Mock Battle (Part 1)
Sonya and Media simultaneously unleashed their Qi, filling the entire training ground. Now, that training ground was no longer just reality—it was reality and non-reality at once. It would serve as a simulated gate.
A few cadets from the group ahead of ours entered through the front door, only to exit through the back moments later, repeating the process. As our turn approached moment by moment, Yujin was visibly tense, fidgeting with his fingers nonstop. This won't do. I need to give him a pep talk. I was about to open my mouth when—
"Why are you so tense~? It's just class, right? Even if you mess up this time, there'll be other chances. Aren't you overdoing it?"
Kiru suddenly hugged Yujin from behind and whispered that in his ear. That was exactly what I was going to say!
"I'm not tense... I'm just steeling myself to do my best."
"That's proof you're tense. Can't you tell? Eung~?"
Kiru wrapped her arms around Yujin's shoulders, grinning slyly with a wicked chuckle. When this girl he'd barely been close to suddenly got touchy-feely, Yujin looked uncomfortable at first, then blushed as if realizing something. Ah, this guy... Kiru's figure wasn't exactly voluptuous. Put nicely, she was slender; put harshly, flat-chested (by eroge standards). But that didn't mean she lacked feminine charm. The soft, melting curve of her body pressing flush against a guy's back would be too much stimulation for a 20-year virgin's life experience.
Getting all flustered just because a girl's tits touch your back? ...I totally get it. I would've done the same. Why didn't I have college days like that? Sigh.
"And so what if you don't perform well? You've got that su~per special ability, right~?"
"...What are you getting at?"
"Don't play dumb. You have that Unique Ability that amps up a woman's Qi through training her, don't you? I've never even heard of something like that—it's got me a li~ttle curious~."
Yujin's face, which had started to relax, hardened rapidly. No wonder— she'd carelessly poked at his complex. But... the follow-up suggestion was way too bold.
"Wanna test it out on my body? Seems a shame to let such an ama~zing power go to waste~."
"W-Wha!?"
This crazy bitch!? The difference between viewing it as a player and as a character in the game was night and day. From a third-person perspective, it might be "Ooh, kinda hot?" But hearing that line directly? No sane person would say shit like that. Don't tease a hormonal 20-year-old guy for no reason, you damn mutt!
I grabbed Kiru by the hair and slammed her to the ground. She didn't seem hurt, but she looked dumbfounded by the unexpected reaction, babbling nonsense like, "Huh? Isn't this how you seduce someone? That's what the books said~."
Talking to her was pointless.
"Hey, Hwa Yujin!"
"Y-Yeah...?"
Yujin hadn't done anything wrong! But I had to drive the point home anyway.
"Don't let this bitch's words shake you. Don't even listen. Got it? Abso~lutely don't fall for it. Understand?"
"......"
"Answer me!"
"O-Okay, got it."
Good. At least I got a response. He'd need active, delicate care going forward, but for now, I'd take this.
"Next!"
Perfect timing— it was our turn. The cadets had all watched our little drama, which was embarrassing, but escaping somehow was a relief.
"Alright, everyone, get your game faces on. Let's go!"
The mood demanded I lead, so I stepped first into the training ground turned gate.
The interior was no longer a divided indoor space. It had a murky green sky overhead and an endless horizon stretching into the distance—a vast plain. The training ground, surely no bigger than a normal gym, had expanded like some otherworld. I'd known the setup from the game, but seeing it firsthand hit different.
"To think two humans could create a gate this realistic. Impressive~ As expected of academy instructor-level pros."
Kiru let out a sigh of admiration, her gaze looking down from somewhere above. This girl... she really had no intention of hiding her true nature.
"...Incoming."
Yujin's quiet warning snapped our focus. My instinctively activated Sense Qi (Chalbeop) picked up suspicious Qi fluctuations writhing about. The Qi expanded like cell division, solidifying into monstrous forms—like quadrupedal beasts resembling dogs.
"Grrrrrrrowl!"
No sooner had they taken shape than they roared threats our way. No room for talk or compromise.
"That's a lot of them."
If it were just one or two, I'd have taken them lightly, but there were too many to count properly. They surrounded us in a circle, so without a word, we formed a triangular formation, backs to each other. It was just training, but they looked straight out of real combat. Yujin gripped his pile driver handle so tight it might leave marks, his face taut with tension. Kiru, meanwhile, hummed casually, utterly unfazed. And me? Scared shitless, obviously.
'I've lived my whole life without even a schoolyard scrap, safe in my bubble.' Even Yujin, who'd grown up in this crisis era, felt it— so why wouldn't I, from a peaceful world? But I couldn't show it. I was supposedly the class's only one with real combat experience. If word got out that I was the most terrified, my position would tank.
'Please pull through again, muscle memory.' You've done great so far. You can keep it up, right? I believe in you.
"Gather Qi (Gyeolbeop)!"
On my signal, we three drew in and solidified the surrounding Qi simultaneously. Preemptively claiming resources the enemy could use was Combat 101. By securing Qi first to reinforce ourselves, we'd reduce their total available Qi, weakening them.
The monsters instinctively grasped this and didn't charge recklessly—like wild animals. But unlike beasts that retreat when outmatched or see no gain, these were driven by inexplicable hatred and aggression toward humans. That impulse hurled them headlong at our formation.
"Kraaaaaang!!!"
The first roaring monster lunged at Yujin—instinctively targeting the weakest of us. But "weakest" didn't mean trash-tier. The lead charger met a furiously spinning pile and shredded into rags in seconds. Pioneers always end up like that.
"Huuuuh..."
Yujin exhaled deeply. With sharp Sense Qi (Chalbeop), you could predict the enemy's next move from Qi flows. Tougher against higher-caliber foes, but child's play on wild-beast level. Knowing their approach let Yujin counter effortlessly at his level.
"Yip! Yip! Yip! Yip!"
"Grrrrrrrrrowl!!!!"
A comrade's death triggered their all-out assault. Black doberman-sized horrors surging like waves exuded pure intimidation. But the reflexes etched into this body crushed that pressure effortlessly.
Swish!
Even I was shocked by the clean draw. My katana sliced through the air, bisecting the beasts lunging at me flawlessly. Media had said these weapons matched their wielders' souls perfectly. I felt it now in my bones. I'd never handled so much as a wooden sword in my life, yet drawing this blade, I instinctively knew how to swing it. Muscle memory? Soul resonance? Didn't matter. What counted was this body understood combat.
We slashed mercilessly at the heedless monsters. Individually, they weren't strong—just wild beasts. Threatening to normals, but trivial to Qi users like us. Sense Qi (Chalbeop) predicted attacks easily; even misses were shrugged off by Gather Qi (Gyeolbeop), leaving mere scratches.
Everything should be fine... I could see it. But.
"Th-They're endless! Why are there so many? I kill and kill, but they keep coming!"
"It's not that there are many~ They're just respawning endlessly~."
As Kiru said, slaying them did nothing. Sliced, pierced, pulverized— their Qi soon reformed into new monsters. A normal freshman would panic or at least feel dismay by now. But not me. I'd already learned the model answer from the game.