I Became a Swordsmanship Genius at the Academy

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Thud, thud.

Late at night, the sound of something knocking on the window suddenly echoed.

Turning his head, Kim Il-shin spotted a white dove outside the window.

The seal on the letter it was carrying was quite unique.

The dove-shaped seal flying toward the sky was the exclusive mark of the information merchant, Kim Tae-sang.

Recognizing it, Kim Il-shin opened the window and brought the dove inside.

He had a request delivered to Kim Tae-sang.

Flap.

The dove immediately swooped down and landed on the desk, leaving the letter behind before flying out again.

Kim Il-shin tore open the letter and read its contents.

‘Is it time already?’

The contents of the letter were quite serious.

It stated that the Jeokcheon-gyo had almost gathered all the identities of the people who entered the Cheonji Manmul-sang on the day of the incident.

This meant it wouldn’t be long before they discovered that Kim Il-shin possessed the Book of the Mad Demon.

They might have already found out.

‘They probably won’t move right away…’

Given the nature of Werther, who prioritized self-preservation, a haphazard attack was unlikely.

He needed to complete and execute his plan as soon as possible before he moved.

‘…It’s not going well.’

Thanks to spending the past time planning, he had nearly completed it.

However, he lacked the final piece to fill in the gaps of the plan.

‘Dealing with the Sword Demon might be fine though.’

Kim Il-shin had high confidence in his chances of winning against the Sword Demon in a one-on-one situation.

He was the one who had defeated Vernica at her peak when she had gone berserk.

Though she had grown stronger, a Sword Demon devoid of its original self wasn’t that difficult an opponent.

The biggest problem was Werther.

Considering his abilities, he would need someone beside him to temporarily withstand the Sword Demon’s attacks.

‘But where can I find that person?’

The only two that immediately came to mind were Baekhosan and the Sword Master.

However, the Sword Master couldn’t leave the barrier, and it was hard to ask for help from Baekhosan.

In such pressing circumstances, he couldn’t waste time running around looking for someone else.

He wondered if he should revise his plan now.

Step, step.

At that moment, footsteps were heard from the hallway outside.

It wasn’t that strange to hear footsteps in the dormitory hallway, but…

Each sound seemed to trigger a strong aura that jolted Kim Il-shin’s senses.

‘The aura is dense.’

It felt like extremely compressed internal energy was bursting out due to the pressure.

Yet, he didn’t feel any threat from it.

The clear aura flowing like a stream of water resembled that of the Sword Master.

As the footsteps reached the door, Kim Il-shin opened it without waiting.

Bang.

Behind the door stood Hazuki, her face wide-eyed in surprise.

***

The door opened before she could even knock.

Taken aback, Hazuki stood there dumbfounded.

‘How did he know…?’

“I could feel the aura coming from that direction.”

Kim Il-shin’s words felt as if he could read her thoughts, and she was taken by surprise once again.

Hazuki, who had undergone sudden growth, still couldn’t fully control her power.

Sometimes, her control slipped, causing her energy to leak.

However, the Sword Master had mentioned that such levels shouldn’t be noticeable to anyone but someone like him.

Yet, Kim Il-shin had picked it up from a distance immediately.

“Oh, it seems my power isn’t stable yet. I’m sorry.”

“No need to apologize. Just come in for now.”

Kim Il-shin guided her to sit on the bed while he took a seat in the desk chair.

Hazuki hesitated, feeling it was too rude, but leaving her standing would be even more disrespectful.

After seating Hazuki, Kim Il-shin asked.

“What do you want to say?”

“Um…?”

Hazuki responded with a suddenly awkward voice.

Her eyes lacked focus, and her face was flushed, making it seem like she might be coming down with a cold.

“…Since you’re here without contacting me at this hour, shouldn’t there be something else on your mind?”

“Ah, yes! That’s right.”

Hazuki shook her head a few times and continued with a serious tone.

“I have a favor to ask. I want to take part in this operation with you, Kim Il-shin.”

She had previously shared some of her plans with Hazuki.

It was best to share such significant matters in advance.

“If you want to help, I’d be glad to have you.”

“…I want to face the Sword Demon.”

However, that was something he hadn’t anticipated.

With her abilities, it was impossible for her to withstand a strike from the Sword Demon.

Judging by the aura she emitted, it seemed she had made some significant achievement.

Even so, wanting to confront the Sword Demon seemed reckless.

“What’s your reason?”

If Hazuki was making such a request, there must be another reason behind it.

That reason probably triggered her achievement.

“My father’s name is Endo Norio. He was chosen as the heir to the family before I was even born.”

Hazuki began to unravel her family history.

Kim Il-shin felt a bit taken aback but quietly listened to her story.

“As a child, he cared for me very much. I still vividly remember the times we played together.”

As the story unfolded, a sense of unease crept over Kim Il-shin.

Hazuki’s reaction when they encountered the Sword Demon and the current situation hinted at the story’s conclusion.

“The incident occurred that day. He killed everyone in our household, then plunged into the Jeokcheon-gyo. Afterward, he became infamous as the Sword Demon.”

When Hazuki concluded her story, she lifted her head. It was her first time revealing her family history.

It was clear what kind of reaction would arise if she revealed that her father was a mass murderer.

Moreover, for the sake of her public image, she couldn’t disclose it.

However, at that moment, Hazuki’s expression showed no signs of anxiety after finishing her tale.

She felt that revealing this fact would not lead to any changes in him.

“My father, Endo Norio, is the Sword Demon. And I want to eliminate him.”

And that prediction turned out to be correct.

Kim Il-shin’s eyes widened in surprise, yet they held no trace of negative emotion.

“…I see. You’ve worked hard.”

He merely offered a brief comfort, as if he had just learned an unknown fact.

That response made Hazuki’s heart pound wildly.

***

‘…Hazuki is the daughter of the Sword Demon.’

Kim Il-shin was very surprised upon hearing Hazuki’s words. It was a fact he had absolutely no prior knowledge of.

To him, the Sword Demon was just an extra that retired early in the story.

There was no way he could know anything about that character’s past or personal details.

Until the hidden route activated without the conditions known, he wouldn’t have had the chance to encounter him again, so there wouldn’t have been any reason to seek that information.

‘If I had known this, I should have looked into it a bit more.’

Now it made sense why Hazuki had reacted strangely back then.

She encountered the father she thought was dead right before her eyes.

“Even so, I can’t accept your request.”

However, the story from the past and Hazuki’s request were separate matters.

No matter how compelling her reasons were, he couldn’t push an unprepared person into the jaws of death.

“…If you say so, Kim Il-shin, I won’t impose any further.”

With that, Hazuki tried to stand up, but Kim Il-shin held her back.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“Huh…? You need to rest now…”

“I need to check if you’re ready.”

“What do you mean…! Thank you!”

And with that, Hazuki smiled brightly.

Kim Il-shin headed to the training grounds with her.

***

Thanks to the late hour, the training hall was empty, and Kim Il-shin and Hazuki stood in its center.

Kim Il-shin looked at the watery sword in Hazuki’s hand and spoke once more.

“Once again, you need to give it your all. If you mess up, you could die.”

“Yes. I’ll keep that in mind.”

The test’s requirement was to deflect Kim Il-shin’s sword strike just once to pass.

It seemed simple at a glance, but the difficulty was far from that.

Kim Il-shin would mimic a strike from the Sword Demon.

At the Cheonji Manmul-sang, he had witnessed the Sword Demon without fully mastering the Baeksan Sword Technique.

Though he had enhanced it by mixing in his own swordsmanship, it remained an incomplete work.

Thus, it was also possible for Kim Il-shin to grasp the essence of swordsmanship and reconstruct it.

‘I’ll go even further.’

However, in actual combat, anything could happen.

Kim Il-shin infused his reconstructed strike with his insights, deepening its complexity.

If Hazuki’s achievement were just the aura visible on the surface, she would never be able to deflect that strike.

Kim Il-shin wouldn’t take it lightly either, so if she didn’t engage earnestly, she could suffer serious injuries.

“Are you ready?”

“Yes.”

“Then here I come.”

“…Yes.”

At last, the strike drawn from the tip of Kim Il-shin’s sword transcended mere memory.

Numerous trajectories, sharper and more intricate than before, surged toward Hazuki, seeking her life.

With not a single opening allowed for the deadly attacks rushing in at high speed, Hazuki drew her sword.

A single swing. The sound that followed was multiple.

Clang clang clang!!

With a metallic clashing sound, all the strikes that had come rushing in were deflected and disappeared.

What remained was only the aura of Hazuki, distinctly filling the space.

Kim Il-shin, watching that scene, smiled with satisfaction and said.

“Pass.”

At last, he had found the final piece.