I Became a Swordsmanship Genius at the Academy

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“That’s tough….”

In the personal training hall, Kim Il-shin mumbled while holding his sword.

The training of the Il-shin sword style that he had developed in the battle with Verneca was not going as smoothly as he had hoped.

There was no issue in drawing the sword. It was just the control of the power that was difficult.

Even in this place where minor scratches could be automatically repaired, a sword strike that erased the entire space could not be tolerated.

If he made a slight misstep, he could slice right through the training hall, so he had no choice but to be careful, which led to his clumsy movements.

Since the very essence of the sword assumed full power, it was hard to use it any weaker than that.

Even if he wanted to train outside, it wasn’t easy to find a place since he’d have to completely destroy the surroundings.

He even thought about buying a plot of land nearby.

Of course, it wasn’t like he had no gains during this time.

Kim Il-shin gripped the sword tightly and drew up his mana.

Whoosh—

The crimson wheel that sprang from the center of the sword revealed a blend of the Hyunwol Shin Gong technique.

The power of the crimson wheel that disassembles everything it touches appeared when the Il-shin Pa-cheon Gong was compressed to its limit.

He had managed to operate it at a level where it exerted almost no burden on his body.

This was partly due to his increased proficiency with the crimson wheel from the battle with Verneca, but the help of the divine spirit’s elixir was also significant.

It had not only healed his damaged mana circuits but had also solidly restructured them.

The healer said that the effect arose because Kim Il-shin’s body had accepted the full potency of the elixir.

‘Shall I call it a day for now?’

Checking the time, Kim Il-shin organized the training hall and stepped outside.

With the hot air rushing in, he noticed the much thinner clothing of the people.

Kim Il-shin headed toward the shopping district. There was a meat restaurant nearby where he was supposed to meet Hanarin.

Zing—

While he was walking along the road, his phone rang. The caller was Hazuki.

The message contained information that she would deliver the data he had requested about the last time tomorrow.

This time, there was no mention of how it would be delivered.

‘It’s a bit later than I thought.’

It wouldn’t have taken weeks just to organize the existing information.

He might end up with usable information.

‘I’m looking forward to it.’

*

Sizzle—shh. Sizzle—shh.

As soon as the meat was grilled, the chopsticks moved swiftly to pick it up. It seemed like the skill of a flash sword.

“Ahh.”

Kim Il-shin sighed and looked ahead. There was Hanarin.

“Ahem~”

Hanarin waved her chopsticks like a conductor’s baton while humming a tune.

Her cheeks were puffed up like a squirrel preparing for winter.

She had eaten so hastily that rice grains were stuck around her mouth.

“There’s plenty, so eat a bit slower.”

“Hot…!”

With a hand wiping her mouth, Hanarin finally snapped back to reality. But her gaze didn’t stop moving toward the meat.

“Don’t stop… I was so hungry……”

“That’s why I told you to make sure to eat a little while working.”

“Hehe, I forgot.”

“Ugh.”

Her brazenly carefree appearance made him sigh unconsciously.

In the end, giving up on control, Kim Il-shin silently grilled the meat for her.

Sizzle sizzle.

Perhaps due to spending each day in a workshop that felt like lava, she gobbled up the hot stuff with ease.

Moreover, even while eating so hastily, she didn’t touch the undercooked meat. Was it the insight of a blacksmith?

It was puzzling that even while doing that, she couldn’t cook meat to save her life.

‘I heard a weak flame is actually harder to handle.’

Considering his trained insight and hand skills as a blacksmith, it didn’t seem like a lie.

But whatever it was, it couldn’t be anything less than ridiculous.

“Ah, you became the top student this time, right?”

With her belly somewhat full, Hanarin’s eating speed slowed down as she spoke.

“Yeah. I didn’t think I would, but somehow it happened.”

He wondered if it was due to attendance and theory exam scores, but fortunately, he had achieved the top spot.

However, it seemed that Hanarin didn’t think so, as she leaned forward and narrowed her eyes.

Her expression seemed to say, “Don’t lie to me.”

“I truly didn’t think I would. I mean, I practiced a lot,” she said.

“Why would you have doubted? I saw you sparring. Why did those guys challenge you again after they got beaten last time?”

“I wouldn’t know.”

This sparring exam had the same opponents as last time, except for one.

The Namgoong brothers had thrown themselves into the ring again.

Thanks to physical training with Hercules Doube, they had morphed into full-blown muscleheads.

Despite their significantly grown appearance, the gap between them and Kim Il-shin had widened even more.

Still, their refusal to be discouraged after the brutal defeat was admirable.

Even if he caught on the fact that what they had said was, “We didn’t train enough!”

“So, what did you receive this time? Last time you got an elixir.”

“I haven’t received it yet.”

“Really? Why? Last time it was immediate.”

“I don’t know.”

While Kim Il-shin outwardly said this, he knew the reason well.

The mischievous principal of the Cosmo Academy had decided that this year’s top reward would be a ‘Mana Bomb’ boasting outrageous performance.

Naturally, upon discovering this, the staff went into a frenzy and maniacally blocked the distribution of the mana bomb.

No matter how many hero candidates were in attendance, handing a mana bomb to students was not something that would end with just one line of the Code of Conduct.

Naturally, it would cause an uproar, and tidying up the aftermath would all fall to the staff.

To ensure their timely clock-out, they had no choice but to prevent the principal from distributing it.

Thus, the delayed reward would eventually be given in the form of a scholarship later.

‘A mana bomb would be quite useful; it’s a pity. Should I ask if I can get it later when we meet?’

The rejected mana bomb must be gathering dust in the principal’s warehouse.

Given his personality, who hoped that his inventions would be used where needed, there was a possibility he might hand it over.

That was only a guess, but he seemed to have a liking for Kim Il-shin.

If not, he wouldn’t have so hastily given him that precious distorted hourglass.

He couldn’t be entirely certain, as he was a wild card.

“Shall we get up now?”

“Did you finish already?”

“Yup. I’m full now.”

After finishing the meal and heading to the register, the employee said,

“128,000 won, please.”

It was quite a hefty sum for just the two of them.

Both Kim Il-shin and Hanarin were surprisingly great eaters for their small frames.

“Here!”

Before Kim Il-shin could reach for his wallet, Hanarin jumped in and handed over her card.

“Hey! You were about to pay first again! No way. It’s my turn today!”

They had a mutual promise to alternate who would pay each day for their evening meals.

Though, it wasn’t always upheld.

Sometimes, Kim Il-shin, not really caring who paid, would just go ahead and pay regardless.

Whenever that happened, Hanarin would always pout and get frustrated with him.

“Can’t you remember? Yesterday was your turn. Today is mine. Is that so hard to remember?”

“I totally forgot. Sorry.”

“Ugh, seriously. How can I not be worried about you? You keep forgetting things.”

Hanarin looked smug about having caught him this time. Kim Il-shin gave in and left the shop.

The muggy weather. Yet it was completely pleasant. Hanarin felt the same way.

“Did you forget anything?”

“I’m not a kid, so no.”

“Just check. You might have forgotten again.”

“……What did you say I missed for lunch today?”

“Ugh…. I forgot, but… that’s different…!”

“How is it different?”

“Anyway, it’s different!”

Kim Il-shin and Hanarin walked down the street, chatting amiably.

*

‘When will they come?’

The next day, after all the classes had ended and during the class dismissal in the lecture room, Kim Il-shin fidgeted with his phone while thinking.

‘They said they’d deliver it today.’

It was information he had previously requested from Hazuki regarding Jicheonggyo and the Gwangma.

The message from yesterday mentioned that she would be delivering the information today.

However, just like before, there was no mention of how it would be delivered, so Kim Il-shin had no choice but to wait patiently.

‘Since they said they’d deliver it in person, maybe they sent someone.’

If that were the case, they could be waiting in front of the dormitory just like last time.

“Then thank you for your hard work today.”

With the class dismissal finally done, Kim Il-shin packed his things and exited the classroom.

Since he might cross paths, he hurried to the dormitory to wait.

“What? Is that true?”

“Yeah! I just saw it. They’re standing right there!”

“Wow… I thought that was just a rumor. But why is that person here?”

“How would I know?”

The hallway was more bustling than usual.

It seemed something astonishing had occurred, from what he could hear.

‘Did a celebrity come?’

With that thought, as Kim Il-shin descended the stairs, he couldn’t help but stop in his tracks upon seeing someone standing at the entrance.

In the crowded entryway, one familiar figure stood out prominently. It was Hazuki.

But that alone wasn’t what shocked him.

What really surprised Kim Il-shin was her clothing choice.

She was wearing the Cosmo Academy uniform.

“Wait, that outfit is…”

While Kim Il-shin was searching for the right words, Hazuki approached him with her signature warm smile and said,

“I told you, didn’t I? You’d see me very soon.”