Vulcan, the sacred mountain.
A mountain famous for being the most rugged yet beautiful in the kingdom since volcanic activity ceased.
However, those who climb are rare.
The climb is very difficult, there are no proper paths, and ferocious wild boars are common.
There is also a popular rumor that bears have been sighted among herbalists.
As if the climb itself were harsh, what’s even more chilling is that Vulcan’s environment is completely unpredictable, regardless of the season.
During the day, there will be a heat wave of 40℃, and at night, a cold wave of -30℃ will hit, causing frost.
It was a mysterious phenomenon, and all the plants and animals that survived in this environment had special medicinal properties and were in high demand.
That is truly a sacred mountain.
However, there is a risk of death while climbing, and if you get lost, you could die from dehydration or freeze to death.
It would have been wiser not to climb if possible.
Even if there are people who climb the ladder, they are only those who live a life of mayflies hoping to make a fortune by harvesting medicinal herbs.
That’s why.
“Ugh! My, this is crazy, this is crazy…!”
The very act of climbing this ‘for the purpose of training’ is already foolish.
…so they were foolish lunatics.
“Ugh!”
“I, I’m dying… .”
“Wh, water…!Wh, water, ugh…”
There are many deaths, or rather fainting.
The steep, rugged slopes are not made to be climbed.
It was just a cliff.
All the cadets had to crawl on both arms like animals, not walking on two feet, and they were reminiscent of turtles.
If you take a step back, you may end up rolling down and leaving this world, so you must never even think about taking a step back.
If turtles were biologically unable to walk backwards, they would not have been able to do so for survival.
In such a situation.
“Ha, look at the air. As expected, Yeongsan is Yeongsan. It’s refreshing.”
“The air feels really good, Instructor.”
“Well, it’ll be crazy hot by the afternoon. Didn’t they say the heat wave will last until 6pm?”
“… I think it’s crazy here.”
“Haha, do you get it now?”
Lee Han-man, who packed nearly 20 times more luggage than others, felt as if he was walking along a trail.
Clearly, they are walking on the same steep cliff, but they are living in a different gravity.
It was amazing that it wasn’t walking on four legs, but standing on two legs.
Should I call that a sense of balance or something?
“Instructor, your toes are really strong.”
“I’m training quite a bit.”
“… I don’t know if that can be achieved through training.”
“It worked.”
“… … .”
He was climbing up without taking off his shoes.
He walks with his toes gripping the ground, as if his shoes are actually hindering his walking.
The sight of him walking, leaving footprints behind, was somehow reminiscent of a wild animal.
“Don’t just talk to me, take care of her.”
“yes.”
Woof.
Irene’s magic moved fluidly and grabbed someone.
People who had fainted or were complaining of dehydration were lifted using ‘telekinesis’.
“Haa, this is also a bit burdensome.”
“You don’t have to do it if you don’t want to, but you have to walk from now on.”
“… I will work hard on rescue operations.”
At the moment, Irene was not walking faithfully like the others.
I’m moving my body in a slightly floating state as if I’m levitating.
This is also telekinesis.
Although it was in some ways an act that went against training, Lee Han allowed it.
After hearing the example of telekinesis being to a wizard like the muscles of a warrior, I became positive about using it.
Besides, marching was impossible with Irene Windler’s physical strength anyway.
My physical strength is still weaker than that of a kitten, so what kind of march is this?
It’s more efficient to just do relief work like that.
‘It’s worth using.’
Originally, he was going to load the fallen guys onto the cart, but that wasn’t necessary.
Although magic itself is inconvenient, it certainly does not deny its convenience.
“Oh, I fainted again.”
Sniff sniff.
Her skill in carrying not only her own body, but also over ten cadets.
They were all unconscious or collapsed, including Levi Fault, who fainted at the beginning of the climb.
However, Lee Han had no intention of persecuting him.
It’s a miracle that I walked this far with that build.
That was a walk based on mental strength, not physical strength.
“In the mental department, Sprout is better than those guys.”
“Levi is a bit toxic. He says that he has to work harder to raise his family and stuff.”
“… I guess you’ve become quite close with chick number 1?”
“Just a simple relationship where we drink tea and eat together? We’re not friends yet, but we’re already acquaintances.”
“When you see something like that, don’t you usually call them friends?”
“…I haven’t really made any friends, so.”
“Um, I’m sorry.”
“… … It would be more miserable to receive an apology.”
[Arin, stop talking nonsense. I’m embarrassed.]
Surprisingly, the human guerrilla march was getting off to a smooth start.
what.
“S, save me… .”
It won’t be smooth sailing for the cadets though.
* * *
They failed to conquer Vulcan.
It means that you didn’t reach the top.
However, this was Lee Han’s intention.
In the first place, he never said that the summit was the goal, he just told us that this was the mountain to climb.
So their original destination was not the top of the mountain.
“Put your luggage down.”
It was the midpoint of Vulcan.
Kuung!
After a long three-hour hike, we finally put our packs down and the ground rumbled.
That must mean that the amount of supplies they brought was enormous.
“I, I survived… .”
“… I thought I was going to Avalon at this age.”
However, they were more grateful for having made it this far alive than for the amount of supplies they had brought.
It was harsh and very harsh.
There really was no hell… .
“The maid, who is infinitely smaller than you, is fine, but what are you guys?”
-… … .
“Tsk tsk, those pathetic guys.”
-… … Ugh.
I want to refute it, but I can’t.
That’s understandable, since they often fainted or collapsed from exhaustion in the middle of the climb, but there was a ‘maid’ who succeeded in climbing without any problems even though she was carrying more luggage than them.
“Hehe, the air here is nice. Sir! Can I pitch my tent here?”
… is lively.
Isn’t that person even out of breath?
Leila Winter.
The royal maids seemed unfazed by the ordeal of marching with them.
What on earth is that guy?
Lee Han shouted at the bewildered cadet.
“You should be ashamed. Maid Layla, who is much smaller than you, completed the march carrying more luggage than you.”
… In fact, even to Lee Han, she is a strange race.
No, really, how can you be okay with that body?
No matter how many times I told her to move using telekinesis, she…
-It’s not that hard, is it?
He really said it wasn’t difficult.
No matter how you look at it, he is not an ordinary person.
I wonder if he was born with the body of a celestial warrior or a phoenix spirit that appears in martial arts novels.
But let’s find out the secret about her body later.
The important thing now is not to turn them into sprouts, but to turn them into ‘wildflowers’ within a month.
So from now on, everything I do is just bluffing and adding firewood to fuel their motivation.
If we can inject some more firepower, the future schedule will be positive.
‘The job of an instructor is not easy.’
Feeling a secret respect for the clergy, Lee Han injects them with thick oxygen to rekindle their fading flames.
“Levi Fault is the same. You have learned swordsmanship, but Levi Fault has neither. He is weak and has not learned fighting techniques. And yet he walked 10km in that condition. And he did it with only mental power!”
The cadets saw Levi Fault.
Although the girl’s legs were still wobbly, she was trying persistently to get up.
…with that frail body.
“You guys have lost now. I’m not saying you should feel bad about losing to a woman! I’m saying you lost to a ‘beginner’! Mental strength, perseverance, grit! In all these areas…!”
The cadets clenched their fists tightly.
Not the level of dense oxygen, but the stimulation of pouring oil.
Their spirits, which were on the verge of collapse from exhaustion, are revived.
“Get your mind straight. Training has already begun. I helped the guys who fell during the march, but it wasn’t because you were pretty. I just saved you ‘because I felt bad for you.’”
The fever is rising even more.
Certainly he had a point about how a person could receive and decompose heat.
“shit….”
Most of the cadets clenched their teeth in anger and were disappointed in their own inadequacy.
The mood is such that you want to let it out right away.
We need to loosen things up a bit here.
If a fire starts too suddenly, it goes out quickly.
Keeping it gently burning is the secret to keeping the fire burning for a long time.
“Yeah, I hope you come to your senses a little. Tsk, you have 30 minutes to set up your tent and take a nap. You have 90 minutes to nap. After that, I’ll start explaining the basic training and schedule in earnest, so until then, rest as much as you can. Got it? Give it your all.”
Resting is also part of training.
It was a statement he always emphasized, and the cadets responded with a roar.
It’s nice to see your eyes come to life now.
It was Lee Han who nodded his head once, and he looked at the people who were completely normal.
“You guys, come see me for a moment.”
“Kunta wants to sleep too.”
“I’m tired too.”
“Even the mercenary group gives rest….”
“whatever?”
“… … .”
They had no choice but to be dragged away by force.
Of course, there were some who tried to hide among people and avoid eye contact.
“When I speak nicely, come out right now.”
“Oh, morning… .”
“Breakfast with your assistant? What kind of luxury is that?”
“… Assistants are people too, people!!”
“Since when?”
“… …Fuck.”
The assistant shed tears.
* * *
“-Are you okay, Jack?”
“My lord.”
Jack bowed his head.
Roen, his lord, supported the weight and marched a great distance without looking tired at all.
His basic skills are already higher than that of a knight.
Jack, on the other hand, was exhausted.
It means that one’s capabilities are infinitely lacking.
He feels disappointed in himself and has a sense of inferiority.
“Take a rest. You look tired.”
“… I’m sorry, I’m such a loser.”
“No. Your talent has just begun to blossom. This is inevitable. Rather, it is admirable that you have been able to follow this forced march only half a year after deciding to become a knight.”
“… It’s still very poor compared to my main job.”
“… … I see.”
Jack, a normal man with a somewhat blurred appearance.
He was the kind of man you could see anywhere on the street, and some people said that he had a vague impression and was hard to remember, but this was Jack’s ‘talent’.
A talent that allows him to blend in and hide anywhere without anyone remembering him.
That’s why he was ‘more suited to be an assassin’.
Although the knight’s talents are limited, he may be able to rise to the top in espionage and assassination.
But he.
“But it is my choice. Even I can become a knight. The one who told me so was my lord. So don’t look sorry. Did you lie to me?”
“No, there was no lie. It was all sincere.”
“Okay then.”
“… I’m still sorry. It seems like I changed all the plans because of my greed.”
“It’s okay. Didn’t I say that even your ‘foreknowledge’ isn’t absolute?”
“Hmm….”
At Jack’s words, Roen nodded his head with difficulty.
Jack knows that.
The ability that Roen possesses is [precognition].
‘Okay, this will do.’
Just knowing that is enough.
It would be better for no one to know the real secret he holds.
On the contrary, if it becomes known, it will only cause more confusion.
This is not what he wanted.
While Jack was hiding his feelings, he struggled to get up from his exhaustion and started talking.
“Anyway, the people we’re going to recruit will start in earnest next year, right? There aren’t many people to recruit right now, so this year would be a good time to build up our capabilities. … … More than anything, it seems like the lord is interested in the instructor’s training.”
“Because it’s a different perspective. If you learn it, it will definitely help you later on. Especially when you end up fighting the ‘temple.’”
“Hmm….”
At his master’s words, Jack swallowed and looked around.
Because I don’t want anyone to hear their conversation.
Fortunately, his master was not that clumsy, and was completely blocked out by the surrounding sounds.
As expected, he is a thorough person whose worries are insignificant.
Roen was grateful for his subordinate’s loyalty, but tried not to show it and continued speaking in a firm tone.
“Jack, remember. You must become stronger. The instructor’s harsh training will surely make you stronger than you are now. I repeat, it’s not just me who must become stronger. You must become stronger too. I can never defeat them alone.”
“Yes.”
Why did they enroll in such a worthless academy?
The first is to build up strength in a place where there are no enemies.
Secondly, there are people who must be killed in the royal capital.
And the last one.
“So, watch this training carefully. I’m sure there will be a lot of unexpected talents coming out.”
Supply and demand of talent and establishment of power.
This goal may be achieved this year, rather than next year.
Through the instructor’s lessons, they, like the grass, experience changes.
“Do you really think so? To be honest, I’m still half in doubt.”
“I’m not sure, Jack, but here’s what I think.”
Even if it’s just a weed that no one cares about now, just in case.
“It might be a wildflower that will bloom.”
And he was a man who preferred wild flowers to greenhouse flowers.
The boy looked forward, and the assassin shook his head, saying that his master was sometimes like a romantic who chases romance.
