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After Returning, My Abilities are Infinite (Web Novel) - Chapter 9: Practical Evaluation (3)
Chapter 9: Practical Evaluation (3)
This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml
“No, are we lost again? Look ahead and walk!”
“The ground looks all the same, how would I know…”
A large screen filled one side of the wall.
The screens showed different views from the cameras installed inside the test site.
Prof. Lim Sung-Hyun and Instructor Park Hyun-suk, who were in charge of scoring the actual evaluation, looked at the students, and sighed.
“… We were expecting much from cadet Kim Hyun-Cheol, but he is very disappointing.”
“He hasn’t even noticed that the rear has been empty for more than ten minutes.”
Penalties were piling up relentlessly under Kim Hyun-Cheol’s name on the scorecard.
“Besides, he acts as if he understands the structure of the Black Swamp, but he’s heading for nothing. If it was a real situation, he’d die, surrounded by monsters.”
That was true.
And finally, a red line was drawn on Kim Hyun-Cheol’s name.
What it meant was simple.
If you can’t prove yourself, you’ve failed.
Fail once more, and you will never graduate.
It was a shame.
“Only Yoo Ji-yeon and Jeong Si-woo can be considered. Yoo Ji-Yeon can’t be tested properly since they don’t have a tanker, and Cadet Jeong Si-woo missed the opportunity to show his re-awakening characteristics.”
Park Hyun-suk put the list down and turned his attention to Lim Seong-Hyun.
“I believed you and assigned Jeong Si-woo to the center… Well, he didn’t back out of it.”
“…”
“Professor? Why are you silent?”
Lim Seong-Hyun was not interested in Park’s words. He did not take his eyes off the screen.
Park Hyun-suk also turned to look at what’s happening; then, his face scrunched up.
“… What are these guys doing?!” he exclaimed.
“Are they going to finish the exam together? What are they talking about? If the rear is isolated, it is normal to wait for rescue. It’s the same for the center position. In such a situation, it will be dangerous to be surrounded by monsters, so it is better to keep moving and find an exit. It holds true even for second-tier hunters, and those who know the exact structure of the cracks.”
Lim Seong-Hyun smiled before speaking in a tone that displayed his admiration.
“Since Jeong Si-woo led the way, he has not walked the wrong way or stepped into a dangerous area. No, not just that. He’s heading to the destination using exactly the shortest route.”
“…”
“I don’t know about ‘positioning,’ but…as a hunter, there seems to be no penalty applicable to them for the ‘tracking’ metric.”
“It’s great. However…” Park Hyun-suk replied sharply. “Whether they can go the shortest route or not, there are monsters waiting for them at the end. Can we consider them a team? A center and a rear?”
“…”
“I’m not going to penalize them. But given that they’re isolated, this is just suicide. Crawling toward death when you could live by waiting for rescue could be the worst judgment ever made.”
“… That sounds right,” Lim Seong-Hyun agreed without hesitation. “But wouldn’t you consider it the best judgment if they were able to catch the monster?”
If the result was good, it was a sound judgment, no matter what the variables were.
“We’ll have to wait till the end to see whether Jeong Si-woo’s judgment was the worst or the best,” Professor Lim Seong-Hyun said.
* * *
It was easier to walk now.
The swampy terrain had changed within five minutes since I took the lead.
Finding the way was so easy, as there were experiences in numerous swamps and internal structures included in the Akashic Records.
“… It would have been better if you took the lead from the beginning,” Yoo Ji-Yeon said as she walked alongside me. “But can we really catch the monster as you said? I’m a little worried about that…”
She looked down as she spoke. “You said there would be a goblin shaman? Previously, Kim Hyun-Cheol said that a liquid parasite would appear because we’re in a swamp …”
“That’s a ridiculous guess.”
“… Why?” she sounded anxious.
I looked at her and carefully explained. “The edges of the swamps are full of bushes reaching the knees. When we reach it, the ground is not sticky, nor is it full of moisture.”
“So?”
“A liquid monster could not survive in a dry place. It would die in less than ten minutes. It’s more likely that there’s a goblin or worm-type monster. In fact, many swamp cracks have goblins inhabiting their core.”
After a detailed explanation, Yoo Ji-Yeon looked at me with a little more trust in her eyes.
Yoo Ji-Yeon was looking at me like a child, with a smile on her face.
She still seemed a different person from my memory.
“How long have we been walking?” she asked.
“Well, over there… shh.”
As we reached the end of the swap, there was something squat between the lush bushes.
A creature with green skin was holding on to a long wooden stick.
Every sign was pointing to the fact that it was a ‘goblin shaman.’
“Don’t make a sound… Remember what I said? Just do it,” I whispered to her.
“Yeah, I got it. I’ve never used magic like that …but I believe you.”
She’ll believe it when she sees it. I didn’t know her current level, but I knew that it wouldn’t be ordinary.
T-ring!
[The bond with Yoo Ji-Yeon has increased.]
[If you have enough ties, you can ‘Link’ with Yoo Ji-Yeon.]
And now, I have the power to take and use those talents at will, even if she’s still weak.
In the future, her power will become so great that even the other members of the Five Heroes would not overpower it.
Of course, I didn’t have the power to link with any of them yet, but…
[‘Link’ is activated.]
[Search for beings that match the skill level among ‘Beings with a certain level of acquaintance.’]
[In the memory of the user ‘Jeong Si-woo,’ I found an existence that met the conditions.]
[Link succeeded.]
This should be enough for now.
『Green monsters are disgusting from the first sight. 』
[Goblin Slayer]
[Rating: F]
The words on the transparent notification window were visible, and my body’s energy began to overflow.
[Finally, you’re taking out that great weapon!]
Along with that, I prepared a ‘training sword.’ I slowly pulled it out.
It’s a bit too strong to be called a training sword.
* * *
Making weapons for the awakened is very difficult.
For ordinary people, it would be simple to be equipped with a firearm.
Awakened people needed something different.
They require harder materials that are incomparable to standard equipment. They consider their characteristics and skills to make weapons that accommodate their specific abilities.
It was common to take several craftsmen and several months to build a single weapon for an awakened.
Of course, not everyone could afford to wait this long.
There was a different way.
It was much easier to match an existing weapon to an awakened one than to create a new weapon to suit him.
The Blue Forge was created, and I was involved in numerous transactions there before I returned.
In the Blue Forge, making a weapon suit an awakened person can be easily done by just by engraving the correct inscription on it.
If correctly engraved, an iron bar can turn into a famous sword.
I lifted my training sword, which had several engravings glowing on its blade.
Before the actual evaluation, I had used all the engravings I knew and all the mana I had to make it.
[Blue Forge 41 Engraving Combination is infused into Training Sword.]
[The cutting force of the Training Sword increases by 500 percent.]
[The strength of the Training Sword increases 1,000 percent.]
[The weight of the Training Sword is reduced by 80 percent.]
[The ‘Strengthening Enhancement (E)’ is engraved on the Training Sword.]
[The ‘Sword Aid (D)’ is engraved on the Training Sword.]
.
.
.
‘Training Sword’ did not fit it anymore. It was now a sword boasting vicious power.
“Go, you have to be good,” I spoke to Yoo Ji-Yeon as I lifted my sword.
“Oh, yeah!” Yoo Ji-Yeon ran forward.
[Use the skill of the target connected by the Link.]
[Use ‘Quick Charge (D)’]
“Ki-ek?”
I rushed at the goblin shaman at a speed my previous body could not even imagine.
[→ Linked to: ‘Goblin Slayer’]
[Characteristic]
[The one who faces the green monster (C)]
[→ Skills applies to Goblins and Ogre species]
[Skill]
[Quick Charge (D), Non-Stop Sword (C), Boiling Blood (D), Swordsmanship (E)]
Threung!
The sharp blade moved towards the goblin’s neck in a flash.
Caen!
The wooden stick stopped the blade.
The stick’s reflection shone vividly on the blade as it blocked the iron sword.
It was expected.
The goblin shaman’s wooden stick is ten times harder than steel.
It’s made of old mana wood and has a myriad of magical spells reinforcing it.
I struck again without panic.
Caang, Caang, Caang!
The sound of metal and metal colliding; sparks flying everywhere.
“Kiee-e-ek!”
The goblin shaman’s face was contorted with effort, and I heard an unpleasant cry.
Whenever I faced the green monster, the voice of the ‘link’ in my head rang.
『Goblins infuriate me!” 』
『I want to catch all of them and tear them apart! 』
It was the voice of a hunter who lost his entire family to the goblins. He searched for the goblins who killed his family but had not found them in the cracks.
『This goblin is fighting, huh! 』
『I see through its moves. 』
The sword blade grazed off the wooden stick and cut the goblin shaman.
Blood splattered around me, and it stank of fish.
[You look like a veteran of 10 years! I’ve felt it before, but you’re adjusting to the Link skill tremendously.]
The Traveler looked proud.
“Kiee-e-eok!”
The goblin shaman cried out sharply in pain and embarrassment, swinging the wooden stick in a circle above his head.
Red energy shook around him.
I cried out.
“Yoo Ji-yeon!”
Suddenly, the bushes behind the goblin shaman shook, and blades of wind blew past the goblin, scattering the energy away. At the same time, the blades of wind shot by Yoo Ji-Yeon pierced the body of the Goblin. The arm that held the wooden stick was cut off, and the goblin now sported a large wound at his side.
He was caught at the moment he was defenseless.
I looked at the gaping Goblin and held up the sword without hesitation.
『All goblins must die!』
Blood boiled in my veins.
The sword moved faster than before, stabbing and cutting the body of the goblin shaman.
I didn’t rest. I cut his skin and spilled his blood. I didn’t stop even as his blood-soaked my robe.
As I looked down, a new reminder window popped up.
[The assimilation rate with the linked target rises instantaneously.]
[The soul’s level rises.]
[Link’s level increased to fit the soul level.]
[Link (F) → Link (E)]
[You acquired an ability of the being you connected to.]
[Acquire Skill: Swordsmanship (E)]
It was an unexpectedly huge achievement.
‘Finally, a kill for myself…’
I had lost my parents and lived with hatred for monsters which constantly threatened to consume me, but I had never experienced killing them with my own hands.
Goblins are among the weakest monsters, but in the past, I was so weak that I couldn’t even kill one.
My hands were shaking.
Watching others kill monsters was nothing compared to this feeling.
Finally, I can tear them apart with my own hands.
I didn’t have to sit in a chair and give orders to other hunters and feel frustrated.
I was looking forward to my new future.
“Hey, you…ok…?”
Yoo Ji-Yeon, who supported me from behind, anxiously murmured as she looked at my blood-stained chest.
“… Hew.”
Then I looked at the mess that was once a goblin, and my face crumpled at the disgusting sight.
“You could have killed it all by yourself,” Yoo Ji-Yeon said, “you didn’t have to tell me to use my magic like that.”
Yoo Ji-Yeon’s magic had definitely helped greatly.
However, frankly, without her, I could have still easily killed the goblin shaman.
The link I have worked with was so powerful against goblins.
I smiled graciously.
* * *
Despite all the trouble our team had, Yoo Ji-Yeon scored high for her assistance.
She knew that it was because of me.
Lee Hak-soo was given the lowest point amongst second graders since he followed dumb judgment blindly.
Kim Hyun-Cheol failed the evaluation. His action might have driven his team to death if it was a real situation.
And…
For the first time in my life, I received a perfect score in an actual evaluation.
