Chapter 7
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: Entrance Ceremony (5)
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-Oh, and one more thing. There are two types of meals.
Lee Seojun mentioned this while we headed from the dormitory to the cafeteria.
-One is the 5-point meal. It's like a buffet—you can eat as much as you want of all kinds of food.
"What's the other one?"
-The 3-point meal. It's just a single serving on a tray, enough to fill you up by normal standards.
The 5-point meal, where you could go and eat as much as you wanted.
The 3-point meal, served with exactly one portion on a tray.
"Everyone's probably just gonna go for the 5-point one."
-Not really. Plenty of people do two 3-point meals and one 5-point meal.
That added up to 11 points total.
-Of course, physical-type cadets mostly stick to the 5-point meals.
"How many points do you usually earn in a day?"
-If you train steadily and attend classes, about 15 points.
As expected, they gave enough points to cover meals.
Which meant you could earn around 15 points a day.
'Do I really have to save up for a whole year to buy Multi-Calculation?'
Multi-Calculation cost a whopping 5,000 points.
To afford it, I'd need to start saving steadily from now on.
"Hold on. If meals cost points, isn't going to the cafeteria now pointless?"
-It's fine. New cadets get 100 points by default. You won't have to worry about food for a few days.
Thinking about it, that made sense.
They wouldn't let you starve on your first day.
"Hey, number one!"
"...?"
That's when I heard someone from behind calling out "number one."
Turning around, I saw a female cadet with her black hair tied up in round curls approaching.
"Heading to eat? Let's go together."
Who was she?
I glanced over at Lee Seojun for a moment.
The instant I looked, he told me who she was.
-That's Oh Ye-rin. Rank 121. Her specialty is quick movements. She's probably thinking she'll stick to you, Lee Seongmin, to boost her scores easily.
After hearing her name and some details from Lee Seojun, I turned back to the girl called Oh Ye-rin.
Aside from her reasonably pretty looks, her eyes, expression, and gestures all radiated energy from head to toe.
"Oh, I'm Oh Ye-rin. You're Lee Seongmin, right?"
"Yeah."
"So how'd you awaken your Innate Ability? If I'd only awakened mine, I could've ranked higher."
Oh Ye-rin asked about my Innate Ability, but I had no answer to give.
I had no knowledge of this world to begin with, so I just waited for Lee Seojun.
-Innate Abilities are unique powers everyone has. The surest way to awaken yours is to climb the Tower.
The Tower?
'Come to think of it, there was talk of the Tower back at the dorm too.'
What was the Tower?
I decided to relay Lee Seojun's words to Oh Ye-rin first.
"The surest way to awaken an Innate Ability is to climb the Tower."
"The Tower? Yeah, I guess. They say you awaken it if you reach the 10th floor."
She nodded, already knowing the method.
I made a mental note to ask Lee Seojun about the Tower later.
"But why are you walking so slow?"
The reason I walked slowly was because I was controlling my clones elsewhere with Absolute Clone.
But there was no need to mention that, so I came up with a suitable excuse.
"Training."
"Training? We're on our way to the cafeteria. What training?"
"..."
She had a point?
While I was thinking, Lee Seojun spoke up.
-Tell her it's because of your Innate Ability, Lee Seongmin.
I had no idea how that connected, but I went with it.
"It's actually because of my Innate Ability."
"Ah~ I heard some Innate Abilities change your brain structure. Guess you're one of those."
It was news to me, but since she was assuming on her own, no need to correct her.
Instead, I just remembered that certain Innate Abilities apparently altered brain structure.
"You're in for it, Lee Seongmin. Hero Officer Academy's famous for all the combat training."
"I'll manage. Don't worry about it."
"Still, if you need my help, just say the word."
Every word felt genuinely kind.
On the other hand, Lee Seojun eyed Oh Ye-rin coldly.
-FYI, Oh Ye-rin ignores anyone she thinks won't be useful to her.
From that, it seemed she'd decided I, who'd beaten top ranker Cheon Seo-yun, would be useful.
But after crossing countless worlds and meeting all sorts of people, it didn't bother me.
'Can't help her personality if that's how she is.'
If anything, it seemed pretty realistic.
"We're here. What're you getting, Lee Seongmin?"
"Thinking the 5-point one."
"The buffet, huh? Guess I'll try that too."
By the way, the cafeteria on the first floor had two entrances.
The smaller one was probably for the 3-point meal.
Anyway, as we approached the entrance, a staff member there spoke in a businesslike tone.
"Please tap your watch on this screen."
I held my watch from my left wrist to the screen as instructed. It beeped, and points were deducted.
5 points have been deducted.
"You can go in now. Enjoy your meal."
I entered the cafeteria and checked the number on my watch.
[Points: 95] (-5)
'Got it.'
Just like the balance left on a card.
Inside, there were all sorts of foods laid out.
'A real buffet.'
Oh Ye-rin seemed pleased too and urged me to hurry up and eat.
"Whoa, better than I expected. Come on, Lee Seongmin, let's dig in."
"Sure."
I put a bit of everything on my plate, just to sample.
Glancing around, everyone else was piling their plates high like they hadn't eaten in days.
-They're all gauging the value of 5 points. Later on, some only eat one meal a day.
Lee Seojun said people skipped meals to save points.
-They save for combat training too, since you can buy and use gear there.
In short, those lacking ability had to rely on tools.
Realizing points got used for all sorts of things more than I'd thought, I sat down.
"Dig in."
Oh Ye-rin sat across from me and said the same.
I nodded and was about to start on the food on my plate when...
"Mind if I sit here too?"
Another person approached, asking if they could sit.
But the slightly familiar voice made me turn—it was someone I knew.
'One of the Doomsday Cultists.'
The mild-looking male cadet, whose name I still didn't know, sat beside me.
I didn't care much what he did, but Lee Seojun was furious.
-That damn bastard! Tell him to get lost! Or how about taking him out with your ability, Lee Seongmin?
"..."
Had I ever lost to this guy before?
Plus, taking him out right after entering Hero Officer Academy would cause a huge fuss.
I ignored Lee Seojun and turned to the guy beside me, asking his name first.
"What's your name?"
"Ah, sorry for the late intro. I'm Ma Dong-woo."
I learned the Doomsday Cultist's name was Ma Dong-woo.
Curious herself, Oh Ye-rin across from me asked him too.
"What's your rank?"
"Judging people by rank is a bad habit."
"Got it. So what's your rank?"
"...229th."
At 229th, even 121st-ranked Oh Ye-rin lost interest and went back to her meal.
She must've figured he wouldn't be useful to her.
"Anyway, you're Lee Seongmin, right? I was shocked seeing you beat Cheon Seo-yun earlier."
"No big deal."
"Ah... You mean someone like Cheon Seo-yun is no big deal?"
"For now."
No matter her potential of 99, it hadn't fully bloomed yet.
Of course I, who'd built my strength across 14 worlds, could handle her.
'Even if she fully awakened it, I'd still win.'
Thinking that far, I glanced at Ma Dong-woo for a second.
I knew he was a Doomsday Cultist, but not why he was approaching me.
'Simplest guess: he wants to make a contract with me.'
Lee Seojun chimed in, agreeing.
-That's his goal—contracts. Especially here at Hero Officer Academy, cadets have insane growth potential.
Meanwhile, Ma Dong-woo looked at me admiringly.
"Impressive. But watch your back. The top rankers don't seem to like you much."
-He's starting his pitch already.
"Who cares how the top rankers see me?"
Separate from Lee Seojun, I asked about the top rankers.
Curious myself, Ma Dong-woo explained simply.
"Most combat training is in teams. To get good scores, teaming up with top rankers is best, right?"
"Oh. That's what you meant."
Frankly, scores didn't interest me.
I was confident I could handle combat training easily too.
Oh Ye-rin echoed me, telling me not to worry.
"Yeah. For teams, just pair with me."
She even gave me a wink.
I didn't care either way, so I just nodded.
-Teaming with Oh Ye-rin? She pulls her weight... but with your abilities, Lee Seongmin, no issue.
In reality, there wasn't.
Lunch ended with Oh Ye-rin polishing off nine plates.
Ma Dong-woo only had three and left first.
"Haa~ So full. Hey, Lee Seongmin, what now?"
"Dunno. Head back to the dorm maybe?"
"Nah, let's tour the school together. I heard there are tons of cool things here."
Oh Ye-rin rubbed her stuffed belly as she spoke.
Thud—
"...?"
Suddenly, someone deliberately stomped loudly and took the seat next to me.
Turning, I saw a male cadet with short blond hair, sharp eyes, and a fierce scowl glaring at me.
"You. Fight me."