How To Use Regressors

30 – Part 2 of the Demonstration Ceremony

I slowly opened my mouth to Yoon Yeon.

“….. It wasn’t because there was a problem with the Myth Clan that I declined.”

“Um… then what’s the reason?”

“It’s a very… simple reason. I just wanted to be in the same clan as my party members.”

……”

Upon hearing my answer, she seemed genuinely surprised, as if she hadn’t thought it would be such a simple reason.

“Um… is that so? In my case… I didn’t think it would be for that reason since during the tutorial, the classmates didn’t get along well with each other.”

“I’m sorry.”

“No, I understand. Your party seemed to get along very well with each other. Honestly… I’m a bit envious that you could have such a good relationship.”

“…. You might think it’s insincere, but if I were alone, I would have accepted Commander Yeon’s proposal.”

She playfully replied, as if my words were flattery to a strong person.

“Hmm… are you trying to score points with me?”

Normally, I would have brushed it off as a joke, but for some reason, I didn’t want her to see my words as a joke.

“I’m being sincere. It may be impolite, but just as you roughly grasped who I am, I feel like I have a bit of an understanding of who Yun Yeon is through our conversation just now.”

“…..”

“Beyond the fact that you’re the master of the Myth Clan, I simply admire Yun Yeon as a person.”

Yun Yeon’s face started turning as red as a tomato, as if she didn’t expect to hear such direct praise.

“… Anyway, what I want to say is that my rejection had nothing to do with any problems in the clan. So there’s no need to worry if there’s any issues with the clan. It’s a clan that I genuinely want to join.”

“….. Alright. Um… it’s getting late and all, so… I guess you should go back to the trainees’ dormitory, right? Uh, please go quickly.”

After she finished speaking, I was immediately banished from her bedroom. She forcefully chased me out, leaving me dumbfounded in the hallway.

“… Did you feel bad?”

From Yun Yeon’s perspective, she could have easily felt bad. I should have thought that she could have felt just as bad as I did when I was being unpleasant before.

“… I should have chosen my words carefully… Did I say unnecessary things for no reason?”

******

On the day of the demonstration, everyone gathered in the auditorium I had visited when I first came to the academy. The difference this time was that those seated were instructors and representatives of various clans.

On the stage, I saw a male trainee sparring with an instructor. The instructor seemed to be taking it easy, while the trainee attacked with determination.

If the instructor had been genuinely serious from the start, there would have been nothing the trainee could do. It seemed that the sparring was proceeding in this manner.

The trainee’s status window appeared ordinary, but I was curious about the instructor’s stats, so I opened his status window.

[ Name: Kim Gwanseok ]

[ Age: 33 ]

[ Occupation: High-level Inspector (Hero Grade) ]

[ Title: Alcoholic ]

[ Unique Trait ]

Alcoholic (Hero Grade) – You, the lover of alcohol, temporarily gain a 2-point increase in all attributes after consuming alcohol.

[ Traits ]

Master of Swordsmanship (Hero Grade) – Your understanding of swordsmanship significantly increases.

Intermediate Understanding of Martial Arts (Rare Grade) – Your understanding of martial arts increases to some extent.

Magic-Infused Blade (Hero Grade) – You can temporarily infuse your blade with magic for use.

[ Attributes ]

Strength – 74 Agility – 70

Endurance – 70 Luck – 46

Magic – 50 Resistance – 72

The instructor’s stats were average. Neither weak nor strong, just the abilities to hold one’s own in this world.

After what seemed like a considerable amount of time had passed for the instructor, they swiftly parried the trainee’s sword, forcing them to lose grip of their weapon.

“The demonstration by trainee Lee Kyungheon has concluded.”

The male trainee seemed to despair at the fact that he hadn’t shown anything noteworthy and sat there, dazed.

It seemed he was someone who had advanced through artifacts; his stats were remarkably low.

The man shuffled back to his spot, and it was our party member’s turn next.

“Next, we have the demonstration by trainee Seo Yujoo.”

Seo Yujoo slowly began walking onto the stage.

Various clan representatives seated in the audience showed great anticipation. They had already sensed Seo Yujoo’s value over the past three months, but perhaps because it was a demonstration, their expectations were high.

Seo Yujoo met the instructor’s gaze, and the instructor, who had been composed, stiffened and adjusted their posture. It was a complete contrast to their attitude just moments ago against the previous trainee.

“I will begin the demonstration.”

As the demonstration commenced, Seo Yujoo immediately charged at the instructor, thrusting her spear forward.

“This…crazy!”

The instructor seemed extremely flustered at the level of Seoyeojoo’s skill, swearing without realizing it.

The voices of people watching the dueling scene began to echo throughout the workshop.

“…That’s a real monster. That’s a three-month trainee?”

“…It’s unbelievable. I don’t know who will take that child, but the clan that takes her will definitely prosper.”

“I heard a rumor that she’s joining the Hwasin clan…”

Just hearing Seoyeojoo receive compliments made me feel even better. Following Seoyeojoo was definitely the right answer.

More than three minutes had passed since the duel began. Seoyeojoo managed to block the instructor’s kick and push him away.

“The demonstration of trainee Seoyeojoo has ended.”

Despite successfully blocking the kick and pushing him away, Seoyeojoo walked out unscathed, simply brushing off her clothes. She even held onto her sword without letting go.

Everyone watching the duel, regardless of whether they were instructors or trainees, had lost their composure and stared in awe at Seoyeojoo.

Someone muttered,

“…A monster.”

It is unknown whether Seoyeojoo could have defeated the instructor or not. Considering the difference in abilities, it’s unlikely she could win. But even if she could win, she wouldn’t have defeated the instructor.

If a newcomer who had only been in this world for three months managed to defeat an instructor, it would be odd for anyone not to think so.

There’s no way she doesn’t think what I’m thinking.

“Next, we have a demonstration by Yi Hyun, the trainee.”

As soon as Hyun stepped onto the stage, she displayed the sight of inflicting wounds on her own hand and healing them with her magic.

That level of skill could probably be replicated by any novice, judging from the audience’s somewhat surprised but not overly enthusiastic reactions.

Considering her seniority, it was deemed quite impressive.

It wasn’t until she felt Minister Yoo Hyun activated her protective shield that the real impact was felt.

“Guardian Shield.”

When the protective shield, which had proven its worth in dungeons, activated, various clan representatives began to widen their eyes in astonishment.

“What, what is this? A shield? And not just healing?”

“Insane! A priest who can use a shield?!”

Except for Ha Yoo-ri, the rest of the people reacted as if they had never seen a shield before.

‘I get it now.’

I heard from Ha Yoo-ri that the concept of a shield in this world is of great importance. While healing is the concept of mending injured individuals, in reality, a shield prevents injury from occurring in the first place.

In a place that prioritizes life, the value of a shield is far superior to healing.

In some ways, to those who do not know that Seo Yooju is a returning player, the value of Yoo Hyun might be evaluated higher than Seo Yooju.

Seo Yooju’s true value lies in the knowledge from the first round, but in the eyes of others, she is an extraordinary mage with exceptional talent. It is not completely impossible to replace her.

On the other hand, Yoo Hyun is a priest who can use a shield. He can use both the shield and healing, unlike Seo Yooju who cannot use healing.

In reality, it can be said that they are irreplaceable.

Even Kang Sungjun seemed extremely surprised to learn that Yoo Hyun can use a shield.

Perhaps for three months, Ha Yuri had hidden some information about Yoo Hyun.

“She must have wanted to recruit him herself.”

But because of my nonsense, the opportunity to recruit him practically slipped away from our party. The fact that I did not even know that, and laughed out loud at Yoo Hyun’s answer saying that he had considered it, was ridiculous.

“That foolish woman.”

One by one, our party members’ demonstrations were coming to an end, and everyone reacted positively. Except for Ahn Taewoo, everyone looked at our party with eyes shining with admiration.

Next was my turn.

“Next, we will have a demonstration from Yoon Sung, our trainee.”

“Damn it…”

Swallowing curse words internally, I slowly ascended onto the stage. I felt absolutely miserable.

“… because I have nothing to show.”

I tried to grow in various ways over the course of three months, but it seemed like an impossible task.

While others were able to use two attributes of magic in a single spell, I had only managed to master one more spell of the same attribute.

Even during class, when Ha Yoori glanced at me with a look of disdain, I couldn’t lift my head in embarrassment.

As I ascended the platform, I felt suffocated by the many gazes fixed upon me. I had to prove my worth in this place, but I couldn’t do it.

I began by casting the most basic magic I used during the tutorial.

“Ignite, flames.”

The most fundamental magic, flames or fireballs. The only special thing about my magic was that it had a dark black hue.

When I cast the spell at the practice scarecrow, it ignited with slightly more power than during the tutorial.

“….”

Next was Flame Wall, also known as the Flame Barrier spell.

“Wall of fire.”

Swoosh –

As my magic power drained away, a wall of flames, as tall as me, formed in front of me in less than a minute.

“Darn it… My magic power…”

Within a minute of creating the Flame Wall, my magic power was completely depleted, and the flame barrier vanished.

The towering figures seated before me couldn’t have been unaware of this fact.

“The presentation of Lee Yoon-sung, the trainee, has concluded.”

Clap, clap, clap.

Everyone in the room knew that I was an important figure in our party, so the applause was formal, but the expressions were like those directed at a common street pebble.

I concealed my anxiety with a composed expression and descended the platform steps.

As I descended, I locked eyes momentarily with Seo Yoo-joo.

“…….”

I felt an indescribable emotion.

Because she was gazing at me with a look of pity.

Suddenly, I imagined what I must have been like here during the first round, not now.

‘… How would it have been? Everything must have been a complete mess.’

Thanks to Seo Yoo-joo, I’m now part of the Hwashin Clan, one of the three major clans. But during the first round, I couldn’t have even dreamed of it.

I speculated that the me from the first round might have joined Yoon Yeon’s clan, but that was purely conjecture.

There was no assurance that Yoon Yeon would have made me an offer like she did now.

Perhaps during the first round, everyone looked at me with disdain. If Yoon Yeon hadn’t offered me a chance, I would have had nowhere to go.

In the end, the words rang clear: “You won’t be welcomed anywhere with your own strength alone.”

“Damn it… whether on Earth or here…”

Perhaps it was the way they looked at me, but I couldn’t help but entertain useless thoughts. I buried my emotions.

“Anyway, it’s nothing new.”

Looking at the waiting party members, I greeted them.

“Great job, everyone. You all did an amazing job, hahaha.”

“…Yoonseong, you’ve worked hard too.”

“No, you’ve worked even harder, all of you. I didn’t have much to show, so it wasn’t that difficult for me.”

“…Oppa.”

It seemed like Yurim called my name, so I turned my head to respond.

“Yeah?”

“Never mind.”

“What’s wrong, you seem a bit down.”

Regardless, I spoke up since there was no reason to linger in the auditorium.

“Well, let’s all head back. The demonstration is over, so go rest, everyone. You’ve all worked hard.”