Chapter 7: A one-on-one war-3

Let’s briefly analyze the new character Jo Seon-woo from Agora Academy through a gamer’s perspective.

His growth strategy is already set in stone.

Main weapon: bow.

Secondary weapon: sword.

For archery skills, you can just keep leveling up Scholar’s Skill.

Then, what should be done for sword skills?

I originally planned to wait, thinking I’d eventually obtain something like Scholar’s Swordsmanship if I waited long enough.

But now, I’ve attracted the attention of professors and Cheon Dohwa, and I even have a sparring practice scheduled with Oh Gyeong-hyeon next Monday.

There’s no more time to waste.

I need to obtain the appropriate sword skills.

Should I learn one of the academy’s standard sword techniques?

Or should I try to get on Professor Kang Tae-woo’s good side? I’ve been contemplating this a lot.

But another problem arises here.

Which martial art should I learn?

I can’t just learn any random martial art.

First of all, I need to check if that martial art can harmoniously blend with my Scholar’s Skill concept.

On top of that, it needs to be a good martial art.

Even if it’s not one that scores an 8 out of 10 like Scholar’s Skill, it should still have the potential for such growth.

Is there such a martial art?

Surprisingly, there was.

There was a reason I spent the last two days frequenting the library and composing poems after the entrance ceremony on Wednesday.

It was because I needed to find a particular book in the academy’s central library.

“I want to see a senior’s study planner from last year, but I don’t know where it is! Can you help me find it?”

「<Event Quest: Study Planner>

Last year, one of the graduates achieved a reversal in success through a meticulous study plan. A senior from the third year wants to see that study planner.

It’s said that the graduate left the study planner somewhere in the central library and then forgot about it.

Objective: Retrieve the ‘Reversal! Study Planner’

Reward: ?

Note: You must complete the quest by 24:00 today.」

This event happens every Saturday at the reading room of the club building.

You trigger the quest by talking to the senior who looks pitifully at people passing by with a forlorn expression.

The book I’ve been searching for over the past two days is this study planner.

Since the location of the study planner is random in each game, it took some effort, but I managed to find it.

“Thank you! But I don’t think I can follow such a meticulous plan… Still, it seems useful to know how to create such a plan!”

「<Quest Complete: Study Planner>

Reward: ‘Planning’ Skillbook. Help from the book club members.」

I felt a sudden weight in my pocket and reached inside. There was a thin, passport-sized mini book.

It had a magical aura. Proof that it was a skillbook.

「You cannot learn this skill.: Planning」

Just in case, I opened the skillbook, but the system message was disappointing.

I kept the skillbook. It seems I’ll have to give it to a specific character or sell it to raise some funds.

I wasn’t too disappointed. After all, I had a different goal for doing this quest.

“Since you helped me, I’ll help you out this time. Got anything you’re curious about? The book club’s collection has some interesting things!”

This was what I’d been waiting for.

“Do you have the Archaeology Department’s research report?”

The book club senior was startled, but then smiled slyly.

“You even know about that? You know quite a lot, don’t you? What are you curious about?”

The Archaeology Department is a club that no longer exists.

Depending on what you mention here, different related quests may become available.

Some quests offer elixirs that increase your stats, while others grant skillbooks.

However, the quest with the best reward is this one.

“It’s about green maple leaves.”

Thunk. The book club senior dropped a stack of research logs onto the table.

I picked up the research log and flipped through the pages casually, triggering a new quest.

「<Sub Quest: Memories of Maple>

You have learned about a strange natural item from the Archaeology Department’s research log. The log mentions green maple leaves. It seems the Archaeology Department was looking for clues about the maple leaves in the eastern forest but ended the investigation shortly thereafter. Continue the investigation in the eastern forest.

Objective: Track the ‘Green Maple Leaves’

Reward: ?」

“Well read. Have a good day, senior.”

“Yeah! You too. Enjoy your weekend!”

I left the club building and headed straight to the eastern forest of Arang Island. I couldn’t afford to waste time.

Agora Academy uses the entire Arang Island, located in South Korea’s West Sea, as its campus. Arang Island has two forests.

The western forest and the eastern forest. The western forest is so large it covers one-third of the island, while the eastern forest is quite small.

Because of this, most major forest-related events in the game take place in the western forest. Except for one.

This quest is the biggest event in the eastern forest.

It’s also the very reason for the eastern forest’s existence in the game.

I debated whether to take off my robe, but the prospect of reducing my Scholar’s Skill was more daunting, so I went to the eastern forest in it.

Unlike the western forest, which is off-limits, the eastern forest is open to visitors.

It’s developed for walking and is less dense.

My destination is the deepest part of the eastern forest.

The story itself is not much.

The green maple leaves are related to a faction from the Korean Peninsula’s past.

When their stronghold was attacked, the faction fled to Arang Island and was officially disbanded here.

The treasure left behind by the faction on Arang Island is this green maple leaf .

If I offer the green maple leaf at the faction’s stronghold, I’ll receive the skillbook I want.

As I brushed aside a branch that was blocking my view with my right hand, I saw it.

“I found it.”

In the deep part of the eastern forest, a narrow clearing where light filtered through the dense leaves.

I found a single leaf at the top of a sapling in the center of the clearing.

The leaf was a pointed maple leaf, and its color was green.

Carefully, I removed the maple leaf from the sapling.

As soon as I removed it, the sapling crumbled and disappeared.

It was a magical sapling created solely for storing the leaf.

Now that it had served its purpose, it vanished.

As soon as I placed the leaf in my pouch, a system message appeared.

「<Quest Updated: Memories of Maple>

You have acquired a strange natural item. It is the green maple leaf .

Find and uncover the story behind this magical item.

Objective: Track the ‘Green Maple Leaf’

Reward: ?」

Now, I need to return to the school, show the leaf to the senior, and then travel around the academy, Seoul, and Gangwon Province to hear the stories I already know.

But I already know the truth.

I also know where the faction’s stronghold is.

In Agora Academy, all items and skills are obtained through quests.

But since I know everything, I don’t need to follow the game’s complex and inefficient paths.

Isn’t this a hidden piece?

I returned to the dormitory and spent the remaining time at the archery range.

As I diligently pulled the bowstring, I managed to increase my strength stat by one.

Unlike strength training, archery doesn’t negatively affect Scholar’s Skill.

People were amazed to see me shooting arrows well into the late evening after having done so during lunch. And each time, my Scholar’s Skill improved.

The next day, Sunday, I left Arang Island early in the morning and headed to Seoul.

Naturally, still wearing my robe.

I worried about people’s gazes. But it didn’t seem to attract as much attention as I feared.

There are places in Seoul that rent out traditional attire, so it seemed people just brushed it off.

Instead, I attracted more attention in Gangwon Province, where there are fewer people.

In Gangnam, people might have thought I was cosplaying, but here, they stared wide-eyed.

“Mom, why is that guy wearing something like that?”

“…I don’t know either.”

The gaze directed at a ‘fake’ in cosplay and a ‘real’ one is different.

The latter is much harder to endure.

While I was worrying about the numerical values, the system message added fuel to the fire.

「<Apprentice Scholar’s Guide> Are you embarrassed as a Scholar? (Expected Scholar’s Skill change: -1%)」

That Scholar’s Skill issue. I squeezed my eyes shut.

I repeated the Confucian Analects to myself, reinforcing my self-hypnosis.

Am I embarrassed by this robe?

Not at all. The robe has always been the attire of a Scholar. There’s no reason to be embarrassed.

It’s just that the gaze of people who don’t understand my intent to uphold the Scholar’s values is disheartening.

「Scholar’s Skill change: 3% (Dignified Spirit) (Current Scholar’s Skill: 100%)」

Finally, I arrived at my destination. Taebaek, Gangwon Province.

As soon as I got off the train, I adjusted my collar against the chilly air.

It’s a cold place year-round. The Taebaek Mountains in the eastern part of the Korean Peninsula.

This city, the highest in the Taebaek Mountains, is where the main stronghold of the Cheongnyongmun is located.

In the game, only the ruins near the stronghold are implemented, so I asked for directions to find my destination.

The odd stares were still there, but I was gradually getting used to them.

As I headed towards the Cheongnyongmun stronghold, I thought about the performance of the skill I wanted to obtain.

According to the game tooltip, it’s a fragment of the Four Gods Martial Art.

According to the game community, it’s the right arm of the Four-Attribute Exodia.

There’s a reason why it’s called the Four-Attribute Exodia.

While collecting all four skills would give top-tier performance, they are never all gathered.

There are several reasons for this.

The biggest reason is that the event chain to acquire them is too tedious and lengthy.

Since the game world has become reality for me, I skipped intermediate events, but that wasn’t possible in the game.

I had to waste three weekends going out to get a skill that I could obtain in one day, so efficiency-minded gamers wouldn’t like it.

Another reason is the stringent requirements.

The Four Gods Martial Art can only be used with a sword.

It can’t be used with other swords like greatswords or daggers.

Moreover, it requires proficiency in fire, water, earth, and wind magic, so both sword and magic potential need to be high.

It’s a skill that’s hard to use unless you’re a character like the Sword Saint, Dong Yoo.

And those kinds of characters end up using better unique skills, so they don’t use the Four Gods Martial Art.

In the game, the Four Gods Martial Art was just one of the four skills used as a support skill.

But now that I’m in the game world, no skill fits me as well as the Four Gods Martial Art.

It might even be a skill made for me.

Before I knew it, I arrived at the Cheongnyongmun stronghold. It was a temple.

A Buddhist temple built on the ruins of a fallen Taoist faction’s stronghold. Inside the temple, my Scholar’s Skill decreased. It was an acceptable loss.

A Scholar entering a temple was quite a sight. The monks were surprised by my attire but did not forbid entry.

In the center of the temple was a crude stone altar. It looked like a dolmen.

This altar was the only relic of the Cheongnyongmun that existed before the temple was built.

I placed the green maple leaf on top of it.

Taking a step back, I thought for a moment before clasping my hands and closing my eyes.

‘Please let me get through life easily.’

After a brief prayer, I opened my eyes.

「<Quest Completed: Memories of Maple>

You have tracked the origin of the forgotten faction and returned the Cheongnyongmun’s treasure to its stronghold.

There may be similar faction stories elsewhere…………..

Reward: Increase in wind magic potential, ‘Maple Sword Technique’ skillbook」

「The potential for ‘wind magic’ is now ‘Excellent’!」

On the stone altar, the maple leaf had disappeared, and a skillbook was left.

I smiled and opened the skillbook.

「New Skill Acquired!: Maple Sword Technique」

Maple. Cut off and wind. To cut through the wind.

However, in Korean, it has a fun name meaning another natural item.

This was what I had been searching for. My smile grew wider.

Monday morning. Even before regular classes started, the Combat Department building was bustling.

It was due to the official sparring match scheduled in the sparring room.

Both participants were well-known.

Jo Seon-woo, whose reputation was still mixed in various ways.

And Oh Gyeong-hyeon, who always had a poor reputation.

Half of the audience in the sparring room was shaking their heads at the rumors of Oh Gyeong-hyeon’s antics.

The other half was intrigued by the fact that the opponent targeted by Oh Gyeong-hyeon was the hero of the Tolyong Hunt.

The audience was packed, but no one was predicting Seon-woo’s victory.

It was a one-on-one duel between a swordsman and an archer. Naturally, the archer was at a disadvantage.

Moreover, Oh Gyeong-hyeon was famous. For better or worse.

Although his personality is terrible, he is an elite hunter who has followed the elite course, competing in the top 10% of the Swordsmanship Department.

But there was one person predicting Seon-woo’s victory.

Professor Kang Tae-woo.

‘No, two people.’

Professor Kang Tae-woo looked at Cheon Dohwa, who was sitting on the opposite side of the audience.

Unlike himself, who was leaning against a pillar, Cheon Dohwa was seated comfortably.

He had an expression like a child who had just discovered a fascinating new toy.

“Professor! What are you doing here in the sparring room so early in the morning?”

“Ah, you’ve arrived.”

The assistant professor who had come to find Kang Tae-woo gasped for breath.

He was astonished to hear that Kang Tae-woo had been in the sparring room since early morning.

It was just a trivial sparring match. What could possibly interest Kang Tae-woo?

“Jo Seon-woo and Oh Gyeong-hyeon’s sparring match? Isn’t Oh Gyeong-hyeon likely to win?”

The assistant professor frowned. Oh Gyeong-hyeon’s notorious reputation reached even him.

Kang Tae-woo replied with a feigned cheerful expression.

“Well, we won’t know until we see it.”

The assistant professor tilted his head but didn’t press for an explanation. After all, the result would be revealed soon.

On Friday, Kang Tae-woo had observed Seon-woo’s swordsmanship.

It was average, slightly below the academy’s incoming class standards, especially considering this cohort was considered a golden generation.

‘But his stance improved quickly.’

It was thanks to his Scholar’s Skill, though Kang Tae-woo was unaware of this.

Moreover, Seon-woo’s swordsmanship had leveled up soon after, and Kang Tae-woo could see the improvement.

It wasn’t outstanding swordsmanship.

But the stance improved immediately, and the skill quickly advanced. Kang Tae-woo realized.

‘He hasn’t learned new sword techniques. He’s just recalling forgotten techniques.’

It was a misjudgment, but a reasonable one.

The immense concentration required to control every movement of his toes explained the rapid growth.

He had heard that Seon-woo postponed the sparring to Monday, citing personal equipment issues.

However, upon checking, Seon-woo’s only personal equipment was a bow. There was no sword.

It seemed that Seon-woo intended to fully hone his swordsmanship by Monday to defeat Oh Gyeong-hyeon.

‘I thought he was merely diligent, but he’s cunning as well.’

Kang Tae-woo’s smile widened.

Soon after, the two main characters appeared in the sparring arena.