I Became a Swordsmanship Genius at the Academy

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“That place is….”

The video illuminated the dark castle walls at night, and Ttilti immediately recognized where it was.

It was the southern wall that had just collapsed.

“What is that?”

“Shh. Be quiet.”

Even though something strange that they had never seen before had appeared, the citizens silently watched the footage.

Only Kim Il-sin would be capable of launching something into the sky, and he wouldn’t do such a thing without a reason.

[Is this the place?]

[It should be right.]

[It should be ‘right,’ not ‘should be.’]

[It’ll be accurate.]

[Geez. Let’s see… it matches here.]

At that moment, the voices of two men began to flow from the video.

One had a thin voice for a man, while the other had a heavy, deep voice.

As soon as the citizens heard the combination, they recognized the identities of the two.

The Domineer, Hwang Ro, and Bahum. They were there.

[From here and here. Do it right away, but keep the noise down.]

[Understood.]

Bahum threw punches at the parts Hwang Ro pointed to, making holes.

At first, they were small holes, but as the number increased, cracks began to form in the castle wall.

“Damn… that’s the main support!”

The architect Hobbs, who had entered the wall with other trainees, exclaimed in shock.

The part Bahum had destroyed was like the pillars of the castle wall.

It made sense why the wall had never been able to withstand a giant monster’s attack.

The axis had been misaligned from the beginning, making the wall unstable.

“Those bastards did this, right? Trying to kill us?”

“These crazy bastards….”

The citizens’ anger didn’t stop there.

[So, just digging this outside will do, right?]

[That’s right. He said it would take care of itself.]

[Then it’s over. Let’s go. Keep the noise down. But where did that old man get this stuff?]

[He said he found a baby monster and researched it.]

[That guy’s insane.]

Their conversation continued as they walked outside the video. The meaning was not hard to guess.

It was clear they had worked to make the wall easily crumble, and the giant monster that struck it was also their doing.

“All of this from the Domineers now…!”

“Those scumbags, worse than beasts!”

Yet even with the rage bubbling up, no one thought of directly confronting the Domineers.

Their strength was ingrained in their minds.

[Let’s just verify. If things go awry, they’ll take it out on us.]

At that moment, Hwang Ro, who had gone off-screen, returned to the castle wall.

Peering into the hole Bahum had made, he asked.

[Will this really work? Shouldn’t we do a bit more?]

[It’ll work. It was done this way before.]

[Really? An experienced guy sure knows his stuff. But wouldn’t it have been better to mention that earlier? We’ve wasted steps here. Let’s go.]

That conversation hit the nail on the head.

It reminded all the citizens of their past memories.

The horrific scars etched in everyone’s memories. They could withstand no longer.

“Let’s go.”

Roham was the first to step forward.

To bring a good day to the city, the Domineers had to be eradicated, and the time was ripe with the citizens’ hearts united.

Another reason was to protect the citizens from the cornered Domineers.

While they knew the Domineers were strong, it was uncertain what would happen if things continued this way.

If they let it slide, a tragedy could occur.

To Roham, who harbored the desire to protect everyone, such situations were the worst.

“We are no longer afraid of the threats outside! We’ve grown stronger! So now is the time to get rid of the internal threats!”

“Yeah, let’s go! We mustn’t let this continue! Even if I die, I’ll take those bastards with me!”

“Let’s protect this city with our strength!”

Starting with Roham, the nearby trainees began to echo back, and that fire spread to the entire populace.

The trainees gripped their weapons; ordinary citizens grabbed hammers or hoes and gathered in the streets.

In that process, no one was looking for a place to lean on.

Thanks to the quickly grounded Sword God Church, they realized why Kim Il-sin had led them.

They knew this was something they must do themselves.

“Since you’ve given us so much until now, we must achieve this with our own hands! That’s how it should be! We can’t keep relying on that man for everything!”

“That’s right! Let’s head to the castle!”

“God is watching! Let’s bravely face the enemy!”

They passed through the streets and headed toward the castle of the Domineers, which loomed in the center of the city.

“The door is opening!”

“Let’s go in!”

Bang!

As they forcefully opened the massive gate, the citizens paused in surprise.

The Domineers, whom they thought would be inside, were all standing in the garden.

Luke was at the center between Hwang Ro and Bahum, looking calm unlike the nervous duo beside him.

“Why have you come? Weren’t you supposed to stick your heads in the dirt and munch on grass once I let you go?”

Luke’s derogatory remarks ignited the citizens’ fury.

Each of them pointed their weapons at him and vented their anger.

“You trash! We won’t be swayed by you anymore!”

“Apologize and leave this city! There’s no place here for the likes of you!”

Yet even amidst this, Luke merely murmured nonchalantly.

“If it weren’t for me, you’d all be dead already, so why are you still yapping?”

Some citizens were taken aback by his reaction, but there was no retreat.

They knew their lives were in danger as long as the Domineers were in the city.

Instead of living in fear for so long, they were prepared to overcome their dread and confront it.

‘Ttilti isn’t here. That’s a shame.’

Meanwhile, Luke was scanning the gathered citizens for a target.

[Maintain a fear percentage of over 70% among the citizens of the castle wall city for a week.]

[Clear reward: Death of Kim Il-sin, dimensional travel ticket.]

[Current percentage: 0%]

‘It’s all over, damn it.’

At this point, not only was it impossible to clear the quest, but also to continue living in the city.

So Luke decided to put into action what he had planned.

He resolved to leave an indelible scar on the ignorant livestock and the wretched Kim Il-sin.

‘I have no choice. I’ll kill that bastard in the front, and that’s it.’

The atmosphere was charged, and it seemed a battle would begin at any moment.

The distance between the citizens and the Domineers was narrowing, and mana began to gather in Luke’s palm.

And just as that mana was about to shoot toward the forefront leader, Roham.

“Stop.”

Whoosh!

With a firm voice and a strong wind, Kim Il-sin and Ttilti appeared between the two factions.

“Il-sin?”

“Huh? Il-sin has come?”

Everyone there halted.

The citizens stopped due to Kim Il-sin’s command, and Luke froze out of fear.

As long as Kim Il-sin stood right before him, he wouldn’t be able to rampage without being subdued first.

“Master, why are you here…?”

Roham looked at Kim Il-sin with a puzzled expression.

He was curious about the reason for the sudden appearance after observing silently and also why he was stopping the fight.

“There’s no need for sacrifices.”

“……”

Although defiance bubbled up, Roham didn’t respond hastily.

“…What do you mean?”

“You know. If things proceed this way, there will be countless sacrifices. Isn’t that what we all want—to welcome a good day together?”

Roham gritted his teeth at those words.

He understood that this was the reality, but there was no other way.

“Still… this is our last chance. If you hadn’t shown us what happened last night, we wouldn’t even have known that the ringleaders were right next door, trembling in fear. And they would have been preparing their next operation to bring us even greater harm. If we stand down now, it would be the same.”

Roham’s words were not wrong.

If they didn’t drive the Domineers out this time, they would only implement even more aggressive strategies.

“Sacrifices are an unavoidable necessity. This is something we must do with our own hands. Isn’t that why you revealed the truth and then stayed uninvolved?”

“That’s right. You’re correct.”

“Then why do you stop us?”

When Roham finally asked, Kim Il-sin patted Ttilti’s shoulder and gave an unexpected reply.

“Instead of a sacrifice that has never been done in a lifetime, believe in this kid as you always do.”

“Uh…?”

Kim Il-sin turned his head toward Luke, leaving behind nothing but unresolved questions.

Then he uttered words that no one in that place could have predicted.

“I challenge you to a duel. The rules are one-on-one, single combat. The loser shall fulfill all terms dictated by the winner, with no restrictions whatsoever.”

“Hah! What kind of nonsense-”

“Just so you know, I won’t be fighting.”

“……!”

In an instant, Luke’s eyes sparkled.

If his opponent wasn’t Kim Il-sin, then there was hope.

Even if he won, there was no guarantee that Kim Il-sin would keep his promise, but it was better than dying like this.

At the very least, he could leave a significant blemish on the reputation of someone who was virtually worshipped as a god.

“I will accept those terms.”

With that response, Kim Il-sin turned to the citizens and asked.

“How about you? Will you accept?”

“……”

All the citizens’ gazes converged on Roham.

Somehow, he had become recognized as the leader of the city.

‘So it’s you who wants to fight.’

Roham thought as he looked at Ttilti’s determined expression.

If they accepted the duel, Ttilti would be the only warrior they could push forward, and Ttilti seemed well aware of this fact.

Among the ordinary people in the city, Ttilti was the strongest.

However, whether he could actually win in a duel against a Domineer was uncertain.

‘…… Now is the time to believe.’

Sacrifice and belief. Roham was someone closely related to neither.

He had thought that he had to take care of everything himself to prevent others from sacrificing.

But through various experiences, he came to realize the need for trust and became accustomed to relying on his companions at some point.

That’s why he could give this answer now.

“I will accept.”

With that, the duel that would determine the fate of both sides was established, and now it was Ttilti’s turn to step up.