Chapter 5

She heard it clearly during a phone call with her brother at lunchtime today.

"Brother, do you really need a high mana level to see the etched iron?"

"Yeah. That guy said people with low mana can never see the weapon's memory. Unless your mana level is as high as our sister's, you can't discover the etched iron."

If your mana level isn't high, you can never sense the aura of the etched iron.

Since it's the assertion of the deputy guild leader of Fenrir, led by my brother, there can be no exceptions.

But after investigating with the help of an informant in Fenrir, it turned out that Gang Da-yong's mana level is 'E'. And that's a really low grade, only capable of handling the most basic mana.

So Baeg Seul was certain.

Gang Da-yong must have the talent to conceal his power.

If he continues to stick with his friend, Choi Yu-sung, who tells him everything, he might soon become the one to take her hard-earned fourth place in the school.

So she criticized Gang Da-yong enthusiastically, but Baeg Seul actually had a hunch.

No matter how I say this, that foolishly kind guy will probably give me a similar response to what he said when he first became friends with Hwang Jae-bin.

"I want to be friends because I see potential."

***

Inside the training capsule where I can summon training dummies for sparring.

I'm still getting hit hard by the vine whip of the plant-type dummy, but I don't feel bad.

"...Check the details of the talent I just obtained."

I looked at the talent that was unlocked.

A talent that helps with the sensing of mana. I can't just ignore this.

─────

* With this talent, you can more easily accumulate proficiency in traits, talents, and skills. Additionally, the growth rate of all abilities during training increases significantly.

* Amazing Adaptability: You can adapt to any situation as if you were already good at it.

─────

"Wow, this is insane..."

The talent name is still trash, but this is really overpowered.

It's so overpowered that it's almost non-existent even among the main characters' talents.

The only one who might have something similar is the protagonist, but it will be a bit different from mine.

The talent I just obtained is exactly that.

Why? Isn't there a common cliché in web novels?

'You're lucky.'

Ah, refreshing. This is a web novel reincarnation.

I was wondering why I didn't get such a common scene.

With this, I can not only handle mana like my limbs but also quickly make the skills and talents I learn from the etched iron knuckles my own.

"Great."

I finally felt like I could do something, and I decided to test the power of the talent right away.

"Ah!"

When I focused, a much larger flame bloomed from my right hand compared to before.

Actually, this level is something any student in this school can do, but for me, it's a significant improvement.

"What?"

I was momentarily stunned by the continuous good news.

Is everything going so smoothly all of a sudden?

"Check the details of the skill I just obtained."

─────

* A fast punch wrapped in fire mana.

* This skill has a very low chance of causing burns to the target.

─────

Ah, this is a very basic skill for paladins.

It's not particularly special, but it's a necessary skill, so I should be grateful to have it.

Punch!

I immediately struck the head of the plant-type dummy with all my strength.

The training dummy, which has wood mana, seemed to really enjoy the taste of the fiery punch.

Recalling the first time I hit a punching bag, I relentlessly struck the plant dummy's head with jabs, straights, and hooks.

Feeling like, "You've been hitting me all this time, now it's your turn to take it," I hit it so much that the plant dummy was soon a mess on the ground.

"This is more fun than I thought. Should I summon a few more to beat up?"

Just as I was about to press the 'Resummon' button.

The capsule system stopped me.

Thinking about it, there was definitely such a setting.

The capsule has a high concentration of artificial mana, so using it for too long can cause 'mana poisoning.' To prevent this, SHA limits the capsule usage to 1 hour and 30 minutes per day.

"Phew!"

Still, I feel like I've gained enough, so I pressed the end button and came out.

Now, all I need to do is complete the 'trait awakening' to be strong enough to compete with other students.

I have no intention of doing this important final step in the training capsule or the training ground used by all students.

I plan to secretly awaken Gang Da-yong's trait in a place where only I can use it.

***

The SHA dormitory room was much better than the apartment where I first opened my eyes as Gang Da-yong.

It's a super-luxury dormitory with all the amenities you'd expect in a home, and even a premium service that delivers toiletries like toothpaste, shampoo, and body wash every two weeks.

After taking a shower, I came to the bedroom, changed into comfortable clothes, and sat cross-legged on the floor.

I then shouted, "Check the details of the trait," to confirm my trait.

─────

* Strength and stamina increase, and endurance improves.

* It seems that a significant stimulus will reveal the true form.

─────

Sure enough, it's the same text as in the original. So the awakening conditions are probably the same.

I immediately began the process.

I closed my eyes quietly and immersed myself in memories.

Memories of being bullied for being fat as a child.

Memories of not fitting in with friends in middle and high school because I was on the sports team.

I dredged up all the bad memories that stood out in my life.

The memories were shockingly vivid, as if I was reliving them.

These memories coalesced in my heart into intense anger, and the anger soon ignited a spark.

The condition for awakening is to materialize intense anger and hatred.

The original Gang Da-yong was so good-natured that he had never hated or been angry at anyone, which is why his trait only awakened right before he died.

But I'm different.

I've been angry all day today and have hated whoever threw me into this world.

My character is the perfect condition to awaken this trait.

After about 30 minutes of this terrible time, I finally heard a message.

And my trait successfully awakened.

"Nice!"

Descendant of Mire.

This trait, which is a 'transformation trait' that rarely appears in the world of the reincarnated demon eater, allows Gang Da-yong to transform into a 'Dragon Person' when released.

With this, I can say I've brought my power up to a level similar to other students.

When you become a Dragon Person, you receive stat boosts and become much tougher than ordinary superhumans.

I was excitedly listing the novel's settings in my head when something unexpected happened.

The trait is evolving again?

'What the...?'

The moment I realized this, it felt like I had been hit on the back of the head with a bat.

Again, this headache. Please, stop tormenting me.

For some reason, it kept giving me messages, and now it's trying to do something strange again.

While having these paranoid thoughts, I couldn't bear the pain and fell over.

***

"Ugh..."

I groaned and regained consciousness.

I checked the time on my smartwatch; it was 1 AM. I must have been unconscious for about two hours.

Right, didn't my trait suddenly evolve again?

"Check the details of my trait."

─────

* For some reason, the blood of a Black Flame Dragon flows through you.

* You have an extremely high limit for strength and stamina, and you can see rapid improvements when you train your body.

* When released: You release the uncontrollable power within you for a limited time, transforming part of your body into that of a Black Flame Dragon. All stats increase by 80. However, it seems you need to chant a powerful incantation to use it.

* If you exceed the limit time or meet certain conditions, your mind will begin to be corrupted by the Black Flame Dragon.

─────

Finally, the long text description of the 'Reincarnated Demon Eater' appeared.

This is the evolved trait of the Descendant of Mire.

But the stats increase by 80?

If it were just the Descendant of Mire, the stat boost would have been 60, so this is a very high number. And it's even enhanced.

However, it's a bit hard to be completely happy... because there are several strange restrictions that the Descendant of Mire didn't have.

The limit time, cooldown, mind corruption, and the need to chant a powerful incantation.

These four are the constraints, and the most annoying is the need to chant a powerful incantation.

Damn it. Still, since it boosts stats by 80, I should at least try something.

In the end, I resigned myself and tried to chant any incantation to activate the Black Flame Dragon trait.

"Come forth, Black Flame Dragon."

What the hell does 'too weak' mean? Is it asking me to use polite language?

"Lord Black Flame Dragon, please help me!"

If it's not polite, what exactly does it want me to say?

After that, I bowed to my trait, begged, and did all sorts of performances.

But the only message I kept getting was 'too weak,' and no changes occurred.

"Damn it. What do you want me to do?"

At that moment, a sinister thought crossed my mind.

No, that's just a meme that was a bit popular in the world I lived in.

...Let's try it once.

Of course, it won't work, but I can at least try.

I clenched my fists, swallowed my saliva, and muttered in the most exaggerated tone.

"Heh. The Black Flame Dragon sleeping within me is about to awaken."

What a crazy kid.

To be continued in the next episode.

Episode 2: Adapting (3)

4:30 AM.

My eyes are wide open, unable to close.

I seem to be suffering from insomnia, which I never had in my original world.

"Damn... that dog..."

After awakening the Black Flame Dragon, I couldn't sleep at all.

My trait, which was even noisier than the wiki, kept sending me strange messages.

The phrases were so cringeworthy that I couldn't help but frown.

I eventually gave up on sleeping and got out of bed to stretch.

Testosterone, which helps with muscle growth, is produced when you sleep well. This is setting me up for muscle loss before I even gain weight.

...You're telling me this now?

The wiki is definitely not a system AI but a person.

Falling into a novel world is absurd enough, but the real absurdity is my talent and trait.

"Sigh."

I activated the mute mode as the kid suggested and started washing my face and brushing my teeth.

The 'ding' sound in my head disappeared, and the status messages that kept popping up in front of my eyes vanished, making me feel much better.

I briefly considered going back to bed, but since it was already too late to sleep and I had just washed up, I decided to head to the training ground at this early hour.

I really don't want to, but I need to test how strong the Black Flame Dragon trait is...

I also need to start the process of making the power etched in the etched iron my own, which I barely finished yesterday.

***

5:00 AM, still dark.

The cold wind is even stronger than yesterday, probably because it's early morning.

But unlike yesterday, I don't feel the cold much.

Since my mana attribute is fire, handling it means this level of cold is nothing to me.

As I slowly walked, enjoying the early morning air, I ran into a familiar face.

A bright-faced girl with brown hair tied in a ponytail, wearing a black training suit.

It's definitely Yun Hee-jin, though her hairstyle is different.

She stopped when she saw me, frowned in thought, and then gave a brief greeting.

"Hi."

"Uh... hi."

Yun Hee-jin and I, who exchanged awkward greetings, ended up walking the same path.

Maybe it's because we're not close yet, but her walking pace is a bit clumsy.

Feeling a bit frustrated, I broke the silence first.

"Are you also heading to the training ground?"

"Yeah. I've always gone to train at this time since middle school."

Indeed, she's diligent.

That's probably why Choi Yu-sung still takes care of her even in high school.