Chapter 31 End-of-Semester Evaluation (1)
“I am rich….”
Is this déjà vu?
However, I could confidently say it this time.
I am rich.
This time, I am truly wealthy.
I could bathe in 50,000-won bills without any worries.
The academy’s underground dungeon, which I risked my life to conquer.
The rewards from that conquest were astonishing.
It cannot be compared to the first time I attempted to raid the dungeon.
“It’s a total of 1.68 billion won.”
“What? How much is that?”
“1.68 billion won. Since the condition of the magic stones is quite good, we valued each one at 42 million won.”
Around 200 monsters hunted in the middle section.
B-grade magic stones gained from them.
I got about 40 of them in my share.
When I settled it all, it amounted to 1.68 billion won.
This result excluded the settlement for the C-grade magic stones at the beginning, by the way.
The reason why the profits increased exponentially was simple.
As the grade of the magic stones goes up, the price increases significantly.
“What’s the current market price for A-grade magic stones?”
“Good quality ones go for about 300 million won.”
“….”
On the contrary, as the grade goes down, the price drops significantly.
D-grade magic stones go for around 2 million won, and E-grade magic stones for around 300,000 won.
And F-grade monsters don’t produce any magic stones at all, so one can imagine how difficult life must be for F-grade Holders.
It’s not without reason that ‘OutHolders’ like unfit individuals appear.
“Jae-hyun, are you done with the calculations?”
Kim Chae-eun approached and asked.
Unlike the previous time when I went to settle it alone, today, I came to the association with her.
She also had to deal with her allocated share of magic stones and the reward for the rest room.
“Roughly? Since the quality was good, they processed it quickly for me.”
“I can’t believe it’s real. It’s the first time I’ve touched such a large sum of money.”
“Didn’t you go to the dungeon with your dad?”
This was unexpected.
Kim Chae-eun is the daughter of a reasonably successful professor in the warrior field, so I thought she would have had a lot of dungeon experience.
In fact, she adapted well during this conquest.
But Kim Chae-eun blinked her eyes and said, “My dad never took me to such places. He only reluctantly agreed to this time.”
So, this dungeon conquest is almost her first time…
To have such adaptability and achievement in her first dungeon conquest.
It was clear that she was quite talented as well.
It was surprising that Kim Chae-eun, who was talented, did not even have her name mentioned in the original work, but now such cases are not rare.
Just looking at the S-grade Holders in Korea, one out of five came to know their names after arriving in this world.
There are many strong people and runes that do not reveal themselves directly.
That’s why I no longer relied solely on the original content.
“What did you say to your dad? I doubt he would have allowed it, given his personality as a professor.”
“My dad allowed it because I said I was going with you. Um… I must trust Holder Jae-hyun . Just mumbling to himself like this.”
“Well, well.”
Her impression imitation is of high quality for no reason.
Kim Chae-eun clapped her hands as if she remembered something.
“Oh! Did you also sell the A-grade magic stones? The staff members said A-grade magic stones are very expensive.”
“No. I have a specific use for those.”
Selling them would bring in money, but I couldn’t use them where I needed to.
The magic stones of Grizzly Drake.
As I expected…
They were keys to unsealing [Forgotten Dragon’s Stone].
When I equipped the magic stones to the item and checked the information again, the slot that had been (0/5) quickly changed to (1/5).
I still had to fill it four more times, but luckily, I knew roughly where to find these magic stones.
Especially after this semester ends.
Soon, the S-grade monster that would appear before Dong-hae, Swirl Leviathan.
The probability that it was one of the five dragons was quite high.
‘I can’t capture it right away….’
Capturing Grizzly Drake, who was an A-grade monster, was really lucky.
Several situations overlapped, and at the moment of focusing on weaknesses, the momentary surge in power, and the strength of [Sky-Shattering Heaven Sword] that surpassed its limits all played a part.
Now, I couldn’t use [Sky-Shattering Heaven Sword], which had become restricted.
So even if I were asked to capture it again, it would be impossible.
And that’s an S-grade monster we’re talking about.
Even with my current C-grade abilities, it would be impossible to capture it.
‘Of course, that doesn’t mean there’s no way.’
Hunting an S-grade monster.
That would be difficult for me right now…
But someone else could do it on my behalf.
In any case, the important thing was the magic stones.
If I couldn’t hunt them directly, all I had to do was get the magic stones indirectly.
This indirect method can be exemplified by the phrase: No matter what others say, it is important.
“Chae-eun.”
“Yeah?”
“How about going to the underground dungeon once a week together? We can improve our skills and make money at the same time.”
“T-Two of us?”
“Yes. Now we have enough experience, and the two of us should be enough.”
A great means to accumulate that capital and a companion were both right nearby.
Fortunately, they were right here.
***
ippotranslations
***
Every Wednesday is the day I receive exclusive lectures from Professor Tak Won-ho. After everyone finishes their classes and leaves for their respective homes in the evening, Professor Tak Won-ho and I stay back at the training ground, continuing endless training.
“Hayab…!!”
“Reduce the force, make your movements faster. Wave is different from Flowing water. It’s not flowing waves but surging tides. You have to feel it not with your head, but with your whole body. You need to internalize it.”
“Yes, sir!!”
Professor Tak Won-ho’s teachings are always harsh. He pushes my body to its limits and, unknowingly, helps me gain insights.
It’s a kind of Spartan-style education. But thanks to it, I could develop [Wave Sword Technique] faster than anyone else and use [Sky-Shattering Heaven Sword] in life-threatening situations, albeit with limitations.
His rigorous teaching method has proved itself right.
“When you stab, do it with more force. Make it a habit to infuse the sword with magic power.”
“Yes, sir!”
Endless personal training and corrections on [Wave Sword Technique]. And a direct duel with Professor Tak Won-ho.
When the unstructured training finally ends, it’s time for a break.
“That’s enough for today. You’ve worked hard.”
“Pant… Pant… Thank you, sir.”
“You’ve worked hard. Still, your toughness is a bit lacking.”
“Pant… I don’t have any runes related to that… Pant…”
Holder’s toughness is not really a useful attribute stats. You need to cultivate it yourself or possess runes related to it to receive support in that area.
In fact, in duels where victory or defeat is determined by the difference in runes and attribute stats, toughness isn’t crucial. But for extended training periods, they matter.
Even Professor Tak Won-ho mentioned it, so I realized that I needed to obtain the relevant runes soon.
“I read all the expedition reports yesterday. You did an incredible job.”
“The help from my team members was significant. Our party composition allowed us to adapt quickly to various situations.”
“Despite that, you downplayed your role in the boss attack.”
“…It would have been challenging without [Wave Sword Technique].”
“You’ve become more modest.”
A faint smile appeared at the corner of Professor Tak Won-ho’s mouth as he said that. …It seems this answer was right as well.
“Anyway, congratulations. You used the Ultimate Skill while raiding the boss, right?”
“Yes. You taught me that, and I finally succeeded in using it during a boss attack. However, the Holder information says its usage is restricted.”
“Hmm….”
Professor Tak Won-ho stroked his chin and continued, “I guess you’re still not skilled enough to handle [Sky-Shattering Heavenly Sword]. To use [Sky-Shattering Heavenly Sword], the level of [Wave Sword Technique] should be at least 10, and the magic stat should be at least 30 to activate the ultimate skill.”
“D-Do I need that much magic?”
“Of course. It’s one of the few magic power-related skills in Wave Sword Technique.”
My current magic stat is 9. To reach the minimum requirement of 30, I have a long way to go. Now I understand why I fell unconscious in a depleted state after capturing Grizzly Drake. At that time, to fill my inadequate magic, I poured all the remaining magic in my body to use [Sky-Shattering Heavenly Sword]. Using a technique that exceeded my limit inevitably left me completely exhausted.
‘The range of runes I need to obtain has expanded.’
In addition to toughness, I also need runes related to magic. Now is the time to raise my magic stat. Unlike the past when I relied solely on physical strength and weapons, I am now advancing as a mid-tier Holder who utilizes magic power in battles.
“Anyway, congratulations. I informed you just in case, but I didn’t expect you to achieve that. Kim Myeong-hyun, the professor, will be surprised when he hears about this. Haha.”
“Thank you.”
I was surprised inwardly. Professor Tak Won-ho is known for his reserved praise, so I never expected such a hearty congratulation.
Clearly, using [Sky-Shattering Heavenly Sword] with my current abilities was a remarkable feat.
While Professor Tak Won-ho was organizing the training equipment, he asked, “Are you preparing well for the end-of-semester evaluation?”
“End-of-semester… Oh.”
Come to think of it, the end-of-semester evaluation was approaching. The end-of-semester evaluation was different from regular assessments based on lecture grades; it was more like a ‘real duel’ practice that measured the Holder’s combat power. It determined promotion and demotion for the upper and lower classes and the overall grading of the Holders.
It was similar in format to the practical duel exam we had during the academy entrance exam. The difference this time was that the duels were made through ‘matching’ instead of direct selection, and some Holder with production-related specializations was excluded from the evaluation.
Since the class grade itself was a significant indicator for duel-oriented Holders, it was a natural decision.
‘It’s quite an important evaluation.’
In the original work, this event was quite significant. It was the first time that passionate Holder Park Jin-woo revealed his potential to his peers and professors in a duel practice. It was also the moment when Lee Tae-joon, the top-graded swordsman and the student council vice president, was defeated by Kang Juyeon as usual.
Overall, it showed the growth of the main characters in the early stages.
But there was one more crucial event.
‘Ha Do-kwon.’
Ha Do-kwon.
In reality, he was a spy for the <Villain> clan who infiltrated the academy as a freshman. He was a colleague of the assassin who rode a dragon, Ji Yoon-jae.
Ha Do-kwon was given an order by the clan to assassinate one magic-based freshman Holder during the end-of-semester evaluation.
He would pretend to duel but would commit the murder in the blink of an eye.
This was the beginning of <Villain> clan’s full-scale shake-up of the academy.
Ha Do-kwon was a disposable pawn for them.
In any case, as someone quite notable even in the upper class, his sudden murder during the evaluation would throw the academy into chaos once again, following the invading of monsters.
Thinking of those series of events, I nodded slowly.
“Whoever comes, I’m confident I can win.”
“It’s good to have unwavering confidence.”
I had confidence that I could win against anyone in a duel. With my current abilities, I was already at the level of a C-grade Holder in the advanced class. On top of that, I had reached my limits during dungeon conquests, enhancing my duel instincts.
Regardless of whether it’s the intermediate or upper class, whoever my opponent is, it’s just daily training for [Rune Hunter].
‘I might prefer someone with runes related to toughness or magic.’
The end-of-semester evaluation. This was a legal opportunity to obtain runes by tearing them off from others.
This 𝓬ontent is taken from f(r)eeweb(n)ovel.𝒄𝒐𝙢