Chapter 14
Chapter 14
I don’t know how many times I have repeated it, but Orhe Academy is an educational institution that nurtures the next generation of heroes.
And heroes handle a lot of things, and representative of them are lifesaving, disaster support, villain suppression, and monster extermination.
These are the four that were mentioned.
Of course, there are other things like maintaining public order and dungeon exploration, but I can say with certainty that those four are the biggest reasons why the early heroes showed up.
And unlike lifesaving and disaster support, the most basic requirement in villain suppression and monster extermination is the minimum necessary force.
Even in the case of heroes who specialize in lifesaving and disaster support, they have to be able to handle a certain amount of monsters by themselves, so the minimum conditions for a hero can be said to be quite tight.
In addition to the above, while lifesaving and disaster relief can be replaced by ordinary people, there are very few people who can replace them for villain suppression and monster extermination.
It is almost impossible for the police to subdue the villains, many of whom have abilities, without causing serious damage, and it is also unprofitable to dispatch an army to capture a single monster.
In other words, it can be said that, in order to become a hero, the minimum necessary force is the first thing that is required.
‘And, this is a world where fantasy is mixed in.’
As a result, cold weapons such as knives, spears, and bows are preferred over modern weapons such as guns, missiles, and bombs.
This is because weapons can be strengthened through the concept of magic, and if it is actually possible to strengthen through magic, the cold weapon has an advantage over modern ones.
As is usually the case with games such as this, weapons from mythology and legend… Such as the Leviathan, Durendal, Gea Bolg, Mistilteinn, and even the Spear of Longinus actually exists, and they possess great power.
In fact, I knew of several dungeons where such legendary items lay, and ways to obtain them, but it was difficult to try at my current level, so I was just waiting to get stronger.
And so, there was actually little reason why I was telling these stories.
It was because the day after the entrance ceremony, in the first class we took, we were instructed to choose our main weapon.
‘To be honest, it’s either a bow or a dagger.’
I had never handled a weapon in my life, there was no way I could handle it well.
At least, since the branch of the World Tree gives a buff to the skills of bow-type weapons, and Henir’s Shadow gives a buff to the skills of dagger-type weapons, so my choice was one of those two to begin with.
A bow, or a dagger.
Long range and close range.
It’s a perfect contrast.
‘What should I do….’
To be honest, I wanted to choose the role of a sniper who is protected by his colleagues behind the scenes.
The problem was that I had never shot an arrow before.
And I was also well aware that the bow was not a weapon that could be mastered in just a few days.
It was also absurd to choose a weapon that I couldn’t handle at all just because I didn’t want to fight head on.
‘Then should I pick a dagger?’
Considering the compatibility with Henir’s Shadow, there was no weapon that would suit me as well as the dagger.
This was because, unlike the actual performance, the hidden invisible ability also had a correction that quickly increased the skill proficiency of daggers.
More than anything else, I already had a dagger called Nidhogg’s Fang that I couldn’t even put out my business card. [‘명함’- business card (?)]
‘But… .’
In the case of daggers, there was a downside to me being inexperienced in close combat.
No, it wasn’t close combat, but the fighting itself was inexperienced in the first place.
‘… Should I just pick a gun?’
As I had experience serving as an active duty soldier in my original world, I had touched the gun a few times.
Of course, they were automatic rifles, not pistols, but there was a big difference between having experience and not having experience with something like that.
Above all, the gun itself was not a weapon that required a lot of effort to master.
‘…No.’
However, after contemplating for a while, I shook my head.
In fact, several of the students who chose to be alchemists, rearguards, or support staff did choose a gun.
Under normal circumstances, a gun might be the best choice for me.
But considering the branch of the world tree and Henir’s Shadow that had already been obtained, it was clear that it would be a foolish choice.
‘I don’t think I’ve had to worry about something like this in a really long time.’
And I was starting to get a little nervous as I watched most of the students finish choosing their weapons.
Bow or dagger?
After pondering for a while, I quickly nodded.
‘I have no choice.’
I extended my hand towards the dagger.
* * *
After the weapon selection was finished, the actual training followed immediately.
The training professor, who was our instructor, said that it was the first day, so we should all gather as we like, and at his words, some students started to gather in twos or threes.
Of course, Choi Hyun-Woo, who would later be known as swordmaster, chose a long sword, while Han Soo-Young had a mace-like staff, most similar to those carried by wizards.
“Ji-Hyuk, did you choose a dagger?”
“I told you. I have no weapon at all that I can handle. But this one looks easy.”
At my words, Choi Hyun-Woo gave a slightly puzzled look.
“Daggers are surprisingly difficult weapons to handle.”
“Huh, what? Really?”
I didn’t think it would be easy to handle from the start.
I chose it because I thought it would be easier than a bow, but I didn’t think daggers were that difficult to handle?
“Yes. And more importantly, the range is so short that even if you meet an opponent of equal strength, you’re more likely to get hurt.”
“I understand that, but… .”
“In addition, the dagger itself is light, so it’s a disadvantage in a power struggle… I think there are surprisingly few heroes and hunters who use daggers. It’s not a popular weapon anyway.”
I was stunned for a while when Choi Hyun-Woo explained this to me.
The reason for this was because, in the game, I had only chosen the weapon that suited the character’s skills and characteristics, so I hadn’t noticed any of the details.
Choi Hyun-Woo nodded as if he knew it.
“Can I explain it to you briefly?”
“Of course, I’m thankful.”
“Well… it’s not absolute, but first of all, the longer the range, the more advantage you have over your opponent. If I can attack, but he can’t, isn’t that an advantage?”
“That’s right.”
“Among the close-range weapons, except for projectile weapons such as guns and bows, and throwing weapons… I guess spears are the best for beginners to use. It has a long range and is pretty easy to handle. In addition to the fact that thrusting is surprisingly difficult to prevent, the spear is also surprisingly powerful even if you just swing it around.”
“… .”
“On the other hand, in the case of a dagger, it has the shortest range. There is no fixed skill or standard. There are many schools and different ways to handle it. If I had to say, I’d say it’s in the realm of body art.”
“Hmm.”
In a word, no matter what choice I made, it wasn’t a very good choice.
It was bitter but decided to consider it a blessing in disguise because if I had chosen a bow, I would not have been able to shoot arrows properly.
“But… .”
Choi Hyun-Woo, who had been looking around for a while, came closer to me and muttered as if whispering.
“It’s just a normal case. It doesn’t really matter in Ji-Hyuk case, does it? Rather, it would be possible to launch a more unexpected attack with a dagger. That, with the power to handle things like vines… .”
“Ah.”
Now that I hear it, it’s like that.
I didn’t necessarily have to fight with my hands.
‘There are Henir’s Shadows on the branch of the World Tree, if I can handle them a little more freely… .’
It felt like I realized what kind of training I had to put more effort into in the future.
And I asked Choi Hyun-Woo to do something I forgot to tell him beforehand.
“Hey, what I mean is that I have that ability.”
“You’re asking me to keep it a secret, right? Of course. There is no reason to go about exposing my friend’s foundation to other people.”
If someone else had said it, I would have thought it was just a word of mouth, but when Choi Hyun-Woo said it, I somehow felt it was okay to just pass it.
At my request, Choi Hyun-Woo gave a definite answer, saying, ‘Don’t worry,’ and Han Soo-Young, who was quietly looking at us, nodded as if she knew what we were talking about.
* * *
The entrance ceremony was just yesterday, but the academy’s schedule was tight.
No, that might be why it was more like that.
Since there are students with numerous positions, talents, and personalities, it means that they will finish the minimum classification task as soon as possible and focus on nurturing them.
After the weapons selection, positions training, and general designation, the recess returned.
Nevertheless, most of the students did not get up from their seats, and it was for the purpose of deciding on CA activities, so-called after-school club activities.
Of course, I, who knows almost all of the main stories of the original story, knew which club to join, so I had already decided on all of them.
‘Alchemy and reading would be good to join unconditionally… .’
In the case of alchemy, it was because of the fact that one of the main characters belonged there, and Alice who was not only the professor in charge of our class but also played an important role in the story, and lastly, Mandragora, who was sleeping peacefully in a jug in my room.
‘It’s going to be hard, but… Club activities are not included in the internal evaluation.’
Therefore, it was the academy’s policy to not worry about grades and to gain a broad perspective and experience.
In addition, it was possible to join several clubs if the circumstances allowed.
‘In the case of reading… Han Soo-young is included and it’s a place where a lot of unexpectedly important incidents happen, so I won’t be considered strange or suspected if I belong there.’
Then all that was left to do was to choose between kendo, tea ceremony, and archery and flower arrangement.
In the case of kendo, in addition to learning how to handle a dagger, it also promotes friendship with Choi Hyun-Woo.
In the case of the tea ceremony, it was for contact with a major character who appears in the middle of the story.
For archery, it’s to build the skills of the bow.
And lastly, the flower arrangement was because Lee Ye-Eun, the priestess of the World Tree, belonged to it and I thought it might be helpful to Mandragora.
It was a problem that I would only have to submit at the end of today’s class anyway, so I pondered slowly choosing one of the last four.
‘I suppose it would be useful to have one skill that I could use in public and one dagger, if possible.’
In any case, since I had a dagger as my main weapon for now, it was natural to have a decent dagger.
Most importantly, the educational weapons that were provided to the students in bulk were not bad compared to normal products, but they were not at a level that could not be called a great weapon even in empty words.
There were quite a lot of cases in which the performance of weapons determined the outcome of the battle, and more importantly, I had felt it keenly in the game, so I hoped there would be a dagger that could be used.
‘Because of the appearance of Nidhogg’s fang, it is difficult to use for main battles.’
A dagger that can only stab.
Of course, if you succeed in stabbing, you can gain a huge advantage, but due to its nature, it will hardly work against an opponent once you have used it.
I needed more extra weapons.
“Besides … .”
Obviously, I have a total of two skills.
Branch of the World Tree and Henir’s Shadow.
To be honest, even if I had only these two, I was not envious of any skills, and they were such skills that were full of surprises.
‘The problem is that I can’t use them openly in front of others.’
It was an unexpected blind spot.
It would be possible to use them secretly, but it wouldn’t have been possible to handle them in such an improvised manner all the time.
‘Let’s see, the first thing I need to do for a while is… .’
Training and skill training.
Search for a dagger to be used as a main weapon.
And likewise, the search for skills to use as a main force.
There were about three things like this.
In fact, everything was important.
‘It feels like the work I have to do is only increasing… .’
When I tapped the paper with a pen and counted it, it touched my skin.
It must have been the purpose of admission in the first place… .
‘I suppose it can’t be helped.’
Thinking like that, I was able to break free from my thoughts with the chime of lunchtime.
‘Let’s look for skills first.’
Fortunately, I knew where to go to find those skills.
At least it was fortunate that it wasn’t complicated