ALL NOVEL Chapter 56
In the Empire, if you’re talking about swordsmanship, one name you can’t skip is…
Valantes.
The noble lady of this family, Aveline Valantes, was invited to Claris Academy with excellent grades.
– “She’s the fourth daughter of the Valantes…”
– “Isn’t it true that her older siblings have all surpassed sword experts?”
– “As expected, you can’t escape your bloodline.”
Claris Academy, rank S,
Aveline Valantes.
With beautifully styled golden waves in her hair, her noble demeanor could easily convince one she was of royal descent.
Even the academy’s enrollment officials who buttered her up and the guild representatives scheming to win her favor were all out of her interest.
What caught her attention was…
A commoner with no talent, yet persevering again and again.
– “Just one more time!!”
Edwin Gwynn.
And…
– “Is it already over?”
– “…!”
– “Good job~.”
A noble shrouded in mystery, Caeran Hiss, with skills that far surpassed her own.
If there is any intrigue, it’s twofold, but her primary focus was undoubtedly on the Caeran side.
‘As a lord, he has no shortcomings…’
If he is the child of the world’s greatest swordmaster’s noble daughter and the highest-skilled man in the academy…
Well, that talent must be beyond words.
However…
– “Hah. Hah.”
That man with the pale green hair, Edwin, who merely exhibited effort…
Has grown.
To the point where Aveline would need both hands to win against him…
Of course, it was just a sword duel without any magical interference as per Yeriel’s request,
But he was only a C-class guy.
‘I didn’t want to give him any leeway…’
Aveline, having seen countless swordsmen and engaged in duels, could now gauge their skills just by looking into their eyes.
In their final match, she saw Edwin’s eyes; they were resolute.
She felt a pure innocence, almost as if he possessed the untainted humility of a paladin…
Even so, he was reflecting someone within him.
‘What could have happened to him…?’
Before the positioning, his performance in the closed training hall under the moonlight was, quite frankly, pitiful.
He had not even mastered the basics.
But right after that day, it seemed someone had entered his heart, and things changed.
‘No way was that his natural talent… Could he have received some inherited ability…?’
Edwin was evolving, passing through positioning, selection tests, and dungeon investigation practices, step by step.
Did he have another ally, perhaps?
Clearly, Yeriel and Edwin didn’t have any specific connections, yet she came personally to ask for a duel.
“What could be the link…?”
As the fog in Aveline’s mind thickened,
A red-haired Caeran appeared before her.
“Aveline?”
“Oh, Caeran.”
“What are you thinking about so deeply?”
“I was just recalling today’s duel…”
“Hmmm~.”
“I heard your opponent has been decided. Aren’t you going to train separately?”
“Well, is it really necessary?”
Caeran’s opponent was Lev Denec.
Aveline also knew this because Melissa, a member of the same royal class circle, mentioned it.
He’s a B-class guy, and rumors have it he’s been quiet lately compared to his rambunctious past.
There’s no way Aveline could have any connections with… that guy.
Yet, he was personally selected by Caeran as his ranking match opponent.
‘Why him…?’
Aveline found herself oddly intrigued by Lev Denec.
—
Entering the dormitory and washing up, I collapsed onto my bed.
‘It’s already been quite a while since I was reincarnated here.’
It’s been over three weeks since my duel with Galeon.
And rumors tend to die down quickly.
Unfortunately, my status at school hasn’t changed much.
I’m still a B-class, spending most of my time holed up in training rooms.
In comparison, Caeran has been growing constantly due to the author’s favoritism,
And the characters from the original game I should be boosting are becoming inflation’s victims.
‘It seems unfair no matter how I look at it.’
Thus, in order to aid the main character’s growth, I need to incorporate some fanfic elements.
So, the key figure for Edwin’s growth is Aveline Valantes.
Using formal speech…
She has a crush on Caeran.
An unconventional heroine, but according to the novel, she did become a supporter of Edwin.
The reason being that Caeran and Edwin compete with each other,
She becomes briefly intrigued by Edwin, who’s awakened as the executor after defeating the rag.
‘But!’
As I grow rapidly, things have gotten tangled.
With Lev Denec’s involvement altering the narrative a bit, Edwin is weaker than expected.
So, in this situation, Yeriel serves as a great connecting thread.
Even as Caeran is forming a camaraderie cartel in the royal class’s midst,
She is a senior and once a mentor to Aveline, creating a familiar situation.
In the end, she arranged the training between Edwin and Aveline.
Just like in the original game, Yeriel is the only one helping me without any strings attached.
Caeran probably tried to hit on her, yet it’s commendable that she hasn’t fallen for it.
– “As a thank you for honoring my request.”
So, I ended up giving away the cake Scarlet gifted me.
‘Maybe it feels a bit forced?’
I hope that doesn’t affect her affection level up or down.
‘Alright, let’s check the rewards.’
[Confirm Reward]
[Select Reward]
Of course, checking the confirm reward first is the rule of thumb.
As I muttered “confirm reward” softly, the familiar status window began to pop up.
– Ding!
—————————————————
[Physical Resistance] [Lv.3]
: Permanently increases physical resistance to level 4. However, if your current level is 4 or higher, you cannot fully benefit from it.
—————————————————
Since it’s the Black Armor, it’s a physical resistance.
Pretty simple.
– Ding.
—————————————————
[Specialization]
Circle Magic (1)
Crossbow – Proficiency (7)
Curse Resistance (3)
Fire Resistance (3)
Physical Resistance (4) (new)
—————————————————
This time, another line appeared calmly, and my body emitted a light.
With physical resistance, it should definitely help significantly when students from different classes clash in the ranking matches.
[Luck Activated!: You will gain an additional skill by skimming through the narrative of the Black Armor.]
‘Oh?’
– Ding.
—————————————————
[The Lost Hero, Blessing of Adrian]
The maximum accumulation of wind energy from Wind Archery increases by +50.
(*If you do not possess Wind Archery skill, randomly assigned stats will increase by 0.4.)
—————————————————
[Current Status: Possessing Wind Archery]
[Wind Archery is enhanced!]
[Maximum capacity of wind energy: 160]
“Whoa. Really?”
In the original game, defeating certain bosses rewarded you with items from heroes who once sought to defeat those bosses.
It was a system for immersion, so the rewards weren’t that significant.
Still, could it be because Adrian was also an elven archer?
Wind Archery has been enhanced.
“The lack of wind energy has always been a concern, so this works out!”
An unexpected power-up.
And the confirm reward wasn’t finished yet.
– Ding.
—————————————————
[B+ Rank Demon Defeat Reward]
: Earn 500 supporting points.
Randomly assigned stats will increase by 0.6.
—————————————————
[Luck Activated! : The best stats matching your specialization will rise.]
—————————————————
Status
[Strength]: 3.25
[Health]: 3.3
[Dexterity]: 2.6 (3.38) -> 3.2 (4.14)
[Magic Power]: 1.95 (2.14)
[Mana]: 2.55
[Mental Strength]: 2.45
[Awareness]: 2.1
[Luck]: 3.4
—————————————————
[Remaining Supporting Points: 735]
“Wow…”
Today is a lucky day! The most needed dexterity has increased.
And since I earned the long-awaited supporting points,
I can finally unlock my unique characteristic.
‘Unique characteristic.’
– Ding!
—————————————————
[Unique Characteristic]
[Foundational Gamer] [Lv.1] (0/1000)
—————————————————
—————————————————
[Unique Characteristic]
[Foundational Gamer] [Lv.1]
: A special ability granted to you, who only played classic games in your previous life.
1. Gamer (0/500)
For ‘you,’ the [Reincarnated Hero] system is borrowed.
+Check detailed information.
2. Foundational (0/500)
For ‘you,’ the [Reincarnated Hero] closed beta patch version is applied.
+Check detailed information.
—————————————————
‘Gamer with 500 supporting points.’
[The Gamer trait rises to Lv.2!]
[Skill slots are expanded!]
“Just as I thought.”
After that, thankfully, everything went as expected.
—————————————————
Currently registered skills
[Passive] – Hermit
[Passive 2] – (Registerable)
[Normal Skill 1] – Shadow Slash
[Normal Skill 2] – 1st Style Wind Arrow – Trajectory
[Normal Skill 3] – 1st Style Wind Arrow – Rapid Fire
[Normal Skill 4] – (Registerable)
[Normal Skill 5] – (Registerable)
[Ultimate Skill] – Demon Transformation
[Ultimate Skill 2] – (Registerable)
—————————————————
“Ahh, this feels good.”
Like a man who just took a sip of beer, I can’t help but express my delight.
The investment of 500 supporting points yielded the greatest cost-effectiveness.
One more passive and ultimate skill unlocked, and the normal skills expanded by two slots.
It had been quite inconvenient not being able to put in mana, but now I can equip it again.
‘And…’
The last remaining… the long-awaited selection reward.
[Select Reward]
‘Selection Reward.’
– Ding.
—————————————————
[Blessing of Shellback Demon Dragon] [Lv.1] (Active) (Basic Skill)
: Permanently increases physical resistance by 2 levels.
However, if your resistance is already at level 4 or higher, the increase will be halved.
[Active] – Black Demon’s Dark Magic. Consumes mana from the caster’s attack to deal additional darkness damage based on magic power. Toggle skill.
Exp: (0/200)
Acquisition Difficulty: Very Hard
—————————————————
[Black Armor] [Lv.1] (Active)
: Unfolds the darkness energy to absorb damage from skill attacks.
(*Consumes black magic first, and if lacking, uses mana.)
(*As long as this skill is active, it confers [Annihilation].)
Exp: (0/200)
Acquisition Difficulty: Quite Difficult
—————————————————
[Black Dragon’s Vessel] [No Level] [Ultimate Skill]
: Gradually injects the black magic you possess into a designated target.
(If the target is a demon race: Growth)
(If the target is a non-demon: Corruption)
(*You cannot be the target.)
(Details cannot be viewed.)
Acquisition Difficulty: Extremely Difficult
—————————————————
[Time until selection completion: 23 hours 57 minutes]
—————————————————
A blessing that adds extra damage to attacks.
A defensive skill, Black Armor.
And a mysteriously cursed skill, Black Dragon’s Vessel.
‘This one really puzzles me…’
For the first time, I’m facing a lineup that’s hard to decide upon.
Originally, closed beta skills were notoriously tricky, but I need to be careful.
Given the high-level boss, there’s a selection time limit,
and it’s best to choose a skill that will help in my ranking match with Caeran…
‘For now, I’ll hold off.’
Anyway, this wraps up most of the groundwork.
What remains is…
‘To acquire a parasitic skill.’
– Vroom!
Just then, my communication crystal lit up in red.
Hazel had discovered a singularity in her homunculus experiment and sent me a signal.
‘It must be a parasitic demon detected?’
If left alone, it would become the boss of the third chapter.
I need to kill it before it becomes a mature form to acquire the parasitic skill.
‘Ugh. I guess I’m heading out again.’
I’m not particularly fond of heading out right after a wash, but circumstances demand it.
“Caeran, here comes the parasite pest…”
– Clunk.
I hurriedly opened my closet and searched for my student uniform shirt.
‘…?’
Was it washed by Yeriel? The white shirt was neatly hung on the hanger, emanating a nice scent.
‘Did she hang it when she came to my room last time?’
Pushing the lingering questions aside, I left the Sellafi Black House.