Chapter 3

My muscles had long since reached their limit. My knee joints were screaming. My breath was at the tip of my tongue.

It was a situation where collapsing immediately would be no surprise. Yet, even in that situation, I was still running.

Even if all my joints shattered, even if my muscles tore and eventually ruptured, I did not stop my charge.

My gaze was fixed on one thing alone.

The hammer I had thrown.

The hammer, which had been drawing a parabola in the air, soon began to fall rapidly.

I ran like a madman in the direction where the hammer was expected to fall, and I kept running.

I can catch it.

At this pace, I can definitely catch it. This was more than a guess; it was a certainty.

Snap—!

And I caught the hammer.

To be precise, I caught it and then lost it. The moment I caught the hammer, my strength gave out.

The reason was simple. The power of the Conservator, the superhuman strength, had run its course.

“...Ah.”

The Conservator's voice, now weakened, buzzed in my head. The voice gradually faded away, and the power of the Conservator, the superhuman strength, also gradually left my body.

Then, the pain I had forgotten about began to hit me.

My legs hurt so much I couldn't move, and my joints ached as if they were about to break. I was gasping for breath, and my consciousness was fading.

Rakba mocked me. I couldn't even respond and just rolled on the ground.

Damn. Why did I lose the altar? Of all things, why did I steal the altar? Whoever stole it, I'll kill them, really.

Futile regret and resentment. That's what made me lose consciousness.

* * *

Everyone has something they yearn for. It could be money, fame, or power.

Such desires all stem from one emotion.

Superiority.

There was no more accurate word to describe Baesunhyun's life.

A life of winning, conquering, and trampling and despising those weaker than himself. He had always lived with superiority as his driving force, and he intended to continue doing so.

“Your use of the blessing is commendable. With the blessing of enhanced recovery...”

When he returned to his position after throwing the hammer, Kimbokdong praised Baesunhyun for various reasons.

Baesunhyun hardly listened to Kimbokdong. He was only looking at the faces of the other children who were looking up to him.

Praise me more. Admire me more. More, more!

Hiding his rising smile, Baesunhyun thought.

After that, there was nothing to see. No one could break his overwhelming record. Most couldn't even throw 50 meters, and even the relatively good ones couldn't surpass 200 meters.

No one could threaten Baesunhyun's position.

Except for one person.

“I don't know any other blessings to use.”

At first, I thought he was just an ordinary fool. Someone who got into Florence without merit, just by luck.

Just another one of those fools. No, even more inferior and foolish than the others.

That's what I thought.

But when he ran to catch the hammer, my thoughts changed.

His running was like that of a bull. A bull charging madly toward its goal. Or, considering his speed, perhaps a cheetah would be a better description.

Dosunwoo actually caught the hammer, almost fulfilling the 'special condition' and getting a perfect score. He ultimately failed due to a mistake, but it was a close call.

‘No, it wasn’t a close call.’

From Baesunhyun's perspective, it was ‘fortunately’ a failure.

“Oh, he fainted.”

Kimbokdong ran to Dosunwoo, who had collapsed on the ground. The other children, taking advantage of Kimbokdong's absence, chatted and laughed.

“Why does he do something so impossible?”

“Well, if he had just thrown it, he would have placed fifth.”

“He's just a fool, that's all. Maybe he was overconfident.”

Hearing their conversation, Baesunhyun felt a surge of anger. Dosunwoo almost caught the hammer. Although he ultimately failed, if not for that last mistake, he would have easily caught it. Baesunhyun's ranking would have dropped to second place.

The meaning was clear.

‘Next time, I might lose.’

This time, Dosunwoo made a lucky mistake. But there's no guarantee he'll make the same mistake next time. In the next physical test, I might lose.

No, I will definitely lose.

Dosunwoo's strength was objectively superior to his own.

Thinking about this, a long-forgotten emotion began to rise in Baesunhyun's mind.

Inferiority.

A shadow that lurks behind superiority, a feeling that secretly raises its head. It was the emotion Baesunhyun hated the most and believed he would never feel again.

* * *

Dosunwoo was lying in the middle of the field. Kimbokdong approached him.

Dosunwoo was groaning in pain. Fortunately, he didn't seem to have fainted.

“Are you okay?”

“Ah, ouch... Yes, I'm fine.”

Dosunwoo forced himself to stand, despite his trembling body. It was clear that there was no part of his body that wasn't hurt.

Some of his muscles had torn and were beginning to bruise, and his knee joints seemed slightly twisted. It was an injury that most people couldn't even stand up from.

Kimbokdong drew a blessing array in the air and used it on Dosunwoo.

“This is an intermediate healing array. It won't fully heal you, but it will reduce the pain.”

“Thank you.”

“Your record is 83 meters, placing you 12th overall. Any objections?”

“No.”

“Alright, then go to the infirmary first.”

Dosunwoo limped to the infirmary. His face clearly showed disappointment.

Kimbokdong watched his back. It was surprising that he managed to stand up despite such injuries, but what was even more surprising was something else.

‘He almost succeeded.’

Throughout Florence's history, only two students have ever met the 'special condition' in the physical test and achieved a perfect score.

One was the Pope's son, and the other was Kimbokdong himself.

When Kimbokdong was a student at Florence, he used all the blessings he could to barely meet the 'special condition'.

Yet, Dosunwoo almost succeeded with only the blessing of enhanced strength.

He might not have a talent for blessings, but his physical abilities were clearly innate.

No, 'innate' is an understatement. It was a 'divine gift'.

“This concludes the physical test. First place: Baesunhyun, second place: Goojunhyuk, third place: Jeongina. Check your own rankings for the rest. Grades will be distributed according to ranking. Class dismissed.”

Kimbokdong sent the students back to the classroom.

In the middle of the sandy field, he thought about the students of Class 2-1.

Baesunhyun, who showed overwhelming skill. Goojunhyuk, who secured second place steadily. Jeongina, who, though physically weak, had a natural talent for using blessings.

They were all excellent talents with their own unique abilities...

But the one who was most clearly etched in Kimbokdong's mind was Dosunwoo.

* * *

“Did you fall down the stairs? Or did you jump off the roof?”

“No, during the physical test.”

“Physical test? Come on, if you're going to lie, make it a bit more believable.”

“It's true.”

“Alright, alright, I get it. Your injuries are treated now, so don't do any intense exercise for a while. Got it?”

The health teacher didn't believe my story about the physical test. He seemed to be reluctantly accepting it. But he treated me thoroughly, so I had no complaints.

On the way back to the classroom, Rakba, who had been quiet, finally spoke.

His tone was blunt, but it was his way of showing concern.

“I'll be more careful next time.”

“Eh, this is fine.”

Loa's power is as effective as it is, but its side effects are also strong. The Conservator's power is relatively mild in terms of side effects.

Other Loa's powers are stronger, more widespread, and have more severe side effects.

Sacrificing through the altar can minimize the side effects and enhance the power, but with the altar stolen, that's no longer possible.

Finally, we reached the classroom. The dismissal was in progress.

“Ah, you're here. Class president, please pass on my message to Dosunwoo. There have been frequent kidnappings in the area recently. Everyone should be careful and not stay out late. Got it?”

The homeroom teacher, Haejin, said this and left the classroom. Everyone put on their bags and left.

Baesunhyun approached me with a family notice.

“Read it yourself.”

He carelessly threw the notice on my desk and left. He had a smile on his face, but it was insincere, and his tone was filled with hostility.

“...”

I don't really understand.

* * *

On the way home, the usual