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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 67
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67. I... I'm sorry!
***
—Habit.
Forming a habit was a much more important matter than one might think.
If you repeat the necessary tasks at a fixed time every day, you'll eventually find yourself acting the same way without even thinking about it.
Whether it was something you truly disliked or something you were reluctant to do, there was meaning in the fact that simply cultivating a habit would lead you to perform such actions naturally.
...
Thud—!
The spear, enveloped in blue light, continuously struck the steel dummy.
The training dummy, crafted from 'mana-forged steel'—a type superior even to regular steel—could never be pierced by ordinary iron.
Even with mana imbued in the spear, it was the decisive reason why the training dummy remained unpierceable.
It clearly wouldn't pierce.
Nevertheless, the spear, fiercely striking the dummy, did not stop.
—! ———!!
The force of the spearhead, concentrated on a single point, and even the power transferred to it through the long shaft, wasn't entirely nullified.
Thud-thud-thud-thud! Thud!
Even as iron and steel met, continuously erupting in strange metallic screeches, I didn't want to stop.
"..."
The blue trajectory, continuously striking the dummy, endlessly wove through the air.
It was as if I myself were entranced by that blue trajectory.
Even as I watched the dummy, continuously absorbing powerful impacts, sway on its stand to dissipate the damage, my hands grew even busier.
"..."
Holding even my breath, I struck the dummy fiercely.
The addictive sensation from the repeated action. Then, when a feeling of exhaustion, my whole body slumping, set in, I took a short break. After that, I infinitely repeated swinging the spear.
Compared to swinging my spear into empty air for two months straight, the sensation of impact, the 'taste' of hitting something, wasn't bad at all, making it surprisingly manageable.
And so, it was break time again.
"Haa... haa..."
Exhaling ragged breaths that felt like my chest would burst, I blankly sat down on a nearby seat.
Thump.
My entire body had long been drenched in sweat, and even the arm holding the spear trembled.
How long had I been engrossed in training? I hadn't even noticed the time.
Only now, after being so engrossed in training, did my mind seem to clear.
"...Phew."
Even as I exhaled deeply, I felt refreshed.
My mind, unnecessarily complicated by Adelia and Kali, felt utterly refreshed.
"Anyway, there's nothing to do when I go back."
Though Adelia had let me go, honestly, even if I went straight back to the dorm, there was nothing to do.
It wasn't that there was no entertainment, but I didn't find much enjoyment in it. Rather, I preferred this refreshing feeling after training.
Even so, I took it easy.
"I'm sure they resolved things well through conversation."
My worrying wouldn't change anything anyway. I just let it go from my mind.
Even now, it vividly came to mind.
The chilling atmosphere I felt before leaving the infirmary. It wasn't just a figure of speech; I, caught between the two of them, truly found it hard to breathe then.
I didn't know why the two of them had suddenly created such a chilling atmosphere, but all I could do was hope things would resolve well.
And Instructor Adelia and Instructor Kali. Both of them, from my perspective, had good personalities, so it didn't seem like it would escalate into a major conflict.
While thinking, I inadvertently looked around.
"...Ahem."
"Ah, I need to rest a bit now..."
"I'm tired."
Most of the students, who were a certain distance away from me, instantly avoided my gaze.
They suddenly started saying things like 'I need to rest' or 'I'm tired,' speaking unnaturally to anyone who saw them...
'Do they really dislike sparring with me that much?'
I wanted to spar rather than train alone, but there was no opponent.
Of course, I understood the other students' reactions. I knew that even for myself, facing a student with a Level 4 Trait would be a very daunting prospect.
After a moment of thought, I simply sighed and gave up.
'For now, I'll have to train alone.'
I had a conscience, too. How could I approach someone who clearly didn't want to spar with me and ask them to?
*Swish.*
While naturally shifting the spear's center of gravity to my left hand, I lightly wiped away sweat.
After gathering myself a little, I then focused my gaze on the empty air.
'Status Window.'
As I repeated it inwardly, a transparent hologram, visible only to me, immediately appeared in my vision.
*
――――
Name: Han Cheon-seong
Gender: Male (20)
Title: None
Height · Weight: 178cm / 68kg
Current Continental Influence: 247
*Stats.
[Strength 14]
[Agility 21]
[Stamina 21]
[Mana 10]
[Luck 5]
*Possessed Traits [1]
[Spearmanship Lv.4]
*Skills [0]
――――
*
"..."
Unconsciously, the corners of my mouth curled into a grin.
Would the joy of increased stats be lessened if I checked the status window too often? Now, after forcibly holding back from checking and only looking after several days, the increased stats appeared entrancingly in my vision.
'My Strength and Stamina each went up by 1.'
Two stats increasing might seem modest, but the main point was that my stats had increased again in just a few days.
Just because my Trait wasn't evolving quickly didn't mean I was stagnant. I was very satisfied to see this growth in numerical terms.
These numbers, in turn, became a good driving force for me to put more effort into my training.
"My Mana is a bit disappointing though."
It was certainly joyful when stats increased. However, there was a slight disappointment that Mana still didn't seem to increase easily.
With this kind of training, Mana would hardly increase in the future. What I could hope for was an increase when my Trait level went up.
I could only hope that my Mana stat would greatly increase then.
*Click.*
Then, at the sound of approaching footsteps, the status window disappeared.
At that moment, when I inadvertently turned my head.
"...Han Cheon-seong."
I heard a peculiar female voice calling me.
With striking pink twin tails and a haughty impression... it was Luna. Naturally, Millia was also with her. I calmly opened my mouth.
"Oh, Luna. What's up?"
Now, I didn't pay much attention to the rumors circulating about Luna and me.
As things happened differently day by day, it felt like past events simply faded into the background.
"Um... actually... Han Cheon-seong. That... you know."
"...That?"
"No, not that... Do you happen to have... a moment right now...?"
She spoke with a very cautious yet stiff demeanor. I didn't know what it was, but I nodded for now.
After that, Luna still sat down a seat away from me. I wondered why she was so hesitant.
Luna, who had always seemed to live in her own world, was now displaying such an awkward attitude. I found it rather strange.
*Slide.*
Then Millia sat down in the empty seat between Luna and me. I was unconsciously surprised.
"Han Cheon-seong. Excuse me for a moment."
Millia sat down next to me so naturally. This, in itself, was something I couldn't adapt to.
"Alright."
"And I'm really sorry, but could you wait a moment?"
As she repeatedly said it, I accepted it indifferently.
There must be some reason why they came to find me.
*Swish.*
Millia turned her head from me and looked straight at Luna.
"Luna. If it's too hard to say, should I say it for you?"
"I'd be grateful if you did. Millia, is that really okay?"
"That depends on how Han Cheon-seong accepts it, doesn't it? But you came here like this to show your sincerity. However, if you keep speaking so ambiguously, Han Cheon-seong will get frustrated."
The two of them naturally continued their conversation, and while the topic clearly seemed to be me, I couldn't interject.
'Is this what Millia meant by 'wait a moment'?'
I just silently watched them.
"Then, Millia. I'm really sorry, but I'm asking for a favor. It seems I'm just not used to this kind of situation... so the words aren't coming out well."
"It's okay. Luna, just the fact that you decided to do this is a really good thing."
As a peculiar conversation passed between the two, I inadvertently found myself looking at Millia's profile.
She spoke kindly and smiled gently as if coaxing Luna.
Even just looking at her, Millia's appearance truly exuded natural femininity.
She was cute yet kind, and considerate of others. Yet, at the same time, a sense of femininity was also felt, so she didn't just seem cute.
"Then if I tell him, will you make sure to speak properly?"
"Yes. Okay. Because Millia said that, I feel my mind is completely at ease."
Millia, gently guiding Luna, was certainly attractive as a woman, but her 'charm as a person' truly stood out.
The type of person you want to become friends with for no particular reason. It was very rare, but there were people who gave off that feeling when you saw them.
Regardless of whether they were attractive as a member of the opposite sex, they were the kind of person who made you want to become friends with them.
The feeling that I also wanted to spend time with her suddenly came over me strongly.
With Millia, it felt like I could be comfortable even just being together, and spend time without any burden...
"..."
"..."
Then, when Millia suddenly looked at me, my thoughts abruptly stopped as our eyes met.
At Millia's eyes, which instantly widened, I was just as surprised as she was.
But that was only for a moment; I opened my mouth, feigning nonchalance.
"Sorry. Millia, were you very surprised?"
"No, rather than surprised, it's just... Han Cheon-seong. I didn't expect you to be looking at me."
Even while awkwardly conversing with her, I felt peculiar.
Considering Luna's deceptive Trait, I had decided to focus on her, and as Luna wished, I had resolved not to get close to Millia.
But why was it that...
...why did I feel such great regret now?
"And Han Cheon-seong. I'm the one who's more sorry. I asked you to wait a moment, but did I make you wait too long?"
"No, it hasn't been long at all."
"Well, actually, it's nothing else, but Luna has something to say to you, which is why we came together like this. But because Luna might speak strangely or say the wrong thing like she did a moment ago, I'm trying to relay the message instead. Is that okay?"
"Uh... it's okay."
Amidst the calmly continuing conversation, my mind found its stability again.
Millia's words were full of consideration, and her eyes, looking directly into mine, were filled with goodwill.
The goodwill a person possessed was, surprisingly, easily noticeable.
"Then, first and foremost, Han Cheon-seong. Luna has something to say to you first. Right, Luna?"
As Millia suddenly looked at Luna, I also followed her gaze to Luna.
"...Yep."
At our gazes, Luna flinched and trembled, but nodded.
'What on earth is she trying to say?'
Even while looking at Luna, I couldn't understand for a moment why she was showing such a strange attitude.
"Han Cheon-seong. I'm sorr...y."
...Thud.
The moment I heard the words, I unconsciously dropped the spear I was holding.
"What?"
At the completely unexpected words, I unconsciously found myself asking again.
"I-I said I was sorry...!"
At her own words, Luna tightly closed her eyes and shouted as if yelling,
In that moment, within the training ground, Luna's voice echoed as if reverberating.
And.
Her voice clearly reached my ears as well.
"...."