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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 86
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The sense of stability I felt as I gripped the spear.
While my body naturally relaxed at the cool sensation, my mind settled into a deep calm.
Currently, I was in a secluded corner of the C-Class training ground, intentionally avoiding others.
This was to prepare for any potential accidents that might occur when I unleashed my technique.
'It would be a real problem if someone else got caught up in it.'
Today, I intended to set aside basic training and focus solely on my senses to grasp the concept.
[Pierce and Twist a Single Point]
I could confidently say that I had surpassed the halfway point in understanding this concept.
Before I fully grasped the sensation yesterday, it felt like chasing a wisp of smoke, with each execution feeling completely different. Now, however, I could distinctly feel and recall that sensation.
Holding onto my consciousness amidst that terrible pain had certainly paid off significantly.
"…Hoo."
I took a deep breath and looked around.
Having missed today's lecture, I noticed a few students who seemed curious or were looking my way.
"It might be dangerous, so please don't come any closer than that."
It might have been unnecessary, but I warned them nonetheless.
Seeing the students nod, though unsure why I'd said it, I turned my gaze to the spearhead.
Shhhk. Slipping my grip around the steel spear, I stared at the steel dummy before me.
'The concept of twisting.'
Most of the knowledge that had entered my mind amidst the pain of the night remained elusive, yet there was one piece of knowledge I could recall.
It was that the concept of twisting had an immense number of applications.
Up until now, I had used the 'Pierce and Twist a Single Point' concept with the feeling of deflecting. However, infusing the spear with a spiraling force was a far more advanced concept than I had imagined.
'I can significantly increase my spear's destructive power.'
While still twisting the spear, I could shift from a feeling of deflecting energy to a method of intensely piercing what stood before me.
The 'twisting' concept I had used against Luna and Gerard so far had focused on twisting an opponent's attacks or defenses to neutralize them.
After all, it had dispersed vast amounts of mana and powerful wind energy.
"If I can apply it…"
My eyes instinctively narrowed.
It felt as if a completely different option had emerged.
Should I focus on the original concept of twisting to deflect or neutralize an opponent's power? Or should I concentrate more on the spiral to infuse the spear with immense destructive power?
I felt as if I stood at a crossroads.
—Pierce and Twist a Single Point.
—Twist and Pierce a Single Point.
It felt like the original concept had split into two. And I believed I could now choose between them.
That depending on what I focused on, I could ultimately awaken one of the two skills.
"…If I'm trying to protect something and using it defensively, it's the former. If I'm going on the offensive, it's the latter, perhaps?"
Suddenly, the direction seemed clear.
So, which direction should I take between the two?
If I thought simply, it was obviously right to choose the latter, which imbued great power into an attack.
A spear was a weapon with the greatest destructive power, piercing and thrusting through a single point.
It wasn't originally designed for defense. So, maximizing its destructive power made sense.
And a spear infused with a spiral would undoubtedly display a strength far beyond my imagination.
But…
My current situation felt very peculiar.
I wasn't wielding the spear to kill or pierce someone right now.
Nor was I undertaking this reckless training for such a reason.
Quite the opposite.
To protect, to save from unknown dangers.
I held the spear to protect Karite, who would face a deadly crisis next week, and I was willing to take risks to awaken this skill somehow.
In that case, the essence of why I wielded the spear was already decided.
"The former."
The original concept of the spear I had envisioned.
I stuck with [Pierce and Twist a Single Point].
The destructive power infused with a spiral, the absolute superiority in offense and defense, tempted me greatly, but I shook my head and steadied my resolve.
The spear was already strong on its own.
…For now, I had to choose what could protect more certainly.
So that no matter what situation arose, I could protect her.
—!
The moment I made up my mind, I channeled mana into the spearhead.
Shhhhk…
As blue mist slowly enveloped the spearhead, swirling up like smoke, it gave off a completely different sensation than before.
The precursor to the concept.
As if signaling its use, a completely different kind of mana, guided by the acquired insight, began to settle on the spearhead.
And as the mana, like blue mist, slowly began to rotate around the spearhead, forming an odd current, I nodded blankly.
'This is the power to properly wield a spiral.'
It wasn't enough to simply apply a spiral when thrusting the spear.
I had to make it form a spiral from the moment the mana was infused.
As I gazed at the spearhead, the corner of my mouth unconsciously curved upwards.
Though only a few days remained, I saw a significant chance of awakening the skill.
No, I was determined to awaken it.
Shhhk. Slowly, I adjusted my grip on the spear shaft with both hands.
A stance that allowed for a more stable and systematic infusion of the spiral.
My left hand gripped the spear shaft horizontally, aiming at the target, while my right hand moved towards the end of the shaft, gripping it intensely.
I gripped with more focus, ensuring my hand movements would also form a spiral.
Then, I imagined a hypothetical enemy.
Not Luna's Kite Shield enveloped in vast mana from before,
nor the wind Gerard had gathered as if condensing all his power.
What I envisioned was the same as yesterday: Leonhardt's sword, wreathed in the brilliant blue aura of the Sky-Slicing Blade.
I focused intensely, superimposing that image onto the dummy.
"…"
As I held my breath, Leonhardt slowly began to overlap the dummy.
The moment Leonhardt, with eyes like a calm lake, rapidly thrust his brilliantly shining sword towards me.
—––––––––––!!
The moment I became aware, I was already thrusting the spear, just like yesterday.
And the speed of the spear, cleaving through the air, was incomparable to last night.
A massive spiraling blue storm clearly enveloped the spear shaft as if raging.
And within that storm of mana, the spear moved straight forward, as if meeting no resistance.
Against the brilliant aura of the Sky-Slicing Blade, it met it head-on with intense force, without a hint of hesitation or doubt.
And to deflect it entirely. To absorb even the most immense power.
At that moment, Leonhardt's illusion faded, and I faced reality.
KWAANG!!
The moment a deafening explosion erupted as I fiercely struck the shoulder of the steel dummy, loud enough to make my ears ring…
As the steel dummy, built on sturdy supports, reeled violently, the spear had somehow already left my hand again.
CLANG!
Watching the spear shaft roll forcefully across the solid floor, pain belatedly swept over me.
"…Ugh!"
I bit down hard on my lip, collapsing as if to fall but managing to steady myself to avoid toppling over.
It felt as if both my arms were twisting. My left hand, which had been supporting the spear shaft, felt less pain, allowing me to force myself upright, though ragged breaths escaped my lips.
"…"
Though the surging pain threatened to overwhelm my mind, it wasn't the maddening agony I had felt yesterday.
It was like I had fully pushed myself to the limit yesterday. Now, it felt like I had pushed myself less severely, and the repercussions seemed diminished.
I exhaled blankly, yet held firmly onto my consciousness.
I endured the pain, forcing myself through it. If I could just chew and swallow this agony, I could somehow bear it.
And only then could I move forward.
'Endure.'
I had to endure, even if by force.
I repeatedly steadied myself, gazing at the training ground floor, and slowly caught my breath.
Then, I was able to force my body, which felt on the verge of collapse, to hold steady.
Both my arms were already trembling as if I had trained for hours, all from a single spear thrust.
"Haa… haa…"
As I continued to gasp for breath, I slowly straightened my bent knees.
As I walked blankly to pick up the spear, a hollow laugh escaped me.
'Truly foolish beyond compare.'
Even now, both my arms continued to tremble, and my steps lacked strength.
As I imbued the power of a more refined concept, it felt as if all the energy from my entire body was being drained.
Shhhk.
The moment I gripped the discarded spear and straightened myself.
"…Huh?"
For a moment, it felt as if my vision was distorting.
My peripheral vision twisted, and even my thoughts halted.
Thud!
I staggered violently, barely managing to regain my balance before falling.
Thunk.
I briefly propped the spear shaft against the ground to collect myself.
'I shouldn't try to use it again right away.'
I blankly pulled myself together. Even reckless endeavors had their limits.
The instinctively felt sense of danger forced me to rest for a moment.
Such a heavy burden was placed on my body from just a single activation. And I had a rough idea why.
'…Because I'm trying to leap over several steps at once.'
Even individuals called geniuses in the story typically awakened skills only upon reaching Attribute Level 7.
But I was forcing myself, trying to awaken a skill no matter what.
It was originally an impossible feat.
Even Leonhardt, the protagonist, awakened his skill upon reaching Level 5.
I realized anew just how abnormal a path I was trying to forge.
At this moment, trying to forcibly obtain such immense power, there was no way there wouldn't be any repercussions for me.
"…What was that just now?"
"I wasn't the only one who saw that, right?"
"What was that?"
Then, my gaze blankly drifted towards the voices of the surrounding students.
Every one of them wore a surprised expression and stared at me with disbelief. Amidst them, a woman approached.
"Student Han Chun-seong?"
"Instructor Ludmina."
"You mustn't continue in that state. You must know what you just did… you must feel it yourself. That you attempted something utterly reckless. You absolutely cannot push yourself further right now."
As she spoke in an uncharacteristically resolute tone, I had no choice but to stop.
All the academy's instructors were individuals who had awakened skills. They were beings on a level incomparable to my current state.
If she was speaking like that, it truly meant I shouldn't push myself any further.
'But with just one time…'
I couldn't end the day like this.
I had to progress a little further and repeat it a few more times to properly awaken the skill.
I could feel this instinctively.
That I had already stepped onto the right path, and if I just kept moving forward on it, I could reach it.
"Student Han Chun-seong?"
At Ludmina's demanding gaze, I hesitated, then finally sighed and replied.
"Yes… I understand, Instructor."
"I know how disappointed you are, Student Han Chun-seong. But pushing yourself so recklessly right now could potentially leave you crippled. And there's a better way."
"A better way…?"
Unlike what I expected—that she would simply stop me—Instructor Ludmina said something else, making me blink.
"Student Han Chun-seong, Instructor Kali is your assigned instructor, correct?"
"…Yes, that's right."
"Then that's even better. This… this will be an unprecedented event in the academy's history. I'll propose it to Instructor Kali right away. For now, let's go together."