Chapter 7: Unhappy Time with an Orc (1)
At 6 PM.
I had dinner with Noctar at the Hero Department's cafeteria.
Although we were classmates, it was exceedingly rare for someone to be friendly with a different race outside of the classroom.
Humans stayed with humans.
Beastmen stayed with beastmen.
Orcs stayed with orcs.
Lizardmen stayed with lizardmen.
Elves without classmates haughtily spent their time alone.
But having dinner with an orc? Countless glances pierced us as if to ask, 'What is he doing with that one?'
Ugh...
A sharp pain surged through my body, but I endured it. I had promised to teach Noctar martial arts in return for his help with studying.
Currently, Noctar is ranked 71st among the 200 freshmen. However, if one only considered pure strength, he was among the top 10 in our class.
Just like how Neike gained enlightenment from a master's teachings in the original work, Noctar's help would most likely be beneficial.
Even if that wasn't the case, training together would inevitably make me work harder, even if only to save face.
After finishing dinner, we went to the Hero Department's exclusive training field.
This place was different from the training field where Neike and Piel had been yesterday, which was accessible to all students.
There were individual cabinets for personal use, as well as areas to train in mock magic battles and close-quarter combat. There was even training available for dealing with situations where one was targeted by an assassin.
Training here rendered the ordinary training grounds practically unusable. That's why on Sundays when the doors were closed, the majority of students took a break from training.
On Sundays, only exceptional students like Neike and Piel visited the ordinary training grounds.
Among the numerous practice rooms, we moved to the sparring hall. Although it was called a sparring hall, it was essentially an arena.
Duels were prohibited within the academy.
However, the sparring hall was an exception.
The academy encouraged duels between students. The reason was that it stimulated a sense of competition among them.
In other words, it was a legal fighting space.
Whooosh!
Noctar moved his arms and legs in wide arcs as he spoke.
"Let's start by warming up our bodies."
I nodded and followed Noctar's movements.
After pressing his forearm against a large pillar and stretching his chest muscles, Noctar picked up a wooden practice sword.
"Alright, let's begin our duel."
"I'm not very confident."
"We need to gauge your skill first. There's a saying for that, isn't there?"
Noctar pointed to a framed poster hanging on the wall. It read, [Overcome. Surpass.]
A duel with an orc of a warrior race. I'd be fortunate if he didn't kill me.
"Please wait a moment."
I quickly scanned the rack of practice weapons.
Various weapons were displayed: swords, rapiers, two-handed swords, longswords, daggers, spears, axes, polearms, bows, and shields.
As these were practice weapons, all the blades were made of wood.
I had wielded all sorts of weapons countless times in the game, but this was my first time in reality.
I picked up a longsword and a shield. The longsword was Theo's main weapon in the game.
As for the shield, it was beneficial for a beginner like me with no real combat experience.
I opened the information window.
●Practice Longsword [Grade: Ordinary] : A practice longsword made of wood. It is difficult to expect any lethality. [View Details]
●Practice Shield [Grade: Ordinary] : A practice shield made of wood. It is difficult to withstand strong impacts. [View Details]
As expected, the practice weapons were nothing special.
I secured the shield tightly to my left wrist.
Just having a shield provided a sense of psychological stability. It made me feel less intimidated.
Equipped with the gear, I stood before Noctar. His gaze sharpened.
"Shall we begin?"
"Alright."
"Come at me first."
Noctar beckoned with his hand, and I charged at him.
An hour had passed since the start of our duel.
"Huff, huff, huff..."
I lay on the ground, gasping for breath.
...I was utterly defeated.
Noctar had fought me using not only his sword, but also a spear, rapier, and polearm, switching between them all.
I had been able to handle him to some extent when he was using a sword, spear, rapier, or polearm.
They were familiar techniques I had seen in the original game, and I could naturally use Theo's skills.
I managed to hold my ground for nearly 10 minutes against his polearm. However, when facing his one-handed axe, I couldn't last even 30 seconds.
So this is the power of the top 10.
Noctar chuckled as he placed the one-handed axe on the rack.
"Your swordsmanship is somewhat clumsy, but it's not bad."
"...Is that so?"
I answered while still lying down.
Though lacking due to my lack of continuous training, Theo was the young master of a renowned family of heroes. He had received early education since childhood.
In terms of pure swordsmanship, I was better than Noctar.
However, my height, strength, stamina, and speed were all far inferior.
[Name: Noctar Hermod]
Gender: Male
Age: 11
Race: Orc
Affiliation: Elinia Academy Hero Department / Ashen Desert Tribe
Strength 12
Stamina 12
Mana 5
Tenacity 12
Traits Battle Instinct (Passive Effect / Bloodline Ability) [View Details] Blessing of the War God (Passive Effect / Bloodline Ability) [View Details] Weapon Expert (Passive Effect) [View Details] Blood Rage (Passive Effect) [View Details] Hard Skin (Passive Effect) [View Details]
Except for his Mana, his stats were the same as Neike's. He could handle various weapons thanks to his Weapon Expert trait.
The Noctar I had faced hadn't activated traits like Battle Instinct and Blood Rage. If he had, I wouldn't have lasted even 10 seconds.
Still... it was a significant gain. I could apply the knowledge from the original game even in actual combat.
As I was gathering my thoughts, Noctar spoke up.
"You've had enough rest. Get up. Let's move on to the next exercise."
"Alright."
I followed Noctar to the physical training room.
"Theo, you're seriously lacking strength, especially compared to your human peers. Building up your strength is the priority."
He was right. In this world, there were no guns.
Regardless of the weapon, physical strength was essential.
I nodded, and Noctar laughed heartily.
"Good, good. Let's overcome this. We'll start with this much."
He pointed to the barbell, which now had many more weight plates than the one I had lifted the day before.
"Shouldn't we reduce the weight a bit?"
I said honestly. It looked like a stretch, no matter how I saw it.
"No, you can handle it. I'll assist you, so come on!"
There was no room for negotiation.
"Come on, Theo, just one more! You can do it! In your left hand, hold the hope of the great War God; in your right, carry the wishes of your people, and push forward with all your might! Yes, that's it, Theo! Don't stop! You can do it, you can do it!"
After enduring a grueling two-hour one-on-one personal training session with Noctar, I was finally able to return to the dormitory.
Before I knew it, the time had passed ten o'clock at night.
I gazed at the dormitory's main entrance.
"Phew..."
My journey wasn't over yet. My room was on the 20th floor.
I consoled my weary body as I climbed the stairs.
When I finally reached the 20th floor, Amy, as expected, was waiting outside my room.
However,
"······!"
When our eyes met, Amy looked as if she had been caught doing something she shouldn't have.
Why is she acting like that? Is there something on my face? I've taken a shower, after all.
"···You've arrived, young master."
Amy approached and bowed her head just as she did yesterday.
"Yeah."
When had Amy started waiting for me? Assassins like her must have sharp hearing, but I doubt she could hear me from inside the room.
"When did you start waiting here?"
"···Since six o'clock."
...That means she had been standing there for more than four hours. If I don't tell her not to, she'll undoubtedly keep doing this.
"You don't need to wait for me from tomorrow on."
There's no need to provoke her animosity further.
I don't know why I die in this route. It's best to minimize potential causes of death.
And I plan to keep coming back late in the future.
Next Friday, there's a practical evaluation─a competition among students. It's like a quiz before midterms in college, and naturally, the results will affect our grades.
Currently, I rank 181st out of 200 students. The bottom 10%, from 181st to 200th, are all equally mediocre.
Dead last is the same as me. My prestigious lineage is the only reason I made it to 181st.
I must train constantly, except when I go to collect hidden pieces on weekends. Fortunately, Noctar has agreed to help me with my training.
"···But waiting for you, young master, is one of my duties."
Amy bowed her head, seemingly apologetic.
"No, that's enough. Don't wait for me."
"But─"
"Don't make me repeat myself. If you keep waiting like this, I won't let it go."
On another note,
"Did you take care of the broken magic lamp?"
Amy hesitated before replying.
"···Yes, young master. I replaced it with a new one."
"Good, well done."
"Thank you, young master. You've worked hard today as well. Please, let me take your bag."
"Hold on for a moment."
I retrieved the pouch Noctar had given me and handed the document bag to Amy.
Amy accepted the document bag with a subtle look in her eyes as she stared at the pouch in my hand.
"Then, have a good night, young master. I'll see you tomorrow morning. Have sweet dreams."
The same robotic phrase as yesterday. She's an emotionless woman – one might wonder if she's an assassin.
"Right, have sweet dreams too, Amy."
I replied with the same phrase and immediately entered my room, lying down on the bed.
Fortunately, I hardly felt any pain. It was a good decision to take a shower at the training grounds.
The soft bed enveloped me, and fatigue came crashing down.
Ah, right.
I opened the pouch that Noctar had given me. Inside was a fine, light brown powder.
He had said it was a traditional tribe elixir, right?
It was supposed to be good for muscle development, and he had told me to take it every three hours.
I scooped out a little powder, mixed it with water, and gulped it down.
"Ugh."
I felt like retching. It was tasteless.
If there's no effect within two weeks, I won't take it anymore.
Four days had passed. The last week of classes, Friday, had arrived.
Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freew𝒆bnov𝒆l.c(o)m