Chapter 44
Translator: penny
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: You Guys Be My EXP
'Better than I expected?'
I arrived at the training hall and couldn't help but marvel inwardly.
A vast space filled with straw dummies scattered here and there.
And all sorts of exercise equipment and weapons to boot.
The facilities exceeded my expectations.
I slowly read the signs explaining everything.
'You can use all the basic equipment for free. Oh? And sparring between people is allowed in the arena?'
Attacks between people are impossible inside the hotel.
It's due to some kind of systemic protection.
From what I'd heard, it doesn't physically block you.
It feels more like it mentally stops you right before you attack.
Honestly, I don't know the exact mechanism.
If it's mental interference, my Metafiction trait probably nullifies it.
Anyway, no need to dig deep since I have no reason to hit anyone.
'Everything's great, but it's way too empty in here.'
The facilities are top-notch.
Yet not a single person was using them.
It's nice to have it all to myself for a relaxed session.
But the desolate vibe felt a bit awkward too.
'Not many people come all the way to the hotel just to train, huh?'
Feeling a twinge of curiosity, I pulled out the baseball bat I'd brought.
Truth be told, I hadn't planned any specific training routine.
I just wanted to keep my zombie-fighting instincts sharp.
But the moment I stepped into the training hall, a message popped up.
I hadn't expected rank disparities even for the training hall.
I'd just planned to swing my bat around a bit.
No reason to turn down free premium service, though.
"Top-grade it is."
-Kiiing! Clank!
The message vanished, and the dummy in front of me sprang to life.
It grabbed a dagger from nearby and assumed a stance.
'Huh? This is what they meant by training?'
I thought I'd gotten used to pretty much everything by now.
But a moving dummy? That caught me off guard.
Not that I was surprised or panicked, of course.
Metafiction's protection is always watching over me.
-Paat!
The dummy swung its wooden sword.
I blocked it with my baseball bat.
'Pretty heavy.'
The force vibrating up my arm was no joke.
This wasn't just any dummy.
It backed off, circling me like it was probing for weaknesses.
As if it were some martial arts master.
'Kinda cute up close.'
Still, if the opponent had skill, I couldn't take it lightly.
Dummy or not.
I focused and glared at it.
-Kwajik!
We moved at the same time and clashed.
I hadn't learned any proper martial arts yet.
But my raw strength and agility were off the charts now.
Enough to cleave fog monsters in one hit.
'Not getting pushed at all.'
True to its word, it was matched to my level.
The dummy and I traded blows evenly.
Sweat trickled down my cheek to my chin.
No time to wipe it.
It'd strike in that gap for sure.
This tension felt good.
'Fun.'
Every exchange was thrilling.
The budding battle sense inside me was igniting.
Yeah, this is what I'd craved.
The real feeling of growth.
"Hoo! Hoo!"
Just as I was getting the hang of its movements.
The dummy shifted stances.
A new thrusting attack.
I adapted and swung my bat.
"Hey, what the hell are you doing?!"
Deep in the zone, an unwelcome intruder shattered my focus.
'What are these punks?'
Three or four sword-bearing men approached from afar.
Red petals adorned their white uniforms.
They had idol-like faces.
But interrupting my training soured my impression.
"What the hell are you doing?"
The approaching guy eyed me up and down with narrowed eyes.
"This place is ours right now. No way you don't know that in this hotel."
"Yours?"
I tilted my head.
I'd read the rules and guide thoroughly.
No mention of reservations anywhere.
"I heard anyone can use it freely anytime."
"Ha! Looks like some clueless newbie showed up."
The man stepped closer, right in my face.
No room to back up, so I just stared.
"Listen up. This arena's for martial artists. Not for randos like you."
He glared discontentedly, then continued.
"I don't know what your deal is, but weaklings should bow their heads and live quietly. Swinging a sword won't help trash like you."
"I'm swinging a baseball bat, not a sword."
"Sh-shut up! That's not the point!"
......Anyway, these guys were throwing their weight around.
The place was huge; plenty of room for everyone.
What a waste of time.
'And those weird uniforms look custom-made. Maybe check what they're about.'
I used Truth's Eye on him.
Obvious swordsman info at a glance.
The odd part was the affiliation in his job: Mount Hua Sect.
"Mount Hua Sect?"
"Hah! Even trash like you knows us? We're pretty famous."
"The faction that uses fire breath? Or shoots magma from their hands?"
"I'll kill you!"
No need to get mad if it's not that.
Can't use force in the hotel anyway.
It was just teasing; I know about Mount Hua Sect.
They use swordsmanship with a plum blossom fragrance.
'But... if Mount Hua Sect members are punks like this, it's disappointing.'
More importantly, isn't this an apocalypse novel?
Why the wuxia elements?
I wish the author would stick to one genre.
Mixing everything is how you flop due to no fanbase.
The Doom Hotel setting allows any humans, but there's a limit.
At this rate, the protagonist needs Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Forms or something to balance it.
Looking forward to that sweet growth event.
"Tch! Anyway, this isn't a place for trash like you. Leave now if you don't want beef with Mount Hua Sect."
"Nah."
"Wh-what?"
The Mount Hua guy in front of me—Sang Man-deok, was it?
His eyes narrowed.
"You didn't reserve it first anyway. I got here and started first. Demanding it now makes you the thugs."
"You bastard! Insulting Mount Hua Sect?!"
"Ah, my bad, young hero. Wasn't dissing the sect—just some passing asshole who happened to be Mount Hua."
"You damn...!"
Man-deok's face reddened.
He's probably about to say, 'I won't hold back anymore!'
"I won't hold back anymore! I challenge you to a duel right now!"
"Sure, fine."
Thwack!
My fist smashed into Sang Man-deok's face.
He flew sideways like an arrow and crashed.
"M-Man-deok!"
"Wh-what?! The duel hasn't even started!"
"What sorcery did this guy use?!"
His thug buddies 1, 2, and 3 chimed in.
I was surprised too.
'It works?'
As I said, force is banned in the hotel.
Strong mental barrier stops attacks before they happen, supposedly.
Metafiction
Ignores mental effects!
Didn't expect it to ignore NPC rules too.
I knew it, but Metafiction is insanely broken.
"You little...! Gahk!"
And that means...
Mount Hua's Sang Man-deok gets wrecked by me.
I stomped down hard on his body with a kick.
Not as satisfying as my training dummy, but decent.
"You bastard!"
Suddenly, Man-deok drew his sword and stood.
He swung straight at me.
"Urk! Wh-what the?!"
But it halted right before my nose.
As if an invisible wall blocked it.
From his view, it'd be infuriatingly unfair.
He got pummeled.
But can't hit back.
"Told you to pick your opponents."
"Gahk!"
I drove a kick into his gut.
He faceplanted.
I put real force into that one, unlike before.
His sword didn't touch me, but he drew it anyway.
"Coward... Hitting someone who can't fight back... sneaky."
"Oh yeah? Then come at me properly."
"What?"
I stood at the arena's edge with my bat.
"I'll duel fair. Give it a shot."
These guys are probably one of the three factions that March Rabbit mentioned.
Curious how great their swordsmanship is.
I wanted to see for myself.