Chapter 9
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: Training and Classes (1)
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After parting with Oh Ye-rin, I returned to the dormitory and sat down at my desk.
After taking a short break like that, I spoke to Lee Seojun, who was still floating idly beside me.
"By the way, what's this Tower?"
I had a ton of questions, but I decided to take them one at a time.
The Tower? That's the root cause of how the world ended up like this. It appeared out of nowhere 27 years ago. Along with it, people started awakening to [Mana].
"So, awakening to this mana is the requirement to become a hero?"
Yes. Mana is the bare minimum requirement. The moment you awaken to mana, your physical abilities start breaking past their limits.
I nodded and began asking about the Tower again.
"The word 'Tower' makes me think of something you climb upward. Is that right?"
Exactly. There's one Tower in every country around the world. If you don't conquer the Tower, [Gates] start appearing.
Towers appearing one in each country around the world.
Lee Seojun said that if you didn't conquer the Tower, Gates would spawn.
Conversely, conquering even a single floor keeps Gates from appearing for three months.
"So, instead of dealing with the Gates, you have to conquer the Tower."
But there was no way people didn't know this simple fact.
Or maybe they were deliberately avoiding conquering it for reasons related to the Gates.
You're right, Lee Seongmin. We do have to conquer the Tower. If we leave it alone, the number of Gates that appear just keeps growing.
"Keeps growing?"
Yes. Even now, 3 or 4 pop up every day. If we let it go any longer, you could see dozens a day.
If Gates that could unleash monsters at any moment started spawning by the dozens every day, it'd be as good as the end of the world.
But looking at Lee Seojun as he explained this, he didn't seem all that worried.
Luckily, we push ahead another floor every month or so, so no need to worry.
"How many floors have we cleared so far?"
Floor 41.
Floor 41?
"Didn't the Tower appear 27 years ago?"
You have to conquer it solo, so it's not easy. Floor 1 alone requires taking out 51 goblins.
"51 goblins on floor 1? Yeah, that sounds tough."
I pictured Oh Ye-rin from the virtual training room earlier.
Given her skill level, she'd be in serious danger right from floor 1.
"I'll check out the Tower later."
With your skills, Lee Seongmin, conquering the Tower should be a breeze.
"If I put my mind to it, I could clear the whole thing in a few days, right?"
Lee Seojun stared at me with an impressed look on his face.
"And you said you could hand over points?"
Yes. That's why all sorts of crazy stuff happens. Some people buy points with money, others betray for points.
The Hero Officer Academy itself used points instead of money, so it made sense.
"Seems like a recipe for trouble at first glance... You sure that's okay?"
All choices and their consequences are on the cadets. Instructors don't interfere unless it's a specific crime.
If that was true, racking up 5,000 points would be a piece of cake.
"Oh, right. You said Innate Abilities unlock by climbing to floor 10 of the Tower? What happens if I go up there?"
You get two. Normally, you either upgrade your existing ability's rank or gain a new one. But your Absolute Clone is EX-rank.
EX-rank couldn't be upgraded further, so I'd get a new ability.
"Climbing the Tower gives you an extra Innate Ability, huh."
That's right. One more thing: you don't know what ability you'll get, but the rank is determined by your performance on floors 1 through 10.
"Performance?"
You get a performance score for each floor you clear. Higher scores mean higher rank for your new Innate Ability.
From Lee Seojun's explanation, the Tower wasn't something to rush into.
That's why people build up their skills first before entering the Tower.
"Makes sense."
I'd do the same.
"Anyway, no clue what ability you get?"
Nope. Everyone gets something different. Except for kids like Cheon Seo-yun—I don't know theirs either.
"Got it. What about Acquired Abilities?"
Acquired Abilities come from effort. Like if you keep enduring pain and adapt to it, you might get [Pain Resistance].
If it was just codifying abilities I'd already adapted to, I probably didn't need them.
Acquired Abilities seemed more like a label for adaptations I'd already made.
'I can skip Acquired Abilities.'
With that thought, I fired off more questions one by one, spending time chatting with Lee Seojun.
The next day.
Beep beep beep beep—
"...?"
Having spent the day talking with Lee Seojun, I opened my eyes to the alarm blaring from my watch.
Lee Seojun, who must have dozed off with me, rubbed his sleepy eyes and explained what it was.
Yawn~ Morning training alarm.
Do ghosts even sleep?
I was more curious about Lee Seojun sleeping than the alarm, but I tabled it for now.
Anyway, at the mention of morning training, I checked my watch. A short message was displayed there.
[Auditorium entrance. By 30 min. Morning physical training. +5P.]
"What's this?"
Physical training. Gather at the auditorium entrance in 30 minutes. 5 points when it's over.
"Not mandatory, I see."
Same with classes. You can skip if you want. But you take responsibility for every choice.
It was free in a sense.
Though with points on the line, it felt semi-mandatory.
"Eh, gotta grind those points anyway."
Wear your training uniform.
I nodded, quickly washed up, and headed out of the dormitory toward the auditorium at a leisurely pace.
'Hm?'
Arriving at the auditorium shortly after, I glanced around at the gathered cadets.
I figured most would show for the 5-point physical training, but fewer than half had actually come.
Lots of people prioritize sleeping in—even if it means sacrificing training or breakfast time.
"Sleep in over points? That's a loss, isn't it?"
You're right. After a few days, everyone joins in.
Meaning the no-shows wouldn't last long.
As I nodded, someone approached from the side.
"Lee Seongmin! Sleep well?"
It was Oh Ye-rin.
She greeted me cheerfully the moment she spotted me.
"Slept great. You?"
"Me too. What'd you have for dinner? Didn't see you in the cafeteria."
"Crashed early from exhaustion. Were you waiting?"
"Waiting? Nah, just glanced around the cafeteria once."
Maybe because Oh Ye-rin had approached me first, most of the cadets in the auditorium were staring our way.
Thud—
That's when I noticed someone approaching from the opposite side.
A woman in her mid-20s with slightly fierce eyes and a stern expression.
That's Instructor Choi Ji-an. She handles physical conditioning and swordsmanship.
"Swordsmanship, huh..."
The word made me consider learning it, but I shook my head.
I used a sword too, but I'd long since developed my own style.
'Too late for that.'
Learning swordsmanship now would just mean unlearning and rebuilding— a huge time sink.
Plus, I had no idea if Instructor Choi Ji-an was even worth that investment.
"Looks like... about 80 showed up? Right on schedule."
Instructor Choi Ji-an scanned the cadets gathered in front of the auditorium and began explaining the physical training.
"For a hero, physical fitness is the foundation of everything. Without it, you're highly likely to die. In that sense, you've taken your first step."
With that, Instructor Choi Ji-an pointed somewhere off with one hand.
"It's the first day, so we'll keep it light. Head to that mountaintop you see over there and back."
"...".
I stared at the mountain Instructor Choi Ji-an was pointing to.
Had to be around 10 km, give or take.
'Round trip makes it 20 km.'
And since it was uphill both ways, it'd be way tougher than it looked.
I could run for days without breaking a sweat, of course, but I doubted the cadets could.
'Yeah.'
Sure enough, most cadets were frowning or grimacing.
"I'll go at an easy pace, so everyone follow."
Instructor Choi Ji-an took off toward the mountain she'd pointed out.
The cadets followed her lead, and I started off slowly too...
Thud—
"...".
The instant I started running, that other leg slipped out from under me, and I tumbled.
Lee Seongmin, you okay?
"I'm fine, but..."
The slip happened because the other side— which hadn't rested— acted up.
I thought walking was manageable now, but running was a stretch.
'Should I stop the other side?'
I pulled up the Status Window to check Absolute Clone's proficiency.
It had gone up a bit. As I confirmed the proficiency increase, Lee Seojun chimed in.
If you run actively this time, proficiency should climb nicely.
"Hoo."
Come to think of it, I hadn't run once since acquiring Absolute Clone.
If I pushed hard like Lee Seojun said, its proficiency would probably rise a lot.
"Yeah, gotta raise that proficiency."
Truth be told, my top priority wasn't saving the world— it was leveling up Absolute Clone.
Besides, there were no shortcuts for it, so I had to use it every chance I got.
With your abilities, Lee Seongmin, do you really need to obsess over Absolute Clone?
"...".
In the meantime, Lee Seojun voiced his doubts about Absolute Clone.
He'd heard the gist of my abilities from our chat yesterday.
"I do need to obsess. I've only got one body."
Bodies are always singular. Oh, wait—you need multiples to save the world?
I considered being honest but knew it'd drag on, so I just nodded vaguely and kept running.