EVS Chapter 62

While Geon-joo’s body and skills initially seemed inadequate when considering the monster wave, by the third day of special training, he began to show signs of genuine competence.

Perhaps due to the relentless training, his once frail body that looked like it might break at the slightest touch now sported the maximum amount of muscle that could be gained in three days. As a result, Geon-joo’s strength had also increased. He was no longer the weakling he had been at first.

Previously, when Geon-joo encountered monsters stronger than himself, he would often engage in a tense standoff only to end up losing his sword. But after his muscles had developed to a certain extent, such instances decreased significantly. Far from losing his sword, he even showed a beginner’s grit at times, directly withstanding and enduring the monster’s force head-on.

Of course, he couldn’t hold out for more than three seconds before his body, rather than his sword, was sent flying. But the important thing was that he managed to withstand the force of a stronger opponent for more than a second. It was truly a remarkable achievement.

<Han Geon-joo’s Status Window>

Age: 22

Gender: Male

Grade: B

Disposition: ‘I Alone Am High’

Titles: ‘Watched By The Gods(?)’, ‘I’m Quite Outstanding(A)’, ‘One Who Masters All Things(S)’, ‘The Only Genius Under The Heavens(A)’, ‘Member of the Night Rat Guild(E)’

Skills: [Social Finesse(A)], [Adaptability(S)], [Insight(B)], [Eloquence(A)], [Soliloquy(A)], [Weapon Mastery(S)], [Composure(B)], [Endurance(B)]

Exclusive Skill: [Survival Instinct(SS+)]

Unopened Skills: [Discernment(SSS)], [Shadow Dominion(L)]

Benefits: ‘There’s Quite a Gap in Our Levels(A)’, ‘Unlucky For You, But I Awakened a Week Ago(S)’, ‘Natural Sense(A)’, ‘Flower in the Mud(A)’

-Stats

Strength: B++(SSS)

Agility: B+(SSS)

Stamina: A(SSS)

Luck: S(S+)

This status window clearly showed Geon-joo’s achievements over the past three days. Sa-yoon compared the stats he had seen when he first met Geon-joo to his current stats and smiled.

An additional ‘+’ had been added to his strength, and his stamina had changed from A- to A. It was such a significant achievement in just three days that it was hard to believe. He was itching to grab Geon-joo by the shoulders and boast, “See? What did I tell you? Two of your stats have increased. I told you good things happen when you listen to me.”

That’s how significant the change was.

It was enough of a change to make even Sa-yoon, who usually remained indifferent to most things, want to show off.

Geon-joo, who had just entered his second week since awakening, might not fully grasp how remarkable this achievement was. But if the other guild members saw this, they’d be green with envy.

Stats rarely increase even after consuming expensive potions and nutritional supplements, yet look at this—changes in both strength and stamina after just three days in the field. At this rate, he could easily be considered a B+ rank.

Things couldn’t be going more smoothly.

If he continued training consistently for the remaining two days, the combat techniques and battle sense he had acquired so far would become ingrained in his body. Then, if he endured the wave while gaining more practical experience, he wouldn’t be criticized for lacking real combat experience anywhere. After that, if he cleared a dungeon, an A-rank was certain.

S-rank might still be far off, but A-rank was practically guaranteed.

Geon-joo’s stat changes were clearly indicating this fact, causing Sa-yoon to keep chuckling involuntarily. For ten years after awakening, his life hadn’t gone as he wanted, but now it seemed like things were finally looking up. Everything was going incredibly smoothly.

“What are you thinking about that’s making you smile like that again?”

Geon-joo, who had shown an ominous look every time Sa-yoon smiled, asked as he took one step, then two steps back from Sa-yoon’s side. Sa-yoon blinked once as he saw an illusion of Jongsik and other guild members overlapping with the image of Geon-joo trying to distance himself. The faces of dozens of people that had momentarily overlaid Geon-joo’s face became clear again.

“Is this the first time you’ve seen me smile, pretty boy?”

“You’re smiling ominously.”

“What kind of smile is that?”

“You know. The kind of smile that makes me start to understand why that Jongsik guy flinched every time the guild master smiled.”

Oh, this little cutie.

He brought him to the field to build a bond with him, but instead, he was building a bond of shared suffering with Jongsik.

Sa-yoon laughed in disbelief as he saw Geon-joo’s eyes, which clearly seemed to be thinking of Jongsik who must be outside the gate. He didn’t understand why Geon-joo was looking at him like that just because he was smiling. Displeased, he reached out and grabbed Geon-joo’s chin, turning it so that Geon-joo’s gaze naturally returned to Sa-yoon.

“What is it?”

“If you’re going to try to understand someone, why don’t you try understanding me, the one raising you, instead of thinking about Jongsik? Instead of wasting time on useless thoughts, think about why you just lost, pretty boy.”

As Sa-yoon began to point out his flaws, Geon-joo rolled his eyes to the side. It meant he didn’t want to hear it. Ignoring this, Sa-yoon continued to explain why Geon-joo had lost in the recent battle. The pretty boy, who had been listening half-heartedly, readjusted his grip on his sword.

“So basically, you’re saying that when there’s a big difference in strength, I shouldn’t recklessly charge in but should respond flexibly, right?”

“That’s a concise summary, yes.”

“Then why didn’t you just say that instead of dragging it out so long?”

“Because you need to understand in which situations and how you acted that way to make it easier for you to understand.”

Why are you nitpicking and making such a fuss?

I should have never nursed him back to health. Since the poisoning incident, Han Geon-joo’s attitude towards him had become a bit more daring. To put it nicely, it was daring, but to be blunt, it was disrespectful.

Sa-yoon pinched Geon-joo’s cheek hard with his thumb and index finger as Geon-joo was either rolling his eyes or avoiding his gaze. Under the pressure, Geon-joo’s lips were forced to pout, and he openly frowned.

“I’m letting it slide because it’s me, pretty boy, but don’t act like this with others. You’ll get cut.”

“I act this way because it’s you, Guild Master.”

“…Hm?”

“I don’t behave like this with other people. It’s because you treat me this way first that I’ve just let my guard down completely.”

Geon-joo, who had tilted his head back to escape Sa-yoon’s grasp, spoke while furrowing his brow, apparently feeling the ache in his pinched cheek. Sa-yoon stared at Geon-joo, who was rubbing his cheek, and pondered over his words, which could be interpreted in several ways.

If he really meant that he was comfortable enough to act that way, that would be the best. But didn’t Geon-joo say it more like, “You treat me like dirt, so I’m treating you like dirt too”?

It seemed like the ‘close relationship’ the system had mentioned had formed more than before, but he wasn’t sure if there was trust within that relationship.

Should I like this or not?

After contemplating for a moment, Sa-yoon decided to push aside the complicated thoughts and once again pointed out the problems in Geon-joo’s battle. When asked what he thought caused him to lose in the previous battle, Geon-joo twirled the sword in his hand once and muttered softly.

“I lost because of the big rank difference. You said it was a semi-S rank, right?”

Speaking right in front of him, it was hard to tell if it was a soliloquy or a retort. The important thing was that his voice had reached Sa-yoon’s ears, so he pressed down on the impertinent head with his palm. It would be nice if that arrogance could be compressed by pressing like this, but unfortunately, that was a difficult reality.

“Even if it seems like rank is everything, later on, the experience and sense accumulated in your body become more important than rank, pretty boy. If you hit S-rank and have nowhere else to go, your true worth is exposed. Whether I got here through the system or through experience. How long are you going to blame losing to stronger opponents on rank differences? Even with some difference, if you grit your teeth, utilize the situation, and show your sense, you can even against opponents more than one rank higher…”

The uninterrupted speech was about to end with “Back in my day.” Geon-joo, who had cleverly understood what Sa-yoon was about to say, cut him off, saying he understood, and left to find monsters. The sight of him going off to train on his own now, without Sa-yoon having to urge or threaten him, was so admirable that it made Sa-yoon forget all his previous annoyance.

For the first two days after starting the special training, he had shown clear signs of not wanting to do it even though he was doing it. Now he didn’t even do that. Judging by his attitude, it was clear that he was feeling it too.

The fact that he was growing, that is.

From the start, the system window had shown it directly through stats, so there was no way he couldn’t have noticed.

Sa-yoon quietly smiled at the eyes that now showed desire, unlike before. At a time when he was just starting to get stronger, he would want to check frequently.

How far he had grown, how far he had come, what level he was at, and who he could face.

It must be a time when he’s curious about such things, so Sa-yoon watched with satisfaction as Geon-joo ran off on his own to find monsters.

Even to himself, it seemed like he had raised him well.

Kwaaaang!

While Sa-yoon was lost in his feelings of pride, Geon-joo had clashed with a new monster. Unlike before, today he had started training by directly seeking out other monsters in the forest, not the ones Sa-yoon had selected.

Having learned how to escape and hide, it was now time for him to develop the skill to judge whether an opponent’s level was higher or lower than his own, hence this forced method.

There was nothing easier than direct confrontation to understand how strong an opponent was and how big the gap between them was. After several such encounters, one would eventually reach a level where they could gauge the opponent’s skill just by sensing their aura. Sa-yoon wanted to cultivate this ability in Geon-joo.

With this well-intentioned suggestion for a new style of combat, Sa-yoon turned his gaze away after confirming that the monster Geon-joo had collided with was A-rank.

If it had been S-rank, he would have dealt with it himself, but a monster of this level was worth leaving to Geon-joo. It was a low-skilled one even among A-ranks, so if he did well, Geon-joo might be able to subdue it.

“Then I guess I’ll finish looking at this…”

Speaking as if humming with newfound leisure, Sa-yoon brought up Geon-joo’s status window in front of his eyes.

He had meant to check it properly, but due to bad timing or forgetfulness, he hadn’t been able to examine it. Now, the status window he hadn’t been able to look at was visible at a glance.

Finally having time to click on and check each skill one by one, Sa-yoon first touched the disposition.

[The Only Genius Under The Heavens]

The system applauds your amazing talent. There is no being in the universe that dares to have more potential than you! The system blesses your blossoming!

“……”

As expected, it was disgustingly obnoxious right from the start.