“Professor Minerva mentioned it, but I thought it couldn’t be… What brings you here?”
It wasn’t the kind of question one would ask a student who came to the training hall. But Minerva had done the same, and Henry had long grown accustomed to such situations.
“I came to train.”
“…Ah, right. Of course. I forgot that this was a training hall. This is exactly why the person in a given position makes all the difference.”
Pike’s sneer was childish and blatant. Henry, already familiar with such provocations, didn’t react. That only prompted Pike to poke at him again.
“Just asking, but have you made any progress in your training?”
“None.”
To be precise, he hadn’t even started yet. But Pike smirked as if he’d expected that answer.
“It’s good to work hard, but you’re past the stage where effort alone earns praise. Shouldn’t you be showing some results by now?”
“…You’re right.”
“This is your last year, isn’t it? The head instructor seems quite concerned about you.”
“The head… You mean Instructor Russo?”
“Do you really need to ask?”
Pike was right. In this academy, the only person who would worry about Henry’s well-being was Russo.
[Wow, lol, this guy’s attitude is something else]
[I was just drying my hair, but now I have to comment lol]
[‘Poporichan’ has joined the chat.]
[‘PPP’ has joined the chat.]
[Oh wow, morning drama?]
[Wait, is the tutorial over???]
Mages poured in like the tide—six in total. But Henry had no time to respond.
“I will do my best not to disappoint him.”
“I’m saying the time for trying has already passed. Not that you have any other options. And it’s not like there’s only one person expecting something from you.”
“…….”
“Does your family get proper reports about your progress? If I were Viscount Hamilton, I wouldn’t let things continue like this.”
“…They are informed.”
“And is the viscount of the same opinion?”
“I’m not sure I understand your question.”
“I’m asking if he’s still hoping that something you’ve failed at for three years will suddenly work out now.”
[Wow, lol]
[Isn’t that basically a verbal punch to the face?]
[This dialogue is golden, lol]
“…He is.”
“How unfortunate. Even with royal support, the tuition here must be quite a burden. If it were me, I’d rather spend that money on—”
“Instructor Pike.”
There was no change in Henry’s expression. His voice remained as calm as ever. But the weight behind it had shifted.
“What is it, Trainee Henry Hamilton?”
“I know that you dislike me. I’ve also heard you say that talentless people like me shouldn’t be making a fuss about hard work.”
“Hmph, wasn’t really meant for your ears.”
It was. Pike had made such remarks whenever Henry was within earshot.
“That’s fine. You have the right to assess a trainee’s achievements. I have no complaints about that.”
“Then what is it?”
“Please refrain from mentioning my family’s name.”
“Anyone would think I was insulting nobility or something.”
“Your words left plenty of room for misunderstanding. Of course, I understand that you meant no disrespect toward nobles.”
“Well, if you say so… No, actually.”
Pike glanced toward the door and let out a long sigh. Then, stepping closer, he leaned in near Henry’s ear.
“Convenient. No prying eyes or listening ears. You said I could evaluate you however I liked, didn’t you?”
“That’s correct.”
“I really can’t stand you. Not just that blank face of yours, as if my words were no more than a dog barking. Not just that even the dull voice of yours.”
Henry still didn’t react. Pike’s eye twitched in irritation.
“Yeah, that expression right there. That’s what I hate. Acting like you have something up your sleeve. Like you aren’t desperate.”
“I will take your advice to heart. Thank you.”
“Are you really—… Hah, fine. Not like it matters. This is your last year, after all. I’ve already put up with you for three years—one more won’t kill me.”
Pike shook his head and left the training hall. Silence returned.
As if I wouldn’t be desperate.
Henry mulled over Pike’s criticism. He had already known what the man meant. Henry lacked talent, and in Pike’s view, those without talent should know when to bow easily. But Henry had not done so. He stood tall, unyielding, unbroken. That alone was the reason for Pike’s relentless criticism. Because Pike himself had failed to do the same. He had accepted the limits of his talent, compromised with reality, and survived as a result.
I suppose it’s a kind of self-loathing. I understand it. That doesn’t make it any less unpleasant, though.
And because of that, Pike’s words held no meaning for Henry. However, if there was one difference from before—
「Acting like you’ve got some hidden trick up your sleeve, like you’re not even desperate—that’s what’s pissing me off.」
At the very least, Pike had hit the mark on one thing today.
[AI advancement… is making… humans… so damn annoyed…]
[That NPC is such a textbook character.]
[Watch him switch to the player’s side later.]
[I’m calling it—he’s gonna fold soon, probably right after the tutorial’s over, lol.]
Henry did have a hidden trick. The broadcast—a connection to truly powerful mages.
“Thank you for waiting. I couldn’t greet you earlier in front of the instructor. My apologies.”
[Wait, he noticed that?? That’s crazy, lol.]
[What does this guy even do?]
[Is he a swordsmanship instructor? Did the MC learn from him or something?]
“This is Instructor Pike. He teaches the course on mana training and application.”
[Is that guy a knight too?]
“Yes, he’s following a full-fledged knight concept. Only those with a knight concept can become instructors at our academy—”
Henry stumbled mid-sentence.
[LMAO]
[HAHAHAHAHA]
[Look how serious he is, lmao.]
[His concept is so hardcore, I can’t—]
Laughter erupted in the chat. Even the mages, who had been silently watching, reacted this time.
…What exactly are they finding funny?
He had no idea. He couldn’t grasp it at all. Was it because he used the term “concept”? Or—
[Instructor dude’s just a concept-obsessed guy, lol.]
[He really got turned into a concept freak out of nowhere, lmao.]
That was it. It wasn’t the term itself—it was how he had used it.
[This broadcast is gold, lol.]
[Wait, so in the story, he can’t use mana right now?]
[No, I mean, not in the story—he really can’t use mana, right?]
“I couldn’t until now. But thanks to the help of the mages, I’ve managed to accumulate a small amount.”
[So you can use it now??]
“Yes, I can.”
[Knew it, this was just the tutorial, lol.]
[What kind of broadcast is this? Is he roleplaying?]
[Yeah, it’s a full-on knight trainee concept, lmao. He’s seriously committed. You gotta watch it, it’s hilarious.]
<‘King Garrosh’ has donated 1,000 won!>
<“Then if you just show that, he’ll be completely caught off guard, right?”>
[Hell yeah, let’s goooo!]
[This is gonna be satisfying, lol.]
Donations and messages flooded in. Many of the participating mages were fired up.
Yet, hiding his joy at receiving such a generous sum, Henry spoke with an apologetic expression.
“I’m sorry. That’s still beyond my ability.”
[Why? Because you’re an trainee?]
“That’s not the issue. It’s simply that the mana I’ve accumulated is still too insignificant. Despite your help, my training was insufficient.”
[Then how do you build up mana?]
“The only way is through direct training. This place is our academy’s mana training chamber, where the mana density is higher than outside.”
[So you gotta train first, lol.]
[What’s he gonna do, breathing exercises?]
[How long will it take to fully build up?]
For some reason, the mages seemed quite open minded. They were curious about mana training.
…Was it just a matter of process? But their reaction is completely different from earlier.
To the mages, mana accumulated naturally, as effortlessly as breathing. Seeing someone like Henry, who had to train for it, must have been new.
“This is my first time trying this method, so I can’t say for sure.”
[So he needs to do this to use skills?]
[Then get to training already, lol.]
[That’s right! If he has no mana, he can’t use skills! Knight dude, fighting!!]
[Gonna watch while I work. Won’t be able to chat much, lol.]
The atmosphere had completely shifted. Now, they wanted Henry to train—for no other reason than to put Instructor Pike in his place.
Maybe what they needed wasn’t the process, but a clear goal. I think I get it now.
A chance had appeared, and Henry seized it.
“Thank you. I’ll do my best to focus.”
He had no idea how much time had passed. Henry’s consciousness had sunk deep. His name, his location, his situation—none of it came to mind. Or rather, he had no mental capacity to care.
There were only two things he focused on: forcibly holding onto the mana he inhaled, and exhaling as slowly as possible through his nose to minimize its loss.
The mana in his heart was steadily growing. His ‘vessel’ was expanding, deepening. The influx of mana naturally facilitated this process.
「You understand the importance of vessel size, right? Even if you use up your mana, the space you’ve expanded won’t shrink. That means you can recover mana much faster than it takes to accumulate it.」
Once his training settled into a rhythm, Henry’s subconscious began another task—clearing a ‘path’ using his now more abundant mana.
His goal was modest. Just a single thin connection linking his heart to his right hand. That would be enough.
But—
“Hmm.”
Even as he emerged from his deep focus, he had not succeeded.
I really… don’t have a shred of talent for this, do I?
Carving mana pathways was different from sensitivity—it required another kind of talent. At this point, it was safe to say he was completely untalented in anything mana-related.
Still, this is definitely more efficient than my dorm room.
The amount of mana he had gathered was encouraging.
At least ten times more than I managed at dawn. Starting tomorrow, I’ll—wait, hold on.
His mana-absorbed mind finally came fully awake. He turned to check the broadcast screen.
Three hours had passed since he started training. In that time, an enormous backlog of messages had piled up.
[Did he leave this running and walk away, lol?]
[Is he seriously meditating?]
[He’s been consumed by the concept.]
Crap.
This wasn’t good. There were no new chats at all now.
At first, things had been fine. Many had commented on how impressive his concentration was. But that was it.
I messed up.
The mages were interested in Henry’s growth, his goals, and the process of achieving them. But he had overlooked the most critical factor.
It had to be entertaining. That was the foundation.
Their goodwill was rooted entirely in their curiosity. The moment he stopped being interesting, they lost interest.
[Current viewers: 6]
Thankfully, six mages still remained.
“I’ll stop training here. If anyone’s still watching…”
Henry quickly worked to salvage the situation. Even if the conversation was meaningless, as long as he spoke and created opportunities for interaction, he could keep them engaged.
He barely avoided the worst-case scenario. But—
This is a problem. My whole life can’t be interesting all the time.
The broadcast was running all day. But his daily routine was monotonous and repetitive.
At that moment, the great archmage provided the answer.
[You can use the blind function!]
[You can use the end broadcast function!]
[You can use the start broadcast function!]
