Chapter 26

The academy’s curriculum was quite flexible.

Students who wanted to become knights could learn weapon techniques and horsemanship, those dreaming of becoming judges could study the laws of various countries, and those hoping to become administrative officials could learn about administration and management – they could choose lectures related to what they wanted to study.

Of course, this didn’t mean they could only take lectures they wanted.

There were mandatory lectures like the kingdom’s history, relations with neighboring countries, basic literature and etiquette, and Professor Felix’s “Difference Between Theory and Practice” was one of them.

“First years 11, second years 21, third years 11, fourth years 6… Why are there only 6 fourth years?”

“Professor Paison took them for the knighting ceremony in three days.”

“What does having a knighting ceremony have to do with skipping my lecture?”

“……”

“Tsk.”

The moment Felix clicked his tongue, all the students couldn’t help but tense up.

An elite mercenary who had solved numerous missions deemed impossible and was specially invited to become a professor at the academy.

Getting on his bad side could cause serious trouble regardless of noble status.

“We’ll start with a light warm-up then move to sparring. You know the rules, right?”

“Yes!”

“Oh right, I almost forgot. Student Leon, come forward.”

While students frantically pretended to look for sparring partners at his voice tinged with subtle killing intent, Leon walked slowly forward through them.

“Student Leon. Do you have a valid reason for missing my lecture yesterday?”

“Don’t you already know, Professor?”

“What do you mean?”

“I was beaten severely by students and passed out, so I couldn’t attend the lecture.”

A heavy silence fell over the venue at Leon’s casually spoken words.

Though everyone knew Leon was being bullied as an open secret, it had never been brought up as a topic of conversation in front of so many people, let alone a professor.

‘He’s changed.’

Like a lie that he had trembled like prey before a predator unable to even make eye contact properly, Leon was standing confidently without a trace of trembling while staring straight at him.

Though Felix felt some favor toward this confident attitude, he didn’t show it outwardly.

“What does that have to do with missing my lecture? Got beaten by other students so couldn’t come? You think such an excuse will work? Whether arms break, legs break, even if summoned by His Majesty the King himself, there is no excuse for missing my lecture.”

“As my supervising professor, do you have no intention of making allowances for a student facing discrimination and unfair treatment without cause?”

“Why should I? The academy isn’t your home and I’m not your parent. Whatever circumstances exist, that’s an individual student matter, isn’t it? You’re not a snot-nosed child anymore – once you’re an adult, you need to handle your own affairs.”

“…Look at this otherworld level. No, come to think of it, maybe this is normal here?”

“What are you saying?”

“My words slipped for a moment. That aside, I have something I want to ask – is this opinion that whatever happens is just an individual student matter and everyone must handle their own affairs your personal view or the academy’s official stance as a professor?”

At this utterly nonchalant attitude, Felix gave a hollow laugh and said:

“That’s right. Any other questions?”

“None at the moment.”

“Then it’s time to pay the price for being late to lecture. Ten laps around the academy or one punch. Choose one.”

“I’ll take one clean punch…”

Crack!

Before he could finish speaking, Felix’s fist buried itself in his stomach.

“Ugh, is that all?”

“…Yes.”

Felix wore a strange expression seeing Leon casually get up and dust off his clothes.

Though it wasn’t a punch thrown to harm but simply for punishment, it was by no means weak.

‘Even with considerable willpower it should be hard to get up immediately, yet he not only gets up but shows no change in expression. Maybe I’m imagining it but the impact felt a bit shallow, just what happened? He’s like a different person.’

While Felix watched with interest at his drastically changed appearance from when he last saw him, whether aware or not, Yuseong narrowed his eyes and rubbed his stomach.

-A-are you alright? Professor Felix’s strike isn’t something you can endure through willpower alone. No one would say anything if you sat down to rest for a moment.

‘I didn’t endure it but redirected it. The impact wasn’t as big as you think.’

-You redirected Professor Felix’s attack?

‘Not completely, about half?’

Despite using Shadow Moon Style 16 based on Asura Perception Way to redirect the impact and using Pain Nullification on top, the faint pain rising was by no means light.

“Are you crazy?”

“……”

“Are you ignoring me now?”

Looking up at the boys surrounding him, Yuseong smiled brightly and said:

“Were you talking to me just now?”

“This guy really has gone crazy. Dennis, didn’t you say you’d properly educate him yesterday? Why is he like this? Ah, did you hit him too hard and make him weird?”

“T-that’s…”

“What’s wrong? Are you hurt somewhere?”

Seeing Dennis stuttering, Yuseong smiled with satisfaction.

Last night, Yuseong had beaten Dennis mercilessly when he charged at him.

At first Dennis charged in rage unable to accept being hit, but soon raised the white flag after endless beating.

Of course, if that was all there was to it, he wouldn’t be showing such a passive reaction.

Based on what he heard from Leon, Dennis and the other bullies who led the ostracism weren’t the type to reflect and regret their actions just from taking a few hits.

So Yuseong went all the way.

-…I thought you were really going to kill him.

‘It was a bit excessive.’

Yuseong used Dennis as a test subject to check several things – whether the body structure and vital points were the same as Earth humans, whether people of this world had better stamina, what changes mana use caused to the body, etc.

When he passed out from pain Yuseong would hit him awake, when he tried to run he would strike his knees to drop him and beat him, when tired he would rest to recover stamina then beat him again – this violence lasting half a day must have left quite an impression as Dennis couldn’t even make proper eye contact with him now.

Though he was pretending to be normal by moving his body with mana, Dennis was in such poor condition that even a slight impact would make him collapse.

Unaware of this situation, the boy tilted his head then spoke:

“Well, I’ll handle this myself. Leon, time for some discipline… no, let’s fight.”

Taking his silence as trembling in fear, the boy smiled cruelly.

“You’re not refusing, are you?”

-You must accept no matter what happens.

‘Why?’

-Professor Felix’s lectures emphasize practical combat, so refusing to spar is seen as accepting defeat without fighting and results in the lowest grade. Shamefully, my grades are already at the bottom so even one lowest grade would mean failing.

‘Practical emphasis? So injuries are allowed?’

-Yes. However, if someone uses serious assassination techniques or the situation becomes severe, the professor will intervene and stop it.

‘…I see.’

As Yuseong raised his head, there was a cruel smile on his face.

“Alright. Let’s fight.”

“Acting like you had to think about it when you were going to accept anyway.”

Looking at the boy pointing a wooden sword at him, Yuseong raised both hands into a basic boxing stance.

“What’s with that stance? Finally giving up that pathetic usual stance?”

The Bermund family was once a famous martial arts house but lost their secret techniques after losing their head and core members during a war.

All that remained intact was one mana training method – of their secret Bermund Martial Art’s 11 forms, most were lost with only 2 remaining, naturally leading to the family’s decline. Leon entered the academy to restore his fallen family.

The boy couldn’t help but be taken aback seeing Leon take a new stance after stubbornly sticking to the incomplete Bermund style for over a year claiming to restore the lost techniques.

‘The result is obvious anyway, what does stance matter.’

He couldn’t even imagine losing no matter what stance Leon took.

Who loses to a training dummy?

So the boy aimed his wooden sword at his opponent’s face and charged without hesitation.

Thwack!

“Ugh?”

After tilting his head sideways to narrowly dodge the thrust, Yuseong drove his elbow into the boy’s stomach.

As if unable to grasp what had happened, the boy clutched his stomach and looked around before belatedly understanding the situation seeing the dumbfounded gazes of watching students and Leon’s faint smile, then got up and charged.

“You dare!”

Yuseong avoided the barrage of wooden sword strikes aimed at vital points with light movements.

Though thrusts were fast, they had the weakness of being easily dodged if you could predict the timing and target point due to their narrow attack range.

Of course, in normal situations that wouldn’t be a weakness.

It sounds easy when said but predicting and dodging a trained swordsman’s thrusts was absolutely not simple.

‘Not if you’re just reacting to what you see with your eyes!’

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

“Ugh! Gah! Kuhk?!”

Yuseong raised the corners of his mouth seeing the boy groan with each landed hit.

‘As expected, Asura Perception Way is broken.’

In the slowed perceived time, Yuseong could observe and analyze changes in stance, weight shifts, and muscle movements in real-time to predict where attacks would come before the sword even moved.

When physical abilities are similar but one side can read all attacks, naturally a proper fight couldn’t be established.

“Aaaaahh!”

Perhaps unable to bear the reality of being beaten by someone he had looked down on as less than a bug in front of everyone.

Seeing the boy charge with a scream-like battle cry, Felix’s forehead wrinkled.

Based on the speed and momentum increased several times above normal, he had clearly used mana to enhance his physical abilities.

Though he had shown an unexpected side, Felix judged this attack couldn’t be dodged and was about to jump in to stop the match but had to pause.

‘The match continues until the professor intervenes in a serious situation or one side acknowledges defeat. In other words, until Felix intervenes and the opponent admits defeat, any method is allowed?’

Using Flash Step to get inside before the sword could swing, Yuseong grabbed the boy’s arm and applied force.

Shadow Moon Style 16. Tree Twisting.

A technique for subduing resisting opponents.

However, without holding back, Tree Twisting could be reborn as an excellent joint lock.

Crack!

“Aaaaghh!”

Everyone froze unable to react to the clear sound of breaking bone and scream loud enough to echo through the academy.

And Yuseong didn’t miss that instant to chain follow-up techniques.

Shadow Moon Style 16’s Mist Kick shattered the knee at full power while Thunder Pierce stabbed vital points throughout the body and Rock Piercing crushed fingers to pieces.

“Stop!”

As Felix belatedly came to his senses and opened his mouth, Yuseong stepped back as if waiting for this.

“I apologize. When he used killing techniques I instinctively reacted.”

“You’re saying that’s an excuse?”

“Not an excuse, just stating facts.”

“Even if that’s true, you caused serious injury through excessive response beyond reasonable bounds. This can be grounds for punishment.”

“That doesn’t seem to be my fault? I simply did my best in the match – isn’t stopping serious injuries the professor’s role? And…”

Yuseong said with a sinister smile:

“When an academy student getting beaten so severely by other students that they can’t properly attend lectures is merely an individual matter to handle themselves, aren’t you overreacting about some minor injuries during class in a mutually agreed upon match?”