Chapter 3
Chapter 3
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Stamina Training
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“Everyone here probably remembers evacuating during the Break incident when you were young. Back then, our knowledge about Gates was so limited that Breaks happened all at once. Can anyone tell me what a Gate Break is?”
“If you fail to clear a Gate within the set time with the assigned personnel, monsters come pouring out like a herd of wild dogs.”
“Like a herd of dogs... I can’t say that’s wrong.”
One of the trainees in the front row answered, and Professor Yi Mu-yeol chuckled, lightening the tense classroom atmosphere a bit.
“That’s right. A Gate connects to a world completely different from Earth. If you don’t clear it in time, a Break occurs, and for a certain period, hundreds or thousands of monsters flood in. Unfortunately, even if you clear it, the Gate doesn’t disappear—it persists, and after some time, more monsters spawn, so you have to clear it periodically.”
The professor took a breath and continued.
“At the time, there was no information on Gate Breaks, which is common knowledge now, and electronic devices didn’t work inside Gates, making raids even harder. Guns had some effect in low-level Gates, but they were useless against high-level monsters.”
Professor Yi Mu-yeol went on.
“In the end, it was the sacrifices of modern weapons, soldiers, and Awakeners that barely held back the monsters that poured out, but the damage from that lingers to this day. That’s why preventing Breaks before they happen became the top priority. The current Hunter system and Academy were established for that purpose.”
It was all stuff I already knew, but I sat quietly and listened.
The trainees listened intently to Professor Yi Mu-yeol in the solemn atmosphere. They knew the basics from regular school, but with precise statistics and stories from Awakeners’ direct experiences mixed in, everyone was focused.
The two-hour lecture ended as the bell rang.
“Then, we’ll continue tomorrow. Enjoy your meals.”
I went to the cafeteria and piled my tray high with food. I found an empty table in the corner and sat alone. I didn’t plan on getting particularly close to anyone, and factions had already formed to some extent, so no one paid me any attention.
I usually ate a lot, but I stuffed in even more on purpose. The afternoon training would demand even more stamina.
After eating, everyone gathered at the training ground, which was several times larger than a typical school playground. At the instructor’s command, we stood in the same positions as at the entrance ceremony.
“Do you know what’s most important in a Gate?”
The instructor asked everyone.
“Skills!”
“Items!”
“Stats.”
Answers came from all over.
“All correct, but the most important is stamina. It goes up with level-ups depending on your class, but it’s one of the few stats you can improve through exercise. A difference of just 1 or 2 can mean the difference between life and death, so it’s the foundation and essential. Now, each of you, put on the bag in front of you.”
Bags with trainees’ names lined up next to the instructor.
I went out and found mine. Slung over my shoulders, it felt heavier than a full military pack. It was like carrying a person on my back.
“This is the weight you’ll have to carry in a Gate. Regardless of class, gender, or age, without these, you won’t survive. Oh, and for stamina-critical warrior classes, we made them extra heavy.”
Of course, you could use porters, but assuming none were available, you had to carry all your gear yourself.
The trainees groaned as they lifted their bags, surprised by the weight.
“We’re starting stamina training now, and the instructors will play the role of monsters. Those who lag behind, prepare to get attacked. But don’t worry—we have healers on standby to treat any injuries.”
The trainees started murmuring.
“Begin. Instructors depart in 30 seconds.”
The instructor said that and just watched the trainees.
A few of us, including me, started running immediately.
“20 seconds left.”
“Run!”
When the instructor spoke again, most of the trainees yelled and started running in a panic.
The weight was so heavy, and the pain digging into my shoulders made it hard to run. My legs were already getting heavy, my speed slowing, but I gritted my teeth and pushed.
Even giving it my all, warrior-class trainees and non-warriors with good stats kept passing me.
On the other hand, some trainees who clearly had better stats than me were falling behind, unfamiliar with this kind of training.
Then, an instructor kicked the last trainee in the rear with a loud smack.
“You think you can escape monsters running like that?!”
The instructor who knocked down the trainee shouted.
A healer strolled over and checked on the wriggling trainee on the ground.
Seeing that, the trainees at the back started running desperately. Naturally—and unfortunately—they weren’t faster than the instructors. The instructors attacked from behind with kicks or blunt daggers—non-lethal but plenty painful.
The trainees who’d been whining were already taken out by the instructors. And now, one instructor stuck right behind me. I gritted my teeth and ran, but with my pathetic stats, he caught up quickly.
The instructor kicked the back of my thigh. Pain like my bone snapping shot through me, my body lifting into the air before crashing down.
The instructor who kicked me didn’t even look back as he went after the next one.
A healer approached me as I lay on the ground.
“I’m fine. No need for healing.”
“Oh, you have a recovery skill?”
“Yeah, something like that.”
Panting roughly, I stood up again. My leg was actually cracked, but I gritted my teeth and started running. Regeneration had already begun.
The instructors weren’t going full speed, so the lead group didn’t push harder either. Now it was endurance training.
I kept running with my injury, but some trainees who’d fallen stayed down. Instructors who caught up kicked or stomped them mercilessly.
“Argh! I can’t! I can’t do it!”
The first dropout appeared. He threw his bag and ran off the training ground.
The instructors didn’t even glance back, as if it was commonplace.
He probably dreamed of becoming a top Hunter and living large, but hadn’t expected basic training to be this brutal.
Seeing him, a few others started dropping out one by one, but not many. Failing the Academy meant no Gates, and no path to success.
Blood filled my mouth, my legs ached to the point of delirium, but I kept moving them. I still got caught. Hit by a wooden dagger, then sent flying by an instructor’s kick to my torso.
Even in my past life, I’d been kicked countless times, but I never gave up. No, I couldn’t. Too much was at stake.
That said, I didn’t run until my breath gave out. I took the healer’s help and rested as needed. In my past life, that was my ‘best’.
But now, I knew how much further I could push. When I fell, I bit down hard enough to crush my teeth and got back up.
Pain was familiar now. I still felt it, but days soaked in agony had taught me to endure better.
Since I kept getting up without heals, one instructor was assigned to me full-time. He smirked oddly while kicking trainees—not to improve us, but seeming to enjoy the torment. Whatever, it was fine.
Kicked again and again, I got up each time and smiled at that instructor.
Seeing my smile, something irked him. He looped around and caught me again, kicking with more force than before.
I instinctively blocked the flying kick with my arm, but my arm and body bent like a bow, sending me flying several meters.
“Instructor Huh Oh-seong!”
The senior instructor directing the others yelled at the one who kicked me.
“What are you doing?! Can’t even control your strength?! Healer!”
My arm was broken, ribs cracked and piercing my lung. My arm and chest split open, blood flowing, and more gushed from my mouth.
I saw the instructor and healer running from afar.
Then, an alarm rang, and a notification window appeared in front of the approaching people.
[Your level has increased.]
[Regeneration Skill has risen from F to E.]
“Kh... heh heh heh... heh heh...”
Seeing the notification, I couldn’t help but laugh. A skill that took five years in my past life leveled up in one day thanks to that crazy instructor. I thought it was impossible in the Academy—maybe I’d send him a gift later.
My skills and stats rose with training or self-inflicted wounds, but it took forever. But under threat to life or malice, the growth sped up dozens of times.
In other words, that damn instructor meant to kill me with that attack. The skill leveled, and compared to my past life, this was nothing to get mad about. But I knew letting someone with malice toward me slide would just make me look weak forever. I couldn’t do anything now at the bottom, but I’d remember.
“H-Healer! What’s wrong with him?! Did he hit his head?!”
The senior instructor paled at my blood-smeared grinning face and asked the healer.
“No wounds on his head...”
The healer cast a heal on me from nearby and said.
“Huh? Did your skill level up? Your recovery is incredibly fast.”
As my wounds visibly closed, the senior instructor asked the healer.
“No, this trainee’s skill is Regeneration. That must be why.”
“I’m... fine now.”
As my body recovered enough to stand, the senior instructor grabbed my shoulder.
“No, rest now. Resting when injured is part of being a Hunter too.”
I wanted to run again, but seeing his face, he wouldn’t let me even if I was late, so I nodded.
“The rest of you, keep running! Move!”
The senior instructor who sat me on the bench yelled at everyone else, and the halted group’s feet started pounding again.
“Status window.”
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Name: Lee Ji-seok
Class: None
Level: 2
Strength 6, Vitality 7, Agility 5, Intelligence 7, HP 70, Mana 35
Skills: Regeneration E
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Awakeners’ levels rise from combat, crafting, or any experience. Getting hit just now counted as experience. Thanks to that, my level went up by 1, and Regeneration rank too.
Strength, Vitality, Agility up by 2 each, Intelligence by 1, total 7 stats. When other Awakeners level up, they get 1 to 4— this was exceptional.
This time, I checked the details of the Regeneration skill.