Bukhansan Pre-Experience Training

The mountain ridges stretching across Bukhansan were thick with dense forest. The site chosen for the pre-experience practical training was a designated sector of Bukhansan right beside the academy grounds.

One might wonder why we would train by hunting magic beasts on Bukhansan, a mountain right behind Seoul. But this was nothing like the national park I remembered from the twenty-first century. In the distant future, Seoul’s relentless urban sprawl would devour the southern slopes while Goyang and Uijeongbu swallowed the northern side, eventually turning Bukhansan into a national park trapped inside the city. That, however, was still far off. Right now, the area around Bukhansan felt less like a neighborhood hill and more like the deep, trackless mountains of Gangwon Province.

We climbed the pathless slopes carrying the training blades the academy had issued us. The sword in my hand followed the general shape of a Japanese katana but was made of stainless steel—an educational tool. I possessed the Aura Blowing ability, after all, and I had grown quite familiar with blades back in the twenty-first century. Still, I rarely needed to draw a sword myself.

“Byeong-o!” I shouted. “That way! Up in the tree—”

Thanks to my magic detection ability, I could sense the locations of nearby magic beasts. It was the same power that had let me feel the gate opening on the street right after I first awakened. I gave a rough directional cue, and Song Byeong-o answered immediately.

“Another gedama, huh? Understood!”

His magic bullet streaked out and struck the beast dead on. No repeat of yesterday’s mistake.

“Nice shot,” I said.

“Heh… it is rather different from the toy cap gun I was using until yesterday.”

Now that I knew the truth, the revolver he had carried yesterday was not a real firearm at all—just a crude model cast to look the part. Load it with gunpowder, pull the trigger, and it went bang with a loud report. A modified toy that could fire ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠metal pellets. He had felt embarrassed walking around with something elementary-school kids played with.

“But look at the elegant gleam on this one,” he added, proudly raising the training pistol the academy had issued him.

It was still not a live firearm—only an educational replica that could not fire real bullets—but it had been purpose-built for hunting practice. The difference between it and a modified cap gun was night and day. Of course, Song Byeong-o’s magic bullets were still immature, yet he could score one-hit kills because every magic beast the academy had released for training was a small, low-grade specimen.

The one he had just brought down was the same species called a Featherball back in the twenty-first century.

So they call it a gedama here… Naming sense really is the same no matter where you go.

These fist-sized creatures covered entirely in soft feathers were almost completely harmless and docile. In research labs they were treated like lab rats, and some people even kept them as pets. Most of the beasts released for beginner training belonged to this category. It only made sense; the academy could hardly unleash truly dangerous monsters on students who had not even received proper instruction yet.

Still, even if they’re low-tier…

It was not a bad deal. They were easy enough for students to handle, and although the magic power inside their cores was modest, the stones were freshly harvested. Every little bit helped.

I decided to check the restoration progress of my Status Window.

“Status Window!”

Just as I thought. Compared to the eighty-three days left at the entrance ceremony this morning, the progress was enormous.

The training is supposed to last until the afternoon.

If we kept this pace up, I could shave dozens of days off the lengthy restoration time. And I barely had to lift a finger. I simply gave directions, let the others do the work, and collected the finishing blows so I could absorb the magic power from the cores.

Jackpot.

I focused my senses again and scanned for more beasts. This time I found a cluster of small ones gathered together. In situations like this, an ability with slightly lower single-target power but wider area coverage would be more effective.

“Yuha! Three o’clock!”

At my call, Lee Yuha—walking behind us—extended her slender arm toward the indicated direction. She prepared to release her frost emission ability.

……

She had not spoken a single word since earlier, yet she still followed my instructions well enough. Looking at her, I thought, To be honest, I expected her to leave.

Contrary to my prediction, Lee Yuha had remained in my squad. Back when Yang Bok-ja had been blurting out the secret of my birth, I had sensed a terrifying aura from Lee Yuha. I fully expected her to roar something like “Begone! I never imagined you were such a collaborator!” before storming off. Instead, she had simply calmed her magic power and muttered to herself, “It seems I was the fool. I should have realized from the beginning what sort of place a school like this would be.”

She came from a yangban family in the countryside, knew nothing of city ways, and had taught herself Japanese so poorly that it came out stiff and bookish. Perhaps she had carried the prejudice that every modern school was filled with nothing but pro-Japanese traitors. She had entered this academy with great resolve, and after exchanging a few words with me in the morning, she must have hoped, At least this one is not a collaborator. Then she heard me talking about changing my surname and receiving a baron title. No wonder she felt disillusioned.

In the end, her bias that “every Korean who attends this school is a collaborator” had only grown stronger. Even so, the reason she stayed in my squad was probably simple resignation—leaving would only land her with more of the same.

…The air has grown chilly.

From that moment on, the entire atmosphere changed. Her eyes and bearing became completely different, as if she no longer expected anything and simply performed the tasks required of her.

At least she follows orders well. Still, I need to clear up the misunderstanding.

Right now, though, other Japanese students were present. Explaining that I was not actually a collaborator would have to wait until we were alone.

I’ll try talking ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to her during lunch.

It should not be too difficult. After all, having a collaborator for a father did not automatically make the son one. She would understand that much.

Having thought that far, I called out to the next member.

“Bok-ja! Prepare!”

“Really… Shirabayashi-kun! I told you to call me Tomiko!”

Even while grumbling, she nimbly moved beside Lee Yuha and clasped her hands together. Once ready, she shouted, “I’m all set! Yuha, you ready too?”

……

Lee Yuha remained silent. She clearly found the openly pro-Japanese Yang Bok-ja extremely uncomfortable, yet the girl herself had no clue. She kept addressing Lee Yuha without the slightest sense of distance.

Is she just overly friendly, or is she simply clueless…?

At any rate, both seemed prepared, so I gave the order.

“All right. Yuha, release!”

At my command, fierce cold erupted from Lee Yuha’s fingertips. The released frost was guided with perfect precision by Yang Bok-ja’s telekinesis, engulfing the targeted beasts all at once. Their surfaces froze solid; they dropped to the ground with soft thuds.

This was exactly why elemental emitters and psychokinetic users had to work together. Emitters converted their inner magic power into physical energy such as fire or cold and released it, but they struggled with aiming and had short range. The psychokinetic user’s role ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was to seize that released energy from afar and drive it straight into the target.

Yang Bok-ja, who had handled one axis of the attack, seemed impressed with herself.

“It actually works… Shirabayashi-kun, you’re amazing! I only knew how to float coins with my power. Where did you learn all this?”

“Experience.”

“Kyaaht… We’re the same age! What experience!”

Leaving the giggling Yang Bok-ja behind, I addressed the whole squad.

“Let’s rest here for a moment. And… Aikawa, was it?”

“Ah… yes!”

One of the six squad members, a Japanese girl, answered. She was the fifth person to join when I formed the squad. Whether ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠because we were not close or because it was simply how Japanese students behaved, she used polite speech even though we were the same age.

“Could you restore the squad’s stamina a little?” I asked.

“Yes…!”

Aikawa’s awakened ability was healing. She had not yet learned proper healing techniques, so she could not mend wounds, but since we were in no danger of injury anyway, it did not matter. A slight recovery of energy was enough.

While I rested, Yang Bok-ja spoke up again.

“But, but, Shirabayashi-kun. Do we really have to work this hard? This is just pre-experience training, right? The professors said it wouldn’t count toward our grades…”

Song Byeong-o chimed in as well. “Indeed. From what I know, that is correct. Of course, gaining experience in line with the training’s purpose is a fine thing, but…”

Hmm. I could hardly answer, Because I need to absorb as many fresh magic stones as possible to restore my Status Window. So I made up something else.

“This isn’t training. It’s a test.”

“What?”

“A test…?”

To the surprised faces, I spoke firmly.

“They deliberately scattered this many magic beasts across such a wide area. Do you think it’s only for experience? No. They want to evaluate how many we can hunt.”

The test had already begun. This was the hunter examination! Realizing that it was a test was itself part of the test, you novices! Do I have to spell out everything? These fledglings… At this rate more than half would be eliminated the moment the exam started—

…Or so I said, but I did not actually believe it. These were seventeen-year-olds who had awakened only a year or two ago and possessed almost no real combat experience. It was unlikely the academy would evaluate hunting results from students who had not yet learned anything. Those lessons would come later in class. No matter how Japanese-style the education was, they would not test students on material they had not yet taught.

Even if it was not a test of hunting results, I was certain they were evaluating something. The number of beasts released and the scale of the training area were simply too large for mere experience. If there was an evaluation factor, I suspected it was cooperation between squad members.

Parties are important, after all.

In twenty-first-century gate raids, unless one person could overwhelm everything alone, teamwork was essential. That was probably why they had us form squads for the training. It was pure speculation on my part, but working hard benefited everyone. I got what I wanted, and the squad members gained practical experience.

I stood up and called out, “All right! Break’s over! Let’s move!”

However, there was one problem with this squad.

“Do not order me around, you Joseon brat.”

The very delinquent who had picked a fight with me that morning at the soup restaurant—Murasaki, son of the Jongno police chief.

Why had he ended up in my squad? When I saw him earlier he clearly had three or four lackeys, so he should have just formed a party with them. But he could not. The poor bastard had been assigned to this class alone. With his delinquent appearance and behavior, no other squad wanted him. When time ran out and he still had no group, he had joined my understaffed squad while sneering, “Being in the same squad as you is only for today. I have not forgotten the humiliation you caused me.”

Wait, he was the one who started the fight. And it was Renka who hit him. Why was he holding a grudge against me?

“But for now I shall forgive you. A son of the Japanese Empire, unlike Joseon people, does not let personal feelings ruin official duties…!”

That was how he had joined. He kept muttering “Joseon, Joseon” under his breath, but his presence or absence made no difference. The magic power I sensed from him was probably something like strength enhancement. True to the Japanese sword at his waist, he was a swordsman. But against these weak mobs, a sword was unnecessary.

I’ll just leave him be…

I would take care of the other students and secure my own gains. That was enough.

I roused the resting squad members. “Come on, get up! Lunch is coming up soon, so let’s push a little longer! The path is rough, so Yuha and Bok-ja, stay close behind us.”

“Okay!”

Yang Bok-ja answered energetically and walked over to Lee Yuha, who was leaning against a tree.

“Let’s go!”

……

Lee Yuha rose silently without answering. After being ignored repeatedly, even the thick-skinned Yang Bok-ja could not hide her awkwardness.

“Hey, hey, why won’t you say anything? …Do you hate me?”

Lee Yuha clearly did not want to, but she could hardly stay silent when asked so directly. Reluctantly, she turned her face away and answered in awkward, halting Japanese.

“……My speaking… is still… insufficient.”

That was what she said, but the real reason was not her poor Japanese. She simply did not want to converse with a detestable collaborator. Yang Bok-ja, of course, had no idea.

“Heh, I see! But you’ll be in trouble if you can’t speak the national language… If you want, I can teach you!”

At those words, Lee Yuha finally looked straight at her and spoke in a freezing voice.

“……‘National language’?”