Chapter 15: Hell Week Begins

This was what the professor of this class said when he spotted me among the students in training uniforms.

He could have realized right away that I hadn’t come to the wrong classroom just by checking the attendance list.

He must not have believed I was here to take his class, to the point he didn’t even think to check for himself.

‘Well, I can’t blame him.’

I glanced around at the students standing nearby.

No matter which way I turned my head, all I saw were muscular giants.

When I heard that Riolikin, who already had impressive muscles, was taking this class, the thought of ‘no way’ had crossed my mind—but I didn’t expect it to be quite like this.

Even I, who worried about survival, had hesitated over whether to take this class or not.

Of course, other students must have had the same worries as I did.

Besides, this is the Academy.

Whether one can get a good grade in a class is an important factor to consider when choosing courses.

As for me, survival is more important than grades, so I just signed up.

“I didn’t come to the wrong classroom.”

“Is that so? If you want to change your schedule, you don’t have to worry about what I think—just leave now if you want.”

As soon as the professor finished speaking, the students who looked comparatively smaller quietly slipped out of the classroom.

They must have thought they could get an easy grade here, but after seeing the physiques of the other students, they realized they didn’t stand a chance and bailed.

After they left and the classroom door closed, the professor looked at me with a surprised expression.

“You really intend to take this class?”

“Yes.”

“It will be tough, you know. Not only to get a good grade, but the class itself.”

“I signed up for it fully prepared, so please don’t worry.”

“If that’s the case… Ah, I hope I didn’t offend you with my words?”

“No, not at all.”

Only after this exchange did the professor start the class, and I got a taste of hell.

Even though the professor carefully adjusted the training intensity for me, keeping a close eye on my condition—since I would have collapsed if I trained at the same level as the others.

The thought that I might die at this rate crossed my mind more than once.

“Just so there’s no misunderstanding, I wasn’t trying to kick you out of the classroom. In fact, I hope students as frail as you take my class. It’s fun to watch someone’s progress. So, I’d like you to stick with my class and not give up.”

***

After the four-hour taste-of-hell course ended, the Basic Physical Training professor came over and said this.

But I couldn’t answer.

I was so exhausted that I couldn’t even breathe properly, let alone speak.

“I promise. If you take my class not just this semester but every semester left, I’ll help you build muscles as impressive as any other student before you graduate.”

That’s a bit too much help for me.

What I want from this class is just decent stamina and strength, not a burly, bodybuilder physique.

I’d only planned to take Basic Physical Training this semester anyway, and now I was even more determined.

“It’s lunchtime now, so eat plenty of protein and I’ll see you next week!”

Beating his own drum and making a racket all by himself, the Basic Physical Training professor finally left.

Then, this time, Riolikin came over hesitantly.

“Um, um, Karbaldr-nim. A-are you alright? If you need help walking….”

“No, I’m fine.”

No matter how tough it is, I don’t want to lean on a sweaty musclehead.

Even though I was also drenched in sweat, I still disliked the idea. Besides, Riolikin was someone I’d decided to keep my distance from.

So, I pushed myself off the wall I’d been leaning on and forced myself to walk under my own power.

***

With every step I took, my legs trembled, and the urge to just collapse and rest kept welling up inside me.

Of course, the desire to submit a course change request grew stronger with each step.

‘But still, it would be impossible to push myself this far and train my body alone. One semester is sixteen weeks, and two of those are exam periods… Just thirteen more times to endure…!

All of this is for rapid growth. I steeled myself with that thought and staggered forward.

Riolikin walked beside me, fidgeting with his hands and shuffling his feet, not knowing what to do.

He looked like he was ready to catch me if I collapsed.

Rather than feeling grateful, it was honestly distracting, so I wished he’d just go his own way.

“Ah! K-Karbaldr-nim. The cafeteria building is that way…?”

I was gathering my willpower to keep walking so I wouldn’t be helped, but Riolikin blocked my path with unnecessary concern.

I’d come to the Academy a week before the semester started and wandered all over to familiarize myself with the layout.

There’s no way I’d get lost.

“I’m heading to the dormitory.”

“A-a-aren’t you going to eat?! You have to get protein after working out. T-the professor said so earlier too. B-but….”

“I need to shower first, don’t I?”

“…Huh?”

I thought I’d said something completely obvious, but for some reason, Riolikin blinked as if he’d heard something strange.

That could only mean one thing.

“Don’t tell me, you were planning to go to the cafeteria without showering?”

Never mind the sticky discomfort from sweat—that would be a huge nuisance to others.

‘Could it be that the other students who took Basic Physical Training also headed straight for the cafeteria?’

If that’s the case, I must avoid the cafeteria at all costs right now.

“That’s truly unsanitary…”

A space where the smell of sweat and food are mixed together—just imagining it made me nauseous, and I unconsciously covered my nose and mouth.

‘Maybe my reaction shocked him?’

Riolikin looked like he’d been struck by a hammer.

I walked past his frozen figure and continued on my way.

***

A moment later, I heard heavy footsteps hurrying after me, so it seemed Riolikin decided to shower before eating lunch too.

If he’d just gone to the cafeteria, I could have used it as an excuse to keep my distance, saying I didn’t want to be around someone so dirty. What a shame.

‘But do I really need an excuse? If I just keep dodging, won’t he get the hint and drift away?’

After showering, changing into a clean uniform, and styling my damp hair, I held onto that hope.

I figured that after taking this much time, there was no way I’d run into Riolikin at the cafeteria again.

But what do you know? Riolikin was waiting right in front of my room.

I thought he’d rush to the cafeteria immediately after showering to prevent muscle loss.

To top it off, I ran into Tridric at the cafeteria too.

He said he’d been waiting for me and hadn’t even gotten his food yet.

‘What would they have done if I’d skipped lunch…?’

I had a bad feeling that it would be really hard to shake off these two characters.

Unaware of my inner turmoil, Tridric chattered throughout lunch about how interesting the art history lecture he attended that morning was.

He kept pestering me to drop Basic Physical Training and take the same classes as him, but of course, I let it all go in one ear and out the other.

If I ever write about this moment later, I’ll probably gloss over Tridric’s dialogue without quoting it.

Why? I barely listened, so I don’t remember a thing.

That’s how thoroughly I ignored everything Tridric said.

‘This afternoon’s class is a required theory course, so I’ll have to attend it with these two characters… Same goes for the protagonist Reysir and the fiancée character Vigdis. Will it be alright?’

Unlike when I went to my morning class, I failed to shake off the minions of the host body and ended up heading to the classroom with them.

We even sat right next to each other.

Because of that, I couldn’t let my guard down and had to stay alert until the class started.

I was worried that Tridric would spot Reysir or Vigdis before I did and pick a fight with them.

‘I told him not to do that yesterday, but you never know!’

Fortunately, what I feared didn’t happen. In fact, there wasn’t even a chance for it to happen.

‘Maybe because of what happened last semester, both of them came in right before the professor called roll and sat near the back door.’

It was clear they knew exactly how to avoid Karbaldr and his lackeys.

‘Good, now I can rest easy and take a nap!’

Some might wonder how I could sleep in a sacred classroom, but the required theory class, ‘History and Ethics,’ was notorious as nap time.

According to the original story, the professor just opened the textbook and read straight from it.

‘At that point, it’s not a lecture, it’s a reading session.’

In other words, attending is nothing but a waste of time.

I can cram for the exam later.

For now, it’s better to get a good rest and recover from the energy I spent during the morning class.

Just because the afternoon class ends doesn’t mean the day is over.

“In the end, even Karbaldr-nim couldn’t hold out this semester and fell asleep!”

To buy time for Reysir and Vigdis to leave the classroom.

I sat in my seat, massaging my numb arm from using it as a pillow for three hours, dragging things out, when Tridric spoke to me in a familiar tone.

Apparently, according to the chatterbox I overheard, Karbaldr last semester was one of the few diligent listeners at the textbook reading sessions.

‘No matter how much I’ve decided to act like Karbaldr, there’s no need to go that far!

I’m only taking combat-related classes anyway, so what’s the big deal about napping during a theory lecture when everyone else does?

“But Karbaldr-nim, didn’t you say you had insomnia? For someone with that, you seemed to be sleeping pretty soundly?”

Maybe it is a big deal.

Come to think of it, I’d forgotten about the insomnia setting.

The morning class had been so exhausting that I’d forgotten and just passed out.

As I was blaming Basic Physical Training for this predicament in my head, that very class came to my rescue.

“I-it must be thanks to Basic Physical Training. It was really tough. I was so drained, I must have just passed out.”

That was a perfectly timed excuse.

I nodded in agreement with Riolikin’s words, and Tridric quickly dropped his suspicions.

“Anyway, now that we have free time, do you have any plans? If not…”

“I’ve reserved the training hall. Not just for today, but after every class from now on, I plan to go there alone and focus on training. So if you want to hang out, do it among yourselves.”

If I kept quiet, I’d have to listen to Tridric’s after-school plans, which he’d probably made up on his own.

So I quickly cut him off.

***

While I was at it, I made it clear that I’d be holed up in the training hall all semester, so don’t bother me.

‘Looks like you were planning to drag me around as your pushover or wallet, but not a chance.’

I held back the urge to smirk and tried my best to keep a neutral expression.

Meanwhile, I glanced at Tridric’s face.

His facial muscles seemed to twist and then stiffen into a strange expression.

‘Maybe he was annoyed, realizing it wouldn’t be so easy to stick close to Karbaldr this semester…’

“Karbaldr-nim, you’re not planning to become a musclehead like Riolikin, are you?! That’s absolutely not allowed!! Karbaldr-nim, you look perfect just as you are! You must maintain your elegant, sensitive, and noble appearance! Even if you exercise for your health, you should only build just a little muscle! Promise me, okay?!”

Tridric, suffering from some huge misunderstanding, shouted in a desperate voice.

He must really want to avoid being the odd twig among a bunch of muscleheads.

While Tridric was making a fuss, Riolikin looked at me with hopeful eyes.

“…I’m not trying to bulk up, so mind your own business.”

I couldn’t hide my reluctance as I corrected their misunderstanding.

Tridric breathed a sigh of relief and patted his chest, while Riolikin looked disappointed, swallowing his regret.