Park Siwoo (2)

Park Siwoo stared blankly at Kim Minwoo. Even he himself had all but given up on awakening. Hearing those words now made emotion well up inside him, for reasons he couldn't quite explain.

"... Thank you."

"Good. You'll give it a shot, then?"

"Yes. Who am I to turn you down? You're giving me a chance. I have to take it. I'll do my best!"

Siwoo bowed his head.

"Let's get you and your sister packed up. I'll find you a place to stay."

"Yes."

The two returned to the orphanage.

"Oh my! That's wonderful! Our Siwoo and Arin are both such hardworking, kind children. Please take good care of them!"

"I will. Oh, and I've made a donation to the orphanage. You'll receive one every year."

"Pardon? A donation...? Gasp! T-ten billion won...?"

The director's face melted into a smile at the generous donation. The siblings' departure was arranged in no time.

Park Siwoo and Park Arin.

Minwoo found the two a luxury apartment, not far from his family home.

"S-Siwoo... Are we really going to live here?"

His younger sister's eyes trembled at the sight of a home that clearly had to cost several billion won or more. Siwoo found it just as hard to believe.

"S-senior... This place seems far too expensive..."

"It's your home now. I've already transferred the title."

"... What?!" they cried in unison.

"Why are you so surprised? It's hardly anything."

Their mouths fell open at how casually Minwoo spoke. First he had donated ten billion won without batting an eye, and now he was handing over a luxury apartment.

'He really does live in a different world...'

Siwoo was stunned.

"And just so you know, I'm never taking it back."

"... Th-thank you. Arin, you should thank him too."

"Thank you so, so much! I promise I'll repay you for this. I really will!"

Their thanks went on and on.

After handing over an entire home, Minwoo headed out with Siwoo.

"You've tried pretty much everything by now, right?"

"Yes. But I still couldn't awaken."

That was understandable. Players could learn the awakening condition as soon as they started playing, so attempting it was easy for them. But Siwoo wasn't a player. He didn't know the condition, so he could only keep fumbling in the dark.

"Let's spar for just one week."

"Spar?"

"Yeah. We need to sharpen your instincts first."

To aim for a high achievement grade, Minwoo needed to hone Siwoo's instincts to their limit.

And so the hellish training began.

* * *

For an entire week, Siwoo sparred with Minwoo. He didn't win even once.

'He's incredible.'

Siwoo marveled.

He had been confident in his swordsmanship since childhood, and with good reason: he always won. But against Minwoo, things were different, even though Minwoo had clearly brought his physical abilities down to an ordinary person's level for their sparring.

"You're leaving this spot open again!"

THWACK!

Minwoo's sword was toying with him like a child.

'They said he was a prodigy acknowledged by the Sword Immortal...'

The world was vast and full of masters, as the saying went. Siwoo was learning that firsthand.

Minwoo grinned down at him as he lay collapsed, drenched in sweat.

"Tired?"

"Hah... I honestly feel like I'm dying, senior."

"Don't be so dramatic. Here, drink this potion."

Siwoo gulped down the potion Minwoo handed him. His body, which had been on the verge of passing out, began recovering instantly.

"Still, you've improved a lot. You're getting pretty decent."

"... Have I?"

"Yeah, you idiot. Forgotten the first day already? You couldn't counter even twenty blows. Now you're fending off hundreds."

"When I look at you, it's hard to feel like I've improved..."

"You've got plenty of talent."

Minwoo sounded casual, but his private thoughts were another matter.

'What a monster.'

He really was a monster. All the experience and know-how Minwoo had acquired over fifteen years of playing—this kid was soaking it up with every passing day. His growth rate was downright terrifying.

'Thank goodness I went with necromancer.'

It was enough to make him think that. At least they had different classes. Otherwise, he might have suffered a serious crisis of confidence.

'Still, his growth is finally starting to slow down.'

Siwoo's swordsmanship, which had been improving at a runaway pace, was beginning to hit a wall. Unless inspiration struck like lightning, breaking through it in one go would be difficult.

'Helping him through that would take too long.'

When insight would arrive was, quite literally, random. A single falling leaf might spark a sudden flash of inspiration. Or, with bad luck, he could remain stuck at this stage for years.

'I've brought him up to the level I wanted. This should be enough.'

The current Siwoo was far more polished than he had been when Minwoo had played as him. It was a satisfying result.

He would reach S grade or higher. No question.

Luck was on their side too. Minwoo grinned as he watched snow falling from the sky. The fact that it happened to be winter made the timing perfect.

"Looks like you're ready. Let's go."

"Where?"

"You'll see."

Minwoo left the training hall with Siwoo. They climbed into a vehicle, which set off.

"... Senior, isn't this an uninhabited island?"

Their destination was a small, uninhabited island.

"Yep. It is."

"Why are we here...?"

"Ever been to an uninhabited island?"

"Yes. Just once."

"Was it snowing that day?"

"No."

"Did you fight anything?"

"No. I went alone, so I just practiced swinging my sword a little before leaving..."

"That's why."

Siwoo's awakening condition was extremely demanding. Without knowing it beforehand, discovering it was next to impossible.

Fight on an uninhabited island on a snowy day.

How was anyone supposed to figure that out?

'That's why even the rich can't awaken if they don't know their condition.'

Players, on the other hand, were different. As the first character, Siwoo came with very helpful explanations.

The tutorial began in a "dream."

'It tells you everything there.'

The dream was simple. It started on an uninhabited island where snow was falling, where monsters appeared and the player learned to fight. First came five goblins. Once those were defeated, a message helpfully informed the player, "You have a strong feeling that fighting in a place like this will allow you to awaken."

'Of course, if you can't kill the goblins, it repeats forever...'

That was why Minwoo had brought Siwoo here.

"Senior, do you think I'll be able to awaken here?"

"I don't know either. But you haven't tried it, have you? Then there's a chance."

"That's... true."

Siwoo nodded. He had no real argument against it. Awakening conditions were that varied. After all, who could say fighting on an uninhabited island on a snowy day wasn't his condition?

Of course, the odds were infinitesimal.

Just then, Minwoo said, "Come out."

Hundreds of skeletons appeared at his command. Siwoo's eyes went wide. At a glance, there seemed to be well over five hundred of them—a number far beyond the three hundred or so the media had reported.

"S-senior, you can summon this many skeletons?"

"They say you should always keep thirty percent of your strength hidden."

This wasn't hiding thirty percent. It was practically hiding everything!

Minwoo addressed the stunned Siwoo.

"What you need to do is simple. Fight these guys. Cedric?"

"Is that the human you said needed a beating, Master?"

"That's right. Don't go easy on him. Do it properly. Okay?"

"Very well."

"Siwoo, you'll fight my summons. Cedric will command them."

"... Understood."

Siwoo nodded.

Minwoo had shown him immense kindness. Whether or not this helped him awaken didn't matter.

'If he tells me to do it, I'll do it.'

Siwoo made up his mind. Surely Minwoo hadn't gone to all this trouble just to quietly kill him and bury him on this island. He had no reason to.

"I look forward to learning from you, Sir Cedric."

"My master says you have potential. I look forward to seeing it."

The skeletons soon began swarming toward Siwoo.

* * *

RATTLE!

A skeleton thrust its spear with vicious force. Siwoo twisted away from the blade and sliced through its torso in a single stroke.

Hundreds of skeletons, already reduced to powder, littered the path behind him.

'Remarkable.'

Cedric was inwardly impressed. The skeleton soldiers' average level was seventeen. Though equipped only with weapons, they were considerably stronger than most goblins, thanks to the combat experience they had accumulated.

And a human who hadn't even awakened had defeated hundreds of them.

'He can't have experienced even one proper battle...'

Yet there was no wasted motion in his movements. Each strike was clean and lethal. Watching him slice straight through the skeleton soldiers' bones along their "grain," Cedric nearly applauded.

'To think there was another prodigy like my master.'

The boy was growing stronger as he fought. And very quickly, at that.

Cedric looked at Minwoo.

"... Master, where in the world did you find a human like him?"

"There's this place called an orphanage."

"An orphanage, is it? It must be an impressive place to have raised such a swordsman."

"Well, yes."

An orphanage.

He should visit one if he had the chance later. Who knew? He might discover another prodigy like this one, Cedric thought.

As the battle continued, the blue aura around Siwoo's body grew steadily more intense.

His achievement was blossoming. Once all the fighting ended, it would be evaluated.

Cedric twirled his spear. The once-vast wall of skeletons had now thinned to almost nothing.

Their coming fight looked like it would be entertaining.

Before long, Siwoo approached, battered from head to toe.

"Hah... Hah..."

"Tired?"

"... I'm still raring to go."

Cedric nodded at the fire in his eyes, as though wiping out five hundred skeletons hadn't been enough.

"Human. What is your name?"

"Park Siwoo."

"I see. I'll remember it."

Here was a human whose name was worth remembering.

Cedric leveled his spear.

"I've matched my physical abilities to yours."

The spearhead instantly shot toward Siwoo's head.

"Ngh!"

He hurriedly leaned his head back to dodge, only for a flurry of spear afterimages to rain down on him. Blood spurted from all over his body. Had he reacted even slightly later, his limbs would have been riddled with holes.

'He's fast!'

Their actual speed was clearly similar, yet Cedric felt faster. His long spear controlled the space between them perfectly.

[Awakening in progress!]

[Your achievement begins blossoming with greater intensity!]

With every clash of spear and sword, the blue light emanating from Siwoo's body deepened.

'I'm being pushed back.'

Siwoo grasped the situation at once. Cedric was a master spearman. Closing the distance was extraordinarily difficult. Like a hunted beast, he was slowly being driven into a corner.

His body had long since become exhausted.

'At this rate, I'll lose without accomplishing anything!'

Siwoo sensed it instinctively. This was a turning point. If he crumbled here, that would be the end.

His body was exhausted. He had already faced so many enemies. Cedric was no pushover.

In the end, those were only excuses.

'What he wants from me is a high achievement grade.'

He didn't know why. Nor did it matter. What mattered most was that Minwoo wanted it—the man who had invested so generously in him.

He wanted to repay that kindness.

Resolve hardened in Siwoo's eyes. He kicked off the ground and lunged forward. His sword flowed toward the spear blocking his path.

With his blade resting against the shaft, he twisted it slightly. The spear aimed at his heart veered a little off course.

Without hesitation, Siwoo threw himself forward.

THUNK!

The spear pierced his side. While it was caught in his body, his sword slashed down in a single stroke.

SLICE!

The blade severed one of Cedric's arms.

'Damn it...'

He had been aiming for the head. But Cedric's response was seasoned too. He had twisted aside at the last instant to avoid a fatal blow, foiling Siwoo's plan.

Still impaled on the spear, Siwoo crumpled to the ground. Blood gushed from his side. He had no strength left to move.

Minwoo hurriedly pulled out a potion and rushed over.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"Cough! Senior, I'm fi—"

"Don't talk! Stay still!"

As the potion poured over him, the wound began to close. His consciousness hazy, Siwoo shut his eyes.

Then blue light erupted from his body. It was an immense radiance, enough to engulf the entire island.

* * *

'I never imagined he'd throw himself onto the spear there.'

He had chosen to sacrifice his own flesh to cut through his opponent's bone. It was an extraordinarily bold decision for a greenhorn who had never experienced real combat.

And it had nearly turned the tables. Had Cedric reacted just a little later, his skull would have been split in two.

'Some people really are born exceptional.'

Minwoo looked at the unconscious Siwoo. He had poured top-grade potions over him without restraint, so the boy should be fine now.

His achievement was probably being evaluated right about now. Judging by the intensity of the light, it was unquestionably S or higher.

A message soon appeared.

● 'Park Siwoo,' one of the protagonists, attains an SSS-grade achievement!

● You have greatly changed 'Park Siwoo's' destiny!

● The story begins to change!

● A large amount of achievement points is awarded!

"Wow."

Minwoo marveled. One look at Cedric was enough to understand just how impressive an SSS-grade achievement was. Though his low level currently subjected him to all manner of indignities...

That powerful knight who had flown through the sky on a dragon was SSS grade.

'He did deserve it.'

Not only had an unawakened person hunted down five hundred skeletons stronger than goblins, he had also put up an impressive fight against an SSS-grade summon. It wasn't all that strange that he had earned an SSS-grade achievement.

'Anyway, I was right.'

His prediction that making a major change to a protagonist would earn achievement points had been spot-on.

'Achievement Shop.'

[Opening the Achievement Shop!]

[Grade: Bronze]

[Achievement Points Owned: 330]

[Product List]

[1. Limit-Breaking Elixir]

[Required Achievement Points: 100]

[2. ???]

[3. ???]

"Three hundred points?"