There was no room to complain.
If that training raised her skills, Lee Jina would have welcomed it too. But if the gap in ability was too great, she would only get beaten up and learn nothing.
“……Fuck.”
“What fuck?”
“……Nothing. I’ll be going.”
Lee Jina bowed deeply and turned around.
“Grow a lot over the next week.”
“……”
“You know I’m doing this because I care about you. The interview might be frightening right now, but it’s still better than having a record left behind.”
The vice guildmaster’s lecture continued.
“And don’t even think about contacting that kid again.”
“I won’t.”
“Good. Go on.”
“Yes, yes.”
When Lee Jina took hold of the doorknob, the vice guildmaster chattered one last time.
“Oh, even if you’re going off to training, apologize to that cadet before you leave.”
* * *
[SP has increased by 89!]
[Luck Bonus has activated! SP has increased by an additional 12!]
“……What now?”
Just as I was staring tensely at my laptop screen, some sort of alert popped up.
I don’t know what it is, but if my SP went up, I’m pretty satisfied.
However, there’s no time to be happy.
“Whew.”
I focus my mind again and reverently let out a long breath.
Right now, including the SP I just acquired, I intend to spend roughly 1500 SP to write one more talent.
However, it isn’t a talent related to the body or magic power.
As I felt during yesterday’s limestone golem incident, no matter how hard I try, my physical stats will only fall further behind as time passes.
In that case, the best option is selection and concentration.
In other words, I’m going all-in not on my body, but on “weapons.”
The talent I set was as follows.
===
▶「Random Reinforcement System」
[Low-rank] [Mixed (混) Attribute]
─Recognition
*Recognizes specific equipment.
─Random Reinforcement
*Reinforces the “concept” of recognized equipment by 1–100%. Once determined, the percentage is maintained for 24 hours, and after 24 hours, it is randomly set again.
─Growth
*By investing SP, the talent “Random Reinforcement System” itself can be strengthened.
===
Random Reinforcement System.
A talent that makes full use of my luck.
At first glance, it seems like a doomed talent that relies on luck to an absurd degree, but as you know, my luck is in the top 0.1%. At least for me, it’s an extremely efficient talent.
“Here goes.”
I’m far more nervous now than when I enhance items in games.
Please, let the god of luck appear……
Click.
I pressed save.
A message appeared on the monitor.
[SP is insufficient, lowering its quality.]
[Luck has activated! A portion of the loss has been restored.]
===
▶「Random Reinforcement System」
[Lowest-rank] [Mixed (混) Attribute]
─Recognition
*Recognizes up to 5 pieces of specific equipment.
─Random Reinforcement
*Reinforces the “concept” of recognized equipment by 1–44% each. Once determined, the percentage is maintained for 24 hours, and after 24 hours, it is randomly set again.
*Equipment whose recognition is canceled returns to normal after 1 hour.
─Growth
*By investing SP, the talent “Random Reinforcement System” itself can be strengthened.
===
I’m not exactly satisfied, but if this is the result even after luck activated, then the talent I set must have been ridiculous.
Then I should be grateful for even this much.
“……Hmm.”
I checked the text message I’d just received again.
This was the culprit that made me hurriedly write a talent.
[Travel Club next Friday. Destination: England.]
A dry, matter-of-fact message announcing the Travel Club.
The main story had come again.
I picked up the magic power sword I had carefully stored away in my drawer.
* * *
The British Royal Family.
Rachel was enjoying her vacation in her room, which she had returned to for the first time in a while. She relished a day completely freed from studying, training, and any possible threats by sleeping on her bed all day long.
“Mmm~”
The morning sunlight after 14 hours of sleep was clear and pleasant.
As expected, ever since she experienced that fragment of the future that day, each day had begun to feel strangely brighter.
Knock, knock—
The sound of knocking.
“Yes.”
The man who entered afterward was Henry, the royal family’s dedicated butler. Now gray-haired with age, the elderly butler was someone Rachel felt more comfortable with than even her own father.
“How has your time at Cube been?”
“It’s been fine.”
Rachel answered with a smile. However, Henry could sense a certain fear lying deep within her heart.
“From now on, you truly need not worry. We have finished an agreement with Cube, and we have decided to deploy trustworthy agents.”
They were reassuring words. Rachel praised the butler with a gentle smile.
“Ah, and about the cadet who is said to have saved you, Princess.”
Henry spoke. It was the matter Rachel had personally asked the butler about as soon as the exam ended. Rachel’s ears perked up.
“The Royal Guild is considering making separate contact with him.”
“……Good.”
Rachel nodded in satisfaction.
Of course, most British guilds were insignificant compared to those in Korea. However, the “British Royal Guild” had some degree of competitiveness, and it was lined with quite formidable heroes.
That said, one couldn’t say it would be attractive to a cadet in Cube’s top 100. But Kim Hajin was not in the top 100. His evaluation at Cube was particularly harsh, and he was currently ranked 934th.
However, that man’s true strength was by no means at the level of 934th. The memory of that day and that moment still remained vivid in Rachel’s mind. The thunderous roar of the firearm that had instantly disposed of the assassin she had struggled against.
For some reason, Kim Hajin was not revealing his strength, but thanks to that, there should be no guilds attempting to contact him right now. Even if there were, it would be illegal anyway. However, the British Royal Guild was a guild with the “right of prior contact,” so they could legally offer far better conditions.
“Thank you, Mr. Henry.”
“Not at all. Then, please rest.”
With that, the butler withdrew.
A royal’s room was spacious and quiet. There wasn’t much to do for fun either. If she went out to the yard, there were Welsh corgis, but they disliked her.
Thus, as Rachel idled on her bed, she suddenly rubbed her stomach. Her pale white belly, with clear eleven-line abs, was not yet wide enough for life to stir within it, but someday. Someday, even so……
A bashful smile spread across Rachel’s lips.
End
My summer vacation was a continuous series of hellish training.
Just because I had gone all-in on weapons with SP didn’t mean I had given up on my body itself, so I put together a curriculum of my own by referencing the hero community and worked hard as far as my perseverance would take me.
And now, one week later.
While my physical growth was still stagnant, Aether’s maturation was complete.
=====
[Aether─Open (開)] [Mystic─Formless (無形)] [Growth-type]
A fluid-state armament. It has no fixed form and clings to its master and their weapon to strengthen their essence.
Through the power of a mysterious spirit, a portion of its potential has been unlocked.
─Master Designation
*Once a master is designated, it will not cling to any other being.
─Physical Reinforcement
*Assists all of the master’s variable stats by 0.7.
─Weapon Reinforcement
*Clings to the weapon used by the master and partially strengthens the weapon’s destructive power. Alternatively, Aether itself can take the form of a weapon. (Current grade of weapon-form Aether─ “High-rank or above”)
─Detailed Realization
*Aether can partially realize color and texture. (However, complex structures cannot be realized.)
─Growing Armament
*All of the above functions grow alongside the master. Additionally, depending on Aether’s awakened state, other functions may bloom.
=====
To roughly recite the changes, the value of “Physical Reinforcement” went up by 0.1, from 0.6 to 0.7, and something called “Detailed Realization” was added.
─Detailed Realization
It’s a function I like quite a bit.
In fact, in the original work, Aether only had two colors. White or blue.
Because of that, if one wanted to create and use a weapon with Aether, it had no choice but to stand out. It would become an entirely snow-white weapon or a very deep-blue weapon.
But with “Detailed Realization,” it’s different.
An ordinary knife, an ordinary hammer, and an ordinary handgun…… Of course, since it explicitly says, “complex structures cannot yet be reproduced,” there’s a high chance a handgun won’t work.
“……Will it?”
Still, I wouldn’t know unless I tried, so I gave it a shot first.
When I sent my will into it, Aether clumped together here and there, trying to form the shape of a handgun. However, it tangled halfway through and collapsed into some kind of croissant shape.
“Nope.”
The next attempt was a knife.
The knife was realized without difficulty. A blade about 35 centimeters long and a black plastic handle. When I held it in one hand, both its texture and color were unmistakably that of an “ordinary” knife.
Here, “ordinary” is what matters most.
“Evandel, Uncle’s going to step outside for a bit.”
“……Okay.”
“I’ll buy something tasty on my way back, so don’t keep playing with that for too long. If you get sleepy, go straight to bed.”
Evandel was drawing out her magic power and clumping it like clay. It was the habit of a witch trying to make a ghost. Thanks to that, it was a relief that she could play perfectly well on her own, but……
“Okay~”
“You have to make a cute animal with that, all right?”
Absolutely not a person.
“I knooow, I know.”
Evandel covered her ears and shook her head vigorously. She must be telling me not to disturb her while she was concentrating. Somehow, it already felt like she was starting to resemble Rachel.
I patted Evandel’s head and went outside.
Maybe because it was vacation, Cube’s grounds were completely empty. Even though it was 9 p.m., there were few dorms with their lights on. What a nice environment.
I headed toward a nearby deserted forest.
When I had entered a suitable spot in the middle of the forest, I stopped and gripped the Aether knife.
Then I murmured softly.
“Recognition.”
At that moment, the number “31” was engraved on the knife’s blade, then disappeared.
There didn’t seem to be any special change on the surface, but Aether’s output itself should have been strengthened by 31%.
“……”
I stared at a rock roughly 200 meters away. It looked quite large and sturdy.
“Hup!”
With that rock as my target, I immediately threw the knife.
The knife flew like a beam of light and reached the rock, but it did not lodge into it. The knife pierced straight through the rock. The rock could not withstand the impact and split into two stones. Even after cutting the rock in half, the knife kept flying until it was retrieved by my will.
“Oho.”
Detailed Realization had created an “object that looks ordinary on the outside but is not ordinary in performance.” That was an incredible advantage.
“Not bad.”
The many armaments scattered throughout the world all look special from the outside, and a noble aura emanates from them. After all, the depth of time and history can never be hidden.
But this isn’t like that. No matter who looks at it, it’s a modern knife. Of course, just because it pierced a rock doesn’t mean it can smash through body-protecting aura.
However, an ordinary appearance induces carelessness.
And a dagger pierces the heart of the careless.
That is enough.
* * *
Noon, with the sun blazing down.
In the sweltering midsummer heat, the Travel Club gathered again.
The meeting place was the Seoul Portal Customs Office. Chae Nayun, Kim Suho, and Yoo Yeonha, who had already arrived, were waiting for the people who had yet to come.
“Ah, it’s so hot I’m gonna die. When are they coming?”
Chae Nayun grumbled while fanning herself with her hand. Beside her, Yoo Yeonha chattered.
“Who told you to come wearing a cadet uniform?”
“……”
Chae Nayun had worn her cadet uniform instead of her three-million-won jacket with a temperature-control function. It was because she thought Kim Suho would come wearing his cadet uniform.
But Kim Suho had actually come wearing a shirt. A white shirt and black slacks. They suited him so well that she couldn’t even get angry.
“There’s another cadet uniform coming over there.”
Yoo Yeonha pointed into the distance. Chae Nayun also glanced that way. It was Kim Hajin. Kim Hajin was wearing some kind of black jacket over his summer uniform.
“……He looks hot as hell.”
However, contrary to Chae Nayun’s expectations, Kim Hajin’s temperature was extremely comfortable.
Kim Hajin walked over and stopped in front of them.
“Hajin, hi.”
Kim Suho waved with a smile.
“Hey.”
Kim Hajin gave a small nod.
These two are awkward as hell. Chae Nayun looked back and forth between the two of them and snickered.
At that moment, Yoon Hanhyun clapped his hands and shouted.
“Now that Hajin is here as well, let’s get going.”
*
After our passports were checked at the customs office, we took the portal and arrived in London, England.
The sight of London, seen with my own eyes for the first time in my life, was both bustling and beautiful.
“As I announced, today’s destination is Clancy Islet.”
Clancy Islet is a place where Europe’s upper class gathers. It is lined with all manner of entertainment, amusements, and luxuries—similar, in a way, to Las Vegas in the United States.
“Hmhm. Good. Very good.”
Chae Nayun opened and closed her fists, unable to hide her anticipation.
“We do get free time, right?”
“Yes. Only until seven in the evening, though. There’s a fairly large event at the Islet. In fact, that’s the reason we’re going there today. I inquired because I wanted you to observe it, and they readily granted permission.”
Just as Yun Hanhyeon said, there was a very large event being held there. An event so big that it would draw in countless flies.
……No, that’s not right. Calling them flies would be too great a gap. I’ll correct that to wild beasts.
“Now then. Let’s go.”
I walked along the street with the group.
After walking along the Thames for about ten minutes, an island floating in the sky came into view.
An island literally “drifting” in the air at an altitude of seven hundred meters, half the size of Yeouido.
That was Clancy Islet, the floating island created by the “Floating Stone” owned by the British government. A golden island said to generate nearly thirty percent of Britain’s tourism revenue.
“Wow. It’s seriously been forever since I saw that. First time since I was eleven.”
Chae Nayun smiled brightly, feeling a sudden wave of nostalgia. But her face soon darkened. Most likely because the person who had come with her back then had been her older brother.
“It’s my complete first time. You’ll be our guide, right?”
Kim Suho said. Chae Nayun became lively again and answered, Of course.
Chatter, chatter.
I walked while letting the others’ conversation pass in one ear and out the other.
“Hajin, have you been here before?”
Then Kim Suho asked me.
“No.”
“Oh. Then it’s exactly two first-timers and two experienced visitors.”
“Looks like it.”
As I gave him a perfunctory response, we arrived before we knew it at the entrance to Clancy Islet. The way up to the Islet was through a portal on the ground. The portal built over the Thames was under even tighter security than usual today.
“Here are Mr. Jamie Kim’s invitation and our Cube cadet IDs.”
Yun Hanhyeon approached them and presented the invitation and cadet IDs.
“Wait.”
Only after the bodyguards checked the identities of the remaining cadets and even inspected whether we were carrying any weapons did they let us through.
“Intense.”
Hotel casinos. Arenas. Auction houses. Academic seminars. Lectures. Corporate new product showcases, and so on—Clancy Islet had everything related to money. It was no exaggeration to say that the reason Britain was the strongest power in Europe after France was Clancy Islet.
“Oh, right. We can go to the casino too, right?”
Chae Nayun asked. Her hands already seemed to be itching.
“Yes. Cube cadets are, in principle, treated as adults.”
Being a Cube cadet is a very nice status to have. With Yun Hanhyeon as our guardian, we can do things minors normally cannot, and if any problems arise as a result, the state takes responsibility and resolves them for us.
Of course, that doesn’t mean we’re allowed to commit crimes.
“Nice!”
Chae Nayun clenched both fists.
However, that fighting spirit will be squandered in three hours.
Today, Chae Nayun brought three hundred million won with her—half of the allowance she had saved up until now. (Originally, she had planned to use fifteen percent as her gambling budget and the remaining eighty-five percent as her shopping budget.)
The fact that half her allowance is three hundred million won, and the fact that she will blow through all three hundred million in three hours.
Even I, the original author, don’t know which one makes less sense.
“Phew.”
I tried to maintain my composure as much as possible, but to be honest, I was nervous too.
My hands and feet were itching. To me, a casino is a heaven-sent place to make money. I shouldn’t make too much, but I have no intention of leaving with too little either.
Before that incident occurs at seven in the evening, I intend to make as much money as possible.