Chapter 57
<57 - Goal>
Professor Plato is a species and an ego item.
It means a being that has stopped being human.
“Healthy mind resides in a healthy body. Therefore, I thought: if I create the healthiest body possible and embody myself in it, I can have a healthier mind than anyone else!”
“Behold! This is the ultimate healthy rare metal body created by draining my entire fortune. Even if hit by the Principal’s serious punch and turned to dust, this body can regenerate!”
As the body glimmers and shines with light, Jiang murmured, “Titosso would love to see this.”
“I want to enlighten the new students about the joy of having a healthy body, but rare metals are expensive! Even if you bring a million points, it won’t be enough!”
I don’t need it.
Despite the students’ sincere expressions of disgust, Professor Plato unveiled the lecture theme.
“But there is a way to have a healthy body even with a poor organic mass. That’s right! By developing your body through intense exercise and enhancing recovery speed with abundant meals!”
The students’ eyes lit up.
“Abundant meals?”
“Are we getting food?”
“Can we eat two servings?”
Professor Plato readily answered.
“Of course! Not just two servings, but you can drink ten servings!”
“Wowww!”
“Professor Plato is the best!”
“The conscience of the Academy! Living intelligence!”
“The greatest professor who has stopped being human! So cool!”
Professor Plato skillfully accepted flattery from all directions with a smile.
He raised his hand and asked.
“Do you want to eat?”
“Yes!”
“Do you want to eat a lot?”
“Yes!!”
“Then run. Run with all your might towards that mountain and come back with at least 10% of your stamina left before the lecture time ends. This will be your first mission.”
As Professor Plato patted the students on the shoulder, a muscular mini-statue about the size of a fist appeared and stuck to their shoulders like gum.
“Ugh. What’s this?”
“Too much muscle. It’s disgusting.”
“Did he shrink the professor down to one two-hundredth of his size?”
This miniature is a type of clone, corresponding to a minor copy of the professor. Its role is…
“Oknodie’s remaining stamina is 90%.”
“Jezel’s remaining stamina is 82%.”
“Son Ohchun’s remaining stamina is 96%.”
“Isabel’s remaining stamina is 88%.”
A condition measuring device.
Or, a remaining stamina measuring device that will drive students to despair.
*
On the way to Mount Omi.
Friendly students matched their pace while some suddenly accelerated, climbing up the mountain with all their strength.
Most of those were stamina fools, and Isabel came to realize once again how surprisingly strong Oknodie’s stamina was.
“Can’t see them anymore.”
“Yeah, really.”
Feeling a moment of regret at being left behind.
Jezel and Isabel realized their thoughts were too shallow.
“Jezel’s remaining stamina is 75%.”
“Isabel’s remaining stamina is 84%.”
Their stamina isn’t dropping.
No, it is dropping, but it’s lasting longer than they expected.
“Is this test really possible to drop stamina below 10%?”
“It should be. You need to expend stamina in a massive burst. Either sprint for over ten minutes or exhaust yourself to the point where you can’t even move a finger.”
“This is insane. This lecture is way too advantageous for the physical types, isn’t it?”
“No. It’s disadvantageous for students who are used to training. Significantly so.”
“Are you saying that next to me, who’s close to dying?”
With Jezel dripping sweat, Isabel showed envy.
“I’m jealous of your lazy body.”
“Are you teasing me? Even I get angry at a time like this.”
“I’m not teasing. Your stamina has dropped again in that interval.”
The clone on Jezel’s shoulder noticed the looks and said.
“Jezel’s remaining stamina is 74%.”
“Rate of decline!”
“That’s what I envy.”
Jezel realized.
For someone who rarely exercises like herself, just a bit of movement easily drops her stamina.
But for the stamina fools, the lecture that purely chips away at stamina is on a completely different level regarding the total amount of stamina that needs to be expended and the effort it takes.
“Then, for Son Ohchun and Oknodie…”
“It will be a tough class. Tougher than all the classes combined so far.”
*
Dorothy was confident.
Outside the Academy, her occupation was a forest keeper.
Even as an apprentice, she roamed the dense forest like it was her home.
Though the forest and mountain are different terrains, the tricks for sprinting through the forest can also be partially applied in the mountains.
‘Hehe, this feels fun.’
It felt exhilarating to shake off those who were stronger than her one by one due to their lack of skill.
“Impossible! To catch up to the physical enhancement of the Mana Flow Technique while I’m bare!” or “That’s not human speed.” “How did a mere weedy border dweller surpass me?” were all delightful shouts as she left the nobles behind.
“Dorothy’s remaining stamina is 45%.”
Considering her starting stamina was 90%, she had exactly halved her stamina in just one hour.
If she expended the remaining half on the way back, she would use up all her stamina perfectly.
The plan was flawless, but reality was different.
“Heh, heh… so hard…!”
As stamina nears 0%, the body feels increasingly strained.
Statistically, the same 45% feels vastly different when you are at your peak versus nearly empty.
Unless one possesses superhuman mental strength, squeezing every last drop of stamina to reach 0% is practically impossible.
‘I went too far!’
She was envious of the nobles who had passed by so proudly earlier and felt resentment towards herself.
‘Wait? But hasn’t there been a student I haven’t seen since the start?’
Dorothy realized there were students who had gone faster and further than her!
‘No matter how badly I do, I won’t be the last!’
The knowledge that there are people worse off than her provided a sense of relief.
“Oh no! I’ve been caught again!”
“Why is he that fast?!”
“Please fall!”
Roaring laughter erupted from the Imperial noble students as she sped past them.
“Dorothy’s remaining stamina is 8%.”
After exhausting all her strength running, she was greeted with a hearty laugh from Professor Plato in the open ground.
“Well done! To overcome the difficulties of the return path and arrive with your stamina below 10%!”
She realized.
That she had grown during the return journey, even faster than when running up the mountain.
“Am I in first place?”
“Yes, you are.”
“I did it!”
Though she wanted to eat a ton once she ran hard, after sweating profusely, she felt zero desire to eat.
While catching her breath and watching those arriving at the open ground, she spotted the Imperial nobility she had passed earlier rushing over frantically.
But oddly enough, as they got closer, their steps slowed more and more until they couldn’t arrive at all.
“Wahhh!! What is that!!!”
“Didn’t I tell you? To reach the destination, your remaining stamina must be below 10%. Those students have over 10%, so they won’t be able to arrive.”
The student who had been leisurely approaching the starting line while being lazy found Professor Plato’s mini-clones growing larger and larger on their shoulders.
It was virtually assured that students overburdened to the point of collapsing couldn’t enter the open ground!
“Oh no, I’m dying.”
“We’re almost there, Jezel. Just a little further.”
As weak-stamina students entered the open ground, they collapsed onto the ground.
“Where did you come from? I don’t recall seeing you on the way here.”
“I just went around the nearby hill a few hundred times.”
“That method…!”
Isabel, having discovered the trick watching Oknodie’s entrance exam strategy, unveiled the trick.
The condition to return to the open ground was simply that stamina must be below 10%, so they minimized the return distance after expending every bit of stamina nearby.
“Oknodie was also doing repeats?”
“No, I was the first to dash out.”
Though students who dashed out first began to come back one by one, most were overwhelmed by the growing clones nearby due to having stamina over 10%, collapsing before entering the open ground.
“Huh?! I was surely at 9% before coming here!”
“Masugaki’s remaining stamina is 11%.”
“Did it fill up just because you went a little slower?!”
Noble students, starting with the Empire’s Second Princess Masugaki, rushed to expend stamina through repeat runs or push-ups after realizing the trick!
Thud Thud Thud
While the students sweated and struggled, they turned their heads to the enormous sound coming from the other side of the mountain.
“Should we let them enter first?”
“Ahh, crazy monkeys are throwing rocks!”
“Hmph. It’s futile. I know much better ways to knock out everyone but myself.”
“Sticky webs?! You cowards, is this really necessary?!”
“You guys started it, didn’t you?”
“Up and away!”
“Ah! That guy just used flying magic!!”
The competition among the top stamina holders in the upper class was on a different level.
Flying stones aimed at those sprinting forward, sticky traps to entangle the following students, and those trying to dodge going airborne—complete chaos ensued!
“Everyone, get away! Unless you want to freeze to death.”
Not wanting to be caught up in the melee, Northern Grand Duchess Irene, with one hand on the ground, created a frosty path that froze all terrain.
“Irene’s remaining stamina is 4%.”
“Just as expected of a Northern barbarian. Did she expect to use all her remaining stamina to pull this off?”
“Brr, it’s cold!”
“This ice wall is too huge!”
“I can’t even slide over it!”
Creating a slippery slope with ice walls allowed her to pass comfortably while obstructing those following from crossing over was Irene’s ice magic!
The upper class, trying to eliminate all those from the border, learned their plans crumbled in a battle between the Empire’s group and Irene’s overwhelming offense.
“I really was lucky… I’m genuinely relieved I made it in time.”
Dorothy shivered at the scene.
No matter how confident she was in running, if there was a crazy girl freezing the mountain, she would’ve repeatedly slipped and fell on the icy ground.
But something seemed off as Irene slid down the slope leading into the open ground.
“Why are there two clones clinging to her shoulders?”
As Irene arrived at the open ground, the reason became clear.
[You have remained hidden on the Northern Grand Duchess’ shoulder for over 1 minute.]
[Stealth Experience +10]
[Hiding Experience +3]
Taking advantage of the chaos, a student who had cloaked closely behind Irene and rolled onto the ground of the open space was the quick-witted trickster, Oknodie.
“Ta-da! I’m here!”
“Oknodie’s remaining stamina is 10%.”
Irene turned her head, surprised to see Oknodie.
*
Northern Grand Duchess Irene.
She was a battle mage, trained through countless battlefields.
While most talented students were admitted based on ‘potential’, Irene had already reached the level of a competent person.
Her practical skills had been proven in battle.
There wasn’t a citizen in the North who didn’t know her name, nor a demon tribe that didn’t fear her.
Therefore, she had to always be prepared for the dangers of assassination.
[Frosty Ground]
It generates a thin layer of ice on the ground, ensuring that movement makes a sound.
[Cold-Blooded Space]
It freezes the air in the vicinity, making it impossible to approach.
[Battlefield Instinct]
Above all, her cultivated wild sense can instinctively sense the approach of an assassin.
All those three trained senses were rendered ineffective.
‘What kind of rigorous infiltration training must she have undergone to display such skills?’
Irene involuntarily bit her lip at the thought of the unfortunate circumstances the little girl had grown up in.