A Wild Man Has Entered the Academy

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 81

I’ve said it countless times, but I’m not a fool. Even if I cause all sorts of accidents due to poor control of my strength, I still have good judgment.

So, I’ve known for a long time that I can’t beat Rod. How could I win against a human who wields a sword beyond the realm of magic?

Moreover, the title of Sword Saint isn’t something he earned through a game of chance. It’s the result of decades of honing his swordsmanship while traveling the world, just like Rize.

Even in the Soul World, his overwhelming strength is clearly demonstrated. A prime example is the Academy Collapse arc.

Despite being in a situation where he couldn’t even use 50% of his full power due to a demon’s trickery, he still managed to utterly crush his opponent.

Considering that the demon wasn’t just Blue but Indigo, it’s an extraordinary feat.

“Don’t do it.”

“What are you referring to?”

“Space Cutting.”

So, I started by pleading pathetically. Anything else is fine, just don’t use Space Severance.

You might say it’s disgraceful for me to plead after picking a fight, but call it disgraceful all you want.

Techniques related to space all ignore defensive capabilities. Defense becomes meaningless.

“Understood. That much should be acceptable. After all, it’s just sparring.”

Rod nodded, seemingly willing to allow that much.

As he said, this isn’t a life-or-death battle; it’s clearly sparring. The same place where I once fought Hector.

I wanted to rent the training ground, but someone else was using it. Besides, it might have drawn unwanted attention.

“Instead, I’ll use it for defense, not offense. I need at least one ace up my sleeve, don’t I?”

“Sure.”

“By the way, eating candy like that… Your teeth are going to rot. Maybe a trip to the dentist will knock some sense into you?”

Rod clicked his tongue in disapproval, genuinely concerned about the health of my teeth.

But it’s fine. Even if my teeth rot, I can just pull them out. They’ll grow back anyway.

If you’re wondering whether such regenerative power is something a person could have, I’ll tell you this: This is a fantasy world.

Besides, my teeth are so strong they rarely break. Didn’t Kara and Hector get hit by me and come out unscathed?

“Anyway, I’ll agree to your request. But let’s adjust the conditions a bit.”

“Conditions?”

“Yes. From observing you so far, I’ve noticed you have a reckless style that relies heavily on your regenerative power.”

He’s right. My main strategy is the classic “give flesh to take bone” approach.

Others might call me a crazy bastard for it, but I have regeneration on my side.

Even if I give up flesh, or even bone, as long as I have enough mana, I can regenerate everything. The pain during the process is just something I have to endure.

“I don’t want to harm you. But to avoid getting hit even once, I’d inevitably have to harm you. So, let’s tweak the conditions a bit.”

“Are you scared?”

“Haha. Who taught you to provoke so well?”

At my words, Rod let out a laugh, as if he couldn’t believe it. Then, he shifted his gaze elsewhere.

His gaze landed on none other than the spectators—Kara, who had come to watch our sparring.

Kara seemed uneasy, unable to meet Rod’s eyes. She simply gave a wry smile and turned her head away.

“Anyway, here’s the condition: This isn’t just sparring; it’s training and etiquette reinforcement. Do you know what honorifics are?”

Of course, I do. It’s the polite speech used for elders or people you respect. For the record, I can use it too.

But I’ve gotten so used to informal speech that it just doesn’t stick. In my mind, I’m using honorifics, but informal words keep slipping out.

I wondered if this was somehow related to faith, but it wasn’t. The fact that I can speak at length means I can use honorifics.

“The training will end when you manage to speak honorifics. Decide whether you’ll hold onto your pride until you pass out or give in.”

“What about the candy?”

“That depends on how much etiquette you’ve absorbed.”

Sounds like he’s not going to give it to me. At least, that’s what Rod has shown so far.

Does he want to break my stubbornness that badly? I guess I’ll have to fight him to figure out his intentions.

I gripped Ragnarok tightly, the weapon I’d brought from home, and glared at Rod. He stood there with one hand holding a sword and the other behind his back.

If Rize felt like an impenetrable wall, Rod felt like he was full of openings.

There are so many places to attack that I don’t even know where to start.

“Come at me freely. I’ll take everything.”

Bang!

If that’s the case, I won’t hold back.

The moment Rod finished speaking, I dashed forward with all my might. Using mana, I closed the distance in an instant.

Rod, like Rize, is a human who uses Navy-Colored Magic. There’s no need to test the waters from the start.

Objectively and subjectively, it’s an unchanging fact that I’m at an absolute disadvantage.

As Rod’s face came right up to mine, I swung my axe fiercely.

Thud—

“Huh?”

But what’s this? Rod, who was right in front of me, suddenly disappeared.

At the same time he vanished, my balance tipped forward sharply. My vision shifted from straight ahead to the ground.

Crash! Thud!

Unable to react to the sudden change in perspective, I tumbled ungracefully.

I managed to catch myself with my hands before falling completely, but I couldn’t avoid getting covered in dirt.

“You’re straightforward and upright. But your feet often leave the ground. As much as possible, keep your feet firmly planted.”

While I dusted myself off, Rod lectured me. Just as he pointed out, I tend to lift my feet off the ground when attacking.

It’s a habit I picked up from living in the forest. My ambush tactics, which involved climbing trees, left a strong impression.

Moreover, most of my prey was so large that I had to jump to hit their vital points.

“Come on. Try again. I’m ready anytime.”

Rod, still with his hands behind his back, urged me on. He radiated the same composure as Rize.

I want to land at least one hit. But before that, I should take his advice to heart.

Even while charging, I’ll keep my feet as close to the ground as possible. With that mindset, I hurled my axe.

Whoosh!

Since it was only meant for restraint, Rod dodged it easily with just a tilt of his head. I used the timing of his dodge to rush forward.

As I closed the distance to Rod, I silently called Ragnarok back. The axe began returning to me.

Unless he had eyes on the back of his head, he’d collide with the axe.

Snatch!

“What?”

But what’s this? Does he really have eyes on the back of his head?

Without even turning around, Rod reached back and caught the axe effortlessly.

Not only did he catch it, but he grabbed the handle precisely, as if it were second nature to him.

But now’s not the time to be amazed. I quickly gave up on reclaiming Ragnarok.

Instead, I threw a punch. My massive fist flew straight toward Rod’s face.

If this continues, I’ll land a solid hit on his face. Unless he turns his head, dodging will be difficult.

Swoosh—

But Rod’s actions defied my expectations. He simply took a step back.

Would you believe me if I said his movement was faster than my attack? And to top it off, he had already extended his sword forward.

It felt as if time had slowed down just for me. Rod’s stats are high, but due to his age and poisoning, he can’t fully utilize his abilities.

‘What the hell?’

While I was internally panicking, Rod gracefully moved the sword he had extended forward.

He drew a precise circle in the air, slicing through space where my fist was heading.

My fist slipped cleanly into the space Rod had cut.

Smack!

“Gah?!”

Then, out of nowhere, a fist struck my face squarely. He had connected space to counterattack.

The collision of my forward momentum and the force of my punch landed a perfect counter.

Crash!

Once again, I fell ungracefully. To think I’d get hit in the face by my own punch. What a bizarre experience.

Thanks to this, I realized just how painful my punches are. Kara and Hector must have suffered immensely.

‘What’s with Rize?’

That person remains unscathed even after taking punches like these. He wasn’t even fazed when I struck his stomach with an axe.

While I was momentarily lost in thought, Rod’s voice came from above, reaching my ears.

“No one taught you this strategy, yet you’re using it. Did Hector show you?”

No. I came up with this myself.

I steadied my dizzy mind and stood up. Not only did my jaw feel dislocated, but it seemed like my teeth were broken too.

It was a proper counter, rendering the Iron King stat meaningless. In terms of sheer force, it felt like Rize had struck my jaw.

‘In reality, it must have been worse than that.’

Snap!

Thanks to regeneration, my dislocated jaw was restored. I reached into my mouth and grabbed the broken teeth.

Then, I yanked them out entirely and threw them onto the floor.

Since they weren’t just loose but completely shattered, pulling them out was the better option.

“Keep going. From what Student Luna said, you can even use lightning, right?”

“…You heard?”

“You should say, ‘Yes, I heard.’ It seems you still don’t intend to use honorifics.”

-Make me use them. They still don’t feel natural to me.

I retrieved Ragnarok from Rod and stood up. How considerate of him.

Whoosh!

Without hesitation, I swung it. It was an attempt to create some distance.

Rod lightly evaded it by stepping back. Whether he used the Shukuchi Technique or not, with just one step, he had retreated far away.

As I’ve consistently mentioned, those who use navy-colored mana can ignore spatial constraints. The Shukuchi Technique is also a footwork skill that disregards spatial limitations.

‘No matter how you look at it, it’s absurdly overpowered.’

When I saw it in the Soul World, it was merely ‘impressive.’ But seeing it firsthand was something else entirely.

The closer I got, the more insurmountable it felt. If even indigo is like this, I can’t imagine how overwhelming purple must be.

I’m not sure if I’ll ever grow to that level. Still, I guess I have to try clashing with it at least once.

Crackle!

As soon as I widened the distance between Rod and myself, I activated the ‘Thunder’ skill I had recently acquired. Red Lightning began to envelop Ragnarok.

Ragnarok is an End Spec weapon for Faith Characters, especially believers of Gulak. Naturally, the power of the lightning was amplified.

“Red Lightning… Just from its aura alone, it’s far fiercer than Hector’s. But lightning is a force of nature—can its color really change?”

Rod tugged at his mustache as he observed my Red Lightning. Even with all his experience, it seemed this was his first time seeing such a phenomenon.

Meanwhile, I gathered as much lightning as I could before slashing diagonally with my axe. The Red Lightning roared like thunder as it was unleashed.

Boom!!!

Accompanied by thunder, the Red Lightning surged toward Rod. If it hit, he wouldn’t come out unscathed.

Not even Space Severance would be able to undo it. So, he would either dodge as before or take it head-on—one of the two…

Boom!

“…Huh?”

…Or so I thought. But what on earth was that? I was dumbfounded by the scene unfolding before my eyes.

Ignoring the earlier warning to keep both feet on the ground, Rod leapt slightly into the air.

Then, he swung his sword at the incoming Red Lightning. At first glance, it looked like he was cutting through the lightning.

Crackle!

However, my assumption was wrong. The moment his sword swung, the Red Lightning was absorbed entirely.

Just like how my axe held the lightning, Rod’s sword now contained the Red Lightning.

“Let me give you one more piece of advice. Abilities and techniques don’t harm their users. It’s like how your fists remain unscathed even when engulfed in flames.”

Rod spoke while still suspended in mid-air. The time he spent floating without touching the ground was remarkably long.

“But if you’re countered like this…”

With those words, Rod—

“You’ll suffer the full brunt of the damage.”

Returned the lightning right back at me.