You're Giving Me That?

The first semester is mostly theory-based, but practical training is still very much a thing. If you break it down, it's roughly a 6:4 ratio of theory to practice. Before diving into actual combat classes, the academy runs a series of tests to analyze each student's combat ability in detail—limits of their powers, stamina, physical strength, weapon proficiency, marksmanship, and so on. The list ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠is too long to cover completely. These assessments stretch over several days, after which instructors provide feedback on areas for improvement and future direction. The goal of practical classes is to internalize that advice through real combat experience.

Long story short, my marksmanship is certified as catastrophic. HACCP-level bad. "As expected, I'm a tank. Ranged combat just isn't my thing."

Meanwhile, Hye-ji displayed overwhelming combat prowess. In marksmanship alone, she hit the center of the target nine out of ten times. The one miss happened because she was secretly sniping at my target and got caught by the professor.

The practical classes that followed were a bit different. Academy policy dictates that practical sessions always combine classes. Normally, they pair Iron Rank & Silver Rank together, and Bronze Rank & Gold Rank. Equality? The academy threw that concept in the trash like the bastards they are.

"Those fuckers. This is straight-up rank discrimination."

The academy offers some vague excuse about evaluating how far each individual has progressed. But if you dig deeper, the real reasons are obvious: they want high-rank students to feel superior to lower-rank ones, and they want to drill inferiority complexes into the lower ranks. Occasionally, they hope to spark a fighting spirit in a few students—"This might actually be doable." Truly a Korean-style academy.

That's also why they don't pair adjacent ranks like Iron and Bronze. The logic is simple: "People tend to look down on ranks right next to their own." It's based on observable fact, backed by massive amounts of experience data. Think of any popular AOS game. What do most people feel when they see someone one rank above them? Fighting spirit? No. It's inferiority complexes and petty emotional warfare.

- This bastard's worse than me?

- If that were me, I'd climb immediately.

Some people deny it—"Not me!"—but the moment they open the champion select screen, they're all the same.

- Who's this useless Yasuo in our tier?

- This idiot's played a thousand ranked games and still can't escape that elo, what a moron.

- It's just bad luck with teammates. My real skill is at least Gold.

Instead of competing, they just tear each other down. Still don't believe the adjacent-rank theory? Queue up a ranked game yourself. Watch what ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠happens when your team gets matched with someone one rank above who starts feeding. You'll see every kind of ping flying—retreat pings, champion pings, the works. At least these days reports actually work, so the swearing might not fly as freely.

"Of course, my real rank is Platinum. I'm only in Silver because of my teammates."

Anyway, that's how it is. Not mental victory—just three years of getting beaten senseless by a crazy old man had its effects. I could handle it. Not just against the Iron kids, but even against the real Bronze students.

Though there was one student who gave me real trouble. Some bastard whose ability stimulated the prostate with every attack. That son of a bitch made me change my pants twice.

"Didn't even happen during the DT exam, you fuck."

After several training sessions against Silver Rank students, I had a rough idea of their level.

Ah. I see now. Your skills. How boring. I almost wanted to die from how dull it was.

"Your ability to utilize your powers is way below what your rank and abilities suggest."

For example, elemental abilities like fire, ice, or lightning. The raw power was genuinely strong. But because they trusted that power so much, they acted carelessly—firing off big skills without even considering cooldowns.

Standing still? Then get hit, you idiot. This isn't League of Legends. There are no three-second manners here.

There were also idiots who only knew how to use crude physical enhancement. The enhancement itself was effective, sure, but plenty of them lost their balance and face-planted on their own. Even when they tried to attack, most couldn't react when their strikes were deflected and countered.

In the end, the Iron Rank students in my class weren't even competition. I wiped out the Bronze students too. Naturally, my sparring partner changed from students to the professor.

"Hey, Kim. Shut your mouth and come at me already."

"Shit. Why is a former pro jumping into a match between scrubs?"

Professor Kim Pilyong. A bald instructor whose head shone brightly even in the dark. I'd fought him before, so I figured it wouldn't be a problem. But there was a problem—he was using his ability at full strength this time.

The ability reader had previously identified Professor Pilyong's power as ice manipulation. A simple ability that froze anything his arms or legs touched.

"Motherfucker. What the hell is that?"

Professor Pilyong's move was simple. He dropped into a horse stance and threw a single right punch. The real issue came after. The wind pressure from his punch suddenly created multiple massive icebergs right in front of me. He must have been treating the air or water vapor as contact mediums for his ability. Convenient for him. Infuriating for me.

"Akainu, sir! Grant me the power to sever this bald man's legs!"

The one saving grace was that the icebergs didn't generate simultaneously. The moment the second one formed after the first, I slipped through the gap and crossed my swords, thrusting straight at Professor Pilyong's heart. But the number above his head had already increased by one.

- Clang!

Ice instantly formed in the sword's path, deflecting it. The twisted blade ended up only grazing his left thigh instead.

"No conscience to match that hair count, huh."

Moreover, the ice was already spreading across the blade, forming a barrier. It clearly wasn't going to allow further advance. But unlike before, this ice was only a thin layer. Enough to break.

I released the sword and immediately slammed the pommel with my elbow. The external force shattered the ice and drove the blade deep into Professor Pilyong's thigh.

- Thunk!!!

"Urgh!"

At that moment, the red number above his head increased by one. Had he already seen this future? Either way, he clearly hadn't experienced this attack before. I wasn't stopping here. I grabbed the hilt again and swung.

- Slice!

I cleanly severed Professor Pilyong's left leg. At the same time, the Dueling Arena system shut down.

Professor Pilyong scratched his head and spoke to me.

"You're certainly impressive. Even as a powerless person, this level is excellent."

"No, why were you going so hard against Iron Rank students, Professor?"

"Iron Ranks are unpredictable."

"Fair. Even I can't predict Iron Rank Yumi's Q."

Then Professor Pilyong suddenly changed the subject, making no effort to hide the vulgar desire in his eyes.

"In that case, how about we grab a coffee in the faculty office after class?"

"Not interested in becoming a research slave."

"Damn it."

Clicking his tongue, Professor Pilyong walked away to instruct other students. In a world where even graduate students are legally considered human, becoming a research slave? Ah, the research slave is broken. It had been used for a long time. Even so, this would only count as property damage.

"That bastard, trying to pull something."

Just then, I spotted Jung Ayeon training in the distance. She was gradually pressuring her opponent with five summoned creatures. Previously, she'd summoned massive numbers and pushed mindlessly. This time, she was using thorough containment and pressure.

"Even if she can't detect me without mana, could I still win?"

It would be difficult. Making any sound would reveal my position. If Jung Ayeon summoned a large number of creatures and had them attack randomly while moving around, I'd inevitably have to make noise—whether blocking, dodging, or counterattacking.

"This sucks."

Feeling unsettled at the thought of struggling to beat Jung Ayeon alone, I noticed a Silver Rank male student trying to talk to an Iron Rank female student nearby. The number above the fidgeting male student's head increased by one. Then, as if making up his mind, he strode toward her. The female student, noticing his approach, began blushing furiously. But she didn't seem displeased.

My mood soured. I couldn't watch this nonsense. Before the male student could make his move, I dragged him over and forced him to train with me instead.

"Already trying to get frisky, this bastard."

The male student wore a look of despair. The red number above his head rose, as expected.

"Who said you could enjoy a sweet school life? Go die."

The male student who ended up facing me received three broken maces before training ended. In other words, I beat him until three maces shattered.

***

The combined theory and practical classes had already gone on for over a week. The following Monday evening, a package was suddenly delivered to me. I sent out a ping in confusion. What the hell? I didn't have any videos or USBs to receive from Geum Taeyang. Did some hero party's baggage carrier send this? Are you Uni, by any chance?

Anyway, I figured it had nothing to do with me and opened the package without worry. If it was an NTR video, I could just watch it and jerk off. It's not like I had anyone to lose in the first place.

When I opened it, the contents were different from what I'd expected. A roughly bubble-wrapped, dark-colored coat. And a letter. The letter looked hastily written, with several characters pressed down hard.

I had a feeling I knew who sent it. It was obvious.

".....Fuck. It was Kang Hyuk, that old man."

The coat's length fit me perfectly. It felt weird knowing he'd worn it, but the fit was comfortable, so I decided to keep using it. On a whim, I immediately messaged Ye-lim noona.

Then I messaged Kang Hyuk right after.

The more I wore it, the more I liked it. A man's stylish item—the coat. So the next day, I headed to class still wearing it. Since uniforms were optional anyway, there was no problem wearing it. I walked in confidently.

When I entered the classroom, I saw Hye-ji sitting in the seat next to mine. She still had the twin tails she'd kept since the fight with Jung Ayeon. Her ability had changed after getting that hairstyle, and she'd even made a bit of money on the side.

"Shit, if I do twin tails too, can I awaken an ability?"

Hye-ji spotted me and waved. Then her eyes landed on the coat I was wearing, and they widened as she started getting extremely agitated.

"Huh? Huh? Huh? Shinwoo! Where did you get that?"

"This coat? From an old man I know. He said I could use it for a while and throw it away."

"No, crazy. Wait, can I touch this for a second? Can I touch it, Papa?"

".....Don't call me Papa, you fuck. You'll get me arrested."

I handed her the coat I was wearing. The moment she received it, Hye-ji started frantically flipping it inside out and touching it all over.

"This actually exists? I've really been living half my life at a loss."

"What the hell is it that you're making such a fuss? He said to just use it and throw it away."

"Throw it away? Throw it away? Are you insane? You're throwing this away? Are you in your right mind? Hey! If you do that, I'll throw you away too!"

"Why would I throw you away? Why does the conversation keep getting heavy?"

It was supposed to be a light novel, but the conversation kept turning heavy. Feeling uneasy, I quickly steered the topic back to the coat.

"What is it that makes you like this?"

"You know my ability is manifesting weapons and combat tools, right?"

"I know. You scammed the hell out of me with it, Hye-ji Stark."

Hye-ji started saying something random while still unable to take her eyes off the coat.

"Even so, one of the combat tools I can't manifest is the coat you're wearing right now."

"You're more useless than I thought?"

"You fucking bitch."

Hye-ji looked like she wanted to bore a hole through the coat with her gaze. She kept staring at it without meeting my eyes.

"There's no structural formula, no disassembly method, no information on its composition, and it's a limited item that won't ever be produced again."

"Like a limited edition Gucci?"

"Gucci at least gets resold secondhand! This would go straight to auction the moment it's released!!!"

With her emotions swinging wildly, Hye-ji finally looked at me. Then she gave the coat a regretful glance before returning it.

"You know what a Defensive Coat is, right?"

"Isn't that the defensive gear hunters wear in coat form that we learned about in theory class last time?"

"Actually, all the Defensive Coats currently in circulation are degraded versions. Counterfeits."

"Whether it's fake or counterfeit, as long as it blocks attacks as well as the real thing, who cares? Are you ignoring Kaiki Deishuu hyung-nim?"

"You crazy bastard! Why is that coming up here!"

Hye-ji's anger poured out toward me again. Still... Monogatari is a god-tier novel.

Hye-ji let out a small sigh ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and continued explaining.

"A Defensive Coat is a type of consumable. Once it takes attacks beyond a certain number or intensity, it loses its effectiveness."

"That's why they cost so much to buy."

"That's what you just received as a gift."

"Saved on the initial investment."

Hye-ji kept fiddling with the hem of my coat, looking somewhat dissatisfied.

"Of course, the Defensive Coat you're wearing will also lose effectiveness under extreme conditions."

"So it's just a first-edition difference? Why were you making such a big deal?"

"Listen to the end. Yours is an original. Unlike the counterfeits, even if it loses effectiveness, it recovers after a certain amount of time."

"......What?"

"If you really want to categorize it, it's a first-edition premium, semi-permanent Defensive Coat. Who the hell gave you this?"

"Fuck?"

He gave me something this valuable just because I helped set up a dogeza with a collar and naked body? Is that old man's brain made of dick? What a mental patient.

While I was putting the coat back on, Hye-ji spoke to me in a serious tone.

"Don't wear it too often. People at my level would recognize it, but just in case."

"But I received this legitimately. Do I really need to hide it?"

"There are plenty of crazy bastards who'd rather ruin someone else's stuff than not have it themselves."

"Ah, right. There are tons of those bitches."

There are many lunatics in this world who'd rather drag down someone who's doing well than rise together. There's also that bastard who interferes with other people's romantic endeavors.

"Why do they get so jealous over something they couldn't have?"

Of course, I'm not like that. I've never interfered with anyone else's relationship. I just prevented unnecessary nonsense during class time in advance. That's all there is to it.