A Wild Man Has Entered the Academy

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 57

Honestly, I started to have doubts. Were they underestimating me too much?

Most of the students were losing to Luna, who hadn’t even mastered the basics.

And Luna was overwhelmingly defeated by Kara, who, in turn, was overwhelmingly defeated by me.

Through this, they should already know that I possess absurd physical strength. Yet, for some reason, they had the confidence to ambush me.

To be honest, calling it an ambush is embarrassing, as even someone slightly perceptive could have noticed their preparations.

“The bracelet! Just break the bracelet!”

“If we eliminate them, we can handle the rest ourselves, so hurry up!”

So that’s what it was. I nodded at the cries of the ambushers hiding behind the thicket and trees.

It seemed their plan was to damage the bracelet and eliminate me since they couldn’t face me directly.

It might have been their version of a compromise, but they made a huge mistake. First of all, there’s the issue with the bracelet itself.

‘Even I can barely take this thing off.’

The structure of the bracelet is such that even removing it directly is difficult. It’s more efficient to break it than to carefully take it off.

Secondly, their ambush failed. If you’re going to ambush someone, you need to act before they notice—now it’s meaningless.

If not that, they should’ve acted the moment I showed a puzzled reaction.

With the ambush having failed, the only option left is a direct confrontation.

Lastly, the third point. This is the most important one.

“We just need to tie them down somehow! Stick to the plan!”

Plans and strategies are meaningless in the face of overwhelming power.

I took in the sight of the students rushing toward me. There were people wielding swords and shields, spears, axes, and so on.

Warriors of various job classes stood at the front line, while archers and mages capable of long-range support provided backup from behind.

“Tie them down!”

A woman, presumably a mage, pointed her staff in my direction and shouted. Magic is an ability activated through “language.”

With her words, I felt a subtle aura, followed by a strange sensation near my feet. I immediately looked down.

Looking below, I saw blue magic power binding my legs tightly, as if shackled by handcuffs. It seemed to be a temporary binding magic.

‘This is my first time seeing magic.’

While I had seen Rod slicing through space a few times, I had never encountered magic before. I hadn’t even had the opportunity to witness it.

As I stared curiously at my feet, bound by magic, the warriors reached right in front of me.

Killing is absolutely prohibited during practical training, and even causing serious injuries results in immediate elimination.

The professors are monitoring in real-time, so they can enforce elimination as needed.

Whoosh!

Of course, there’s no reason to show mercy to someone as sturdy as me. A sharp spear tip lunged toward my face.

They must have guessed my body was tough from my sparring with Kara. After all, I shattered Elvin’s sword with my teeth.

Naturally, their attack was slower compared to others, so I could easily dodge it by just tilting my head.

Crunch!

Or I could just grab it. I firmly caught the spear blade with my bare hand.

The spearman was startled by my action and quickly tried to pull back, but it was a futile effort.

Meanwhile, I sensed a presence not from the front but from behind. Well, charging only from the front would be foolish.

However, unlike the warriors who charged openly, this presence was sneaking up stealthily. Judging by the feeling, it seemed to be someone of the thief class.

Thud!

“Urgh?!”

Without even turning around, I grabbed the face of the person approaching me from behind. My hand was so large that I could hold their face with one hand.

As I turned my head, I saw a familiar face. A man with a sly and distinctive impression.

‘Antonio?’

It was Antonio, who had teamed up with Luna. Chronos’s younger brother and a thief skilled in scheming.

If Antonio was here, it meant Luna was also involved in this. I couldn’t help but wonder.

‘Why Luna?’

Of all people, it was Luna. She knew about Porori’s existence and Hector’s fight.

If anyone, she should understand how ridiculous this plan was. Yet, it seemed she had joined in.

My doubts were short-lived, as Antonio fumbled through his pocket and threw something at my face.

It was a round orb, and my excellent dynamic vision naturally focused on it.

Flash!

Before I could dodge, a bright flash erupted right in front of my eyes. The light was so intense that I instinctively closed my eyes.

No matter how strong I am, if my eyes are attacked, I can’t help but falter. Eyes are the most sensitive part of any human being.

“Now!”

As I staggered, Antonio shouted, seizing the opportunity. At the same time, I felt a strange sensation in my limbs.

While my legs were already bound by magic, people had grabbed both my arms tightly.

Even my legs were being clung to in a desperate struggle.

“Hurry up and break it! This guy’s body is tough, so it’s fine to smash it!”

“I know that!”

Along with that shout, someone raised their weapon high. Even with my eyes closed, I could sense their movements.

It seemed they had decided breaking the bracelet was easier than trying to remove it. What a brilliant plan.

Whoosh!

The weapon came swinging down toward the bracelet. The moment I sensed its presence, I acted.

My bracelet was currently on my left arm. And on that left arm, Antonio and others were clinging.

It looked like a desperate attempt to secure it, but it was all meaningless.

Crack!

“Gah!”

I moved my left arm, with two people hanging on it, directly into the path of the weapon. As a result, it struck Antonio squarely on the crown of his head.

Antonio collapsed to the ground as soon as he was hit. The person who swung the weapon looked visibly flustered.

But that brief moment was enough to free me. First, I needed to shake off the flies clinging to my body.

Thud!

“Argh!”

“Ugh!”

With a sweeping motion of my arms, the people clinging to me were flung off. Judging by the sound of them slamming into trees, they wouldn’t be getting up anytime soon.

Next was my legs. The magic binding them had already dissipated at some point.

I kicked away the person clinging to my leg as if I were kicking a soccer ball.

Crack!

Unlike the people who had clung to my arms, the sound was unsettling when I kicked with my leg. Something broke as they collided with a tree.

It wasn’t the tree that broke, but their waist seemed severely injured. Unlike Hector or me, their bodies weren’t tough.

Unless they could use the hardening technique, which seemed unlikely in such a desperate situation, they were out of luck.

“Fire!”

Perhaps sensing danger, the mage urgently shouted. Judging by how clearly they enunciated, they seemed quite skilled.

At the same time, the archer maintained their composure and fired an arrow at me. Watching the flame and the arrow fly toward me, I extended my arm.

There was still one warrior left beside me. The one who had tried to break the bracelet but ended up team-killing Antonio.

Thud!

“Guh?!”

I grabbed the warrior by the neck and thrust him forward. Immediately, flames and arrows struck his back.

A perfect human shield. The students who launched the attack likely held back their full power, knowing this.

“Aaaagh!”

Regardless, the student who became the shield screamed in agony. I threw the screaming student with force.

My target was the mage. The archer could be ignored, but the mage needed to be dealt with in advance.

Thud!

The hefty body of the warrior collided with the frail mage. I had thrown with enough strength to ensure they were knocked out.

That left only one person, the archer. Alone in the now-silent forest, the archer looked visibly shaken.

The mage, who had been right next to them, was knocked out by a human projectile, making them even more nervous.

At this point, there was only one choice they could make.

“Damn it!”

They turned and ran as fast as they could. I watched the fleeing archer with a blank expression.

It was a decision fitting the theme of survival, but I doubted the professors would give them a good evaluation.

Whoosh!

So, why don’t you pass out alongside them?

I picked up a stone lying on the ground and threw it at the archer.

I held back my strength, knowing that throwing it too hard might shatter their skull.

Thwack!

Despite the light throw, the stone hit the archer squarely on the head. The archer collapsed onto the hard dirt ground.

Sensing that the situation was more or less resolved, I looked around. Most of the students were either groaning in pain or unconscious.

Leaving them like this might become a hassle later, so it seemed better to eliminate them in advance.

‘How do you remove the bracelet again?’

I don’t know. I’ll just rip it off.

It’s more efficient to use force than to deactivate them one by one.

I slid my fingers under the inside of Antonio’s bracelet, the one who had been team-killed, and yanked it off.

Crack!

The bracelet broke far too easily the moment I pulled on it. Immediately, a change occurred in the thief.

Woom—

A blue barrier enveloped Antonio, transforming into a cocoon-like shape. It was a protective barrier that activated as a precaution.

From what I remember, once that barrier is activated, you can’t see or hear anything from inside.

Additionally, the sleep magic automatically triggered by the bracelet causes the wearer to pass out.

They say it’s to prevent claustrophobia, but I don’t really know.

Crack! Crack!

I proceeded to deactivate the bracelets of everyone who was still groaning but hadn’t passed out. The last one I removed belonged to the archer who had been caught while trying to escape.

By numbers alone, at least three teams had been eliminated. That left about six or seven teams remaining.

‘No matter how I think about it, this is strange.’

I looked around at the cocoon-filled surroundings, feeling a sense of puzzlement.

No matter how effective swarm tactics might be, this was ridiculously sloppy. Using a flash grenade to disrupt my vision was a good move, though.

But that was as far as it went. If they really wanted to pin me down, they should’ve sent even more people after me.

‘Did they think I was a fool?’

Maybe they did. They might have thought I was just a strong but foolish wildling who lived in the forest.

That’s the most likely possibility. Still, I hope they reconsider their assumptions after this.

Struggling with language doesn’t mean I’m a fool.

‘Or maybe they’ll just think I’m an even stronger fool than they expected?’

Either way, it doesn’t matter. I just need to do what I have to do.

Now that I’d dealt with the ambushers, the only thing left was to return to Grace and Lee Yeonju.

“Ah, you’ve come at just the right time.”

“?”

At that moment, a familiar voice reached my ears. I turned my head toward the direction of the voice.

A beauty with blonde hair and clear blue eyes, Luna, appeared. However, despite the serious situation, her expression was one of relief.

I was sure she had participated in this plan, but apparently, that wasn’t the case. Or maybe there was something I didn’t know.

“Sivar, you’re the one who took all these people down, right?”

“Yeah.”

“I knew it… Even with Kara Unnie, it wouldn’t have worked.”

Luna nodded at my response, as if she had anticipated all of this.

Unlike Antonio, who had led the surprise attack with everyone’s combined efforts, she had arrived far too late.

Conveniently late, at that. She hadn’t shown herself until I had finished ripping off all the bracelets.

What could she be thinking, showing up at such a perfect moment? Judging by the sword in her hand, confrontation was certain.

“Sivar, you should go to Grace right now. Other teams have decided to target her, thinking she might come to help you. That’s why I came here out of concern.”

“······?”

So that’s what it was. No wonder it felt like there were fewer people and they were sloppier than expected.

But I couldn’t understand why she was telling me this. I tilted my head in confusion.

Luna slowly gripped her sword and assumed a stance. It seemed she was preparing to fight me seriously.

“I know I can’t beat you. But I’m still going to try.”

“··· ···”

“And… I have something to tell you.”

“Something to tell me?”

Luna’s words about having something to say piqued my curiosity.

After a brief moment of hesitation, she cautiously opened her mouth.

“Let’s talk after this is over, just the two of us.”

“··· ···”

“It’s something really important, for both you and me.”

They’re probably listening to all of this right now.

*****

Just as Sivar had predicted.

“Does anyone have popcorn? At least give me some potato chips.”

“Sorry, but we don’t have anything like that. We didn’t see this coming either.”

“This is getting interesting. But are feelings already starting to develop?”

“With Sivar’s face, it might actually be possible.”

The observing professors began to watch with keen interest.