A Wild Man Has Entered the Academy

Like other games, Soul World has systems called parrying and countering.

Parrying is the action of deflecting an opponent's attack with your body or weapon, and countering is returning the attack following a parry or by other means.

Counter and counterattack are similar yet different concepts; a counter is launching an attack a beat faster, while counterattacking is directly sending back the opponent's attack.

Parrying is easier if you get the timing right, but counterattacking is difficult. The concept of returning the attack as is can be quite complicated.

Therefore, counterattacking techniques in Soul World are for experienced players. Not only is the timing tricky, but without the skill, acquisition is impossible.

Rod returned my punch by cutting through space, and likewise, he returned the lightning I sent his way.

"Cough…"

Having been squarely hit by Rod's counterattack, a weak cough escaped me. I had been electrocuted by my own lightning.

The skill he just used is only for advanced practitioners, a counterattack that can even return intangible attacks.

Among them, lightning is a natural force that is especially difficult to counter. A feature of lightning is that if your feet are touching the ground, you get electrocuted.

That’s why Rod made a slight jump to counter my lightning. All the while, he managed to talk quite comfortably due to his long airtime.

"It's a bit burnt. Getting rid of burn marks can be troublesome, so I'll buy you new clothes later."

"…"

Rod, who parried the lightning as if he was some ninja with a prosthetic arm, spoke with leisure in his voice. He was still casually keeping his hands behind his back.

In terms of sheer power, the lightning was comparable to Hector's. But Rod dealt with it very easily.

I began to get a sense of just how powerful Rod would be once he was free from the poison. He would be incredibly reliable when the academy collapses.

"How did you…?"

But first, I needed to ask how he did it. I know the skill, but I wanted to see it for myself.

They say seeing something once is better than hearing about it a hundred times. I wanted to see it with my own eyes.

And Rod kindly resolved my query. Wearing a calm smile, he explained in a serene voice.

"There are various forces present in nature like your lightning. Gravity, magic power, earth power, fire power, etc. Most of them have no specific form. That's why managing them is extremely tricky."

"…"

"However, there's a way to control those forces. An ability to freely govern all the forces in the world. In the East, they call it ‘Geon Gon Da Nai'."

It’s a martial arts term familiar to many. The exact meaning is not clear, but as Rod suggested—it signifies the ability to manipulate the very essence of power.

It lets you delicately handle forces like lightning and even manipulate water and fire at will with your sword.

Cutting through space operates on a similar principle. Distorting the natural order to ignore constraints.

In short, acquiring ‘Geon Gon Da Nai' is essential if you want to reach higher realms.

It's not necessary for progressing through the story, but if you pursue strength, it's advantageous to have it.

"If you reach the pinnacle of ‘Geon Gon Da Nai', you could even perform ‘Gyeong Cheon Dong Ji'. I might find it difficult due to my age, but Lize might manage it."

"Gyeong Cheon Dong Ji?"

"It shocks the heavens and shakes the earth. It is the power to literally shake the world, an earthquake."

It's why Lize, who learned boxing, is referred to as ‘Whitebeard'. A single punch can cause an earthquake.

The Sword Saint and the Fist Saint. Both have the character for ‘star' in their title, an indication of their unparalleled strength.

Considering stars are part of the sky, these individuals are no less a part of the heavens.

‘Did I get cocky?'

After being at the receiving end of the counterattack, I suddenly regretted my actions. I challenged him to a duel for the right to eat a piece of candy at will but ended up being schooled instead.

Yet, I can't give up. Even if lightning failed, I still have one more trick up my sleeve.

First, it seemed wise to change my position. If I used it from here, it would head towards the academy.

"That person in the East can bring down lightning and shake the earth just by standing still, but… well, he's not the type to be interested in worldly affairs."

"…"

"Shall we continue? If you give up, we can finish this now."

"No."

I can't give up. I feel I need to land at least one solid hit to satisfy myself.

Unlike Hector, I won’t charge in rashly—just using every other trick excluding frenzy.

I brushed off my hair as if dispatching some burn marks. It looked like a visit to the barber was due soon.

"Just one hit."

"If you can hit me, go ahead."

Rod shrugged his shoulders. Watching how long his ease would last might not be a bad idea.

Before making my move, I took a look around. Unfortunately, the grounds were too open, unsuitable for an ambush.

Meaning I would have to employ a direct approach, but I was concerned about involving others, so I had to consider the location well.

"Hup!"

So I just charged in. If I kept the pressure on, I might be able to land at least one hit.

What I aimed for was to grasp a part of his body. The hand holding the sword would be ideal, but Rod would be aware of that.

Crack!

So I had to be a bit sly. Just before reaching Rod, I swept my leg across like using a broom, sending a cloud of dust in front of him. That should obscure his vision to some extent.

"Um…"

Rod seemed surprised by my action and scrunched his face before closing his eyes. This meant his line of sight was completely blocked.

A novice would grab his arm and attack at this point, but that wasn't my target.

I took advantage of Rod's momentary pause to take his back. That was my real aim.

Thud-

I swung my axe right after taking his back, but Rod evaded with ease.

As if he used some teleportation skill, he moved away with just a single step.

But that was fine. This was well within my expectations. There was only one thing I truly aimed for.

"Who taught you… Eh?"

Rod opened his eyes only to show an expression of surprise. There was a hint of amazement in his gaze.

And why wouldn’t there be? Red magic was slowly gathering at the tip of my index finger.

Gathered through condensation and refined for better efficiency through craftsmanship.

Techniques I learned from Chronos and Gloria. They were devoured by red magic, but I could still apply them.

"Wait. That's what I told you not to…"

Rod seemed quite flustered, blurting out in urgency. But unfortunately, his words were buried.

Fweeing!

The red magic gathered at my fingertip was fired. The target was not Rod but the ground right next to him.

He would surely dodge it, so I aimed for splash damage. The rest of the party was far off, so it was safe.

Moreover, the speed was fast, so it'd be hard to counter with that ‘Geon Gon Da Nai' or whatever. This time I could aim a valid hit…

Swoosh!

…or so I thought.

Rod swung his sword quickly from below as the death beam approached, remarkably causing the beam that was headed downwards to bend upwards. The direction of force was reversed.

Flash!

And then, the death beam, which was originally intended for the ground, exploded dramatically in the sky, creating a massive windstorm.

"…?"

Is he even human? I sincerely began to doubt if he was truly human in a different sense.

Lize at least has the blessing of Chaos, but Rod is a man as ordinary as they come.

No matter how much ‘Geon Gon Da Nai' is mastered, how can a man wield such power? It was genuinely awe-inspiring.

"Hoo…"

Apart from that, Rod let out a deep sigh as he watched the death beam explode in the sky. His expression filled with deep irritation.

Maybe that's why my wild instinct screamed out loud. To kneel and beg right now or regret it massively later.

But outwardly, I showed no difference from my usual self and just stood still. That’s when I realized my mistake.

"I didn't want to bring it up… but it can't be helped."

I missed the opportunity. I shouldn't have disturbed a lion that was peacefully asleep.

Normally, a lion might cherish its cubs, but if they make a mistake, the lion sternly disciplines them.

The discipline might be pretty harsh, but that's enough to make any person shrink back when a lion growls.

Swoosh-

Rod looked around and picked up a tiny twig. It was so frail it could break at any moment.

Then he scrutinized the twig and nodded to himself. It seemed sufficient for his purposes.

"Sivar. Let me tell you in advance. This is not a club, it's a sword."

"…?"

What does that mean? It looks like a fragile twig that could snap at any moment.

Predicting my bewildered reaction, Rod gave his usual easy smile and swung the twig.

He aimed precisely to the side where a large tree stood erect at a short distance.

Crack!

But unexpectedly, a small crack appeared on the tree, and it collapsed. Though he had merely swung a twig, it cut like a sword.

While I was more baffled than startled, Rod reiterated his point.

"Watch closely. This is not a club; it's a sword."

I scrutinized the twig he mentioned. A very faint aura enveloped it.

It had a form resembling a sword, wrapped in navy blue magical power. The aura was so faint it was hard to discern without focus.

"People have long said this. Humans are governed with love's discipline, and beasts are governed with a stick. Whether this will become love's discipline or a mere stick is yet to be determined."

"You said it's a sword."

"Yes. A sword."

Swoosh-

As Rod spoke, he took a step forward. Just one step, yet he reached me instantly.

I swung my axe reflexively in fright, as if I were in a horror game. It was just too sudden.

Thwap!

"Aaah!"

But Rod's preemptive move was much faster. His twig struck my hand hard.

A terrifying pain surged through my hand. I thought I was accustomed to pain, but I was sorely mistaken.

Ragnarok fell to the ground, and I had no choice but to respond with my empty hand.

Thwap! Thwack!

"Ouch! Aaah!"

When that hand too was hit by the twig, I could only cry out in pain. For the life of me, I couldn't understand why it hurt so much.

As I clutched my hand and staggered back, Rod spoke sternly.

"As I said earlier, if you use formal speech, I will stop immediately."

"But you said it's a sword…"

"Yes. A sword."

With a still stern face, Rod continued.

"Now, I am disciplining you with a sword."

It seemed like a rather convoluted way of thinking.

And on that day, for the first time, I used formal speech.

Thwap! Thwack!

"I am sorry! So very sorry! It hurts!"

It hurt so much I could only respond with honorifics. He kept hitting just where it hurt.

[Your faith has increased!]

Does it please you this much to watch your follower get beaten like a dog on a hot summer day?