The Hellish Training Begins
The day had come to throw themselves into full-scale training. Standing before Yusoha were Eclipse, the members of Hwanryeong Team 2, and Shin Seongmin.
“First, here’s what we’ll be covering over the next week.”
Yusoha began scribbling the objectives across the blackboard that had been dragged over at some point. The words, written in her characteristically round and adorable handwriting, read as follows.
North Korea Expedition Preparation Training
Stamina Training
Basic Weapon Skill Training
Data Analysis and Weak Point Identification for Demonic Beasts Inhabiting North Korea
Tactical Coordination
It was honestly an ambitious schedule to cram into a single week. Basic weapon skill training alone would devour an enormous amount of time.
Considering how long it had taken Yusoha to learn from Eclipse, one week felt incredibly short. The other team members seemed to realize this too; their eyes drifted toward Cha Hyeonseong. He let out a sigh and raised his hand while Yusoha was still enthusiastically laying out the plan.
“Yes, Hyeonseong. You have a question?”
“Team Leader… isn’t this plan impossible to finish in a week? Just stamina training and basic skills alone seem like they’d take far longer than that.”
“Oh, of course they would.”
“…Pardon?”
“Right now we’re only establishing the framework. We’ll be facing a ridiculous amount of real combat once we’re in North Korea anyway. Having the fundamentals locked in will make applying them in battle much smoother. The same goes for basic weapon skills. Take the spear, for example. Its foundation is usually the thrust, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Then during this training, we’ll make sure everyone fully grasps the theory behind thrusting. After that, we’ll focus on applying it directly in live combat.”
“So everything written up there is…”
“Exactly. These are all things we’ll continue working on even after we enter North Korea.”
“…Understood.”
She wasn’t planning to cram everything into them in a short burst. Instead, she would teach the core concepts and let real battles hammer those lessons home. That was the meaning behind Yusoha’s words.
The team members’ expressions stiffened, but they could only nod. After all, no one knew how many months the North Korea expedition might last.
“We’ll proceed like this. The demonic beasts in the northern region have barely been documented, so we’ll base our training on the data Shin Seongmin obtained. Keep that in mind.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
“Also, mages and gunners are exempt from weapon skill training. You’ll be researching effective mana usage against the beasts during the data analysis phase instead.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
The mages and gunners didn’t even try to hide their relieved expressions.
“Um… Team Leader? Then who will be leading the weapon skill training…?”
“You already know the answer, don’t you? Everyone here—including me—will receive basic instruction directly from Eclipse.”
Yusoha answered Cha Hyeonseong’s question as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
“But… doesn’t Eclipse use swordsmanship?”
“Eclipse. Thoughts?”
“I have already mastered the fundamentals of every weapon that can be held and swung. Martial arts as well. There is no need for concern.”
“You heard him.”
“Ah… understood.”
“Then we’ll proceed with the training as outlined.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
The moment Yusoha finished speaking, the brutal one-week training schedule kicked off in earnest.
Day 1. Following the training plan, the team began stamina drills and basic skill work under Eclipse’s guidance. They had expected moderate exercise. What followed was nothing short of hellish, and the groans started almost immediately.
“Ughhh…!”
“I-I’m going to die…”
“You cannot falter at this level. At this rate you won’t even manage the basics.”
The only exceptions were Shin Seongmin and Yusoha. Neither of them showed any sign of strain despite the punishing pace. It was only natural for an S-class Awakened like Shin Seongmin, but the fact that even Yusoha looked completely fine left the rest of the team speechless.
The reason was simple. Yusoha had spent an entire month under Eclipse’s merciless tutelage leading up to the Hwanryeong tournament. There was no way this level of training could exhaust her.
She stared at the team members who were looking at her like some kind of monster and spoke with clear disdain.
“Everyone, get a grip. Stand up and keep going. How long are you planning to lie there? When we’re in North Korea you’ll face far worse than this on a daily basis. Are you going to collapse every single time?”
Her scolding, dripping with contempt, made the team members grit their teeth and force themselves back to their feet. They knew that tone all too well—the one Yusoha used when dealing with people she considered useless. They also knew exactly how ruthless she could be toward those she deemed worthless. After all, plenty of people had already been kicked out of Hwanryeong Team 2 for that very reason.
Knowing that, they somehow found the strength to stand.
Watching them, Yusoha turned to Eclipse.
“Eclipse. Increase the training intensity.”
“Understood.”
“…Hiiik…”
A few of the physically weaker mages and gunners let out terrified whimpers.
“You cannot collapse from mere training of this level. Even I am holding up this well, so the rest of you should be able to endure it too, no? Those of you who stand on the front line will have to move even more. I’m not pleased to see you folding so easily. Every time someone collapses, Eclipse will raise the intensity further. Clear?”
“Y-yes, ma’am!”
With Yusoha’s warning that the difficulty would only climb if they faltered, the team had no choice but to endure with everything they had. Under normal circumstances she wouldn’t have driven them this hard, but what could she do? They had walked into this themselves, lured by the sweet bait of Soul Armament.
When the stamina training finally ended, most of the Awakened were sprawled across the ground. Even Cha Hyeonseong—who normally stood at the very front protecting the team—was completely drained. The others were in even worse shape.
Yusoha stared at the scene with clear displeasure. Their stamina simply didn’t meet her standards.
“Haah.”
The moment she sighed, the team members could only exchange nervous glances.
“We’ll have to improve your physical condition gradually. I’m somewhat disappointed. I told you so many times not to slack off on your personal training, yet you can’t even handle this much. If you had trained consistently, you wouldn’t look like this right now.”
“…We’re sorry.”
Yusoha’s sharp rebuke rained down on them. Shin Seongmin watched with mild confusion. From his perspective, their stamina wasn’t actually that bad. It was perfectly appropriate for their ranks. If anything, Yusoha’s own stamina was the abnormal one.
Even a typical A-class Awakened would have been wiped out by training led by Eclipse. He doubted Yusoha was unaware of that fact. After thinking for a moment, he quickly understood why she was acting this way.
That would be true by normal standards. But the place we’re taking them is North Korea. A land where ordinary Awakened can’t even set foot… so she has no choice but to set the bar much higher.
Exactly. The place they were heading was North Korea—the region known as the Demon Realm. How many people had already failed trying to conquer it?
As expected, Yusoha began to address exactly that point.
“Some of you might be thinking that this level is already average stamina. You’re right. Your current fitness isn’t actually below average. It’s exactly what you’d expect from moderate training. However, the place you’re going is North Korea. Not some ordinary gate.”
Yusoha took a sip of water before continuing her harsh lecture.
“It’s not a place you can waltz into with Soul Armament and clear with a smile. And you all know what matters most in gate conquests, don’t you? Stamina.”
“…Yes, that’s correct.”
Just as Yusoha said, stamina was more important than raw power. Awakened who ran out of energy and became dead weight had doomed entire teams before. The members knew this, so they could only hang their heads like criminals.
Looking at their thoroughly demoralized faces, Yusoha let out another sigh. At this rate, the expedition was impossible.
“This won’t do. We’re postponing the expedition schedule. One month. I’ll give you one month. Use that time to prepare with everything you have. I’ll provide all the support you need.”
“…Understood.”
Even with the promise of full support, the Awakened couldn’t brighten their expressions. They could clearly feel the disappointment in Yusoha’s voice. The extension from one week to one month was obviously because she had pinpointed their lack of physical conditioning. Stamina wasn’t something that could be built overnight.
“I’ll be revising the entire schedule, so I’ll issue a separate notice later. For now, focus entirely on stamina training and fundamentals.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
“Good. You’ve rested enough, so shall we resume the stamina training?”
“…Yes.”
Unlike before, a fierce determination was beginning to burn in the team members’ eyes. They were Hwanryeong Awakened, after all—people with genuine pride in their abilities. Having that pride thoroughly shattered by Yusoha naturally ignited their fighting spirit.
As Eclipse continued guiding the stamina training, he couldn’t help but feel a hint of surprise. The difference in attitude was night and day. Earlier they had dragged themselves through it like lambs to the slaughter. Now their entire approach had changed.
Soha truly has an eye for people.
No matter how tempting the offer of Soul Armament was, the fact that they were now burning with motivation could only stem from the pride they held in themselves. When people like that have their pride broken, they do everything in their power to restore it.
Yusoha had struck that point with perfect precision.
And it was also proof that she placed considerable trust in them—the belief that if their pride was wounded, they would fight to reclaim it. The faith that they weren’t the type to simply sit down and give up.
As if answering that trust, the team members began throwing themselves into training with renewed vigor. Even the mages and gunners with weaker constitutions were no exception. On the contrary, they recognized their physical inferiority to the vanguard and pushed themselves even harder.
Watching the scene, Eclipse felt a long-forgotten surge of motivation rise within him.