The Lowest-Ranked Hero Has Returned
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After being assigned the unheard-of position of "Special Operative Trainee," I left the principal’s office with Professor Elisha.
“Cadet Dale, do you have any plans afterward?”
“No, I don’t.”
“Hmm, perfect timing.”
Professor Elisha nodded, her eyes sparkling.
“Is there somewhere you’d like to go together?”
“The principal mentioned earlier that a new party training hall has been prepared. If you’re up for it, it might be worth checking it out in advance.”
“Oh, I’d love to.”
I was already curious about the level of the state-of-the-art facility.
“Follow me.”
Professor Elisha strode ahead but suddenly stopped, looking around.
It was already dusk, and the campus was almost empty since classes had ended.
“Hm.”
She glanced back at me and extended her hand.
“...You want to hold hands?”
“Now that I think about it, we haven’t had many opportunities to hold hands.”
I stifled a small laugh as I looked at her calmly extended hand.
Grip.
Warmth spread as our hands touched.
Elisha smiled faintly, seemingly pleased by the warmth, and then turned to lead the way.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
Following her, we arrived at the party training hall.
It was a three-story building of significant size, fitting for party activities.
‘So, our party has exclusive use of this place?’
Currently, the only people aware of my reincarnation and maintaining a close relationship with me were Iris, Yurina, Camilla, Sophia, Lanez, Berald, and Professor Elisha—just seven people.
Including acquaintances like Juliet or Albert, the number barely reached ten.
“It’s definitely spacious enough to feel excessive for just us.”
Still, it’s better to have more space than too little.
“Let’s register your access permit first.”
Professor Elisha operated the lock mechanism at the entrance.
Ding.
[Registering Cadet Dale Han as 'Party Leader.']
I activated my Hero Watch and held it up to the lock.
A cheerful chime confirmed the registration.
“With this, you can grant access permits to anyone you want.”
“Thank you.”
“No need to thank me. This is a well-deserved benefit.”
She shrugged and entered the training hall.
The inside was spotless, almost gleaming, as if the construction had just been completed.
“This is the main training area.”
Click.
We reached a space far larger than any personal training room.
It was vast enough to accommodate even the superhuman activities of heroes.
Honestly, it was excessively spacious.
“It’s even bigger than I expected.”
“This space is typically shared by at least four parties. When officially opened, partitions will divide it into separate sections.”
Ah, that made sense.
It had seemed over the top.
“There’s also training equipment for party drills. Would you like to check it out?”
“Sure.”
“This equipment uses the latest magical technology from the Republic.”
Professor Elisha activated a device on the wall, and holographic beasts appeared in the center of the training hall.
They were so lifelike that it was hard to believe they were holograms, though the occasional transparency gave them away.
Even so, they were far more advanced than any current training equipment.
“Grrr!”
The ferocious growls echoed across the hall.
“They even replicated the sounds?”
“Yes. To make training more realistic, special sound systems recreate the roars.”
“...Impressive.”
Since this kind of facility hadn’t even existed in my past life, I was naturally intrigued.
“I heard it can replicate movements of up to Tier-10 beasts.”
“At that level, it’ll be quite useful for our party’s training.”
“Would you like to try it yourself?”
“Well, I don’t mind, but...”
Frankly, Tier-10 beasts wouldn’t be much of a challenge for me at this point—let alone holographic versions.
“Hehe. There’s a special mode designed for someone like you.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s called ‘Challenge Mode,’ and the engineers from the Republic supposedly created it half as a joke.”
“But I thought you said Tier-10 was the maximum difficulty?”
“That’s just the maximum difficulty for replicated beasts.”
Elisha smirked as she continued.
“Beyond that is the realm of creation, not replication.”
“Ah.”
In other words, instead of replicating real beasts, they conjured creatures that existed only in the creators’ imaginations.
“Sounds interesting.”
Creating a monster that could only exist in the realm of imagination—just how absurd could it be?
My curiosity flared.
“Hehe. Well then, explore the other facilities first, and then give it a shot.”
“Understood.”
“If Candidate Dale manages to clear the challenge mode... hmm, fine. I’ll grant you a ‘special reward.’”
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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Professor Elisha’s meaningful smile lit up her face as her eyes twinkled.
“What kind of reward?”
“It wouldn’t be fun if I told you everything from the start, now would it?”
Elisha shrugged and turned away.
“Follow me. I’ll show you the second floor.”
On the second floor were chairs and tables for several people, along with basic cooking facilities.
“This is the lounge. If you bring ingredients from the cafeteria, you can whip up some simple dishes here.”
“That’s great.”
No more hassle of packing lunch or going out to eat every time. Perfect.
“And one more thing.”
Elisha operated a device on the table, and a video appeared on the lounge’s wall.
“This is... the first-floor training hall?”
“Correct.”
Elisha nodded and continued.
“The second floor is equipped with a system that lets you analyze training sessions recorded in the first-floor hall.”
“Oh, this is fantastic!”
After training, party members could gather here to review the footage, discussing their weaknesses and ways to improve.
“Well, let’s head back down now.”
“Huh? What about the third floor?”
“The third floor is still empty—no facilities have been installed yet.”
“Ah, I see.”
The construction wasn’t fully complete yet.
“Later, you might want to discuss with your party members what kind of facilities to set up there.”
“Haha, we’ll think about it later. By the way...”
As I looked around the second floor, I realized one crucial facility was missing from the training hall.
“Where are the showers and changing rooms?”
A facility for training obviously needed those.
“Hehe, I was just about to show you.”
“Oh, they’re in the basement, aren’t they?”
“Exactly.”
But why put the showers and changing rooms in the basement?
Usually, you’d want them on the same floor for convenience.
“Hmm.”
Noticing my puzzled look, Elisha smiled enigmatically.
“You’ll understand why once you see it.”
Following her, I descended to the basement.
What greeted me there was a divided area for men and women...
“A hot spring?”
What in the world?
A hot spring under the training hall?
“It’s not an actual hot spring. Just a bathhouse with heated water.”
“...So that’s why it’s in the basement?”
Now that I think about it, I remember heating that water is incredibly heavy, so bath facilities are usually built underground.
“How about it? Satisfied?”
“Satisfied? This is beyond amazing.”
A spacious training hall with cutting-edge equipment, a relaxing lounge, and even a hot spring—this was a luxurious facility on par with those used by top-tier active heroes.
“Yurina would absolutely love this.”
Yurina had a bit of a training-obsessed streak, so she’d probably go wild upon seeing this place.
“Hm.”
Elisha squinted slightly at the mention of Yurina’s name.
“By the way, how’s Candidate Yurina been doing lately?”
“Pardon?”
“I haven’t heard from her since that incident.”
“Oh.”
Right, Elisha had been busy investigating the aftermath, so she didn’t know what happened with Yurina afterward.
Clearing my throat, I gave her an awkward smile.
“Well... she’s doing fine. She’s gotten over the trauma of her first kill.”
“Oh?”
“Doing fine,”
Huh?
Elisha’s sharp gaze gleamed.
“Have you?”
“Pardon?”
“You know exactly what I’m talking about. Sex. Did you finally do it this time?”
“No.”
How could she be so direct?
“Well...”
“Don’t tell me you still couldn’t take the bait after I practically served it to you on a silver platter?”
“...”
True, I only managed to get closer to Yurina thanks to Elisha, who actively set things up.
“Things turned out well, thanks to you, Professor.”
“Hmm... is that so?”
Elisha frowned slightly, looking oddly displeased.
“What’s the matter?”
“Well... I probably shouldn’t be saying this, given that I went out of my way to set things up, but...”
Avoiding my gaze, Elisha spoke in a curt tone.
“Seeing that dopey expression of yours is kind of irritating.”
“...”
What?
You were the one who pushed me, and now this?
“In that case... I’ll tell you what the ‘special reward’ is.”
She leaned closer and whispered in my ear.
“If Candidate Dale successfully clears the challenge mode, you’ll get to try out the hot spring today.”
And of course...
“With me, that is.”
With those words, Elisha gave me a mischievous grin.
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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