Chapter 16
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Am I... Maybe a Little Strong?
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“Phew. Phew.”
After that day, I started working out.
First, to learn strength training, I binged “How Many Kilos Can You Bench Press?”—aka “Benchmax”—and for cardio, I powered through *Uma Musume Pretty Derby*, the anime where racehorses are turned into cute girls, all night long.
‘Of course, what I actually ended up doing was Saitama’s training regimen...’
For reference, Saitama’s routine was: 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and a 10km run—every single day.
It might look easy, but try it yourself and it’s no joke. And since my stats had gone up, I doubled everything.
After about a month of grinding through theory study and physical training, I got some unexpected results.
[Your Vitality stat has increased by 1.]
“What? Stats go up from working out too?”
[Cha In-hyeok. Lv 7. (96.8%)] [Mana 1/7]
[Strength 21, Agility 20, Vitality 24, Intelligence 20]
Even without leveling up, consistent workouts had bumped my Strength and Vitality by 1 each.
At first, I thought I was just seeing things from exhaustion, but no—it was real. Stats rose from exercise alone.
And the changes didn’t stop there.
“I’ve... grown a bit taller?”
My height went from 169.1cm to 170cm. My arms had thickened up too. Flex, and there it was—a bicep.
Before, no matter how much I raised my stats, it never showed on the outside. But training them up physically? Visible changes. This was huge.
‘Jackpot! If I keep this up and keep growing...?’
If that happened, I could finally achieve the dream I’d longed for all these years. Namely...
‘Kage Gatsu cosplay! Can I finally pull it off!?’
The costume was ready ages ago. Handmade by me—sourced the fabric myself, stitched every inch with love. It’s pro-level quality, no shame anywhere.
The only reason I hadn’t cosplayed was my body didn’t fit the bill.
‘If only my legs were longer! If only I had more of that heroic build!’
Pathetic as it was, my frame couldn’t capture Kage Gatsu’s majestic vibe.
And then last year’s cosplay event—some ripped, handsome Western dude nailed a near-perfect Kage Gatsu. Made it impossible for me to even try.
“But not anymore. I can do this! Yeah! Time to train! Gotta hit 180cm!”
* * *
[Level Up!]
[Cha In-hyeok. Lv 8. (3.1%)] [Mana 2/8]
[Strength 22, Agility 22, Vitality 26, Intelligence 20]
[Unallocated Stat Points: 8]
After that, I trained hard and raised Strength by 1, Agility and Vitality by 2 each.
I leveled up too—my minions handled the intruders in my dungeon, so I got the EXP passively.
Not as much as if I’d fought myself, but free gains while sitting on my butt? No complaints.
‘Hmm. Distribute evenly for now. Keep all options open.’
[Cha In-hyeok. Lv 8. (3.1%)] [Mana 2/8]
[Strength 26, Agility 26, Vitality 26, Intelligence 20]
Now Strength, Agility, and Vitality were all matched at 26. That left the ignored Intelligence staring me down.
Come to think of it, Illusion scaled with Intelligence. Higher INT should make illusions easier to cast.
‘Next level-up, pump some into Intelligence. Hmm. Anyway, getting sick of just workouts—maybe practice swordsmanship?’
The thought hit, so I bought a wooden bokken and headed into the dungeon.
‘Ooh! With this reach, it feels way more stable mentally?’
After fighting with a sub-20cm dagger, swinging a 120cm bokken? The length difference hits different.
If I’d had a real sword this long against the hobgoblin, it would’ve been a cakewalk.
Suddenly regretted not having proper gear. I smacked my lips and pulled a book from my inventory.
*Regarding My Reincarnation as 15th-Century Johannes Liechtenauer.*
A light novel about an average high schooler who suddenly reincarnates as the 15th-century German fencing master Johannes Liechtenauer and develops German longsword techniques.
It dives deep into attack stances and methods, so just reading it teaches you swordsmanship theory.
‘Heh. Manga’s got no limits on premises.’
Take *Berserker*—the manga consulted pro Awakeners for accuracy on monsters.
Watch that anime, and you pick up counters for most common monsters easy.
‘Start light with basic stances?’
Like that, I spent half my days on conditioning, the other half on sword practice. Just hoping it’d pay off somehow.
Another month passed.
* * *
‘Phew. Alright. All prep done.’
Hunter Academy enrollment day was finally here.
No extra stat gains, but steady training had me brimming with confidence.
I’d picked up decent sword skills too, plus theory study. I’d done everything I could.
“This the place?”
Inside the academy, about a hundred people gathered on the field.
Might seem low, but context matters. This was an academy exclusively for Awakeners.
A hundred Awakeners in one spot? That’s basically every new Awakener from the whole region.
‘Gonna spend a year with these guys?’
Awakeners train here for a year, pass the graduation exam, and get their official Hunter license.
Short duration, but no biggie. Awakeners get stronger the more real combat they see.
So minimal PT, focus on weapon skills, tactics, survival instead.
Not that they accept total weaklings. Gotta pass a basic fitness test first.
‘Ranking on that test is key.’
Trainees get split into top/mid/bottom teams by scores—top ranks get the perks.
Big one: top 20 get Gate entry slots.
‘I’ve got my own dungeon for isekai jaunts whenever, but other Hunters struggle even for 1★ Gates. They’ll all kill for top spots.’
Heard things were reversed back in the early days.
Gates were total unknowns then—government locked ’em down to protect valuable Hunters. Nobody wanted in.
But time passed, data piled up, things flipped.
Now analyze Gate size, color, mana waves to guess monster levels. Hunters got stronger too.
Manageable risks and predictable dangers sparked challenge lust—and eyes opened to the fat rewards.
Gates aren’t unknown threats anymore. Just golden tickets to riches and status.
As someone put it: 「The Second Age of Exploration」 had begun.
‘Now they’re complaining there aren’t enough Gates.’
Gates are finite; Hunters keep multiplying.
Too many Hunters now—some unemployed ones even protest in the plazas.
Serious social issue. Awakener crime spree? Chaos beyond imagination.
Government scrambled for fixes.
Used to close non-research Gates fast for public safety. Now? Keep ’em all open.
Max out Gate numbers, sell or lease to guilds.
For solo Hunters without cash, government runs some and sells tickets.
‘Though those tickets are over 20 million won a pop easy...’
Still, crowds flock. Profits inside crush the entry fee.
Byproducts like mana stones are bonuses—the real prize is EXP from killing monsters.
Levels rule Hunter life. High level = stable solo hunts, good party invites, no share-stealing scrubs.
High level = top guilds.
Good guilds? Vets, great healers, own Gates galore.
They’re the prestigious ones—invest heavy in rookie scouting.
‘Graduation exam day, Seoul prestige guilds send reps, right?’
They scout top ranks.
Top 20? Already Gate-vetted, decent levels—rooks who’re instant assets.
Make top 20 = big guild path opens = cushy Hunter life guaranteed.
No wonder trainees go all-out.
‘Guild aside, those Gate tickets tempt me?’
Curious about other dungeons, and ditching 20-million-won perks feels wasteful.
We’re not poor, but not buying stacks of those either.
Still, going too hard draws eyes—gotta hide my strength. Exposure = disaster.
Ideally, scrape top 20 for gains without spotlights.
‘Aim for 20th place?’
* * *
At the testing ground, spotted a familiar face. One I’d seen way too much the last three years. Kim Cheol-min.
‘Right, that jerk Awakened too.’
He was mid-agility test: 68 side-steps in 20 seconds. Impressive record.
Leaderboard had him dominating 1st. Others? Around 50 in 20 seconds average.
‘Huh? Kinda low for Awakeners? Oh—low levels.’
I lucked into monster fights and levels. Normies rarely fight any. Gap inevitable.
And it wasn’t just levels.
They get 5 stat points per level-up. I get 8.
Same level, I’m stronger. Most of them Lv1-2? I’m ~50 stats ahead.
That’s a 10-level gap in stat terms.
‘Huh? Maybe I... am a little strong?’
Maybe I’d gotten strong enough to actually hide my power.