And so, the basic swordsmanship training of the “Slaughter Maniac” continued.

Goooo…

Flinch.

The killing intent that I just couldn’t get used to.

My mental fortitude was being chipped away at every moment. Although it hadn’t been long since we started the class, my arm muscles were already cramping and twitching, and my legs felt like they were about to give out.

With repeated attempts, I no longer jumped back in surprise as I did at the beginning, but my body still felt the threat to my survival and sent various signals of distress.

Hwooong—

I hold back my ankles, which wanted to step back, and brought down my sword.

As expected, the result was a mess.

Far from a perfect straight line, I couldn’t even draw a curve connecting dots, and my sword wobbled and swayed like a wriggling worm.

‘…Is this really possible?’

At first, I had started the training with a firm resolve, but with repeated failures, a weak voice began to rise within me.

Then.

Taak—!

“Ouch!”

Suddenly, a stinging pain shot through my forehead. When I opened my eyes, Instructor Baek Seol-hee stood there with a wooden branch in her hand, her face expressionless.

“Did… did you hit me, Instructor?”

“Yes, I did.”

‘It feels like she hit me with a wooden sword, not a wooden branch… But that’s not important right now.’

I rubbed my reddened forehead and glared at Baek Seol-hee.

She tilted her head, as if wondering what the problem was.

“Do you have a question?”

…A question?

Yes, I had a question.

In fact, I had many.

Gritting my teeth, I spoke up.

“Instructor, you said that today’s lesson is about getting used to killing intent, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then, shouldn’t you refrain from actual attacks?”

“Why should I?”

Baek Seol-hee frowned, genuinely confused.

Anger welled up inside me, but I took a deep breath and calmly responded.

“Isn’t it confusing? How am I supposed to know if the killing intent you’re projecting is an illusion or a real attack?”

Baek Seol-hee nodded.

“Yes. That’s intentional.”

“Why?”

“This training is about maintaining your swordplay even amidst killing intent.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“So, is that clear now?”

“No.”

Once again, Baek Seol-hee paused, her mouth shut.

After several similar exchanges, I began to understand what she meant.

Right now, she was probably thinking, ‘How can you not understand something so obvious?’ and feeling frustrated. She might be feeling like she had to explain why 1+1 equals 2, a frustratingly basic concept.

‘But I’m a transmigrator from Earth, so I don’t know the common sense of you hunters!’

I waited for a moment, and then Baek Seol-hee spoke.

“It’s important to wield your sword amidst killing intent. But that doesn’t mean you should ignore all killing intent.”

“Yes.”

“That could lead to a sense of complacency, making you underestimate dangers.”

Ah, I see.

So, if I get too used to killing intent, I might not recognize the severity of a real crisis situation, right?

‘Wait a minute.’

Suddenly, a hollow laugh escaped my lips.

“So, you’re saying that while I’m getting used to the killing intent, you’ll mix in actual attacks, and I have to distinguish and either ignore or block them while practicing the downward slash, right?”

She nodded, satisfied that her explanation had gotten through to me.

I bit my lip.

“Usually, wouldn’t you do things sequentially?”

“Why take the long way when there’s a faster route?”

Baek Seol-hee frowned.

‘…This woman is impossible to reason with when it comes to swords!’

Now I understood clearly.

Why she had earned the fearsome nickname “Slaughter Maniac.”

And why she was respected by the director and the other instructors.

In the military, there are always people who stick to principles and always choose the most efficient and fastest path.

‘…The Field Manual (FM) Instructor.’

The students under this instructor would undoubtedly achieve tremendous growth. She was a person who pursued efficiency.

It was clear that with this method, she could accomplish in three months what other instructors would take a year to complete.

The most grueling instructor, but one who would bring about significant results if you endured. Such a person was usually respected by fellow instructors and held in high regard by their superiors.

‘Of course, from the students’ perspective, there’s probably no more terrifying instructor.’

At that moment, Baek Seol-hee, her voice stiff, asked me, “Are you dissatisfied with this class in any way? If so, I’d appreciate it if you’d tell me.”

‘Hmm, if I voice my dissatisfaction here, I’ll probably die.’

“No, I’m not dissatisfied.”

I bowed politely to her.

“Hmm, as I thought. Then let’s continue the training.”

‘I should probably change my course selection…’

I couldn’t help but think seriously about it.

.

.

.

Anyway, I had to get through today’s class properly. I closed my eyes again and gripped the Moonlight.

‘…I don’t see a solution right now.’

Then, I suddenly thought about the trait that was sending me this sense of crisis, “Intuition.”

I paused my sword and continued to ponder about traits. Instructor Baek Seol-hee also stopped projecting killing intent, giving me time to think.

‘Traits…’

Traits fundamentally represent the nature of a character.

For example, Soup had the trait “Will.”

Perhaps a limitation of her three-star origin.

She only had one trait, while other characters usually had two or three. But the “Will” trait had a very beneficial effect, allowing her to stand firm and not back down even in unfavorable situations or against overwhelming enemies.

If Soup had been here, she probably would have found this training much easier.

And for Shin Se-hee, there were “Calculation,” “Clandestine Maneuvers,” and “Dichotomy.”

Her traits specialized in scheming and backstabbing others, but the “Dichotomy” trait ensured that as long as someone was on her side, she could trust them completely.

Lastly, there was Kang Do-hee with “Impatience,” “Dependence,” and “Concentration.”

Kang Do-hee’s traits, aside from “Concentration,” weren’t that great, probably because her skills were already so overpowered.

So, to rein in her impatience, she needed detailed instructions, and it was important to be someone she could depend on.

And finally, me, Jin Yuha.

‘I have three traits.’

Although the traits were obtained through a trait recommendation letter, they still reflected the nature of the original Jin Yuha.

“Perception” the ability to perceive everything within a 100-meter radius.

“Awakened Eye” the ability to see clearly even in the dark.

And “Intuition,” which alerted me to the presence of boss-level monsters.

All of these traits were focused on perceiving dangers in the surroundings and protecting oneself. Probably, the original Jin Yuha was quite a coward.

As I continued thinking about traits, suddenly,

‘Now that I think about it, I can turn Perception on and off, but can’t I do the same with Intuition?’

The question of activating and deactivating traits filled my mind.

‘Let’s give it a try.’

I recalled the sensation of turning Perception on and off, and then tried to replicate the feeling to deactivate Intuition.

And then I brought down my sword again.

“Kkeuk.”

Once again, the prickling killing intent began to creep into my body. It was still an uncomfortable, unadaptable energy that threatened my instincts, but it definitely felt lighter than before.

‘I can do it…’

And at the same time, I turned on Perception.

With my eyes closed, I could still see clearly the 100 meters in front of me.

I saw Instructor Baek Seol-hee slowly raising the wooden branch and bringing it down towards my forehead.

As her arm reached above her head—

Swing—!

In an instant, I opened my eyes and swung my sword horizontally.

Screech—

Instructor Baek Seol-hee’s eyes widened, and she looked surprised. I had seen her usually expressionless face change expressions several times today.

“…”

She slowly curled up the corners of her lips.

Taak—!

“Ouch!”

The tip of the wooden branch that I had slashed mid-air spun and embedded itself in my head.

“Don’t let your guard down until the very end.”

Instructor Baek Seol-hee said with a hint of amusement in her voice.

“Still, you did exceptionally well in today’s class. Honestly, I didn’t expect you to catch up this quickly in just one day.”

Instructor Baek Seol-hee patted my shoulder, seemingly proud of my progress. Just a single word of acknowledgment from her, a stickler for following the Field Manual, felt incredibly satisfying.

Hmm—

She studied me for a moment and then spoke.

“I was a bit worried because the level of your questions was low. But indeed, there’s no need to lower the difficulty.”

At her words, my expression hardened again.

‘Hmm. I should definitely change my course selection.’

As I thought this, Instructor Baek Seol-hee glanced at me and said, “If you continue to show proper progress in the class, I plan to give you a benefit soon.”

At her words, I narrowed my eyes.

Instructor Baek Seol-hee, was she trying to buy me with money? It would take more than an ordinary benefit to keep me here. As a former Velvet Sera player, I was confident that I wouldn’t bat an eye even at considerable amounts of in-game currency.

“What is it?”

I asked her in a stiff voice.

“One of your party members didn’t receive the Subspace tattoo that was supposed to be given as a reward this time.”

‘…Kkeuk!!!’

I bit my lip.

An Subspace tattoo.

If I took this class, it meant that Soup would also receive it. I had already felt regretful that only Kang Do-hee and Shin Se-hee were getting it.

“…I’ll, I’ll do my best…”

I clenched my fists tightly, trembling, and bowed my head deeply.

…This was a benefit too great to refuse.

.

.

.

After the basic swordsmanship class ended.

I headed straight to the dormitory.

Trudge, trudge.

After enduring killing intent throughout the class, my mind was exhausted, and I couldn’t bring myself to do anything else.

Squeak—

As I opened the door, my new home, the dormitory, welcomed me. Various household items necessary for daily life were neatly arranged, and the air was filled with the crisp scent of fabric softener, thanks to the cleanliness magic tool.

The room had a modern color scheme of black, white, and blue accents, creating a clean and stylish space.

It was like heaven compared to when I first possessed Jin Yuha.

But I didn’t have time to appreciate the room’s ambiance as I immediately buried my face in the bed as soon as I entered.

Swoosh.

My body sank into the soft duvet.

Haa…

I let out a tired sigh and turned my body to face the ceiling.

“…Status Window.”

Ding-a-ling♪

It had been a while since I last checked my status window, even though I had checked it once during the basic training. There hadn’t been any changes in my stats, so I didn’t bother checking again.

Gaining stats through training was that grueling. No wonder I was so impressed by Soup’s growth.

To be honest, I didn’t expect much, but I just felt too resentful about the training to let it go.

I squinted my eyes and began reading my status window.

And then.

My eyes widened in surprise.

“Huh!?”