Cat Fight?!
"Now that you've at least picked up the basics, it's time to practice putting them to use. In simple terms, we're heading into a mock gate to take down some monsters for real."
Sonya grimaced, her face twisting in clear displeasure as she added, "Honestly, I think you're still miles away from having a solid foundation. But the higher-ups seem to want you lot as instant combat assets they can deploy anytime. I get it, but still..."
She clearly wasn't thrilled with the brass's policies. In her view, you needed to build a rock-solid pillar of fundamentals first before throwing cadets into real combat to forge proper heroes. She was an excellent instructor, but maybe a bit too laid-back for the times. With gates liable to pop open at any moment and a constant shortage of qi users, even first-years got dragged out for support roles when things went down. Naturally, the priority was hammering in self-defense skills ASAP. Even the best educator was useless without the right era to back them up.
"You'll enter the mock gate I create with Media here, in teams of three. It'll spawn low-level monsters, so beat them back and meet the escape condition to pass."
"What's the escape condition, exactly?" asked Sana, raising her hand.
Sonya replied, "Finding the escape condition is the lesson. Satisfy it for 100 points. Just locate it for 50. Fail that, and it's zero."
It sounded brutal even from the description. The cadets' faces darkened, so Sonya tapped the side of her eye with her index finger like she was bestowing a favor.
"If you stick to what we've covered in class, it won't be that hard. The monsters aren't particularly strong—just a step above wild animals. Stay true to the basics, and you should at least scrape 50 points, even if it's not a total blowout."
Stick to the basics. The simplest advice, yet the hardest to follow.
"Now, time to distribute your weapons."
At Sonya's nod, a pale-faced woman standing a step behind her stepped forward. Her skin was deathly white, her dress black as mourning garb. A wide-brimmed hat and flashy rings on every finger gave her the look of a straight-up witch. Her name was Media, the so-called alchemist.
Media sighed toward us in a low, resonant voice that sent chills down the spine, seductive yet creepy. "Haaaah... this youthful energy. So fresh~ green and innocent first-years, untouched and ripe~ Delicious..."
She licked her lips like a snake eyeing prey, making the more timid cadets clench their fists in tension.
"Whoa, fuck, that's intense... Kinda hot, though."
...Okay, so there were a couple perverts in the mix, but hey, get a crowd together and weirdos are inevitable.
"I'll scan every hidden corner of your qi, right down to your souls, and craft the perfect weapon for each of you. This will be your first time. You'll wield the weapons I forged and claim your first experience slaying monsters. Haaaah, just thinking about it gives me shivers. The ink staining the fresh pages of your youthful debut... penned by me."
Sonya knew exactly how to handle Media's needless creepy monologue. She kicked her ass without mercy.
"Kyaaang! ♥"
"Quit screwing around and do your job, idiot! That's why you got booted from first-year instructor duty, moron!"
"Nngh... hitting where it hurts... Fine, fine."
Media whined at Sonya like a petulant child, but flipped a switch in an instant, her demeanor shifting completely. Clap! A dry clap echoed, and a wind-like qi swept into my body—no, into every cadet's. It circulated like blood, probing every nook and cranny, then settled heavily in our right hands.
"Creation."
Media's incantation was soft, barely above a whisper, yet it reached every cadet gathered before the training hall doors—and the qi now dwelling within us.
"Whoa!? What the—?!"
"A sword! A sword just appeared!"
"Mine's a bow! It materialized out of thin air!"
"So this is possible if you can handle qi... I knew the theory, but seeing it for real..."
Media's qi had drawn in ambient energy, shaping it into weapons tailored to each cadet. Spears for some, swords for others, bows for a few. Me? A massive katana big enough for an elementary schooler.
Full-on chuunibyou vibes.
Black-haired hime-cut girl. Light and Darkness affinity. Oversized katana. Korean name, but Japanese sword? Don't ask. Everyone knows the katana's transcended Japan to become the global symbol of edgelords. Hell, even I felt a little thrill in my chest at thirty years old. Sure, I know I shouldn't get excited over this stuff anymore... but damn, it's cool, right? Guys stay boys no matter the age.
And no nitpicking about its practicality. Who cares? It's badass! Per the lore, these weapons are soul-matched partners, perfectly suited to each user. Even if I got a spear or polearm, I couldn't match this katana's performance. If katanas were total garbage, they'd have died out ages ago.
"Instructor! Is this material creation from Media's unique ability?"
"No, it's an application of the Three Core Laws. Master them, and anyone can do it."
"Oh my, what's that supposed to mean~? That's just theory~ In practice, you need innate talent above all to wield Creation effectively. Talent~ No average person could pull it off!"
Sonya kicked Media's ass again for spreading pointless pessimism. Media was technically lore-accurate, but no need to demoralize first-years.
Wonder what Yujin's got.
I hefted the katana's solid weight and balance, then checked on him. His face was a mask of obvious panic—easy to read. The others all got proper weapons, but Yujin? He clutched a pile driver. Not a weapon for killing, but a construction tool. Sure, you could bash heads with it, but it stuck out like a sore thumb among the swords and spears.
Players joked it symbolized his drive to "pioneer" the heroines' virgin pussies. Looked like the in-universe crowd might say the same.
...But honestly, isn't it kinda cool? Big, burly, unique as hell. If it'd been in my hands, it might've excited me more than the katana.
"Alright, form your teams of three! Free choice, so think about weapon synergy and team fit. Note: the monsters aren't strong, but there are lots of them, and they're all melee types!"
At Sonya's command, cadets immediately grouped with friends. Ideally, you'd optimize for weapons and skills, but first-years weren't that tactical yet.
Naturally, I planned to team with Yujin.
This is probably the prologue part.
Recalling the original story: the protagonist overdid it to prove himself, pissed off his team, and got labeled a twisted unique ability nutjob who didn't care about others—deepening his isolation.
No way I'd let that slide.
Just stay chill, and he can pull more than his weight.
If his shaky mentality caused the screw-up, fixing that would sort it. Like in elementary school, reaching out to the kid left out last. Time to approach Yujin, original plot be damned.
...But before I could, the world derailed itself.
"Heeey, Yujin! You don't have a team yet, right? Team up with me!"
Braided brown hair, huge glasses. Kiru beat me to him.
Alarms blared in my head like thunder. CODE RED!!! DANGER, EXTREME DANGER. Better Esmeralda than Kiru. At this stage, absolutely not!
I rushed over and yanked the protagonist's arm.
"Sorry, Yujin's already reserved with me. Back off."
"Huh?"
I shot Yujin a glare to shut down his oblivious protest. Read the room, man.
"C'mon, who reserves teams? First come, first served, right?"
Kiru tugged Yujin's arm toward her. Damn, she was strong—had to brace my legs or get dragged.
"I said I got here first! Go find someone else!"
"You're so mean. What's your problem? Don't like me?"
...I don't dislike you. Hell, I love you. Favorite character and all. But your role's way too dangerous right now. Can't have you near Yujin at this point.
"...Your weapon looks like a lance. Doesn't it overlap with Yujin's pile driver? Better mix weapon types."
"It's not just a lance—I've got a shield too. Trust me, I'm a solid tank."
Damn. Every counter, perfectly parried! Was forming one team always this much of a verbal slugfest?
"Tr-triangle! It's a love triangle! Oh my god!"
"Two girls fighting over one guy... Isn't that drama stuff?!"
"Wait, Hwa Yujin?!"
"You never know. Maybe he's got hidden charm."
Shut up, outfield! Not like that—zip it!
"Uh, hey... Why not just make it the three of us? No rule saying it has to be exactly two, right?"
Yujin threw out his spineless compromise. You idiot—do you even know what Kiru is? The classic "guides the protagonist to abuse women while cheering him on" bitch from sadistic eroge!
Teaming up was one thing—don't even talk to her!
...But my inner screams fell on deaf ears.
"He's right. No need to fight. You three are a team. Get ready."
Sonya just lumped us together. Ah, my head...