A Wild Man Has Entered the Academy

Whether my implied threat worked, or Gloria had a change of heart, she gave her permission.

Kara insisted she was okay and claimed that she wouldn't have much to learn from them, but I insisted on bringing her along.

Once more, I'll say that the more she's alone, the more her loneliness seems to weigh on her.

Besides us, she barely has anyone she would call a friend, and she looks down on the other students, seeing them as savages.

In her eyes, the idea of considering their thoughts doesn't exist in the slightest. So, I was prepared to bring her along despite any complaints.

"Are you really okay with this? I don't want to impose…"

Kara, who joined us in the private training area, voiced her concern, scratching her head and glancing around with a genuinely apologetic look.

"Of course, it's okay. If anything, your presence brightens the atmosphere, right?"

However, Gloria maintained that there was no issue at all. Her face was brimming with anticipation, though I couldn't tell why.

‘Anyway, this private training area is incredibly spacious.'

I observed the private training area we had entered, following the secretive couple. The communal training area was quite large, but this personal one was no joke.

Several conditions were necessary to use a private training area, with the most significant being whether magic was being used or not.

Magic usage could lead to damaged equipment or injured people.

The private training areas were created to prevent such possibilities ahead of time.

‘You also have to get permission in advance.'

Due to a relatively high number of users, you need to get approval from the person in charge. Weekends, I heard, are nearly fully booked.

Since no one can enter without being listed, the area is sometimes used for… less than public purposes.

Gloria and Kronos too have taken advantage of the privacy, secretly sharing this training space.

Now that they had the pretext of teaching Luna and me, they could enter openly.

"Alright, as we promised, we're going to train both of you. Before we begin, are there any concerns or questions you have?"

"Um… My basics are not exactly solid. Is that going to be okay?"

Luna timidly raised her hand and voiced her concern, understandably the biggest worry on her mind.

Currently, she's akin to having fastened the first button wrong. The basics are overwhelming enough, let alone adding something else into the mix.

"There is no need to worry too much. What we intend to teach also essentially forms part of the basics."

"It counts as part of the basics?"

"Yes, even Princess Kara could benefit from learning it."

"…I'm learning too?"

Kara, who had been quietly setting up a punching bag, grimaced slightly.

Clearly, she had planned on training separately and not with the couple.

"Even so, for me to learn as well…"

"Think of it as an exchange with Tatars, that would be more comfortable."

"Um…"

Kara pondered the logical argument. In a way, Kronos had a point.

Unlike Hector, who earned the title ‘Destroyer' during the racial integration process, he didn't bear any prejudice.

But as always, where there's give, there must also be take. Realizing this, Kara asked cautiously.

"What will I have to give you in return? Nothing specific comes to mind."

"Well…"

Faced with that question, Kronos glanced at Gloria. The decision to bring Kara along was hers.

Understanding his cue, Gloria replied in her characteristic friendly tone.

"We'll let you know after the training, shall we? Let's focus on the training for now."

Unlike the stoic Kronos, Gloria's demeanor was smooth, donning the refinement typical of nobility. It was very unique.

Kara, hearing this, nodded. For now, the best option was to learn quietly.

"We each have our own teaching methods, but the underlying principle is the same: magic."

"Magic?"

"Yes. Have you all not often enhanced the durability of your bodies or weapons using magic?"

Luna nodded along with the other students; such situations had been countless.

Magic is the force that allows fragile humans to fight on equal footing with beasts or monsters.

There's only one condition to use magic: ‘intellect.' The ability to think and express those thoughts.

"Magic inherently possesses endless potential. For example, cutting a massive rock with one swing of a sword, bending steel, or demolishing them entirely. Magic spells are also ineffective without magic."

"… …"

"We intend to teach you to refine your magic more delicately. Just as various exercises can refine the human body, the same applies to magic."

What was to be learned during the Sponsorship Period was precisely that: turning rough magic into a polished, beautiful form.

Whether a warrior or a magician doesn’t matter. Magic knows no distinction between the two.

"Perhaps even Princess Kara has already mastered it. Have you never felt that, despite infusing the same amount of magic, the effect seemed stronger than before?"

"Yes. It started off gradual, but at some point, the difference became noticeable."

"And the capacity to contain Gulak’s lightning has increased?"

"Yes."

"That's the principle."

"Aha."

Kara's face lit up with understanding. Being seasoned in real combat, she'd likely grasp the concept swiftly.

Of course, separate from all this was the issue of ‘how' to actually achieve it, which she might not know. She got there on her own, after all.

Gloria, aware of this, continued with a gesture of her index finger.

"You probably don't know how you achieved it. We will teach you that, and all you need to do then is to keep training consistently."

"I see. I understand."

"Good. First thing…"

Gloria trailed off and looked at Kronos. Just looking at him, silent as always.

But they could communicate with just a glance. Kronos nodded and then spoke with his deep voice.

"I will teach first. What I'll show you is ‘Condensation.' As the word suggests, it's the ability to condense magic."

"What benefits come from condensing magic?"

"It can greatly increase durability and the amount of magic that can be contained."

The ability to condense is what you gain by choosing the Granada Empire's side. It enhances overall damage output.

Think of it like the quality difference between armor types. Imagine one person in leather armor versus another in full plate.

If both were to charge head-on, who would inflict greater damage? Naturally, you'd choose the latter.

"Condensation substantially improves the quality of magic. Furthermore, it slows the depletion rate. When you need power equivalent to 10, condensation allows you to achieve the same effect with just a single unit of magic."

"It'd be particularly effective for someone who wields heavy bludgeons."

Upon hearing the explanation, Luna quickly grasped which weapons would be most effective.

Indeed, as she implied, condensation is a potent ability for characters whose primary attribute is ‘strength.'

Strength increases overall damage, while agility increases evasion and critical hit chances.

However, even if critical hit rates increase, without learning specific techniques, they won't be very effective.

You need to identify the exact weak spots for critical hits to trigger, making strength-based characters less reliant on technical prowess.

‘Strength characters are like robust stews, agility characters are like exquisite delicacies.'

That's the general classification. As for mages and faith-based characters?

Mages need a microphone for numeric plays, and the faith-based composite the two above.

"So, condensation happens like this…"

Whoosh—

Kronos showed his fist, about the size of a child's head, to us while channeling magic into it.

A rippling blue magic began to encircle his fist, then gradually condensed and retreated back into his fist.

At first glance, nothing seemed to have changed. But that notion didn't last long.

"Hit straight."

"…Aim properly."

Gloria, lifting an axe whose origin was unbeknownst to me.

Clang!

She brought it down directly towards Kronos's fist. Though they made contact, the sound was deafening.

Like iron striking iron. Yet Kronos's fist remained utterly intact.

In contrast, the training iron axe had become nicked. It looked like it would have to be discarded.

"In this way, his body becomes more solid. You could say condensation is one of the very basics."

"Um…"

Luna showed a quizzical expression at Kronos's explanation. It looked incredibly easy.

Noticing this, Gloria pointed it out wordlessly with a slight grin.

"It looks very easy to you, doesn’t it? Would you like to give it a try?"

After Gloria's suggestion, not only Luna started practicing, but so did Kara. Though Luna might be unsure, it must feel familiar to Kara.

Magic is gathered forcibly and formed into a solid shield. At first glance, it seems similar to ‘Hardening.'

However, it's different from Hardening. If Hardening is like adding several layers to leather armor, condensation turns leather armor into plate armor.

Therefore, the higher the proficiency in condensation, the more naturally the grade of Hardening will ascend.

"…It's more difficult than I thought. This isn't the same as using Hardening, is it?"

"Not at all. It's not about layering magic upon magic, but rather the feeling of forcibly compressing it."

"Like this?"

While Kara was still fumbling around, Luna held out her fist. It looked like an utterly ordinary fist to the naked eye.

Kronos silently observed her attempt, then gave Gloria a look.

Gloria nodded in response to the gesture and began to fiddle with Luna's hand.

"…Huh? It actually worked?"

"Really?"

"Yes, the condensation of magic is definite. Was it always this easy?"

She was astonished. From just a single showing, Luna had easily mastered it.

Kara, too, counts as a ‘genius' thanks to the talent she inherited from Hector, but Luna is different.

‘Did the immediate learning from the Soul World apply here?'

Despite lacking in basic skills, her talent is exceptional, covering such shortcomings. Especially in fields related to magic, she shows overwhelming growth ability.

The protagonist isn't the protagonist without reason. As time goes on, her growth will multiply exponentially.

"…It worked?"

"Yes. Condense the magic like this. Then the condensed magic will flow within your body, and naturally, the quality of your magic will rise."

"Understood. Thank you."

Luna herself was thoroughly elated, all smiles as if she had learned something fascinating. Honestly, it's a good feeling.

Anyway, I need to do it too. I condensed magic into my hand just as Kronos had shown.

‘Not by layering, but by pressing it together tightly.'

Condensation is a fundamental skill among the basics. I had thought to acquire it whenever the chance arose while living in the forest.

Yet instead of acquiring it, everyday survival took precedence, and I had completely forgotten how. Instead, I gained red magic.

With red magic alone, hunting was easy enough that I never even had to consider it.

My only thoughts were about the storyline for murals and hunting plans.

‘This was the feeling, right?'

If Luna had the talent to observe and imitate, then just showing me from a close distance was enough for me to approximate it.

Maybe it was due to my ‘wild instincts,' but I could feel the way an opponent’s magic transformed, and it even helped me detect Hector’s attacks beforehand.

‘But I'm inherently so tough, I might not feel any actual difference.'

I looked around. Gloria was teaching Luna one-on-one, and Kronos was with Kara.

They weren't neglecting me. They had just spared me some time because I was concentrating.

It would be a good moment to check. Given my ‘Steel King' rank, I could see how well my condensation was going.

‘It might be a little painful.'

Pain was familiar to me. I set my resolve.

And then, I thrust my fist filled with condensed magic into it.

Ah right, where did I stick my fist?

Right in the center of my left arm as tough as steel. That was the only method for a proper check.

Initially, I could break wood, stone, and even steel with my bare hands without any magic.

Remembering when I broke a steel sword with just my teeth during my spar with Elvin would make it easier to understand.

Flap, flap…

The effect was dramatic! I looked at my left arm, snapped neatly in half and hanging limply like laundry on a line.

All I did was strike with condensed magic, yet my bone, as tough as steel, had fractured. A major achievement.

"Sivar, what on earth are you doing?!"

"What's happened… Your, your, your arm?! What's going on?!"

"What in the world…!"

Of course, regretfully(?), I was caught. It seemed Luna looked my way just by chance.

The others had only heard the sound and had no idea what had happened, their expressions confused.

But as they saw my limply dangling left arm, they each showed astonishing reactions.

"Sivar suddenly hit himself, and ended up like that!"

"His own arm? With his condensed hand?"

"As much as that…"

Regardless of their astonishment, I adjusted my broken arm. Such minor injuries(?) required only the bones to be aligned.

Aligning the bones would ensure they fused correctly when using regeneration, thus minimizing magic consumption.

Snap! Click!

As I activated regeneration, my arm fit back into place cleanly. People were bewildered as the fracture healed instantly.

Even though Luna and Kara knew of my regenerative abilities, they were perplexed, perhaps thinking a fracture was something different.

Nevertheless, I had clearly learned to condense, so I stretched out my arm and proudly shouted,

"Learned!"

At my single word, everyone wore uninterpretable expressions.

Their stunned looks were one thing, but Gloria's next reaction was even more remarkable.

"Sivar?"

"Yes?"

"Were you doing this because we weren't paying enough attention to you?"

What was she suggesting? I squinted one eye in bewilderment when—

[Ability: Condensation acquired!]

[Wild Instinct is activated!]

The notification, comfortable and familiar, appeared before me.

I had anticipation for a potential surge in ranking, like what occurred with boxing.

[Ability: Compatible with Red Magic!]

[Ability: Condensation has been removed!]

"Shibal?"

What's going on?