Chapter 7
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: When the Skills Planted in the Main Body Begin to Sprout
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Just one month ago, Hunter Cheon Da-eun had been assigned to the 15th cycle of the Academy's Straggler Special Management Program, codenamed Rebound.
Her position, befitting an elite who had fought on multiple fronts, was the top seat among the five instructors.
She had taken on the role of chief instructor for a total of twenty Straggler trainees.
'Freezing Sect 3rd Seat─Elite Hunter Cheon Da-eun is hereby appointed as the chief instructor for the Straggler Special Management Program, Rebound. Academy Principal, Rene Moro.'
As everyone knew, the skills of Straggler students were at the absolute bottom even among Academy standards.
Most received scornful evaluations like "not worth teaching," and seven or eight out of ten ended up cast off the cliff.
The original intent was that they would only awaken their potential dramatically when pushed into such desperate straits, but reality was harsh.
Only about three per year.
Just a handful who broke through the wall at truly minuscule odds survived and leaped forward again.
And among them, Kang Ihyeon was the one with the least potential by Cheon Da-eun's standards.
Despite being a Maker Hunter, he showed not even a speck of talent, and his thirty failures were clear proof. Deep down, she had already concluded there was no chance he'd overcome the wall.
But just two days ago.
Something had changed.
The boy whose will had crumbled under his own weakness had returned with a special talent.
Cheon Da-eun had never seen or even heard of such a case.
'But it's the truth. He's changed.'
Not just learning a new crafting skill—he'd grown physically and mentally too.
And she, Cheon Da-eun herself, knew better than anyone that it wasn't due to her passionate instruction.
'...I don't know anymore. What that guy's thinking. But one thing's certain: the student I'm teaching has found hope again and is stepping onto the stairs.'
In that case, her duty as an instructor was clear.
She had to help her student leap toward the surface once more.
"Kang Ihyeon! Get your head in the game! What are you going to do if you can't even dodge an attack like that?"
"H-Hek! Y-Yes, ma'am!"
Instructor Cheon Da-eun had planned special training for Kang Ihyeon.
High-intensity physical conditioning that would push his body to its limits.
In Training Ground 1, Instructor Cheon Da-eun fixed him with a sharp gaze.
Pa-kang!
An ice spike grazed his cheek and embedded itself in the wall. A guy who would normally be screaming and rolling on the floor was gritting his teeth and enduring.
His reaction speed had improved, if only by a little.
'Of course, that doesn't make him exceptional.'
What caught her eye wasn't the talent itself, but the fact that the failing student's growth curve, stagnant for months, was finally showing signs of movement.
That was why, just a few days ago, she had proposed concentrated hell training for him.
'What? H-Hell... hell training?'
'That's right. It means your skills are starting to improve. It means you've finally broken through the wall of talent. If you miss this moment, you'll regret it for the rest of your life and never get it back.'
'B-But... wouldn't self-study on my own be...'
'No excuses! You still haven't shed that rotten attitude!'
'I'm sorry!'
After retiring from the front lines due to injury, she had taught many students. Among them were plenty like Kang Ihyeon. She knew exactly how to handle them.
'The type that shines brighter the harder you push them.'
"Your form's sloppy, Kang Ihyeon. Your reaction speed's still way off!"
"I-I'll fix it!"
As she spoke, a chill enveloped the training ground, and dozens of ice spikes materialized in the air. They were sharper than before, and there were more of them.
Peo-peo-bang! Pa-ba-bat!
Kang Ihyeon desperately threw himself aside to dodge the spikes. His movements were noticeably more agile than a few days ago, and he even occasionally smacked them away with his gloved hands.
Each time, a faint mist resembling her own cold aura rose around the gloves, but Cheon Da-eun deliberately ignored it. Results were what mattered, after all.
'Those crude gloves are probably mimicking my ability.'
Maker Hunters often analyzed and imitated others' powers, applying them to their creations.
Seeing her disciple clumsily ape her own abilities was displeasing as a fellow Hunter, but as an Academy instructor, she couldn't deny a strange sense of pride welling up.
His desperate flailing to survive somehow.
Admirable.
'But he's still far from ready.'
Such crude imitation meant nothing in real combat.
She pressed him even harder. The ice spikes' speed and trajectories became more unpredictable. Kang Ihyeon started screaming and tumbling across the training ground. His body was drenched in sweat, the thin training uniform clinging to his skin.
His soaked uniform stood out especially, along with the slight glimpse of his nape.
Cheon Da-eun found herself unwittingly drawn to the throbbing of his Adam's apple with each ragged breath.
"Hmm?"
For a moment, her focus wavered.
One misaimed ice spike plunged deep into the floor right beside him, into his shadow.
"Hoo, hoo..."
Kang Ihyeon didn't notice. Cheon Da-eun herself was more startled.
She couldn't believe she'd made such a ridiculous mistake. Feeling her face heat up, she cleared her throat awkwardly.
"That's enough for today."
"Huh? But training time's not..."
"I'm not in top condition. We'll use the rest for explaining the next training plan."
"A-Alright."
Cheon Da-eun said nothing more and hurriedly left the training ground. She felt Kang Ihyeon's puzzled stare boring into her back, but she had no time to worry about it now.
'What was that? Why do I feel like this...'
Her heart was strangely pounding, and a ticklish sensation stirred in her lower abdomen. What was this unfamiliar feeling?
It was the first sensation she'd ever felt in her twenty-eight years of dedicating her life solely to humanity's survival.
Master Rapport Lv.1 (Active)
Enchantment Imprint Lv.2 (Active)
She had no idea that "forced skills," which only slaves bound to a master could acquire, had attached themselves to her body...
A short while later, in the makeshift shower attached to the training ground, Cheon Da-eun rinsed off her sweat. After a cold shower, the strange sensations from before seemed to subside somewhat.
'Probably just my imagination.'
However, when Kang Ihyeon, fresh from his shower, approached her while towel-drying his wet hair, her head felt a bit feverish again.
"You feeling okay?"
"Yes, Instructor. Thanks to you."
"We ended early today because I wasn't at my best, but it won't happen again. Be prepared."
"Yes, I'll keep that in mind!"
Cheon Da-eun spoke in her usual icy tone, suppressing the odd sensation from moments ago.
"I have a few things to convey about the upcoming training schedule."
"Yes, understood."
"First, the Straggler Reorganization Exam coming up in a few weeks. You know this is your last chance, right?"
Kang Ihyeon swallowed hard with a tense expression. She held up two fingers toward him.
"This Straggler Exam consists of two stages. The first is basic fitness and Hunter skill evaluation. The second is simulated Rift conquest."
"Simulated Rift, you mean..."
"You'll be thrown into a Rift that's been perfectly cleared, and you have to achieve specific objectives within the time limit. The examiners will closely evaluate your judgment, crisis response, and teamwork with allies."
Kang Ihyeon's face visibly paled.
Cheon Da-eun felt a twinge of curiosity at the sight.
He always panicked at the mere word "Rift," but this time it seemed even worse. As if he thought the Rift he'd enter was dangerous.
"I-Instructor, that perfectly cleared Rift... is it really safe?"
"Of course. 'Perfectly cleared' means all risks and variables are fully controlled. The Rifts used for exams are especially rigorously managed for safety."
Cheon Da-eun answered firmly, but the anxiety didn't leave Kang Ihyeon's face.
'Is this from months of trauma too?'
She was well aware that her student had failed thirty times in a row to reach the designated zone in the lowest-grade Rifts.
Thinking that, she felt a pang of pity.
She steadied her voice, which had softened unwittingly without her notice, and continued.
"...And the supervisor for the exam is Academy Vice Principal 'Wolfgang Kraus.'"
"Ah."
"Vice Principal Kraus tends to value improvisation in unexpected situations. So, for the remaining time, we'll focus on simulated training assuming various variables."
She briefly outlined her prepared training plan. Simulated drills with various traps and complex terrain, survival training with limited resources—content truly worthy of the name "hell training."
After finishing her explanation, Cheon Da-eun observed Kang Ihyeon's reaction. Instead of the usual despairing stare at the floor, he was surprisingly calm, listening intently. Finally, he spoke.
"...Instructor, would it be possible to make a slight adjustment to the training plan?"
"Adjustment?"
Cheon Da-eun raised an eyebrow in surprise.
A Straggler requesting changes to her training plan.
She thought it bold, yet oddly wanted to hear him out.
"Speak. If there's a valid reason, I'll consider it."
"Yes. As you said, Vice Principal Kraus is strict, but he has one peculiar habit. He places great importance on first impressions."
"First impressions?"
Kang Ihyeon continued in a confident tone.
"Yes. If you show something impressive early in the exam, you're likely to get significant bonus points in later evaluations. Conversely, a disappointing start makes it hard to score well, no matter how much you recover later."
Cheon Da-eun listened with arms crossed.
'Plausible.'
What he said about Kraus's tendencies matched exactly what she knew of the man.
Judging and sorting people by first impressions—that old coot's favorite trick.
How Kang Ihyeon knew this was questionable, but not important.
'Means he's been preparing for the Straggler Exam in his own way.'
Cheon Da-eun grasped his intent.
He probably needed time to make a new creation.
Showing sudden growth on exam day might work well on a stubborn old-timer like Wolfgang Kraus.
Cheon Da-eun nodded curtly.
"Fine. I'll accept your opinion. We'll proceed with the scheduled training, but I'll allocate an extra three hours a day for self-training. No interference during that time."
"...Thank you for your consideration, Instructor."
She didn't know what he planned to make, but probably something imitating her techniques like last time.
Her disciple struggling to surpass her, or become like her.
Just imagining it made her chest tickle inexplicably.
'What is this feeling?'
Once might be imagination, but twice was different.
'Is this what they call sexual desire? Have I reached the age where I need a man?'
If not, what was this ticklish sensation?
"...Admiration, maybe."
It might be a cowardly rationalization, seeking in that immature student's potential the dreams crushed by her injury.
Cheon Da-eun gazed at the training ground ceiling lights and smiled bitterly.
There had been a time when she'd sworn to dedicate her body to humanity. To uphold that vow, she'd considered personal emotions or happiness as luxuries.
For such a woman to react to a mere young male student.
'As if I'd ever have a reason to meet a man? Endure it, my body. I made a vow, so you can't break it either.'
As if steeling herself, she stood straight on the cold training ground floor.
She resolved herself firmly.