Chapter 6: The Academy is not easy (2)

A sunset fading into reddish tones.

A week had already passed since my life at Joaquin Academy began.

That evening, I hadn’t eaten dinner and was lying in the bed of my assigned dorm room.

“Fuck.”

A single curse slipped from my mouth. My treacherous stomach rumbled, begging for even scraps of food, but all I could do was hug it and try to calm it down.

After thinking for a moment, I jumped up and took a swig of bottled water. Drinking it down to the last drop.

“I finished it.”

My voice sounded weak, as if even my body wanted to conserve energy in the face of hunger.

Why was I enduring hunger like a beggar? That was the question I was asking myself.

This insane academy even charged for food in the cafeteria. Fine, I could accept that they didn’t give out free meals, but—

“Five thousand won for a plate of stir-fried pork? That’s insane.”

And the water I’d just drunk—a 1.5-liter bottle of “Yeongchang Water”—had cost me ten thousand won at the campus store. [1]

I’d been in this world for a year, but I’d never seen a place with such absurd prices. Even for an elite academy, this was excessive.

Despite that, I hadn’t gone the entire week without eating. I’d survived on instant rice bought at the store for fifteen thousand won and seasoned seaweed I’d brought from home.

The taste of tears falling onto the salty seaweed made them more bitter and sweet than usual. But now, that was all gone too.

For the record, my monthly budget was 400,000 won.

Honestly, I’d felt bad about receiving so much, but my father, being the good father that he was, insisted it was the least he could do for me and handed me the money. I remembered pretending to be mature and trying to refuse, but now I regretted not accepting it with more enthusiasm.

I stared blankly at the label on the empty bottle.

“Yeongchang…”

Suddenly, I was reminded of the military, and timid tears welled up in my eyes.

At least there, they gave me three meals a day.

Who would have thought I’d miss military food one day? Right now, even those disgusting fried sardines would taste like a feast.

I sighed deeply and curled back up on the bed. I needed to conserve energy, slow down my metabolism, and breathe as slowly as possible.

I thought about my parents, especially the soybean paste stew my mom used to make, with tofu and thinly sliced green onions.

Suddenly, I had the feeling I might never taste it again. If I had some now, I’d lick the bottom of the bowl. Instead of tears, saliva dripped from my mouth.

‘Even so…’

I whispered “Blessing” in my mind.

Flash-

== ==

[Blessing of the God of the Sword]

If you cut it, it will cut you.

[Your body has improved from level 1 to level 2.]

[Due to the improvement of your body, the requirements for the sword have been relaxed.]

[※ Now a sword with a length of up to 30+2 cm and a width of up to 5+1 cm is allowed.]

== ==

Seeing the familiar interface in the air brought a faint smile to my gaunt face.

The intense training with the bald instructor had started transforming my body. The flabby belly I once had was no longer there, and firm abs were beginning to form.

My endurance had also improved, as I could now keep up with the morning runs without falling behind. In just a week, my body had adapted and improved surprisingly fast.

I suspected that had something to do with the Sword Master unlocking my energy channels.

Although I still couldn’t handle a full-sized sword, I was confident that over time, I’d be able to wield larger swords, maybe even a short one, at least.

‘Why do I feel proud?’

Up until the entrance ceremony, I’d been terrified of even touching a sword. But now, if I didn’t hold one, my hands felt restless.

Perhaps the divine protection was influencing my personality too.

I shook my head slightly, putting those thoughts aside. Thinking about it now wouldn’t change anything.

Knock, knock, knock.

Someone gently knocked on my door.

‘Who could it be?’ was my first thought. But I guessed it was probably the dorm supervisor, so I got up from the bed and opened the door.

“Oh?”

Standing in front of me was Chloe, looking shy.

* * *

After the first day, I hadn’t spoken much with Chloe. In class, she always seemed to avoid me, so her visit was unexpected.

“Did I disturb you while you were resting…?”

Chloe spoke in a whisper, her voice still trembling.

“No, you’re not disturbing me. I was just lying down. What’s up?”

“It’s just… I haven’t seen you in the cafeteria this week, and I thought you might be sick…”

She looked at me with eyes full of concern.

I wanted to be honest and tell her the prices were ridiculous and I couldn’t afford to go, but my pride wouldn’t let me.

“Ah, it’s just that I don’t like eating food cooked by others.”

A lie. I love food made by others.

“Oh, I see.”

“Yeah, so don’t worry.”

Chloe murmured with a hint of disappointment.

“I thought… we could have dinner together tonight…”

“Let’s go.”

“Huh?”

“Didn’t you say you wanted to have dinner together? I can cook, so I’ll do it. Is your dorm across the hall?”

Not rejecting an invitation is the right way to live.

I took the lead, and Chloe hurriedly followed me.
My humming echoed down the empty dorm hallway.

* * *

Entering Chloe’s room, I looked around. It was a spacious room with white walls, a sofa, and a bed in the same color.

The atmosphere was almost like a hospital.

For a teenage girl’s room, it was surprisingly clean and devoid of any decoration.

I’d expected to see some stuffed animals on the bed, but all I saw were a few books on the desk.

A soft evening breeze made the white curtains flutter.

“Sorry for the mess…”

Mess? There was nothing.

Chloe, meanwhile, started pulling ingredients out of the fridge. Sea bass, flounder, sea bream, salmon, mackerel… and even some fish I’d never seen before, all frozen in foam trays, stacked like pieces of Lego.

Buying all that at the campus store must have cost a fortune.

I couldn’t help but let out an exclamation.

“You really like fish, huh?”

“Oh yes. I’m from a coastal city.”

“Perfect. Fish just happens to be my specialty.”

“Really? Wow!”

Chloe’s round eyes sparkled with excitement. I scratched my nose and said.

“Eh, better put everything back except the sea bass. One will be enough.”

“Yes!”

Her enthusiastic response made me smile. My hands were itching to cook, and preparing some sashimi seemed like a good way to lift my spirits. Although my stomach was empty, my heart raced with excitement.

‘The problem is…’

The sharp blades of the kitchen knives gleamed by the sink.

The moment I touched one of those knives, the divine protection would activate, and just thinking about the pain that would follow made my hunger disappear.

“By any chance, do you have a longer knife?”

“A longer knife?”

“Yes, you know my weapon is a short knife, and using one of these feels uncomfortable.”

Chloe nodded slightly. She seemed to understand.

Then she went to the closet and came back with a katana almost as tall as her. My expression went blank.

“Is this long enough?”

“No, I’d better use the kitchen knife.”

I sighed, and Chloe looked at me, confused.

‘There’s no other choice.’

Okay, I’ll finish it in 30 seconds.

Wasn’t I once called the best knife chef in the country? I could do it.

I gestured for Chloe to step back a bit, and she quickly moved aside.

Seeing me approach the fish with such devotion made her start to sweat slightly and swallow nervously.

I activated the “Divine Protection of Pain Insensitivity” and quickly picked up the rose-patterned kitchen knife I’d seen earlier.

It felt perfect in my hand.

Then, an unwanted message appeared in my vision.

[The Divine Protection of the God of the Sword has been activated.]

The knife gleamed as I slid it precisely across the gills of the sea bass.

***

“It was so delicious!”

“I’m glad.”

There’s no greater compliment for a chef than hearing that the food was good. However, at that moment, I could only nod weakly.

21 seconds.

That’s how long it took me to clean the sea bass, skin it, gut it, and cut the fillets.

I could have done it any way, but my pride as a chef didn’t allow me to cut corners. The result was a dish so delicious it might have been my best work.

You could say it was the pinnacle of my sashimi-making career.

Considering that when divine protection manifests during a meal, this ability seems to change depending on the context.

It might seem pretty useless, but it can’t be denied that it’s a mysterious ability that proves useful in strange ways.

“How did you learn to cook so well, Kang Geom-Ma?”

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

“You worked part-time?”

Chloe tilted her head, perplexed.

“Do you not know what a part-time job is?”

She nodded shyly.

“…I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologize.”

At that moment, I felt the difference in status between us. Chloe looked at me like a little bird gazing upward. I sighed internally. Each person has a different background.

“It’s not important. Anyway, I’m just glad you liked the food.”

She nodded vigorously, clearly showing her gratitude. Her enthusiasm made me smile.

“You cooked the meal, so I’ll wash the dishes!”

Even though technically, she had invited me, I looked at her with sympathy as she insisted on washing the dishes. It was a gesture of gratitude that I couldn’t reject, although I felt guilty.

Chloe, blushing, gestured for me to relax at the table by the window while she cleaned up.

She pointed to a desk near the window, inviting me to sit and rest. I sat by the window, patting my full stomach.

I looked out at the academy through the open window, enjoying the rich light of the full moon. Dark clouds floated in the night sky.

Crash!

“Oh no! I’m so sorry!”

It seemed she broke a plate while washing.

I thought about helping her but then changed my mind. Mistakes are part of learning. I grew up that way, too.

Thud—

A gentle breeze caused a notebook to fall from the desk to the floor.

I picked it up to place it back on the desk, and by chance, I saw that it was a diary.

『Today, during the class assignment test, someone helped me. I have to find a way to repay him!』

The rounded letters and bear stickers made me realize that, in the end, Chloe wasn’t that different from other girls her age.

Another gentle breeze flipped the page.

『It turns out that the person who helped me is in my class. His name is Kang Geom-Ma. My heart beats so fast that I don’t know what to do, I can’t even talk to him!!! >~<』

‘So that’s why she hadn’t been talking to me.’

My hands, almost instinctively, turned to the next page.

『Kang Geom-Ma.』

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『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.』

Crash!

Another plate broke.

“…”

“…”

Silence filled the room.

“Did you see it?”

“No.”

T/N:

1: In the Korean military context, Yeongchang is a term that refers to a military prison or a detention cell for soldiers.