NOVEL NEXT Chapter 11
The Circulation Train arrived at the Fitness Center of Claris Academy after just two stops.
The facilities were undoubtedly top-notch, separated by grade, and conveniently located next to the Dormitory.
Scattered throughout the Training Ground were Magic Spheres, ready for use.
Since it’s where Students unleash their powers freely, it serves to prevent safety accidents and allows watchers to take notice of the promising individuals.
Of course, right now, nobody would bat an eye at me.
But thinking about the Villains that the soon-to-appear Author will create, I must become as strong as possible.
And…
–Charrang!
[Anonymous Feedback: Isn’t this an infinite growth Eva??]
[Following the reader’s feedback about grinding for gains, I’ve set a fee and limit for using the Training Ground.]
Surprisingly, the obstacles hit me fast.
“So, the Public Fitness Center charges 25 Gems for 2 hours, while the Real Combat Practice Room is 50 Gems for the same time???”
[Available Gems: 27]
“Damn…”
I was broke.
Freaking capitalism!
Is it fair to discriminate just because a Student has enough Will to Study?
By the way, that weird feedback wasn’t from me either.
I think other readers’ comments on [Hwanseangaka] were mixed in.
Anyway, even though I want to curse about the fees unlike what I knew, if you think about it, the cost is worth it.
[Benefits of the Fitness Center and Practice Room]
[+50% additional stat increase]
[+50% additional proficiency gain]
That means I can get stronger at least 1.5 times faster than training elsewhere.
But to boost my crossbow proficiency, I need to head to the Shooting Range, and with the money I currently have, I can only afford 2 hours at the Fitness Center.
Plus, using it will mean I won’t be able to eat from dinner onwards…
Just then, I overheard conversations from other Students passing by me.
“Hey, I heard there’s a Freshman who cleared Chamber 1 already?”
“Already? Who?”
“Probably one of the talented ones.”
“Let’s go check the lounge.”
“Yeah.”
Hearing that sparked a brilliant idea in my mind.
“Trial!
[Hwanseangyongsa] has a system called Trial.
As you go on a typical adventure, there are significant main events, and characters grow accordingly. However, you can’t evenly distribute the experience from the main episode to all characters.
So, it’s a system for users who want to try out different characters—if you clear a Trial, you gain an amount of experience equivalent to a main event and awakening effects.
This is implemented in [Hwanseangaka]’s Claris Academy as well, under the name Awakening Chamber.
At the academy, it’s explained as a ranking system to create competition and growth goals for the Students, allowing any Student enrolled here to challenge it freely.
Without hesitation, I made my way to the center of the Training Ground, heading for the lounge.
The interior resembled a banquet hall with dim lighting.
This lounge, selling various drinks while allowing for a rest, had a central pillar-like digital display.
——————————————————
Awakening Chamber
Freshman (1st Year) Rankings
1 – Melissa de Prominence: Trial 1 (00:41)
2 – Caeran Hiss: Trial 1 (00:58)
3 – (Vacant)
.
.
.
——————————————————
“41 seconds for first place. Is that even possible?”
“Isn’t she a princess? I heard she’s always buried in the library or the Practice Room.”
“What about that Caeran guy? Wasn’t he always slacking?”
“Are you kidding? You two are not even in the same league! Just look at appearances!”
“C’mon! I’m definitely getting third!”
“You getting third? If that happens, I’ll be your slave.”
Many Students marveled as they watched this ranking.
‘As expected, the top student ranking goes to Melissa and Caeran.’
The difficulty of the trials supported by Claris Academy ranges from 1 to 10.
Here in the Personal Training Room, I can’t see rankings from other grades, but considering the plot’s early stage, the highest record so far would likely be set by an upperclassman at level 5 difficulty.
[Awakening Chamber]
[Once per week, no fee, no time limit]
[Benefits of the Awakening Chamber]
[+100% additional stat increase]
[+100% additional proficiency gain]
You can only enter once a week, but you don’t need to pay to challenge it.
Plus, clearing it grants a decent stat bump and scholarship rewards for the top ten that arrive first.
“Drooling just thinking about it.”
In essence, for someone like me, who knows the mechanics to tackle the trials, it’s an opportunity to catch two rabbits.
“Double the views, baby!”
At this moment, I needed to power up to survive at the academy.
‘But before that…’
To maximize my gains, I turned my steps to the Dormitory.
*
The administrator who built the Trial – Evolution Chamber, Sinatis, is actually not human but a ‘Monster’.
It’s known as the legendary hero Kroon’s partner monster, with his spirit supposedly dwelling in her, enabling communication with humans.
Of course, during the final saint war, Sinatis lost all her power, so she doesn’t have combat abilities left.
However, that monster currently serves as an honorary professor at Claris Academy, managing the chambers and focusing on the development of her juniors, which is a pretty unique setting for this novel when you think about how every time you meet a monster in [Hwanseangyongsa], you grow.
.
.
.
“Uh… Professor?”
-…
I arrived at the Chamber with a packed backpack and felt a bit flustered.
–Charrang!
[Anonymous Feedback: When will Sinatis show her human form?]
[Due to the reader’s request, Sinatis will appear as she did when she was with Kroon.]
I thought she’d look scary since she’s a monster, but she didn’t at all—just a regular… um, extraordinary pretty girl with blonde hair.
‘Kroon, your taste is something else…’
She seemed much younger too, as I barely met her gaze without looking down.
What’s this eerie feeling like I’m about to get caught just by talking to her?
There’s no animal instinct or anything with this monster.
Though her lack of expression might be considered a trait, I guess.
“I’d like to enter the chamber.”
-Your grade?
“Oh.”
It was fascinating. She didn’t even move her lips, but her voice resonated in my body.
So it really is the spirit, I thought.
“1st year, Freshman.”
-There’s space. Go to the end room over there.
“Yeah.”
Her speech was ragged, but it was easy to understand since the message hit my mind directly.
.
.
.
“Here it is.”
As I stepped into the room, the magic barrier dissipated around me, revealing the interior.
It was a large rectangular space, all mixed in purple and pink, creating a somewhat sticky yet surprisingly soft atmosphere.
And in the center was a target.
I remembered something from a brief side story in the novel.
This room is rumored to be inside the monster’s belly…
You might think that’s ridiculous, but actually seeing it was a bit imposing.
“Alright, let’s give it a go.”
I started unpacking my supplies from the backpack.
The clear condition for Trial 1 is simple.
You must deliver a shock to the target in the center with a certain amount of damage or more in one go.
And that temporary total damage is tough to reach with a first-year’s skills.
It’s been rigged by the Author who escalated things with Talent characters such as Melissa and Caeran.
That’s probably why their clear times were so short.
So even if I shoot my crossbow all day, the chance of clearing Trial 1 is edging toward 0%.
You might think it’s a waste of time, but conversely, Trial 1 has no time limit.
And the entrance fee is free?
And experience is doubled?
This I can’t resist.
For me, this is basically an efficient free Shooting Range.
So, I came prepared to squeeze every bit of use out of it, bringing bedclothes and cooking utensils as well.
“My first goal is to hit the target.”
If I can manage to hit, I can utilize my passive abilities effectively.
I happily fixed the crossbow’s string into place.
.
.
.
–Guk Guk Guk
–Guk Guk Guk
–Guk Guk Guk
-…
Kroon’s assistant monster, Sinatis, was oddly focused on something unexpected.
The Chamber had been established with the awakening essence she once had in her monster form, constructed on a 1:1 ratio at the academy’s Training Room.
This room isn’t her real belly, but the circuits are connected, sharing her nervous system.
Normally, first-year Students trying Trial 1 would give it a few attempts before giving up.
But this guy was ridiculously persistent, firing at the target with overwhelming firepower!
–Guk Guk Guk
The nuisance of a small bug buzzing nearby was more bothersome and annoying.
-It’s distracting.
I feel like I might sneeze at something trivial.
-The time is already…
Despite Kroon’s spirit residing in her, her body is originally that of a beast.
Even during her time as a monster, she wasn’t nocturnal, so for stress relief in the early morning, she had to rest and stabilize her latent magic.
But even now, with the Chamber’s deadline approaching, she showed no signs of leaving.
Kroon once told me,
-Not overexerting and resting is also a form of training!
-It’s time… to go.
Sinatis was left with no choice but to reach out to Lev first.
-Are you not giving up?
He was startled by the sudden voice but managed to respond.
“Yes, I plan to continue.”
-…
Sinatis pondered.
Since Claris’ Students have a dormitory curfew, they must return.
Thus, she decided to show a bit of kindness for the first time to someone other than Kroon.
–Dormitory curfew.
She kindly reminded him that they were nearing the dorm closure to avoid any demerits according to school rules.
Students here are extremely sensitive to demerits.
But the answer she received was…
“I was kicked out of the dorm. I have a lot of demerit points.”
-…?
“So, I plan to stay here all weekend, eat, sleep, and train. Thanks.”
-……??????
He even took the liberty of expressing gratitude while diving back into shooting.
Looking again, I noticed he had packed everything.
Pillow, blanket, some simple snacks…
They don’t run the Chamber on weekends, do they…?
Sinatis pondered, ‘Does that mean he intends to stay for three days?’
And her train of thought expanded, leading her to a slew of curiosities.
Ultimately, she asked the one question she shouldn’t have.
An unavoidable biological phenomenon for humans.
“Bathroom, do you have one?”
The Chamber doesn’t have a separate restroom.
The guy momentarily halted his actions, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.
“That’s… rude…”
-Get out. Get out. Get out. Get out. Get out. Get out.
The Chamber started trembling with a thump.
Even in that situation, he strangely managed to keep calm and, while maintaining his balance, proposed to Sinatis.
-Get out. Get out. Get out.
“If you grant me a favor, I’ll leave immediately!”
-…
“…”
Somehow, it didn’t feel like a normal request.
-Just as I thought, humans… can’t be trusted.
Kroon had warned her to avoid accepting requests from humans, excluding him.
Yet methods were limited, so she decided to hear him out.
-Speak.
“Please let me pass Trial 1.”
-…
“…”
On that day, which would go down in history for Sinatis, who had lived for hundreds of years, she truly made a terrible encounter with a human man.