Spirit Mountain, Bulkan.
Since ceasing its volcanic activity, it has been famous as the kingdom's most rugged yet beautiful spirit mountain.
However, few ever climb it.
The ascent is incredibly treacherous with no proper paths, and fierce wild boars frequently appear.
Among herb gatherers, there is also a rumor that bears have been spotted.
This alone makes climbing harsh, but an even more chilling fact is that Bulkan's environment runs wild regardless of the season.
During the day, a blistering heatwave of 40℃ continues, and at night, a cold wave of –30℃ strikes, leaving frost to form.
It was a mysterious phenomenon, and all flora and fauna that survived in such an environment possessed special medicinal efficacy, leading to high demand.
It truly was a Spirit Mountain.
However, a slight misstep while climbing could result in death, and if one were to get stranded, they would either die of dehydration or freeze to death.
It was wise not to climb it if possible.
If anyone did climb it, it would only be those living day-to-day lives hoping to strike it rich by harvesting top-grade medicinal herbs.
Therefore.
"Heok! Th-This is crazy, this is insane...!"
Climbing it for the 'purpose of training' was in itself already a foolish act.
...Thus, they were foolish madmen.
"Grrrk!"
"I-I'm dying..."
"W-Water...! S-Some water, urk..."
Casualties—no, fainting spells occurred one after another.
The incline, steep enough to evoke imagery of a precipitous cliff, was not made to be climbed.
It was simply a sheer drop.
Instead of walking on two feet, all the cadets had to use both arms like beasts, crawling slowly, reminiscent of turtles.
Stepping back would mean rolling straight down and bidding farewell to this world, so they couldn't even dream of retreating.
If turtles biologically cannot walk backward, they could not walk backward for the sake of survival.
In such a situation.
"Haa, look at the air. A Spirit Mountain is indeed a Spirit Mountain. It's refreshing."
"The air really does seem nice, Instructor."
"Well, it'll be maddeningly hot by the afternoon. Didn't they say the heatwave lasts until 18:00?"
"...I think you're crazy."
"Haha, you only just realized?"
Lee Han, carrying nearly 20 times the luggage of others, was as relaxed as if walking on a promenade.
He was clearly walking the same precipitous cliff, yet he alone looked as though he lived under a different gravity.
Not walking on all fours, but standing on two feet was already amazing.
Should that be called a sense of balance, or...
"Instructor, your toe strength is incredible."
"I train them quite a bit."
"...I'm not sure if that's something you can achieve through training."
"It works."
"......."
He was climbing barefoot.
Perhaps shoes hindered his walking; he climbed by gripping the earth with his toes as if clutching it.
Leaving footprints as he walked, his figure only served to remind one of a mountain beast.
"Don't just talk to me; look after them."
"Yees."
Vroom.
Irene's mana flowed dynamically and grabbed hold of someone.
She lifted those who had fainted or were complaining of dehydration with 'telekinesis.'
"Haa, this is a bit burdensome too."
"You don't have to do it if you don't want to. Instead, you'll have to walk from now on, though."
"...I'll diligently do the rescue work."
Currently, Irene was not walking earnestly like the others.
She was moving her body while floating slightly, as if levitating.
This too was telekinesis.
It might seem like an act that violated the training, but Lee Han allowed it.
After using the analogy that telekinesis was to a mage what muscles were to a warrior, he became positive about her using it.
Besides, with Irene Windler's stamina, marching was impossible from the start.
She still had stamina weaker than a kitten, so what march could she do?
Just having her do relief activities like that was more efficient.
'Useful.'
Originally, he thought he would have to load the collapsed ones onto a cart, but there was no need for that.
While magic itself was just as inconvenient, its convenience was undeniable.
"Ah, someone fainted again."
Hup.
Her skill in carrying not just her own body, but over ten cadets.
They were all either fainted or collapsed, and among them was Revi Volt, who had fainted early in the climb.
However, Lee Han had no intention of rebuking her for this.
It was a miracle she even walked this far with that physique.
That was walking with willpower, not stamina.
"In terms of willpower, she's better than those sprouts."
"Revi is a bit intense. According to her, she has to work harder to revive her family or something."
"...Looks like you've gotten close to chick number 1."
"Just an acquaintance where we drink tea and eat meals together? We aren't friends yet, but we're acquaintances."
"Isn't that usually what you call a friend?"
"...I haven't made many friends, so."
"Um, sorry."
"......Being apologized to makes it more pathetic."
[Irene. Stop saying useless things. I'm embarrassed.]
Unexpectedly, the human jungle march was having such a smooth start.
Well.
"S-Save me..."
From the cadets' perspective, it wasn't smooth at all.
* * *
They did not conquer Bulkan.
Meaning they failed to reach the summit.
However, this was Lee Han's intention.
He never said the summit was the goal in the first place; he merely told them the mountain to climb was here.
Thus, their destination was never the very top of the summit.
"Unload the luggage."
It was the midpoint of Bulkan.
Ku-woong!
As they finally put down their luggage after a full 3 hours of mountain climbing, the ground rumbled once.
That was how massive the amount of supplies they brought was.
"I-I lived..."
"...At this age, I thought I was heading to Avalon."
However, they were simply grateful to have climbed this far alive compared to the sheer amount of supplies they brought.
It was harsh, and harsh again.
Truly, there was no hell like it...
"The lady-in-waiting, who is infinitely smaller in stature than you, is perfectly fine, so what the hell are you?"
-.......
"Tsk tsk, pathetic bastards."
-.......Ugh.
They wanted to retort, but they couldn't.
It was true, as they frequently fainted or collapsed from exhaustion midway, yet there was a 'lady-in-waiting' who successfully climbed while carrying more luggage than them and remained perfectly fine.
"Hehe, the air is nice here. Sir Knight! Should I pitch the tent here?"
...She was full of energy.
Is she not even out of breath?
Leira Winter.
The royal lady-in-waiting looked completely fine despite walking the same grueling path of the march.
What on earth was she?
Towards the dumbfounded cadets, Lee Han shouted.
"Know shame. Lady Leira, whose stature is much smaller than yours, carried more luggage than you and completed the march."
...Truth be told, she was an amazing race even in Lee Han's eyes.
No, how is she perfectly fine with that body?
He told her to move with telekinesis several times, but she.
-It's not that hard, though?
She really didn't struggle.
No matter how he looked at it, she wasn't an ordinary person.
He wondered if she was born with a Heavenly Martial Body or a Phoenix Body from a wuxia novel.
However, let's find out the secret of her body later.
What's important right now is turning those things from sprouts into 'wildflowers' within a month.
So what he's doing from now on is just bluffing and throwing firewood to burn their motivation.
He had to inject some large firepower for the future schedule to be positive.
'Being an instructor isn't easy either.'
Feeling a secret respect for educators, Lee Han, as if injecting concentrated oxygen to revive their dying embers.
"Revi Volt is the same. You guys at least learned swordsmanship, but Revi Volt didn't even have that; she has a frail body that hasn't even learned aura techniques. Yet, in that state, she walked a whopping 10km. And with sheer willpower alone!"
The cadets looked at Revi Volt.
She was still a girl with trembling legs, but she was tenaciously trying to stand up.
...With that frail body.
"You have lost right now. I'm not telling you to feel hurt pride because you lost to a woman! I'm saying you lost to a 'beginner'! Willpower, perseverance, tenacity! In all these aspects...!"
The cadets clenched their fists tightly.
It wasn't just concentrated oxygen; it was a stimulus that poured oil on the fire.
Motivation revived in their spirits, which had been exhausted and collapsing.
"Get your act straight. Training has already begun. I helped those who collapsed during the march, but it wasn't because you were pretty. I saved you simply because you were 'pathetic'."
The heat surged even more.
He definitely knew the exact points on how to make a person's blood boil and feel resentful.
"Damn it..."
Most of the cadets ground their teeth in frustration, disappointed by their own pathetic state.
An atmosphere where they wanted to rampage to vent their feelings immediately.
He had to loosen it up a bit here.
If a fire burns too suddenly, it also extinguishes quickly.
Keeping it subtly maintained was the secret to keeping the fire burning for a long time.
"Right, I hope you've come to your senses a little. Tsk, pitch your tents and take a nap within 30 minutes. The nap is 90 minutes. After that, I'll tell you about the basic training and schedule in earnest, so rest your bodies with all your might until then. Understand? With all your might."
Resting is also part of training.
It was a statement he always emphasized, and the cadets answered loudly as if shouting.
It was good to see their eyes come alive now.
Lee Han nodded once and gave his attention to those who were infinitely fine.
"You guys, see me for a moment."
"Kunta wants to sleep too."
"I'm tired as well."
"Even mercenary bands give rest..."
"So what?"
"......."
They had no choice but to be dragged away forcefully.
Of course, there was a guy trying to hide among the people and avoid his gaze.
"Come out right now while I'm saying it nicely."
"N-Naps..."
"A nap for the assistant instructor? What kind of luxury is that?"
"...Assistant instructors are humans too, humans!!"
"Since when?"
"......Damn it."
The assistant instructor shed tears.
* * *
"-Are you alright, Jack?"
"My Lord."
Jack bowed his head.
Roen, his lord, had endured that weight and marched a vast distance, yet didn't look tired at all.
It was fitting for someone whose basic capabilities were already higher than a knight's.
Conversely, Jack was exhausted.
Meaning his capabilities were infinitely lacking.
He felt a sense of inferiority, disappointed in himself.
"Rest. You look exhausted."
"...I apologize for being an infinitely worthless fellow."
"No. Your talent has just bloomed. This is inevitable. Rather, it is impressive that you could keep up with such a forced march only half a year after deciding to become a knight."
"...Still, it's infinitely lacking compared to my main job."
"......That is true."
Jack, a somewhat plain-looking man with a slightly blurry impression.
He was a man who could be seen anywhere walking down the street, and someone said his impression was so faint that he was hard to remember, but this was Jack's 'talent.'
A talent that prevented anyone from remembering him, allowed him to easily blend in anywhere, and hide.
Therefore, he was 'a fellow more suited to be an assassin.'
He had little talent as a knight, but he might reach the top in espionage and assassination.
But he.
"Still, it is my choice. Even someone like me can become a knight. The one who told me that was you, my lord. So don't make a sorry face. Were the words you said to me a lie by any chance?"
"No, there are no lies. It was all sincere."
"Then that's enough."
"...Still, I am sorry. Because of my greed, it seems I have changed all the set plans."
"It is fine. Didn't you say that your 'foresight' is not absolute either?"
"Umm..."
At Jack's words, Roen forced himself to nod.
Jack knew it as such.
That the ability Roen possessed was [Foresight].
'Yes, this is enough.'
Just knowing that much was enough.
It was better for no one to know the true secret he held.
If anything, revealing it would only cause greater chaos.
This was not what he wanted.
While hiding his inner thoughts like that, Jack strained to raise his tired body and rambled on.
"Anyway, the people to recruit will be in earnest from next year, right? Since there aren't many people to recruit right now, it would be fine to have this year as a time to refine our capabilities. ...Above all, my lord seems interested in the instructor's training too."
"It's a novel perspective. Learning it will definitely help in the future. Especially when we have to fight the 'Temple'."
"Umm..."
At his lord's remark, Jack swallowed a groan and looked around.
Just in case someone was listening to their conversation.
Fortunately, his lord was not that clumsy, and had completely blocked out the surrounding sounds.
As expected, he was a thorough man, making his worries meaningless.
Roen appreciated his subordinate's loyalty but struggled not to show it, continuing in a firm tone.
"Jack, remember. You must become stronger. The instructor's harsh training will surely make you stronger than you are now. I say it again, but I can't be the only one who gets stronger. You must also become stronger. I alone can never defeat them."
"Yes, sir."
What was the reason they enrolled in this shoddy academy?
First, to grow stronger in a place without enemies.
Second, because there was someone they had to kill in the royal capital.
And lastly.
"So watch this training well. I'm sure a large number of unexpected talents will emerge."
The procurement of talent and the establishment of power.
Perhaps this purpose would be fulfilled not next year, but starting this year.
Depending on what kind of change they, those who are like wild grass, would bring about through the instructor's lessons.
"Do you truly think so? Honestly, I'm still half in doubt."
"I'm not certain either. But, Jack. I think this:"
Even if they are nothing but wild grass that no one cares about right now, perhaps.
"They might be wildflowers that will bloom."
And he was a person who preferred wildflowers over greenhouse flowers.
The boy looked forward to it, and the assassin shook his head, thinking his lord was sometimes a romanticist chasing romance.