Chapter 30: I Can at Least Do Some Seasoning
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 30: I Can at Least Do Some Seasoning
"Cadet Kim Min-su, even in a light spar, you must always keep a cool head."
"Yes... I'm sorry..."
"Cadet Baek Tae-yang, you need to be more meticulous in your execution."
"Yes, sir."
It seemed Kim Seok-gu was more pleased with the spar than I expected.
I thought he would just give us a quick list of precautions, but he was fully immersed in giving feedback.
"Specifically, since you haven't mastered any weapon techniques yet, you have no choice but to fight by throwing your whole body into it. In such cases, an exchange of 'trading flesh for bone' inevitably occurs. To minimize your own damage, you must enter the range of extreme close quarters. What I'm saying is that moving into his guard would have been more effective than trying to dodge when Cadet Kim Min-su swung his sword."
He had a point. It was something I was actually capable of doing.
Now that I had obtained the Witch's Blessing, I was capable of extreme physical performance.
His advice was to stop the opponent's action entirely rather than waiting for my turn.
"If you had moved into his guard, he wouldn't have even been able to swing his sword. The most ideal action there would have been to close the distance and strike the chin."
He called it a light spar, but his feedback was brutal.
Every point of attack was focused on the opponent's instant death or total suppression.
"If I were Cadet Kim Min-su, I wouldn't have rushed in recklessly since I had the longer reach. You must maintain distance and utilize the advantage of your weapon to the fullest."
"Yes..."
Min-su looked dejected at Kim Seok-gu’s words, which subtly implied that he had lost the spar and was full of mistakes.
His shoulders were slumped; the arrogant attitude he’d shown before the spar was nowhere to be found.
"Cadet Baek Tae-yang... your priority will be obtaining a weapon before entering the Gate."
The use of a weapon is essential inside a Gate.
No matter how confident one is in their physical abilities or how skilled they are with their fists and feet, a weapon is a necessity.
Usually, no information can be gathered about a Gate other than its rank.
Entering an unknown place bare-handed was madness.
Even if one wore greaves and gauntlets, they would eventually be forced into extreme close-quarters combat.
But what if the monster was a self-destruct type? Or a lure-type monster that disguised its appearance?
Without maintaining distance, injuries would be unavoidable.
'A weapon, huh...'
That was why it was standard to carry at least a staff.
Of course, high-ranking Hunters sometimes fought bare-handed, but that didn't apply to ordinary Cadets.
"Cadet Baek Tae-yang, make sure to apply for a weapon issue by the end of the day. Now, I will go over the precautions."
The atmosphere became even heavier than during the feedback session.
"Understand that the reason you were able to apply for this is partly due to your skills, but also due to luck."
"Normally, upperclassmen would go, but there has been a recent surge in Gate appearances, and we are simply short-staffed."
Actually, this was what I found most questionable.
Why were students from the same year being sent as support?
Victory Academy goes up to the 4th year. Wouldn't it be natural for upperclassmen to support underclassmen?
I had been thinking it was strange that they were sending support from the same grade.
'Is this also Chubby Ahn's influence?'
It was highly likely that the surge in Gates was a plot device to make the protagonist an Acting Instructor.
Since he needed to go to another class to seduce women, he needed a proper excuse.
Looking at the school schedule, there was a class competition, but that wasn't until May.
"Just because the Instructors agreed doesn't mean we've acknowledged you. It's merely a secondary measure to minimize damage."
Instructors are always busy.
Besides managing Cadets, they were responsible for predicting Gate appearances, evacuating civilians, rescue, and subjugation.
To put it simply, it was like being a teacher, a police officer, and a firefighter all at once.
"Do not get cocky. Do not show off. Do not be arrogant. Even if it's an F-Class Gate, do not let your guard down and act thoroughly for the sake of everyone."
These words could have sounded like mere nagging, but they carried a different weight.
The highest injury rate during Academy training occurred during the 1st-year Gate training.
"Always be the first to enter and the last to leave in every situation. Being an Acting Instructor isn't just a line on your resume. You must carry that level of responsibility."
Instructor Kim Seok-gu stopped there.
He then clapped his hands twice, and a large board rose from the floor.
The first things that caught my eye were the keywords written in large letters.
It seemed he intended to explain everything one by one, starting with the keywords.
"Now, let's get to the main point. First, the class you will be assigned to is..."
Only one thing mattered for tomorrow's Gate.
Finding Kim Min-su's heroine. Once that was settled, nothing else mattered.
'I don't get over-invested in fictional characters.'
The lives of the Cadets? The responsibility of an Instructor? I couldn't say they weren't important.
They were all precious and living beings here, but in the end, they were just combinations of text.
'I'm sorry, but my priorities are different, Instructor.'
It couldn't be helped.
"...Therefore, you will be deployed to the class in pairs. Make sure the two of you can fulfill the role of one Instructor."
""Yes, sir!""
Instructor Kim Seok-gu's explanation of the Gate was quick and concise.
He explained everything from the number of personnel to the individuals to watch out for, their basic abilities, and the roles we needed to play in an easy-to-understand manner.
"Then, I'll be going now."
"Right... Oh, Cadet Baek Tae-yang, go see Instructor Ryu."
"Pardon?"
"You need to choose a weapon. I'd like to help you choose one myself, but I have some business to attend to."
Since Instructor Ryu was in charge of research, she would be good at helping me pick a weapon—those words sounded sweet to my ears.
I didn't think I'd be able to make contact with her right away, but the opportunity had presented itself immediately.
When did they even arrange this? The speed of their administrative work was invisible to the naked eye.
"Where should I go?"
"Go straight that way and turn left. That's the weapon supply room. Everything has been discussed, so you just need to show up."
"Yes, thank you."
"Then, everyone is dismissed. I'll see you tomorrow in top condition."
Kim Seok-gu finished what he had to say and left coolly.
He said he had urgent business, but I didn't expect him to vanish so instantly.
"Tae-yang, should I go with you?"
"Huh? Why you?"
"Just... because..."
Did he suddenly develop some intuition? Why was he asking to come along all of a sudden?
His face showed that he was reluctant to let Ryu Hye-mi and me meet alone.
But what could he do? He had no excuse to follow.
"Why bother? I'm not even going to use a sword."
Swords were for protagonists.
What was so cool about a plain, clunky sword?
I had no interest in famous swords, divine swords, or demonic swords from novels or manga.
Besides, a sword didn't really suit my delinquent image.
I wanted something like an axe, a hammer, or chains—something that could enhance my menacing impression.
'Because that's what looks badass.'
Everyone has different standards for what's "badass," but for me, that was it.
"I-I! I know a lot about other weapons besides swords too."
He still couldn't control his volume.
"Forget it. Just get some rest and I'll see you tomorrow."
Min-su wanted to say more, but he eventually nodded.
Perhaps due to the aftermath of the spar, he was more submissive than before, making him easier to handle.
"Min-su, also, Yu-min has been having a hard time lately."
I was about to leave, but I decided to scratch at Kim Min-su's heart a little.
"Huh...? Did she... did she say that to you?"
Since he was easy to handle, he was also easy to provoke.
"I said it because I thought she would have told you too... Sorry."
"No, no... It's just because I'm lacking in so many ways..."
"But even so, isn't it a bit much to be falling into another woman's arms?"
"Wh-What?! Huh?!"
He looked like I had hit the bullseye.
There weren't many ways to delay Kim Min-su from completing his Harem Pure Love.
If a man and a woman liked each other, they could start dating in the blink of an eye.
Just look at Yu-min and me; we had already swapped spit and skin in an instant.
But that was only possible if one had a lot of dating experience.
"I happened to see it. Holding hands in the counseling room... Ugh."
First, plant the seed of doubt: 'Another man knows about your girlfriend's worries.'
Next, sprinkle some guilt with the nuance of: 'What you're doing is no different from cheating.'
This way, Kim Min-su would doubt his girlfriend while simultaneously feeling guilty himself.
As a result, Kim Min-su would start avoiding contact with other women.
"Be better to Yu-min, Min-su. I'm letting it slide this once."
I gave off the vibe of: How can you give counseling to someone else when you're the type to hold hands with other girls?
Min-su couldn't say a word and just stared at the floor. No matter how dense he was, he must have understood this.
"I'm... I'm sorry..."
"Don't apologize to me. Tell Yu-min everything honestly later."
"...Okay..."
Actually, in a situation like this, saying nothing was the best course of action.
There was no need to step forward and say, 'I held hands with another girl and rubbed my face in her tits.'
That wasn't being honest; it was being stupid, and it was practically an invitation to fight.
'That's how everyone breaks up.'
First love succeeding? That was a foolish notion.
An immature relationship doesn't just become mature.
The process just drags on until it rots and bursts.
'I'll take them from you one by one, slowly.'
I left Min-su behind as he stood there staring blankly at the floor.
No matter how much he thought about it alone, he wouldn't find an answer. He was pathetic.
My footsteps toward the weapon supply room were light.
'I won't be able to do anything with Hye-mi right away, but...'
I couldn't exactly strip her while we were picking out a weapon.
A relationship between Cadets was one thing, but between a Cadet and an Instructor, the difficulty was truly high.
The idea of "You're the teacher, and I'm the student" would be thoroughly ingrained in her head.
On top of that, she was a grown woman who had grown up looking only at Kim Min-su.
She wouldn't be an easy mark, but that didn't mean there was no way.
'I can at least do some seasoning.'
No matter how impregnable the fortress, she was still just a virgin.
A virgin could never defeat Baek Tae-yang.
A result where both her body and mind were utterly subjugated awaited her.