Chapter 6 – The Academy Wasn’t Easy (2)

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Translated by Jinmu

Read only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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It was evening, with the faint sunset slowly fading away.

Life at Hoakin Academy had already entered its first week.

I skipped dinner too and buried myself in the assigned dormitory bed.

“Fuck.”

That one curse was all that got chewed around inside my mouth. My pitiless stomach growled in protest, demanding even scraps of food, but its pathetic owner could only clutch at his belly and try to soothe it.

After thinking for a moment, I abruptly got up and gulped down bottled water. Right down to the very last drop.

“It’s empty.”

My weak voice trailed off, as if trying to conserve even words in the face of hunger.

You want to ask why I’m starving here like some beggar bastard? That’s what I’d like to know too.

This insane academy charges money even at the on-campus cafeteria. Fine, I’ll generously concede the point a hundred times over and say maybe free school meals were too much to ask for.

But wasn’t grilled spicy pork costing fifty thousand won crossing the line by a mile?

Even the 1.5-liter bottle of “Yeongchang Water” I just drank was something I bought at the campus mart for ten thousand won.

It had already been a year since I got transmigrated into this world, but this was the first time I’d seen prices this deranged. No matter how much of an elite school this was for the upper class, this still felt excessive.

That said, I hadn’t starved all week.

I’d been living on fifteen-thousand-won instant rice from the campus mart with seasoned seaweed from home as my side dish all week long.

Seaweed soaked in tears was saltier and sweeter than usual. Even that was gone now.

For reference, my monthly allowance was four hundred thousand won.

Honestly, I told them that amount was too much, but my father had insisted that this much was only natural as a father and forced the pocket money into my hands in the end. I resented my past self for pretending to be mature and waving it off. I should’ve just taken it when he gave it to me.

I blankly stared at the label on the empty water bottle.

Yeongchang…

The moment the military came to mind, shimmering tears dampened the corners of my eyes.

At least they fed you three proper meals a day there.

Who would’ve thought the day would come when I’d long for military slop. Right now, I felt like I could even roll that horribly bad mackerel fillet fry around in my mouth and let it melt on my tongue.

Letting out a deep sigh, I curled back up on the bed. I had to conserve energy. Lower my metabolism, and breathe as slowly as possible too.

I thought of my parents back home. More specifically, the soybean paste stew my mother used to make. With diced soft tofu in it, and chopped green onions sprinkled in too.

For some reason, it felt like I might never be able to eat it again. Right now, I felt like I could lick the bottom of the pot clean. Instead of tears, drool ran out of my mouth.

Still.

In my mind, I briefly said the word blessing.

Fwaat-

== ==

[Blessing of the Sword God]

What was cut would be severed.

[The rank of the physical body has risen from (1▶2).]

[As the rank of the physical body rises, the permitted sword specifications are relaxed.]

[The blessing activates only when the blade is no longer than 30+(2) centimeters and less than 5+(1) centimeters in width.]

== ==

The interface, which I was getting somewhat used to by now, rose before me, and a faint smile spread across my hollowed cheeks.

The harsh training with the bald instructor had begun changing my body. Whether it was from the training or from barely eating, the soft belly fat was now gone, and lean abs had started to show definition. Even the lingering baby fat had vanished in an instant, leaving my jawline much sharper.

My stamina had improved noticeably too, enough that I no longer fell behind during the morning runs around the training grounds. In just a little over a week, my body was already adapting and evolving at an astonishing speed.

I wasn’t sure, but I figured it was probably because that Sword Emperor old man had opened up my meridians.

The sword size still hadn’t gone beyond sashimi knives yet, but if I kept raising it bit by bit, I ought to be able to handle at least a short sword eventually.

Why was I feeling proud about this?

Up until the entrance ceremony, I had been terrified of even holding a knife once, yet somehow now my hands itched if I wasn’t holding one. It seemed the blessing was affecting my disposition too.

I gave a small shake of the head and brushed the thoughts aside. There wasn’t much point in thinking about that right now anyway.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Someone quietly knocked on the door of my dorm room.

My first thought was Who was it, but I figured it was probably the dorm supervisor, so I had no choice but to get out of bed and open the door.

“Huh?”

Standing there awkwardly was Chloe.

* * *

I had barely talked to Chloe at all since the first day. At most, she would quietly avoid me in the classroom. That made her visit feel all the more sudden.

“Did I interrupt your rest, by any chance…?”

Chloe whispered in that same faint voice of hers, like it was sinking into itself.

“Interrupt what? I was just lying down. More importantly, what is it?”

“…Well, it seemed like I hadn’t seen you at the school cafeteria all week. I thought maybe you weren’t feeling well…”

She looked at me with worried eyes.

I wanted to tell her honestly. That those insane prices made it impossible for me to even think about going there. But my pride as a man would not allow it.

“Ah, well… I don’t usually eat food made by other people.”

I really, really love eating food made by other people.

“Ah, ah. I see.”

“Yeah, so don’t worry about it.”

Chloe muttered with a disappointed expression.

“I bought some ingredients from the campus mart, so if you’d like to have dinn…”

“Let’s go.”

“Pardon?”

“You were asking me to eat dinner with you, weren’t you? I’m good at cooking, so I’ll handle that. Your dorm room is across the hall, right?”

It went against the code of the martial world to turn down an invitation.

As I briskly took the lead, Chloe ended up hurrying after me.

The tune I hummed under my breath echoed down the quiet dorm hallway.

* * *

After entering Chloe’s room, I looked around and took in the place.

It was rather spacious for someone living alone, with white walls, a white sofa, and a white bed.

It felt a little like a hospital.

For a teenage girl’s room, it was so neat and plain that it almost felt excessive.

I thought I might at least find a few rabbit dolls on the bed, but the only thing decorating the room was a handful of books stacked on the desk.

“When the cool night breeze drifted in, the pure white curtains fluttered softly.”

I was sorry my room was messy…

Huh? There was barely anything here.

Watching my expression, Chloe began taking ingredients out of the refrigerator. Sea bream, flatfish, rockfish, salmon, Spanish mackerel… there were even fish I didn’t recognize, stacked in styrofoam trays like a tower of blocks.

Just how much must all of that had cost at the campus mart, where a single bottle of water already cost ten thousand won?

“A sound of admiration slipped out of me without thinking.”

“You really like fish, huh?”

“Ah, yes. I’m from a seaside area.”

“Perfect. Fish dishes happen to be my specialty.”

Oh, really?!

“Chloe’s round eyes lit up. I rubbed the bridge of my nose with a finger and added.”

“Let’s see, except for the sea bream, can you take the rest away? One fish should be enough.”

Yes!

That unexpectedly spirited reply made a laugh escape me before I knew it. My hands had already been itching anyway, so I figured I’d cut up some sashimi for the first time in a while and lift my mood. I was hungry, but somehow my heart was pounding and energy was surging up inside me.

The problem was…

The kitchen knives lined up by the sink flashed sharply.

“The moment I laid a hand on one of those, the blessing would activate. Just thinking about the agony that would follow made my appetite vanish.”

“Do you happen to have a longer knife?”

“A longer knife?”

Yeah. As you know, my weapon was basically knives like that. So they feel a little awkward to use, I guess.

She gave a small nod. She understood.

“Then she went to a cabinet and came back lugging a Japanese sword longer than she was. My expression flattened out instantly in disbelief.”

“Would something like this work?”

No… never mind. I’ll just use one of the kitchen knives.

When I let out a deep sigh, Chloe tilted her head with a completely puzzled look.

Couldn’t be helped.

Fine. Let’s finish it within thirty seconds.

Wasn’t I the man called the best knifeman in the country? I could do this.

When I gestured for Chloe to step back a little, she quickly retreated a few steps with soft, small footsteps.

Watching me treat fish with all the solemnity of a ritual, she swallowed hard, breaking into a cold sweat.

I activated the Blessing of Painlessness, then quickly drew from the knife block the rose-patterned sashimi knife I had been eyeing. It felt good in my hand.

Then an unwelcome message rose over my vision.

[The culinary form of the Blessing of the Sword God activates.]

At the same time, the sashimi knife flashed and curved precisely into the sea bream’s gills.

“* * *”

“It was sooo delicious!”

Glad to hear it.

What greater decoration was there for a cook than hearing that someone had enjoyed the meal? But the current me could only give a small nod with a pale face.

Twenty-one seconds.

That was how long it took me to scale the sea bream, split the bones, gut it, and fillet the flesh.

I probably could have done a rough job and left it at that, but the pride of a chef engraved into my bones wouldn’t allow it. Thanks to that, the meal had turned out so well it felt like the masterpiece of my life.

To the point where I almost thought this might be the golden age of my sashimi life.

Given that the message the blessing displayed this time was culinary form of the Blessing of the Sword God, it seemed the way it operated changed depending on the use.

“It was a strangely useful ability in the oddest corners for something that otherwise felt so unnecessary.”

“How are you so good at cooking, Geom-ma?”

“I used to work part-time at a Japanese restaurant.”

Part-time?

“Chloe rolled her eyes slightly and asked back.”

Don’t tell me… you don’t know what part-time means?

“She gave a small nod.”

“…I’m sorry.”

No, it was not really something you need to apologize for.

“At that moment, I keenly felt the difference in social standing. Chloe looked up at me with the face of a baby bird. I let out a quiet breath so it wouldn’t show. People really do grow up in completely different worlds.”

It’s not that important anyway. More importantly, if you enjoyed it, then I’m happy too.

“She nodded fiercely to show her agreement. That sight drew a pleased curve over my lips.”

Since you’ve prepared the meal, I’ll did the dishes!

Honestly, I was the one who had just been treated to an expensive meal, but the look in Chloe’s eyes, wanting to return the favor, was so earnest that I left the dishes to her. It was also a bit of a hassle.

Perhaps because she felt some sense of responsibility, Chloe blushed and looked shy.

Pointing to the desk by the window, Chloe urged me to sit and rest. Feeling full, I sat on the windowsill and patted my stomach.

Bathed in the sticky light of the full moon, I looked out over the school through the open window. Ink-dark clouds floated lazily through the night sky.

“Crash-!”

Ah, I was sorry!

It seemed she’d broken a plate while doing the dishes. I thought about going to help, then shook my head. That was experience too. I grew up through stuff like that myself, after all.

Thud-

When the wind blew slightly, a crumpled notebook that had been caught on the corner of the desk fell to the floor.

I picked it up to put it back on the desk. I wasn’t trying to read it, but it looked more or less like a diary.

Today, someone helped me during the class assignment test. I had to repay him properly later!

Seeing the round, rounded handwriting and even the little bear stickers on it, I couldn’t help thinking Chloe really was just an ordinary girl her age after all.

Then the cool night breeze blew again and flipped the next page.

The person who saved me turned out to be in the same class as me. His name was Kang Geom-ma. My heart kept pounding and I don’t know what to do, so I can’t bring myself to talk to him at all!! >~<

So that's why she couldn't talk to me.

This time, my hand naturally turned the next page on its own.

Geom-ma.

………

…

.

…

……

………

I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you.

Crash-!

A plate broke.

"…"

"…"

Silence fell over the room.

"Did you see it?"

"No?"