Chapter 74
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: Sudden Gate (3)
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‘Is this ultimately the best we can do?’
The plan I came up with was to pack every available table into the cafeteria and the outdoor training ground.
After setting up the tables, we’d summon enough food for all 5,000 people right from the start. That was the method Kang Ju-young and I had settled on.
‘Considering the traits of Collection Cuisine Summon, it’s not a bad idea.’
More precisely, it mirrored the behavior of game items dropped on the ground.
The food would last six hours if left untouched, or thirty minutes after being eaten.
‘And once those six hours or thirty minutes are up here, the dishes vanish plate and all.’
In a way, no cleanup required—perfectly suited.
Best of all, no waiting or lining up; just my preparation, and we could wrap it up in as little as thirty minutes if things went smoothly.
“Ron. Go gather some soldiers to move the tables. About two hundred should do.”
“Understood.”
Petra, clearly on board with the plan, promptly ordered one of her knights to fetch soldiers as well.
In the meantime, Kang Ju-young wore a thoughtful frown before addressing me in a grave tone.
“Lee Seongmin. You wanted this ability kept secret... but if we repeat it a few times, it’s only a matter of time before someone catches on.”
“If I keep vanishing right at mealtimes, sure.”
“At least if it summoned flour, fruit, or vegetables, that would’ve been better.”
From what she said, Kang Ju-young had assumed my food solution involved raw ingredients.
‘Well, who’d ever guess it summons fully cooked meals?’
But I had a workaround for that too.
“Petra. Could you lend me a helmet and armor like the soldiers wear? Something to cover my face.”
Petra blinked, utterly baffled by my request.
“Planning to disguise yourself? I doubt it’ll make much difference.”
She had a point—slipping away would still draw suspicion and eventually expose me.
“It’ll be fine.”
From now on, I just wouldn’t slip away at all.
After borrowing the helmet and armor, I excused myself briefly and stepped away.
Once out of sight, I dismissed one of my Absolute Clones hidden in the mountains and summoned it here.
‘The risk is someone spotting my clone.’
Even if they did, it wouldn’t reveal Healer or Destroyer.
They’d never connect it to my separate [Transformation] and [Acting] card abilities.
-In hindsight, jumping into the food crisis so rashly was a mistake.
“It’s fine. We got Multi-Calculation out of it.”
-You’d have unlocked Multi-Calculation eventually anyway.
“Plus, Cheon Seo-yun and Park So-yul looked annoyed about it.”
-......Brat.
Huh? What was that last bit?
I shot Lee Seojun a glance with the thought, but he innocently shook his head as if nothing happened.
I turned away from him and had the summoned clone don the helmet and armor to conceal its face.
-So, what’s the plan with the clone?
“It stays here on standby and summons food at every mealtime.”
-While your main body stays with the cadets?
“Exactly, so the summons don’t get spotted by the others.”
Lee Seojun agreed that kept it hidden from the rest, but fretted over another issue.
-Kang Ju-young, Cheon Seo-yun, and Park So-yul will notice, though.
“Can’t be helped.”
After confirming the disguised clone once more, I dispatched it straight to the training ground.
With my main body, I then spread spatial energy to pinpoint the cadets’ location and teleported over.
Fwosh!—
‘Soldiers’ barracks, huh.’
A massive four-story building loomed before me.
Spotting cadets huddled inside, I headed for the entrance.
“Hey? Who’re you? Where you been?”
“I was with Instructor Kang Ju-young. Just got back.”
A Hero Association member stationed at the door did a double-take upon seeing me.
He was likely there to ensure no cadets wandered off.
“With Kang Ju-young? Oh, right—one student was with her.”
Recognizing me, he nodded and waved me inside urgently.
“Good call coming straight here. Some punks think they’re big shots and go off alone.”
“......”
My clone at the training ground briefly crossed my mind, but with Kang Ju-young and Petra there, it wasn’t solo.
“Anyway, where should I head in?”
“Anywhere’s fine. No time to divvy up precisely.”
True to not being an instructor, his approach felt pretty haphazard.
The Hero Association folks also wore deeply worried expressions, fully aware this gate was no pushover.
‘They look lost in heavy thoughts.’
They genuinely seemed too stretched to babysit cadets.
“Kim Ki-young!”
Suddenly, someone called a name from behind me.
The guard—Kim Ki-young—whipped around at once.
“East wall’s a disaster. Could crumble any moment.”
“What? Aren’t the beasts hitting tonight?”
“That’s what I’m saying. Cadets inside? Pull the magic users.”
Kim Ki-young sighed heavily, then pivoted and bellowed into the barracks.
“Attention! All you whose main is magic—out here now!”
Infused with mana, his voice thundered.
It must’ve carried beyond this building.
“Phew. Huh? Why’re you still here?”
“I use magic too.”
“......You?”
Why the surprise?
I eyed Hero Kim Ki-young quizzically, and he scratched his head sheepishly.
“Mages I’ve met always had that sharp, brainy look. You don’t, so I was thrown for a sec. Sorry.”
So he was judging by face.
Still, over ninety percent of my magic came from Skill Stones.
‘He’s not entirely wrong, so I can’t really complain.’
His shout worked—roughly forty to fifty cadets poured out.
Kim Ki-young assembled them outside and gave a quick rundown.
“Sorry for yanking you out suddenly. Trouble is, the east wall—where the beasts are coming—is in rough shape.”
I’d wondered why mages specifically and listened quietly.
“You’ll repair it with magic. More like, we heroes handle the heavy lifting, you reinforce.”
Apparently, magic could fix walls.
The catch: most cadets had been at Hero Officer Academy less than a month.
‘That’s why he specified reinforce.’
As I mulled it over, someone sidled up and spoke.
“Why’re you here?”
“......?”
The snide tone made me turn—a girl with red, semi-curly hair in a ponytail glowered at me.
‘Hong Ju-a?’
Hong Ju-a, grade seven and fire magic specialist, eyed me with sharply upturned eyes.
‘What’s her deal?’
Lee Seojun, watching nearby, chimed in.
-She looks like she hates your guts. Probably salty you didn’t swap team members for practical combat.
Ah, right—the grade-obsessed type.
My team was dominating practical combat rankings.
Hong Ju-a must’ve figured I blocked her shot at first place by not rotating her in.
‘Not entirely off-base.’
If I’d swapped her for Oh Ye-rin?
No way she’d react like this, I figured, and told her:
“I use magic. I’m in elemental magic class too.”
“You’re barely past crawling basics. You won’t help with wall repairs or reinforcing, so get back inside...”
“Lee Seongmin!”
A clear, bright voice cut her off.
No need to check—Spirit User Joo Ha-yeon thrust her face in mine and grabbed my hand eagerly.
“Where’ve you been? I was looking for you. Heard the beasts hit tonight? Fight with me.”
I instantly grasped what she meant by “fight together.”
Since I could communicate with spirits, she figured I’d make them easier to command.
‘Her skills outshine most others, at least.’
Joo Ha-yeon was solid firepower, leaving me torn.
Meanwhile, Hong Ju-a looked flustered as she addressed her.
“Joo Ha-yeon. What’s that about? Teaming with Lee Seongmin?”
“We’re both friends of the spirits.”
“Spirits? He handles spirits too?”
“Way better than me.”
To reiterate, I could communicate with spirits.
So her claim wasn’t a lie.
“......”
Hong Ju-a, clearly misunderstanding something, stared at me in shock.
“That’s the briefing. Everyone, follow Hero Park Jung-hoon to the east wall!”
We trailed the hero called Park Jung-hoon to the east wall. En route, I asked Joo Ha-yeon,
“Didn’t know you could use magic.”
“Nope. But I’ll just ask the spirits.”
“Ask them to repair the wall?”
I doubted she could request something so specific, but no.
“You’ll tell them for me.”
“......If I weren’t here?”
“There’d be another way, right?”
Translation: she’d winged it.
Her personality still threw me, but I said nothing and kept walking.
“So where were you? They said you went with Instructor Kang Ju-young.”
“Had something to discuss with her.”
“Discuss?”
I nodded vaguely, brushing it off.
Hong Ju-a, on the other hand, scoffed like I was beneath such talks.
“Think you’ve got any role here? Just follow the instructors and heroes quietly.”
“Fair point.”
I nodded agreeably.
Hong Ju-a frowned at my attitude but had no interest in pointless arguments.
‘Anyway.’
Upon arrival, the wall loomed far more wrecked than I’d imagined.