“Wow… They really fight well, don’t they? It’s not just a lower-level performance,” the woman stroking her ash blue tone hair said.

Her name was Moon Ga-eun.

She was the daughter of Moon Jung-hyuk, a key executive of the Royal Clan, and one of the highly anticipated newcomers at Seoul Holder Academy.

Ga-eun was purely amazed by the just-ended lower-level match.

It was a showdown between Park Jin-woo and Do Jae-hyun.

Among all the duels held today, it was undoubtedly the most intense one.

There were no special skills or remarkable utilization of runes that stood out.

We can’t deny the machine used to measure the abilities of the new students.

As temporary lower-level students, they seemed to lack any distinct characteristics related to runes, and it was evident that their rune levels were not very high.

However, based on their own superior ability stats, they fought their best to compensate for any shortcomings.

Their superior ability stats were already at an intermediate level, and their exceptional combat sense was a rare skill even among intermediate-level students.

“They might even be promoted to the intermediate level.”

The practical duel in the entrance exam is, in fact, the final stage designed for these hidden talents.

Park Jin-woo and Do Jae-hyun had a high probability of being promoted to the intermediate level through this duel.

“Juyeon, what do you think?” Ga-eun asked Kang Juyeon, who was standing confidently next to her.

Juyeon was an S-grade Holder and the daughter of a prominent Clan Master.

She was the most promising Holder with overflowing talent.

Even when she was admitted to the academy…

She was the subject of numerous rumors and articles.

Moreover, this time, there were no worthy opponents, making her a top candidate for the valedictorian position.

Ga-eun and Juyeon had been friends since they were young.

Their fathers were both famous Holders in society, so their families even had meals together, maintaining a close relationship.

“…Not really interested.”

Juyeon responded briefly as if she wasn’t interested at all.

As someone recognized as one of Korea’s top talents, she couldn’t be bothered with the lower-level Holders’ duel, which was only rough and unrefined.

Although she should have gone home right after the duel ended, but…

Her father told her to observe the duels of other participants until the end because there might be some hidden gems for the clan.

Juyeon endured the boredom and watched the duels.

Even though the lower-level duels were still worth watching, Ga-eun’s enthusiasm for them was a unique case.

“Is that so? Maybe it’s because I’m an archer… There’s something exciting about watching them clash their weapons without any special skills. Other students give up as soon as there’s a difference in ability or rune.”

The practical duels between the upper-level and intermediate-level were too plain.

Even among the same grade, there was an unmistakable gap that couldn’t be bridged due to differences in ability stats and runes.

You could easily see that once you faced each other in a duel.

That’s why most of the Holders who participated in the duels today either withdrew or gave up more easily than expected.

Although it might affect their admission scores, the ranking wasn’t particularly important unless they were valedictorian or salutatorian.

“…Because they’re lower-level students.”

“Well, that’s true.”

Juyeon abruptly cut off Ga-eun’s chattering with a single sentence and looked at one corner of the arena while leaning against the railing.

A man with dual daggers in his hands, fixed his gaze on empty space.

It was Do Jae-hyun, the Holder who had just finished the duel.

Despite having clearly won the duel, he sat there, emotionless, staring into space without any sign of joy.

His appearance seemed like he was checking the Holder information.

Juyeon, as if possessed, stared blankly at him.

‘…He’s a strange person.’

Juyeon had seen all the duels as well.

To be honest, she wasn’t particularly interested or attached any significant meaning to the lower-level duels.But for the participants, it was an exciting duel they had been anticipating.

After all, they had confronted each other for a long time and achieved victory based on their instincts.

However, Do Jae-hyun seemed completely disinterested in that series of events.

He just sat quietly, maintaining his weapon.

He occasionally glanced at empty space.

‘…He must have strong mental fortitude.’

His calm composure, maintaining a calm state of mind more than anyone else.

Perhaps his mental fortitude was higher compared to his other abilities.

Juyeon didn’t pay much attention to it.

But for some reason, her gaze kept being drawn to him.

A Holder who remained composed and calm in any situation.

That was the first impression Juyeon had of Do Jae-hyun.

***

ippotranslations

***

‘Oh, fuck! Thank you, God. Jin-woo, thank you. I am so happy, and let’s meet again with smiles in three years.’

I was stuck in one corner of the arena.

I desperately held back the urge to jump and shout for joy.

If I suddenly made a loud noise, I might look like a crazy person like Jin-woo earlier.

But inside, I couldn’t hide this exhilarating feeling and intense excitement.

[Effort of the Seeker].

The scam rune that I had only considered as the protagonist’s privilege.

Now, it is in my hands.

‘It has all the effects that are worth cherishing.’

Unlike the simple description of the rune [Rune Hunter], which can replicate the opponent’s rune, [Effort of the Seeker] had incredible epic-level effects.

There were three visible effects right away.

First, a triple increase in rune level growth speed.

Considering that the power of runes is the power of the Holder…

This effect was tremendously valuable, something you couldn’t buy with millions of won.

This was the main reason why Jin-woo, who would obtain various runes in the later stages, could raise his rune level smoothly without any setbacks.

In addition, a random stat increase per 100 hours of training.

This was also an amazing effect.

High stats were always important for any Holder, regardless of their category.

Even if you trained for only five hours a day, you could raise one stat in 20 days.

Lastly, it also increased durability and mental strength by three.

The effects of a Max-level epic rune were astonishing.

‘If I had let my guard down even a little, I might have lost.’

Jin-woo grew even during battles, like a monster of effort.

If I had briefly let my guard down, there was a possibility that I could have lost to Jin-woo, who grew during the duel.

The story has just begun, and Jin-woo has just become a Holder.

His abilities were still in an incomplete state.

Fortunately, I was able to secure the victory.

“Jae-hyun!”

Kim Chae-eun, who had gone to the restroom for a moment, returned.

“You’re back?”

“Yeah! You fought really well. It seems like training for a month had an effect.”

“Was it that impressive?”“Yeah, it was really cool. Swish, swish. Should I learn the dagger too?”

“Well, you don’t have a [Dagger] rune.”

Seeing Chae-eun’s lively appearance is somewhat fascinating.

Even though we lived next door, it was only after I became possessed by Do Jae-hyun that I became close to her.

I had asked her about this before, and she said that my first impression was a bit cold, making it difficult to approach me.

But then she saw me applying to Holder Academy, and she felt a sense of closeness, so she approached me.

Thinking about it, I understood everything.

Since Chae-eun also had a somewhat cold first impression…

It was difficult to approach her without knowing her personality.

“Does that mean the entrance exams are over now?”

“Yeah. The entrance ceremony and classes will start next week. I’m looking forward to academy life.”

“Chae-eun, haven’t you visited the academy a lot because your father is a professor?”

“That’s different! Watching from the outside and actually being a student is like night and day!”

Chae-eun’s father is a professor at the academy.

A Holder who teaches swordsmanship at Seoul Holder Academy.

Professor Kim Myeong-hyun.

When I first heard about him, I thought it was unusual.

Her dad was a Holder deeply involved in swordsmanship, but his daughter was a Holder in the mage category with the rune [Freezing].

While the runes awakened by Holders are often random, they are also influenced by the surrounding environment they encountered as children.

Just like Kang Juyeon gained the flame-related rune [Unquenchable Flame] following Kang Woo-hyun, and Lee Hyun-ho became a renowned blacksmith after Lee Do-kwon thereby continuing the family trade, these two people were influenced by their parents in becoming Holders.

Therefore, if the parents are Holders who specialize in swords, they have many opportunities to come into contact with swords from a young age, so there is a high chance of awakening the [Sword] rune upon awakening.

That’s why it’s fascinating that Chae-eun obtained a completely opposite type of rune from Professor Kim Myeong-hyun.

Moreover, even though it was a normal rune, the [Freezing] rune was quite rare within the mage category.

‘My dagger… It must be completely random.’

Do Jae-hyun’s parents are not Holders. That’s why whenever I check my phone and try to contact them, they are always working on the farm in the countryside. And immediately he awakened as a Holder, he moved to Seoul to find a place to live. That was the case.

On top of that, he was an illegitimate child with no siblings.

Naturally, my first rune, [Dagger], was a random rune.

It’s obvious from the fact that children of talented individuals continue to possess talent, the more random the rune, the less effective and slower it grows.

If I didn’t have the rune [Rune Hunter].

I could easily imagine how ordinary of a Holder I would have become without even looking.

“I’m hungry. I want to eat something.”

On the way back home after finishing the entrance exams.

Chae-eun said with a gloomy expression, as if there was an intention behind her words.

I sighed at her somewhat suspicious remark.

“You can eat if you want.”

“I want to eat the food that Jae-hyun made!”

“Asking me to cook twice a day? Is that being considerate?”

I had some expectations, now that I’m confident in my cooking.

Moreover, these days, she keeps bothering me to cook.

When I made pasta for lunch later in the day, my [Cooking] rune reached level 2.

The first rune to level-up out of all my runes.

It was hard to believe, but it was true.

Though I gained a boost of 1 in Willpower as a level-up effect.

Chae-eun awkwardly chuckled and patted her head.

“Hehe. Then I’ll cook for you tomorrow.”

“Sorry, but I’ll pass on that. Just buy some pudding or something.”

“Are you… trying to kill me?”

I’m sorry, but I seriously reject Chae-eun’s cooking.

I tried it once before, and I suffered such a major injury the next day that it affected my training.

If it wasn’t for my Stamina, I might have been assassinated.