“Your skill with the sword seems like that of someone who’s handled it for a long time. Are you perhaps affiliated with a particular school of swordsmanship?”
“A school? I’m not part of anything like that.”
It was true that I had used a sword quite often during my time as a hunter.
There were moments of learning along the way, but I didn’t belong to any specific school of swordsmanship.
“Then… are you saying you’re self-taught?”
“I did receive about a month of training in the basics, including grip technique.”
To be precise, it was three weeks. After awakening my abilities and joining the Hunter Association, I had undergone basic training on handling weapons and understanding gates.
But that answer didn’t seem to satisfy Ichinose.
“A month isn’t enough to say you’ve learned swordsmanship, especially if it was just the basics.”
“Well, if you swing it enough times, I guess your body just remembers the proper stance.”
Beyond that, I didn’t have much more to explain.
In the end, my greatest teacher had been real combat experience.
“Not entirely wrong, but…”
Ichinose trailed off. She bit her lip as if she was lost in thought.
Watching this girl, who seemed so earnest about the sword, I suddenly thought to myself:
Does that mean she found my swordsmanship decent, at least?
Her intentions might have been different, but I couldn’t help but feel like I had received some kind of praise.
It felt good, like the hardships I endured as a hunter were finally being recognized.
Well, if I hadn’t learned to handle a blade properly, I’d have died in my first year.
During my time as a hunter, the ability I possessed was enhanced cutting power.
It was a simple power that made the sword I held sharper.
It had been a practical ability specialized for combat, but the disappointing part was that my aptitude for abilities was the lowest rank. It was F rank.
Abilities, unlike the mana of fantasy worlds or the internal energy of martial arts, were predetermined in size for each individual. No matter what methods were employed, that size could never change; it was a fixed limit.
Because of this, no matter how hard I trained, only my physical abilities improved.
Even then, those improvements never exceeded the limits of a human, and the output of my ability remained weak.
As a result, even when I moved swiftly and exploited openings, I often found myself in frustrating situations where I couldn’t inflict damage on monsters above a certain rank.
That limitation didn’t change, no matter how much experience I gained.
Whenever I faced high-ranking monsters, I had to rely on expensive consumables, so I always ended up in financial losses.
But!
Perhaps the irritating times I endured as a hunter had finally come to an end.
Maybe now, I’ll have fewer regrets.
Abyss City was different. Just knowing that it was possible to increase the amount of magical power I possessed opened up a whole new world for me.
As long as I directed my efforts wisely, the path ahead seemed far broader than it had been in my previous life.
“Alright. I won’t press you further.”
She nodded her head and pulled her coat snugly around herself for warmth.
I simply responded with a warm smile.
“Unfortunately, I don’t have anything more to tell you.”
“Thank you. I’m sorry for taking up your time.”
“It’s fine. I wasn’t busy anyway.”
To Ichinose, I was probably just some weird guy who drank cucumber milk and gagged on it.
“Well then, I’ll be off…”
“Ah, Ichinose!”
“Yes?”
I gave a slight nod and stopped Ichinose Yui who was about to leave with my voice while turning over the thought in my mind.
Perhaps this was an opportunity to resolve one significant question.
“It’s a bit odd to call you back and ask now, but can I call you Ichinose?”
“Sure. Is that all you needed?”
“No. I have something else to ask.”
“Is there something you’re curious about?”
Since she had asked me a question earlier, it seemed reasonable for her to hear mine now. She waited for me to speak.
“There’s a student I’m trying to find at Orion Academy.”
“What do you mean by ‘trying to find’? Are you asking about their current whereabouts?”
“No. I just need to confirm their existence. I heard they were supposed to enroll this year, but I’m not sure if they actually did.”
“……?”
Perhaps she found the question strange, as she tilted her head slightly with a puzzled expression on her face.
I added more to clarify my intent.
“I heard they’re skilled, so I was looking forward to seeing them, but I don’t think I noticed them during today’s exam.”
“Ah, I see… If it’s a name I recognize, I suppose I could answer.”
Ichinose seemed to accept and understand the purpose behind my question now.
I immediately continued the conversation.
“There are two people I’m looking for.”
“Do you know their names, or just what they look like?”
“A male student named Lambert. Brown hair, good-looking.”
Ichinose pressed her lips together, seemingly lost in thought.
A brief silence fell between us.
Ichinose shook her head slightly.
“I’ve never heard of him.”
“Then what about Cynthia? She’s a female student. She has brown hair and a pretty face.”
Both names belonged to the protagonists of Abyss City.
The male’s name began with Lambert and the female’s with Cynthia. They both had brown hair and were universally regarded by those around them as attractive.
“That name doesn’t ring a bell either.”
Ichinose shook her head again, confirming she hadn’t heard of her either.
Her certainty made me feel an odd chill creep up my spine, and I bit my lower lip.
Something’s off…
In the game, when you first encounter Ichinose Yui, the conversation starts with her saying she’s heard rumors about you.
This situation felt distinctly out of place.
“Do you know where the two of them are from?”
“They’re probably from the Sepia Archipelago.”
The academy city was a collaborative effort run by three major powers.
There was the Three Nations Alliance, to which the Ichinose Yui before me belonged; Tigrova, Noah Frozenheart’s homeland; and the Sepia Archipelago which was home to the protagonist and several key characters.
“If they’re from the Sepia Archipelago and skilled students, it’s rare that I wouldn’t know them.”
“Really? Is that so…”
“There’s always a chance I simply don’t know, but it might be faster to look them up on the Orion Circle.”
“!”
At the mention of that term, my eyes widened.
I hadn’t even considered the existence of that app.
Orion Circle!
It was one of the apps used in Abyss City. A community exclusively for students of Orion Academy.
In the game, worries or rumors from students would be posted as bulletins, and resolving them was structured as side quests.
I took the smartphone out of my pocket and immediately installed Orion Circle.
Perhaps this too might lead to new achievements or opportunities.
I hit a roadblock when it asked me to verify my Orion Academy student ID, but that was something I could easily handle once I returned to the dormitory.
“Thanks. I’ll take it from here and look it up myself.”
“Was that helpful?”
“Really.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
Ichinose said she had to leave now and offered her farewells once again.
I too stepped out of the dark alley and started heading back to the dormitory.
As I watched Ichinose Yui walking away, I stood still for a moment.
Then, noticing the direction she was heading, I hurriedly called out to her.
“…Wait a second!”
“What is it?”
It might have seemed unnecessary, but when I remembered the fact that Ichinose was notoriously bad with directions, I couldn’t let her continue that way.
“If you go that way, you’ll end up in District 10. Where are you trying to go?”
“……”
“You’re heading to the dormitory, right?”
The girl hesitated. She bit on her lip before giving a small nod.
Did she think I overheard her conversation with Noah during the practical exam? I decided not to press further and instead took out my phone to open the academy guide.
Wasn’t the girls’ dormitory over there?
After confirming my guess with the map, I took a step ahead to lead the way.
“I’m not usually like this, but I haven’t had a snack yet, so…”
“That makes sense.”
I wasn’t sure what snacks had to do with getting lost, but I nodded my head in agreement.
I led Ichinose to the area near the girls’ dormitory.
***
From the very next day.
I was unhappy with the frail state of this body, so I began morning workouts.
First, expand the vessel of the body.
In Abyss City, the body serves as the foundation for holding magical power. The stronger the body becomes, the greater the capacity for containing immense magical power.
Although innate talent plays a significant role in this world, the fact that effort can overcome certain limitations was something I truly appreciated.
“Hah! Huff! Hah!”
First, I ran like my life depended on it to build stamina.
I was furious at how pathetically weak this body was, something unimaginable back in my Hunter days.
Even as my lungs screamed in pain, threatening to give out, I stubbornly refused to slow down.
[Achievement Unlocked: Runner’s High!]
[You have gained 5P as an achievement reward.]
Just as my breath turned ragged and I was on the verge of collapsing, the heaviness in my legs lifted and a notification window appeared.
Oh, right. This was a thing.
In the game, this was an achievement earned by continuing to dash even when stamina was completely depleted.
I hadn’t expected it to translate like this in reality.
More! More! Push further!
After returning to the dormitory, I threw myself into relentless bodyweight exercises.
“Argh──!!!”
Although I planned to use the training room inside the academy once classes started, I needed to get used to the muscle soreness and fatigue first. It would make things easier later.
Once the workout was over, I showered, buried my face in the bed, and fell into a short, deep sleep.
It was a perfect routine.
This body’s so weak that even proper fatigue doesn’t seem to settle in.
After a solid two hours of rest, I stepped outside the dormitory. My goal was to tackle achievements I still remembered.
As I wandered, I also took the opportunity to check out the Orion Circle that Ichinose had mentioned.
I casually scrolled through the pages and skimmed the titles which gave me a good sense of the atmosphere of the community.
It’s just a typical online forum.
The Orion Circle, unlike the game, was filled with truly freeform content.
I found it refreshingly novel.
I stopped at a convenience store, bought the cheapest lottery ticket available, and scratched it off.
It was a loss, but not entirely.
[Achievement Unlocked: Someday, Passive Income…!]
[You have gained 5P as an achievement reward.]
I could use some money, though.
Achievements involving watching movies, reading comics, or eating certain foods inevitably required cash.
On days when I wouldn’t be attending the academy, having at least some funds was necessary to stave off hunger without wasting points.
“Hmm…”
Checking the balance on my card through an app, I saw it was 24 coins and 60 tokens.
Roughly calculating, that amounted to 246,000 won in Korean currency.
It wasn’t enough to starve immediately, but it was an awkwardly tight amount.
I’ll have to find a part-time job once the semester starts.
The catch was that students needed academy approval to take on part-time work, so it wasn’t something I could act on right away. Still, it was the most reliable option.
Since achievements were tied to various activities, and I had only ever lived as a Hunter, I found myself wanting to try all kinds of new things.
Whatever it is, let’s give it my all.
Just thinking about the future made me feel excited. It had been so long since I’d felt this way.
Perhaps it was the first time ever.
And so,
From the moment I set my goals, my daily life became simple.
I worked out at dawn, and during the rest of the day, I wandered the academy city, focusing on earning achievements.
[Achievement Unlocked: Lost and Found.]
[Achievement Unlocked: Photographer of Dogs and Cats.]
[Achievement Unlocked: Expiration Date of Rice Cakes.]
··
··
Time melted away, and February came to an end.
In early March, the opening day of Orion Academy finally arrived.
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