Chapter 11
The Academy offers numerous courses.
From comprehensive weaponry courses like “Comprehensive Weapon Techniques” for beginners wielding swords, spears, and other weapons, to “Basic Physical Training” for students unfamiliar with using their bodies, and even “Introduction to Magic” to help understand the fundamentals of magic.
In addition to these combat-related subjects, there are non-combat liberal arts courses like “Mind Control for Strategic Conquest.”
Among these many courses, team leaders are tasked with gathering their team members’ opinions to determine which classes to take and then register for them.
And this process often leads to a lot of conflict.
It’s no surprise. While the average team size is 13.3 members, that’s just the average. The team with the most members is Team 11, with a staggering 41 members.
41 members! Among them, there could be those from the martial arts faction, those who practice magic, and even within these groups, there would be differences based on weapon preference or magic attributes.
There are many people with many classes they want to take, but the day only has 24 hours, and the number of classes one can take is limited.
You can almost see it, can’t you?
The chaos that ensues.
In fact, this first course registration period is said to be the time when team chemistry falls apart the most. This isn’t just something I’m saying—my mother told me, so it’s a fact.
In that sense, our 20th team is blessed.
As everyone knows, our team consists of just three people.
Han Jun-woo is a self-directed learner who does well on his own, and I’m someone who’s open to anything.
So, that leaves only Merhem, the most diligent member of our team.
“I’m not diligent! I’m lazy!”
With the authoritative power of the team leader, I declared:
“I’ll give you full authority.”
“I don’t want it!! I just want to rest!!”
“Your refusal is denied.”
“…Traditionally, raid positioning is divided into three main roles: tank, dealer, and support. Some countries refer to these positions as frontline, rear, and support based on their placement, but you don’t need to worry about that. Why is that?”
“Because they are essentially the same.”
“Exactly.”
The professor draws the positions of the tank, dealer, and support on the whiteboard.
“Look here. With the monster as the center, the tank is in the frontline, the dealer in the rear, and the support in the support position. So, since it’s the first day, let’s just get a taste.”
The professor taps the tank position with the pointer.
“The tank is the shield that protects the raid group from external threats. Since they’re at the forefront, the position requires quick judgment and endurance. Among the roles that stem from this are…”
The professor draws lines extending from the tank.
“Defensive, linebacker, safety. These are the three main roles. Is there anyone who knows more about these… Ah! It seems we have an expert with us. Team 2 leader, Henry.”
Henry, the heir of the Titan family and known as the strongest safety alive, began to speak.
“While all these roles involve tanking, the details differ. A defensive player focuses entirely on ‘blocking attacks,’ making them the most traditional type of tank. But the linebacker focuses not on blocking, but on ‘maintaining the line,’ and the safety focuses on ‘protecting allies.’”
“Exactly. Henry has pointed out the key differences.”
The professor writes “Detail” on the whiteboard.
“Detail—this is what differentiates traditional positioning from modern positioning.”
Blocking, enduring, and protecting.
These are the traditional roles of a tank.
In modern raids, however, the details are added: how you block, where you endure, and what you protect.
“This is why the key to modern raids lies in how you utilize these details… Oh my! I was about to get carried away! I said we’d just get a taste, but I almost went into full detail. I’m just so scatterbrained sometimes. Now, let’s quickly move on to ‘dealers.’ Oh, you there, the confident student, stand up. What’s your name…?”
“This is refreshing.”
The more the class progressed, the more I had to admit that it was worthwhile.
The course we were attending was called “Understanding and Utilizing Positioning.”
To be honest, when I first heard the course title, I questioned why we needed to take it. I even asked Merhem about it, and in return, I had to endure a lot of her complaints about how it was a required course.
So, I reluctantly attended.
But it’s refreshing. The approach to hunting here is novel.
‘Each person performs their assigned duties according to their position…’
In simple terms, it’s about “division of labor.”
And what does this achieve?
‘Efficiency.’
Here, efficiency refers to the amount of monsters hunted per hour and, on a larger scale, the safety of the raid group.
I found myself nodding along.
It’s fresh and excellent.
Even just imagining it briefly, the answer is clear. It’s a simple concept, yet it yields substantial results.
So, does that mean this concept doesn’t exist in the Empire?
Hmm, some might use it. But it’s likely not mainstream, probably only employed by mercenaries or something.
As a former citizen of the Empire, I can say that the concept of positioning isn’t likely to become widespread there.
Why? Because for it to work, you need a fundamental belief that your skills are a business asset.
Having trouble understanding?
Let me give you an example.
In the Empire, there are barbarians. These warriors with physical prowess comparable to monsters are the epitome of warriors. Naturally, if you assigned positions to these barbarians, they’d undoubtedly be tanks.
But if you place these barbarians in the tank role as the professor described…
It’ll fail.
It’ll definitely fail.
They’ll likely scream, “A warrior who doesn’t bleed isn’t a warrior! Charge!” and rush in without thinking.
This is the fundamental difference between the Empire and Earth.
In the Empire, the strength of a superhuman is considered a spiritual value. For a magician, it’s “truth,” and for a knight, it’s “honor.”
Therefore, forcing these roles on them would likely be seen as an infringement on their “pride.” No, it’s certain.
Even I had never thought of this until I attended this class.
‘I get it now.’
This world isn’t indifferent to strength.
It’s just that they pursue strength in a different way than the Empire.
‘I misjudged them.’
Sure, I might have been too quick to judge this world as lax just because I encountered people with poor mental states or simpletons like Hwang Jun-yeop, who was more familiar with books than swords.
This is just a small acknowledgment, but the realization that follows is anything but small.
A pleasant sense of clarity enveloped me. The world seemed different, as if I had just woken up from a long sleep. By shedding my narrow perspective, I could see much more.
“Mixing strengths together might create a masterpiece.”
“A m-masterpiece? Ki-hyuk, are you making something?”
I turned my head to see Merhem looking at me. There were marks on her cheek…
“Did you sleep?”
“I-I didn’t sleep at all!”
She did.
As I followed the marks, my eyes landed on hers.
Merhem tilted her head in confusion under my gaze.
“Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?”
“No, not really.”
I’m just estimating.
Estimating what kind of masterpiece you’ll become.
In Merhem’s pupils, I was smiling.
Time passes.
Before I knew it, the weekend had arrived after a whirlwind of classes.
And weekends meant it was time for a vigorous and lively trip to the gate!
I advanced, swatting away the arrows from kobolds with my bare hands.
“Ki-rik, ki-rik!”
Shouts echoed from various spots in the bushes. Roughly translated, they likely meant something like “Poison doesn’t work!”
Using crude poison is a characteristic of the kobold species.
Because of this, even though they’re low-level monsters, they’re more troublesome than one would expect.
But to me, they’re just dwarfs. Crude poison doesn’t work on the body of a “Giant.”
With a swift leap, I cleared the bushes in a single bound, only to find that they had already fled. As expected of a monster species with higher intelligence than goblins, they were quick to retreat.
“Tch, I’d love to crush them with skeletons, but…”
I must restrain myself. I’m not hunting right now; I’m creating a masterpiece. Patience is essential when crafting a splendid work of art.
As I tracked the kobolds’ trail, I radioed my prospective masterpiece.
“Merhem, the kobolds have scattered.”
Her voice soon came through the in-ear communicator.
“How many?”
“Thirteen.”
“Thirteen. Understood. I’ll handle it now.”
A short while later, I heard sounds from the bushes.
Whssh! Whssh! Whssh!…
It was the sound of air escaping, followed by the inevitable screams of the kobolds.
I moved towards the nearest sound.
And before me lay a scene:
A pit dug into the dirt, with two kobolds skewered on tightly packed sand spikes, their bodies now cold and lifeless.
“Whistle~ She really has talent.”
Despite the considerable distance, she had accurately pinpointed and neutralized the enemies.
However, what truly caught my attention wasn’t that.
It was the size of this pit. It wasn’t too deep or wide; it was just the right size to trap kobolds.
“Her mana control is impressive.”
Suddenly, I remembered how the old woman from the Green Tower would constantly rave about her students. Well, old lady, the talent you’ve been searching for is right here. I’ll take good care of her.
I inspected the other pits. Each was appropriately sized for the number of kobolds that fell in.
They were excellently done.
Just then, a transmission came through the earpiece.
“Thirteen targets neutralized.”
“Well done.”
Clap, clap, clap.
I couldn’t help but applaud.
With Merhem now fully assessed…
“Come quickly. Jun-woo is here too. It’s time to eat.”
“On my way.”
With the groundwork complete, it was time to start crafting my masterpiece.
That night, I headed to Merhem’s house.
“What do you mean I’m being picky with my magic?! I’m not!”
“It’s exactly as I said.”
Park Ki-hyuk sipped his tea calmly.
Merhem looked at him in disbelief.
After the hunt, Park Ki-hyuk had suddenly shown up at her house. Saying he wanted to “chat for a bit,” he ended up riding with her and, before she knew it, he was casually munching on the snacks her butler had prepared.
“Speak clearly. I’m a foreigner. Korean is hard for me.”
“Oh, right. Our ‘Merry’ princess is a foreigner, after all.”
“Ugh! Don’t call me Merry! That was only used when I was a kid!”
Merhem glared at the butler with venomous eyes.
It’s all the butler’s fault for calling her “Princess Merry” and making things awkward! She shot a glare at him, but he just shrugged and disappeared out the door.
She knew then…
…that there was no one on her side in this house.
“Sigh, just get to the point. Barging into a lady’s house without notice is bad manners. I don’t think you’re a rude person, Ki-hyuk.”
“If you insist.”
Park Ki-hyuk put down his cup, his gaze turning serious.
“Let me ask you something first. How strong do you want to become?”
“How strong? That question doesn’t make sense. The stronger, the better.”
“Good. Then let me rephrase. How much are you willing to sacrifice to become stronger?”
“You’re acting strange today, Ki-hyuk.”
“Just answer me. How much are you willing to sacrifice?”
Merhem took a moment to think.
Why did she come to Korea?
She needed power.
She hated being trapped in the cage of royalty, she wanted to be free, and for that, she needed strength. Not the capricious whims of a spoiled royal, but the power to claim her freedom.
After some thought, Merhem extended one finger.
“Freedom.”
She extended a second finger.
“Chicken. Aside from these two things, I’m willing to sacrifice everything.”
“Hmm, fair enough. Chicken is worth it.”
“Now, will you explain what you meant about me being picky?”
“I was getting to that.”
Park Ki-hyuk finished his tea and looked intently at Merhem.
“Why do you only use ‘sand’ magic?”
“Huh? Is that what you came to say? Of course, it’s because I’m the best at it!”
“What about other attributes? Water? Wind? Earth? Have you tried them?”
“Water? Wind? Why would I bother with those chaotic elements?”
“Not even once?”
“No, isn’t it obvious? Are you saying that’s what you meant by being picky?”
“Yeah, I was curious why you only use sand. If that’s your only reason, then you’re wasting your talent.”
“…!!”
For modern magicians, the primary attribute is singular. It’s a common belief that dabbling in multiple attributes can hinder growth.
But now, Park Ki-hyuk was challenging that very belief.
“Sand symbolizes ‘death.’ Water symbolizes ‘life.’ When these two combine to form earth, it symbolizes ‘mother.’ Our mother, who bears both death and life. And what grows from the earth?”
“Is it the tree you mentioned earlier?”
“Specifically, a seed. It represents ‘conception.’ That seed grows into a tree, which signifies ‘growth,’ and the tree blooms, symbolizing ‘birth.’”
Spring, summer, fall, winter.
As the seasons change, the fully bloomed flowers wither, die, and decay.
And so, they meet ‘death’ once more, becoming part of the sand, and that sand meets the rain, turning into earth to nurture new seeds.
This endless cycle.
“We… I call this ‘the cycle.’”
“The cycle.”
“Yeah, the cycle. That’s your talent.”
“…!!”
A singular attribute? Selection and focus?
I understand. It’s generally believed that growth is best achieved by focusing on a single attribute.
It’s true that the human vessel doesn’t easily change, and it’s more efficient to grow according to that vessel.
“But you’re different. You’re special.”
It’s wrong to apply conventional standards to someone extraordinary. That would be wasteful. It’s settling, and it’s a compromise with oneself.
“You can do it all. What’s the first thing I taught you?”
“Break free from preconceived notions.”
“Let’s move on to the next step.”
Step 2.
Don’t set limits.
“From now on, you’re going to wield all the attributes I mentioned earlier.”
Water, earth, wind, wood. Understand this cycle.
Ultimately…
“You’ll become a druid.”
“…A druid? Isn’t that shamanism… Are you saying?”
“Yep, shamanism. You’re giving up on magic.”
Park Ki-hyuk grinned mischievously.
…
…
“Want to know something funny? The reason you’re lazy is because you only use sand.”
“What do you mean?”
“Your innate energy is skewed towards death because you only train in sand. That’s why your mind feels heavy, and you get lethargic. You sleep a lot, don’t you?”
“…Beauty needs her sleep.”
“This confirms it. You’re definitely not beautiful.”
“…Just die.”
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