Looking at the middle-aged man reminded of the typical fool in the neighborhood.
The fool who was always shabbily dressed in a tracksuit and dragging his worn-out slippers everywhere.
It seed I wasnt the only one who thought so as two female students who were sitting in front of were whispering such things to each other.
However, their whispers were so loud that they could be heard by those around them.
Thats the principal, right? He doesnt look very impressive
No, youre mistaken. Even if he looks like that, he was the leader of the dragon slayer team when he was young. I heard he even killed two adult fire dragons.
Wow, really?
Traditionally, the principal of the Dragon Slayer Academy is a position held by a hero who retired from the front lines.
And the title of , much like that of , is bestowed only upon one among the many powerful S-rank individuals.
Despite his unimpressive appearance, he harbors an unimaginable amount of power within him.
Since the heroes I raised before had about 20 S-rank skills,
Im guessing hes about the sa.
But hes still single.
Really? I heard hes been rejected by the saintess four tis!
No, its actually five now. He proposed again recently and got turned down again.
Oh my~
Ah, the principal
What kind of battles had this man faced
The perception of the principal in my mind suddenly beca that of pity.
He looked around the crowd with weary eyes and opened his mouth.
Welco, new students. I sincerely welco you to the Dragon Slayer Academy.
The auditorium suddenly beca so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
The principals expression, which started with a gentle greeting, turned serious.
Long ago, the Dragon Slayer Academy, as its na suggests, was established to prepare for the war against dragons and to nurture dragon slayers.
The reason the first hero insisted on including the character for slayer among many good words was probably to encourage you all to deeply consider what it ans to be a Slayer.
What is a slayer? You cant beco an ogre slayer without slaying an ogre, nor a dragon slayer without slaying a dragon.
As such, taking life is both our fate and essence as slayers. Do not turn away from this truth.
At the sa ti, you must think it through. Why do I want to beco a slayer? For what purpose do I wish to take life?
I hope that by the ti you graduate, you will have found your own answers.
The reason the principal began by ntioning these uncomfortable truths was that:
Beyond physical training, tempering ones inner self is of great importance.
And this inner tempering starts with setting a clear goal in mind.
The A-rank and S-rank monsters the students would have to face after graduation are akin to living natural disasters.
With vague aspirations like wanting to live well or beco rich, one would simply crumble like a candle in the wind when confronted with such monsters.
Besides , there were quite a few students who nodded their heads in understanding or were lost deep in thought at the principals words.
It would have actually been an excellent opening speech if he had stopped there.
Just one more thing
Unfortunately, the principal was soone who didnt know how to stop at the first verse.
His sermon went on and on.
The students twisted in agony, but the principal was oblivious to their discomfort and continued at a lullabys slow pace, insisting on saying what he wanted.
This ti for real, just one last thing
***
Had soone not intervened, his talk might have continued for hours more.
A woman in a suit who was waiting near the podium made a gesture as if pointing to her wristwatch.
Only then did the principal seem to decide to wrap things up.
I hope you all beco true heroes at Dragon Slayer Academy. Thats all.
Ugh.
Mom my head hurts
All of the new students were in a state of deep despair, so were clutching their faces and others complaining of headaches.
Amidst this, Go Hyeon-woo kept nodding his head with a smile, as if he was deeply moved by the principals words.
Hmm. Truly a aningful ti.
Werent you bored?
Bored? Kim-hyung, how can you say that? Each word was a valuable lesson, like flesh and blood. My master used to give such advice every day.
You heard this kind of thing every day?
So he was already well-trained for this, huh?
I gave up on the conversation.
In life, there are so battles that you simply cannot win, and this was precisely one of those monts.
anwhile, Seo Ye-in had her arms crossed and her head was bowed ever so slightly.
I waved my hand lightly in front of her face, but she showed no reaction.
She was dozing off with her eyes half open.
I didnt know if I should wake her up, so I just let her be.
After the principal stepped down from the podium, a woman in a suit took his place.
She was a person who seed flawless both from the outside and the inside.
Perhaps if Song Cheon-hye aged about 10 years, she might just look like this woman?
I overheard the girls in the front row whispering, Its the vice principal.
Had I not known and seen the principal and vice principal standing side by side, I would have probably been confused about who was actually the principal.
When the vice principal swept her cold gaze over the audience, the chatting students flinched and imdiately shut their mouths.
It was only a matter of monts before the slowly growing noise died down.
The following is an announcent. This years list of prohibited items has been updated. These items are subject to confiscation simply if the student carries them or keeps them in his or her inventory, and depending on the severity, a punishnt of more than derit points will be imposed. Please be fully aware of them and abide by them to avoid being penalized.
In addition, new students will only conduct practical evaluations on the ground level of the dungeon until further notice. Unauthorized entry into the lower levels can cause problems not only for the individual but also for their affiliated sects, towers, and clubs. A mont of curiosity should not lead to misery for everyone.
The vice principal delivered this ssage with a warning look.
The new students shivered as if they felt a chill even though they had done nothing wrong.
The entrance ceremony will now conclude so that you can have dinner. Please return to your dormitories on ti.
After the vice principal finished saying that, she imdiately ca down from the podium.
Compared to the principals lengthy speech, it was a brief, to-the-point, and practical announcent.
It happened so quickly that there were many students sitting in their seats thinking that the entrance ceremony had not yet ended.
However, once all the faculty and staff mbers began to leave, they slowly started to get up as well.
Go Hyeon-woo stretched lightly in his place.
Its ti for dinner. I was just starting to feel hungry.
Lets hurry. If we arrive a bit later, well have to line up.
The two of us were about to hurry away when we suddenly rembered sothing we had forgotten and turned around at the sa ti.
There sat Seo Ye-in, still slouched in her chair, half-asleep with her eyes half-open.
Her presence was so faint that we almost left without her.
Hey, Seo Ye-in.
I knew I had to wake her, but she didnt respond to my call.
I moved closer and then I gently tapped her shoulder with my fingertip.
Only then did Seo Ye-in slowly lift her eyelids and stand up.
Having just woken up, she appeared disoriented and she started scanning her surroundings lazily as if struggling to grasp the situation.
Then she noticed and stared intently at my hand, the culprit that woke her up.
The entrance ceremony is over. Lets go eat.
Mhm
***
Seafood pasta was served for dinner.
When you cook als for hundreds of people at the sa ti, the food quality naturally drops, but this pasta was actually on par with that of a famous restaurant.
This went to show how skilled the kitchen staff were.
This also proved that the Dragon Slayer Academy paid attention to even the smallest details, like the quality of als.
Given that its an institution dedicated to nurturing future heroes who will protect humanity, it makes sense that they would offer such exceptional treatnt.
After all, not just anyone could enroll here.
Hey, friends, enjoying your al?
Oh, youre here.
Just like when we first t on the train, Shin Byeong-chul ca over and casually took the seat next to us.
Whatever he had been up to, there were three red scratch marks diagonally across his cheek.
Go Hyeon-woo couldnt hold back his curiosity and asked.
Shin-hyung, what happened to your face?
Oh, this? Just a minor incident.
A timid-looking female student passed by and she cast an uneasy glance at Shin Byeong-chul.
The cat perched on her shoulder hissed and arched its back with its claws extended.
I decided to pretend I hadnt seen anything.
The shrimp is delicious.
Shin Byeong-chul comnted as he devoured his portion of the pasta.
Eat well and rest up. Tomorrow is a big day waiting for us.
Big day? What does that an?
You dont know? Tomorrow is the first day of classes.
True, but what happens on the first day of classes?
Shin Byeong-cheol opened his mouth to explain but seed to change his mind midway and smiled mischievously.
Heh, Im not telling. Lets leave it as a surprise for tomorrow.
Kim-hyung, do you know anything?
Its nothing big. Just wait until tomorrow.
Ehum Im still curious though Miss Seo?
I dont know.
Seo Ye-in didnt even spare Go Hyeon-woo a glance.
Feeling left out, Go Hyeon-woo sighed softly.
Haah, the principles of the martial world have fallen indeed
After dinner, we continued chatting about trivial matters.
Of course, out of consideration for Go Hyeon-woo, we never ntioned what the next day was about
As ti passed, the mbers of the disciplinary committee announced that it was getting late.
Lets start wrapping things up!
Everyone, head to your dorms!
If you dont know the way, dont wander around; just co and ask!
Now that darkness had set in, our final destination was the dormitory.
When I took out my student ID, I noticed the number 3-406 engraved on the back.
This ant that it was in building 3, room 406.
When I found building 3 and put my student ID card on the device that glowed softly with magic, the front door opened.
But Go Hyeon-woo kept following .
We went through the sa gate, climbed the sa stairs, passed through the sa hallway
Even when I stopped in front of room 406, he was still with , so I asked him.
Hey, which room are you in?
Im in 407. What about you, Kim-hyung?
406.
Oh.
It was like that.
It seed like so twist of fate had made us neighbors overnight.
What a pleasant coincidence to be next-door neighbors.
Im not so happy about it.
Haha, then rest well, Kim-hyung.
I waved my hand nonchalantly at his polite greeting and entered my room.
The room was unexpectedly stylish and spacious for a dormitory and was fully equipped with the necessary facilities.
It was so good that it could have been mistaken for a hotel room.
The elents I had casually encountered in the ga have now beco my reality.
I sat down on the bed, feeling a strange mix of emotions.
The bed was also of a very high quality and it was so comfortable that I felt like I would fall asleep right away the mont I laid down on it.
But I wouldnt sleep tonight.
There was sothing I needed to do.
Create the [Core].
[Kim Ho]
Skills
Amplification (F)
Copy-Skill [1/1]
1. Hummingbird (E)
Traits
Monarch (F)
Copy-Trait [1/1]
1. Elental Resistance (S)
Equipnt
School Uniform (D)
Inventory
E-rank weapon selection (E)
5 silver coins
I copied the [Hummingbird] skill from Song Cheon-Hye, but I couldnt use it right away.
To use skills that require magic power or inner power, one must have a power source to provide it.
And the primary power source for this is the [Core].
Usually, it takes weeks of dedicated effort to create one, but I have walked the shortcut hundreds of tis before.
One night should be enough.
I had already accumulated an abundance of mana within my body, thanks to the [Dark Ice Crystal] I absorbed on the train.
Now, all I needed to do was compress it into a complete [Core].
I began to clear my mind and focus my thoughts.
This was necessary to control the huge energy accumulated inside .
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