Chapter 9
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: Practical Training (2)
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Gates come in all sorts of shapes and sizes.
Some just spew out monsters, while others require you to venture inside—towers, labyrinths, dungeons.
Orbis Academy has artificial gates that replicate these perfectly.
"Today's practical training is a 'raid'."
Unlike usual, Class 2 was joining us for practical training today.
Not to team up, but to compete.
Orbis has a ranking system.
This raid would factor into those rankings.
Higher ranks meant more options after graduation—like guilds snapping you up—so students took it pretty seriously.
I headed over to my team.
Looks like I was the last one to arrive.
"This is kinda nerve-wracking."
"Why'd we have to go first?"
Hwang Yung and Shin Ji-o were making a fuss.
"Hmm..."
Arima Kanna was staring over at Class 2.
I turned my head and immediately got why.
Entrance ranking number three: Liu Kang.
The guy who becomes China's top dog later on.
And the leader of the team we'd be up against.
The gate's backdrop was a labyrinth.
Upward-climbing ones are called towers, downward ones are labyrinths, and the rest are dungeons.
'An ossuary, huh.'
Artificial labyrinth: [Ossuary].
As the name suggests, it's crawling with skeleton-type monsters.
And it's not the best matchup for me.
In an ossuary, trash mobs spawn in droves. Once I use Iaido, I'm left wide open, making it pretty tough.
We stepped into the labyrinth, and a dim structure loomed ahead.
"Huh?"
Right away, a fork in the path.
Wrong choices ramp up the difficulty.
My teammates were already stumped.
Our support was a healer, not a pathfinder type.
Hwang Yung slunk back, looking embarrassed.
But no worries.
I had a way to pull my weight in the ossuary besides the boss fight.
"Let's go that way."
I pointed to the rightmost passage.
"Huh?"
"?"
A swordsman—not even a mage—calling the shots? Shin Ji-o and Han Ain shot me suspicious looks.
"Don't worry. I've got the knack for it."
Couldn't exactly say I'd cleared it in the game a hundred times, so I played it vague.
"Then let's head that way."
Axe-wielder Shin Ji-o nodded and took point.
No one objected, so we followed.
We walked a good while before another fork appeared.
"Huh, nothing happened."
No fights, smooth sailing to the next path.
Meant we'd nailed the safe route.
"Where to next?"
"Han-su, which way?"
They asked before I could even open my mouth.
"Left."
Unlike towers where you grind every monster on the way up, labyrinths and dungeons don't require full clears.
Just take down the boss at the end.
We traversed a silent stone corridor, no sounds, no traps.
I wondered what Liu Kang that bastard was up to.
Probably smashing skeletons left and right.
Now five passages appeared.
"Middle one."
-Kiiik.
Monster cries echoed from the central path as we entered.
Not a mistake on my part; monsters were supposed to be there.
"Vampire bats."
9th-grade monsters: Vampire Bats.
"Haaah!!!"
-Splat!
Shin Ji-o swung his axe, pulverizing a bat's head.
Bottom-tier even among 9th-graders.
Shin Ji-o could handle them solo.
After a couple bats, a grand door adorned in gold appeared.
"Boss room."
Rumble—
The golden door slid open to a vast chamber.
-Groooar.
Claws scraping metal from the opposite side.
A massive skeleton lounging on a giant's throne.
7th-grade monster: Giant Skeleton.
Sword in one hand, blade in the other.
A right-sword-left-blade Giant Skeleton.
Thud—!
It rose, shaking the ground despite being just bones.
Crossed its sword and blade, then dropped into a low stance.
Kiiik—! Boom!!
Explosive speed from that lowered pose.
The Giant Skeleton leaped straight at us.
Clang—!!!!!!
Metal on metal rang out.
Tank-warrior Shin Ji-o blocked with his axe.
Mana-forged chains followed, binding the Giant Skeleton.
And then...
"Let me show you Iaido."
Kaboom!!!!
The Giant Skeleton split in half.
Sizzle—
Cling!
I sheathed my sword.
"Insane. How's it cut so clean?"
Shin Ji-o poked at the cross-section in disbelief.
Not a jagged edge in sight—perfectly sliced.
Woooong—!
Boss down, a gate materialized in the room's center.
Through there, and we're done.
'Easy.'
[Class 1, Team 1]
Clear Time: 24 minutes 19 seconds
Liu Kang was dying inside.
With a buffer for support, they picked paths at random—and all were duds.
Bam!
Liu Kang and his team smashed skeleton skulls.
Don't pulverize the head completely, and they come back. Annoying, but necessary.
-Groan!
-Clatter!
-Clatter!
-Clatter!
"Fuck."
A skeleton mage appeared in the distance.
It chanted, duplicating skeletons.
Liu Kang scanned around.
"Goddamn it!"
"So many!"
His teammates were busy crushing heads.
"..."
No choice—Liu Kang charged the skeleton mage himself.
-Clatter!
"Where do you think you're going!"
Bam!!!
Skeletons got in the way, but his fists turned them to dust.
-Keeek!!!
The mage freaked as Liu Kang closed in.
"!"
Flash!
Attack spell? Liu Kang leaped back.
Woooong!
-Clatter!
-Clatter!
-Clatter!
-Clatter!
-Clatter!
Oh no.
Skeleton summon spell.
"..."
Liu Kang stopped thinking.
Our instructor's face was weird when we exited.
"...Good work."
Suspicious how flawlessly we'd navigated.
Pathfinding's a skill too.
I sat and watched Liu Kang tackle the labyrinth.
"Raaah!"
He was raging in a duel with the skeleton mage.
Finally, Liu Kang took down the mage and started on the remaining thirty skeletons.
Tough going.
Five forks appeared.
Team vote: rightmost path.
And bam—three skeleton mages.
[Class 2, Team 1]
Clear Time: 3 hours 21 minutes 32 seconds
Finished too quick? Watching got boring.
No issues on our end, so no feedback needed.
"This fucking—!"
Yoo I-seol's curse blared from the screen.
Skeleton mage spell refilled ten freshly killed skeletons.
"...We almost ended up like that."
Shin Ji-o shuddered in horror.
"Han-su, take this."
Hwang Yung handed me an energy bar.
Practical training wrapped up.
Everyone else looked wrecked except our team.
Full-day raid, so students headed straight to dorms after.
"Hm."
I flexed my limbs.
I'd used Iaido, penalties active, yet Vitality remained.
Iaido felt faster too.
Speed from Agility, leftover Vitality? Two reasons.
Steady workouts boosting Vitality stat whenever free, and getting used to Mana.
Body adapting, less backlash.
Not overflowing, but enough.
'Gotta hit the training room.'
Body loss? Unacceptable.
Build base Vitality with every spare moment.
First-year training room: only one person inside.
Silver hair, red eyes—Yoo I-seol.
"?"
She turned at my presence.
"Hey."
I waved, but she ignored it and kept at her routine.
I was about to start mine when she approached.
"Hey."
"What."
Training spear over her shoulder, she continued.
"Spar with me."
I eyed a training sword.
Crackle—!
"Don't think so."
"What?"
Rejection crumpled her face instantly.
"I'm beat."
"You saying no to sparring with me...? Whatever."
She started to argue, then gave up and returned to her spot.
'!'
I knew what that meant.
Time to start raising Yoo I-seol.
She grows strong just existing at Orbis, but not enough.
I approached her.
"What? Didn't wanna spar."
She glared sharply.
"You free this weekend?"