Ch.23Chapter 23: Declaration of Candidacy

Victor couldn’t understand it logically.

The mana that Valt had wrapped around himself wasn’t refined aura, just raw mana.

Naturally, a 4th floor aura attack should have penetrated it and crushed the arm muscles.

The reason for Valt’s surprise was simple.

Despite being 4th floor aura, Victor’s technique had clearly wounded Valt’s arm.

It meant he had combined muscle, technique, and aura to produce power approaching the 5th floor.

It made sense, of course.

Even with the same amount of aura, different methods of application could produce different effects.

That’s why techniques called “Ultimate Skills,” “Secret Arts,” and “Decisive Battle Techniques” exist for a reason.

But to Victor, Valt’s arm appeared completely unharmed.

Tada!

In an instant, Victor leaped back to distance himself from Valt and asked with an astonished expression.

“W-what? Valt! That, muscle? Did you just withstand it with muscles!? A 4th floor aura!?”

While the enhancement magic “Indu Furnace” was active, what Victor said was half correct.

“Yes, it’s muscle.”

Hearing Valt’s answer, Victor experienced a tremendous shock.

“E-even so, that’s impossible!!”

Finding this amusing, Valt threw a half-joking, half-serious comment at this muscle devotee.

“The limits of muscle are boundless.”

Boom!

At Valt’s response, Victor felt as if he heard thunder crashing and realized his own ignorance.

‘H-have I been someone who only praised muscles with my mouth!! How shameful!’

But Valt’s teasing didn’t end there.

“When muscles are extremely developed, even this becomes possible. Try to block it well.”

With that, Valt lunged at Victor.

Thud!

‘He looks sturdy, but earth magic or hammers might be too much for him. So what would work best? Right, since this is martial arts, a fist would be most appropriate.’

Valt extended his palm, creating a precise fist shape unlike his previous crude Wind Fist, and thrust it toward Victor.

Since Victor had called out his technique name, and Valt had heard that announcing techniques was proper etiquette in sparring, he playfully called out his technique.

“Muscle Wind Fist.”

He had actually considered naming it “Muscle Wind Punch” (Geunpungkwon), but that sounded less magical.

Whoosh!

As a massive fist shot out from Valt’s palm and rushed toward Victor, Victor hastily drew up his aura, crossed his arms in an X-shape, and defended against Valt’s Wind Fist.

Boom!!

Skreeeeech!

“Nngh, nnnngh!!”

Though Victor avoided the embarrassment of being knocked flat on his back, despite his perfect defense, he was pushed back more than 10 meters by Valt’s fist.

“T-this is magic, isn’t it!?”

Valt shouted to Victor from a distance.

“That’s right, but did I stand still and perform magic calculations? Let’s say I just used an incantation.”

The current attack was at least 4th circle magic or higher.

Using such magic while moving at that speed with just an incantation? Impossible unless you’re a 5th circle wizard or higher.

But Valt only showed one circle of magic. That was completely nonsensical.

“T-then this is!?”

“It’s magic created by using muscles to generate wind.”

Boom!

Though Valt’s words were half in jest, Victor took them seriously.

Once again, he heard thunder in his mind as all his common knowledge about muscles shattered.

“S-still, I’m the disciple of the Fist King! I can’t lose!”

“Very well, come at me.”

Thud!

Crash!

Crack!

Boom!

Crunch!

The training ground was devastated as dust flew everywhere.

Each time the two muscular men collided, even the air seemed to tremble.

Fortunately, the training ground had restoration magic cast on it, so it would be repaired within a day.

Watching from a distance while lying down, Riman had brought popcorn and ale.

‘This is like some monster battle royale… reminds me of when an ogre fought a minotaur back in the day.’

“Wind Screw Fist!”

A technique that enhanced the Wind Fist by adding rotational force to increase its power.

“Urgh!”

Though Victor, already battered, blocked with his thick arms using aura, the rotational force penetrated his defense and struck his pectoral muscles.

Wham!!

Thud! Thud! Thud! Crash!

“Gaaack!!”

Blown away by Valt’s strike, Victor bounced along the ground before crashing into a wall with a groan.

Concerned about the sturdy fellow who had been sent flying so violently, Valt asked worriedly.

“Are you alright?”

Barely managing to stand up while staggering, Victor finally dropped to one knee and said.

“Ugh! I-I’ve lost! Not just in skill, but I’ve been completely defeated in muscles too. I admit defeat.”

Watching from afar, Riman thought.

‘Heheh, these guys are hilarious. These muscle-heads are providing plenty of excitement, but it’s too one-sided to be interesting. Well, how could that guy possibly penetrate Valt’s muscles? That Valt is falling behind in movement, so he’s just taking all the attacks and counterattacking. What a brute.’

That was true.

The only area where Valt fell behind Victor, who had received systematic training, was one thing:

Flexible movement through martial arts application.

But to attack, Victor naturally had to extend his fist toward Valt.

Valt didn’t bother trying to match Victor’s movements, instead defending against incoming attacks and then counterattacking.

Valt’s muscles were truly an iron wall.

Victor’s techniques could only inflict minor wounds at best.

It was impossible for Victor to defeat Valt when the exchange was so uneven.

While Valt found the sparring match disappointingly short, he still enjoyed it.

He also reconfirmed how powerful his physical body was.

And regarding his offensive power, which had been a question mark:

The effectiveness of Valt’s physical magic depended on how much physical force it generated.

In fact, the Wind Screw Fist that Valt had cleverly created became more powerful by adding rotational force as a physical component.

He was confident this would be somewhat effective even against 5th floor aura users.

He hadn’t even used spirit magic at all.

Moreover, Valt’s physical magic was more powerful with earth attributes than wind attributes.

And he also realized his shortcoming.

Movement.

While Valt’s instinctive movements at ultra-close range surpassed Victor’s, he found it slightly difficult to keep up with Victor’s strange movements utilizing footwork techniques.

This was a challenge he would need to overcome later.

Valt was very satisfied with the results of the sparring match.

He felt confident that he could now hold his own against practitioners in the late 5th floor.

“Good work, Victor. Go to the infirmary for treatment.”

As Valt turned to leave after saying this, Victor ran up to him and exclaimed.

“Big bro! Please let me call you big brother!”

Valt asked with a bewildered expression.

“Big… brother?”

Victor bowed his head to Valt and said.

“Yes!! I saw my future in you, Big Brother Valt!! If I could achieve even half of your physique!! I’m certain I could surpass my master as a martial artist.”

He already seemed to be about halfway there…

Besides, there was nothing Valt could teach him even if he said such things.

How could he change the inherent differences between their races?

“Ah, Victor, this is because I’m a Gerungtu…”

“Please don’t refuse! I’ll learn by following you around and observing! All you need to do is treat me as your little brother!”

If that was the case, there was no reason to push him away.

“W-well… if that’s what you want, go ahead.”

“Thank you! Thank you! Big Brother Valt!”

And thus, after Lisa, Valt gained another follower.

“Then go about your business. I’m planning to go train some more.”

“Yes, sir!”

Suddenly remembering something, Valt asked Victor.

“By the way, Victor, how old are you?”

“I’m 22!”

“I’m 20.”

“……”

A moment of silence passed.

But Victor came up with the best answer.

“…Whoever has bigger muscles is the big brother.”

Well, given the university-like system, it was natural to have freshmen of various ages.

Besides, this wasn’t Korea anyway.

Somehow, Valt had ended up with an older little brother.

Valt chuckled at the comment about bigger muscles making one the big brother.

“Alright then, take care.”

“Take care, Big Brother!”

It sounded like something from a neighborhood gang. Valt made a mental note to tell him not to greet him like that next time.

***

Grovint Academy emphasizes practical education.

While they do teach theory, most of the basics are learned before adulthood at other academies, from family, or from masters.

And there are entirely separate academies for teaching disciplines requiring deeper knowledge.

In other words, Grovint is an academy that produces people who can fight.

The current era may seem peaceful with few human wars, but the reality is different.

The threat of monsters. And criminals and dark organizations hiding somewhere, watching for opportunities.

The Fantaria Continent is truly massive.

In terms of size, it’s even larger than Earth.

On this vast landmass live countless monsters that threaten humans.

These creatures are extremely hostile to humans, as if instinctively programmed from birth.

Of course, this applies not just to humans but also to elves, dwarves, and other humanoid races.

In the face of such monstrous threats, strong military power is essential.

The academy’s entrance exam begins with this in mind.

The academy attracts all kinds of people as freshmen.

It’s obvious that education becomes less effective when people of vastly different levels are lumped together.

Therefore, the entrance exam provides minimal filtering to distinguish between the strong and the weak.

And providing education tailored to these distinctions clearly produces better results.

The entrance exam is tomorrow.

Valt awaited the test with anticipation.

The exam consists of five components.

First is the written test.

It covers relatively basic knowledge that academy members should know.

However, there’s a saying that in the practically-focused Grovint, this written test is merely a formality.

What matters are the four practical tests.

First is the physical ability test.

It evaluates how well one’s body can move.

However, it assesses pure physical performance without mana.

Second is the mana and aura output test.

It checks one’s basic mana capacity,

aura floor achievement, and mana circle achievement.

Third is the mana and aura control test.

While raw power is important, efficiency in control is equally crucial.

It tests what destructive power one can achieve using their specialty with mana control.

Fourth is the practical combat ability test.

Even exceptional abilities are meaningless if they can’t be utilized in actual combat.

This is the highlight of the entrance practical exam and the grand festival marking the beginning of Grovint Academy.

Namely, the tournament between freshmen.

All five tests are scored separately to determine class placement.

The entire process takes place over a one-week period.

Since the exam starts tomorrow, Valt only trained in the morning and returned to the dormitory to rest.

Reading the entrance exam guide, Valt muttered.

“Hehe, this will be fun.”

The moment had arrived for the son of Kwan, who aimed to conquer the continent, to make his mark at the finest academy that gathered the best talents from across the continent.

With an excited heart, Valt resolved.

‘I’ll show them what a Gerungtu is truly capable of!’