued every moment, there was no better advantage than this.
‘Especially since, unlike performance evaluations, the Weapon Art practical exam is an individual assessment.’
Looking around, it was obvious.
Gang Jinsol, who occasionally glared at me with contempt, or cadets who had ranked 2nd and 3rd in the performance evaluation, etc.
The experienced ones were already training, not experiencing.
To compete with them, I needed some method.
‘That’s why I thought about guns before entering.’
Now my thoughts had changed a bit.
Since my stats supported me, I gained some confidence.
‘I guess I have to try each one directly.’
When I was thinking about that.
Lim Gangcheol poked my side.
“What.”
“Ilhan, gauntlets!”
“Reason?”
“Because men use fists······!”
I stopped him there.
‘Of course, gauntlets also have many relics, and would have many skills, but.’
There was the burden of having to engage in close combat.
Moreover, since some advantages overlapped with those of swords, swords were better instead.
With that level of interest in gauntlets dismissed, I returned to my original concern.
‘······I should decide while experiencing them today and tomorrow.’
According to the instructor, the Weapon Training Room was also available 24 hours a day like the Stat Training Room.
‘So I’ll utilize the given time to the maximum to find the best weapon.’
With that resolution, I devoted myself to weapon experience until the end of the 9th period.
*
That night.
The moment An Ilhan fell into a deep sleep.
-Confirming the target’s unconscious state.
-The target’s initiative passes to [Shadow of ????]!
-Checking synchronization rate with target.
The ‘shadow’ opened his eyes wide.
Something a bit different from before appeared before his eyes.
-Current synchronization rate······ [10%]
-The synchronization rate is quite low!
-[Shadow of ????] acts according to consciousness with somewhat low discernment and some embedded memories!
[Synchronization rate 10%]
It was nothing short of a message announcing the beginning of change.
Accordingly, his discernment became clearer.
At the same time, memories also revived.
Lastly.
-[Skill] imprinted in consciousness has been activated!
-The synchronization rate is quite low!
As always, it concluded with the activation of [Skill].
After checking, the shadow headed to the desk with a smile.
He looked at the scattered notebook, pen, and smart watch.
A red blinking light.
Seeing this, as if telling someone, he briefly clicked his tongue.
Tsk-
Soon, he boldly opened the notebook and immediately wrote something down.
Only after finishing, the shadow left the dormitory and headed to the mana training room.
As soon as he arrived at the training room.
Whoosh-!
He began circulating mana.
While the mana rippled inside his body.
The shadow began to move, one step at a time.
Swoosh- Swoosh- Swoosh- Swoosh-
Four bizarre and strange steps.
The shadow just kept repeating this endlessly.
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