The Flower That Did Not Bloom (1)
Han Yeon-Soo.
A legendary hunter who was praised by everyone and was called ‘Queen’. A person who had the fewest skills among the first-class hunters, but she had the most specials and unique ones.
A talented hunter who was recruited as a member of the Five Heroes and was a great help in dealing with the plagues.
That was how I evaluated Han Yeon-soo before I returned.
I remember a conversation we had in the past before I returned.
“I have never failed…” she said.
“What?”
“I can control anyone when I want to. I have never failed. Kim Seung-hyun, Yoo Ji-yeon, and even you can’t resist my ability.”
“Isn’t that good, then?”
In response, she smiled bitterly.
“I just want to meet someone who won’t do what I want him to do… I was living immaturely. There were lots of people around, but to me, they were simply dolls, suited for criticism rather than relationship.”
Her mischievous expression disappeared at that moment. I’ll never forget that conversation and that sad smile, until the moment Han Yeon-soo was swept away by the plagues…
But now, the Han Yeon-soo before me looked like a crazy woman, a freak. I sighed as I looked at her red face.
“No, traveler. What did you do?”
[I didn’t know there would be a penalty. Well, she won’t be rude anymore, so that’s something good…]
Han Yeon-soo is an independent, quirky character. I couldn’t dare predict that she would be fascinated by me.
In a way, among the members of the five heroes, the most powerful one is now with me, embracing me.
If I can endure her, I now have the power to deal with the first plague.
But of course, when I looked at her, who couldn’t take her eyes off me, I can’t help but sigh heavily once more.
* * *
It was getting dark. I walked towards the training ground.
I received a bunch of text messages.
-Yoo Ji-yeon: You said you got a perfect score for the end of the month!
-Yoo Ji-yeon: Congratulations hahaha
-Yoo Ji-yeon: I also won the battle test thanks to you. Oh, and all the questions you gave me came out, so I only got five theoretical tests wrong.
-Yoo Ji-yeon: Thank you so much. I want to buy some food. Do you have time this weekend?
The text messages from Ji-yeon had a weird tone.
-Freak: Have you had dinner? If you were at an academy restaurant, your meal would be terrible, can I send you something? No, would you like to eat together? I’ll get you permission to go out.
-Freak: You must be busy. Do you need anything? It would be frustrating inside the Academy… Do you want to drop out and join our guild? I’ll get you in. Ah, if you are too shy, I’ll talk to the guild leader myself…
“Ha!”
I made several excuses to get rid of Han Yeon-soo earlier.
I told her it’s uncomfortable and embarrassing to be seen with her in the Academy, that I have a lot of work to do, that I could not waste any time…
What… They were not just excuses but facts.
“Oh, I understand…” She nodded her head and told me to ask her if I needed anything. Then, she took my contact information and left with a huge smile on her face.
At that time, I didn’t know she would do this.
Tuk.
Tuk.
The cellphone kept ringing with her text messages. I put it on silent mode and left it on the floor, before stretching out.
In the evening, the training ground was empty.
After taking the exam today, it was natural to take a good rest. I was tired of every single thing I’ve gone through today, but I can’t skip training.
First, I have to try the new skills I acquired.
“Hoo.”
I moved my finger once while breathing. The ‘Nightmare’ engraved on the back of my hand emerged in the form of a long sword.
[Skill, ‘Arrogant Fencing (F)’ is activated.]
The moment I held the sword, the skill was immediately activated.
I imagined a target in front of me and started wielding the sword.
My movements felt natural; I knew instinctively which move needed more strength, how to make it efficient.
[Hmm… that looked pretty good than your last training.]
Each of the merits of the ‘Miracle Sword’ and the ‘Balstaya Imperial Swordsmanship’ were combined. Often, I made moves that I don’t recognize, unconsciously.
The swordsmanship was very sharp and aggressive, and it seemed not to have any obvious weakness.
However…
“Something is different.”
I’m not sure how to describe it. It was as if I had more power, sharper, and my sword skills were perfect.
I understand that the two styles were combined, but something other than that changed…
[Hooh, doesn’t it really feel different?]
The traveler offered an explanation.
[What you feel now is the ‘story’. Every power has a story, and at the legendary level, the story is more vivid.]
“…”
[The more you wield a sword, the more legendary swordsmen possessing Arrogant Swordsmanship you will encounter. The moment the power becomes yours completely… maybe you yourself will become a legend.]
I let go of the sword. I didn’t have an actual battle, but my whole body was covered in sweat.
I did see what the traveler was talking about.
Every time I wield the sword, strangers passed by my mind.
There were people with skills far superior to mine, slashing at enemies, scattering blood. One was called a hero, another was called a wicked person, while the other one was simply called a swordsman.
Those memories were shared with me as I moved with them.
They weren’t clear, but they were not too vague…
[Your soul’s level increased.]
I breathed deeply one more time, feeling the air filling my chest. Even without looking at the notification window, I could fully feel that something inside me had grown.
[What… I didn’t expect this at all, haha… … .]
The traveler laughed. I also smiled a little.
“I guess it was helpful to train alone.”
I took a sip of water and caught my breath.
“Oh, and I want to ask you this.”
While resting, I opened my notification window and asked the traveler what it meant.
[Because you have acquired the legendary skill for the first time, you will be rewarded.]
[‘Talent, Akashic Records’ will be strengthened.]
[The ‘true story’ characteristic of the Akashic Record has been unlocked.]
[Akashik Record-True Story.]
[If the story of an entity is similar to your current situation, it will link you with a higher entity than the one you have linked.]
[*The higher the similarity between the story and the reality, the greater chance of a higher level to appear.]
The traveler began to explain.
[Oh, it’s quite famous among Akashik Record users’ abilities.]
“Is that famous?”
[Yes.]
The traveler nodded.
[For example, what is the key story of the valiant knight of the Balstaya Empire that you got last time?]
“The valiant knight… you’re talking about protecting the Master against ten knights?”
[Yes. When you understand the story, and you are in a similar situation, you are automatically linked to beings more powerful than the valiant knight himself.]
“…”
[If you look broadly, it could be triggered by defending someone from his enemy. But then, the similarity will be low, so it will not make much of a difference. So, how will you use it most effectively?]
“It would be a good idea to protect someone important to me against ten enemies.”
[Okay. You understand quickly.]
“So, to use it properly, the more linked and communicated beings, the better.”
[Yes. And the users of Akashic Records get stronger when there are more beings who have communicated with them. The ones you have linked so far have not exceeded ten, and the only ones that you have communicated are just the valiant knight of the Balstaya Empire, and me.]
“Hmm… If you think about it, that’s a rather small experience.”
[Correct. If you are an Akashic Record user and the only thing you can show for it is swordsmanship, then you are useless. I will leave you.]
“Ha ha ha ha ha…”
I was surely growing slowly. I have to catch up.
In my standards, I did well. I achieved an overwhelming 1st place in the Academy.
But for the traveler’s standards and the standards for Akashic Users, I’m still a weakling.
Then, I better work for it.
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