Chapter 32: The Knight Does His Side Job Seriously Too (3)

“While I told you guys to jump rope 10,000 times, I won’t set a time limit for you. What I want is not for you to ‘thoughtlessly’ fill the quota but for you to build up your stamina and endurance so that you can spin the iron chain 10,000 times. What did I tell you? Don’t jump thoughtlessly! Stop focusing on the number! Feel the stimulation in your body, learn how your muscles and limbs move!”

Even the so-called young masters worthy of the red mark ropes weren’t spared from Lee Han’s scolding.

“Why can’t you understand what I’m trying to say? Do I need to spoonfeed everything to you so you can understand, huh? Is this because you are a pampered young master?”

“…I am not.”

“My ass. I could tell that your parents pampered you so much. Huh, could it be that you grew up without even realizing that?”

“Y-You…!”

“What? Is our Young Master angry? Well, sucks to be you then. It isn’t my fault that you’re so pathetic that even a demoted knight could mock you while you can’t even do anything about it. Tsk tsk.”

“Just you wait and see! Someday, I’m gonna slap you in the face—!”

“Oho… I’ll be waiting for that day then.”

“Grr—!”

Lee Han’s provocation skills were almost divine. He was able to rile those guys up with just his words alone.

He let out a laugh, telling them to keep on cursing him as much as they wanted inwardly.

Yes, yes, keep on cursing me so that I could live longer!

Unfortunately for those cadets, his mentality was too strong to be shaken by their curses.

Without mincing his words, he constantly hurled insults after insults toward them.

Of course, he didn’t just pay attention to those young masters, but to everyone.

Firstly, the cadets with yellow marks.

Or the chicks.

Most of them were women, so let alone Combat Technique, they hadn’t even learned the basics of swordsmanship to begin with.

That was why…

“Alright, I’ll tell you this first. You chicks aren’t ready to hold a wooden sword yet, let alone a real sword. That’s why, what you guys need to do right now is to build up your strength and stamina. Ah, right, don’t worry about gaining muscles during your exercise. Your muscles won’t build up in such a short period of time, and solely exercising won’t bulk you up.”

He was especially kind to them. It wasn’t because they were mostly women, though, but because they were just amateurs who still couldn’t be called a newbie yet.

They were like people who didn’t even know how to use a treadmill at the gym, bullying them for it was just wrong.

He needed to treat them with kindness, so he did.

“Question, Instructor. Does this rope jumping exercise really help us in building our stamina?”

“Good question, Chick Cadet Number 1.”

“C-Can’t you just call me Levy?”

That sincere question came from Levy Fault, the woman who had left a pretty good impression on Lee Han yesterday. A praiseworthy chick.

Now that he was in the position to teach others, he understood just how precious it was to have an earnest student who’d ask such a question.

Holding back the desire to give her something as a prize, Lee Han explained in a softer tone.

“Not only does rope jumping build your stamina, it will also strengthen your muscular endurance and cardiopulmonary system, and improve your sense of balance and athletic ability. You won’t feel the effect right away, of course, but as long as you do it consistently every day, you’ll feel the gradual change in your body.”

“Ah….”

“Also, this is the best exercise for dieting.”

“!!!”

The moment they heard that, all the female cadets raised their heads like meerkats, clearly interested.

With that, Lee Han gave the chicks a reason to work hard.

“Of course that isn’t all. If you just follow this set of exercises I gave you, you’ll find out that your bodies will suit more clothes than before. You guys should know already, no matter how good you think your body is, there are just some clothes that won’t fit you at all. In most cases that’s because your body is either too thin or just lacks elasticity. However, that problem can be fixed as long as your body is elastic enough. Even the clothes that don’t usually suit you will look good on you if you put them on.”

“Really?”

“Of course. What’s the use of me lying to you? Anyway, why don’t I show you something even more exciting? Maid!”

“Yes!”

As soon as Lee Han called her, Leila Winter appeared. It was the chicks’ first time to see her, but all their eyes widened the moment they saw her attire; the royal maid’s uniform.

After all, being a royal maid was one of the dream jobs that most noble women wanted.

And these chicks didn’t feel any different.

“Maid, please show us a demonstration.”

“Okay.”

Even though her tone and expression made the chicks doubt her for a second, once she started her curtsy, the chicks’ eyes completely changed. Their gazes were filled with astonishment.

“I-It’s perfect.”

Such a word came out of a chick who was a noble lady from a long-standing family, and everyone who heard her words agreed with her.

Leila’s curtsy was indeed beautiful and perfect.

“You can see it yourself, the maid’s posture is beautiful. Why is that the case? Because her sense of balance and posture are perfect. To achieve this kind of perfection and beauty, you need to have sufficient strength in your backs and buttocks. Now after hearing all this, do you feel like working a little harder now?”

“…Yes.”

“Good, good. I promise you, as long as you chicks follow the training schedule I gave you, you’ll have a wonderful posture that would make everyone who sees it find it beautiful.”

“U-Understood!”

With that, the female cadets, no, the chicks promised to follow his words like believers of God.

This was an expected outcome though, since what moved people was always fundamental desire.

Even though he felt that it was funny that he was doing something like this, he was supposed to be kind to these newbies.

On the contrary, though…

“You green sprouts.”

“…Are you talking to us?”

“Yes. I am talking to you guys.”

“…It doesn’t feel like an insult, but it still hurts, somehow…”

He was particularly strict with those with green markers. It was because these guys weren’t newbies, but those whose skills were lacking.

“You guys haven’t learned Combat Technique, but you guys have learned some swordsmanship, maybe you’ve been doing it since you were young even. That’s the reason why your basics are quite decent. I guess I can say that in this regard, you’re better than those young masters with red marks.”

“…So being called sprouts isn’t all that bad…”

“Why are you so proud when you aren’t even a weed yet?”

“T-That’s…”

“Alright, enough for that, I’m gonna give you some genuine advice. Look, if you want to become a knight, I’d say that you should just quit the Academy right now.”

“…W-Why?”

After a brief silence, one of the sprouts decided to ask. There was always a reason behind their instructor’s harsh words, so he was probably betting on that.

And as expected…

“Because you guys haven’t learned Combat Technique.”

“…Ugh!”

The moment the topic of Combat Technique came out, their faces darkened, as if they finally had to face the reality they had been trying to ignore.

“You guys should know this already, but there’s simply too big of a gap between those who have learned Combat Techniques and those who have not. It’s like comparing an adult and a child.”

Even a large, well-built adult who was considered as a warrior in a small village would be overwhelmed by a child who had learned Combat Technique, and those who were called knights were people who had practiced Combat Technique to the extreme. This was why they were admired and feared at the same time.

“Of course, it isn’t like you can’t learn it. Since you’ve enrolled here, the Academy will naturally provide you with the basics of Combat Techniques. However, they’ll only provide you with low-quality ones. If I were to use a sandwich as a comparison… Let’s say that you’ll only get bread and veggies in that sandwich, so no ham, no cheese, or even sauce inside it. Well, of course if you’re a genius, even such low-quality Combat Techniques could make you improve leaps and bounds, but of course, only if you’re a genius.”

“…Haha.”

The cadets knew more than anyone that such a thing was just a fleeting dream. If they really were geniuses, there would be nobles who recognized their talents and took them in as a trainee in their family’s Knight Order already. They wouldn’t be here, trying their chances in the Academy.

“While yes, there’s nothing set in stone in this world, but I personally don’t think that your decision to stay in the Swordsmanship Department is a good one. You’d better be off joining a mercenary corps or a swordsman guild as they’ll give you better quality Combat Techniques instead. Though in exchange, you’d have to risk your lives for it.”

“But, I came here because I don’t want to live that kind of life.”

One of the sprouts answered.

When he heard those words, Lee Han nodded.

The life of a merc was the life that was close to death. As for guilds, they were a detestable bunch who’d do anything for money; people usually regarded them as vicious or cruel, even.

That was why people wouldn’t normally join both of them unless they had no other choice.

The problem here was…

Most commoner cadets in the Swordsmanship Department would usually drop out in their second or third year to join those bunch instead. Perhaps it was because they realized just how big the difference between them and those young masters from a noble family.

This was the reason why all the current second and third year students in the Swordsmanship Department were nobles.

In a way, the Academy was like a place where they could witness the unfairness of the world in such a clear and unfiltered way.

Though, it was a funny thing to see. Because the Academy was instated so that the kingdom could recruit talented prospects, but those mercs and guilds were the ones who benefited the most from it. Lee Han could tell that if things were to continue like this, in less than twenty—no, it probably wouldn’t even take ten, the balance of power between the Knight Order and those bunch would shift.

Because the Knight Order would never have the numerical advantage against those bunch, while those guys would only grow stronger and stronger.

Well, it’s not something I should worry about.

By then, I’d already defeated Baltar, or he grew too old and retired. By that point, there’d be no one to stop me from resigning.

…Surely he won’t be around even after ten years, right?

His age will catch up to him, right…?

…Right…?

“Instructor?”

“Ah, sorry, I was thinking about something…”

“…Thank you. For thinking about us that much…”

“W-Well, that’s my duty as an instructor…”

He noticed that they had misunderstood something, but he decided to just move on. Besides, the misunderstanding benefited him anyway.

“A-Ahem, anyway, I can’t be optimistic about you sprouts’ future even if you were to stay here in the Academy.”

“…”

“However, it’s my duty to teach you to the best of my abilities. Since I need to make you strong, I’ll at least teach you how to do ‘this’.”

“?”

“Look carefully.”

At that moment, Lee Han picked up a branch that was lying on the ground; a broken branch, but it looked pretty sturdy. He then lightly balled his fist.

And then…

“You saw it yesterday, right? This is a technique called ‘Martial Power’.”

Crunch-!

-!!!?

Right after he said that, the branch was crushed to dust, leaving the green sprout cadets speechless.

Of course, it wasn’t the fact that the branch was crushed that was surprising, it was the fact that he didn’t even make any moves.

He didn’t punch it, nor did he touch it; he just balled his fist and nothing else. And yet the branch was still crushed.

If they didn’t find this surprising, what would?

“Some of you might remember my words from yesterday. This is the thing that I called ‘the method of becoming strong’. It isn’t a Combat Technique, but rather something that uses the overall strength of your bones, muscles, and tendons. In other words, this is a technique that is attainable through effort. Once you get the feel of it, you’ll find endless applications for it.”

“A-Are you really going to teach us such a precious technique?!”

Naturally, the green sprout cadets were shocked. While yes, he was an instructor, so it was his duty to teach them, but they never expected him to teach them such a precious technique.

After all, they had seen what he could do with it. They had seen how he overwhelmed all those geniuses to the point that they weren’t able to match him even if they were to die and come back to life, with just a wooden sword.

The cadets were more than aware the reason why he could do that was because of this miraculous technique. It was just hard for them to believe that he’d just teach them such a precious technique without a second thought.

And they were right, there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world.

“Of course I have no intention of teaching you just like that.”

Lee Han wasn’t the kind of person who would just give out something for free, after all.

This was his technique, the idea that he realized through battlefield and training; so to say it was his ‘intellectual property’. It would be a big loss to him if he just taught it to anyone just for the sake of teaching.

But…

In martial arts novels, usually when a martial artist retires, they’ll teach their techniques to others to make a living, right?

I’m doing exactly that!

Call it my pension!

Hiding his secret intention, Lee Han continued his long explanation.

“To learn this technique from me, you have to treat me as your ‘Great Master’. Not only that, you also have to pay the fee to me for fifteen years after you receive your first income from your job. Also, you must not teach this technique to anyone without my permission!”

Of course, a 15-year long-term pension is a must!

“Also, if you learn the technique, you will have to form a master-pupil relationship with me. But don’t think that it’s just a game of loyalty. It means that all of you need to monitor each other so that no one leaks out this technique. You’d also have to watch over each other if there’s anyone among you who misuses it. In that case, you’d have to punish them as well.”

This part is also important. If I have children in the future, I’d need to pass them some assets. That’s why I can’t let anyone steal them from me!

“Of course, I’m not asking you to decide right now. You have to think about it carefully before telling me your decision. In some ways, this could just be an important turning point of your life. However, let me say something to you. To become stronger, don’t you think you’d need to have the ‘resolve’ to risk your life? That’s all.”

“…”

Silence fell as soon as Lee Han finished speaking.

Because his words were just that surprising to the cadets.

Those conditions…are strict…but very doable!

While Lee Han imposed such strict conditions, for these sprouts, these conditions were extremely acceptable.

After all, even their swordsmanship masters imposed similar conditions to them.

The only difference here was that the instructor’s conditions were a little stricter and lasted for a longer-term.

However, that was still an acceptable proposition. After all, they’d get to learn a valuable skill that they couldn’t learn anywhere else.

Nevertheless, they still had to think about it carefully. Because, from the instructor’s words, they’d need to have a strong resolve; enough to risk their life.

They had to give it more thought so that they won’t regret their decision later.

“Kunta wants to learn that! Instructor, Kunta will call you Great Master!”

“What if there’s a fight or problem between fellow pupils? Is there a set rule for that circumstance?”

“You sure you don’t want us to call you Your Lordship instead of Great Master, Instructor?”

“It seems like luck is in my favor. I’ve wanted to learn that technique ever since I first saw it.”

“To think those who were already skillful still want more…”

The four cadets who had been listening to him for some time gathered in an instant, and Lee Han could only shake his head because of how absurd it was.

These punks already got so much, why are they so greedy?

The moment the sprouts saw the talented cadets willingly taking such conditions…

“…We only live once, we should try.”

Their hesitation was completely dispeled.

“By the way, Sir Knight.”

“What’s the matter, Maid?”

“You just formed a new force, Sir! What will you call it?”

“What will I call it? Huh?”

“Yes! After all, every force needs a name!”

“A name, huh?”

The maid made a really good point, Lee Han hadn’t even thought about it.

Even though it was decided arbitrarily, it was still important to give it a name so that his disciples had a sense of belonging.

After he thought about it for a while…

“[108 Arhats¹]… Sounds decent enough, right?”

“That’s quite a unique name!”

“It means that I want to gather 108 excellent warriors someday, haha!”

“That’s a good meaning!”

The innocent maid, who knew nothing, praised him innocently.

Because of that, Lee Han’s heart felt a little stung.

At times, this kind of innocence could actually hurt someone more than anything else in this world.