Job Promotion Awaits!

After finishing cooking and returning to the dorm to prepare for bed, the message floating in front of my eyes was one I hadn't seen in ages.

Yeah, it was that Status Window I'd only seen twice before—back when I went from a regular villager to a "totally badass" one. What the hell was this promotion about now? I wondered what ridiculous job title it'd spit out this time.

Honestly, after showing me this much, I didn't expect anything amazing. My only curiosity was just how lame it'd be.

"Okay. Proceed."

Matty had just left to visit home, so with the room empty, I voiced my agreement out loud without worry. I'd been hoping for a quiet night ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to wrap things up for once, but nope—not happening.

Huh? What the hell. This time it wasn't saying I already had the right titles—instead, it told me to work for them?

50 Million Swings probably meant swinging a sword that many times... and I Can Teleport This Far! seemed like it'd pop once I used teleport magic to cover some distance.

Come to think of it, I'd been slacking on training lately.

"But can't you at least show me how many swings I've done so far?"

Even games show progress bars for stuff like "chop X trees" or "mine Y rocks." Sure, most quests start counting from zero when you accept them, but this wasn't a quest I picked up fresh—this was ongoing! I'd probably swung my sword at least ten million times by now, not fifty million, but still. Without a counter, how was I supposed to chase these titles? And more importantly, what insane job was it dangling that required these titles?

"Argh, I shouldn't get my hopes up."

These guys had a knack for building you up just to shove you in a ditch. No expectations allowed. My job had "promoted" twice already, but I was still stuck as a villager—next up might be "Ultra-Mega-Badass Villager" or some crap. And what did job promotions even do, anyway? No cool effects, no idea what benefits... They gave me this damn Status Window, but no stat screen? Ugh, whatever. I'd sleep on it. It wasn't like I was gonna drop everything and swing a sword fifty million times right now.

As Theo drifted off to sleep, a new translucent window appeared before him.

Theo, already fast asleep, missed it entirely. But as if to prove the system wasn't that unfriendly, the window kept blinking away.

Morning came.

"...Oh? Showing me this stuff now, huh."

Seeing the notification, Theo felt a spark of motivation he hadn't had in ages. Before enrolling at the academy, he'd trained even harder since ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠he had no clue how much it would take to get in. Lately, though? After getting his sword fitted, he'd only sparred once with Iris and otherwise stuck to theory studies.

"First up, check 50 ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Million Swings."

"Whoa, I've swung my sword way more than I thought?"

Theo had figured maybe ten million at best, with a long road ahead. But the number was higher than expected, shocking him.

It made sense, though. His pre-academy training with Duncan equaled years of practice for most people. What took others years, he'd crammed into months without batting an eye. He had no idea how impressive that was—anyone who'd watched him train would've demanded why it wasn't at fifty million yet. His sessions were brutally intense.

"Hmm, about 1.5 million left, then. Time to get serious starting today. Oh, but check the other one first. I Can Teleport This Far! too."

"This one's barely started."

He didn't use teleport magic much anyway—Estelle handled most travel.

"Guess I'll knock out the swings first and take the teleport slow. Wait, actually—might as well start now?"

He usually walked to the training grounds. Teleporting messed with his mana control, causing nausea, and he'd only tested it over short distances like his parents' fields anyway.

"Training grounds would be perfect."

Targeting the grounds, he slowly wrapped himself in mana. His mana breathing was second nature now, purer than before.

"Alright, here goes!"

Unlike other spells, teleportation had no fixed incantation—everyone used their preferred chant. As the magic activated, in the next instant...

"Whoa, farther than I thought. Nailed it."

He was inside the training grounds. Usually packed, they were quiet today—weekend perks—with just a couple teams using them.

"What? That guy just appeared out of nowhere."

"Gasp! Dude, that's him—the one with the crown princess and the saintess...!"

"Whoa, seeing a celeb up close!"

The third-years practicing there knew Theo's rep—it had spread everywhere.

"Should I ask for an autograph?"

"Nah, probably won't give one."

"I'd say no too if I were him."

The guys whispered among themselves, not so quietly.

"Uh, I'm not that great to deserve autographs."

Their "whispers" carried in their excitement.

"Gah! He heard us...!"

"What do we do...!"

"Y-you're seniors, right? Nice to meet you. I can sign names if you need."

Theo felt awkward but tried calming them with an offer.

"...! Then on my hand... No, can't go without washing forever... P-paper, coming right up...!"

"Wait for me...!"

They bolted for paper, soon followed by the other team.

"Hmm, must be the Iris and Estelle effect."

Theo figured it was their fame rubbing off—he had no personal rep worth that. They wanted his signature for his own rookie feats and skills too, but he didn't know that.

"Whew, better practice till they get back."

Lifting his sword with a serious face, Theo dove into swings. The area quieted; only the satisfying whoosh of blade through air.

"Nice."

The sword fit like a glove—heavy just right. For a mere 1 million silver? Nah, Iris and Estelle basically gave it free.

"Hoo, let's blaze through these 1.5 million."

If ten million was actually 48.5 million, 1.5 million was cake. For a normal person, it'd wreck them for a week—but for Theo? Easier than eating cold porridge.