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After Returning, My Abilities are Infinite (Web Novel) - Chapter 2: The Second Year Cadet Jeong Woo (2)
Chapter 2: The Second Year Cadet Jeong Woo (2)
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“He’s different.”
Lim Seong-Hyun muttered as he looked at the cadet’s file before him.
He had seen many talented cadets jumping into cracks and dying as hunters, consumed by personal grudges, their talents unable to bloom.
It was tragic whenever that happened.
Those students did not have to die.
Those talents deserved better use. Those lives didn’t have to end in vain.
Lim Sung-Hyun could see that Jeong Si-woo was special.
His insights surpassed even some of the professors’, and even hunters admired his creatively accurate suggestions.
He was beyond the level of a second-grade student.
It wasn’t long before he started searching for information on Jeong Si-woo. He found out that the cadet wanted to be a hunter and that his parents had been slaughtered by monsters when he was young.
It was a pity.
He wondered if another student who had talents that could bring great hope to humanity would be lost once more to the cracks.
That was why he had searched for him and spoke to him.
To somehow persuade him not to let his talents rot and be wasted.
He had been wrong.
In-person, Jeong Si-woo was entirely different from what he thought.
Although Lim Sung-Hyun had spoken sharply to make Jeong Si-woo realize the reality, the cadet’s gaze had remained firm, without a trace of doubt.
It was as if he had already decided what he wanted to be.
“I will think it over,” the cadet told him.
As he said it, Professor Lim Seong-Hyun already knew what would happen.
Jeong Si-woo would never give up on his path to become a hunter. Nothing can break his will.
However, Lim Seong-Hyun was not disappointed.
“Cadet Jeong Si-woo had the potential to be the best, whether as an analyst or a hunter.”
Lim Seong-Hyun looked down at the documents placed on the desk.
< Second Grade Student Jeong Si-woo >
There was a photograph of Jeong Si-woo staring at the camera with a blank face.
“… I wonder why the other teachers still haven’t noticed.”
He stared at the cadet’s photo for a long time before closing the file.
* * *
< Hwayeon Choin Superhuman Academy >
As its name suggests, it is an educational institution designed to cultivate superhumans.
The Academy was a state-of-the-art facility where anything required for ‘growth’ existed thanks to the government’s generous funding.
It boasted a wide array of resources, from expensive elixirs created by alchemists to skill-books, which were difficult to obtain, even for a hefty price.
The Academy owned material that was guaranteed topnotch, with information on the monsters and the fundamental values that a hunter must possess.
The Academy was the perfect place for anyone who wanted to be a hunter; It was the ideal place for anyone dreaming of being superhumans.
Of course, I dropped out before I graduated since a government agency scouted me.
Still, this place would have bolstered my growth.
“Is he really going to attend training?”
I overheard someone while I pulled out my laptop. It was the first time I attended training, so I guess they noticed my presence,
“Well, even if he had talent, he will find it hard to learn in this environment, look at how shy he is…”
“If he is that shy, maybe he should just focus more on academics.”
I ignored the chatter around me. I wasn’t childish enough to respond to their words; moreover, I didn’t have time to care about them.
The first plague…
As I wrote down the upcoming events on my laptop, the other students turned to their conversation to different topics, probably losing interest in me because I ignored them.
They talked about their close friends in the first grade who were still in the same class with them, how difficult this professor was, how frustrating second-grade life is, and so on.
No one paid attention to me as I continued writing on my laptop at the back of the room.
Suddenly, a familiar voice disturbed me. “Hey, Jeong Si-woo, you have to change into your gym suit. What are you doing?”
“… now?”
The training start time was earlier than I thought.
“You used to be smart in the first grade. Now, you’re like me.”
I looked up at a friendly face.
During my time at the Academy, he was the only person remotely close to a ‘friend.’
He was more talented than me, though.
“Hurry up!” he said.
Unfortunately, he was not talented enough. I remember that he lost his life in a crack just two years after passing the Hunter exam.
Lee Jin-woo was standing in front of me, beaming.
* * *
“Nice to meet you all!”
A voice boomed out on the training grounds of the Academy.
“Some of you may know me already… but since this is the first training session in second grade, let’s start with a brief introduction.”
The booming voice belonged to a man who seemed so strong that just looking at him was overwhelming.
“I’m Park Hyun-suk. I will be in charge of all subjects related to training this year.”
Park Hyun-suk.
I couldn’t remember him, even after hearing his name.
Either way, training was annoying, so I always skipped it before.
I can’t remember even meeting my first-grade training instructor, let alone knowing the second-grade one.
Thankfully, Park Hyun-suk continued with his introduction.
“I’m a retired second-class hunter, and my main position was a tanker. I was an active hunter for over ten years, and with that experience, I became an instructor at Hwayeon Choin Academy.”
“…”
Everyone was roused at his words.
“Compared to first-class hunters, people didn’t respect second-class ones… Still, I have been in many magazines because of my long career, so… I hope everyone will have a good year ahead.”
Park Hyun-suk threw an obvious joke to ease the atmosphere.
I laughed a little.
Who would ignore a second-class hunter?
A Tier 2 hunter is in the top one percent. There were fewer than 100 first-class hunters in the world.
If someone ranked as second-class, it meant that he was among the top five-thousand superhumans in the whole world.
Next to me, Lee Jin-woo mumbled with amazement while shaking his head. The reactions of the rest of the class were no different.
“Now, now. Keep it quiet.” Park Hyun-suk raised his hand.
The students stared at him, shocked and awed.
“Since this is your first class in second grade, let’s start with a simple test. It will be the first step in checking your level and monitoring your progress in the future.”
His smile widened as he spoke.
“First, prepare your personal equipment.”
* * *
For hunters, equipment was everything.
It was not much different from video games. The quality of items worn by the character could decide his fate.
Even a talent gap as wide as heaven and earth could be compensated by world-class equipment.
“What, is this new?”
“Yeah, my dad bought it for second grade. He said it was pretty good …”
“Hey, it’s made of ‘red steel’! It’s the first time I saw that…”
Even among hunters, some stood out because of their privilege. Some had a head start against their peers.
And in second grade, it was that guy, surrounded by admiring classmates.
“Red steel? Damn that’s bad.”
He was born with a gold spoon in his mouth.
On top of it, he was talented.
“Ah… Hyun-cheol.”
Kim Hyun-Cheol.
He was standing proudly in front of the starting line.
“Wow, I envy him… Mine is the same sword I used in the first grade.” Lee Jin-woo looked down at his old iron sword and scratched his head.
Compared to the equipment Hyun-Cheol had, an iron sword seemed like trash.
It was merely a bit of sharpened scrap metal and sold in the market for a very low price.
“I should buy another one to use this year,” he muttered.
I looked at him sadly. This time, since I would walk the path of a hunter, I would have to continue attending the training. If so, I would get to see my friend more often.
‘This time, I’m going to help him, so he doesn’t die in vain’, I decided.
It wasn’t pleasant having to find a funeral home for a friend.
This time, I would make sure things ended differently.
I will save everything.
As I was getting lost in my thoughts, I heard a voice-directed at us.
“Hey, look at what the beggar duo brought. Is that what you call your personal equipment?” Kim Hyun-Cheol laughed as he insulted us.
Lee Jin-woo retorted. “Hey, just keep talking about yourself. Just because you have some money…”
“Well…” I stepped forward.
I didn’t intend to respond to Hyun-cheol’s words, but I could not stay still while my friend was being insulted.
“Is that a red steel sword made in the blue forge?” I asked him.
“Oh, the beggar has a good eye. I guess not having the means to get one, he’s just researched about it a lot.”
“Uh, you have eyes, too…” I told him as I approached. There was no one richer than Kim Hyun-Cheol among all second graders.
“…but you don’t see much.”
Tuk!
In a quick motion, I reached out and took his sword.
“Hey!” he yelled, surprised.
I don’t know if the old me would have done this.
But I was a different person now.
I was a person who had almost reached the finish line but fell a few steps short.
Now, I got the chance to stand up again.
“This is it,” I said as I raised the sword.
