I Became the Must-Have Character of the Academy City

25 – Overwhelming Power -1-

Unlike before, Rohan pushed through the game without hesitation.

Since the bridge with Clara was more solid than expected, there was no need to waste energy.

Stopping the foolish play and enjoying it properly, Rohan felt at ease.

[ Clara: Normally, you need a bit of a retake with the minimum specs! Try running two skill cycles in the first wave and survive until the dodge tank makes it! ( ) ]

She is cute.

Asking Clara about any curious settings or stuck points, he began to speed through the area.

Rohan realized why Clara had even tried to sell the story.

‘…It’s definitely interesting.’

Once you start a chapter, it’s hard to stop because you’re curious about the content.

It took quite a bit of patience to cut it off in the middle.

Taking a break from studying, a brief moment after finishing exercise on the way back to the dormitory, a brief moment while eating at the academy cafeteria.

As Rohan used his time efficiently and pushed through the stages as if his blood was unblocked, Clara was surprised.

Thanks to that, he also learned how to play the game.

She smiled bashfully, saying he had definitely gotten hooked.

Each and every one of these is a significant improvement.

As they got closer like this, wouldn’t the day come when Clara would talk about her present, which was unknown in Abyss City?

‘Sometime, I have to bring up the request for help.’

With a complex consciousness still entangled, Rohan stepped into the front gate of Orion Academy and headed to Class 1, putting his phone in his pocket.

Creak!

He opened the door and stepped into Class 1.

Rohan lightly greeted the friends he had introduced himself to over the past few days and sat next to Gilbert.

“Rohan! It’s a strong and powerful morning!”

“Yeah. Today is still…”

Rohan swallowed the greeting he was about to say.

Unlike usual, Gilbert’s voice lacked the deep resonance that usually echoed in his ears.

Stopping the hand that was organizing the bag and turning his head to the side.

Wasn’t Gilbert’s face gaunt and haggard? It wasn’t the face that usually seemed to emit a grand sound effect.

“Hey, hey! Your face is wrecked!”

“It’s just an honorable medal for resisting the unjust orders of the gorilla… Nothing happened.”

“?”

The one Gilbert called a gorilla must be his sister.

I heard that his real sister graduated from Orion Academy, got a job in the academy city, and was under surveillance.

“I just flapped my wings to regain freedom as a member of Kaniat.”

“Doesn’t seem like the result was good.”

“The attempt itself is meaningful.”

Watching this guy who had narrowly escaped death out of curiosity in the past and occasionally showed eccentric behavior.

Rohan thought there might be a valid reason for that appearance.

“The fact is, it’s a look I often saw when I was at flight school. It’s also on the list of nine incidents.”

Dick Wikitree put down his bag, announcing his arrival.

“You’re here.”

“Yeah. I’m here.”

Rohan exchanged light greetings.

Gilbert, folding his arms, continued a brief recollection, as if something Dick had said came to mind.

“Ah, of course, I haven’t forgotten the past. I will also not forget this humiliating time and will devote myself to training to defeat the gorilla.”

“That’s also something they used to say all the time at flight school. A goal yet to be achieved.”

“Go!!! The golden spirit of moving forward without giving up is what’s important! How can you only look at the results!”

Gilbert, who had regained his energy during the short conversation with Dick, began to raise his voice as usual.

Rohan felt a sense of stability in their conversation and prepared for the class.

A moment later, Jooyeon opened the door and entered for the morning assembly.

“I will call the roll.”

Names were called one by one in Jooyeon’s voice.

Today, too, no cadet is absent.

“Any cadet who is sick or has any special circumstances.”

An implicit rule had already been established in Class 1.

If no one raises their hand for a few seconds, the answer comes out simultaneously.

“None!

“If there are any patients or special circumstances that are difficult to speak about here, please come during break time or leave a message.”

Jooyeon moved the pen over the log.

“Rest.”

Jooyeon, who had no special announcements, took the log and walked out of the classroom with a click-clack.

The cadets naturally began to prepare for the class from that point.

“There was a part I told you to memorize yesterday. We’ll review this part and then move on.”

As Juyeon flicked his hand, two problems appeared on the board.

“The dimensional rift that spawns monsters and the black monolith. Each affects different areas depending on their size. Use the formula to find the minimum range of the negative impact. I detailed the terrain and materials that cause errors in the range yesterday.”

As he finished his explanation, his red eyes locked onto his targets.

“Rohan and Noah Frozenheart, come up and solve one each. Rohan, solve the dimensional rift problem, and Noah Frozenheart, solve the monolith problem.”

“.”

“Gasp!”

Noah audibly gasped and stiffened his tail, while Rohan gulped.

It seems the impact of the placement test is not over yet.

I stood up and glanced towards Ichinose, who was teaching me.

By chance, our eyes met.

Fi. Ght. Ing.

Ichinose mouthed the words clearly and clenched his fist.

With such valuable encouragement, I couldn’t disgrace the face of my theoretical master, Ichinose.

I strode forward.

“Noah Frozenheart, come up and solve it quickly.”

“Y-Yes!”

At Juyeon’s voice, Noah stood next to Rohan.

Scratch, scratch.

Rohan moved his pen across the board.

It felt like his head was going to explode, but he somehow managed to find the answer.

Even if it wasn’t the right answer, there was a different kind of pleasure in reaching a conclusion than in using one’s body.

“Rohan. Did you solve them all?”

“Yes.”

As Rohan stepped back, Jooyeon quickly scanned the formulas.

“You got it right up to the middle. The application of the formula at the end is lacking… You fell into the trap too easily. The fastest way to get used to this type is to solve similar problems repeatedly.”

“I understand.”

After receiving the critique, he could see it. He regretted missing that.

“But I can see the effort you put in. Well done.”

Jooyeon placed a hand on Rohan’s shoulder in praise.

Then he turned his gaze to Noah Frozenheart.

“Ugh…”

Noah hadn’t even started yet.

Noah, who was quite flustered and unable to grasp the situation, was special.

How long had the girl with the blood of the white tiger been moving her tail and ears, having a staring contest with the problem?

She looked at Jooyeon and spoke honestly.

“I don’t know!”

Jooyeon’s expression didn’t change, as if he had expected Noah’s answer.

He wasn’t angry or flustered. He just pondered how to teach her.

“Noah Frozenheart.”

“Yes!”

Ju-yeon, who had let go of Rohan’s hand.

She approached Noah and gently brushed aside the mixed white and black hair from his forehead, patting his head.

Noah blinked in confusion, and Ju-yeon raised her voice for everyone to hear.

“When you graduate from Orion Academy and jump into real combat, you’ll face a variety of situations that can’t all be listed in words.”

“.”

“One of the situations that drastically lowers the survival rate here is internal conflict.”

Surprisingly, it wasn’t a direct sermon on the necessity of theory.

It was persuasion, not preaching.

“Even when lives are at stake, there are times when cooperation doesn’t happen because of bad relationships or unresolved grudges from the past. Separately, there are cases where arguments don’t end and plans get twisted because they can’t acknowledge each other’s abilities.”

Noah’s round ears perked up, showing that she was listening.

Ju-yeon looked into the eyes of the girl and asked.

“Noah Frozenheart. In a moment where life or death is decided by a single judgment, can you follow the orders of someone weak in force?”

The girl shook her head vigorously, saying she absolutely couldn’t.

Ju-yeon had expected this.

Perhaps because she was the daughter of the Great Tiger, there was a stubbornness that she couldn’t yield on this point.

“Learning theory is similar to that.”

“What?”

Ju-yeon continued calmly to the girl who voiced her lack of understanding.

“There are those in the world who think that force is the greatest power, and those who think that knowledge is the measure of power. There are also groups that consider wealth or social influence.”

“.”

“Unlike Cadet Noah Frozenheart, there are those who absolutely refuse to follow orders from someone who can’t read the situation.”

The minimum theory is the basic condition for sitting at the table of compromise on the battlefield.

Only then can other things be considered.

“Speaking of group conflicts, there’s one more thing I need to tell you. Do you remember asking why we don’t have cadets spar with each other?”

“Yes, sir!”

“The cadets here are brimming with confidence and vigor. Some might not take the results of a sparring match well, and emotions can get hurt when strength clashes. This isn’t just common among cadets, but also among professionals.”

They need to be more mentally mature than they are now.

When that time comes, sparring will become a part of the curriculum, Joo-yeon announced.

But Noah pouted, showing the values and thoughts he had learned while living in Tigrova.

“I think… winning and losing are pure. If you lose, it’s over with losing, and if you win, it’s over with winning…”

Joo-yeon saw someone’s image in Noah’s words.

She smiled faintly and pinched Noah’s cheek.

“Accepting the results and finding purity in the struggle is admirable. It would be great if everyone thought like Noah, but that’s not the reality.”

“.”

“In the end, this means that it causes situations where cooperation is not achieved due to bad relationships or lingering grudges from the past.”

To have cadets spar with each other, repeated mental education and preparation are necessary.

“That’s why we don’t have sparring yet, and why theory is needed. Understood?”

“Yes, ma’am…”

Noah nodded heavily, as if he had somehow come to terms with this part.

Ju-yeon found the sight both magnificent and understandable.

There had been times in Ju-yeon’s past when he was brimming with energy, itching to release it, and he knew that the active beastmen had an even stronger inclination for it.

Thoughts began to swirl.

Am I being too old-fashioned… Instructor Carrot said he was already sparring.

Ju-yeon felt a pang of regret as his lesson plan was disrupted.

He was reminded once again that it was impossible to teach cadets, who grew up in different countries with strong personalities and values, with a single method.

Alright. Since Noah Frozenheart has properly understood and accepted my boring lecture, we will have a simple sparring session for the afternoon class. I will personally address the issues with Class 1.

!!!

Noah’s tail, which had been drooping, suddenly perked up and wagged vigorously.

His deep blue eyes sparkled with light, revealing the gaze of a predator.

The cadets who had been watching from their seats also showed great interest.

It felt like an incredible opportunity rather than a simple lesson.

In that atmosphere, Ju-yeon gathered everyone’s attention and spoke.

Before we spar, I will set one condition.