episode_0024

“Come on! The morning of the second week has dawned! Everyone, lift your heads… Well, we’ve safely passed the first week. That’s a very good thing. They say well begun is half done, let’s continue to grow well in the future!”

Inside the gently lit Imchun Room.

Professor Liana stood at the lectern and was conducting the morning inspection.

“Everyone may have seen the academic schedule notice, and you may have heard it on the first day of the first week… Nevertheless, I will announce it again now!”

It wasn’t the casual attire from the weekend, but a mage dressed in a reversed robe.

“…Is that an artifact too?”

Changes that occurred upon entering magic.

Previously, I couldn’t read magic very finely. Even the spell formulae that make up magic were only glimpsed at the level of being carved into household products.

Now it’s different. I could read entire spell formulae carved into household products, and even the spell formulae that just looked like a lump of magic before, I could read them to some extent.

The same went for Professor Liana’s robe. I thought it was just a robe steeped in plenty of magic, but upon closer inspection, there were countless complex spell formulae interwoven.

It was presumed to be a considerable high-level artifact.

At that moment, Professor Liana’s gaze turned this way.

Her green pupils blinked, then her eye corners softened.

– Umm

I felt a brief resonance. A faint magic emanated from Professor Liana’s body. At the end of the manipulation of magic that made me involuntarily admire, a faint magical thread protruded and flew towards me.

– Hello?

As if a voice coming into my mind, my shoulders shrunk.

Thinking it might be an auditory hallucination, I realized the reason for Professor Liana’s magic reaching me.

‘Chun-eum… First time hearing about it.’

It’s a technique used sporadically by superhumans with excellent magic manipulation. It could be considered a downgrade of the unique ability of the Nenwa (念話) system.

It’s an impossible skill for me right now, but with magic affinity, someday it will be possible.

I straightened my hunched shoulders and nodded my head.

Professor Liana, smiling with satisfaction, scanned the audience.

“…….”

Hong Yeon-hwa glanced over here with a sidelong glance. When I turned my head wondering why, she turned her gaze as if it was nothing.

In the third week, as everyone knows, the dungeon conquest schedule is set! Specifically, it will take place on Monday and Tuesday of the third week, spanning two days.

Dungeon conquest.

An obligation that is hard to avoid when acting as a hero.

Shiyoram is an educational institution aimed at nurturing heroes. Therefore, most academic schedules are mostly related to heroes.

“The type is periodic simple subjugation of Grade 4 dungeons. Each team consisted of three combatants and two support members. We would like to inform you in advance that the teams were formed based on positions and performance to achieve a balanced composition!”

In the past, dungeons were objects of terror.

They would appear in the world without warning, gnawing away at territories, ultimately causing collapses, contaminating the surroundings, and scattering waves of monsters.

Now?

Upper-level dungeons are still objects of fear and vigilance. Upper-grade… If mishandled, even Grade 2 or Grade 1 dungeons can instantly devastate the surrounding area.

However, lower-grade dungeons have not been much of a threat lately.

What was it again? Roughly speaking, if armed with dozens of soldiers, Grade 4 dungeons could be subjugated.

Of course, if traps are abundant, the story would change, but if it’s a simple case of spewing out monsters from a lower hierarchy like Grade 8, it can be resolved.

During the great upheaval, there weren’t enough personnel to handle lower-grade dungeons, and their numbers were so high that they posed a threat, but these days, they’re more like piles of money.

If dungeons become too easy, will they start appearing like breeding grounds? Wouldn’t people be astonished if extreme heroes from the era of chaos were brought in to show off?

“Team members will be announced just before the conquest. The idea is to cooperate with random team members in emergency situations!”

He nodded at Professor Liana’s explanation. In reality, there were quite a few cases where temporary party members were formed when operating on the front lines.

“All right! That’s all for the explanation! Make sure to prepare well, and let’s have a good week!”

And so, the consultation time ended, and the public lecture continued.

.

.

.

Perhaps due to the upcoming dungeon conquest schedule next week, the morning public lecture was filled with theories related to dungeons. There were common settings that often appeared in the original work, as well as those that didn’t appear or were completely different.

I’ve been thinking about it for a while, but it seems that knowledge of the original work is not particularly useful in this regard.

Even if it’s a matching setting, it’s only superficial knowledge, and deep content is not originally included.

Of course, there is not nothing related to the world view.

For example, the content related to Baek Arin’s ‘mask’…

But whether it’s from the original work or here, speaking of it is ultimately forbidden knowledge.

I experienced it firsthand in the 11th round.

At that time, as a character in the latter part of the growth curve, I could have killed Baek Arin and run away in reverse, but now it seemed that I could only end up being killed.

Anyway, in the near future, in order to obtain the confession necklace, and because the dungeon is involved in the way to lift one curse, I desperately memorized dungeon-related theories.

While doing so, my body also rolled. Professor Atra’s training method was still difficult.

It seems like he intends to let me try out every existing weapon once. On Monday, he handed me a long battle axe, and on Tuesday, he gave me a metal glove? Gauntlet and we fought.

It seems that Professor Atra has caught the thread of being ambidextrous. Perhaps it’s an innate combat ability.

Thanks to that, my ambidexterity skill is rapidly improving. These days, I’m touching various things, so the upward trend is more than expected.

So Wednesday came.

Today, oddly enough, there was also a swordsmanship class. For two days, it was full of dungeon-related theories.

“Throughout any era, the sword was a popular martial art. Before the great upheaval, in ancient history, the sword was the main weapon of humanity for thousands of years, and even in the age when gunpowder, not magic, was used, the sword was used.”

First-year common subject “Basic Practical Swordsmanship” class.

I stepped into a training hall of near-future design painted in blue and light gray, not the old-fashioned training ground that Professor Atra and I favored. The number of students was about 80. Even with that many people inside, it felt spacious.

After arranging the students, the professor in charge of basic practical swordsmanship was solemnly introducing the history of the sword.

He had a middle-aged man with sharp facial features that reminded one of a rock. His well-groomed beard and silver hair were impressive.

Although he seemed like a rough person at first glance, just by looking at his hidden momentum, it was clear that he was skilled.

“Practical Swordsmanship Basics is a time to directly demonstrate practical swordsmanship from ancient times to the present and understand the strengths and weaknesses of each.”

Practical swordsmanship basics. It was a familiar lecture.

Due to the thorough training in swordsmanship skills relative to the time, it was an essential subject in sword handling sessions.

Thanks to this, I also knew a bit about the professor’s personal information.

Nam Kyung-jun, ranked 1,120th in the individual combat category based on Main Story Part 1, a hero.

A figure belonging to the ‘Reverse Light’ department responsible for dealing with villains.

During the subjugation of villains, he suffered a serious injury to one arm, retired, and now became a professor at Siyoram.

That’s all the information I remember. The reason I remember it in the first place is because he was a professor of a subject with thorough swordsmanship skills and was a character who shone quite brightly without any background.

“First, let me demonstrate the basics of sword forms myself. Then, each student will analyze the form of the sword and try to use it directly with their body. In this process, sparring between students is also allowed.”

The professor drew his sword from his waist. The sharp blade received the light and emitted its characteristic chill.

“The swordsmanship to be analyzed is the Representative Three Swordsmanship (代三劍術), a basic swordsmanship consisting of three postures and six sword forms.”

After finishing his words, the professor took his stance. Then, the sword cut through the air.

He sequentially wielded the six sword forms starting from the three basic postures.

As the practitioner was skilled, even with just the basic swordsmanship, a sharp momentum could be felt.

How is it possible to make such movements with one injured arm?

The forms of the sword being performed sequentially are clear and easy to understand.

I focused my mind and carefully examined those movements. Each of those movements would accumulate as proficiency in swordsmanship.

“Sigh…”

Hong Yeon-hwa, who had been standing nearby with her arms crossed, let out a small yawn. She had a bored expression earlier, and now it seemed like drowsiness was setting in.

I hesitated for a moment and rummaged through my pocket. I took out something I had prepared before and offered it to Hong Yeon-hwa.

“Hmm?”

Hong Yeon-hwa, who had been tapping her lips with her palm, blinked. Her gaze soon moved towards the object I was offering.

“Uh…”

Her pupils seemed to tremble in confusion.

What I offered was a candy. Of course, it wasn’t one of those fancy candies that Hong Yeon-hwa usually gets, but it was a candy known for its ability to wake you up.

It’s supposed to be lemon-flavored… I think. Anyway, it sells a lot and the reviews say it’s delicious, so without saying anything else, it should be tasty.

“Are you giving this to me…?”

I wanted to display a hologram or something, but it was impossible as I was reaching out with one hand.

Instead, when I nodded, the corners of Hong Yeon-hwa’s mouth quivered. She took the candy I offered with trembling hands.

“…Thank you.”

Then she carefully stroked the candy held in her palm. The voice expressing gratitude was filled with emotion.

…The reaction seems somewhat intense. That thing doesn’t even cost 2,000 won, while the candy I received costs tens of thousands of won per piece, which is a crazy price difference.

They say it’s the thought that counts in gifts, but still, due to the price difference, it’s embarrassing from my side to offer it.

The professor’s demonstration ended. After receiving the swordsmanship through the smartwatch, we each had time to practice our swordsmanship.

While Hong Yeon-hwa disappeared at her friend’s call, I delved into the book on the Great Three Sword Techniques.

‘It’s complicated.’

Although the professor’s demonstration seemed intuitive, there was an enormous amount of information described in the book.

This posture was created for this reason, how the sword technique is connected, how to perform and respond to such sword forms, and so on…

It seemed very difficult to read all of it because of the detailed descriptions, but understanding it all would definitely be helpful.

That’s how I skimmed through the book for now.

– Clomp clomp

Footsteps were heard. It was natural. There are several people moving around in this training hall, so it’s natural to hear footsteps.

The reason the sound lingered in my ears was that the footsteps were heading straight towards me.

In spatial perception, a young man disciple approached me briskly.

“?”

I don’t know the person. He wasn’t exactly fat, but he had a plump body. When I looked at the muscles attached to his body, I expected him to be a combat major.

[Do you have any business?]

When I tapped on the smartwatch and asked, the man’s eyebrows twitched for a moment. His gaze moved between the hologram, my eyes, and then my mouth in turn.

The man seemed to hesitate for a moment, then opened his mouth with a determined expression.

“I request a duel with Yi Hayul.”

“…?”

My mind froze for a moment. He requested a duel. That person to me…

Do I know him? I racked my brain but couldn’t remember. We’re just in the same class. We’ve never even greeted each other.

I felt a question mark floating above my head.

At that moment, a girl from our class looked over and rushed towards us in a panic. Smack – her palm struck the man’s back without warning.

Without realizing it, I flinched – it was such a sharp sound.

“Ouch!”

“Ah! Are you crazy? Why are you acting up all of a sudden? Oh, sorry. This guy is so stupid and clueless…”

“No, wait…”

The attention was drawn to the commotion between the man and the woman.

Even Hong Yeonhwa, who had been arguing with her friend, turned her gaze in our direction. She scowled and then walked over.

The woman who had been pulling the man’s hair saw Hong Yeonhwa approaching and whimpered – she let out a new scream.

“You… Hey, stop making a scene─”

[Yes]

“─Just… Yes?”

The contemplative woman looked perplexed.

Hong Yeonhwa, who had approached a few steps closer, also tilted her head to the side.

Realizing I was being brief, I tapped on the smartwatch again.

[I accept the challenge]

The surroundings fell into silence.