I Became a Swordsmanship Genius at the Academy

---

Kim Il-shin, who discovered the walled city, quickened his pace to approach it.

The closer he got, the more detailed the view of the walled city became.

Not only were there massive walls made of thick stone stacked layer upon layer, which were unseen outside…

But he could also see a horde of monsters surrounding it.

“…Are they being attacked?”

That was the moment Hazuki asked.

[Grant the citizens of the walled city a complete liberation from fear.]
[Progress: 0%]
[Clear reward: Dimension-selective travel ticket]

A translucent quest window suddenly appeared before him.

Reading its content reminded him of what Kim Il-shin had said about knowing how to return once they arrived.

“So this is that way.”

“Then we just deal with those monsters, right?”

Hanarine, who had read the same window, asked.

She had gotten off Kim Il-shin’s back and was preparing an attack-type magic tool.

“I’m going to handle this alone this time, so you two wait here.”

Kim Il-shin urged the two.

Considering the situation that would unfold after handling the monsters, he needed to proceed alone.

“Why? Isn’t the fear here referring to those guys? We can just take them out together.”

“Well, that’s true, but it’s not just about them.”

Kim Il-shin quickly explained the structure of the walled city and his plan.

The two understood without much difficulty.

“Then it’s best if we don’t step in here.”

“Be careful.”

The two sent him off without much concern.

There was absolutely no way Kim Il-shin would be in danger against those monsters.

“I’ll finish this quickly.”

With his sword drawn, Kim Il-shin began to dash toward the walls.

The visible monsters numbered 17 large, 32 medium, and 107 small.

Three minutes would be enough, but he was thinking of dragging it out to ten.

For his plan, a few spectators would be necessary.

*

Unlike the outside where nothing existed and no one could live, the inside of the walls was always abundant.

The fertile land yielded bountiful harvests as soon as seeds were sown, and the well filled with clean water never ran dry.

The coats of well-fed livestock shimmered, and all the newborns were healthy.

Though it had all the conditions of a utopia, there was no such thing as a perfect place in the world.

Boom! Kaboom!

A continuous roar spread throughout the city.

It was the sound of the fierce monsters relentlessly pounding the walls.

Once a month, they faced a raid by giant monsters.

Every time, the citizens trembled in fear that the walls might collapse.

“When will the Lords arrive! At this rate, we’ll be breached!”

Of course, they had ways to stop the attacks.

The Lords were composed of three members.

Possessing power so strong they could hardly be thought of as human, they were the only means to protect the walled city from the monster raids.

However, to the citizens, the Lords were not heroes but another object of fear.

“I heard they said to wait until they’re done drinking.”

“What?! Drinking? Those bastards…”

“If they threw a fit at us, at least they should do this right…!”

A frail man burst out in anger but staggered helplessly. He had barely consumed anything but water for days.

Next to him, his trembling wife and child were clinging together, both reduced to mere bones.

Aside from them, most citizens suffered from long-lasting hunger.

In exchange for protecting the walled city from attacks, the Lords demanded vast amounts of food and labor from the citizens.

So much so that people were dying from starvation in this bountiful place.

And did protection really take place? Not at all.

It was common for them to get drunk and delay their actions like now. There were days they claimed to be busy and didn’t show up at all.

On one of those days, a hole was breached in the wall, and dozens died. The injured were countless.

Even with their arrogance and unruly behavior, the citizens had no courage to rebel against them.

It was clear that any rebellion would be crushed by the overwhelming power of the Lords.

And even if they managed to drive them away, it would lead to breaches in the walls, and they’d meet their death at the hands of the monsters.

In the end, all they could do was tremble in fear like this.

Rumble!

“Ahh!”

“Over there! It’s cracking!”

At that moment, an ominous vibration shook the walls, and cracks began to form.

Remembering the earlier collapse incident, the citizens immediately prepared to flee to the center.

Kaboom!!

At that moment, a colossal roar unlike any heard before echoed from outside.

It sounded as if dozens of lightning strikes hit at once.

Upon hearing that, the citizens felt their feet catching fire. They thought the walls would collapse soon.

“…But doesn’t this feel odd?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, there’s no sound.”

However, a moment later, the fleeing citizens began to feel something was off one by one.

Since that previous sound, the vibrations from the monster attacks had suddenly stopped.

-Kieeeek…!

-Kkiiiing…!

“What is… that noise?”

“It sounds like a scream, maybe…”

Moreover, if they focused, they could somehow hear noises similar to screams from the monsters.

“Have the Lords come out?”

“Impossible. They didn’t blow the trumpets. They were complaining last month that they wouldn’t come out without that. Those bastards follow those rules well.”

“…Then what is it?”

As the citizens pondered the situation outside, a youthful voice rang out.

“I’ll go check it out!”

With that cry, a boy dashed toward the walls.

“Tiltil, you idiot! Come back here!”

“Don’t worry!”

Ignoring the adults’ admonitions, Tiltil quickly began to scale the walls.

“Look at this kid!”

“Let him be. Who can stop Tiltil?”

No one knew Tiltil’s real name.

On the eve of his tenth birthday, his parents had died when a hole had been breached in the wall.

In the walled city, there was a tradition of naming children when they turned ten, but due to the death of his parents before then, Tiltil never received a name.

Generally, in such cases, adults would give a name, but Tiltil refused.

No one knew the reason.

The reason he came to be called Tiltil was because of the antics he pulled every day.

It was a common sight to see him setting fire to a monster’s tail or swinging around a snake.

On some days, he almost died while lurking around the Lords’ storage.

When asked why he did those things, he would always reply, “I was curious about what would happen.” And that was truly Tiltil’s sincerity.

‘I can’t hold back on this!’

Tiltil’s antics stemmed from his overflowing curiosity.

He had a hard time controlling his inquisitive nature.

“Almost there…!”

Soon Tiltil climbed the walls and looked down outside.

“……Wow.”

Then, unusually, he lost his words.

Outside the walls, a being even mightier than the Lords was performing a beautiful sword dance.

The movement, flowing along with the wind, instantly captivated the spectators, while the trajectory shimmering with the bright moonlight evoked admiration.

Without realizing it, Tiltil was drawn into the being’s movements.

“Hey! What are you doing!”

“Get a grip! What’s happening!”

If it wasn’t for his friends’ shouts, he would have stood there until the end.

Snapping back to reality, Tiltil urgently shouted.

“Hurry up and come see this! Quick!”

His friends, who had climbed the walls as well, kept gasping in amazement at the sight outside.

Feeling curious, other people began to climb the walls one by one.

Before long, as the top of the walls filled with people, all the monsters outside were defeated.

It was all done within ten minutes.

*

“Hm.”

Kim Il-shin, who sheathed his sword, looked up at the wall. More people had gathered than he expected.

All of them were gaunt, with poor complexions, staring at him with a mix of astonishment and fear.

‘There’s one curious child among them.’

Among them, a boy stood out, sending a look not of astonishment or fear, but of curiosity.

He seemed like a peculiar one.

Confirming their focused gazes, Kim Il-shin infused his voice with mana and shouted.

“I am a traveler from far away! While passing by, I noticed the walls were under attack and came to help! I did not do this for a reward, but could you please open the gates to allow my companions to rest a bit? I promise we won’t cause any trouble!”

Then the citizens atop the walls began to murmur.

“W-what should we do? Should we open it?”

“Open what? How can we trust that guy!”

“What’ll happen if we don’t open it? What if he breaks in?”

The citizens hesitated to make a decision, but it didn’t matter to Kim Il-shin.

No matter what choice they made, the gates would have to open.

Now that Kim Il-shin had appeared, the Lords who ruled this city could not suppress their desires.

“It is the command of the Lords! Quickly, open the gates!”

Crumble…

And that choice driven by lust would bring them to their doom.

[Grant the citizens of the walled city a complete liberation from fear.]
[Progress: 0.2%]