Chapter 46
Chapter 46
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Episode 13: The Fair Instructor (4)
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The cadets went wild upon witnessing the fragile noble lady, Levi Polt, successfully perform Realm.
Astonishment that even without being an instructor, one could unleash such an impossible feat.
Admiration that a girl who had only been training for a short time had pulled it off.
Anticipation that they could do it too.
They were overflowing with a desire to learn Realm.
However.
"Urgh...!"
"G-Grandma...? Why are you here?"
"Snap out of it, you idiot! Your grandma is perfectly healthy! She's lived longer than you!"
...Right now, it was hard to tell.
The cadets were collapsed, clutching their stomachs.
Those who had rushed forward most eagerly when the instructor offered to let them experience Realm were now rolling on the dirt ground in agony, some even delirious as if they had brushed with death.
What was this familiar sight?
It was the extreme situations they had endured countless times since coming to Vulcan.
They had only wanted to learn, so they couldn't understand how it had come to this.
"Next up. Come on, quickly now."
"......"
"What's the matter? Don't want to learn?"
"...Instructor, why are we being treated like this when Levi Polt wasn't?"
"Treated like what?"
"We're asking why you're hitting us without any explanation."
They had thought that experiencing Realm would mean something gentle like placing a hand on their back, as with Levi Polt.
But the instructor had struck them straight in the center of the stomach without a word.
Afterward, they writhed on the ground, feeling a distant sense of terror.
What?
What did we do wrong?
Did he find our diary where we badmouthed him?
They didn't want to end up split like logs, so they wondered if they should kneel and apologize right away.
They racked their brains for any way they might have offended him.
It was a lightning-fast survival instinct.
The groveling they had honed rolling around in Vulcan.
"Damn fools."
He snorted derisively.
"In Levi Polt's case, her physical endurance was severely lacking, so the instructor kindly guided the force a bit. But you're different. Your training level is higher, and your full-body athletic ability has improved quite a bit in a short time. So I'm letting you experience Realm through the most efficient method myself."
"D-Do we really have to get hit?"
"I have to hammer Realm into your bodies. That way, you'll fully feel it and enter what's called an awakened state. Be grateful—this is a technique no one else can do yet. It requires delicate finesse."
Weighted Hand Technique.
Experiencing Baltar Grace's method had been a big help.
In developing this convenient approach.
"W-We won't die, right?"
"Don't worry. You'll feel like your insides are tearing apart, but no one dies. I guarantee it."
It was a fact confirmed through experiments—no, assistance—from Jake, his one friend in the knight order.
There was the side effect of enduring the pain of crushed and bursting groin for over two hours, but...
Wasn't it more bearable than being waterboarded by a spellcaster all day?
"...To Kunta, this seems like a very barbaric method."
A barbaric remark from a race called barbaric warriors.
The others shared the sentiment.
But Lee Han was firm.
"Just try it. This is the fastest way."
"T-This is gender discrimination!"
"No, it's fair. How can I treat beginners and veterans the same? I trust your toughness."
"...Please treat us a little unfairly instead."
That was their sincere plea.
However.
"Enough nonsense. Come on, quickly. The sun's setting."
"......"
They had no other choice.
-Thud.
"I-I'm dying..."
"Urgh...!"
"......"
Some collapsed and rolled around, while others fainted.
It felt like they were using up a lifetime's worth of passing out in Vulcan.
Yet even amid the pain, they felt a burning sensation spreading from the center of their stomachs.
Cruder than the pulsing Levi Polt had felt, but definitely there.
An intense energy that had been with them since birth, yet unknown until now.
Feeling it, they realized.
The true nature of Realm was none other than...
"Handling 'mass'... It's absurd."
Fighting Technique was a method of momentarily amplifying the 'vital energy' or 'stamina' within the body.
Once mastered, it guaranteed 10 to 20 times the practitioner's ability depending on their skill—explaining its greatness would tire the tongue.
...In contrast, the Realm they had newly awakened was closer to 'enlightenment'.
Rather than amplifying physical abilities, it was a way to wield the 'mass' inherent in any human.
Arno nodded deeply in admiration at this novel approach.
So that's it. That's how such impossible feats are possible.
Splitting a log?
It had been astonishing just moments ago, but approaching it theoretically, it wasn't impossible.
For example, Levi Polt.
Now that she's awakened Realm, even that lady could do it.
Assuming her body weight was 39kg, it was roughly feasible.
One might question how such a frail body could manage, but the key was how mass was utilized.
The feat of freely transmitting the body's mass throughout. That's what Realm is.
A 39kg object isn't light, but applied to a person, it's truly light.
Because the body's mass isn't concentrated in one place but finely distributed throughout the human form.
What if all that scattered mass could be loaded into a foot, fist, or leg?
Being hit by a 39kg iron ball—that's already a lethal weapon.
Plus, average grip strength × 39kg of mass, multiplied by the fist's acceleration—converted to force, what would that be?
A 39kg slingshot... It could pierce castle walls.
Goliath died instantly to a stone from a sling.
If realized, no technique could be more terrifying.
"Theoretically, even Levi Polt could split wood. But this technique puts enormous strain on the body. Misuse it, and you could self-destruct."
"I see why the instructor pushed us so hard. You can't even use it without a tough body."
"Use it wrong, and the chicks and sprouts will burst like balloons. Kunta thinks caution is needed."
"...Still efficient. Once you get the knack, you can grow as much as you want. Endless potential."
"......"
It was Roan who unexpectedly joined their conversation, and a reasonable opinion that silenced them.
Yes, as he said, Realm's power would keep rising with diligent training and physical development.
Body weight would increase naturally with good food and training.
Moreover, Realm didn't just handle weight—it converted heartbeat into energy too.
Master it, and one could distribute all the body's mass appropriately.
In the end.
"In terms of 'utilizing' the body's energy, it's akin to Fighting Technique. Though the path is harsher and demands more effort. Reach the end, and you might touch it."
"...Are you talking about superhumans?"
"You already know the answer."
"Ugh!"
Opinions that both Fighting Technique and Realm were paths to becoming superhuman.
They couldn't deny it.
And if their thoughts were right, then...
Hah, are we facing the founder of a [school]?
Ironic. Didn't expect a real one besides our old man.
Great Warrior?
Thoughts flashing through each mind, unable to hide their shock.
They looked at the instructor with newfound eyes.
"...You kids chat away."
But Lee Han, having overheard it all, just shook his head with a sigh.
A look wondering when these fools would grow up.
Why were they overinterpreting everything?
"It's just a subpar version of Fighting Technique at best. Not something the world would recognize."
"E-Even the creator saying that is a bit..."
"I'm evaluating what I made. What's your problem?"
"......"
The creator's assessment was harsh.
"What you're saying is just fantasy and theory. I practice it too, but I can't claim anything yet—what superhuman? Nice imagination. Why not write a script?"
"......"
"That's why the kids are getting delusions already. If those sprouts overdo it and die, will you take responsibility?"
"...Ugh."
A piercing rebuke.
But not entirely wrong, since quite a few had perked up, eyes sparkling, at their conversation.
...Though Lee Han's criticism quickly deflated them.
Thus, Lee Han sternly scolded the fools with wild hopes.
"Don't take that crap seriously. Even geniuses hailed from childhood who awaken Fighting Technique in a day never reach Aura User before dying of old age. It's like a titmouse following a stork and ripping its crotch."
Particularly strict, extinguishing their expectations somehow.
Yet for some reason.
All the cadets hung on his words.
A rough but sincere truth.
Anyone could tell it was scolding purely for their sake.
"Realm has more drawbacks than advantages. Why? Skip training for even a day, and you weaken. It's based on physical ability, after all."
"Not only that—while Fighting Technique matures with age and adapts to physical changes, Realm becomes a huge burden past your physical prime. The fate of a technique reliant on the body."
"...The more you use it, bones break and muscles tear more often. So you must always ponder force distribution. Using it crudely is perfect for self-destruction."
Harshly pragmatic.
Shaking their will to learn, filling the future with anxiety, sapping motivation in a barrage of statements.
Even so.
"-But if there's one clear advantage."
His sole touted merit outweighed all the flaws, making their eyes shine.
"Even without talent, if you have the 'effort and perseverance' that is 'talent' itself, I guarantee results will follow."
The end of a frank, straightforward speech.
Sometimes, such unadorned words struck deeper chords.
Because it gave them faith he wouldn't deceive them.
"Unlike the Fighting Technique guilds and mercenaries use that shortens lifespan? That's enough for us."
"We're grateful."
"Knowing there's a chance, that we can grow someday... That's enough for me."
"Thank you, Instructor!"
The cadets bowed deeply from the waist, heads nearly touching the ground, with utmost sincerity.
The learning process was harsh and painful, but he had given those far behind a chance to catch the tails of the leading pack.
That alone made them happy and grateful.
─Truly.
"You brats..."
A heartwarming itch.
He unwittingly rubbed his nose bridge.
Getting older made him sentimental?
The kids bowing in thanks made his chest ache.
This is why I hate getting old.
...Tears come easier.
So Lee Han expressed his emotion in his own way.
The best he could do for them was none other than.
"-Then, time to get used to it?"
"......?"
"For the next 10 days, every day, 18-to-1 sparring. Until you're accustomed to Realm—continuously!"
"......"
Crash...
No glass nearby, yet the sound of a lightbulb shattering rang in their ears.
The sound of emotion not just shattered but utterly crushed.
The reddening eyes instantly cleared, and theirs went dead.
What?
Wasn't the mood different just now?
"......"
"Why look at me like that?"
"...Do you really not know?"
"What?"
"...No empathy."
"Is there surer, more efficient empathy than making you stronger?"
"......"
"Come on! Before sparring, light 100 laps first!"
"......Ugh."
Instructors, or professors, were creatures ignorant of human emotions by nature.