Chapter 23 Talent (3)
The next day, I went to persuade Park Jin-woo at the training ground. I had some expectations, but what happened was beyond belief. I ended up being entangled in a duel with him.
“Haap…!!”
“Heup…!!”
Chaeng- Chaejaeng-
The training ground echoed with the sound of swords clashing. The sound of our swords colliding in harmony was an added bonus. I parried Park Jin-woo’s sharp attacks with the skill of [Wave Sword Technique] rune, which is a technique for handling swords.
“That sword technique! It’s cheating…!!”
“You too Learn!, punk!”
“No need! I won’t!”
We exchanged words as we clashed, one syllable at a time. If someone saw us in the training ground, they would probably think we were both insane. The duel was intense, and neither of us had any intention of backing down.
‘How on earth did he become this strong?’
Even though I was facing his sword, I couldn’t believe it. Park Jin-woo was truly an incredible guy. Despite not having professor Tak Won-ho as his teacher like in the original story and having no practical experience, he had grown at a monstrous rate to be on par with me.
I personally learned the [Wave Sword Technique] and the [Water Sword Technique] from two warrior professors, and achieved growth in my abilities and rune levels through actual duel experience in the underground dungeon. On the other hand, Park Jin-woo did not learn the [Wave Sword Technique] like in the original work, and continued training alone without experience in duel. Nonetheless, he shows the same ability as me now.
It made me doubt if he was the same person who had lost 15 times in a row just a few days ago.
“Heueok… Heu-eok…”
“It’s so damn tough… Heu-eok…”
The fierce battle reached a temporary lull. I looked at Park Jin-woo, barely catching my breath.
‘He’s really strong… .’
I thought I had grown stronger without taking a break in my own way, but I have no idea how much training and practice this guy who grew up on his own without a special teacher.
Skills are useless.
[Combo] was already possessed by Park Jin-woo, and the other skills were not suitable for one-on-one dueling with him.
I could beat him if I used variable creation runes like [Lizard’s Scales] or [Venom], but I didn’t want to fight that far, as it wasn’t a matter of life or death. it is just a friendly duel with swords
“Heu-eok… How strong… Heu-eok… are you?”
“You… you damn… Heu-eok… tell me?”
“Heuk heuk. That’s right.”
Honestly, it seemed like my stats were slightly better. It might be a natural outcome since I had acquired numerous runes as a [Rune Hunter] and boosted my abilities with their special effects. However, in terms of the [Sword] rune’s growth, Park Jin-woo seemed to be on par or even higher. Judging by how he effortlessly wielded the [Wave Sword Technique] and [Water Sword Technique], I could tell.
“Let’s go again, Do Jae hyun…!!”
“Are you crazy…?”
After fighting for another 10 minutes, the duel finally came to an end. Neither of us gave in due to exhaustion. During the battle, my sword had broken. It had already felt shaky when I fought against the Lizardmen, but now, after dueling with Park Jin-woo in his insane state, it was completely ruined. Continuing the duel became too difficult.
We both lay down on the training ground. Although it was practically a draw, Park Jin-woo insisted that he had won.
“So, what’s next?”
“Dungeon conquest?”
“Yeah.”
“What’s in it for me?”
“Hey, come on! It’s an undiscovered dungeon. A paradise for Holders, a land flowing with milk and honey. Don’t you know?”
“What the hell is that, you idiot?”
“Is this guy really a Holder?”
He said that, but it was as good as agreeing to help. We had become quite close through our duels, so I knew he wouldn’t easily refuse a request from me. It was just that he didn’t want to appear too eager to help.
Park Jin-woo was truly devoted to training and practice. Unlike many other protagonists in novels, he didn’t have the motivation to become a rune Holder just to earn a lot of money. He came from a wealthy family, so he didn’t have such worries. He genuinely loved being a Holder for the strength it granted him. That’s why he earned the nickname ‘Passionate Holder’.
“Hey, but are we really going with just the five of us?”
“Quest party?”
“Yeah.”
“Isn’t it too few?”
“What’s wrong with that? A 5-member party is standard for a dungeon of this scale.”
“It’s not about that. We don’t have any Recovery class Holders.”
While other people might be foolish in some situations, he was thorough in others. In the Academy’s underground dungeon, a 5-member party was standard. Two melee fighters at the front, two ranged fighters for dealing with damage, and a support role with Recovery class abilities to provide healing voluntarily and handle unexpected situations with healing magic. Though the party composition might change slightly based on the dungeon’s situation, the basic structure was as he described.
‘The previous conquest was tough.’
In the last conquest, I led a team of three on my own. That was, in fact, a bit of an overreach. Nevertheless, I wasn’t considering adding a Recovery class Holder to the current conquest. Some individuals came to mind, but I didn’t have the confidence to convince them, and there was no guarantee that they would keep the secret. I spoke while looking at the sky.
“It doesn’t matter. We can replace them.”
“Replace? With what?”
“Potions.”
“Potions? The ones made by alchemists?”
“Yeah, and more.”
“You madman. Do you have a lot of money? They must be quite expensive.”
“There are ways to buy them cheap, you know.”
Not just potions, but my shattered weapon as well. There were ways to get high-quality items at low prices.
Choi Yoo-min and Choi Arin. Holders who fell behind the blacksmith specialist Lee Hyun-ho, but steadily develop their talents and later grow into a special class compared to him.
Moreover, the [Iron-Blooded Night Field], which Choi Yoo-min will later develop, is one of the three most epic runes among blacksmith runes.
However, due to their poor family situation, she is having a hard time now.
I had thought of that yesterday and shouted Eureka, snapping my fingers. At the current stage of trying to conquer the middle part of the unknown dungeon, those girls were the ones I needed most.
***
ippotranslations
***
Being able to make money by just going halfway, a job that people consider a dream – Rune Holders. However, this is a story that applies only to duel-type Holders. Specialized Holders that encompass non-duel or production areas usually graduate from the academy and continue to live in poverty or lead ordinary lives. Specialized Holders require talent and a reasonable level of investment. If one doesn’t fulfill either of these, succeeding as a specialized Holder becomes an obscure task.
“Especially when you’re still students….”
To develop their talents, they needed materials, and to obtain materials, they needed money. Today, Choi Yoo-min was doing a part-time Holder request to earn money. The request was to move large flower pots. Since it was a five-story building without an elevator, it was a strength-related request that ordinary people found burdensome. Originally, two people were supposed to handle the request, but there were so few applicants that Choi Yoo-min had to do it alone.
When they arrived at the building, a restless-looking requester was waiting for them.
“Oh! Holder Yoo-min, you’re here.”
“Hello.”
“Ah, sorry to ask you to start working as soon as you come. Thank goodness you came with another Holder today.”
“Another Holder…?”
“You didn’t know? Oh! He’s coming over there.”
The requester pointed with her finger. At the end of it, a man with a sturdy physique was walking towards them. With a glance, one could tell he was a Holder from his firm build and muscles. However, Choi Yoo-min felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity with his face.
‘Who is he…?’
Although she felt like she had seen him somewhere, she couldn’t recall who he was. The man walked towards them with long strides and immediately started working, picking up a flower pot without saying a word.
“Oops…”
Choi Yoo-min also started working right away, following him. It didn’t matter who he was. If they were to move all these pots today…
They wouldn’t have enough time even if they spent the entire morning.
‘This can’t be true….’
In astonishment, Choi Yoo-min looked back and forth between the man and the flower pots. The man’s strength was at an incredible level. He moved all those pots in less than an hour.
It was almost twice as fast as her in terms of work efficiency.
She couldn’t help but wonder why someone with that level of strength would do such a job. Maybe he did it as a side job out of boredom or he was a student Holder with little practical experience. So, after finishing the job, Choi Yoo-min cautiously asked him.
“Um… Are you a student?”
But the answer that came back was unexpected. The man, breathing heavily, replied immediately.
“Huh? You didn’t know? We’re in the same class.”
“Same class?”
Then, that would mean he’s a student at the Seoul Holder Academy…
Before she could think any further, the man smiled and extended his hand.
“Basics of Magic Control. Can’t you remember? Nice to meet you. I’m Do Jae-hyun, from the intermediate class.”
“Do Jae-hyun…?”
Once again, she felt like she had heard that name somewhere before. However, this time, she remembered it quite quickly.
“Ah! From that real battle duel…”
Choi Yoo-min clapped her hands in realization. She finally remembered.
A sturdy physique and a handsome face. An appearance that was all too familiar.
The protagonist of the highly talked-about real battle duel during the entrance exam.
The main character of the real-life Duel, which was a hot topic.
Her classmate was Do Jae-hyun.
‘But why is Do Jae-hyun here… ‘
Choi Yoo-min has heard quite a few stories about him.
The freshman at the academy who was promoted from the lower class to the intermediate class in just one real battle and fought against a monstrous Holder that appeared at the academy a month ago.
Furthermore, his steady growth had already reached a level of ability that was beyond D-grade Holders, making him unbeatable even in the intermediate class. He was expected to achieve the highest grades in the end-of-semester evaluation…
Someone whose promotion to the upper class was almost certain.
Just like Lee Hyun-ho.
Once again, it was someone from a completely different world than hers.
“Intermediate class Choi Yoo-min, right? A specialized Holder.”
“…Do you know me?”
“Of course. I came all the way here to see you.”
Choi Yoo-min stared at him with a blank expression.
Someone from a different world, someone who knew her, and even came to meet her.
Taking on an unusual request, on top of that.
It was a story that didn’t make much sense logically.
However, Do Jae-hyun just grinned and looked at her, as if it didn’t matter whether she understood or not.
Then, without hesitation, he took out a bankbook, documents, and magic stones from his pocket.
“Hey, let’s work together on something.”
It was as if…
An unscrupulous requester was trying to give a reckless task and take advantage of her.
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