Atra declared when starting the training that there were no preferences in special admissions.

There was no systematic method; the training would proceed with a form of combat that was close to actual combat. She added that it would be challenging enough to draw tears, so I should grit my teeth and follow along.

Yet, there was a bit of a lie mixed in that statement.

“There are no preferences in special admissions.” That’s a lie. Honestly, there is a slight dislike there.

Teaching someone.

And not just some regular lecture, but personally tutoring someone one-on-one brings up extremely unpleasant memories for Atra.

Memories she would rather not recall. However, sometimes they inevitably resurface against her will.

If someone else had made such a suggestion, she would’ve cursed them out and sent them packing. If they dared open their mouth again, she would’ve punched them without hesitation.

But the proposer was none other than the master of The Cradle. A benefactor who had provided several conveniences to Atra, and someone who was aware of her circumstances.

Even so, she had begrudgingly agreed, thinking there must be some significant reason behind such an offer.

But the doubt remained. Was this person someone worth being personally brought by the dean? Was he really worth that much? The question lingered in her mind.

Personal feelings were also mixed in, tilting the perception of this one-on-one education towards dislike.

“There’s no systematic teaching.” That’s true. But as far as Atra was concerned, she was being systematic in her own way.

Even if it’s an utterly thankless task, there’s a minimum standard to maintain in order to save face.

On the first day, running was used to assess basic physical ability and resolve. While it wasn’t the only way to measure ability, one couldn’t expect anything extraordinary from a freshly awakened superhuman.

‘Barely passing.’

The physical abilities were failing among failures. Even considering he’s newly superhuman, he’s weak. Barely scraping by even at the lowest rank.

Willpower… he has quite a bit of that. There’s some bite to him too. But is it really exceptionally outstanding? No, it’s not.

His unique ability is perception-based.

Basic functionality allows him to live a normal life despite being blind. While precise measurement has yet to be conducted, based on Lee Hayul’s responses, it could be speculated that among perception abilities, it’s quite unique and ranks highly.

On the second day, more running was scheduled to see the degree of improvement through The Tower of Growth’s blessing.

Usually, expecting noticeable results overnight would be insane. It’s very rare for anyone to grow significantly in just one day, freshly superhuman or not.

But with The Tower of Growth’s blessing, it’s not impossible. After all, The Cradle is a place where extraordinary growth is attainable. It’s no wonder young superhumans desperately wish to be admitted there.

‘Decent enough.’

His growth rate is higher compared to other students. But given that he’s a special admission, it’s expected; he should be above others in terms of the rate provided for special admissions.

Next, Atra handed Lee Hayul a sword for a simple test.

‘Hmm.’

Despite maintaining a skeptical outlook, Atra never fabricated non-existent facts nor denied reality.

This part showed some innate talent.

When first handed a sword and subjected to a surprise attack, Lee Hayul impressively anticipated and responded well.

Then, without additional guidance, noticeable growth became evident with each moment.

The trajectory of the sword became sharper, and the stance in which it was held steadily improved.

Initially, there were many awkward aspects, as if he were copying someone else’s moves, but with time, it seemed to become integrated into his own technique.

Still, it remained mediocre. There was talent. If well-cultivated, he could possibly match those with combat-oriented unique abilities, or maybe he even possesses a technical-oriented unique ability aside from his perceptual one.

And so?

There are myriads of combat-oriented unique abilities. The Cradle is filled with innumerable individuals who, endowed with talent, have sweated blood to achieve proficiency.

Of course, having said that his talent isn’t mediocre.

But with the label ‘special admission’ attached to him… It just makes one question, why bother?

Had it been a regular admission, Atra would have considered him to be quite useful.

As a recommendation admission, she would have thought quite highly of him…

But the tag of ‘special admission’ was just too prominent.

A frail body, adequate mental strength, high-level perception ability, and fairly rapid growth in swordsmanship.

All these attributes are ill-fitting for the unprecedented nature of a ‘special admission.’

Among the golden generations of the past, the prospects that shone brilliantly, and the potential Lee Hayul is now demonstrating have great differences.

It’s only been two days, of course. There could be other areas where he has special talents that are not sword-related. It’s still too soon for a definitive judgment.

Hence, on the following day, Atra gave him a spear.

Lee Hayul received the spear with a dubious expression. Holding the spear shaft, he seemed to be asking if this was correct.

It’s understandable. Even though it’s only been a day, he had adapted to the sword; now he’s being told to switch weapons immediately.

Just as the saying goes, ‘Dig one well deeply,’ when time and talent are limited, it is more efficient to focus on one thing.

But Atra’s thoughts were slightly different. It’s true what they say that focusing on one thing is efficient.

However, shouldn’t you also know how other wells are dug and what results they yield?

It doesn’t make sense to be clueless about spears just because you’re trained with swords.

Even if you don’t wield a spear, you still need to know how to handle one.

Atra, responsible for Lee Hayul’s combat major lectures, at least thought so.

The reason she purposely had Lee Hayul handle different weapons was to search for his talent while experiencing various arms firsthand, and to encourage an understanding of how to counteract them.

At the very least, Atra believed so while training, and with the backing of her own talent, her exhaustive efforts eventually made her a top hero in the ‘duel’ category.

“Alright, here I come.”

Atra announced a short warning, and observing Lee Hayul firmly gripping the spear shaft as if he had prepared himself, she thrust the spear.

– Clang!

The spear was swiftly dodged.

‘Hmm?’

A slight sense of discomfort crossed Atra’s mind. She withdrew the wavering spear with a slight shake and thrust again.

Three thrusts were aimed in succession, at the forehead, throat, and heart.

Lee Hayul, who had just been holding a sword yesterday, had impressively blocked the initial attack. He did considerably well in repelling an attack Atra thought to be permissible.

However, his subsequent response was clumsy. There were gaps between movements, making it easy to disrupt his defense. Atra could even have interrupted his moves before they unfolded fully.

That was Lee Hayul yesterday.

– Swipe! Clang! Clank!

He retaliates. The spear blocks all three thrusts. Atra’s eyes widened.

The combinations were impressively smooth. At least significantly better than yesterday. She retrieved the spear to verify her observation.

Following that, she slashed.

Although a spear is specialized for stabbing, its unique length allows for powerful slashing and swinging as well.

– Whoosh!

The attack split the air. Lee Hayul, choosing not to engage directly, stepped back a few paces to evade and regripped the spear shaft, stomping the ground.

‘Hmm.’

From a missed slash, she transitioned to a stab. The attack pattern shifted in an instant. The spearhead cut through the wind with an upright thrust.

Thump! The air-parting spear clashed against another spear. Atra didn’t back down but maneuvered her spear once again; this time, Lee Hayul responded without retreating.

The spears clashed. Thrust against thrust, block against slash, spear shafts collided, creating a struggle of power.

‘This kid…’

What’s he up to?

During the cross of spears, Atra’s eyes reflected a glint of puzzlement.

Lee Hayul yesterday. He wielded the sword well. Although she deemed it immature, for a first-time use, it was indeed handled well.

Lee Hayul now. He wielded the spear well. Immature? By Atra’s standards, still yes. Nevertheless, there was a clear improvement over yesterday.

Yesterday, it was sword training. But today, he was using a spear. Despite that, he had improved.

And.

– Thump! Crack! Clang!

He is still growing. The pace is quite steep. Even compared to yesterday, it’s faster.

To verify further, she upped the level. His physical abilities remained the same, but she increased the sophistication of her techniques.

Lee Hayul frowned, apparently struggling with the frontal engagement. Instead of going head-on, he flowed with the momentum, changing his stance to a deflecting one.

His legs moved as if flowing above the ground. The awkwardness of his legs, which had been pointed out, was improved. It allowed his upper body, now with some spare energy, to block attacks and occasionally counter.

He seemed to be focusing more on defense and counterattacks rather than straight offense. Atra played along, not using different tricks, just pounding on the frontal defense.

The spear that blocked the wooden one rocked perilously. Consequently, the defense formed by the spear undulated as if it could collapse.

Yet, he held the final line. He still didn’t allow hits as he did yesterday.

And above all, his physical condition wasn’t like yesterday’s… no, that’s not it.

It was a strange case.

Atra narrowed her eyes. She hasn’t made a concrete judgment yet. She lacked the foundation to draw a conclusion. To do so, she needed to push Lee Hayul even further.

For her to establish the direction going forward…

“Get ready, teacher! The moment I catch up, I’ll pay back everything I’ve endured up to now!”

‘……’

An unpleasant memory surfaced again.

She intensified the offense.

After about a hundred exchanges, the defense was pierced.

***

The spear hurtled toward me wildly. I did my best to respond with spatial perception, but before I could even fully address it, again and again, the attacks flew at me.

‘Gaaaah…!’

Yesterday, it was a sword, and now today, it’s a spear. No, I had been running simulations with the sword all evening and up to this morning – and now she tells me to use a spear.

It was absurd, but I held the spear anyway. There must be a reason behind the word of someone so skilled.

Fortunately, perhaps because the category of combat was the same, I managed to handle the spear quite well. The simulations I ran, even at the expense of sleep, weren’t in vain; initially, I was able to respond to every strike without being hit.

I pondered much over the spatial perception in the duel from yesterday and the incident this morning.

I had seen Gop-hwa burning fiercely. It’s not my first time seeing Gop-hwa, but it had never quivered like it did today, and I had never observed it so vividly.

Spatial perception.

On the first day, I almost died due to the overload of massive information, and thereafter, the cost-reduced radar spatial perception was lacking in information.

The current spatial perception, with light and shadow… I mean, being able to recognize colors, performs as well as a normal person’s vision.

But that’s when I thought about it.

Radar spatial perception suffered from lack of details. Without recognizing colors, everyday life was inconvenient. But did it not catch motion? No, it did. Quite well.

I asked myself. During combat, are colors really that important? That would depend on the fight.

But for the sword duel yesterday, it was unnecessary.

There’s a limit to the information spatial perception can process. More accurately, there’s a limit to how much I can handle.

On the first day, my brain couldn’t handle the amount of information, leading to an overload.

Radar spatial perception and color spatial perception.

In a duel where simple movements are identified, which spatial perception would be more efficient?

– Crash…! Clang! Clink!

The answer was the radar. At least, Atra’s movements felt more perceptible to me than yesterday.

A world of black and green. A view that’s almost maddeningly unpleasant, but when it comes to fighting, this side is more suitable than the world of colors.

My skill at managing spatial perception has also significantly improved, allowing me to discern facial features, even with radar spatial perception.

If in the past the palm of a hand felt smooth, now I can sense the lines on it.

Thanks to that, I am feeling and responding to much more than I did yesterday.

The simulations I ran until late into last night played a big part as well.

Frankly, the reason I relentlessly ran those simulations was largely due to the pain.

I thought that if I could keep getting beaten like this on rainy days, I might actually die.

I’d heard somewhere that growth must be accompanied by pain.

But there’s also this saying,

It’s better to grow without pain than with it.

It’s a simple story. I didn’t want to get beaten up with a stick.

I was accustomed to being hit from a young age, but familiarity doesn’t mean I wanted to continue experiencing it.

With that in mind, I’ve been trying…!

– Clash! Snap! Clink! Snap!

“Here, here.”

“Guh! Gurk!”

The defense breached, the spear shaft lashed against my shoulder and thigh. A jolt of pain shot up my spine as I bit down hard to endure.

‘I’m still getting hit the same…!’

Despite having grown since yesterday…!

At first, I blocked well, but out of nowhere, Professor Atra suddenly raised the level, tearing through my defense and pummeling me mercilessly.

– Snap!

“The recklessness of your counter leaves you open to attacks. Consequently, the offense that’s pounding on your defense becomes more and more fierce.”

– Clash! Thud!

“Move your legs well. Though your arms swing the spear, your body ultimately moves through your legs.”

– Thud!

“Don’t think of actions in isolation; link them together. Each move influences the subsequent ones.”

While it felt like an inexorable beating, there was substantial advice that followed right behind it.

If she was just mercilessly hitting me without teaching anything, I might’ve tried to rebel a little, but given the effort put into educating me, it felt somewhat wrong to resist.

A few hours later.

Yet again, it was I sprawled on the ground.

Fumbling with the battered spear, Professor Atra approached me as if contemplating something.

“You’ve definitely grown more than yesterday. It’s an unexpected amount of growth.”

Not that it helped me escape the beating. Despite nearly eliminating sleep and sacrificing the hard-earned semblance of normal vision, it still wasn’t enough.

After exchanging a few words, Professor Atra turned her back and left the training ground. My mind was too hazy to recall exactly what she had said.

“……?”

Something felt off.

After mulling over it, I let out a low sigh.

‘W-water…?’

Usually, she’d at least give me water after it was over,

So why didn’t she offer any today…?

I’m so thirsty…