Chapter 40 Proposal (2)
One of the three major clans of South Korea.
<Judgment of Fire>.
As befits a massive clan, becoming an official member here is by no means easy. One must possess sufficient abilities as a clan member and meet various requirements such as good academic records, dungeon experience, and more. This also applies to intern clan members who are at the preliminary stage. Even passing the intern application in large clans was akin to finding a needle in a haystack.
Now, such an intern contract proposal has come to me, who is still just a first-year student. It was a significant opportunity. However, the matter at hand was not an easy decision to make.
“What would be the duration?” I asked Kang Juyeon after taking a sip of kiwi smoothie.
The intern clan member’s contract period can vary. It could be as short as three months or as long as six months or a year. There were even clans that set it for two years. One might think that with such a period, they might as well be considered full-fledged clan members. However, there were quite a few corrupt clans that took advantage of this system, employing members only as interns and never officially accepting them.
“It’s probably going to be three months. Since the summer break is around that long.”
Three months as an intern clan member. From the end of the current semester until the start of the next semester. If I plan the schedule tightly, it would roughly match up. However, the fact that I’d be spending my first holiday as a Holder entirely engaged in intern activities was a bit burdensome in terms of time.
“Is it possible to do it for two months?” I asked.
“Two months?” Kang Juyeon repeated.
“Yeah, even though it’s the vacation, three months seem too tight for me. I have a few things I need to take care of before and after the break.”
Is it right to refuse this deal? But there was no other choice. These were not empty words; there were indeed things I needed to handle.
Particularly, after this semester ended, the S-grade monster, Swirl Leviathan, would appear in front of the East Sea. I needed to go to Pohang to acquire its magical stone. Participating in the hunt, then going to Daegu, where the auction house would open, and taking some time off in between – that alone would take about a week.
I couldn’t just engage in personal activities like that as soon as I entered the clan. So, I needed to shorten the contract period and postpone my admission.
Fortunately, it didn’t seem like such a demanding proposal. Kang Juyeon nodded slowly.
“I think it’s possible.”
“Really?”
“Yes, since recruiting a first-year student as an intern is already an exceptional case… I think this request is reasonable.”
Even with her approval, I still felt uneasy. It’s because the clan I would be dealing with is massive. So, I asked just in case.
“Um… Can you decide on your own like this?”
“…I’m the Clan Master’s daughter,” she said in one sentence, and I immediately understood.
Kang Juyeon knew how to handle situations like this. Besides, she was the one who initially suggested hiring me as an intern. Apparently, my performance in the dungeon left a reasonably good impression on her.
‘It’s such a great opportunity.’
As long as I meet these conditions, there’s no downside to this proposal. It’s a chance to experience a clan before graduating from the academy, spending two months living and training with <Judgment of Fire> members, and improving my skills. The monthly salary I’d receive as a clan member was a bonus.
“Then… You’re in, right?”
“Yes. Let’s do well for the next two months, Kang Juyeon.”
“Yeah.”
I smiled and lightly shook hands with Kang Juyeon.
And so, from early July, for two months, I signed an intern contract with <Judgment of Fire>.
Although it was temporary, it marked my first clan contract.
[You can now feel the energy of a water sword more deeply. The subtlety of your smooth swordplay becomes even denser.]
[The level of the rune has increased.]
[Magic exists everywhere and nowhere. The colors of magic felt from nature and weapons become even more vivid.]
[The level of the rune has increased.]
[You gain 1 magic point through the nature of the rune.]
The levels of [Water Sword Technique] and [Magic Control] have increased.
After the speed stat passes 30, it’s not easy to acquire additional points. Even the related rune, [Water Sword Technique], reached level 5, and there were no further speed stat gains. However, magic was at the stage of taking its first steps. With the increase in [Magic Control] level, I was able to gain magic points more easily.
It had been a while since I saw such satisfying results from my training. ‘The level-ups are more balanced now.’ When I dueled with Kim Hyo-won and reached level 5 in [Combat], the levels of the runes I’ve been using had increased quite evenly. Those runes I acquired randomly just to raise my stats were showing steady growth. Furthermore, I gained new runes during this evaluation.
After fighting Kim Hyo-won, I gained [Surdy Endurance].
And after fighting Ha Do-kwon, I gained…[Ruthless Charge].
<Rune Information>
◎Name: Ruthless Charge
◎Grade: Epic
◎Level: 1
◎Engraved Location: Head
◎Special Effect: –
: When charging, all physically-based attacks without magic are ignored, and you can strike the opponent with a force close to double your strength stat. This effect is activated only when receiving assistance from movement-related runes and ends when the charge is complete.
: Speed +1
◎Derived Skill: –
–
◎Details: When the speed of the charger accelerates, their temperament becomes closer to rage. There will be no mercy in the charge of the one who rushes forward fearlessly.
This rune, [Ruthless Charge], was not his own but something he gained temporarily through ‘Berserker’. It was a rune that i could gain even though it was not initially his.. Perhaps it was because of the moment he used it just before the duel ended, making the most of its effect. For whatever reason, it was fortunate for me. I have acquired my fourth ‘Epic Rune’. Moreover, [Ruthless Charge] required a supplementary rune for charging. It was only natural since the special effect applied during the charge itself. Thanks to my [Sprint] rune, I easily met the requirements.
As expected, once you have runes, there will inevitably come a time when you can put them to use. Maybe there are talents even in magic.
Anyhow, after confirming satisfactory training results.I took a break and rested for a while.
Clapping-
At the same moment, I heard applause from somewhere.
It was Professor Kim Myeong-hyun who was watching my training from one side.
“The movement is a little different. Did your rune level rise?”
He immediately recognized the change in my sword.
Apart from today, it’s been a long time since I received an exclusive lecture from him.
For a while now, he has been handling a lot of work, such as the Ha Do-kwon case, so it was a precious time that he managed to split his busy schedule.
“Yes. I just reached level 5 in my sword training.”
“Surely fast. Holder Do Jae-hyun, seems to have one of the best sword talents I’ve seen recently.”
“… No.”
Hearing Professor Kim Myeong-hyun’s remarks makes me feel embarrassed.
It’s not that I’m super talented, Professor.
[Effort of the Seeker] is a scam rune…
But still, I don’t think it’s completely wrong to say that I have a talent for swords.
I followed the classes taught by the two professors without any problems, and gained the [Combo] skill at level 3, which is said to be gained at level 5. In fact, the time to learn the high-grade sword techniques [Wave Sword Technique] and [Water Sword Technique] was quite fast compared to others.
And I was able to realize one peculiar fact. ‘Awakening runes aren’t everything.’
It is true that the rune that the Holder gains upon awakening is the Holder’s talent, but the rune not gained upon awakening does not mean that he or she lacks talent in that field.
My first rune was [Dagger]…In fact, I also had the [Sword] talent. It was just that I couldn’t bloom because I wasn’t given the [Sword] rune.
Now that I have acquired various runes as a Multi-Holder, I was able to personally experience and verify those rune talents. I haven’t tried some because their training process is too complicated…Maybe I also have a talent for magic too.
“I heard all about it before. You saved Chae-eun again this time,” Kim Myeong-hyun said, suddenly bringing up the previous incident. When he first heard about the incident, his eyes were filled with an icy rage, much like a tiger. When I accidentally overheard the conversation between the two professors in Professor Tak Won-ho’s office, I saw a side of Kim Myeong-hyun that I had never seen before, a side filled with anger and frustration.
Motivated by the desire to destroy the formidable <Villain> Clan, due to them attempting to sacrifice Kim Chae-eun, he must have felt an uncontrollable rage as not only a professor but also a father.
Although I couldn’t hear the rest of their conversation, Kim Myeong-hyun seemed likely to actively participate in investigating this incident.
“Of course, I had to save her. Chae-eun is my friend, and I first got to know her here,” I replied.
His expression became intriguing. “…Does Holder Do Jae-hyun not have any friends?”
“What? Oh, no, no. It’s just… I came to Seoul, you know.”
It felt like he had just labeled me as a nerd. He was indeed a formidable professor, despite his appearance.
“Anyway, thank you very much. It seems like I should just be saying thank you to you, Holder Do Jae-hyun, every time.”
“I’m also glad that Chae-eun is safe, too.”
“It’s okay to say otherwise, but if you have anything to ask of me, feel free to tell me anytime. I’ll listen to anything I can do. This is a promise I made as a father, not as a teacher.”
This is a pretty tempting promise. The ransom of an A-grade Holder is high. No matter what you ask for, being able to get the help of that level of high-grade personnel at any time was a card you could use in an emergency.
I slightly bowed my head and replied.
“All right. Thank you professor.”
“Compared to what Holder Do Jae-hyun did for me, it’s just a small thing. Well, should we train again?” He asked.
“… Yes.”
I thought the break time was too long. Professor Kim Myeong-hyun’s training is generally not very difficult, but these days, there has been a tendency to increase the intensity of training, perhaps under the influence of Professor Tak Won-ho.
Professor Kim Myeong-hyun laughed at my weak voice.
“Please don’t look so depressed. I’ll teach you something fun today.”
“Fun?” Could there be anything fun about the same training every day?
Kim Myeong-hyun nodded. “Yes. I heard from Professor Tak that you gained the ultimate skill, [Sky-Shattering Heavenly Sword].”
I succeeded in gaining [Sky-Shattering Heavenly Sword] during the dungeon conquest, but the immense power wasn’t suited to my level, so it was immediately restricted. According to Professor Tak, to use it again, I needed to reach level 10 in [Wave Sword Technique] and have a magic stat over 30.
I scratched my head and replied, “Oh, yes. I did use it, but… it was restricted right away because the conditions weren’t met. I’ll have to raise the level of the rune and my magic stat a bit more, I think.”
“Anyway, you’ve used it before,” Kim Myeong-hyun said as he slowly drew the sword at his waist.
“Today, I’ll teach you the ultimate skill of [Water Sword Technique]. The conditions for using it might be similar to [Sky-Shattering Heavenly Sword]… but once you learn it, Holder Do Jae-hyun will be able to use it someday.”
What a surprise. It was finally time for me to learn the ultimate skill of [Water Sword Technique], [Water Sword Dance]. It was my turn to learn professor Kim Myeong-hyun’s secret techniques.
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