Monday’s Sparring Class
In a private sparring room, Yoo Ara was engaged in a duel with her sparring partner, Lee Seo-jun.
A loud crash echoed as fierce and seemingly dangerous attacks were exchanged between them.
Though it was just a student sparring session, the level was exceptionally high, given that both of them were considered prodigies of their generation.
“Huuh.”
After fifteen minutes of intense sparring, a short break was called. Yoo Ara sat on a chair, wiping the sweat off her forehead with a towel as she drank some water.
“You’re unusually intense today.”
Lee Seo-jun glanced at her and spoke. She was always determined in training, but today was different—like she was being chased by something.
“I’m planning to train even harder from now on.”
“You could afford to take it a bit easier.”
“Take it easy? No way…”
Yoo Ara put down her water bottle and stood up again.
“Let’s start right away.”
Lee Seo-jun frowned.
“Rest a bit more. You haven’t even rested for two minutes yet.”
“…Fine, one more minute.”
“Five minutes.”
At his firm tone, Yoo Ara sighed and sat back down.
Leaning her back against the wall, she stared at Lee Seo-jun, who was busy maintaining his training sword.
She watched him intently, lost in thought.
“Lee Seo-jun.”
“Hm?”
“When you spar with me, how much of your strength do you use?”
At her sudden question, Lee Seo-jun blinked.
“I’m not sure… maybe 30%? It’s just sparring, so I can’t go all out.”
Thirty percent.
Yoo Ara bit her lip at his response.
She had been using nearly 70% of her strength just now, yet Lee Seo-jun had matched her effortlessly with only 30%.
The gap between first and second place was far larger than she had imagined.
She let out a deep sigh.
“Haa…”
Then, she suddenly thought of Kim Sunwoo.
She recalled his skills from before.
Kim Sunwoo was undoubtedly far beyond her level as well.
With his talent and genius, he wouldn’t lose to Lee Seo-jun either.
Curious, she asked, “What do you think of Kim Sunwoo?”
“Hm? Kim Sunwoo?”
Lee Seo-jun looked puzzled at the sudden mention of his name.
“He’s kind of unusual, right? He was ranked dead last in the school, yet he has excellent class performance. Even in the recent basic midterm evaluation, he quickly defeated the Green Giant. And during magic defense class, his movements were impressive too.”
“Ah.”
Lee Seo-jun nodded in understanding.
“He is unusual. His combat sense is oddly good, and it feels like he’s hiding his true abilities. I do get that impression.”
“Right.”
So it wasn’t just her imagination.
Hearing that Lee Seo-jun felt the same way gave Yoo Ara a strange sense of relief.
“But why are you asking?”
“Just… seeing his recent achievements, I feel like he’s really skilled.”
“Yeah, Kim Sun-woo has been standing out a lot lately.”
Lee Seo-jun thought about his recent performances in class and exams.
Yoo Ara watched him for a moment before asking another question.
“You just said it seems like Kim Sunwoo is hiding his true strength. If he stopped holding back, how high do you think he could rank?”
At her question, Lee Seo-jun folded his arms and thought deeply.
“Maybe around 15th place? He should be able to reach that.”
“…What?”
Yoo Ara was visibly disappointed by his answer.
Only 15th place?
Kim Sunwoo’s abilities were far beyond that.
At the very least, he was second place.
At best, he could even be first.
Admitting that he was above her was frustrating, but she had to acknowledge that she was lacking in comparison.
She had expected Lee Seo-jun to recognize Kim Sunwoo’s true potential, but apparently, that wasn’t the case…
Meanwhile, at the vice president’s office in Hanseong Group’s headquarters, Han Se-yeon sat anxiously.
She nervously drank her tea, still unsure if this was the right move.
Lowering her head, she let out a quiet groan.
“Ugh…”
Just then, the office door opened, and a man entered.
It was her older brother, Han Se-jin, the vice president of Hanseong Group.
“What’s this? You asked to meet me first?”
Han Se-jin greeted her with a soft smile.
“Oppa.”
Han Se-yeon called out to him, and he tilted his head upon seeing her haggard face.
“Something wrong? You don’t look well.”
“Huh? No, I just have a bit of a cold.”
“Really? Then you should rest.”
“It’s fine. I still have work to do.”
“Don’t push yourself too hard. So, what’s this about?”
Han Se-jin exchanged pleasantries before taking a seat across from her.
Han Se-yeon hesitated.
She had something to say, but she couldn’t bring herself to say it.
Could she really trust that man?
Was she making a foolish decision?
A whirlwind of doubts spun in her mind.
“…I want to propose a deal.”
“A deal?”
“The dungeon business. If you’re interested, I’m thinking of transferring it to you.”
For a brief moment, a glint of interest flashed in Han Se-jin’s eyes.
“What? Are you giving up on it?”
“I’m not giving up, just losing interest. I’ve found a new venture I’m more invested in.”
“What kind of business?”
Han Se-jin’s curiosity was piqued.
For her to abandon the dungeon business for something else—it had to be significant.
But Han Se-yeon shook her head.
“Obviously, I can’t tell you that.”
“Come on, tell me.”
“No way. Anyway, are you interested in the dungeon business or not? If not, I’ll hand it off elsewhere.”
Despite what she said, she had no intention of giving it to anyone else.
It was a sinking ship.
And if it sank in her brother’s hands, it would strengthen her position within Hanseong Group.
Of course, if Kim Jinwoo’s claims were false, Han Se-jin’s position would grow instead.
In the end, this was a gamble.
She despised gambling, but when a legendary gambler—who had never lost a single bet—told her something, she couldn’t ignore it.
So she decided to place her bet.
She would trust Kim Jinwoo.
Unaware of her thoughts, Han Se-jin smiled greedily.
“I’m very interested. Hand it over. I’ll make sure you’re well compensated.”
“…Alright.”
The dice had been cast.
What number would come up?
The answer would be revealed in the near future.
And if…
If Kim Jin-woo’s words turned out to be true—
Then she would do whatever it took to bring him over to her side.
After regular classes ended, I was back at the dorm, browsing the Point Shop.
“This is tough…”
I currently had a whopping 63,500 points.
With this many points, I could buy a decent A-rank trait.
I could also save up for an S-rank trait, but instead of a single S-rank, it might be better to strengthen my foundation with two A-rank traits.
Or I could buy multiple B-rank traits…
“Hmm…”
I needed something versatile with good growth potential…
Ah, I remembered one.
A trait that Jeon Mingi, the second-ranked first-year, acquired in the original story.
[‘Evolution and Adaptation’ search in progress.]
━━
[Secret of Evolution and Adaptation (A)]
Category: Trait
Description: Evolves and adapts upon meeting certain conditions.
[Passive Effect]
▶ Evolution and Adaptation
Gain adaptive traits by fulfilling specific conditions.
Acquired adaptive traits can grow but will have reduced effects.
Price: 50,000
━━
The Secret of Evolution and Adaptation.
As the name suggests, it is a trait that grants new traits through evolution or adaptation.
Of course, evolution doesn’t mean any physical changes to the body. Rather, it allows one to acquire adaptive traits.
For example, staying in a cold environment for an extended period might grant cold resistance.
While it wouldn’t bring any immediate drastic changes, gaining new traits would also lead to increased stats over time. That’s why acquiring such a trait early on promised maximum efficiency.
And this trait would surely be helpful in this week’s dungeon exploration.
“50,000 points, huh…”
That would leave me with only 13,500 points.
I should save the remaining points for unexpected situations.
[You have purchased ‘Secret of Evolution and Adaptation (A).’]
[The Evolution and Adaptation effect is now active.]
A bright white light burst before me and seeped into my body.
As always, I didn’t feel anything particularly different.
“…Alright, it’s done.”
Now that I had the trait, it was time to test it.
Just as I was about to head out, a message popped up on my smart student notebook.
[Special Class for Talented Individuals – General Notice]
[A brief introduction and meeting will take place this Wednesday at 7 PM. All students, please gather in Room 503 on the 5th floor of the main building.]
The date for the Special Class was set.
Just like in the original story—Wednesday at 7 PM.
This was the day when key figures from all grade levels would gather.
Among them were important protagonists like Lee Seo-jun and Yoo Ara, but also potential villains like Park Inhwan and Jang Ye.
It was also an opportunity to interact with those I hadn’t had any significant exchanges with yet.
“Hmm…”
What worried me was the butterfly effect that could arise from my involvement in this meeting.
I just hoped nothing troublesome would come of it.
“Huff… Huff…!”
Tuesday evening, training facility.
For the past two days, I had been pushing myself hard to obtain a new trait from ‘Secret of Evolution and Adaptation.’
Increasing weight loads, exhausting my stamina—constantly pushing my body to its limits.
“…Wow. Look at his determination. That guy is insane.”
“He’s always been like that, but lately, he’s gone even harder.”
People whispered as they watched me.
It was only natural. After all, there was a lunatic trembling with exhaustion, still forcing himself to train.
But I paid no mind to their stares.
When my upper body was drained of strength, I ran on the treadmill.
Once my upper body recovered, I lifted weights again.
When my stamina was restored, I ran again.
Thanks to the stamina recovery effect on my Returner’s Wristwatch, such a grueling regimen was possible.
But more than that, my sheer determination to make the most out of the 50,000 points I had spent played a big role.
And then—
A message popped up before my eyes.
[Your body has adapted to extreme conditions!]
[Adaptive Trait ‘Unyielding Endurance (D)’ has been acquired.]
“Haaah…! Finally…!”
At last, I had obtained the trait I had been aiming for.
I staggered toward a bench and collapsed onto it, gasping for breath as I tried to stabilize my breathing.
I could already feel my stamina recovering faster—likely due to the newly acquired trait’s effect.
“…Damn, that was brutal.”
After lying there for a while, I finally gathered the strength to check my new trait.
━━
[Unyielding Endurance (D)]
Category: Trait
Description: Strengthens your ability to withstand extreme conditions.
[Passive Effect]
▶ Endurance Spirit
- Stamina +3
- Stamina consumption reduced by 10%
- Stamina recovery speed increased by 30%
- Mental magic resistance increased by 20%
- Pain tolerance increased by 10%
━━
“…Oh.”
For a D-rank trait, the stats were surprisingly decent.
It didn’t provide a massive boost, but it enhanced essential attributes in a balanced way.
The most notable part was the 20% increase in mental magic resistance.
That was not an easy stat to acquire, making this a lucky draw.
Those two days of suffering were worth it.
I smiled in satisfaction and dismissed the status window.
Then, I thought—
What adaptive trait should I aim for next?
After some deliberation, I reached a conclusion.
I should acquire a magic-related trait.
I stood up.
My body felt heavy, and I could collapse at any moment.
But the thought of making the most out of my 50,000 points pushed me forward.
With trembling legs, I headed toward the magic training hall.
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