Running up and down the steep mountain slope continued for over 30 minutes.Simon and the Class A students were frantically running after Hongpeng when, at some point, the path ended.In Simon's forward-facing view, two cliffs were visible, and between them, stream water flowed, creating white foam with a rushing sound."You must use Jet Black to leap across the valley ahead."At Hongpeng's words, some students were struck with fear."Y-You want us to jump over that?""It's fine. You just need a little trick. Just as you make Jet Black rise from the sole of your foot, this time, you'll expel it from the sole of your foot."She demonstrated, leaping into the air.Black smoke exploded with a bang from beneath her feet, and she performed double and triple jumps in mid-air. Exclamations of awe burst out from everywhere."You don't even need to jump in mid-air," she said, landing on the ground with a tumble."The moment your foot touches the ground, spray out the Jet Black gathered in your foot as if you're propelling yourself. It's the sensation of stepping on Jet Black and leaping up."Hongpeng, at the front, ran past the students, stepped on the ground, and leaped.With a whoosh, she soared several meters, then lightly crossed the valley and landed on the opposite side."Come on!" she said, waving her arm and smiling.The thoughts of the students following her became complicated.The valley wasn't very deep, but no one wanted to fall into the stream and become a laughingstock so early in the semester.Students who needed more resolve subtly slowed down, while confident students shouted and rushed forward."Hraaaaaaah!"Whoosh!They jumped.A faint stream of black smoke was visible beneath all their feet.Three out of five landed gracefully on the ground, one tumbled to the ground, and another, lacking sufficient leaping power, barely managed to grab the edge of the cliff with an outstretched arm."Well done!" Hongpeng approached, took his hand, and pulled him up. The male student smiled awkwardly and climbed onto the hill."Your timing for releasing Jet Black was a little late. Try to do it faster next time!""Thank you, Professor!"Following him, other students also stepped on the ground and leaped. As expected of Kizen freshmen, all twenty students succeeded in jumping. Simon, watching from behind, felt a little anxious.'The sensation of stepping on Jet Black, the sensation of stepping on Jet Black...''You seem to be thinking too much, Simon." Dick casually waved his finger."I'm going first!"He turned his back and ran. Then, stepping on the ground, he powerfully soared into the air with both knees tucked to his chest."Whoa!"Dick's lips curled up at the cheers of the female students. However, the cheers weren't for him.When Dick looked up, Hector was spinning his body about a meter higher than him.Swoosh!Then he slid down, planting both feet firmly on the dirt ground.His landing was perfect."Well done!" Hongpeng smiled brightly and gave a thumbs-up.Hector also gave a thumbs-up, then finished with a polite bow. "Nice, Hector!""As expected!"Then he high-fived his faction members who had already crossed. "...I just can't warm up to that guy, no matter what." Dick, who had failed his landing and buried his face in the dirt, muttered."Ooooh!"Just then, a second cheer erupted from behind.Dick and Hector turned around in surprise.'What the...!'He flew.Simon was soaring in the air with both soles of his feet facing the sky. Soon, his waist bent, his legs lowered, and he slid down, scraping the ground in a backward posture.Swoooosh!His body passed Dick and Hector and stopped precisely in front of a nearby rock."Very well done!" Hongpeng clapped her hands, delighted.'This bastard...'Hector's facial muscles twisted visibly. Simon bowed to Hongpeng, then returned to the students.Dick, who was leaning against a tree and striking a cool pose, held up his palm. Simon grinned and high-fived his hand with a smack! 'He's finally showing what Special Case #1 is capable of.''Was he a Martial Arts major?'Students murmured, talking about Simon, and Hector's expression grew increasingly stiff. He could see his plans going awry."Alright! Other students, jump!"From then on, things proceeded quickly.Unlike their initial hesitation, most students succeeded, and only two in the class failed. Still, the teaching assistants, who had been secretly waiting in the valley, caught them, preventing them from falling into the water."Hmm."Dick was jotting something down in his notebook. Simon, curious, asked,"What are you doing?""Group project recruitment list. It'll start next week, so I need to prepare."The notebook was filled with the names of Class A students to watch out for, their strong subjects, personalities, and other details.In Simon's eyes, Dick was somehow different from other students.Normally, students would be too busy just keeping up with classes to worry about themselves, but Dick, if you watched him, was constantly observing others."How's your research so far?""Our class, overall, has a high standard. Everyone's good, but..."Dick closed his notebook and shrugged."That one seems a bit lackluster. I think she'll drop out quickly once the protection period ends."Simon looked in the direction Dick was pointing. It was the female student whom Simon had helped onto the hippo earlier, now being pulled up by a teaching assistant, still in his arms."Everyone's here, right? Then let's go to the next area!"Once all the students had climbed up, Hongpeng started running again without a moment's rest. The students, startled, ran after her.'Haha! What is this?'It was different from classes held only in classrooms. It truly felt like a dynamic class.After running for 20 minutes and exiting the forest, a wide-open hill unfolded. It had a slight slope, making it easy to pick up speed.As everyone followed Hongpeng,Dudududududu!The exact same situation that had occurred just a few hours ago was happening again.The same herd of hippos that had brought the students earlier was now climbing the hillside from the opposite direction."Uh, uh-oh?""They're coming this way? P-Professor?!"But Hongpeng had vanished. The other teaching assistants too.The students stopped in confusion, but the approaching hippos showed no signs of slowing down.'Dangerous!'Simon also stopped and focused his eyes. A hippo was charging directly at Simon, intending to ram him.'The sensation of stepping on Jet Black!'Thump!Simon soared into the sky, and beneath him, the herd of hippos passed, kicking up dust. Several other students nearby were also floating in the air like Simon.'I'm falling!'Simon tilted his body to land as far away from the hippo herd as possible.As soon as he landed, he had to frantically roll on the ground, moving to avoid the hippos."Ugh!"Two more directly in front.Simon stood up, pushed hard off the ground, and leaped up by a hair's breadth.'I-I almost died.'The fear of death made all his hairs stand on end, and his mind cleared.Simon, sweating coldly, looked back.'Surely this isn't part of the class, is it? At this rate, there'll be casualties...!'Simon's eyes widened as he looked back. He had expected a chaotic mess, but a completely different situation was unfolding.A female student had cast an Exhaustion Curse, making the hippos collapse in front of her, creating a wall.A male student had dug into the ground with dark magic and was lying down.Besides them, students were seen climbing onto hippos and cheering leisurely, and others had used Jet Black like ropes to evacuate into trees.Everyone was escaping the crisis using their own methods."Kya ha ha ha!"Cindy Vivace was floating in the sky using necromancy. Only then did Simon realize,'I'm not in a position to worry about anyone else.'It was truly unnecessary worry. And Simon had to compete with 1,000 such students."Are you okay, Simon?"Dick, who had climbed up a pole made of Jet Black, made an 'ooh-cha' sound as he came down."Don't worry too much. All those hippos are under Professor Hongpeng's control. Even when students fell, the hippos avoided them on their own.""...Oh, so that's what it was?"It was common knowledge among those who knew that Hongpeng could use the power of the Druid Bloodline, not just Martial Arts.Just then, the teaching assistants descended from the sky, clapped their hands, and shouted."Alright, alright, no time to sit around! Get up!""In a little while, the hippos will turn around and come back down! Everyone, get up!"Hearing the word 'hippos,' the students gasped and stood up. The teaching assistant gestured downwards and said,"The professor is already waiting below! We'll depart immediately!"Once again, a full-speed sprint began.After passing through a densely wooded area, a picturesque hillside with colorful flowers bloomed, and below that hill, on flat terrain, Hongpeng was seen waving her hand."There are no more obstacles! Let's go to the professor at full speed!""Whoa!"Students cheered and ran down the flower-filled hill. Simon and Dick also ran down the slope excitedly.The headwind from the opposite direction refreshingly blew away their sweat. Dandelion seeds danced in the wind across the field, and leaves floated down as if dancing. Simon felt an inexplicable sense of liberation as he ran down the hill."You worked hard! Now, a break!" Hongpeng shouted.The students immediately collapsed onto the ground as if they had been waiting, and the teaching assistants, who knows when they prepared, were handing out drinks.As the tension eased, boisterous laughter erupted from everywhere. Excited students eagerly recounted their heroic tales from earlier."Oh? Look over there!""It's food!"During the break, Kizen's attendants arrived, pulling a food truck. Everyone's eyes widened."Normally, you'd eat after all the classes are over, but I thought the students might be too exhausted, so I contacted Kizen. Is that alright?""Kyaaa!""You're the best, Professor!"Mealtime followed.The menu was a high-protein diet centered around meat.Kizen's food was already famous for its taste, and the portions were generous. There was even soy meat for vegetarians.Everyone took their food and sat on the scenic grass, enjoying their meal while looking at the mountains and the lake.Simon and Dick also found a spot under a tree. Perhaps because it was an outdoor meal after exercise, the food tasted incredibly delicious."Whew, there really isn't a professor like her."Dick, too, seemed to have fallen for the charm of the Martial Arts class, praising it profusely."To use her class time to feed the students, that's unheard of at strict Kizen."Simon nodded, smiling in agreement."But it's a little different from what I heard.""What?""I heard Professor Hongpeng is actually very much like a typical Kizen professor."Dick gave him a look that asked what he meant."Professor Hongpeng, who's like a natural person and pure water itself? Nah, I don't know where you got that information, but it's bogus. Bogus."Simon blinked. He had heard it directly from Lorraine.Clap, clap.Hongpeng clapped her hands, drawing the students' attention."Students! Finish up. We'll depart again in 10 minutes."At her words, the teaching assistants jumped up and shouted."We're departing in 10 minutes!""Finish your meals and get ready!"The teaching assistants moved around, spreading Hongpeng's message. The students, who had been leisurely relaxed, finally began to clear their trays and stretch. "Again?""I thought we'd rest here and then ride the hippos back."Students murmured and gathered. Simon watched the busy teaching assistants and thought,'I think this is where the real training begins.'
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