Chapter 11 : School is a fucking spectacle #6 - No Kidding, I’m an Extra

"The little brats are acting up." I'm not afraid of a bunch of kids. So what if they're causing trouble? Do they seriously think of stabbing someone? Heroes are heroes, plain and simple. A quick search online shows that superpowered individuals who commit heinous crimes are treated like villains. What's important for a hero? It's their character. Kids who resort to foul language and violence won't last at the academy. "Damn it." Thinking back, it seems that the commotion on the entrance ceremony day actually worked in my favor. Since I've made acquaintances with the Director Noona, I can reach her immediately if there's trouble. Based on her personality, she definitely wouldn't tolerate something like a violent outbreak. I'm sure of it. She doesn't seem the type to refuse a plea from a student she's already reprimanded. The bruise on my back is still visible. Anyway. "Let's see." I approached the kiosk at the training ground and touched the power icon at the center of the screen. Then— —Click. The door locks while a light turns on above. I guess I didn’t activate this earlier, which is why there wasn’t an ‘in use’ sign, allowing them to enter. [Loading...] While waiting for the loading process, the screen finally lights up. —Ding! ――――――――――――――――― 「Quest Completed」 「Enter the Academy Training Ground」 「Reward: 100 Coins」 「Reward: Shop Unlocked」 ――――――――――――――――― "Yes!!!" Finally, the shop is open! The excitement is overwhelming, and my heart pounds with anticipation. How do I use this? Since I’ve rented out the training ground, I should take a moment to explore. "How do I open it? Shop. Show the shop." As soon as I say that— —Ding. A familiar holographic interface appears in front of me. ――――― [Shop] [Buy] ――――― The design is simplicity itself. Without hesitation, I press the purchase section. ――――― [?] [?] [?] [?] ――――― Countless question marks greet me. "Why are they all question marks?" Could this be a gacha system? I almost collapsed in despair, ready to scream murder, but found it wasn’t clickable. Seems it's not gacha after all. Anyway, I swipe through the holographic menu to review the list. The majority of the items are concealed with [?]. Is this one of those situations where further progress unlocks these things? Like I need to earn them. That probably explains it. There's no reason otherwise. Nonetheless, what's the point of a shop if you can’t use it right away... ――――― [Stats] ――――― "Oh." The stats section appeared. I can use coins to enhance my lackluster stats? Fantastic. Without hesitation, I select it, displaying the list of stats. ―――――――――――― [Strength (1) - 3,000 Coins] [Skill (1) - 3,000 Coins] [Stamina (1) - 3,000 Coins] [Endurance (1) - 3,000 Coins] [Magic (1) - 3,000 Coins] [Available Coins (2,500)] ―――――――――――― "Crap." These sneaky colluders set every price uniformly! And everything costs three thousand, so I need to gather another five hundred. Seems like the only option is to collect more coins diligently. Although, considering I haven’t been in school for long and have collected this many coins, they might be quite generous? "Ryu Cheon Hwi." I got two thousand from the fight with him. The rest are small amounts. Does this mean Ryu Cheon Hwi's like a coin machine? I can speculate, but who knows for sure. I'm planning to report Ryu Cheon Hwi anyway... But if he’s a coin machine, maybe I should try to align myself with him instead. Regardless, if I gather coins, I too can grow stronger. Therefore, I must collect diligently. Not that I can neglect training entirely. I still don’t know the average stats of these hero cadets. I’ll need to do everything possible to catch up. Training and exercise are crucial. —Zap. I close the shop screen without hesitation and turn my attention back to the kiosk. [Would you like to start training?] "Yes." Upon clicking, a window prompts me to enter my ID and password… Should I make one? Then I realize I have my student ID. I pull it out and log in, and my name pops up. [Kim Geun Cheol] [Rank: F] [Training Ground Usage Count: 0] [Overall Score: 0] Seems everything is accessible with just my student ID. Quite convenient. After glancing over my information sheet, I press the button to start training. [Select the type of training] "Oh, there are different types?" Quite detailed. I press, revealing a list. [Close Combat Training] There are more options, but all I have is a sword and a skill for enchanting it, so I opt for this one. [Projectile Dodge Training] [Summon Designated Monster for Combat] [Monster Wave] [Monster Challenge] There are various options, and it's already getting interesting. I begin reading their descriptions one by one. Projectile Dodge Training? A description appears. —There are both monsters and villains who enjoy ranged attacks. Dodging or defending against their attacks is one of the most crucial abilities for a hero. —Avoid the projectiles launched by monsters. If hit, HP will deplete, and training ends when it reaches 0, after which your score will be assessed. "Thanks for the thorough explanation." In other words, it's like baseball dodge training. Watching the example video helps clarify things. The others include summoning a holographic monster for a one-on-one fight and a defense game-like mode where waves of monsters keep coming. "The challenge mode is like scaling a tower, taking down one monster at a time." "Select challenge mode." [Please select a level] [ Lv.1 ] [ Lv.2 ] [ Lv.3 ] [ .... ] "Of course, starting from Level 1." —Beep. As soon as I touched the screen, —Woosh! "Whoa!" The training ground was suddenly enveloped in a blue light! "Oh my gosh...!" It feels like I've stepped into a digital world! This dazzling space, swirling with mysterious blue light, is impressive. While I gawked, the floor opened up and a pillar rose from the ground. "What is this?" —Buzz. As the pillar opened, a weapon-like object emerged. Ah, that's right. They said the enemies would appear as holograms. This must be a training weapon specifically for those encounters. —Clench. I grabbed the training sword. The design looks futuristic. Yet, the weight is similar to my own sword. [Starting Monster Challenge Mode] "Get started already. I want to see these so-called monsters." Then— —Whirr. "Oh wow." Something began to slowly materialize in front of me, just like a 3D printer creating objects. Its color was sky blue, reminiscent of futuristic holograms... This technology is impressive! Watching in anticipation, a monster gradually took shape. "What the heck is this? A sea anemone? With legs?" The monster was unusually shaped. It had a cylindrical body with a cluster of tentacles. Its base boasted a pair of zealot-like reverse-jointed legs. It stood about one meter tall. Surprisingly, the detailed modeling gave it a very realistic appearance. [F-Rank Monster: Antazora] [Beware of the tentacles] "Wow." This is a bit nerve-wracking. But at the same time, exciting. I have to take down that monster with this sword. It feels like a vivid VR action game. Naturally, my motivation surges. Not to mention, I won’t get hurt. Let’s do this! [Activation] "Bring it on! Start!" I immediately stepped forward with my left foot and aimed my sword! Do they really think I'd lose to a sea anemone-like creature? I even trained in taekwondo, for goodness' sake! With a sword, I'm practically invincible. —Dash! The monster, Antazora, began charging at me with surprising speed using its reverse-jointed legs. "Eeeeeeek!" "It can even speak?" It was vocalizing something as it approached. Not to mention, it was preparing to attack with its tentacles dangling. I matched its speed. "Whoa!" —Swoosh! I leapt sideways, evading its charge. "Eeeek!" —Tap tap tap. The creature, after rushing past, slowed down and turned back toward me. It was fast, but not so fast that I couldn't react. It also didn't behave all that unpredictably. I can handle this. Is it because it's an F-rank monster? Monsters like this must be the lowliest grunts, the minions. That's probably why a newcomer like me can face it. "Dodge, then strike. Good. Hey, come at me again." —Zoom! True to form, it rushed at me again. Its speed was still within reaction range. As it closed in, I again dodged to the side, evading its attack. "Now, die!" —Swish! I propelled myself forward, swinging my sword as I lunged at it from behind! —Smack! A resonant strike, and glowing sky-blue powder burst into the air. —Vrrrmm! The sword hilt vibrated intensely, like a light gun at an arcade. The impact is terrific! In that moment of awe— —Whoosh! "Oh!" The creature lashed its tentacle towards my face! I barely rolled to the ground, narrowly avoiding it. Wow, that was close. If this had been real, it could've been dangerous. "You little punk!" —Shing! I got up immediately and charged at it, slashing with my sword. —Smack! My sword cut through its body effortlessly. That was the end. The hologram monster dissolved like a mirage. [Victory] "Oooooooooohhhhhhhhh!!!!" Ecstasy!!! Overwhelming ecstasy!!! A shout erupted!!! "I wonnnnnnnnnn!!!" I realized something! Even someone like me can take down an F-rank monster! Understanding myself and learning about these monsters brings an overwhelming sense of accomplishment! "Bring on the next one!" This training ground is going to be incredibly fun! I mean, it's like a hyper-realistic VR action game! Additionally, continually using my body and honing combat skills here will naturally improve my stats! "Time for some hardcore training, Moonlight Sculptor style!" Just like how practice dummies were beaten to raise stats, I’ll beat down these training ground monsters to increase my stats!