The Hero In The Military academy Suit

Chapter 07

(Part 02) The Noble Flower in My Clumsy Writing

“Soldiers who show exceptional talent after completing their training are eligible for specialized courses.”

“So, that means I can get into the Hero Academy?”

“Exactly. The Hero Academy trains military commanders, knights, priests, mages, and special agents, but it’s essentially more of a semi-combat group that carries out missions. Do you have any future career goals?”

Etranger’s serious question almost made me laugh.

Career goals. It’s the first time I’ve heard that word since graduating elementary school.

“Hmm, maybe a demon hunter?”

“…I was asking about your hopes for a career, not something like a demon hunter. That’s pretty extraordinary.”

*Clang.*

At that moment, I heard the sound of a brass piece falling.

Instinctively, I grabbed the spear I had leaned against me and aimed it toward the cave entrance.

“Russell?”

“Enemy. Prepare for battle.”

“It was a trap, huh? I was wondering what was going on.”

“Because it’s the Monster Forest.”

“Stay back. I’ll handle this fight.”

She smiled softly before tightened and releasing her hands a few times.

Seeing her step forward without any weapons, confidently, I scratched my cheek.

Well, she’s the main heroine, so there’s no way she’s dying here…

“You’ve shown me some amazing skills, so I’ll try to repay that with my humble abilities.”

Then she lowered her head, clicked a button-like thing on the side of her shoe.

Oh. I’ve never seen that before.

What she activated was a piece of equipment called an “Armored Part,” a piece of equipment unique to this world.

It attaches to four body parts: the head, torso, arms, and legs, and helps with combat.

It’s a piece of equipment that every hero should be able to use.

It’s a basic item that helps before you get a full combat suit.

In an instant, a flash of light blinked from her boots, and Etranger shot out like a bullet.

It was so fast, I could barely blink before it happened.

By the time I recognized the monster’s presence, her boot had already slammed into its neck.

That’s boots with strength and speed-related enhancements.

Bang! Crash!

The monster, distracted by the smell of food, tried to snatch a bite, but its neck snapped instantly.

“There are five of them. I won’t waste time, but still, be careful.”

I looked over at the fallen monsters after Etranger’s briefing.

The monsters were called “Nols.”

They looked like hyenas walking on two legs. They have a great sense of smell and sometimes attack humans, but they’re among the weakest of monsters.

Still, even the weakest monsters are dangerous to regular civilians.

During the Demon War, a pack of Nols destroyed an entire village once.

They travel in packs of at least five, so of course, more appeared now.

Even though they were low-level creatures, their rusted, crooked scimitars made them appear ridiculous.

After confirming the dead bodies of the monsters, I turned my gaze back to Etranger, who had already crushed the second Nol’s head into the ground and was kicking the third one.

The speed was unbelievable.

In a single leap, she closed the distance of several meters.

She had only been a cadet for about a year, but her movements were already as dangerous as Biltrade’s.

What caught my eye even more than her movements was the armored boots she was wearing.

I couldn’t take my eyes off them because they were so fascinating.

They looked like leather, but they had a shine like metal shoes, and they had some strange buttons attached to them.

She was kicking with those leather-like boots, and every time she did, it sounded like a hammer hitting.

In the blink of an eye, four of the Nols were cold dead.

Just as she was about to finish off the last one, I hurriedly shouted.

“Etranger, wait!”

She deliberately kicked the monster’s scimitar away instead of its body.

The sound of it clashing echoed as the weapon flew far away, and I ran up to the Nol, who was rolling on the ground from the impact.

“…?”

“Mind if I take on this one?”

“No. It’s dangerous.”

“It’s just one Nol.”

“Even soldiers who’ve completed official training can die if they get careless in real combat. Step back.”

“So, right now is the perfect chance. It’s an opportunity to get some real combat experience before heading to the academy.”

“It’s dangerous. Just because it looks weak doesn’t mean it’s harmless. These monsters hunt and attack people all the time.”

“If it looks dangerous, you can help me, right?”

I smiled and took a step forward.

Nols are a typical monster used in real combat training at the academy.

This was a perfect chance to test my unique powers and gain some *prey* stats.

I couldn’t let this opportunity slip by.

“…”

Etranger’s expression tightened, as if she was determined not to back down.

But I wasn’t planning to give in either.

So, before she could say anything, I pulled out my defensive short sword.

It was a short sword I’d “borrowed” from my uncle, about the length of my forearm, and I held it firmly while glaring at the Nol.

The activation of my power could be sensed, and blurred lights flashed throughout the Nol.

With [Eye of Perception], I saw the monster’s stats pop up on my status window, and my body started heating up with a surge of energy.

So this is the signal that [Hunting Time] is active.

The moment we both showed hostility, my body automatically entered combat mode.

Once combat begins, [Eye of Perception]deactivates, and [Eye of Capturing] activates instead.

The white marks showing up on the Nol’s body indicated weak points.

As time passed, I would grow stronger and stronger, as long as my fighting spirit didn’t falter or my target was still alive.

I charged at the Nol, swinging my short sword.

Since it was the first time I’d ever held a sword, my swing was a bit clumsy.

My strike was shallow.

The Nol screamed and stabbed at me with its yellow claws, so I quickly moved away.

“With such a poor sword technique…”

“Hey, just wait a bit, you’re too impatient.”

I wasn’t in a rush.

The goal of this fight was to test my powers and stack my prey stats.

That was it.

The Nol began hitting back by fiercely swinging its claws.

“Be careful. The claws of the Nol are full of germs. Try not to get scratched.”

“Got it.”

I didn’t want to get scratched by those sharp claws anyway. That would probably hurt.

I kept swinging the sword, clumsily but surely, keeping the Nol at bay so it couldn’t close the distance.

It was funny how the weak monster that used to fall with a single kick from Etranger was now desperately attacking me.

Well, that’s my reality right now, too.

I swung the sword again, this time aiming horizontally.

It went exactly where [Eye of Capturing] indicated, targeting the Nol’s neck, but my skills were still too underdeveloped to cut through its thick hide.

Five minutes passed. Then ten minutes.

I could feel the power draining from the Nol’s claws.

It wasn’t because it was getting tired.

It was because of my ability: [Hunting Time].

The longer the fight lasted, the stronger the user became.

20 minutes. [Hunting Time] Level 2.

30 minutes. [Hunting Time] Level 3.

After exactly 30 minutes, the Nol’s body was completely covered in white light. I twisted my body to avoid its claws and grabbed hold of it with one hand.

“Watch out—”

And with that, I threw it into a nearby rock.

“…?”

The Nol’s bulky body, which should have been over a dozen kilos, flew like a deflated balloon.

I immediately rushed in and swung my sword horizontally again.

*Swish!*

A clean strike.

The thick hide sliced through like cutting tofu, and the Nol’s head floated into the air weakly.

What followed was a sense of satisfaction.

The Nol species was now marked as prey, and with it, the foul stench of the monster’s blood turned into the sweet aroma of food.

When a species is registered as prey, it gives off a delicious smell to humans.

It’s a very direct and easy-to-interpret system.

*…*

Wait. Is this okay?

Is it really okay that the monster smells delicious?

Well, monsters are one thing.

But what about humans?

If I register Etranger as prey after winning a sparring match with her, does that mean she’ll always smell like delicious food to me?

…This is dangerously messed up.

There’s something about it that feels off, and I can’t explain why.

I don’t want to believe this is my reality.

“…This is insane.”

And in a different way, Etranger was also denying the reality in front of her.

She was probably seeing me grow stronger in the middle of the battle, like it was completely unreasonable.

“This is impossible. You’re telling me you haven’t trained?”

“I told you, I’m a hunter. It’s only natural I have good reflexes.”

“You can’t just brush it off as reflexes…”

“Should we take care of things first?”

“What kind of monster did the general train… no, never mind.”

“Oops, sorry about that.”

I shrugged and picked up the Nol’s corpse.

I didn’t feel bad about it.

While I was cleaning the blood off my sword, Etranger pulled something unfamiliar from her pocket.

It looked like one of those barcode scanner devices you see in stores.

She placed it on the fallen Nol’s body, one by one, and then took out a sky-blue jewel from what seemed to be the leader of the group.

It was the same kind of jewel I had seen in the body of Ankala when I first came to this world.

At the time, I had no idea what it was, but now, everything was coming back to me.

After the fight, my curiosity was sparked, and my eyes gleamed.

I really wanted to check out the results of what my imagination had created.

I was super curious about what kind of synergy my powers would have when combined with it.

“Hey, can I take a look at those armored boots?”

“Excuse me?”

“What? I just want to take a quick look.”

“Telling a warrior to take off their armor is like asking a lady to undo her dress—it’s not something you just do.”

“…Come on, it’s not that big of a deal. Fine, I won’t insist.”

Even though I was disappointed, I had to give up.

I couldn’t exactly force her to take off her boots, considering she compared it to taking off clothes.

“By the way, the general had something to say about you.”

“…The general?”

What do you mean give up? The important thing is not giving up, you little punk!

“I actually forgot to mention it.”

“It’s fine. You can tell me now.”

“I forgot.”

“Huh?”

“I forgot it.”

“……”

“I think I’d remember if you just showed me those boots.”

“What the…”

“Deal?”

It seemed like I’d found her weak spot.

Or should I say, her Achilles’ heel.

That weakness was none other than General Vilfred.

It wasn’t exactly a crush, but more like respect or a goal to aim for.

She blinked, flustered, and her face turned red and blue in embarrassment.

“Are you really thinking about disobeying the general’s orders and deceiving me?”

“Me? When?”

“Not delivering the general’s message to me is practically deceiving me.”

“I wasn’t ordered to deliver anything. I just thought I’d tell you on my own.”

“I’ve been trying to help you with all my heart.”

“That’s what you were ordered to do. Are you going to disobey the general and deceive me?”

It was hilarious watching her expression shift constantly, something that usually never changed.