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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Grandel's Martial Talent
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[(Unique) Myeong's Knight Grandel's Martial Talent]
A genius knight who could master ten arts upon seeing one, limited to martial materials. He mastered ten thousand martial arts in his lifetime, but was it due to that blessed talent? The tragic knight who never once stepped onto a battlefield because his body couldn't keep up with digesting his genius. However, the martial knowledge he organized and refined was something that every knight of his era had no choice but to praise and respect.
Acquisition Condition: None
Effect: Greatly enhances the acquisition and improvement speed of experience in all martial arts and combat senses.
'Talent! Yeah, it's talent!'
[You have acquired (Unique) Myeong's Knight Grandel's Martial Talent.]
As you age and gain life experience, you come to realize what you'll regret most in life.
Talent, and talent, and more! Talent.
Though there are slight differences in the process of life, the period when life's flower blooms truly begins in the late teens.
That roughly twenty years of accumulation has a huge impact on the quality of your life and determines the value of your remaining years with high probability.
In competition over the same timeframe, everything ultimately comes down to the presence or absence of talent.
'Time is fair, but talent isn't... Anyway, I got a better skill than what I originally planned to learn, so I should be grateful.'
Talk of effort and such is just the lament of the talentless.
Even among the talented, there are those who work hard, and no matter how much a tortoise strives, it can't beat a hardworking rabbit in the same time.
They're given the same amount of time, but the distance they can cover differs.
That's why I chose this skill.
It offered no flashy effects or visible stat boosts, but for someone like me who awakened late in life, the ability to save time was incredibly important.
"Huuu~ Shall we get started?"
I didn't feel any major changes in my body yet, but this one skill alone would change a lot.
And so, I immediately started watching the lectures and materials I'd brought from Academia.
First up: the basics of close-quarters combat against monsters.
'Most monsters possess greater physical strength than humans, so you must always be cautious. And as always, knowledge is power, so the more you understand various monsters' records and combat methods, the higher your value as a Hunter. Of course, that doesn't mean you should neglect training to improve your own skills; you must always...'
'Whoa... it's totally different.'
These were contents I'd seen and heard countless times while working as an Academia staffer, but now they felt completely different.
Just one skill, a single point's difference, and everything had changed.
My brain cells were firing like crazy, neatly organizing every theory from the videos playing before my eyes.
Even lectures that I couldn't focus on for ten minutes before now held my attention through two-hour sessions without a hint of boredom, and I moved straight to the next one while recalling what I'd memorized.
'No wonder ordinary humans can't keep up!'
If I had to compare it, it was like the awe of someone who'd walked the earth suddenly taking to the skies.
Having lived over thirty years without ever tasting true growth or talent, I was intoxicated by this sensation and craved more.
"This... won't be enough."
I hadn't expected to freely choose a Unique skill, so I eyed the materials vanishing before me.
I should have brought more.
I regretted not hauling in enough to binge through the night! As my thirst for self-improvement grew, I pondered how to quench it.
'...This won't do. Vacation days... I need to use vacation days. No! If worst comes to worst, just quit... Ugh! Wait! Snap out of it!'
But as my excitement peaked, I suddenly came to my senses.
Right, my original goal was to protect myself, not to obsess over martial arts.
In that moment, it felt like I'd been possessed. I realized this skill had its downsides too.
"Huu~ As expected, no side effects would be too good to be true. Well, since it wasn't originally mine, some conflict is bound to arise. I've done enough for today~ Time for bed!"
With my head cooled, I regained my pace.
Yeah, that's more like me.
Do what I can, then toss the rest aside.
It was already past 11 p.m., so I decided to hit the hay right there.
***
When I woke the next morning, my body felt lighter than usual.
I'd been running around all day and stressing out, yet not a trace of fatigue lingered—it was almost eerie.
That's when I remembered what I was wearing.
"Ah, so this is what legendary gear feels like..."
Come to think of it, the weather was warming up, but last night while sleeping, I'd felt neither hot nor cold.
Truly, gear carry was a real thing. With that thought, I washed up lightly and headed straight to Academia for work.
"Today, I need to grab way more materials. Humming~"
"Team Leader, you're here? Did the urgent matter get resolved?"
"Yeah. It turned out not to be a big deal, so I'm really relieved. Anyway, let's get to work."
Back at the office, it felt like nothing had happened. I started my usual tasks with a weight off my mind.
Then, out of nowhere, a message from the Facilities Maintenance Team Leader popped into my messenger.
「Due to an emergency meeting for the final exams today, all department heads and team leaders please gather in the main conference room.」
'Haa~ Another meeting out of thin air. Because of the monster imports? No speaking rights, yet they call us anyway. Haa~'
Many processes for training Hunters against monsters were being replaced by simulators, but the association and Academia's core policy was that you needed real experience taking lives to become a true Hunter.
"So, what's the plan for the final exam dungeon? Separate ones for Heaven Class, Earth Class, and Human Class, right?"
"Well... the Academia president insists on a unified difficulty this time. Says we have to foster harmony among Awakeners somehow."
'The same old annual topic.'
Currently, Awakeners were ranked by Hunter achievements, but before that, they were divided by stats and skills.
This Korean Academia sorted students into three classes based on stat grades: Heaven (B-grade or higher), Earth (C~D), Human (E~F), with training tailored to each class's enemies or roles.
Advanced learning leading to graduation proved highly efficient for protecting humanity.
'But the side effects were no joke.'
However, like everything, efficiency came with downsides, and prolonged class divisions bred serious issues.
Namely, stratification and discord among Awakeners grew worse each year.
It was already a grave problem, but as humanity adapted to Awakeners and Constellations, the trend intensified.
'Awakeners vs. non-Awakeners, and even among Awakeners, turning into Demons (Ma-in) or Scavengers... it's madness enough, but now class rankings spark infighting and chaos... Oh, right. And there are Constellations trying to take humanity under their wing and rule it...'
A single lapse in vigilance could tear the government and humanity apart.
No, it was already tearing.
Korea was small and manageable, so only Scavengers and Demons had emerged, but China was clearly divided.
'Four factions, right.'
In China: Constellation Qin Emperor and Constellation Dragon-Phoenix King, both vying to claim and rule all humanity.
The existing Chinese Communist Party government.
Plus the Slaughter King leading a demon legion from North Korean regions, threatening both China and Korea.
China had long split into four, with countless minor Scavenger and Demon warlords besides.
"But even with unified difficulty, guilds with established hierarchies will just faction up... Will it even work?"
"Isn't designing for harmony tough? You'd inevitably need Earth or Human Class parts for combats or dungeon mechanics... Feels too contrived, doesn't it?"
"Contrived or not! If we keep going like this, we're in deep crisis. Stats show it—C to E-grade Awakeners turning Demon (Ma-in) or Scavenger daily. We need to reform Academia's education from the ground up."
"How about random matching for exam groups? At least that stops factions from teaming up..."
Why drag us lowly team leaders into it when the big shots bicker and decide anyway?
Even our Facilities Maintenance head, powerless as he was, yawned secretly through the forced meeting.
"Ah, I thought I'd die of boredom~"
"At least only three times a year."
"Midterms, finals, graduation quals, plus sports fest—four. Once per season. Huu~"
But even boring times pass.
It ended with "regroup later for consensus," and before scattering to work, we team leaders shared coffee, smokes, and our usual gripes.
"By the way, Seongwon, what'd you do yesterday? Heard Avalon Guild was pissed you interfered with their play."
"Caught them harassing a girl like rapists, so I sicced Jeyang on them. They'd pissed me off before~"
More than you'd think, these types looked down on Academia staff vital to training Awakeners, leading to plenty of subtle sabotage.
They knew better than to mess with core staff directly, so I stayed calm, but another team leader eyed me worriedly.
"But the girl they were targeting seems no ordinary talent. They were pretty furious."
"Hm? That happens all the time, no?"
"Nah, that Avalon Guild young master—Jang Yunseok, was it? The one he was after has an alchemy trait skill. He was raging that he absolutely needed her, and you ruined it."
"Alchemy?"
Alchemy ranked top 3 in production traits, coveted by pharma companies, conglomerates, and major guilds for recruitment.
Even low-grade skills could level up via requests or proficiency gains, laying golden eggs like a prized hen.
"Tch, yeah, they'd be mad. Damn, for alchemy, just offer money and contract. Tsk!"
"Probably scouting a freshman trait in secret to slot into their faction... Only for rival Jeyang to snatch her clean. Bet that fueled the fire."
"Shit, we're totally screwed."
Not just talk—we were genuinely fucked.
No, you idiots, why strong-arm someone with an alchemy trait?
"Ah! What now? Fuck! Ah! Seriously!"
Real irritation flooded my mind.
That one meddle had royally screwed my life.
Agh! This damn trait skill!
Shouldn't have checked it out and poked my nose in!
"Did they find out it was me?"
"Hmm~ It'll spread fast. I heard it from those student council faction kids gossiping and tipped you off~"
"Haa, those damn student council bastards—ever hear of witness protection?"
"Witness protection? Never existed in Korea anyway. Watch your back. Finals mean no team leader vacancies, or the load piles up~"
Serious as it was, he had room for jokes? Still, without his heads-up, I wouldn't have prepped.
Whether that guy would actually retaliate, I didn't know, but sitting idle risked getting blindsided.
Time to plan countermeasures—or gear up for a fight.