I Became a Transcendent-Level Genius Trainer - Chapter 180

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Transcendent Genius Trainer, Episode 180

“A Knighthood, you say?”

Yujun’s expression shifted to one of surprise at Association President Ryu Jeong-hwan’s words.

‘I thought the Royal Family might offer some kind of reward, but a Knighthood? I never saw that coming.’

He’d expected they might extend a special invitation as a show of gratitude, but he hadn’t imagined they would grant him a Knighthood.

“I honestly didn’t expect this much.”

Of course, when he’d received the Fragment of Excalibur—described as a treasure of the British Royal Family—he’d harbored some expectations.
If Holland Motors maintained such an intimate relationship with the Royal Family, he’d thought, he might receive an invitation and perhaps be introduced to Awakeners in fields of training he wished to pursue.
But he hadn’t imagined a reward as symbolically significant as this.

‘The connection must run deeper than I realized.’

“I’m quite surprised myself,” the Association President replied, sounding genuinely astonished. “I’ve heard the Holland Family maintains strong ties with the British Royal Family, but I didn’t realize the connection was this profound.”

The President’s tone made it clear he was taken aback as well.
The Holland Family wielded considerable influence in England.
The British Queen herself had reportedly received help from the Holland Family on multiple occasions, and there were rumors she extended her protection to them for that reason.
But rumors were merely rumors.

“This incident has essentially confirmed it.”

By granting Yujun a Knighthood in gratitude for training Meryl Holland, the British Royal Family would be signaling to others that the Holland Family held a deep relationship with the Crown.

“You may not be aware, but the British Knighthood has never been bestowed upon an East Asian before.”

Traditionally, such honors were granted only to those who had accomplished great deeds within Britain itself.

“I still find it hard to believe.”

Meryl is an SS-rank Awakener from England.
Yet there were quite a few other SS-rank Awakeners within England besides her.
And they were granting him a Knighthood simply for training her once?

“In any case, to receive the Knighthood, you would need to go to England. So……”

The formal custom was to receive the honor directly from the Queen.
But Yujun firmly declined.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t have time to travel to England.”
“I beg your pardon?”

The Association President was taken aback.
This was effectively a refusal of the Knighthood.
Since the Tower and Awakeners appeared, the value of such honors had become immense.

“This isn’t like the Knighthoods of old, Trainer Kang!”

Unlike before, this position wasn’t merely ceremonial.
It came with both prestige and substantial material support.
Of course, Yujun knew this as well.

‘But there’s no need to go all the way to England just for this. It’s a waste of time.’

Right now, he needed to focus on training the Cheonloe Choi Family.

‘Though there’s nothing wrong with going to receive it.’

It just wasn’t necessary at this moment.

‘Establishing good relations with the British Royal Family is fine, but right now it’s not urgent.’

Even if he refused this offer, Meryl wouldn’t lose the debt of gratitude she owed him.
He just needed to decline politely.

“That’s alright.”

Yujun smiled.

“The training I currently face is more important to me. Rather than seeking recognition from England, it’s far better to focus on training those in my own country who need it.”
“…….”

It was an utterly reasonable statement.
Yet the Association President appeared uncomfortable.
This was far more than a simple refusal of an invitation.
The symbolism of being the first East Asian to receive a British Knighthood was tremendous.

“……Wait.”

But at the same moment, a new thought occurred to the President.
He was considering whether any Awakener had ever refused a Knighthood before.

“There wouldn’t have been anyone.”

The President’s mind worked quickly, and he nodded to himself.

“Very well! I’ll politely decline on the grounds that you’re too busy.”

The first Trainer to refuse a Knighthood.
Adding his name to that distinction didn’t seem like such a bad thing.

* * *

Bzzt—bzzt.

—Hello. This is Ryu Jeong-hwan, President of the Korean Trainer Association……

The British side was greatly flustered by the response that came from Association President Ryu Jeong-hwan.
While grateful for the invitation to bestow the Knighthood, Trainer Kang Yu-jun was currently too busy with his schedule and unable to travel to England—so went the apology.

“……?”

So they read the message multiple times over.
There was no precedent for such a thing.
Awakeners who had received the British Knighthood enjoyed not only brilliant honors but also considerable authority and abundant support.
There was simply no reason to refuse.

—……Currently, Trainer Kang Yu-jun is engaged in an ongoing training program and wishes to concentrate on that……

“He’s giving up a Knighthood…… merely to focus on training?”

The Secretary of the British Royal Household immediately contacted Meryl.

“Miss Meryl. We have a problem.”

Meryl laughed brightly at the news.

“Ha, ha, ha, ha……So it’s truly Trainer Kang!”

She hadn’t expected him to refuse.
But the reason for his refusal was so characteristically Trainer Kang.
Rather than being annoyed by this unexpected turn, she found it intriguing.

“I’ll speak to Her Majesty. It would be a shame to pass up a Knighthood for such reasons.”

Meryl had been close to the Queen since childhood and even now was treated like a granddaughter.

“It’s a good excuse for a visit. And Her Majesty mentioned she’s been curious about you.”

Meryl said that the Queen had expressed considerable curiosity about the Trainer Kang who had trained her.

“As you know, Her Majesty is an Awakener herself.”

The Queen had Awakened at a very late stage of life.
Since then, she had used her Awakened abilities to climb the Tower in secret or handle various matters.
But in recent years, due to her advanced age, she had been unable to properly utilize her Awakened powers.
So she had called upon England’s finest Trainers, but they had all backed away in defeat.
Given her age, they lacked confidence in handling her training—if something went wrong, the responsibility would be too great.
Even Arthur Kingston, England’s greatest Trainer, had deliberated and then withdrawn.

“I’ll convince Her Majesty to visit Korea and grant the Knighthood directly.”

A foreign monarch bestowing honors abroad was unprecedented.
The British Royal Household’s Secretary was startled, but soon acknowledged and ended the call.
If Meryl was saying such a thing, the likelihood of it happening that way was quite high.

“Understood. Once Her Majesty approves, we’ll make arrangements immediately.”

* * *

“What in the world…… No, is this really correct?”

Association President Ryu Jeong-hwan was so flustered by the document that he abandoned any attempt at composure.

—Her Majesty has decided to visit Korea. She will visit in person to grant Trainer Kang Yu-jun the Knighthood. If possible, regarding protocol and……

“Am I dreaming right now?”

News that the British Queen was visiting Korea.
There was only one reason.
To officially confer a Knighthood upon Yujun.

“So she’s going to this extreme just to grant him a Knighthood? But why……?”

Kang Yu-jun had certainly accomplished something remarkable.
But the President didn’t think it warranted a powerful nation like England sending its Queen to visit.

“Am I failing to grasp the true value of this? Trainer Kang’s training is certainly impressive, but……”

Association President Ryu Jeong-hwan understood better than anyone just how remarkable Kang Yu-jun’s training was.
He had recently received a report from the Geumgang Kim Family.

It was a status update on the Family’s master blacksmiths.
When Kim Hwa-cheon was the patriarch, these artisans’ condition had been so dire that he could no longer have them work.
Yet they had all recovered completely.
Moreover, the Family elders had returned to active duty and were now crafting equipment again.

Guilds and the Association that required new equipment following the Tower of Ashes incident were astounded when they received gear from the Geumgang Kim Family.
The quality of the Geumgang Kim Family’s Artifacts—which had shown slight defects in recent times—had improved dramatically.

“This doesn’t feel real at all……”

The President quickly called the Director of the Management Bureau.
This was a matter that required both of them to call the President directly.
If the British Queen were to visit, the South Korean President would need to greet her as well.

As he made the call, he smiled without realizing it.
He was quite flustered himself, but he was curious just how much more flustered the Director would be.

* * *

—Burn Potion

Whoooosh—!
The shimmering Burn Potion displayed multiple colors.

‘By stacking stats with the Incubation Skill, the Burn Potion’s effects are maximized.’

Yujun opened his tablet.
It was filled with information about the Cheonloe Choi Family.

—Regarding the Lightning Mana of the Cheonloe Choi Family.
—Past incidents involving the Cheonloe Choi Family.

“Hmm.”

The Lightning Mana, characteristic of the Cheonloe Choi Family, was truly a dangerous power.

‘This is a family with a high rate of training failures even in the Tower of Infinity.’

Moreover, even those not of the Cheonloe Choi Family could be born with Lightning Mana.

‘There are such races even within the Tower.’

Yujun himself had failed many times at training with Lightning Mana.

‘There were times I had to let my character die and start rebuilding.’

This Lightning Mana had disadvantages as clear as its advantages.
Without resolving these drawbacks, those who possessed it would struggle to live long lives.
That’s why most Awakeners of the Cheonloe Choi Family grew quickly but didn’t live long.

‘Brief and brilliant.’

The Cheonloe Choi Family members were well aware of this.
So they had made efforts in various ways to resolve it, but had yet to succeed.

‘So the incident with that S-rank Trainer was an attempt to overcome this.’

A major accident that occurred because he had become an S-rank Trainer too easily.
Because of this, the Choi Family had opposed Yujun’s promotion to S-rank.
Yujun carefully reviewed the information about that incident.

‘Choi Yu-na.’

The key figure in this incident was precisely Choi Yu-na.

‘The Awakener who inherited the Lightning Mana of the Cheonloe Choi Family most vividly.’

—Choi Yu-na, Awakener of the Cheonloe Choi Family
—Lightning Mana burning her body, causing continuous suffering.
—In an attempt to resolve this, she received training from a Trainer who had rapidly reached S-rank at the time, Lee Jun-ho, but instead the Lightning Mana spiraled out of control.

The training ended in catastrophic failure.

—High likelihood of early death before age twenty.
—Current age: nineteen.

In other words, she might not even live to see next year.

“She’s the key point. This won’t be easy.”

Yujun fell into thought as he reviewed Choi Yu-na’s information.

‘But there’s a way. That’s why I requested the Burn Potion.’

The Burn Potion typically lasted for a day, and the user would suffer for several times that duration afterwards.

“Well then, shall we head over? This should be interesting.”

Yujun organized his thoughts and set out toward the Cheonloe Choi Family.

* * *

Yeouido.
Yujun rolled his neck as he gazed at the Cheonloe Tower, the massive building of the Cheonloe Choi Family visible from anywhere on Yeouido.

“You can feel it from a distance.”

Crackle—. Snap—.
The power of Lightning.

He hadn’t expected to sense Lightning Mana from this far away.

“So this is what Korea’s greatest Trainer family is like.”

Yujun slowly savored the sensation as he walked.
Crackle—.

Before long, he arrived at the gates of the Cheonloe Choi Family.
The Cheonloe Tower of the Cheonloe Choi Family was a fierce, angular building.

‘It’s like a great fortress.’

The feeling was entirely different from the Geumgang Kim Family.

Yujun pressed the call button.
Whiiiiiing—!
The sound was like thunder itself.

—Who is it?

A deep voice.

“Kang Yu-jun.”

The moment Yujun gave his name, the gate began to open.

Crunch—crunch—crunch—!
The massive iron gate swung wide, and a figure appeared within.

“We’ve been expecting you.”

Crackle—crackle—crackle—!
Lightning Mana scattered wildly.

“I’m Choi Yu-na.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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