Chapter 2
The first week had been packed tight with mental education and physical conditioning. Mornings started with lectures that could put anyone to sleep, and afternoons left bodies aching from relentless exercise. After dinner, the instructors lent a hand in awakening their trainees’ mana.
“In this world, there is something called mana,” Aurelpa declared. “Think of it as floating through the air like the air itself. Each dungeon has its own name, but the power is the same everywhere.”
The instructor for Team 2 kept hammering home the point that mana was directly tied to talent.
“Those who can wield mana and those who cannot… if you want to exaggerate, it’s heaven and earth apart. …Let me put it more harshly. If you can’t awaken mana within a month, it’d be better to just die. So work until you’re ready to die.”
Instructors walked the rows of new recruits and slapped the faces of anyone who dozed off. No human rights here—just survival of the fittest.
“I’m always ready for any challenge from my trainees. Unhappy? Then get strong. You bastard.”
When eyes started rolling back, personal insults followed.
“The parents who birthed a scumbag like you are probably scumbags too, aren’t they?”
Of course, that only made some trainees roll their eyes and charge the instructors. They were beaten bloody under the excuse of “challenges.” Several such idiots appeared every single day.
Team 4’s instructor was no pushover either. By the end of the first day, five teammates had already received her open-hand slaps. At least they were cheap. A harder slap could crack ribs.
“If even one of you dozes off and gets caught, you all know what that means—sleep deprivation for the entire night.”
She warned the whole team as she passed. A disgusting sense of collective responsibility. Yet after the grueling workout, stomachs full and sweat-soaked, sleep was impossible no matter how hard they tried. Eventually one female teammate dozed off and was dragged around by the hair.
“Look closely. This girl woke up because she couldn’t help but fall asleep. From now on, when you see her, call her the worthless whore she is. Understood?”
Dragged by the hair, she circled the training room like a circus freak while every trainee watched. She returned to her spot, sobbing, and took several more slaps to the cheeks.
“If you cry again, solitary confinement. You don’t want that, trust me. I’ve been there too—I thought I was dying.”
Her dark whisper made the girl bite her lip and swallow her tears. The rest of the team fought harder than ever not to doze off.
Kang-jun had no intention of awakening mana that week. Getting too noticeable on the first day would only cause trouble later. In the second playthrough, he’d learned the hard way what happened when he tried it on day one.
“If you awaken mana during the first week, I’ll give you special treatment. I said it, didn’t I? Stronger ones deserve more. So dig in and fight it.”
The instructor smiled crookedly. The teammates threw everything they had into trying. Of course Kang-jun knew it was nonsense, but he stayed out of it and did his own thing.
Most batches produced only one or two mana awakeners in the first week. They received special management—extra attention from instructors. If they passed the final-week instructor test, they became the instructors’ personal slaves. In other words, Team 4’s instructor was an elite among elites.
Team 4’s own members clearly lacked that caliber. Second week would already be a lucky break.
And so the endless hamster wheel continued.
On day four of the first week, the first mana awakener appeared. The trainees clapped mechanically, half-hearted and emotionless. The young man who awakened glowed with envy, and the so-called special management began. In reality it meant being worked twice as hard as everyone else—training the talented, they called it. …And in this batch, he was the only one to awaken in the first week.
The second week brought real training. The trainees complained that the mental conditioning of week one had been nothing compared to this. They learned basic combat, survival in extreme conditions, the works.
Kang-jun simply moved just enough not to get slapped. He wasn’t about to take a cheek across the face without doing something about it. So in Team 4, he was the only one who never felt the instructor’s palm.
With week two underway, mana awakeners slowly started appearing. Kang-jun kept his eyes open, waited for the right moment, and jumped in. Stats hit 6. A full point higher than his third playthrough. Not bad for a start.
‘Adding four extra stats and I reach ten.’
Of course, compared to his past lives, it was still crawling-ant levels. But even among instructors, no one ranked higher than him. Mana was simply that difficult to raise.
“Congratulations. You’ve finally clawed your way out of bug level.”
The instructor’s praise dripped with sarcasm. Kang-jun heard it with one ear and let it flow out the other. He’d long since stopped reacting to such comments.
Still, because he was the first in Team 4, the teammates showered him with praise. The women grew even more affectionate toward the handsome, capable Kang-jun. The instructor noticed and her eyes narrowed with something dangerous.
Kang-jun could feel the threat in her gaze. …She was probably waiting for the chance to tighten discipline.
- Those eyes are terrifying. The fear is real. (Reality-Of-SinJeom)
- Nice shot lol. (I’ll give you ten if you hit it right)
- [Notification] Mission anyone? Minimum 100. Priority. Give me lots of coupons ♡
- Looks like he loves ass. You can tell just by looking. (Cute)
- I want him to step on me. (I like getting hit)
- Is there a hero for this mission? lol With fourth playthrough even the instructor should be fair game. (Reality-Of-SinJeom)
Kang-jun felt his heart race as he read the chat. One more mission and he could start the fourth playthrough like a god.
- No way, you’ll get too many. Just ten. But this guy will do it. (Humble S2 Sin)
Humble had thrown a tantrum. That bastard. The group started arguing instead of forcing missions.
- Then we’ll each take ten if we succeed. (I’ll give you ten if you hit it right)
- I’ll take ten too. (Reality-Of-SinJeom)
- If you’re a virgin, ten lol. (Virgin Killer)
- If you’re a milf, ten. (Eat the milf)
- Milf reversal lol lol lol. (Reality-Of-SinJeom)
Even filtering virgins and milfs left twenty. Not bad at all. Of course, the opportunity might not come easily.
- I’ll try it the moment a chance appears. (Shinbara ♡)
Kang-jun posted his offer in the chat and closed it.
…As week two dragged past its midpoint, the instructor’s hysteria only grew worse. Not just her—every instructor in every team was the same. They had kicked it up a notch. Of course, they never hit first; they left that to the instructors.
Sex-related incidents began surfacing one after another. Male and female teammates sat in the same room, sweating together, and feelings inevitably stirred. The instructors had their own warning.
“Sex, huh. Go ahead and do it. Then don’t get caught. If you do, I’ll train you naked all day that day.”
No one took it lightly. Other teams had actually trained naked for a full day under similar warnings. They had to endure constant stares the entire time.
Impulsive idiots still tried it anyway, and such incidents happened at least once a week. On those days the bathroom reeked of night-blooming flowers.
The second week almost ended. The third week of frenzy loomed ahead. Big incidents always exploded during this phase.
On the last day of the second week, the supervisor Jax suddenly reappeared and gave a short speech.
“The third week is the most critical period of the tutorial. Real-world training starts now. I expect every trainee to make good use of what they’ve learned. End of speech.”
A few half-hearted claps echoed and died. Jax vanished again as if his mission was complete. Teams dispersed back to their quarters.
The moment Team 4 arrived at the dorm, the lizardman instructor Aurelpa began explaining the third week.
“As the supervisor said, the third week is real training time. For the first three days you’ll survive in random areas, adapting to the environment you’re given. After that, one day of rest, then three days of team competition.”
Team competition? Every teammate exchanged glances. The name alone felt ominous, but they hadn’t heard the details yet. Aurelpa continued.
“In some dungeons, solo survival is nearly impossible. That’s why team battles are necessary. You’ll learn communication and cooperation. First against monsters, then against intelligent creatures.”
The instructor glanced at the two trainees listening and shot them a glare. The dull ones didn’t notice.
“Winning the team competition will bring rewards. Of course, you have zero expectations, so relax.”
Throughout week two, Team 4 had stayed completely ordinary. They were nowhere near first place.
“During the three days against monsters, instructors will join you too. …Oh, and plenty of you will die. The moment you get complacent, it’s over. Got it?”
“Yes, understood!”
“Then the instructors will explain the rest.”
Aurelpa finished and left. The waiting instructor stepped forward.
“First, listen to the instructor. Any nonsense and you’re done.”
Everyone stood rigid, unmoving. The instructor clicked her tongue and sharpened her teeth. Moments later, a designated male and female pair stepped forward. They exchanged one punch each, apologized, and returned to their spots. The atmosphere froze.
After the punishment, the instructor continued.
“It looks complicated, but it’s simple. Three days of monster fights, one day of preparation, then the team competition again. Easy, right?”
Kang-jun, having played through it four times, understood the drill perfectly. The others looked completely lost. The instructor moved on without further explanation. Explaining it again was pointless; seeing it once was enough.
“We leave at dawn tomorrow. So from now until then, pack everything you’ll need for three days.”
“What kind of stuff? …And we don’t even have a bag.”
“Learn it the way we taught you in education. And get whatever you need yourself. If you’re confident you can survive, you can go in empty-handed.”
She was completely unreasonable. …Well, they’d just have to survive by force.
“Something could happen suddenly in the dungeon. You think all the items you want will be there? No way. Three days is nothing. Sometimes you might have to survive a full week on one cup of water.”
A swallow sounded from someone. The instructor smiled coldly as she swept the group with her eyes.
“So from tomorrow, be ready.”
She left after those words. The instant she was gone, a storm of curses erupted.
“What the hell is this?”
“Really gonna die? …Not a joke, right?”
“These idiots are the type to bluff. They’re actually gonna die.”
Everyone looked helpless. Kang-jun stood up. “I’ll go take a leak.” The woman on the next bunk followed. They slipped into a quiet corner nearby.
“Hyung, what do we do?”
She squatted in front of him exactly as always, loosened his belt, and shoved his pants down. His half-hard cock stiffened under her mouth.
“If you don’t want to just suck fingers for three days, pack something.”
“Then I’ll watch Hyung and do the same.”
She took him in her hand and began sucking. Her other hand rubbed her own chest.
Kang-jun grabbed the back of her head and started thrusting. Slurp slurp slurp. The tip slammed against her throat. He came down her throat. Her face flushed red as she held her breath.
In his mind he changed the face in front of him to the instructor’s.
‘If I’m careful, a chance might appear.’
He wasn’t about to miss even twenty coupons.
…The strong deserved that much, didn’t they? If he forced himself, there was nothing he could say. What was there to complain about when the instructor got scolded by the trainees?