Chapter 21. King of All Weapons – (7)

***

ー Evolution of Talent.

How Talents evolve and levels rise, the exact reason hasn’t been fully revealed. There are over hundreds of Talents, and even those Talents have vastly different natures, so the conditions for evolution were all different.

So there were various opinions about evolution, but the reasons commonly considered convincing had some commonalities.

When overcoming a crisis.
When having endless desire for improvement.
When the heart doesn’t break in any situation.
When gaining a special realization.
……

Besides these, countless clues about evolution. But among the numerous clues, there was just one thing commonly required.

Namely, a strong mind.

The moment the mind of the Talent holder wavers, the light of blessing enveloping the whole body disappears right there.

Even if one emits the light of blessing, countless people lose that light in vain without it fully blooming.

And even at the moment Leonhardt evolved his Talent and emitted a mighty blue light.
The light of blessing enveloping Han Chunsung’s entire body also faded for a moment.

That was because his heart was greatly shaken.

But even so, Han Chunsung could accept reality.

The absolute strength of mind to look ahead without succumbing to reality.

He already had that from himself.

Moreover, he doesn’t envy or be jealous of others. Rather, he acknowledges and accepts others and tries to move forward as is.

So he could acknowledge reality while looking at Leonhardt.

Not by despairing at their great difference but simply accepting it.

Right after.

The even greater light of blessing bursting out and enveloping Han Chunsung was perhaps.

Just like an ‘inevitable’ result.

…

“This is…”

It enters my vision blankly.

The radiance of blue light that feels intense even to my sight.

That this light is completely enveloping my entire body too. The sensation of my body feeling light as a feather and about to fly away was just the first thing.

What was more surprising came after.

Numerous knowledge, principles, concepts pouring into my mind. I naturally felt and simultaneously understood countless experiences of handling spears.

Then, my posture holding the spear naturally changed.

To a more natural and comfortable posture for me to handle. Yet a posture that can put more strength into the spear.

How wrongly I had been handling the spear all this time. I understood in an instant.

“Han Chunsung…”

As Leonhardt’s surprised voice was heard, laughter leaked out for no reason.

I could tell without even looking at my status window.

‘I’ve reached it.’

Talent level 4.

Although I thought I could only reach that level after half a year, unbelievably, I had reached it.

I activated the mana welling up and filling my entire body.

ー ー!!

The radiance of blue light enveloping my whole body soon disappears as if overlaid by my mana.

From now on, what I’ll show is a completely different Spearmanship that has reached level 4.

Even facing Leonhardt who exerts enormous power having risen to Legendary Talent level 3, it was a mighty power that I could contend with.

I naturally concentrated all the mana I emitted into the spear.

ー ー ー!!

From the spear blade to the shaft, even after enveloping all of it with mana, mana was left over. I felt vast mana to the extent that blue light swirled around my arms.

I could feel my stats rising greatly as my Talent evolved.

Blue light incomparably different from the small amount of mana I had possessed captivated my sight dazzlingly.

‘I can reach.’

With my spear now, I can reach.

Leonhardt who deflected all offensives like an impregnable fortress. I gained confidence that I could land a blow on this world’s protagonist.

Originally, ‘level’ in Talents meant great power.

Moreover, it was the only power that could surpass the ‘grade’ set from the moment of receiving it.

Instead, the lower the Talent grade, the harder it was designed to raise that level, so it was actually a meaningless term.

Higher grades had stronger power and were easier to grow, after all.

However, if one could raise the level higher, the situation could change sufficiently.

Whisk!

As I said before, I silently pointed my spear imbued with blue light at Leonhardt without saying anything.

Then, Leonhardt finally raised his sword.

The calmness from before had disappeared from Leonhardt’s eyes.

His arched eyes seemed to hold strange joy and excitement.

Seeing those blue eyes, I just laughed.

He tried to end the match first, but he was regretful too after all.

It seemed he also felt that it would only have meaning if he properly concluded with me.

Rustle.

The moment he finally pointed his sword emitting even more brilliant radiance than my spear at me.

I stomped the ground without hesitation.

ー!

Even my footwork was completely different from before.

I understood everything about how to step on the ground to make the force of thrusting the spear complete and faster.

The moment I stepped forward strongly with my toes. Before I knew it, I was rotating on those toes and thrusting the spear intensely.

Clang!!

The moment Leonhardt blocked the spear. A shockwave that could hardly be seen as the sword face and spear tip meeting swept through the match arena.

Rustle!

As a gale blew and my hair fluttered greatly, laughter just leaked out.

As the pure energy of Sky-Splitting Blade and the energy of my spear made of pure mana offset each other and brilliant sparks dazzled my sight. My heart felt strangely refreshed.

My spear now didn’t bounce off greatly like before.

Rustle.

Retrieving the spear was as natural as flowing water, and there was almost no strain returning to my body.

‘Good.’

This is the proper way to retrieve a spear.

Moreover, I could feel that I was finally standing on the same level as Leonhardt, conducting a proper match.

Swoosh!

The speed of thrusting the spear again was also incomparable to before.

The force concentrated on a single point contained destructive power that could pierce through everything,
And the speed of advancing was truly overwhelming.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!!

Along with the continuous ringing of rapid strikes, the hand wielding the spear was light.
It was like drawing in the air endlessly as if wielding a brush.

And the spectacle of numerous blue waves drawn in the air following my hand movements captivates the gaze dazzlingly.

My spear endlessly advancing and rushing along the blue waves as well.

Towards this world’s protagonist, the protagonist who will overcome any adversity.

I was now issuing a challenge.

With my spear.

And.

I could see.

The satisfied smile on Leonhardt’s lips.

Even as I launched such a fierce and intense offensive, as expected. The protagonist was the protagonist.

Leonhardt receiving my offensive that had become at least twice as strong as before still showed no gaps.

Gently receiving the spear with the energy of Sky-Splitting Blade, his gesture of swinging the sword was light as if fluttering amidst the intense sounds.

It gave a strangely wondrous feeling as if embracing everything that rushed towards him.

When I thrust my spear intensely as if to pierce through everything.

Leonhardt just gently deflects or flows away the spear.

‘Flowing away…?’

And I could feel it for a moment.

The fact that Leonhardt, who had only been deflecting my spear until now, was now gradually receiving my spear gently as if flowing it away…

“Ha.”

I laughed hollowly, dumbfounded.

But that was rather good.

Because I didn’t have to hesitate at all in thrusting my spear.

Even if I exert power close to my full strength and freely swing this spear, Leonhardt will receive it all.

There isn’t even a single point of fear, anxiety, or hesitation in his eyes now.

Rather, only emotions like joy, elation, pleasure… are visible.

And probably I have the same eyes too.

Swoosh!

Suddenly I take a step forward and rotate greatly, twisting my body to rotate once.

Unlike fiercely thrusting the spear, I rotate once and then thrust the spear surprisedly.

A move of thrusting the spear along a path the opponent can’t predict while putting even more strength into it.

Swoosh!

The trajectory of the spear shooting out without even a sound seemed to continue as if countless points were being shot.

Blue points of light continue endlessly to soon become a single line. Finally changing into a beam of light.

Kwang!!

Leonhardt received the spear with his sword face as if this much at least couldn’t be flowed away, and was greatly pushed back, dragging along the ground.

The huge fragments of blue light spreading out and the roar from that were also different from before.

Even as I retrieved the thrust spear… I felt it unconsciously.

I certainly thought my spear could reach him, but.

A very small. Really minute gap existed.

The speed at which Leonhardt’s sword is following my spear now. It’s getting faster and faster.

The spear tip aiming for his side. I thought Leonhardt wouldn’t be able to react to that in that moment.

But.

This guy received it.

‘Truly insane talent.’

Is this much necessary to be the protagonist? It was crazy adaptability to the extent of thinking that.

And at that moment.

“…What.”

For a moment, I had the illusion that Leonhardt’s figure, slowly lowering his sword, had disappeared.

***

People commonly say that.

ー There is no talent that surpasses Talent.

That no matter how outstanding one’s talent is, it’s useless if the Talent grade doesn’t support it. Such modifiers always followed those called unfortunate figures.

They had incredibly outstanding talent, but their Talent grade was low so their limits were visible.

Meaningless words like ‘If only their Talent grade had been one level higher, they could have shone their name even more’.

And those words constantly followed someone Leonhardt knew as well.

So Leonhardt wanted to deny those words, and for his sake too, he wanted to say those words weren’t right.

But he… couldn’t.

Because Leonhardt himself had received the highest grade Talent from this world. He had received a Legendary grade Talent.

But now. Someone proving how vain those words were was right before his eyes.

Moreover, he was feeling it keenly.

That there was someone directly achieving what he couldn’t do.

‘Talent has surpassed Talent.’

To an incomprehensible level at that.
The talent Han Chunsung possessed was far surpassing his Spearmanship Talent.

Without that, this current match couldn’t be explained.

Truly strength beyond measure.

He knew that Talent level 4 was the level where one gains numerous knowledge along with concrete concepts of power.

But the spear he was crossing now was beyond that.

It’s a completely separate matter to be able to show this much strength just from vaguely knowing.

‘Ha……’

Thinking about it, it was really laughable.

One rises to that level because they showed the potential to reach the next stage, the strength gained afterwards is just a reward for that.

So I thought I should show the sincerity I could exert too.

The pure energy of Sky-Splitting Blade that can be exerted upon reaching level 3.

Imbuing my sword with the energy of Sky-Splitting Blade is not the end.

If I can just turn that strong energy into my body and apply it, something beyond that is possible.

As I kept thinking to receive Han Chunsung’s spear while conducting the match, I naturally came to acquire the usage method of the energy.

And the one move to end this fierce match as well…

ー!

The sword thrust while leaping had already reached beyond space.
The neck existing where the sword tip was aimed was already drenched in sweat.

Even though his body had recovered as his Talent evolved, in just this short time, it meant Han Chunsung had thrust his spear countless times to the point of overworking his body.

“…”

I smiled faintly looking at Han Chunsung staring at me blankly.

“The match is hereby over.”

As the instructor’s words rang out right after, I was satisfied even as I lowered my sword pointed at his neck.

Han Chunsung.

That peculiar name, among the numerous cadets…

It was a name worth remembering.