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Chapter 33 - New Rookie King (3)

-You’ve earned Spirit Glue for today’s log in bonus!

Kang Shin-hyuk awoke early the next day, unaware of Claire’s tremendous suffering at the hands of Shin Eunah’s absurd misunderstandings. Onyx was already nibbling at his fingertips, complaining he was hungry.

-Myu!

“You ate so much yesterday…”

-Myu!

Whether it was because he was connected to the pet system or because he used his spiritual power to hatch him, Kang Shin-hyuk could read Onyx’s intentions as he let out a small cry. According to him, he would consume all metal in general, but the most delicious thing had been that finished weapon with plenty of spiritual power.

“I guess you know what you want. Do you get stronger when you eat that sort of thing?”

-Myu.

Onyx rolled up his body with energy at Shin-hyuk’s words, the tip of his thorns glowing purple.

“Hm?”

-Myu!

He realized belatedly that the creature was using the special ability of the steel spear he had ingested, poison spray, in an amusing way. ‘Wait a minute, poison spray?’

“Don’t shoot! I’m an ally.” At Kang Shin-hyuk’s frightened voice, the hedgehog dismissed the magic. At the moment, a familiar system window appeared in front of Shin-hyuk’s eyes. It was the status window of Onyx, not himself.

[Onyx: E+ rank]

[Physical Ability]

Force: F

Agility: C-

Health: E

[Special Ability]

Gold Magic: E

[Skills]

Iron Predation (S+): E

Implementation (SS): F

Defensive Position: D

[State]

Subordinate to Kang Shin-hyuk: Loyalty 52

Its overwhelmingly high agility was surprising, but the first thing that caught his eyes was the special ability Onyx had- gold magic. Presumably, it had something to do with magic metals, but it was something he had never heard of before.

“The iron predation is the same ability that the Godslayer has…so he can reproduce the power of what he’s eaten with it. It’s only F rank, but its rarity is higher than S. How absurd.” Kang Shin-hyuk carefully stroked his pet after confirming the poison had disappeared. He realized that this little guy really was no ordinary pet.

‘Still, that means I have to create an artifact to complement the Godslayer sword, and something for him to eat, in addition to making something for the Hero Universe and the contest.’ It was hardly something a human could find time for, much less in addition to martial arts training, studying for class, and the activities that the association would have him take part in.

“Administrator, is there an item that could make a duplicate of me for sale on the trading board?”

-There is not.

“Then, how about a product that will increase how much time is in a day?”

-Also no.

“How about a product that will let me graduate early?”

-No. How about dropping out and becoming a mercenary?

“Don’t give up on me…!” Kang Shin-hyuk let out a cry, and the administrator responded casually.

-Graduating early isn’t possible, but all of your other problems can be fixed by increasing the assimilation rate.

“Really?!”

-Of course. Therefore, please, earnestly raise the assimilation rate.

Of course, that was always the answer. He simply sighed and nodded.

“You said 5%, right? Let’s reach it today.”

-50HP bonus from a cheering administrator!

Kang Shin-hyuk asked Onyx to stay quiet in the room, buying some cheap ingots for him to eat from the trading board. He had been saving up the login bonus and the administrator’s bonus, so he could purchase enough for him to eat.

“… I’ll take one. I want to try metallurgy with other materials.”

-I think your priority should be getting used to the basics for now.

“I know, I was just being greedy.”

-A 20 HP bonus for members!

“Are you encouraging me?” These days, as Anvil’s memories were gradually recovering quicker and quicker, Kang Shin-hyuk felt the urge to imitate the Anvil he saw in his memories. The skill of a blacksmith who had reached the realm of perfection. When he woke up, he felt an instinctive need to chase after it. The administrator was reinforcing that desire as he tried to grasp at that lofty ideal.

-Myu?

“Yes, it’s all for you. I won’t take any.” He left after reassuring Onyx, who was staring at him anxiously. The sky was, fortunately, clear on his walk to the club room.

“Rookie King!”

“Your match the other day was insane!”

“Were you just pretending to be unable to use mana?”

“Hey, let’s hang out later!”

“Is that this year’s Rookie King?”

Things had dramatically changed for him now, as everyone who passed by was pretending to know him. He felt somewhat troubled as he didn’t know how to react, but he finally made up his mind. He quickened his pace as he walked, trying to put on a suitable sense of confidence for a Rookie King.

-100HP Bonus!

‘Why, just why?!’ It had been the same when he had shown up at the classroom earlier, his newcomer badge still too shiny. Even their homeroom teacher, Shiara Bertrand, looked incredibly happy at the meeting earlier that morning.

“Everybody in the sports competition worked hard. Some of you may have shown off your skills, and others may be unsatisfied with your results, but I believe all of you have grown greatly from the experience you gained. And…”

“You’re pretty today too!” Shiara smacked the head of the student who interrupted her without fear.

“As everyone knows, the Rookie King came out of our class this year. So we sincerely wish to congratulate you on that.”

“Woahhhh!” Cheers went up through the classroom at her words, everyone standing up and applauding. It was a scene that he couldn’t have even imagined a month ago; all he could do was quietly chuckle at it. He still felt like he had a long way to go to follow after Anvil, however.

“In addition to that, students who advanced to the semifinals in the solo exhibitions will be able to participate in the World Superhuman Conference held in Paris this fall. Surprisingly, three of them are from our class.” That was Kang Shin-hyuk, Karen Stringfield, and Baek In-ha.

“Do they get to skip class to go to Paris?”

“They’ll get to meet all those powerful people.”

“I wonder if they’ll see the Alchemist there. I envy them.”

“Everyone quiet down. The festivities are over, and now Shinyoung’s curriculum will begin in earnest. It would be good to think of the classes up until now as a tutorial to get used to Shinyoung.” She finished her speech and looked at Kang Shin-hyuk briefly before leaving the class. However, the ending was a mess as she unconsciously hummed a tune to herself as she left.

“Our teacher is cute…”

“So cute…”

“Hey, first period will be outdoors! Change into your gym uniforms!” The students prepared for class in a warm atmosphere, but it was as the homeroom teacher said. The teachers kept rushing the students, and things became nearly as twice as intense as before.

“You must’ve realized it during the competition, how much people look up to you as elites!”

“If you feel like you can’t measure up to that standard, pack up and go home now. If not, run. Run even more! Run until you collapse!”

“You ten in the back, you have ten more laps to run! Make the most of your abilities!”

Kang Shin-hyuk was feeling refreshed as he went through this class that forced students to run without thinking. If he didn’t have spiritual power, he would have already reached his limit and collapsed. But thanks to the spiritual power that already reached C-rank, he was able to hold his core firm. His regenerative power at E-rank was helping his muscles regenerate quickly as well, which made a huge difference, enough to put him in the lead of the group.

“I think I’m faster.”

“No, you’re slower.”

“Wha? Dude, you can’t be faster than me, this is all I have.” Baek In-ha, who was keeping pace with him, pretended to be frightened by his confidence before laughing. The teacher gave them a look as if to run without talking, but Baek didn’t give up.

“Can you run any faster?”

“A little bit.”

“Alright, keep up with me.” Baek kicked it up a notch. Kang Shin-hyuk clicked his tongue and sped up as well, using more of his spiritual power to keep up. The power of his soul strengthened his body, the change even more dramatic and longer-lasting, now that the grade of his skill had increased. It was only natural that his body would strengthen alongside his soul. His calf muscles bulged as they pushed him forward.

“Don’t use all your strength on running!”

“Ha, who would?”

“Go faster!”

“Stop being crazy!” Soon Karen Stringfield joined them, running alongside the two men. The three left the other students behind. The students behind them, led by Do Woojin, clenched their teeth and renewed their mana to pursue after them. In the end, the only four people who completed the course were those three in the lead and Do Woojin. The teacher looked at them coolly before turning to another class.

“There are some good contenders in C class. Are you just going to them?”

“No!”

“I see. Alright, run again for 10 more laps! Go, go, go!”

The students were clamoring that now their education was only physical. The teachers, however, were skilled. They knew the limit of their student’s bodies and that pushing them close to that limit was the fastest way to develop their skills. This intense training was the most efficient method of doing so, born out of a deep understanding of the students.

“Next week will be gate practice. If you look pathetic then, you’ll really die. We’ll give you basic protection, but you’ll be fighting real monsters.”

“If you don’t want to die, then train! Get used to the formation needed to fight a monster and push yourself to the limit to defeat your enemy!”

The basic combat and skill training was also intense. It made sense, given that gate practice would be next. It was the most dangerous and practical training they would receive. Kang Shin-hyuk continued to prove himself in all of the classes, showing that he was indeed qualified to be the Rookie King.

“Kang Shin-hyuk…”

“Wow, I can’t even see his sword anymore when he swings it.”

“It’s obviously a trait evolution.”

“Is he stronger than Baek In-ha?”

“No way, but it’s close.”

Neither Do Woojin nor Karen Stringfield could beat him now. Gong Joon-pyo, the gym teacher, could only resentfully grind his teeth.

“I’m looking forward to the gate practice.”

“if you’re lucky, you’ll be paired with Baek or Shin-hyuk.”

“What, we’ll be in pairs?”

“Actually, Karen would be a good partner too.”

Unfortunately for those students, their hopes were shattered in the last lesson of the afternoon- Group Combat Training. The teachers had already formed groups based on the midterm exams and their performance at the athletic meet.

“Finally, class C. Baek In-ha, Karen Stringfield, Do Woojin, and Kang Shin-hyuk. You four will form the last group. Your group will be conducting special exercises.”

“Crazy, they’re like some special forces…!” Usually, when one student was particularly stronger than the others, they would be removed from the class and put into a group of aces formed from each grade level so they could receive special practice. In this case, however, multiple talented people had gathered in one class. As such, four students from class C were grouped up to conduct that special practice.

“You will enter the D+ rank gate. Don’t think it’ll be easy just because your abilities are outstanding.” The teacher laughed darkly as their group was announced.

“The crown you wear is heavy, and you won’t have time to settle down and relax.” As he listened to the teacher’s words, Kang Shin-hyuk looked at his teammates. Do Woojin would make an excellent tank with his traits, and they had two fast melee attackers. The teacher was trying to scare him, but he knew that the D+ rank wasn’t all that dangerous. Of course, they still had to be vigilant. He also had one important issue to address before then.

‘What should I bring?’ He knew you couldn’t bring external artifacts to gate practice, which meant the Godslayer was out. But he wondered what about artifacts or tools the students created themselves.

The teacher’s answer to that question made him smile.