[PHASE 1] – 96:00:00
Upon entering
Phase 1.
They walked forward, chewing over the strangely ominous words.
-Loading configured battlefield.
As soon as all the students entered, the surrounding scenery shattered, and the survival mode forest that would serve as the setting for this practical training revealed itself.
Since the majority of the students were experiencing
However, they soon recalled the essence of this training.
5 days of no-sleep survival.
Tension naturally flooded in.
Squeak?
Squeak!
At that moment.
"Gasp! What is this!"
One student recoiled in horror at a mouse appearing under their feet.
An instinctive stomp followed.
-Group C is entirely disqualified.
The cold voice of Professor Lucas was heard then.
No, how could they be disqualified already before they even did anything?
-I believe I told you that those with golden name tags cannot participate in battle.
That was it.
The training was beginning the moment they entered
Even this mouse was a target of battle, a monster.
It was the fault of those who let their guard down.
However, it felt too unfair.
He should have at least given a start signal.
-Would you expect a start signal in a real battle as well?
"B, but…"
-There are no second chances.
Only a frosty retort returned.
***
'Ho, so you're not going to stay tense?'
As expected, one team dropped out as soon as it started.
All of this was entirely according to my plan.
Though I never thought it would be the group Deyan belongs to.
In the first place, the point of this training isn't to crush them with the level of the monsters, but to give them a harsh environment and pull out their survivability.
Furthermore, team chemistry is just as important as individual ability.
No matter how well an individual does, if a teammate trolls, the whole team is disqualified.
I put one such element into each phase.
The moment you let your guard down, you're disqualified.
Anyway, after the first disqualification, I can see the students' tension rising to the extreme.
Every single action is filled with caution.
That is the true face of Phase 1 that I desired.
The so-called 'Edgy Nerves.'
If you maintain sharp nerves for every little thing, the fatigue doubles.
To engage in survival for 5 days without sleeping in that state?
You end up being pushed to the literal limit.
The level of monsters that pop out in this training is basically set to the student with the weakest combat power.
The monsters aren't the problem.
It's a system that requires a flexible response to the surrounding environment.
Because real battlefields will torment them with environments much more disastrous than this.
And they have to protect me in the midst of that.
"Now, the real start begins…"
The training has only just begun.
***
"In
"Yes, that's right."
"Is that so… Right, good work. For now, go in and rest until the next order falls."
"Yes."
After receiving Rit's report, he stroked his chin.
A training session lasting 5 days.
And in a space isolated from reality called
'If some terrible accident were to occur in there… it would be difficult for Professor Lucas to remain at Glasco.'
For example—getting trapped in there and unable to escape, the system of
"It's an investment worth making."
He smiled broadly and headed somewhere.
***
[New notification has arrived.]
[Habaek. has donated 1,000G.]
[Habaek. has donated 3,000G.]
[Ejaculation Without Erection has donated 1,000G.]
Donations are continuing at a suspicious rate.
To the point where I suspect if this is a hidden camera prank.
That just shows how unbelievable it is.
Anyway, I now have the nerve to at least window-shop the products in the Gold Shop with its murderous prices.
I summoned the Gold Shop and looked through the items.
.
.
.
-Teleport Scroll (Single-use) 5,600G
-Vision Enhancement (Level 2) 7,000G
-Hair Growth Tonic (6 months) 8,300G
.
.
.
It's still full of items with unknown uses.
Among the items where I don't know why they charge thousands of gold for such crap, there were things that caught my eye.
The Teleport Scroll seems like it would be useful for escaping in a crisis, and in the case of Vision Enhancement, since I tasted its immense utility at Level 1, it was true that I was developing expectations for Level 2.
And… my gaze also goes to the hair growth tonic.
No, it's not like my hair is falling out, just… you never know.
'I'm tempted… but later.'
For now, it's time to save up more gold.
I closed the Gold Shop, leaving only lingering regret.
***
[PHASE 2] – 71 : 36 : 22
The first day passed with many ups and downs.
Except for Group C, who were disqualified at the very start, no one has dropped out yet.
And the level of the summoned monsters wasn't high enough to worry about, so they were manageable.
The problem was fatigue.
'Was my stamina always this low?'
Even those who considered themselves confident in their stamina were feeling extreme fatigue.
As per Lucas's intention, those with sharpened nerves were feeling fatigue more easily.
"If we keep going like this, a crisis will come on the 3rd day. Let's set up a night watch instead, and when someone has the golden tag, let them catch at least a little bit of sleep."
They even suggested plausible solutions.
However.
Whirring!
"What's with these swarms of mosquitoes…"
"Don't move! Those are monsters too!"
It wasn't that easy.
Trivial elements that were difficult to deal with and bound to be recognized as an attack if they let their guard down continued to gnaw at them and wear them out.
[PHASE 3] – 46:56:24
Now, monsters worthy of being called monsters slowly began to be summoned.
But it was still bearable.
In particular, the performance of Group B, which Ailon belongs to, is dazzling.
Ailon's magic weapon doesn't feel fatigue.
That doesn't mean Group B is without its ups and downs.
When Ailon's tag turned gold, they had to protect Ailon with their nerves extremely on edge from that moment.
Otherwise, Ailon's magic weapon would automatically activate to protect its master.
"Hey, can't you just turn that thing off?"
Impossible.
The defense against things approaching Ailon in ultra-close proximity was set so that it couldn't be manipulated in the first place.
Those who saw Ailon's physical condition had no choice but to accept it.
Wasn't he holding out better than them with a body several times more frail?
Furthermore, when Ailon didn't have the golden tag, they were able to take a comfortable rest thanks to him.
[PHASE 4] – 20 : 48 : 16
'Get a grip, get a grip!'
For 4 days, let alone proper rest, they couldn't even eat properly.
They were hitting their limits in many ways.
Moreover, the Orcs summoned in Phase 4 were so intelligent that they were tormenting the students through guerrilla tactics.
They were driving them to the limit by persistently and intelligently tormenting the students who were piling up fatigue.
Many were now almost at their breaking point.
However, not a single person considered giving up midway.
'One day, just hold on for one more day…'
But their consciousness was gradually blurring and dulling.
"Stop!"
"Gasp!"
Now, even their awareness of the golden tag was blurring, and the threat of disqualification was flickering.
-Group A is entirely disqualified.
"Ah…"
In the end, a blind attack touched a monster, and a group was disqualified.
Now only Group B and Group D remain.
While Group B was barely holding on due to Ailon's performance, Group D's performance by Ruina was prominent.
Befitting the successor of the Magic Tower, she was surviving based on powerful mental strength.
Her outstanding magic skill was a bonus, but that wasn't everything.
But these two teams were also slowly reaching their limits.
The mana of the magic weapon is not infinite but rechargeable.
It was slowly showing its bottom, so it had to be distributed strategically, and Ruina was the same; as her mental strength reached its limit, her reactions were slowly getting slower.
[PHASE 5] – 7 :06 : 41
'Finally…'
The long-awaited last day.
Fatigue hits dizzyingly, but in a few hours, all this penance will end.
If they let their guard down they fall asleep, their posture collapses, and they wake up again startled.
The complexions of the remaining students were turning dark and deathly.
But they couldn't show a weak side.
Lucas, who was looking down at them from up there.
Because he, too, had been watching over them for 96 hours without sleeping, just like them.
He doesn't even have a hint of fatigue.
'Monster…'
They clearly saw him training by moving intensely without sleeping, yet not a single hint of fatigue is felt.
Truly, a monster.
As if asserting with his whole body that one must be at that level to survive on the battlefield, he was watching them loftily.
The fortunate thing is that in Phase 5, the monsters' attacks are rare.
Is he being considerate because it's the last day?
[PHASE 5] – 00:59:59
Finally, less than an hour remains.
The moment hope glimmers in the eyes of the survivors—
"Ah, shit…"
They had no choice but to despair due to the monsters that revealed themselves.
"It's a variety gift set."
The monsters that had been tormenting them until now gathered in full and were flocking in like a giant flood.
The survivors gripped their weapons tightly and began preparing to meet the giant wave.
***
Professor Lucas's 'Practical Training' was being broadcast live outside.
Those who dropped out were watching the training without sleeping or eating, just like those inside
And the 'Darkness' that had sneaked into Glasco was also watching all of this.
To put Lucas into a predicament.
Taking a full 80 hours, he was able to hack the system of
Now he would lock them in there and present them with a wonderful gift.
"Farewell, Professor Lucas."
Stressed with fatigue, he laughed gloomily and manipulated the system.
***
'They're holding out better than expected?'
I expected at most one team to remain by Phase 5.
However, two teams survived, far exceeding my expectations.
I pushed them to the limit by referring to UDT-style training in my own way, but perhaps it's because there was no physical training.
I watched them while having the devilish thought that I should add physical training next time.
Anyway, they are really amazing guys.
Since I have Super Recovery, let's say I can hold out without sleeping, but they are holding out from a completely blank state.
'Yes, you guys must become even stronger. You must be refined even more sharply.'
I was pleased.
The growth of my meat shields was more than gratifying.
Now the finale of this training begins.
Monster Wave.
In front of that giant wave, those two remaining teams must hold out.
I can already hear the sound of their expressions crumpling and their mental state breaking.
Crunch!
Yes, like this.
…Huh?
Why is the sound supported?
Is audio support originally provided for the sound of a mental state breaking?
Crack, craaaack!
Ah, no.
This sound isn't the sound of a mental state breaking.
…It's the sound of space breaking and cracking.
'No, why is that breaking?'
While being surprised by the sudden variable.
I had no choice but to be even more horrified upon seeing the existences of robust stature emerging from between the cracks.
Monsters with solid scales wrapped around their whole bodies and giant horns overwhelming the gaze.
Lowest-grade demons, Nunu.
Their reason is low, but they are existences possessing brute strength enough to easily steam and eat an Ogre.
'I'm fucked.'
Those things are not something students who are exhausted to the limit can deal with.
"The training is over."
I hurriedly tried to deactivate the
However.
-Cannot exit.
What?
I tried again, but the returning answer was the same.
'Just what kind of situation is happening?'
In the moment my pupils were shaking wildly.
[New notification has arrived.]
[Tomat has donated 500G.]
[BeefGukbap has donated 100G.]
[jd110hsh has donated 300G.]
[jd110hsh has donated 100G.]
[jd110hsh has donated 100G.]
[jd110hsh has donated 100G.]
Donation notifications filling my vision arrived again.
But it doesn't end here.
[Possessed gold has exceeded 10,000G. As a token of celebration, a Gold Shop Discount Coupon (X1) has been issued.]
'Gold Shop Discount Coupon? Wait a minute…'
In an instant, one item popped into my head.