I Became a Swordsmanship Genius at the Academy

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“Did the number of people increase?”

“Yeah. I guess the kids noticed the change and started showing up one by one. But most of them ran away on the first day. They probably thought it was just normal exercise.”

“Hmmm… Well, since you said ‘most,’ it seems not everyone gave up right away?”

“Right. A few of them seem like they’re going to get useful pretty soon.”

Kim Il-sin recalled the faces of the newly joined trainees.

Many of them had suffered serious injuries from rulers or monsters.

If they didn’t have a solid will to get stronger, it was a tough training for beginners.

Fortunately, the first batch of trainees had a solid center in the form of Ddil-ddil and Roham.

Without those two, the number of trainees might have been halved from the first day.

“Are you planning to send them out in the next raid?”

“Yeah.”

“Isn’t it a bit too soon to jump into a real battle after just a month of training? I trust Il-sin’s judgment isn’t wrong, but I’m still worried. Especially about their mental state.”

Hazuki’s concerns were valid. There were less than two weeks left until the next raid.

Common sense dictated that no matter how hard they trained in that time, there would inevitably be gaps.

Especially in terms of mental strength, it was too hard to fully equip oneself through training.

No matter how thoroughly an army is trained, facing an enemy in real combat can shake them.

Let alone when it’s made up of children as trainees, it was only natural to worry.

Fears that casualties might occur without any chance to react.

“It’s okay.”

Kim Il-sin spoke with a calm gaze, as if to reassure her.

“Those guys died at least three times yesterday.”

But that information was anything but calm.

“Could it be… that the opponent in the real training that started yesterday was you, Il-sin?”

“Yeah.”

No matter how much training they did, there were some things that could only be experienced in real combat.

In that case, they just had to train like it was real combat.

Not just talk about it, but actually give them experiences where their lives were on the line.

“We have to make it certain. Definitely.”

Then Hazuki chuckled.

“I see why Ddil-ddil had such a hard time yesterday. If it was his first time in real combat training with you, it makes sense. I was lost my first time too.”

Hazuki recalled the elemental training she did before facing the Sword Demon.

Kim Il-sin felt something odd from her words.

In his memory, Hazuki hadn’t been flustered at all back then.

“Hey. You can’t compare. You blocked it perfectly in one go.”

“What are you talking about? My hands were trembling so much after we clashed. I thought you’d at least give me a little leeway.”

“…Did I?”

“Yes. But you really swung at me with the intent to kill. …Um, I’m suddenly curious. What would’ve happened to me if I hadn’t blocked it back then?”

“…Hmm. Ddil-ddil was probably struggling so much because it was his first time yesterday. He’ll probably adapt quickly. Not quite as fast as you, though.”

“Why are you dodging the question? Now I’m even more curious!”

Despite Kim Il-sin’s signal of surrender, Hazuki continued to press, then grinned mischievously.

“Hehe. It’s fine. It was just the sort of situation that called for it. You wouldn’t have done it otherwise, right? It would’ve put me in more danger.”

“…Thanks for understanding.”

With a short sigh, Kim Il-sin recalled the actual training session from yesterday.

During that training, Kim Il-sin had taken on the role of a famished monster and hunted the trainees.

What he said at the start of the real training was not empty words.

[Do whatever it takes to survive from me.]

It took just about a minute until all the trainees were wiped out.

In that brief time, they experienced fear, tension, despair, helplessness, and even the moment of death.

[Am I really alive…?]

[No one told me real combat training would be like this…]

[I thought I was going to die. No, I really did die.]

It wasn’t about shaking all those feelings off.

It was about providing them with a foothold to move even if they were consumed by negative emotions in real combat.

In fact, as the number of experiences they had in real combat training increased, the overall movements of the trainees improved.

[I dodged, I dodged…!]

[Just dodging doesn’t mean it’s over.]

[Kyaak!]

Of course, it was minimal, but there was definitely progress.

[Today’s real combat training is now over. Before we finish, I’ll give you some feedback.]

After the real combat training wrapped up, it was time for feedback.

[Damn… I just ran away.]

[Did you run away alone? Everyone did. Except for Ddil-ddil and Roham. They actually fought.]

[Hey. Is it fighting if you got disarmed in one second? If I’d known that was going to happen, I wouldn’t have acted like that at all. I started running away right after that. What about you, Ddil-ddil?]

[I did too…]

The trainees were tense, expecting Kim Il-sin to scold them, but he didn’t.

Kim Il-sin didn’t tell the trainees how they should have acted.

That was something they needed to realize on their own.

[Roham. If you hadn’t thought of dodging and tried to confront them, you might have given Ddil-ddil a chance on the side. Also, if you hadn’t given up the moment your attack got blocked and dropped your sword, Ddil-ddil wouldn’t have gotten hit right away.]

[Ddil-ddil. Your timing to stab was too late. This isn’t pass or fail, and you didn’t create an opportunity from your comrade’s sacrifice. It’s good to pay attention to your posture, but keep an eye on your surroundings more.]

[Derrick. If you’re holding the shield, you need to grip it harder. What if you give up on blocking from the start? Shuri to your left trusted you and stabbed with her spear.]

He meticulously pointed out the choices they could have made to protect their comrades and friends.

[…….]

After the feedback session ended, the trainees were filled with thoughts.

It was the response Kim Il-sin had intended, and that’s how yesterday’s class concluded.

“So that’s why Ddil-ddil said that when he left earlier.”

“What do you mean?”

“When I asked him where he was going because he was leaving early, he said he was going to the operation meeting. Now I see what he meant. You should probably be on your toes today.”

Hazuki said playfully as she stood up.

She gathered up the stack of papers on the table and walked toward the front door.

“Are you leaving?”

“Yeah. Time flies too fast when it’s just the two of us. …It’s a bit disappointing, but I’ll see you again tonight.”

With a thud.

As she opened the door, sunlight poured into the house, and Kim Il-sin squinted as he spoke.

“Okay. Good luck today… Huh?”

Then Hazuki stopped mid-step and turned back.

Through her flowing long hair, the dazzling sunlight shone through, revealing a bright smile.

It was such a smile that he thought he would never get used to in his lifetime.

“You take care too, Il-sin!”

Hazuki’s eyes, speaking in a bright tone, revealed emotions that sparkled even brighter.

“…Uh. Have a good day.”

“Yes!”

With that, the bright-smiling Hazuki walked out on the path.

Just from the expression he saw at the last moment, he felt he could spend the entire day happily.

*

Heading towards the city center, Hazuki entered a two-story stone building.

A classroom with a high ceiling, resembling a church. Hazuki’s seat was at the very front of the classroom.

Standing with her back to the large blackboard, Hazuki looked around the classroom.

People of all ages, both men and women, who had a mind for learning were seated, ready to listen to her class.

“Since everyone is here, let’s start the lesson right away. Let’s turn to chapter 13 of unit 2…”

Hazuki’s class covered everything she thought was necessary, from culture to history to science.

Thanks to that, the scholars were shocked every class with new knowledge.

[Incredible! With this, we could revolutionize our farming methods!]

[So there was such a mixing method. How about asking the blacksmiths for a demonstration? …They’re busy right now? Doing what, I wonder?]

They were delighted with the new knowledge.

[Can we really create such brilliant culture ourselves?]

[Those years wasted feel so frustrating.]

On the other hand, they also felt hopeless about their grim reality.

But those who were crushed by such pessimism eventually turned their focus back to hope.

Moreover, as they encountered various knowledge, there were no ones trying to utilize them in negative ways.

That was made possible because of the teachings Hazuki had created through her own deep contemplation.

“Are there any more questions? Then today’s class is finished. Thank you for your hard work.”

“Thank you!”

“I learned a lot today.”

The class, which started in the morning and lasted into the late afternoon, ended.

But nobody in the classroom got up from their seats, and neither did Hazuki.

They still had things to do.

“Before we start, I want to say one thing. From now on, this isn’t a regular class nor anything related to it. So if anyone has plans or is tired, feel free to leave first. There’s no need to feel awkward at all.”

Hazuki spoke in a calm, gentle voice.

And just as she said, there would be no disadvantages for those who didn’t attend the next session.

The scholars were well aware of that, but once again, no one got up from their seats.

“Yep.”

“Understood~”

Everyone just responded briefly, as if they were used to it, and stayed seated.

It wasn’t behavior that showed they were being polite.

“If no one’s leaving, I’ll get started right away. Please take out your scriptures.”

As Hazuki said that, she took out a book and placed it on the lectern. The same book was also placed on the desks of the scholars.

The cover of the book had the title [Sword God’s Scripture (劒神經)] written on it.