Chapter 238

A trainee stepped forward at Ha Yu-ri’s call, catching everyone’s attention.

“Trainee Shin Han-sol, would you like to try using your magical energy as I taught you?”

‘Shin Han-sol.’

She was a woman with a rather unique vibe.

She had short black hair, and her eyes gave off a feeling like they could suck you in.

Plus, there was a beauty mark near her right eye.

‘Was there really a trainee like this?’

I felt a very strange sensation.

‘Hmm, something…’

Her appearance was quite captivating, and she had an aura that felt like it could pull you in.

But strangely, unless you consciously noticed her, your gaze didn’t naturally go to her.

I just casually opened her status window, like I had done with the other trainees.

[ Name: Shin Han-sol ]

[ Age: 20 ]

[ Job: Spatial Mage (Hero Grade) ]

[ Title: None ]

[ Unique Traits ]

Spatial Manipulator (Legend Grade) – Gains access to a subspace that can be used independently of magic. The size of the subspace depends on the user’s magical power.

Comprehender (Hero Grade) – The speed of knowledge acquisition is on a different level compared to ordinary people.

Perception Hindrance (Rare Grade) – You do not wish to stand out. Unless you desire otherwise, it is slightly difficult for others to clearly recognize you.

[ Traits ]

Spatial Magic (Hero Grade) – Can compress, expand, or separate space. The types and power of magic available depend on the user’s capability.

Master of Magic (Hero Grade) – Greatly increases understanding of magic.

[ Stats ]

Strength – 08 Agility – 10

Stamina – 11 Luck – 19

Magic Power – 27 Resistance – 07

‘…What? Spatial Mage? Wait, what’s her job grade?’

The absurd job name and traits caught my eye, but what stood out even more was her job grade.

‘…Hero Grade.’

A trainee having a Hero Grade meant one thing.

‘She’s like Yoo Hyun.’

In other words, she has extraordinary talent.

‘…We absolutely have to recruit her.’

No need to look at the others. No matter what it takes, this trainee must join Eternity.

I’m not sure exactly what a Spatial Mage can do, but it’s definitely not an ordinary ability.

However, there was one question.

‘…Why? Why didn’t Yoo Ju take an interest in this training facility?’

If this woman, Shin Han-sol, had made a name for herself later, Yoo Ju couldn’t have missed her.

Yoo Ju didn’t show any interest in this training facility, and for someone as ambitious as her, that means…

‘Did she die without making much of an impact in the first round?’

That seemed quite possible.

After all, just because a player has exceptional talent doesn’t mean they’ll definitely survive.

No matter how talented you are, this is a place where you can easily die depending on your luck or the situation.

“Um, Instructor. Is there something on my face?”

‘Ah.’

I had been staring at her while checking her status window without realizing it.

Of course, from Shin Han-sol’s perspective, it must have been strange.

‘Oh no.’

“Ah, sorry. I was just lost in thought.”

I apologized, but the emotion I felt from Shin Han-sol wasn’t discomfort—it was curiosity.

It seemed like she was intrigued by the fact that someone was clearly noticing and staring at her.

‘…Her trait.’

The Perception Hindrance trait.

It’s probably because of that trait that ordinary people don’t notice her much.

“No, it’s fine. It’s understandable, Instructor.”

‘Look at her.’

Her slight smile and the way she looked at me piqued my interest.

Suddenly, I felt another gaze and turned my head slightly to see Ha Yu-ri glaring at me with a disapproving look.

‘What’s with you? Why are you looking at me like that?’

She silently mouthed something at me.

Per . vert

‘What the hell, why am I a pervert?’

I was just checking her status window. It’s unfair to be misunderstood like this.

Anyway, as Ha Yu-ri said, Shin Han-sol began to manipulate her magical energy. However…

Fizzle –

“Ah…”

The magical energy gathered but then lost stability and scattered.

“…I think I failed. It’s really hard to gather magical energy.”

Ha Yu-ri nodded slightly at Shin Han-sol’s attempt and replied.

“Hmm… Not bad, but a bit disappointing. You’ll need more practice. Don’t get too discouraged. This level is average for trainees.”

“Yes, thank you, Instructor.”

I almost let out a bitter laugh at the current situation.

‘…Ha, failure my ass.’

A trainee with that level of talent having trouble just manipulating magical energy?

‘Bullshit.’

The status window doesn’t lie. That wasn’t a failure—it was pretending to fail.

Even if Ha Yu-ri was only half-paying attention, if she didn’t notice, it means Shin Han-sol intentionally made it look like a natural failure.

‘She’s a treasure.’

Honestly, I really wanted her.

‘We don’t have any mages anyway.’

Eternity doesn’t have any skilled mages. Song Ha-eun and Yoo Hyun are a Spirit Master and a Priest, after all.

‘How should I recruit her?’

I don’t know what she did in the first round that kept her from standing out, but she definitely has exceptional abilities.

No matter how I thought about it, it would be a shame to let her go to another clan.

‘Ha, should I try to charm her?’

I briefly considered it, but it’s impossible.

Wi Ho-yeon is here at the training facility with me, and unlike before, there are more eyes watching now.

‘…I’ll have to work on building some goodwill during the remaining time.’

The best outcome would be recruiting Shin Han-sol into Eternity.

‘At the very least, I should get her to join a friendly clan.’

Even if I fail to recruit her into Eternity, I should at least make sure she joins Shinwha or Mardan Clan.

I don’t know how far Shin Han-sol will grow, but there’s a chance she could become a hindrance if she joins another faction later.

Anyway, as I watched Ha Yu-ri’s lecture to the end, one thought kept coming to mind.

‘She’s deliberately keeping a low profile.’

I don’t know if she dislikes standing out or if there’s some other special reason.

But Shin Han-sol herself is acting like an average trainee.

‘Ha, doesn’t she want to join a large clan?’

No matter how talented an individual is, there’s always a limit to what you can do alone here.

Unless you’re an unusual case like Jo Yeon-joo, most people join a clan.





It’s a situation.

Usually, after the tutorial ends, trainees at the training facility go all out to join a clan.

Because joining a clan is the only way to survive and grow.

But what on earth is that girl, Shin Han-sol, thinking? It’s beyond comprehension.

After the lecture ended, trainees started leaving the classroom one by one.

“Hey, what’s wrong with you today?”

Ha Yu-ri spoke to me as if something was off, but my mind was elsewhere.

‘Damn, should I talk to her or not?’

I was torn between stopping Shin Han-sol or not.

In the end, all I saw was Shin Han-sol completely disappearing from the classroom.

“Hey, are you listening to me?”

‘Ah.’

“No, why?”

Seemingly unsatisfied with my answer, she slightly frowned.

“… Are you interested in that trainee?”

“What?”

“You kept staring at her. Just now, your mind was completely elsewhere…!”

“Ah, that’s…”

Ha Yu-ri squinted her eyes at me, looking suspicious.

“… You know, just in case, but you do know you shouldn’t mess with trainees, right?”

‘What the hell, what does she think I am?’

“Ha Yu-ri, what kind of misunderstanding is this? Do I look like that kind of person to you?”

“Well, you kept staring at her, so…”

“That’s not it. More importantly, that trainee named Shin Han-sol…”

“See? You are interested. I was right, wasn’t I?”

‘Ugh.’

I wanted to smack her, but I held back and explained.

“Never mind, just pay close attention during the next practice session. You’ll see what I mean.”

“Huh? What? What do you mean I’ll see?”

“… She’s deliberately hiding her abilities. The mana control failure earlier was probably on purpose.”

“… You’re saying that trainee failed on purpose?”

“Yeah.”

Ha Yu-ri looked at me, clearly not understanding.

“But why would a trainee do that? And failing at mana control is normal at this stage…”

“Ha Yu-ri, did you forget my ability?”

“What… Oh.”

“Ugh, I have to explain everything, don’t I?”

“You saw her status window earlier, right?”

“Yeah. That’s why her failing at mana control doesn’t make sense. For average people, failing is normal. But she’s not average.”

“What exactly did you see?”

“First off, her job is Hero rank. You know what that means, right?”

“… That trainee is an Awakened One?”

Ha Yu-ri crossed her arms, lost in thought for a moment.

“… So, you’re planning to recruit Shin Han-sol into Eternity.”

“Exactly.”

There was no need to hide it.

After a moment of hesitation, Ha Yu-ri sighed, looking a bit disappointed.

“Hmm… Then I guess I’ll have to give up. It’s a bit disappointing.”

It seemed like she was willing to step aside since I was interested in Shin Han-sol.

“No, that’s not necessary.”

“Huh?”

“You can make an offer to Shin Han-sol too. Do as you please.”

“… Why? Wouldn’t it be a problem for you if I snatched her away?”

‘What problem?’

It would be best if she joined Eternity, but there’s no guarantee Shin Han-sol will join Eternity.

If Eternity fails to recruit her, it’s better to have her join Myth or Madan to increase the chances of forming a friendly alliance.

“No. There’s no guarantee Shin Han-sol will join Eternity. It’s better if she joins Myth or Madan Clan instead of another clan.”

“…..”

“After all, Eternity, Madan, and Myth are a community of fate, right?”

“… Hehe, got it. Don’t regret it later if I end up taking her.”

******

The next day, after the lecture, Ha Yu-ri came to me saying she had something personal to discuss.

“What is it?”

“What do you mean? Just like you said, I paid close attention, and it’s true.”

‘As expected.’

I thought I might have been mistaken, but Ha Yu-ri’s testimony confirmed that Shin Han-sol was hiding her abilities.

“Right? I told you so.”

“… I didn’t think much of it before, but after listening to you, I focused, and I could feel something off.”

Ha Yu-ri’s expression wasn’t one of discomfort but admiration.

Even though she eventually noticed, the fact that a mere trainee could deceive a ranker, even for a moment, was impressive.

‘And that’s just a trainee against a ranker.’

“… So, how would you, the Ice Witch, rate her?”

“Do you even need to ask? Didn’t you already see her entire status window?”

“That’s true, but I want to hear the evaluation from a skilled person like you.”

While the status window shows over 90% of a player’s abilities, it’s not everything.

“Hmm… Well… To properly judge, it usually takes about two months in the training facility. It hasn’t been two months yet, so it’s a bit ambiguous, but still…”

I calmly waited for her to continue.

“… I still need to observe more, but the fact that she managed to deceive me, even for a moment, is insane talent.”

“Wow…”

“Honestly, my pride is a bit hurt that I was fooled by a trainee, even if just for a moment.”

“Thanks, that’s a good answer.”

“… So, what are you going to do now?”

“Huh?”

“You’re going to try to recruit Shin Han-sol, right?”

“Of course. As for the method… Well, I don’t know yet.”

Ha Yu-ri looked a bit exasperated at my answer.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Do you think I have a surefire method? I’ll talk to her first and then make an offer.”