I Became a Swordsmanship Genius at the Academy

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Aaaa!!

“Ugh, it’s coming….”

“Huuh….”

The faces of the trainees facing the approaching monsters hardened in fear.

No matter how much they prepared, facing real combat for the first time was bound to be nerve-wracking.

“Kyahhh!”

Thanks to the ballista on the castle walls, the number of monsters had significantly decreased and spread out, yet many remained.

Moreover, being so close only intensified the oppressive aura beyond their expectations.

“Don’t tremble! If we just stick to the plan, we can win! The master and the villagers are watching us!”

Rohan’s shout encouraged them.

With renewed determination, the trainees gripped their weapons tight.

Rohan looked around before focusing ahead. Just then, the monsters drew near.

“Kraaaah!”

“Let’s go!”

With Rohan’s signal, the battle began, and the trainees quickly sensed something was off.

The relentless intensity in their eyes was clouded with confusion.

‘…Huh?’

‘What is this?’

It was definitely a fierce battle. To survive, they had to push their physical abilities to the limit.

The charging monsters were terrifying, and a brush with their sharp teeth and horns spelled danger.

But something felt strange.

“Block there!”

“Done, tied up! Take care of it!”

The trainees methodically dealt with the monsters according to their pre-established strategy.

Monsters intentionally let loose were surrounded and killed by others, while the front held firm.

Rohan commanded the frontline’s dangerous role, and a group spearheaded by Diltiri roamed the battlefield, filling in gaps.

This formation required perfect synchronization that they were familiar with and excelled in, which wouldn’t have been possible without it.

Of course, they had fewer numbers compared to their foes, and since it was their first real battle, some mistakes were to be expected, so they braced for some injuries.

‘Is this really how it should be…?’

However… something felt off.

There was no actual life-threatening danger that they had felt so brutally during their training with Kim Il-shin.

No monster could be scarier or more threatening than Kim Il-shin.

Small monsters weren’t stronger than Kim Il-shin, and large monsters weren’t faster.

“Crazy.”

“What the hell have we been facing until now…?”

As the trainees faced monsters for the first time, they finally vaguely realized Kim Il-shin’s strength.

Kim Il-shin, whom they faced daily and trained with, was stronger than the monsters they had feared their whole lives.

The difference was on a whole other level.

Thus, the trainees’ fear of the monsters naturally diminished over time.

Any remaining tension vanished as they displayed enhanced skills.

Rumble rumble…

Like a single body, the formation moved flawlessly, and the monsters fell helplessly.

“Ha-ha! This actually works!”

“These bastards are gonna die!”

At that point, some trainees got so excited that they lost focus on their surroundings, but Rohan didn’t let them off the hook.

“Close the right flank tighter!”

“Got it!”

“You went too far forward! Come back!”

“Uh, okay…! Sorry!”

“You’re doing great, so it’s fine!”

Continuing the battle without losing composure, the situation improved gradually.

The most notable was Diltiri’s performance.

Swish! Swoosh!

Dashing across the battlefield, cutting down monsters, he was strikingly impressive among the searching group and stood out among trainees.

Even from a distance, it was immediately clear that he was the strongest on that battlefield.

While his sword skills were merely at a basic level, his speed and movement were top-notch.

Moreover, he quickly spotted the enemy’s weaknesses and precisely aimed his attacks.

This was a skill honed to survive during the practical training with Kim Il-shin.

Diltiri’s impressive display amazed Hanarin, who was watching from afar.

“Oh wow… not bad, huh?”

“I can’t believe he was a novice just a month ago. He was just an ordinary kid when I first saw him.”

“Our Il-shin taught him well.”

“Indeed.”

Feeling pleased, Hanarin turned her head, curious about Kim Il-shin’s reaction.

But the expression of him next to her wasn’t good.

“What’s wrong with you?”

“I have to go.”

“Huh?”

“I’ll be back.”

“Uh, okay. See you later.”

Without a moment to ask why, Kim Il-shin grabbed his sword and headed into the battlefield.

Hanarin tilted her head at the sight and asked Hazuki.

“What’s wrong with him?”

“Take a look over there.”

“…Oh dear.”

Hanarin quickly realized why Kim Il-shin acted that way upon seeing where Hazuki was pointing.

“He’s gonna get scolded.”

Just moments ago, a part of the previously stable formation had jutted out oddly.

***

“It can work. It can work!”

Diltiri roamed the battlefield in high spirits.

After training every day until he was worn out, it all felt worth it.

In fact, just yesterday, Diltiri harbored doubts in his mind.

Could they really fend off the ambush with just their own strength without Kim Il-shin?

It was a question that he couldn’t shake off as he truly didn’t know his own limits.

No matter how much he trained with Kim Il-shin, he had nobody around him to gauge against.

Having only seen monsters from afar, he had no real grasp of their strength and found himself doubting himself.

But now, he could see it. He and his teammates had grown stronger.

The number of monsters they had killed without taking damage proved that.

Though they might still be a bit lacking, they would one day be strong enough to fend off ambushes on their own.

“It’s really happening!”

Fully realizing his and his friends’ growth, Diltiri felt a rush of exhilaration.

Cutting through enemies with his sword, he piled up the corpses.

As Diltiri moved tirelessly, a sudden possibility popped into his head.

‘…It might really be possible.’

A personal goal, separate from their shared wish to break free from fear: revenge.

As the possibility of achieving that goal filled his eyes, his vision of reality began to narrow.

“Ugh!”

Just then, he heard someone’s groan from the front lines.

Diltiri immediately turned his head toward the sound and saw Rohan bleeding from his arm.

“It’s okay. I’m fine.”

He’d been ambushed, but fortunately managed to react in time, so his wound wasn’t too deep.

With a quick treatment, he’d be able to grab his shield again, and the monster that attacked Rohan was being held back by others.

However, such details didn’t catch Diltiri’s keen eye.

What he saw was his injured comrade and the grasshopper-like monster in front of him.

The monster’s long, rounded blade attached to its front legs reminded Diltiri of the target of his revenge.

“Caw!”

Without hesitation, Diltiri lunged at the grasshopper monster and swung his sword.

The two blades clashed, sparks flew, and it was the monster that got pushed back this time.

Swoosh…!

The startled grasshopper monster faltered and defensively retreated under the unrestrained strength of Diltiri.

As if that wasn’t enough, it turned tail and fled.

Diltiri instinctively chased after it. He had no time to worry about anything else.

“Hey! Stop!”

Rohan noticed the anomaly and called out to Diltiri, but it fell on deaf ears.

‘This is dangerous…!’

Diltiri was heading straight into the swarm of approaching monsters.

Moreover, judging by his excited state, making proper judgments would be hard for him.

‘Should I go after him…?’

Rohan worried about whether he should go fetch Diltiri now.

“Stay still! Don’t panic, hold your ground! Focus! We will come back!”

But then he recalled what he had heard from Kim Il-shin and steadied the formation.

Today, they would not lose anyone.

“Stop right there!”

Diltiri kept chasing the grasshopper monster from behind.

Dodging the attacks of surrounding monsters, he closed the distance and eventually caught up.

Kakak!

The two blades clashed again. This time, the upper hand was again Diltiri’s.

‘I have to finish this quickly!’

He knew he had entered a dangerous zone.

Consequently, he swung his sword with all his strength.

Kraaaang!!

The grasshopper monster’s front legs shot up as it revealed its weak point.

Diltiri thrust his sword in right away, aiming straight for the monster’s chest.

Pervv!!

In that moment, a dull pain was felt in his abdomen.

A massive impact sent Diltiri momentarily soaring into the air, and only then did he see the entirety of his adversary.

The pain had restored his senses.

‘A tail…?’

At the base of the grasshopper monster’s waist was a long tail resembling that of a monkey.

A feature that he wouldn’t normally miss. His narrowed vision proved to be deadly.

“Ugh…!”

Diltiri, unable to recover his posture, fell to the ground.

He needed to get up quickly, yet his body wouldn’t move. Breathing was difficult as well.

All he could do was hold on to his sword tightly.

Swoosh.

Hearing the spine-chilling sound from above, Diltiri barely managed to lift his head.

The eyes of the monster looming over him seemed to mock him.

‘This shouldn’t have happened….’

Diltiri thought that as he watched the blade descending toward him.

But the blade never reached him.

“I told you, you shouldn’t show your emotions.”

The one who blocked Diltiri’s death was Kim Il-shin’s sword.