Chapter 34
“Haaaaaam…”
Standing absent-mindedly, I suddenly yawned.
It was seven in the morning, and the yellowish sunlight was just beginning to rise.
Normally, by this time, my mind would be completely awake.
“Lan, are you okay?”
“Oh, yes. I didn’t sleep well.”
“Well, it is the first day!”
I barely got any sleep the night before. Not for the innocent reason Angela assumed, that it was simply the first day of the academy.
‘I got kidnapped.’
By none other than Karen herself.
At first, I genuinely thought I was going to die.
If she had truly intended to harm me, I wouldn’t have even had the chance to resist.
Fortunately, she wasn’t trying to kill me; she just wanted to take me as her direct disciple.
But still, what she did was crossing the line, even for Karen.
-‘I refuse.’
-‘…Huh? W-wait! Please, just wait a moment!’
So, I turned her down.
‘Are you asking if I regret it because of the missed opportunity?’
Of course, I do.
Naturally, I have no intention of letting that chance slip away.
If there’s something to gain from it, I’ll exploit it to the fullest. Why would I let such an opportunity pass?
‘Karen and Marco are alike.’
Once they set their sights on something, they don’t rest until they get it.
The only difference is that Karen is at least somewhat socialized.
So it’s fine.
‘The more time passes.’
The one who will become anxious is Karen.
“Hm. It seems everyone’s gathered.”
A strict-looking woman appeared before the cadets who had assembled in the training grounds early in the morning.
“Nice to meet you all. I will be your instructor for the next year. My name is Reina Winter.”
Her silver hair reminded me of a snowfield, and her deep blue eyes added to the icy image.
But more than anything, her last name, Winter.
“Winter? The Duke’s family of the North?!”
“Is she really from that bloodline?”
“A professor from the Northern Duke’s family, and a Sword Demon no less…!”
That surname belonged to the Northern Duke, who once ruled the northern lands.
Why do I say ‘once’?
“They haven’t completely collapsed yet.”
The Winter Ducal family was nearly annihilated during the past war.
Most of the family members perished, with only Reina and a few of her siblings surviving.
No matter how powerful the Winter family once was, not even they could withstand the near-extinction that befell them.
Now, they barely cling to their former glory.
“It seems many of you know about me.”
Reina continued with a cold expression.
“That will make things quicker. I despise the weak. If you are weak, you cannot protect what is yours, as I once was.”
She released her Qi.
Whhhooooosh—!
Suddenly, the surrounding area froze, and a flurry of snow began to fall.
“W-what is this?!”
“S-so cold!”
“The air… all of a sudden… Achoo!”
“Is this the secret technique of the Duke’s family…?”
The others shivered, clutching themselves against the cold.
“Urgh…”
Angela’s shoulders shook slightly from the chill, but she bit her lip and didn’t show it.
“Become stronger. Think of nothing but becoming stronger. Understood?”
“Yes, ma’am!!”
“I’m sure none of you are sleepy anymore.”
Was her Qi release intended to wake us up?
‘These insane professors.’
If they wake us up twice like this, we’ll all freeze to death.
“Well then, let’s start with today’s basic training. Since it’s the first day, we’ll keep it simple.”
Reina pointed at the entire training ground with her finger.
“First… run 100 laps.”
“…Excuse me?”
“I won’t repeat myself. Run 100 laps around this area.”
For reference, this training ground is about three times the size of a soccer field.
Saying “run 100 laps” is just another way of telling us to run until we drop dead.
As the students stared blankly at the training ground, Reina added,
“You’re allowed to use Qi. In fact, I encourage it.”
“We can use Qi…?”
“In that case, it might be doable…!”
The moment she allowed the use of Qi, the students’ faces brightened.
Qi is a superhuman force.
It enables feats that are impossible through pure physical abilities alone.
“The top three finishers will receive suitable rewards, so do your best.”
With Reina’s final announcement,
“Then, begin.”
The basic training officially began.
“Wooooah—!”
“Let’s goooo!”
Some students started by sprinting at full speed.
“Hmph. For something like this, pacing is crucial.”
Others began with a leisurely jog, pacing themselves.
Each of us ran in the way that suited us best.
“Lan, please don’t worry about me.”
Angela spoke as she stood next to me.
“At least during the training to become stronger, I want to step out of your protection. I-I don’t mean that I find your protection burdensome, though!”
“I understand.”
“I want… to become stronger too.”
Angela tied her hair back, as if steeling herself.
“I’ll do my best to finish the run.”
After saying those words, she also started running around the training ground at a reasonable pace.
‘Well, I suppose it’ll be safe during the lecture, at least.’
It’s true that I shouldn’t let my guard down, but being too overprotective would hinder her growth.
“…Aren’t you going to start?”
As I stood there silently watching, Reina spoke to me.
“Don’t tell me you’ve already given up. I don’t care if you’re a man; all cadets in my class are equal. There will be no special treatment.”
“I’ll start soon, professor.”
“…I saw your name on the list for access to the Practical Training Room.”
She said in an icy voice.
“How did you know?”
“You’re famous, Lan Black. No man has ever been at the top of Polaris’s rankings before.”
“Haha, this is a bit embarrassing.”
I scratched my head as if embarrassed, but Reina just looked at me with disbelief.
“I also know that it was Lady Karen who put your name on that list. She told me herself.”
Since the Practical Training Room is a high-level facility, it’s frequently used by professors. In fact, the stronger the person, the more effective the training there.
“I’m curious why Lady Karen favours you so much.”
“……”
“But seeing you procrastinate like this from the start, it seems like she made a mistake.”
“Well, she’s only human. Even she can make mistakes.”
“…What?!”
Reina frowned in anger.
Why is she mad when I agreed with her?
‘Oh, right.’
Reina is fanatically devoted to Karen. It’s not just admiration; she believes in and follows her unconditionally.
‘It must annoy her that a man like me caught Karen’s attention overnight.’
Sigh.
I stretched out my legs and sighed.
“So, should I prove it? That she didn’t make a mistake?”
I don’t like sounding boastful, but…
At the current level here, even if I start late, I’ll still…
“I’ll take first place.”
I’m confident I can win.
“I’m looking forward to the reward.”
“Only say that after you finish in first place.”
So prickly.
I gave a bitter smile.
I then activated my Wind Wave Style footwork.
“Wha-?! What the…!”
“He’s so fast…!”
As I swiftly passed the others, I heard gasps of surprise from behind.
‘But so what?’
What are you going to do about it?
Tadat!
With just a few steps, I quickly caught up with the students at the front.
“Huff…! Huff! You… you’re….”
Dwena, who was in second place, looked at me with her mouth agape.
She was using Qi properly, but…
“I’m going ahead, sis.”
Compared to my mastery of Wind Wave Style, which I honed through real experience and talent…
Her technique was incredibly crude.
Tat!
After passing her, I saw the person running alone in the lead.
“Hah, hah, hah…”
The person running at a fast pace with long, flowing pink hair was none other than our Holy Maiden, Lienna.
‘I don’t know how she’s able to see ahead while wearing that eye patch.’
It’s better not to get involved with her for now.
I already have enough headaches dealing with Fernia and Marco.
For now, it’s best to avoid any interactions with Lienna.
Tatat!
“Ah…!”
As I took the lead, Lienna gasped softly.
“Phew.”
I continued running around the training ground without stopping.
As I kept running, my body began to heat up.
“Huff… Huff…”
“I’m exhausted…”
“It’s so hot…!”
One by one, students began collapsing.
No matter how good the engine is, it can’t function properly if it overheats.
“Ugh…!”
Dwena was still hanging in there through sheer willpower.
“Hah, hah…”
Lienna was using her divine power to evaporate the heat along with her fatigue. It seemed like she was applying the principle of curing a fever, but I didn’t really understand it.
‘As for me,’
Honestly, this level of heat was something I could ignore.
But I became curious.
Whirrrr…
When Reina first released her Qi, I had discreetly used my Great Absorption Art to gather it into my danjun.
‘Could I use the absorbed Qi and make it function as my own?’
Reina’s Qi was cold and carried the properties of frost.
If I used it, I could probably cool down my body’s heat.
“Might as well give it a try…!”
I carefully drew out a small amount of Reina’s Qi from the upper layer of my danjun.
Immediately,
Whirr—!
A cold blue aura spread throughout my body, cooling it instantly.
“Haaah…!”
As I exhaled, a mist of cold air escaped my lips.
The heat evaporated, and my body cooled down along with my sweat.
“It worked!”
If I accumulate Qi with different properties, I can use those properties as my own!
“What…?!”
I could even hear Reina’s astonished voice from where I was.
‘Now I have Wind Wave Style along with frost to cool my body.’
I was in perfect condition.
A machine equipped with a cooler becomes exponentially more efficient.
.
.
.
By the time I completed the 100 laps,
“…You’ve done well.”
“Thank you, professor.”
“Huff, huff, huff…”
The second-place runner was on their 60th lap.
“You were… overwhelming.”
“You flatter me.”
I can’t help attracting attention, but I can’t avoid it either.
A top student should behave like a top student.
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