Acquired the Scam Rune in the Academy

One Step Further, Hoping to Advance (3) (Main Story Complete)

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Clang-!!

The iron swords in Park Jin-woo’s and my hands clash strongly against each other.

We don’t use any special items or skills.

Relying only on our own stats and sword runes, we gauge each other’s skills.

Right now, we were only utilizing abilities specialized for close combat.

Clang!

Clang-!!

But thanks to the firmly supporting auxiliary runes and durability stats, our faces showed no signs of strain.

“Ugh- What’s your strength stat?”

…I stand corrected.

It seems only I wasn’t strained.

Park Jin-woo looked at me with a pained expression and asked.

To that, I decided to answer honestly.

“118.”

“W-What?! No, how is your pure strength stat so high. You have separate stat pumping skills too, don’t you?”

From the academy underground dungeon onwards, whenever we hunted in a party, I’ve been fighting alongside Park Jin-woo almost always.

Having fought together for a long time, he knew my abilities well.

“We’re originally quite fast, aren’t we? Aren’t you similar?”

“Oh, you crazy bastard. I’m not at that level.”

Clang-! Clang-!

The speed of clashing swords increases.

Even without using any special abilities.

Even without imbuing attacks with magical power-.

The power contained in a single sword is at a level that cannot be ignored.

Me, the youngest S-grade Holder.

Park Jin-woo, still an A-grade Holder, but the most likely to reach S-grade after me.

You can tell just by looking at our ranks and types.

We were…

The strongest Holders when it came to using swords.

Clang clang clang-!!

“Hah! Hey! But! Do you! Remember that?”

Park Jin-woo asks, putting in a shout with each attack.

“Which! One!”

I answer while putting strength into my sword strikes as well.

Our duels were always like this.

We fight using only stats, martial arts runes, and ordinary items.

That’s because after we both reached a certain level, using magical power itself became dangerous.

Perhaps because of that, even when we had something to say during the duel, we could talk like this while crossing swords.

“When! We first! Fought! You were ahead in strength! And I was ahead in speed!”

“What?”

And then.

Park Jin-woo, who had been pressing relentlessly, grins.

“That- I think it might still be similar now?”

Park Jin-woo, the master of swift sword technique.

He reignited today’s duel.

***

Ippotranslation

***

“I really got thrashed miserably…”

Park Jin-woo, lying spread-eagled on the floor, said as if in disbelief.

Seeing that, I burst out laughing.

“I told you. I rarely lose in close combat since I got the enhancement-related rune.”

“Even so, the difference is too big.”

“If you’re upset, come back after improving your skills more.”

“Hah… I can’t even remember how many consecutive losses this is.”

I didn’t count exactly, but it’s probably certainly over 10 consecutive losses.

Since I got the [Forgotten Dragon Knight Pride] rune, I don’t remember losing to him.

Park Jin-woo, still lying down, sighed deeply for a while, then suddenly burst out laughing as if something was funny.

“What’s this. Have you finally gone crazy?”

Seeing my friend about to lose his mind, I feel a sense of guilt.

Was he really that shocked to learn that even my speed was higher…?

After laughing like that for a while, Park Jin-woo quietly called out to me.

“Hey.”

“What, man.”

And then.

“Thank you.”

Park Jin-woo finally drops that line.

I clutched my head at the extreme cringe.

“Ugh! What’s wrong with you, shit. Did you eat something weird today?”

“You crazy bastard. Making such a fuss when I’m saying thanks.”

Park Jin-woo put his hands behind his head and looked at the sky.

Then he quietly laughed.

“Honestly, I lived without any thoughts until I turned twenty. I just practiced fighting to beat up Outholders when I met them, and after actually fighting, I trained more to fight better because it was fun.”

Park Jin-woo’s self-analysis was accurate.

He was a guy who purely enjoyed training, practicing, and fighting.

In fact, even in the original story, he had no particular goal until Park Yoon-seo, who was his family, was kidnapped.

“But when I became a Holder and came to the academy, I found a new goal. Ah, I want to fight and win against that guy. When fighting alongside that guy, I want to fight better… Just changing the target of my goal, but strangely, my whole life changed?”

Park Jin-woo, who was like that, changed.

His blind combat gained a goal, and his repetitive training gained passion.

And at the center of that change…

Ironically, there was me, an outsider to this world.

‘…Ah.’

Only then could I realize.

The fact that this world was <Next Rune Holder>.

Or the fact that I was an outsider who had possessed someone-.

Such things were no longer important.

What’s important is.

In the world we exist in now, we influence each other and change.

Not how the past was or how similar worlds were-.

But thinking about how to shape the future while living in the present.

Whether that direction is as friends, rivals, or colleagues.

Anyway, in each of our own ways…

We can take one step forward.

I could feel those sentences shining in a corner of my heart.

“…What was I trying to say?”

But Park Jin-woo suddenly asked himself stupidly.

He seemed to have started saying something cool, but hadn’t thought of a conclusion.

He soon scratched his head vigorously and said.

“Anyway, thank you, you bastard.”

“Puhaha.”

After a good laugh, I laid down spread-eagled in my spot like him.

I wanted to look at the sky, full of emotions, but unfortunately, being in the training ground, I could only see the black ceiling.

…This kind of sentiment really doesn’t suit me.

“Right. You should be grateful to me for life. I’m the benefactor who connected you with Camilla.”

So I just press Park Jin-woo’s trigger button.

Crash bang-.

As expected, he got up from his spot in agitation.

“How many times do I have to say it. Camilla confessed to me first, okay? We were meant to be connected anyway.”

“So who created that situation?”

“Augh-! Get up. Let’s go at it again.”

…It was a peaceful scene at the training ground.

***

Ippotranslation

***

[Amazing achievement! You have slain ‘The Descended Evil God’, a golden tower that no one has yet built! Due to this incredible feat, all your powers are experiencing rapid and dazzling growth.]

[You gain 5 points each for all general and special abilities, and 3 points each for all resistance abilities.]

[The level of all runes you possess increases by 1.]

[Amazing achievement! You have conquered a domain adapted by the Ludenark School, a group that imitates evil! … …]

…

…

After the conquest of <Room of the Deserter>.

Countless information windows appeared before me.

There were too many to recite one by one, but to summarize, it could be interpreted as ‘Rewards are pouring in due to consecutively accomplishing awesome achievements!’

… It’s a rather flippant expression, but it’s a fact.

Based on all these achievements, my general abilities increased by about 10 points each, and my special and resistance abilities, as well as existing rune levels, also saw significant growth.

Especially the mythical rune [Noble Divinity] copied from the evil god Lumiel, or the epic rune [Essence of Magical Knowledge] obtained as a reward for conquering <Room of the Deserter>….

The performance and effects of the newly acquired runes were also at a level that couldn’t be ignored.

And only then did it sink in.

– The long epic of conquest has come to an end.

As enormous rewards came in all at once, that fact really hit home.

However, among these, what actually caught my attention was something else.

[Amazing achievement! You have obtained ‘Runes’, the exclusive property of the chosen ones, up to the additional limit (50). Due to this unbelievable first-time achievement, a special power is bestowed.]

[A mysterious power dwells in the Rune Hunter. From now on, when acquiring a new rune, you can delete an existing rune and register a new one.]

The 50 runes finally filled through this conquest.

Once again, when all the limit slots were filled, a new effect appeared.

The ability to delete existing runes and register newly acquired ones….

For me, who had to keep even slightly less necessary runes until now, this might have been the most needed special effect.

After reading this effect…

For some reason, I can’t help but chuckle.

The reason was simple.

“This isn’t the end.”

In fact, I had vaguely thought for some time.

Although various effects like ‘superior runes’ and ‘rune bestowal’ have emerged to organize the runes I’ve held so far, there would surely be a limit to such organization.

If I finished all possible arrangements and filled all 50 rune slots.

Eventually, there would be a limit to the [Rune Hunter]’s abilities.

Even for a hunter who has now become quite veteran…

There would surely be a day when retirement approaches.

That’s what I had vaguely thought.

“Haha….”

But it wasn’t the end.

If you’ve reached the final stop, go back to the beginning-.

If you obtained a new rune today, obtain another new rune tomorrow-.

The system and [Rune Hunter]…

Were demanding that I move forward once more.

What lies ahead.

Whether there really is an end if I keep going….

Honestly, I’m still not sure.

The path I’ve walked so far seemed certain, but was always a series of uncertainties.

I thought I had overcome, but new mountains always appeared.

So I can’t say with confidence that I’ll do well from now on.

But.

Nevertheless, I will continue to move forward.

“Because that’s how I’ve made it so far.”

There was no coincidence in the tower I’ve built until now.

Everything was a huge inevitability connected and linked by chains.

I was planning to throw myself into that inevitability once again.

“What have you been making?”

And from somewhere.

A voice answering in response to my soliloquy.

A slightly cold impression and style.

But a woman with the warmest heart and character than anyone.

From the very beginning when everything started until now…

My lover who has always been by my side, Kim Chae-eun.

As always, she was looking at me with a playful face and smile.

A familiar scene and question I’ve surely seen somewhere before.

I smiled at that familiar scenery.

“Everything I’ve built so far. And my precious people.”

To that answer…

Kim Chae-eun also bowed her head with a pretty smile.

“Am I included in that?”

“Do you want to get scolded? You call that a question?”

“Hehe.”

She came up to me and linked arms.

I gently embraced that arm and walked with her along the long street.

On the path I will walk forward.

Like this, my people will always be with me.

Today.

Tomorrow.

Perhaps, even the tomorrow after tomorrow.

Hoping that those steps could be eternal.

I sent that small hope in the falling leaves.

…

…

“But how are you going to scold me?”

“What’s with that expectant look?”

“Tell me quickly~ How are you going to scold me?”

“I’ll tell you if you buy me pudding.”

“Don’t tell me it’s grape flavor? Hing, they don’t even sell that at the mart in front of our house anymore.”

“Then I just won’t scold you, I guess.”

“Ah, what’s this-!”

– (Main Story End) -‘

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