NOVEL WEB Chapter 18: How to Get Stronger
< Chapter 18: How to Get Stronger (1) >
The sightseeing of the ruins began with the guidance of Goldie.
“Hey, hey! Slow down! My butt hurts!”
I was riding on the back of the Goldie. And the Goldie was running happily because I was on its back.
Thanks to that, my butt feels like it’s going to break.
“Meow.”
Maybe it understood my words, but the Goldie slowed down a lot.
Now it’s better.
“Good. Just this speed.”
The Goldie made a rumbling sound as if it was pleased by my compliment.
It’s really a giant cat.
It easily passed the trap sections that were quite annoying.
The monsters that I had to be prepared for a desperate fight if I encountered them by mistake didn’t even look at the Goldie.
It was so comfortable.
It was literally sightseeing.
The amazing buildings and mysterious structures captivated my eyes.
It felt similar to when I first traveled to Gyeongju.
“Rrrr.”
The clever Goldie stopped walking when it seemed like I was focusing on something.
As if to let me see it more closely.
It’s more attractive the more I look at it.
If it hadn’t messed up my body so much, I would have sincerely liked it.
Of course, even considering that, it looks more and more cute.
It’s cute, obedient, and smart.
“…The first meeting was really a flaw in the gem.”
“Meow….”
The Goldie looked at me with pitiful eyes as if it heard my muttering.
It’s an apologetic look.
I smiled bitterly.
“It’s okay.”
I gently stroked its back.
The wound still stings, but I got the Boiling Pure Blood too.
It will be completely healed by tomorrow.
“Let’s go quickly.”
“Meow.”
How long has it been since then?
We arrived at the room where the ancient artifacts were stored.
A huge stone sword was placed on a sacred altar that reminded me of a temple.
All I have to do now is put that sword in the special equipment transport carrier that I brought with the Fierce Tiger’s Gauntlet and take it with me, but……
“……It’s bigger than I expected?”
There was a problem.
The sword is too big.
It looks like it’s over 10m long.
Of course, I knew that this sword was huge beforehand.
There was a scene where the protagonist who entered this temple admired the stone sword.
But it wasn’t this big.
What is this?
This is not a huge stone sword.
It’s a giant stone pillar.
There’s no way it can fit in the carrier.
“There are two choices.”
The first one is obviously to go back and prepare a carrier that can carry this equipment.
If I ask Yu Hwa, she’ll prepare it for me in a week.
The advantage of this case is that I can keep one piece of equipment.
The second way is to wear the stone sword right here for a minute.
The advantage of this case is that I can get a race trait right away.
I didn’t hesitate.
I came to a conclusion quickly.
“Just use it now.”
If the stone sword wasn’t this big, I would have definitely taken it, but the stone sword is too big.
It’s hard to sneak away with it.
And there’s no way I can handle a 10 m-long sword without a way to do so.
This stone sword is more likely to be a burden than a Joker card.
There are also other reasons why getting a trait right now is better than saving it for later.
“Okay.”
I made up my mind.
Now there was only action left.
I walked slowly to the altar and said,
“Please give me a good trait.”
I grabbed the giant stone sword that was over 10 meters long.
……About a minute later.
I got a new race trait.
“What kind of trait is this?”
A trait that doesn’t match any of the beastman traits I know of.
An unidentified trait.
This is also unexpected.
* * *
Two men and women were having a serious conversation in the room of instructor Pi Jin Ho, on the premises of the Korean Superhuman Academy.
“I can’t believe it.”
“But it’s true. Brother.”
One of them was of course the owner of the room, Pi Jin Ho.
The other one was Yu Hwa.
“Kim Shin-woo. No, Pyo Il-chan was a villain belonging to the Saviors of Truth.”
“……I know. The evidence is clear too.”
A while ago, Yu Hwa showed Pi Jin Ho a video.
It was a CCTV video of the vivid conversation and battle scene when Yu Hwa fought with Pyo Il-chan.
“……For 20 years. He wore a mask for 20 years. It’s creepy.”
What would have happened if I hadn’t noticed that he was a villain?
‘I don’t even want to imagine.’
Pi Jin Ho shuddered.
“So, brother. This is the main point. I have a favor to ask.”
“You want me to quietly cover up this incident, right?”
“As expected from my brother. That’s right.”
Pi Jin Ho sighed as if he had no choice.
“What power do I have as a mere instructor…….”
“Funny. Who doesn’t know Pi Jin Ho’s connections in this field?”
Yu Hwa snorted.
“It’s this field where you never know what kind of price you’ll have to pay for a favor. You know that too, right?”
“I know. I know. But this incident can’t be leaked out at all.”
Yu Hwa said with a determined expression.
“You know too, right? It’s not just any group, it’s the Saviors of Truth. They’re already on everyone’s nerves, but a villain from that group was hiding in the Bihon Guild for 20 years. If this gets out, what do you think will happen to the Bihon Guild?”
“……They’ll be framed as incompetent guilds.”
“That would be lucky. In the end, they might even say that the Bihon Guild is an accomplice, right? Whatever happens, the Bihon Guild is over.”
That’s why they have to bury this incident somehow.
“……Okay.”
Pi Jin Ho nodded reluctantly.
“Help me out. But you’ll have to pay the price yourself.”
“Of course!”
Yu Hwa patted her chest.
As long as Pi Jin Ho stepped in and helped, there would be no chance of this incident going to the Superhuman Management Association.
Of course, it bothered her that she would have to pay back her debt to Pi Jin Ho’s friends later, but it was billions of times better than the guild going bankrupt.
“Really, there’s no one but you, brother~ Thank you so much~”
Yu Hwa hugged Pi Jin Ho.
Pi Jin Ho pushed her away and said,
“You don’t even contact me unless you need something.”
“Aww~ I send you a New Year’s message every year.”
Pi Jin Ho glared at her.
“……If you’re talking about that group message, I take back what I said about helping you.”
Yu Hwa flinched.
“Oh, oh. Come to think of it, I think I forgot to send it after writing it…….”
She rolled her eyes and desperately made an excuse. Pi Jin Ho chuckled at her appearance.
“Fine. What do I expect from you anyway?”
“Hehe.”
Their relationship was quite special.
They had been connected since Yu Hwa’s father led the Bihon Guild, and now they were like family.
Of course, not many people knew that.
“Anyway, brother~ Thank you so much~”
Yu Hwa snuggled up to him with a nasal voice.
It was enough to make anyone wonder if she was the same person who was cold and rational in front of others.
“By the way, speaking of your class these days. Is there anyone who has a promising future or outstanding cadets?”
“……You’re not looking for a guild leader or anything. Why? Are you looking for talent? You should have accepted the lecture request then.”
“You know how I was back then. And you’re saying that?”
Pi Jin Ho smiled faintly.
“So what do you want to hear? Not about already known prospects like Shin Jia or Ha Si-Yeon.”
Pi Jin Ho’s eyes sparkled.
“Kang Seo-yul?”
Yu Hwa’s shoulders twitched.
“……How did you know?”
“I’ve seen you since you were in kindergarten. You think I don’t know your way of speaking?”
“Why are you bringing up old stories again? Anyway, cadet Kang Seo-yul . What do you think of him?”
Pi Jin Ho’s insight was excellent.
That didn’t just mean that his trait ‘Eye of Mystery’ was excellent.
He literally had a natural talent for reading people.
“So you’re interested in Kang Seo-yul. You’re paying attention to him too, right?”
“Well. I’m not sure yet.”
“Not yet?”
“Yeah, not yet.”
Kang Seo-yul is likely to have ‘The Master of Weapons’.
But he’s not 100% sure yet.
“I think it’ll be clear after seeing the results of this ranking match.”
“Huh? Ranking match? Kang Seo-ryul got a ranking match? When?”
Yu Hwa’s eyes lit up.
“The day after tomorrow.”
* * *
The weekend passed by in a flash.
Today is Monday.
The day of the first ranking match for the first-year students.
“……There are a lot of people here.”
Maybe it’s because it’s the first match.
There are quite a lot of people filling the stadium for a match between 498th and 497th place.
“Five minutes left. Check your equipment one last time.”
“What’s there to check? It’s the same training equipment.”
497th place yawned lazily and retorted.
He didn’t look nervous at all.
“Do you fight with words? You’ve been noisy since a while ago. Are you a mouth fighter?”
I rubbed my ears and countered his taunt. 497th place’s expression hardened.
“Shut up and check your equipment. Don’t make excuses later that there was a problem with your equipment.”
“What the…….”
He fell for such a low-level provocation. What a pathetic guy.
“Fine. They say that if you talk too strongly, you look weaker. Is that why you look so weak?”
“This bastard is crazy…….”
That was when.
“It’s time! The two cadets, return to your positions!”
It was time.
“You’re really screwed.”
“Oh, I’m scared.”
497th place glared at me fiercely and turned his body.
“Then I’ll start the ranking match.”
As the instructor in charge of the referee said, a translucent dome, a magic field, spread over the stadium.
With this, the safety mode is set up.
[Ranking match starts in 5 seconds.]
At the same time, a hologram appeared in the air.
[4, 3, 2, 1]
497th place drew his long sword.
I drew my dagger.
[Start!]
At that moment, my vision changed.
The Path of Wind opened up.
Surprisingly, the opponent was calm.
Maybe he was wary of my strange dagger skills.
But that wouldn’t change anything.
I smiled faintly and lowered my posture.
I got two race traits on Saturday.
One of them was a trait that I couldn’t identify.
It didn’t match any of the traits I knew of.
That’s why I had to work hard to figure out the trait all day on Sunday.
And finally, after midnight on Sunday, I succeeded in figuring out what trait I got.
I ran towards 497th place with my dagger in my hand.
I felt the familiar red wind.
The opponent’s movement.
The way I should go.
The way my dagger should go.
All of that condensed into a form of red wind.
“With that speed!”
One step to the right.
Twist your upper body and
Slash your dagger diagonally.
Clang!
The long sword slid down along the dagger.
“What!”
With this short action, the opponent was completely defenseless.
But his confusion disappeared in an instant.
He knew it.
Even if his flaw was completely exposed now, I couldn’t inflict a fatal wound on him with my strength.
But today’s me is different from last week’s me.
I took a deep breath.
At that moment, there was a subtle discomfort in my pupils.
Zap-
A tingling pain was felt in the part where the tattoo was engraved on my thigh.
The hair on my body stood up and an intangible energy exploded from my body.
Whoosh-!
It was an aura.
The predator’s unique killing intent that a beast emits to its prey before hunting.
“……!”
The opponent who received this killing intent directly stiffened like an herbivore in front of a predator.
AsAnd as a result, his durability dropped drastically for a very short time.
I immediately stabbed him with my dagger.
As the wind told me to do.
As my body moved.
As if biting into the neck of an herbivore that had lost its will.
Squish-!
As a result.
A sharp sound of flesh being pierced by the dagger was heard and
“Aaargh!”
Followed by 497th place’s tearing scream.
Thud-
Finally, with the sound of something falling to the ground and the sound of the referee running over, it was over.
I succeeded.
“……Whew.”
This is the beastman trait I got this time.
A trait that allows me to emit a fierce aura unique to beastmen.
I don’t know its name.
I don’t have a status window and it’s not a trait I read in the novel, so I don’t know how to name it.
But I call it this way.
‘The Predator’s Killing Intent’
That’s what I call it.
“Ranking match over! The winner! Kang Seo-yul!”
“Wow!”
I won.