Chapter 18: Secret Training (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 18: Secret Training (4)
Another day, another repetition of the same routine.
I used to do the same thing back in the military, but it’s amazing how much more vibrant life feels just because I’m out in society.
My daily schedule is simple:
Home – Center – Clan – Center – Home.
Right now, I have to shut up and focus on raising my stats, so it’s bound to be simple.
Raising base stats is always repetitive and boring, but how well you use that time determines whether you survive in the field. This applies to any field, so I have to give it my all.
The morning training is basically the same every day.
I run on the treadmill and use the agility ladder to improve my speed and reflexes. How you plant your feet changes your entire movement, so it’s an essential part of training that can’t be skipped.
As I train with the rope ladder spread out on the floor, Juna watches me from the side.
Actually, since I’m not using mana or any complex equipment, she doesn’t really need to watch me, but Juna takes care of me meticulously. I suppose that’s the best part of using a private training room.
"Hi, Yeon-yu."
Suddenly, the door swings open, and a blonde woman runs toward me with a bright smile.
"Uh..."
"What’s with that look? Are you going to pretend you don’t know me after giving me such hot 'condensed milk'? I’m hurt."
"It’s not that. I just realized I don’t know your name."
The blonde burst into laughter at my words, then leaned her face close to mine with a charming smile.
"We really did get the order of things backward, didn't we? I’m Ha-el. Song Ha-el. Call me by my name."
"It’s been a while, Ha-el-ssi."
"No, not 'ssi.' Call me Nuna."
"Yes, yes, Ha-el Nuna. Member Jeong Yeon-woo needs to train, so please stop interfering and leave."
Juna literally picked Song Ha-el up, tossed her out the door, and slammed it shut.
"Hey! I’m the owner! Juna! I stayed up all night just to see my little Yeon-yu! Open the door!"
Ignoring Song Ha-el, who was pounding on the door, Juna looked at me and gave a thin smile.
"Don't mind her. You should focus on your training."
Judging by the way they act, they clearly aren't in a simple boss-employee relationship.
While I focused on my training, Juna went outside, spoke to Song Ha-el for a moment, and then brought her back in.
"Sigh... Member Jeong Yeon-woo, I apologize, but the owner says she wants to observe. Is that alright?"
"Yes, it’s fine."
"See? I told you Yeon-yu and I have a deep connection."
Song Ha-el sat on a bench and watched me with a silly grin.
Despite her flighty attitude, she surprisingly didn't interfere with my training. I guess she really is an A-rank hero, I thought.
But when I glanced over a moment later, she was fast asleep on the bench. She was in a deep slumber, her luscious blonde hair scattered over her cheeks.
"... ..."
"It’s usually her time to sleep. You don't need to worry about her. I apologize on her behalf."
Juna looked at Song Ha-el with a look of pure patheticness before urging me to continue.
Refocusing on my workout, I eventually let out a small breath, soaked in a pleasant amount of sweat. As I moved to pack up the agility ladder, Juna stepped in and told me to leave the cleanup to her.
"You should do your cool-down stretches, Member. This is my job."
Even though it was basically grunt work, Juna, like a true professional trainer, helped the trainee maximize their efficiency.
As I was lightly massaging my muscles, Juna finished tidying up and came over to grab my leg.
"I'll do it for you."
Could there be a more perfect trainer in this world? She managed me as if she were my personal, dedicated trainer.
It wasn't like she had any ulterior motives while massaging me; Juna focused on my legs with the touch of a seasoned professional.
However, I was the one starting to have ulterior motives.
Since the morning training focused entirely on my legs, her hands gradually moved higher. When she began massaging the inner thighs, the stimulation traveled straight to my cock.
Perhaps it was because this was a young body, but my cock, which reacted at the slightest provocation, began to stir, its shape becoming visible through my tight athletic wear.
"... ..."
I lay there silently, pretending not to notice. Her hands moved further up... but they didn't cross the line. Instead, they moved back down to my calves, where she applied firm, refreshing pressure with her thumbs.
She must have seen the angry bulge, yet Juna remained perfectly calm.
Right. Even if this is a world where women are more forward, Song Ha-el—who just lunged for it—is the outlier. This is still a world with common sense.
If the world were full of women like Song Ha-el, it would have turned into a madhouse of non-stop sex long ago.
Personally, I wouldn't mind that, but the thought of a woman I considered mine sleeping around with other men made me grimace. Song Ha-el seemed like the type to have plenty of "friends" like that.
While I was lost in these useless thoughts, Juna finished the massage without a single change in her expression and stood up.
"Good work today. I'll see you this evening."
"Yes, thank you. You're really good at massaging."
After our sensible exchange, Juna dragged the sleeping Song Ha-el out of the training room. She seemed to be the type who was hard to wake up once she fell asleep.
I looked down at my cock, which was screaming for its turn, shrugged my shoulders, and headed for the showers.
The sound of running water echoed from the showers, and the empty locker room was silent.
Juna, having dumped Song Ha-el back in her office, peeked inside to confirm Jeong Yeon-woo wasn't there before entering.
Aside from him, this private training room was only used by the members of the Queen Bee Party, so she never had to worry about prying eyes before.
Even now, Juna felt a flush of embarrassment when she thought of their party name—a name Song Ha-el had chosen while making lewd jokes about "devouring all the men."
In reality, they were so buried in work that not a single member had managed a proper relationship, and even Song Ha-el, the one who came up with the name, was all talk and no action.
Except for Song Ha-el and Seo Han-na, the other party members only visited occasionally, but since there were no set rules, the locker room became a mess if it wasn't managed constantly.
As expected, Song Ha-el’s locker was a disaster. Juna began tidying it up with a stoic expression.
Compared to Seo Han-na, who came every day when she wasn't busy, this place was a pigsty. There was half-finished coffee left on top of the locker, and personal items were strewn about haphazardly.
The only saving grace was that she at least kept the mess confined to the area around her own locker.
Juna tilted her head at a strange object of unknown purpose, finished cleaning the room, and was about to leave when she stopped.
Her gaze landed on the newly assigned locker—Jeong Yeon-woo’s.
Inside were a few simple belongings and the workout clothes he had just worn. It was unusual to fold up sweaty clothes before going to shower, but Jeong Yeon-woo had folded them neatly.
Seeing them folded with military precision brought a small smile to Juna’s lips, but as she turned to leave, she paused again.
"... ..."
She hadn't let it show during the massage, but she had been startled by the sight of his cock, which looked ready to tear through his gym clothes.
The memory of him and Song Ha-el mating like animals flashed through her mind, and before she knew it, Juna found herself walking toward his locker.
Even as she told herself she shouldn't, her hand reached for the clothes he had folded.
They were damp with sweat and should have been unpleasant, but because they were saturated with his scent, they didn't feel gross at all.
Juna brought the clothes to her nose and took a deep sniff, then threw them back in a panic.
Startled by her own actions, she stood frozen for a moment before picking up the discarded clothes and pressing them to her nose again.
This was the first time Juna had ever thought the smell of sweat was fragrant. She continued to inhale the strangely addictive scent until the sound of the shower stopped. Startled, she dropped the clothes and prepared to bolt.
Then, she scrambled back, refolded them exactly as they were, and hurried out before he could return.
After finishing my shower and stepping out feeling refreshed, I noticed the locker room had been tidied up.
Did Juna come by and clean?
The only messy part had been Song Ha-el’s locker anyway, so it hadn't felt dirty, but Juna really was incredibly diligent.
She could have easily hung around to catch a glimpse of my body while 'cleaning,' but she really is a sensible person.
As I thought, even in a gender-reversed world, it wasn't some perverted dystopia where showing your junk meant someone would immediately open their legs.
I should be careful too. I might get into trouble if I keep acting up.
I realized I had been lucky so far—thrusting my crotch at Sung Hee-na under the guise of "focus training" or making Kim Yun-ah climax in a karaoke room without any major fallout.
Reflecting on my behavior, I changed and headed to the clan office.
I didn't have much to do at the clan today.
As time passed, the influx of people coming for interviews had completely dried up. After the "New Human Alliance"—a group of lunatics whose brains were rotted by eugenics and who believed the Awakened should rule the world and slaughter ordinary humans—carried out a series of terror attacks, my scandal was completely buried.
I guess every society has its share of crazies obsessed with their own superiority.
I was glad the nuisance was gone, but I couldn't exactly celebrate knowing innocent civilians had been hurt.
In particular, Park Sung-jun, who had hoped to make a fortune off me, was mourning the loss of the spotlight more than the victims' families.
With the workload lightened, I spent my time practicing mana control as I used to.
I'll head to the shooting range around clock-out time and see Sung Hee-na.
Just as I was spinning a small mana ball on the tip of my finger, thinking it was a perfect plan, Han Ju-hee walked in.
"Here is the final list of B-rank heroes. I’ve also brought a list of new hero candidates."
Han Ju-hee, who was just as sensible as Juna, handed me a thick stack of documents.
The B-rank hero list was based on the proposal I had spearheaded, and the new candidates were part of Park Sung-jun’s plan to keep expanding the clan’s size.
"Right, I'll submit the B-rank list as is. As for the new candidates..."
I looked over the reports containing information on the "rookies."
Honestly, I felt like sending them all a message telling them to run away because there was no future here.
"Oh, and the Clan Leader would like to see you in the shooting range. The exact time hasn't been confirmed, but she’ll likely come down around the time you finish work."
"Eh? Why is she coming?"
I was just planning on seeing Sung Hee-na.
"I believe it’s because of the Apprentice System you proposed."
Seeing my blank expression, the efficient Han Ju-hee immediately explained.
"Apprentice System" sounded grand, but it was basically just using them as interns. Since you can't judge someone's ability to fight monsters just by the numbers on a page, the idea was to have the recruits act as apprentices while an HR manager evaluated them during dungeon raids.
Large clans all used internship programs, and since I emphasized that while proposing it, the vanity-driven Park Sung-jun happily approved it.
In the end, my own actions had come back to haunt me, but the Apprentice System offered me many benefits.
How many HR managers could actually enter a dungeon? Only me.
Even though there are more Awakened here than in my original world, the majority of the population is still ordinary humans. My plan was to use the Booster and soak up some experience points while running dungeons with the rookie hero candidates.
It would mean more work, but since it would raise my own abilities, I couldn't pass it up. Plus, I could scout some decent talent.
Han Ju-hee had good judgment, so the candidates she narrowed down were all solid, but because the original owner of this body was a slacker, they had never been properly utilized.
Now that I was actually working, Han Ju-hee seemed motivated and was actively picking out candidates. Before this, many of the heroes brought in were recruited without much thought.
Since we were a mid-sized clan, I understood our analytical power was lacking, but it was so poor that out of the current first and second-year rookies, Yoon A-young was the only one with a visible future.
"Alright, I understand. Let me know when the Clan Leader’s schedule is set."
"Understood."
Han Ju-hee gave a polite bow and left my office.
As I took on more work, the way she treated me seemed to be changing. Did she like people who were good at their jobs? Or did she respect a boss she could learn from?
As the end of the day approached, I headed to the shooting range.
The tactical support team was visibly tense; the Clan Leader, someone who seemed like she would never set foot in a shooting range, had appeared.
I felt bad seeing everyone gathered as if they were standing for a commander's inspection because of me.
I made eye contact with Sung Hee-na, who was standing stiffly with a hardened expression. When I gave a slight nod, her gaze softened just a fraction.
Still, she wasn't one to mix business with pleasure, so while her eyes softened, her expression remained stern.
That aside, wasn't this a bit much? The Clan Leader, the heroes, and even the department heads had all shown up just to watch me.
Park Sung-jun, Han So-ye, Kim Yun-ah... and why were rookies like Yoon A-young and Park Se-eun here?
I looked at Park Se-eun, who was watching me with eyes full of respect, and Yoon A-young, who was still glaring at me with a face full of discontent, before turning my gaze to Park Sung-jun.
I understood that as one's status grows, so does their entourage, but this was a massive crowd for a simple visit from the Clan Leader.
"You might feel pressured with so many people watching, but let’s see what you can do."
"Yes, understood."
He was the one who said guns were useless, and now he wanted to see my skills. Well, he was probably checking to see if I was safe to put in a dungeon, but he was acting far too solemn for just that.
As Sung Hee-na prepared the loaded magazines at the firing line, it reminded me of old times, but her expression remained stiff with Park Sung-jun standing right behind her.
"Just do what you always do. You can do this, Manager," she whispered, cheering me on just when I was starting to feel a bit slighted by her coldness.
It was pathetic how much strength I drew from such a small gesture.
I set the program to Level 5, picked up the dual pistols, and took aim.
After dozens of gunshots and several magazine changes, the thick scent of gunpowder from the live rounds filled the range.
"Whew—"
Han So-ye whistled at the 100% accuracy displayed on the monitor, and the other heroes' eyes sparkled.
Is this enough for you?
When I turned around, Park Sung-jun was grinning.
"Better than expected. Are you thinking of trying to become a hero again?"
"There are no heroes who use guns."
When I threw his own words from our conversation in the Clan Leader's office back at him, Park Sung-jun laughed hollowly.
"You’re fit to be the manager for the Apprentice System. Also, set up some more interviews."
Park Sung-jun spoke to his secretary and then coolly walked out of the shooting range.
Wait, what is he going to use me for this time? More interviews?
Somehow, despite having the same surname, Park Sung-jun seemed intent on working me to the bone, just like Colonel Park.