Divinity

--- [Rin’s perspective]

Ever since I was little, I’ve always been fast…

I took my first steps when I was two weeks old.

I outran an adult when I was three years old.

Inversely, I’ve always been unnaturally weak too…

I always struggled carrying my books back and forth from school; even a full water bottle felt incredibly heavy to me.

I have no idea why this is the case…

Is it my physiology?

My spirit?

I don’t know, but be it with pure physical strength, or with the help of Divinity, there has always been a massive mismatch between my speed and my strength.

As a kid, I’d always get picked on because they knew I could never fight back.

Even kids multiple years younger than me were far stronger…

Even so, I always aspired to get strong.

I have an uncle who’s a hunter; I always looked up to him.

To a kid who knew nothing, his power seemed so unimaginably vast, that nothing could ever compare.

No matter who picked on me, I always knew they couldn’t compare to him.

If I could become like him, then all my problems would go away.

At first, my parents were hesitant to let me learn Divinity manipulation.

They knew I wanted to become a hunter, but they also understood how dangerous it was.

Even though I was very young, I was also very adamant.

They settled on a compromise and enrolled me in a martial arts school.

I gave my all for a few months, but eventually I had to quit.

I simply wasn’t cut out for it…

Throwing people was out of the question; there was no way I could lift another person.

Even the simplest of moves were almost impossible for me to do correctly.

My abnormally weak body was holding me back too much.

This obviously made me really sad, making my parents feel sorry for me.

Shortly after, they agreed to let me learn BDM with my uncle, but only when he had time, and only after I did my homework, and finished my chores.

He was more than happy to help, so training began right away.

Before my first lesson, I was informed on how hard learning to manipulate Divinity really is, and how long it usually takes.

It wasn’t something I could get good at immediately; I’d have to work my ass off for years and years before I could expect to see any progress.

That did not detract me.

Whenever he was not on a mission, he’d come home to teach me more, and track my progress.

I’d spend all my free time meditating alone in my room.

Every evening on weekdays; every hour on weekends.

It wasn’t until I was around 10 that I was first able to feel it, many years after I started learning.

I couldn’t maintain it if I moved as much as a muscle, but after so many years of no progress, it gave me boundless motivation to continue learning.

At the same time, I had completely given up on my social life.

Everything revolved around training…

My parents had wanted me to make some friends for years, but I never cared enough to waste my time on that sort of stuff.

It was only when my uncle agreed that taking some breaks would help my progress rather than hinder it, and that making friends would become an important skill once I became a hunter, that I agreed.

However, making friends was not an easy task.

I tried getting to know my classmates more, but friend groups had already been long established, and nobody really wanted to talk to me.

My parents suggested joining a club, so I did just that.

But I was quickly faced with a dilemma; which club should I join?

There were many options, but since there were no clubs related to hunters or Divinity, none of them matched my interests.

It’d be hard making friends if I had nothing in common with them, so I decided to join a club dedicated to something I’d at least be good at…

Running.

On my first day, we were doing some simple 400-meter sprints.

Some kids would run it in two minutes, others in one and a half.

From what I recall, the fastest kids there could complete a lap in around 70 seconds.

This was the first time in my life where I didn’t feel inferior to others.

At the dojo, I was so weak I had to quit.

Yet here…!

I was only 12 years old at the time, yet I shattered the world record for the Divinity-less 400-meter sprint with a time of only 25 seconds.

It was only then that people started taking my commitment seriously.

It’s like nobody had ever truly believed in me, not even my parents or my uncle.

They thought I’d eventually give up when I released how difficult mastering BDM really was, but seeing me perform this incredible speed feat without even being able to enhance myself with Divinity, turned that around completely.

My uncle completely dedicated himself to teaching me, and my parents worked extra hard so they could provide for him too while he wasn’t working.

All that bullshit about making friends was immediately thrown out the window, and all I did for years on end was train, train, and train some more.

It was all I ever wanted.

I dedicated everything to learning, and it paid off.

It still took time to improve, but not nearly as long as before.

By the time I was 18, I finally felt ready to take on the F-rank exam.

I passed, but…

I didn’t feel like I really deserved it.

Alex and Shin helped me so much, without them I would have never passed.

The thing that was holding me back, was the thing that had been holding me back my entire life.

My weakness…

Despite being faster than anyone there, even Alex and Shin, I still couldn’t do anything.

I simply couldn’t produce enough power to effectively take people out, and at the same time, almost anyone there could take me out with relatively little effort.

The mismatch between my speed and my strength was just too great.

I was lucky I even passed…

I went on a couple missions, hoping I’d perform better, but I never did…

At that point, I knew my condition would never improve.

I’d always be a step behind everyone else…

Unless…

Unless my specialty somehow lets me circumvent my weakness!

Reaching E-rank would never be anything more than a dream without it, so I reached out to the specialty finders in my guild and told them about my situation.

They agreed to teach me SDM, and so, I dedicated myself to that completely.

I only ever went on missions out of necessity after that; after all, I had to pay for food somehow.

The rest of my time was either spent training or resting.

Eventually, I finally learned to control my specialty…

At that point, I had achieved nothing as a hunter.

I had barely completed any missions, I hadn’t improved my BDM, and I hadn’t attempted to rank up.

Yet suddenly, I was filled with confidence!

My specialty was everything I ever dreamt of!

It gave me a way to effectively attack, even if I was weak.

I could coat my limbs in lightning; it wouldn’t shock, but rather cut.

The thin layer of electricity at the tips of my fingers was sharp enough to cut through almost anything.

Combine that with my incredible speed, and the combo was deadly.

I cleared the E-rank exam with ease; a stark contrast to what happened at the F-rank exam.

And now, finally, I am in the last round of the D-rank exam…

If I win this match, I’ll rank up.

If I don’t, I won’t.

It’s as simple as that.

Although I have a feeling this match won’t last very long…!

Jade, I’ll make sure your sacrifice wasn’t in vain!