LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 34
“Haaah….”
As I stood there blankly, a yawn escaped me.
The pale sunlight of the rising morning greeted me at seven o’clock.
Normally, this would be the time I would feel clear-headed.
“Ran, are you okay?”
“Oh, yeah. I didn’t sleep well.”
“Well, it is the first day!”
I hardly slept the night before.
And the reason wasn’t the innocent notion of it being the first day at the academy, as Angela said.
‘I got completely smothered.’
By none other than that Karen.
At first, I genuinely thought I was going to die.
If she had truly intended to harm me, I wouldn’t have been able to resist even once.
Fortunately, rather than having thoughts of killing me, she pulled such a stunt with the intent of taking me on as her direct disciple.
Still, even if that was the case, she clearly crossed the line by doing such things.
-‘No, thanks.’
-‘…Huh? W-wait! Please, just a moment!’
So, I rejected her.
‘Aren’t you wasting a good opportunity?’
Of course, it’s a waste.
Naturally, though, I have no intention of letting it slip away.
If there’s something beneficial to me, why would I turn down the chance to drain every drop out of it?
‘Karen and Marco are similar.’
Once they set their sights on something, they must have it in their hands.
If there’s one difference, it’s that Karen has somewhat socialized by now?
So it’s all good.
‘The more I stall…’
The more anxious Karen will become.
“Hmm. Looks like everyone’s gathered.”
A stern-looking woman appeared before the cadets who had assembled at the training hall since the crack of dawn.
“Nice to meet you. I will be your instructor for the next year. I’m Reina Winter.”
Her silvery hair reminiscent of a snowy field and deep blue eyes commanded attention.
Above all, her surname, ‘Winter.’
“Winter? The Duke’s family from the North?!”
“Is she really of that bloodline?”
“To think someone from a Duke’s house would be our professor…!”
It was indeed the name of the Northern Duke who once ruled the north.
Why mention it in the past tense?
“Seems they haven’t completely fallen.”
The Duke family of Winter had lost most of its kin during the previous war.
Except for Reina and a few of her sisters, nearly all their family perished in that conflict.
No matter how proud the Winter family was, they couldn’t escape the devastation of a calamity that wiped out their clan.
Now, they barely hung onto their lineage by relying on the echoes of past glory.
“So, I see you all know a bit about me.”
Reina spoke with a cold expression.
“Well then, let’s get straight to the point. I despise the weak. Just like my past self, if you’re weak, you cannot protect what’s yours.”
She released her aura.
[Whooooosh-!]
Suddenly, the surroundings turned icy, and a flurry of white snow began to fall.
“Gah! What’s going on?!”
“C-cold!”
“The air just… Ah…! Achoo!”
“Is this the Duke’s family’s martial arts?!”
The other kids huddled together, shivering.
“Ugh…”
Angela was also visibly cold, though she bit her lip in silence.
“Get stronger. Focus solely on becoming strong. Got it?”
“Yes, ma’am!!”
“Now that should have woken you up.”
Was that explosive aura meant to shake us awake?
‘Crazy professors.’
If we get woken up too many times, we might just freeze to death.
“Now, let’s begin today’s basic training. Since it’s the first day, I’ll keep it simple.”
Reina pointed her finger across the entire training hall.
“First… run 100 laps.”
“…What?”
“I won’t say it twice. Start running 100 laps around here.”
Just letting you know, this training hall is about three times the size of a soccer field.
So saying it as ‘100 laps’ is just a nice way to put it.
“Ah, that’s insane…!”
It’s practically telling us to run ourselves to death.
As the kids stared vacantly at the training hall, Reina added,
“By the way, using your ki is allowed. In fact, I encourage you to use it actively.”
“Wait, we can use our ki?!”
“W-well, that makes it a bit more bearable…!”
When the permission to use ki was granted, excitement flickered among the kids.
Ki is a superhuman force, enabling feats beyond mere physical abilities.
“The top three will receive appropriate rewards, so give it your all.”
Once Reina finished her last announcement.
“Then, let’s start.”
The real basic training began.
“Whoaahhh—!”
“Gandaaaah!”
Some were sprinting full throttle right from the start.
“Hmph. In a long-distance race like this, pacing is crucial.”
Some began by jogging slowly.
Each ran in their own way.
“Ran, don’t mind me.”
Angela stood next to me and said.
“At least during the class for getting stronger, I want to get out from under your protection. N-no, it’s not that I feel burdened by your protection or anything!”
“I see.”
“I… want to get stronger too.”
Angela tied her hair up as if bracing herself.
“I’ll aim to complete the laps no matter what.”
With that said, she started running at a steady pace around the training hall.
‘Well, at least during class, she should be safe.’
It’s true that I shouldn’t let my guard down, but being overly protective would also hinder her growth.
“…Aren’t you going to start?”
As I stood still watching, Reina spoke up.
“Don’t tell me you already gave up. I consider all cadets equally, regardless of whether you’re male. There’s no room for leniency.”
“I’ll be starting soon, Professor.”
“…I see your name on the practice room list.”
She spoke in an icily cold voice.
“How did you know?”
“You’re famous, Ran Black. No male has ever ranked first in the history of Polaris.”
“Haha, how embarrassing.”
As I rubbed my neck sheepishly, Reina looked at me incredulously.
“I know the one who put you on that list is Karen. She told me herself.”
The [Practice Room], as a facility, is often utilized by professors too.
In fact, the more a strong person uses it, the more effective the training tends to be.
“I wonder why… you have Karen’s affection.”
“……”
“But seeing you dawdling here right from the start, it seems she may have misjudged you.”
“Well, she is human, so that could happen.”
“…What?!”
Reina frowned, clearly furious.
I was just trying to agree with her, so why is she angry?
‘Well, then again.’
Reina is passionately infatuated with Karen.
Beyond just liking her, she believes and follows her entirely.
‘For me, a man, to suddenly enter Karen’s eyes must be irksome for her.’
Sigh.
I let out a deep breath and relaxed my legs.
“Well then, shall I show you? That she’s not wrong about me.”
I felt a bit boastful saying that, but honestly, considering my current level, even being a latecomer,
“I’ll come in first.”
I genuinely believe I can win.
“I expect a reward.”
“Say such things after you actually come in first.”
So prickly.
I just smiled bitterly.
「Tempest Style」
I activated my movement technique.
“Uagh! What the—!”
“What’s with that speed…?!”
As I swiftly passed the other kids, I could hear their gasps behind me.
‘But what are you going to do about it?’
What can you kids do?
Tadadadadad!
Just by using the technique a few times, I found myself running shoulder to shoulder with the lead.
“Ugh…! Ugh! Y-you’re….”
Duwena, who was running second, stared wide-eyed at me.
She seemed to be managing her ki quite skillfully.
“I’ll pass now, big sister?”
Compared to my mastery of the “Tempest Style” built from real battles and talent.
Her technique was laughably lacking.
Thud!
As I overtook her, I spotted someone running alone ahead.
“Ha, ha, ha….”
Our saintess, with her pink hair flowing, sprinted at high speed.
‘Rienna.’
I have no idea how she can see with her blindfold on.
‘Getting entangled with her wouldn’t be wise.’
I’m already dealing with headaches from being involved with Pernia and Marco.
For now, it’s best to keep my distance from Rienna.
Thud!
“Ah…!”
As I took the lead, Rienna inhaled sharply.
“Huff.”
And so, I continued to circle the training hall.
Running nonstop raised my body temperature sharply.
“Haah… huff…”
“It’s tough…”
“I’m so hot!”
Kids began to drop one by one.
No matter how brilliant an engine, it can’t function properly when overheated.
“Ugh…!”
Duwena held on with sheer willpower.
“Ha, ha….”
Rienna was releasing her fatigue and heat using her divine energy.
It seemed she was applying the principle of treating fever, but I wasn’t too sure.
‘I can….’
Honestly, this amount of heat doesn’t faze me.
But pure curiosity began to peak.
Whoooosh…!
When Reina first released her ki, I subtly utilized “Absorbing Energy” to gather her energy at my lower dantian.
‘Can I use the absorbed energy as my own?’
Reina’s ki was cold in nature, ice ki.
If I can utilize that, it should cool my body down.
“Let’s give it a try…!”
I took a bit of Reina’s energy stored in my upper dantian and began to manipulate it.
And then.
Whoooosh—!
A sky-blue ki spread across my body, and the coldness circulated throughout me.
“Whew…!”
As I opened my mouth, a cool breeze spread like fog.
The heat from my body evaporated quickly as I chilled down with the formed sweat.
“It works!”
By accumulating energy of a different nature, I can use its properties!
“What…?!”
I could hear Reina’s voice filled with surprise reaching my ears.
‘Using “Tempest Style” along with freezing ki….’
My condition felt peak optimal.
A cooler machine increased efficiency multiple times by itself.
.
.
.
By the time I finished all 100 laps.
“…Well done.”
“Thank you, Professor.”
“Ha, ha, ha….”
The second place runner was still on their 60th lap.
“Impressive… indeed.”
“Just doing my best.”
Despite seeking attention, I couldn’t help it.
The top must act like a top!