NOVEL NEXT c1
Chapter 1 – [Spearmanship Lv.1]
I hastily opened my mouth.
“Um, I’m really sorry, but… Miss. Could I, could I take the test again?”
“Haah…”
The female employee’s deep sigh at my words, as if the earth was caving in,
was accompanied by eyes that seemed to have seen hundreds like me before.
“I’m sorry, but retaking the test rarely changes the Talent results.
Also, if you want a retest, there’s an additional fee. Are you okay with that?”
As she spoke, her gaze swept up and down my body, making me flinch involuntarily.
ーAdditional fee.
I knew what that meant.
And I also knew that the employee’s words about the results not changing were entirely true.
…Still, it was incredibly hard to accept the test results.
[Spearmanship Lv.1]
Among the many Talents, getting Spearmanship could be seen as not a bad result, but…
No, it was bad.
From my perspective, it was almost the worst possible outcome.
“I’ll pay the additional fee.”
I decided and paid the extra cost.
“…Alright, then please step onto the platform again.”
Receiving the employee’s sympathetic gaze, I took steps forward once more.
I had no choice but to request a retest, grasping at straws.
My entire life hung on this Talent now.
If there was even the slightest possibility, I had to try.
Step.
As I straightened up on the circular platform, following the employee’s gesture,
the pure white light began to envelop me once again.
Watching that light, I fervently wished.
‘Please, a magic Talent! Please!’
In this world, magic Talents are the most favored. And close-combat Talents were truly hopeless.
Ding!
*
ーーーー
Name: Han Chunsung
Gender: Male (20)
Title: None
Height · Weight: 178cm 67kg
Current Continental Influence: 5
*Talent Profile.
[Strength 3]
[Agility 8]
[Health 9]
[Mana 2]
[Luck 5]
*Possessed Talent [1]
[Spearmanship Lv.1]
*Skills [0]
ーーーー
*
Seeing the status window completely unchanged from what I first saw,
I felt my strength drain away as if I was about to collapse.
“Um, excuse me…? I understand you’re feeling very upset right now,
but there are other people waiting for their Talent tests.”
As the female employee grabbed my shoulder to help me up,
I rose mechanically, my vision blurry.
‘How…’
Suddenly, it felt like I couldn’t see anything in front of me. As if someone had blindfolded me.
What I just received was the ‘Talent Test’ that one can only take upon becoming an adult.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that this one Talent Test determines one’s entire life.
And that…
It was ruined.
Completely ruined.
Step.
Step.
As I walked absent-mindedly towards the exit, I rubbed my eyelids.
Moisture gathered in my eyes as a dejected feeling filled my chest.
“Oh my.”
“What should we do?”
“Spearmanship… Has anyone ever succeeded with Spearmanship?”
My pitiful state must have been visible to everyone in line,
as the words I heard from those waiting for their tests seemed to stab at my heart.
Haah.
Heaving uncontrollable sighs, I left the Talent testing center.
Even my once-weighty wallet now empty, making my heart feel even more hollow.
“Shit…”
Standing blankly on the street, muttering curses, all motivation drained from me.
‘How am I supposed to make a living with Spearmanship.’
The reality that had befallen me was bitterly unhelpful.
I was existing in a novel I had read.
The kind of opening that happens in countless generic web novels.
Unbelievably, it had happened to me.
Whether I had committed such a grave sin, or done something without realizing it,
the event had already unfolded.
“…”
Even now, at the edge of my vision, I could see the towering buildings of the Academy.
Seeing the majestic exterior of the Academy, reminiscent of an imperial palace,
it suddenly felt real.
That I was in this world of
I had memories of reading about charming heroines with various hair colors,
and the protagonist dominating the plot as typical in academy genre novels.
But based on that knowledge, what I should do now.
Thinking about how to return, nothing came to mind.
To begin with, I wasn’t the protagonist, nor even a supporting character.
I was just ‘me’.
In other novels, people would be reincarnated as good characters or nobles,
but I didn’t even have that.
I was just someone who had no relevance, whether I existed or not,
who had slipped into this world.
Like an impurity.
Still, I somehow adapted to this world. Without a visible status window,
I took on odd jobs at an inn, saving money for the Talent test.
Harboring a vague hope that I too could live well in this world,
like the protagonists or supporting characters who showed outstanding achievements.
The Talent test that one can take upon becoming an adult.
If that turned out well… there was no reason I couldn’t shine like a protagonist.
“Who was it that said, ‘When you expect, you get betrayed’…”
Muttering a phrase I’d seen in the past, I could only laugh foolishly.
If you hit the jackpot in the Talent test, your life changes,
so how could you not have expectations?
“Mom, that mister. He’s weird.”
“Oh my. It’s best to avoid and stay away from such people. Understand?”
“Yes. I got it!”
…Hearing the strange comments of passersby, I ended up glaring at a mother and child with a bitter expression.
Mister, really?
There are things you can say, and things you shouldn’t.
Even as my mood sank further, I started walking.
“…Still, I have to try.”
Nevertheless, applying for the Academy was possible.
Anyone who received a Talent test could apply for the Academy.
Assuming this world has a medieval setting with class distinctions,
the Academy could be seen as a single ray of light.
“Is it possible if I try hard enough?”
Muttering to myself, a habit formed from living alone, a small sigh escaped.
If one could stand out in the Academy, a noble family or even the imperial palace might take in them.
That was the level of life I hoped for.
Of course, I had hoped for a comfortable life nestled among overwhelmingly talented protagonists
and supporting characters, but my most average expectation was ‘a life with a guaranteed future’.
I just wanted to live without worries doing my part.
“…”
Sighing, I opened the detailed window for my Spearmanship Talent.
Ding!
*
ーーーー
Talent Name: Spearmanship
Grade: Common
Current Talent Level: 1
Description: Gain ‘correction’ in proficiency when handling spears.
ーーーー
*
The explanation was so simple that I almost doubted if this was all there was to it.
At first glance, one might wonder what’s so important about gaining ‘correction’,
but the difference between having this correction and not was indescribable.
“…Common.”
The Talent’s grade was as I had expected, but seeing it in reality made my heart even heavier.
Moreover, in this world, being given a close-range, physical-type Talent was actually a kind of ‘disaster’.
Almost all monsters have overwhelming resistance to physical attacks.
Even mere goblins have such thick skin that it’s not easy to wound them with ordinary weapons,
and even after killing a monster, maintaining the weapon’s edge incurs enormous costs.
On top of that, from what I knew, there was no instructor specializing in spears at the Academy.
“If I hadn’t known at all, I might have had some hope.”
Knowing too much about the world of Royal High Academy was now rather regrettable.
But then I shook my head.
‘Only 2 months left.’
Time till the entrance exam was tight.
…There wasn’t even time to blame my Talent.
I had to get an iron spear right away and somehow raise my Talent level.
At least if I could enter the Academy, opportunities might arise.
Thud.
I immediately turned towards the blacksmith’s shop.
***
Two months passed.
“Haa… Haa…!”
My chest felt like it was about to burst.
Roughly exhaling the breath that had risen to the top of my throat,
I leaned on the spear I was grasping and stared into space.
Then, the status window appeared in my vision.
*
ーーーー
Name: Han Chunsung
Gender: Male (20)
Title: None
Height · Weight: 178cm 67kg
Current Continental Influence: 5
*Talent Profile.
[Strength 5]
[Agility 10]
[Health 13]
[Mana 2]
[Luck 5]
*Possessed Talent [1]
[Spearmanship Lv.3]
*Skills [0]
ーーーー
*
“Fuck.”
Even as I swore, a smile settled on my lips.
I did it.
I wanted to shout out loud, but just exhaling the breath that had risen to the top of my throat was already my limit.
After two months of effort, I was able to raise my Talent level to 3.
Additionally, various ability scores had risen, but more than anything else,
the fact that my Spearmanship level had increased was encouraging to me.
“This should be enough to pass.”
From what I’d seen in the novel, the average Talent level of Academy entrance exam applicants was 2.
It’s said that those with truly overpowered Talents get a free pass to enter even with Talent level 1,
but for my common-grade Spearmanship, such a thing was out of the question.
That’s why I had made bone-grinding efforts over the past two months to raise my Talent level.
“Haah…”
While continuously exhaling large breaths, I wiped the sweat rolling down my cheeks.
As I did, I noticed how my body had changed.
‘I really did work like a dog.’
Over the past two months. Even though I trained forcibly, my body had changed.
Considering that my stubbornly stagnant ability scores had risen by an average of 2,
it was truly a remarkable improvement.
Thud.
As I raised my slumped body to move towards taking the exam,
my gaze drifted to one side of the training ground.
ー! ーー!
Being one of the training grounds in the city center,
I could see numerous people intensely focused on raising their Talent levels.
And among them, one woman stood out.
With blue hair cascading down to her waist, and eyes that sparkled like they held stars,
it was immediately apparent that the woman was extraordinary.
…Well, as she wielded her sword,
Whoosh!
A fierce wind arose, so it was impossible not to notice.
‘What kind of Talent could it be?’
A basic Talent like [Swordsmanship] doesn’t create such wind.
This world is ruthlessly based on talent and bloodline, so such things couldn’t happen without reason.
It was the existence of Talents with flashy names like [Sky-Splitting Blade]
possessed by the protagonist of this Royal High Academy.
The blue-haired woman I was looking at now must also… probably possess that kind of outstanding Talent.
At the very least, I guessed it was a Talent of Rare grade or higher.
Whisk.
“…?”
Suddenly, as she turned to look at me, I thought it would be awkward to just avoid her gaze,
so I lightly waved my hand.
Whisk.
Then, she immediately turned her head away, leaving me dumbfounded as I was still waving.