The Academy’s Doomed Young Lord Dies Ten Thousand Times

Chapter 02 - Beyond Ten Thousand Deaths (2)

The Enlight family's training ground was bustling from the morning. As befitting the continent's most powerful family, the Duchy of Enlight had numerous knights and even more squires under its command.

And, of course, their main base needed a place for so many people to train.

The old knight, Jeduin Cortes, who had retired from the front lines to become the chief training instructor of the Enlight family, also began his morning at the training ground.

It was to watch over the fledglings who harbored dreams of becoming knights and to guide them, just like any other day.

“……It’s a pity.”

The level of most of the squires was substandard, which, in a way, was to be expected. The majority of the squires were children who had been filtered out after failing to enter the academy.

In truth, their innate skill itself wasn't a major problem. The problem was their lax state of mind.

They don't try. They don't even have the desire to become stronger.

But Jeduin couldn't do anything about it. Since the squires were mostly children of noble families, his employer had ordered him not to push them too hard for the sake of relationships.

“Hm?”

Just then, a boy walked into the training ground. A boy of a similar age to the squires in training.

He was the illegitimate son of Enlight, called the ‘Shut-in Young Lord’, Rain Enlight.

-Wow, it's Rain Enlight.

-They call him a shut-in, so why did he crawl in here?

-Isn't he getting ahead of himself, thinking he can get into the academy with his family's backing?

The squires, who were each in the middle of their free training, began to murmur. And at the same time, gazes of jealousy poured in.

The continent's best knight academy, ‘Archenia Academy’, had one peculiar rule.

The principle was that ‘within the school, everyone is equal.’ At least on the surface.

However, one's origin did not disappear.

Archenia had a national merit admission system. It was a system where the descendants of those who had made distinguished contributions to the nation were admitted free of charge and without an exam.

Rain Enlight was one of its beneficiaries. He may be an illegitimate son, but what could one do when that was the law.

The gazes of jealousy that poured in stemmed from such reasons. But the boy who had just entered paid no heed to such looks and was just walking blankly with a hunched back.

“Everyone, focus.”

It was a single word from Jeduin that instantly cleared up the chaotic atmosphere. When he opened his mouth, all the murmuring squires were crushed by his presence and sealed their lips.

‘The Shut-in Young Lord, huh…….’

Rumors about Rain Enlight had spread throughout the empire.

The shame of the duchy, the reclusive illegitimate son, a freeloader living off the mercy of Duke Enlight. Even Jeduin, a typical martial artist who disliked gossip, knew of them.

Jeduin observed the young lord who entered the training ground intently. There was no particular meaning to it. It was simply an act of simple curiosity.

And, he came to wear a slightly surprised expression.

The first exercise the young lord did upon entering the training ground was running. It seemed he knew his place, with the thought of building basic stamina. After all, there was no point in holding a sword without sufficient stamina.

“Hah.”

The young lord's stamina was not outstanding. It was natural. He was said to have been a recluse for several years, so there was no way his stamina would be good. But there was another part that Jeduin took note of in the young lord.

Tenacity, grit.

The young lord's stamina, as he was running now, had already reached its limit long ago.

But despite that, the young lord was running. On and on, and on.

His form had long since collapsed. But, the young lord was running.

Jeduin thought with a hollow laugh. To have such grit at that age, did it mean an Enlight was still an Enlight, even if rotten?

“……If only they would learn even a little of that grit.”

The squires were laughing at Rain Enlight. At him, who was staggering and sweating in a pathetic state, yet still running.

Jeduin stood up from his seat. And, he reminded himself of his duty.

His duty was to help the birds who wished to break out of their shells and fly into the world.

And, right now, before him was a boy with a strong desire to break out of his shell and fly.

***

My breath came up to my chin. I knew I was in a state where I could no longer run. But I kept running.

How many laps had I run along the line in the center of the training ground? I had already given up counting.

I ran a few more laps beyond my limit, but I couldn't run indefinitely. In the end, I collapsed from exhaustion and fell flat on my back right where I had been running.

“Haa……. Haa…….”

[System : Stamina increases to F!]

In , there might be many ways to get stronger quickly, but there were only a handful of ways to get stronger in an instant. In the early stages, they didn't exist at all.

Well, one might think it's frustrating……. but that was the charm I felt in . Although right now, I'm desperate for such a cheat key.

Anyway, the conclusion was that I had to go through hell myself to get stronger. It's shitty, but what can I do? If I don't like it, I have to die ten thousand times.

And this kind of effort was something I was reasonably suited for.

Anyway, I checked my status window while lying flat on my back. It was with the intention of checking the status effect I had gotten during my previous death.

“……It’s gone.”

Right before I died, I had confirmed I was under the status effect [Shock]. It was a status effect that appeared when more than 50% of one's vitality was lost at once.

Although it was a debuff with a fairly long duration, it had disappeared after I regressed. That meant that status effects on the body disappear upon regression.

Jerking up, I stood up again and started running.

“Then……. that means there’s no muscle soreness either……!”

No matter how much my pre-death stats were carried over through 『Overcoming Ten Thousand Deaths』, I had to raise my stats quickly to escape this shitty situation with the minimum number of deaths.

The time given to me in a day was just over 10 hours. And, the fastest way to raise stats in was…….

“Pushing myself……. to the limit……!”

And so I started running again. Without thinking about the consequences, just like a madman.

What whipped my back was the desire for growth, and the fear of death.

“Heok……. Heok…….”

Of course, where would that damn poor stamina go? I couldn't run for long before I fell flat on my back again.

Actually, pushing myself this hard wasn't solely for the purpose of raising my stats.

“……Young Lord, may I guide you for a moment.”

Jeduin Cortes, a retired knight and the squires' training instructor for the Enlight family.

The Duchy of Enlight appeared as the main antagonistic force in .

As befitting their importance, the figures of the duchy also appeared frequently in the game, and one of them was that ‘Jeduin Cortes’.

Jeduin was an old knight who had retired from the front lines and became an instructor managing the duchy's squires.

As the game progressed, he became aware of the Enlight family's evil deeds and was given the role of assisting the protagonist's party from within.

He was a character who appeared quite prominently in the final battle chapter against the Duchy of Enlight, and I knew about the type of person this character held in high regard.

‘A person with a strong tenacity for growth.’

And that was exactly the mindset I had right now.

I smiled inwardly and nodded at Jeduin's words.

***

Jeduin's instruction was excellent. I had received his teachings numerous times through many regressions, and each time he taught me at a level appropriate for my abilities.

“Young Lord, in your current state, it is impossible to even swing a sword properly. Excellent swordsmanship stems from excellent stamina, strength, and agility. I will teach you how to improve these efficiently.”

The 21st regression. It had been like that since I was nothing but a weak shut-in with no abilities. After receiving his guidance, the speed at which my stats increased changed dramatically.

[System : Strength increases to F+!]

[System : Stamina increases to F+!]

[System : Agility increases to E!]

……Still, they were pitifully small stats.

And the 29th regression. When my stamina and strength had barely reached the starting line, Jeduin began to teach me swordsmanship.

“Fortunately……. you possess the basic physical conditions. We will begin with basic swordsmanship.”

[System : ‘Swordsmanship Proficiency’ grade increases to [E]!]

Those days continued. Days of training, acquiring achievements, dying, and training again.

The 44th regression, when I had finally reached the average level of my peers.

“Oh, you are already proficient in basic swordsmanship. It seems you learned it all during your middle school days. In that case, I will teach you the Alles Sword Style, the standard sword style of the empire.”

[System : ‘Swordsmanship Proficiency’ grade increases to [D]!]

The 97th regression, when I had finally set foot into the world of swordsmen.

“……I am impressed. You have mastered not only basic swordsmanship but also the Alles Sword Style. However, there are many sword styles in the world. And only when you can freely wield those sword styles according to the situation can you challenge to become a knight. Now, draw your sword.”

[System : ‘Swordsmanship Proficiency’ grade increases to [B]!]

He was always a good teacher, and I followed him without a shred of doubt. And in return, he gave me rapid growth.

Additionally, the fact that he didn't care about my background was a plus.

Anyway, thanks to him, my stats showed an abnormally steep growth curve. Compared to my miserable initial stats, it was a leap forward.

However, the time given in a day was only about 10 hours. And since I had repeated it 97 times……. 970 hours. It wasn't a short amount of time, but it was a short time for a shut-in to be reborn as a swordsman.

But I became a proper swordsman…….

And the secret to that was in practical experience.

***

From the moment I decided to break free from the ten thousand days, I had to become ruthless.

Since death was not the end but a process, I had to use death. The excruciatingly painful death.

I had to gain something even when I was killed by the attackers. That's why I started making a plan from the 22nd regression. The number of attackers was six. It was impossible to defeat the attackers right away.

Therefore, I decided to remember.

From the position of the attackers when I opened the door to all the surrounding terrain features, I imprinted everything in my eyes. I crammed every element I could apply into my head.

Stab-!

Of course, I tried to struggle as much as possible. And, it was during the 40th regression.

“Immediately to the left as soon as the door opens……!”

The carriage stopped just the same, and when the now-familiar presence appeared outside, I flung the door open.

Clang-!

And after barely parrying the incoming sword strike with my sword, I plunged my blade into the guy's neck.

Stab-!

As I pulled out the blade, blood splattered everywhere. My actual skill was far from enough, but it was possible because I had seen through all of his movements and had the minimum physical ability.

I turned my head to look at the other attackers. Through their eyes above the masks covering their mouths, I could tell they were flustered.

But well, my ability ended there.

“How dare this bastard touch my brother……!”

Slash!

[System : You have acquired the trait, ‘Combat Sense[F]’!]

My head flew off right after that, but I was able to acquire a skill. Well, it was the first time I had a fight that could be called real combat.

Anyway, I continued to resist fiercely after that. After my swordsmanship got on track, I even used them as practice partners for my swordsmanship. Good grief, looking back on it now, it was a crazy thing to do.

Kang-!

Stab-!

I parry the sword and thrust.

[System : The rank of ‘Combat Sense’ increases to E-!]

I watch the opponent's sword path and widen the distance.

The realm of senses that cannot be known through training, that can only be felt in actual combat.

The subtleties of the swordsmanship I learned from Jeduin Cortes became clearer and clearer as time passed.

[System : The rank of ‘Combat Sense’ increases to D+!]

Swoosh-!

‘In the previous regression, I was generally one step short. Should I try closing the visible distance by one step.’

[System : The rank of ‘Combat Sense’ increases to C!]

Clang-!

‘My sword broke because I couldn't deflect the impact. This time, let's learn the feeling of deflecting.’

Slice-!

‘Damn it, I lost because I was kicked. I need to actively use martial arts in addition to sword slashes.’

Like this. I maximized my growth by utilizing regression.

Since the chances to retry were practically infinite, I could give myself feedback on the cause of defeat in battle, and I could also apply the swordsmanship I had learned in actual combat.

Of course, being cut and stabbed to death was always painful……. but I also felt that the pain, in turn, aroused hatred and resistance towards the assassins.

Also, I was able to build up a sense of real combat that children my age could not.

[System : The rank of ‘Combat Sense’ increases to B+!]

Stab-.

“Keoheok……!”

Bright red blood dripped from where the sword was embedded. The pain of tearing flesh, the sensation of the cold blade touching the bone was vivid.

Every time I felt the pain of death, I felt like I was going crazy, but strangely, I couldn't go mad. Rather, I felt my mind becoming clearer as time went on.

《 Trait List 》

Iron Will[B+]

: You are the owner of a strong mentality.

: You receive a bonus to resisting mental abnormalities and enduring pain.

It was thanks to this trait I had obtained through repeated regressions. To say it was thanks to it……. the idea of getting used to death was extremely unsettling, but anyway.

[System : You have overcome deaths.]

Anyway, I reached the 200th regression like that.

I broke out in a cold sweat and, as always, got up from the bed again. The pain still seemed to be seeping from my chest where the sword had been embedded, but it wasn't as shocking as the first regression.

And, I muttered softly.

“It’s about time……. to end this.”

Yes, the end of this dreadful death was slowly coming into view.

It was time to use my last remaining trump card.