[Trantor - Night]
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Chapter 23: Self-Development (2)
A trail of bright white light stretched out like a red carpet over the dull asphalt.
And at the end of it, two doors stood.
← Beginning of Training │ Completion of Training →
There was a tinge of impatience, wanting toplete it all at once. But this ursed restructuring...
''It''s only just beginning.''
[You have chosen "Beginning of Training"!]
[Open the door to proceed.]
Proceed, huh.
Standing still or walking, all I could see were the two doors before me.
Behind them, there was nothing—just empty air.
In other words, I had no idea where I’d be "transported."
So,
"Summon."
Determined to stay sharp, I summoned my sword.
The weight of the sturdy sword was palpable, even brushing against my clothes.
"Eunho!"
Jieun grabbed the hem of my shirt with her long fingers, stopping me.
"Where are you going? Our lodging is this way..."
Her eyes blinked rapidly in confusion.
Understandable, given that the man walking beside her on a quiet night suddenly drew a sharp, glimmering sword.
"Go in ahead."
"Huh? What about you, Mr. Eunho?"
"It’s my turn this time."
I stopped in front of the door, just wide enough for one person to enter.
Swoosh.
Gripping the doorknob, I felt its cold touch.
"What do you mean, your turn? For what..."
"Self-development."
Click!
The door opened to reveal a dense fog.
"Stone Skin."
I strengthened my right hand and waved it through the odorless haze.
No sign of toxicity.
"Go and rest. Don’t worry about me."
I offered Jieun a reassuring smile, even as she looked bewildered.
Then I stepped onto the ground hidden beyond the fog.
[Subject ''Eunho Lee,'' transporting to the Training Center.]
Training Center.
The name sounded as harmless as the odorless haze.
Of course, I couldn’t afford to let my guard down...
"I’ll be back soon."
It should be fine. After all, this was part of my "reward." * * * Blink.
Though my eyes were wide open, the world briefly closed and reopened.
It was as if I had be embedded in the pupil of a giant, my entire view veiled and unveiled by a massive eyelid.
[Subject ''Eunho Lee,'' transportation to the Training Centerplete.]
Before mey an entirely white room.
A steel door faced a wall-sized screen on the other side.
''This feels more like a ssroom than a corporate training center.''
Tack.
As I approached the screen, a voice yed over an inte.
[Select your course!]
[Courses avable are limited by your minimum rank.]
A small window, roughly the size of half an A4 sheet, popped up on the screen.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
Like a college sybus, it listed courses and their outlines.
The problem was...
''What are these courses?''
Maybe it was because of my "Candidate Selector" rank, which sounded low no matter how you sliced it.
The screen was filled with bizarre course options, awaiting my choice.
For example:
? Charismatic Leadership
In an era of chaos, who will lead the lost masses? Take the first step toward mastering the art of leadership, tailored for aspiring rulers of this age!
Completion Reward: Unlock Leadership (Lv. 1) skill
A shy tagline that could have been crafted by the best—or worst—marketer in history.
? Omnivorous Cooking Lesson
Miss delicious meals? Need fresh ingredients? Look no further! Create a feast of vors with the corpses of magical beasts!
Completion Reward: Unlock Omnivorous Cooking (Lv. 1) skill
Even a course offering such a bizarre skill as "omnivorous cooking."
"What is this nonsense?"
Sure, given the world we lived in, such skills mighte in handy someday.
But what endangered my life right now were missions and monsters—not ambition or appetite.
After a brief moment of contemtion, I chose:
? Basic Swordsmanship
Curious about the fundamentals of weapon techniques? Know yourself and your sword, and you’ll never lose a battle!
Completion Reward: Unlock Basic Swordsmanship (Lv. 1) skill
The only weapon I had, needed proper utilization.
During thest mission, I’d realized just how vulnerable I was when both eleration and Stone Skin were on cooldown.
''I need to solidify my basics.''
[Selectionplete.]
[Enter the lecture hall!] * * * Opening another door, I was greeted by a narrow corridor.
So narrow that it seemed designed for just one person to squeeze through.
The corridor led to an empty space.
''Is this a safe zone?''
On the floory a white circle that could easily be mistaken for a safe zone.
[Subject ''Eunho Lee,'' has entered the lecture hall.]
Beyond the circle, there was only darkness.
Was it because all the lighting was focused on me, like I was the lead actor on a stage?
There was nothing but pure darkness besides the corridor I had just passed through and the circle beneath me.
[For the course "Basic Swordsmanship," only one weapon may be carried.]
[Would you like to select "de-Tipped Sword"?]
"Yes."
Dooong!
Before I could even finish my short answer, a loud drumbeat echoed nearby.
As I looked around for the source, the air around me seemed to thicken and press against my skin.
Then—
Stagger.
‘What the…?’
An invisible hand pulled my body downward.
It felt like… almost like a vacuum cleaner.
[Due to the Lecture Hall effect, your swordsmanship proficiency rapidly increases.]
Pop!
The weight surrounding my body vanished in an instant.
Though there was still a faint, nagging sensation left behind.
And then, shortly after—
Shhh—
The darkness slid aside, parting as though opening a path, and from within the gap, a figure stepped forward.
A white shirt, ck cks, and a pitch-ck longsword over a meter in length.
That’s…
‘Me?!’
Appearance. Outfit. Build.
No matter how I looked at it, the figure standing before me, as if preparing for a spar, was identical to me.
Even more so, it raised a familiar sword, assuming an attack stance.
“A doppelg?nger… or something like that?”
The other “Eunho” said nothing.
It simply stared, as if waiting for something.
-Know yourself and your sword, and you’ll win every battle.
The words from the lecture summary finally made sense.
What an impressively intuitive system.
‘It’s teaching me so clearly.’
If I spar with myself, I’ll understand best—
my weaknesses, my strengths.
[The “Basic Swordsmanship” lesson will begin shortly.]
[Please check the lesson objectives.]
Click!
With a sound like a switch being flipped, bright light poured down from the ceiling, sweeping away the thick darkness that had been filling the lecture hall.
Squinting against the sudden light, I blinked and saw a semi-transparent window appear on the wall above.
〔Lesson Objectives〕
Understand blocking. (0/100)
Understand thrusting. (0/100)
Understand shing. (0/100)
Blocking, thrusting, shing, huh?
Pretty straightforward.
At that moment, the doppelg?nger, who had been motionless, began to move.
Step.
‘Blocking, thrusting, shing—got it.’
Thinking I should simply mimic its posture, I mirrored it exactly...
[3, 2, 1… The lesson begins!]
Swish! Swoosh!
Before I had time to prepare, the figure’s de shed, slicing toward me with a deadly arc, as if intent on cutting me in half.
Step! ng! Step!
Dodging just barely, I retreated from the trajectory of its strikes, unable to even attempt a counterattack.
What is with this guy?
‘It’s trying to kill me!’
de after de flew at me, relentless and unending.
The very sword I had painstakingly sharpened by hand now aimed for my throat, wielded by no one else but my copy.
Just as fast as I am.
If that’s the case…
“elerate!”
“elerate!”
‘!!’
The moment I shouted… no, the very instant I opened my mouth, the doppelg?nger did the same.
[Trantor - Night]
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‘Even the skills are the same?!’
ng!
Both of us simultaneously leapt forward, aiming for each other’s vital points.
I swung my de down toward its shoulder, believing I had the upper hand.
— ng! Grind!
…Or so I thought.
In a sh, it raised its sword, blocking my strike, and twisted its de to deflect my attack.
Swoosh!
Its de sliced diagonally downward, grazing the tips of my hair.
Once. Twice. Thrice.
It came at me ruthlessly, without a trace of emotion, aiming to sever my neck and limbs.
Skills were useless.
Its swordsmanship was clearly superior to mine.
It was an obviously disadvantageous fight.
But…
‘I can’t lose to a fake.’
Especially not to a second-rate copy of me.
If that’s the case—
“Mission reward.”
How about this?
[Select your mission reward.]
A twitch!
For the first time, a flicker of emotion crossed the doppelg?nger’s otherwise stoic face.
“1 point to elerate, 2 points to Petrification for strengthening my right arm!”
As I thought.
If it’s a copy of me, then there must be a point when it was created.
What if I grow stronger after it was copied?
[Upgrading elerate (Lv.2) to elerate (Lv.3).]
[Duration increased from 1 second to 15 seconds.]
[Upgrading Petrification (Lv.8) to Petrification (Lv.10).]
[Skill effect extended to the entire right arm.]
“Well, go ahead—try copying this too.”
If it can, that is.
Seeing the faint grimace on its face, I couldn’t help but grin.
“elerate, Petrification!”
“elerate, Petrification!”
The same words were spoken.
But no longer the same speed, no longer the same petrification.
“If you’re going to copy me, do it properly.”
10 seconds.
ng!
The sh of swords echoed like a metallic scream tearing through the space.
[You have understood “Blocking”! (1/100)]
[Collecting data required to unlock new skills.]
“!!”
8 seconds.
Its frenzied sword surged forward.
As if it were about to slit my throat at any moment.
7 seconds.
Head. Shoulder. Thigh. Head.
He pretended to sh at my left leg but deftly changed direction.
Aiming for my now exposed upper right side.
5 seconds.
But I raised my right arm to block it.
ng!
The heavy sound of metal striking stone echoed.
"Pretty decent stone shield, isn''t it?"
3 seconds.
ng! ng! ng!
A back-and-forth exchange, neither side gaining the upper hand.
His face twisted with frustration.
1 second.
Loosening my grip slightly on the de I blocked.
I ducked down, crouching just enough to evade.
Tick.
His time was up.
Meanwhile, I…
5 seconds again.
Rising from my crouch, I observed the opponent, now sluggish.
And then.
‘An opening!’
I lunged, thrusting my sword into the exposed side.
A strange sensation of my sword, hand, and feet moving as one.
So far, so good, but...
[You have understood ''Thrust''! (1/100)]
[Collecting data needed to unlock the skill.]
I have to do this... a hundred times?
"Haah..."
I did it. A hundred times.
Perfectly.
[7 hours into the lesson!]
[All lesson objectives achieved.]
[Check the status board!]
〔Lesson Objectives〕
Understand Blocking (100/100)
Understand Thrusting (100/100)
Understand shing (100/100)
The neatly filled status board looks like a report card.
A report card earned after pouring in half a day of effort.
— Ding!
[Data collection for skill unlockplete.]
[Congrattions! You have unlocked the Basic Swordsmanship (Lv.1) skill!]
The first skill earned entirely by my own choices.
Suppressing the grin creeping up my face, I called up the system.
"Check Basic Swordsmanship."
[Would you like to view the details of the Basic Swordsmanship (Lv.1) skill?]
"Yes."
「Basic Swordsmanship (Lv.1): Increases attack power by 10 when wielding any longsword.」
「Proficiency: 0%.」
There’s one key differencepared to eleration or petrification skills.
This skill doesn’t require activation.
[Unlocking ''Basic Swordsmanship'' has opened the Swordsmanship skill tree.]
And a second difference.
Instead of allocating points to level up the skill, you increase proficiency.
The method for that is probably...
[You havepleted the ''Basic Swordsmanship'' course.]
[Reward distributionplete.]
[Return through the door.]
— sh!
The entrance I hade through began glowing softly.
‘An attack boost and the swordsmanship skill tree unlocked, huh.’
I’ll have to experiment to see how much a 10-point increase really is.
For most people, this would be a good stopping point.
But I…
— Dash!
Rushed forward, sword drawn, aiming at the neck of the other me—my doppelg?nger.
Using the brief moment it stood motionless after the lesson ended.
Swoosh! Swish!
I lunged through the space, and the doppelg?nger hastily evaded.
Its previously nk, expressionless eyes now slightly puzzled.
Of course, it’s not because I was drunk on the fight or desperate to kill it.
I just…
Wanted to squeeze out everyst bit of benefit.
[Basic Swordsmanship (Lv.1) skill proficiency has increased!]
[ssroom effects applied.]
[+1%.]
‘Got it!’
As I expected.
Unlocking the skill wasn’t the end.
"Swordsmanship skill proficiency increases, huh."
[ssroom effects allow skill proficiency to increase rapidly.]
As long as I remain in the ssroom, skill proficiency increases regardless of whether the lesson is ongoing.
If I use this effectively...
"I''ll need a bit more of your time for lessons."
[……]
For a moment, it felt like the doppelg?nger sighed.
Must’ve been my imagination.
[You havepleted all objectives for the ''Basic Swordsmanship'' course. Return through the door.]
The system repeatedly broadcasted for me to leave.
But I...
"Not leaving until you kick me out."
[Basic Swordsmanship (Lv.1) skill proficiency has increased!]
[ssroom effects applied.]
[+1%.]
Why would I walk out on my own?
A free buff without any cost?
I’ll squeeze it dry.
[Trantor - Night]
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