Chapter 130 Assembly and Mission (1)
A day passed, and the day of the gathering at Glory finally arrived.
Perhaps it was because it had been a month since everyone last met, but the path to school was noisier than expected.
Unfortunately, however…….
“Man, how has a month passed already?”
“Tell me about it. I feel like I did nothing but train.”
“You think you are the only one? It is probably the same for everyone here.”
“Dammit! Where does my youth keep running off to?!”
The topic of the bustling cadets' voices everywhere was unified.
Training, training, and more training.
‘And I am the same…….’
I had truly burned through the past month without rest.
I had even returned a day early and visited the training ground briefly in the evening.
‘Though I did not achieve what I wanted.’
After returning in the evening, I had tried my best to swing the sword with both hands.
Unlike the past days when I had subconsciously rejected it, I now clearly recognized that my current way was wrong.
However, things in the world do not always go as planned.
‘The problem is that my body reacts first, even before my memories.’
The past memories that still surfaced in my mind were an issue, but that was not all.
The moment I gripped the sword, my left hand began to tremble, and I could not breathe properly.
My mind told me to grit my teeth and endure, but my body refused.
‘Yu-hyeon said that whether it was late or early, I would eventually change.’
He had added one more thing, though.
That it would happen in a desperate situation.
‘But I feel like I have always been in a desperate situation until now.’
From the moment I first took a villain’s life at the exhibition hall to my first encounter with Yu-hyeon at the Gate.
Beyond that, every moment—the midterm exams, the Horizon mission, clearing the Gate with Kim Su-hyeok, the final exams—was desperate.
If I had made even a single mistake, I would have had to repeat the tragedies of the original work.
Even so, the problem remained unresolved.
‘I do not know what to do…….’
To be honest, if it were just the memories, I could at least find a way to endure.
It was true that it was painful every time my father’s face came to mind, but in the end, those were just remnants of the past.
In reality, my father had never particularly blamed me.
However…….
‘There is nothing I can do about my body’s physical reaction.’
If an external problem occurred every time I gripped a sword in a life-or-death battle, that was more than just a critical issue—it led directly to death.
It was obvious that such a situation would be far worse than simply using one hand.
‘Does the body remember regardless of the mind…….’
This was not good.
The fact that the body remembered meant it was not something I could control.
I wished I knew a way to fix it, but there was no such thing.
‘There is no clear-cut way to overcome trauma, after all.’
Therefore, there was only one conclusion I could reach for now.
The conclusion that I had to continue using only one hand, just as I had been doing.
‘It might be worse than using two hands normally, but it is not as if I am lacking.’
Had Yu-hyeon not told me as much?
He said that while it was a shame, it was not bad.
He mentioned that thanks to my talent, my skill was more than sufficient with just one hand.
‘So, let’s move past this issue for now.’
It was ambiguous to keep obsessing over it when I did not know the solution.
Of course, a part of me wanted to cling to it.
It meant I could become stronger than I was now, and crucially, it meant I would finally be able to accept the past.
In short, it meant I could overcome the trauma that had bound me until now.
And that was something I desperately desired.
But.
‘The problem is that reality is not that forgiving.’
It was certain that the world would not wait for me to solve my problems.
Even today, I was back at Glory because of a gathering schedule that did not exist in the original work.
Since I did not know what would happen in the future, obsessing over one thing was not good in many ways.
‘So, for now, I have no choice but to adapt and accept this state.’
My time was not leisurely enough to cling to something without a definite timeline.
Therefore, I decided to move past the current problem and think about another concern.
That other concern was…….
‘It has to be this.’
Thinking that, I glanced toward my left shoulder.
In my view was a black armband stained with spots of various colors.
However, just because I had tied it around my shoulder like an armband did not mean it actually was one.
‘I am grateful for the gift, but I have no idea how to use it.’
The thing tied to my shoulder was an artifact.
It was the artifact I had received as a gift from Yu-hyeon on the last day of the hellish training before the session began.
I once again checked the information of the artifact, which I had only briefly glanced at back then.
[Damaged Flag of the Unrecorded Petitioner]
Rank: A+
Type: Equipment (Buff-type)
Information: A flag used by a petitioner who defied the laws of the world with a mortal body. However, its form is currently so severely damaged that there is no way to know its use.
Ability: All abilities are currently sealed due to the flag being damaged. To use its full abilities, the flag must be restored to its original state.
“Hmm…….”
The description was no different than before.
Because of that, my head could not help but become more complicated.
‘If it were an artifact I didn't know well, my mind wouldn't be this messy.’
The problem was that was not the case.
Even just by looking at the name of the artifact, one thing came to mind.
‘It has the same name as the glove I am wearing.’
The Unrecorded Petitioner.
This was why my head was a mess.
To anyone looking at it, this clearly meant there was some connection to the glove I was using.
‘Though that is why I accepted it from Yu-hyeon.’
I recalled the conversation I had with Yu-hyeon yesterday.
— When you were resting before, Brother, I briefly checked your artifact with an appraisal artifact.
— …Isn't looking at someone else’s artifact without permission a crime?
— Haha, well, I am a villain anyway. And you can rest assured, as I only saw the name. Perhaps because you are using a high-quality one, the information did not show up.
— So why are you bringing that up all of a sudden?
— I wanted to give you a gift. There is an artifact with the same name as the one you have.
— Suddenly?
— I do not know how to use it anyway. In that case, it is better to give it to you, Brother.
…Yu-hyeon had said as he handed me the artifact.
But the problem was that I did not know how to use it either.
‘In any case, it is a gain…….’
While it was a bit annoying that he used an appraisal artifact without permission, it was a gain since the result was a free artifact.
However, for now, it was a bit ambiguous to be purely happy.
‘After all, one can only use it if they know how.’
Look at the description right now.
Does it not say that all abilities are sealed?
An artifact with sealed abilities was essentially nothing more and nothing less than a decoration.
‘Still, it is good to know that a way to use it exists.’
The description stated that to use its full abilities, the flag had to be restored to its original state.
That meant there was a means to restore it.
‘And if I can just find that means…….’
An incredible artifact would fall into my hands.
Even the glove I am currently using has a heavy penalty, but its abilities are simultaneously immense.
Considering the flag shares the same prefix, it surely possesses impressive abilities.
Moreover, since it said ‘all abilities’ were sealed, it meant the flag did not have just one ability.
‘Plus, the rank is bound to be substantial.’
Usually, when an artifact is damaged, its rank naturally drops.
Yet, this flag was at A+ Rank.
Even though it was damaged to the point where the word ‘severely’ was used.
‘In short, it means that in its complete state, it is at least an S-Rank artifact.’
S-Rank and above artifacts, of which there are not many even internationally.
The power was certain to be great.
‘But that is only if I find the method…….’
For now, it was just a trivial decoration.
No, it would be more accurate to call it a piece of junk.
It was so tattered that it was embarrassing to even call it a flag.
‘To be honest, wearing it on my shoulder right now is a bit embarrassing too.’
I could already feel the glances from several cadets passing by.
I called it an armband to make it sound plausible, but to put it bluntly, it looked no different from a black cloth tied around my shoulder.
However, I had no intention of hiding it just because it was embarrassing.
‘You never know, after all.’
They say that opportunities often come in unexpected, mundane moments.
So, for now, while I did not know the way to restore it, it was much better to wear it every moment.
Perhaps I might even find a hint without even realizing it.
‘I say that, but I am not holding out much hope.’
It was as I was thinking that, just as I was about to arrive at the classroom.
“Yu-seong!!”
A loud voice stopped me in my tracks.
I could easily tell who it was just by the voice.
When I turned around, as expected, Kim Su-hyeok was waving at me with a bright face.
“It has been a while.”
“Right! Have you been doing well?”
“I have just been getting by. I did nothing but train.”
“Come to think of it, you are right. It was the same for us. Haha.”
Kim Su-hyeok said that and began to talk about what happened during the vacation.
At the same time, a continuous stream of chatter followed.
However, I did not find it boring at all.
The story about how everyone was surprised because Do Gang-ho ate twelve bowls of food, and how Ha Eun-ha became dejected after being nagged by Ju Ha-yeon.
On top of that, how he, Oh Jin-eon, and Ryu Jin-oh teamed up and almost won against an active player.
It was quite enjoyable just listening to it.
“…So I think I spent the month really busily.”
“Sounds like you had fun.”
“Yeah. To the point where there was no time to be bored. Did you have a fun time, Yu-seong?”
“Me?”
The things I did for a month were Gates, Gates, Gates, and being forced to drink mint-chocolate drinks…….
‘Looking at it this way, I really did have a boring time.’
I am of the mind that there is no need for training to be fun.
But laying it out like this, I feel a bit wronged……?
The only time I truly relaxed was during the truth game at the end.
However, there was no need to say such things, so I gave a vague answer.
“It was just ordinary. Neither fun nor boring.”
“Hmm… Well, as long as there were results from the training, that is all that matters!”
“That is true. I suppose it is a relief that there were definitely results in that regard.”
“Yeah. Even from my perspective, I think you have become much stronger, Yu-seong.”
I had not shown any changed appearance yet, so how did he know?
I could tell the reason behind his words from what Kim Su-hyeok said immediately after.
“How should I put it, is it just a hunch? You know, that instinctive thing.”
“I see.”
The reason Kim Su-hyeok expressed it as a hunch or an instinct was probably because of that.
‘World's Protection.’
The EX-Class talent Kim Su-hyeok possessed.
Since knowing an opponent’s strength was important for survival, World's Protection must have activated.
‘But even with World's Protection, if he can feel that much, I must have become quite strong.’
Kim Su-hyeok’s World's Protection is a growth-type talent.
If he could feel such details, it meant Kim Su-hyeok had also undergone significant growth over the past month.
It was a good thing in many ways.
The fact that Kim Su-hyeok was becoming stronger meant, in other words, that he could better endure the trials of this cruel world.
It was as I was mentally praising Kim Su-hyeok that he spoke.
“Yu-seong. I think we should head in now.”
“Hmm?”
“The instructor is coming over there.”
Following the direction Kim Su-hyeok pointed, I turned my head and saw Im Seong-cheol approaching the Class A classroom.
“You’re right. Shall we head in too?”
“Let’s do that. We can finish our conversation later when the others are around.”
With that, the conversation, which was short yet long in its own way, ended.
I immediately walked toward the classroom without hesitation.
I harbored a small curiosity about what we would be doing during this gathering.
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