Enjoyable Academy Life: Physical Training
Physical training. An intentional and systematic activity to maintain or improve bodily health and build the stamina needed for specific exercises or movements. For the cadets of Noble Academy, physical training was essential. Cadets aimed to become heroes or hunters, professions that naturally involved physical confrontations with enemies. For them, it wasn't a hobby or a matter of grades—it was for survival. Thus, cadets training their bodies in the academy's gyms or fields was not just encouraged; it was practically mandatory.
"S-save... me..."
"Alice! Just a bit more! One more lap, come on! If you don't build up your stamina, you're really gonna die next week!"
...Of course, there were always exceptions.
In any case, the cadets of the academy could be said to live lives where exercise and training were daily routines, 365 days a year. So what about the professors who taught them? It was only natural that faculty and staff also trained to prevent regression or maintain their abilities. And the professors and staff of Noble Academy were all veteran superhumans—famous heroes, hunters, or figures who held key positions in special organizations. Their level was incomparable to that of the still-growing cadets. Even a punching machine that shrugged off cadets' full-force punches would shatter if brought to the faculty lounge.
Therefore, the facilities where faculty trained naturally had intensity and durability on another level compared to those for regular cadets.
The research lab in the basement of the main building near where Seongjin had undergone his physical exam. Inside was the faculty-exclusive physical training room. It was packed with cutting-edge mana gauges and training equipment made of special alloys—sturdy enough that even full-power strikes from average superhumans, or even faculty, left no scratches.
And now, a bizarre metallic screech echoed through that very training room.
—Creak, screeech.
There, Seongjin was performing squats with a barbell more than twice his height loaded on his shoulders. He'd filled it to the max with dedicated plates marked by blue outlines. A typical physical enhancement superhuman attempting that would have their body folded in half under the weight. The bent bar, strained by the fully loaded plates at the ends, proved it.
A little more.
—Crunch.
Seongjin's muscles swelled as if about to burst. Veins writhed under his skin, sharply outlining the muscle fibers.
—Boom!
Finally completing the last rep, Seongjin racked the barbell. A massive boom vibrated the training room floor ever so slightly.
"Hoo."
Sweat droplets plopped to the floor. He roughly wiped his face with his arm, grabbed a water bottle, and chugged it. Then he moved straight to the next exercise.
Seongjin headed to a massive wall. Planting his feet wide, he stepped one leg back and pressed his hands against it. A pushing motion, as if shoving the wall. And it was exactly that—training to push the wall with the maximum force his body could muster.
A monitor above displayed the current force applied, with small numbers listed beside it.
8998.
This was the record. The highest mark from everyone who'd used the machine. And it was the one Seongjin had set on his second day at the academy. He'd pushed with full power, instantly demoting the previous 7000s high score to second place.
That meant three weeks ago, the maximum force Seongjin could output was 8998.
I challenged it five times straight to hit 9000 and failed each time.
So how was it now? That number represented the strongest force his body could produce. In normal circumstances, meaningful improvement in just three weeks was nearly impossible.
'Normal circumstances.'
Words that didn't apply to Seongjin, the epitome of abnormality made flesh.
As Seongjin fully tensed his body and pushed, the numbers climbed sharply.
"Hup."
—Groooan.
A low rumble echoed, and the immovable wall budged ever so slightly. He gritted his teeth, summoning every ounce of strength from infancy onward. The sturdy training room floor dented faintly. The wall refused to yield further, and Seongjin released his hands to check the recorded figure on the front monitor.
9903.
New record set. The number blinked short bursts, announcing the birth of a fresh high score. Over 10% higher than the previous strength peak. A most satisfactory change. Pleased with the fruits of his strength training, the corner of Seongjin's mouth lifted.
Next up: precision and reaction speed. Dodging dozens of projectiles fired from all directions while piercing targets with thin tentacles extending from various parts of his body.
—Whoosh! Thud! Crack!
The tentacles slicing through the air moved with the flexibility and lethality of living creatures. Ten tentacles traced different paths, shattering training discs in an instant. His tentacle control had skyrocketed through weeks of training and classes. To Seongjin now, they were practically extensions of his body.
Four hours later, afternoon training ended, and white steam rose from Seongjin's body. He entered the special shower room, doused himself in cold water for about 15 minutes, changed, and left the lab.
Glancing at his watch: 6:30 PM. The setting sun dyed the sky red.
Time flies.
It felt like a week passed in a day. His daily routine went roughly like this: Wake at 6 AM, light jog around the academy, breakfast. Wash up, then morning training till noon with snacks in between. Lunch at the faculty dining hall—ten servings. Afternoon rest, meditation, or nap till 2 PM, then afternoon training with snacks. Dinner at the bustling streets below the mountain. Hike back up to the 2000-meter academy. Evenings reviewing new techniques or applications from the day, stretching. Bedtime snack without fail.
Three weeks of this. Six meals a day, over 14 hours of pure training. A grueling schedule that would hospitalize normal people or even superhumans. Yet Seongjin's body showed no signs of faltering. If anything, better nutrition and facilities had made it stronger. And today, he'd shattered his personal best—by a whopping 10%.
Seongjin felt a swell of pride. Another step forward today. How rewarding.
Time for food.
Seongjin boarded the faculty cable car at the platform, heading to the bustling district. For regular cadets, it was a scenic ride to savor the academy's romance. For him, just strategic downtime to plan resupply.
"Steak today."
Arriving at the district below, Seongjin headed to his pre-scouted all-you-can-eat beef joint.
The 'Solo Diners Welcome' sign rang hollow; the owner's face paled at the sight of him entering, but Seongjin ignored it.
—Sizzle.
Listening to the meat cooking on the grill, Seongjin stared blankly out the window. Amid a flood of random thoughts, one flashed across his mind.
"...Forgot about this."
Reach Demonic Body lv.10.
Demonic Body lv.3 Progress: □□□□□□□□□□ (0%)
Reward: ???
Failure Penalty: ???
Time Remaining: 2 years, 345 days, 1 hour, 14 minutes, 50 seconds
Seongjin opened the quest window he'd forgotten about. Too much going on lately, it had slipped his mind.
Gotta remember from now on.
Time-limited quests couldn't afford repeats like this. Three years flew by faster than expected.
"...But what happens if I fail?"
Reward: question marks. Penalty: question marks. No clue why the quest appeared, why the timer, or why the system demanded Demonic Body levels. Nothing certain. Especially suspicious were those hidden reward and penalty details. What could the reward be? Worse, what penalty? Why hide it? If failure meant death, it should show it to make him comply.
Seongjin glared at the quest window, suspecting ulterior motives.
"......"
Minutes passed. Finally, he sighed and closed it.
What could he do? Nothing changed by staring. The system's goal aligned with his, so despite the fishiness, no reason not to follow.
"Hm......"
Anyway, time to progress it. Where were demon beasts plentiful? Helm Mountains, sought for his first beast party, had fallen short. The dungeon and rewards were great, but beast quality and numbers sucked. No news of new dungeons either.
So, hunt beasts for exp. Rumors suggested the outer Great Forest had plenty.
But too far.
The Great Forest was the most remote from civilization. Even the fastest train from nearest Novapolis C City took a week minimum. Unless teleporting. And his sole teleport user acquaintance had laughable accuracy.
With academy duties, trekking to the Great Forest was problematic.
"Anywhere besides the Great Forest... Gotta ask around."
Seongjin finished eating in a flash, paid, and left. He hiked straight back up the cliffs to the academy and headed to the director's office.
"Places with lots of demon beasts?"
Director Wibel von Rosenberg set down his teacup and eyed Seongjin with interest.
"Yes. Classes are fine, but for personal training, I need higher-grade ones. Any good spots?"
Wibel stroked his goatee at the question.
"I wondered what the meeting request was about—training grounds, no less. And by hunting demon beasts. Just like Professor Han. Most ask for vacation spots."
Wibel pondered, then tossed a document from his desk.
"Perfect timing. Do you know my aide, Ms. Iris?"
"Yes, met her day one."
"She's working on a personal project: detects demonic energy from demon beasts and rifts to pinpoint locations."
"Pinpoints demon beasts and rifts?"
"Yeah. Theory's solid, but lacks real data—she's tearing her hair out. Needed someone like you who hunts beasts."
Wibel winked.
"Go see Iris. She's right below."
A faint smile tugged Seongjin's lips. Demon beast detector. If real, no more wandering blindly.
"Thanks. Heading there now."
Seongjin left without hesitation. Wibel's voice trailed after.
"Don't skip classes, got it? Don't dump that on poor Ms. Leyna handling all your admin."
Seongjin pretended not to hear as he descended to the floor below.