Episode 9: Sung Siwoo (2)
Good morning.
So good that I’m at a loss for words.
I resolved my worries overnight.
I came to the conclusion that this is the right path.
[07:40 AM]
There’s no morning training today. I feel sorry for Yu Hana, but there was a compelling reason for it.
Well, she’s not coming just to see me, so telling her I won’t be going feels a bit… off.
I washed up, opened my laptop, and sat down at my desk.
----
[Talent: Renaissance Individual]
① Polymath (Universal Genius)
—“Exceptional” talent in every field.
----
At first glance, the explanation of the “Renaissance Individual” talent is vague and bewildering.
Exceptional talent? What exactly is talent supposed to be?
To prove this, I decided to conduct an experiment.
In this world, stock trading is permitted from the age of 18.
And I’m currently 19 years old.
[100,000,000 KRW]
This was the reward money I received a year ago from the Hero Association for defeating the monster wave.
I invested the entire amount.
For the past year, I’ve been buying and selling stocks. It’s not like I traded obsessively; I only did it occasionally when I was bored.
Through this process, I realized just how overwhelming the concept of “talent” in this world is.
Talent doesn’t reveal itself immediately.
[91,533,264 KRW]
At first, it might seem slower than others.
But gradually.
[142,566,214 KRW]
Gradually.
[295,330,111 KRW]
It begins to reveal its presence.
[356,241,450 KRW]
And finally.
[Current balance of Jung Haein’s account]
[1,245,242,186 KRW]
It stands out, showcasing a clear difference from others.
You think I made this money just because I know the future?
The main story only started two days ago.
Before that, I had no knowledge of this world’s stock market, nor did I have any interest in it.
[Corporate Glory Guild ‘Master’ faces distrust, triggering a continuous price drop…]
Glory, except for the risk of Kang Yuseong being revealed as a demon’s puppet later, is a company that consistently performs well until the story ends.
People use their minds to minimize risks.
But what if they knew there was no risk at all?
‘It’s about time I stopped.’
I was tired of sitting in front of the monitor, wrestling with numbers.
[08:00 AM]
As soon as the market opened, the stock price plummeted to the limit.
I didn’t waver and immediately pressed the buy button.
[‘Glory’ 8,300 shares purchased]
[Y]
Whether my choice was right or not, the future me will eventually find out.
I once said this:
‘If you don’t have talent, you can never become a swordsman.’
Last night, even after listening to the recording of the old man’s words, I replayed the video multiple times.
The old man’s words were true.
In fact, he sugarcoated it. His talent for the sword wasn’t just mediocre—it was nonexistent.
But the problem wasn’t just his pitiful talent.
‘His personality’s a complete mess too.’
Throughout the journey through the forest, he had been the source and cause of every conflict within the team.
So, Sung Siwoo, there’s one thing I’d like to say to you.
‘Give up the sword.’
He probably wouldn’t listen. He wouldn’t let go.
“Well, it’ll be my first time with a longsword.”
I reopened my laptop and placed my fingers on the search bar.
When I typed “longsword,” countless videos popped up.
I selected a few and played them.
On the screen, people wielding swords executed movements that were both elaborate and precise.
Even if he doesn’t give up, it doesn’t matter.
From the start, I’m not the type to resolve things through conversation.
So I’ll make him feel it deeply.
Even if it means breaking his wrist.
***
Yu Hana wasn’t in a good mood.
‘He didn’t come….’
Jung Haein hadn’t shown up for morning training. But it wasn’t just because he didn’t come that she felt upset.
- Do you always come here?
- As long as my legs work.
She remembered what he had said. He had clearly mentioned that as long as his legs were fine, he would always show up….
‘Could he be hurt?’
If he was injured and she saw him in a weakened state… she might not be able to hold herself back.
For many reasons.
“!”
As she was lost in thought, she suddenly heard footsteps in the distance. They were Jung Haein’s footsteps.
In fact, just by the sound of his steps, she could tell he was approaching.
“3… 2… 1….”
As she finished counting, he appeared.
Yu Hana stood up and hurriedly ran toward him.
“Haein!”
He looked slightly surprised at her sudden actions.
Yu Hana took a step back and cautiously asked,
“Did something happen… today…?”
“Ah.”
He frowned slightly, his expression tinged with guilt.
“Were you waiting? Sorry. I had something to do today. I should have told you.”
At his words, Yu Hana smiled.
This kindness—apologizing even before she could bring up her concerns—made her feel so happy.
Luckily, he didn’t seem to be injured.
“It’s fine. I didn’t go either today.”
“Really? That’s good to hear.”
As they walked together, Yu Hana naturally followed him to his usual seat. But someone was already there.
“Hello?”
It was Cheon Yeoul.
She had spread herself comfortably across the space around Jung Haein’s usual seat and subtly guided him to sit beside her.
‘Well, Well, look at that….’
Yu Hana clenched her fists tightly, suppressing her anger for a moment. For the past few days, she had monopolized his attention to some degree, and they had come to a sort of unspoken understanding.
“See you later.”
Yu Hana waved goodbye to him, deciding to step back for now. Knowing when to retreat was also a virtue of a lady.
“Yeah, go quickly.” Cheon Yeoul replied, her tone annoyingly smug.
“… … ….”
Yu Hana endured the moment with superhuman patience.
***
Yu Hana, where are you going?
Cheon Yeoul was looking at me, resting her chin on her hand.
Somehow, I felt more comfortable with Yu Hana than with Cheon Yeoul. The reason wasn’t anything special.
It was because of that guy glaring at me from up ahead.
Now that I think about it, something feels off about this class.
‘Yu Hana… Cheon Yeoul… Yohan… Kang Arin… Sung Siwoo… No, let’s leave him out.’
There were quite a few students in the top 10 ranking.
Class assignments were determined through a random draw system.
You know the kind, right? Like the system used in the military when assigning positions or units after finishing basic training.
The Instructors even demonstrated it in front of the recruits to ensure there was no tampering or manipulation.
Naturally, class assignments are based on this system, so there’s no room for external intervention or unfairness.
This means the class roster was formed purely by chance.
As I was deep in thought, the classroom door opened.
“Good morning, everyone. I am Instructor Do Han-seong.”
It was the instructor who had introduced himself as our class supervisor on the first day.
He still looked sleepy as he entered the classroom.
“While I’m your instructor, I do have a specialty of my own.”
“I’ll just call it training in polearms, swords, and other weapons.”
He tapped the blackboard a couple of times, and the training hall from earlier appeared again.
“Today, you’ll be sparring with the weapons of your choice.”
At the entrance to the auditorium were the same weapons we had seen last time, and beyond them was a wide open space.
The murmurs of students grew louder.
“As for your opponents… well, pair up with whoever you want. If anyone is left out, I’ll randomly assign partners.”
“You can start right now.”
Today’s class was weapon sparring.
I already had my opponent in mind.
“Haein, want to spar together?”
Cheon Yeoul asked from beside me.
But she wasn’t the person I had planned to fight.
“Sorry, I’ve already decided on someone.”
“…Who?”
I turned to find my intended opponent.
Or rather, I tried to.
Before I could, Yohan suddenly appeared in front of me, blocking my view entirely.
“Was it Jung Haein?”
He extended his hand and spoke.
“Let’s spar.”
It seemed his personal challenge had already begun.
The posture was good, and his stance wasn’t bad either.
Being a candidate for a hero, he wasn’t bad. It could be fun, but…
Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like today is your day.
“I’ve already got someone in mind.”
Even after my response, Yohan didn’t move. His hand remained extended in front of me.
“Hey, didn’t you hear? He told you to buzz off.”
Surprised, I heard Cheon Yeoul growl from the side.
“You remember what I said, right? If you mess with me one more time, I’m filing a restraining order against you.”
Yohan briefly glanced at Cheon Yeoul, hesitated, and then stepped back.
However, his gaze remained fixed on me.
‘Alright.’
I guess I’ll have to deal with him soon.
“…So, who is it? Yu Hana? Or Kang Arin?”
“Neither.”
I paused slightly before answering.
“Sung Siwoo.”
“Ah….”
At my words, Cheon Yeoul gave me a meaningful smile.
“Alright, Got it.”
***
Sung Siwoo surprisingly accepted the sparring match without much resistance.
In fact, it seemed that his personality was so infamous that no one else had dared to challenge him.
‘Sigh….’
Siwoo, what are you going to do with your life?
“You think you’ve got what it takes?”
From the moment he agreed to the spar, he kept provoking me.
I didn’t bother responding, but it seemed like he didn’t tire of it.
“Instructor.”
“Yes.”
“Jung Haein and Sung Siwoo will spar.”
“Alright, head to the back, grab your weapons, and wait in Zone C.”
The instructor gestured to the weapons while scribbling notes on his clipboard.
As we approached the weapons, I asked Siwoo,
“What are you using?”
I already knew, but I asked again just in case.
“Hah.”
He smirked and picked up a longsword.
Of course.
“What about you?”
He thrust the glaive at me as he asked.
“Whoa, you can’t do that! This area hasn’t been reinforced with mana yet. Someone could get seriously hurt.”
Instructor Do Han-seong panicked and quickly stopped Siwoo.
“Hmm… Should I use that too?”
I picked up a greatsword from the rack across the room.
The instructor tilted his head, looking confused, and asked me,
“Haein, it says here you use a spear. Did I make a mistake?”
“No, you’re correct. I do use a spear. I just want to try this out for once. Would that be a problem, Instructor?”
“Oh, no, not at all. It’s fine. Students are responsible for their own choices.”
After answering, he turned back to jot down the next pair of students.
Meanwhile, Siwoo’s expression twisted in frustration.
It looked like his pride had taken a hit.
I didn’t pay him any attention and headed toward Zone C in the training hall.
As I stepped in, glass walls rose up automatically, creating a spacious area.
“Have you ever used a sword before?”
Siwoo called out from the other side, his gaze fixed intently on me.
“No.”
My short answer seemed to make his stare even sharper.
“Then have you at least learned it before?”
“Hmm… Probably.”
His brows furrowed even further, disbelief written all over his face.
“Who’s your teacher?”
A teacher, huh? That word has a nice ring to it.
Of course, I had only one teacher.
“YouTube.”
At my answer, his furious expression faltered in disbelief.
“YouTube videos.”
Lately, YouTube’s been pretty great.