TRPM 06

CHAPTER 06

Thanks to the principal, Ha-eun and I were allowed to freely use the teachers’ training room after school.

Of course, “freely” didn’t mean during the mornings when classes were being held. But once all the first-years went home, the two of us always stayed behind to train there.

Well, it’s not like I have anything better to do if I just go home early anyway.

My mother is raising me alone, so she has to go to work during the day and only comes home in the evening.

Before I started elementary school, I would stay at kindergarten until she got off work, so there was no problem. But now, things were different.

Since I only had morning classes, I had to stay home alone until my mother returned.

Of course, I could always go to Ha-eun’s house, or she could come to mine.

Still, isn’t it safer to just stay at school where the teachers are around…?

Ha-eun’s mother was in the same situation.

She had even considered sending Ha-eun to an academy, but in the end, she decided there was no need to put such a young first-grader through that.

If Ha-eun were just an ordinary kid, she might have gone to something like a piano academy. But since she was an awakened one, she’d have to attend a combat-oriented academy to train her powers.

Sending a little girl to a place like that would have weighed on her conscience.

“More than anything, our Ha-eun seems happiest when she’s with Geon-woo.”

“At this rate, aren’t we going to end up in-laws someday?”

So, it naturally became routine for Ha-eun and me to stay after school and use the training room.

Honestly, when this arrangement was first made, I worried that she might get bored.

After all, the only thing you could really do in the training room was… well, train.

But…

“…Uuuhm…”

She would sit on a chair, clumsily mimic the teachers’ training postures, or watch me as I gathered mana from the air.

Maybe because of her timid and not-so-active personality, she didn’t really find it boring to just play around like that in the training room.

The teachers, too, having already heard about our situation from the principal, didn’t mind our presence since we never disrupted their training.

In fact, they even found us admirable—kids so young trying to train—and sometimes offered us advice.

“You don’t move mana like that… it should flow more like this—ugh?!”

“Are you crazy?! You can’t teach advanced mana control to a child! If she slips up even a little, the mana could backfire and seriously injure her!”

…Well, most of that advice was either useless to me, or far too advanced for Ha-eun.

For me, it was too basic. For her, too difficult.

That was our ordinary, repetitive daily life—until one particular Friday.

“I was told to come home early today.”

“Hm? Really?”

“Yeah. I’m supposed to stay over at Grandma and Grandpa’s this weekend.”

At lunch, while we were eating in the cafeteria together, Ha-eun told me that.

Her family visited her grandparents in the countryside every two or three weeks, so it wasn’t unusual.

“Alright. Have a good time.”

“Mm, I’ll bring back some pocket money from Grandma and Grandpa.”

“…”

Apparently, her grandparents would always slip her some cash or buy her snacks whenever she visited.

Still, wasn’t it a bit cheeky of her to take that for granted?

With that thought, we finished eating and went back to class for homeroom.

“Attention! Bow!”

“Goodbye!”

“Goodbye!”

At the class rep’s command, everyone bowed politely to the principal, then immediately rushed to grab their bags and sprint out.

“Don’t run! You’ll trip!”

The principal called after them, but of course, no one listened.

Watching the wrinkles deepen on his face, I quietly packed my bag and decided to head to the training room.

“Hm? Geon-woo, going alone today?”

“Yes. Ha-eun’s going to her grandparents’ place.”

“Ah, right. It is Friday…”

The principal nodded, then added:

“Today, the teachers all have an important meeting, so no one will be in the training room. Don’t stay too late—go home on time.”

“Yes, sir.”

So today, I’d have the training room all to myself.

Maybe I could finally practice the things I’d avoided doing in front of Ha-eun or the teachers.

Excited by the thought, I was about to head straight there—

“!”

—when something both familiar and strange brushed against my senses.

…Near the school’s trash yard?

The trash yard was a place nobody visited except to throw garbage away.

But what I sensed was something hiding even deeper beyond that area.

It was unlikely anyone would stumble upon it by accident.

Of all days…

I had planned on doing proper training today. Looks like fate had other ideas.

Or maybe… this was exactly what I needed to grow stronger.

Instead of training today, maybe I should check it out.

I left my bag in the training room, then headed toward the trash yard.

Naturally, I didn’t run into anyone along the way—by now, all the students were gone, and the teachers would be busy in the office.

Just as I passed the trash yard, I stopped.

“…If I go in barehanded, I’ll probably get blood all over me.”

So I scanned the trash heap.

I needed a makeshift weapon before reaching my destination.

The stench was overwhelming, but I burned away the filth and stench with Samadhi Flame as I searched.

Finally, I found something usable.

“A broken bamboo sword, huh…”

Probably one of the teachers had snapped it during training.

Even though this was an academy for awakened children, elementary schools didn’t officially teach swordsmanship.

I picked it up and gave it a test swing.

Awkward, but better than nothing.

Broken as it was, its shortened length actually suited my small frame better.

I burned away the grime with flame, then continued toward my destination.

When I arrived—

No matter how many times I see this, it’s bizarre.

A space that should have been sealed by a solid wall… was instead torn open.

It wasn’t like the wall had just collapsed.

If it had, I would’ve seen the classroom behind it.

But no—in the space where a wall should exist, reality itself had warped.

A distortion.

People called it a Gate.

And the place beyond it… a Dungeon.

Other countries call it different names, but whatever.

The important thing is, if a Gate and Dungeon are left alone too long, trouble follows.

Sometimes the Dungeon erodes reality itself.

Sometimes monsters spill out into the world.

And in the worst cases, black miasma seeps out, polluting the air… though that’s rare enough to ignore for now.

Judging by the feel of it, this Dungeon will eventually spill monsters into the school if left unchecked…

In that case, the solution was simple:

Enter the Dungeon through the Gate, and kill everything inside.

Which meant—

I get to experience real combat again.

How often could an elementary schooler like me get a chance to fight for real?

This was a welcome opportunity.

Through this Dungeon, I could gauge the limits of my current self.

I could drag my old instincts back to the surface.

Well then…

With nothing but the broken bamboo sword in hand, I stepped into the Dungeon.

Vwooom…!

The instant I did, an axe came flying straight at me.

Crash!

I struck its side with the bamboo sword, deflecting its course as I sidestepped.

The axe buried itself in the ground.

I immediately saw the thrower:

Green skin. Massive bulk.

Not muscle-bound, but padded with thick layers of fat.

Among the greenskin-type monsters, only one matched that description.

An orc? Not a bad opponent to start with.

Orcs had physical abilities far beyond mine.

And they had just enough intelligence to wield weapons.

Perfect targets for testing my skills.

Whoosh!
“Whoa there.”

Another axe swing. I dodged again.

It was as if the orc had been lying in wait, attacking me the moment I entered.

When its ambush failed, it tried to overwhelm me with brute force.

If I tried to block its blows head-on, this flimsy bamboo sword would snap in half, leaving me to be cleaved apart.

So for now, all I could do was deflect and dodge.

If I just keep stalling like this, I’ll lose eventually.

But that was only if I kept stalling.

“Synchronize.”

At that word, my inner energy and mana stirred.

The energy within me flowed into my body, strengthening it.

The mana channeled into the bamboo sword, reinforcing it.

With my enhanced body, I thrust the reinforced blade straight at the orc’s neck.

Shhk!

Because it was broken, the bamboo sword’s tip was jagged and sharp.

Ordinarily, it would snap with the slightest force.

But under my mana, it refused to break.

Sharpness and durability combined—

A deadly weapon.

Splat!

The bamboo sword pierced through the orc’s throat, killing it instantly.

“Gguhhh?!”

Another orc nearby gawked in shock, raising its axe—

But before it could act, I drove the bamboo sword into its neck too.

The axe clattered uselessly to the ground as the orc collapsed.

Thud! Thud!

Two massive bodies hitting the ground echoed loudly.

That noise would surely draw more orcs soon.

Against a horde, this bamboo sword would be inefficient.

Its sharp edge only allowed for stabbing, not slashing.

And stabbing alone made fighting multiple opponents difficult.

Still…

“I think it’s more than enough.”

Despite the handicap, I decided to keep using it.

A little penalty like this was acceptable.

After all, I was once the one who could cut down thousands of monsters with a single swing.

Even if I was just a kid again, going all-out against mere orcs would be absurd.