Chapter 53

< Chapter 53: Accelerated Growth (1) >

The weekend passed by quickly,

And before I knew it, it was Monday.

A lot of things had happened, but my daily life hadn’t changed at all.

Instructor Pi Jin Ho’s morning training was still hellish,

And the school classes were no different from usual.

The only things that had changed were my relationship with Jia,

And the public attention had shifted from me to the Great Rift and the Heavenly Tribe incident.

Besides that, there was also the fact that the nation had established a special team to investigate angels and demons.

“Then, I’ll make one last announcement and end the class.”

The current time was 6:20 p.m.

The regular classes were all over.

“You all probably already know this, but there will be no classes for a total of seven days from this Thursday to next Friday.”

Surely, the words ‘no classes’ should have been a joyous thing for the students.

“Ah~”

“I hate this so much.”

But there wasn’t a single student who was happy.

“Thursday and Friday, there will be written exams for 13 subjects. And from next Monday to Friday, there will be various practical exams.”

No classes didn’t mean a break.

It just meant that the schedule was packed with exams.

“Ah. What about the written exams?”

“Are you confident in the practical ones?”

“Of course not!”

“What a bold bastard.”

Two days of written exams, and six days of practical exams.

A long and arduous exam hell that lasted for a whole week.

There would be no cadet who would welcome this.

…Except for me.

For others, it might be a tedious and anxious exam, but for me, it was nothing but an opportunity to rise in the ranking.

“I wonder if Kang Seo-yul will be the top scorer in the written exams again.”

“Probably. Have you ever seen him get a question wrong?”

“Seriously, he answers anything I ask him without hesitation.”

“I saw him reading a graduate thesis paper the other day.”

“Does he really have such low ability? He has everything else.”

I just had to secure first place in the written exams.

I don’t know if it’s because of the original protagonist’s knowledge or something, but I don’t forget anything I see once, and I have all kinds of knowledge in my head.

It’s like a vending machine that spits out answers when I see a question.

“But who cares about the written exams? They’re not directly competitive. The problem is the practical ones.”

“Ah. I wonder what kind of outrageous method they’ll use for this exam.”

“…I can’t even imagine.”

The problem was the practical exam.

It was a cruel exam that had no way to prepare for it because the exam method changed every year and quarter.

“You can look forward to this practical exam. It’ll be more fun than last year, I guarantee it.”

Instructor Pi Jin Ho twisted his lips. At the same time, anxious groans rained down from all sides.

“Ah.”

“Is it true that it’s harder than last year?”

“That’s Pi Jin Ho’s smile for you.”

Last year’s first-semester midterm comprehensive evaluation practical exam was a deserted island survival that lasted for four nights and five days. It was said to be a shocking and horrifying five days that had a bad reputation, but this one was worse than that.

It was natural to be nervous.

Of course, not me.

What do I have to be nervous about?

I already know what the exam is about.

It’s just a piece of cake exam for me.

“You all look so excited.”

“Ah~ Teach.”

“Instructor, that’s not fair.”

The instructor joked and received resentful exclamations from all sides.

“I’m kidding. Anyway, prepare well for the exam.”

Of course.

I have to prepare well.

* * *

That night.

I was watching Ha Si-yeon’s training.

“…Hey, you talent freak.”

I was literally just watching.

Ha Si-yeon, who was soaked in cold sweat all over her body, looked at me and tilted her head.

“Me? What?”

Her lips were twitching, pretending not to know while playing a prank.

“Don’t act dumb. You have more absorption power than a sponge!”

I approached her and poked her in the ribs.

“Kyahaak!”

She screamed in surprise.

“Th-that’s cheating! Ribs are off-limits!”

“Your talent is more cheating, okay? Right?”

I didn’t expect it to be this much.

I just told her the skill usage that the future Ha Si-yeon had discovered after trial and error, as much as I could remember,

But what kind of growth rate is this?

I was speechless.

I was so annoyed that I poked her in the other rib.

“Kyahaeuak!”

She shrieked again with a strange sound.

“…Ah. I feel better now.”

Ha Si-yeon blinked her tears at the corners of her eyes and pouted her lips.

“Uh, it was just a joke.”

“That’s not a joke, that’s deception. Go do that somewhere else. See what kind of insults you get.”

I was seriously annoyed.

“Anyway, I’m glad. With this growth rate, you won’t have to worry much after a year.”

“Eh. Even if I do, I’m still a B-rank newbie, so what… Kyahaeuk!”

I poked her in the ribs again.

“Is that what you say in front of an E-rank newbie who just went up?”

Ha Si-yeon looked at me with resentment in her eyes.

“Seo, Seo-yul you… Really! You keep aiming for me when I’m out of strength and poke me in the ribs?”

I snorted.

“If you don’t like it, train harder and save your strength.”

“…You’re mean, really.”

Ha Si-yeon couldn’t avoid my E-rank newbie poke because she had used too much physical and magical power in today’s training.

She had exhausted herself to the point where she couldn’t even properly grasp my movements.

“…You’re staying at E-rank with a seal and calling me a newbie.”

“What did you say?”

I asked while pretending to poke her in the ribs again.

“I didn’t say anything!”

Ha Si-yeon backed away three steps with a shasha sound and shouted.

Her reaction was so pleasant and cute that I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Anyway, congratulations. You’re ready to try with Jia now.”

“Oh, yeah. I think I can win.”

“Oh. Confidence.”

“Hehe.”

She answered with a bright smile as if she had never been on guard.

“Oh, right. Seo-yul. Can you tell me that?”

“What?”

I thought I had told her everything I could.

“The light arrow that took out the Great Rift in one shot!”

“…Huh?”

Ha Si-yeon came closer to me with sparkling eyes.

“I can’t tell you that.”

How can I tell you something I don’t know?

I want to know more.

How do you make that anti-vaccine?

“Don’t be like that. Tell me. Please? Pleaseee.”

Ha Si-yeon pouty mode ON.

I’m screwed.

“Well, I can’t.”

I don’t know either!

* * *

That night.

I was on an international call with a collector from across the sea in England, Ail Chris.

“So it’ll arrive by Friday at the earliest, or Saturday at the latest?”

It was good news that the artifact would arrive sooner than expected.

-Yeah.

He had said it would arrive by next Wednesday at the earliest due to some complications.

“Things went well, I guess?”

-It’s because of that Great Rift or whatever. The attention was drawn to that side, so I just slipped through.

He sounded smug.

“Wow. As expected of Mr. Ail. You have an amazing sense of timing.”

-Hahaha! Don’t make me repeat myself. I’ve always been good at striking and escaping since I was young!

He seemed very pleased with the fangs engraved on the mana.

-You must be going to bed soon.

“Yes. It’s almost midnight.”

-Oh. I’ve been nagging you too late. Anyway, I’ll contact you again when it arrives.

With that, the call ended.

I put my smartphone next to my desk and stretched out.

“Ah~”

With this, I could get two more traits before the practical exam. I don’t know what traits I’ll get, but anyway, it’s better than nothing.

The practical exam would be a bit easier.

I finished stretching lightly up to my neck and fixed my eyes on the notebook on the desk.

The notebook was full of things I had to do in the future.

It was a plan notebook that I had organized whenever I had time since the vaccine program incident.

“This should be enough.”

From the current exam to the major episodes that would happen before the national war, everything was neatly organized.

And based on the strengths and weaknesses of my ability (error) that I learned exactly after the vaccine program incident, the growth plan was also thoroughly organized in the notebook.

This could be called a prophecy book without exaggeration.

I looked over the notebook from beginning to end for the last time.

It was perfect.

“Hmm.”

Except for one flaw.

[The future movements of the Saviors of Truth – Unknown.]

This item was the problem.

I couldn’t find an answer no matter how much I thought about it.

From the first episode, all the incidents involving the Saviors of Truth were twisted.

Doppelganger, Pyo Il-chan left early. Hermit appeared quickly.

And they even neutralized the anti-terror weapon called the Root of the World.

I can’t imagine what will happen next.

No, I can imagine, but is it too vast to say?

Anyway, as long as Unknown’s goal is to elucidate the truth of the world, the attack on the national war will definitely happen.

They will need the winning prize of this national war anyway.

“I guess I’ll have to wait and see.”

I’m not anxious.

Although I don’t have any information right now, there is a brilliant spy named Hermit lurking inside the Savior of Truth.

Hermit, who hates Unknown, will surely bring me some new information by exploiting Gold’s weakness.

I just have to wait for that.

There’s still plenty of time until the national war anyway.

Now is the time to focus on getting stronger.

“Let’s go to sleep.”

I closed the notebook with a light heart.

* * *

The next morning.

I was practicing archery at the archery range.

The purpose was, of course, to adapt the elf’s racial trait to my body.

Lately, the pain I felt from the tattoo was getting weaker,

I thought that [Guardian of the Bow], the first trait I acquired, would soon be assimilated into my body.

Sweeek! Kwaduk!

The arrow that started to rush from my fingertips avoided the obstacles I had set up beforehand and hit the target precisely.

“…Every time I see it, I can only admire it.”

“Did you see? The trajectory bends three times.”

“It’s like the arrow is alive.”

I heard the whispers of the gallery around me.

I was the only one shooting arrows among more than 40 shooting lanes.

They all came to train, but they just gathered and chatted, wondering what was so amazing.

I pulled the bowstring again.

Sweeek! Kwaduk!

“Wow. He hits an arrow with an arrow.”

“His skill is really insane.”

The quadruple synergy of [Guardian of the Bow] and [Wind’s Arrow] and [Master of Weapons] and [Flame of Engraving] was truly awesome.

[Guardian of the Bow] and [Master of Weapons] gave a double correction to the bow skill itself.

[Master of Weapons]’s force effect and [Flame of Engraving]’s fire attribute synergy increased the destructive power.

On top of that, [Wind’s Arrow]’s accuracy, muzzle velocity correction, and the special effect that the arrow was not affected by the wind were added.

Sweeek! Kwaduk!

“Is it real that he pierced 10 arrows in a row?”

In short, he was cheating.

“I heard that his overall ability level also went up to E-rank this time.”

“…Wow. Shit. Goosebumps.”

“I never thought I’d get goosebumps from hearing that someone went from F-rank to E-rank.”

Those bastards.

They have good eyes.

I felt my mood naturally rise as I received compliments in a row.

Good. It’s a mood.

I also had a skill that I wanted to test.

I’ll show you a good show.

“Target setting. Durability B-rank. Obstacle removal.”

[Shooting lane 11 setting change approved.]

[The target’s durability is set to B.]

[Obstacles are removed.]

The appearance of the shooting lane changed along with the message from the archery range AI.

Numerous obstacles disappeared, and only a doll-shaped target remained in the center.

“Durability B?”

“He said his average ability level is E-rank, right?”

“He’s going to pierce a 4-rank difference?”

The murmurs grew louder.

I grabbed the bow again.

“…Hoo.”

With a long breath, all the sounds around me disappeared.

All I could see was the target in front of me.

I pulled the bowstring.

I felt the bowstring expand like muscle fibers and focused my mind.

Whiing-

Mana rotated.

As if coating the tip of the arrow.

I pulled the bowstring harder.

Then, as if responding to it,

The mana that wrapped around the arrow started to accelerate.

Whirr-

The sound of flames spinning.

But it’s not enough yet.

I pulled the bowstring harder.

A little more.

A little more.

Accordingly, mana increased its rotation speed.

This series of actions lasted for about 20 seconds.

Piiing-!

The bowstring and my muscles reached their limit.

I carefully let go of my hand.

Whoo-

The wind blew.

A storm-like wind with heat in it.

Sweeeek!

The wind left a red afterimage and

Kwaaang!

Completely smashed the target.

“…Hoo.”

I succeeded.

A new skill that added the trick of the spiral spear, which rotates force at the tip of the spear, to an arrow.

Spiral Arrow.

It had an effect that increased its destructive power in proportion to its charging time.

In theory, if you charge it for more than a minute, you can pierce A-rank durability.

Of course, my strength and mana are so low that I can’t charge it for more than 20 seconds.

It also has a drawback that it is a single-shot skill because you have to use up all your strength and mana.

And there won’t be any opponents who will give you such a long charging time in real combat.

…It needs some improvement to use it in real combat.

For now, it’s just a show-off skill with ridiculously high difficulty level.

As I nodded my head,

“Puhak! Oh, I didn’t know I was holding my breath.”

“Cough! Cough!”

“…Wow.”

“Awesome.”

I heard a single exclamation from around me. Oh. Right. I wasn’t alone. I forgot because I was concentrating.

“Wow, he even changes the shape of the force on the arrow?”

“I’ve never seen anyone use a bow other than Heavenly Bow.”

There was a commotion.

The people who looked like seniors around me also had stunned expressions.

…Did I go too far?

I was reflecting on myself when

Zzit-

I felt a strange sensation on my right shoulder blade.

…No way!

I lifted my sportswear slightly and checked my right shoulder blade.

“…Wow.”

I was right.

The elf’s tattoo had turned from black to red.

It must have been that [Guardian of the Bow] was completely assimilated into my body with this high-difficulty bow operation.

“K.”

Reflection my ass.

I would have regretted it if I hadn’t tested the spiral arrow today.

…Ah. This is not the time to do this.

I left the archery range with a bright smile.

I had to check the physical changes due to the complete assimilation of the elf’s trait.

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