Chapter 88
Chapter 88
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 88
Chapter Title: How to Steal the Protagonist's Woman
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Phew... Thank goodness. This is way better than yesterday.
Class 5 of the Combat Department had sparring for their morning session today.
The cadets were paired off by Instructor Cho Seo-hyun and pitted against each other.
Even with just thirty of them, the massive training ground felt packed as everyone sparred without holding back.
Among them, the sword-versus-spear matchup stood out the most.
Song Ara especially caught the eye.
She was locked in a flashy exchange with a male cadet wielding a spear despite his specialty being the sword.
'Damn... One wrong move and that guy's head's coming off.'
'Ooh! Hand Skill for the win!'
I hadn't actually held a sword or spear myself yet, so it wasn't precise, but I figured their levels were somewhere between 20 and 40.
That should be enough to handle anyone here except for someone like Song Ara.
As the cadets sparred away, Instructor Cho Seo-hyun, who had been standing beside me with her arms crossed, shouted toward them.
"There! Don't thrust the spear so deep!"
"Too slow! In that situation, counter with a stab!"
"Your bowstring's shaking! Focus!"
Instructor Cho Seo-hyun's specialty was dagger arts.
I hadn't seen her fight yet, so I couldn't judge, but just from her instructions, I could gauge her level.
She was pinpointing the cadets' flaws and correcting them, even in weapons that weren't her specialty.
Even with my Hand Skill working on those weapons, beating her seemed like a pipe dream.
After some time, Instructor Cho Seo-hyun's loud voice echoed across the training ground.
"Stop! Ten-minute break!"
Everyone plopped down right there, weapons still in hand, catching their breath and chatting with their opponents.
One male cadet's voice rang clear even to me.
"Ugh, Song Ara shows no mercy..."
"That's why you gotta practice hard normally~"
"You should take a break for once..."
Even I, who knew nothing about combat, could see the guy had been thoroughly thrashed by Song Ara.
Couldn't be helped with an opponent like her, though...
After watching her for a few days, one thought kept coming to mind.
'What a waste. If she'd stuck to the bow, which suits her aptitude, no one here except Instructor Cho Seo-hyun could touch her.'
'Fair enough... If I hadn't seen my aptitude window, I wouldn't have known about my own talents.'
That damn Hand Skill... Without seeing the aptitude directly, I'd have lived my whole life clueless.
Your life is yours to live, after all.
Still, she seemed like a good kid, so I kinda wanted to help her out with something.
I tend to like people who treat me even a little nicely, so Song Ara had grown on me.
Instructor Cho Seo-hyun's voice came from beside me.
"Alright! Back to sparring!"
I snapped out of my thoughts about Song Ara and refocused on the cadets.
After the morning sparring and class, Instructor Cho Seo-hyun dragged me to the staff room.
Without any small talk, she got straight to the point.
"Once the servers stabilize next week, we'll start VR virtual training. Have you done it before?"
"...No."
"Haa..."
Instructor Cho Seo-hyun let out a deep sigh at my answer.
I'd only answered her question...
'Now I get why everyone dislikes this woman...'
'Seong Sua and Cho Seo-hyun are both total hardasses...'
Being ignored or dismissed didn't bother me much.
A little annoying, sure, but the moment that woman was gasping under me, all that pent-up frustration would melt away.
Luna hadn't made a great first impression either.
But I'd ended up falling for her anyway, so who knows with Cho Seo-hyun.
Ignoring my reaction, Instructor Cho Seo-hyun continued.
"The Projection Office is starting VR virtual training next week. It'll let you face monsters you rarely see in real life."
"Ah..."
The VR virtual training she described was worlds apart from the VR back in my old world.
She explained that once you entered the capsule, it transported you to a real virtual space where all five senses worked perfectly.
The reason she'd asked if I'd tried it was simple.
People like me never got to see those capsules...
"Here, take this."
"A card...?"
Instructor Cho Seo-hyun handed me a yellow card.
"Yes. Use that to enter the VR virtual training machine room. Go experience it yourself. Don't embarrass yourself in front of the cadets next week."
"...Yes, got it."
She really knew how to phrase things nicely...
After saying her piece, Instructor Cho Seo-hyun tapped away at her computer and added,
"You can go now."
"Yes."
I gave a perfunctory reply and left the staff room.
The hallways were bustling since it was lunchtime.
'Cho Seo-hyun... What to do with her...'
'If only I could tie down a conversation thread with her like I did with Seong Sua...'
Once you build personal rapport through casual talk, people get hesitant even in official settings.
Plus, Cho Seo-hyun seemed to have a childish side, which might make her even more susceptible...
But that childishness made her hard to read.
Maybe recommend some comics Viola likes?
Lost in thoughts about Cho Seo-hyun, I arrived at the cafeteria before I knew it.
It was as crowded as ever today.
'Whatever, Cho Seo-hyun can wait. Gotta eat quick and nap in the dorm.'
A post-lunch nap is pure bliss.
As I grabbed a tray and lined up, a voice came from behind.
"Oh? What a coincidence."
"Huh?"
Turning around with my tray, there was Instructor Seong Sua beaming at me.
Seong Sua and I, who happened to meet at the cafeteria, ended up eating face-to-face.
I asked her about the VR virtual training Instructor Cho Seo-hyun had mentioned.
"Ah, VR virtual training?"
"Yeah, has Instructor Seong Sua done it a lot?"
"No. In the Magic Department, we hardly ever use it."
According to her, the devices couldn't detect mana, so magic heroes rarely used them.
"There were tons of places trying to make mana-compatible ones, but nothing's come of it."
"Must suck for mages. Something like that would've made training way easier."
"...Yeah."
Instructor Seong Sua gave me a meaningful smile as she looked at me.
I wondered what it meant but didn't dwell on it.
Suddenly, she lit up like she'd remembered something.
"Oh! I pulled the records on Cadet Seo Ji-eun like I mentioned yesterday. I'll give them to you later."
"Ah... You didn't have to go out of your way for me..."
"It's fine. Just ask me anytime you need anything."
I whispered via comms.
'...What a hassle.'
I'd just brought it up to keep the conversation going, but now it actually felt bothersome.
Though regardless of my laziness, it was turning into a helpful situation.
Instructor Seong Sua smiled brightly.
"After class, I'll bring them to the VR virtual training machine room. I kinda want to try it myself anyway."
Beep.
I used the card key from Instructor Cho Seo-hyun to enter the VR virtual training machine room.
'I don't know what Seo Ji-eun's deal is, but thanks to her, this worked out great...'
Thanks to this Seo Ji-eun kid, Instructor Seong Sua saw me in a good light.
She'd even asked to show me how to use the VR machine.
I agreed, of course. After class, she told me to head to the machine room first.
She'd grab the Seo Ji-eun records from the staff room and meet me there.
The room was lined with VR machines, each big enough for one person.
It gave me the same thrill as my first time at a PC bang.
'Whoa, these are sick!'
The capsules gleamed like brand-new cars—super cool.
As I admired them, Instructor Seong Sua returned.
She handed me the records with a smile.
"Here you go."
"Must've been a hassle... Thank you."
"Don't say that. Ask me anytime."
She tapped a shiny capsule with her finger.
"Alright, shall we give it a try?"
"Sure."
Instructor Seong Sua explained everything from the basics.
From how to open the VR device to the proper posture inside, she was thorough.
She even told me about the types.
There were these high-end capsule types and cheaper headgear ones for home use.
But the headgear lacked precision and wasn't used for Projection Office combat training—mostly for games.
"I have a headgear one in my dorm too."
"Huh, didn't peg you for a gamer, Instructor Seong Sua. Unexpected."
"Haha... I don't play games. I bought it for something else, but never used it..."
Her tone hinted at some backstory.
But I was more bummed she didn't game.
'Aw... If she liked games, I'd have snagged one somehow.'
Armonia must've misunderstood. I meant the headgear...
'No, not the capsule. The headgear type.'
'...Fuck.'
Insanely pricey. Is it made of gold or what?
Burning 500 million on gaming?
Well, virtual reality gaming wouldn't come cheap like some PC setup.
To lighten the mood, Instructor Seong Sua opened a capsule and beckoned me.
"You first. I'll explain how to log in, then join you."
"Okay."
I got in, closed the door, and manipulated the panels inside as she described.
Suddenly, my vision went pitch black.
"Whoa..."
The blackout lasted just 2-3 seconds. When I opened my eyes, I was alone in a void of darkness.
A hologram floated in front of me: -Unregistered user. Please register your body for access.-
I ignored it and spread my hands, looking myself over.
"This is wild... But why the clothes?"
I wasn't in my instructor uniform anymore—just plain clothes.
A basic T-shirt and pants, nothing flashy.
A voice echoed in the dark space.
(That's the default outfit. You can change to your instructor uniform later.)
"Ah, Instructor Seong Sua?"
The beautiful, melodic voice gave it away immediately.
(Yes. This is offline mode right now. Press the 'Register' button on the window in front of you. That'll register Instructor Seong Suho's body.)
"Wait, didn't you say the servers were down?"
(Yes, but basic registration, login, and logout still work.)
"Okay, then..."
I hit the register button on the hologram, and a circular progress bar appeared as it scanned my body.
About 30 seconds later, it finished, displaying my name.
-Registration complete. Welcome, Seong Suho.-
"...Nothing happened?"
(Hehe, most functions are locked right now.)
"Ah... Guess there's nothing to do anyway."
(I'll log in now. It's been ages since cadet days, but it should still work.)
"Okay."
While waiting for Instructor Seong Sua to enter her capsule, I called out to Armonia.
'Armonia, can you hear me?'
'Phew, good. Unlike dreams, we can talk here.'
Not that anything would go wrong in VR, but having Armonia watch over me eased my nerves.
As I stood there awkwardly, a voice came from behind.
"Haven't been in here like this since cadet days."
"Haha, long time no—"
I turned to ask how it felt after so long.
But the words died in my throat.
Because there, smiling brightly to greet me, was a naked Instructor Seong Sua—from her cadet days...