Divinity class and stats changed to Recovery respectively.

Stamina stat changed to Toughness.“Haat!! Hryaat…!!” Park Jin-woo swung his sword and screamed in the front yard.

His younger brother, Park Yoon-seo, looked at him as if he was annoyed.

“Aren’t you tired of this?”

“Haat! Don’t talk to me!”

He remained fully focused on his training without showing any signs of fatigue.

Park Yoon-seo couldn’t understand his brother. Although he was always someone who enjoyed training, something had changed in him after taking the entrance exam for the Seoul Holder Academy. He had become even more intense in his training.

Always training during the day and at night, training before sleeping and after waking up. Training after breakfast and dinner. Training all day long, a constant repetition of physical labor. Ever since he took the entrance exam, he had remained in that state.

-Keeping still will only result in Do Jae-hyun pushing you back! It is only possible through training! I have an obligation to surpass Do Jae-hyun…!!

He repeated such words as his determination, but honestly, it was pathetic. He thought of himself as the protagonist of a boy’s comic book. It was embarrassing to have such a foolish brother.

On the other hand, he was curious. Who was this Do Jae-hyun person who had driven Park Jin-woo to such intense training? Who was the culprit who made him add fuel to his already practice-loving heart? He couldn’t help but feel curious. Maybe one of his classmates who entered the academy with him?

“Jin-woo, are you training again?”

Suddenly, their mother appeared next to them and asked gently.

In her arms, she held a basket full of peaches, freshly picked as if just moments ago. It was a rare sight in Seoul, more fitting for a countryside home, and the peaches were of excellent quality, like those found in an orchard.

Park Jin-woo’s home was unique; it was a modern farmer’s family in Seoul, cultivating their own fields.

“Mom, stop him. He might collapse if he continues like this.”

“Let him be. He used to do this every time after coming back from an exploration, even more so.”

“What about Dad?”

“Yes. In that regard, Jin-woo takes after his father a lot. Whenever he encounters a special situation, his competitive spirit surges.”

“I guess I took after Mom then.”

“I think so too. Both you and Jin-woo have some peculiar traits, don’t you think?”

Park Yoon-seo nodded. Though he didn’t quite understand, he figured it must be due to genetics since his father was also like that.

With a small smile, their mother continued to hold the basket of peaches. Then, suddenly, memories from the past flooded back. She squeezed the peaches in her hand.

“There was a time when he ran off to train, while we were still dating. He said he had to beat someone he considered a special rival… I really wanted to strangle him at that time, hehe.”

“….”

They say snow falls in the midsummer when a woman holds a grudge. It seemed that a gradual series of anger accumulated in her as she recalled the past. Park Yoon-seo didn’t say anything and quietly went inside the house. He felt like the aggression might be passed towards him if he stayed any longer. Though it was his own home too, it still felt like a strange place. It felt like no one in the house had a normal way of thinking.

***

ippotranslations

***

“What the hell is this guy?!”

“Argh! Hyung, please help…!!”

“How come three of you can’t catch one guy? Stop him, whatever it takes! Stop him!”

Including a man known as the boss, four OutHolders emerged, engaging in a fierce duel.

‘OutHolders’ were a type of criminal group created by Holders at the bottom of the hierarchy, that are unable to withstand their low self-esteem and deep feelings of inferiority. They were widely distributed in various places and had a relatively low level of strength, equivalent to that of lower-level classes in the academy. As a result, ordinary police officers were often assigned to deal with them instead of Holders. On the other hand, <Villains> were a serious criminal organization of Holders that operated on a national scale. They committed major crimes and were designated as a wanted clan within Korea. They had a significant number of high-level Holders, and many psychopaths who had no qualms about committing crimes were among them.

‘But this has nothing to do with me.’

<Villains> was a story far from my reality. I might encounter them someday, but not right now. For now, my opponents were the OutHolders right in front of me. They were a group of delinquents, causing trouble for ordinary people. They were no different from gangsters who handle weapons, even though they had been granted runes.

The reason I associated with such low-level gangsters was simple: it was to make the best use of the power of the [Rune Hunter] without underestimating it.

[You won the duel. With the mysterious power of the Rune Hunter, you can replicate one of the opponent’s runes. As the opponent has only one rune, you will replicate that rune.]

[You have gained a new rune]

[You also gained 1 strength with the replicated rune]

“It’s a bonanza, a bonanza!”Even I with low stats can win a duel easily against OutHolders due to replicated runes that give extra stats.

The two were a perfect combination.

Having a weak stat but legally defeating Holders with strong stats, and also gaining runes as a bonanza.

This made me feel cool because it’s like killing three birds with one stone.

Also, it has been a week since the entrance exam, and thanks to that I have been able to visit Seoul every day for a duel with the OutHolders.

I have been winning duels against the OutHolders, which has made me gain more runes and increased in stats.

“I caught the guy! He’s a newcomer Holder who’s been stirring up the neighborhood lately…!!”

“Ugh. You talk too much. Come at me already. Aren’t you embarrassed?”

Two OutHolders were already down, reduced to puddles of goo. The remaining ones were a guy called Hyung and one lackey. Initially, I couldn’t handle several OutHolders like I do now. Even if they were weak OutHolders, they still possessed runes and were able to handle weapons like any Holder. It wasn’t easy to deal with a large group of them at once since there were too many variables that are unpredictable.

However, as I systematically defeated the OutHolders one by one, gaining new runes and increasing my stats through the [Effort of the Seeker], my rune growth had soared. Thanks to this, the level of my [Dagger] was now 3, and both [Sword] and [Sprint] had reached level 2. Oh, by the way, my [Cooking] skill has also risen to level 3. Kim Chae-eun’s insistence on cooking had paid off.

With my rapid rune level growth and the corresponding increase in stats, I had reached a level where I could stand my ground against multiple OutHolders without being overwhelmed.

“Eat this, you bastard…!!”

And then it happened. The OutHolder leader, who had been hiding behind his lackeys, charged at me. He ran towards me with his bare hands, without any visible weapons. I thought for a moment that it might be a martial arts or boxing rune, but I quickly realized it wasn’t the case. His hands were open as if he was trying to claw me.

‘It’s a skill!’

As an avid reader of <Next Rune Holder>, I could recognize this attack as a ‘skill’ in an instant. Until now, the only skill I had seen with my own eyes was Kang Juyeon’s [Magic Barrier]. Therefore, I didn’t know the exact appearance of other skills that were being used, the posture seemed quite different from a regular fight, making it highly likely to be a skill.

“Haap…!!”

Feeling cautious, I quickly assumed an evasive posture. I didn’t even prepare for a counterattack. With my speed stat now at 10 due to continuous growth, I could focus solely on evasion and easily dodge the slow-moving attack.

“You dodged?!”

I swiftly turned my body almost 360 degrees and delivered a backspin blow to his face! It was a move supported by the recently acquired [Combat] rune.

“Argh!!”

“Hyung, help! Damn it! Save me!!”

Save him? I hadn’t even killed anyone to begin with….

That was the end of the duel. The OutHolder leader, who possessed a special rune that allowed him to use a skill, apparently lacked the rune related to weapons. When his skill missed, he readily accepted my attack and fell down. The remaining OutHolder fled down the alley.

It was kind of a disappointing ending for an OutHolder who had a weak power and only bullied ordinary people. But what was more important now was the reward from the [Rune Hunter].

I cleaned the sweat on my hands and checked the information window.

[You won the duel. With the mysterious power of the Rune Hunter, you can replicate one of the opponent’s runes. As the opponent has only one rune, you will replicate that rune.]

[You have gained a new rune.]

[You gain Poison Resistance due to the rune’s alignment.]

[Resistance is activated in Holder information.]

“Resistance?”

So, Resistance would be activated here?

‘Resistance’ was a type of rune that could be activated through specific situations or the assistance of runes. I wasn’t expecting to gain it at all, considering that Park Jin-woo, the protagonist, only gained it around the middle of the story. However, a reward had unexpectedly come to me from an unexpected place.

I quickly checked both the [Holder Information] and the newly acquired [Rune Information].

[Holder Information]

◎Name: Do Jae-hyun

◎Gender: Male (Age 20)

◎Stats: –

◎ [Strength: 12]

◎ [Magic: 2]

◎ [Speed: 10]

◎ [Recovery: 1]

◎ [Toughness: 7]

◎ [Willpower: 11]◎Resistance: –

◎[Poison: 1]

◎Possessed Runes: –

◎ [Rune Hunter Lv.Max]

◎ [Effort of the Seeker Lv.Max]

◎ [Dagger Lv.3]

◎ [Cooking Lv.3]

◎ [Sword Lv.2]

◎ [Sprint Lv.2]

◎ [Blunt Weapon Lv.1]

◎ [Bow Lv.1]

◎ [Axe Lv.1]

◎ [Spear Lv.1]

◎ [Combat Lv.1]

◎ [Shield Lv.0]

◎ [Venom Lv.0]

◎Possessed Skills

◎ [Quarter Knives]: (Dagger)

◎ [Poison Claw]: (Venom)

◎Ultimate Skill: –

–

[Rune Information]

◎Name: Venom

◎Grade: Rare

◎Level: 0

◎Engraved Location: Fingernail

◎Special Effects: –

◎Poison Resistance +1

◎Derived Skill: –

◎ [Poison Claw]

◎Detailed Information: Enables handling of poison and improves understanding.

In just a week, the information window had transformed into a brilliant display. It was filled to the brim.

[Effort of the Seeker] and [Rune Hunter]. The combination of these two epic runes was like a fantastic collaboration. Surprisingly, I hadn’t acquired many runes while hunting the OutHolders. Their weapons and runes were pretty much the same.

It turned out that their level was not considered low at all.

On the other hand, the [Venom] I had just gained was an excellent ‘Rare Rune’ with a special attribute of activating poison resistance and starting off with a skill. It was a fantastic find, to say the least.

“Thank you, OutHolders…!!”

OutHolders are considered the scourge of society due to their ambiguous nature and level. But, at least for now, to me, they were the trees that generously shared runes like no one else.

PrevI TOC I NextTl note: Sorry guys about the delay, will be uploading 3 chapters per day for now.

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