The moment Baltar Grace’s name was mentioned, everyone’s faces became clearly filled with excitement, without any sign of composure.
A chance to learn from the top knights of the kingdom.
No, even if I don’t receive any teachings, just meeting face to face would be of inestimable value.
Baltar’s presence was that significant.
“… You’re not lying, are you?”
It was a question from a cadet, and it could not have been an impolite question.
It is the honor of the knight order that the knight belongs to, so it is common sense that he would not go against it.
“Of course.”
And the instructor nodded his head without a single millisecond of hesitation.
He said he didn’t tell any lies.
Then, half of the students in the swordsmanship department woke up with a dry cough and greed.
‘Could I beat an active knight?’
‘It’s impossible to win with the regular method. But if you just lose some stamina and then fight, then maybe…!’
‘You have to go strategically, strategically.’
The cadets racked their brains and devised strategies.
No, honestly, it was a bit tricky to even call it a strategy, it was an idea that even children could easily come up with, but how could children who don’t even have the ability to analyze their opponent’s strategy come up with such an outrageous strategy to beat an active player?
So it wasn’t like they were stupid.
It was just simple.
And the simplest of these is.
“Kunta, here we go.”
A man came forward to make fun of my awkward pronunciation.
Warriors from the jungles, grasslands, and deserts, who are not yet familiar with the continent’s common language, have appeared.
He was a warrior who reminded me of a handsome black panther, and he was none other than a brave warrior from the famous mysterious race of Barbarians.
“Kuntada, son of Urba, the great warrior who carries the white-feathered serpent.”
Woof.
“I request a duel…!”
The S-shaped single-edged sword reflects the sunlight and gleams coolly.
It was called Kopesh, also known as the sickle sword or the cicle sword.
It’s tricky to use, but once you get the hang of it, it’s a sword that can be quite challenging to deal with.
But that sword caused a resonance phenomenon.
It wasn’t a black mark. But there was a tremor just before the black mark phenomenon occurred.
It was proof that he was quite skilled, showing how familiar he was with swords.
Seeing this, the cadets realized that the savage warrior was by no means inferior to them.
No, rather, it is infinitely higher.
The cadets laughed, even though they were angry at realizing this.
‘At that level, even the instructor would have a hard time dealing with him.’
‘Okay!’
The cadets were jealous of the barbarian warrior, but they hoped he would do his best to hold back their instructor.
Even for their own purposes… … !
Phew!!
thud-!
… The next moment, Kunta’s body flipped over and he was falling to the floor.
“???”
…Kunta blinked, not even realizing that he had lost.
“What, what happened!?”
“… Ah, I didn’t see anything… .”
The series of events happened so quickly that no one saw it clearly.
There was a commotion, and the instructor picked up Kunta, who was still sprawled on the floor.
Phew!
… Was it possible for a person to sound that light? And that too, with such a large body?
“Your posture was good. Your swordsmanship was good, but because of your arrogant posture, you lost without even having a chance to fight back. What would you do if you let your guard down?”
“…Kunta doesn’t let his guard down.”
“No, I didn’t. You might have noticed that I’m smaller than you, so you let your guard down.”
“… … I told you not to bully those who are smaller and weaker than me.”
“That’s what you call carelessness, idiot.”
Taaak!
The instructor’s finger flicked lightly and struck Kunta on the forehead, causing him to fall backwards with a thud.
A simple slap toppled a two-meter-tall creature.
“Eww!”
“Don’t let your guard down next time. If you keep doing that, you’ll definitely die someday.”
“… … I remembered, Instructor. But what was the name of the technique you gave me? It’s a martial art I’ve never seen before.”
“Shoulder-hugging.”
“Oh, I remembered.”
Kunta accepted defeat so meekly and trudged back to his place.
It was a humiliating defeat, but he didn’t seem to take it to heart.
and
“Okay, who’s next?”
-… … .
“Come out quickly. I’ll do it.”
… the cadets were silent.
* * *
To be honest, what Lee Han did wasn’t much.
It was simply a matter of digging into the opponent’s arms and then striking the wrist with the bottom of the palm.
So-called long-distance hitting.
A light wrist snap shocks the opponent, releasing the strength in his wrist and snatching the sword from him, while simultaneously hoisting it onto his shoulder and throwing it away.
It couldn’t have been a simpler principle.
Of course, I did try to hit a move similar to the one Baltar had shown the day before, but it was so poorly done that it was hard to even call it a technique. It was just a simple technique that could be blocked if you wanted to.
But that simple technique.
“Cough!?”
“What good is a swordsman with such weak physical strength?”
The problem is that we are helpless.
16 consecutive wins.
This was the winning percentage that Lee Han achieved, and that means there are more people playing at the bottom.
Achieving victory solely through sparring techniques or joint control rather than striking.
As I practice on people like this, I feel like my skills are gradually improving.
‘But aren’t these kids too weak?’
Lee Han looked at them with pitiful eyes.
Except for Kunta, who was my first opponent, there weren’t any opponents that were that interesting.
A little better sparring partner than just an ugly rag doll.
Since the cadets’ level was that low, Lee Han was filled with dissatisfaction.
‘Don’t be so arrogant.’
While fighting that guy called Lark the day before, I realized that there are many skilled knights other than Baltar, but looking at these Academy cadets makes me feel uneasy.
It’s not that he’s strong like a mutant.
On the contrary.
‘These kids, most of them have weak fundamentals.’
What’s the matter? There aren’t many people who have a solid foundation.
Would you believe me if I told you that out of the sixteen people I’ve faced so far, only two of them had any fundamentals?
‘Hmm, this is a bit serious.’
I heard they’re all elites, but why are they all like this?
I was thinking about that.
“… Yeah, this is it.”
Only when another ‘two people’ stood in front of him did Lee Han’s expression relax.
“It’s Arno, Arno d’Offen.”
“My name is Garland, Instructor.”
“…two.”
“Is there a problem?”
“No, it doesn’t matter. Rather, I’m glad that someone is finally using their brain.”
He never said he was aiming for one-on-one.
I told you all to come at me.
So these guys are smart.
Because I knew his intentions.
Sling.
A combination of a boy wielding dual swords and a young man wielding a spear.
Both of them were quite skilled, and were on the same level as Kunta, who I first faced.
However, the difference with Kunta is that he didn’t let his guard down, but rather showed signs of trying to give it his all from the beginning, so there’s no need to worry about being foolish and letting your guard down.
‘I’ve cleared out some of the weak ones, so now the named ones are coming out.’
I know who they both are.
Even if they were not interested in the cadets, they were famous people, so they had heard rumors about them.
The eldest son of the renowned swordsman Offen family, famous for producing military generals for generations and countless swordsmen,
He is the leader of the legendary mercenary group, the Wolves of the Wilderness, and the disciple of the great mercenary known as the Mercenary King.
To be honest, neither of them are good enough to enter the academy, just like Kunta.
Rather, it would be right to take the entrance exam to the Knights Templar right away.
“Why did you come here? Did you come here to play house?”
“I came here because I wanted to duel Prince Roen. I am very satisfied that I was able to duel someone as unexpected as the instructor.”
“I came here to try to become a knight. I thought it would be better than being a mercenary. But I also thought it would be better to enjoy my youth rather than becoming a knight right away, so I enrolled.”
“…They’re both weird.”
“Are you just going to be an instructor?”
“That’s not for you to say.”
Now, some satisfactory guys started to appear. Lee Han smiled happily and for the first time, he held a wooden sword instead of bare hands.
He was wielding a wooden sword to fight those with real swords and spears, but he had already knocked all the people with weapons to the ground with his bare hands, so you could tell he was somewhat sincere.
It also meant that their skills were highly regarded.
“Thank you, Instructor.”
“You don’t want to eat real food?”
“I want to take it, but I can’t kill a cadet.”
“… … .”
“… He is a nobleman as scary as our inspiration.”
Phew!
There was no further conversation.
Instead, Arno swung his sword.
In his left hand he holds a short but wide military sword, and in his right hand he holds a sword that is slightly longer than the one he holds in his left hand.
Although it is generally considered useless to wield two swords, he wielded them with such skill that it is hard to imagine how much bloody practice he must have gone through.
Phew! Phew!
While practicing swordsmanship with one hand, he was waiting for an opportunity with the other hand like a scorpion’s stinger.
And another one, Garand’s spear that was approaching without hesitation was no ordinary spear either.
Kwajik!
It was a huge spear that looked heavy and had a blade as well as a spearhead.
Pole arm. A uniquely shaped spear resembling an oriental spear was swinging, giving off the appearance of cutting a person in half.
A battle that ensues in an instant.
Every time a crack was heard, sparks flew and a horrible, cracking sound was heard.
Each time the two blades flashed, a trajectory was created, and Garand’s strike, swinging his huge spear with ease, contained a strength that could even shatter rocks.
Paaang!
In fact, even if he were an active knight, it wouldn’t be easy to withstand attacks from two people.
That’s why.
“Hoooooo…!”
It’s unbelievable that those two would get tired first.
Before they knew it, they were drenched in sweat and looked at Lee Han as if he were some other creature, not a human.
What is this heaviness?
Was breathing this painful?
“… Instructor, I know this is rude, but are you human?”
“Ha, that’s ridiculous.”
The two cadets, Arno and Garland, were so dumbfounded that they even asked stupid questions.
That makes sense, look at this.
Two people with strong self-esteem even swallowed their pride and demonstrated teamwork.
A child of a noble family and a disciple of a mercenary soldier.
Two men who are like polar opposites are fighting so hard to defeat him.
“I’m human, yes. I’m just a bit stronger than you guys.”
…he didn’t take a single step back.
Not only are every single blow they make blocked, but if you try to push them away with force, you will be pushed back as if you were falling backwards.
Also, it’s clear that the opponent is fighting with wooden swords, but instead of the wooden swords breaking, their weapons are making noises as if they’re going to break.
The screams from the weapons sent tingles through their wrists and arms, and they looked at their instructor with dizzying eyes.
Lee Han-eun.
“The momentum is a bit weak. It’s probably because it’s not fully mature yet, but it has some weak points. If you just fix those parts, it’ll be good.”
“…Are you saying that we are weak-hearted?”
“It means the momentum is weak.”
“I don’t think it’s lacking.”
“No. If you want to say that the momentum is strong-.”
This much should be enough.
Phew!
He took a deep breath, as if he would rather demonstrate than explain.
With all my might.
He held his breath with all his might, as if testing the limits of his lung capacity.
“Put your pressure down━!”
He let out a loud roar.
But no one heard that spirit properly.
Tingle tingle!
It was just a show of force.
It’s not that loud of a voice.
He just let out a loud shout that anyone can do.
But those who heard that loud roar, especially the faint-hearted ones, would falter.
“Ugh…!?”
“Cough!”
My legs gave out in the face of the momentum he was giving off.
Not only that, some people almost got tired of it.
The roar of a beast.
Arno and Garland’s bodies froze with the appropriate roar of such expression.
I try to move, but it doesn’t move.
“… Fear?”
Irene, who is a sorcerer, defined this phenomenon.
There are times when large monsters can knock people out with just their momentum.
The principle was to force a rabbit to panic when faced with a bear.
What Lee Han is showing now is the same.
“It’s called ‘lion’s roar.’ If we translate it directly, it would be something like the roar of a lion.”
“… … .”
“Do you understand? This is what momentum is. You have to be determined to crush and overwhelm your opponent. And if you can easily overcome this level of momentum, you can make me retreat. But you lack this. Maybe it’s because you grew up in a greenhouse. If you gain more experience and experience in real battles, your momentum will eventually mature. In the end, time solves everything.”
“… Are you really human?”
Even as they listened to Lee Han’s teachings, they once again raised questions.
I don’t think this momentum will be achieved through effort and experience.
They just sat there.
dump!
Even if I try to hold on, it’s hard to hold on.
Lee Han smiled at them as they sat there, looking refreshed.
I feel like my body is finally warming up a bit now.
And then.
“Come out.”
“… … .”
“I’m saying this because I think you’re different from the others, who don’t seem to have any intention of attacking me anymore. Well, you don’t have to.”
Who are you talking to?
His remarks were almost like provocation, and fortunately, the person his provocation was directed at responded as if he had been waiting for it.
Thump.
“-That’s not it. I think it’s because out of all the people here, he was the one who was most looking forward to it.”
A nobleman with black hair stood in front of him, drawing his sword, and Lee Han laughed, thinking that it was finally starting to get fun.
Roen.
He is suspected of being a regressor, and is his number one target for surveillance, and is secretly Lee Han.
‘The big one is here.’
Today, it couldn’t have been the most anticipated big event.
