Feeling the Growth
The quiet dawn, with no one around. In the silent academy, only one person's footsteps and breathing could be heard. The cold air, heavy with morning dew, brushed against my face and rose up. That's when I broke the silence and spoke.
"Hey, Lens."
[Huh?]
"Aren't you tired? Following me around all night must be exhausting. If you want, you can head back to the dorm and rest first."
Of course, I was just joking. But Lens flapped his wings vigorously and answered with complete seriousness.
[Don't worry. This body has never slept in its entire life.]
…I just gave up and looked ahead. Is this what a celebrity's life is like?
We were walking together through the pitch-black streets when suddenly a bright light shone in front of us. I lifted my head and realized we'd already reached our destination.
If you follow the western lakeside from the student plaza, you'll see a cube-shaped building. Its official name is the Combat Training Facility. It's a state-of-the-art practice room available to all Raven Academy students, and most of them just call it the "arcade."
When you enter the Combat Training Facility, the first thing you see is a spacious waiting room. The only thing visible is a beige geometric space. I can't remember the exact name, but it's famous for being designed by the American architect Jonas… something-or-other.
The cube structure repeats endlessly, with no windows, creating a completely closed-off form where you can't see the outside at all. Depending on the viewer's perspective, it could give you chills, but that's part of the training too.
Tap, tap, tap.
I walked up to the touchscreen attached to one wall. I held my student ID against it, and the interior of the Combat Training Facility immediately began to brighten. That's exactly when the artificial intelligence voice spoke.
[Academy student authentication complete. An ID is required to use the facility.]
It was a mandatory process for new students. It looked annoying, but registering was incredibly simple if you had your student ID.
"Nickname… I guess I'll just go with 'God Hunter.'"
It sounded a bit lame, but… there was no time to overthink it, so I decided to use it as-is.
"Register."
[Registration complete. Training simulation is ready.]
At that moment, the electronic display in front of me flashed. What appeared on the screen next were rankings and scores from various people. I could see records from second and third years, and even a few first-years mixed in. Of course, all the names had been replaced with the nicknames they'd chosen.
No wonder they call this place the arcade. Seeing the scores left behind by countless students who had passed through here made me start to feel excited.
Anyway, before starting practice, I decided to check the broadcast info window for the first time in a while. I needed to spend the points I'd earned.
[Points Owned: 2,200 P]
I'd earned quite a lot of points in a short time. I thought about spending it all, but in the end I decided to use only half. For some reason, it felt like I should keep some emergency points in reserve…
Invested 1,000 points into Strength.
Strength 5 → Strength 6
You feel your entire body's muscles twitching!
I clenched my fist tightly. A burning sensation spread through my whole body. At last, I'd achieved a Strength stat of 6. It was a level of power that an ordinary person could only reach after working themselves to the bone, over and over. The smile on my lips grew clearer.
Feeling pleased, I checked the updated information once more.
It was truly incredible growth. Not only had my overall stats improved, but I'd gained a new blessing and even leveled up a skill! When I thought about how all of this had happened in less than two weeks, I couldn't help but laugh.
I said, "Thanks, Lens. For giving me this opportunity."
[Suddenly?]
"At first I was shocked to realize I'd become a solo streamer for the gods, but honestly, I was just scared. In the end, I'm the one in charge of the broadcast."
"Sure, I got off on the wrong foot, but that's okay. If I keep gathering only the benevolent constellations who can help me like this, everything will work out!"
If I did that, I wouldn't have to commit violence every day, and I wouldn't get arrested by the police for violent crimes. My life would be safe, and all that was left was to grow quietly.
"And one day… I'll become a strong, cool hunter."
Lens grinned, showing his teeth.
[That sounds awesome.]
A strong, cool hunter…
With that future in mind, I walked over to the weapon locker standing nearby. After all, you can't talk about strong hunters without mentioning weapons.
Hunters use all kinds of weapons. Long swords, daggers, magic wands, axes, spears, spellbooks, bows, crossbows, maces, claymores, and more. There were too many to count.
But since I'd been born with the Swordsmanship skill, I had no choice but to pick up a practice wooden sword. There was no compromising on this part.
That's when the artificial intelligence voice spoke again.
[Weapon selection complete. Training simulation will begin in 10 seconds.]
[10…….]
[9…….]
I gripped the sword with both hands and got into position.
[3…….]
[2…….]
And finally, when the countdown ended—
[1…….]
Simulation room opening.
[Stage 1 difficulty beginning. Multiple 'Robo Balls' will appear.]
At that moment, a powerful vibration shook the entire building. Then, from between the geometric patterns, steel spheres appeared and began rolling toward me.
Rumble rumble rumble—
Waves of ball-shaped robots poured in like a tide. These things, commonly called Robo Balls, were training robots designed to simulate chaotic battlefields. They were built to move quickly in all directions on purpose to confuse trainees, and the taser whips installed inside were meant to subdue anyone who couldn't adapt to the confusion.
There was no such thing as a fair fight inside a Rift.
Right then, one of the Robo Balls charged straight at me at high speed. It looked just like a one-wheeled motorcycle rushing forward. But…
Crunch!
I slammed my fist down on the approaching robot's body, and its steel-covered frame caved in deeply.
"Whoa!"
I hadn't expected it to be this strong. It felt like my power had increased even more than I'd thought.
That's when two more Robo Balls rolled in from both sides.
Bang!
I tensed my thighs and jumped high. The two Robo Balls crashed into each other and shattered.
Watching from mid-air, my chest burned with excitement. Yeah. This was exactly the kind of strength I'd been dreaming of.
"Woo-hoo!"
Of course, I still had a long way to go.
Thud!
I swung my sword as I landed on the ground. Then a spinning slash!
Swoosh!
The Robo Balls nearby exploded wildly from my attack.
Crack!
Robot parts flew through the air, spitting sparks. But their assault wasn't over.
Crackle!
This time, two Robo Balls rolled toward me with their taser whips connected to each other. They were probably planning to surround and attack me from both directions…
Boom!
I swung my sword at a broken Robo Ball on the ground and sent it flying into one of them. Still, the last one kept rolling toward me.
Rumble rumble!
I stabbed my wooden sword straight into its core and finished it off easily.
Crunch…!
The artificial intelligence voice rang out right after.
[Stage 1 difficulty cleared. Stage 2 difficulty will now begin.]
Before the words even finished, dozens more Robo Balls appeared from between the geometric patterns. Seeing the sight, I lifted the corners of my mouth.
Yeah, bring it on!
…And so I cleared Stage 2 as well. After finishing up to Stage 3, 4, and 5, I requested to end the training.
[Simulation training terminated. Calculating score.]
[God Hunter: 12,000 points.]
"Huff… huff…"
I wiped the sweat from my forehead and looked up at the scoreboard. I still wasn't in first place… Well, whatever. I'd only come here to get a taste anyway.
I caught my breath and pulled out my smartphone from my pocket. It was already 6 a.m. My eyelids started to feel heavy.
"Did I overdo it? Looks like I won't be able to attend class today…"
Then I checked a text message I hadn't seen yet. But what the…?
"This is Professor Ju Si-eun from Emergency Treatment. Ha Yeonjun, do you have time? It's nothing serious, but… um…"
Why was Professor Ju Si-eun suddenly looking for me? I just stared at my phone screen, scratching my head in confusion.