Chapter 78
The Superpower Military Academy.
After the incident four years ago, not only had the villains suffered massive losses, but the number of high-ranking heroes within the Association had also dropped sharply.
Alarmed by the growing threat to national security, the government established the Superpower Military Academy.
[ Are you sure this is the place, nya? Of all places, why would it be hidden in a school like this, nya? I seriously don't understand, nya. ]
There was a reason I had come here to apply as an instructor the moment I reached the 40th floor.
I raised the item in my hand.
[Unique-grade ‘Icarus's Feather’ points toward a fragment of power somewhere in this area.]
The feather was pointing directly at the academy.
That meant the fragment was definitely hidden somewhere inside.
It's probably somewhere ordinary people can't access.
In that case, becoming an instructor would make searching for it much easier than enrolling as a student and being subjected to all kinds of restrictions.
"Please show me your identification."
The staff member checked the card.
"Lee Janghyeok... You applied for the swordsmanship instructor position?"
She smiled warmly.
"We don't get many applicants for this role, so the interview probably won't take long."
She handed the ID back.
"Everything checks out."
"You're applicant number 28. You can wait over there."
Word had already spread on the 40th floor that a Player had arrived.
Fortunately, my face hadn't become public knowledge, so fabricating an identity had been easy.
The perception interference helped too.
[ Is it really okay to send her off alone, nya? I'm worried she'll cause another accident by herself, nya. ]
I looked down the hallway.
Far in the distance, Seong-a was waving brightly from the other side.
She mouthed, Good luck! and struck a cheering pose.
The transfer-student interview was being held in the building across from mine.
The locations for student and instructor interviews were separate.
LMAOOOOOO
She's so damn cute lol
She looks even cuter in a school uniform. Personally, I'm into knee socks. Hope she wears them hehe.
Dude.
Hold your breath for the next hundred years starting now.
Just die already, please ;;
Before entering the academy, I had repeatedly warned Seong-a not to reveal too much of her strength.
I'd told her to show only enough to pass the interview.
There shouldn't be any problems.
After waving goodbye, Seong-a left.
I hid the flood of chat messages for a while and entered the interview waiting room.
A sheet listed the names of the interviewers.
One of them was familiar.
[Superpower Military Academy Interviewers]
[1. ...]
[4. Combat Instructor Kim Hana]
A year had passed since then.
For some reason, she had quit being a hero and joined the academy as an instructor.
That hadn't happened before my regression.
Another variable created by the Hidden Dungeon.
She shouldn't recognize me, but I should still be careful just in case.
"Applicant number 28, you'll be entering the interview room shortly."
The moment applicant number 27's interview ended, a cold silence filled the room.
The chief instructor shook his head and sighed deeply.
"Haa... not a single decent candidate."
"At this rate, we're seriously short on talent."
"Though I suppose that's inevitable when fewer than thirty people even apply."
In a world dominated by superpowers, swordsmanship was clearly a niche field.
Unlike superpowers, which could often be used intuitively, swordsmanship took years of training to master.
"It can't be helped."
The enhancement instructor spoke.
"Most superpower users might not need it, but swordsmanship is essential for enhancement-types."
"It also applies to students who rank poorly in the superpower track."
The academy's curriculum was divided into four main disciplines.
Enhancement.
Superpowers.
Swordsmanship.
Combat.
Naturally, Enhancement and Superpowers were the most popular.
The superpower instructor flipped through the interview documents spread across the table.
"Still, the last applicant was the best one so far."
"He lasted three whole minutes."
"Everyone else barely survived a minute, so I don't think we need to consider them."
Beyond the wall of special-alloy glass was a wide training hall.
Applicants fought a virtual-reality hologram modeled after ninety percent of the chief instructor's combat ability.
"That's true."
The enhancement instructor nodded.
"Lasting that long against the chief instructor is impressive."
"They're fighting using swordsmanship alone, without superpowers or physical enhancement."
"If there are no issues, why don't we just choose him?"
Most of the interviewers seemed to agree.
Then Kim Hana, who had remained quietly seated until now, spoke.
"There's still one applicant left."
"Let's wait."
At that moment, the door opened.
A man entered.
It was Suhyeok.
"Applicant Lee Janghyeok."
The chief instructor checked his file.
"Your ability is Acceleration."
"You also worked as a B-Rank Hero for about ten years."
An ordinary record.
If anything, below average.
The chief instructor and the others clearly weren't expecting much.
"Please enter the training hall."
"We'll tell you when to begin."
Suhyeok nodded and stepped inside.
A hologram appeared before him.
It had the chief instructor's appearance and held a sword.
The hologram waited without moving.
The match would begin the moment it detected an attack.
Suhyeok slowly drew his sword.
"You are not permitted to use your superpower."
"You must fight using swordsmanship alone."
"If you fail within one minute, you'll automatically be eliminated."
"Understood."
Behind the glass wall, the chief instructor crossed his legs and idly spun a pen between his fingers.
This one's probably the same as the rest.
His stance is decent enough, but... maybe he'll last a little over a minute.
Nothing special.
Meanwhile, Suhyeok tightened his grip on the sword.
The chief instructor's level was roughly equivalent to a Player in the low 50s.
The condition for passing was simply to survive for one minute against the hologram.
If Suhyeok wanted to avoid attention, he could easily pass without standing out.
But he had no intention of doing that.
No one had ever lasted more than three minutes.
If word spread that someone had actually defeated the hologram, the students would hear about it almost immediately.
More students would naturally become interested in swordsmanship classes.
The more influence I gain within the academy, the more freedom I'll have.
Rather than doing things halfway, it was better to make a strong impression from the beginning.
[Trait ‘Battle Eye (S)’ activates.]
His stance was perfectly orthodox.
Not a single obvious opening.
The hologram facing him looked relaxed.
It carried the unmistakable gaze of the strong looking down on the weak.
Suhyeok didn't activate any other Traits.
This was a test of pure swordsmanship.
Whoosh!
The exchange began in less than the blink of an eye.
A fierce sword strike tore through the air and crashed toward the hologram.
CLANG! SHING! CRACK!
Suhyeok's blade attacked like a predator hunting a massive beast.
It relentlessly targeted weak points.
The bending path of the sword resembled the movements of a venomous snake.
LOL can you see that thing panicking?
So it could actually make that expression? Where'd that smug face from earlier go? hahaha
How amusing. A mediocre fool who mistook himself for the pinnacle.
CHIEF ㅋㅋㅋ INSTRUCTOR ㅋㅋㅋ
[Constellations cheer at your dazzling movements!]
