Good morning.
It’s so beautiful that I can’t find the words.
I made my decision overnight.
I’ve come to the conclusion that this is the right path.
[AM 07:40]
There is no morning training today. I’m sorry to Yoo Hana, but there is a necessary reason for this.
Well, it’s not like she came just to see me. Telling her I won’t attend feels a bit…
I washed up, came out, opened my laptop, and sat at the desk.
====
[Skill: Renaissance Person]
① Holistic Genius
— Possesses exceptional talent in ‘all’ areas.
====
When encountering the Renaissance Person skill for the first time, one can’t help but be bewildered by the vague description.
Exceptional talent? What exactly is ‘talent’?
To prove this, I started an experiment.
In this world, anyone who turns 18 can trade stocks.
And I’m 19 years old.
[100,000,000 KRW]
A year ago, this was the reward money given by the Hero’s Guild for repelling the monster wave. I invested all of it.
Over the past year, I repeated trading, not recklessly but occasionally during idle moments.
Through this process, I realized just how violent the word ‘talent’ is in this world.
Talent doesn’t reveal itself immediately.
[91,533,264 KRW]
Perhaps at first, you might even be slower than others.
But gradually.
[142,566,214 KRW]
Gradually.
[295,330,111 KRW]
It starts showing its presence.
[356,241,450 KRW]
And eventually.
[Current Balance of Jung Hae-in]
[1,245,242,186 KRW]
It undeniably shows the difference compared to others.
Did I just make money because I know the future?
The main story only began two days ago. There was no way I could know about the stock market beforehand, and I wasn’t even interested.
[Glory’s Guild ‘Mangju’ distrust issue continues to drag shares down…]
Except for the risk that Kang Yu-seong might later be revealed as a minion of the Demon, Glory is a perfectly upward-trending company until the end of the story.
People work to minimize risks. So, when you realize there’s absolutely no risk?
“I guess it’s time to stop.”
I’m tired of being stuck to the monitor and wrestling with it.
[AM 08:00]
As soon as the market opened, the stock price plummeted to the lower limit.
Without hesitation, I pressed the buy button.
[Order: 8300 shares of ‘Glory’]
[Y]
Only my future self will tell me if my choice was correct.
A while ago, I said this.
“If you don’t have talent, you must absolutely not wield a sword.”
Yesterday evening, after listening to the old man’s recording, I reviewed the video several times.
The old man was right.
No, he was being too kind. He didn’t just lack sword talent; he had none at all.
But the problem wasn’t just about his lack of talent.
“Character is also a disaster.”
He was the cause of every conflict in the team as we broke through the forest.
So, Seong Si-woo, there’s one thing I want to say to you.
“Give up the sword.”
You won’t listen to my advice. You won’t let it go.
“Only now?”
I reopened the laptop and hovered my fingers over the search bar.
When I entered the keyword ‘Tai-dao,’ numerous videos appeared.
I selected a few and played them. The motions of the individuals wielding swords on screen were both flashy and accurate.
Not letting go doesn’t matter. To begin with, I’m not the type to solve issues through conversation.
So I’ll make you feel it deeply.
Even if it means breaking your wrist.
Yoo Hana’s mood wasn’t good.
“He didn’t come…”
It wasn’t just that Jung Hae-in didn’t show up for the morning workout. It wasn’t that simple.
“Are you this diligent every day?”
“If only my legs worked properly.”
His words kept coming back to her. He had clearly said he’d come if only his legs were fine, but…
“Could he possibly be injured?”
If she were to see him injured and vulnerable… she might not be able to restrain herself.
Anyway.
“!”
In the middle of her thoughts, she heard footsteps approaching from a distance.
Jung Hae-in’s footsteps.
In fact, just by hearing the footsteps, she could tell he was coming.
“3… 2… 1…”
As she finished counting, his figure appeared.
Yoo Hana jumped up from her place and ran toward him.
“Hae-in!”
Surprised, he showed a slightly startled expression.
Yoo Hana stepped back and asked cautiously.
“Did you… today…”
“Ah.”
He frowned slightly, looking apologetic.
“Did you wait for me? Sorry. There were things I had to do today. I should’ve told you.”
Hearing this, Yoo Hana smiled.
He apologized before even explaining his reasons. His thoughtfulness warmed her heart.
And, fortunately, he didn’t seem to be injured.
“No, I didn’t come either today.”
“Oh? That’s good then.”
Yoo Hana moved naturally toward his usual seat alongside him, intending to head there together. But someone was already there.
“Hi?”
It was Cheon Yeoul.
She had claimed a wide space around Jung Hae-in’s seat and subtly guided him to sit further inside, securing her space.
“Look at this…”
Yoo Hana tightly clenched her fists, suppressing her anger. They had practically agreed to some exclusivity over these last few days.
“I’ll see you later.”
Yoo Hana waved lightly and greeted him. Knowing when to step back is a virtue for a woman.
“Yeah, hurry up.”
Cheon Yeoul replied disdainfully.
“…”
Yoo Hana endured that moment with supernatural patience.
Where are you going, Yoo Hana?
Cheon Yeoul was watching me with her chin in her hand.
For some reason, Yoo Hana is easier to deal with than Cheon Yeoul. Not because of anything in particular…
Because of the guy staring me down from over there.
Now that I think about it, there’s something odd about this class.
“Yoo Hana… Cheon Yeoul… Johan… Kang Ah-rin… Seong Si-woo… No, let’s exclude you.”
Even among the top 10 ranked students, there are quite a few in this one class. Class assignments are done via random number selections.
Why wouldn’t they be? It’s the same system used in the military to assign roles or divisions after basic training.
The process proves there’s no tampering or interference.
Clearly, this system was borrowed for class assignments, ruling out any external interference or cheating.
So, this particular group came together purely by chance.
As I was deep in thought, the classroom door opened.
“Good morning. I’m Instructor Do Han-seong.”
It was the instructor assigned to our class on the first day. He still looked sleepy as he entered.
“I’m your designated instructor, but my expertise is elsewhere. Weapon drills training.”
He tapped the board twice, and the image of the auditorium appeared once again.
“Today, let’s have some duels with the weapons each of you has chosen.”
At the entrance of the auditorium were the weapons from last time and beyond them, a vast open space. The students started whispering to each other.
“The opponents… choose someone you’d like to duel with first. For those who don’t have anyone, I’ll draw randomly.”
“Please start now.”
Today’s class was about weapon training. I already had someone in mind.
“Haein, do you want to go together?”
Cheon Yeoul asked beside me, but she wasn’t my intended opponent.
“Sorry, I already thought of someone.”
“Who?”
I scanned the room for my intended opponent—or rather, I tried to.
Johan suddenly appeared in my line of sight.
“Are you Jung Hae-in?”
He reached out his hand as he spoke.
“Let’s have a duel.”
It seemed his private vendetta was already underway. His posture, his presence—they weren’t bad.
Probably because he’s a candidate hero; he’s worth a watch. It might be interesting…
But unfortunately, not today.
“I’ve already decided.”
Johan didn’t flinch at my answer. His hand still extended toward me.
“Hey, will you back off already?”
Surprise.
Cheon Yeoul growled beside me.
“You said you’d stop being a nuisance or I’d file a petition to ban you from the podium.”
Johan glanced at Cheon Yeoul, hesitated for a moment, and stepped back.
But his eyes stayed locked on me the whole time.
“Okay…”
At some point, I’ll have to teach him a lesson.
“…So, who? Yoo Hana? Or Kang Ah-rin?”
“Neither.”
I paused for a second before answering.
“Seong Si-woo.”
“Oh…”
Upon hearing my answer, she wore a meaningful smile.
“Alright, got it.”
Surprisingly, Seong Si-woo accepted the duel invitation without much hesitation.
In fact, given his reputation, no one else seemed eager to duel with him.
“Really…”
Si-woo, tell me, what do you want to be when you grow up?
“Are you confident?”
From the moment he accepted, he kept picking fights with me. His energy seems inexhaustible even though I don’t respond.
“Teacher.”
“Yes?”
“Jung Hae-in versus Seong Si-woo, we will duel.”
“Alright. Please proceed to the weapons section over there and standby in area C.”
He marked something on his clipboard and gestured toward the weapons.
After heading over, I asked Seong Si-woo.
“What are you going to use?”
I already knew, but I asked just in case.
“Huh.”
With a sneer, he picked up the Tai-dao.
Figures.
“What about you?”
As he pushed the Tai-dao toward me, he asked.
“Oh no, that won’t work here. The area isn’t treated with magic, so someone might actually get hurt.”
Instructor Do Han-seong panicked while cautioning Seong Si-woo.
“Hmm… let’s use that then.”
I picked up the Tai-dao lying on the other side. Instructor Do Han-seong looked at me in confusion, tilting his head.
“Student Hae-in, your form indicates you use a spear. Did I make a mistake?”
“No, the spear is correct. I just wanted to try this. Would that be a problem, Instructor?”
“No, not at all. If you’re responsible for any consequences… it’s fine.”
He then turned to record the next students’ names.
However, Seong Si-woo’s face twisted in obvious irritation. His pride seemed hurt.
I headed toward the auditorium’s C sector without paying much attention.
Upon entering, the glass barriers rose naturally, creating an ample space.
“Have you ever used a sword?”
Seong Si-woo spoke from the opposite end. His eyes locked firmly on me.
“No.”
In response to my brief statement, his eyes burned even more intensely.
“Then have you ever learned?”
“Uh… maybe.”
His frown deepened. His expression said he didn’t believe me.
“Who was your teacher?”
Teacher… that word resonates pleasantly.
Naturally, I had only ever had one.
“Ni-tube.”
Hearing my response, his angry expression turned into something closer to disbelief, dropping his energy entirely.
“Ni-tube videos?”
These days, Ni-tube’s really good.
