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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 43
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The conversation continued for a while as I calmed Glecia down. Soon enough, I understood why she had said such odd things.
"In short… you want to reach Level 4 in your Trait? Is that it?"
"To put it simply, yes, that's right. Han Cheon-seong, you've reached Level 4 in your Trait, and I want to reach Level 4 in mine too. And I also want to understand you more properly."
Facing Glecia, who was finally speaking sense, I slowly nodded.
Competitiveness. No, perhaps a desire for self-improvement—that was the emotion Glecia strongly exuded. She looked as if she had been pushing herself too hard recently.
Just looking at her now, it seemed she had thrown herself into training to the point where she was a mess, desperately striving to reach Level 4.
Then, when she mentioned getting utterly crushed in a spar with Leonhard, I couldn't help but chuckle.
She looked at me, saying how frustrating it was, but to me, it seemed like an entirely obvious outcome.
'…Of course.'
Leonhard was the protagonist of this world, after all. What's more, he was practically a 'perfected being' from the very start.
His Trait, talent, character, appearance—there was nothing to find fault with in him.
Even if his initially naive and kind personality caused some crises in the early parts, by the mid-to-late stages, he would also possess a cool-headedness that made it impossible for anyone to deceive him.
'Come to think of it, perhaps that's thanks to Yumia being by his side.'
Yumia would assist him well with various matters, so there was no need to worry even if scoundrels and swindlers clung to him.
He was, truly, the protagonist of this world. Despite possessing an insane growth rate, he radiated a powerful light from the very beginning, overwhelming his surroundings.
A being that shone so brightly, everyone couldn't help but notice him. Everyone couldn't help but pay attention to him.
He was, quite literally, a munchkin among munchkins. That was Leonhard.
For most people, it would be difficult to even continue sparring with him…
"…"
As I thought, I suddenly paused.
Thinking of Leonhard as the protagonist, I naturally centered my thoughts around him. But then I realized I had achieved a draw in my spar with him.
Although it was a result of various circumstances intertwining—the compatibility between spear mastery and sword mastery that transcended Trait grades, and the difference in Trait levels—the fact remained, it was a 'reality' that I had achieved a draw with him.
…And that might hold more significance than I initially thought.
"Han Cheon-seong, I'm not asking you to tell me the same enlightenment you gained. Just stay by my side. I'll try to understand you, and I'll observe you directly to figure out how you became so strong. I'll even learn from watching you how you reached a perfected state mentally."
At Glecia's serious voice that followed, a hollow laugh escaped me.
"Perfected state…?"
Muttering one of the words Glecia had just uttered, I unconsciously turned my head and met her gaze.
"…"
Her brilliantly shining blue eyes gazed at me with unwavering directness.
It was as if she wanted me to take her words exactly as they were. With a feeling as if they held an intense longing… I could sense her sincerity.
Because there seemed to be no falsehood in her words or actions.
Absolute competitiveness and a strong will to look forward and advance.
'So this is why Glecia becomes a renowned figure.'
Although Glecia's role in the novel was minor since she wasn't deeply involved with Leonhard, I realized why a renowned figure who always ranked at the top was indeed renowned, just by meeting her gaze.
She possessed, above all, a desire for self-improvement. An absolute will to somehow move forward.
But that, ironically, made me smile.
'But to call me a 'perfected being'…'
Honestly. That remark, how should I put it? It was enough to make me feel strange.
I thought I was quite good at 'self-objectification,' even by my own standards.
That hadn't changed much, either in my original reality or in this world called Groa.
So I always thought about the path I needed to take, what I had to do, and then acted on it.
I never thought I was lagging behind others.
Because I objectively knew what I needed to do to get ahead, to advance further.
And now, I was truly… nothing.
It was only the early stages of the Academy.
While the average students were struggling at Trait Level 2, I had merely stood out first.
Of course, reaching Trait Level 4 on the day of the entrance ceremony was an enormous evolution and a growth rate beyond common sense. But that would naturally be caught up to in about a year.
Therefore, I had no room for complacency.
I had to push harder, run faster, and continue moving forward, whether by breaking through obstacles in my path or overcoming them.
The potential held by Legendary, Unique, and Rare Traits. I knew how much greater their possibilities became with each level evolution.
So, I had to push forward even harder before they caught up to me.
When others took one step forward.
I would take two steps. No, three steps, looking ahead as I advanced.
Only then could I stay ahead of them.
"Han Cheon-seong. Did I… say something strange?"
As I remained silent for a moment, Glecia asked cautiously, as if she found it odd, and I slowly shook my head.
If I voiced what I was thinking now, it would seem like deception to Glecia. So, I kept it to myself and said something else.
"No, it's not strange. Glecia, I think that mindset is definitely a good one. And it's impressive that you remembered exactly what I said."
"…Of course I did. It hasn't even been a week yet."
Her words about needing to be with me to understand me—they were just something said in the moment, but Glecia had placed great significance on them.
This made me briefly wonder what I should do right away.
Meeting four days a week was clearly too much. I now understood her reason for wanting to be with me, but what couldn't be done, simply couldn't be done.
"Instead, tomorrow is Friday. So, let's meet this week on Friday and Sunday. We'll maintain twice a week for now, and whether to increase it or not is something we can slowly consider later."
The entrance ceremony was on Tuesday, which made the original Tuesday and Sunday appointments with her awkward. Still, it seemed best to try meeting two days like this for now and then reconsider.
"Friday and Sunday…"
I chuckled at her slightly disappointed expression at my words, yet found it strangely fascinating.
It was hard to believe this was the same Glecia who had treated me so lightly on the day we first talked. So much had changed between us in just a few days.
—A Unique-grade, Level 3 Trait.
She was in a position to be like that. Even now, Glecia was undoubtedly one of the top students in Class A.
Though I had reached Level 3 with a Common Trait, a Unique Level 3 was qualitatively entirely different.
I couldn't defeat Leonhard, who had a Legendary Level 3 Trait, even though I was Level 4.
That much difference also existed in Trait grades.
Organizing my thoughts, I decided it was time to end our meeting.
"Glecia, it's getting quite late today. You can ask me one question if you have anything you're curious about. Let's wrap things up with that."
Our conversation with her had easily gone on for over an hour.
It was nearly 10 o'clock already.
…Honestly, I was a bit tired.
"One question?"
"Yes. Just one. You can ask anything. Whether it's about enlightenment or anything else, I'll answer anything I can."
The enlightenment I had gained initially wasn't actually that valuable.
There was no harm in telling anyone. If Glecia developed a better impression of me from it, that would be enough.
"Hmm…"
At my words, Glecia seemed to be thinking very deeply.
As if she thought I held the key to reaching Trait Level 4.
"Then, Han Cheon-seong. I have a question about your spar with Leonhard."
"Alright. What do you want to ask?"
"After the spar ended. What did you feel when you looked at Leonhard?"
At her follow-up question, I paused for a moment.
…I expected her to ask what enlightenment I had gained, but she posed a very peculiar question.
What I had felt during the spar with him. After a brief thought, I hesitated to answer right away.
Because too many thoughts came to mind.
But the answer was already decided. A single answer was enough.
"Strong."
"…Strong?"
"Yes. I thought Leonhard was indeed stronger than me. I actually felt like I had almost lost the spar. That's why I could acknowledge his strength even more. And also the fact that I needed to work harder."
My true intention was to say that he was the protagonist of this world, but if I put it a bit more indirectly, 'strong' seemed to be the perfect word.
Even I, who had reached Trait Level 4, couldn't defeat him, who was at Trait Level 3.
The objective difference in power was clear.
I had learned a lot from the spar. I had sparred with the person who would become the strongest in this world, and from that spar, I gained confidence.
A great confidence that I could advance with the spear I wielded.
"..."
As Glecia seemed lost in thought, staring blankly after my words, I subtly rose to my feet.
Our dormitories were in different directions.
So, parting ways here didn't seem too bad.
"Then, I'll be going first."
Step.
Step.
I had taken but a few steps after saying that.
"Wait."
At her firm voice, my steps involuntarily halted.
I turned my head, and Glecia was quickly approaching me.
Then she pulled something from her pocket and held it out to me, making my eyes widen without realizing it.
"This is a reward for answering my question."
She said, extending her hand, and there, a coin glowed with an ethereal light.
A single coin, shimmering golden.
It was gold—unbelievably, it was gold.
"You're giving me a gold coin for one question?"
Instead of taking it immediately, I found myself asking first.
Even so, the reward for the question was too great. I had merely described my feelings about the spar; it wasn't enlightenment or anything else.
It was something I would have easily answered even if she had asked casually. It was nothing more than that.
"It's fine. I gained more than that. Here, take it."
She took my hand herself and pressed the gold coin into it. Even as I accepted it, I felt peculiar.
'Just how much…'
Just how much money did Glecia have on hand?
To just hand over a gold coin for such a casual answer… The Academy only paid C-Class students 20 silver a month to begin with.
That amount was actually more than enough for living expenses.
…But at this moment, I had received an amount equivalent to five months' worth of pay.
"Then, I'll be going. Han Cheon-seong, thank you for staying with me today."
As she smiled lightly and walked past me, I found myself staring at her, as if entranced.
'The first time.'
Glecia smiling like that…
It was definitely the first time.
***
Click.
Returning to her dormitory, Glecia immediately shed her clothes, which had turned into little more than rags.
Due to the aftermath of her long training, her clothes were full of various grime.
Rustle, rustle.
With the rustling sound of her clothes, she was soon stark naked and headed straight for the washroom without delay.
—!
The moment she activated the magic crystal, a warm stream of water poured out.
Whoosh—
As the water streamed over her, Glecia slowly closed her eyes.
She let the water wash over her in a daze for a moment. Then, she suddenly spoke.
"Acknowledge the opponent's strength."
The key to evolution. It felt like she had gained the most crucial piece of it.
Instead of focusing solely on herself and pouring effort into training, she needed to directly face her opponents and acknowledge their strength.
Han Cheon-seong had given her that enlightenment with just one remark.
As she swept her hair back, a smile unconsciously bloomed on her face.
Perhaps it seemed like a very obvious statement, but to her, it felt anything but obvious.
Because in spars, she had focused on defeating her opponents. When she lost to Leonhard, her mind had gone blank.
—A wall.
She couldn't overcome him with her Trait, her talent, or anything else. That feeling was so overwhelming that nothing else even occurred to her.
What she had felt during the spar with Leonhard was truly nothing but pathetic thoughts.
Han Cheon-seong, as expected, was different right from his answer.
He was the only one to achieve a draw against Leonhard, and instead of dwelling on victory or defeat, he had directly faced his opponent's strength.
…And he sought to move forward.
"How could he possibly be like that…?"
Muttering in a daze, she found it fascinating anew.
It was hard to believe anew that he had held such thoughts even after a spar where he poured everything he had.
Just how mentally perfected did one have to be to be capable of such thoughts? The more she thought about it, the more astonishing Han Cheon-seong seemed.
"Friday."
Then, the fact that she could meet him again tomorrow dawned on her.
As she slowly washed herself, a smile inadvertently escaped her.
It was a smile she hadn't even realized was there.