I Didn't Want This Kind Of High Teen Possession (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 15

Mr. Benjamin nodded as if he had expected it.

“Good point. However, although we are secretly working with the aforementioned arms manufacturer to develop machines for dungeon extermination, most of them haven’t even passed beta testing yet. That means, for now, we can’t predict when or where a Gate might open—it could even happen right this moment without warning.”

If they’d known in advance, they wouldn’t have gone through the trouble of assembling teams at every school.

After all, if they just knew the time and location ahead of time, the U.S. military could handle it themselves.

“Training will take place after school, five days a week. It’ll all count toward your community service hours, and weekend sessions may be added if necessary. Bonus points for university admission will be awarded based on your actual contribution to closing Gates.”

At the mention of bonus university points, both Adrian and Victor wore indifferent expressions.

‘Of course. You guys don’t need that—you’ll easily get into college thanks to the ‘main character of a teen drama’ rule anyway.’

Only I felt my resolve burning fiercely.

“Well then… Where and what exactly do we train?”

Victor asked halfheartedly.

“It’ll be at a U.S. military underground base. They’re constructing a new training facility using dungeon byproducts, where you can safely use your abilities. The facility is built from a special material that absorbs all attacks, so there’s no risk of environmental contamination or collateral damage.”

Mr. Benjamin emphasized the phrase “Incredibly eco-friendly production!”

“Was that also developed with the arms manufacturer?”

“Yes, it was.”

“Wow, it’s basically Stark Industries.”

Victor, who had been indifferent the whole time, muttered in surprise, and I gaped at Mr. Benjamin’s words.

“Any other questions?”

I raised my hand.

“Could you tell me the name of that arms manufacturer, by any chance?”

“Why do you want to know that, Ms. Juno?”

“Well, it’s just…”

I was thinking of buying some of their stock…

But I couldn’t say that outright, so I mumbled evasively.

“I’ve been interested in those kinds of things since I was little. If it’s classified or inconvenient, you don’t have to tell me.”

At my words, Victor glanced at me and muttered, “Typical clumsy nerd squirrel,” under his breath.

Mr. Benjamin looked at me with surprise, then smiled gently.

“So you’re interested in places like that? I’ll tell you later, Ms. Juno.”

Ah, I really do love this team.

[This is the timeline separator]

Thus, after-school training for dungeon extermination began.

Every day right after school ended, we’d hop into a jeep with Mr. Benjamin and head off to the classified military training facility.

The location was one of hundreds of secret U.S. military underground bases, with both the route and the entrance process strictly concealed from view.

We’d start with basic physical conditioning and gradually learn how to wield our skills with precision, they said.

True to Mr. Benjamin’s words, the special training facility proved highly resistant to supernatural abilities, cleanly absorbing all skill effects.

I watched as Adrian froze the entire training area solid—but soon enough, the unique absorption material of the facility began soaking up his ability.

Right now, Adrian had just completely iced over one entire wall of the training ground, which was as large as a standard soccer field.

[SYSTEM: Active skill activated.] [Executing ‘Status: Frostbound (S).’ Cools everything in the vicinity.] [Effective range: 210,000 square meters.]

The chilling skill radiated from beneath Adrian’s feet, filling the wall surface. Slowly, the training wall—constructed from dungeon byproducts—began absorbing Adrian’s ability.

“How fascinating.”

Adrian murmured.

He distinctly remembered struggling when he’d frozen Thompson’s house—the ice hadn’t melted for days.

Now, following advice from awakened soldier instructors, Adrian had trained to freeze targets with far greater finesse.

The soldiers also held Victor’s abilities in high regard.

Given that Victor’s power suited frontline combat, they were testing whether his defense could withstand not only magical attacks but also conventional human weaponry.

Dozens of U.S. military researchers wearing goggles swarmed around Victor.

“Amazing! It blocks everything—goblin claws, most human weapons, you name it! It’s highly impact-resistant and immune to toxins too. What an incredible ability!”

“Amazing, my foot. I feel like some alien test subject.”

Victor grumbled, though he didn’t show any real annoyance. For someone who looked like he’d act however he pleased, he actually seemed considerate enough.

And as for me…

“Hah… hah… hah…”

I collapsed onto the floor after automatically backpedaling off the treadmill.

Just building basic stamina alone was overwhelming for me.

It felt less like I was training my stamina and more like my stamina was training me.

‘No, it’s not my fault. It’s not that I’m weak—it’s just that the baseline for basic training is absurdly high. I’m perfectly normal…’

Just then, Victor caught sight of me sitting on the floor and smirked.

“Hey, Squirrel. With that kind of stamina, how do you plan on entering a dungeon?”

“Shut up.”

I had plenty to say myself.

After all, though I was ranked A-tier, my physical stats were only around B-tier—unlike my intelligence.

Besides…

“You and Adrian are literally the only ones who can run at top speed on the treadmill for three hours and come out fine.”

I panted out a feeble rebuttal.

Even for awakened individuals, wasn’t the “basic fitness” standard way too high?

And on top of that, I was the type of nerd who’d trip and fall even when standing perfectly still.

Before awakening, I used to faint just from standing too long in sunlight—so this was actually a huge improvement already.

“Ms. Juno, are you alright?”

Mr. Benjamin, who had been watching Adrian from afar, approached me with a worried look.

I managed a weak nod. Apparently, with all these monsters around me, I must seem abnormal by comparison.

But there was no need to worry. Whenever I collapsed off the treadmill, a passive-like effect would always activate.

[Title Effect: ‘Academic Monster.’] [SYSTEM: Effect of title ‘Monster Forged by Academic Excellence’ activated.] [Your unwavering determination to enter an elite university nullifies mental distress.] [Physical fatigue is reduced thanks to your clear goal.]

My heavy breathing steadied quickly, the cold sweat dried completely, and my breath returned to normal.

Victor, who’d been hovering nearby with concern, raised his eyebrows in surprise at my sudden recovery.

“Seriously, I can’t even tell if you’ve got terrible stamina or not.”

“Thanks for the compliment.”

I was already back on my feet, brushing myself off and walking toward Mr. Benjamin.

Basic physical conditioning was more or less done, so it was time for skill training.

I pulled out the ‘Mana Bullet Revolver’ I’d received as a reward from my inventory.

Oh right—I’d recently unlocked a new active skill as a reward for helping Adrian unlock his ability.

Now I had more than just passive skills to use.

“Today’s skill training involves shooting at moving targets. They’ll fly at speeds comparable to a diving hawk—but I’m sure you can handle it, Ms. Juno.”

Mr. Benjamin smiled, praising my skill.

He’d seen my active ability during the past few days of training, so that was probably why he said it.

I simply smiled and nodded.

On one side of the training ground, a mechanical device for target practice had been set up.

My training wasn’t much different from standard marksmanship drills—except for a few key differences.

First, I didn’t need ear protection.

The ‘Mana Bullet Revolver’ I’d received as a reward fired actual mana bullets. It wasn’t completely silent, but the noise was minimal—like using a suppressor.

Second, instead of stationary targets, I practiced on moving ones.

Since some monsters moved too fast for the human eye to track, I trained by shooting at fast-moving aerial targets.

Third—and most importantly—

No matter how quick the target, I didn’t need a scope. As long as I could see my target, that was all that mattered.

At the signal, a disc-shaped moving target—crafted from dungeon byproducts—shot into the air. True to Mr. Benjamin’s word, it flew as fast as a diving hawk.

A cold aura enveloped my body as my skill activated.

[SYSTEM: Active skill activated.] [Executing ‘Focus (A).’ Heightens concentration to improve aim.][Average aiming precision: 99.99%.]

Bang, bang, bang!

A faint red glint flickered in my eyes, and the target shattered into pieces upon impact with my mana bullets, crashing to the ground.

All three shots hit perfectly.

The reward I’d received for unlocking Adrian’s skill was an A-tier active skill:

‘Focus (A).’

It was proving quite useful.

The third attempt yielded the same result—and so did the thirtieth.

No matter how fast the mechanical targets flew, my hands and eyes never lost sight of them.

Two weeks had passed since we began after-school training.

I still hadn’t adjusted to the physical conditioning, but my skill proficiency was admittedly decent.

To be honest, “decent” was too modest—99.99% shooting precision! What more could I possibly strive for?

‘The only question is whether I’ll perform as well in actual combat.’

The awakened students—including me—were all performing at a high level in training.

So much so that the awakened U.S. soldiers training alongside us kept urging us to formally enlist in the military.

I could only give an awkward smile and brush them off.

‘No thanks—I hate military stuff. I just want enough bonus points to get into Harvard. My life’s genre is teen drama, after all.’

In my past life, I never got to live as an elite-university coed. This time, I’ll post “elite coed lifestyle” vlogs on YouTube and Instagram—plus, I don’t even have patriotism! (Of course—it’s a fictional America!)

‘Still… not knowing when the Gate will open is kind of inconvenient. It could open today—or not until years from now in Connecticut.’

The latter would definitely be a problem. Since bonuses were performance-based, I’d need to close Gates often to maximize my points…

‘It’d be annoying if they opened too frequently, but they should at least open regularly—and ideally, I’d know in advance when they’ll appear.’

Though my mind was full of thoughts, getting to school came first.

It was another ordinary morning heading off to school.

I slipped my arms into my usual checkered shirt, grabbed my bag, and headed downstairs.

My parents happened to be having breakfast in the kitchen. I sat down and spread thick peanut butter onto a pre-toasted slice of bread.

Just then, Dad asked,

“Juno, will you be home late again today? Your mom and I were thinking of going out for dinner together.”

“I already told you—I’ll be late because of training. I’ll be coming home late every weekday.”

At my words, my father—Juno’s father—openly showed his disappointment.

‘But there’s nothing I can do. Everyone else gathers at the training facility after school and trains until night—I can’t just skip out.’

For some reason, Juno’s parents raised their daughter as if letting her roam freely.

Late-night home parties? Fine. Suddenly becoming obsessed with Harvard and singing all day? Fine.

Even when she said she’d join the military to close Gates as an awakened and asked them to sign a parental consent form? Also fine.

‘It’s not like they’ve disowned me or anything.’

Then again, in movies, American parents usually don’t interfere in their kids’ lives unless it’s something important. I actually liked their parenting style—free-range but not indifferent.

I offered a smile and said readily,

“Let’s go out for dinner on the weekend instead—same restaurant as always.”

“Alright, it’s a deal!”

As I stuffed the peanut-butter-covered toast into my mouth and reached for the milk, Mom asked from behind me,

“Oh, by the way, Juno—have you been in touch with Timothy lately?”