I Entered an Academy in a Ruined Game

Chapter 17 : New Semester (3)

At 6 AM, still dim before sunrise.

Though there were still 30 minutes until wake-up time, 100 cadets had already gathered in the second-year dormitory lobby, radiating a menacing aura.

"Everyone's here!"

A female student with a bob haircut stepped forward.

Min Hae-na.

With skills befitting her honor as the top student of her year, natural leadership, and the background of being the principal's granddaughter.

She was a cadet who, from any perspective, was more than qualified to lead the second-year students.

"You've all worked hard watching those lax new students for the past two days!"

To all seniors, freshmen are always ill-mannered, pathetic waste.

As Min Hae-na belittled the new students, the cadets' response grew louder.

"I hear those guys even got into a fight yesterday?"

"They have no discipline!"

"Not an ounce of camaraderie!"

Of course, the very people saying this had once gotten into fights with bets involved at the beginning of the semester and received collective penalty points.

But isn't that just part of academy life?

"And I heard that only half of them showed up on time for breakfast yesterday!"

"How deplorable!"

"Skipping meals is a serious act of negligence that leads directly to combat power loss!"

Though they themselves once had only a third of their class show up for breakfast, sprawling in bed until they collectively received disciplinary training.

None of them remembered such trivial matters.

"Eating whenever they want, sleeping as much as they want? Is that the attitude befitting a cadet of the proud EFAC?"

"NO!"

Of course, Min Hae-na herself had barely woken up after setting five alarms.

But she did wake up early, didn't she?

"Good! Now let's show them!"

Min Hae-na's gleaming eyes burned with vengeful desire.

"That mornings are inherently painful times!"

"Oh!"

"Now it's your turn to suffer!"

Someone's true feelings slipped out briefly, but no one heard that voice.

"Especially those two who fought yesterday! Make sure to crush them!"

"Hooo!"

"Alright, the buckets?"

"Preparations complete!"

"Let's go!"

Second-year cadets holding buckets filled to the brim with water marched out in pairs.

"They're here."

Two dormitory supervisors responsible for the first-year building opened the doors and urged:

"Make sure to crush them thoroughly."

"Yes, sir!"

"This is that guy's room."

The second-year cadets took positions at their designated rooms as planned beforehand.

"A guy named Park Chang-jun. So arrogant."

Their tactical movement, not making a single footstep despite carrying heavy buckets, was truly excellent.

"Every story I hear about him is bad."

"As seniors, we should keep guys who act up at the beginning of the semester in check."

The two cadets, even lowering their voices, checked the time displayed on their devices.

It was almost time for the wake-up alarm to sound.

-Bam bam-babam bam-barabam-bam bambam bambam

The moment the loud alarm went off, all doors in the first-year dormitory swung open.

The timing was so precise that the sound of 50 doors opening in both buildings almost seemed like a single sound.

"Get up, you bastards!"

"When the wake-up alarm rings, you need to get up right away!"

"These little shits!"

In an instant, the first-year dormitory turned into a chaotic pandemonium of screams and shouts.

"Uh, uuuh? Huup!"

Park Chang-jun, still half-asleep, jumped out of bed in shock after being doused with water.

"Oh shi- Senior!"

Belatedly recognizing the hierarchy, the rebelliousness disappeared from Park Chang-jun's eyes.

"Shi? Are you cursing at your seniors?"

"Disrespectful little shit."

"N-no, that's not what I meant, gack!"

The seniors, having found their excuse, thoroughly thrashed Park Chang-jun until the dust came out of his wet clothes.

While Park Chang-jun was receiving proper mental education from early morning.

"Get up, you bastards...... Huh?"

A completely different scene was unfolding in Su-hyeon and Nam Tae-hoon's room.

"Good morning, seniors!"

When the two, already awake, bowed their heads respectfully to the seniors, the two seniors were taken aback by the unexpected situation.

"Uh...... yes."

"You were already up?"

"I learned that waking up before the alarm and preparing for daily routines is a cadet's basic attitude."

"Uh, right."

Feeling embarrassed and even perplexed, the two tried to find something to criticize, but.

"......You've even made your beds."

"Yes. I believe laziness starts from small things."

"A-admirable."

It was an exemplary answer that could be described as beyond just a good junior—almost a model soldier.

'I kicked my blanket off before getting up.'

In the end, they could only nod approvingly, smacking their lips.

"......Good. You're already in the proper cadet mindset."

"Thank you."

"Hmm. Then assemble at the training field. You know where it is, right?"

"Yes."

"Uh...... we're going."

"Take care, seniors!"

While watching the seniors leave without results, amid shouts and curses from all around, Nam Tae-hoon nudged Su-hyeon's side.

"Have you lived in a dormitory before?"

"Of course not."

"Right...?"

Nam Tae-hoon smacked his lips, setting aside the silly thought that Su-hyeon might have been a child soldier somewhere.

"Anyway, thanks to you, we survived. Thank you."

[You have safely passed the initiation.]

[The second-year cadets will remember today's events vividly.]

[Achievement points 80 awarded.]

'Not bad.'

Originally, achievement points didn't appear this frequently.

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"They must be cold."

When we went out to the training field, all the first-years were soaked from head to toe.

Early March mornings in Gangwon-do boast a literally flesh-trembling cold.

It was no wonder that their bodies were shivering as they stood there soaked in such weather.

Of course, none of them would be weak enough to catch a cold from this.

"Brrrr, it's cold."

"What is all this chaos so early in the morning."

Regardless of gender, everyone was stomping their feet, desperately trying to warm their bodies.

"I feel a bit sorry."

Nam Tae-hoon felt awkward at the sharp gazes directed at us.

"Lee Yu-jin and Hwang Ji-su got soaked too."

"Really?"

'Those guys probably couldn't help it either.'

"Looks like we're the only ones who didn't get drenched?"

"No."

Though Seo Jun-seong's hair was a bit messy, his face and clothes weren't wet at all.

"How did he avoid it?"

"Who knows."

'He probably reflexively used his psychokinesis to block it.'

Knowing the behind-the-scenes, I chuckled.

"Hey, hey, look at Park Chang-jun over there."

"Puhahah!"

But among the first-years who looked like drowned rats, Park Chang-jun was clearly the worst.

It was as if he'd fallen into a swimming pool—his skin was visible through his sagging clothes, and his hair was a complete mess.

"Looks like he got it pretty bad."

'He got into a fight right after enrollment.'

I would have been a target of concern for the second-years too.

'But I wouldn't have let them get me anyway.'

Even after just one playthrough, I wouldn't fall victim to these ridiculous hazing games.

"What's with those guys? They're not wet at all."

The attention of the shivering first-years turned to us.

"That's impossible. The seniors came in right after the wake-up alarm."

"Were they already awake?"

"Do they not sleep in the morning?"

"Wow."

"Even Lee Yu-jin and Hwang Ji-su got caught, but what's with those two?"

"Seo Jun-seong didn't get caught either."

"Are they living their second life or something?"

'What second life.'

Even multiplying that by 100 would fall far short of my playthroughs.

Meanwhile, the gazes of the second and third-years who were giggling as they watched us also turned toward me.

"Is that Jeong Su-hyeon? He's more......"

"Not him. The guy next to him."

"Ah. No wonder."

"That's a relief."

"Dang, he's handsome."

"Silence! Be quiet!"

An instructor wearing sunglasses from early morning stepped onto the podium.

"Is everyone here?"

"Yes!"

"Hmm! I see some rain-soaked rats have also gathered!"

Kekeke.

The second and third-years, who had suffered the same fate as freshmen, giggled.

"You rats had it good until yesterday! But from today, morning roll call will be conducted at this time every day without exception. Understood!"

"Yes!"

The first-years' expressions soured.

"If there are still some who haven't woken up to reality, you'll suffer the same fate tomorrow!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Good! Now......"

Assistants appeared one after another behind the instructor.

"From now on, it's morning training!"

The roll call was not over yet.

No, it was just beginning.

"First, non-combat personnel, step aside!"

Twenty students from each year, totaling sixty, stepped back.

"Phew."

"Saved."

The support-type cadets, whose faces had been turning black, sighed in relief.

But it was too early to relax.

"You will follow the assistant's lead and run to the top of that mountain and back! Understood!"

"......!"

'They'll all be throwing up and causing a commotion.'

It was closer to a hill than a mountain.

Still, running up such a steep slope was undoubtedly a difficulty impossible for ordinary people's stamina.

'But they're the lucky ones.'

This was training with a lowered difficulty because they were non-combat personnel, and hell awaited the rest.

"Now find a cadet with a similar build and form pairs of two. You have one minute."

"Want to pair up?"

"Let's do it. We managed to avoid getting soaked, I don't want to get wet now."

I paired up with Nam Tae-hoon, and the other cadets mostly formed teams with their roommates.

'They'll regret it.'

The expressions of the giggling second and third-year cadets reflected my thoughts.

"Good. Let me tell you the training content."

The instructor said.

"From now on, you are each other's exercise equipment."

"......?"

"Carry your partner and run three laps around the field at full speed, do 200 push-ups with your partner on your back, and 100 squat jumps with your partner on your shoulders. That's one set."

The instructor smiled like a devil.

"Since it's the first day, we'll only do three sets."

'Even one set would be superhuman.'

You might manage carrying and running, but most would collapse at the push-ups.

By the time you reach the squat jumps with your partner on your shoulders, you'd be begging for death.

"That's absurd."

"Carry this guy on my shoulders and do squat jumps?"

"Won't my knees give out?"

"We're screwed, this guy is so damn heavy."

The first-years stirred at the ridiculously intense training.

"Don't worry about injuries. Healers will treat everything. And......"

The instructor's expression, which had been smirking, turned ominous.

"Remember. No matter what happens, don't fall behind."

"Y-yes, sir!"

"The academy is not generous to those who fall behind."

"......."

At the chilling warning, the sound of gulping could be heard here and there.

'Everyone's good at intimidation, that's for sure.'

It made no sense for first-years, dragged out in wet clothes after being doused with water in the morning, to complete this on the first day with a clear mind.

It was a training course designed from the start to force them to drop out and crush their spirits.

But.

'This is a nice morning workout.'

To me, this was just another welcome routine.

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"Huk! Huk!"

"Haack! Haaack!"

The sounds of people gasping for breath could be heard everywhere.

Cadets who weren't in direct combat specialties dropped out first, but the rest didn't last much longer either.

"No will or ability, you bastards!"

"Get up! Stand straight!"

"The friend you're carrying would be your comrade on the battlefield! Are you going to abandon your comrade?"

The assistants, deployed for this moment, pushed the cadets to their limits.

"Sob, I really can't do it anymore, sir."

In this world, there were physical limitations that couldn't be overcome by mental strength alone.

"Park Chang-jun! Dropping out again?"

"No, sir!"

"What do you mean 'no,' you little shit!"

Of course, Park Chang-jun was receiving the most harassment this time too.

'He's been properly marked,' Su-hyeon thought.

"Are you all dropping out! Not even ten left! Be ashamed! Learn from your seniors!"

While shouting at the top of their lungs, the assistants were inwardly surprised.

Kang Geon-woo, Lee Yu-jin, Kwon Seung-yeon, Hong In-hyeon, Jeremy McGarr, and Jeong Su-hyeon.

The fact that as many as six were still enduring at this point was actually a record twice as good as previous years.

"Weaklings! You're dropping out because you can't even handle this!"

Contrary to his harsh words, the instructor was extremely satisfied.

'This year's cadets have the highest average level in recent years.'

Moreover, considering that Seo Jun-seong and Hwang Ji-su, who dropped out before these six, had characteristics that were far from physical enhancement types, they had shown considerable basic physical strength.

'Well, if Seo Jun-seong had used even a little psychokinesis, he would have endured much better.'

Such tricks were what the assistants were keeping a close eye on from the start.

"Damn it!"

Hong In-hyeon was the first of the final six to drop out.

'To endure this long without a physical enhancement ability—impressive.'

"SHIT!"

Jeremy McGarr soon dropped out too, and Lee Yu-jin, who had paired with Kwon Seung-yeon, finally collapsed.

"Huk, huk!"

"Unnngh!"

Kang Geon-woo and Kwon Seung-yeon's elimination also seemed a matter of time.

But.

"What's with that guy."

Su-hyeon was calmly following the seniors' pace without even grimacing.

'He's enduring this?'

Even the second-years, who had already adapted to the academy for a year, were struggling with this intensity, yet Su-hyeon, who experienced it for the first time today, was easily enduring until the end of the three sets.

"Hey, are you okay?" Nam Tae-hoon, who had collapsed and was swaying on Su-hyeon's shoulders, asked.

"Yeah, still manageable."

'If I lose to a freshman, I'll be a laughingstock until graduation!'

'Damn, why is that guy enduring so well?'

It was bad enough that even the seasoned second and third-years were feeling threatened.

'This is more doable than I thought. It won't even be a workout later?'

......If they had known Su-hyeon's inner thoughts, they would have been shocked.

'It's almost 7:30.'

The instructor checked his watch and looked troubled.

It was time to send them back to wash up and eat, and activities would start at 9.

Moreover, if they continued any longer, even the senior cadets would collapse.

'Tough guy.'

The instructor had to acknowledge Su-hyeon's victory with a click of his tongue.

"Enough!"

"Aaaaah."

Even the second and third-years who had been holding on out of pride finally sighed in relief.

"As of now, morning roll call and training are concluded! Return, shower, and have breakfast before starting your daily routines!"

"Yes, sir!"

[You have endured the hellish morning roll call!]

[The third-year cadets are surprised by you.]

[Achievement points 140 awarded.]

"One moment."

The instructor who conducted the morning roll call called Su-hyeon over.

"Jeong Su-hyeon. Today was surprising."

"Thank you, sir."

"You must train your body diligently on a regular basis?"

"Yes, sir."

"You didn't get wet either."

Of course, now his whole body was soaked with sweat.

"I think it's thanks to my habit of waking up early."

"Hmm."

'I have more to report at the evaluation.'

The instructor nodded at the calm Su-hyeon.

"Alright. You may go back now."

"Ah. There's one thing I'd like to ask."

"What is it?"

"From tomorrow, I'd like to train with Cadet Kang Geon-woo."

"Hmm? Why is that? Your builds don't match."

Compared to Su-hyeon who was in the 80kg range, Kang Geon-woo was a muscle mountain of at least 100kg, probably over 110kg.

"Well."

Su-hyeon scratched the back of his head and answered.

"I want to lift more weight."

"......?"

'Is he crazy?'

In the end, the instructor could only say:

"......Discuss that with the person involved."