Report
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Griffin Scans
Translator – Hero of death
Proofreader – Sleepyhead
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Chapter 5 - Warp Point
[SEAL] Academy’s curriculum was broadly divided into three main parts: class training, primary weapon training, and theoretical lectures.
Today was the day for lectures.
The students currently in the classroom included other new cadets like me, but the group makeup was noticeably different from yesterday.
That’s because while class training groups are fixed, lectures at [SEAL] are taken based on student interest and personal course registration.
Ding-ding-ding.
The bell rang, signaling the end of class.
It was already approaching 5 p.m. I attended three lectures today, starting at 9 a.m.
[Understanding Mana and Skills
[Worlds Beyond the Gate]
[Introduction to Monsterology]
Maybe it was because it was the first day, but all three courses only covered the basics, so they weren’t too difficult.
Also, theory scores only made up 5% of the final grade here at the academy. Which meant most students treated lecture time as free time.
But for me—every point mattered.
[How were the lectures?]
As soon as class ended, Samchil’s voice rang in my head.
“They were easy today.”
[Good. Let’s move. We need to register for a club—and then go somewhere else.]
“Go somewhere?”
I tilted my head as I left the lecture hall.
At [SEAL], joining at least one club was mandatory.
Some cadets even joined one academic and one hobby club. Others joined clubs simply for the privileges they offered.
Many clubs were designed in Gothic Revival style.
And it was a chaotic battlefield of promotion as clubs fought to recruit new students.
“Join our travel club! We’re like a family—radio-free adventure awaits!”
“Love swords? Join the Swordsmanship Club! Study the history of the blade and chase your dreams!”
“Follow the Word of God—praise and worship in community!”
“Artifact Club—research and invent new gear! Compete in the annual national youth invention contest!”
There were all kinds of clubs promoting themselves, but I already knew which one I’d join.
[Room 603. That’s the club room. Head there.]
“Did you use to hang out with the people here? The name’s kind of… odd.”
[Didn’t get the chance to. Didn’t last long.]
“Oh? Then wouldn’t another club be better?”
[Don’t worry. This is the best choice for what’s ahead.]
“Alright then.”
I squeezed through the crowd of new students and climbed the stairs to the sixth floor. When I arrived at the door, a small sign greeted me.
[Society for Adventure and Exploration.]
The name alone screamed "Adventure club."
[I'll stay quiet so you don’t form any biases. It’s always best to judge for yourself.]
I nodded and knocked on the door.
Honestly, just hearing the name gave me a weird feeling…
—----
—----------
[What do you think?]
As soon as I stepped out after submitting the club application, Samchil asked, curious.
“It was a short chat, so I didn’t really get much. Just… one senior seemed a little odd—but interesting.”
The club, nicknamed “S.A.E.,” was currently struggling with low membership.
They couldn’t afford to turn away newcomers, unlike popular clubs that had to limit applicants.
TL/N: S.A.E is short for The Society for Adventure and Exploration.
They were practically begging to recruit anyone—even grabbing at the hems of students passing by.
[It’ll be fun. And more importantly—it matters for our future. So, pop quiz: How much of SEAL Academy’s internal warp points have been discovered?]
“Maybe… 70%?”
[As of now? Exactly 49%. That means—51% of this academy’s warp network remains undiscovered.]
That was… more opportunity than I’d imagined.
[Now guess: How much do you think was discovered 20 years from now?]
As he asked that, something vague in my mind began to crystallize.
To possess knowledge of the future… It was a far greater thing than I had imagined.
[A whopping 98 percent.]
Hearing Samchil’s confident voice, I could almost see the bright smile on his face—even though I’d never actually seen it before.
[That means the remaining opportunities are all ours to take.]
His words made my heart pound.
Warp points referred to gateways to other worlds. To put it more simply, you could think of them as naturally occurring portals.
The exact cause of a warp point’s formation hadn’t yet been identified, but the leading theory was that they were created when mana accumulated over a long period of time in a specific location.
The academy had discovered and utilized warp points for training purposes, and compared to the rest of the world, an unusually high number of them were found here.
To give a clearer picture—
If you left the Creation Hall and walked for about five minutes, you’d come across Miraehun.
On the wall between the third and fourth floors of Miraejun, there was a small fireplace.
Behind it, a concealed space lay hidden.
[The Doll Arena.]
It was one of the developed training grounds available to all cadets. Warp points like this one could be hidden in the most unexpected places.
That name, though...
“Doll Arena?”
[Right. Moving steel puppets. You can choose from three difficulty levels: Easy, Normal, or Hard. Obviously, you’ll be choosing Easy.]
“Got it.”
I was ready to fire myself up for training, but suddenly felt something missing in my hand.
“Come to think of it—I don’t have a sword yet.”
[Even if you did, you wouldn’t be able to scratch those steel dolls right now.]
“Huh? Then what am I supposed to do here?”
[You don’t need a weapon to get a skill.]
His reply made no sense.
[Just get hit.]
It wasn’t a command to fight. Or to win.
Just—get hit.
[It’ll hurt. A lot. Like I said—they’re made of steel.]
Crash!
The marble floor shattered beneath me as a metallic figure launched itself from the dust.
I barely had time to adjust my stance.
The doll tore through the haze, silent and unrelenting.
It didn’t even have a face. Just a crude humanoid shape, made of steel.
BANG!
I raised my arm to block its attack, but the shockwave rippled through me to my core. My breath caught, my vision blurred.
But it wasn’t over. The blows kept coming, one after another, without mercy.
I grit my teeth, clashing against the metal doll in a desperate dance.
It didn’t tire. Its movements grew sharper. I couldn’t keep up.
This opponent was completely out of my league.
And yet, I kept going.
Why?
Because I needed the skill I would gain from this ordeal—to stand a chance against Park Jongpal in our upcoming duel.
So how does one acquire a skill?
To answer that, you’d need at least the knowledge level of a professor from the Department of Theoretical Magic.
But to put it simply—A skill is born when the mana in the air and the mana within one’s body interact and trace a certain circuit.
When the conditions are met, the system recognizes it and grants a skill.
Which meant—
To acquire a skill in the Doll Arena, I had to fulfill those unknown conditions that would cause mana to form that unique circuit.
Samchil knew those conditions. And that’s why I was letting myself get beaten to a pulp.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
I was no longer dodging or defending. Just enduring the steel doll’s heavy blows with my body.
It showed no pity. The pain was unimaginable.
My consciousness was hanging by a thread.
But I had to hold on. I had to stay awake.
That was the only way I could obtain a skill.
And then finally—
<Conditions met.>
<You have acquired the skill: 'Iron Will.'>
<The future changes.>
<The blank slate of fate has been redrawn.>
But it wasn’t over.
The steel doll didn’t care if I had earned a skill.
It kept pummeling me without pause.
Thankfully, since this was an academy-controlled training environment, there was a way to escape.
I threw the white flag I’d received upon entering the arena.
As the white cloth fluttered in the air, a flash of light blinded my vision.
Suddenly, I was outside the training zone.
The pain stopped—but my body wouldn’t move. My consciousness was slipping.
As my vision blurred, I saw someone approaching before everything faded to black.
—
—------
When I finally opened my eyes, a familiar ceiling came into view.
My whole body ached, but nothing was seriously damaged.
Someone must have treated me.
“You’re awake?”
The curtain was pulled aside, and a woman in a white coat appeared. She looked to be in her mid-twenties.
“”....a doctor.”
“Pushing yourself like that on the first day…”
“No matter how fast you recover, fatigue still builds up. Training like that won’t make you stronger quickly. It’ll just ruin your body instead.”
A firm but caring scolding—just what you’d expect from a doctor.
She was likely a Hunter from the holy magic division.
The academy had infirmaries stationed all over the place because accidents during training weren’t uncommon. Many cadets, like me, ended up here after pushing themselves too hard.
“Once the IV finishes, you’re free to go.”
“Thank you.”
I glanced at my arm. An IV needle was attached—probably a nutrient solution of some sort.
I let my half-raised body fall back onto the bed and checked the skill I had just acquired.
<Iron Will>
Grade: E
Description: Strengthens your mental fortitude.
My body ached all over, but I had achieved my goal.
Enduring that violence had granted me potential. That alone was a huge win.
The core of this strategy had always been patience.
The skill <Iron Will>, along with the experience I had just gained, would definitely help me in the upcoming spar with Park Jongpal.
“Samchil.”
[Your future self is currently offline and focused on reality.]
Looks like he logged off while I was unconscious.
Clatter.
“Huh? You’re awake.”
The curtain around my bed was pulled aside.
A face appeared—so handsome, he looked like he didn’t belong in this world.
For a moment, it felt like the entire room brightened. Judging by the bandage wrapped around his head, he seemed to be in a similar state as me.
I was here to prepare for my match with Park Jongpal, but I didn’t expect someone else to already be using the infirmary.
Still… There was something familiar about his face.
“Wait… You’re—”
Just as I wondered who he was, the answer hit me.
There was no way any freshman wouldn't recognize this guy.
And for that reason, I knew him well.
“Dragging you here was no small task.”
Lee Mujin.
The top freshman.
A cadet destined to become world Number one Ranker someday.
The very person I must surpass to achieve my dream.
My clearest, most vivid goal… was now standing right in front of me, smiling effortlessly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~Chapter End~~~~~~~~~~~
