Master Smith Under Ministry of National Defense

Master Smith Under Ministry of National Defense

167 – System

“The system seems to be coming along well as planned,” Soo-jeong said, looking at the numerous charts displayed on the monitor in front of her.

The charts she was examining showed various metrics, such as the consumption and processing success rates of rare materials in the production class, the grades of gates conquered by the combat class, and the injury rates of each team. The data was neatly organized into graphs, making it easy to evaluate each team’s performance.

“The most encouraging result is that the injury rate is significantly decreasing. Despite tackling gates of much higher grades than typical Awakener parties, the injury rate is steadily dropping. Is this thanks to the ‘system’ you’ve established?”

“Since we’re building a new structure from scratch, there are many first-time attempts. Which system are you referring to?”

“All of them. But why did you ask to increase the number of medical pods even though the injury rate is decreasing? I did approve your request, but…”

As Soo-jeong mentioned, the injury rate among combat-type Awakeners was visibly decreasing with each gate conquest attempt. This was partly because each trainee was becoming more accustomed to their new equipment, but the most significant factor was the noticeable improvement in ‘teamwork.’

A prime example of this was the difference in injury rates between the general applicant teams and the national representative teams. Unlike the general applicants, who could freely form teams and attempt gate conquests, the national representatives tended to form teams exclusively with other national representatives. This was due to their elite mindset, having entered Icarus without qualification exams based on pre-allocated slots for representing their countries.

As the trainees began their practical training, the national representatives demonstrated why they were chosen to represent their countries. In the warm-up gate conquest classes, the injury rate for national representative teams was much lower than that of the general applicant teams. Some national representative teams even completed gate conquests without a single injury.

In contrast, the general applicant teams struggled, even in gates of appropriate difficulty, due to their individual abilities. However, this trend quickly reversed as the difficulty of the gates increased and the classes progressed.

Unlike the national representatives, who had strong individual pride and found it hard to accept that their mistakes caused injuries, the general applicants evolved as a ‘team.’ They held serious discussions after each conquest, addressing their shortcomings and, if necessary, exchanged team members with other teams to strengthen their overall performance.

Moreover, in terms of motivation, the general applicants displayed a much stronger drive than the national representatives. The general applicants aimed to be in the top ten to choose their desired civilian clan, whereas the national representatives had to return to their respective countries after completing the Icarus curriculum.

Despite these challenges, the individual strength of the national representatives still overwhelmingly surpassed that of the general applicants.

Many of the general applicant trainees have relatively common and ordinary abilities, like hardening their bodies to enhance physical strength or moving faster than others. Some even lack any special Awakener abilities. In contrast, the national representative trainees mostly possess strong and unique abilities of at least Rare grade or higher.

Among the national representatives were those with abilities like Deki, who couldn’t control all four elements—water, fire, wind, and earth—but could turn their entire body into flames, ignoring physical damage like a Logia-type from the manga One Piece, or accelerate a dagger to the speed of a railgun projectile.

In this situation, the two groups with starkly different characteristics were in a sort of competition, resembling a contest between talent and teamwork. Currently, the general applicant group, which prioritized teamwork, held the upper hand as the difficulty level surpassed what individual talents could cover.

Ironically, Myung-jun didn’t see this as a positive development. The reason he asked Soo-jeong to increase the number of medical pods was precisely because of this.

“Soon, we’ll be overhauling the current team compositions. Until now, they’ve been free to form teams with whoever they wanted. Starting from the next phase of the curriculum, I plan to make them team up with the least compatible members.”

“What? Why? Things are going well as they are.”

“It may seem that way on the surface. But when graduation season comes, they won’t be able to stay together. It’s fine if all ten top-ranked students come from the same team, but usually, only one or two from a team make it to the top ten. The rest will be drafted into various clans, much like the NBA draft system.”

“So, you’re not trying to cultivate strong teams but strong individuals? You want to train Awakeners who can perform their roles no matter which team they’re in?”

Myung-jun nodded, and Soo-jeong continued, “But if that’s the goal, why not force them to switch teams from the beginning?”

“If we had done that from the start, they would have struggled to find their positions. Understanding and solidifying their roles is more important than adapting to changes initially. The first half of the curriculum was designed for that purpose. The key was for them to understand whether their abilities suited a tank, a closer, or a seeker, and to strengthen their individuality.”

Now that the first half of the training was over, Myung-jun planned to flip the nature of the mid-term training. By separating them from their familiar teammates and making them work with new ones, he aimed to help them quickly assess their teammates’ abilities, determine their roles, and make optimal decisions in various situations.

This was Myung-jun’s idea of a good hunter, and it was a skill most members of the Liberal Clan possessed. The Liberal Clan members, who were often overqualified when grouped together, rarely tackled a gate as a full team. Instead, they usually joined other clans’ teams as helpers to conquer gates.

They were gate-conquering specialists who could enhance a team’s potential by over 200% with just one member joining. This was the type of hunter Myung-jun aimed to cultivate at Icarus.

“And when the mid-term training starts, I plan to force the national representative trainees to team up with the general applicants. I’ll also raise the difficulty of the gates they’ll be tackling by one grade.”

“You’re going to increase the difficulty while making them conquer gates with unfamiliar teammates? That could lead to fatalities, not just injuries.”

“I think that part will be fine. After all, Icarus instructors are involved in every conquest process, and we’ll be using new equipment starting from the mid-term training,” Myung-jun said.

Soo-jeong looked at Myung-jun with a puzzled expression. She had been incredibly busy applying the anti-magic system to all the Liberal Clan’s equipment and had no memory of any new equipment being made for the trainees. She wondered if he was planning to distribute some equipment she had made earlier, but she couldn’t recall creating any universal equipment for all the trainees.

“Hm… If you’re planning to make that new equipment now, I have to say it’s impossible given the current schedule. We’re already overwhelmed with upgrading the existing equipment.”

“I know how much you’ve been struggling with that issue. No matter how necessary it is, I wouldn’t suddenly ask you to make hundreds of new pieces of equipment. In fact, I’d prefer if you took it a bit easier.”

“Then where are you planning to get this new equipment? It’s not going to fall from the sky.”

“Of course, we’re not planning to make it ourselves. There are plenty of places that can make decent equipment for us now.”

Soo-jeong finally understood what Myung-jun meant by new equipment. “You’re talking about the power armor made by other companies based on the designs we released earlier. But most of the currently available products are still prototypes that haven’t been mass-produced.”

“That’s true. The quantities will be limited, and their performance and safety aren’t guaranteed. But as you know, prototypes have their own strengths.”

Since the Liberal Clan released the main design for the power armor, many large corporations had entered the power armor production market. Simultaneously, these companies had produced numerous prototypes, trying to decide which models to mass-produce.

Myung-jun planned to acquire these new power armors for the trainees under the pretext of helping with real-world testing and promotion. For the companies, this meant they could have their power armor worn by the most promising Awakeners, who would become the world’s strongest after graduation, and they could also test the limits and strengths of their designs in life-threatening situations.

Myung-jun’s proposal had already received enthusiastic responses from leading Awakener equipment manufacturers worldwide.

“Promising athletes often get sponsors even during their college years, right? Let’s do the same. If we can test power armor from various companies in real-world conditions, we’ll also gain valuable data.”

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At the heart of Liberty City stood the tallest building, the ‘Counsel.’ This 120-story tower, located at the center of the Liberal Clan’s Awakener training academy, Icarus, was aptly named for its intended purpose.

The top floor, offering a panoramic view of the vast Liberty City, housed a space where the core members of the Liberal Clan could gather to decide on the city’s operational policies. However, the Counsel currently served as a city hall, managing not only the students of Icarus but also the administrative needs and complaints of Liberty City’s numerous residents.

Now, in Presentation Room 17 of the Counsel, which functioned as Liberty City’s city hall, many Icarus trainees were gathered, eagerly awaiting an important announcement.

“Do you know why we’re gathered here today?”

“No, do you?”

“I asked the instructor, but he just said we’d find out when we got here.”

“Maybe it’s the mid-term grade announcement?”

Amidst the flurry of speculations, Lucas was focused on the corner of the auditorium rather than exchanging opinions with the other Awakeners. A man in a suit had been glancing furtively from the inside of the auditorium, and Lucas noticed a familiar-looking badge on his collar.

Just then, Luthando approached and nudged Lucas’s side. “Hey, Lucas. What are you looking at?”

“Oh? It’s nothing. Someone over there has been staring this way for a while.”

“Probably an instructor or a Liberal Clan staff member.”

“Have you ever seen a Liberal Clan staff member wearing an Italian suit?”

“…Now that you mention it, no. They usually wear uniforms that look like they belong on a spaceship.”

“It’s not an instructor either… If only I could remember where I’ve seen that logo before…”

Luthando rummaged through his pocket and pulled out his smartphone. He opened a memo app that allowed drawing and said, “Draw it for me.”

“I couldn’t see it clearly from this distance. I’ll draw it as best as I can remember.”

As Lucas’s fingers moved across the screen, Luthando’s expression changed with each stroke. When Lucas finished, Luthando erased the feather-like symbol in the middle with his finger and said, “If I remember correctly, that wasn’t a feather, it was a lightning bolt.”

After modifying Lucas’s drawing, Luthando fell into deep thought for a moment. Then he turned to Lucas and asked, “Are you sure a man in a suit with this badge was looking this way from the corner of the auditorium?”

“I’m sure. I might have mistaken the feather, but the badge definitely looked like this. What kind of badge is it?”

“Don’t you read the news? A broad sword-shaped shield in the back and a lightning bolt in the front—of course, it’s Masamune High-Tech!”

“You mean the Japanese conglomerate specializing in Awakener equipment production? Why would they visit Icarus? And why in a place where the trainees are gathered?”

Lucas couldn’t continue his thoughts. The man considered to have the most influence in the world, and the person managing the hundreds of Awakeners gathered here, was walking to the center of the auditorium. Cha Myung-jun, the head of Icarus, commanded attention just by walking, exuding a powerful presence.

As he slowly walked towards the podium, he began to speak, “Thank you, trainees of Icarus, for responding to this assembly amidst your rigorous training. The reason I’ve called you here today is to introduce the changes to Icarus’s mid-term training curriculum.”

Myung-jun’s calm voice resonated through the auditorium. His explanation contained the shocking news that the trainees would have to abandon their current team compositions, which they had grown accustomed to through hard work, and form new teams with members assigned by the academy for the mid-term training.