Terraforming: If This Were a Novel
If this were a novel, at least one of the five team members would be trolling.
Midachi Kenji with his rock-bottom self-esteem, Ri Shaolin overflowing with pride. Blanc, who messes up now and then, and Lee Kangin, who never slips up but won't step up with advice. And me, always busy looking out for everyone else in Lee Kangin's stead.
...Doesn't it look like a disaster waiting to happen to anyone watching? Fantastic. No, insanely mismatched team.
Each one's personality is so unique, they seem like they'll clash just by looking at each other.
But... that's their only flaw.
Each individual's ability is top-notch. If I just correct my occasional slip-ups...
The odds of failure were low.
I wouldn't let any trolling slide. Leave frontal combat to Lee Kangin. I'd support him up close while keeping an eye on team coordination.
That was my role in this team.
"Blanc! It's flanking to the side! Turn your body more to the left!"
- Kueeek!! Kupek!!
No sooner had I spoken than the orc tussling with Lee Kangin twisted its body left. Fortunately, Blanc wasn't late.
His blade thrust toward the orc's upper body as it moved.
"Damn it!"
- Kwaaaryuk!!
The orc was nimble in a way that belied its bulk. Even knowing its move was predicted, it guarded against the blade flying at its heart with its arm.
The sword sank deep into the orc's arm.
Too deep.
"I... it's not coming out... What do I... Chanyoung?"
"Drop the sword!!"
He wasn't used to channeling mana, so he hadn't thought to reinforce his arm. I made a snap judgment before time ran out and yelled.
Tak!
Blanc reflexively released the hilt and pulled back. A massive orc palm swept over his head.
If he'd been a fraction slower, that giant hand would've snatched him.
- Glance.
Looking toward the instructors, they'd been ready to charge the moment Blanc got grabbed. Brack and Gwangnyeon-i crouched low, poised to subdue the orc.
'Damn... reliable.'
No need to worry about losing life or limbs. This was training like the real thing, not the real deal.
Ri Shaolin and Midachi Kenji hadn't been standing idle while the orc shifted left, either. They'd already hurled blades at its rear.
Thud!
- KuEEEEEEK!!!
Was it thanks to their bodies faintly infused with mana? The two blades pierced the orc's ridiculously thick back muscles, right down to the bone.
The beast shuddered in agony and whipped around in rage, but the pair had already retrieved their swords and opened distance.
Blanc's blade still dangled from its forearm.
The orc, annoyed by it, grabbed the blade barehanded.
- Kuek!
"...Idiot."
"What a moron..."
The blade bit deep into its palm. Pure, thoughtless brute force had caused this ridiculous self-inflicted wound. Its thick-skinned palm was sliced open to the bone. Blood poured onto the ground.
It must've hurt like hell—it screamed in all directions.
- Kueeek!! Kupeek!!
Clang!
Blanc's sword hit the floor. The self-inflicted pain only hyped it up more. It pegged us as the culprits, glaring with burst blood vessels in its eyes.
"That thing looks ready to charge... Let's just dodge once."
Nod.
Trainees watched our test from behind, but the moment the orc's aggro shifted, the instructors would intervene. No need to tank that hulking charge head-on.
- Kuuk!! Kuruk! Kururuk!! Thud thud thud thud!!!
It barreled straight at us blindly. Fast enough to outpace all five of us... but only because it was a straight-line sprint with zero turning in mind.
A slight sidestep was all it took to evade.
- Kupek?! KuPEEK!!
The orc ignored its joint strain, forcing its body to turn toward us. But inertia from its own mass was unforgiving.
Trainees and orc drew close... and Gwangnyeon-i blocked its path.
- KuEEEEEEK!!!
"Hey, you bastard. Don't use the instructor."
"Busted?"
"...One more intentional stunt like that, and your team starts over from scratch."
"We'll be careful next time."
Sending the orc at an instructor wasn't a bad strategy. Would they talk down a raging orc and send it back nicely? Nah—they'd beat it senseless and shove it back at us.
Drain its stamina, buy us a short regroup. Double win.
...Though we could only pull it once.
Smack!
Gwangnyeon-i extended her foot, absorbing the charge with her sole, then shoved to rebound its body slam.
Mana-infused kick, plain as day. The orc flew back at us with a weird screech, tumbling spectacularly.
- KuEEEEek?!!Kudangtang!! Thud!
It rolled big, hopefully breaking something, but no such luck.
Rather than chase Gwangnyeon-i who'd repelled it, it seemed dead set on killing us first.
Not that scary anymore. Its movements were getting familiar, visible to the eye.
I confirmed Blanc grabbing his rolling sword, regripped mine, and waited for its charge.
- KuEEEEEEK!! Thud thud thud thud!
"Hup!"
Before it built speed, Lee Kangin lunged forward, swinging.
The orc dodged his first slash with innate agility, but couldn't evade my sword flowing seamlessly into its shoulder.
Kwaduk!
Mana-saturated blade shattered its shoulder bone like a club.
And the physical force wrecked its posture. Its prized agility hit the dirt.
"Now!"
Blades flew at the orc in response, targeting vitals.
- Kwaaaryuk!! Kuuhuk!!!
Endless slashes dropped it. It flailed its unbroken arm to rise, but Lee Kangin and I pinned both collarbones, keeping its upper body down.
Hold firm on the hilts, and Ri Shaolin or Blanc would finish it.
Sure enough, the other three stabbed wildly at its heart.
- Kuhk...! Kwa...uk...!
"Fuck... heart's in pieces already, and it's still tough."
"Hah... hah..."
- Kwa...... Ku... Twitch twitch.
The orc's legs twitched slowly, like it had no strength left. They soon stilled.
Thud!
To be safe, I yanked a sword from its collarbone and jammed it into its throat. No movement.
Dead for sure.
"...Good. First team passes. See? Do it like that, and you pass."
Gwangnyeon-i's touch made the orc corpse vanish, replaced by a fresh one.
...20cm bigger than the last.
"Crazy... That wasn't even a full-grown adult?"
"...Chanyoung. Thanks. You were right..."
"Always got those sneaky brains..."
Blanc sighed in relief at me. Even Ri Shaolin muttered thanks.
Fortunate or not, my hunch was spot on.
Our next teams, and the ones after... every other team faced full-grown adult orcs.
A mere 20cm height difference, but their strength and agility were leagues apart.
One slip, and they'd crumble. Brutal difficulty.
"...Man, look at 'em dropping. That guy's face in the strength contest with the orc—priceless."
"Can almost see their mana draining."
First to pass, we switched to spectator mode, lounging comfortably as we watched trainees roll in the dirt for survival.
Fight-watching really is the best.
Type: Equipment
Level: -
Effect: 30% resistance to bladed weapons
Details: Armor crafted from the hide of the mighty mana beast, Baekwonhu. Increases resistance to edged weapons by 30%. Provides minor cold resistance.
'Holy shit... This armor's made from Baekwonhu hide?...'
I was mildly shocked by the familiar name.
What were the odds?
If the system's description was accurate, this was an insanely rare item to obtain.
The actual effects were anything but basic, even if worded plainly. Standard training camp leather armor only gave 10% bladed resistance.
Three times the performance.
"How's it look, Chanyoung? I clean up nice in this, right?"
"Please... Can't you just shut up for once?"
I wasn't the only one who'd gotten it. All five of us received the armor as a reward.
They tallied scores from the month's team training and tests—our team took first.
And this was the instructors' surprise gift for the top team.
'Knew we'd get something, but from the camp? Didn't expect treasure like this.'
Having read the original, Lee Kangin and I knew team training had rewards. But figuring it was just trainee gear for combatants-to-be, we hadn't hyped it.
Performance blew expectations away.
I stroked the white fur trim contentedly. Fur was a pain to maintain, but it looked sharp worn.
The crafter must've been modern—styled with flair.
'Satisfied.'
Wearing it changed how people looked at us. Standout gear drew eyes—in a good way.
Helped feed Ri Shaolin's vanity plenty. She seemed happier about the stares than the armor itself.
"The three teams that failed today's test will train under me for rapid growth boot camp! One week's short, but I guarantee you'll be transformed!"
Brack flashed a confident grin.
Hell week... Still milder than mine. Group training for fifteen, not one-on-one tailoring.
Would still suck, though.
Surprisingly many passed. Seven teams.
Not that mysterious. Every trainee had mana awakening now. All five per team could faintly reinforce their bodies with mana.
They scraped by, barely killing orcs.
Rumble...
Fifteen followed Brack out.
We eyed Kaya and Gwangnyeon-i left behind. What now, while they hell-trained?
Gwangnyeon-i spoke.
"Next month: field practice."
"Practice...?"
"Yeah. One month basics, one month fundamentals, last month: practice."
Damn... Original's final arc incoming.
Please not District 11...
Story had diverged plenty. Our practice district might change too.
Low odds, but I prayed for that luck.
Skip 11... Anywhere but 11...!
"We're heading to the 11th District Combat Lodge."
No such luck.
"Live and train with active combatants there. Basically... internship."
'Shit...'
Nothing to do but pray it goes smooth. I didn't even know how this arc ended anymore.