Chapter 44
Chapter 44
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Intensified Training
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Even the fully armed elite instructors of the Instructor Corps couldn't handle just four opponents without ending up in that state.
The cadets' pride was utterly shattered.
"Still, it's worse than I thought. Is this the difference real combat experience makes?"
"They said Class 7 and Class 10 had two fatalities each. They're probably attacking like they mean to kill."
"Even so..."
The initial enrollment had been just over a thousand.
But now, only 950 re-enrolled students remained intact.
Considering voluntary withdrawal wasn't an option, it wasn't hard to guess the reason for the expulsions.
Fatalities or injuries so severe that even current medical tech couldn't fix them.
Especially since half of the expelled students had happened just in the past week.
'Right. This is Cradle of Heroes Academy.'
Fatalities weren't some special event unique to our cohort.
Cradle of Heroes Academy had always been like this.
The TA hadn't shown any particular killing intent back then, but he hadn't held back for the cadets' sake either.
He didn't harbor any special malice, but he wasn't afraid of casualties either.
'I could be the one dying next time.'
That was the thought on every cadet's mind right now.
Everyone except the four sitting here eating with me.
"Weakling, you gonna drop dead suddenly or what?"
"Merdi!"
"What's wrong? You worried?"
Merdi flicked Roze's nose with a cheeky grin as she stared at him.
Ji-hye kept glancing my way from the side, her face full of anxiety.
"Don't worry. I've got confidence in surviving, looks notwithstanding."
"Sure, a weakling like you needs to at least breathe well, right?"
She was deliberately stoking Roze and Ji-hye's unease.
But I really was confident in staying alive.
'Survival's one thing I know...'
Ever since getting that trait from the leech doctor last time, my vitality had skyrocketed—cockroach levels, exaggerating just a bit.
The healing fluid was definitely an inconvenient trait.
When using it on others, anyway.
But on myself? Simple.
Just generate it in my mouth and swallow.
It wasn't as good as applying directly to a wound, but the effects kicked in fast, and even more dramatically for internal injuries.
'If I think I'm about to get hurt, I can just pop one beforehand.'
It was like carrying health potions around in a game.
Meanwhile, the Instructor Corps' power was predictable, and they didn't go overboard with attacks.
Their goal was just to render cadets combat-ineffective.
So as long as I didn't push myself too hard, my odds of dying were slim to none.
"I noticed the deputy leader doesn't step in unless all the TAs are pinned down. If the cadets unite well and tie up the TAs with minimal numbers, maybe we could handle the deputy too?"
"But the deputy leader's way too strong."
"That old geezer? Annoying, yeah."
Honestly, aside from me and Ji-hye, no one in our group felt much危機.
They were already at a level where they could beat the deputy leader.
Plus, after the first class, they'd all gotten completion certificates.
They'd been told not to participate in next week's classes.
'I wonder how their classes are doing.'
I looked at Ji-hye, who was listening intently to my ramblings all by herself.
She'd taken a serious injury in the last class too and been out for three days.
She could be next on the accident list for all I knew.
Then Sahm, who'd been quietly watching me this whole time, said something unexpected.
"You're worrying too much, don't you think?"
"...Too much worry?"
"Forgot where we are?"
I pondered Sahm's words for a moment.
Cradle of Heroes Academy.
Where the universe's top talents gathered.
"I don't think we need any special strategy."
"What? Then the casualties..."
"Lemon. Forgot who you're worrying about? They might not be 'us,' but they're still Cradle of Heroes Academy cadets."
When I had no reply, Sahm continued calmly.
"Genius. The kind gathered from across the entire universe."
"Hmm..."
"Don't underestimate them. The damage won't be as bad as you think. I guarantee it."
Barton nodded in agreement too.
I knew that already.
But I still wondered if it'd really be okay.
'Come to think of it...'
Plenty of cadets worried about others, but hardly any were freaking out about their own deaths.
I glanced at Ji-hye again.
Even her usual passive self was acting normal.
She'd shown worry for me once or twice, but otherwise, business as usual.
"...Is that so? Am I overthinking it?"
"Worrying isn't bad. It's probably Lemon's strong suit."
"..."
"But you need to trust your comrades more."
He kept leaving me speechless.
"The instructors were probably brought in by the headmaster. Figured we needed a jolt around now."
"Ugh, that pervert old man."
Roze grimaced the second Barton mentioned the headmaster.
"Didn't you say you took three exchanges head-on from a master who'd perfected Lion Stance, Lemon?"
"I barely stood there."
"You're growing fast. Roze has a knack for teaching."
Roze definitely had talent for instruction.
Never mind the rough methods—she'd taken someone like me, talentless, and in under a year, gotten me to survive a frontal clash with a Lion Stance expert.
"Yeah, yeah. Right? I'll make you unbeatable against TAs before the semester's out."
"That might be tough..."
"No way, Lemon! Train more instead of worrying. I realized during break—it's all just lack of training."
"Kyahaha! That's some revelation."
Merdi burst out laughing.
Roze, mistaking the sarcasm for praise, grinned smugly.
"And for some reason, your durability's way up from before, Lemon. You could handle ramped-up training no problem now, right?"
"Ugh..."
Already busted.
I started seriously worrying if I'd die from overtraining.
*
After the first class, the Miracle Generation's four aces got perfect scores and were banned from Practical Martial Arts classes.
No more bulwarks now.
Classes continued anyway, piling up injuries like mountains each time, with occasional deaths.
But not every class played out the same.
Before the second class, cadets gathered to practice formations regularly.
Class 1, including me, actually took decent shape since I took the lead.
So the second class unfolded completely differently from the first.
The TAs couldn't rampage freely like before—they were getting pushed back.
But cadet teamwork was still immature.
The TAs stabbed at every gap like awls, and in the end, none of the three went down.
We burned through class time without even seeing the deputy's shadow.
Emboldened, the cadets charged into the third class.
This time, they huddled up to seriously debate efficient ability use.
They paired with compatible cadets and drilled coordinated attacks.
That's when the TAs went all-out for the first time.
After an intense fight pulling every armor suit function, they finally drew out the deputy.
We got crushed miserably again.
The TAs didn't back off with the deputy out—we suffered worse than before.
Classes four and five saw all sorts of attempts, but results barely changed.
Small consolation: no deaths.
Then came the talk.
The real fix was boosting individual strength.
Teamwork power-ups had hit their limit.
"Huff, huff...! Think this'll work?"
"Against that monster? Dream on. Single strikes like that won't even faze me."
The whole class gathered, diving into competitive training.
Thirsty for strength, the cadets' skills surged like waves.
Their prior growth was already superhuman compared to normals, but now they were leaping stages like they'd awakened.
Some physical fighters neared TA levels, while ability users delved deep into their powers, honing new applications.
"Hah? Wanna try me?"
"Step up if you're confident. Don't cry when you get hit."
Three days before the sixth class.
Training in class squads had become routine.
So I couldn't shake this arch-nemesis.
"...Gonna rest a bit."
"Tired?"
Runshin glared at me before flopping back down.
Couldn't even lift his head anymore.
Mouth still worked, though.
"Not tired. The great soul of Zhonghua's just temporarily left my body."
"Who said anything? Shut up and rest."
"...Huff, someday I'll punish that trap of yours with extreme torture... zzz..."
"Idiot."
He passed out mid-sentence.
I let him sleep.
Past midnight already.
Joint training was wrapping up anyway.
Our Class 1 was among the fastest-progressing of the ten classes.
In yesterday's sixth class finale, we drew the deputy and still avoided total wipeout.
We were still overwhelmingly outmatched, but it was huge progress from the start.
"Leonard."
Someone called me.
Fellow Class 1 cadet.
Pure martial artist, over 3 meters tall with a massive build.
His face was gentle, mismatched to that brutal physique.
Right now, he was leaning in awkwardly, shoulders hunched.
But don't let the looks fool you.
He was a master of Iron Giant, one of the top ten martial arts.
Iron Giant traded flesh for lives.
Key to it: bigger, tougher bodies. Giz was a prodigy tailor-made for it.
With giant-like stature, he shrugged off most attacks, then smashed foes to pulp like a beast.
"Ah, Giz. Formations all good?"
Giz nodded affirmatively.
I'd formed a squad of ten: me, Giz, Runshin, and others.
Goal: Hold the deputy until all three TAs were downed.
Giz had the starring role.
"Practice done. Just like you said, Leonard."
With Giz's defense and assorted abilities' support, the plan was solid.
"Reliable."
"That's my line. Without you, we'd be suffering casualties like the other classes. Last time, you saved my life too."
"Had to—otherwise I'd die."
Giz was smart, looks aside.
Total original character, but solid gold.
"I do what Lemon says. Then we win. Revenge on Instructor Corps."
Sad part: Giz's best friend was that first-class casualty.
Accident or not, he couldn't let it go easy—grinding his teeth at the instructors.
I got it, felt bad too.
Such revenge meant little in the end.
Every Cradle of Heroes Academy cadet internalized this at enrollment.
The academy ran like this for decades, and even post-grad superhumans had low survival rates.
'Still, knocking him down once would help.'
No clue how many more Practical Martial Arts classes.
As cadet skills rose, instructors' burden spiked—likely ending soon.
Our goal: Subdue deputy and three TAs before then.
Class 1, with me, would summit first.
I nodded at Giz's fiercely shining eyes.
"It'll happen."
Six days left.
Time to change things up.