Chapter 294

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‘Lucia’ didn’t discriminate when it came to weapons.

Sometimes she’d use swords.

Sometimes polearms.

Axes, Maces, and even flails were fair game.

And of course, projectile weapons like bows and crossbows.

Whatever she could get her hands on was a weapon.

She used whatever she had on her when a fight broke out.

Considering that most Supernaturals chose one weapon and focused on mastering it, this was truly an exceptional case.

Usually, they’d select a weapon that suited their Supernatural Ability and aptitude, then obsessively delve into it. It was only natural. The more skilled you became with a weapon, the more proficiently you could wield it. Every drop of sweat led to an increase in skill.

The levels you could reach varied greatly, but time and effort were limited.

Trying to catch multiple rabbits could result in losing them all.

It was about choosing and concentrating.

Selecting a specific weapon and pouring all your effort into it.

The only exception was Anastasia from Class A, 1st year. She was a jack-of-all-trades. She had mastered almost every weapon, leaving no weapon she couldn’t handle. It was thanks to the uniqueness of her Supernatural Ability: Clones. She mass-produced copies of herself to learn countless techniques. The clones’ training was then transferred to the original.

If only Anastasia had been a bit more diligent.

If she had even half of Eugene’s dedication to training.

Eugene might not have been the only one hailed as a supernova.

When reading the ‘novel’, I had always wondered. Why didn’t ‘Lucia’ choose a specific weapon? It wasn’t that she had no preferred weapon at all. She quite liked rapiers, with their thin blades ideal for thrusting, and conversely, maces, which were ridiculously large and specialized in smashing.

But did she use them as her main weapons? Not really.

She just used them more often compared to other weapons.

I attributed Lucia’s chaotic weapon usage to her fighting style.

Her Supernatural Ability was Super Regeneration.

She employed a combat method that presupposed injury. She endured being hit, torn, and burned, biting back at her opponent. Accumulating damage on the opponent little by little, eventually making them collapse from exhaustion. That was Lucia’s fighting style. What? Wouldn’t she be in pain? Wouldn’t she become mentally exhausted fighting like that every time? Ehehe.

After I became ‘Lucia’, my conjecture gained even more strength.

What Lucia needed wasn’t a weapon. What she needed was willpower. The mental fortitude to recover from wounds. If she had that, she didn’t even need a weapon. It would take a long time, but I would be the last one standing in the end.

Of course, if she could skillfully wield a weapon, she could drastically shorten the battle time… but, well, battles that last a long time are nice, aren’t they? What’s nice about it? Ehehe.

Anyway, Lucia’s unique weapon usage was due to her fighting style and personal preferences.

That’s how I accepted it, and that’s what I had always thought.

Until I read Lucille’s memories.

‘…The reason I used all kinds of weapons was because I could use all weapons proficiently.’

Repeated regressions.

In endless time, Lucille suffered from boredom.

To overcome that maddening emptiness, she always craved something new.

Weapons were just one of many means. Learning how to use new weapons. When she reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship, she learned the spear next. When she reached the pinnacle of spear mastery, she moved on to the bow. When even the bow became boring, she moved on to the next. And the next. By accumulating in that way, Lucille became a jack-of-all-trades in a different way from Anastasia. She built a mountain by moving grains of sand one by one.

Selection and concentration.

Because resources and time are limited, you choose and concentrate.

If resources and time are infinite, there is no need to select or consider efficiency.

The Blessed Saintess who gave up the blessings of God became a warrior proficient in all weapons.

“…Amazing. Such a weighty strike.”

Johan let out a brief exclamation.

His eyes widened, showing that it wasn’t just lip service.

A deep interest arose in his surprised eyes.

“Honest yet unconventional, crude yet refined.”

The brilliant holy sword and the unremarkable silver rapier clashed.

Splendid golden light sparked like flames, and sharp winds swirled around.

“An excellent sword. I wasn’t this good at that age.”

“You flatter me. But thank you for the compliment.”

“No, I’m just stating the facts.”

I was the first to step forward at Johan’s suggestion to go all out.

It was a good opportunity.

I wanted to test myself.

To see how far I could go now.

Against the strongest man, in terms of ‘swordsmanship’ alone.

How far could I, the current me with Lucille’s memories, go?

‘As I thought, it’s not going as planned. My body can’t keep up.’

To put it bluntly, I was no match for Johan.

At first glance, it seemed like I had the upper hand in the sparring.

I was the one attacking unilaterally, and Johan was only focused on defense.

Every time the rapier reflected the light, the holy sword swayed like a reed.

When I took a step forward, Johan took a step back.

Of course, it wasn’t because I was stronger than Johan.

It was just that Johan wasn’t launching any offensives.

He countered, without parrying, every attack that came his way. He blocked, deflected, and assessed. Johan’s black eyes narrowed slightly. The holy sword deflected the rapier with perfect accuracy every time. He didn’t even break a sweat. Compared to me, who was pouring all my energy into the fight and sweating profusely, he was practically playing around.

Yeah, he’s totally an adult playing with a kid.

An adult who’s amused by a child’s antics.

With my current skill, I can’t even scratch Johan.

‘But…’

I wiped the sweat from my forehead and smiled.

It felt completely different when I recreated the memories alone compared to when I crossed swords directly with someone far superior to me. I can see the path. Lucille’s experience was being etched into my body more quickly.

When time regressed, everything was reset.

Even the levels Lucille had reached were reset and disappeared.

Therefore, she always started over from the beginning.

She rebuilt her skills based on her experience.

It was a path she had already walked before.

Walking the same path led to the same destination.

She repeated that process.

Hundreds of millions of times.

‘Yeah, I can overcome it.’

All Supernaturals inevitably faced a limit as they grew stronger.

The limit of the human race.

The limit to how much they could grow.

The cut-off line set by the Four Seasons.

No matter how strong they became, they couldn’t grow beyond a certain point.

Surprisingly, there were quite a few people who reached this limit. Not many, but there were always some. The problem was what came next. Either stagnating after reaching the limit, or breaking through the wall and moving beyond it. Most Supernaturals stopped at the former. Only a very small number achieved the latter.

Awakening.

Those who reached the limit and looked beyond it.

This was called the threshold of awakening, the level that Assistant-Teacher Si-ul had reached, and the level that Eugene had achieved during the field training.

It was only opening the door to awakening.

They had broken through the limit to some extent, but they were nothing compared to true Awakeners.

One close to God.

Those who had truly broken through the limit.

Awakeners who surpassed the limits of the human race and approached the Four Seasons.

It was easy to overlook because the Devil Gods that even the Captains struggled with were already rampaging, but in fact, those ‘close to God’ were also incredibly powerful. 

They could easily take down High Rank monsters and were able to go toe-to-toe with Named monsters. Until the middle of the ‘novel’, those ‘close to God’ were treated as humanity’s hidden cards.

The problem was that after the middle of the story, demonic beasts and devils began to actively operate, and everyone below the Captain level fell out of the power balance. Even the Captains were struggling, not to mention the Vice-Captains.

‘There’s still a long way to go, but I guess this is taking the first step.’

Originally, even a thousand-mile journey starts with a single step.

If I continue to grow steadily like this, I should be able to reach the level I’m aiming for.

“Knight Leader.”

“You can call me Johan. Please, feel free to call me that.”

“Then, Johan.”

I almost made a proud face without realizing it. (Lucille’s) The boy who spat on the ground and threatened to get lost when we first met has grown up so resiliently. I’m glad Lucille’s efforts weren’t in vain.

“You don’t have to hold back.”

It wasn’t just Johan who was measuring my skills.

I was also evaluating my own skills.

I was examining the current me, who had awakened from a long slumber and inherited everything from Lucille.

The conclusion has been reached.

Now that I’ve measured my level.

All that’s left is to surpass my current limits.

“Please be more serious.”

“…Understood. If that’s what you wish, then by all means.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Johan’s holy sword rippled softly. It moved like a net being pushed by the current. The rapier’s blade shook wildly as if caught on a hook, and when I came to my senses, my upper body was completely exposed. I alternated between looking at the holy sword that was now held against my neck and the rapier that had slipped from my grasp.

“But are you sure? It could be dangerous.”

That’s what I’m hoping for.

I’ve been thinking. If I can’t hurt myself for various reasons, then I just shouldn’t do it, right? As long as I don’t hurt myself.

For example, if an unfortunate accident occurred during training, or if I pushed myself just a little bit for the sake of victory… yeah, just a little bit. So even if my flesh is torn, my bones are cut, my blood vessels are severed, and I bleed, it’s not self-harm, right? Isn’t that right? You’re telling me not to play with words? Shut up!

Yes, I know.

I shouldn’t mistake my goal.

My goal is growth.

So I’ll just enjoy it a little bit.

Just a little bit, really.

Ehehe.

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
Back to business as usual!

I’m starting to get used to my new life!

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
Throwback to Angelica’s assessment.

Yes, the only time that she was ever useful.