< Chapter 126: Team Battle (1) >
8 PM.
As usual, after training with Jia and Si-yeon, we sat at a nearby cafe to rest.
“I wish… I wanted to be on that team too.”
Si-yeon mumbled with the straw from her coffee in her mouth.
“You said you wanted to be with Chul-jin.”
“I never said I wanted to. I just asked once.”
She pouted with the straw still in her mouth.
“Ugh. It’s so unfair, I’m the only one left out this time…”
She took the straw out of her mouth, put her cheek on the table, and looked up at me.
Her eyes seemed to claim, “I’m upset.”
She might be hoping for some consolation, but no chance. I wickedly smiled inside.
Si-yeon is fun when teased.
“Do you want to join our team now?”
“Ugh… You know I can’t because of the penalty points, right?”
“I just thought we could consider it for you, Si-yeon. Right, Jia?”
I winked at an angle Si-yeon couldn’t see.
Jia’s lips formed a playful curve, “Yes. We can take the penalty for Si-yeon.”
She seemed to understand my intention perfectly.
“Heard that? So, you’ll join our team?”
“…Huh?”
Si-yeon looked shocked as if she was thinking, ‘This wasn’t the plan.’
“Shall I contact the school now to change the document from a 2-person team to a 3-person team?”
“First, we need to contact Kim Chul-jin.”
“Right, that comes first.”
“No, wait… guys?”
As we continued, Si-yeon’s face got paler.
It was obvious what she was thinking.
“Why?”
“…Are you really going to make it a three-person team?”
“Yes. We said we can take a penalty for you, right?”
She pretended to be upset at first, but when asked to change teams, she thought of Kim Chul-jin’s team.
She couldn’t possibly tell the team designed with Ha Si-yeon in mind that she was leaving.
“Well… isn’t it a bit much to change teams all of a sudden?”
Si-yeon was restless, fidgeting with her fingers, avoiding our gaze.
Perfect. Now’s the time.
“Oh~ Now that it’s happening, you don’t want to be with us?”
“…Huh? No, what?”
This time, it seemed like she had a mental freeze, her soul seemed to have left her.
“Jia, it looks like Si-yeon only said she wanted to be on our team out of politeness.”
“That seems right. Looks like she prefers Kim Chul-jin and Choi Ji-hoon over us.”
Jia responded immediately.
The disappointed look in her eyes looked quite genuine.
“No, no! That’s not it…”
“Oh, is it? Did I misunderstand?”
“Well… of course!”
Si-yeon smiled as if relieved. But you shouldn’t trust those who are trustworthy.
“So you’ll be on our team?”
I smiled innocently.
“Uh, well… about that…”
Ha Si-yeon’s pupils shook more than they ever could.
It’s as if her eyes were fitted with some kind of electric massager.
Jia and I purposely stared at Si-yeon for a long while.
“…Uh.”
How much time must have passed like that?
“I’m sorry…”
Ha Si-yeon mumbled with a gloomy expression.
“I really do want to be with you guys, but…”
She continued speaking with an expression like an accomplice in crime.
“Even so, changing teams at this point… seems difficult…”
She lowered her head and peeking through her bangs, she sneakily tried to gauge our reactions.
It was unintentionally adorable.
“Pfft.”
In the end, Jia couldn’t hold back her laughter. I was the same, covering my mouth and laughing uncontrollably.
“…?”
Si-yeon tilted her head as if she still didn’t understand the situation.
Jia’s laughter grew louder.
There were even tears at the corners of her eyes.
“Hehehe!”
Isn’t Si-yeon really too innocent? Teasing her is just too satisfying.
“…Ugh.”
She seemed to have finally grasped the situation.
Si-yeon glared at us with a stern look in her eyes.
Her cheeks were slightly puffed out.
She was genuinely upset this time.
Very annoyed.
“Even if Seo-yul didn’t know, you too Jia?”
“Sorry, it’s because Seo-yul gave me a signal…”
Jia explained while wiping her tears, although her laughter showed no signs of stopping.
“Forget it… Just you wait.”
Looking at us, Ha Si-yeon said with a pout,
“I’ll get my revenge in this team battle!”
* * *
Friday morning.
While going through my usual physical training with Instructor Pi Jin Ho, I received some good news.
“Your muscle growth rate has increased again. We might need to revise the plan. You can handle 1.5 times the current intensity.”
“…”
Honestly, I’m not sure if this is good news or bad news.
But, an increased muscle growth rate is definitely good news.
“Hmm. Considering when you first enrolled, you’ve grown so much you could be called a different person.”
The instructor touched my body here and there, smiling satisfactorily.
“At this rate, you might be able to reach B-rank by the end of the first year.”
“Yes.”
Thanks to the training in the past two weeks, my physical abilities increased from C(4/99) to C(7/99).
Looking back at the growth rate so far, it might seem slow. But, realistically, this is a normal pace.
“It will take another 2 years to go from B to A. So, by senior year. If you use bonus points to raise stamina and agility to S-rank, you’ll be an S-rank superhuman right after graduation. An impressive growth rate.”
The rank of abilities tends to increase faster at lower levels, but advancing at higher levels is more difficult.
Moving from F-rank to E-rank is much easier than from B-rank to A-rank.
Therefore, it’s best to save up bonus points and use them right before turning professional.
Even if using the points comes at a significant cost, it’s worth it.
“Becoming an S-rank superhuman upon graduation…”
Going from F-rank to S-rank in just 4 years.
Objectively, this is a rapid growth.
“Why that expression?”
“It’s just… hard to believe. F-rank to S-rank in just 4 years.”
Considering I haven’t received any system corrections, I might have to be satisfied with this rate of growth.
“It’s a maximum of 4 years. Given your rapid growth, it could be much faster. Maybe even a year less”
“…”
The problem is that the instructor’s statement is based on the use of bonus points.
Invest 10 points each to raise stamina and agility to S-rank?
How can I, without any bonus points?
“Instructor, how long would it take to reach S-rank purely through training, without any bonus points?”
“A rather interesting question.”
Instructor Pi Jin Ho stroked his chin, lost in thought.
“10 years.”
“…10 years?”
“Yes. At least that much will be necessary. That’s assuming I’m by your side as your personal trainer.”
It was more than I expected.
“Of course, this could differ depending on awakening specific traits or skills… It’s tough. The number of superhumans I’ve seen reach S-rank with only their natural abilities can be counted on one hand.”
“…I see.”
From my research, there were only seven.
Of course, I have many means to replace bonus points.
There’s the effect of fully transforming into a beastman which increases physical ability stats.
There’s also the ‘Overwhelming Strength’, a trait of the giant race which I haven’t activated yet.
Moreover, there are plenty of traits that increase physical abilities or magic powers.
Essentially, reaching S-rank isn’t a problem.
“…What do you think about the hypothesis that there’s a realm one step higher than S-rank?”
Right.
S-rank is the end.
“I think it might exist, but it might not. There’s no precedent, but we can’t say it won’t exist in the future.”
The realm above S-rank.
A new world unfolds with the expansion of the system’s capabilities, and the opening of a transcendental system, the SS-rank.
This realm can only be entered ‘by the system’.
So, be it 10 years or 100 years,
Without the system’s corrections, it’s a realm I can never enter.
…How can I bridge this gap?
I still haven’t found the answer.
* * *
“Ah, I screwed up the test.”
“You too? Hey, me too.”
“Hey, you guys as well? Nah, not me.”
“This traitor, ugh.”
“Kill him! He’s a traitor!”
The written test period passed quickly.
Perhaps it’s thanks to Shin’s gift of ‘memory’ and ‘knowledge’, that I didn’t have to study separately, and just breezed through the questions, and then it was over before I knew it.
A week passed in the blink of an eye.
“Now that it’s come to this, we have no choice but to absolutely ace the practical exam.”
“Yep, your skill next is D-rank.”
“Fight dirty with facts, huh! Let’s battle fairly with agitation and fabrication!”
“Nonsense. Lol.”
I left the classroom, listening to the blabbering of the poor souls who failed the test.
They all seem half out of their minds.
Even while walking in the corridor, all I could hear was talk about the test.
“Ah, what’s the use of regretting now? How are you guys preparing for the practical test?”
“Don’t even mention it. Getting the team coordination right is so hard. Ugh.”
Those who did reasonably well in the written test were now engrossed in discussions about the practical exam.
The practical test is next Monday.
Today is Friday, so there are only 3 days left.
“I really want to change my team. No one talks.”
“At least you’re practicing. My team doesn’t even show up for training. I’m going crazy.”
Everyone seems to be struggling. Well, it’s kind of an extension of group assignments.
I deeply empathize as someone familiar with the crappiness of group tasks.
“Maybe I should have formed a two-person team like Kang Seo-yul and Shin Jia.”
It must be hard for them to even think that.
“Eh, but not a two-person team. Maybe 3 or 4.”
“I know. Just saying. No matter how you see it, it’s all the same. Ah, so frustrating.”
“…You’re really struggling, huh?”
Leaving those poor souls behind,
I exited the school building with a relaxed smile.
Jia was standing in front of the school gate.
She waved when she saw me.
“Seo-yul~ Over here!”
There were many people around, so she used the informal name ‘Seo-yul-ah’.
“Sorry, did you wait long?”
“No. The limousine just arrived.”
“Really?”
The chauffeur bowed his head towards me.
“Thank you.”
I nodded slightly and got into the car. Jia followed, and the chauffeur got in as well.
The car started immediately.
“Ancestor, did you do well on the test?”
Immediately, Jia’s address changed back to ‘Ancestor’.
Being the VIP’s business limousine, the front and back are completely separated.
The chauffeur could not hear our conversation.
“I did well. Probably got a perfect score.”
As long as I didn’t make a mistake, it’s 100% perfect.
“As expected of the Ancestor.”
Jia looked at me with admiring eyes.
Lately, her gaze has been getting more intense.
I’m starting to get genuinely scared.
What’s scary is how she might change once she realizes I’m not an elf.
“Ugh.”
Just imagining it gave me chills, and I shivered uncontrollably.
“Ancestor, are you cold? Should I turn off the air conditioner?”
Jia looked at me with a concerned expression.
“It’s okay. It’s not because I’m cold.”
I waved my hand dismissively.
“More importantly, are you really okay, Jia? You have to stick with me for 2 nights and 3 days.”
Starting today until Sunday night, we are planning to have hands-on training at Jia’s villa in preparation for the team battle.
Will it be okay?
“Of course! You’re personally teaching me how to shoot an arrow 1:1. Is 2 nights and 3 days a problem? 364 nights and 365 days wouldn’t be a problem either!”
For the first time in a while, I could see the welcome of a Golden Retriever behind Jia.
If she had a tail, it would probably be wagging wildly.
“Princess, Goldie, and White Tiger are coming too, right?”
“Yes. They will also help with our training.”
“Wow….”
Her eyes, filled with admiration, shot out a light of longing.
These days, Jia has been obsessed with the trio of Rena, Goldie, and White Tiger.
She must be excited at the thought of traveling with the three of them.
“Oh, right. Did you bring that?”
“Ah, the Essence of Ten Thousand Years? I brought it. Here.”
Jia handed me a small stone.
A very small, pretty pebble that you’d expect to find on a beach.
This pebble’s name is ‘Essence of Ten Thousand Years’.
It’s one of the heirlooms passed down in the Shin family line, the only mysterious item whose use is unknown.
“Ancestor, do you know what that’s used for?”
Of course, I know.
“That’s why I told you to bring it.”
Jia’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Really? What is it used for?”
I fiddled with the pretty pebble and gave a faint smile.
“I’ll keep it a secret for now. I’ll tell you later.”
The Essence of Ten Thousand Years.
This item is a key item that activates Jia’s awakening, ‘Transcendent Lineage: Elf’.
< Chapter 126: Team Battle (1) > End.
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