Chapter 5

Most gamers hit the skip button when an NPC is about to deliver a line of dialogue.

He used to do the same.

It's not that he didn't care about the story, he just wanted his character to get stronger and stronger, so he wanted to get them stronger faster without wasting time for any cutscene.

He could watch the story later.

But once he was on the path of a raider, he found himself taking notes and reading every little bit of dialogue.

Why the Fairy Kingdom fell.

Who the ancient heroes were.

How this world was created.

It's the little things that add up to make the path. A path to a special dungeon with a hidden piece.

When the Burning Hell Prison area was updated.

For a while, He followed NPCs around, doing quests, talking to them dozens of times, and collecting various conversations.

One of them was about the ceremony.

"A ceremony? It wasn't that hard."

'Aren't those who need that kind of thing not qualified to be prison guards in the first place?'

"Hmmph."

The responses were different.

But one thing's for sure, the three didn't find the ceremony too hard.

"One!"

"Spirit!"

"Two!"

"Let's go!"

A large clearing at the back of the compound. Shielded on all sides by the forest, He could see the new trainees being pep talk.

Around them, a group of first-year correctional officers stood at attention.

"These bastards are playing hit-and-run. Add 200 push-ups."

"Damn it"

"Damn it? 500 more."

Looking at them, Vergo clicked his tongue.

"First year sucks. They're so weak. In my days, the basics were in thousand units."

In Burning Hell, rank is the important.

Top and Bottom

It doesn't matter how high up you are on the outside, if you're a rookie, you're treated worse than a first-year inside Burning Hell.

That's why rapid advancement is a must.

"I'm going to go now."

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to do some personal training. I'll be sorry to my coworkers when I get in."

It's going to take another three hours.

The purpose of the debriefing is not just to get new trainees up to speed. It's more of an informal training exercise.

The idea is to push your mind and body to the limit, so that the next day's training is harder.

The reason for this is simple.

To see their virility.

Burning Hell is a place where you have to deal with prisoners, and most of them are vicious and cruel. As a prison guard, you'll need to be tough as nails to deal with them.

It's just as important as your skills.

"That's… right."

"Keep up the good work. When I see the warden… I'll tell him you've been a great help."

A smile broke out on Vergo's face.

"Yeah. Dude. If you need anything, just tell me, because I can cover you for at least the second year."

"yes."

I moved to the training room at the back of the dorm. There is no risk of being caught because there is a training room exclusively for new recruits.

If we get caught, we can talk to Vergo or use the opportunity Rohan gave us to move on.

If he gets caught, he can talk to Vergo or use the opportunity Rohan gave him to move on.

'heh nice'

Redin opened the door.

It was dark in the training room.

Cold air flowed and moonlight from the window illuminated the interior.

Large spaces.

Redin stood in the center of it and took a breath.

"Hooo…."

The reason why he was absent from the ceremony was because of Harungel's heart. The sword master's body training method entered into his head.

He have to change his physical body through it.

One need a strong body to withstand what's about to happen. Although not all of the trainees here are physically gifted.

I'm going with the sword.

"Then physical training is essential."

He'd gotten his head around it.

He remembered the first item among the sword master's body training methods.

Phases of the flesh.

Third-rate, second-rate, first-rate, culminating, pinnacle.

These are the heights he can reach as human, and there are heights above that he can climb when he stop being a normal human.

Life and death, Cranial Nerve, and transcendental.

The achievement that the swordsman achieved was life and death. With that level alone, he won the title of the strongest man on the continent.

But time has passed.

There are powerful people out there who are on the edge of life and death, and those on the 10th floor of Burning Hell are on the edge of life and death.

"At the very least, I need to get to life and death."

This would take over a decade to accomplish by normal means, but with the Swordsmanship Training and Hidden Pieces, it can be done in less than three years.

Redin sat down on the floor and get into position.

He closed his eyes and focused his mind. He drew a body in the dark, and marked the locations of important blood vessels on it.

A total of 18 blood vessels.

Six acupuncture points to amplify your senses, six to stimulate your muscles, and six to boost your recovery.

With this, you can rise to the third rank at once.

Opening his eyes again, Redin pressed his index finger to each vein. Quickly, in the right place, applying with the right force.

Then, a change occurred in his body.

Redin's ears were ringing and his vision becamed blurry. There was a ringing in his head, and felt as if his whole body had been stripped naked.

Gradually.

Very slowly.

A small pain started at the tip of his head and spread through his whole body. At the same time, a chill rushed through him that made him shiver.

"kkeueueueug!"

His neck stiffened and Redin's body shuddered. He clenched his fists tightly and gnashed his teeth, fighting the pain.

*Boom!*

Through amplified senses.

He could feel every muscle in his body tearing and reattaching.

*Goosebumps.*

But he'll have to put up with it.

Then, a message popped up in front of his eyes.

[???? kinship traits are expressed].

[The effectiveness of the discipline is maximized].

The pain just got a whole lot more intense.

"Quaaaaagh!"

He has a firm grip on his mind. Let us not lose our minds. Let us not lose it. That was all I could think about.

How much time has passed since then.

The pain that had consumed him washed away like water, and he came to, along with his damp uniform.

"Huff.. huuu"

He breathed out.

[You have reached second-class status.]

[You've earned a strong mental strength (B)].

'Crazy..'

* * *

A large outdoor training area at the back of the trainee quarters.

The sun was beginning to rise over the ocean beyond.

"It's so hard to sleep."

"I didn't get much sleep."

"Damn for one year… Fuckin-"

There were hoots and hollers everywhere.

Most of them have dark circles under their eyes. It's understandable, since they've been up until dawn and haven't gotten much sleep.

The blue and blonde haired, which were said to come at night, were also writhing with a half-dead expression.

On the other hand.

Redin was in great shape, his base stamina was up from yesterday's ascent, and he'd slept with his blood pressure up, which increases resilience.

Even though he haven't slept for hours.

He was in great shape.

"Start your morning walk. 20 laps. The last one to arrive gets 10 demerits."

As far as Redin know, if one accumulate 50 penalty points, you are expelled.

"Run!"

At Rohan's command, the trainees began to run, picking up a moderate pace between them.

"huu… huu...."

He kept a moderate pace and kept an eye on the guys at the front.

The three main NPCs.

Rebecca, Khan, and Seria.

People with crazy talent.

They were in the lead, looking as sane as the lines they spouted in the game.

That's about as expected.

So he didn't even ask about it in the first place. The ones he watch closely are the ones running behind the three main NPCs.

Those who survived the ship.

Just as his roommate, Heather, was gifted with magic, there may be people with exceptional talent.

There are three people who stand out.

He focused on running again with only the face in his head. After completing 20 laps, He sat outside the training ground and took a break.

Rohan standing in the same spot.

When he saw the last trainee enter, he let out a chilly sigh.

"Heather, 10 demerit points."

"Yes"

"After breakfast, we'll meet back here by 8:00."

"Understood!"

Rohan disappears with his instructors.

One by one, the trainees rose from their seats and strode toward the dining hall. Behind them, Heather could be seen slumped.

"Heather, it was hard. let's go eat."

"Uh…huh? That's…yeah."

He's too talented to be eliminated.

Redin couldn't say that he should learn magic. He don't know what happened to Heather or why he hates magic.

One step at a time.

He also pressed on the restorative blood pressure points in moderation.

While getting rid of the bullies.

He's going to wait until they've gotten close to each other through training, and hw can take his advice as it is.

Of course

If Heather give up because his not strong enough, Redin's not going to catch him. What he need is a teammate who can move up quickly, not a burden.

"Redin?"

He turned at the sound behind him.

Then, with a fresh scent, her short black hair fluttered in the breeze, and Seria, wearing her trademark mischievous expression, stepped forward with a smile.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Okay."

He sent the Heather to the cafeteria first.

It wasn't until he was completely gone that Seria spoke up in a whisper.

"You. You weren't at the ceremony yesterday, were you?"

*sparkling eyes.*

It was obvious what she was thinking of it.

Suspicion

He thought she were just snitching on him to get out of the situation. She seem to think I'm actually part of Magnes.

"I want to skip the ceremony too, but how can I avoid it?"

He don't really have a choice anyway.

He can't kill her or snitch on her because she's essential to the second half of the game.

If so, then.

Use this situation to get what he wants, the S-class skill she possesses.

"That's your problem."