Lion's Roar Training #3
Lion's Roar Training #3
With everything I had. Literally everything.
I let loose a War Cry at maximum possible output. It felt like the very concept of "sound" inside my body had solidified, surging up through my vocal cords and windpipe, blasting out all at once.
If sound had a visible form, it definitely would've looked like the zombie bomb from Metal Slug 3.
A performance of the highest order.
In actual combat I could never pour this much focus into a single technique, but right now was literally my time to demonstrate my power without holding back. I dumped mana into it like crazy and kept hammering away until my voice was about to give out!
I was screaming a War Cry like Guan Yu when a moth flies into his face on a nighttime walk!
"—!!!"
And after pouring out every ounce of sound.
Infinitely solemn, like a sword master sheathing their blade after a draw. I exhaled a cultured breath and returned to my original stance.
"Hoooh."
I held that pose, breathing deeply in silence, waiting for the Chairwoman's assessment. As air finally filled my shriveled lungs I felt like I might actually live, but even so I maintained my immovable posture.
Because I was now the master of screaming.
And then.
"This is...!"
The Chairwoman's voice rang out.
"Magnificent!"
"Ah!"
That single word, magnificent, made me happier than anything else! As expected of the Chairwoman! There's a real understanding between us when it comes to screaming!
"Kim Geun-cheol, you have a real talent for this!!!"
"You've recognized it!"
"Such a magnificent cry...! This is the first time in far too long I've heard a truly gifted young lion's roar, and I, the Chairwoman, was simply astonished!"
—clap clap clap!
The Chairwoman gave me a beaming smile and applauded vigorously. Perfect. Absolutely perfect. Hey, guys, I got acknowledged by the Chairwoman. I could legit cry!
"Kim Geun-cheol, you and I, the Chairwoman, share some common ground! No wonder you rubbed off on me the right way! To think you were hiding talent like this all along!"
"Heh, heh heh heh! I know, right!"
"What led you to start training the Lion's Roar!"
"Ah! Well, let me tell you! I was hunting monsters and, one might say, had an eye-opening—no, a throat-opening, you could say! The monsters were trying to chase down civilians, so to pull their attention toward me I just—PWAH!—let out a scream, and lo and behold!"
"Inconceivable! I, the Chairwoman, also first used the Lion's Roar under that exact sensation!"
"We connected on that too!"
"Kah-hahahaha! Magnificent! Truly magnificent!"
The Chairwoman, her excitement soaring, slapped my shoulders repeatedly in admiration. I could handle it now. I'd been recognized as the master of screaming, after all.
My shoulders and back would probably turn blue and purple by tomorrow, like an Avatar Na'vi, but who cares.
"Gladly! If that's the state of things, I, the Chairwoman, can help you out a little! Kim Geun-cheol! Let's see what we can do!"
Refreshingly straightforward, the Chairwoman gave me her permission!
"Thank you so much!"
This was the moment my War Cry evolved into the Lion's Roar.
"Ahem, well then, since class hasn't started yet, I'll take a brief look at you. Kim Geun-cheol. Channeling mana into your voice is a very difficult thing. And yet you managed it... You have talent. You'll be able to learn sufficiently."
"I'm so looking forward to this...!"
"How do you train? I, the Chairwoman, must see that first."
"I'll show you!"
I demonstrated my training method in brief.
My throat is precious, after all.
"Ah, aaaah...!"
Slowly.
I produce a low sound and channel mana into it, pushing it outward. In that state, I adjust the mana intensity like a needle jumping on a gauge—weakening it, then strengthening it—and just hold the sound. That's it.
"Phew. Since I can't exactly go around causing noise disturbances, I practice gently like this. Focusing on the sensation of imbuing it with mana."
"Kim Geun-cheol!"
"Yes?"
The Chairwoman had suddenly barked at me with a solemn face, startling me.
"The phrase noise disturbance is a phrase I, the Chairwoman, detest most! I would prefer you refrain from using it hereafter!"
"Who's the bastard who came up with noise disturbance!"
Was it Banga-banga, our friend Hamtori!
"Whoever it is, I'll personally hunt them down and beat them senseless!"
"Yes! That's a good attitude!"
Honestly, my mind had almost flown off to some other place for a second there. A person who loathes the phrase noise disturbance? As expected, the Chairwoman isn't entirely normal either.
"Regardless, for a self-devised training method, I'd say it's excellent! There's no efficiency in changing it now, so continue while paying attention to the health of your throat!"
"Ah, by the way, Chairwoman, how did you train?"
"Hm. Back then, I simply screamed my head off wherever I could. There wasn't really what you'd call training. Real combat was training."
Ah.
That was during the height of the Dimension War.
Monsters appeared on all sides every single day, so she apparently just popped off Lion's Roars without needing separate practice.
"Exactly what you'd expect from a first-generation superhuman! A living legend!"
"Mmm-ha-ha-ha-haht! You young students must properly carry on the legend of our generation! I, the Chairwoman, will place my faith entirely in you, Kim Geun-cheol!"
"Of course!"
The moment class ends, I am going to go online and copy-paste posts about the Chairwoman's greatness like a madman. Literally like a man gone insane in cyberspace—a cyber psycho.
"Now, let's hear that sound once more! I'll assist you a little!"
"Yes!"
And so I shouted again!
"Aaaaaaaaaaah!"
"Hmmm... The flow of mana... here... No. I, the Chairwoman, am starting to want to let loose a Lion's Roar myself!"
Please restrain yourself, I beg of you!
"Now I've got it! Kim Geun-cheol's voice!"
—tap!
In an instant, the Chairwoman pressed a finger against a spot on my throat, like a pressure-point strike in a martial arts movie.
"Focus more awareness on the mana flowing through this spot!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
Just do as she says!
"Aaaaaaaaaah!"
I activated War Cry again, paying attention to the spot she'd pointed out. But nothing felt different yet.
"Good. The flow's been tidied up a bit. For now, focus only on that! I'll look at you again next time!"
"Hrgh! Thank you for bestowing this teaching upon me, Chairwoman!"
The moment the lesson ended, I immediately prostrated myself on the spot and gave her a full-force bow. Because every single piece of instruction like this is precious.
"Hmm, yes! Remember it well and train hard!"
As I was doing that.
—creeeak.
"Huh?"
Instructor Lee So-ra walked in.
"Wait, Kim Geun-cheol? What are you doing, prostrating on the floor over there?"
"Ah. Just expressing thanks to the Chairwoman. Ah, hello, ma'am."
"I see."
I greeted her right away, and the instructor nodded.
"Ah, Instructor Lee So-ra, you're here. I was just looking after Kim Geun-cheol for a moment."
"He's a headache. Anyway... Kim Geun-cheol? Return to the classroom now."
"Ah, yes, ma'am."
Guess I'll head back then.
"Ah, Kim Geun-cheol? I'll say this during assembly, but the class schedule has been adjusted a bit due to this incident."
"Adjusted, you say?"
"Everyone was getting familiar with the VR training anyway—bored, even—so it shouldn't be a problem. We're planning to split the classes up for a short while."
"Ah. I see."
If we get separated from the Mage Class kids, it'll disrupt the integration work... Well, if it's just temporary, it'll be fine.
Whatever happens, I'm going to lead the Mage Class kids too.
* * *
No, but for real, though.
"Heh heh heh... Kah-hahaha!"
I got personal instruction from the absolute superhuman who's treated as a legend back in Korea, you know? This is insane. Is this real? The more I thought about it, the more excited I got, and laughter kept bursting out of me.
"Hoo-ha-ha-ha-ha! Heh-hrk, kuh-heh-heh! Aigoo! Ah!"
So I was just laughing my ass off, and my friends came over and glared at me. I kept laughing anyway, so Leona, arms crossed, spoke up.
"Kim Geun-cheol, what on earth could be such good news that you're laughing by yourself like that? You're noisy, so either stop laughing, or laugh with the rest of us? What in the world happened?"
Ah!
Flex time!
"Leona. Are you curious? About why I'm laughing?"
"I'm curious, so spit it out!"
"My, my. Calm down. Le-o-na."
"Oh, you psycho...! What is that creepy voice!"
As Leona rubbed her forearms, I spoke calmly.
"Ah, really. Should I brag about this? Or should I lead you all on, making you ever so curious until you go find out for yourselves? Aaah! I simply cannot decide!"
"Geun-cheol, I am begging you...!"
"Hrk... heh-heh! Hoo-ha-ha-ha! No! Who should I really tell this to! I'm so insanely proud that I want to brag like crazy, but at the same time, I also kind of want to hide it!"
"Ah! This prick is being so goddamn annoying!"
—krrk!
At that moment, Yu-ri locked my head in a headlock!
"Ack! Aack! Aaaack! Yu-ri! Wait! Too tight...!"
"Hey! If you're not gonna shut up, then spit it out clearly! What the hell is this attention-whoring crap you're pulling! You seriously wanna die!"
"I'll talk, I'll talk!"
"You never listen unless I use force... Or is that it? Do you just want a taste of my strength?"
—krrk!
Having said that, Yu-ri squeezed my head again!
"No, I said no! Let go of me!"
"Phew. Done."
Ugh, seriously, Yu-ri's headlock hurts, yes, but the sensation of my face being wrapped up... I genuinely don't know what to do about it.
"Good job, Woo Yu-ri. When Kim Geun-cheol gets like that, you have to give him a stern lesson."
"Geun-cheol. Please stop doing weird crap."
"Ehh... Well, anyway. Here's what happened."
I said that and stretched.
—twitch twitch.
I spotted Ryu over there, pretending to look out the window, but his ears were pointed this way and twitching.
If I saw that, what else could I do?
For security purposes, I had to go elsewhere.
"Let's step into the hallway for a sec. I'll tell you there."
—sprrp!
Ryu's ears stiffened right up.
And so I went out into the hallway and shared this incredible news with my friends. The news that I'd received direct personal instruction from the Chairwoman herself.
"Whaaat?! The Chairwoman personally instructed you?!"
"No, this bastard, what kind of insane luck..."
Si-hoo was genuinely shocked, and Yu-ri stared at me in disbelief.
"Right? Totally sick, huh? Leona. What do you think?"
"I-It's astonishing... Krhuk! As expected, you're already maneuvering and working the Chairwoman, the academy's supreme authority, just so you can become Student Council president! You connection-Geun-cheol!"
"What connection!"
What, a screaming-connection!