The Funeral's Aftermath

The morning after the funeral. The ceremony proceeded without a single deviation from the game. The headmaster offered prayers, spoke many kind words, and cast several blessings upon the deceased's coffin. Spells to ensure the body could decay in its original form, untouched by others. Protective magic to prevent any further harm even in death, allowing the remains to return gently to the earth. Then, once a single sob broke the silence, everyone erupted into wails as if they had been waiting for the signal. Usually, the first to cry was the deceased's parent.

The parent saw everyone around them as an enemy, scattering blame in every direction. Enduring that in silence was our main duty. For parents who had worked their fingers to the bone to pave a path to success for their commoner child, only to receive their child's dead body in return. Perhaps those parents had secretly hoped their child would never enter the academy. After all, the possibility of success came with an equal burden of risk, and many parents wanted no part of it.

'They must think we're selling our children for success.'

We all lowered our heads and listened as the deceased's family history poured out from the parents.

The parents hurled curses and vicious accusations, blaming the professors who had recruited their child. All the professor could do was bow his head and mutter apologies.

Death shattered the great walls of status in an instant, flipping the power dynamic between parties. The people once called teacher or professor became 'the likes of you' in the blink of an eye. No one found it strange.

Once the professors' turn ended, the arrows flew toward the same group. If only they had all died together, there would have been others to share the grief. In the dungeon practice, only one cadet had died. One out of one thousand five hundred twenty-eight. That probability naturally lodged itself in their minds, making it impossible to accept with a sound mind. Neither head nor heart wanted to accept the miserable outcome that their child had simply been unlucky.

"...How can I become stronger?"

Around ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the time the parent gradually lost strength and began showing signs of exhaustion from excessive crying and agitation, Woo Dohyun quietly approached me. The question of how to become stronger. The usual carefree smile was gone, replaced by eyes filled with determination. And it wasn't just Woo Dohyun. Every S-class cadet was looking at me, asking the same thing.

'How sad.'

Only then did I truly understand how heartbreaking this situation was. An event that only occurred after someone died. This resolve and determination that required at least one sacrifice—it was all too tragic.

"That is..."

I spoke in a low voice. Offering condolences to the one who had only shone ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠after dying. Our growth had begun with someone's death.

Right after the funeral ended, I headed straight to Akasa. All classes had been canceled for the day, so there was nothing else I could do but train like this.

'I need to obtain the next hidden skill this weekend.'

Since I could leave campus every weekend, the plan was to acquire hidden skills then and train Infinite Orbit during the weekdays. But the most important one, Infinite Orbit, wasn't coming as easily as I'd hoped. Akasa seemed to sense the same issue, looking quite puzzled.

"By this point, Infinite Orbit should have settled into your body..."

It didn't seem like the bracelet had come off, so what was the problem? I nodded inwardly at Akasa's words, fully agreeing. I had no idea what the issue was either, and it was driving me insane. Normally, I should have learned Infinite Orbit right after defeating the two Pertonbas.

'Just what the hell is the problem here?'

While other characters grew on their own if left alone, Lee Seokhyun had to find his own growth route. With the first button, Infinite Orbit, completely stuck, even the anxiety I didn't originally have was starting to creep in.

"Seeing that you defeated two Pertonbas, you must have overcome some serious hardship and adversity, right?"

"Yes. It was an incredibly difficult fight."

"Right. Yet for Infinite Orbit to still not acknowledge you... I don't know whether to consider this good or bad."

Akasa seemed to have gained a hint from my words. She scratched her hair and looked at me with a troubled expression.

"Surpassing limits with indomitable will—that is the ideology, the pillar, the omega and alpha of Infinite Orbit. You know that, right?"

"Yes."

I'd heard it so many times my ears had practically grown calluses. The will to keep moving forward in extreme situations, the heart that never gives up. That was what was supposed to activate Infinite Orbit.

"It seems ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Infinite Orbit thinks your limits are set much higher than this."

"Pardon?"

"That's why it doesn't react to ordinary situations. It's clear since you haven't even obtained the skill yet."

The claim that I couldn't obtain the skill because I was too capable and my limits had been set too high. I was speechless at this new form of Final Destiny-style sabotage. It was already impressive that Lee Seokhyun had grown this much in the early game, yet because of that, his growth ceiling had been raised and the acquisition difficulty increased?

'Is that even a thing right now?'

If they'd brought a trash character this far, the least they could do was give me a damn rice cake as a reward. Instead, they made the conditions ridiculously strict, fundamentally blocking any easy path to becoming stronger.

"This is the first time I've seen a case like this, so I'm not sure. In my case, I got Infinite Orbit after running for about three days without sleep. But you..."

Akasa trailed off and began pondering how to resolve this situation. I also racked every bit of knowledge I had to find a loophole, but Akasa was the one who discovered the method first.

"I got it! That was the problem all along!"

"Yes?"

"If even the Pertonba isn't recognized as a strong enough enemy! Then we just need to fight even stronger opponents, don't we?"

Wait a second. This feels a bit ominous.

'Why is she warming up?'

Akasa stretched her legs wide, rotated her wrists and ankles, and did dozens of standing high jumps. With a refreshed expression, she slowly turned her neck and looked at me.

"I was originally planning to do this after you obtained Infinite Orbit, but I suppose now is fine too."

From now on, let's spar, my disciple!

Before I could even think about refusing Akasa's bright declaration, my head moved on its own.

Nod.

It was the signal flare announcing the beginning of my death.

"...I'm seriously going to die."

The sparring with Akasa continued without end. After news of the cadet's death spread across the world, the professors were swamped with calls from parents, making proper classes impossible. In reality, most classes had been replaced with self-study, so I spent every moment until the weekend sparring with Akasa. In Gi Juseon's case, he said he had some preparations to make and would contact me separately. So I poured every second—except for sleeping—into training.

And the result.

I had raised Nature's Mana to mid-grade and managed to acquire the framework for Infinite Orbit. Of course, I still couldn't use it since I hadn't surpassed my limits yet, but just having it was a relief for now.

'I need to deal with that penalty soon.'

I'd been so busy lately that I'd forgotten, but the penalty requiring me to consume honey once a month was starting to send warnings. If I didn't resolve it soon, I might end up desperately searching for honey at a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠critical moment and put myself in danger. So today, I planned to use this golden weekend to find some honey.

'And not just any honey, either.'

Technically any honey would do, but that would be a waste of time. Since I'd come out anyway, I might as well get the maximum benefit. Platinum Royal Jelly—said to be worth its weight in jewels after a hundred years of gathering one drop per year. That was what I intended to obtain.

'I should also launder the money while I'm at it.'

A commoner carrying too much money would naturally draw suspicion. I needed to find a way to dispose of the cash rotting away in my inventory.

"Will you be using the portal? The usage fee is..."

"Yes, understood."

Not just any portal, but a high-class one with zero motion sickness or dizziness.

'Whose head should I smack this time to get the honey?'

Obviously, something this precious couldn't be obtained with money alone. Only through conversation and a good smack to the back of the head. Those two things were the only ways to obtain the honey.

'The apostle of justice is on the move.'

I stepped into the portal. It was time for the righteous thief to act.