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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: bchen3
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The next day, early dawn.
“Ugh, it’s tough.”
Il-han’s father, Ahn Ju-hae, returned home at the crack of dawn after finishing his grueling daily routine.
Given the hour, he carefully moved his steps, worried that he might wake his only son.
Just as he was about to head to the main bedroom, relying on the dim light of dawn.
“Hmm?”
Suddenly, he sensed a strange presence.
To the right of the entrance was his son’s room.
But something was odd.
‘The light is off, but what is he doing?’
Whether it was the sound of breathing, or something brushing against something else.
Inexplicable sounds kept coming from his son’s room.
Wondering what was happening, Ahn Ju-hae peered into his son’s room through the slightly open door.
There.
Swish- Swish- Swish-
His only son was diligently doing push-ups.
Seeing this, Ahn Ju-hae let out a quiet sigh.
“That kid, not even turning on the light.”
Exercising from such an early hour.
While it was admirable, a feeling of concern welled up.
‘They clearly said the possibility was slim.’
The counseling at the Awakening Center, and what was it? Stats?
He wasn’t quite sure, but something didn’t seem to be working out.
That’s probably why his son was even doing early morning exercises, which he never did before.
A kid who normally loved to sleep so much.
“Don’t overdo it and hurt yourself.”
Ahn Ju-hae turned on the light with a half-hearted scolding.
There was no response, but he didn’t particularly mind as he turned away.
He knew that the indifferent personality without a match closely resembled his own.
Just as he was about to head back to the main bedroom, the image of his son exercising suddenly flashed in his mind.
‘That kid…’
The consistency of the push-up speed, the perfection of the posture, the uninterrupted count.
Unusually matchless, it was like watching a machine.
‘Is that what happens to everyone when they Awaken?’
Unless it was his late wife.
Having never experienced Awakening himself, Ahn Ju-hae had no choice but to accept it as it was.
Perhaps because he had unconsciously recalled her, his eyes stung.
Thinking it was just pathetic, he shook his head once and headed toward the main bedroom.
*
As soon as I woke up in the morning, I sat at my desk.
And then.
D-21.
The first thing I wrote in my notebook was the D-day.
There were exactly 21 days, just 3 weeks, left until the entrance exam for the Superhuman Academy.
I quickly jotted down the content I had thought of below.
-2 hours a day for written test and interview preparation.
-At least 6 hours of exercise, focusing on strength and cardio (stamina).
-The goal is to somehow increase 3 stats with strength and stamina stats! (★)
For the next 3 weeks until the exam.
It was a plan about how to utilize my time.
2 hours each for written test and interview preparation.
I decided to invest the rest of my time in exercise and stat training as much as possible.
‘Since they said that the practical test and stat measurement are the most important for the Superhuman Academy entrance exam.’
And so, the final goal was to increase the total of my stats by 3.
To reach last year’s passing cutline of a total of 8.
The reason I specifically chose ‘strength’ and ‘stamina’ stats to achieve this goal was simple.
‘Agility seems complicated to train without specialized equipment or facilities, and as for magic power, well, that’s completely impossible.’
It’s a simple story.
I heard that ‘agility’ and ‘magic power’ each have their own specialties that make them difficult for civilians to train.
On the other hand, ‘strength’ and ‘stamina’ could be trained because they follow the same principles as ordinary exercise.
‘If I had excellent potential for stat growth, I wouldn’t have to worry about this.’
In fact, all the previous reasoning becomes meaningless in the face of innate talent.
But unfortunately, I had learned over the past month.
That I, at least, didn’t have exceptional talent.
I felt suddenly drained, but quickly regained my composure.
‘I can’t be discouraged from the first day.’
Since I’ve decided to do this, I’ll give it my all.
With that determination, I faced the first day of my plan.
…
…
…
D-14.
For the past week, I had been following my plan.
However, there were several strange aspects along the way.
“Damn, I’m going crazy because of sleep.”
The first was sleep.
I wanted to reduce my sleeping time and exercise a little more.
But that was absolutely impossible.
I had to get a full 10 hours of sleep every day or my eyes wouldn’t open.
‘I’m sure before Awakening, even if I slept a lot, it was only 8 or 9 hours.’
Was it because I was exercising so much?
Every time I slept and woke up, exactly 10 hours had passed.
It was the same even with 10 alarms set.
Moreover, I always dreamed of exercising and woke up drenched in sweat, which meant I had to shower first thing after waking up.
‘Is it because the exercise dream is a nightmare? After showering, I do feel refreshed though.’
After sleeping and waking up like that, it felt like I had just closed and opened my eyes.
Apart from feeling refreshed, it was as if I had only slept for about 2 hours.
This situation had continued for about a week, so I was somewhat adapted to it now.
The second strange thing was the exercise itself.
To be precise, it was because of the ‘growth.’
‘…Does it normally increase this fast?’
Push-ups, squats, pull-ups for strength training.
Long-distance running, burpee tests, etc. for stamina.
I did all the exercises that didn’t cost money.
But the level increased unnaturally quickly.
‘It’s at a level that can’t even be compared to before Awakening.’
Perhaps because of that, even a considerable amount of exercise didn’t bring me to my limits.
That’s exactly what the problem was.
‘I’m sure growth happens when you reach your limit and then surpass it.’
Once I started exercising, it felt like I could continue indefinitely unless I chose to stop.
It was so strange that I searched the internet, and I was able to find out what might be the cause.
The absence of [Mana].
‘Mana’ was an element that was never missing in facilities equipped with Superhuman-exclusive exercise equipment.
This was because stat training was structured to stimulate growth by pushing to the limit of stats through mana load.
‘So it seems that when training at a professional facility for the first time, the limit comes quicker than expected, and growth is faster.’
In contrast, I not only hadn’t experienced growth but also hadn’t even reached my limits.
In other words, the exact opposite of what was commonly observed in professional facilities was happening to me.
Only then did I fully understand why people had emphasized the necessity of professional facilities so much.
‘But well, there’s no other way.’
Our family can’t afford it.
Lamenting wouldn’t change anything.
‘I just have to do what I can.’
Because I had sworn in front of my mother’s portrait that I would definitely become a Superhuman.
Reaffirming my determination, I continued to diligently carry out my plan.
…
…
…
D-7.
One week left.
Now I had gotten used to the strangeness of sleep and growth.
Instead, or perhaps in addition.
One more strange thing had been added.
“…Is this really my body?”
About a month and two weeks since I received counseling at the Awakening Center and started exercising.
Despite it not being a particularly long time, an enormous change had occurred in my body.
“This is really amazing.”
I stood shirtless in front of the full-length mirror, mouth agape.
In the mirror was my upper body.
Split muscles and clearly defined abs were reflected.
While I felt proud of my appearance, something I had never imagined in my life, I was also worried.
‘Is this really a result of my stats increasing?’
The most important thing: stats.
I wasn’t sure if my current reflection in the mirror was truly the result of stat growth.
Since there was no way to check stats without paying for a stat examination, it was even more uncertain.
‘I heard that Superhumans generally have good physiques.’
They had been that way from the moment they acquired stats that civilians could never possess through Awakening.
That’s why I was even more uneasy.
‘If only I had more time.’
I no longer even hoped for talent.
If only I had some extra time.
Even while having such weak thoughts.
“I should go exercise.”
I left the house to do the exercise that had now become my daily routine.
The remaining week passed by like a flash.
*
D-day.
Finally, the day of the entrance exam arrived.
It seemed like just yesterday that I submitted my application.
But already, 3 weeks had passed.
“Son.”
“Yes, Father.”
“Are you well-prepared?”
“Well, you know.”
At my father’s question, I recalled the past 3 weeks.
The days when I gave my all to raise my stats.
There were many strange things, but I think I did my best with what I could.
So the rest.
‘Please, just increase by 3.’
Was left to heaven.
The fortunate thing was that my condition was pretty good today.
In preparation for another potential 10-hour full sleep, I went to bed at 8 PM yesterday.
As a result, I woke up on time, and my refreshed physical state made me somewhat at peace.
But from an observer’s perspective, it seemed different.
“Don’t be too disappointed.”
“Pardon?”
“You seem to have worked hard without sleeping, which is unlike you, but life doesn’t always go as planned.”
…I never skipped sleep.
On the contrary, I meticulously maintained 10 hours of sleep every day, which gave me a headache for the first week.
Anyway, it was my father’s way of comforting me.
For now, I answered obediently.
“…Yes, I won’t.”
“Let’s get going now. Are you all ready?”
“Yes, thank you for taking me.”
“It’s nothing. Let’s go.”
With that, I left the house with my father.
To the National Superhuman Academy.
Where I might possibly spend the next 3 years.
*
[National Superhuman Academy]
The National Superhuman Academy was undoubtedly the best and largest Superhuman training institution in South Korea.
At the same time, it was the only cradle for Superhuman development in the country.
The number of academies is determined by the size of the country, and due to Korea’s small land area, there was only one in Incheon.
Perhaps that’s why.
“There are so many people.”
The main auditorium where the entrance exam would be held.
The crowd at the entrance of the exam venue was enormous.
At least several hundred, maybe even over a thousand, though I couldn’t be sure.
‘Of course, not all of these people will be able to pass.’
There’s only one Superhuman Academy in South Korea.
That’s why an enormous number of applicants flock every year.
Naturally, a tremendous number of people fail.
From what I found out in advance, there were approximately 2,000 applicants last year.
About 600 were admitted.
More than half couldn’t even cross the threshold of the Academy.
‘It’s nerve-wracking.’
While I was having such thoughts.
“Let’s go to a Chinese restaurant when you’re done.”
My father spoke to me in a dry voice.
An attitude markedly different from other parents.
His usual indifference was truly characteristic of him.
“Sure.”
Like father, like son.
I also responded plainly.
After finishing our typically dry conversation.
“Then I’ll be going now.”
I pushed my way through the crowd and entered the main auditorium.
“It’s quite spacious.”
A domed ceiling, a large stage, and a vast interior.
The inside of the main auditorium resembled a gymnasium that could be seen at any school.
At a glance, it looked ordinary, but there was one clear difference.
None other than the exam venue’s facilities.
More precisely, the equipment prepared for the entrance exam stood out.
‘I think I saw this at the Awakening Center.’
The entrance exam included written tests and interviews, but the core was the practical test and stat measurement.
The equipment arranged on the stage seemed to be there to measure those stats.
As I was examining the equipment, I walked casually and stopped behind the lined-up people.
‘Are these all the applicants? It’s incredible.’
Like the entrance, the interior was also filled with an incredible crowd.
As I was scanning with an indifferent gaze.
“We will now commence the 51st entrance examination!”
The instructor with a cold impression on the stage shouted.
At his exclamation, I unconsciously gulped.
Gulp-
At that moment, I couldn’t have dreamed.
The entrance exam that was about to begin.
What kind of result I would achieve there.
I only.
‘Please, just 3 stats.’
I was just desperately begging heaven for 3 stats.
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