Chapter 25
“Not only the instructor’s office and the video control room, but the training rooms are also affected. This morning, in the east training center, there were errors that shut down the programs every five minutes. In the west training center, the sparring program’s settings were altered.”
Jungwook said with a grim expression.
After the long morning meeting, he immediately called in programmers to check all the devices in the training center, including the sparring rooms and training rooms.
The results were shocking. Minor errors were found in most of the devices, and several major errors that had never been detected before were also found.
One of the most dangerous errors occurred in the west training center, where the program settings were altered.
“A D-grade monster spar was set, but it was confirmed that a B-grade monster, which is outside the designated range, was summoned.”
A B-grade monster summoned due to an error in the D-grade monster summoning settings.
Jungwook’s face hardened as he spoke. It might sound like a simple error, but the implications were far from trivial.
The monsters summoned in the training rooms were based on the Guard’s settings.
If an F-grade Guard summoned a C-grade monster, the basic attack, speed, and attack power would be different compared to when a C-grade Guard summoned a C-grade monster.
This was to promote the Guard’s growth through training.
But if there was an error in the settings and a C-grade monster, a monster with its full power, appeared in an F-grade Guard’s training room, the Guard would inevitably be injured.
In the worst-case scenario, the Guard could suffer psychological trauma or irreversible physical injuries.
“Was the Guard injured?”
The man at the head of the table asked.
“We haven’t confirmed yet because there’s no record in the program. The infirmary also said no one has visited.”
“So the Guard is perfectly fine? Despite the error?”
“Director, this was a lucky case. We can’t rely on luck forever. Every single Guard is important right now. No, even if they’re not a Guard, human life is important. So…”
“Ah.”
The man waved his hand dismissively. The other instructors’ faces hardened at his attitude.
Although they were working as instructors here, they were once Guards who had worked on the front lines. They didn’t deserve to be treated with such disdain.
But the man at the head of the table didn’t care. He just shook his head with an annoyed expression.
“Don’t jinx it. No one was actually hurt.”
“Director.”
“Calm down, Instructor Lee. I know you’re scared. Yes, it must be frightening. After what happened… I understand, but you have to consider my position too. This is a headache. Do you know whose children those A-grade Guards are? They’re pestering me to get them their Guard ranks as soon as possible, and it’s not easy being caught in the middle.”
“…”
“But to suspend the training and delay the production of Guards because of an instructor’s problem?”
“Just until this issue is resolved…”
“I’m not doing this because of them. Do you know what the public opinion is like right now?”
“…”
“The public is in an uproar because there aren’t enough Guards. The anxiety is boiling over and spreading everywhere. It’s the same here.”
“Then we can relocate the training center…”
“Where else in Korea is there a training center like this? Huh? Is a training center like a puzzle that can be put together in a few days?”
“…”
The man at the head of the table clicked his tongue, as if telling him to be realistic.
“And you keep saying a Hole might appear… Why are you so scared?”
“…”
“We have such capable people here.”
“…”
“The five of you here are more than enough to close a few Holes. So stop exaggerating. It’s disrespectful to see such strong people with such frightened faces.”
“But, Director.”
“Instructor Lee.”
The man glared at Jungwook again.
“Stop being stubborn.”
“…”
“Now is not the time to suspend the training. If we delay the production of Guards by suspending the training because a Hole might appear, the politicians will use this as an opportunity to blame us for the delay. Who’s going to take the heat? Is there anyone else besides me?”
“…”
“And what if a Hole doesn’t actually appear?”
“…”
“Then we’ll be in a very difficult situation.”
“…”
“So what we have to do is monitor whether a Hole appears or not, and if it does, we’ll deploy the instructors and the new Guards to close it. How great is that? The new Guards will gain real combat experience alongside the great instructors. It will be a valuable asset for them. So…”
“…”
“The training will continue. Understood?”
“…”
“Let’s end the meeting here.”
The man at the head of the table got up and left the meeting room.
As the door slammed shut, Jungwook closed his eyes tightly, clenching his jaw.
“He’s saying… if we can’t handle it when a Hole appears, it’s our responsibility?”
Someone said with a sigh.
“And at a time like this, when Variant Holes are appearing…”
Someone else muttered with a sigh.
Variant Holes.
They were Holes that deviated from the usual pattern of Hole occurrences.
There were various cases of Variant Holes. Unlike regular Holes, which closed automatically after the monsters were dealt with, some Variant Holes remained open for two more days, and some opened three times faster than regular Holes.
Even seasoned Guards were confused by their unpredictable patterns.
“What will happen if a Variant Hole appears here?”
Someone asked anxiously.
“Sigh.”
Jungwook sighed deeply and opened his eyes.
“Contact the external security personnel. Reduce the patrol intervals and increase the frequency. And focus the patrols on the Guards’ dormitories and the routes they frequently use.”
“…Understood.”
Jungwook, listening to the reluctant reply, got up with a troubled expression.
I hope nothing happens.
Jungwook prayed sincerely.
The ‘Divine Touch Upon You’ skill was truly amazing.
Sehyun muttered, looking at the wounds on her body that had mostly healed. She had deliberately left some of them, except for the ones that were too obvious, in case she looked too unscathed after training every day.
Of course, she couldn’t do anything about the lingering aches inside her body, but this was enough.
Sehyun opened her status window as she walked, trying to save time. There were countless skills. Some were useful, and some she couldn’t use because they didn’t suit her.
Can’t I organize these…?
No, more importantly, is it normal for the number of skills to keep increasing indefinitely?
Sehyun looked at her skill window with a strange expression.
What exactly was her unique ability?
Unique Ability – ???
To be able to make other people’s skills her own.
Sehyun tilted her head slightly.
This ability was definitely beneficial to her.
Most Guards were born with their skills. Some Awakened skills later and became stronger, but they were a minority.
More importantly, the number of skills didn’t increase indefinitely. But she could copy and possess an unlimited number of skills. That was her advantage.
However, the drawback was…
She couldn’t let anyone find out.
Her skill was extremely dangerous to others.
It was also an unpleasant skill. Someone who copied and stole their precious skills.
It wouldn’t feel good, no matter how she looked at it.
So she had to keep it a secret.
As Sehyun made up her mind, she turned a corner in the dormitory hallway.
Skill: Sound Blocking
Skill detected. Sensitivity increased by +1.
The path from the west training center to the dormitory was deserted. Few people used this path because it led to the back of the dormitory.
But someone was using ‘Sound Blocking’ in this deserted place?
Sehyun tilted her head and took another step.
Sound Blocking (Level 4)
-Detected a lower level ‘Sound Blocking.’
Would you like to eavesdrop?
A notification suddenly popped up.
“…Huh?”
Sehyun asked without thinking.
Eavesdrop?
Listen in secretly?
Eavesdropping will commence.
Sehyun’s eyes widened at the next notification.
Why suddenly… Ah, did the system mistake her surprised gasp for an answer?
She had briefly wondered, “What’s eavesdropping? How do I do that?” But she had immediately dismissed the thought.
Anyway, she didn’t know which thought had triggered the response, but the important thing was that the system was already attempting to eavesdrop.
‘Sound Blocking’ skill bypassed.
And it was over before she could stop it. Sehyun put her hand on her forehead. She wondered if there was a way to undo it, but nothing came to mind.
Even if she used ‘Sound Blocking,’ she would still be able to hear everything.
I should just walk past them…
‘I guess there are Guards who are dating. I was going to the cafeteria to get a late-night snack because I was hungry, and I saw a man and a woman holding hands. They were so startled when they saw me that they let go of each other’s hands. Oh my god. Dating in a place like this… I was so envious.’
She suddenly remembered what Hyeryeon had told her.
They say love blossoms even in the midst of war, so it’s only natural for it to blossom during training.
But regardless of that, she didn’t want to eavesdrop on someone’s love whispers.
It would be more beneficial to use that time to get an extra minute of sleep.