episode_0013

“Huuk. Whoop.”

In the physical training room, a cadet was sweating hotly and undergoing physical training that was close to arduous. Although it was the most basic training, there were cadets who devoted themselves to the training, which was important and fundamental, immediately after the entrance mock battle.

Sweat-soaked upper body and golden hair.

The main character was Gilbert.

After struggling to lift a weight that would have made you feel scared just by looking at it, he finished the last set and took a long breath. Since my physical ability was 90, the recovery speed was very fast, so it was not easy to exercise.

But there was nothing I couldn’t give. Because it was a very simple problem of just increasing the weight if the exercise load did not come.

After organizing the equipment he had used, Gilbert wiped away the sweat with a towel he had prepared in advance and entered the shower room. Highly developed magical engineering played a similar role as science in the real world. The setting is similar to the Middle Ages, but this technology made me feel like I was in a modern society.

Although it was a luxury that could only be enjoyed by rich nobles or academies, it was fortunate for Gilbert that he was satisfied with both.

After taking a shower, he put on his cadet uniform, brushed back his slightly wet hair, and packed up the luggage he had brought with him. Training any further than this would do more harm than good, so I thought it would be better to get a good rest after dinner.

I really wanted to train my magic power, but if I tried to train my magic power on my own, which I had never actually done before, something bad could happen, so it was safer in many ways to learn the training method through regular classes.

Just as Gilbert was about to leave the training room, he was able to face someone coming inside.

Soft facial lines with black hair.

The main character was Ian.

“You…”

“Nice to meet you. Let me introduce you formally. It’s Gilbert.”

It was an unexpected meeting, but Gilbert was not embarrassed and immediately extended his hand and introduced himself. Gilbert, who already had to create more contact with the main character, couldn’t help but be happy about this situation.

Moreover, since we met in the training room, the timing wasn’t bad because our impressions of ourselves might be slightly different.

“It’s Ian.”

Ian’s expression as he held hands was strange. He had a face that was difficult to express, perhaps because he was surprised that Gilbert, the so-called bastard, was here.

“I enjoyed today’s entrance mock competition.”

“This is it. Great piloting skills.”

It was a simple evaluation without any sarcasm. As a player, I was not moving, so I thought about what would happen if the settings were wrong, but as a result of using the giant soldier myself and clashing with it, I saw the buds of becoming big. It seemed like it would take a lot of time to become known as one of the world’s best knights, but the main story hadn’t even started yet.

At best, the tutorial had just been completed, so it wouldn’t have been unreasonable for it to be one of the best articles if it helped you progress smoothly through the main story. That’s because Ian possessed a characteristic skill that allowed him to exceed the limit of 100 in his control ability.

“It sounds a bit sarcastic if you say that to someone who can’t do anything.”

“There was no intention to do so. This is something I thought purely, so I hope you accept it without any additions or minuses.”

“Well…good. by the way. Did you come to the training room as soon as the entrance mock battle was over?”

“Because it is better not to miss training.”

“It seems a little different from what I heard.”

Gilbert thought there was something sharp about what he said, but when he saw Ian’s smiling face, he dismissed it as just his mood. He hadn’t done anything worth pretending to be, and Ian’s evaluation wasn’t that bad from what he could tell.

“It wouldn’t be wrong. I don’t think it’s something you should say to me anymore. I didn’t think there would be any weirdos coming to the training room right after the entrance mock battle.”

“I don’t think you think that the weirdo is you. Because I also don’t miss training.”

When I saw Ian shrug his shoulders, I felt even more satisfied because he seemed to be sincere. It was an obvious fact that if he had a lazy personality, his growth would stagnate no matter what help he gave.

“I see. Good posture.”

“Nothing to say. Then can I pass by? If I delay any longer, I think I’ll have to train until late at night.”

“It was a distraction. Let’s just go.”

Gilbert, who felt warm as if he were watching a growing chick, stepped aside to allow Ian to pass.

Ian passed by with his head slightly lowered and headed to the magic training room, not the physical training room he came from.

Seeing this, Gilbert recalled the protagonist’s ability level in the beginning. I remembered that in the name of adding a training system, the initial abilities were mostly in the 30s except for piloting.

When he first saw this as a newbie, Gilbert was also focused solely on training his magic power, but there were many types of items that could increase his magic power among the items that could be farmed, and more than anything, there was a time when he suffered because he did not increase his physical abilities. It was a common mistake made by newbies who were playing Tactical Combat for the first time, and all of the knights currently asked to be released on the continent had fairly high physical abilities.

For no reason, I felt a sense of excitement as if I was seeing a newbie playing the game for the first time. It was a moment where I began to understand a little why there were so many words in the community about ‘Newle Park’ and ‘Putting on sleeves’.

“Are you planning on training your magic power?”

“Of course. Because it is necessary to control the giant soldier.”

“That’s the correct theory. But don’t forget about physical training. Because that will be the foundation.”

“Is this the basis of your monstrous manipulation skills?”

“Of course.”

“Really? So, shall we do a little physical training this time?”

Ian glanced back at Gilbert, grinned, then turned and headed towards the strength training room. Gilbert chuckled at that and left the training room. I was thinking that if I get an item that increases my magic power in the future, I should at least add sleeves to it.

As Gilbert left the training room, Ian’s friendly smile hardened and he looked for a moment at the entrance of the training room where Gilbert had left.

Swish!

Then he turned around again and entered the magic training room.

As if you can’t beat your rival by listening to his advice.

***

Demeia Academy’s class curriculum was based on taking classes according to a structured annual plan, rather than registering for classes like in real universities.

Lectures were differentiated based on grade level, but due to the nature of Demeia, which was based on a strict ability system, there was no division between nobles and commoners, and students had to take lectures according to a curriculum based solely on the grade they were evaluated at.

There were a few cases where cadets from high-ranking noble families protested their low grades, but they only received disadvantages in evaluation and were not given any privileges based on their status. Looking at it this way, it seemed like everyone was equal, but due to the nature of the academy system, which places emphasis on ability, the discriminatory treatment between grades tended to be much more severe.

Gilbert also kept this in mind and stood out as much as possible in the entrance mock competition, and succeeded without difficulty in being assigned to a first-grade, first-grade class as per his goal. First of all, the news to be delivered to the family could not have been more perfect. Being the first cadet to receive the Commander’s Award Badge in several years was something to be proud of.

Of course, his father, the Iron-Blooded Count, never thought he would be satisfied with this much. Not only was there an enormous amount of work that Gilbert had done so far, but the commander’s award insignia was one that Count William had also received in the entrance mock battle. Perhaps he thought that his children had to do that as standard, so he needed more satisfactory results.

A tangible achievement that requires both talent and effort, such as being at the top of the grade at Demeia Academy.

With a firm resolve, Gilbert opened the door to the classroom where the first lecture was being held and entered confidently. Perhaps because of the suddenly opened door, the cadets, who were already talking in groups of twos and threes, confirmed that the person entering the classroom was Gilbert and all avoided eye contact, keeping an eye on what was happening.

His large size of 190 cm, thick face line, and tanned skin contributed to making him look overbearing, and there were not a single good rumor about Gilbert, to the point where the word eccentric sounded mild.

And that became the reason why the cadets avoided him.

Gilbert sighed deeply, but did not show it outwardly. This was because the original Gilbert’s still-remaining behavioral patterns were holding him back. The reason the way he spoke did not sound the same as before was because Kang Do-jun’s behavior style, a modern man, was properly mixed and harmonized.

Although his tone became rigid and rigid, if he had to continue using the original Gilbert’s words and actions, it might have been better for him to die. When I first met Seraphina, I was kicked out of the hospital.

“Commander!”

“Is it Hans? The admission mock battle has ended. There is no need to call me commander anymore.”

Gilbert felt glad to remember Hans, a commoner who had applied for the position of adjutant first in the entrance mock competition. Hans, like Angelina, was an extra whose name I had never heard of, but once he entered Demeia Academy, his basic abilities were outstanding.

Looking at the fact that during the first battle, I took out the giant god soldier at his pace, it seemed like he was exceptionally talented in that area. It was difficult to make an accurate judgment because he had not yet acquired the skill to quantify the other person’s abilities, but his sense of rot was sending signals that he was a person capable of growing to a named level.

‘Maybe raising Hans would be a good choice?’

Deciding to watch a little longer first, he looked at Hans, who was standing in a restrained posture.

“That’s true, but… I’m not sure how to call it…”

“You can call me Gilbert.”

“Then I’ll call you Gilbert!”

Hans showed a respectful demeanor as if he were treating a respected immediate superior.

In fact, he admired Gilbert.

He was the person who watched Gilbert’s activities closely during the entrance mock battle and participated in the final battle of the entrance mock battle, which is now called the so-called Victory Struggle among cadets.

Even now, when I think back to that time, it was a series of tense and fast-paced battles that made my hands sweat. And it was Gilbert who walked through that battlefield and performed greater than anyone else. The strategy of using the main unit as a scapegoat to raid the bases of other teams that created a troop gap all came from his head.

Contrary to rumors, he was not overbearing to the commoners, and his abilities were outstanding, so they had no choice but to naturally follow him as commander.

“It’s been noisy since morning. It’s not like that. Commander?”

“Is it Angelina? You call me commander too.”

“That suits you.”

Angelina, who had just opened the door to the classroom and entered, looked at Gilbert and Hans blocking her path and shrugged her shoulders. At first, she was dissatisfied that a fool was in charge of the team, but when she saw Gilbert leading the entrance mock battle to victory, everyone disappeared.

She was the type to thoroughly believe what she saw, and decided to judge Gilbert based on what she saw at the entrance mock battle, regardless of rumors. Even if he had changed due to some wind, all she knew was the current Gilbert.

“Then should I call Angelina Deputy?”

“I don’t think I’ll be your adjutant forever. I also have ambition.”

“But I think it would be difficult to find a great lieutenant like you.”

“As expected, you have a pretty good eye for commanders.”

Angelina smiled brightly at the words acknowledging her. This was because he did not feel bad that Gilbert acknowledged him as much as he acknowledged Gilbert.

“I think we should stop chatting here. The professor will come in soon.”

The three of them sat down comfortably in front of the silhouette seen outside the window.

Eventually, the door to the classroom opened and a sturdy man with a large scar across his face came in with his clothes flying.

“Nice to meet you all. This professor’s name is Alexander.”

Gilbert’s eyes lit up as he looked at him scribbling his name on the blackboard in front of him.