A bus that ran at ten-minute intervals.
Well, to be fair, it had been a setting error for the protagonist to walk around this enormous campus every single day. In any case, now that the novel had become a world, I supposed it would fix plausibility errors on its own.
······Anyway, let’s just sleep a little. I don’t want to think any more than this.
I closed my eyes and planted my forehead on the desk.
—All right!
A thunderous shout woke me from sleep.
When I closed and opened my eyes, the instructor in charge was standing at the lectern.
“Since today is your first day entering the academy, there won’t be any special training, but I assume you all completed your morning training? Training is always right. Especially in the morning, when the concentration of mana is high. That is the optimal time.”
Morning training?
······Oh, right. There was something like that. A training ground that only opened from six in the morning to nine. I’d hurriedly shoved it in to create points of contact between the protagonist and the other characters.
“Then let us introduce ourselves. I am Kim Suhyeok, the instructor who will be in charge of you for the next year.”
That name, I vaguely remembered.
“My Ranking Points are 3850. I am ranked 9,737th in the world. According to the Association’s classification, I am upper-intermediate rank, grade 3.”
The students’ eyes grew bright. It was understandable. There were about two million heroes in the world, and being ranked 9,737th among them was an incredible level.
“I think that will do for my introduction.”
Kim Suhyeok gave a faint smile, as if pleased with the students’ reactions, then continued.
“The feelings you have on your first day will be quite new. You may have tossed and turned all night from excitement and worry, or perhaps you simply devoted yourself entirely to self-improvement. Maybe some of you were thrilled at the thought of seeing someone you admire again.”
Small laughter burst out among the cadets. However, the instructor’s expression hardened sternly.
“But Cube is different from everything that came before. I can say this with certainty: you will not have time to think about romance. Here at Cube, you will experience many real battles. You may look forward to learning just how frightening and terrifying actual combat can be.”
A chill ran down my spine at his sinister smile.
Real combat training. I would have to participate in that too.
“Also, Cube is coldhearted. The only absolute indicator is your grades. Guilds look only at grades. Therefore, we too will evaluate you with perfect accuracy and strictness. Those who are lacking will fall behind. Statistically, less than half of cadets graduate from Cube without repeating a year. Repeating is allowed for a maximum of two years. After that, you are expelled by force. If you fail to become a hero, you become an agent or a mercenary. I’m sure you don’t want that.”
The instructor paused his intimidation for a moment and swept his gaze over the packed rows of students.
“I see a few familiar faces.”
The same was true for me.
Kim Suho, Shin Jonghak, Yu Yeonha, Chae Nayun, Rachel, Lee Yeonghan.
Those were the six major characters visible at a glance. Shin Jonghak and Yu Yeonha were together. Kim Suho and Chae Nayun, currently conscious of each other as rivals, kept their distance. Princess Rachel was alone. Lee Yeonghan was seated behind Kim Suho.
“I will say it again. At Cube, you will reexamine everything you have learned until now and sharpen yourselves further so that you may grow accustomed to real combat. There is no gentle teaching here. Keep that in mind.”
Then Kim Suhyeok spoke powerfully.
“Now, prepare yourselves. Today’s schedule will end quickly. First on the agenda, ‘main weapon selection.’”
*
“The weapons you imagine, the weapons you want, are probably all gathered here.”
Main weapon. It meant the weapon one primarily used. Among high-ranking heroes, they used the expression “treasured arms” rather than “armament,” and weapons of [Unique] grade or higher were given the title of “artifacts.”
However, I did not know what my main armament was. There was no way I would know Chundong’s past.
“Stand in front of the weapon you want. We will distribute training weapons to you. They may be called training weapons, but if they were put on the market, their price would easily exceed five million won.”
There were many kinds of main weapons. Far more than I had imagined.
Swords, spears, sabers, daggers, rapiers, halberds, greatswords, zweihanders, bows, guns, cannons, whips, gauntlets, and so on······ The hundred or so students of Truth Class each stood in front of what they wanted.
“Be aware. Once you choose a main weapon, you cannot change it for at least six months.”
The most popular were, of course, swords and spears. Kim Suho and Shin Jonghak also stood in front of a sword and a spear respectively. Out of one hundred, seventy chose swords, spears, or sabers. Aside from them, Yu Yeonha chose a whip, Chae Nayun chose a bow, and Rachel chose a thin sword.
And I simply stood there blankly.
“Kim Chundong. Why are you standing still?”
Kim Suhyeok asked me.
I was simply staring. At one thing among the countless weapons that no one else so much as glanced at.
As was often the case in modern fantasy, it was a weapon that had become obsolete in that worldview. With an intuitive appearance, it could be held in one hand and fired with one finger without any instruction manual, yet it was the weakest lump of iron in the setting.
It was a weapon that any hero would naturally avoid, and even here, they had probably placed a random one merely to satisfy the excuse that they had prepared “every weapon.”
But for me, this was the only option.
I could not use close-combat weapons. Even if Chundong had talent for them, I would decline direct combat where I had to close in on an enemy and cut into flesh and skin.
“Kim Chundong.”
The instructor’s voice sank low. The students’ gazes focused on me. Among them were Shin Jonghak and Kim Suho.
I did not like drawing this much attention either.
I quickly approached and picked it up.
The weight of steel settled in my hand, and the iron stink of something long unused hovered at the tip of my nose.
The gazes in the hall focused even more intently.
In my hand was a handgun.
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Cube (3)
In this world, guns were still good weapons. For ordinary soldiers who could not handle mana, that is.
Because they fired “magic bullets” formed by condensing mana rather than iron bullets, well-made firearms could exert lower-intermediate grade 8 monster-killing power. Considering that the training swords said to cost over five million won on the market had, on average, lower-grade monster-killing power, their basic performance could be called good.
However, firearms were especially unpopular among people like heroes and mercenaries, who handled magic power as naturally as their own bodies. This was not simply because there was no room for the supernatural ability called “magic power” to intervene in firearms, making the weapon’s limits obvious regardless of the owner’s ability.
In this world, the most important thing when choosing a main weapon was the origin and provenance of its type. The older its provenance and the greater its origin, the deeper the “grade hierarchy” of that weapon category became.
For example, firearm grades consisted only of mass-produced goods, handmade goods, and masterpieces. In the case of swords, however, in addition to those three grades, there existed far more hierarchies: relics, artifacts, treasures, myths, legends, and so on.
This was because myths and legends had manifested in the phenomenal world.
The sword was a weapon with a history so deep that its origin could not be determined, so it was only natural that figures from myths and legends had left countless famous swords in the world.
Frey’s Sword, the demon blade Muramasa, the magic sword Tyrfing, the holy sword Durendal, the king’s sword Excalibur, and so on······ Like this, divine swords from legends still slept within “dungeons” or “towers,” yet to be discovered, or shone brilliantly as treasures whose value could not even be appraised. Of course, those treasures could only be wielded by those with a high level of proficiency related to “swords.”
For that reason, most heroes chose primitive weapons. Because they believed in their own skill, and also because, should they one day reach the limits of their growth, they sought to raise their grade and rank through the power of artifacts.
“······Kim Chundong.”
Kim Suhyeok recited my name once, then activated his smartwatch. Because of the information protection system, the contents should have been invisible to anyone except him, but for some reason, I could see them.
They were my cadet information. Kim Chundong’s.
“I remember you used a sword.”
As expected of an extra, Kim Chundong had been an ordinary swordsman.
“I’ve decided to change.”
“After coming all the way to Cube?”
“Yes.”
Kim Suhyeok looked displeased by that. But soon, he furrowed his brow once and nodded.
“Well, fine. At Cube, all choices are made by the cadet. Instructors do not interfere at all. Whether that choice is wrong or right, the responsibility belongs solely to the cadet.”
Kim Suhyeok let it pass like that, but the students’ murmuring grew clearer. Voices so small I could not make out their meaning, but when I looked toward the direction the sounds came from, they reached me with striking clarity. It seemed Chundong’s talent really was this. Completely useless.
“A gun? What’s with him? Is he crazy?”
“If he’s going to do that, why did he even come to Cube? He should just go be a mercenary.”
Before entering Cube, the cadets had handled all kinds of weapons. It was all to find the weapon that best matched their talents. But guns did not require talent. You just put your finger on the trigger and pulled.
“The main weapon you chose today cannot be changed easily. Also, whether it is a sword, a spear, a bow, or a gun, all exams and training will be conducted the same way. That means the cadet must bear the disadvantages of their own weapon.”
Kim Suhyeok said this while looking at me.
I get it, damn it. But I can’t help it either.
Most of the cadets here had entered hero academies around the ages of seven to nine and had spent nearly ten years receiving education in thrusting, slashing, cutting, smashing, or shooting.
But I had not.
It was not as if the things Chundong had worked on all this time had been transferred to me. It was not as if I had enjoyed sports like kendo from long ago. Nor was I the type to enjoy life-or-death thrills.
In the end, my only choices were long-range weapons like bows or guns, and since I had at least completed military service, the one I was most familiar with was a gun.
“Now, we will assign dormitories and distribute personal luggage. Everything after that is free time. Regular classes begin in three days, next Monday.”
Kim Suhyeok said this while keeping his sullen gaze fixed on me.
In any case, the main weapon selection ended like that.
*
“Hey, gunslinger. Are you serious?”
“I’m uploading this to my Blam. What a weird guy.”
“No, I seriously don’t get it. You’re an attention seeker, aren’t you? This is the first time in my life I’ve seen someone choose a gun at Cube.”
On the way to the dormitories, a group of boys spoke to me. I ignored their jeers.
When I showed no reaction despite their repeated provocations, they snickered among themselves, then soon turned their attention to something else. As hot-blooded boys, it was naturally the female students.
No, even my gaze turned that way.
Chae Nayun, Rachel, and Yu Yeonha. The appearances of those three women far surpassed my settings.
While I was looking at them from the corner of my eye, we arrived at the dormitories before I knew it.
“This is it. First-years will use this dormitory.”
Six skyscrapers, far too splendid and imposing to be called dormitories.
According to Kim Suhyeok, they were all one hundred floors tall, with five rooms per floor, making 497 rooms in each building.
Dormitory assignments were made in order of grades, but even last place received a single room, and the six students who had placed first to third among men and women at the agent academies received penthouses of roughly five hundred square meters. Among them, only Kim Suho voluntarily returned his, saying a large room made him uncomfortable.
“The men will use the area on the right, and the women the area on the left. The key to your room is built into the smartwatch that will be distributed from now on.”
While Kim Suhyeok explained, the other classes arrived one after another. If my memory was correct, there were ten classes in total: Truth, Self-Cultivation, Cleverness, Wisdom, Refinement, Honor, Exemplar, Kindred, Gaon, and Nuri.
Should I try looking for the major characters? I think there were a few villains here too······.
“Chundong, Kim Chundong!”
“Ah, me? Why?”
“······Why?”
Kim Suhyeok had been calling me. I had merely been distracted for a moment and failed to answer, yet Kim Suhyeok’s eyes narrowed like those of a bird of prey. My whole body froze under that sharp gaze. Perhaps finding my stupid reaction pathetic, Kim Suhyeok closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh.
“······Your smartwatch. Come and take it.”
“Yes, yes.”
My legs trembled midway, and I nearly fell. Laughter burst out from behind me and came rushing over.
How dare they laugh at their creator.
For a moment, I grew angry, but I decided to understand them generously.
I had no way to retaliate, so I had no choice.
*
The dormitory I was assigned was larger than Chundong’s previous apartment, and it was furnished with a sofa, bed, rice cooker, TV, computer, and most other furniture, as well as various magic-engineering items.
“······I still can’t get used to this.”
I think while sinking into the soft sofa.
The weight of the handgun in my grasp still does not feel real.
Thinking about it, if I was going to choose a handgun, it might have been better not to enroll in Cube at all. Just having been a cadet at the Agent Military Academy would have been enough to make a living.
But my problems do not end there.
Why I fell into this place, and what I have to do to return to my original world. To figure that out, I strongly feel that I need to at least remain near the main story.
······Though I do not know whether I can get anywhere near it with a gun.
Should I try firing it once, just to see how powerful it is?
“Hmm.”
It seems like a good idea.
I sprang to my feet, aimed the muzzle at the wall, and closed one eye. Just as I held my breath and slipped my finger onto the trigger—
—Ding-dong.
The bell rang.
A mechanical voice came from beyond the door.
—Rank 934. Kim. Chun. dong. Please. pick. up. your. luggage.
It was the robot system. I carelessly tossed the handgun onto the sofa and opened the door, and found a fairly large box on the floor.
Did Chundong send his luggage ahead of time? I brought it inside and set it down on the table with a thud.
[Agent Military Academy Rank 1543, Hero Military Academy Rank 934, Kim Chundong. Personal belongings]
But Rank 934, huh. Wasn’t that a bit too ambiguous?
Letting out a hollow laugh, I cut through the tape with a fruit knife.
“······Huh?”
Inside the large box, there was only one item.
But I know what this is.
This is not Chundong’s luggage, but my own belonging.
In my past life—no, calling it a past life is a little strange. Then in my “current life”······ no, that is strange too, but anyway.
This is the laptop I used on Earth to write this novel.
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Synchronization (1)
On the top floor of the First Dormitory Building, in this spacious place where an entire floor had been turned into living quarters, there were eight students. Each of them occupied a seat in a delinquent or arrogant posture, laughing loudly even at things that were not particularly amusing. Yet from time to time, they also watched the mood of the one who had gathered them here. The person in question, however, simply remained silent, as if everything was beneath his notice.
“Oh, right. Jonghak, I heard there’s someone in your class who uses a gun?”
A man asked him. He was a gentle-looking handsome man, with an amiable smile spread across his lips. Shin Jonghak stared quietly at him with half-lidded eyes.
“······Uh, huh? I just heard it somewhere too. Is it not true?”
“Was there? I don’t pay attention to trash like that.”
“R-right? Ah, I’m not that interested either. I was just curious. Wondering what kind of lunatic he is.”
“Hanjun, you’re still interested in strange things~”
A bewitching voice cut between them. Jin Hanjun looked that way. A woman with long, flowing hair that shimmered beautifully, Yu Yeonha, was smiling there. Feeling his heart suddenly leap, Jin Hanjun stammered.
“Uh-uh-uh, uh, Yeonha. Ah, that, um, what was it. I’ve always been like that since I was little.”
“Was his name Chundong? Or Chunbun? Anyway, it sounded really rustic. There’s no need to pay attention to him.”
“Ah, but he was fucking pathetic. Why the hell did that crazy bastard come to Cube just to use something like that? Fucking idiot.”
Those harsh words belonged to Kim Horak. Bulging muscles, a ferocious impression, a massive build. His body, which plainly advertised close-quarters combat to anyone who saw him, twitched with displeasure.
Jin Hanjun asked Kim Horak.
“You know him too?”
“I’m in the same class as Jonghak, you dumbass. I’m going to crush him later during duel practice. I’ll cripple him and drive him out myself.”
Everyone gathered here knew Cube’s schedule. Five days of classes per week, and three days of practical training.
Here, “classes” referred broadly to both magic power training and physical training, while practical training varied from duels and monster hunting to lifesaving.
“I’ll just smash him to pieces······.”
“Don’t do anything useless.”
Shin Jonghak lightly dismissed that typical high-school-level conversation passing back and forth. Even Kim Horak, who had been growling until just now, obediently shut his mouth at those words.
“If you beat someone ranked lower than you in a duel, you’re the only one who loses out. Instead, choose someone ranked higher than you, but someone you can certainly beat because of compatibility. For example······.”
“Chae Nayun. Try fighting her. You’ll win for sure, won’t you?”
Yu Yeonha cut in. Shin Jonghak narrowed his eyes and glared at her, but she continued, unconcerned.
“Fists are easy against a bow, aren’t they? The game is over once you get close, isn’t it?”
“······Huh? Ah, I could win. But······.”
Getting close would be the hard part.
However, wanting to look good in front of Yu Yeonha