NovelOnline Chapter 136 : Chapter 136
Chapter 136 : Chapter 136
Chapter 136 : Chaos
"Quiet. Everyone shut your mouths. Do you think it is right for hero trainees to fall into panic when we have a mountain of work to handle? You are here to become heroes. If you doubt why you are here, realize it right now, not later. Quest Academy exists to raise heroes, and we are in a constantly changing environment with monsters becoming stronger, faster, and more cunning. Do you know there was a dungeon raid led by a Commander-rank variant hell-bent on destroying the Academy last month?"
Chatfield glared at the students without blinking an eye.
Even to Sal, it was clear he was furious at the students' reactions.
Sal felt uncomfortable with such a topic being revealed in front of everyone.
Above all, because he had no idea what Chatfield was trying to say.
He worried it might lead to remarks disparaging the current faculty.
Also, he desperately hoped Chatfield wouldn't mention the Mythos Crafter or Skill Master abilities.
"Do you know who protected you back then? It was heroes. But not the people you expected. They were trainees still on the path of learning just like you. Look around and you might find some who played a key role in that battle. Students who stepped up in a moment of crisis and revealed their true selves. Can you do the same?"
The uncomfortable energy surrounding the crowd was distinct enough for anyone to feel.
Anxiety dug into Sal's chest as he didn't know where this story would bounce.
He didn't want a situation where he was pointed out along with others in front of other cohorts.
Divinity looked around from her seat and sent a smile to Sal, but Sal couldn't respond properly.
At that moment, another gaze pierced Sal.
Not a trace of a smile could be found on Erica Clifton's face.
Chatfield's words had essentially nailed down clearly why Divinity took first place instead of her.
And Erica's expression looked as if she finally understood the reason now.
"If the answer is yes, you will grow a step further and develop greatly through this training. However, if the answer is no, it means you need this training desperately more than anyone else. Fighting between cohorts means nothing when a Prowler is aiming for your neck in the darkness. Field training won't help you run away from that Prowler, and survival training alone will never let you reach the evacuation point. These basic skills are not separate but meaningful when combined. As of today, your Combat, Field Operations, and Survival classes are integrated into one module. Named War Zone. From now on, the efficiency of these three elements will be evaluated in sum, and all will be placed under the same module. You must be able to fight, run, and survive. Possessing only one or two of those won't let you survive a crisis. If you want to protect someone precious to you, you must master all three."
Throughout the speech, Chatfield showed no sign of going easy on anyone.
Students who met his eyes twisted their bodies in discomfort or hurriedly avoided his gaze.
A few looked rather energized, but most had faces that had started counting down the days to expulsion.
Sal was much closer to that anxious majority.
Because he too had been seized by the same fear right until he was pushed into the dungeon with Upgrade and Chatfield.
That experience had softened the fear a little, but the terror accumulated over a lifetime couldn't disappear with just one instance.
Moreover, what he faced then were Vampires with mixed strengths, not even comparable to a Prowler.
Sal saw Divinity fix her gaze on Chatfield.
It was probably her first time seeing him in person; she would have only heard about him until now.
Looking only at his appearance, he was ordinary, but a chillingly solid skill was embedded within.
Sal had never seen him fight, but Upgrade had once highly praised his achievements.
Being respected by her meant his strength was beyond doubt.
"You must have already started gauntlet training with Lars. That continues. But now, instead of pounding on rotten Hulker corpses, you will face attacks from actually simulated enemies. You will learn how to cooperate so as not to fall while traversing the battlefield as a team. We will take you to newly reclaimed zones to test your skills. No more training rooms. You cannot train perception in the comfortable space of the Academy. Heroes from the Hunter Bureau will be directly dispatched for this training to guide each team. Since a hero will be personally attached, you will learn much more. Weapon selection starts today. In the recent Mounted Battle, only thirty-two came out equipped with weapons, barely over 3% of the total. However, if properly armed, survival rates increase drastically. You must know how to handle weapons. I don't want to hear that you don't need them. I guarantee that you do. There are monsters that nullify abilities, and more commonly, the impurity essence state where you collapse from essence depletion. If you have a weapon, you become much more flexible in combat, and reliance on essence decreases. Remember. Previous generations fought without essence. You are the same."
Barry stared at Sal with a blank expression.
"You work with this person? I'm not envious at all. Do you even get a chance to speak, or does that person chatter alone till the end?"
Sal laughed and shook his head.
"He probably does that because he genuinely cares about us. At first, I thought he was really annoying, but now I think he just wants us all to survive. He's not comfortable, but at least he's someone who does his job properly."
And after a brief pause, he added quietly.
"...Probably."
Then a blurry shout came from the front of the crowd.
Though he couldn't make out exactly what was said, Chatfield stopped his speech and focused on that direction.
He listened for a moment, then shook his head.
Then, when another voice popped out from another side, Chatfield made an expression of disbelief.
"This is not a Q&A session. I am telling you what will happen from now on. This is not a debate for you to lead to your advantage. Whatever family you were born into, whatever your life beliefs are, it doesn't matter to me. If you enrolled here to become a hero, from now on, you follow these rules. I am not standing here to cater to your feelings or praise you for doing well. I watched every single Mounted Battle you participated in. Out of thousands, the number I saw worthy of training myself isn't even ten. Quest seems to believe thirty of you can be raised as Saviors, but for now, those spots are just filling numbers. Does that mean I see you as failures from the start? No. You just lacked training. Correcting that is our duty. Every single one of you possesses the potential to stand shoulder to shoulder with the strongest heroes of this city. I am not talking about flashy powers or destructive abilities. A few days ago, I entered a dungeon with a Crafter who had never even seen a monster. With just a few pieces of equipment and a little encouragement, that student cleared the dungeon alone. A first-year, with terribly low combat power. Didn't even make the top 10 in the Mounted Battle. Yet he stepped up and took the challenge himself. Did I doubt if he could do it? Of course. But the result? In the end, he did it."
Sal wished the ground would just open up and swallow him whole.
He expected Barry's sarcastic joke to fly at him soon, but when only silence followed, he looked back at his friend with confused eyes.
Barry stared straight at Sal with a surprised face.
"You cleared an entire dungeon by yourself?"
Sal nodded and gestured for Barry to shut his mouth.
Barry tilted his head and frowned.
"Why are you scared of people knowing you did it? You accomplished it... Why don't you scream and brag from the rooftop?"
Sal smiled bitterly and shook his head.
He didn't want to brag about something he had been so terribly afraid of, and he was afraid even to admit it.
"I almost fainted in that dungeon. It was possible because I was lucky, and the equipment was good. That's all."
Then Barry immediately retorted.
"In the end, it means even a Crafter can clear a dungeon if they have your equipment. That's huge, isn't it?"
Sal remained silent, unable to find words to refute Barry.
Chatfield stopped talking about Sal and moved on to the topic of team formation.
"This team recruitment will be an interesting yet cruel experience for all of you. This time, there are no unfair rules like top rankers picking last or bottom rankers picking first. You create the teams entirely yourselves. And the result returns as your evaluation. If you put a high ranker in the team, naturally, performance befitting that is expected. If it's a low ranker? Expectations are lowered accordingly. This condition isn't simply lining up using rankings. Team composition and capability are converted into only one value. Survivability. You will enter the Tower with this team and fight shoulder to shoulder. Therefore, teamwork and complementary skills are absolutely necessary. If you want to be team leader yourself, persuade other students why they should follow you. Why should they join your team? Those who cannot answer that question are not qualified to be team leaders. Teams forced together don't last long. A team you formed yourself will be resented much less than a team someone else put together for you."
It sounded like someone gulped next to him.
"As mentioned earlier, the Hunter Bureau will participate as supervisors in this Tower conquest. Designated active heroes will watch your progress directly. Performance, time taken, everything will be recorded and evaluated. This concludes this assembly. Now I will tell you what the next step you must take is. First, weapon selection. You are given two days to test weapons in the armory. Targets are ready in the training room. During those two days, I will prepare the first reclaimed zone practice site with the Hunter Bureau. After choosing weapons, you must form a team within three days. Finish it by this weekend without fail. And enjoy that time. Because right at this time next week, you will be deployed for the first practice. The practice runs for five days. The start is adapting to the field environment. Location is the reclaimed zone. Professors and active heroes will be with you. Classes will proceed directly on site. As quickly as possible, we will raise your levels. This practice will soon become the biggest test for you to challenge the Tower."
Barry sighed and glanced at Sal.
"Time to start getting close with people from other cohorts. Can I take your girlfriend to the Defense side?"
Sal laughed bitterly and shrugged.
"Well... I don't know if I can still call her my girlfriend. It was almost a fighting match the last time we talked."
Barry snorted and said.
"That's because of the brainwashing. You go and release it. If she says she won't join your team, at least put in a good word for me. How about it, deal?"
Barry smiled brightly, and Sal chuckled at his shamelessness.
"Then what will you give me? This sounds like a deal where only I lose."
Barry pretended to ponder for a moment, then snapped his fingers.
"I can speak well of you to Erica at the next Doom Society meeting?"
Sal looked at Barry as if he had two heads and said.
"You really are hopeless."