Chapter 8
Chapter 8
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: Swamp Training
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After the skill training class ended, Class B moved to the swamp terrain.
The terrain adaptation training that Lion's Castle prided itself on had begun.
“The swamp is one of the most commonly encountered terrains in Gates. Just because it's common doesn't mean you can take it lightly. Due to the swamp's nature, it's hard to gauge its depth, and the moment your foot sinks in, it's difficult to control your body.”
Kim Jin-myeong's explanatory voice was grave.
“Moreover, it's infested with all sorts of venomous insects and monsters. The monsters that inhabit swamps are cunning—they never reveal themselves until their prey has fallen into the muck. In other words, spotting them with your eyes is nearly impossible.”
The longer the explanation went on, the paler the students' faces grew.
Kim Jin-myeong did not comfort them.
He wanted the students to internalize the fact that danger always shadowed a player's life.
Those who strongly craved wealth, honor, and power. Those born as warriors. Those who had forged unshakeable convictions.
Players were generally such exceptional beings.
There were many Awakeners, but few who leveled up, precisely because of the brutal dangers lurking in Gates.
“The swamp is a player's graveyard. The moment you sink in, your mortality rate skyrockets, which is why countless players have died there. And yet, swamps are a terrain you'll frequently encounter. It's a reminder that death always trails the thorny path of a player.”
“...”
“It's best to avoid stepping into a swamp whenever possible. But quests often demand that you push through one. If you had a player with heightened Insight stats and razor-sharp senses by your side, dealing with ambushes from hidden swamp monsters would be easier—but such luck doesn't come easily.”
Kim Jin-myeong met each student's eyes one by one before shifting his gaze to the vast swamp stretching out before them.
“Therefore, you need to get used to the swamp. Experience its dangers firsthand, master controlling your body while sunk in it, and constantly ponder how to leverage your weapons and skills to mitigate those risks—at least somewhat.”
That was the end of the explanation.
Kim Jin-myeong began tossing the students into the swamp.
“Uwaaaaaah!!”
“Gurgle, glub glub!!”
Hell had begun.
Maybe they should give up on the dream of becoming players.
Such serious doubts sprouted among the students in an instant.
Meanwhile, Jae-hyeok was buzzing with excitement.
Adapting to unfamiliar environments seemed way too fun.
He was certain that mastering control of his body in the swamp would make him far stronger.
‘And this isn't even all there is to the swamp terrain.’
Lion's Castle offered over ten types of terrain experiences.
During skill honing time, he'd thought it was all pointless nonsense, but now he was overflowing with gratitude for getting into this place.
“Haha! Kuhahaha!!”
Jae-hyeok's laughter mingled with the students' wails.
The swamp was unfamiliar territory for Jae-hyeok too, so at first, he actively used his classmates.
He trampled the shoulder of Cheon Hye-ji, who was already sunk up to her chest and screaming for help, kicked the butt of Lee Jin-seong—who had tumbled forward tangled with another classmate—and clambered onto Du Bae-su's massive face to methodically analyze the swamp's properties.
Jae-hyeok paid particular attention to the swamp's changes.
How much force and movement caused ripples in the swamp, and under what conditions those ripples altered.
He observed the flailing students, treating them as if they were the monsters inhabiting the swamp.
“Hey! Hey, you bastard Kang Jae-hyeok! What the hell are you doing stepping all over the kids?!”
Kim Jin-myeong, scrambling to keep the students from drowning, yelled furiously, but it fell on deaf ears.
***
“Isn't that guy human...?”
“I almost died because of that dog bastard... Bleeech!!”
Lee Jin-seong and Du Bae-su, vomiting mud nonstop, glared at Jae-hyeok cackling in the distance.
Everyone else was on the verge of passing out after rolling around in the swamp for a full three hours, yet this one guy looked perfectly fine—it twisted their guts.
They wanted revenge, somehow.
“I'm gonna kill him... I'll definitely kill that bastard...”
Cheon Hye-ji kept muttering the same thing over and over. Her expression was so venomous that if she had any mana left, she looked ready to hurl a skill at Jae-hyeok on the spot.
‘At least they've got some grit.’
Jae-hyeok gazed fondly at his classmates.
A First Skill was a power that blossomed only through sustained intense training.
Class B students had each proven their perseverance and passion, however differently.
Even while groaning, they'd rolled around in the swamp for three straight hours—their tenacity was far from bad.
‘If only their bodies could keep up.’
What the hell gave these guys the confidence to Awaken?
Players could raise stats to get strong easily, but conversely, it meant ‘you have to raise stats to get strong.’
Once the system fully activated, the human body no longer strengthened through conventional training.
You could do push-ups all day and no muscle would build—only pumping Strength stats would do it.
That's why Jae-hyeok had pushed his body to the limit before Awakening, aiming for the highest possible base stats.
‘Well... from a normal perspective, I'm the freak here.’
Why suffer needlessly when you could Awaken sooner, level up, and grow strong naturally?
Skills like swordsmanship or martial arts would be far easier to learn after Awakening and raising stats too.
‘Maybe I would've...’
If his parents were still fine.
If he could've just lived ordinarily, would he have walked the same path as everyone else?
Jae-hyeok's eyes darkened as he thought.
Suddenly, he missed his father and mother.
His fate of needless suffering felt all the more bitter.
“Hng.”
Shaking off the stray thoughts, Jae-hyeok intently observed the swamp, which he'd grown accustomed to by now.
‘In the advanced stage, they even release monsters here, right?’
He was already looking forward to it.
The problem was, Jae-hyeok couldn't kill monsters.
‘I need to get the skill I want soon so I can Awaken.’
Would three years really be on his side?
The world and luck had always turned their backs on him—what if even effort betrayed him? Could he bear it?
‘...That's why the body can't be at ease.’
He needed to sweat it out soon.
Swing a sword until he collapsed to banish the brooding thoughts.
“Today's class ends here. You're all exhausted, so hurry back to the dorms, wash up, and eat.”
Just then, Kim Jin-myeong announced the training's end.
The students barely hauled themselves up and shuffled off like zombies.
Jae-hyeok was already sprinting far ahead.
“I bet 100,000 won that bastard poured everything into Vitality stats.”
“I'm putting 100,000 on Agility. He was hopping over our heads like a pest—too damn fast to catch.”
“Wasn't his thing dumping into Mana?”
“Huh...?”
They said even a rich family ruined takes three generations.
Had the fallen ducal house's son gorged on elixirs or something?
“Teacher, shouldn't Kang Jae-hyeok be in Class A?”
The students exchanged bewildered looks and asked seriously.
Kim Jin-myeong looked regretful.
“It might be cruel to say this to you all... but Class A is on another level. Those kids already leveled up before enrolling.”
“You mean they're all Gate veterans...?”
“Yeah, most rode their family backgrounds to level easily, but the stat gap is bigger than you imagine.”
Of course, high nobles or chaebol heirs rarely attended Lion's Castle.
But even ordinary nobles' or executives' kids had filled all three skill slots.
There were quite a few special cases like the young lord of House Silla too.
In short, Class A's foundation was on another plane.
“...”
They stole glances.
At Park Hae-rin.
The lady of Guardian Guild, one of Korea's top five guilds.
They suddenly wondered why she was in Class B instead of A.
No, enrolling in Lion's Castle at all was odd.
A guild was a company of dozens to hundreds of players.
Wasn't the guild master's bloodline supposed to get the ‘royal treatment’?
“...”
Park Hae-rin walked on in silence.
***
‘Dinner first.’
Fresh from a shower, Jae-hyeok stepped out of his room.
Ruffling his wet hair roughly with his hand.
Students sharing the dorm glanced at him whenever they passed.
Tall stature, honed physique, striking looks.
Even in gym clothes with a belt and scabbard, Jae-hyeok cut a fine figure.
But no one easily approached to talk, likely because he was Duke Kang Dae-guk's son.
Public eyes on House Kang were cold.
If Jae-hyeok had seemed frail, he'd have drawn plenty of challengers. His sharp eyes and faintly thuggish vibe unwittingly kept the peace.
Above all, the rumors had spread far and wide.
The unprecedented delinquent who racked up 20 demerits on day one.
Not just causing a scene in front of teachers, but throwing punches with a second-year Awakener?
At least the first-years lacked confidence to handle him.
But the second-years felt differently.
“Hey, you Kang Jae-hyeok?”
Lion's Castle students varied wildly in age.
Commoners who Awakened First Skills were compelled to enroll, so even thirties weren't rare. That's why Class C's average age dwarfed A and B.
But a school was still a school.
Age hierarchies transcended grades.
Among second-years, the consensus grew that they couldn't forgive this insolent first-year who'd dared fight a senior, and a group stepped up as representatives.
“Yeah. Kang Jae-hyeok here. What's up?”
“Yeah...?”
“Why?”
“Why? You're Jae-hyeok, right? Can't you see the gym uniform color? Talking down to a second-year senior? First time in school or what?”
“Yeah.”
“...R-Really? Anyway, isn't respecting seniors basic manners? No home training or what?!”
“Yeah...”
“...”
The second-years, repeatedly stumped, fell back for a moment.
“Hey, what the fuck? Why drag up someone's painful family history outta nowhere?”
“D-Didn't know.”
“That's Duke Kang's son! Locked in the house his whole life tending his sick dad—you didn't know that?”
“Kinda rings a bell from some old TV thing...”
“So go easy! Don't touch family stuff—just talk about the lunch incident!”
“R-Right.”
After a brief huddle, the second-years turned back.
Kang Jae-hyeok was already gone.
“Th-This bastard, where'd he go?”
‘The school's vibe sucks. So many weirdos.’
Ah, right—Gate location, so of course the vibe's off.
At the cafeteria, Jae-hyeok piled food into two trays like towers.
His beaming smile looked utterly blissful.