A Month of Hell (4)
A Month of Hell (4)
'Protein, bar...?'
The moment her gaze landed on the objects clutched in both hands, a large ripple spread through Baek Ha-na's blue eyes.
'Ugh, the food is random...!'
Baek Ha-na hastily shoved the items into her pockets.
Rip.
She took out the protein bar, tore off the wrapper, and bit off a huge chunk.
"Urgh..."
It was dry, and worse, it tasted terrible.
'But Maria said healthy food tastes good these days...'
Baek Ha-na glared at the protein bar, which had a texture like chewing dry mud and some inexplicable off-flavor. Ultimately, she squeezed her eyes shut and forced it into her mouth.
"Disgusting..."
She crumpled the wrapper and tossed it into the prepared trash bag, then went to where the supplies were kept and washed it down with a bottle of water.
Vwoom—!!
A little later, the person she still found a bit awkward to talk to appeared.
"Oh my, you're still here."
"Well, yeah..."
Since that day, Yoon I-seul had been using honorifics with her.
Baek Ha-na scratched her head and shifted her gaze toward Yoon I-seul's hands.
"Urgh..."
"What's wrong?"
"That..."
As Baek Ha-na grimaced slightly and pointed downward, Yoon I-seul looked down as well. She realized she was holding a protein bar.
"This?"
"...Apparently, that's today's ration."
"Hmm, a product from Pashus. It balances all the necessary elements—vitamins, protein, minerals, etc.—but tastes like dirt. It's an emergency ration that long-term raiding parties mostly bring along."
"......"
Baek Ha-na stared at Yoon I-seul with a slightly sullen expression as she rattled off the product description, then nodded once.
She now knew that she wasn't a picky eater—this stuff just tasted awful by default.
"Shall we go outside?"
"...Sure."
Still on guard around Yoon I-seul, Baek Ha-na stepped outside with her.
Krrrak—!!
The first thing to catch their attention after leaving the waiting room was a blue bolt of lightning crashing down from the clear sky.
"At this point, isn't that basically a magic mountain?"
"It's more astonishing the more you see it."
Not only the two professors but also the other students were ceaselessly marveling at Nam Seo-hee, who was unleashing thunder energy down in the arena.
"Isn't Nam Seo-hee's ability visual enhancement?"
"That's right. That's why it's even more impressive."
Cheon Ji-ho continued, his expression still full of admiration.
"Just like Guildmaster Namgung Min, her entire family seems blessed with the lightning attribute. Otherwise, she wouldn't be able to wield thunder energy so freely when it's difficult to manifest even as a supernatural ability."
"I'd like to have a proper conversation with her if I get the chance."
Shiiing—!!
While the two chatted, Nam Seo-hee's sword beheaded Italy's number one.
Nam Seo-hee sheathed her blade and vanished along with the headless summon.
Looking at the arena that had emptied in an instant, Jaden spoke.
"Now, we will begin individual intensive training."
"Park Dae-geun."
At the two professors' instructions, the students entered the arena one by one.
"Frederick's sword is certainly fast. However, because he pursues speed above all else, the power of each individual strike is not particularly threatening. Instead of forcing a block, charge in while protecting only your vital points with the bare minimum of mana. You must not fear your opponent's blade."
They pointed out vulnerabilities and gave strategies to create breakthroughs.
"Ju Hee-yang, your firepower in your elementalized state is clearly comparable to that of any active Awakened. But your mana consumption is far too extreme. Specifically, the problem is that you're excessively consuming more mana than necessary. For now, let's focus on extending the duration you can maintain elementalization."
Rather than drilling into weaknesses, the decision was to raise the students' individual skills, even if slowly.
-Mmm, watching from a distance lets you see things you couldn't before.
-They say the guys giving backseat advice always see it better.
-Sigh, no matter how I think about it, breaking through to rank one in one go seems tough.
The students, meanwhile, chewed on their tasteless protein bars for the day and continued reviewing the other students' duels, analyzing their future opponents.
"You all worked hard today. Tomorrow starts early again, so rest up and get to bed on your own."
Jaden and Cheon Ji-ho.
And all the students participating in the ceremony felt deeply satisfied with today.
The two professors found the students learned faster than expected, making teaching rewarding, and the students felt proud of the growth they'd achieved in a single day.
The second day, a satisfying one for everyone, passed, and the third morning dawned.
·
·
·
"Today, too...?"
After defeating China's number one—the third country—in a single round, Baek Ha-na looked at the identical protein bar clasped in her hand, and a small sense of unease began to stir.
Thud.
"......?"
Staring blankly at the protein bar, Baek Ha-na lowered her head at the sound of something falling nearby.
[ Special Drink ]
She discovered a plastic bottle filled with a dark green liquid so unappetizing that it looked foul just to see.
Gulp—
Baek Ha-na's throat bobbed heavily.
"Urgh..."
After picking up the bottle from the floor and sampling the contents, Baek Ha-na's expression crumpled like a wad of paper.
Sour, salty, acrid, bitter... a repulsive medley of flavors that defied description practically paralyzed her tongue.
What shocked her even more than the horrible taste was that despite being a liquid, dozens of distinct flavors remained sharply on her tongue as if she had tasted each one separately.
For Baek Ha-na, whose Awakened beast traits made her sense of smell at least twice as sensitive as other Awakened, it was pure torture.
"Hm? Were you waiting for me?"
"...No, I wasn't."
Still shaking off the stinging sensation on her tongue and the lingering smell in her nose, Baek Ha-na frowned and retorted to Yoon I-seul's question.
"There's a drink added today. This stuff also tastes like absolute garbage—"
"Is it made by the Pashus people or whatever?"
"Yes. They have a firm grip on the convenience food market for Awakened."
Baek Ha-na had no desire to hear any more, so she got up and walked outside.
"It'll be close, but Seo-hee will probably clear it in one go as well."
At Jaden's remark, Cheon Ji-ho silently agreed.
Shunk—!!
Not long after, Nam Seo-hee pierced the summon's heart and disappeared.
"For the students who haven't yet overcome the Apprentice Chevaliers, I'll make sure they can all surpass them by today."
And as they had the day before, the two painstakingly advised each student individually, explaining the method for conquering the summon.
And so, on the third day,
all the students managed to pass the first stage.
·
·
·
"Ha-na?"
"Huh?"
Before lights out, Baek Ha-na, who had been lying down staring blankly, turned her head to the side.
Nam Seo-hee, having just finished a shower, lay down beside her, bringing a pleasant scent with her, and asked,
"You looked like you were in a bad mood."
"...It's nothing."
Baek Ha-na couldn't bring herself to say that the issued rations were the problem.
She rationally understood that even if the taste was the worst, no convenience food was more efficient.
"Baek Ha-na. Want some of this?"
Rustle.
Na Ju-hee, who was lying on Baek Ha-na's other side, held out a small piece of chocolate.
Gulp.
"...Really?"
"Of course. Here."
"......Th-thank you."
Baek Ha-na took the chocolate with trembling hands, immediately tore open the wrapper, and put it in her mouth.
"Hmm~"
"......"
"......"
Baek Ha-na's normally icy, sharp expression melted softly away. Na Ju-hee and the other students nearby stared at that face, momentarily entranced.
-Lights out.
The moment Cheon Ji-ho's voice rang out, the light in the waiting room vanished.
Those who had been watching Baek Ha-na's face sighed briefly and lay down.
'So she likes chocolate...'
'Maybe I should ask her to go to a dessert café sometime.'
'Ha, Jin-su, you idiot. You never eat that stuff normally, so why did you shove it down here?!'
The third day drew to a close, some students' minds filling with thoughts completely unrelated to duels.
**
-Gahk!!
"Kang Seok-ho! A single moment of hesitation from pain will lead to defeat! Keep thinking and keep moving!"
Cheon Ji-ho shouted toward Kang Seok-ho, who was up against Italy's ninth-ranked fighter in the second stage.
-Gahck?!
But the advice proved pointless. Kang Seok-ho failed to distinguish his opponent's feints and his abdomen was pierced by the thrusting spear.
"Hmm, if only his concentration were a little stronger, he could definitely overcome it."
Cheon Ji-ho let out a small sigh as he recalled Kang Seok-ho vanishing from the arena.
"Haha, I'm sure he'll surpass it on the next attempt."
"Hoo... Yes. I believe so as well."
The sixth day.
Most had reached the third stage, and Jaden and Cheon Ji-ho still had some leeway.
However.
Tap-tap-tap-tap—!!
In one section of the spectator stands,
Baek Ha-na, her dazzlingly white hair trailing down, stared down at the arena with eyes colder than a midwinter wind, her leg shaking like mad.
It was a kind of withdrawal symptom from not getting enough proper sugar.
And elsewhere,
"Urgh... I feel like I'm gonna throw up..."
"Ha, I'm seriously eating just to survive."
A few students chewed their protein bars with faces full of complaint.
**
The tenth day.
"Fuck..."
"This is, this is torture!!"
It was early morning, and the students who had just opened their eyes were forcing down the detested protein bars and awful drinks bite by bite, sip by sip.
Vwoom—!!
Alongside the now-familiar vibration, Baek Ha-na appeared at the center of the waiting room.
While most were stalled at the sixth stage, she had just returned after clearing the United Kingdom's tenth stage all on her own.
"Huh...?"
"Gasp!!"
The students, whose spirits had been ground down by the awful convenience food, opened their eyes wide, jaws dropping.
Rustle.
In Baek Ha-na's hand was a small bag bearing the symbol of the academy mart.