Training Helps a Lot
Training Helps a Lot
Five days later, at the Class E Main Building.
The building where the lowest-ranked students of the academy live.
From the early morning, groans were echoing from the training ground located nearby.
"Hah, hah...!"
"Guh, gah...!"
"Ugh...!"
All of them were Class E students soaked in sweat.
It was as if they had stayed up all night at the training ground; everyone's complexion was utterly haggard.
The early morning air before sunlight. Only the chilly dew cooled their burning body heat.
"Kueo... I, I'm really going to die like this..."
"Kuleok, I can't breathe..."
It was already the 8th hour of training with no thought of rest.
The students couldn't even speak properly and only spat out dry coughs.
Although everyone was training in the same space, the detailed contents varied from person to person.
"Hueup...!"
"Swing harder! Your strikes have become pathetic!"
"Damn! Who doesn't know, I have no strength left..."
"Shut up, come again!"
"Hah, hah... hueup!"
Chang! Chaeng-!
On one side, kids were continuing sparring by clashing their weapons.
On another side, kids were casting magic, causing all sorts of explosions under the ceiling.
Or there were also a few kids simply increasing their stamina and muscle strength, or meditating.
"Shit, how many laps around the training ground have I run today...!"
"There's still a long way to go! Your stomach should be able to run!"
"I'm already on the verge of death, ooh!"
"Didn't hyung-nim say! If you just build up stamina, it'll synergize much better with magic!"
"I'm doing it! I said I'm doing it! I'm still running, damn it! I can't ignore hyung-nim's words...!"
They pointed out or encouraged each other, continuing the night training.
It was nothing short of a hot page of youth.
The students each held a booklet in their hands.
"Hoo... and then, what was it said to do here."
"Here, like this, relying more on feeling than calculation..."
"It says for me to mix in some martial arts. Is it suggesting to develop into a battlemage style?"
"To completely reverse-engineer magic..."
"It says a bow suits me better than a sword? So I've been trying to change my main weapon since yesterday."
"It's really detailed. The content and methods written are all different for each person."
"When did hyung-nim prepare all this...?"
"I heard he wrote it for us, sacrificing sleep every night..."
None other than feedback.
It was what I had written down drop by drop for each student.
I pointed out their shortcomings and wrote long passages on how to improve.
'Since there are many people.'
My goal was to grow all of Class E.
But given the number of people, it was impossible to give full care to each one individually.
Instead, I thought of this method.
Compiling everything they needed and handing it over to each like a Secret Manual.
Actually, to prepare this, I always lay in bed scribbling with a pen.
'Roughly... it took almost a month.'
Since right after receiving the quest.
That's why I spent a lot of time in bed.
"Training methods, diets, things like that are basic... and even each person's vulnerabilities."
"The volume is enormous. Did hyung-nim prepare all this alone?"
"As expected of hyung-nim, should I say..."
"I even feel sorry for being taken care of too much."
The Secret Manual was quite meticulous.
In the middle, I just wrote various things because I found it fun.
Writing smoothly as if writing strategy guides in my previous life, pages filled up in no time.
In the end, I gave each person a thick volume over 200 pages, and the kids, upon seeing it, were impressed on their own.
Some really reddened their eyes.
'Recommended training routines, suitable combat styles, points to improve, potions that would be good to take... I packed all sorts of miscellaneous parts.'
I didn't forget to add encouraging words before training started.
I want to be with you all.
Not stopping at just Class E, we all rise up together.
I'll make it so we can run while aiming for higher classes and higher realms.
If you believe in me and follow me, I too will help you without giving up until the end.
After throwing out such simple words, everyone's eyes lit up and they devoted themselves to training.
Despite the quite high-intensity training, not a single dropout had appeared yet.
Perhaps because they were originally kids with strong competitive spirit, desire for improvement, or inferiority complex.
It seemed they ran with determination once shown the way.
Thanks to that, even in the short period of five days, some students were gradually showing results from the training.
"What... didn't you originally use a sword? Using a bow seems much better."
"Hyung-nim wrote that my spells would match better with a bow."
"The power is insane, really. What principle is that...?"
"Of course, I'm still lacking proficiency. The power is strong, but the accuracy is much lower..."
Infected by such ones, the remaining members also stuck to training.
Even though I called them out every dawn for training, there was a reason why no one complained.
Because everyone was grateful to me.
Because everyone wanted to become stronger.
I had just quenched their thirst refreshingly.
'It's a bit burdensome that their loyalty is getting excessively high...'
But isn't a good thing good?
If I raise such loyal limbs, I could flexibly handle any incident that occurs in the academy later.
At least, I needed to build trust to the extent that they would jump into certain death without any doubt when I tell them to.
In that sense, it could be said that the road is still long.
'I have absolutely no intention of making them jump into certain death or giving such commands...'
The key is to max out favorability.
Anyway, later on, these kids will also participate in wars where the fate of the world is at stake.
In the original work's later part, Grandia Academy collapses, and the remaining students join the continental alliance army to fight against disasters.
'If I raise all these kids to B-grade, I can gain a tremendous advantage in the final battle.'
Of course, the bar was high.
If comprehensive stats are B-grade, it's about the level of top ranks in Class A within the academy.
Usually, from comprehensive A+ grade, it's professors or strong individuals distributed across the continent, so it could be seen as a considerable weight class.
Actually, unless it's a fairly high-tier character, the stats that can be raised as a student feel like B-grade is the ceiling.
'Of course... even at this point, there is one student who is A-grade.'
The top of the first year overall.
Lin Glacia.
This side is completely different, so let's move on.
She's a crazy monster who can fight one-on-one with Javert by the time she's a third-year graduate.
'......At that time, it would be after Javert committed suicide, though.'
I'll think about the two of them later.
First, the things right in front of me were priority.
"Hmm hmm."
The Class E students under my care.
If there was one among them who received training most intensively, it was indeed Alice.
"Shall we begin?"
"Ah... yes, yes!"
Standing nervously, then nodding her head in surprise, Alice.
Her blue pupils were shaking violently as if anxious.
No wonder, since her ability itself was no different from trauma.
The girl bites her lips tightly.
"Th, then... I'll try it!"
Alice closes her eyes.
Soon, a black aura begins to tear through the scenery around her.
Kugugugugu-!
"......"
Like during the practical when she was swallowed by Nightmare and went berserk.
Sinister energy swarms centered on the girl.
Dark red mist smolders up.
"Hoo..."
A long drawn-out breath.
Before long, a black crown was placed on Alice's head.
However, its form was quite downgraded compared to what was encountered before.
If what was shown during the berserk state was the complete version, the crown used this time seemed to have less than one-tenth of its power.
"Good. Slowly, as is."
"Hoo, hoo..."
Consecutive deep breaths.
If recklessly deploying the Nightmare, mental damage could be incurred.
Hence, my instruction was to first get familiar with low-level nightmares.
Alice continues to concentrate with her eyelids closed.
Flutter-.
Soon, a black cloak wraps around her tender back.
The girl reproduces the form of the [Black Queen], albeit clumsily.
"......Awaken."
Black hair fluttering in the backwind.
Amid such storm, the queen's lips move.
Kkudeuddeudeuk-!
Immediately after, forms flicker within the thick mist.
Trump cards. Soldiers with thin limbs attached, quite cute in appearance.
Such soldiers appear one by one, then align in front of the queen as if matching rows.
"Um...!"
Exactly six entities.
Alice shouts towards the Trump Soldiers.
"At, attack...!"
Kkudeudeuk, kkudeuddeudeuk-!
With that shout, the nightmares move their bodies.
The target designated is a tree located 30 meters away.
The Trump Soldiers simultaneously swing their weapons towards the tree.
Ujigeun! Kwadeudeuk-!
The target is shattered in an instant.
Even though they were the weakest entities that could be summoned, each seemed to be about a 2-star monster.
Moreover, these guys have the bizarre judgment of [Dream]. They don't take damage from ordinary attacks.
If anything, the way to deal with them is to subdue the caster.
"Next attack! Ne, next attack...!"
Continuing commands, Alice gradually increases the number of entities.
Already, the Trump Soldiers had multiplied to nine.
I signal to continue.
"Good. Up to here is stable."
"Yes, yess! Then next..."
But, the problem occurred after that.
Exactly when the Trump cards became ten.
Jerk.
<[......]>
Escaping Alice's control, the soldiers stop still in place.
The Trump cards soon dye with black light and begin to convulse.
Human limbs pop out, and entrails and blood flow.
The cards mutate into grotesque appearances in an instant.
<[♣♣♣♣♣]>
<[♠♠♠♠]>
Then, shaking their bodies burrurru, they attack all around as if berserk.
Alice steps back as if panicked.
It seemed commands weren't getting through.
"Eut, eueu...!"
I finally intervene in the situation.